One Wales Cabinet Committees in 2009
Hello devo-nerds!
PLEASE NOTE: I have adopted a new approach to my summaries of WG Cabinet Committees. I am not going to download all Committee Papers in future, only those where I have a specific research interest. The meeting links I file below will be where the papers can be found.
Children and Young People
The first meeting of this committee was on 26 January. The Cabinet Committee was invited to note progress made in the development and delivery of a New Advocacy Service Framework for Wales. Ministers were informed that as of 12th January 2009, the Advocacy Development and Performance Unit (ADPU) based at St. Asaph was fully staffed and would be moving to the new Welsh Assembly Government offices at Llandudno Junction once building work had been completed. The ADPU would have a key role in commissioning, planning and monitoring the all-Wales Advocacy and Advice Service and would also establish a National Independent Advocacy Board (NIAB).
It was reported that advertisements would be issued shortly for members of the NIAB and that children and young people would sit on the selection panel. The terms and proposals for taking forward a Specialist Integrated Advocacy Service (IAS) through the local Children and Young People’s Partnerships had been made on the basis of 22 Local Health Boards (LHBs)and 22 local authorities working together to plan and commission IAS in specified services. Ministers indicated that the National Health Service (NHS) reorganisation which had reduced the number of LHBs to 7 necessitated a review of proposals. The Cabinet Committee were informed that regulations to place duties on local authorities and health partners would be instituted in statute by spring 2010. In the intervening period lead partners in the Children and Young People partnerships would be kept fully informed and would be provided with the tools and operational guidance to assist with preparation and planning.
Ministers considered a paper which provided an update on the work of the Rights into Action for Disabled Children and Young People Task Group. It was reported that significant progress had been made on delivering the Task Group’s priorities in areas such as ensuring play provision, early years childcare and continued funding for short break provision and respite care.
The Chair introduced a paper which invited the Cabinet Committee to note the approach taken in the development of the action plan which was being produced in response to the recommendations of the National Behaviour and Attendance Review.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to note progress made on the development of a Children and Young People Workforce Development Strategy for Wales and a Common Core of Skills, Knowledge and Understanding for the Children and Young People Workforce. The potential for developing a greater degree of career progression within the children and young people’s sector workforce was discussed, particularly in childcare which has traditionally created few opportunities for promotion or progression. Ministers indicated that it was important for clear career paths to be developed, thereby making a career in the children and young people’s sector more attractive. The impact of the global economic downturn on Children and Young People workforce development was discussed. It was noted that demand for childcare service may decrease with growing unemployment. Furthermore, it was acknowledged that given the downturn, local authorities may opt to bring Children and Young People service in-house rather than outsourcing to the private sector. Ministers commented on the gender balance of employees in the Children and Young People sector. It was noted that most of the 1,900 recently recruited learning assistants employed through the Foundation Phase programme had been female. It was suggested that more work could be done to investigate the gender balance of apprenticeship applicants and it was agreed that local authorities should be more pro-active in ensuring a balance was delivered.
The Cabinet Committee noted a paper which provided an update on the Welsh Assembly Government’s Young People in the Criminal Justice System - Learning Initiative and acknowledged that cross-portfolio meetings were being arranged to accelerate progress.
I have NOT downloaded the papers for this committee, but you can find them via the link above and the links for the following meetings.
The Committee met again on 16 March. It was reported that the Children and Families Measure had been launched the previous week and that the Learning and Skills Measure was scheduled for its Stage 3 debate in the National Assembly for Wales the following day.
The Chair introduced a paper which invited the Cabinet Committee to consider how to take forward new initiatives to embed children and young people’s participation into mainstream activities within the Welsh Assembly Government and across Wales.Ministers welcomed the progress being made in securing the engagement of children’s participation across the Assembly Government, most recently in the selection and appointment of the Child Advocacy Board. The appointment of 60 Divisional Learning Officers across the Welsh Assembly Government had helped to achieve this, as had the inclusion of a training course on children’s participation in the Assembly Government’s training programme.
The group discussed the role of Funky Dragon and acknowledged that its work included acting as a children’s and young people’s Assembly for Wales and as a forum for children to provide independent scrutiny of policy and service provision for children and young people in Wales. The benefits of establishing linkages between Funky Dragon and special interest groups such as the Disabled Children’s Network were underlined.
Ministers considered a paper which provided an overview of the ongoing work on the School Effectiveness Framework (SEF) programme and emerging findings from the school pilot evaluation. It was noted that the pilot had begun in September 2008 and was due to end in July 2009. Officials reported that the SEF pilot, which was operating in 96 schools, was yielding valuable information as to how to improve school effectiveness, highlighting what policies were working well and what needed to be improved. A wide variety of schools in the secondary and primary sectors, in rural and urban areas, and in deprived and relatively well off areas were involved in the pilot in order to ensure that any resultant strategies would be applicable to all schools. It was agreed that further information on the 96 schools involved in the pilot would be circulated to Ministers. The Cabinet Committee considered the work of the Raising Attainment and Individual Standards in Education in Wales programme and it was agreed that the recent evaluation of the programme would be circulated to Ministers.
The Deputy Minister for Social Services introduced the paper which provided the Cabinet Committee with an overview of developments in the role of CAFCASS Cymru in supporting children and their families. The paper highlighted the implications for CAFCASS Cymru in light of the Ministry of Justice’s Change Programme and the important role that CAFCASS Cymru plays in the preventative agenda. It was reported that CAFCASS Cymru’s workload and costs, particularly relating to private family law, had been steadily increasing in recent years and was expected to continue to rise as the economic downturn impacted upon family life. Ministers noted that the National Family Justice Board would provide an inter-agency forum for partnership working across a number of professions which could look strategically at, and identify objectives for the Family Justice System across both Public and Private Law.
The Minister for Heritage introduced a paper which invited the Cabinet Committee to consider the draft Climbing Higher Strategy, and in particular the section relating to children and young people prior to the Strategy’s final consideration by Cabinet. The paper outlined proposals for encouraging participation in physical activities by children and young people in order to promote a healthy lifestyle. Ministers indicated that the Ministerial foreword should draw attention to issues of deprivation, gender, and race.
The Committee met again on 11 May. The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills welcomed representatives from the Funky Dragon Grand Council to the meeting. The delegates were invited to make a presentation to the meeting on the Funky Dragon structure, constitution, work and future. It was reported that the members of Grand Council at the core of Funky Dragon represented twenty-one of the twenty-two Local Authorities in Wales and included 34 “equality” places for delegates representing minority or special interest groups such as carers, ethnic minorities, young offenders etc. The majority of representatives were elected by individual Local Authority wide Youth Forums. However, as such Forums did not exist in six local authorities in Wales representatives had been selected through alternative means. Ministers expressed disappointment that some Local Authorities had not put in place the appropriate structures, including Youth Forums, to ensure the participation of children and young people in local decision making and as a result the development of Community Strategies and Children and Young People’s Plans were likely to be top-down. Local Authority Participation Strategies were noted to be due for submission and would be analysed thoroughly. Funky Dragon indicated that although every school in Wales was now required to have a Schools Council in place, quality was patchy with some schools having progressed further than others in ensuring the Schools Council was meaningful. It was suggested that the guidance issued to schools on the development of Schools Councils could be more robust on this issue. Funky Dragon’s work programme was acknowledged to be substantial and wide-ranging. Ministers acknowledged the contribution that the organisation had made via its “Our Rights, Our Story” project to compile a report to the United Nations (UN) as part of the UK Government’s reporting to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and it was noted that the United Nations had also recognised the valuable contribution made by Funky Dragon. It was reported that in addition to working through the UN’s recommendations, Funky Dragon was preparing for the next report due in 2012. Ministers sought the views of the Funky Dragon representatives on the way that children and young people viewed the current jobs market in the context of the recession. Funky Dragon indicated that there was generally a pessimistic view of the jobs market and that some children and young people had decided to stay on at school or further/higher education institute even though it may not be an option they would have previously considered.
The Chair introduced a paper which invited the Cabinet Committee to endorse the proposed approach towards developing a single brand to encompass all children and young people’s policies and programmes in Wales. The proposals which had been extensively consulted upon consisted of an over-arching strapline “Young Wales – Cymry Ifanc”, and a supporting phrase “Our Start, Our Rights, Our Future.” An outcome framework consisting of the statements “our start, our skills, our health, our action, our voice, our safety, and our future” focused clearly on the outcomes that would be expected of Welsh Assembly Government policies and programmes.
The Minister for Social Justice and Local Government reported that statistics published the previous week on the number of children living in poverty in the UK had been disappointing. The figures for Wales revealed that although the level of child poverty in Wales had reduced since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999, in the last year child poverty in Wales had increased by 3% to 32%. It was also clear that comparison with other parts of the UK was unfavourable. The failure of the household incomes of the poorest families to increase in line with the national average, as well as a low uptake of income tax credits were blamed for the increase, although it was acknowledged that since the figures had been calculated the UK Government had announced a package of stimulus measures. Ministers indicated that the forthcoming Children and Families Measure would play a critical role in reducing child poverty in Wales but that many of the other methods that could stimulate the incomes of the poorest families remained outside the competence of the National Assembly for Wales.
The Committee met on 29 June. The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills welcomed Keith Towler to the meeting and congratulated him on his work as Children’s Commissioner for Wales during the past 15 months. He was invited to deliver a presentation to the Cabinet Committee on matters arising since his previous presentation to the Committee in April 2008, including the Evaluation and review of the Office, the Corporate Work Plan, Positive Images and the First Minister’s idea of ‘conversation with the nation’.
The Commissioner provided a brief update to the group on the reports completed over the past year which included: the ‘UK’s Four Commissioners report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child’; ’A Happy Talent’, which looked at disabled children and young people’s opportunity to play; ‘Bordering on Concern Child Trafficking in Wales’ and ‘Full of Care’, the young carers report published a few weeks previously. Ministers noted that a new post of Chief Executive would be created to manage the organisation, the post-holder would also carry out the role of Deputy Children’s Commissioner. It was reported that the changes would have a phased introduction, commencing in September. The aim of raising the profile of the Children’s Commissioner had to some extent been achieved. However, Ministers were informed that, although the Commissioner had made a number school visits, feedback suggested that those one-off events had not been sufficient in keeping the issue of Children’s Rights in the memory of children and young people. The Commissioner indicated that more successful engagement methods were being looked into.
