National Assembly for Wales

The move to Alert Level 2 in our Coronavirus Control Plan enabled all holiday accommodation, including outdoor education centres, to reopen from 17 May providing accommodation for members of the same or extended household (or anyone who is a carer of a member of the household).

Shared accommodation by multiple households, however, will not be permitted until Wales moves to Alert Level 1 when six people from six different households (excluding children under the age of 11 and carers) will be allowed to share holiday accommodation.  This applies to all holiday accommodation, including outdoor education centres.

We continue to review the scientific and public health advice available and discussion is ongoing around when we will move to Alert Level 1. 

The Welsh Government has established a fund to support the residential outdoor education sector in Wales during these difficult times with an initial allocation of £2m.  This fund will provide eligible centres across Wales with support to cover essential operating costs during the period June to September 2021.  Full details in relation to eligibility for the Fund, including an online Expression of Interest Form, were published on the Business Wales webpages on 14 May - https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/.

The move to Alert Level 2 in our Coronavirus Control Plan enabled all holiday accommodation, including outdoor education centres, to reopen from 17 May providing accommodation for members of the same or extended household (or anyone who is a carer of a member of the household).

Shared accommodation by multiple households, however, will not be permitted until Wales moves to Alert Level 1 when six people from six different households (excluding children under the age of 11 and carers) will be allowed to share holiday accommodation.  This applies to all holiday accommodation, including outdoor education centres.

We continue to review the scientific and public health advice available and discussion is ongoing around when we will move to Alert Level 1. 

The Welsh Government has established a fund to support the residential outdoor education sector in Wales during these difficult times with an initial allocation of £2m.  This fund will provide eligible centres across Wales with support to cover essential operating costs during the period June to September 2021.  Full details in relation to eligibility for the Fund, including an online Expression of Interest Form, were published on the Business Wales webpages on 14 May - https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/.

We remain open to the prospect of having Freeports in Wales. We have written to Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretary of State for Wales expressing our willingness to work with the UK Government on this idea and have offered to meet the Chancellor, but have yet to receive a response. Such a meeting could address the issues raised in your question.

The Welsh Government has regular dialogue with the FAW but has not had specific discussions with the governing body about youth football tournaments. The FAW is aware from our guidance and stakeholder meetings with officials that organised activities are limited to 30 people indoors and 50 people outdoors at Alert Level 2 of the Coronavirus Control Plan.  We will review the measures again on 3 June.

Please note that I am providing the total awards, rather than the number of businesses, as some will have received more than one grant under the various schemes.

More than £147m was paid out in NDR grants in late March and early April 2021. In addition, during April and into early May a further £24m-plus has reached businesses affected by restrictions through our ERF sector fund. Our new and latest ERF package opened to applications on 24 May. This figure excludes the latest package opened to application on Monday

Including the £147m referenced above, the total amount of support from the various funds paid to businesses since October 2020 is 184,917 offers worth £682.8m.

This is broken-down as follows:

• ERF 3 business development grants and Lockdown Fund (October/November 2020) combined support – 54,924 offers; £184.4m
• Pre-Christmas hospitality restrictions fund (Paid in three phases in December 2020; February 2021 and March/April 2021) – 123,329 offers; £423.5m
• ERF sector specific fund phase 1 (January/February 2021) – 5,517 offers; £49.8m
• ERF sector specific fund phase 2 (March/April 2021) – 1,147 offers; £25.1m

Data on business deaths can be found on Stats Wales https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Business-Economy-and-Labour-Market/Businesses/Business-Demography  

Please note that I am providing the total awards, rather than the number of businesses, as some will have received more than one grant under the various schemes.

More than £147m was paid out in NDR grants in late March and early April 2021. In addition, during April and into early May a further £24m-plus has reached businesses affected by restrictions through our ERF sector fund. Our new and latest ERF package opened to applications on 24 May. This figure excludes the latest package opened to application on Monday

Including the £147m referenced above, the total amount of support from the various funds paid to businesses since October 2020 is 184,917 offers worth £682.8m.

