Russell George: ..., there that—they've capitalised on Robert Owen. So, if other parts of the country can shout and talk about our local Welsh heroes, then surely that's what we should be doing in Wales and in our schools.
Russell George: .... I very much welcome the committee's work and recommendations to promote local and Welsh history. And it was only on Saturday that I was being lobbied by constituents specifically to ask the education Minister to include the teaching of our local heroes in schools. And it was on Saturday because it was 100 years to the day that we were commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the death...
Russell George: ...showed what impact the Knife Angel is having in every place that it goes to, communicating the message of anti-violence. And for the rest of this month, Powys County Council are conducting various educational workshops and programmes, and the drive encompasses schools and youth groups as well. Only with the public's help can the national monument against violence and aggression send its...
Russell George: ...-to-face services. The response to our recommendation 10, on action to support digital inclusion, is also positive, and in particular Welsh Government plans to support teachers delivering financial education to the younger generation so they can become financially literate citizens as well I think is very welcome. This is a hugely complex policy area, where Welsh Government has to work...
Russell George: ...so far over the head of the Welsh Government, and it does a disservice, I think, to our academies of researchers that work in our universities. It is clear to us that, with the £15 million Higher Education Funding Council for Wales fund intended to support university and business co-operation, there is a clear opportunity for universities to be helped to bring to bear their research...
Russell George: Trefnydd, could I ask for a statement on the safeguarding of schoolchildren at locations that are used as polling stations, please? There is a concern regarding the safety of pupils due to school facilities also being used as polling stations on the general election day. I give one example here of a headteacher who has contacted me, unable to secure the school safely for the pupils as the...
Russell George: ...the Welsh block grant for next year and would, of course, urge the Welsh Government to spend this additional money on the Welsh NHS, but more importantly ensuring that the extra £195 million for schools this year is spent directly on schools so that the funding gap that currently exists between Wales and England can disappear.
Russell George: ...use planning and active travel will be important for developing an integrated network, because our inquiry showed the importance of a governance model that works across policy areas, like health, education and planning. Passenger journeys don't recognise, of course, those borders, and the needs of passengers, I think, must always come first. We want to see evidence as well that Transport...
Russell George: But we agree that there is a necessity to end regional inequality across Wales. In turn, of course, that will boost living standards and properly planned and funded health, education and local government services in all parts of Wales. Last week, Presiding Officer, we celebrated 20 years of devolution, of our Parliament here. Devolution was intended to significantly improve the economic...
Russell George: Thank you for your answer, Minister. Later today, I'm a supporter of Jenny Rathbone's motion in regard to healthy school meals. In particular, I would like to see an increase in the amount of food for schools being procured locally. Can I ask, what is the Welsh Government doing to assist local authorities, such as Powys County Council and others, to source ingredients locally, where that is,...
Russell George: ...some people and potential conflicts with co-workers who are not afforded the same flexibility. This has been demonstrated by research from Professor Clarke and Dr Holdsworth of Manchester Business School in their report on flexibility in the workplace. So, it certainly is important, I think, that this debate and any future policy making in this area considers these potential ramifications,...
Russell George: ...and must be retained in order to keep participation rates high', and the report cites the 2017 labour force survey, which found that one fifth of people on zero-hours contracts are in full-time education, and 68 per cent of those on contracts do not want more hours. Certainly, the implication there is that zero-hours contracts do suit the vast majority of people on them.
Russell George: Thank you for your answer, Minister. Currently, all children in Wales are entitled to a minimum of 10 hours per week of free foundation phase education in school or a funded nursery in the term following their third birthday. In England, all children are entitled to 15 hours per week. Due to the rurality of much of mid Wales, two hours a day is not proportionate, in travel terms, for people...
Russell George: Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of foundation phase education?
Russell George: ...of course, the many witnesses who took part in our report—who are mentioned in detail in the report—and representatives of Welsh, UK, European and international businesses, and the cultural and educational organisations that we met with in Brussels as well. David Rowlands, in his contribution, pointed out our visit to Brussels. It seems a long time ago, doesn't it, David, since we...
Russell George: ...offices. What she says in a letter to me and other AMs in our area is that, 'This approach is no longer sustainable, as the cuts are simply too deep.' Simply too deep. Savage cuts. She talks about school budgets; job losses—of course, the local authority's the biggest employer in the area; service reductions; highways; maintenance; introducing or increasing charges to some of the public...
Russell George: ...the priorities that they have. I had a Facebook comment last night off a Dawn Jones, who said, 'Please help'. Her daughter goes from Newtown to Wrexham college and she's stuck, she can't go for her education. She's pointing out that the service also picks up students in Newtown and Welshpool to go to Shrewsbury college. Well, the 08:40 from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury last week was...
Russell George: ..., you're kind of an adopted member of our committee—you speak on most of our committee reports, I'm pleased to say. You did make the point that you're pleased that the Cabinet Secretary for Education was here, which reinforced the point, I think, that this is a cross-cutting piece of legislation that doesn't sit solely with the Cabinet Secretary for infrastructure and the economy. I...
Russell George: ...was confusion over the purpose of the maps, which proved expensive and time consuming to produce. Members of the public expected to have a map that they could use to plan their route to work or school, but that was not the result. The Minister expected the integrated network maps to be ambitious and aspirational, but engineers told us that they were wary of raising expectations and that no...
Russell George: ...to exercise. Yet since the Act has become law, rates of active travel have been static in Wales. And, perhaps more disappointingly, the number of children and young people cycling or walking to school has actually decreased. So, the committee’s post-legislative scrutiny of the active travel Act sought to find out why. So, we spoke to a number of witnesses during the course of our...
