Janet Finch-Saunders: Yes, they're quite concerning, really, when the latest data on the level of reserves held by schools shows an apparent sharp rise from £32 million, which is £70 per pupil, in March 2020, to £181 million, which is £393 per pupil in March 2021. These are reserves. That money is sitting there. Now, as we anticipate the arrival of Ukrainian children to Wales, and with these funds in these...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on the level of financial reserves held by schools? OQ57873
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...allocated for the scheme, but the allocation in the 2022-23 draft budget is now nearly double that. In an effort to justify this doubling of costs, you stated to the Children, Young People, and Education Committee, and I quote: 'When we indicated a sum of money for this scheme, that was done without having done the intensive work that's been done since.' Today, we learn that the budget has...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...of £15.9 billion. The Conservatives are giving Wales the largest annual funding settlement since devolution, and still you moan. But are you planning to use it wisely? No. You're paying for school meals for some children of parents on very high incomes, putting unnecessary pressure on the public purse—and we're talking £90 million. You're showing your true socialist colours by wasting...
Janet Finch-Saunders: How is the Welsh Government supporting health and wellbeing in schools?
Janet Finch-Saunders: Will the Minister make a statement on the progress of the North Wales medical school in Bangor?
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you for taking an intervention. Isn't it a fact that where we have devolution on all the powers with this Welsh Government here now—health, education, transport, infrastructure; I could go on, Rhun—if you have a look at how we have gone backwards in many of those, the failings are evident for the people of Wales, and indeed Aberconwy, to see?
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...2030, rising to 180,000 hectares by 2050, and yet that could see the afforestation of 3,750 Welsh family farms. Now, when I raised concerns about this in the Senedd, Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, advised that meeting woodland creation targets should not affect communities nor change the type of landowners, yet it is. The proof is piling. Valleys are...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...and amend the eligibility criteria for support, so that all 155,000 of those living in fuel poverty can actually see some benefit? The total cost of decarbonising housing stock based on Welsh School of Architecture estimates is circa £15 billion, of which more than £10 billion is for the social housing stock and for homes in fuel poverty. Capital funding under the residential decarb and...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...in our children, and last year a Cardiff University report found that around 19 per cent of young people in Wales reported very high levels of mental health symptoms before the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have made clear that they are not adequately equipped to cope with demand for necessary support, despite going above and beyond to implement whole-school approaches to provision. The...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...would you clarify what steps the Welsh Government are taking to review and amend public procurement practices so that the use of this beautiful seasonal Welsh seafood and fish increases within our schools, our hospitals, and is integrated onto the dishes of those working in the public sector across Wales? Thank you.
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...that the scheme could be developed so that it helps town and community councils across Wales to cultivate for their community by entering Wales in Bloom 2022. This can be easily accessed by schools to see the areas around our churches and chapels, often graveyards, become even greater nature sanctuaries and places to rest and remember. Finally, whilst I am eager to co-operate with you,...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...also help unpaid carers, as such nurses can equip them with stress-management techniques and coping strategies that can then help to make contact with respite services and provide specialist carer education and training. In fact, really, we shouldn't be seeing any delays now in implementing any steps that might see greater support offered to unpaid carers. The sad thing is that 40 per cent...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...today, please—to bring forward such a plan? This is needed now. As noted by my colleague Peter Fox yesterday, the lack of ambulance support is now having a horrific impact on the ability of our education facilities—
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...of gratitude that we owe to our former colleague Suzy Davies, who campaigned tirelessly to see Wales join England and Scotland in making the teaching of life-saving skills a requirement of the new school curriculum. Teaching life-saving skills in schools will help address the fact that as many as three quarters of people surveyed by the British Heart Foundation would not feel confident...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...owners, local colleges and those who can help face down some of these challenges posed. There are many disparate issues that have contributed to the present shortage—unclear routes from formal education, an entrenched reputational challenge, as well as the issue of wage levels. Training is a really big issue for these businesses. So, Trefnydd, really, what I'm looking for is a statement...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...bus services agreement is a good start. I welcome that the scheme has terms requiring operators to provide services that meet local need and priorities, including supporting learners' journeys to school, increasing services in situations where demand exceeds capacity, and backing integration across transport modes. In fact, in my constituency and next door, it could be a benefit to the...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ..., the scene was already bleak here in north Wales. By February 2020, the number of treatment pathways waiting over 36 weeks had already reached 11,296. Fast-tracking the development of a medical school is a major part of this solution. Even the Royal College of Physicians Wales has long supported the expansion of a medical school. And as they told me only this week, there are ongoing major...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the development of a north Wales medical school? OQ56475
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...The petitioners point to examples of villages such as Abersoch in Gwynedd, where so many properties are now holiday homes or second homes that it is having knock-on impacts on the sustainability of schools and other public services. They also express concern about the impact that these changes will have on the Welsh language, the character and sustainability of communities, particularly...
