Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I think it's also worth stressing that it's not just the responsibility of the Welsh Government to upskill and to uptrain the workforce. Employers also need to put their hands in their pockets because it's the employers who will ultimately benefit from improved productivity. We need to see the employers step up in terms of preparing and training and really investing in their own workers. We...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I don't want to rehearse the points I made yesterday, so I would suggest that people read the statement if you want to know more about how we will fund FE colleges in future.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Our FE sector is, I think, one that we should be proud of. The Skills Show in Birmingham, managed by WorldSkills UK, took place last week, and I'm pleased to announce that indicative figures show that team Wales have brought home a total of 51 medals, including 14 gold, 20 silver, 12 bronze and six highly commended. This is an increase on the previous year. I'm also delighted to say that we...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Mark Drakeford.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you, Mandy.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: We're committed to building on Wales’s recent success in hosting major international events. To that end, we're working closely with partners in Wales, the UK and internationally to identify and pursue new opportunities for attracting major sporting and cultural events to all parts of Wales.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, thank you. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that in north Wales we have spent about £6 million on major events since about 2008. Of course, it's absolutely right that, very often, these international events will be focused on a capital city; sometimes that is a requirement by some of these organisations. But, if you look at what we're doing—for example, FOCUS Wales is an urban...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, thank you. Of course, I think our priority would be, where possible, to encourage people to come by public transport, and how much easier will that be now that we have a bit more control over the rail network? So, I do hope that there's that co-ordination between the Welsh Government and the major events team in making sure that, when Cardiff is hosting these events, that, actually,...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you, and may I thank the Member for his investment in these games? I think that this is a huge opportunity for Ynys Môn, which has witnessed some issues over the past few weeks, and it's good to see a positive on the horizon as regards the Island Games. We are supportive of the games in principle. What I would like to see now is my team develop a valid business case with local...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much. You will be aware that, as regards Welsh-medium education, it has moved to the portfolio of the Minister responsible for education, but I think it's worth underscoring the fact that we understand that Welsh-medium immersion is essential as regards realising our vision for 1 million speakers. I have received an assurance from the Minister for Education that the current...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I’m not sure whether I made it clear enough in my first reply, I think I need to underscore that there is no change on the policy on immersion. There is awareness, and we’ve been doing this throughout the years. We have a history that people are emulating throughout the whole of the world as regards the efficacy of this specific policy and this will not change in future. So, I want you to...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: May I just say that I’m pleased that you welcome that we have listened to Professor Sioned Davies? I’m also very aware that we need to improve the way in which we teach second language in our schools, and, for that reason, we convened a symposium last year where we brought together people who truly understood and had studied the best way of learning Welsh as a second language globally,...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, you’re quite right to focus on the fact that education is central to our target of having a million speakers. Of course, by 2050, we hope that about 40 per cent of Welsh schoolchildren will attend designated Welsh language schools. In order to attain that target, we must ensure that we are committed to this immersion system and I hope that you heard what I clearly said to Siân...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: We are very aware that there are circumstances when people come into a community, where they're unable to speak the language, particularly in some of our more Welsh areas, where they need that immersion when they are slightly older children. There are schools for latecomers located throughout Wales and, very often, some local authorities have to collaborate in order to ensure that that...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you, and I do hope that councils across Wales will be supportive of a person’s ability to speak in Welsh, even if they have to repeat a question in English. But I do think that there is a way of improving the way in which we deliver translation services throughout the whole of Wales. We have a technological scheme in Welsh Government to look at how we are going to use technology to...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: As it happens, I did have a briefing on the situation in relation to major events this morning. This was not one of the issues that arose in that context. I think what's important for me is that we have an overview of not just what's going on where and when, but that we can map it out on a year-by-year basis so that we have an understanding that, if we support one particular major project one...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I think the fact that 160 million people tuned into the Champions League final really meant that Cardiff in particular was put on the map in a way that we, perhaps, haven't seen before. So, football is an international language unlike any other, and I think the tragic events that we've seen last week for Cardiff City is also an example where the kind of focus that we've seen on Cardiff that...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, I did have a very constructive meeting with the international convention centre authorities last week, with the Celtic Manor, and I think there's great excitement about what that really could do for Wales and for bringing people to Wales. One of the issues we discussed there, with other leaders of local authorities, was the need to perhaps look at developing a convention bureau for the...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: International priorities will be shaped through a new international strategy, and we're at the start of that process, but I've been clear that the focus is to create a more prosperous and sustainable Wales through increased export and investment, whilst increasing Wales’s influence and international recognition.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I think we're really proud of our Wales for Africa programme, and it's an example of where a small amount of money has really gone a very long way, and has transformed the lives of people in a very fundamental way in some of the poorest parts of the world. So, this is very much part of what we'll be building into our international strategy. And you're absolutely right—in Uganda, the...
