Suzy Davies: Well, thank you for that answer. I, along with other spokespeople here, I think, will also be contacting members of the higher education sector to look a little bit further than that again, particularly on this issue of how student loans are going to be affected by the fact that some students are basically having at least one term taken out of their programme of study, and I think there's a...
Suzy Davies: Well, thank you for that and for confirming that all the nations are working together on this. I think that absolutely does make sense, particularly when we're talking about exams taken in—it'll be year 13, won't it—for going on to further or higher education where there is greater competition, as we're not talking just about Wales. On that subject though, I'm quite interested in what...
Suzy Davies: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. First of all, Minister, can I just thank you for the statement you released just before we came to Plenary today? I'm sure you will be getting questions on school closures, but I'm actually going to focus my questions on post-16 education. It does, however, inevitably mean beginning with a question about those studying for those key exams at ages 16, 17 and 18, as...
Suzy Davies: Just two from me. Thank you for confirming that children with underlying conditions should stay at home if at all possible. I don't want to ask you about schools generally, of course, but for some special schools that's the only kind of child that they have there, so is there any specific advice on special schools where only children with learning disabilities or underlying conditions attend?...
Suzy Davies: Thank you, Delyth. I didn't want to cut you in your flow there, but those figures also show that we need all those A&Es as well. If there's going to be any removal of the south Wales programme, that cannot be an excuse to start looking at closing other A&Es.
Suzy Davies: That's great. Thank you. This does pick up other diseases as well, which then get differently treated, but also more urgently. But the one thing I wanted to bring to bear on the Deputy Minister is that this short road to diagnosis is considerably cheaper than the long one. It costs £500 to get this six-day diagnosis and referral to treatment, and five times that much on the 80-day road....
Suzy Davies: Yes, I think I've got time.
Suzy Davies: Well, I can—. You pick perhaps one of the saddest examples of precisely that point there, Mike, because people will feel just unwell at various points, and just think, 'Oh, this must be a passing virus' or whatever, rather than taking this opportunity to get into a system that might actually save their lives. One good thing as well about this system that they've got in Neath Port Talbot,...
Suzy Davies: I just wanted to pick up on that idea of innovation in all this and mention the rapid diagnosis centre at Neath Port Talbot Hospital, which I visited a couple of weeks ago—I know that David has as well—and to thank Helen Gray and Dr Heather Wilkes for the time they've given us there. They're pretty inspirational women, I've got to say. This facility just shows what you can do if you have...
Suzy Davies: Thank you, Minister. I think the fact that—this may be a leaked memo, but, obviously, you and the First Minister have been having conversations with Tata. There's an indication here, isn't there, that some granularity has been discussed here and that there must be some certainty on the part of Tata now about which parts of their operation they consider to be the most vulnerable and who's...
Suzy Davies: Minister, I know that the coronavirus will have affected any pre-budget conversations you've had with UK Ministers, but I wonder, when you were having those discussions, what you thought about the various trade sector deals that are important to UK Government, and from which Wales can directly benefit in some cases, notably the tourism sector deal. I think you mentioned the hospitality sector...
Suzy Davies: Thank you for that response. You heard from Rhun ap Iorwerth a little earlier today about the lack of capacity within A&Es across Wales for dealing with pneumonia-like symptoms that may arise from coronavirus—perhaps another consideration for those who are pondering the future of the Royal Glamorgan at the moment, which also serves my constituents. Apart from the logistics of moving people...
Suzy Davies: 5. Will the Minister provide an update on accident and emergency preparedness in South Wales West for coronavirus? OAQ55216
Suzy Davies: Thank you. That brings today's proceedings to a close.
Suzy Davies: Thank you, Jenny. I now call on the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport to reply to the debate—Lee Waters.
Suzy Davies: The next item is item 10—the short debate. And I call on Jenny Rathbone to speak to the topic that she has chosen.
Suzy Davies: I completely accept that point, but if you're in a world where qualifications mean so much, we need to be acting in a way that doesn't artificially prevent children who have care experience from being able to access that and getting the most out of qualifications if they can. So it's certainly not a position that everyone's got to have 6,000 GCSEs, regardless of their background. ...
Suzy Davies: Thank you to everyone taking part in this debate. I think it's been very interesting so far, and I appreciate that perhaps the main thrust of it is about reducing the numbers of children in care in a safe way, but in discussing life chances, which I think is point 2 of our motion, I think we do need to look at the relationship between looked-after children and the education system in which...
Suzy Davies: I was expecting a little bit more trouble than that, actually. Darren Millar.
Suzy Davies: Thank you.
