Continuing with this theme—

6. Will the Minister make a statement on the effectiveness of public service boards? OQ59647

Yes. Public services boards are an effective vehicle for cross-public-service collaboration. Each has its own strengths and priorities. PSBs are now publishing their updated local well-being plans, and I'm working with the future generations commissioner to consider how best to support PSBs to deliver these.

Thank you. Clearly, PSBs play a crucial role in delivering on the seven well-being goals and the ways of working of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. What role, in your view, are PSBs playing in tackling food security, whether it's nurturing local farming and food businesses, procuring food locally for schools, hospitals and homes, or ensuring affordable food is available locally to all households in the midst of this cost-of-living crisis?

I'm really grateful to Jenny Rathbone for raising this and, in anticipation of her question this afternoon, because I know how passionate Jenny is in terms of ensuring food security and the availability of good quality food, I have asked officials to look at all nine of the 13 public services boards' well-being plans that have been published so far. And I'm really pleased that all of those plans have prioritised food in at least one of their objectives, and the priorities relate to sustainable food, food security, food poverty and also supply chains, depending on the particular focus of the PSB. PSBs have learned, from experience, that having too many objectives, I think, was difficult in the past. So, they have narrowed down those number of objectives, but to have food as part of those objectives in all of those plans I think really speaks to the important role that PSBs themselves recognise that they can play in this particular space.

We are expecting all of the remaining plans to be submitted very shortly, and it's the intention then to publish those as a suite together. But, yes, PSBs, I think, have a really important role to play. And I did have the opportunity to speak to the future generations commissioner earlier this week. I know that Jenny met with him last week to discuss some of these issues as well. So, we're, I think, all very much on the same page.