Ministers were informed that the Office of the Children’s Commissioner had received around 550 communications, which included phone calls, texts and emails, from young people over the past 12 months, a significant increase to the previous year’s 300. Furthermore, past events suggested that the number of telephone calls received directly linked to awareness of the Commission, for example there was a surge in interest following the Commissioner’s tour of Wales on an open top bus in October 2008. It was noticed that, where relevant, the Commission had directed calls to the appropriate support agencies.
The Minister for Social Justice and Local Government introduced the paper, which provided an analysis of the recently published Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics, conducted by Dr Peter Kenway on behalf of the Child Poverty Expert Group. Ministers were informed that the statistics, published by the Department of Work and Pensions, were collated as a three-year moving average, for better comparability over time, and were the official measure of poverty in the UK. Evidence from the HBAI statistics indicated that the number of children living in poverty in Wales had increased by 3 percentage points during the period 2005-06 – 2007-08, this was compared to Scotland, which was showing a continued reduction in child poverty levels. The Cabinet Committee noted that Dr Kenway had concluded that, although the figures in Wales were disappointing, they were not out of line with those of England. Scotland’s success appeared to be associated with a lower rate of growth of those in work and in poverty, and it was of particular note that the proportion of those young adults lacking basic qualification was higher in Wales than in Scotland. Furthermore, the employment levels in Scotland were higher than both Wales and England. In addition, given the extent to which unemployment was concentrated among young adults, this may contribute to a wider weakness in the economic prospects of many of this age group in Wales. Ministers considered the possibility of tax credit uptake having an impact on child poverty figures. It was suggested that the cultural perception that claiming all entitled tax credits could result in a significant bill at the end of the tax year due to miscalculation, may deter some low income households from claiming. Officials reported that they were working with the Jobcentre Plus to increase uptake. It was noted that a cross-Governmental workshop was being held on 15th July in Cardiff to consider the latest data available, in order to identify where resources should be targeted in have maximum impact on reducing child poverty in Wales. This meeting would also help inform the new Child Poverty Strategy.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which summarised the evidence base relating to the Social Implications of the Economic Downturn on children and young people, drawing partly on evidence tabled at the economic summit on 4th June and the paper which was considered by Cabinet on 15th June. The Minister for Social Justice and Local Government indicated that the paper highlighted the potential impact on youth employment, education and skills, relationships and family life and child poverty. It was recognised that young people were particularly vulnerable during the recession, as illustrated in recent unemployment figures, and the long-term implications would depend on the severity of the current economic situation. It was recognised that young men, particularly in the valleys, were more likely to take up lower skilled, temporary, work rather than proceed into Further and Higher Education. Ministers acknowledged that the next economic summit would include a substantive item on the role of Further and Higher Education. The Cabinet Committee agreed that there was a need to address issues relating to those Not in Education Employment or Training Strategy (NEETS) in order to minimise the long term corrosive effects of unemployment on health and job prospects, as well as contributing to antisocial behaviour. Ministers were informed that ‘Sure Start’ and ‘Flying Start’, services to provide support to disadvantaged children and families, were already making an impact and were therefore examples of support which was beneficial in helping to mitigate the effects of economic hardship on Children.
The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which invited members to note that the Department for Work and Pensions were introducing a Young Person’s Guarantee, which included the Future Jobs Fund. The paper also set out how these arrangements have been taken forward in Wales.Ministers were informed that most progress had been made with the Future Jobs Fund, which aimed to provide a total of 15,000 temporary jobs in the UK up until April 2011. It was noted that officials were working closely with the Welsh Local Government Association and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action to adopt a team approach.
The Committee met on 5 October. The Chair opened by thanking the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery for attending the meeting for the first item. Ministers considered a paper which outlined the key issues and activities necessary to take forward children and young people’s budgeting in Wales in line with articles four and twelve of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Wales was acknowledged to be ahead of developments in the other UK devolved administrations, having already produced a budget estimate and accompanying methodology paper. An official-led Task and Finish Group had been established, which included representatives from the Welsh Local Government Association and the Save the Children. The Group’s remit included the development of ideas and proposals for improvements in budget forecasting and spend on children and young people at the national level, and the raising of awareness of the need for greater transparency in budget forecasting and the participation of children and young people in the budgetary processes. It was anticipated that the Group would be in a position to make final recommendations to Ministers in early 2010. It was noted that a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) had concluded that the United Kingdom committed an above average amount of resources to children and young people’s policies but that return on investment could be improved. The Task and Finish Group had committed to analyse the OECD data in greater depth to derive figures for Wales and explore where resources could be better targeted to where the need was greatest and where the most impact could be made. It was suggested that this element of the Group’s work could be usefully informed by the Keeping us Safe report of the Review into Safeguarding Vulnerable Children in Wales.
The Minister for Social Justice and Local Government introduced a paper which invited the Cabinet Committee to note the conclusions of the evidence work on tackling child poverty in Wales and the associated policy implications. Ministers were also asked to agree the proposed framework for the new statutory Child Poverty Strategy in Wales. The proposed Children and Families (Wales) Measure required Welsh Ministers to prepare and publish, by 2010, a strategy for contributing to the eradication of child poverty in Wales. The planned strategy would include objectives in relation to each of the thirteen broad aims set out in the Measure, which were underpinned by the Seven Core Aims of the Welsh Assembly Government. It was recognised that the Strategy would need to respond to the changing economic situation and resulting challenges, and must complement the UK Government’s own work on child poverty. Ministers acknowledged that many of the levers to tackle child poverty, such as benefit levels, were non-devolved and that this should be taken into account when analysing how effective the Assembly Government’s policies had been.
Ministers focused on the level of child poverty in Wales and drew comparisons with Scotland. It was suggested that reasons behind a more favourable position in Scotland, in relation to child poverty, could be due to a lower birth rate than in Wales and the smaller number of children in Scottish families as compared to the rest of the UK. Ministers agreed that it would be useful for the Chief Economist to analyse the paragraph and provide further advice.
The Chair presented a paper and invited Ministerial colleagues to agree the process for the development of a cross-cutting National Strategy for Children and Young People based on the Welsh Assembly Government’s Seven Core Aims, which would set out in a single coherent statement the Assembly Government’s priorities and outcomes for improving the lives of 0-25 year olds in Wales. The importance of joining up across Assembly Government departments and with local government and other delivery partners was highlighted. The issue of transitions was of particular concern as Wales uniquely defined children and young people as up to 25 years of age and the overlap and consistency with adult services was an important consideration. In this context, the need to tie in Further and Higher Education Institutions was recognised.
Ministers considered a paper which provided the Cabinet Committee with an update on the development of the UNCRC five year action plan for Wales Getting it Right which was due to be launched on 20th November – International Children’s Day. Getting it Right had been developed following the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s publication of the Concluding Observations and Recommendations of their examination of the progress made by the UK in implementing the UNCRC. Getting it Right identified actions under the sixteen priorities for Wales to fully implement the UNCRC in Wales over the next five years.
Ministers considered a briefing note which provided the Cabinet Committee with an update on tax credit take-up in Wales. It was noted that there was an apparent inverse relationship between the tax credit take-up rate and the level of child poverty experienced within a community. Statistics demonstrated that in Wales, tax credit take-up rates were generally very high for lower income households, or where entitlement was high, but were quite low for higher income households, or where entitlement was low. Nevertheless, there were certain deprived communities where tax credit take-up rates were relatively low and targeted action was planned.
The Committee met on 23 November. The Chair reported that the Children’s Rights Day, which took place in the Senedd on 20th November, had proved to be a successful engagement and was likely to be repeated in the future. At the event the Minister had launched ‘Getting it Right’, the action plan which set out the important steps to make Children and Young People’s rights a reality over the next five years. In addition, it was reported that the Proposed Children and Families (Wales) Measure had been passed by the Assembly on 10th November.
The Deputy Minister for Skills introduced a paper, which provided the Cabinet Committee with information on the Apprenticeships programme in Wales and its position in relation to the 14-19 agenda. The Cabinet Committee was informed that there had been double the number of applications in 2008 than in 1999, which illustrated the success of the all age apprenticeship programme in Wales. There had also been an increase in the quality and percentage of people completing apprenticeships. However, it was suggested that, although progress had been made, for example with the ‘Pink Ladies Scheme’ which was aimed at young women learning new skills in the construction industry, there was still a need to address the gender imbalance. Similarly, although work had been done in terms of the Pathways to Apprenticeships, more work was needed to ensure that apprenticeships were accessible to all age groups, particularly under 19’s. It was noted that Work Based Learning Pathways enabled key stage 4 pupils to combine school learning with vocational learning in the workplace, providing progression to apprenticeships. The Transformation agenda and Children’s Rights Measure all promoted choice and opportunities, which would be provided by apprenticeships. Furthermore, apprenticeships had an important part to play in reducing the effects of the economic downturn on employment figures. It was acknowledged that the Learning and Skills Measure contained a requirement that information, including careers advice, provided to children and young people must be impartial and in the interests of the young person, as opposed to the institution. Ministers recognised that it was vital that teachers, employers and learners were made fully aware of the benefits of apprenticeships. It was suggested that at the age of 16, there was a significant amount of pressure on students to progress into higher education rather than apprenticeships, which was portrayed as the second rate option by some teachers. However, it was recognised that Careers Wales provided advice to secondary school children to ensure they were equipped to make informed choices. It was further suggested that apprenticeships schemes should be part of the wider curriculum options.
2.6 Ministers agreed that there was often the misapprehension that to take up an apprenticeship would discount University as an option. The Cabinet Committee concluded that information would need to be co-ordinated so young people could make the best choice and parents could be made aware of the benefits of apprenticeships.
