Welsh Government Cabinet Committees in 2006
Welsh Government Cabinet Committees in 2006
Don't hold your breath....
Welcome back to the world of the Welsh Government in 2006, this time through the lens of the Cabinet Committees. The Committees were the site of a lot of the detail of government policy-making.
The links to these minutes have been hard for researchers to access so I am making them available as part of my research for my next book. For some reason the Cabinet Secretariat, about halfway through the year, starts publishing some of the Cabinet Papers as Word documents rather than PDFs. This means that researchers can, if they want, examine tracked chamges in the original documents. For publication here, I have converted them into PDFs, since Word documents are not supported by Substack. I have not downloaded all of the Annexes to every paper.
A number of themes which emerge are still topical today, such as concerns over female sentencing and imprisonment, mental health of young offenders in Parc Prison, programme funding and its integration into the RSA funding formula for local government, Incapacity Benefit, public service delivery, NHS reconfiguration, ASPB accountability, parity of esteem of vocational and academic courses, regional development and regeneration, sustainable development and climate change and many others.
The documents and minutes are useful for researchers who wish to trace policy development over time. But they are a very dry read….
Children and Young People
The Committee’s first meeting was on 9 January. The Minister for Children provided an update for Ministers on a number of key areas, including proposals for the Welsh Assembly Government’s contribution to the UK Report on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2007. The Minister also provided an overview of the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales’ Annual Report 2004-2005 and outlined her priorities for 2006, stressing the importance that the implementation of the Children Act 2004 would have in the coming year.
The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning introduced a paper, which outlined proposals aimed at developing more co-ordinated planning and development for the children’s workforce in Wales, including proposals for skills and standards common to England and Wales, and the need to be able to recruit and retain appropriate numbers of workers within Wales. The Minister explained that Local Workforce Strategies are to be drawn up and that a consultation on the Workforce Strategy, including proposals on developing ‘pedagogue’ early years professionals, will be undertaken by the Children’s Workforce Network in conjunction with the Care Council for Wales. Unfortunately the link to the paper doesn’t work.
The Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration introduced a paper which outlined the costs associated with implementation of the Framework for Action on Hidden Harm. The Minister acknowledged the joint working arrangements across Assembly Government Policy Divisions in developing the arrangements. Ministers expressed particular concern at the pattern of sentencing which appeared to suggest that there was a gender inconsistency in the types of offences which result in custodial sentences for women compared with men. This, in turn, had implications for dependent children, as 60% of women sentenced were mothers. The First Minister agreed to raise this matter at his meeting with Mr Justice Roderick Evans on 23 January 2006 and officials were asked to provide statistical briefing on female sentencing for the First Minister in advance of this meeting. Ministers were also informed of the success of the ‘Option 2’ Scheme run by Cardiff Drug and Alcohol Team, which offers support to families where children face the likelihood of being taken into care. No paper is included with the minutes.
The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper, which summarised responses to the recent consultation on the Food and Fitness Action Plan. Ministers welcomed the findings and discussed the relevance of the conclusions to other Welsh Assembly Government initiatives, such as the Sport and Physical Activity Working Group and the Walking and Cycling Forum for Wales. Ministers also recognised the particular relevance of the conclusions for the Food in Schools Working Group. Ministers discussed the different approaches and funding arrangements adopted in England and Scotland, aimed at improving the nutritional standards and quality of food served in schools, and emphasised the importance of encouraging schools in Wales to promote healthy eating within the whole school environment – including healthy vending options. Ministers also agreed that there were inconsistencies in Public Sector organisations allowing vending machines in hospitals, leisure centres and other public buildings to dispense unhealthy products, whilst at the same time promoting healthy lifestyle options
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The next meeting took place on 20 March. The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning introduced a paper which presented Ministers with the findings and recommendations of the first stage national evaluation of the implementation of Children and Young People’s Frameworks, Early Entitlement and Cymorth. The paper also proposed a number of actions in response to the evaluation’s recommendations. The evaluation noted that partnerships had been established in all areas and were delivering a range of services. However, it had been found that partnership working was taking time to develop in some areas and that quality and effectiveness varied across Wales. The evaluation also concluded that hard evidence of the positive impact of Cymorth projects was patchy. Ministers noted concerns about Cymorth going into the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) and the risk that, given the long term nature of these projects, Local Authorities may be tempted to give priority to more immediate pressures in other areas. It was agreed that any integration of Cymorth funding into RSG would be undertaken incrementally. {This remained an issue long into recent years)
Ministers agreed that there was a need to be more ‘hands-on’ in managing the scheme and recognised that more consistent and high quality evidence-based monitoring across Cymorth’s six themes would be required in future. To this end, Ministers also supported proposals to establish a national support unit, which might act as a ’flying squad’, providing development support for Partnerships across Wales.In agreeing the paper, Ministers noted the proposed exit strategy for Cymorth and Flying Start and approved the Assembly Government response to the national evaluation and future funding proposa;s.
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The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning introduced a paper which outlined the situation in Wales in relation to consultation with children and young people on matters of Assembly Government policy. The paper contained information on policy development in which children and young people had been involved, and listed those Assembly Government departments which had consulted children and young people on their work. The paper also outlined the recommendations of the Assembly Government’s participation project, aimed at mainstreaming consultation into all appropriate Assembly Government activity. Ministers were keen to ensure that all Assembly Government policy divisions were fully aware of the importance of participation and consultation with children and young people in the planning stages of policy development and delivery, in particular the need to include hard to reach groups. It was agreed that the Ministers for Education and Lifelong Learning and Children should write to Cabinet colleagues requesting that they seek information from Heads of Divisions within their departments on the extent of consultation with, and participation of, young people in Assembly Government policy. There are six annexes to this paper which can be found here.
The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper, which updated the Cabinet Sub Committee on progress in developing an electronic Common Assessment Framework (CAF) for children with additional needs in Wales. The paper also informed Ministers of proposals to link the CAF with the development of an electronic Information Sharing Index (ISI). The project would be piloted in four Local Authority areas in Wales, involving a range of agencies working with children, beginning in summer 2006. Ministers requested that data protection issues be explored in detail and any potential difficulties resolved before the pilots go live.
The next meeting of the Committee was on 8 May. The Minister for Children introduced a paper, informing Cabinet Sub Committee members that the Safeguarding Vulnerable Children Review Group, led by Gwenda Thomas AM, had launched its report on 3 May. The launch and Ministerial Statement in Plenary had been well-received and attracted positive media attention which should now be built upon. Ministers welcomed the report and agreed that initial work on the Government’s response should include identification of Ministerial priorities, and areas of potential difficulty, by portfolio. The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services stressed that, in formulating the Government’s response, actions be evidence based and carefully costed to ensure value for money. Officials should also take account of any risk which could arise from an over-reliance on the independent sector for the provision of some services. Members agreed with the Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills’ suggestion that the Cabinet Sub Committee should receive a paper on the Estyn commissioned report on Criminal Records Bureau vetting of those working with children and young people which had recently been considered by the Education Lifelong Learning and Skills Committee at a future Cabinet Sub Committee meeting. Ministers also requested a paper to note on the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill currently going through parliament
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which included a summary of the responses to the recently-concluded public consultation on the Assembly Government’s Flying Start programme and outlined the funding mechanism for the programme which would be based on the Cymorth model. This was considered a more appropriate model in this case as other models, such as free school meal entitlement, were less relevant in determining resource allocation for 0-3 year olds. The Cabinet Sub Committee discussed the variety of mechanisms used to distribute funding to support initiatives aimed at children and young people and the types of data and analyses used to measure levels of deprivation and identify target groups. Ministers agreed that there was a need to demonstrate how targeted programmes and funding follow the child/young person through the various stages of their lives, and requested that a paper be presented to a future meeting outlining the variety of formulae currently used for funding children’s services, and why these differ. The paper should also include proposals to ensure future coherence.
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The Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration introduced a paper, which set out the Assembly Government’s formal response to the Save the Children Report ‘Uncertain Futures’ on Asylum Seekers and Refugees and proposed actions in response to each of the report’s recommendations. The Cabinet Sub Committee agreed the formal response to the report, with the inclusion of certain additions to the text of the letter.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which outlined current and future activity designed to raise awareness of the Extending Entitlement strategy. This included a launch in June 2006 of the DVD resource pack designed to raise awareness of Extending Entitlement amongst stakeholders and those working with young people. Ministers welcomed the re-launch and the range of ongoing local and national activities taking place across portfolios to both raise awareness of, and deliver, Extending Entitlement through engagement with young people and key stakeholders. Ministers were also keen that work should continue to engage with hard to reach groups.
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The Committee met again on 5 June. The Minister for Children explained that in compiling the Wales report to the to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Committee it would be necessary to include information identifying all Assembly Government spending on Children’s services and initiatives. The Chair also indicated that the Wales contribution to the UK report should also contain information on how achievements and outcomes were measured and evaluated. The Minister for Children stressed the need to examine the range and type of formal and informal evaluations currently used to assess the impact of Assembly Government policies and programmes for children and young people and proposed that a strategy for ensuring effective evaluations across the full range of programmes for children and young people should be developed. Ministers acknowledged that this work represented a major undertaking. In order to establish the best way of dealing with exercise, the Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration suggested that a pilot budgeting exercise should be undertaken across her portfolio, to identify all spending on children’s services and initiatives as a precursor to a wider mapping exercise identifying all children’s budgets across the Assembly Government.
Ministers discussed the handling of Ministerial correspondence relating to children’s and young people’s issues. In order to ensure consistency of approach and to avoid duplication, Ministers agreed that in future, meeting requests received in correspondence by more than one Minister, from organisations representing children and young people, would be passed to the Minister for Children for handling.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which outlined the range of initiatives underway across the Assembly Government and those planned for the future as part of the 2nd Young Offenders Learning Project which began in June 2005. The pilot schemes detailed in the paper, aimed to improve education and training provision for those young people already in the criminal justice system. Ministers welcomed the work of the project and discussed various aspects of the programme. It was agreed that raising the skills and confidence of young offenders, with the aim of reducing the likelihood of re-offending, was crucially important. However, Ministers also acknowledged that the provision of training and education within establishments in the secure estate was a non-devolved matter. It was noted that an Estyn report had recently been published.
The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced apaper, which provided the Cabinet Sub Committee with an overview of the content and progress of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill, published in March 2006. The Bill proposed the establishment of a new Independent Barring Board which would maintain databases of those barred from engaging in ‘regulated’ and ‘controlled’ activities’ with children or vulnerable adults
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced the paper, which set out the findings of the Estyn Survey of Procedures for Vetting School Staff and Other Adults. The paper also included initial Assembly Government responses to the report’s 11 recommendations.Ministers welcomed the fact that the majority of issues raised in the report were already covered by existing Assembly Government guidance and noted the response to the findings of the survey. Ministers expressed concern, though, that employers were not always in compliance with existing guidance and recognised that more needed to be done to raise the level of awareness of, and adherence to, existing guidance.
At the Comittee’s meeting on 17 July, Item 2: Chair’s Items the Minister for children provided feedback on her recent meeting with the Children and Young People (CYP) Cabinet sub Committee Officials’ Group. She underlined the need for a continued focus on three areas in particular: the Assembly Government’s response to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Children report; the report on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC); and taking forward the Children’s National Service Framework (NSF).
