Meetings

Carl Sargeant AM, Minister for Local Government and Communities

June Milligan, Director General, Local Government and Communities

Owain Lloyd, Deputy Director of Operations, Local Government and Communities

2.1 The Chair welcomed the Minister and his officials. The Members questioned the Minister.

2.2 The Minister agreed to provide a note on the following:

The structure of the Public Service Leadership Group (PSLG);

The Minister agreed to write to the local authorities who hadn’t completed the Equal Pay Settlement process and update the Committee with their predicted timescales;

Progress update on the new role of the Partnership Council for Wales;

When appropriate an update on the monitoring and outcomes of the Communities First clusters;

Update on the progression with the Tier 4 planned proposals and the dual diagnostics issues.

Carl Sargeant AM – Minister for Local Government and Communities

Frances Duffy – Director of Transport

Tim James – Deputy Director – Networks and Planning

2.1 The Chair welcomed the Minister and his Officials. Members questioned the Minister.

2.2 The Minister agreed to provide a note on the following:

- When appropriate a written update providing details of the Minister’s proposals for freight, and an update on the progress in relation to each of the ‘steps towards delivery’ identified in the Wales Freight Strategy;

- Details of the discussions between the First Minister and UK Government regarding the proposed opportunities for the M4;

- Details of work undertaken to improve north/south links;

- Update the Committee following discussions on the new scheme for bus financing, and provide KPI’s to measure the success of the scheme.

- Provide the Committee with more detail on the basic BSOG rate figures and comparison with England, including a comparison of BSOG rates prior to reduction, and comparison of the new rates in England and Wales once all available additional allowances and rebates are included;

- Provide the Committee with a copy of the work by the Chair of the WCVA on non-emergency hospital transport;

- Provide more information on the delivery and finance of the Walking and Cycling action plan including the success rates and the level of expenditure in connection with the plan;

- Figures showing the achievements of the Sustainable Travel Centres initiative along with details of revenue funding allocated to the Sustainable Travel Towns programme, both historically and over the next 3 years.

Carl Sargeant, Minister for Local Government and Communities
Karin Phillips, Deputy Director - Community Safety Division.
Sarah Cooper, Head of Youth Justice

Break (10:00 – 10:10)

2.1 The Chair welcomed the Minister and his officials to the meeting. Members questioned the witnesses.

2.2 The Minister agreed to provide further information on:

-        The breakdown of placements of children within secure custody in Wales including location, and gender breakdown

-        Whether the all the money in the Safeguarding Communities fund was spent during the last financial year

-        The youth justice revenue budget

-        Strengthening the role of the Children’s Commissioners for Welsh Children in Secure custody in England

-        The numbers of custodial remands ending up in secure sentences

Carl Sargeant, Minister for Local Government and Communities

Jeff Collins, Director, Infrastructure Group

Tim James, Deputy Director, Networks & Planning

3.1 The Chair welcomed the Minister for Local Government and Communities; and his officials to the meeting.  Members questioned the Minister.

3.2 The Minister agreed to provide further information on:

·         Changes to the evaluation and monitoring of transport projects to control overspends

·         Availability of convergence funding for the electrification of the rail link of London to Swansea, and responsibility for funding this work

·         The introduction of Bimodal trains, and the proposal to trial these on the Cardiff to Swansea route

·         The need for improved rail infrastructure links past Cardiff

·         The previous UK Government’s business case for rail electrification to Swansea, and what changes have occurred since this was produced.

·         The shift in balance of expenditure between road and rail projects, and plans for what this balance should be going forward

·         Progress on introducing an hourly service between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth.

·         The National Improvement to rail stations programme