Vaughan Gething: Well, actually, I do maintain an interest, and I'm thinking about some of my own past, when it comes to wool. My mother used to knit our jumpers for going to school and my father was a rural vet, so I spent quite a long time seeing my father tend to sheep; it was fun, at the time, seeing my father going through what was then a sheep-dipping process as well. So, I do understand a little bit...
Sam Rowlands: ..., it's livelihoods that will be impacted as a result of this legislation. It's clear, of course, that we do support 20 mph speed limits outside those areas where it's absolutely necessary, such as schools and hospitals, heavily pedestrianised areas. But this default limit is going to have such a detrimental impact on the economy, as the Minister for the Economy, I would have thought you'd...
Vaughan Gething: ...haven't been listened to in the design of the funds, forcing them to compete with each other, not to work collaboratively together. They haven't listened to trade unions, further or higher education. If you think about what universities are saying, the vice-chancellor of Swansea University has been very clear that hundreds of high-quality jobs will not be in Wales if there is not an...
Altaf Hussain: ..., we have to question whether we are doing enough to encourage self-employment. I was, therefore, pleased to see a scheme run by the Bridgend Business Forum, in conjunction with the Rebel Business School, to offer free training to young people on how to start a business. Minister, will the Welsh Government monitor the scheme and look at ways to either replicate it across Wales or even...
Dawn Bowden: ...with projects that have been delivered from studio sites in Newport, which you've already highlighted. And I thought it was particularly interesting you talking about the cross-over with education, and that fits very much with our support for the national film and tv studios that we have based in Cardiff as well. Skills and training are absolutely crucial and central to everything that...
Lynne Neagle: We are taking a whole system approach to improve the emotional and mental health of young people. This includes our whole school approach work and the roll out of our CAMHS in-reach service. We are also implementing our NYTH / NEST planning framework which builds a whole system approach to mental health and wellbeing services for babies, children and young people.
Peredur Owen Griffiths: ...I'm a Minister who likes targets; not all Ministers do.' The Minister went on to say: 'I personally think that targets, when you look at the amount of Welsh food and drink that is procured by our schools, for instance, in school meals, and our hospitals and health boards, I certainly think that we need to increase it.' The Minister finished the response to my question by saying: 'Whenever...
Mike Hedges: ...baseline. This of course was an excellent settlement when we heard it, when it was first proposed, but we've had inflation, including increased costs of energy, which can be very eyewatering for schools, for example. The increased wage costs, including teachers, unless additionally supported by the Government, cause budget pressures on local authorities. As a result of spending decisions...
Laura Anne Jones: Will the Minister acknowledge that there is a real-terms and cash cut in education in your budget this year? And will you also acknowledge that, with you putting the money that is designated for education not solely into the education budget but putting it into local government, there is absolutely no guarantee, even though you say that local government leaders say that they have good...
Mark Drakeford: ...is going to be very great indeed. As I explained, we are doing a number of things under the co-operation agreement in order to assist families and to assist in classrooms too, and the Minister for education has been in discussion with the education unions over recent weeks to discuss with them what we can do together to help people working with children—both teachers and others—in...
Mark Drakeford: ...the rest of his question, because the information I have is that, in the information that local authorities are required to notify to Welsh Ministers and their governing bodies as a result of the School Funding (Wales) Regulations 2010, for Bridgend, the proposed school budget shows an increase of 4 per cent. I wouldn't, if I was the Member, enter for the mathematics element of the next...
Dawn Bowden: To turn to Welsh, the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language has already spoken in the Chamber this afternoon about the significant work that’s being done to promote the Welsh language and culture across Wales.
Tom Giffard: ...talked about confidence, which is the most important thing when it comes to speaking Welsh and everyday Welsh language skills. But it's also important that people in Wales can have Welsh-medium education, and that's why it was nice to hear Sioned Williams and Mike Hedges talking about the importance of Welsh-medium schools and their availability. And Mike is right: both of us represent...
Joel James: ...have no knowledge of who will actually be available for work, making it very difficult to plan even minimum services for shifts, and it's vital that, for health, fire and rescue, transport and education, these sectors are able to plan. In my mind, there is nothing wrong with introducing legislation that provides minimum service levels during strikes so that the most vulnerable—those...
Darren Millar: ...that our NHS continues to be under significant pressure, when people have still, unfortunately, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment—not me, Joyce Watson—the worst education system in the UK, and the lowest take-home pay? Why is it that you would allocate a further £1.1 million for this, what we regard as an unnecessary commission, in the year after it has...
Jane Hutt: ..., in every way we can, to work with the police, to influence the policies and delivery and, indeed, to fund large sections of the delivery of community safety in Wales in particular, and in our schools. It is vital that our police demonstrate the integrity and values the public expect from them. I very much welcome North Wales Police's approach. They've taken a very transparent and...
Jane Hutt: ...it is also important to recognise that we have our role and responsibility. Keeping people safe whilst they're online is incredibly important. Joel James mentioned the role of the Minister for Education and Welsh Language; well, we have our digital resilience in education action plan. It's important to mention that now. It's a cross-Government programme to protect young people from harm...
...Welsh language. 6. Recognises that other data sources show that an increasing amount of people have some Welsh-speaking ability and that increasing numbers of children are attending Welsh-medium education. 7. Welcomes: (a) that all local authorities in Wales have published new Welsh in Education Strategic Plans to increase access to Welsh language learning across all school language...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...the great challenges facing the social housing sector in Wales. The purpose of devolution, as weak as it is, is to give us the power to set policy in specific areas here in Wales, such as health, education, the environment and housing. But if we give our consent to this memorandum today, then we will transfer a small part of our powers in the area of housing back to Westminster. This, of...
Hannah Blythyn: ...challenges and try and find collective solutions. It brings benefits to businesses, it brings benefits for Wales as well. On the point around the union from the world of work and going into schools, I think I've said before, maybe not in here, but unless you're a multimillionaire or you win the lottery, you're likely to spend a high proportion of your life at work, and young people are,...
