Kirsty Williams: .... When reflecting on the many excellent schools that I have had the privilege to visit over the last year, it is clear to me that each benefits from high-quality leadership. Our challenge, as noted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, is to ensure a whole-system approach to leadership, and to make it a prime driver of our education reforms. To succeed, every school...
Vaughan Gething: ...in anyone's mind about the contribution of key workers during the pandemic. The people who have kept us going throughout the height of the pandemic in the different ways we've experienced—workers not just in health and social care but in manufacturing, police, the armed forces, education, transport, utilities, local and national Government, postal workers, essential retail, food...
Rebecca Evans: ...at the moment that the percentage of Welsh procurement spend is around 52 per cent. Well, that's the figure that we're able to publicly share. However, we don't consider that to be an accurate representation of the amount of procurement spend that goes into Welsh companies. Obviously, there are a number of reasons for that, one of which being it's based on the postcode of the invoice...
Rebecca Evans: ..., undertaking their own area population assessments to enable them to plan tailor-made solutions based on firm evidence of what the people in that region want and need. As well as multi-agency representation, the citizen voice is increasingly present in the decision-making process, ensuring solutions are being co-produced with input from all of those involved. The population assessments...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to thank all colleagues for what's been a really wide-ranging debate and thank you for the representations that you've been putting forward today. I do agree that, in future years, it would be excellent for this debate to be held by the Finance Committee. Clearly, for practical reasons, it wasn't possible this year, but I'm really heartened to hear that the committee...
Vaughan Gething: ...principles and minimum standards, and again is supported by £1 million of additional funding. That framework has been overseen by the national bereavement steering group, which has both hospice representation and children and young people's bereavement charities included within its membership. Finally, I do want to pay tribute to the vital role of all of our hospice staff, both for adults...
Helen Mary Jones: ...what more she can do, in partnership with local government in Wales, to halt and reverse this trend of local organisations losing out to the big commercial people who are there to make profit, not to look after our children? The next issue specifically I'd like to raise is the issue of period poverty, and I do welcome the recent Welsh Government investment, but we've seen further evidence...
Mark Drakeford: ...the Wales Bill has progressed through the UK Parliament, the First Minister has been clear that it would be a significant barrier to the Welsh Government’s support for the Wales Bill if we were not able to reach an agreement with the UK Government on a fair, long-term funding arrangement for Wales. I believe that the fiscal framework agreed with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury...
Ken Skates: ...committee’s recommendations, either in full or in principle. The common thread connecting each recommendation is the need to work in partnership, whether towards ensuring customs arrangements do not disadvantage Welsh ports or towards consideration of an IT-based solution. This approach will enable us to promote and preserve maritime economic opportunities and increase prosperity...
John Griffiths: ...from local services and amenities, including schools, and are usually situated near busy A-roads and industrial infrastructure. We heard from Professor Jo Richardson of De Montfort University, who noted that sites are often located in unsuitable areas, 'because it's the patch of land that had the least hostility, that could be developed'. This deprives the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller...
Kirsty Williams: ...that we need to solve with regard to post-compulsory education. You’re absolutely right, the current system does lead to duplication and competition in a way that is often unhelpful. It does not provide, as Hazelkorn said herself in the report, good value for public money, and at a time of austerity we need to make sure that the Welsh pound is working really, really hard and delivering...
Kirsty Williams: ...are undergoing huge technological change—it was referred to earlier in First Minister’s questions. The knowledge and skills needed in a transformed workplace mean that average is over. Doing nothing or maintaining the status quo is not, in my view, a viable option. We also need to encourage and support increased research and innovation activity in companies and other organisations. We...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...immediately early on and later throughout life. And the couple relationship, whether, quite frankly, parents are together or apart, is also an important factor. When conflict between parents is not resolved, it can put a child's mental health and long-term life chances at risk, but we also know that where it's handled well, the adverse impacts are minimised. That's why supporting families...
Mr Simon Thomas: ...with where we ended, actually, which is the UKRI and the relationship between this new body, the tertiary authority and other UK-wide bodies—they’re supposed to be UK-wide, but don’t include representation from Wales on them. We do have an establishment, the UKRI, we do have a real issue around Brexit, leaving the European Union, and European funds that were accessed directly by...
Julie James: ...as difficult to decarbonise, and hydrogen has a key role in the road map to net zero for those sectors. Llywydd, it's absolutely essential that we look to decarbonise these sectors, and we do not create incentives that lock us into a continued dependency on fossil fuels. While I recognise there is a transition for some sectors in using hydrogen generated from fossil fuels, this must be a...
Julie James: ...on the case study that they included, however. Very respectfully, Huw, I'm very sorry to say that we just don't agree that the legislation and justice committee's case study is an accurate representation of the position. Our position is very much that the provisions of the Bill are within competence, are fully effective and enforceable. So, that includes the provisions that make it an...
Lee Waters: Of course, we do also have Rent Smart Wales. I noticed Peredur Griffiths used a phrase about our sort of statutory framework, and I don't think we should dismiss that or underestimate that; I think that is an important and hard-fought gain that does give us an advantage. Any landlord of a privately rented property must register themselves and their properties, and Rent Smart Wales make sure...
Siân Gwenllian: ...procurement policies. The success or failure of public services is also crucial in terms of the progress of the Welsh nation, but the future of those services is at great risk at the moment. We cannot over-emphasise the gravity of the challenge posed by austerity at a time of a changing demographic. The Institute for Fiscal Studies and others have anticipated that the demand for health...
Kirsty Williams: ...to work with university leaders and counterparts in other UK Governments to advance the interests of our higher education institutions in a UK, EU, and global context. This includes, but is not limited to, research, innovation and student mobility. We share the views expressed by many Members here today that students, researchers and academics should continue to be able to access the...
Darren Millar: ...important that we recognise also that education is a lifelong journey and that people’s careers and personal aspirations will change, possibly, over time, with people going from one career to another, and education is absolutely key to helping to make that happen. I’ve obviously got a few questions on the statement that she’s made this afternoon. First of all, in relation to the...
