Llyr Gruffydd: On Monday, 11 December we will be commemorating Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, or Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf, Llywelyn the Last. Llywelyn was the first, of course, to be acknowledged Prince of Wales, and through the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267 the King of England, Henry III, had to accept terms and acknowledge that he was the leader of Wales and that Wales was an independent country, to all intents and...
Llyr Gruffydd: What consideration does the Cabinet Secretary give to the needs of local government in setting the Welsh Government's budget?
Llyr Gruffydd: May I echo the thanks that have been given to everyone who have participated, from the stakeholders to Government representatives and committee members, and the officials of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, as this Bill has proceeded through the Senedd? There is no doubt that there has been a consensus from the outset on the need to reform additional learning needs. We've...
Llyr Gruffydd: The inclusion of medical conditions in the definition of additional learning needs certainly is a positive outcome, and an all-Wales template and clear timescales for preparing independent development plans, provision for preschool children and young people in further education and the provision of independent advice and advocacy as well are all positives. That's not to say that...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, it's taken four years to embed the Hwb+ virtual learning platform and get more than 80 per cent of schools using the platform. All schools have been trained to use it after a great deal of time, effort and money. So, can you explain to us why you believe it's the best use of public funds to abandon that project now?
Llyr Gruffydd: But it’s no small undertaking, is it, to move from one particular type of provision to another? You stated in June, ‘From the outset— and I quote, —‘we have been clear that being digitally competent is one of the fundamental pillars of a modern education'. Nobody would doubt that. ‘That is why digital competence was identified as the third cross-curricular responsibility,...
Llyr Gruffydd: I find it interesting that you say that feedback from practitioners has been less than positive, because the Government’s own evaluation of the implementation of the Learning in Digital Wales Programme in October last year reported positive feedback from schools on Hwb+ and concluded that, 'Abandoning the project would severely disappoint and alienate teachers, who are enthusiastic about...
Llyr Gruffydd: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on home-schooled children? OAQ51462
Llyr Gruffydd: You tell us you're considering it—I'm afraid it's been considered for a very long time now, and we know that the child practice review report published last year into the Dylan Seabridge case recommended firmly that changes in legislation were needed to require parents to register with a local authority children who are receiving home education, and also to ensure that those children are...
Llyr Gruffydd: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on GP training in North Wales? OAQ51480
Llyr Gruffydd: I listened with interest to the answers that you gave to Rhun ap Iorwerth earlier, but we do know that only 3.5 per cent of trainee doctors in the UK are in Wales, although we have 5 per cent of the population and, I would argue, that our health needs are greater than that. I just don’t feel feel that the Government fully understands the level of the problem that we have in north Wales....
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on new health and social care centres in North Wales?
Llyr Gruffydd: May I ask for a statement from the health Secretary on the impact that cuts to the all-Wales school liaison core programme, or SchoolBeat, will have on the important work that that programme delivers? I know that in north Wales, it employs 16 officials who visit all schools and convey important messages to the children, from the youngest at age four up to those at age 16, on issues such as...
Llyr Gruffydd: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on local development plans in North Wales? OAQ51551
Llyr Gruffydd: The mid-year population estimates are showing clearly that the projections that have been used as a basis for many of these local development plans are clearly incorrect. In Wrexham's case, the population projection back in 2014 was for an increase of around 1,200 people in population by mid 2016. We now find, of course, that the increase has actually been four—not 4 per cent; four people....
Llyr Gruffydd: Does the First Minister think that it's acceptable that there are no rush-hour buses from Wrexham industrial estate—one of the largest industrial estates in Europe—into Wrexham town centre? Thousands of workers are being left high and dry by a non-existent transport service. You either have to clock off early, or you have to hang around for an hour to catch the bus home. Now, you can...
Llyr Gruffydd: I agree that communication is crucial, of course, but there’s nothing that can beat actually getting out there and engaging directly with people. I do applaud the initiative of Senedd Newport in 2016, and Senedd Delyn, which had to be deferred because of sad circumstances. That model of intensive engagement in different parts of Wales is something I think we should do more of. May I ask,...
Llyr Gruffydd: As one who isn’t a member of the Finance Committee, may I thank the committee and the Chair for their work? I think the Chair was a little hard on himself, suggesting that this isn’t the most exciting debate. Certainly, it won’t be the least exciting today. But I was excited by reading the report and looking at the recommendations, because of, as he’s mentioned, the experiences with...
Llyr Gruffydd: I'm pleased to hear that you will be monitoring the situation, because we also know, as the budgets of a number of schools where many of us are governors are shrinking, that means that the only true saving that many schools can make is to reduce the staff numbers, and classroom assistants are very often the first to be cut. In a climate where the Government—. Of course, we welcome the fact...
Llyr Gruffydd: Could I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for the economy about the announcement last week by Kimberly-Clark that they're to reduce their workforce globally by between 5,000 and 5,500 employees? That's a reduction of around 12 per cent to 13 per cent of their global workforce. Now, it's unclear at the moment what the implications will be for their facilities at Flint, but,...
