Lesley Griffiths: Supporting families with childcare costs is one of our main priorities, in line with our vision for a single system of early childhood education and care. We are committed to funding childcare for more parents in education and training, and supporting Flying Start as part of that ambition.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. You heard my answer to Natasha Asghar around the ReAct programme funding of vocational training. That has equipped unemployed individuals with the skills that are sought by recruiting employers. It is a highly skilled job, as you say, and it's really important that we do all we can to encourage people to choose this career. I think the point you make around ensuring there are...
Lesley Griffiths: So, again, that's a very important issue, and certainly, as a Welsh Government—and you'll be aware that a lot of the issues you raised in your question are reserved to the UK Government—with the levers that we have, for instance, we've ensured that our ReAct programme has funded several hundred HGV drivers. So, those discussions are ongoing. We've also approved a request for Neath Port...
Lesley Griffiths: Joyce Watson raises a very important point, and, certainly within my own portfolio, I made lots of representations to the UK Government in the previous Government term—regular meetings with the Secretary of State in DEFRA. Clearly, there are a number of complex reasons, I think, behind the shortage, including pay and working conditions. But I think, certainly, the situation has been very...
Lesley Griffiths: We are extremely concerned by reports of widespread skills shortages across the logistics sector, especially drivers, and the knock-on impacts this could have on critical supply chains, including food. We are working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure Wales's food supply chains are protected.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, and I absolutely agree with the Member that local authorities have worked incredibly hard and in partnership with Welsh Government, not just during the pandemic, but prior to the pandemic, but really stepped up to the plate to help us with our test, trace, protect and our deliveries of food parcels. The Minister for Finance and Local Government is in the Chamber and has heard your...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I know the Minister for Climate Change—and certainly, in the last term of Government, the Minister for economy and transport—had some significant funding going forward to make sure the infrastructure is in place, because, of course, we don't need people to switch to electric cars without having that infrastructure in place, so that is where some significant Welsh Government...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Jenny, for those two points. In relation to your first point around the ability to get the certification online, I think, as you say, it's very welcome. And as you know, the Minister for health does a weekly update in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I will certainly ask her to consider updating Members in her next weekly update. In relation to your question around English as...
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, I absolutely agree with you around the achievements of the Welsh squad in getting to the final 16 for the second time—I've waited all my life for them to get to a major tournament for the first time, only for them to do it twice. And if somebody had told me a couple of weeks ago that we would go out the same time as France, I would have thought that we'd have at least got to the...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch. Well, knowing the history of the events that Conwy council have managed to produce over the past few years, they've certainly been exceptional, and I will certainly ask the Minister for Economy to bring forward a written statement.
Lesley Griffiths: The Member raises a very important point, and, of course, this Government wants to ensure high-rise buildings are well equipped to protect life and limb if we have the unfortunate event of a fire. Of course, cladding is not the only concern for high-rise residential buildings. What we're doing as a Government is we're advocating a holistic approach to remediation of buildings, and that also...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch. I haven't had sight of the letter that you wrote to me this morning, but I do know there is some advice sitting on my desk upstairs that I will certainly clear before the end of this week, and I will ensure that I write to the Member with a response to his letter, with my decision.
Lesley Griffiths: I think the press conferences—and you referred to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language's press conference yesterday—have been very good in getting information out to the public, the people who are most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the regulations that we've brought in place, and the Minister comes before this Chamber most weeks in relation to his portfolio. In...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. There are no changes to this week's business. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. I quite agree with Janet Finch-Saunders; it is absolutely not a laughing matter. Sheep scab is one of the most contagious diseases of sheep in Wales, and it's a really difficult challenge to our sheep industry. Eradicating this disease is important not just to me but for everyone who cares about the health and welfare of our national flock. Affected animals...
Lesley Griffiths: It's not.
Lesley Griffiths: I did not laugh.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Absolutely, it is a very distressing time for farmers. I know how distressing it is when they have a TB breakdown. You'll be aware that we've got those bespoke action plans as well, where we deal with those really difficult breakdowns. You mentioned the field tests that we're carrying out in relation to this vaccine. The aim of the project, once we've had those successful field...
Lesley Griffiths: I don't think that was what the First Minister did at all. You will have heard me say in my earlier answer to Samuel that what he was referring to was the information that we've been given around the likely causes for increases in the low-incidence TB area. I think M. bovis is a very difficult organism to detect. There is no single test or combination of tests available that has a 100 per...
Lesley Griffiths: When I relaunched the TB eradication programme in 2017, I committed to updating Members of the Senedd annually. The latest written statement I issued was in November 2020 and I will be releasing the next statement on the progress of our TB eradication programme towards the end of this year.
