Darren Millar: Leader of the house, can I call for two statements, please? The first is from the Cabinet Secretary for health. Last week was atrial fibrillation awareness week and Members of this house will be aware that one in five people who suffer from a stroke—6,000 of them every year here in Wales—will have had an atrial fibrillation episode prior to them suffering a stroke. I’d like to know what...
Darren Millar: Cabinet Secretary, the Cymdeithas Ysgolion dros Addysg Gymraeg has warned that there may not be GCSE textbooks available for students and for staff by the time that they need to be developed in order that they can take advantage of preparing their pupils properly for the new GCSEs and A-levels that are going to be introduced from next year. What do you say to that?
Darren Millar: I would be very happy to attend, Cabinet Secretary. I am grateful that you have taken such action to set one up. Of course, it is not just the publishers’ fault here. We have Qualifications Wales, which is yet to approve the details of the qualifications that those young people are going to have to sit. I am pleased to hear you refer to the fact that HE providers and further education...
Darren Millar: Of course, we’re only going to be able to achieve these ambitious plans for the future if we’ve got a workforce that is fit to deliver these courses through the medium of Welsh. What consideration have you given to the warnings that you have been receiving from different organisations in the education field who have been saying that we do not have sufficient numbers of teachers who are...
Darren Millar: One of the criticisms of the Welsh Government’s approach to this area, of course, is the fact that, if you’ve got a young person in further education, they don’t have the same rights to be able to challenge decisions made about them in terms of the support that they can receive. Is this something that we can hope to see addressed in your additional learning needs Bill?
Darren Millar: Can I also welcome the statement from the Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee on the incoming standards commissioner? The commissioner plays, of course, a very key role in aspiring to achieve the highest possible standards from us as Assembly Members, so that the public can have confidence in their elected representatives. I think we’ve been fortunate to have had an excellent...
Darren Millar: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd, and thank you to everyone who’s taken part in this debate. I think it’s been a good-natured debate and there have been some very important points that have been raised about some of the challenges that are presented as a result of having two different health systems on both sides of the border, and the consequences that many of our constituents face as a result...
Darren Millar: We need to make sure—. I fully agree with your aspiration that there shouldn’t be disadvantage, but we have to begin to realise some of these things and we’re not going to be able to realise those things if you remain ignorant of the facts—[Interruption.]
Darren Millar: Will the Minister make a statement on the school inspectorate in Wales?
Darren Millar: First Minister, one of the problems with local development plans is that local authorities are constrained by the guidance issued by you and your Cabinet colleagues. And the big problem we’ve got up in Conwy and Denbighshire—areas that I represent—is that the requirements to create lots of new housing are completely unsustainable in terms of the local infrastructure that is there. What...
Darren Millar: Well, well, well, Cabinet Secretary, this is another fine mess that Carwyn has gotten you into. I have to say, I do appreciate your statement and the briefing that was provided by your officials this morning, and, of course, you’ve spent recent weeks desperately downplaying expectations in respect of today’s results, and we can, of course, all see now why that has been the case. The...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention, Mike?
Darren Millar: Thank you, I’m very grateful for your taking the intervention. It’s in relation, specifically, to the costs of agency staff. As you will know, the UK Government took action to put a cap on the cost of agency staff per hour. The Welsh Government decided not to follow suit. That’s costing our NHS millions of pounds every year. Do you share my view that the Welsh Government should...
Darren Millar: Do you accept that this constant mantra from the Welsh Government in relation to protecting social care has absolutely nothing to do with them here in Wales, because, of course, decisions on social care budgets are entirely a matter for local authorities and not for the Welsh Government?
Darren Millar: 10. Will the Minister make a statement on visitor numbers from overseas to Wales for the past five years? OAQ(5)0082(EI)
Darren Millar: It’s very encouraging news to note those figures, Cabinet Secretary, and, of course, the value of the pound now is also helping to encourage visitors to the UK as well. But north Wales has a unique offer in terms of tourism, and, as we know, it’s a world-beating offer. It’s up there in the top 10 list of destinations as far as Lonely Planet is concerned. But one of the disadvantages...
Darren Millar: Can I also make a declaration of interest as a school governor? I’m very grateful for your statement today, Minister, and, indeed, for the briefing that you and your officials provided last week. I know that you are personally very committed to addressing the shortcomings in our existing statutory framework for learners with additional needs, and I do appreciate the way in which you’ve...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for the opportunity to move this motion today, and I want to formally do so on behalf of the Welsh Conservative group. Last week, Wales received news of its results in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA as it is more commonly referred to. In advance of the publication of those results, the Welsh Government worked very hard...
Darren Millar: Thank you; I’m grateful to you for taking the intervention. I didn’t rubbish the new curriculum that we’re trying to introduce in Wales. I just asked us to pause and reflect on whether similar curriculum reforms to those that have taken place in Scotland, which have failed to deliver against the PISA measure, are the right approach here in Wales. I think we need to reflect seriously on that.
Darren Millar: I’m very grateful, Cabinet Secretary, for your confirming you will make that document available, but surely, before today’s debate, you could have at least made some of the summary of the findings available, which, clearly, are already in your hands.
