Further to WQ96990, will the Counsel General confirm the amount invested in each of the last three financial years on advisory services in priority areas, provide details of relevant programmes and their impact?
Immigration Advice
The Welsh Government has provided funding of £120,000 to support the work of immigration legal advice providers in Wales. An evaluation is built into these projects. This comprises:
- No funding in 2022-23
- No funding in 2023-24
- £120,000 in 2024-25.
Social Welfare Advice
A total of £39,062,394 has been invested in a framework of social welfare advice services delivered through the Single Advice Fund (SAF). This comprises:
- £12,564,685 in 2022-23
- £13,220,760 in 2023-24
- £13,276,949 in 2024-25.
Over the course of these three financial years, SAF services supported a total of 274,486 people, helping them to claim £140 million in additional income and to have £30m of debt written off.
Housing Advice
Shelter Cymru is currently grant funded to deliver a pan-Wales homelessness information and advice service until 31 March 2026. This comprises:
- £1,367,443 in 2022-23
- £1,448,222 in 2023-24
- £1,438,504 in 2024-25.