First Minister sets out priorities for new Welsh Government

 

* First Minister Mark Drakeford. 

The First Minister will today (Tuesday) set out ambitious plans for a "stronger, greener and fairer" Wales as he launches the Programme for Government.

The five-year plan shows how the new Welsh Government will deliver on the promises made to voters during the Senedd 2021 election and how it will tackle the big challenges we face in Wales. Climate change and the environment will be at the heart of the new government – a new “super-Ministry” has been created, bringing together the big policy areas to help Wales reach its legally binding target of reaching Net Zero by 2050. For the first time, transport, planning, housing and energy are brought together, with the environment, to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, with the aim of making sure climate change is firmly on the agenda for every public service and private sector business. Mark Drakeford said: “We will build a fairer, greener, stronger and ever more successful Wales that we all want for ourselves and for each other. “But I am determined that as we move Wales forward, no one will be left behind and no one will be held back. “People in Wales look after each other, and this programme is built on exactly that principle. “These plans will help move Wales forward beyond the pandemic which has affected every part of our lives. They focus on the areas where we can make the greatest difference to people and communities. “We will help our learners catch up and help people into new jobs. We will restore capacity in the NHS and help our industries and businesses prepare for the opportunities that lie ahead of us. “It is a transparent and achievable plan but recognises the need for radical action and innovative thinking in the face of unprecedented challenge.” Highlights of the programme are: Provide advanced, effective healthcare closer to people’s homes Prioritise investment in mental health Establish a new medical school in North Wales Roll out child and adolescent mental health services in schools across Wales.  Protect, re-build and develop our services for vulnerable people Pay care workers the real living wage Increase apprenticeships in care and recruit more Welsh speakers Fund childcare for more families where parents are in education and training.  Build an economy based on the principles of fair work, sustainability and the industries and services of the future Deliver the Young Person’s Guarantee, giving everyone under 25 the offer of work, education, training, or self-employment Create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships Develop a Tidal Lagoon Challenge Fund and support ideas that can make Wales a world centre of emerging tidal technologies Seek a 30% target for working remotely.  Build a stronger, greener economy to make maximum progress towards decarbonisation Launch a new 10-year Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan for a zero-carbon economy Upgrade our digital and communications infrastructure Work towards a new target of 45% of journeys by sustainable modes by 2040, setting more stretching goals where possible.  Embed the response to the climate and nature emergency in everything the government does Legislate to abolish the use of more commonly littered, single-use plastics Create a National Forest to extend from North to South Wales Introduce legislation to deal with the legacy of centuries of mining and ensure coal tip safety; strengthening local authority powers to protect the public and the environment Introduce a Clean Air Act, consistent with World Health Organisation guidance. Extend the provision of air quality monitoring.  Continue the long-term programme of education reform, and ensure educational inequalities narrow and standards rise Fund up to 1,800 additional tutoring staff in schools Continue to meet the rise in demand for Free School Meals and review the eligibility criteria, extending entitlement as far as resources allow Explore reform of the school day and the school year.  Celebrate diversity and move to eliminate inequality in all of its forms Explore legislation to address pay gaps based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, and other forms of discrimination. Pilot an approach to basic income Ensure public bodies and those receiving public funding address pay disparities Implement targets around gender budgeting Ensure the history and culture of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are properly represented by investing further in our cultural sector and museum network Make our Welsh public transport system more accessible to disabled people.  Push towards a million Welsh speakers, and enable our tourism, sports and arts industries to thrive Establish a National Music Service Consult on legislation permitting local authorities to raise a tourism levy Introduce a Cymraeg 2050 Welsh Language Education Bill to strengthen and increase Welsh language school provision Promote equal access to sports and support young and talented athletes and grassroots clubs Develop plans for a Museum of North Wales.  Make our cities, towns a villages even better places in which to live and work Build 20,000 new-low carbon social homes for rent Improve building safety so people feel safe and secure in their homes Make 20mph the default speed limit in residential areas Ban pavement parking wherever possible.  Lead Wales in a national civic conversation about our constitutional future, and give the country the strongest possible voice on the world stage Establish an independent, standing commission to consider the constitutional future of Wales Establish a Peace Academy in Wales Seek to reform council tax to ensure a fairer system for all Put in place a £65m international learning exchange programme.