The Minister for Children Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which set out the progress made in reforming the current statutory procedure for the assessment, intervention and support for learners with additional learning needs (ALN). The Assembly Government had secured its first Legislative Competence Order in relation to ALN which provided the powers for Ministers to make Assembly Measures in relation to people with ALN. It was therefore important to consider where to legislate in the future, whilst taking into account young people identified as having special education needs (SEN). It was noted that pilot schemes would specifically run in 8 participating local authorities. Ministers asked whether the pioneer areas selected to take the Integrated Family Support Teams (IFST) model forward, the model aimed at reforming services provided to vulnerable children and families in Wales, could be overlapped with the ALN pilot schemes. It was suggested that this could be the case in the Newport area and that the ISFT principle could be tested in the remaining areas. It was agreed that the Departments for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills and Health and Social Services would work together to ensure that comments were taken on board.
The Chair introduced the paper and invited Ministerial colleagues to agree the initial priorities identified as the core element of an Integrated Childcare Strategy. Ministers were also asked to agree that engagement would take place across portfolios to provide integrated solutions to improve the supply and diversity of childcare provision. Further to the duty placed on Welsh local authorities in the Childcare Act 2006, formal childcare sufficiency audits had been carried out, which highlighted inconsistencies in the provision of childcare. There was a need for links to the Child Poverty Strategy and the Welfare Reform Bill and the child tax credit eligibility issues arising from the Welfare Reform Bill would also be crucial to the strategy. It was recognised that there were links to apprenticeships within the Childcare sector and the development of its workforce. The provision of effective childcare was noted to be an important factor in supporting the Assembly Government’s aim to achieve an 80% employment rate. Therefore, it was suggested that, although Learning Pathways 14-19 included childcare, it should be developed as a sector priority. It was identified that ‘Flying Start’, backed up by the Child Poverty Strategy, had supported disadvantaged parents in providing free childcare for two years. However, it was also recognised that the scheme had reduced the demand for some social enterprises in the childcare sector.
The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which asked the Cabinet Committee to agree the Framework for the National Strategy for Children and Young People. The Strategy would set out the priority outcomes for 0-25 year olds in Wales. Ministers were asked to note the long list of priority outcomes and to decide on the lead for presentation of the Strategy. The Cabinet Committee was assured that officials, to avoid duplication and exclusion of information, would work together across portfolios to review and refine the list of the 24 priority outcome statements, which would form the core of the strategy. This would provide assistance to local authorities in identifying what would be necessary to achieve against the higher level outcomes. It was recognised that the Strategy should be a statement of intent.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which contained the main findings from the 2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey in Wales to date, following its release on 11th November. The Chair highlighted the need to recognise the developing trends and to work together across all portfolios to tackle the challenges illustrated in the paper in relation to adolescent health. Ministers found it encouraging that the recent trends explored in the paper, in relation to smoking, drinking and sexual health, suggested the figures were levelling, although there was still evidence of inherent problems in those areas. Furthermore, Wales’ findings were comparable to the other countries who had taken part. It was noted that Cabinet had discussed Reducing Alcohol related Harms, and there were concerns relating to Alcohol consumption in Wales and the negative impact associated.
The Economic Renewal Committee met on 9 February. Officials introduced the paper which had been tabled at the 4th Economic Summit held on 6th February and the Airbus factory at Broughton. The focus of this summit had been the formal rollout of ProAct, with the confirmation of £48 million being allocated to cover 2009-10 and the current pilot. It was announced at the summit that Shimizu, a Japanese owned automotive component manufacturer in Welshpool, had been the first company to take up support. Of the 53 business cases submitted so far to the ProAct panel seeking support, 50 had been endorsed. It was reported that the initiative had been extended beyond the automotive sector and would be targeted at the construction and steel sectors. However, any eligible company or business could now apply for support. Amongst other Welsh Assembly Government support and initiatives confirmed since the previous summit, a further £20million would be made available to support apprenticeships by creating a package measures to help sustain and encourage new apprenticeship recruitment. This was subject to support from the European Social Fund (ESF). In addition, £35million had been allocated to the Business Innovation Support programme which was intended to help Welsh businesses turn their ideas into cutting edge products. Ministers noted that the windfall gain of £50million in the value of Structural Funds, as a result of the rising value of the Euro, had been successfully matched with £78million resulting in an additional £128million being allocated to 210 projects. The Cabinet Committee noted that the Assembly Government’s website now included a section specifically aimed at supporting people, businesses and communities through the economic downturn and helping them plan for economic recovery. Committee members agreed that there was a need to ensure that messages about the support packages the Assembly Government could offer to struggling businesses were sufficiently publicised. It was reported that liquidity would be the focus of the next summit. In the meantime a series of regional seminars would be set up, with representatives of the major banks in attendance, to provide information and advice to businesses about managing through current economic situation and provide the opportunity for banks and businesses to discuss matters face to face.
Officials introduced a paper which advised the Cabinet Committee that the European Commission had recently adopted a temporary framework for State Aid to help member states to address financing problems faced by companies during the current economic crisis. Four temporary new measures had been had been approved by the European Commission which could be granted under certain conditions, until the end of 2010. The Framework also provided a temporary simplification to the application of the risk capital guidelines.
The Committee met again on 30 March. Officials introduced a paper that provided an update on the economic scenarios and policy contingencies, which had been provided to the Cabinet Committee since the onset of the economic downturn.
The Deputy Minister for Skills introduced a paper which outlined the progress of the ProAct scheme to date. It was noted that 100 companies had now applied for ProAct funding and 22 training applications had been approved. A total of £4.4 million had been committed and 2,170 employees were being covered by the scheme. It was reported that the Sector Skills Councils were working with companies which might benefit from the scheme and that the range of companies taking part had been broadened, with applications from outside the automotive sector being considered. It was reported that a range of training providers across Wales were involved in the scheme, including Further Education colleges. It was acknowledged that as £39 million of ESF money was being used to fund the ProAct scheme, there was danger of clawback if an audit of the programme found that there was insufficient supporting evidence in the training plans being produced by the companies.
Ministers considered a paper which set out progress linking skills interventions and business support as part of an integrated approach to economic development in Wales. It was noted that over the past year significant progress had been made to simplify business and skills support, to create a stronger partnership with employers, while targeting funding to create a more efficient delivery network. It was reported that the Heritage Minister had received positive feedback on the scheme at a recent event in Narberth where business had spoke highly of the supported received.
The Cabinet Committee noted the paper on Sector Skills, Strategies and Plans and the developments associated with the use of a sectoral approach to supporting employers in Wales, which was announced by the Deputy First Minister in June 2008. The paper also referred to the re-licensing process for the Sector Skills Council.It was reported that the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Economy and Transport had reviewed the priority sectors, in the context of the recession and had reaffirmed its earlier advice.
The Deputy Minister for Skills introduced the paper which asked the Cabinet Committee to consider the cross cutting benefits of strategic interventions to improve basic skills in the context of employability and benefits to the economy. The paper also provided an overview of the second phase of the Basic Skills Strategy which was scheduled to end in April 2010.
Ministers were provided with a brief update on proposals for the next economic summit in April. In addition to latest update paper and recent announcements, it was reported that representatives from the banks, building societies and Credit Unions would be present. The Deputy Minister for Housing advised the Cabinet Committee that £15 million from the Strategic Capital Investment Fund had enabled the purchase of 270 new units in 30 developments covering all local authority areas in Wales.
The Committee met again on 1 June. The Cabinet Committee considered a revised paper on the Basic Skills Strategy, which had been updated since the last meeting. The paper included further information on the Employer Pledge Scheme and the results of a mapping exercise which set out participants by characteristics, geographical spread, programmes they were participating in, cost and outcomes achieved. It was reported that a national scale of need survey, completed every five years, was due to be undertaken to establish the current levels of adult literacy and numeracy, the findings of which would be made available in 2010. This was expected to confirm that the strategy had had a noticeably positive impact over the past five years. However, it was recognised that there was a possibility that the focus of the strategy may need to change to present more realistic targets while targeting resources more effectively.
The Deputy First Minister invited Jonathan Price to provide his assessment of current economic forecasts. It was reported that, although specific data was not available for Wales on a quarterly basis, other data, mainly on the labour market, suggested that the Welsh Economy had contracted in a broadly similar fashion to the UK. Within Wales, the number of people claiming benefits was sharply higher in Local Authority areas compared with a year ago. It appeared that all occupations had seen an increase in claims, suggesting that a fairly broad based slowdown was underway. Analysis also suggested that, despite the media reports of a middle class recession, those with low or no qualifications and the young had been affected at least as hard, if not harder, than others. In the first quarter of 2009 manufacturing had suffered a larger output decline than business services and finance. However, with energy prices lower than a year ago and sterling more competitive, it was possible that manufacturing, while experiencing further losses in output and employment, might out perform services over the coming months.
The Deputy Minister for Skills introduced a paper which provided a further update on the progress made with the ProAct pilot to date and included a list of the training providers involved in the scheme.
3.2 The Cabinet Committee noted the developments made to date.
The Director General for Economy and Transport introduced his paper, which set out a proposed framework for the Committee as the basis of its future work plan.
Ministers welcomed the paper and the proposals for the forward work programme. It was suggested that officials could also provide an update on Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas (JESSICA) for the next meeting of the Cabinet Committee.
The Deputy Minister for Skills introduced a paper which set out the Assembly Government’s initial response to the recommendations of the Wales Employment and Skills Board first Annual Report, ‘A Wales that Works’. It was reported that the message to the Assembly Government was that it should adopt, as its overarching goal, the transformation of the economy, with a central focus on fostering, retaining and attracting a dynamic private sector. The Cabinet Committee agreed that it should accept all the recommendations set out in the report, apart from recommendation 6, that the Government should do everything in its power to reallocate resources so as to increase the quantum available for the employment and skills agenda during the period of the recession, which was noted. The response to this would indicate that resource allocation was a matter for Cabinet. It was acknowledged however, that in response to the economic downturn, the Assembly Government had allocated additional funding to the skills agenda.
The Deputy Minister for Skills introduced a paper, which set out the policy proposals to form the basis of the forthcoming consultation on post 16 Funding reform.