The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper, which detailed the range of services funded by the Assembly Government aimed at improving the social, educational and health outcomes for children in need in Wales. The paper also detailed the increased responsibilities placed on Local Authorities to deliver services and described the transfer of the final tranche of funding to the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) in 2007. Ministers were advised that the transfer would be taking place against the backdrop of the Beecham Review Recommendations and Making the Connections. Ministers stressed that it was imperative that the transfer of Children First funding to RSG did not lead to a decline in services or a dissipation of funding. They noted the development of a range of key performance indicators to measure and manage the effective delivery of services at Local Authority level and ensure value for money, including the creation of the Children's Commissioning Support Resource.
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills presented a paper, which set out recommendations for improving access to specialist residential placements for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities aged 16 and above. The Cabinet Sub Committee’s attention was drawn to the negative publicity generated by some recent high profile cases. Ministers noted the significant increase in Careers Wales recommendations for learners to attend specialist residential colleges in circumstances where their needs cannot be met locally, which had been received by the Assembly Government over recent years. Demographic trends suggested that case numbers were likely to rise further over coming years. Ministers suggested that in future discussions of policy issues such as this, where overlap existed with other Assembly Government strategies or initiatives, these be clearly identified to ensure that all links and connections were understood. To this end, Ministers requested that officials revise guidance to ensure that links to other relevant government strategies are identified and listed in future Cabinet and Cabinet Sub Committee papers.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which provided an interim report on the work of the Children and Young People’s Reference Group in selecting outcome measures for core aims
.The Committee’s first meeting after summer recess took place on 21 September. The Minister for Children provided an update on her recent meeting with the four UK Children’s Commissioners held on 10 August 2006. At the meeting, the first of its kind chaired by a Minister, Commissioners’ discussed their respective priorities and work programmes. Many areas of common concern were identified and information was exchanged around various issues, including work undertaken on children’s budgeting in Northern Ireland and the development of a ‘children’s agenda’ in Scotland. The Minister also reported that a meeting of all four UK Children’s Ministers had now been confirmed for 22 January 2007. This was to be held in Cardiff and chaired by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Minister for Children.
The Minister for Children informed the Cabinet Sub Committee that the initial pilot exercise on Children’s Budgeting across the Social Justice & Regeneration department had been completed and had provided much useful information. In particular, the exercise had highlighted difficulties in tracking spend once it had left the Assembly. This work would help inform the Assembly Government-wide exercise on children’s budgeting, being led by Christine Chapman AM.
The Cabinet Sub Committee discussed a recent national newspaper article on the development of the Webster-Stratton Incredible Years Programme for Parents, Children and Teachers at Bangor University. The group acknowledged that Assembly Government funding of the programme, through various initiatives, continued to play an important role in delivering relevant training for development of the model across Wales.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which identified the variety of formulae currently used by the Assembly Government to fund children and young people's grant schemes. The paper also suggested the possibility of rationalising the funding arrangements for certain initiatives, with a view to creating a more coherent approach to funding allocations. In relation to those schemes aimed at tackling disadvantage, it was suggested that this might best be done through application of the Children’s Social Services formula within the Standard Spending Assessment (SSA), where appropriate. Ministers welcomed the direction of travel described in the paper, and suggested that for schemes aimed at tackling deprivation or disadvantage, there should be an assumption that the Children's Social Services SSA would be the usual funding formula. Ministers requested that a further paper be prepared for consideration at a future meeting before May 2007, taking Ministers views on board and further developing proposals
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The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced apaper, which described the newly developed service model for the future provision of advocacy services for children and young people in Wales. The paper also sought Ministerial approval for a consultation paper to issue on the framework guidance. The Cabinet Sub Committee welcomed the fact that proposals had been informed by extensive research conducted by Cardiff University, including consultation with over 1200 children and young people, and that the Institute of Public Care had assisted the task group in developing the proposed new service model
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The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper, which set out the findings and recommendations of the recently conducted review of childcare proceedings and proposals for taking the recommendations forward in Wales. The Cabinet Sub Committee noted that the Minister for Health and Social Services was a member of the Ministerial Group and that the Welsh Assembly Government was represented on the official level delivery board
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The Minister for Children reminded colleagues that papers should be prepared in good time for Cabinet Sub Committee meetings. The practise of withdrawing papers from agendas at short notice was causing considerable difficulty for the forward planning of business and was not making the best use of the Cabinet Sub Committee’s time.
The Committee met again on 6 November. The Minister for Children noted that information recently published by the Local Government Data Unit suggested that improvements to services for looked after children were beginning to show, but confirmed that there was a continuing need to keep driving forward improvements.
The Care Standards Inspectorate Chief Executive’s Report, published in October, had identified improvements in a number of key areas, but noted that concerns persisted in others. The Chair suggested that there should be further discussion around the possibility of legal enforcement action against service providers where longstanding difficulties remained.
The Minister for Health and Social Services and the Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration introduced a paper, which outlined current mental health services for young offenders, including arrangements in Young Offenders Institutions (YOI) and secure children’s homes in Wales, and the future development of policy. There was discussion around the provision of services at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Parc, during which it was noted that the Youth Justice Board’s National Standards required that all young people within the YOI estate in Wales should receive healthcare of a similar standard to that which they would receive in the community. Concern was expressed that, under current arrangements, healthcare services at Parc - including mental health services - were commissioned and inspected by the Home Office, rather than by the Assembly Government. Concerns were also raised about the provision of appropriate services to the large percentage of Young Offenders from Wales held in facilities in England. Ministers noted that funds had been made available by the Assembly Government, via the Youth Justice Board, for a social worker support scheme to be established at Parc YOI. Ministers requested further information on why these funds had not yet been taken up. They also agreed that there was a need to explore further ways in which the Local Authority’s powers, under the 1989 Children Act, could be exercised to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people incarcerated at Parc. Ministers agreed that it would be worthwhile to further explore ways in which conditions might be improved for young prisoners across the secure estate. Particularly in respect of making arrangements for them to be accommodated close to their homes and to have services available to them upon release that would help integration into the community. It was agreed that the First Minister and the Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration would meet to discuss these issues further. Ministers agreed the recommendation of the paper, namely that the All Wales Youth Offending Strategy Joint Implementation Group should closely monitor the development of Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the treatment of young offenders in Wales. In doing so, there was consensus amongst Cabinet Sub Committee members that there should be continuing emphasis on ensuring that those young people with mental health problems, who pose a risk of offending, have access to appropriate mental health services as a means of guiding them away from criminality in the first place and that good quality services are available to them upon their release. These issues remain of concern today in 2024. The Annex to the paper is not available.
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which presented the Cabinet Sub Committee with a draft consultation document as part of the development of the Assembly Government’s Youth Service Strategy for Wales. The Minister outlined how the Strategy aimed to create a vision for the future of youth work in Wales and explained how the policy related to other Assembly Government flagship policies, such as the Rights to Action agenda and Extending Entitlement
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Officials introduced a paper, which outlined the ongoing development of a model, based on the concepts of emotional intelligence, designed to demonstrate the impact of Extending Entitlement and the 14-19 Learning Pathways initiatives.Ministers were informed that the ambition was to develop a model which aimed to identify the benefits derived from a range of Assembly Government initiatives. This approach was being benchmarked against the Extending Entitlement and 14-19 Learning Pathways Initiatives with a view to rolling out the model to other appropriate policy areas. I have not downloaded rthe four Annexes which can be found here.
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which provided Ministers with information relating to workforce planning issues, particularly in relation to the foundation phase of Flying Start and school workforce remodelling. The Minister acknowledged that the projected increase in demand for childcare workers and teaching assistants, along with related demands on training and accreditation which would be required to ensure the high quality of service delivery, presented major challenges. A recent Wales Care Council survey had also concluded that this sector of the workforce experienced high turnover and low pay. There was also recognition that other sectors, such as adult care support and social care – in addition to private sector retail employers - also drew from the same workforce pool. Cabinet Sub Committee members noted plans to ensure that as many care workers and teaching assistants as possible were trained to level 3 of the Assembly Government’s Framework of Accredited Qualifications in Early Years Education and Childcare. Proposals for the future production of workforce development plans by Children and Young People’s Partnerships was also welcomed
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Officials introduced t paper which presented Ministers with recommendations for improving the process for securing specialist residential placements for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities aged 16 or above.
At the meeting on 4 December, the Minister for Children outlined business for the remaining meetings of the Cabinet Sub Committee and requested that colleagues bring to her attention any further items of business that they would wish to be considered before Easter recess.
Ministers discussed progress on implementing the NSF and agreed that a paper on progress of the Children’s NSF be presented at the 29 January 2007 meeting.
The Cabinet Sub Committee requested that the draft autism strategy be submitted to Ministers for consideration, and issued for consultation before Christmas recess.
Deputy Minister Christine Chapman introduced the paper on children’s budgeting, which presented the results of the first phase of an exercise undertaken to identify how much of the Assembly Government budget is spent on children, and to seek Ministers’ views on the second phase of the work. The Cabinet Sub Committee agreed that the methodology of the exercise should be consistent and robust enough to ensure that the same formulae could be applied to accurately measure other funding streams in future, e.g. the various equality strands, sports funding, or spend on the Heads of the Valleys project.
The Minister for Children introduced a paper, which presented Cabinet Sub Committee members with the draft progress report on implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Wales. This would form part of the UK Government’s State Party report, due for publication in March 2007.
Ministers requested that officials across all relevant policy departments be further consulted on the amendments suggested by Ministers, and to ensure that the document was appropriately cross referenced. Ministers also asked for sight of the final version of the report in correspondence before it was submitted and published
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which provided Sub Committee members with information on the recently published Department for Education and Skills Green Paper ‘Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care’, and how key recommendations in the Green Paper related to the continuing development of astrategy for children in need in Wales. Ministers discussed the implications of the Green Paper on the development of the Assembly Government’s strategy for children in need, noting that several of the proposals in the paper had already been identified as areas for development in Wales.
There was discussion around the Green Paper recommendation regarding prioritising compulsory school admissions for looked after children. Ministers noted that the new Code of Admissions, requiring local authorities to place looked after children in the best school for their education, would not affect the Assembly Government’s commitment that all children within each school catchment area would continue to be admitted to their local schools. Ministers discussed the Corporate Parenting role of Local Authorities. Ministers were keen to see Local Authority cabinet members with responsibility for children’s issues engage over Corporate Parenting issues
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which invited the Cabinet Sub Committee to approve and adopt a set of core principles as National Standards of Participation for Children and Young people for all future Welsh Assembly Government activity. There are six papers listed as Annexes which I have not downloaded.
Jobs and Skills
The Jobs and Skills committee had five meetings in 2006, the first on 23 January. The First Minister welcomed Peter McGowan, the Welsh Assembly Government’s newly-appointed Vocational Skills Champion, to the meeting. Mr McGowan, a former head teacher and business advisor, outlined his role to Ministers. He explained that his main priority would be to promote a more positive image of vocational qualifications to employers, schools, colleges and universities, and students themselves. This would contribute towards the Assembly Government’s long-term aim of developing parity of esteem between academic and vocational qualifications. Mr McGowan informed the group that the majority of large employers in Wales appreciated the value of apprenticeships and other vocational qualifications, but more needed to be done to promote the benefits of such qualifications to Wales’ many Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and micro-businesses. This was an area he would focus on. Ministers recognised the importance of developing an appropriately skilled and qualified workforce and the value of courses which focussed on practical abilities highly valued by employers, such as problem solving, team work, project work and management skills. Ministers also considered the role played by the Welsh Baccalaureate in bridging the gap between traditional academic and vocational courses. The Vocational Skills Champion informed the Cabinet Sub Committee of emerging anecdotal evidence that some Higher Education Institutions were reluctant to accept the Welsh Baccalaureate as an entry qualification. Ministers asked for further advice on this and other issues relating to the Welsh Baccalaureate. Officials informed Ministers that the teaching of subjects to General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) level was becoming more widespread in secondary schools in Wales and across the rest of the UK. This was welcomed, but Ministers were advised of criticisms that some schools in England had increased the number of GNVQs being taken, allegedly in order to improve school performance figures. Officials advised Ministers that there was no evidence of this happening in Wales.
