Jeremy Miles: From our meeting in December, you will, I know, be aware that we can't legally prevent schools from collecting and using biometric data. However, as a consequence of the discussions and the issues that the Member helped us understand better, officials are currently revising the guidance for schools and local authorities to ensure that where data is collected and used, it is done in the...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I will need to remind myself in a different context of the statutory underpinning of some of the points that the Member raises in her question and some of the particular questions of detail around governance that she refers to, and I'm very happy to do that. But what I would say at the moment is that there is a very significant programme of reform under way in relation to qualifications...
Jeremy Miles: Can I just comment on the first point that the Member makes in relation to our ambitions for the education system in Wales? And I agree with her that the principle that underpins the higher education system in Wales is much more progressive than the ones that she was describing as happening over the border in terms of student finance. She will obviously know that every Welsh full-time...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I dispute the point that the Member makes in terms of the general lack of teachers in our system. I don't think that's a remotely fair reflection of the situation that we are in, but I would associate myself with the sentiment in her question about how important it is for us in Wales to be able to extend our welcome to those leaving and fleeing Ukraine. And the Member will have heard...
Jeremy Miles: I agree with the challenge that the Member describes in terms of recruitment. We have, of course, got an incentive scheme to encourage teachers into subjects such as some of the ones that she's referred to, which have been challenging in terms of recruitment in the past. And actually, those schemes do in fact lead to beneficial outcomes. I do think that it's a mix of challenges, really. One...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I would dispute the impression that the question gives, I'm afraid, which is that this is a Wales-specific challenge. That doesn't make it any less of a challenge in Wales, but it does tell us something about the nature of the challenge, which is that there's a picture of a general decline, actually, in modern foreign languages right across the UK. So, I think it's an unhappy situation...
Jeremy Miles: Well, universities have provided a range of different means by which students can continue their education, even in the very, very challenging circumstances of the last two years, in fact. And that has involved offering a blended approach, which I'm sure none of us would want to see as the norm, but it has been a way in which students' experience has been able to be maintained, with, I think,...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I've already made my expectations clear to the sector. It's important that the negotiations do reach a settlement that reflects the contribution and the interests of the staff. That's very important in terms of ensuring HE provision, but also in ensuring that we can attract people—students and teaching staff as well. But I've also explained that we need to be transparent and...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I think the question was a model of cross-Government scrutiny, in terms—[Interruption.]—in terms of its breadth and its scope, which is commendable. I think somewhat at odds with the comments I heard the Member made this morning about the proposals that the Government are bringing forward in relation to council tax to the benefit of some of those communities that she identifies...
Jeremy Miles: —as being a particular concern for many of us in this Chamber. I know from the discussions that we've had in a private setting that she shares many of those concerns as well. I would dispute the figures that you've given in relation to housing provision, and I know my colleague here, the Minister for Climate Change, is passionately disputing them as well to my side here. But I welcome her...
Jeremy Miles: Universities of course are autonomous bodies, independent of Government, and they are responsible for their own administrative affairs. The Welsh Government Ministers have no authority to intervene in those discussions, but we hope they will reach a happy conclusion.
Jeremy Miles: I would, if I may, just associate myself entirely with the sentiment in the question; I couldn't agree more with the world view that you've described in your question. It is fantastic that 86 per cent of adults in Wales have pride in the Welsh language, whether they speak it or not. Just let that statistic sink in; it's fantastic as a sort of starting point for the analysis. I think one of...
Jeremy Miles: Yesterday I published the 'Cymraeg 2050' annual report for the 2020-21 financial year, which shows progress against our targets. Once the results of the 2021 census have been published, we'll revisit the statistical trajectory towards a million Welsh speakers, as I promised last July when I launched our work programme for 2021-26.
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government is committed to creating an inclusive education system that enables all learners to reach their potential. The additional learning needs system puts learners at the centre and will ensure support is properly planned and protected.
Jeremy Miles: Local authorities are responsible for planning school places. When proposing significant changes to any school, local authorities and other proposers must comply with the statutory provisions of the school organisation code and must take into account a range of factors, with the prime consideration being the interests of learners.
Jeremy Miles: Our priority in Wales continues to be ensuring that students have access to support that enables them to meet their day-to-day living costs. Our student support system guarantees support equivalent to the national living wage, with the highest levels of grant being targeted at those students most in need.
Jeremy Miles: The health and well-being area of learning and experience places well-being at the heart of our new curriculum. It is supported by statutory guidance for schools on developing whole-school approaches to well-being, £9 million of investment in the current year, and a commitment to fund support in future years.
Jeremy Miles: I thank Alun Davies for those questions and of course for his fundamental work in stating this policy during his time as Minister for the Welsh language. I do agree entirely with him in terms of how important is not just the ability, but, of course, the question of use as well. The annual inspections that we look at show that people who state that they are Welsh-language users are much higher...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Heledd Fychan for the range of questions. I'll try my best to answer them as best I can. In terms of the challenge that COVID has posed, she is right to say that that has meant that some experiences have been positive—that is, people learning Welsh for the first time—but also challenges in terms of some deciding to take their children out of Welsh education. The picture is quite...
Jeremy Miles: Could I thank Samuel Kurtz for the constructive way in which he dealt with the question, and the fact that he reminds us how short-lived ministerial careers can be. [Laughter.] So, I thank you greatly for that. But Samuel Kurtz made some very important points at the outset of his contribution, namely that we need accountability and an opportunity for Members and external bodies to be able to...
