Siân Gwenllian: Yes, please.
Siân Gwenllian: Move.
Siân Gwenllian: I move.
Siân Gwenllian: I move.
Siân Gwenllian: I fear that the motion and the Conservative amendment take certain issues for granted without evidence to support them. There are a number of large schools in my constituency providing excellent education to the pupils. There are also many small schools in my constituency providing excellent education to their pupils. It's also true to say that the size of a school can have a negative or a...
Siân Gwenllian: Plaid Cymru supports the direction that the new education curriculum takes us in. The young people of Wales have wanted to learn skills appropriate for life and modern workplaces for some time. We also believe in empowering teachers and giving them the freedom to teach creatively. The emphasis on the development and progress of the individual is also to be warmly welcomed. Enabling every...
Siân Gwenllian: 10. Will the Minister provide an update on the Arbed scheme in Arfon? OQ56387
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you for that. I would be grateful if you could confirm today that it's the responsibility of Fortem Energy Services to work to resolve this problem, or these problems, truth be told. The owners of homes should only use the guarantee as a final step if Fortem and the Welsh Government can't resolve these problems in a satisfactory manner and within a reasonable timetable. Will you just...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you for the statement and the update. In discussing twenty-first century schools, you continue to use this concept of a building to describe a school. New buildings, well designed, can contribute towards creating an environment that encourages creativity and learning, and I myself am familiar with a number of brand-new school buildings in Arfon that have been warmly welcomed and have...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. One of the issues that is of concern to the majority of teachers is the workload that they are having to deal with in addition to the work that they are trained to do, namely to educate and to lead. According to some, the additional burden, the daily bureaucracy, has got worse over the past five years. What's your response to that claim?
Siân Gwenllian: One issue that certainly adds significantly to that workload is budgeting, particularly at this time of the year. What creates complexity is when funding is provided via grant very late in the day, as has happened this week. I want to quote one headteacher who contacted me yesterday, and this is what she said: 'We are spending more time writing about how we're going to spend these grants than...
Siân Gwenllian: I of course accept that point, but there is far too much data being collected, and it's data that the teachers, very often, don't understand why you, as a Government, would need that data. If I could turn to my final question to you—not just for today, of course—may I also thank you very much for your willing collaboration through this Senedd, and particularly for our regular meetings...
Siân Gwenllian: I'd like to thank Osian Jones and Cymdeithas yr Iaith for arranging this petition and everyone who signed the petition. Ensuring appropriate housing in the right places for local people is crucially important. In Gwynedd at the moment there are around 160 individuals, couples and families too, who have been placed in temporary accommodation, which is inappropriate, because they don’t have a...
Siân Gwenllian: Yes, I am drawing my comments to a close, Deputy Llywydd. There are measures that could be put in place tomorrow, with the will—
Siân Gwenllian: It's the will that's missing and, in the meantime, the housing crisis is intensifying and our communities are creaking.
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you for the statement. I'd like to focus on two specific issues. I know that you would agree that it's crucial that we use a preventative approach in dealing with mental health issues, and whilst, of course, we do need to respond to problems as they arise, it's also important to take action to prevent those problems from arising in the first instance. So, we do need to tackle one of the...
Siân Gwenllian: Stakeholders in this area have raised and continue to raise a number of concerns about this code, including the quality of information and advice, transition and the post-16 situation, qualifications of co-ordinators and the fact that the code isn't a code of practice, the appeals process, and the review timescale. That's a long list of concerns, and the Government need to respond to each...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I welcome the news that the Welsh Government will launch the second phase of the cultural recovery fund, providing more assurance to the arts and culture sectors. There is one aspect that the sector has raised with me already, namely the accessibility of the programme. Do you have plans in place to ensure that the application process is fair, particularly...
Siân Gwenllian: Turning now to another area that forms part of your portfolio, namely major events, I'm given to understand that the Government has commissioned an independent report on the major events strategy. I understand that work did start way before the pandemic hit and that it has also been completed, but that the report has not been published. Can you explain why that report wasn't published and can...
Siân Gwenllian: So, hopefully it will see the light of day and we will see the recommendations in terms of the future direction of this work. If I could turn, finally, to the need, in my opinion, for an entirely new strategy for the arts and culture sector in Wales, I think that supporting a vibrant and innovative creative industry with strong support will help Wales to adapt to the post-COVID landscape in...