The Committee met again on 13 July. The Cabinet Committee were provided with an update on the assessment process for Future Jobs Fund bids in Wales and an indication of the volume of first round bids received from Welsh organisations. The paper also provided an update on plans to maximise the use of European Social Fund to complement the Future Jobs Fund. Ministers acknowledged that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) would be inviting bids on a rolling basis, and they intended to assess them in monthly batches. The bids had been given an initial score by Job Centre Plus in Wales, against criteria supplied by DWP, by Job Centre Plus in Wales. Those scores, after being moderated by Assembly Government officials, were presented to the Wales Board, which would make the final recommendations to DWP on which bids to accept. The announcement on the successful first round bids was expected by the end of the month
.
The Deputy First Minister invited Jonathan Price to provide his assessment of current economic forecasts. It was reported that recently revised Gross Domestic Product data for the first quarter of 2009 illustrated that the economy actually started to contract in the second quarter of 2008, rather than in the third quarter. The economy’s contraction had been more pronounced than previously estimated, particularly in the first quarter. Ministers were informed that data in relation to the labour market, due that week, was expected to be consistent with forecasts over the past few months.
It was suggested that the trend in claimant counts was encouraging, with the rate of those coming off the claimant count increasing much faster than those going on, across both Wales and the UK. It was acknowledged, however, that the effects of young people leaving full time education on the claimant count were yet to be seen.It was recognised that there was a need to have robust support mechanisms in place to help address the spike in unemployment among young people, which was expected in September.
The Cabinet Committee was provided with the draft agenda for the Seventh Wales Economic Summit, which would be held on 17th July in Technium CAST, Bangor. It was noted that the agenda would include items on the Economic Contribution of Higher Education, Further Education, Skills and Research and Development and an Update for Stakeholders on the Green Jobs Strategy. There would also be an open discussion on Bank Lending, as a follow up to the Fifth Economic Summit.
The Director General for Economy and Transport introduced his paper, which provided the Cabinet Committee with an update on the methodology and progress to date of a comprehensive mapping exercise of interventions by the wider public sector and third sector in Wales, relating to economic inactivity, unemployment and employment. It had been agreed at the last meeting of the Cabinet Committee that the exercise should be undertaken to identify potential duplications, overlaps and gaps within services and provision.
The Deputy Minister for Regeneration (me) introduced a paper, which updated the Cabinet Committee on progress in establishing a JESSICA fund for Wales. The objective was, to establish a £110m fund to invest in projects in a manner that was complementary with, and supplementary to, other regeneration investment and it was hoped that it would be operational by the third quarter of 2010. The Cabinet Committee were informed that there were two delivery options, although analysis had suggested that the two stage establishment of Public Private Partnership would offer greater certainty to Welsh European Funding Office in meeting their N+2 obligations and would allow for investment in projects earlier than following the alternative holding fund approach
.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which provided an overview on emerging developments with Universities and private sector businesses in Wales following Ministers’ decision to prioritise European Funding and the allocation of Assembly Government resources in the following sectors: Information Communications Technology; Low carbon economy; Health and Biosciences; Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing; and Cross Cutting / enabling Technologies.
I have downloaed two papers from this committee as they are of particular interest to me. A reminder that other committee papers can be found via the online links to the relevant meeting.
The Committee met again on 30 November. The Deputy First Minister invited Jonathan Price to provide his assessment of current economic forecasts. It was reported that UK Gross Domestic Product had contracted by 0.3% in the third quarter of 2009, however, survey data suggested that growth may resume across much of the economy in the latter part of the third quarter. Ministers also discussed the performance of construction in terms of the housing market. It was acknowledged that, although the market had been stronger than expected, there was reluctance by banks to approve mortgages where potential lenders had no substantial deposit.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper, which reflected on the progress of the Economic Summits. Ministers were invited to consider the direction of future summits and the items for future agendas.
The Deputy First Minister introduced the paper, which reported on the progress on end to end approach for R&D and commercialisation. This included an outline on the further progress made with the mapping exercise, the resultant revision of the ‘end to end’ model and proposed actions for applying the model to specific university and private sector collaborations and supporting activities.
3.2 The Cabinet Committee agreed the paper and noted that the next paper would present in detail the ‘end to end’ action plans, based on the proformae completed for specific university and private sector collaborations.
The Cabinet Committee was provided with an update on the proposed next steps following the mapping exercise on interventions for economic inactivity, unemployment and employment. Ministers were invited to agree that an integrated exercise be piloted in two strategic regeneration areas to create a ‘provision directory’ and to a review of support for Personal Advisors. Ministers were also asked to agree that a core set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) be adopted by providers, in order for them to determine the most effective interventions and allocation of future funding.
The Deputy Minister for Skills introduced the paper, which presented the Cabinet Committee with a draft performance framework for skills and employment.
The Public Service Delivery committee met on 2 February. The Chair welcomed the Minister for Environment, Housing and Sustainability to the meeting as lead Minister for the Swansea Bay Spatial Plan Area. Ministers considered a paper which reported on the performance of public services in the Swansea Bay area, and which highlighted key themes and opportunities for improvement. It was recognised that the Swansea Bay Spatial Plan Area benefited from two expanding universities, excellent sport and cultural facilities and a good local environment. Challenges facing the region were also noted however, including high population growth, risk of flooding as a result of climate change, and declining air quality. Ministers agreed that there were opportunities to develop the area as a network city region, to generate a stronger regional identity, and to invest in supporting the environment. The position of Carmarthenshire – located on the cusp of the boundaries between Swansea Bay, Mid-Wales and Pembrokeshire was discussed. The Deputy Minister for Housing reported on a recent meeting with Carmarthenshire and highlighted some good work being undertaken with its Strategic Housing role, in particular bringing empty houses back into use and with housing renewal. The Cabinet Committee recognised that Carmarthenshire LSB had set the standard for delivery and joint working in Wales and was the source of many examples of best practice. Ministers indicated that examples of best practice should be highlighted within the report.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which reported on the performance of public services in the Pembrokeshire – The Haven Spatial Plan Area and which highlighted opportunities for improvement. It was reported that Pembrokeshire-The Haven was the smallest Spatial Plan Area with a highly dispersed population. The area was at risk from declining employment, particularly in the defence and energy sectors, and from a lack of affordable housing. Transport links to Ireland and the rest of Wales were noted to be crucial. Ministers indicated that education should be one of the five key themes in the Pembrokeshire-The Haven Spatial Area. It was noted that high numbers of migrant workers with young families were impacting upon the demand for education in the region and that this should be factored into the Spatial Plan. Similarly, Ministers recognised that work that had been done on out-of-hours health care, minor injuries and dentistry had been omitted from the detail.
It was clear that the context for public service delivery had changed drastically since the advent of the National Assembly and also since the publication of the Beecham Review. There was a need now, driven by financial pressures and the desire to improve delivery to be more transparent in our relationship with local government.
The Chair introduced a paper which provided an update on the work of the Wales Public Services Workforce Forum and sought Cabinet Committee support for its forward work programme. Ministers welcomed the pioneering work of the Forum and its approach to partnership working. It was noted that the Forum would not consider issues where other collaborative arrangements had already been established, such as in the health sector. The forward work programme was noted, particularly a programme of work to ensure that public sector redundancies would be minimized through the facilitation of employee transfer between public sector jobs. Ministers indicated, however, that there was a need for the Forum to consider the implications on public sector employment of a possible future shrinkage in Welsh public sector finance.
Papers have not been downloaded - I am only downloading those Committee Papers where I have a specific research interest.
