Suzy Davies: This Bill is called the Childcare (Funding) Wales Bill, and the Minister will be aware from amendments tabled in my name at Stage 2 that we've been, well, unhappy about the fact that we have yet another Swiss cheese Bill laid before us. While I'm grateful to you for tabling the amendment in this group, it doesn't absolutely specifically put your policy from your manifesto, and indeed the...
Suzy Davies: Will you take an intervention?
Suzy Davies: Sorry, just for clarification. So, are you saying then that the definition of 'childcare' in the 2006 Act is incorrect?
Suzy Davies: The Bill, of course, is aimed at getting parents of children of non-specified age into work or keeping them in work by introducing a non-specified period of funded childcare, and, naturally, it needs to be clear what constitutes a 'parent', which it does successfully in section 1(7)(a) by reference to parental responsibility as defined in the Children Act 1989, and then less successfully at...
Suzy Davies: Members, amendment 15 simply introduces a duty on Ministers to introduce those regulations to define the age of children whose parents can then rely on this legislation. Despite the very welcome duty embodied in amendment 4, which actually commits Ministers to funding the childcare offer, the likely fall of our amendment 22 means that we are no nearer certainty on which parents will be...
Suzy Davies: Will you give way?
Suzy Davies: Sorry, before we move on—thank you, Minister—the whole point is that if these regulations need to be introduced, the power isn't strong enough; you should have a duty. That's all that my amendments 15 and 16 were about.
Suzy Davies: Yes, thank you, Janet. Subsection 1 of section 6 of the Bill gives Ministers the power to make provision for reviews or for appeals to the first-tier tribunal against determinations as to eligibility for funding under the Bill. And I would say that this Bill needs to include a right of appeal, not merely permit Ministers to consider some time, when they have a moment, to include one. As a...
Suzy Davies: Thank you for taking the intervention there, Minister. I'm grateful for that assurance. If you can give us some kind of steer—. Oh, can I ask you for another reassurance, then, that this would be one of the first sets of regulations you bring forward, provided HMRC are happy with what you intend to do?
Suzy Davies: Thank you very much, Llywydd. Amendment 35, we haven't covered it, so diolch i chi'ch dau. Can I just begin by saying that I was very grateful to you, Minister, for engaging with us on the question of the review? I think this was really, really important. I think core to the confidence in any review is this Parliament's ability, though, to help design it—to get answers to the questions...
Suzy Davies: We're at the end of the debate here, so I'm not going to keep you long. But this is a perfect time to welcome back old friends, isn't it? Amendment 42 is one of those old friends. It's about commencement Orders. We routinely bring this [Interruption.] Yes, we do, and for good reason, Cabinet Secretary, because this is something the Government needs to pay attention to, because it can often...
Suzy Davies: Thank you very much, Minister—I appreciate your kindness on this one. Yes, it is about an Order that's bringing forward something the Assembly's agreed, but we need to make sure you're doing it properly, and that's the tiny little bit of extra scrutiny that we were asking for here. I'm almost sure that, in 100 per cent of occasions, there will be no problems, but you never know, and that is...
Suzy Davies: First Minister, hopefully, the Swansea bay city deal is going to be part of the legacy that you can be proud of, but, of course, we've all been a little bit jittery about the press reports that we've had, as Dai Lloyd mentioned, over the last couple of days. I don't expect you to pre-empt the rapid review, and I'm grateful that both Governments are doing a rapid review, but is there...
Suzy Davies: Minister, I have to say I was a little bit disappointed that the temporary 50 mph speed limit extension to the west of Port Talbot wasn't terminated this summer, as you indicated in a speech earlier this year. Of course, I accept that Welsh Government is in a bit of a bind at the moment regarding this court case around air quality and having to reduce, particularly, traffic congestion...
Suzy Davies: Thank you for that answer to Caroline; that was most helpful. Almost a year ago, I held a short debate based on Bridgend coalition of disabled people's suggestion for a 'scores on the doors' system, which would help businesses and public services to display details about the type of accessibility that they have for disabled people. Groups and organisations—including yourself, leader of the...
Suzy Davies: Yes. Could you tell me whether Welsh Government has made any progress on the suggestion on the 'scores on the doors' idea and also what steps Welsh Government is taking so that it itself can become a Disability Confident employer?
Suzy Davies: In December last year, the Children, Young People and Education Committee recommended that the Education Workforce Council be given legislative powers to impose an interim suspension Order—or, more than one. Three months later, the education Secretary asked the EWC if they would do a consultation, and the consultation deadline for that is in 10 days' time, Now, I don't know why the delay...
Suzy Davies: Will the First Minister make a statement on waiting times for emergency services in South Wales West?
Suzy Davies: Paul Davies.
Suzy Davies: Thank you for giving way on that. I think you know what I'm about to say, Minister. When it comes to the policy—you say this is a technical Bill; the explanatory memorandum expands that beyond that by some considerable margin. If you were so confident in this policy, which you say is being shown in the pilot areas, it should have gone on the face of the Bill, and then we would not have to...
