Huw Irranca-Davies: ...debate here before the general election where there was universal support for the tidal lagoon and for the findings of the Hendry review here in this Chamber. It also has the backing of the higher education sector, the construction sector, the business sector, the CBI, individual businesses, the unions, local government, cross-party, right across the board. So, we’ll welcome the...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...this institution, and particularly those who would not normally have that opportunity, either because of issues of lack of support and lack of finances, or, alternatively, because they come from educational paths where, traditionally, they may lack confidence at that post-16 level to take it through. So, I welcome the fact that it’s not a complete shut door on this, and I’d be more...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...generally described as ‘capital’ or ‘involving physical structures’. But, secondly, the functions, and they referred to the two most recent definitions from the UK Treasury and the London School of Economics Growth Commission, which described infrastructure as an input to the production of goods and services and the requirement for the operation of the economy. And the report goes...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...others, are starting from a relatively low base in terms of Welsh provision. Certainly, in the period that I’ve represented that seat in different institutions, it has provided now a secondary education facility in Llangynwyd. There are demands from parents that it should be more central, and I understand those demands. My own children—all three of them—were fortunate to go to one of...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...to climate change, as well as our loss of biodiversity, as different from what it was in the last century. He referred to how ‘the relative spatial and social inequalities in well being, health, education and access to outdoor recreation demand far more from the designated landscapes’ and others. It’s not good enough, I’m sorry, to have certain types of people going in their cars...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...for including regulation-making powers in section 45 to allow Welsh Ministers to set out further circumstances in which local authorities would not be under a duty to favour mainstream maintained education for a child with additional learning needs. And, as regards the regulation-making power in section 86 to amend the definition of ‘NHS body’, it is our longstanding belief that...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...and students of Bridgend College have worked so hard in preparation for the event; the fantastic fundraising efforts of local communities across the area; the enthusiasm and involvement of local schools; the support of local clubs and organisations, including Pencoed RFC, which hosted a very successful rugby sevens tournament; and so many more who have worked over many months to make...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...the lower Llynfi valley and the gateway to the Valleys. But also, in the Llynfi valley, he was seeing other networks within the community, along with the Spirit of Llynfi Woodland, along with local schools, along with the six local GPs—but it’s integrated into the local community, and it’s great to see, I think he’d agree, the innovative way in which all partners locally, not just...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...for the moment, because the Cabinet Secretary is right that we do have a world-class offer here but something is going wrong, and I just want to touch on this briefly. We know that, in Wales, our education exports to international students is worth around £530 million, which is 4 per cent of Welsh exports in their entirety. Our international students currently—currently—are...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...suggest that the armed forces community in Wales numbers anything between 250,000 and 350,000 people, and a proportion of these will of course be family members and dependent children. Now, some schools in Wales are doing great work in this area, along with the work of the Supporting Service Children in Education Cymru project, Welsh Government, the Welsh Local Government Association, and...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 2. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the educational support being provided to children from families in the armed forces in Wales? OAQ(5)0113(EDU)
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...—between Whitehall departments and Welsh Government on the latest transfer of powers. Or those bumps can be the week-by-week departmental issues of diverging policies on the economy, health or education, and so on. So our committee has decided to reflect on the journey so far, finding out what has worked well, and what has been less effective. Our intention is threefold: to produce best...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...between the Bill before us today and the one agreed at Stage 3 in the fourth Assembly is, of course, the removal of the restriction on the use of e-cigarettes in places such as hospitals, schools, shops, food establishments and on school and public transport, and the Minister has also referred to other changes within the Bill. In our view, on the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...the contract for difference, or what is commonly called the strike price. A cross-party show of unified support here today, added to the wider support from the business community, the higher education community, the sustainable energy sector and others, including that letter of over 100 cross-party MPs today, may just oil the lock and allow the key to turn a little easier and a lot sooner.
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...also the art that anybody would want to enjoy, from the ukulele band in the men’s shed down in Tondu, to the children’s choir in Maesteg, to the very high quality orchestras that perform in my schools from Pencoed, Archbishop McGrath, Y Dderwen, Maesteg and so on, which rely upon the dedication of teachers and peripatetic teachers as well, the Ogmore Valley Silver Band and more—my...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...across the UK, creating nearly 20,000 jobs. And if we have that debate, we might have time to see how much that’s being driven solely by Bridgend County Borough Council and the two new primary schools that they did the ground breaking for last week, part of an £11.1 million funding in infrastructure, jointly funded by Welsh Government and Labour-run Bridgend County Borough Council.
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...to deliver parity of esteem of vocational and academic pathways. I believe that this means that new and vastly improved advice, guidance and training, as appropriate, will need to be provided to schools, teachers and careers advisers on how to guide our young people—and parents—towards the appropriate pathways. To ascertain the scale of the challenge, we may first need to do some...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...the Assembly that looks at these matters, as well as the group chaired by Rhun ap Iorwerth on Wales in the international sphere, which has looked at many of these aspects of our reach with our education, with our students and our staffing expertise internationally, but also the importance of continuing as a very attractive place to come and to study, to do research, and also to work as...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...that we now have are self-imposed or, more accurately, imposed on us by a dogma of disinvestment from the UK Government. That was, and remains, a UK policy choice. So, whenever we discuss health, education, transport, any public services or the voluntary sector, this is the context in which it is discussed. A choice was made in 2010, in No. 10, to squeeze the country. This weight was not...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Lywydd. Today, particularly, I want to pay tribute to the efforts of the teachers and the governors, and the young people in my local school, some of whom achieved record GCSE results earlier this year. And I say that because PISA is important, but to pretend that it is the only indicator of success is wholly wrong. Now, I commend the Cabinet Secretary on her frank recognition of the...