The Committee met on 30 March. The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced the paper which outlined proposals for the development of a virtual Leadership and Innovation Academy for Wales. It was envisaged that the Academy would deliver a world-class, coherent, value for money approach to delivering improvements in managerial and leadership skills for the Welsh public sector. The market for management and leadership training was acknowledged to be largely fragmented with many providers acting independently of each other with limited strategic direction. Ministers agreed that it was important to develop a clearer understanding of the environment into which the Academy would be launched, and that therefore, a mapping exercise should be conducted to identify all organisations delivering training and development to public service managers and leaders in all public sector bodies across Wales. The Cabinet Committee was advised that the virtual Academy was intended to build on the work which had been undertaken by a partnership of public sector organisations across Wales including the National Leadership and Innovations Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH), the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA). It was acknowledged that, by bringing together organisations and individuals concerned with the development of managerial and leadership skills in the public sector, the Academy could generate efficiencies whilst leveraging in the best knowledge, insight and expertise in Wales. It was envisaged that a strong Academy could also be capable of influencing the higher and further education sector and would be able to access European funds. Ministers noted the draft programme of work for the first year of the Academy and agreed that it should focus only on areas where value was demonstrable and that where necessary existing work should be supplemented and not replicated. It was reported that given the importance of the Academy being able to evidence its value, impact measures were being put in place to analyse its effectiveness. Whilst much of the evidence was likely to be anecdotal, the planned development of a return on investment programme would enable the Academy to be fully quality assured.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery and the Director General for Public Services and Local Government Delivery presented a paper which identified six key issues and associated work streams to drive forward public service performance in Wales. The Cabinet Committee was invited to endorse the proposals. It was reported that the Assembly Government maintained a good base of evidence on public service performance in Wales, but that more could be done to analyse and benchmark data against similar regions and countries elsewhere. The Cabinet Committee also considered the proposal that a comprehensive, overarching performance framework between the Welsh Assembly Government and all public services in Wales should be developed which linked national priorities with local ones. The role of the Assembly Government in providing leadership to the public sector in Wales, particularly during an economic downturn and time of contracting public expenditure was also identified as a key issue. Ministers discussed ways of encouraging collaboration and reprioritisation amongst public sector bodies and were provided with a report on the work of Neath-Port Talbot Council which had implemented a five year programme of transformation. It was reported that although there was a wide understanding of the “Making the Connections” policy, there was an opportunity for increasing its momentum and re-establishing the original narrative around the purpose of joined-up public services. Furthermore, it was recommended that inspection and regulation be used more effectively to drive public sector improvement. Finally, the Cabinet Committee was advised that greater clarity needed to be provided on the role and expectations of the Assembly Government, individual public sector bodies, Local Service Boards and Spatial Plan groupings.Ministers agreed that the six issues identified in the paper should be taken forward and that all the proposed work streams should proceed under the oversight of the Director General for Public Services and Local Government Delivery. The Cabinet Committee emphasised the close relationship between the work streams and directed that they should be driven forward together
.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which reported on the performance of public services in the North West Wales Spatial Plan Area. Ministers indicated that although the out-migration of young people from the North West Spatial Plan Area was covered in the paper, it required greater emphasis. One way of addressing this would be through improvements in housing, skills and employment opportunities. Furthermore, although the regional hub around Caernarfon was acknowledged to be beneficial, it was not considered to be addressing the needs of communities in deep rural areas. Ministers reflected upon the unevenness in the quality of collaboration and corporate governance arrangements of two local authorities within the North West Spatial Plan Area. In particular, it was noted that the Wales Audit Office was conducting a review of Anglesey Council.Disappointment was expressed that some Councils in the North West were not fully utilising opportunities for accessing funding. It was reported that there had been several instances when North Wales local authorities had been slow to access funding opportunities, in particular Anglesey Council had been late in putting in place their Improvement Agreement which would generate an implementation grant of £750k. The Cabinet Committee indicated that clarification should be sought on whether Anglesey and Gwynedd Councils planned to provide an in-vessel composting plant as this would prevent them drawing down funding from the Waste Management Programme for Anaerobic Digestion. It was reported that a number of announcements would be made the following week which had implications for the North West region and which could be incorporated into a redrafted paper. Ministers noted that the Rural Health Plan which contained a £0.5bn capital allocation in the region, and a £38m convergence programme announcement to regenerate towns and communities in North Wales would be made shortly.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced the paper which set out the response to the recent consultation on a Policy Statement on Inspection, Audit and Regulation in Wales. The Statement set out principles on how inspection, audit and regulation would most effectively support the delivery of high quality public services in Wales. Responses to the consultation were acknowledged to be largely supportive of the principles of inspection, audit and regulation set out in the Statement. However, it was noted that the response to the consultation had been limited, and disappointingly some organisations such as the Welsh Local Government Association, the National Health Service Confederation and a number of local authorities failing to submit a response. Ministers agreed that the views of these organisations should be pursued
.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which provided Ministers with an update on the progress made in establishing the Flexible Support for Business (FS4B) service site and a more coherent approach to the Welsh Assembly Government overall online presence. It was reported that by integrating content with the UK Government’s business link website, the FS4B would offer relevant UK and more specific Welsh information, advice and support for businesses, accessed through the Assembly Government’s corporate website. In due course it was anticipated that the FS4B would allow Welsh businesses to submit Value Added Tax (VAT), Pay as you Earn (PAYE), company tax and self assessment returns on line. Ministers were informed that during the period 2008-14 it was estimated that the FS4B could deliver between £425m and £685m of costs savings to Welsh businesses and could be a valuable resource for businesses experiencing difficulties during the economic downturn. Furthermore, it was noted that the FS4B would meet the requirements in the EU Services Directive which required the Welsh Assembly Government to set up a single point of contact to allow people and businesses throughout the European Union access to information about how to do business in Wales.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to note a paper which provided an update on the Public Sector Broadband Aggregation Programme (PSBA). It was reported that the PSBA programme had successfully procured and connected 1,000 sites to a national broadband communications network which was capable of being used by all public sector bodies in Wales to improve service delivery and enable greater collaboration.The Cabinet Committee noted that the PSBA network was due to enter a new phase of activity with an additional 142 public sector organisations including the Countryside Council for Wales to be connected to the network.
The Committee met on 18 May.The Chair welcomed officials from Neath Port Talbot (NPT) Borough Council to the meeting and invited them to make a presentation on their work to transform service delivery. The representatives from NPT Council reported that the main driver for their work was a desire to deliver services in a more customer focused way. However, the imminent constriction in public expenditure had created a context to experiment with new working practices with the aim of generating efficiency savings. Using their work to re-engineer the Disability Facilities Grant (DFG) and Development Control Systems as examples, NPT Council explained how they had re-defined the purpose of, and re-structured the processes for, obtaining a DFG or planning permission using co-production methodology to empower front line staff and to focus on what was important to the service user. Using lean methodology, NPT had identified steps in the processes where value was added and should be retained or strengthened, but also where steps could be removed as they added unnecessary duplication, bureaucracy and waste, leading to delays, inefficiencies and poor customer service. NPT indicated that they had reduced substantially the number of steps in the processes. Although this had resulted in a reduction in end-to-end delivery time, it was emphasised that customer satisfaction was the most important success factor and if customers wish for a longer delivery time this would be accommodated. Furthermore, it was reported that there had also been a reduction in associated costs. In particular, the streamlined DFG application process meant that savings could be made in linked areas such as health, and social care as people were able to be maintained in their own homes for longer, rather than be admitted into hospital or residential care.Ministers recognised that there had also been a shift in organisational culture. By increasing the sense of ownership and responsibility of front line staff, motivation and morale had improved. In the case of planning applications, case officers retained responsibility, wherever possible, for an application from the start of the process to the end. This had resulted in fewer hand-offs and a reduction in applications requiring amendment post-registration because of improved quality assurance.
The Director General for Public Services and Local Government Delivery introduced a paper which set out a proposed immediate work plan for taking forward the next phase of the public service change agenda in Wales. An action plan for activity against the six work streams which had been agreed at the previous Cabinet Committee meeting had been developed, with emphasis on accelerating work to mitigate the effect of the recession on public services in Wales; and on ensuring that the Welsh system of regulation and inspection was both robust and proportionate to risk. In particular, Ministers focused on the need for the Assembly Government to demonstrate that it could streamline its processes and reduce the burden of bureaucracy that it placed on local authorities, whilst ensuring that appropriate procedures were in place to ensure service levels were maintained
.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to reflect upon the paper which provided a report on the performance of public services in the Central Wales Spatial Plan region.The Cabinet Committee considered the region’s relative strengths, weaknesses and the key issues that affected the region. In particular, the issue of access to quality public services for people living in rural communities was considered. Attention was drawn to the Cylch Caron project being funded by the Ceredigion Local Service Board (LSB) to establish an integrated public service centre at Tregaron which if successful would provide a model for the provision of public services to rural communities.The need for universal provision of broadband and telecommunications services was also noted as a key issue, as was the accessibility to affordable housing given relatively high house prices and low average incomes. The meeting was updated on a “yes” result in Ceredigion County Council’s Housing Stock Transfer ballot. The co-dependency of the region with the West Midlands was highlighted and the importance of cross-border working emphasised.
The Committee met on 6 July. The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery welcomed Professor Bim Bhomwick to the meeting and invited him to deliver a presentation on the establishment of the Advanced Clinical Assessment Team (ACAT) in Torfaen. The Minister indicated that this was a further practical example of effective service transformation in the series to be presented to the Cabinet Committee. Professor Bhowmick advised the Cabinet Committee that the increasing number of emergency admissions into Welsh hospitals and delayed transfers of care or “bed blocking” was jeopardising the long-term delivery of clinical futures. The situation was likely to worsen as the population aged in the coming years.It was reported that unnecessarily high numbers of older people were being admitted into hospital. One reason for this was the long waiting times for GP appointments as they were unable to wait and health problems would often escalate quickly beyond the GP stage. Professor Bhowmick also indicated that there had been a lack of clinical support for GPs to provide community diagnosis. This ultimately led to a situation where elderly people were admitted to hospital unnecessarily and they then quickly deteriorated. Elderly people often remained in hospital for extended periods resulting in a variety of health and social care problems. Professor Bhowmick had established the ACAT project in Torfaen to diagnose and treat patients in the community wherever possible and thereby reduce admissions to hospitals. He reported that all patients were able to receive a thorough examination at home by a health professional because of the comprehensive training he delivered. Therefore, diagnosis could be established in a matter of minutes, which allowed patients to be prioritised as necessary. Furthermore, if the health professional was unable to make a diagnostic, they were able to contact the consultant who would arrive at the patient’s home within a couple of hours. Ministers noted that the important elements that enabled the project to succeed included strong clinical, rather than managerial, leadership, focused vision, and a dedicated team. In addition, Professor Bhowmick highlighted that it was crucial to provide continued and thorough education and support to the health team to enable them to carry out their role successfully. He informed the Committee that Torfaen had become an exemplar, as medical students, GP registrars and student nurses from across Wales were being sent to the team to observe procedures. It was recognised that the co-operation of Directors of Social Services and local authorities more generally was crucial at a policy making level. The Professor had arranged for representatives of all the relevant health professionals to be located in the same corridor of the hospital to facilitate communication. Furthermore, GP involvement was important at a clinical level and it was reported that 90% of GPs in the area had taken part in the transformation. Ministers were informed that 4,100 patients had been treated by the intermediate care service in the last year, 95% having been referred at the GP level and 5% from social services. The Professor indicated that the Torfaen scheme could be replicated across other parts of Wales and in fact, consultants in Cardiff and Vale were already looking to introduce a similar system. It was also suggested that the pivotal role of healthcare workers in the process had direct parallels with interventions in tackling economic inactivity.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced a paper, which provided the Cabinet Committee with an update on the work plan for public service delivery in Wales. The key issues for transforming public service delivery in Wales were stated as: to focus on achieving more with less resources; to provide clearer guidance to Local Service Boards about Assembly Government priorities; to provide delivery partners with a greater sense of leadership and strategic direction; to release front line staff from bureaucracy to focus on service delivery; and, to simplify Assembly Government processes and procedures. Whilst it was acknowledged that customer experience and not performance indicators were key to measuring success, it was agreed that “smart” performance indicators had a role in identifying underperformance and initiating outside intervention. It was suggested that the purpose of performance frameworks should be to stimulate innovation rather than force compliance
.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced apaper which provided an update on the action taken in response to the consultation on the Policy Statement on Inspection, Audit and Regulation in Wales, and which invited Ministers to agree to the publication of a revised policy statement and implementation plan
.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which reported on the performance of public services in the South East Wales Spatial Plan Area and which completed a full cycle of area reports. Ministers were invited to note the amount of activity and collaboration which had taken place in the region.
