Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on how the Welsh Government aims to reduce the amount of rubbish in our communities?
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for your answer. It's three years now since France legislated that all new buildings in commercial zones should have green roofs, and that means either partially covered by plants, which helps insulate the building and helps retain rainwater and also promotes biodiversity, or, of course, solar panels. I'm wondering what your Government's ambitions are in that respect and whether...
Llyr Gruffydd: 5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of the school uniform grant? OAQ52013
Llyr Gruffydd: Was that it? They may be bad. They may be very, very bad. But you haven't answered the question, First Minister, so maybe I could ask whether the First Minister would answer the question.
Llyr Gruffydd: But can you confirm that there will be no cut in the budget available—the funding available—to support the purchasing of school uniforms? The response of a spokesperson on behalf of your Government to the censure following the announcement was that school uniforms are now cheaper. Well, I have personal experience—at least two secondary schools in my area have moved to new school...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Minister for his statement? He’s right, it is a technical Bill, but I look forward to getting to grips with the Bill as the Children, Young People and Education Committee scrutinises it over the next few weeks and months. Now, I want to start with a note of concern, perhaps, because you will know that Plaid Cymru supports the principle of expanding the provision of childcare...
Llyr Gruffydd: So, the Welsh Government's focus is primarily, I believe, on the working parent, but I have to say a lot of the evidence suggests that maybe the impact of this kind of programme is limited in their respect, because I'm sure you'll be aware the Public Policy Institute for Wales's report, commissioned by the First Minister two years ago to look at the childcare policy options for Wales,...
Llyr Gruffydd: I fear that I will also have to start by echoing the comments of the previous speaker on the timing of this statement. I do feel that it does show a little disrespect to the work of the committee, because we’re a matter of weeks away from publishing the report on school support grants, which will, of course, have a strong focus on the PDG, and here we are hearing a statement from the...
Llyr Gruffydd: It is fair to say, of course, that there is for more interface between public services and the public happening online, so I think it’s a valid question. I have to say that many of my constituents have had enough of the empty promises that they’ve received in the past from people such as BT Openreach, or Openreach as they are now. Villages like Ysbyty Ifan to all intents and purposes have...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I’m very pleased to move amendment 2 in the name of Plaid Cymru. I will start by referring to a BBC report back in December that demonstrated that school budgets had declined by some £370 per capita for each pupil in real terms over a period of six years. Now, it’s no surprise, therefore,...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on the news that has emerged today that the Awyr Las charity funding is paying for a staff engagement strategy for Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board? I know that constituents in north Wales will be surprised and disappointed that funding raised by volunteers and charitable groups is being spent on work that one would...
Llyr Gruffydd: The reality is, of course, that some of these education services are moving further and further away from communities across Wales. You will be aware, for example, that the college in Denbigh is now going to close in the summer. I’ve spoken to some of the students and they are concerned that they won’t be able to juggle their studies and the part-time work that they have because they will...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I move this motion in the name of Plaid Cymru, which regrets the way in which the Welsh Government has scrapped the school uniform grant, because the grant, as we know, has provided crucially important support to many families—those poorest families in Wales—in order to ensure that their children can have an appropriate uniform to attend...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, thank you very much, and I think that's been a really useful debate and that's what these debates should be about. And it's been a lively one and I'm glad that everybody's contributed in the way that they have, and can I thank those who have contributed, particularly Lynne Neagle? You're right, we needed, and we still do need, actually, more clarity and assurances. But it's taken a...
Llyr Gruffydd: Now, I know that Labour Members in this Assembly particularly have been stung by this decision. I'm sure previous Ministers would have come under similar pressures to scrap the school uniforms grant, but they resisted that, of course. They resisted that probably because they knew how sensitive and how key this was to some of the poorest communities that they represent. But, there we are, I...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I agree that the funding coming from London is insufficient—we clearly would agree with that. But the question is, really, what is this Government doing in preparing for the reality of this £344 million injection that will be required by 2020? Just pointing fingers and blaming others isn't really answering the question. Now, only last month as well, of course, we heard that one of...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement and welcome what she had to say? Plaid Cymru, for some time, has supported doing more to teach pupils to create as well as use digital resources such as this, so we are certainly moving in the right direction in that regard. As important as it is to have a digital competence framework, as the Cabinet Secretary has recognised, that, in and of...
Llyr Gruffydd: 'global showcase and an example of how technology can support change in educational practice.'
Llyr Gruffydd: And the Welsh Government’s own evaluation came to the conclusion, and I quote again:
Llyr Gruffydd: 'abandoning the project would severely disappoint and alienate teachers who are enthusiastic about further take-up of digital learning and have invested their considerable time and effort setting up Hwb+ school sites and promoting it to colleagues at their school.'
