Kirsty Williams: Presiding Officer, I fully support the intention of improving Welsh language provision on the ground and ensuring that the Bill does all possible to drive progress in this respect, and I hope that the steps the Government have taken to strengthen the Welsh language aspects of this Bill demonstrate the importance I and the Government place on the language in the new system. However, these...
Kirsty Williams: Presiding Officer, I would just like to note the comments made by the Members in respect of amendments 39 and 40 and welcome their support for them.
Kirsty Williams: I move.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. These amendments further strengthen and clarify the existing duty in the Bill on local authorities to keep additional learning provision under review. Amendment 39 requires local authorities, as part of their wider duties, to consider the sufficiency of their arrangements for meeting the additional learning needs of children and young people in their...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much indeed, Presiding Officer. I want to make it absolutely clear that this is not about dismissing support for students with ALN who are studying an HE course. I do recognise that, increasingly, FEIs are providing higher education courses, and as we move forward with our reforms, the likelihood is that there will be continuing blurring of the lines between further education...
Kirsty Williams: I would urge Members, Presiding Officer, to support amendments 38 and 43. We have been clear all along that the additional learning needs system is intended to apply to young people who are still in school or receiving further education. This system is not intended to apply to young people in higher education. These amendments will make the Bill fully consistent with that policy. They will...
Kirsty Williams: Presiding Officer, I recognise that a proportion of young people with ALN will go on to receive work-based learning after they leave school or further education. We must ensure that these young people continue to receive appropriate support for their needs. And we will ensure that the appropriate connections are made between the new ALN system and work-based learning providers. Exploring the...
Kirsty Williams: No further comments, but to thank Llyr for his work in this area. Thank you.
Kirsty Williams: I move.
Kirsty Williams: The amendments in this group all relate to the issue of charging for those things provided under this Bill. Let me start by saying that I agree with the principle behind Llyr Gruffydd's amendments 59 and 60. Local authorities should not be able to charge for advocacy services. Government amendments 36, 37 and 41 tighten up the Bill in this respect, and do so beyond just advocacy services....
Kirsty Williams: I fully support these amendments. And, may I say, Presiding Officer, they're an excellent example of the valuable scrutiny undertaken in this place, including the expertise of its subject committees, and how this scrutiny serves to improve the legislation of this National Assembly for Wales? As we have heard, the amendments relate to an issue raised by Darren Millar during Stage 2 committee....
Kirsty Williams: Move.
Kirsty Williams: I move.
Kirsty Williams: I move.
Kirsty Williams: I move.
Kirsty Williams: I move.
Kirsty Williams: I move.
Kirsty Williams: As the Minister said during Stage 2, we have sought to re-engineer the relationship between health and education through the provision of the Bill because of testimony that has been brought forward and the experience that Assembly Members will have had here on behalf of their constituents. The next stage will be delivering this on the ground, and that's where the activities of the wider...
Kirsty Williams: I'm afraid I cannot support amendments 11, 19, 20 and 21. Generally speaking, in relation to Darren Millar's amendments 11, 19 and 20, they seek to undermine the position that we have reached in terms of the remit of the tribunal when it comes to the NHS. The Government has been very clear on its position here. We have listened very carefully to the views of the Children, Young People and...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Presiding Officer. As the former Minister said, at Stage 2, this amendment is well-intended in its aims to address the children’s commissioner’s concerns, which Darren has just helpfully reiterated, but it is, nevertheless, misconceived. The approach currently taken in the Bill is, I believe, the right one. The decision to define a looked-after child for the purposes of this...