This is broken-down as follows:

• ERF 3 business development grants and Lockdown Fund (October/November 2020) combined support – 54,924 offers; £184.4m
• Pre-Christmas hospitality restrictions fund (Paid in three phases in December 2020; February 2021 and March/April 2021) – 123,329 offers; £423.5m
• ERF sector specific fund phase 1 (January/February 2021) – 5,517 offers; £49.8m
• ERF sector specific fund phase 2 (March/April 2021) – 1,147 offers; £25.1m

Data on business deaths can be found on Stats Wales https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Business-Economy-and-Labour-Market/Businesses/Business-Demography  

Please note that I am providing the total awards, rather than the number of businesses, as some will have received more than one grant under the various schemes.

More than £147m was paid out in NDR grants in late March and early April 2021. In addition, during April and into early May a further £24m-plus has reached businesses affected by restrictions through our ERF sector fund. Our new and latest ERF package opened to applications on 24 May. This figure excludes the latest package opened to application on Monday

Including the £147m referenced above, the total amount of support from the various funds paid to businesses since October 2020 is 184,917 offers worth £682.8m.

This is broken-down as follows:

• ERF 3 business development grants and Lockdown Fund (October/November 2020) combined support – 54,924 offers; £184.4m
• Pre-Christmas hospitality restrictions fund (Paid in three phases in December 2020; February 2021 and March/April 2021) – 123,329 offers; £423.5m
• ERF sector specific fund phase 1 (January/February 2021) – 5,517 offers; £49.8m
• ERF sector specific fund phase 2 (March/April 2021) – 1,147 offers; £25.1m

Data on business deaths can be found on Stats Wales https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Business-Economy-and-Labour-Market/Businesses/Business-Demography  

There have been no discussions on this issue.

Whilst clearly wanting Wales to fully realise the benefits of full fibre as identified in Openreach’s recent report, the responsibility for the deployment of full fibre broadband rests with the UK Government.

However, we continue to utilise the levers we have within our power, with our own fibre roll out continuing, which will see 39,000 premises given access to gigabit capable fibre networks to some of the most hard to reach areas across Wales. Officials also continue to work with their counterparts in DCMS to ensure that Wales is at the forefront of the UK Government’s Project Gigabit roll out plans.

The legislation for private scooters is not devolved to the Welsh Government and is the responsibility of the UK Government. It is currently illegal to use an e-scooter on a UK public road, cycle lane or pavement, except where it is used as part of a Department for Transport sponsored trial scheme. No trials are currently planned in Wales.

Safety is one of our main concerns in considering the introduction of e-scooters. We have previously engaged with stakeholders at a Ministerial level, such as the the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in Wales amongst others, to understand the potential impact and safety of all users of roads and pavements.

The Nature Recovery Action Plan sets out Welsh Government’s priorities for tackling biodiversity loss.  Central to this is the need to build resilient ecological networks across Wales to safeguard species and habitats, including the Atlantic puffin. 

Welsh Government has significantly strengthened the coherence of the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) over recent years with the designation of three large areas for the conservation of harbour porpoise, and six additional coastal areas for birds including Atlantic puffin.  Such designations conserve whole ecosystems, including the food chains in them, which birds like Atlantic puffin rely on. As a result we have seen a 59% increase in Atlantic puffins in Pembrokeshire alone.

This year we are also investing an additional £12m to improve the condition and connectivity of our terrestrial and marine protected sites like Skomer, Skokholm and the Seas off Pembrokeshire Special Protection Area (SPA). These sites will form the core of resilient ecological networks, where habitats and species like the Atlantic puffins can further thrive and expand.

Substantive response

Substantive response

The financial pressures on unpaid carers have increased during the pandemic and while small grants for individual carers and families can provide some immediate relief to those eligible, as was the case through the Carers Support Fund, or local authority assistance grants, our funding to support local authorities and other services is the primary means to support carers.  We are also committed to strengthening support for unpaid carers through a £1m Covid hardship fund in 2021.

Some unpaid carers are entitled to welfare benefits, including Carers Allowance and Attendance Allowance. When we established our Single Advice Fund (SAF) we required providers to offer welfare benefit entitlement checks to all those who accessed their services, regardless of their presenting concern. In the first year, the benefit advice services delivered through the Single Advice Fund have helped people to claim more than £34m in benefits they are entitled to. 

The Single Advice Fund advice and access partners have run ‘Test and Learn’ pilots, delivering tailored messages and support to encourage take-up among groups least likely to be claiming all the financial support they are entitled to.

