Carwyn Jones: [Continues.]—they were far, far lower when it came to A* to C grades than they are now. It’s a tribute to our teachers and to our pupils.
Carwyn Jones: No. If you look—. [Interruption.] If you compare the figures on a like-by-like basis, they’re clearly not. If you compare them with the days before 1999 when around about 38 per cent of Welsh pupils got five A* to C grades, that figure is now well beyond that—well beyond that—and that’s a result of what we have done in terms of education delivery. So, no, what we are seeing in...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. Throughout our history, black, Asian and minority ethnic people have brought skills and entrepreneurship to Wales. And, as we celebrate Black History Month, the theme, ‘Our stars, our future, our history’, supports our ambitions within ‘Prosperity for All’, because we know that a prosperous Wales needs diverse, creative, highly skilled and adaptable people.
Carwyn Jones: Well, we’re providing £360,000 in the course of 2017-20 for the all-Wales black, Asian and minority ethnic engagement programme, providing information, of course, to the Welsh Government on key issues and challenges, and that will help us, of course, to ensure that we’re able to recruit in a way that fully reflects the population and make-up of Wales.
Carwyn Jones: Well, we look to work, of course, through our engagement with the different communities, through the various fora that we have, and also, of course, the work with the Polish ambassador and Polish diplomatic representatives in the UK. We’re more than happy to work with the ambassador in order to identify where such groups exist in Wales and how we can best engage with them. I’ll write to...
Carwyn Jones: Well, can I suggest that the organisation involved goes through the usual route—talks to the Minister’s officials—and then, of course, we can consider what resources might be made available in the future?
Carwyn Jones: Yes. We’re committed to providing effective patient advocacy services in Wales. Services are provided to adults by community health councils, and local health boards are responsible for arranging the provision of advocacy services to children and specialist mental health advocates.
Carwyn Jones: Duplicitous—that’s the word of the day. I think we had that yesterday from the Secretary of State for Wales in his widely ignored speech. [Laughter.] I don’t accept at all that the Cabinet Secretary has been in any way duplicitous. Of course, he would refer a constituent of yours to an independent advocacy service. That’s what exists under the current structure and that’s what will...
Carwyn Jones: Very much so. We know, of course, that there are very effective champions in many aspects of public life in Wales, and they do much to influence positively the direction of the Government and, indeed, public bodies and agencies. So, yes, I very much recognise the work that your constituent has done, as many others have done across Wales, because they add to the knowledge the Government has in...
Carwyn Jones: Well, health boards are responsible for arranging the provision of general patient advocacy services for children, and children and young people in receipt of mental health care can be further supported to raise concerns through accessing independent mental health advocacy. All health boards in Wales have in place arrangements to provide mental health advocates trained in working with...
Carwyn Jones: The number of rough sleepers, according to the last count, is 141. That count took place in November of 2016. It’s difficult, of course, to count the number on a regular basis because it does fluctuate up and down, but she is right to identify the fact that rough sleeping is an issue, which is why—the Secretary will be giving his statement on the budget later—we will be looking to...
Carwyn Jones: Well, it’s one thing to have the powers, it’s another thing to have the money. It’s one thing to say, ‘We’re going to do something’; if the money isn’t there to do it, then it becomes more difficult. What have we done? Well, we’ve just announced an additional £2.6 million to support services for rough sleepers and young people, and crucially we’ve introduced legislation to...
Carwyn Jones: The legislation has gone some way to addressing that. She and I are in a different position. I don’t believe that it makes sense to devolve welfare because we know that Wales is a net recipient of the overall pot. I do agree with her that the actions of the Tory Government have been heartless, unthinking, and have led to more people being homeless. I was in Brighton last week and it was...
Carwyn Jones: First of all, we have for some time in Wales been emphasising the need to create parity of esteem between the academic and the vocational. Therefore, we should not make negative comparisons between BTECs and GCSEs. One is a vocational qualification; the other is more of an academic qualification. Schools will enter candidates for the appropriate exam according to what they feel they need, in...
Carwyn Jones: That was a response worthy of the Secretary of State for Wales—and that’s not a compliment, by the way. The reality is that the system has been changed. We’ve just introduced, of course, the new GCSEs; that has happened. So, far from sitting back and doing nothing, we’re encouraging schools to enter pupils for GCSEs and other qualifications, and at the right time—and at the right...
Carwyn Jones: Science entries are up. We changed the system partially to encourage schools to enter more students, and enter them at the time that is appropriate for them. That has been done. He talks about the worst GCSE results for 10 years—I do not recognise that, if you compare like with like. If he thinks that things are rosy in England, I suggest he needs to look at what happened in England with...
Carwyn Jones: It has never been cheaper to borrow. In 1945, a Government came to power in the UK, presiding over a wrecked country and a wrecked economy, with far less money at its disposal. Yet it managed to create the national health service, managed to put industry back onto its feet. It managed to ensure that people’s standard of living began to rise. It dealt with a country that had been destroyed...
Carwyn Jones: All Governments have to borrow. Well, there are very few Governments that don’t have to borrow—usually those that are oil rich. The reality is you borrow to invest. What we’re seeing at the moment is a Government that is bumping the British economy off the ground. We know that, as far as injections of money are concerned, that’s not happening. The economy is not being stimulated. Now,...
Carwyn Jones: We have revealed to us this afternoon the UKIP strategy for dealing with appealing to young voters. ‘You are all gullible children’ is the way that they’re going to be described in the future, so I can’t see many of them voting UKIP in the future. In the 1970s, there were particular challenges with stagflation, as he should remember, because of the soaring price of oil as a result of...
Carwyn Jones: Young women are more likely to be represented in single-parent households and part-working households, which are more at risk of living in poverty. We are providing a range of support to build prosperity by helping them overcome barriers to employment and to maximise their employability and access decent, well-paid work.
