Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:16 pm on 15 June 2021.
Mark Drakeford
Labour
2:16,
15 June 2021
Llywydd, I thank the Member for the question. The annual police recorded road accident figures for 2020 will be published later this month, and we'll be able to take those into account in all local circumstances. I'm aware of the issue raised by the Member because it's been mentioned to me previously by the Senedd Member for Blaenau Gwent.
The call for investment in safety on all roads is a very genuine one, Llywydd, but the only way we are able to respond to it is by an evidence base. And I know that that can be frustrating for some communities, but it's the way in which we're able to make decisions that are fair across the whole of Wales. There is a very established way of doing that, using the GoSafe Wales system, and that allows us to collect evidence on a uniform basis through the whole of Wales and then to make investment decisions according to where the need is greatest. I understand the frustration of local campaigners at that, but making decisions on investment in advance of the facts would only serve to disadvantage some other areas where the calls will be equally insistent and equally important to a local population.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.