Officials introduced a paper which set out progress to date and priorities for the coming year. It outlined the new joint working arrangements proposed between the Assembly Government’s Economic Development & Transport (EDT) division and the Department for Education Lifelong Learning and Skills (DELLS). This would build on the ‘joined up’ approach developed between ELWa and the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) which had resulted in initiatives such as Business Eye. The aim, post-merger, was to provide an increasingly effective and customer focussed service to both employers and learners in Wales. This would be aided by a ‘common intelligence hub’, which would enable shared policy and strategy development, and joint planning across the two departments. Ministers noted the proposals in the paper and emphasised that one of the major benefits of the ASPB merger process would be the development of an increasingly streamlined and responsive delivery of services to employers, learners and training providers brought about by the pooling of resources and expertise between the new EDT and DELLS
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The Minister for Economic Development and Transport introduced the paper, which identified key sectors offering prospects for growth and employment opportunities which may benefit from geographically targeted vocational training provision.
Ministers discussed the different prevailing economic conditions and respective needs of the Welsh regions. It was recognised that in areas with a ‘tight’ labour market, such as parts of North East Wales, skills supply tended to be demand-led, with major employers such as Airbus clearly communicating and planning for their requirements. In other parts of Wales where the labour market was not so tight and employees might simply assume they would find the skills they needed with less effort, there was a need to develop stronger links with employers to establish and specify their skills needs and help deliver appropriate training opportunities.
Ministers were informed by officials that in order to improve the quality of training provision, from 2008 only training providers meeting Estyn Grade 3 would be awarded Assembly Government contracts and from 2010 onwards training providers would be expected to meet Estyn Grade 2. Work was also in hand to develop a Work Based Learning Implementation Plan.
The Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport introduced a paper, which responded to an earlier request by the Cabinet Sub Committee to explore the feasibility of using Lottery funding to enhance vocational learning provision as part of the Heads of the Valleys programme, The Minister explained that the Big Lottery Fund, the largest distributor of Lottery funding in the UK, included a ‘skills for life’ programme worth approximately £15 million over three years. Rather than vocational training, however, this fund concentrated more on outreach work. Ministers were informed that Lottery distributors in Wales operate at arms length from the Welsh Assembly Government. However, the Assembly Government is able to issue policy directions setting the strategic funding agenda, and routinely asks Lottery distributors to work strategically with the Assembly Government. Ministers noted that the Big Lottery Fund had indicated that they would be willing to meet with the Heads of the Valleys programme team to discuss possible sources of funding, and that contact details for the Big Lottery Fund had been passed on to the Director of the Heads of the Valleys Programme to enable a meeting to take place
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Officials introduced a paper, which identified key issues in the planning of future Structural Funds programmes in Wales. Ministers noted that, with the EU budget for 2007-13 in place, the aim was to have the new programme agreed and ready to commence by the beginning of 2007. The Cabinet Sub Committee would be consulted on a number of key issues in the coming months, including the proposed programme structure, the overall balance of resources across the various priorities, the spatial targeting of resources and the arrangements for generating strategic priorities.
Ministers agreed the Forward Work Programme and asked that a paper on the provision of careers advice in schools in Wales be presented at a future meeting.
The committee’s next meeting was on 6 March. The Minister for Economic Development and Transport introduced a paper on Structural Funds, which reported on progress and invited Ministers views on key issues. The Assembly Government’s new Operational Programme would need to be considered by relevant Subject Committees in the coming months, agreed and formally submitted to the EU Commission in September/October 2006. Commission guidelines indicated that resources would need to be ‘earmarked’ against categories of investment which support the Lisbon Strategy for sustainable economic development. Ministers discussed how this aim would be achieved with key stakeholders and partners in Wales. In agreeing the recommendations of the paper, the Cabinet Sub Committee noted that given the complex criteria and tight timescales involved, there would need to be focus and co-operation across policy divisions and with external partners to ensure the operational programmes were ready on time.
The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning introduced a paper, which outlined the development of a strategic approach to support the construction sector in Wales, and presented Ministers with a range of proposals designed to take this initiative forward. Ministers acknowledged the link between skills development and economic growth in Wales and the importance of increasing the number of learners choosing, and completing, vocational courses to help achieve greater parity between academic and vocational routes.In agreeing the proposed development activities to be included within the strategic framework, Ministers requested that the skills required to improve and sustain Wales’s historic environment should also feature alongside mainstream construction training.
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The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning introduced a paper which outlined proposals set out in the DWP Green Paper for consultation on Incapacity Benefit reforms and explored how these might complement the Assembly Government’s strategies to tackle economic inactivity in Wales. Ministers discussed the Green paper proposals, noting the success of the Pathways to Work pilots in Wales. The Cabinet Sub Committee also considered the DWP’s outline proposals for a ‘Cities Strategy’ and the relevance of this plan for Wales, given the differences in both geographical and socio-economic conditions, whilst acknowledging the similarities which exist in inner city areas and large urban areas such as the valleys.In agreeing the paper, Ministers noted that a corporate response from the Welsh Assembly Government would be sent to DWP by the First Minister before the consultation deadline in April 2006.
The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning introduced the paper which sought the Cabinet Sub Committee’s views on the recommendations contained in ELWa’s Improvement Plan for Workbased Learning. The Cabinet Sub Committee welcomed the plan and the fact that some 67,000 people in Wales were currently participating in Workbased Learning. Ministers recognised the contribution made by Workbased Learning in providing a workforce with relevant skills to employers in Wales, and acknowledged the plan’s focus on the need for improvement in the completion rates for learners. Ministers discussed the variation in the quality of provision that exists across sectors, and recognised that the implementation of Estyn Grade 3 standards on training providers from 2008 would help assure the quality of provision. I have not downloaded the three Annexes which can be found here.
The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning introduced the Learning PathwaysAction Plan, which responded to the recommendations made by the Deputy Minister with Responsibility for Education and Finance in her report on 14-19 Learning Pathways, published in 2005. The Cabinet Sub Committee welcomed the plan and the additional funding which had been made available to support the Learning Pathways agenda. There was recognition that this approach would demand close working between the Assembly Government’s new Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, and Enterprise, Innovation and Networks. It was also hoped that the Learning Pathways agenda would help further embed the Welsh Baccalaureate as a recognised institutional route to vocational qualifications. Ministers emphasised the important role that careers advisers had to play in ensuring that learners chose appropriate and relevant pathways, and were informed that meetings with the sector would be arranged around the launch and rollout of the plan
The committee met again on 22 May. Officials advised Ministers of progress in respect of Item 3, Construction Training Provision and the Heads of the Valleys Programme. In particular, that a ‘sounding board’ group consisting of Department of Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills and Enterprise, Innovation and Networks officials and external stakeholders had been established under the chairmanship of the Managing Director of Cowlin Construction Group, David Harris. The First Minister asked how this would fit with the Heads of the Valleys Strategy and officials advised that the Rhondda Cynon Taff Planning Officer was a member of the Group. Furthermore, a meeting of construction companies operating across the valleys had been organised with Job Centre Plus to consider an extension of the JobMatch initiative which had been running in Blaenau Gwent. The First Minister welcomed this progress and asked for information on how many local people were benefiting from accessing training and employment opportunities arising from the construction of the Porth Rhondda Fach Relief Road and the Rhondda Community Hospital.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which provided the Cabinet Sub Committee with information on union-led learning in Wales, in particular the Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF). The paper also contained recommendations for improvement, based on an internal review of WULF conducted in 2005. An earlier Estyn Report of in 2001-2 had concluded that the Fund was useful and delivered value for money. The internal review, completed in 2005 had reported that more could be delivered through the development of partnership programmes, and closer liaison with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Learning Services Team. The report also concluded that sustainable delivery should be at the heart of future funding agreements, to ensure that the benefits of individual projects were not lost when WULF funding finishes. Ministers welcomed the conclusions of the report and were keen to ensure that the Assembly Government’s funding of WULF, amounting to some £1,000,000 per year, plus the additional contribution to the Welsh TUC of £675,000 per annum used to fund its Learning Services Team, were delivering their objectives. Ministers discussed the benefits of the WULF scheme, particularly in attracting learners who might not traditionally be drawn to education programmes. Ministers were informed that learning provided through WULF did not focus on job-related or vocational courses, but on subjects beyond the workplace, and that these learning opportunities were also often available to relatives of employees. It was also recognised that WULF provided a means of creating closer links between employees, unions and employers. The Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks recalled a similar, highly successful, employee development scheme in operation at the Ford Motor Company in the past. Further to this, the First Minister requested information on whether the company has had any involvement with the Wales Union Learning Fund, in advance of his visit to the Bridgend plant
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The First Minister introduced the paper, which reported on the progress of four implementation issues relating to the planning of the next round of Structural Fund programmes: Strategic Frameworks; Programme Monitoring Committees; future partnership arrangements and technical input to implementation. The Chair reported on the recent Gross Value Added (GVA) per head data which had been released for 2001/2003. It confirmed that if the European Union budget had not been settled in December 2005, on the basis of 2000/2002 figures, West Wales and the Valleys would not have qualified for Objective One Status for the period 2007-2013. The Minister emphasised the importance of developing programmes in the next round of European Structural Funds which met the criteria set out in the Lisbon Agenda. In keeping with Lisbon-related priorities, there would be more focus on programmes which were aimed at ‘intellectual’ development, rather than ‘hardware’ projects. Ministers agreed that there was a need to ensure that the Strategic Frameworks concept, and the Lisbon-focussed theme of the next round of European Structural Funds, was clearly communicated to partners. To this end, Ministers requested that consideration be given to a communications strategy to promulgate the Assembly Government's approach for European Structural Funds from 2007 onwards, including the possibility of one or two promotional events.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which set out how the Learning Pathways Guidance II, launched on 3 May 2006, would help inform practitioners in schools, colleges and work placed providers. The strategy also aimed to put the learner first, enhancing opportunities and providing wider options and greater flexibility. The Minister explained that substantial additional funding, some £41m in total, had been made available to support new aspects of Learning Pathways. In order to succeed, however, the programme would require buy-in across Assembly Government departments and partner organisations throughout Wales. The Cabinet Sub Committee agreed that generating cross-cutting support for the programme was imperative, and that a further paper should be taken, outlining how Assembly Government departments beyond DELLS were intending to take forward and contribute towards the achievement of the aims and objectives of the 14-19 agenda. The Cabinet Sub Committee discussed ways of ensuring that the programme helped to deliver those skills demanded by employers in Wales. There was recognition that the programme provided a framework for closer links to be developed between employers and learning providers, and that this would need to be developed, through liaison between providers and industry sectors to ensure that appropriate skills were delivered.In agreeing the paper, Ministers discussed issues around parity of esteem between vocational and academic qualifications, and the importance of the Welsh Baccalaureate in bridging the divide between the two as an overarching qualification. There was also recognition of the pivotal role that careers companies play in encouraging schools and colleges to provide appropriate courses, and learners to pursue suitable learning opportunities. The Minister for ELLS reminded the Cabinet Sub Committee that a new curriculum was in development.Due for publication in 2007, it was anticipated that it would be more skills based than the existing curriculum.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper, which reported on progress in developing Sector Skills Agreements (SSAs), designed to improve the relevance of education and training provision to meet the needs of individuals and employers and create a more demand-led and responsive system.
