Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank you for the opportunity to contribute and thank Hannah Blythyn for her contribution this afternoon? Clearly, it is important that we develop the north Wales economy as an economic powerhouse in its own right—that’s crucially important. Yes, it’s important that we ensure all possible economic benefits from the Northern Powerhouse in England, but my concern, of course, is that...
Llyr Gruffydd: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on home schooled children in Wales? OAQ(5)0250(FM)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. I’m sure you’ll be aware that the children’s commissioner has called on the Government to introduce statutory guidance to make it a requirement for parents to register the fact that they are home schooling their children. She has made it clear recently in the Children, Young People and Education Committee that she would be willing to use her statutory powers...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement and welcome it? You will know that Plaid Cymru was committed to offer full-time childcare for all, but I do accept that this is a positive step in that direction, and one that we clearly support. And it’s good to see the Government beginning this work on the ground, as it were. One thing I would like to raise about the tone of the...
Llyr Gruffydd: 8. Will the Minister make a statement on major sporting events in Wales? OAQ(5)0072(EI)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. I would agree that we do need to attract more major sporting events, but they do put pressure on our transport infrastructure, and we have seen—a constituent has been in touch with me referring to three occasions in the last fortnight when a member of her family have had to stand on the train all the way from Wrexham to Cardiff, and, on one occasion, all the way...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister make a statement concerning the Ombudsman’s report, which found ‘systemic failure’ in a cancer patient’s care at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan? EAQ(5)0076(HWS)
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. I too would want to acknowledge the way that the health board has responded to what has been said in the report. Unfortunately, it feels as if these reports are appearing almost on a weekly basis these days, and it’s important to note that many of these are historical cases that are emerging and that the board is trying to resolve problems—and they are, of...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd, and I speak to this motion in the name of Plaid Cymru. Now, the intention, of course, in bringing this debate forward this afternoon is not to question the Welsh Government’s commitment to this target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050, nor is it to doubt the consensus that I’m sure exists in this Assembly to work towards that particular target. But, one of the aims...
Llyr Gruffydd: Yes.
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, it’s a shame that the Member doesn’t recall that we raised this in the Chamber just a few weeks ago, the quality of teaching Welsh as a second language, and that the Minister himself made a clear statement about the direction of travel for Government in that particular area. I’m not going to use my time now, because that is an issue that has been previously discussed here in this...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I first of all thank everyone for their contributions? We as a party will also be supporting the second amendment. We won’t be supporting the first amendment—that’s the end of the consensus there immediately—for the very same reason that Suzy Davies outlined. We don’t disagree with what’s contained within the amendment, but it would delete the second point of the motion, and I...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement this afternoon? I think it’s about time that we tackled some of the problems that have cast a dark shadow over some small and rural schools over a number of years. As someone who lives in a rural community, as someone who’s a parent of children who attend a small rural school, and someone who’s a governor of that very same school, I...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank you for your statement this afternoon, Minister? I welcome the announcement that there is to be an employability programme and the general principle of creating a more accessible, more flexible programme, with the support of the employment advice service in this case, of course, but the statement raises a number of questions because, essentially, it announces that there is to be...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I move amendments 1 and 2 in the name of Plaid Cymru. I want to start by congratulating the children’s commissioner, not only on the annual report, but for her work over the past year. I know, of course, that that work is based on firm foundations following the ‘What Next?’ consultation—the biggest consultation ever with children and young people, carried...
Llyr Gruffydd: One of the drivers of the free childcare policy, of course, is now the prominence that’s been given to early intervention or prevention—the welcome prominence, I should say—and given of course that the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 as well is leading us in that direction, which, again, is something that I would welcome—. But with that in mind, what discussions have...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister make a statement on the number of children who live in poverty?
Llyr Gruffydd: One of the central elements of curriculum reform, of course, is the role of the innovative schools, but concern is being increasingly expressed that schools that aren’t within that category feel excluded. The teachers’ unions have said that the situation where the new arrangements are being built by the profession for the profession is a pipe dream, and even the Education Workforce...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I ask for a statement by the Cabinet Secretary on the intention of Severn Trent Water to buy Dee Valley Water? There are concerns about the 190 jobs—some of which are to be lost, and others are to be transferred to England. We’ve also heard about the 80 local companies that are part of the supply chain of the Dee Valley Water Company, and I wanted to ask about their future too. This...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement, and reiterate the thanks to Professor Diamond and the group that has been preparing this report and the recommendations? I welcome your statement. It’s good to see the process moving towards implementation of those recommendations. That is something I’m sure we would all welcome. I also welcome the central point that you highlighted...
