Llyr Gruffydd: Unfortunately, while these children may believe that they're escaping from a source of danger or unhappiness, they are at increased risk, of course, of harm during the missing episode. Children who go missing face the risk of sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation or human trafficking, and according to the Children's Society's research, 25 per cent of children who had run away overnight...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm grateful for the opportunity to discuss today an issue that needs to be addressed urgently, in my view, that being the safeguarding response to children who go missing or who are at risk of going missing. I look forward, also, to hearing contributions from Dawn Bowden and David Melding in this debate this afternoon. Now, it's a timely issue to discuss,...
Llyr Gruffydd: From February, Cabinet Secretary, the responsibility of traffic officers of the Welsh trunk road agency will be expanded to include the A483 from Chester—the Posthouse—down to Chirk and parts of the A55 on Anglesey. Now, extending that service without adding to resources means that the service will be spread more thinly and there will be implications for, or a risk to, the quality of the...
Llyr Gruffydd: I don't intend to move amendment 60.
Llyr Gruffydd: I move.
Llyr Gruffydd: I don't intend to move this.
Llyr Gruffydd: I move.
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd. I hear what the Cabinet Secretary has to say and I do recognise that the Government has strengthened several aspects of this area. I would say, of course, that you referred to local authorities and the duties of local authorities and the emphasis on looking at the provision in relation to other providers—it's a valid point—but I would like to strengthen that and put a...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. Well, throughout this legislative process we have been consistently reminded of the deficiencies that exist in terms of the capacity of the workforce in this sector to adequately meet the needs in terms of Welsh-medium provision. Now, it’s an old complaint and many Members here will be familiar with regular casework in this area—a lack of Welsh language...
Llyr Gruffydd: I'm also happy to support amendments 39 an 40, and I am grateful to the Government for tabling them. I do have further amendments to this section of the Bill in the next group, which hopefully will also strengthen the situation.
Llyr Gruffydd: I share those concerns, I have to say. You say that you were clear all along—my understanding all along was that the focus was on the institution, and not the type of provision that was in place. Certainly, there's been no evidence calling to exclude higher education within further education institutions, and certainly we haven't had the level of debate and discussion that I would have...
Llyr Gruffydd: Perhaps I am the only Member disappointed by that, I don't know. I just wanted to put on record that I am happy to support the amendments in this group and have done so formally. I won’t rehearse the points already touched upon, but I would just say that, previously, the Government has said that they are reluctant to extend this Bill into the private sector when it comes to training...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the clarity that she has provided on this? I did raise the need for more clarity in section 65, in terms of charging for independent advocacy services during Stage 2, and the Minister agreed at that point to look again at the wording. In light of the Cabinet Secretary’s comments, I am happy not to move amendments 59 and 60 when we get to that point.
Llyr Gruffydd: I rise to support all amendments in this group, many of them formally, particularly the lead amendment—amendment 11. We must acknowledge that the Government has moved on the role of the tribunal and has introduced a number of amendments at Stage 2 to try and respond to the strong evidence that we received on the need for the education tribunal to have the power to direct health bodies in...
Llyr Gruffydd: Move.
Llyr Gruffydd: I move.
Llyr Gruffydd: I move.
Llyr Gruffydd: I have three amendments in this group—amendments 56, 57 and 58. I’m grateful to Darren Millar for his formal support to those amendments. As the Bill stands, of course, the governing body or local authority decides whether additional learning provision should be made to a child or young person through the medium of Welsh or not, and then notes that in the IDP. Now, it’s not a matter for...
Llyr Gruffydd: I’m formally supporting a number of amendments in this group. The most crucial of those, as we have already gathered now, are amendments 2 and 3, which place a duty on relative bodies to have due regard to the UN conventions on the rights of children and people with disabilities. Now, as we have already heard, this is a debate that’s been very lively as this Bill has proceeded through the...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I also endorse the thanks expressed already to the Cabinet Secretary and certainly to the former Minister for the constructive way he and his officials have worked with many of us on this particular Bill? That was done, of course, with the support of committee officials and a broad range of stakeholders, who have certainly brought a great deal of support to us as Members and have enhanced...