The Minister reported that all 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) were now in place. An integral part of the Skills and Employment Action Plan, SSCs were designed to create a means for employers to influence the training and education system, to ensure provision of skills congruent with those demanded by employers, and act as the forum for the development of SSAs. Four SSAs had now been drawn up, with a further six due for completion by July 2006. All were due to be in place by the end of 2007
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The committee met again on 2 October. Ministers noted the success of the Porth relief road scheme in terms of the construction project itself bringing economic benefits to the Rhondda through the employment of a mainly local workforce and agreed that this should be publicised appropriately.
The Chair introduced the paper, and noted that the allocation for East Wales Regional Competitiveness was likely to be cut by 40% compared with the previous Programme. Ministers agreed that effective co-ordination and consultation with local government and other partners was extremely important. The Spatial Plan approach was vital in providing the strategic frameworks for drawing down Structural Funds and driving collaboration. This also applied to cross-cutting themes such as health, for example through the new statutory obligations under the Children’s Workforce agenda. Ministers acknowledged that in East Wales there were pockets of deprivation both in the inner city areas and in outlying council estates. The recommendations in the paper were agreed.
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The Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks introduced a paper on SME support, and thanked the Deputy Minister for her original report, to which the paper provided a response. The Deputy Minister welcomed the response. She highlighted the importance of supporting both start-ups and growing businesses, and of finding ways to reduce the number of funding streams and avoid duplication. Consideration should be given to repayments of grants and loans, and measures aimed at reducing re-applications. The use of robust monitoring and evaluation procedures, including the grants review, would be vital. In addition, analysis of market failure should make a clear distinction between commercial reasons and other limiting factors. Ministers discussed how to reach businesses that did not make direct contact with the public sector, and to ensure that appropriate training was available to and through SMEs, from basic skills to shared apprenticeships to management development. Using graduates’ skills was also important, especially given the significant risk for SMEs in employing new staff. The successful Graduate Opportunities Wales scheme provided access to this resource. Ministers acknowledged the important role played by account managers, for example in changing perceptions of public sector support. They noted that account managers could also be influential in encouraging businesses to engage with issues such as helping people with special needs into employment.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced apaper that highlighted the fact that GNVQs would be phased out completely by October 2007, and reported that the second set of results for the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ) were very encouraging. The Minister added that the WBQ pilot had been extensive, and that the recently introduced Foundation model would further extend provision, into pre-16 schools. The full WBQ spanning 14–19 would create synergies between the curriculum, the qualifications framework, and mainstream employers’ needs. The Minister reported that the External Evaluation report on the WBQ had recommended the preferred option of a phased roll out. Engagement in the process would be very important since adoption of the WBQ would be voluntary and would require a considerable amount of training. Officials added that interest was now very high. Ministers noted that the WBQ brought together vocational skills development with rigorous academic methods for the first time. However, since the WBQ comprised components of the existing curriculum, it was necessary to ensure that vocational courses were widely available and widely taken up by pupils.
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper on Incapacity Benefit, and reported that Pathways to Work was being taken forward in a phased roll- out. Ministers discussed the impact of the IB reforms on Wales, which had different demographics in terms of claimants from the UK as a whole. Ministers noted the contribution made by reserved programmes, such as Welfare to Work, in tackling economic inactivity. Welsh public sector interventions, including those funded through Structural Funds, needed to be complementary rather than overlapping. Ministers agreed that effective partnership working was vital in helping people into work, which was a key topic in Wales: A Vibrant Economy. This included cross-departmental collaboration, given, for example, the read across to the Social Justice agenda.
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced the paper, which reported on Sandy Leitch’s review of skills commissioned by Her Majesty's Treasury. She noted that Phil Hope MP, the UK Skills Minister, had visited Wales the week before, and had met with representatives from Airbus, who had endorsed the Welsh Assembly Government’s approach to skills. Sandy Leitch would be visiting Wales to meet Sector Skills Councils representatives and to gain a greater understanding of the devolved contribution to the skills agenda. Ministers discussed examples of good practice in Wales, including: the all-age careers service; all-age apprenticeships; and foundation degrees. During the ensuing discussion on how to respond to skills needs in the future, Ministers acknowledged that there were significant challenges, for example competition from rapidly growing industrial production in Asia, but that there were examples in the UK, such as Manchester, of successful transition to a post-industrial economy. Ministers noted that Sector Skills Councils were working to the timetable set by the UK Government. A “skills observatory” approach would be used in taking the agenda forward, and increasing graduate employment would be a priority. A lack of appropriate accreditation and licensing caused problems for some occupations, such as some construction jobs; future work on this would be driven by employers.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee noted the following papers, which were circulated in advance of the meeting, without discussion:
The role of the Joint Skills Advisory Panel
I have not downloaded the annexes to this.
14–19 Learning Coaches
The final 2006 meeting of the Committee was on 20 November.Ministers discussed the Leitch Review of Skills commissioned by Her Majesty's Treasury, which would report on the measures necessary to raise skills levels across the board in the UK by 2020. The report was expected to recommend that a commission be established to bring together JobCentre Plus and Sector Skills Councils, working with the devolved administrations as well as the UK Government. A stronger role for the National Employment Panel, on which Ruth Marks represented Wales, was also anticipated.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee was asked to note the analysis of the consultation responses on Convergence Funds, and agree amendments to the Operational Programmes. The proposed amendments included, for the first time, a separate European Regional Development Fund (EDRF) priority for “research and development, innovation and Information Communications Technology (ICT)”, and a separate European Social Fund (ESF) priority for “supplying young people with the skills needed for employment”. The Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks reported the very supportive tone of Graham Meadows, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional Policy, in relation to the Assembly Government’s approach at a recent meeting. Ministers welcomed the proposed inclusion of a separate priority for young people, particularly as it would support the Assembly Government’s 14-19 Action Plan. Raising the skills base would be the priority, and findings from the Leitch Review indicated that public sector investment in basic skills development gave a higher return than spend on higher end skills. The priority on developing skills necessary to support the growth of the knowledge economy could not be disregarded. Ministers noted that the ESF proportion of the EU funding (40%) was as high as the Commission would accept. Funding would be locked into the agreed priorities, and subsequent transfers could only be made with the agreement of the Commissioners. Ministers agreed that the establishment of a single Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) covering both the Convergence and the Competitiveness Programmes, was the right way forward, informed by the experience of setting up and running the PMCs steering the current programmes.Ministers considered how to manage expectations in respect of future funding for current Objective 1 projects. These projects had been approved on a basis of sustainability and sound exit strategies; there was no guarantee that funding would automatically continue post 2006. The new programmes would focus on strategic, transformational projects run on a regional or sub-regional partnership basis that contributed to the Lisbon agenda and Assembly Government priorities (including the child poverty strategy), and added value in terms of job creation rather than simply building capacity. Ministers discussed the evaluation of current projects, and agreed that best practice should be identified so that it could inform the development and management of future projects.Capacity issues to develop projects effectively taking advantage of the programmes remained in those parts of West Wales and the Valleys where the social structure of the population was unusual in having a below average proportion of the population in the professional classes, even by comparison with urban regeneration areas elsewhere in Europe. The Making the Connections priority and work within the Spatial Plan Groups could help address these issues
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The Deputy Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced the paper, which asked the Cabinet Sub-Committee to note the progress being made with the 14–19 Action Plan. She explained that a robust organisational structure was driving delivery, with significant levels of funding being channelled to collaborative initiatives through network co-ordinators. The 220 Learning Coaches had important roles to play, as did partner organisations such as Sector Skills Councils and Careers Wales. Ministers emphasised the importance of involving employers in skills development, and noted that a task force on employer engagement, chaired by Sheila Drury and reporting to the Joint Skills Advisory Panel, had been established. Some qualifications did not meet the standards expected by industry; this needed to be addressed, as it was vital that people were properly trained.Ministers agreed that the key challenge going forward would be to communicate to education professionals and employers that the 14–19 Action Plan was a radical, mainstream change in delivery, and that the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification had been specifically designed to address employers’ concerns and fulfil their requirements.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced the paper, which asked the Cabinet Sub-Committee to agree to the development of an overarching strategy for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).Ministers noted that inconsistencies in the compilation of statistics on young people who are NEET hampered any effective comparisons between Wales and England, though less so between Wales and Scotland. The Scottish Executive had published a NEET strategy and established a NEET Unit; officials would be meeting with their Scottish counterparts to draw on lessons learned. Ministers agreed that the needs of pre-16s and 19–25 year olds should be addressed as part of a cross-cutting NEET strategy. Identifying difficulties as early as possible, for example at the transition between primary and secondary education, was vital. Self-esteem was a key issue, and achieving just one qualification was often a major step in terms of continuing with education.
The Vocational Skills Champion introduced his report, and explained that he had attended over 300 meetings. He had found that employers were highly critical of skills levels in the workforce, and that communication was the key issue going forward, with headteachers as well as with employers. Ministers discussed the Irish education system, which was points-based, with all final school leaving certificate results in the public domain. The UK Universities admissions system was already points-based. The use of points at all levels had the effect in Ireland of recognising every student’s achievements on one scale, and negating the detrimental effect on confidence and motivation that sometimes occurred in the stratified UK system
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The Cabinet Sub-Committee noted the paper on the Joint Skills Forward Work Programme, which was circulated in advance of the meeting, without discussion
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Local Government and Public Services
The committee met on 23 January. The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services introduced a paper, which offered an update on the progress of Making the Connections and set out key milestones for the year ahead. Ministers welcomed progress, particularly the extent of engagement with stakeholders. It was noted there was now a high level of awareness of Making the Connections amongst the leadership of public service bodies. Ministers recognised the need for strategic-level collaboration with local partners and visible Assembly Government leadership. This would ensure that service deliverers were clear on the Government’s expectations and requirements, and to enable tangible progress to be achieved on major initiatives by year-end. The First Minister had written to Cabinet Colleagues in January to reinforce this message. The Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside explained that in recent discussions with Local Authorities on waste management he had adopted such a role, with the aim of encouraging a collaborative approach and ensuring that local partners were aware of the Assembly Government’s objectives. The Minister for Health and Social Services referred to the establishment of the new national resource centre to support services for looked-after children and the new social services improvement agency. He noted the development of joint working between Local Health Boards in Gwent in commissioning health services. Cross organisational links were also developing between National Health Service (NHS) Trusts, particularly around areas such as Acident and Emergency services, cancer care and palliative care. The Minister for Economic Development and Transport informed the group that during the Assembly Sponsored Public Body (ASPB) merger process the focus throughout had been on the delivery of services, with structures being developed to reflect and meet the required outcomes. Ministers agreed that it would be useful to have a report on good practices emanating from the Merger process. Ministers acknowledged the focus on delivery inherent in the Making the Connections agenda and discussed the respective roles of senior officials and Ministers in providing leadership in the delivery of the Making the Connections agenda. To this end Ministers agreed that they should seek the First Minister’s agreement to hold a round table discussion with the relevant heads of policy departments to further explore such issues.
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Officials updated the Cabinet Sub Committee on developments including the establishment of Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)-facilitated regional partnerships of Local Authorities. Ministers noted the need for the Welsh Assembly Government to engage actively with their work.
Ministers were informed of progress in the review of Local Service Delivery in Wales being conducted by Sir Jeremy Beecham. By the end of January the Review team will have completed most of its discussions with stakeholders across the public services in Wales, with a view to presenting its initial conclusions in March 2006. Discussions with the review team suggested that the scope of the review had been broad ranging, covering relationships between local partners and the centre, inspection and regulation issues, performance management, policy and strategy, finance, and leadership and management capacity. Sir Jeremy had written to Ministers in December 2005 offering bilateral meetings to discuss findings and meetings were currently being arranged.
