David Lloyd: ...on being Welsh and speaking Welsh despite punishment. But, as I said, that's just one aspect of Wales's history. I've got no time, really, to dwell on Tryweryn—that's why I'm looking to the school history lessons—dwell on Tryweryn or the exploitations of the coal industry—Mick touched on them—or Aberfan, all of that. So many injustices, so little time. And there's a load of...
David Lloyd: ...times, all co-ordinated and arranged through the medium of Welsh. That led to brad y llyfrau gleision, the treachery of the blue books, and abolished the use of the Welsh language from Welsh schools entirely, facing the Welsh Not and the threat of the use of the cane. My own grandfather and his generation suffered the cane for insisting on using the Welsh language in school over a century...
David Lloyd: Will the Minister make a statement on school absenteeism in South Wales West?
David Lloyd: ...already mentioned. There is so much mention made of preventative services, and it’s in local government that a number of those services are placed, for example, environmental health, housing, education and, of course, social care. Yesterday, as we've already heard, we heard about the challenges facing the health service in Hywel Dda with winter pressures meaning cancelling treatments...
David Lloyd: ...about proposed incinerators in other areas, in Usk and in Barry, not just the Llansamlet one; will you agree on a moratorium on building incinerators, at least in residential areas and near schools? Because, if there's a climate change emergency and if we're talking about all these deaths from air pollution, surely we can do something about it. And, as I've said, I personally favour...
David Lloyd: ...Virgin healthcare has been awarded over £2 billion-worth of NHS work in recent years, with over 400 contracts ranging from dementia care in the elderly—cherry-picking, as Delyth mentioned—the school immunisation programmes that are private in many areas in England, to prison healthcare, running actual NHS trusts and individual GP services. That's what Virgin healthcare does now. And...
David Lloyd: ...the provision of specialist careers advice for learners with an additional learning need. Now, I appreciate cross-portfolio issues here, but we are talking employability and, obviously, learning, education and careers are very much part of that spectrum. So, can I ask the Minister to outline whether there's been further consideration on duties around specialist careers advice within the...
David Lloyd: ...makes people ill in the first place—the so-called determinants of ill health, as you'll be aware—they already fall within the ambit of local government: bad housing and environmental health, education particularly and public transport. They're already under the control of local authorities. So, it would make sense, really, to try and strengthen the public health aspects of local...
David Lloyd: ...as you say here, over 60 per cent of our adult population are overweight or obese, which has become a normalised state. Yes, correct; it has. With around 20 per cent of our children starting school each year who are already obese or overweight. Now, obviously, it's a balance of what Government can do and what the individual can do. Government, as you've alluded to, can do things like...
David Lloyd: ...dental foundation training, dental core training and specialist training, are now part of UK-wide recruitment. We were pleased to learn that there are no major issues with recruitment into dental schools in Wales, although we are aware that these figures can be low for Welsh-domiciled students. The committee also heard evidence about the challenges with retaining dentists to work in Wales...
David Lloyd: Can I first of all support Bethan Sayed's call and David Rees's regarding the closure of Godre'rgraig school and specifically what financial support is available from Welsh Government to Neath Port Talbot council? Obviously, it causes some excitement in some quarters. What financial assistance is available directly in this extraordinary situation of a closure of a school urgently? And my most...
David Lloyd: In looking at the most recent record of Bridgend County Borough Council in terms of Welsh-medium education, unfortunately the story isn’t a positive one. The council has failed over recent years to ensure that Welsh-medium education is a realistic option in a number of communities. In reality, a number are concerned locally that there’s an institutional problem in the authority where the...
David Lloyd: ...permission. People need to know the history of Wales. It shouldn't depend on individual teacher experiences. And let's not be afraid. People say the history of the majority of British culture is education—1066 and all that—whereas the history of Wales is ideology. Surely not. An inconvenient truth, perhaps. Welsh history is an inconvenient truth, but education nonetheless. Diolch yn fawr.
David Lloyd: ...us as children. I was in Dubrovnik some years ago, and a Croatian boatman in the harbour said, 'Yes, the Welsh, the original indigenous inhabitants of the British isles. We are taught that in the schools of Croatia.' It would be good if it was taught in the schools of Wales. And 'Cofiwch Dryweryn', the recent outbreak—. David.
David Lloyd: ...substantially, from £100 a year to £390 per year. Now, clearly, this will have a significant impact on families across the county, but it will have a particular impact on the only Welsh-medium school in the county, which is Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera Bro Dur, and the only faith school in the county, which is St Joseph’s Catholic School. With pupils traditionally travelling to these schools...
David Lloyd: ...minimum and stuff, but the evidence we took—we try to base everything on evidence—is that that has to happen. It is not happening when the 120 minutes is not prescribed now in an awful lot of schools. They don't get anywhere near the 120 minutes, however much people would like it so to happen. It doesn't happen unless you put it on a statutory footing and that, again, is the evidence...
David Lloyd: ..., physical inactivity is a national problem that affects us all. We need effective public health interventions to help to address the issues. However, we can't just rely on public bodies and schools; parents also have an important role to play in influencing their children's physical activity. We welcome the Welsh Government's recognition in the 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales' consultation...
David Lloyd: ...environments. Children who are delayed in fundamental motor skills are less likely to be physically active both now and in the future. We heard about successful kinaesthetic instruction for pre-schoolers—SKIP—an evidence based programme of professional development that has been used to train teachers, teaching assistants and parents about the importance of early movement for child...
David Lloyd: ...some of the poorest globally. As part of this inquiry, we took a wide range of evidence. In addition to the usual formal evidence gathering carried out in committee meetings, we visited Bassaleg School to hear the views of pupils and teachers; held focus group discussions with stakeholders; and conducted a webchat with young people between the ages of 11 and 21 about their levels of...
David Lloyd: It’s a cause of disappointment in my region that Neath Port Talbot council hasn’t opened a single new Welsh-medium primary school in the county since local government reorganisation in 1996. Do you agree that the record of Neath Port Talbot council has been weak in this area, and what are you doing in partnership with the council to change the situation?
