Heledd Fychan: Of course I will.
Heledd Fychan: Certainly. I think any Government should be able to be accountable, and it has been in the UK Government. But, at this time, it is your Conservative Government, and they have the opportunity to put this right.
Heledd Fychan: Diolch, Weinidog. On a similar theme, Samuel Kurtz referenced his constituent earlier, describing ALN as 'a postcode lottery', and, as you will be fully aware, one of the core aims of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 is for a bilingual system. Concerns were raised during the Act's journey through the Senedd, primarily on the availability of ALN services...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Llywydd. Minister, the most recent annual report on 'Cymraeg 2050', published last month, notes that there are now 19 immersion centres and three secondary centres across 10 counties in Wales, with counties providing late immersion support for learners across a range of ages. Also, last month, Estyn published a thematic report on Welsh immersion education, and this lists the Welsh...
Heledd Fychan: What steps is the Minister taking to safeguard the future of higher education?
Heledd Fychan: Trefnydd, I would like to ask for a statement, please. It relates to postal services delivered by the Royal Mail and how the Welsh Government can exert pressure for services to be improved. It is an issue that I have previously corresponded with the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership on, as I know that she regularly meets with the Royal Mail, and she has, and I'm grateful for this, made...
Heledd Fychan: I very much hope that I've therefore convinced the Deputy Minister today of the value of looking into this issue in more detail and of the benefits to our communities of establishing a flood forum for Wales.
Heledd Fychan: The Scottish Flood Forum is a charity that was founded in 2009, and it is mainly funded by the Scottish Government, receiving £200,000 per annum, with additional donations and other small grants. It was initially set up by the Scottish Government before going on to become a charity—a model that we could emulate in Wales. It works alongside communities at risk of flooding to ensure that...
Heledd Fychan: But why do we need such a forum? In England and Scotland, there are established fora that support and provide practical assistance to those in need. While there is some support available in Wales—some through some county councils or through NRW, or through the National Flood Forum if it is funded to work in any particular area—it's fair to say that the support is pretty ad hoc and...
Heledd Fychan: I've collected countless testimonies from those that have been affected by flooding, and since there is time today, I'd like to read three quotes in full, including the first, which is from a resident in RCT six months after the 2020 floods, which illustrates the emotional and psychological impact: 'I honestly feel like this experience has pushed me to the brink. It's been one of the worst...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. I look forward today, hopefully, to convincing the Senedd of the merits of establishing a flood forum for Wales. John Griffiths, Delyth Jewell and Llyr Gruffydd have requested a minute of time as part of this debate, and I will ensure that there is time for them to make their contributions at the end of my contribution. As anyone who has suffered flooding will...
Heledd Fychan: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. If you follow the Conservatives' logic, then we don't need any laws at all. I disagree with that, and I think if we have laws to protect adults, then we should have laws to protect children, and I'm glad to be able to note that physically punishing children is now illegal in Wales after the new law came into force yesterday. And after all, you were right, Deputy...
Heledd Fychan: Minister, you mentioned that
Heledd Fychan: our learners deserve the best, and they deserve to be able to access and use the best too.
Heledd Fychan: Of course, I agree with that, and would welcome any investment towards that. But, as I said, every pupil must be able to benefit from that, and we must also ensure that they should be able to benefit in both languages. At the moment, that isn't the case. We know from speaking to our children and young people that they can't access breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, and so on, and some of...
Heledd Fychan: First and foremost, whilst acknowledging the need to raise education standards, there is also a clear need for post-COVID education recovery, as was mentioned by our colleague Laura Jones. Massive amounts of education has been lost already, so a certain amount of recovery needs to happen before actually improving standards. I know some investment has been made, but teachers and parents have...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd, and thank you for your statement today, Minister. Like Laura Jones, I think we have to recognise the ongoing trauma for our children and young people. The pandemic is not over. We're seeing high numbers of teachers, children and young people not in school at the moment, and that the situation remains, and we're not yet in a period where we can look back and rebuild....
Heledd Fychan: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Why are we here as Senedd Members if not to get this right? After all, politicians have been here before. I'm sure many of us remember that target of eradicating child poverty by 2020—something that was at the core of the 1997 election campaign for the Labour Government, and that was reinforced then by Tony Blair in 2002 and adopted also by this Senedd...
Heledd Fychan: I would like to endorse the comments made by Alun Davies and the Minister. Certainly, this is a political choice, and we can't avoid that fact, and you have to take responsibility if you make political decisions that do have an impact on the cost-of-living crisis. Last month, I organised a cost-of-living summit in Treforest for my region, bringing third sector organisations and voluntary...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I welcome very much today’s announcement, which stems from the agreement between our parties. Until you see the impact of flooding on homes and communities I think it's impossible to comprehend the impact, not just in the immediate aftermath but in the long term, over decades and years. The trauma is ongoing, and people still cry when I meet them when they...