Ministers noted a paper, which reported on progress against three initiatives led by the Business Procurement Task Force, and agreed to promote subsequent changes within members’ areas of responsibility.
The Cabinet Committee noted the latest position statement and the next steps regarding the development of the 101 service in Wales.
The Committee met on 19 October. The Chair introduced a paper, which provided the Cabinet Committee with an early draft of an emerging public services narrative. This brought together the various work strands, which had been commissioned as part of the Public Service Improvement Work Plan and was intended to inform all Assembly Government communications on public service improvement. Cabinet Committee views were being sought prior to consideration by Cabinet on 23rd November.The key elements of the narrative were considered, particularly the provision of a vision for high quality public services in Wales. The importance of achieving better services in the current financial climate that were responsive to customer needs with the same or fewer resources was also discussed. The narrative also included sections on incentivising and enabling service improvement across the public sector, the provision of better evidence to inform decisions and the lining up of outcomes for citizens and communities. The encouragement of collaboration and the sharing of best practice at local and regional levels between public service providers was also considered. Ministers discussed the need to engage with the work force and trade unions within the public sector on workforce planning issues which was being undertaken through the Public Services Workforce Forum. The up-skilling and training of workers in preparation for a recovery was seen as an important consideration. This was agreed to be particularly important in the construction industry, which had suffered disproportionally because of the economic downturn. It was reported that workforce planning was a key principle in the Sustainable Construction Strategy. The Cabinet Committee welcomed the narrative, but suggested that reference to the Local Government Measure should be worked into section five on lining up outcomes for citizens and communities. It was also agreed that an increased emphasis on the provision of greater transparency of services to citizens should be included.
The Chair introduced a paper, which presented findings from a short review of public service improvement functions in Wales and possible solutions as to how they might be more effectively organised to improve service delivery. The Cabinet Committee was invited to offer views prior to the development of specific proposals for consideration at the next meeting on 7th December. It was reported that improvement functions had developed in an ad-hoc manner across the Welsh public sector. Whilst each offered important and often ground-breaking programmes, the benefits of developing a streamlined and coherent system, though not necessarily in a single body, was recognised. Value for money, in particular, was an important consideration. The general principles in the paper were agreed, however, the Cabinet Committee recognised the role that certain improvement bodies were playing in driving forward performance in public services. For example, it was reported that the National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH) provided significant support in driving improvement in NHS Wales. The importance of innovation was acknowledged in improving core service delivery. In particular, it was recognised that grant schemes tended to support innovative and new practices whereas savings could also be made from doing every-day tasks more efficiently. Ministers discussed how to encourage knowledge transfer amongst the public sector and drive through best practice. It was recognised that whilst the Assembly Government could direct, suggest, and incentivise, it could not force delivery partners to change their behaviour to become more collaborative. It was suggested that the need for the sharing of best practice should be written into performance agreements and suitable levers identified to ensure compliance. It was reported that the Schools Effectiveness Framework (SEF) provided an exemplar model of organisations coming together to drive up standards. The tri-level approach of schools, local education authorities and the Assembly Government demonstrated that stronger links with service users could influence service provision. It was agreed that the SEF should be included on the map of improvement functions
.
The Chair introduced a paper, which provided the Cabinet Committee with a progress report on the development of an efficiency agenda for Wales.It was reported that although the goal of improving efficiencies was not new, the financial constraints facing the public sector added an increased impetus to the efficiency agenda.The Cabinet Committee noted that the Chair had recently announced the projects awarded funding in the first round of the Invest-to-Save Fund. The number of applications for funding so far had been a little disappointing. The Chair indicated that although the Fund had been launched mid-way through the financial year, organisations thinking strategically should have had a number of projects suitable for Invest-to-Save funding. Furthermore, it had been reported that one organisation had not submitted a bid as the Fund offered an interest free loan and not a grant. A second round of bidding was due to commence shortly. Ministers briefly discussed the application of private finance initiative (PFI) in the public sector. It was agreed that straight PFI deals did not offer value for money and therefore, it was suggested that in general delivery partners should be discouraged from using them. The Cabinet Committee was provided with an update on the work of the Executive Leadership Group, a meeting of senior managers across Government and the public sector who provided advice on accelerating the efficiency agenda.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to note the various workstreams aimed at reducing the complexity and number of Assembly Government grants along with the cost of their supporting administrative systems.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to note the key findings from the 2008 Living in Wales Household Survey, which was due to be published in November 2009. The Survey had tested citizens’ views of public services in Wales in key service areas. The Chair reported that he had written to relevant Ministers to provide them with in-depth analyses of survey results in their particular portfolio areas. It was reported that, overall, the results had been positive, although some participants reported difficulties in accessing services in areas such as public transport and GP surgeries.
The Committee met again on 30 November. It was reported that the LSB Annual Conference, which had taken place in Llandudno the previous week, had been a great success. Ministers were shown the Conference DVD presentation, The Shared Leadership Challenge, which highlighted the achievements and progress of LSBs to date in a personal, citizen-focussed way. The Cabinet Committee were advised that the DVD would be made available on the Welsh Assembly Government website and copies of the disc were available to Ministers upon request.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced a paper, on the way forward for more effectively organising public service improvement functions in Wales, which would improve service delivery. The proposals focussed on improvement activity that extended across public services and specifically excluded functions, which were particular to one service. It was envisaged that by taking the recommendations forward, a model of rationalised, strategic and coherent improvement functions would be realised. The recommendations included the establishment of an Efficiency and Innovation Partnership, which would bring the Assembly Government and public services together to plan and oversee a time-limited change programme, within an overall framework set by the Cabinet Committee. The Cabinet Committee acknowledged an early positive response from stakeholders including the Welsh Local Government Association and the Wales Audit Office; Ministers agreed to take forward the recommendations contained in the paper.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service introduced a paper, which provided the Cabinet Committee with an update on the development of an overall framework for the performance management of public services in Wales. Ministers were invited to note the work being done to introduce outcome agreements with local authorities, and to agree to the development of local area profiles intended to provide better and timely intelligence to promote service improvement and to provide early warning of any potential service failures. They would draw on, but not replicate, data from a variety of sources to provide a range of performance evidence. The area profiles would include contextual information, service and corporate performance data and financial information. Importantly, they would also contain information on progress being made against well-being indicators and outcome objectives. Ministers agreed that the local area profiles were useful in aiding the development of outcome agreements. However, they indicated that area profiles should be developed to support the delivery of outcome agreements, which were a priority. The role of the area profiles in ensuring that services were transparent to end-users was also acknowledged. It was agreed that a worked-up example of a local area profile would be prepared for the next meeting. The need to ensure that the development of an outcome-based approach was supplemented by effort to ensure the provision and improvement of essential core services was emphasised. Ministers indicated that the alignment of local services with national priorities was a key success factor. There was acknowledgement that there was a need to ensure that the proposals did not cut across the improvements which had taken place in the National Health Service, such as the 5-year Strategic, Workforce and Financial Plans for the new Health Boards. It was suggested that other lessons could be learnt from the new governance improvements that had been implemented in health
.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced a paper, which provided Ministers with a progress report on LSBs and the Wales Spatial Plan. It was reported that the most ambitious LSBs were beginning to deliver excellent examples of citizen focused change, such as the Kafka project in Rhondda Cynon Taf to reduce domestic violence, and the service reconfiguration in Carmarthenshire LSB, that had led to more people being cared for in their homes resulting in the release of 10,000 hospital bed days. Furthermore, other LSBs were beginning to make clear progress. Ministers welcomed the leadership being provided, particularly by the NHS and the police, in driving forward change. The Cabinet Committee explored how these successes could be built upon and how best practice could be shared with other LSBs. The importance of working between and across LSB boundaries was emphasised, particularly amongst the smaller LSBs. Further improvements were also required in the areas of asset management and procurement, particularly of services. The major issue of “cost shunting” in the NHS, resulting in delayed transfers of care also needed to be resolved. Furthermore, Ministers indicated that some LSBs needed to move away from a focus on process towards delivery.
The Strategic Capital Investment Committee was busy in 2009. On 19 January The Cabinet Committee agreed to fund the thirteen projects in the first tranche of the Strategic Capital Investment Plan with a programmed start date in 2008-09, subject to the provision of robust business cases. Ministers re-emphasised the need for sound project management capability but also discussed the importance of ensuring that robust capital expenditure monitoring processes were in place, particularly where projects were to be delivered by third party organisations. It was also agreed that projects needed to be kept under constant review once they were underway to ensure ongoing effective governance and financial rigour. Ministers were assured that departments had individual capital monitoring arrangements in place supported by regular bi-laterals with finance officials. Ministers requested however, that a Strategic Capital Monitoring group of officials should be set up to monitor the expenditure, progress and outcomes of projects granted Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF) funding and to provide regular reports to the Cabinet Committee.
It was considered important that evidence of progress being made be reported to the next Economic Summit in February 2009. Ministers noted that although capital projects had been brought forward to stimulate the construction industry, there could be a time lag before construction services would be able to be procured whilst preparatory work such as land purchase took place. It was agreed that it was important that this was made clear at the Economic Summit.
A paper was considered which set out various options for SCIF funding of the South East Wales Shared Service Centre. Ministers were asked to agree a short term lending package conditional upon there being no significant variation to the business case, that further work on the financial and management case would take place, that the project would follow a Gateway Review process and that legal agreement was reached with the Welsh Local Government Association as applicant. Ministers expressed disappointment that Cardiff City Council had pulled out of the project and that a second local authority was considering doing so. It was acknowledged that the withdrawals were the result of external factors and did not reflect a lack of confidence in the viability of the project. Ministers noted that the “Making the Connections” budget had already contributed to the project and that a further announcement of SCIF funding would allow local authorities to proceed to the next stage of approval. It was felt that the South East Wales Shared Service Centre was an exemplar project reflecting a commitment to both shared service centres and the principle of collaboration and as such should be supported. The Cabinet Committee agreed to offer a short term 0% loan of £10.4m as set out under option d in the paper on the basis that the decision would be reviewed should any more local authorities withdraw from the project.