The Director of the Health and Social Care Department informed Ministers that a recent internal staff feedback exercise had suggested that more needed to be done to raise the profile of Public Service Management Wales (PSMW) and explain how it fitted in to existing Assembly staff training and development programmes. Ministers discussed the training and development opportunities available to staff at all grades across the Assembly, including the provision and content of National School of Government (NSG) courses at Sunningdale and other locations, and how these related to PSMW. Ministers requested further information on NSG courses attended by Assembly Government staff to establish whether these were appropriately tailored and delivered to reflect post-devolution arrangements. A paper for consideration at a future meeting was requested. This would map out how the staff development activity delivered through PSMW, the Welsh Assembly Government’s Human Resources division, and Cabinet Office provision fitted together in relation to Assembly Staff at all levels.
At the meeting on 6 March, the Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services welcomed Jeremy Colman, Auditor General for Wales (AGW) and Anthony Snow, Chief Operations Officer at the Wales Audit Office (WAO) to the meeting and invited Mr Colman to address the group. The Auditor General informed Ministers that the mission statement of the WAO was; “to promote improvement so that people in Wales benefit from accountable, well-managed public services that offer the best possible value for money”. He drew attention to a forthcoming consultation on the WAO’s strategy. The WAO regarded itself as well-placed to undertake whole system analyses of public service processes, looking across boundaries. The strategy would also discuss the WAO’s programme of national studies, its overall approach to appraisal and its role in facilitating the transfer of good practice. Ministers welcomed this opportunity for dialogue and explored a number of issues with the AGW. They noted the complementary nature of the objectives of the WAO and Assembly Government around public service improvement. There was though an inevitable tension between closer engagement between the two and the necessary independence of the WAO. The AGW emphasised that independence was fundamental in the work of the WAO but that this should not mean isolation. Ministers noted the increasing development of partnership working among public service bodies and the opportunities and challenges this brought. The AGW was looking at the framework and the potential for partnership processes to be sharper.
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services introduced apaper which outlined the emerging picture on strategic-level collaboration across the public service. The paper also requested that Ministers agree a shortlist of strategic collaboration projects on which to focus. Ministers discussed the list of collaboration projects and noted that there might be additional projects. These might include an e-government dimension; telecare/ telemedicine, activity demonstrating a collaborative approach to the provision of children’s services in Wales and also activity relating to Culture, Welsh Language and Sport. The Cabinet Sub Committee agreed that bilateral meetings should be arranged between the Minister for Local Government and Public Services and Cabinet colleagues to agree collaborations which can be actively driven over the next year.
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services introduced a paper which requested Ministerial endorsement of the draft submission to the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government. I have not downloaded the three Annexes to the paper and submission
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The meeting on 3 April had an update on the Beecham Review. The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services introduced the paper, which provided an update on the progress of the review, including a summary from the meeting of the Public Service Board on 17 March 2006 attended by the Beecham Review Team. The Cabinet Sub Committee discussed the critical importance of delivering Assembly Government priorities and the crucial role that local partners play in meeting these objectives. Ministers welcomed recent developments in joint working between Social Services departments and discussed ways of encouraging and incentivising broader collaboration between local authorities. The Cabinet Sub Committee noted that the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government would be producing three separate interim papers in April 2006, covering structure, function and policy issues. Ministers recognised that these papers may contain recommendations relevant to the review of Local Service Delivery in Wales being undertaken by Sir Jeremy Beecham. The Chair informed colleagues that she and the First Minister were meeting with Local Governmen representatives before the next meeting of the Cabinet Sub Committee, and that these issues would be explored further
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The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper, explaining that Health Needs Assessment was a systematic process used to identify unmet healthcare needs within a population, with the aim of meeting those needs and maximising available resources by identifying appropriate services and priorities for commissioning. In noting the paper, Ministers discussed the examples given in the paper of health needs assessments carried out by the National Public Health Service for Wales, and the relationship between the Health Needs Assessment process and the work of Professor Gareth Williams at the Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit. Ministers also recognised the benefits to be gained from standardising processes and electronic records systems.
The Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks introduced a paper which presented the Cabinet Sub Committee with a summary of the forthcoming e-Wales Strategy. The paper described how the strategy had been designed to develop the Welsh Assembly Government’s own Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability and also improve the delivery of public service delivery and aid economic development through the effective exploitation of ICT in Wales. The paper outlined the Strategy’s four key themes of promoting better knowledge of ICT, developing adequate capacity, promoting innovation, and enhancing the ICT infrastructure. The Minister explained that, as a first step, the draft strategy would be disseminated to Welsh Assembly Government departments during April 2006.
The Cabinet Sub Committee welcomed the developments outlined in the paper, including the progression of the National Smartcards business case and the ongoing improvements in infrastructure such as Broadband rollout. Ministers also agreed that it was important that the e-Wales strategy made best use of developments elsewhere, dovetailing, where appropriate, into wider UK and European projects, such as Government Direct and proposals for Europe-wide Citizen Smartcards.
Ministers were keen to ensure that issues of Information Technology (IT) literacy and access were addressed as part of the Strategy
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The meeting of 22 May held a further discussion with the Auditor-General. The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services welcomed Jeremy Colman, the Auditor General for Wales (AGW) and Anthony Snow, Chief Operations Officer at the Wales Audit Office (WAO) to the meeting. It was reported that much progress had taken place in developing a draft protocol since the Cabinet Sub Committee’s previous discussion with the AGW in March 2006, as a result of continuing dialogue and co-operation between the AGW and the Assembly Government. The Auditor General explained that the protocol currently being drafted would focus primarily on the area of perceived ambiguity highlighted at the previous Cabinet Sub Committee discussion, namely, arrangements regarding Assembly Government-commissioned WAO work. The draft protocol envisaged a set of arrangements which would include a mutually agreed annual cycle of commissioned work. There would also be a memorandum of understanding at the outset of each piece of commissioned work, agreeing the specification for each commission, and subsequent handling arrangements. The group also discussed future auditing arrangements in relation to joint-funded bodies or projects, such as the National Botanical Gardens at Middleton. Ministers also welcomed the recent commissioned work carried out by the WAO on schools funding as a model for supportive investigation.
Officials introduced a paper which updated Ministers on the timetable, initial handling arrangements, and emerging recommendations of the Beecham Report.
Ministers discussed the draft recommendations, and acknowledged the cultural and behavioural issues that would need to be addressed in taking forward such an agenda. There was consensus that the Assembly Government had a pivotal role to play in driving change from the centre in a strategic and co-ordinated way, and that local partners would be looking to the Assembly for leadership. However, there was also agreement that the Government did not want to adopt a ‘command and control’ role in implementing change. The Minister for Enterprise, Innovation & Networks also welcomed the citizen-centred delivery model, and suggested that many positive lessons could be taken from the merger exercise which might help inform the implementation of the Beecham Report’s recommendations. Ministers agreed that key delivery mechanisms and performance indicators would need to be identified, agreed and developed. Capacity issues, as they relate to monitoring and delivery, would also need to be addressed. It was also recognised that these measures, and any performance management systems, would need to be geared in a way that would not stifle the creative thinking and flexibility which would be imperative in delivering the Beecham recommendations. This would be particularly necessary in order to overcome potentially challenging issues, for example, the different financial arrangements between partner organisations, which would need to be addressed in developing collaborative engagements.
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services introduced the paper, which presented the Cabinet Sub Committee with a summary of the conclusions of the Lyons Inquiry on the role and function of local government, which will inform the UK Government’s White Paper for Local Government due to be published in June 2006. Ministers discussed the three recommendations of the Inquiry, the implications for the Assembly Government and in particular the Beecham Review findings. Ministers noted the conclusion that greater clarity is needed about the roles of central and local government and the suggestion of fewer central priorities and simpler performance management systems. The group also concurred with the emphasis placed on local government’s role in what Lyons describes as ‘place shaping’, and agreed that local government has an important part to play in building and shaping local identity and ensuring the cohesiveness and success of communities.
At the meeting on 3 July, Officials introduced provided an update on the development of public engagement policy and the emerging conclusions of the Making the Connections research programme. Ministers were invited to comment on the draft consultation document Building Better Customer Services: Core Principles for Public Services, due to be launched in July 2006. The consultation paper contained five proposed key actions for public services, along with Assembly Government commitments. The consultation findings, including the results of the citizen research programme, Living in Wales, would be used to inform the further development of the Making the Connections agenda. Cabinet Sub Committee members were informed that the Living in Wales exercise would adopt a genuinely cross-cutting approach in gathering information. A literature review had been conducted in advance of the survey to establish what data was already held. The Public Services Board had commented on the draft consultation paper and their observations had been incorporated in the document before Ministers. Ministers welcomed the strong emphasis on traditionally hard to reach groups and the variety of approaches used in gathering information. Noting that service appeared to be uneven across Wales, Ministers questioned whether it would be possible for the data to be analysed at Local Authority level, but were informed that the sample size was not large enough to enable the information to be reliably broken down by geographical area. Ministers suggested that proposals for Customer Service Champions at corporate management level might be revisited. They emphasised the importance of mainstreaming appropriate staff training across all grades within public service organisations, to ensure that customer service values were entrenched at all levels of organisations, rather than being solely focussed on customer-facing employees or delegated to a Champion. Ministers also recognised the good work taking place within a number of Local Authorities and discussed the potential role for Public Service Management Wales (PSMW) in helping to deliver this objective across Wales. Cabinet Sub Committee members agreed that increasing collaborative working arrangements between service providers should not mean that customers found it more difficult to access gateways into services, nor to seek redress when services did not meet expectations. There was also recognition that bodies such as Community Health Councils and Funky Dragon had an important role to play in engaging with citizens. Ministers underlined the need for engagement and consultation with stakeholders to take place during the formulation of policies and programmes, rather than retrospectively. Ministers agreed that service users themselves should be involved in the designing of services, whenever appropriate.
Officials outlined key messages contained in the Assembly Government’s initial response to the recommendations of Jeremy Beecham’s Review of Local Service Delivery in Wales. The paper included the five Key Messages which would underpin the Assembly Government’s detailed response and illustrated areas for action to be further developed in the Public Service Reform document planned for autumn 2006.
The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced the item which provided Cabinet Sub Committee members with an overview of proposals for LHBs to work together on commissioning non-local services on a consortium basis. Ministers discussed issues around the governance of LHBs and their accountability to the Assembly Government. There was also recognition that joint delivery of cross cutting services, in areas such as Special Educational Needs across health and education bodies could be improved. The Minister for Health and Social Services explained that LHB’s Health, Social Care and Well-Being Plans were of central importance and should be updated to ensure that they reflected current priorities.
Officials presented Ministers with an overview of the Assembly Government’s Efficiency Plan Making the Most of our Resources. This had been developed in line with the Making the Connections aim of delivering Value for Money Action Plans across the public service in Wales. The Plan outlined achievements to date and proposals for savings over the next five years. Ministers welcomed the Plan and the projected value for money improvements, and considered the measurement and validation of such gains. The Chair agreed to write to all Cabinet Members asking for any comments on the draft Plan, which would be incorporated before the publication of the document in July 2006.
