Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...within the cross-party group, it's the lack of skills in this area. That's been referred to by the Minister. Figures shared with me about the number of teachers who started a course in secondary education focusing on IT for the previous education year says that the total was 10, and that demonstrates what the scale of the problem is. So, my question is, very simply put: even though the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...?' So, I would appreciate more information on that. One issue that I know is of concern to health professionals is ventilation within the NHS estate. We've talked a great deal about ventilation in schools specifically, and a few other settings, but can we have an explanation of the assessment that's been made by the Welsh Government of the work that's been done on the NHS estate—in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...'s survey of health and care professionals and volunteers, lack of integrated or collaborative working with other health or social care services and lack of integrated, collaborative working with schools, colleges and universities were commonly identified as restricting the ability of their teams and their services to meet the current demand for eating disorder treatment. There is such a...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...the training process has led to delays in treatment for many individuals. It is good to be able to report that the charity Beat think that they are making ground on this, and that the two medical schools have responded positively to their questions on extending the level of training for the future. And I'm sure that the third full medical school in Bangor will also want to support this...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...about it. That is my first question. Secondly, vaccination of children from five to 11 years old: I would appreciate more details on the next steps. I am aware of calls from parents, from staff in education, from health professionals and care workers to push this option of vaccination forward as soon as possible, because of concern that the virus is spreading most among children and the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'The most promising strategies are education and efforts by individuals to make responsible choices several times every day to protect, most effectively by prevention, their most valuable asset.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...we do invest in all of those things that are going to give the best possible start to people in their lives. Our amendment talks about resources for promoting physical activity, improving health education, more time for physical education. I welcome the pilots that are currently taking place on the school day to create more time for PE. We talk again about the idea of having some kind of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: .... I'm grateful to you for taking an intervention. I think this is a much more reasonable tone, actually, from Sam Rowlands, and I agree entirely with you. All of us want to get rid of face masks in schools, and everywhere else as soon as possible, and I think probably Sam Rowlands will be embarrassed by some of the mantra that has been heard by some of his colleagues, this 'learning to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...has been too slow to take action, is more important than ever—ensuring that we ventilate so that any future waves don't have a major impact, and that we have that ventilation guidance in schools and so on. We are clearly in a more promising position now, and the right decision has been made to lift certain restrictions, but we have to be vigilant still. We need to continue to prepare, we...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...an actual inquiry. It remains a commitment in principle, whilst real and actual questions go unanswered around so many areas: testing, care homes, early intervention, PPE, vaccination, ventilation, school closures, major events, care home visits, shielding, mask wearing, mental health, economic support, and many more. Colleagues across the Chamber, I’m sure, will focus on different...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Everything, of course, should be done to prevent the loss of more school time, but, with the number of cases so high, there are practical problems in schools in ensuring that there are adequate numbers of staff available to keep classrooms open, and there is real concern, and very understandable concern, about transmission within schools. Staff and parents have been in touch with me...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...that good practice is shared. So, how can the Welsh Government ensure that good practice is effectively shared so that people of all ages in Wales, wherever they live, know that they can access the education that they need in the digital sphere, and also that employers in all parts of Wales are aware that they can have a pipeline of people with the skills that they need?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...decisions that have had to be taken in common across the four nations, on international travel, for example. I certainly agree with the decision to make it a requirement to wear face coverings. In schools in Wales, something that has been decided here in Wales for secondary schools and colleges, one specific question: can I have an assurance whether that requirement for wearing a face...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...masks as they travel to rugby matches, then, clearly there is still a lack of enforcement. And I would like to know what steps the Government is taking to seek to tackle those problems, and in schools too. It's an issue I've raised time and time again: what's going to be done, as we go deeper into the winter months, to strengthen ventilation policies and open windows in schools to keep...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...that when somebody takes the brave step of asking for help, healthcare professionals understand how to support them, and they want to see investment in not just healthcare staff training, but education staff training, too. So, young people in need of support need to be encouraged to seek that support in the first place.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...huge concern being voiced to me by people from all parts of Wales, and I would like to hear from the Minister this afternoon what urgent steps are being taken now to try to bring cases down within schools. And, following on from the question from the Conservative spokesperson, I do think we need more information as to the strategy of the booster programme. We heard the Minister say that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ..., rather than a few landowners benefiting a great deal? What about using, through strengthening the distribution system, agricultural shed roofs, factory roofs, the roofs of chapels, churches, schools, community centres and so on? What about installing panels alongside land boundaries and hedgerows over large areas, creating biodiverse corridors, while keeping the fields productive? What...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: —seeing the virus running riot in Welsh schools currently, and hearing from the parents who are scared and from the teachers who are scared about the continuing levels of the virus among young people and children in particular is something that we really need to continue to focus on?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...pandemic has caused to our young people. They've lost so much: they've lost those important milestones in their lives; they've lost that companionship; the normality; the structure; they've lost educational opportunities; and they've lost access to services, because of COVID pressures on those services. But, of course, that lack of sustainability and the lack of resources and continuity...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ...seeing more detail on the vaccination process for this cohort. But, we know in the meantime, of course, that the number of cases is still increasing. There are two counties today that have placed schools in the highest risk category—Neath Port Talbot and Swansea—with a number of restrictions expected to be introduced in schools in those counties. Do you expect this to become a common...