The pilots started in October 2020 and ended in March 2021. Some 1,440 people were reached, of which 188 were full-time carers. They were advised about more than 5,000 issues relating to benefit entitlements, helping them to gain additional benefits of around £2.4m per year. The learning from the pilots is being shared, helping people from key groups, including older people and their carers to continue to claim the financial support they are entitled to.  

We continue to provide significant resources to local authorities through the Revenue Support Grant to enable them to deliver the services and support their communities rely on. 

Decisions about the resumption of face-to-face support for young carers and adult unpaid carers rests with local authorities and commissioned service providers, in light of Welsh Government guidance.

In making decisions, they need to ensure the activity can operate in a COVID-safe way with the necessary social distancing in place and that those using the services or accessing activities feel comfortable and happy to return to the modified service.

From 3 May, community centres have been allowed to reopen for all organised activity. However, they will still need to maintain social distancing and limitations do apply (30 people outdoors and 15 people indoors). Guidance on the use of community/care centres is available at: https://gov.wales/safe-use-multi-purpose-community-centres-covid-19

We were pleased so many services responded swiftly to the pandemic and continued to provide help and support in a variety of ways to unpaid carers, and those they care for.

The Welsh Government has funded national carers’ organisations to provide alternative online and phone support services for unpaid carers, for example the new Carers Wales Listening Support Service which is funded via the Sustainable Social Services Third Sector Support Grant scheme (2020-2023). https://www.carersuk.org/wales/help-and-advice/listening-support-service

For many young carers school and college plays a key role in helping them connect with friends and gain emotional and peer to peer support, as well as respite from caring responsibilities at home. As pupils have returned to school and learners to college, this has helped many young carers re-establish contact and provides them with face-to-face support from friends, teachers, school counselling services and other support as appropriate.

The Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 (the Act) required each local authority in Wales to produce and publicise a local toilets strategy by 31 May 2019. The Act does not require the Welsh Government to monitor compliance by local authorities in respect of local toilets strategies. Each local authority is responsible for how their local toilet strategies are produced, published, disseminated and reviewed and are accountable to their local populations and representatives. This was made clear during the passage of the Act.

The Welsh Government has provided guidance to local authorities on developing local toilet strategies:  https://gov.wales/public-toilets-guidance-local-authorities

The Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 (the Act) required each local authority in Wales to produce and publicise a local toilets strategy by 31 May 2019. The Act does not require the Welsh Government to monitor compliance by local authorities in respect of local toilets strategies. Each local authority is responsible for how their local toilet strategies are produced, published, disseminated and reviewed and are accountable to their local populations and representatives. This was made clear during the passage of the Act.

The Welsh Government has provided guidance to local authorities on developing local toilet strategies:  https://gov.wales/public-toilets-guidance-local-authorities

Under section 11 of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010, every local authority must secure sufficient play opportunities in its area for children having regard to the 3 yearly sufficiency assessment which it must carry out.

Wales: A Play Friendly Country was published in July 2014 as the Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities on assessing and securing sufficient play opportunities for children in their areas.  It places a duty on local authorities to ensure there is space available for children to play including playgrounds and play areas. 

Every three years, local authorities provide Welsh Government with a Play Sufficiency Assessment, their next assessment is due in 2022.  Local Authorities’ Play Action Plans are developed to maintain the strengths and address the shortcomings identified in the assessment. The Play Action Plans are reviewed each year to monitor progress and set out actions that need to be taken. .

The Planning Policy Wales also sets out a clear requirement that recreational and play spaces should be provided.

During the pandemic, guidance has been published for those who own and maintain playgrounds regarding risk assessment and key considerations for safely reopening playgrounds. During the pandemic, the Welsh Government has invested an additional £3,000,000 of capital in play projects.

We were pleased Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board asked the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) to undertake this external review of the vascular service. We have noted the findings and recommendations of the recent invited review report.

The Health Board had already established a Task and Finish group to oversee implementation of the recommendations from its own internal review and we understand that work programme has been reviewed and updated in light of the RCS recommendations.

We expect the Health Board to have appropriate referral pathways in place so all patients can access treatment and support. We will continue to monitor the Health Board’s progress in implementing the RCS recommendations.