Llyr Gruffydd: Clearly, these results tell us a very grim story. Wales is still the lowest-performing country in the UK, Welsh scores are worse now than they were a decade ago and we’re further behind, of course, the UK average than we were in 2006. So, would you not agree with me, Cabinet Secretary, that this is a damning indictment of Labour’s performance and that they’ve failed, failed and failed...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, thank you for your answer. I’m not sure that tells us much more in relation particularly to the services that are now going to be lost in a week or so’s time. After the shambles of the GHA Coaches situation over the summer, of course, the last thing we need is more uncertainty about the services over Christmas and the new year period. Now, I understand that a new tendering process...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. We know, of course, that the Federation of Small Businesses report in October demonstrated the clear impact that it has on small businesses—for example, businesses having to close earlier and losing business because they have to travel further to bank their money. The British Bankers Association has also clearly demonstrated that loans to companies in areas...
Llyr Gruffydd: 1. What assessment has the First Minister make of the effect of bank closures on businesses in Wales? OAQ(5)0322(FM)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: In light of the Traffic Commissioner’s decision to revoke the public service vehicle operator’s licence of RJ’s of Wem, will the Minister make a statement on the future of bus services in north-east Wales? EAQ(5)0096(EI)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Chair for her statement and welcome her, of course, to her role? This is her first formal statement to this Assembly, and I thank her for that and look forward to working with her as a member of the committee. May I also endorse the thanks to Gerard Elias QC, appointed, as we heard, in 2010? As a member of the standards committee in the last Assembly, I can testify to the fact...
Llyr Gruffydd: I agree that it’s important that we applaud the courage of the people who speak out in these cases, and the Waterhouse inquiry demonstrated in the year 2000 that children at that time hadn’t been believed, and that people hadn’t listened to them. And what that did, of course, was to place the spotlight on advocacy services here in Wales, which are a hugely important part of the...
Llyr Gruffydd: It is going to be quite a challenge, of course, to ensure that the teachers we have today are actually prepared to deliver this new curriculum and that they are ready for that. Being part of a pioneer school is going to help many to be part of that process in a more natural way than would happen outwith those pioneer schools. But it is also important that the new teachers that come into the...
Llyr Gruffydd: I’m pleased that you recognise that some of those schools that are non-pioneer schools feel somewhat excluded from this process. The Education Workforce Council has warned that there is a two-tier system developing that could be causing splits. So, I welcome the fact that you acknowledge that and that you intend to do something about it. Of course, you then need the capacity in order to do...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we are in the process of reforming the curriculum here in Wales, with many schools looking at specific areas, from the curriculum itself to CPD, and the digital competence framework, of course, is now seeing the light of day. We have over 100 pioneer schools working in different ways in Wales through the four different consortia. But, there is some...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the First Minister join with me in supporting calls for a phase 2 investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority into the proposed purchase of Dee Valley Water by Severn Trent Water? Clearly, there are huge implications for customers and for jobs, especially in north-east Wales, as well as wider implications for the water industry here in Wales. Will you also support the appeal...
Llyr Gruffydd: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on water services in Wales? OAQ(5)0302(FM)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: Could I ask what assessment of the implications of Brexit for Wales as a GM-free nation has been made? Can I ask you to commit to protect that status in any negotiations that you have?
Llyr Gruffydd: The reality is, of course, Cabinet Secretary, that the Government has cut the capital budget for flood defences. Of course, that is going to place even more pressure on the need to develop alternative strategies and work with landowners, for example, to retain water in the uplands and so on and so forth. But, of course, the Government has been talking about that for many years and NRW has...
Llyr Gruffydd: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on the effect of Brexit on environmental policy in Wales? OAQ(5)0064(ERA)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement, and reiterate the thanks to Professor Diamond and the group that has been preparing this report and the recommendations? I welcome your statement. It’s good to see the process moving towards implementation of those recommendations. That is something I’m sure we would all welcome. I also welcome the central point that you highlighted...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I ask for a statement by the Cabinet Secretary on the intention of Severn Trent Water to buy Dee Valley Water? There are concerns about the 190 jobs—some of which are to be lost, and others are to be transferred to England. We’ve also heard about the 80 local companies that are part of the supply chain of the Dee Valley Water Company, and I wanted to ask about their future too. This...
Llyr Gruffydd: One of the central elements of curriculum reform, of course, is the role of the innovative schools, but concern is being increasingly expressed that schools that aren’t within that category feel excluded. The teachers’ unions have said that the situation where the new arrangements are being built by the profession for the profession is a pipe dream, and even the Education Workforce...
Llyr Gruffydd: One of the drivers of the free childcare policy, of course, is now the prominence that’s been given to early intervention or prevention—the welcome prominence, I should say—and given of course that the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 as well is leading us in that direction, which, again, is something that I would welcome—. But with that in mind, what discussions have...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister make a statement on the number of children who live in poverty?
