Jeremy Miles: In relation to the question about the provision of regulations during scrutiny of the Bill, there is a requirement here, I think, to make sure that the regulations both allow stakeholders the opportunity to fully engage with what is proposed, and also for the regulations to reflect refinements made to the legislation as it is being passed through this Chamber. So, that will be context, I...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Llywydd, and I'm grateful to the Members for their constructive and thoughtful comments today. I'll endeavour to respond to as many points as I can, but I'm not sure I'll be able to repeat the comprehensive nature of the responses that Hefin David kindly referred to in his contribution. Jayne Bryant spoke about the need for a stronger and more robust sector, which this Bill...
Jeremy Miles: Colleagues will know of my personal and this Government's commitment to working in social partnership. We all benefit from working together as Government, trade unions and employers to ensure better outcomes in education, in the workplace and as a society. As Members will know, the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership is bringing forward a Bill later this year, and I want to confirm that...
Jeremy Miles: Turning, Deputy Presiding Officer, to that important issue of learner voice, our introduction of a learner engagement code requires providers to address how they will involve learners in decisions on all aspects related to their learning and to their interests and concerns. The CYPE committee and the NUS have made a strong point on how we could go a stage further in including the importance...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to open this debate on the general principles of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Bill and to move the motion, and on the financial resolution. I'm grateful to Jayne Bryant, Peredur Owen Griffiths, Huw Irranca-Davies and to the members of their respective committees for their thorough and constructive approach to scrutinising the Bill, and for...
Jeremy Miles: The Member says that this is frustrating, well, it is frustrating. It is a situation that causes great concern, I would say. People are going to look at the availability of Welsh revision materials when they decide how to take their tests. So, that's an obvious risk, I would say, and it's about time that the DVSA fulfilled their responsibilities and provided Welsh language materials as well....
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Language Commissioner's office has investigated this matter. Only publications produced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency are covered by their Welsh language scheme. So, as it stands, the revision material is not available in Welsh, but I will continue to work with the commissioner's office to seek a resolution to this.
Jeremy Miles: I'm hoping to join you at the opening of the Tirdeunaw school, in fact, so I look forward to that opportunity. Obviously, we're aware that a number of voluntary-aided schools are in need of replacement and refurbishment, and my officials continue to work with local authorities and diocesan authorities to look at the funding options available. I will, in fact, be meeting with representatives...
Jeremy Miles: I'm pleased that Swansea's proposed £150 million school estate investment continues to move at pace, with four projects already completed. This means more than £38 million has been invested in schools in Swansea during second-wave investment through the sustainable communities for learning programme.
Jeremy Miles: I think schools have a very, very important role in making those opportunities available, and the mandatory expectation for physical health in the new curriculum from September onwards I think reflects the important role that schools have to play in that. We work hard in the Government to continue to ensure that all schools can offer that range of high-quality sport and physical activity...
Jeremy Miles: Officials are considering that in the way that you imply in your question at the moment. I completely agree with the point that you're making, that it's vital that access to sporting activities and physical activities in schools are available and accessible to all our learners. I think that's a principle that underpins the importance of health and well-being in our new curriculum, and I made...
Jeremy Miles: We are committed to supporting the physical health and well-being of all learners in Wales. That is why the promotion of the lifelong benefits of physical health, including sport, is a mandatory part of every curriculum in every school and setting in Wales for three to 16-year-olds.
Jeremy Miles: Of course, the authority has introduced the Welsh in education strategic plan for me to approve, and I'm looking at that at the moment. Every authority in Wales has been asked to be ambitious in terms of what they provide in terms of Welsh-medium education through the next decade. For the first time, we can go to a 10-year plan and I think that that will facilitate linguistic planning,...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that really important supplementary question. The last meeting I had before coming into the Chamber today was in fact with the Deputy Minister for Social Services, who was reviewing the 10-year workforce plan for the sector, and identifying with her what more we can do to encourage young people into Welsh language provision in early years settings more broadly. But...
Jeremy Miles: Working with partners, including local authorities and Mudiad Meithrin, we are making significant investment in Welsh-medium early years provision via our capital grants, the Sefydlu a Symud programme, and our investment in the workforce. We also fund Welsh-medium places through Flying Start, the childcare offer, and our early education provision.
Jeremy Miles: There is a range of interventions, on which I worked together with my colleague the Minister for Economy, in schools in relation to this, and there is a need to make sure that the STEM subjects are accessible and attractive to all students, actually. There is sometimes gender bias within those subjects. So, I certainly think there is more that we can all do in that regard. Some of the reforms...
Jeremy Miles: Well, as the Member says, social work students are unable to access the NHS bursary, but they can access the social work bursary through Social Care Wales, and that provides them with funding towards the cost of their living and tuition fees. Obviously, I'm aware of the representations, including those to which the Member refers, that the bursary funding doesn't provide the same level of...
Jeremy Miles: I thank James Evans for that question. I refer him to the answer I gave to Sarah Murphy a moment ago in relation to that. I'm not aware of any schools or colleges in Wales using the newer biometric technology such as facial recognition systems, for example, but I will reassure him, as I did with Sarah Murphy, that the guidance will set out for schools and parents and carers, but also for...
Jeremy Miles: Our generous student support package and the NHS Wales bursary scheme enables students in these fields, along with our institutional investment in high-cost subjects, including medicine and dentistry. We are committed to establishing the north Wales medical school, which will complement existing high-quality medical education in Wales.
Jeremy Miles: This is a very, very important matter, and I absolutely applaud the Member for her consistent and, if I may say so, expert advocacy of this issue, both in the Chamber and beyond. Schools have the option, as she says in her question, to use biometric systems as one of the authentication methods that they use to provide, for example, cashless catering in the context of free school meals and so...