The committee met again on 18 September. The Cabinet Sub-Committee was invited to note the corporate planning arrangements for ASPBs for 2007-08, and in particular the text of the ASPB remit letters. Ministers noted that a separate letter would be sent to ASPBs regarding the Beecham agenda, but requested that the remit letters themselves provide absolute clarity by including references to Beecham and to efficiencies and performance. Ministers discussed the ways in which ASPBs and their Board members could engage with the Beecham agenda. This engagement could potentially be brought about via officials in attendance as observers at quarterly meetings, via half-yearly Ministerial performance meetings, or via the First Minister’s meetings with ASPB Chairs. Officials advised that work already underway on National Health Service (NHS) governance could inform further consideration of this issue.
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The Cabinet Sub-Committee noted the Forward Work Programme of the Local Government Partnership Council for Wales. Ministers requested that taking forward the Beecham agenda be at the core of the Programme. To this end, the Chair requested that the agenda for the Partnership Council meeting on 8 March 2007 should include an item on Beecham
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The Minister for Health and Social Services introduced a paper, and noted that the partnerships already established had been able to successfully deliver, within budget. However, challenges remained, particularly with regard to intermediate and secondary tier commissioning. The Cabinet Sub-Committee welcomed the strategic, regional approach to NHS commissioning described in the paper, and noted that a similar model was being successfully rolled out in Scotland. In Wales, successful collective negotiation was already underway in Gwent, and some LHBs such as Rhondda Cynon Taf were already taking the lead on specific issues. Ministers noted the fit with the Beecham agenda, in particular the pooling of sovereignty within the existing statutory framework. The new Regional Commissioning Units would be staffed by secondees from, and act as instruments of, LHBs. Thus the Units would concentrate expertise, build capacity and ensure value for money, but accountability would remain with LHBs. Ministers emphasised the need for agreements made under the new Commissioning Framework to dovetail with taking forward Beecham, and the importance of local government involvement at every level. This should include: a concerted effort to communicate the initiative to local authorities via the Welsh Local Government Association; local authority representation on the national Strategic Integration Board; and making the links to relevant overarching strategies such as ‘Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities’ as well as community plans
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The Chair reported that discussions with local authorities indicated widespread support for the Beecham report’s conclusions and that many, such as Conwy, were able to identify efficiency savings. Approaches to performance monitoring were sharper; Ceredigion, for example, was now using the Performance Monitoring model also used in the NHS. A more directional and forceful approach from the centre would be welcomed. Ministers agreed that the Government response to Beecham would therefore need to be succinct and action-oriented, showing how the Assembly Government is taking on board the recommendations. Examples of best practice in service delivery, such as the transformation of Blaenau-Gwent social services, should be highlighted. Ministers discussed potential barriers to effective delivery. These included sensitivities around how efficiency savings were to be achieved. Capacity issues affected some smaller local authorities. The Assembly Government would need to provide strong leadership to take forward the Beecham agenda. Ministers explored other outcome-based tools for ensuring effective delivery, including their own roles as regional collaboration ‘trouble-shooters’. Other potential tools included financial penalties, such as those payable under current arrangements for failure to collaborate on waste management. It was agreed that more robust monitoring was very important, but the potential for performance statistics to change very quickly and dramatically as a result of a single decision or issue was recognised. Statistics sometimes failed to accurately reflect the complexities of inter-agency delivery, for example where referrals of cases from one agency to another had a positive effect on the results of one but a negative effect on the other. There were challenges associated with monitoring effective collaboration on issues such as provision of 6 weeks’ free home care, but measures such as delayed transfers of care did exist. The availability and comparability of performance information remained important drivers of change.
Ministers highlighted the importance of scrutiny in improving performance, in particular the scrutiny role played by local authority members. Some local authorities, such as Cardiff and Blaenau-Gwent, already had effective committee systems. However, greater scrutiny would result from the establishment of Public Service Boards which would bring together all players involved in the delivery of local services, have an oversight of performance, and operate in the public domain. It was agreed that the Assembly Government should be represented, though not necessarily at Ministerial level, on these Boards. It was agreed that the powers within the existing legislative framework to direct collaboration and delivery, such as those in the Education Act 2002, should be clearly defined. Ministers noted that a range of intervention models, such as the advisory panel in Blaenau-Gwent, could be successfully employed to create the conditions for improvement without resort to full powers.
The meeting on 4 December had a paper on the e_Wales agenda. The focus was on delivering better services under the Beecham agenda, rather than Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for its own sake. The vision went beyond PCs and the Internet, covering a range of technologies. The Assembly Government needed to provide leadership for local government and other partners in building on what had already been achieved. Emerging evidence indicated that, as with transport policy, smaller strategic projects were more productive than large scale infrastructure investment. Ministers noted that new technologies were enabling new ways of delivering services. The Public Sector Broadband Aggregation project was identifying benefits over and above cost savings. In education, there was widespread use of interactive whiteboards in schools, and the Lifelong Learning Network had been successfully rolled out ahead of similar schemes elsewhere in the UK. Some local authorities had found new uses for the network beyond the scope of what had originally been envisaged. In healthcare, new techniques such as tele-medicine and remote monitoring of patients were now possible. Moreover, the Internet and adaptive technologies had helped some groups, such as disabled people and carers, overcome barriers to accessing information and services. Ministers acknowledged that using ICT was only one way of accessing services, that in some parts of Wales the latest technologies, for example the fastest broadband speeds, were not yet available. Personal interaction remained important. For some groups, new technologies could present barriers to accessing services, and Ministers highlighted the needs of people affected by the “digital divide”. These groups included some older people, looked after children and even some younger adults. Ministers agreed that new technologies should free up other resources that could to be targeted at these groups. This had happened in Cardiff, for example, where online housing benefit services had allowed officers to spend more time on complex cases. Ministers underlined the importance of retaining non-ICT methods of accessing services for those who wished to continue using them. Ministers noted that the three components of e-government going forward were accessing information, accessing services and receiving services. Consultation with local authorities was underway, and Ministers emphasised the need for a consistent approach across the Welsh public service.
The Chair reported that the draft Local Government Policy Statement would be circulated to Ministers during Christmas Recess, and subsequently tabled for approval at Cabinet in the New Year. The Policy Statement would set out the framework for local government within the context of the Assembly Government’s response to the Beecham review, ‘Making the Connections: Delivering Beyond Boundaries’. Ministers emphasised that the successful delivery of the Beecham agenda would transform the culture and nature of public services in Wales. They agreed that this needed to be effectively communicated to the public, the media and other stakeholders, highlighting critical changes such as pooled budgeting. Ministers noted that measure-making powers in the Local Government Bill would enable the Assembly Government to take forward public service reform in new ways, for example by strengthening the role of community councils. Successful delivery at local level was imperative, with councillors having key roles as both community leaders and performance appraisers. Models such as that in Sweden, where some local authority areas covered populations as small as 13,000, should be further examined. Officials explained that the focus of the Policy Statement would be Local Service Boards, and that it would set out the need for a sound basis for legislative change, evidence for future resource allocation, and a national work programme. The three underlying principles would be: governance (to include Local Service Agreements, and roles of Communities First Partnerships and town and community councils); the democratic process (both formal scrutiny and citizen participation); and intelligence, including real time performance data.
The Chair sought agreement on a paper on how the Cabinet Sub-Committee would oversee the implementation of the Beecham Report ‘Making the Connections: Delivering Beyond Boundaries’. Officials explained that the next stage would be the publication of a consultation paper early in the New Year, to be followed by non-statutory guidance. Ministers agreed that in order to maintain momentum, communications activities should make explicit the Beecham context for new policies and initiatives. These included the forthcoming Social Services and Voluntary Sector Strategies. Ministers recognised that each local authority serviced many local partnerships and organisations; there were between 60 and 70 in Newport, for example. The ways in which these partnerships and organisations would interact with Local Service Boards needed to be clarified. Furthermore, there were many types of regional partnerships and organisations that were overlapping but not coterminous. These included the six Spatial Plan groups and the three Regional Commissioning Units. There would soon be new Community Consortia for Education and Training, and there was an opportunity to agree boundaries for these that facilitated delivery of the Beecham agenda. Reviews of the four regional Economic Fora and four regional Tourism Partnerships funded by the Assembly Government, as well as delayed transfers of care, needed to be undertaken within the Beecham framework.
Older People.
There were three meetings during 2006. I have not downloaded Annexes to documents for these meetings on the whole. At the first meeting on 6 February, Ministers discussed the provision of further education and adult learning opportunities for older people in Wales, particularly Information Technology (IT)-related courses. There was acknowledgement that older people benefit not only from the mental stimulation and practical skills such learning opportunities can provide, but also from the social contact and interaction that result from attending courses. Ministers discussed whether more could be done to tailor courses to meet the needs of older people, including taking provision to those who may not be able to attend classes at traditional locations. The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning suggested that a scoping exercise be undertaken to establish how many older people were currently enrolling in adult community learning courses and other adult education schemes and the socio-economic groups to which they belonged. Ministers asked that officials from the Older People and Long Term Care Policy Directorate and the Lifelong Learning Division prepare a joint paper for consideration at a future meeting on both existing and potential learning opportunities, including IT related training, which could be targeted at older people within existing budgets.
The Minister for Health and Social Services explained that the National Service Framework (NSF) was being launched in March 2006 by the Deputy Minister with Responsibility for Older People. Ministers were informed that the NSF would include an implementation framework setting out actions required, timescales and performance management measures, which would be aligned to Designed for Life targets. The Minister informed the group that the NSF consultation exercise conducted in 2005 had produced a broadly positive response, with many respondents welcoming the ‘person-centred’ approach adopted throughout the NSF. It was recognised that in order to succeed, the principles of the NSF would need to be mainstreamed into service delivery throughout Wales. Ministers recognised that the success of the NSF would demand a culture change within many organisations to help overcome ageism, and discussed whether training and induction of staff would be included within the evaluation framework. Officials agreed to examine the possibility of providing mandatory training on the NSF for new staff, and the existing workforce within the health and social care professions, and update the Cabinet Sub Committee.
Ministers discussed the discrepancies in retirement ages that exist across different professions and the impact that the implementation of European Directives on Outlawing Discrimination in Employment on Grounds of Age in autumn 2006 would have in this area. Ministers asked that a paper be presented to the next meeting of the group outlining the potential impact of the European Directives. The paper should also take into account the underlying demographic trends and the effect of these factors for public sector employers in Wales
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Officials introduced the paper that outlined proposals for a full independent evaluation of the Strategy for Older People, which would provide focus for the second phase of the ten-year strategy beginning in 2008. The Cabinet Sub Committee stressed the importance of involving older people themselves in the evaluation of the Strategy. During discussions, Ministers suggested that more needed to be done to engage with people in their 50s who would soon be reaching retirement age to encourage them to consider issues, such as financial arrangements and housing needs in later life, which would affect them during their retirement
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The Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration provided the Cabinet Sub Committee with an update on the housing needs of older people. The paper included information on proposals for strategic guidance, models of sheltered housing and extra care, and a comparison of the different choices and experiences faced by older people who are council tenants and those who are home-owners. Ministers agreed that plurality of choice was central. The preferences of older people themselves should be accommodated wherever possible. The central role that Local Government plays in planning and developing suitable and appropriately located accommodation for older people was discussed. The Cabinet Sub Committee noted the value of assistive technology, telecare and ‘smart homes’ in allowing older people with conditions such as dementia, to live in their own homes longer. As well as providing greater independence, these developing technologies were also often more cost-effective than residential care
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The Minister for Health and Social Services updated the Cabinet Sub Committee on the development of the Social Service Policy Directions strategy paper, ‘Designed for Care’, due for publication in autumn 2006. Ministers discussed social care workforce planning issues including the conclusions of the Group Report ‘Social Work in Wales: A Profession to Value’, published in August 2005, which set out a range of recommendations to tackle difficulties identified by Local Authorities in recruiting and retaining social workers.
