, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
And that leads nicely into my last question, which is quite simple.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
And in regard to the significant holistic pressures there are around retention of staff in social care, that money is obviously very welcome. How do you respond if it was said to be a drop in the ocean as to what is needed? You've mentioned the amount of…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Thank you. We had a number of different witnesses earlier discussing around this particular area, particularly the Association of Directors of Social Services, around the pressures that there are. Although there's that welcome uplift of £165 million and the…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
It just goes to demonstrate the ambiguities that there are for local authorities in this really unprecedented time. And in terms of the varieties of reserves, obviously local government is very, very varied across Wales in terms of the needs that it needs to…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Thank you, Chair.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Thank you. Finally, does this budget sufficiently prioritise policies that support protected groups and prevent households and individuals falling into crisis?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Thank you very much. We've heard about a number of different key, important schemes and initiatives in terms of assistance that are Wales specific. Education maintenance allowance, obviously, for quite a while has been highlighted as key to our young…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
It would be useful, at some point, if we're updated on that progress and those meetings. In regard, then, to the importance of improving energy efficiency across homes in Wales, what support will the Welsh Government provide?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Proactive.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
My understanding, and forgive me if I'm wrong, is that all the new builds are being built to that requirement in terms of the band B programme from the get-go, so it would have been incorporated within that. In terms of the vast array of available grants and…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Or protected.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
No, that's made it more clear.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Inflationary.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Okay, so, there is clarity around that. That's fine.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Oh, it's a flat budget.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Yes, it was just a brief comment on the dialogue around this biodiversity budget line. I think it was the future generations commissioner who said that it was a simple reallocation from other budget lines in terms of coming from funding for nature and natural…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
On that particular point, in terms of strategic integrated impact assessments and the establishment of BAGE, it would be very interesting for this committee if we could perhaps be informed as to what impacts that has had in terms of effects on this draft…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Okay.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Okay. I was just going to ask for some clarity, similarly to Mike, in a sense. Once the outline business case has been permitted, and that funding has gone into schools as a base for that, with the new inflationary levels and the impact on that, that doesn't…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
In a similar vein in terms of discussing the merits—and I hear what you're saying in terms of risk and the unknown consequences in terms of potentially raising even the top 1 per cent in terms of the £36 million that you've modelled—obviously, that £36…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 7
Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 7
Thank you. I'm not sure if Lis wanted to comment briefly.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 7
Thank you. I'm going to move on to my final question, Chair, if I may, in terms of band B of what used to be twenty-first century schools. It's got another name now, I believe: the sustainable communities for learning. In terms of the number that have already…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 7
And in regard then to—. I mean, it's already happened, but, in regard to potential or actuality of any market failure around that, what mitigations can local authorities do to carry out their statutory responsibilities? How difficult is that, if anyone can…
