Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Can I welcome the Cabinet Secretary to her first education questions? I’ll start by asking her to confirm, maybe, once and for all to the Chamber, that the funding for the class-sizes policy, which we’ve just been discussing and which you’re committed to, will be delivered separately to the £100 million education promise that was made by the Labour party at the...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I think it is rather disappointing that there still is ambiguity around that because not only these benches, but other benches have expressed a concern with regard to the lack of clarity there. Maybe you could give us, therefore, some clarity around the regional consortia, which continue to divide opinion within the education sector. Your Liberal Democrat manifesto committed to...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, what is it about Liberal Democrats and manifesto pledges? I don’t know. There we are. Okay, well, there’s still ambiguity there. Let’s see whether you’re sticking to your guns on PISA, then, because, 18 months ago, in questioning the First Minister about Government changes to PISA targets, you said and I quote, and no doubt, there’ll be many of these over the coming months:...
Llyr Gruffydd: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of the rural development plan? OAQ(5)0117(FM)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: In light of the duties now on the public sector, given the introduction of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015, shouldn’t there be a requirement on all buildings erected using public funding, and, in this case, twenty-first century schools, to be using all possible opportunities in terms of renewable energies?
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, thanks for that response. It was very interesting, if I may say so, because your skills Minister, in response to a question from me following a statement last week, made it clear that she is continuing to plan programmes on the basis that the funding will come to Wales. If it doesn’t come from the EU, then she’s expecting it to come, according to the pledges made, from the UK...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for this statement this afternoon. The death of Dylan Seabridge has, of course, been appalling for us all, and it’s a duty upon us as an Assembly and you as a Government to do everything possible to avoid any possibility of similar cases arising in the future. We can’t say that there are no similar cases out there. You mention in your statement that we need...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement. I should probably declare an interest as a school governor at the beginning here. It is a very broad-ranging statement and I’ll try and be precise, and I’m sure the Deputy Presiding Officer will tell me if I’m not. You make early reference to the pioneer schools in your statement. A number of teachers and schools who are part of the...
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. Will the Secretary make a statement on accident and emergency units in North Wales? OAQ(5)0022(HWS)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: Do you recognise, Secretary, the need to develop north Wales as an economic powerhouse in its own right? Clearly, it’s important that we get every possible economic benefit from neighbouring developments such as the Northern Powerhouse by the UK Government, but of course there is concern with the city region developments in south Wales, and the Northern Powerhouse in England, that north...
Llyr Gruffydd: You will have received, as I have received, a letter from a former nurse who has broad clinical experience. She also was a non-executive member of the north Wales health service. In the letter she described what she saw in the Wrexham Maelor emergency department last month. She mentions in her letter a shortage of staff, a shortage of beds and the impact of that on the ability of patients to...
Llyr Gruffydd: Following a decision taken by health chiefs in Cheshire to close a special unit for babies born before 32 weeks in the Countess of Chester Hospital because of the increase in the number of deaths there, and to move it to Arrowe Park, can you tell us what impact this will have on babies from Wales and intensive care services for newborn babies in north Wales?
Llyr Gruffydd: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on public transport in North Wales? OAQ(5)0130(FM)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, yes, we’ve discussed the south Wales metro a fair bit earlier in this session, and your party published a plan for a metro for the north-east, to all intents and purposes, and they were lines on a map and many stakeholders have given their opinion of that. But isn’t talking about a metro just empty talk when much more basic services aren’t being provided, for example, following...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister make a statement on the implementation plan for the Wales animal health and welfare framework?
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister make a statement on recycling levels in Wales?
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister provide an update on the proposed 10-year plan for the early years, childcare and play workforce in Wales?
Llyr Gruffydd: It’s generally recognised, of course, that getting graduate level practitioners into early years settings has a very positive impact, as I’m sure you know, on the educational outcomes of those early years. The Government drafted, of course, back in 2014 its 10-year workforce plan on early years childcare and play. Can you tell us when that is likely to see the light of day, because in...
Llyr Gruffydd: There’s no doubt, of course, that the next few years are going to be challenging. But I think the real challenge is to ensure that we emerge stronger at the other end than we are at present in terms of our economy here in Wales. As the shadow Minister with responsibility for education and skills and so on, it is clear that we must make full use of the potential we have in Wales to build a...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I ask, as the Government is reviewing its strategy at present, what lessons you have learned from other countries, particularly the experiences in England where they’ve adopted a different approach, and perhaps in the Republic of Ireland too?