At the meeting on 5 June, Ministers and officials discussed the progress of the joint paper being prepared on potential learning opportunities, including Information Technology (IT)-related training, for older people in Wales. It was agreed that the paper should highlight the cross-cutting themes of Ministers’ portfolios, emphasising the economic and social benefits of learning. The paper should also detail the financial implications of proposals across Main Expenditure Groups (MEGs). Consideration should also be given to factoring costs in to the forthcoming budget planning round. The Cabinet Sub Committee noted that the Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill was continuing its passage through the Westminster Parliament. The second reading of the Bill had been scheduled for 15 June 2006. It was anticipated that the Bill would be passed in this parliamentary session, which would enable a Commissioner to be appointed in 2007
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The Minister for Health and Social Services welcomed Dr Malcolm Fisk, Chair of the National Partnership Forum for Older People in Wales to the meeting, and introduced the paper, which provided a progress report on the Forum’s work over the past year and its forward work programme for 2006-2007. Dr Fisk reported that he was very pleased with the progress of the Forum, which acted as an advisory group to the Assembly Government and fulfilled an key aim of the Strategy for Older in People in Wales. Meetings had been held regularly with the Deputy Minister for Older People and Assembly Members. The Forum had also been actively engaging with Local Authority Co-ordinators and Older People’s Champions across Wales and was continuing to develop links with other relevant bodies such as Local Health Boards and Trusts, UK Government Departments and overseas organisations. The Forum’s website was also proving to be a useful route for organisations and individuals to raise issues affecting older people in Wales directly with the Forum. Ministers received an update on the Forum’s forward work programme. This included development of an ‘age-proofing’ policy framework in relation to national and local government policy and practice, along with initiatives focussing on intermediate care issues. The Forum was keen to see existing best practice identified and promulgated across organisations in Wales. The Forum was concerned, however, that longstanding issues concerning the marginalisation of older people, particularly in relation to employment opportunities and poverty, remained. These issues would demand ongoing attention and concerted effort to overcome, and the Forum would continue to focus on these areas. Dr Fisk stressed the importance of the Strategy’s ‘Changing Society’ chapter which was felt by the Forum to be key in addressing issues surrounding the status of, and attitude towards, older people within society. The group discussed the performance of the 22 Local Authority Older People’s Champions. Officials explained that regular Assembly Government-led network training sessions were being held with Champions, with more planned for the future. It was also confirmed that Assembly guidance required that Local Authority (LA) Older People’s Champions should be members of LA Executives. Officials also confirmed that Local Health Boards were required to have dedicated officers to lead on Older People’s issues within each Authority area
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The Minister for Health and Social Services provided a progress report on the Link-Age initiative, being jointly led in Wales by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Assembly Government. Launched in November 2005, Link-Age was working to develop partnerships between relevant organisations to enable older people to access public services, such as advice on pensions, social services, housing and council tax benefits, via a ‘one-stop’ approach. Initial evaluation in England had suggested that the scheme had led to an 18% increase in the take-up of benefits amongst older people. Officials reported that 20 Local Authorities were currently implementing the scheme in Wales
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At the meeting on 6 November, The Chair introduced a paper on the Older Person’s Commissioner. This would be a Ministerial appointment, but it is an independent post and his/her office would not be part of the Welsh Assembly Government. Ministers agreed that attention should be drawn to the fact that the Commissioner’s office would operate in both English and Welsh, and that the office would develop a Welsh Language Scheme in due course
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The Chair introduced a paper on local authority service delivery. Ministers noted that indicators to measure quality of life were being developed, and that this was a complex issue involving a number of factors including benefits. One of the key challenges in taking forward the Social Services Strategy for an ageing population would be enabling older people to live independent lives at home
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The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills introduced a paper on learning opportunities, and explained that rates of participation of older people had increased in all areas except for Adult Community Learning (ACL). Careers Wales and the New Deal 50 Plus scheme were key components of delivery, and the European Social Fund was an important enabler for projects such as Resource and Information for Success in Education (RISE). Ministers noted that the Assembly Government’s statutory duties in the short term had the effect of focusing available funding on 16–19 education. However, after four years the effect of declining birth rates and the ageing population could potentially release resources for older people.. 16–19 year olds were currently more likely to be accepted on all-age schemes due to the relatively high population of that group. However, there was no policy weighting on eligibility for such schemes in terms of age. Ministers emphasised the need to provide and encourage take-up of ACL opportunities for older people whatever their background or situation. Those without qualifications or without recent experience of formal education were less likely to take advantage of such opportunities, and men were less likely to do so than women. Older people at risk of losing their jobs needed to be helped back into the workforce; men were more likely to become economically inactive, whereas women were more likely to accept jobs, often part time, in care and retail. Basic skills development was vital, and schemes such as Want 2 Work had the potential to help older people re-enter the labour market.
The Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration introduced a paper on independence and housing needs. Ministers asked for a glossary of terminology used in the paper, including a definition of “care”, to be provided. Ministers discussed the role of the private sector in providing housing. More regulation from the centre would protect the financial arrangements of older people and prevent them from being tied into private housing when local authority accommodation was more appropriate to their state of health
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A presentation on the LinkAge initiative was given by Mary Traynor, Amanda Peters and Shirley Bowen. Ministers were informed that LinkAge was delivered through local authorities and voluntary organisations (the latter running “alternative offices” within communities) working in partnership with the Pensions Service. Benefits checks were automatically offered to older people whatever their enquiry, and successes in new pension credit and council tax benefit claims had resulted. In addition, partnership working had enabled referrals to be made in fields such as disability aids, home repairs, security and energy efficiency. The initiative enabled older people to choose when, where and how to access the information and advice they required, to receive help with completing forms and to avoid posting original documents, such as birth certificates, by having them checked locally.From a local authority perspective, LinkAge helped to overcome organisational silos by demonstrating what could be achieved through joined-up working. This included increased efficiency as a result of building on partners’ strengths, encouraging both specialisation and flexibility to target particular groups, and avoiding duplication of effort
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The Cabinet Sub-Committee noted a paper on Demographic Trends without discussion.
Sustainable Development and Spatial Plan.
There were six meetings during 2006. I have not downloaded Annexes to papers. The first meeting on 9 January had a paper which provided an update on progress during the first year of the Wales Spatial Plan. Officials informed Ministers of the key co-operation mechanisms in place, provided a summary of national actions and the agreed initial area issues. Ministers were told that the Further and Higher Education Sectors in Wales were also being engaged. Ministers discussed developments within their Spatial Plan areas, the issues affecting each region and the positive developments taking place. Ministers also discussed the possibility of revisiting the area boundaries as part of the revision process in 2007/8 to ensure that the Spatial Plan regions were optimally configured
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The Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside reported progress on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Action Plan. The Minister explained that although steady progress was being made in implementing the action plan there was a need to do more to ensure that Sustainable Development continued to be mainstreamed into policy development and delivery across the public sector in Wales. Ministers agreed that the Assembly Government should demonstrate its commitment by working to ensure that Sustainable Development was mainstreamed into its own policies. The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services informed the group that she and the Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside were meeting Local Authorities in the near future and this meeting would provide an opportunity for this issue to be raised. Ministers acknowledged the importance of public sector construction projects in Wales being sustainable and meeting the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) standards. Ministers discussed examples of construction projects where, although BREEAM standards had been met or exceeded, buildings had failed to gain an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating due to factors such as lack of nearby public transport services. The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning explained that officials were looking at these issues and that she was expecting a paper in due course. Ministers therefore requested a paper on BREEAM issues for discussion at a future Cabinet Sub Committee meeting, including the possibility of the Welsh Assembly Government introducing its own standards
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The Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration introduced the housing development paper, and explained that, in accordance with Spatial Plan objectives, Local Development Plans were being produced by regional groups consisting of Assembly Government representatives, Local Authorities, businesses, voluntary sector bodies and environmental and equality organisations within each of the six Spatial Plan areas. Ministers welcomed these partnerships, which provide a mechanism for joint working in accordance with the Spatial Plan objective of ensuring that housing requirements for Local Authority areas should be determined locally. The Paper also outlined demographic trends within the housing market in Wales and provided Ministers with statistical information on house prices, housing supply and land availability, projections for future trends and information on the UK Government’s response to the Barker Review of Housing conclusions. Ministers discussed these issues, and noted the impact of rising house prices over recent years, and the importance of ensuring the provision of sufficient housing stock within Wales, particularly in some rural areas where figures suggested a high disparity between property prices and average earnings. Ministers underlined the need for affordable property to be available for first time buyers
A paper on Coastal Zone Management was deferred
.The meeting on 20 March had a presentation from the Regeneration Skills Collective. Rebecca Phillips, Policy Officer at the RTPI, began the presentation, explaining that the Collective was established in 2003. Its membership was drawn from professional institutions involved in the delivery of economic, social and physical regeneration in Wales. Its aim was to work in partnership with policy makers and decision takers to plan the skills and resources required for community and urban regeneration. The Collective had a five year action plan consisting of four main priorities. The first of these was to undertake an audit of current regeneration skill levels in Wales to establish the current skills base and identify gaps. Keith Edwards, Manager of CIH Cymru, outlined the Collective’s view that an integrated approach to regeneration issues in Wales was crucial. The Collective was keen to work with partners, including key players such as the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), to promote cross-boundary collaboration and identify the skills and resources needed to deliver an integrated regeneration agenda in Wales. Denys Morgan, Director of ICE Wales, explained that the Collective were looking at new methodologies of procurement and ways of disseminating best practice, particularly to the many Small and Medium Enterprises involved in the sector in Wales. Ministers suggested that Value Wales could be of assistance in taking forward the Collective’s aim of improving procurement practices and that the relevant Sector Skills Council would be well placed to assist in conducting a skills audit. Cathy McLean, Director of RICS Wales, outlined the Collective’s ambitions for a proposed Welsh Centre of Regeneration Excellence, and informed Ministers that the Collective was working closely with the Higher Education sector in Wales, as a member of the All Wales Higher Education Group for Regeneration. Ministers were interested in the concept of the Centre of Excellence as a virtual network, rather than a physical structure. They also discussed the potential role that bursaries might play in promoting courses within the sector, along with the Collective’s proposals for ‘graduate champions’ to encourage learners to acquire regeneration-related skills. Ministers informed the Collective that initiatives such as the Assembly Government’s Work Based Learning Programmes and Shared Apprenticeships scheme were designed to address skills shortages across sectors. The Assembly Government was also working to address parity of esteem issues through its 14-19 Learning Pathways Action Plan, and the appointment of a Vocational Skills Champion.
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services outlined potential methods for aligning the budget process and European Union Structural Funds in Wales post-2007 in a way which would help embed the Spatial Plan across Wales.
The Cabinet Sub Committee noted the proposals, and acknowledged that Welsh European Fundng Office (WEFO) officials would be liaising with Spatial Plan Area Groups as part of the preparations for the next round of Structural Funds programmes. In addition to the Budget Planning Round, Ministers discussed the possibility of linking the Strategic Collaboration projects being taken forward under the Making the Connections agenda within the alignment exercise, and the scope for also including the distribution of lottery funding in Wales
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The Minister for Economic Development and Transport provided the Cabinet Sub Committee with the proposed timing and process involved in preparing the Wales Transport Strategy, along with a summary of the Strategy. The Strategy, due to be launched for public consultation in May 2006, would replace the Transport Framework published in 2001, reflecting the enhanced Assembly powers flowing from the Transport (Wales) Act 2006, and the Railways Act 2005. The Strategy’s main objectives were closely linked to those of the Spatial Plan and ‘Wales a Better Country’.