The Cabinet Committee agreed that two projects developed through the Small Projects Fund should be given funding approval on the basis of certain conditions being met. It was recommended that the project to introduce a Geographic Information System to the Welsh Assembly Government be given SCIF funding of £1m provided that the project operated within the agreed budget of £1.9m, that the exact specification would be confirmed and documented and that the project would follow the Gateway Review process. Similarly, Ministers were asked to grant £2m of SCIF funding to a project to digitalise the National Library of Wales’ collection of Welsh newspapers and magazines. This would be on the basis that the £2m was capped, that the scope of the project would reflect the amount of match funding from the NLW.
The Cabinet Committee were provided with an update report on the six One Wales commitments which received additional capital funding in order to ensure effective and timely delivery.
Members of the Cabinet Committee were invited to note the current arrangements for capital charges and the work of HM Treasury’s Alignment project to improve those arrangements. It was reported that the Minister for Health and Social Services would discuss the paper with the Chief Executive of the National Health Service in Wales and provide a written response in due course. The Cabinet Committee were informed that an update paper would be provided when the result of the Treasury’s Alignment project became known.
On 6 May, the Committee had an update on the progress made on the fourteen projects in the first tranche of the Strategic Capital Investment Plan with programmed start dates during 2008-09. It was acknowledged, however, that there was a high dependency on delivery partners and the availability of suitable schemes, and that as a consequence five local authorities in Wales had not delivered any affordable housing in the first year of the project. Ministers emphasised the importance of dialogue with local authorities to encourage them to submit proposals and agreed that it was important to consider where affordable housing was most needed.
The Cabinet Committee was advised that officials from the Departments for the Economy and Transport and Environment, Sustainability and Housing had met with the Strategic Capital Investment Panel to discuss their strategic capital priorities. Initial feedback had been positive. Ministers noted that the Panel would consider the strategic capital priorities of the Departments for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, and Health and Social Services at its next meeting. Feedback to the Cabinet Committee would be provided in due course.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced a paper which provided the Cabinet Committee with advice on the intended approach for developing the Second Tranche of the Strategic Capital Investment Plan. The Cabinet Committee was invited to note the amount of funding available, and agree the intended approach and criteria for prioritising investment proposals. Ministers agreed that every effort should be made to ensure that Wales benefited from the UK wide Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) particularly as its priorities in areas such as the digital and knowledge economies and carbon reduction matched those of the Assembly Government. The Cabinet Committee endorsed the approach and criteria for prioritising investment proposals which were: a strong fit with the Spatial Plan; direct links to the One Wales agenda; evidence of cross-cutting collaboration; and an invest to save approach where the initial capital investment would lead to clear efficiency savings over the whole life of the project. It was also suggested that a project’s readiness to start should also be a key criterion. Ministers emphasised the importance of recession proofing all proposals for projects.
On 15 June, the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced a paper which provided Ministers with a summary of the departmental bids for allocations from the £41.3m additional capital funding for 2009-10 which had been made available as a result of consequentials arising from announcements in the recent UK Budget. The Cabinet Committee was invited to note the bids and agree the proposed provisional allocation of the additional limited capital funding for 2009-10 across Assembly Government departments prior to final consideration by Cabinet later that afternoon. It was explained that in analysing departmental bids for capital allocations, a balance had been sought between the availability of resources, the fit of projects against pre-established criteria, ability to incur capital expenditure in 2009-10 and the need to focus on Assembly Government strategic priorities. Assurances were provided that in considering funding allocations from the Invest-to-Save fund, departments would be fully consulted before any re-prioritisation took place. Departmental bids that were not able to be funded from this exercise could be put forward for consideration as part of the larger £124m second tranche of the Strategic Capital Investment Fund, if Ministers so wished. The Cabinet Committee agreed that the proposed provisional allocations of the additional capital funding for 2009-10 contained in the paper should be recommended to Cabinet for approval, subject to Ministerial comments being taken into account and to confirmation that the funding would not be required for the pandemic flu.
Good progress was being made on the projects in the first tranche of the Strategic Capital Investment Fund and was being monitored by the Strategic Capital Investment Officials Group. At its last meeting, the Strategic Capital Investment Panel had considered presentations on departmental strategic capital investment programmes from officials in the Departments for Health; and Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills. Initial feedback had been positive.
On 12 October, The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced a paper which set out the results of the consideration of project proposals for Tranche 2 of the Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF) by a sub-group of the Strategic Capital Official Monitoring Group and the Strategic Capital Investment Expert Panel. It was reported that 60 initial bids had been filtered by the official-led Group using a weighted scoring system of project criteria. 27 bids had then been subjected to further analysis by the Strategic Capital Investment Expert Panel using its own scorecard test system. The Panel had identified ten projects which it recommended for funding from the £125m available for spend in 2010-11, and a further three projects which it advised should be encouraged to develop proposals further. The importance of projects being strategic was emphasised. Ministers discussed the need for projects to demonstrate cross-cutting collaborative working arrangements, and a clear fit with the One Wales and Wales Spatial Plan documents. It was agreed that projects should be beyond the scope of “business as usual” and should have broad strategic outcomes. The Cabinet Committee also agreed that projects should not necessarily be penalised by being highly leveraged by external partners, which in some circumstances could be highly desirable, and that in such situations it might be acceptable to embrace a slightly higher level of risk.
The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery introduced a paper which provided the Cabinet Committee with an update on expenditure against projects awarded funding from Tranche 1 of the Strategic Capital Investment Fund. Expenditure in 2008-09 had been £46.5m against a budget of £49.7m, a total underspend of £3.2m. Ministers were informed that this was due to slippage in the Health Vision Swansea (£1.9m) and the Department for Economy and Transport rail projects (£1.1m). Confirmation was received that the project to develop a local authority South East Wales Shared Service Centre would commence in December 2009.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to note the progress being made in relation to the Welsh Assembly Government’s review of the adequacy of all non cash resources across the Assembly Government, including capital charges. It was reported that good progress had been made but that figures were not yet available for the Department for Health and Social Services (DHSS) because of the NHS reorganisation in Wales and the subsequent revaluation of its estate.The Cabinet Committee also discussed the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards and their impact on Finance Wales.
A further meeting was held on 14 October with a revised paper on Tranche 2. It also included explanatory annexes setting out feedback from the Strategic Capital Investment Expert Panel on each project, a timeline of the Tranche 2 SCIF process and a table showing the positive impact each project would generate across each portfolio. Since the last meeting, the Children’s Hospital for Wales project had scaled down its bid from £15m to £8m.
Ministers discussed several of the bids that had not been recommended for funding by the Panel, including the Sustainable Towns and Cities, South East Wales Transport Corridor, Media Capital in Roath Dock Basin and Welsh Housing Investment Fund/Bond projects. The Cabinet Committee considered whether these projects had been analysed on the basis of incorrect information and whether they could be delivered by alternative means. Allowing for a sensible level of over-programming, a sum of some £7m plus was likely to be allocated in a second round, which would be considered shortly by the Cabinet Committee. Projects which were likely to be considered at this meeting included the South East Wales Transport Corridor, Sustainable Travel Centres and the Media Capital project in Roath Dock Basin.
A brief update on the UK Government’s Strategic Investment Fund was provided. Indications were that the Welsh Assembly Government had been awarded £10m which it could allocate according to its own strategic priorities. A further update would be provided for the First Minister to utilise at Cabinet on 19th October.
The Sustainable Futures/Climate Change Committee met on 12 January. (Please note that although it is recorded as Sustainable Futures in the log of Committees of Previous Administrations, the Committee papers refer to the Climate Change Committee). The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing welcomed Professor Anderson to the meeting and invited him to present his perspective on climate change and actions he considered necessary to combat global warming. Key aspects of the presentation focused on the need to take account of the cumulative amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, rather than merely set an end point emission reduction target, the need for changes in behaviour, uses of technology and the demand for energy, rather than concentrating on supply. The Professor emphasised the urgency of the situation and suggested a series of practical measures that could help reduce CO2 emissions. These included: the ceasing of airport expansion; the phasing out of halogen and filament light bulbs; the development of more bioenergy power stations; and the need to address people’s travelling habits. He also suggested that any new builds should be more energy efficient, there was a need to develop sophisticated metering of energy and smarter, more efficient home appliances. The Professor informed Ministers that assuming the peak in emissions would be in 2020, in order to level at 4°C of global warming in a global context, a 3.5% annual reduction in CO2 from energy was required. He suggested that this could only be achieved if maximum effort was put into reducing emissions rather than a ‘business as usual’ approach. He indicated that Wales was moving faster than the rest of the UK in putting measures in place to combat climate change and suggested that there was further potential to develop the production of renewable energy through biomass, wind, wave and tides. However, the possible competition over land for the production of food and biomass crops was noted.
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper which asked the Committee to note the outline of next steps in developing specific proposals for inclusion in a programme of action to deliver the Assembly Government’s climate change targets and its contribution to UK and European Union targets.
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper which asked the Cabinet Committee to note the Statutory Committee on Climate Change’s advice and an early draft response from the Welsh Assembly Government. Ministers noted the paper and the fact that legislation required the Assembly Government to respond to the UK Government by 1st March.
I have not downloaded the papers at this stage but you can find them via the link above.
