Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. Can I move the motion in the name of Paul Davies on the order paper today in respect of the growing teacher recruitment crisis that we have here in Wales? If the Welsh Government's ambition for all learners to reach their full potential is ever to be realised, then we've got to have an education workforce that is fit for the future and equipped to deliver that aim. But we...
Darren Millar: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I know I've got very limited time, so I just want to refer, if I can, to the Cabinet Secretary's comments. I heard what you had to say, and I acknowledge that some work is going on in the Welsh Government to try to address this problem. I'm pleased that you at least acknowledge that we have a problem, even if you don't acknowledge that it's a...
Darren Millar: Can I call for three statements, please—the first on road safety in Conwy and Denbighshire? The leader of the house will be aware that there has been an announcement of a task and finish group for an extremely dangerous stretch of road, known as the Evo triangle, which crosses the border between Conwy and Denbighshire in my constituency. It's a 20-mile stretch that is promoted by online...
Darren Millar: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on how many schools have closed since her appointment?
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, will you tell us when you'll be in a position to publish the new school organisation code?
Darren Millar: I'm very pleased to hear that, Cabinet Secretary, because, as you will know, I share your aspiration to make sure that the code is balanced and that it doesn't disfavour or do a disservice to rural schools in particular, many of which, of course, as you will appreciate, are small, Welsh-medium schools. Given that concerns have been raised by Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg and many others about...
Darren Millar: They are very warm words, and I'm sure that the spirit of the code is something that responsible local authorities will, of course, adopt, but the reality is that we have local authorities in Wales—Ynys Môn, Denbighshire and others—that are progressing with school closures in rural communities, and by and large Welsh-medium schools, as a result of the code not being sufficient at...
Darren Millar: I share the concerns that have been expressed by Mick Antoniw and agree with him wholeheartedly that we need to take more action in our schools to address problem gambling. One of the concerns that has been raised with me is that, in the Welsh baccalaureate, there is a task that has been assigned to some pupils in Wales that asks them to imagine what it's like to win the lottery and then to...
Darren Millar: I'll keep my remarks brief, Deputy Presiding Officer, because many people have made the points that I wanted to make. But I would just say to the Cabinet Secretary: this is another fine mess you have gotten yourself into. We had hoped, I think, many of us in this Chamber, that you would have learned your lesson in terms of the lack of consultation over the way in which you scrapped the MEAG...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention?
Darren Millar: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on road safety in Clwyd West?
Darren Millar: 6. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of the Wales for Africa programme? OAQ52215
Darren Millar: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. I'm a huge advocate of the programme, and I think it's been doing some excellent work. Just last week, I returned from western Kenya, where I saw the work that's being done by Just Earth, which is a Welsh-based charity helping subsistence farmers in that part of the country; it's also doing some work in Uganda too. As a result, they're increasing...
Darren Millar: Thank you, Minister, for your statement, and for an advance copy of it. It is all about leadership, in terms of making sure that all of our children have the very best opportunities to thrive during their time in school and the education system here in Wales. I know that this is something that you are passionate about addressing, in terms of the deficiencies in the system. And I too want to...
Darren Millar: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement, and for foresight of it before it was made this afternoon? Can I also put on record my thanks to the chair of the expert panel for the work that she and her fellow panel members have done? Emma Renold, I think, has produced a very decent report that considers thoroughly many of the issues that relationships and sex education present. You'll...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention?
Darren Millar: Thank you. I'm very grateful for your opening remarks, saying that you agree in principle with the need to extend and develop older people's rights and the awareness of them both in the public and the private sectors. But can you tell me why the Welsh Government is so inconsistent when it comes to rights? Why is it that children and young people have a specific piece of legislation on the...
Darren Millar: I just want to speak briefly, really, to say 'thank you' to Sarah Rochira for being a fantastic older people's commissioner over these past six years. I held the older people's brief for a number of years in the previous Assembly, and it was an absolute joy to be able to work with the commissioner, and indeed the rest of her team, and to get alongside her and see just how hard she worked to...
Darren Millar: What action is the Cabinet Secretary taking to promote Welsh schools’ international links?
Darren Millar: Cabinet Secretary, you'll be aware that the Children, Young People and Education Committee have expressed concerns about the lack of resilience amongst children and young people in our schools. But it did highlight, in its recent report on this issue, some excellent practice that is going on in my own constituency in north Wales at Ysgol Pen y Bryn in Colwyn Bay, which you have also visited...
