Mike Hedges: ...in our tax system are such that it’s easy to legally reduce liability. On the estimated council reserves, I assume that this figure’s taken from councils' consolidated accounts and includes schools' reserves. There are just under 1,500 schools in Wales, which would make £15 million if the average school balance was £10,000, and £45 million if it was £30,000. Why do schools need...
Mike Hedges: ...a cold home, they are at increased risk of asthma, respiratory infections, slower development and higher risk of disability, mental health problems, as well as low self-esteem, low confidence, poor educational attainment, poor nutrition and injuries. We do a lot of things talking about children and giving them an opportunity in life—starting off in a cold home puts you at a huge...
Mike Hedges: ...baseline. This of course was an excellent settlement when we heard it, when it was first proposed, but we've had inflation, including increased costs of energy, which can be very eyewatering for schools, for example. The increased wage costs, including teachers, unless additionally supported by the Government, cause budget pressures on local authorities. As a result of spending decisions...
Mike Hedges: ...followed by four days of debate on the budget resolutions. These are the tax measures announced in the budget, and each day of day of debate covers the different policy areas, such as health, education and defence. Why does the Welsh Government think that one hour is sufficient to enable final scrutiny of the budget, and half an hour to set income tax rates? And today, the budget is not...
Mike Hedges: ...in 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour, so I hope people will accept that. Where are we with the Welsh language? Can I talk about some positives? When Members have visited English-medium primary schools, you must have been impressed by the amount of incidental Welsh that is used there, and not just 'Bore da, prynhawn da' and general greetings, but the amount of general incidental Welsh,...
Mike Hedges: ...successful nations and regions, you find three common themes—the three legs of a successful economy. Innovation, research and development is leg 1, entrepreneurship is leg 2, and high-quality education and highly educated graduates is leg 3. I've got two questions. How are the Welsh Government working with universities to support research and innovation? What financial support is the...
Mike Hedges: ...Swansea have a different regional footprint for almost every service. For health, it's Swansea Neath Port Talbot; for fire and rescue, we add Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Powys and Pembrokeshire; educational improvement, it's the same; but policing, which is currently non-devolved, includes all the former county of Glamorgan except for Caerphilly; and finally, the Welsh ambulance service...
Mike Hedges: ...three fire and rescue services, which were formed as a consequence of local government reorganisation, replacing the eight former county council fire and rescue services. Then we have four regional education consortiums. Twenty-two county or county borough councils were created in 1995 by the merger of county and district councils. For several years, there have been calls from some...
Mike Hedges: ...importance of increasing it in line with inflation. Of course, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats opposed it when it was introduced by the Labour Westminster Government. The Liberal Democrat education spokesperson, Phil Willis, said: 'There are significantly more important things to do with £20m than give young people a Christmas bonus.' Conservative spokesperson Chris Grayling said:...
Mike Hedges: ...investment, and the last figures I saw from the others showed very few jobs created and even fewer not from relocation. Having released this money, the priority should be poverty, housing and education. Education is the best economic development tool that we have. It is investing in our children and young people. Expenditure on schools and further and higher education brings more economic...
Mike Hedges: ...generally published monthly. In Swansea, we have Wilia, which is very good, and which has now gone online only. It provides a valuable opportunity to keep up with what is happening in Welsh-medium schools, the local Welsh societies, and Welsh-medium chapels. I'm asking for a Government plan for the continuation of these vital resources.
Mike Hedges: ...in four people speak Welsh, such as Caernarfon, it becomes the language used in society, in shops and in pubs. Does the Minister agree with me that, with the growth of incidental Welsh in primary schools, almost all children in primary schools can be said to speak some Welsh? The census won’t pick that up, but do you think we ought to be finding out more about the standard of Welsh of...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, First Minister. I’m convinced of the benefits of Flying Start. It stops children starting formal schooling with a developmental age substantially below their actual age. We have seen in England the PM scrapping changes to the childcare system drawn up by his predecessor. In non-homogenous areas, lower super-output areas result in missed pockets of poverty. Does the Government...
Mike Hedges: ...as to where their main residence will be. If we add 5 per cent, not many of them are going to choose their main residence in Wales. I welcome the additional money for local government. Important as education and social services are, local government is an awful lot more than that. Education is a key economic driver. The more educated the workforce, the better paid they are. If you look at...
Mike Hedges: ...hard of hearing group in Swansea, and as people's hearing deteriorates, BSL becomes the means of communication. The Petitions Committee, a few years ago, received a petition to improve access to education and services in British Sign Language, to improve the quality of life for deaf people of all ages: 'Improve Access for families to learn BSL: When a child is diagnosed as being Deaf/hard...
Mike Hedges: I speak Welsh every day, but, as Members here know, not very well. I also know that children in primary schools across Swansea also speak Welsh every day at school. Two questions: are we asking the right question on the census? Should we ask how often people speak Welsh?
Mike Hedges: And, in English, what is the correlation between the number of pupils attending Welsh-medium schools between the ages of three and 18 and those who are showing as being able to speak and write Welsh?
Mike Hedges: ...improve the gross value added and income of Wales. If we look at successful cities, regions and nations, the role of universities is crucial to economic success. Successful areas also have highly educated and skilled people living there. Why are Palo Alto and Cambridge more successful than anywhere in Wales by two or three times? Why is Mannheim the same? They've got those things. These...
Mike Hedges: ...Stanford, Heidelberg and Aarhus. We have outstanding universities in Wales. We need to use them more effectively. The development of science parks by universities and the development of university schools of entrepreneurship have helped developed economies throughout the world. A major growth area in the world economy is life sciences. This has got to be a priority. It’s meant to be a...
Mike Hedges: Many children are living in poverty not caused by parental indolence or wastefulness; many parents are working two or three jobs, but at minimum wage, on irregular hours. The expansion of free school meals to a universal provision of meals is very welcome. What further help can the Welsh Government give to support foodbanks, and will the Welsh Government make representation to end the fixed...
