Suzy Davies: Can I just associate myself with David Rees's remarks and the thanks that he conveyed? I think we've all been amazed by the response to this, not least by the community. Anyone who's been through a flooding experience knows how distressing it is, and when you've got all this dirty water, it genuinely is heartbreaking. This local authority, of course, has had to deal with the Aberdulais floods...
Suzy Davies: Mike Hedges has been raising this in our weekly meetings with the local health board for as long as I can remember, so I'm glad that we're having the opportunity to discuss it today. It's not the only big operation in South Wales West that's been dealing with big figures, though; we have had some difficult news from Tata and from Amazon as well, which have also seen a rise in cases. I've had...
Suzy Davies: South Wales West is already experiencing its own economic shocks, not least due to the exposure of supply chains, which feed into the now fragile hospitality, tourism and leisure sector. Minister, you've recognised that fragility with ring-fenced financial support for many front-line businesses, but, of course, they still won't be buying stock or committing to capital improvements at this...
Suzy Davies: How is the Welsh Government working with the UK Government to improve the strength and quality of broadband access to homes in Wales where people are working or learning?
Suzy Davies: Thank you very much, Minister, for this statement. I've been saying that there is an unconscious choice of language very often and we need to face up to that if we are to have a successful policy. So, I'm pleased to see this move towards a better understanding of the role of language within the family dynamic. And in looking at the recommendations in the policy, I turn to the second, that...
Suzy Davies: Can I just offer my thanks to the design and delivery advisory group as well? I don't suppose they were expecting to do this work. I think the necessity for your announcement last week and this statement today, Minister, shows how close we are to the edge with education at the moment, and I know you're making decisions that you'd rather not make. So, my questions today are no reflection on...
Suzy Davies: Yes, thank you for that. I hope you will be able to share any new data that shows any progress on the Cymraeg 2050 target, including any new ideas that we may not have considered in the past and which would work. I'd now like to look particularly at any progress in Welsh language apprenticeships, and how we can mainstream more Welsh language skills in English-medium apprenticeships. We will...
Suzy Davies: Thank you for that. I know that it is difficult, but I was wondering whether you'd be interested in degree-level apprenticeships, for example, for teachers who come via different vocational backgrounds rather than through the academic system that we're seeing at the moment. That could be something to be considered. I'd like to move on now to another issue. Almost immediately after the...
Suzy Davies: Thank you very much, Llywydd. Minister, the number of teachers who speak or are able to work through the medium of Welsh has remained quite stable over a period of years now. Estyn describes applications this year for initial teacher training as an increase, although the Education Workforce Council is a little more guarded on the issue and a little more realistic than that. So, why didn't...
Suzy Davies: It could well be that that question has arisen because so much emphasis has been on social care workers within care homes. I've got a question about those who administer personal and intimate care to children in school settings. I think we can agree that the communication of prioritising these individuals wasn't fantastic—you admitted as much last week, Minister. But the education Minister...
Suzy Davies: Can I just begin as well by thanking Meilyr for the sterling work that he's done as the chief inspector, and say thank you for being so easy to work with and so upfront when asked questions? It certainly makes a difference in helping us to scrutinise the work of Estyn. I'd like to thank Estyn generally for its continued work in helping our schools and colleges and other education settings in...
Suzy Davies: Okay, well, thank you for that. I messed up those initials initially, there, as well. Okay, well, you're 'very keen'; I'll take that as a positive statement, then. I'd just like to go back, if I can, to this consistency about the quality and quantity of online teaching. I know we've rehearsed a fair bit of it today, but I wonder if you could tell us what's happened so far to that £29...
Suzy Davies: Okay, well, I look forward to seeing some activity on that testing piece; as I said, it had gone a bit quiet. Minister, you'll obviously know that I'm supportive of creating a discrete group of school staff for priority vaccinations after the four groups most affected by mortality risk have been fully treated. The current suggestions for phase 2 devised by the JIVC are primarily based on age....
Suzy Davies: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for those answers to Bethan Sayed as well, Minister—that was very helpful. I just want to begin with schools closing. Obviously, we've been told repeatedly that schools themselves are very low-risk environments, even though this variant itself is more highly infectious than the previous version. The most recent technical advisory cell report points out...
Suzy Davies: I wonder whether you could give us an indication of where in the budget we might find support for the Urdd and the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team—that's EYST—both of whom make essential contributions to youth work my region, targeting particular groups of young people as part other Welsh Government policy work. I'm not sure that all councils look at the Urdd in particular as an...
Suzy Davies: Minister, I'm going to take you back to the phase 2 prioritisation if I may, as you didn't quite answer Andrew R.T.'s question on this. I don't think any of us are suggesting that that the phase 1 roll-out be re-prioritised in any way, but I want to know whether you're personally sympathetic to the argument that school staff should be within the phase 2 prioritisation alongside those for...
Suzy Davies: Trefnydd—two statements that I'm looking for, please. The first is an urgent written joint statement from the Minister for Education and the Minister for local government about the real confusion being experienced by families about the school or hub settings that councils are providing during the period of school closures. The three local authorities in South Wales West are doing things...
Suzy Davies: How many nursery and primary school staff and pupils in Bridgend have tested positive for COVID-19 since 14 December 2020?
Suzy Davies: Thank you, Chair, and I move our amendment. First of all, could I just apologise to Plaid for having to resort to a 'delete all' amendment? I don't like doing it, but it was impossible to disentangle the parts of the motion with which we had some agreement from those with which we did not. What we tried to preserve is in point 4(b) of our amendment. I think there is something to be said for...
Suzy Davies: And for that I'm extremely grateful, Presiding Officer—Chair, sorry. Yesterday, my colleague Mark Isherwood highlighted once again the vulnerability of looked-after children. He said that, although looked-after children are taken into local authority care to improve their welfare, they are over represented in child criminal county lines exploitation and are therefore far from being...