The Committee met again on 19 March. Papers can be found via the link. The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper which invited the Cabinet Committee to note a summary of responses to the consultation on the first stage of the Climate Change Strategy, the High Level Policy Statement. The main themes resonating throughout all responses were the leadership of the Welsh Assembly Government and the importance of communication and public engagement.The Cabinet Committee noted that there did not appear to be concern amongst respondents about the challenges in delivering the 3% reduction target, although it was acknowledged that there may be a different response to the wider consultation, which was scheduled to take place later in the year.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to note a paper which provided an overview of the next steps for developing specific proposals for the climate change strategy’s detailed programme of actions, which would be consulted on in the summer. It was noted that Departments had already submitted initial proposals for policies and programmes which could be included in the second stage detailed action plan. These would require additional analysis and agreement before being taken forward in the stage 2 consultation document. It was reported that the Deputy First Minister and the ESH Minister had met recently to discuss the development of the Climate Change strategy and the National Transport Plan. It was agreed that a similar meeting should be arranged to enable the CELLS Minister to meet with the ESH Minister to ensure that links were being made between the departments in the development of the climate change agenda. It was noted that the Climate Change Bill of 2008 did not impose a statutory obligation on the Assembly Government to achieve a specific reduction in carbon emissions but rather to contribute “a fair share” towards carbon reduction.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper which provided an initial overview of the responses and a summary of the key findings which had emerged from the consultation on the Green Jobs Strategy. Ministers welcomed the paper and indicated that the strategy would need to take into account the work being taken forward within DCELLS on developing skills for a low carbon economy. It was agreed that the Strategy would need to take into account the implications of the economic downturn and put a greater emphasis on developing ‘green skills’ to enable any potential jobs to be filled by a local workforce There was also a need to link the strategy to the work being undertaken on sustainable procurement. The Cabinet Committee briefly discussed the forthcoming economic summit where it was suggested that the emerging Strategy could be trailed. It was also suggested that officials should explore the possibility of launching the Strategy at the June summit.
The Cabinet Committee was asked to endorse a paper which set out proposals for a new waste strategy, which would be subject to a public consultation. The strategy proposed a two stage approach. Stage 1 would be a medium term measure which would aim to achieve a rate of recycling of at least 70% by 2025. Stage 2 would have a longer term target of zero waste in Wales by 2050. The high level strategy would be supported by sectoral action plans and underpinned by a sustainability appraisal, a health impact assessment and an evidence plan. It was acknowledged that the strategy would include targets for waste reduction for businesses and local authorities in Wales. Ministers indicated that there would be need to explore how this would impact on Local Authority budgets and funding arrangements and it was agreed that this should be reflected in the paper that would be considered by Cabinet on 23rd March
Ministers were invited to note the outcomes of the recent meeting on the Climate Change Commission for Wales and the Commission’s input into the development of the Climate Change Strategy. It was reported that the Commission had discussed how it could improve its effectiveness in particular the function of its subgroups. The opportunity for Assembly Government officials to meet with the Commission was welcomed but Ministers agreed that there needed to be greater involvement of poverty interest groups. It was acknowledged that the social impact of the economic downturn could have implications for the wider Climate Change agenda.
The Committee met on 27 April. Papers can be found via the link. The Minister for Environment Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper which asked the Cabinet Committee to note the Carbon Budget Management system being considered by the UK Government and to consider a proposed approach for embedding carbon budget management in Wales. It was reported that the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had begun discussions with UK Government Departments to establish a carbon budget management system which would ensure the delivery of the emission reductions required by the Climate Change Act 2008. The Cabinet Committee noted that the Welsh Assembly Government had not been assigned a specific target for Wales, but officials were working on the assumption that achieving the 3% target, as set out in One Wales, would represent the Welsh contribution.
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper which provided the Cabinet Committee with a brief overview of the draft version of the Climate Change Strategy for Wales – Programme of Action consultation document.
The Cabinet Committee briefly discussed a paper which provided a short update on initial responses to the National Energy Efficiency and Saving Plan Consultation.
Ministers noted a paper which set out the outcomes of the recent meeting of the Climate Change Commission for Wales.
On 15 June, the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced the paper, which set out the proposed way forward for embedding sustainable development as a central organising principle of the Welsh Assembly Government. It was reported that the launch of the new Scheme, at Hay on Wye the previous month, had been very successful, and the event had received positive media coverage at a UK level. A summary of the existing internal work underway to embed sustainable development was set out in the paper, along with ongoing work with external stakeholders. Ministers acknowledged that the 2008 report, which reviewed the effectiveness of the previous approach, indicated that the challenge for the Assembly Government was to move from sustainable development within innovative silos to sustainable development as a central organising principle.
Other papers have not been downloaded.
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper to provide an overview of the key findings from the new UK Climate Change projections 2009 (UKCP09), which was due to be launched on 18th June. It was highlighted that, by using the latest science and methodologies, this was the best tool to date to encourage an understanding of, and preparation for, the impacts of climate change. It was reported that the projections provided more sophisticated analysis than those of UKCP02. It was noted that the Welsh Assembly Government would initially use the outputs of the model based on the medium emissions scenario for 2050, a business as usual approach, as this was accepted as the most likely trajectory. Furthermore, it was recognised that certain effects resulting from historical damage in Wales were inevitable. It was proposed that, after the launch, a document providing the Assembly Government’s response to the projections would be produced, which would set out a full picture of the impact of these changes in Wales for each emission scenario and the mitigation action that was already underway. The Cabinet Committee noted that the UK Climate Impacts Programme was planning to deliver a bespoke training event for Assembly Government staff to help familiarise them with the tools available and to also help them understand the relevance of adaptation to policy development. Ministers considered the key headline messages to emerge from the projections, which included hotter drier summers and warmer wetter winters and indicated that these may well be perceived as positive outcomes. There was a need, therefore, to emphasise the likelihood of increased weather events resulting in, for example, an increase in flooding. It was suggested that these events, when reported by weather forecasters, could reflect directly on the impact of climate change.
The Cabinet Committee were asked to agree the proposed plans for the consultation process in relation to the Programme of Action, which formed the second stage of the Climate Change Strategy. The consultation, which was scheduled to be launched on 25th June, would be wide-ranging and would publicise the fact that climate change could not be tackled by Government activity alone.
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper, which provided an update on the recent activity of the Climate Change Commission for Wales which included a statement on the desired outcome of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Copenhagen in December. Ministers noted the outcome of the recent meeting and in particular, the role the Commission intends to play in relation to the second stage of the Climate Change Strategy.
The Cabinet Committee noted a paper which focused on the development of a UK Climate Change and Energy Strategy White Paper and the Assembly Government’s contribution to it as part of the UK’s proposals and policies report required under the Climate Change Act 2008.
The Committee met on 5 October. The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which set out the progress that DCELLS had made in embedding sustainable development and climate change into its corporate work and policy delivery. Ministers considered the areas where progress had been made within the education system, as well as within departmental processes, such as the review of everyday internal practices. It was acknowledged that learning environments, in particular, the delivery of 21st Century Schools, would help to improve the condition and sustainability of schools, and to ensure that working practices were more sustainable. It was noted that the Ynyshir eco School in Rhondda Cynon Taf, partially funded the Assembly Government’s school building improvement grant, was an ideal example. The education sector was taking the lead in reducing emissions in public sector buildings, both through new schools and in the refurbishment and maintenance of existing buildings. It was recognised that a majority of schools in Wales would qualify for the Carbon Reduction (CRC) Scheme.
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper, which provided the Cabinet Committee with an update on the climate change policy development that had taken place over the summer. Ministers were informed that the Climate Change Programme of Action consultation had closed and the report was expected by the end of the month. It was reported that the UK Climate Projections 09 (UKCP09) were released on 18th June and sector based training events were due to take place on adaptation and the use of the projections in November. Furthermore, the UK Government had announced the publication of the Climate Change and Energy White paper on ‘The low carbon Transition plan’ on 15th July, as part of a major package of policy documents and proposals on climate change and energy issues. It was noted that the One Wales commitment of delivering the 3% emission target was regarded as Wales’ contribution to the Carbon Budget.
The Cabinet Committee considered a paper, which provided an overview of the progress made in developing a more strategic and coordinated approach to domestic energy efficiency in Wales. It was reported that there would be a significant amount of investment into energy efficiency in the UK, particularly in domestic (up to £350 million over the next three years), which had the potential to create a significant number of jobs. As investment would be focused on fuel poor, low income households to ensure that the most vulnerable households were assisted, activity would be intensified in Strategic Regeneration Areas (SRAs). Ministers were informed that there would be collaboration with DCELLS and DET to ensure that the Welsh workforce and business population would be appropriately engaged and skilled to benefit from the investment.
The Committee met on 9 November. Papers have not been downloaded. The Cabinet Committee noted the update on the development of the Climate Change Strategy for Wales. It was recognised that all Departments needed to engage with the process and consider additional actions which could be included to meet the challenging 3% annual emission reduction target.
The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing introduced a paper which asked the Cabinet Committee to note that the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change had written to a series of Parliamentary Sub-Committees to seek their agreement on a package of documents relating to energy National Policy Statements (NPS). Ministers noted that the NPS relating to nuclear power was likely to generate public interest.
The Cabinet Committee was invited to note a paper, which contained an update on the Assembly Government’s Low Carbon Energy Policy Statement. Ministers were also asked to identify whether there were any areas that required strengthening before being presented to Cabinet at the end of November. The draft Statement set out, within the context of ‘One Wales-One Planet’ and the Assembly Government’s overarching Climate Change Strategy, the actions that would need to be taken to accelerate the transition to an efficient, low-carbon-energy based economy. The Statement indicated that by 2025 Wales had the potential to produce more than twice as much renewable energy than it consumed. Ministers suggested that the document could be less technical and simplified. In addition, there was a need to use consistent terminology in calculating power generation and consumption and it would be beneficial if the Statement was supported by a glossary of terms. The document should also refer to Glastir, the Assembly Government’s land management scheme.
The Deputy First Minister introduced a paper which provided a progress report on the development of the National Transport Plan. The Plan was developed alongside the Climate Change Strategy and was intended to put transport onto a carbon reduction pathway and meet the One Wales targets. It was reported that the consultation had ended on the 12th October and the final plan was likely to be published mid-late February. It was noted that the National Transport Plan was built upon previous delivery plans, such as the Trunk Road and Rail Forward Programmes and adding an integrated public and community transport, walking and cycling approach, so that investments would help to deliver the One Wales commitments. It was reported that Sustainable Travel Towns would produce significant changes in reducing car journeys. In addition, there was a need to encourage car sharing schemes and it was noted that the one in operation on Anglesey had already resulted in a degree of behavioural change.