Suzy Davies: That's encouraging, because older learners and parents are starting to get very agitated now as they see us heading towards the traditional exam period—I know the process is different now—and they're seeing their children getting quite worked up about this. So, the sooner they're open the better on that. You didn't say anything about differences across Wales, but that's possibly because...
Suzy Davies: I think that's the same for all of us, First Minister. Let's just have a quick look at that disproportionate effect. We've got 72 per cent of working mothers working fewer hours and cutting their earnings due to lack of child care, and during lockdown mothers were doing 35 per cent of uninterrupted work hours that the average father did. I'm sure that those figures from the Chwarae Teg...
Suzy Davies: I appreciate that we're going to be looking at an inquiry into the Welsh Government's COVID response in the next Senedd, Trefnydd, but I wonder whether it would be possible to have a statement from the education Minister, or maybe even the local government Minister, actually, before April on any early findings of an evaluation of the school or hub provision for vulnerable children and...
Suzy Davies: [Inaudible.]—statement, Minister. Can I just begin by thanking everyone in the university sector who's really pulled out the stops to help students through this pandemic? I know we feel the same on that. I think we'll always be grateful to those who stepped up to this overwhelming challenge. But student finance reform, of course, has given universities greater certainty of funding and has...
Suzy Davies: Minister, I just wonder if you could give us some indication of what's been learnt from trying to carry out tests in schools. Because, as I've mentioned before, in my region, certainly, there was at one point a definite disconnect between school staff and NHS leads about who should take responsibility for the administration of lateral flow tests. So, I'm wondering, can you give us an...
Suzy Davies: I'm sure the former head of Penderyn school will be very pleased to hear that news. Minister, what consideration have you given to establishing a digital fund for the Welsh language to support more use of everyday Welsh in the digital sphere? As you know, I'm eager to see everyday Welsh being normalised in day-to-day communication. It's a language for everyone, not just for some communities...
Suzy Davies: As the British Deaf Association has told us in their lobbying letter, Labour, Plaid and the Lib Dems have all committed to supporting a British Sign Language Act in their general election manifestos, so I hope that these proposals will get full support today. Like Janet, I learnt some basic British Sign Language when I first became an Assembly Member. I'm very sorry, I've already forgotten so...
Suzy Davies: I think I must begin by asking why this is the third time we're debating Plaid's position on free school meals in as many months. This motion replicates an amendment to the budget debate on 9 February, just two weeks ago. Back in December, we agreed that if you had no recourse to public funds then you shouldn't also have to worry about relying on someone's discretion in order for your child...
Suzy Davies: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd, and I move amendment 1. Members, I'm bringing these amendments back as this is the last chance that I, or, indeed, the Minister, will be able to ensure that pupils in Wales acquire that most valuable of skills, which is knowing how to save the life of another human being. Some young people, of course, have been lucky and learnt some of these skills in school already,...
Suzy Davies: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Well, what we've heard from you, Minister, is your agreement to use statutory guidance—and that's statutory guidance—to oblige schools to teach life-saving skills unless they've got a good reason not to. They should teach them. And I'm so grateful for this, I have to say. This means that schools can't just use excuses like shortage of funds or lack of skills in the...
Suzy Davies: Dirprwy Lywydd, sorry about this, but may I ask if the Senedd would be prepared not to vote on this particular—?
Suzy Davies: Yes, please. I know I've moved it, but I'd like to withdraw it. Thank you.
Suzy Davies: Okay, diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, I'm just recovering myself a little bit here. Yes, I move amendment 2, which is the lead amendment in this group. Now, our group has always offered a free vote on matters of conscience and I'll be exercising mine on the basis of conscience too. Mine is governed by the principle that we all have a responsibility to keep our children and young people safe, and I'll...
Suzy Davies: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd, and thank you to everyone who's taken part in this debate. I hope Members won't mind if I just take this chance to give a really big shout out to the Children, Young People and Education Committee at this time—to Lynne and to the witnesses who came before us with evidence from all different points of view and, of course, to the committee staff, because I cannot...
Suzy Davies: No, it's not moved.
Suzy Davies: Yes, formally.
Suzy Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. I move amendment 5. Minister, the thrust of these amendments will be familiar to you from Stage 2, but we have tweaked them a little bit to see if we can make progress here. Amendments 5 and 7 are to be read together, and allow schools to be able to delay the implementation of the curriculum by up to a year, provided that—and it is a big proviso—no pupil is disadvantaged...
Suzy Davies: Diolch yn fawr. Thank you, Minister, for coming back to some of these points. I appreciate that your position won't particularly have changed from Stage 2 on the opportunities for a small number of schools, perhaps, to delay the implementation of the curriculum, and I do understand the arguments that you're putting forward as to why, perhaps, this amendment, you wouldn't be prepared to...
Suzy Davies: Yes, please.
Suzy Davies: Yes, please.