Ministers welcomed the summary, and noted that the new Acts would give the Assembly powers of direction over Local Authorities. Ministers also acknowledged the strong regional dimension to the strategy, including the proposed Regional Transport Plans. The Cabinet Sub Committee discussed the importance of promoting healthy and sustainable forms of transport, particularly cycling, within the Strategy.
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services provided the Cabinet Sub Committee with a brief verbal report from the meeting of the Spatial Plan National Steering Group, held on 9 March 2006. The Minister reported that agriculture and environmental issues had been discussed at length during the meeting. There had also been discussion around the City Strategies being proposed by the UK Government
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The committee met again on 8 May. The Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside introduced two papers, the first of which sought Ministers’ views on the draft Sustainable Development (SD) Refresh document, due to be launched before summer recess 2006. The second presented the likely content of this year’s SD Annual Report, and also reported progress on the Sustainable Development Action Plan commitments. Ministers welcomed the update on developments and discussed a range of issues around SD targets, agreeing that the drive to mainstream SD into policy development and delivery should continue in a joined-up way across Assembly Government Departments. Further to this point, the Cabinet Sub Committee requested that the aims and targets of the Climate Change Action Plan, the Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship paper and other relevant strategies were incorporated in the SD Refresh document. The Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside updated the group on developments among and between Local Authorities with regard to waste management, noting the increasing public and media interest in this issue. Ministers also recognised continued public concern regarding rising energy costs, and discussed potential means of encouraging construction firms to build more sustainable and energy-efficient homes. Ministers requested that officials further explore ways in which the take-up of micro-generation amongst home-owners and the construction industry might be incentivised. Ministers recognised the Assembly Government’s role as an exemplar organisation and the importance of ensuring that the Assembly was taking a lead in implementing sustainable development and energy efficiency practices across its estate. Ministers agreed that the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Excellent’ rating should continue to be the aim for new projects, and acknowledged that the issue of fitting sprinkler systems in new and existing school buildings required further attention.Ministers welcomed the recent positive media and public interest generated by the Senedd’s green credentials and agreed that a paper should be taken at a future meeting highlighting the sustainability and environmental friendliness of projects across the Assembly estate. The paper should also outline existing controls and measures and those that would be needed to achieve the Assembly Government’s SD aims.
Officials presented early thinking on potential synergies across Making the Connections, European Structural Funds, Sustainable Development and the Wales Spatial Plan and the joining up of budgets for a more efficient and strategic approach to delivery. Ministers welcomed the quality and simplicity of the proposals outlined in the paper and agreed that work should progress in mainstreaming these ideas into a reconfiguration of the budget planning round process. There was recognition, however, that the development of cross-departmental working and joint budgeting should not lead to an ‘allocation by committee’ culture. Ministers were keen to maintain the discrete elements of each policy area and the ability to take swift and decisive actions where necessary. In noting the Spatial Plan Area targets included in the paper, the Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks requested that consideration should be given to developing an initiative along similar lines to the Heads of the Valleys Project for the North West Wales Spatial Plan Area
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services presented the Cabinet Sub Committee with an opportunity to discuss how the next stage of the Spatial Plan should be taken forward and proposals for action though to January 2008. Referring colleagues to the proposed timetable outlined in the paper, the Chair
informed colleagues that the coming 12 months were of critical importance.
The First Minister presented an update on the International Sustainable Development Framework, including feedback from the public consultation exercise undertaken in early 2006. The Framework was scheduled for publication in June 2006, with a statement from the First Minister also planned. The Cabinet Sub Committee welcomed the overwhelmingly positive responses of consultees. There was agreement that work should be undertaken to explore whether European Structural Funds could be used to support Welsh based organisations develop governance capacity projects which in turn contribute towards international aid initiatives
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The committee met again on 17 July. The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services suggested a way forward for the next stages of the Spatial Plan. Proposals included linking the Spatial Plan priorities into European Union Funding, publishing an update for each area in January 2007 and focusing the national level of actions on policy integration. The Minister informed the group that a leafleting campaign would begin later in July 2006 to raise awareness of the Spatial Plan within each area. This would precede the interim statements of progress proposed for January 2007 and the formal consultations planned for summer 2007 on the draft final area strategies. Ministers agreed that more should be done to encourage the private sector to engage with the spatial plan, particularly residential and commercial construction firms.
The Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside introduced the paper on Sustainable Buildings in Wales, which provided an update on current and possible future actions to improve sustainable buildings in Wales. It was agreed that the paper on Sustainable Building Projects within the Welsh Assembly Government, which provided an update on sustainable developments within its own property estate, should be considered at the same time. The Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration, who had not been able to attend the meeting, had written to the Chair of the Cabinet Sub Committee with comments on the papers, including observations on how a ‘step change’ in delivering sustainable buildings might be measured and achieved. The letter emphasised the importance of sustainable procurement; the role that Value Wales and Constructing Excellence in Wales might play, along with the joint Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills and Department for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks strategy for construction, and the possibility of hypothecating Local Authority budgets. The Cabinet Sub Committee considered proposals to employ a project manager to take work forward and facilitate a cross-departmental working group. Ministers also discussed the potential for developing a voluntary code based on existing guidance, standards and regulations. There was acknowledgement that Assembly Government funded projects and public sector developments were increasingly being designed and constructed along sustainable and energy efficient principles but t the challenge to improve the standard of private sector projects still remained. In particular, the Cabinet Sub Committee recognised that there was a need for residential developments to be designed and delivered according to sustainable principles. The Assembly Government would also need to ensure that Local Authorities and the National Health Service (NHS) in Wales were delivering sustainable buildings. It was agreed that a Ministerial statement should issue in late 2006, setting out the Assembly Government’s position on sustainable building requirements and proposals for the future.
Officials provided an update on progress in assessing current proposals for NHS secondary care reconfiguration in the context of the Wales Spatial Plan. It also provided an update on how sustainable development was being progressed within the Department for Health and Social Services. There was recognition that historically, the decision process regarding the location of hospitals, training facilities and healthcare services had often been clinician-led and producer-dominated. Ministers expressed concern that these decisions were sometimes taken without due consideration of the local demographics and infrastructure, in particular road and public transport links.
The committee met again on 2 October. The Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside said a paper would be presented to the next meeting of the group in November 2006, in advance of the proposed Plenary Statement on Constructing a Sustainable Future. The paper would outline future strategy regarding three key areas; the Welsh Assembly Government’s own estate; buildings indirectly commissioned by the Assembly Government such as schools and hospitals, and the private construction sector. The paper would include an action plan and timescales.
The Minister explained that a project group, which included representation from the relevant Assembly Government policy divisions, Value Wales and the Design Commission Wales, had been established to help develop the strategy. Ministers discussed developments across Wales, including at Local Education Authority and Local Health Board level. It was noted that progress was being made in several areas in designing and delivering buildings according to sustainable principles, and Ministers requested that the forthcoming paper include best practice case studies drawn from the relevant portfolios, in particular new school/college buildings.
The potential for attaching conditions to Welsh Assembly Government land disposals to ensure building developments are sustainable, along similar lines to recent Forestry Commission conditional land disposal arrangements, was discussed.
The Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services outlined the role of the Spatial Plan Area Groups in the Strategic Implementation Framework for the Convergence Programmes 2007-2013, particularly in relation to the Strategic Framework for Building Sustainable Communities. Ministers were also asked to agree the proposed forward work programme on the Wales Spatial Plan. Cabinet Sub Committee members agreed that directing Assembly Government funding according to Spatial Plan priorities would help raise the profile of the Plan and emphasise the importance of the role of the Area Groups, as well as driving more collaborative working and aiding the relevance and implementation of the convergence programmes. There was discussion around the possibility of using the budget-setting process and Comprehensive Spending Review statement to reinforce the message that funding mechanisms would in future be linked to strategic priorities and ‘spatial plan-proofed’.
The Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills outlined the background to the Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC) consultation exercise, and subsequent development of the action plan which had been launched in September 2006. Cabinet Sub Committee members noted proposals to appoint an ESDGC Co-ordinator to take forward the action plan with key stakeholders. Ministers welcomed plans to mainstream ESDGC into the curriculum and noted that the Assembly Government’s Qualifications and Curriculum Group would in future include reference to the Strategy in its ‘good practice guide’.
The final meeting of 2006 took place on 20 November. Officials introduced outlined a range of approaches aimed at improving the sustainability of buildings in Wales. The paper contained a draft action plan which set out a number of initial proposals to ensure that buildings in both the public and private sectors were as sustainable as possible. Ministers acknowledged that the plan was in the early stages of development and that some of the actions identified were issues that could be progressed quickly using existing Assembly powers. However, Ministers were keen to ensure that their ambitions for far greater levels of sustainability in the built environment should not be limited by existing building regulations which were not devolved. There was also discussion of how similar policies had been taken forward in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The importance of a positive engagement with the private sector was emphasised. The Chair suggested that developing a ‘prospectus’ of future construction projects across Wales may assist this. There was also agreement that the expertise of organisations such as the Buildings Research Establishment and the Design Commission for Wales should be utilised in advancing the Assembly Government’s sustainable buildings objectives.
Officials set out work already undertaken by the Assembly Government to reduce the environmental impact of its estate, along with initial proposals for reducing the Assembly Government’s carbon footprint in future. The paper identified good practice in certain departments and properties, but also revealed a variation across the Assembly Government estate and identified a need for more consistent approach across departments. Work was in still in progress on gathering data from across the estate. Once this was complete, an action plan would be developed containing proposals for future carbon reductions. Ministers were informed that the UK Government was aiming for carbon neutrality within its own estate by 2012, but that this would be achieved in part through the use of carbon offsetting. The significant steps taken by National Health Service Wales to reduce its own carbon footprint were also acknowledged. The potential for reducing carbon emissions generated by travel undertaken by both Assembly Government staff and Ministers was discussed. Ministers noted the development of a draft Travel Policy and suggested that both staff and Ministers be bound by the same principles.
The Chair welcomed Peter Davies, the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) Vice Chair for Wales, and Helen Phillips, the Commission’s Senior Policy Analyst, to the meeting. Mr Davies gave Ministers an overview of the Commission’s ‘Pioneer to Delivery’ report which assessed the Assembly Government’s progress on mainstreaming sustainable development practices. He explained that the Commission would be working closely with relevant Departments to integrate its forward work programme and match its own priorities to those of the Assembly Government, with the aim of further developing a constructive partnership.
Wanless Task and Finish Group
There were two meetings of the Wanless Committee in the year. The first, on 6 February, had a paper which advised Ministers of the impact capital charges would have on the planned NHS Capital Investment. Capital charges are applied across the whole public sector and represent the costs of asset depreciation and of public money remaining tied up in assets.
Ministers noted the timeframe for preparing the NHS secondary care regional reconfiguration proposals and the arrangements for an independent review panel
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Ministers noted the paper on Health Challenge Wales
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The second meeting, on 16 October, heard that the consultations on National Health Service reconfiguration were ongoing.
The Cabinet Task and Finish Group noted the principles of the new Commissioning Framework for Local Health Boards in Wales
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The Cabinet Task and Finish Group noted progress on Health Challenge Wales
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Overview
The Cabinet Committee system at this stage in the life of the Welsh Government was undertaking a considerable amount of strategic work in various areas such as Jobs and Skills, public service delivery, health service configuration, and sustainable development. The new public body constitution for Wales was being created, with the merger of major ASPBs taking shape. Next week, I will look at the Welsh Government in the run-up to the 2007 Assembly election.