Rebecca Evans: ...three weeks. This includes enabling non-essential retail businesses to reopen this week where they can take reasonable measures to comply with physical distancing duties. Childcare can restart and schools will increase operations from next week. It remains necessary to continue to ask people to stay in their local area unless they have a reasonable excuse to travel further, but we will...
Rebecca Evans: ...by the unprecedented social and economic measures we have taken as a Government to protect people's lives and reduce the spread of coronavirus. We were the first part of the UK to extend free school meals throughout the Easter period and for summer holidays. We have committed £40 million to providing front-line social care workers with an additional £500 payment. Despite the pandemic,...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. There are two changes to today's agenda. The Minister for Education will make a statement this afternoon on an update to education provision, after which the Minister for Housing and Local Government will make a statement on homelessness. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting...
Rebecca Evans: ...the £110 million hardship fund for local authorities, and they will draw down that funding as they spend it, but it does give those local authorities the confidence to spend in those areas of free school meal provision, for example, additional funding for social care and the other areas where we've agreed funding, so that they can have the confidence and the freedom to make the decisions...
Rebecca Evans: ...to protect the vital public services provided by our local authorities through a £110 million local authority hardship fund, and this includes £40 million to get food to families entitled to free school meals while schools are closed, £40 million to support the extra costs adult social care services are now facing, in addition to the £500 payment I have just referred to, and £10...
Rebecca Evans: ...on the order paper there are several questions relating to coronavirus. I know that she's also in discussion with committee in terms of potentially having a bespoke session on the coronavirus and education with that committee, and I understand it's been agreed now for Thursday. And, of course, you'll see on the order paper that the education Minister will be making a further statement to...
Rebecca Evans: ...offer, which is a primary driver for change for the childcare sector. The capital allocations, both general and financial transactions, that we've made provide further investments in housing, education and the transport system. I ask Members to support the amendment to this motion, which corrects the level of income that the Wales Audit Office may retain. Due to an administrative...
Rebecca Evans: ...and decisions are being taken is because it's a Labour Government prioritising things, such as: the pupil development grant access funding to ensure that children have the kit that they need for school; the money that we're putting into free school meals; the new approach we're taking to free breakfasts in secondary schools; we have the school milk scheme; school holiday enrichment...
Rebecca Evans: ...to unlock the potential of our public land for housing developments. Another important issue raised duiring scruitny was funding for buses. Bus services across Wales provide important access to education, training, work and healthcare and allow people to simply enjoy a day out. They're a vital link between our communities and an important tool in supporting a vibrant economy. This is...
Rebecca Evans: ...what they will notice is the application of the C code alongside their national insurance number. Around 97 per cent of taxpayers are now using the correct code, and of course HMRC has an ongoing education and compliance programme to address those C code problems. It's got articles in its regular employer bulletins, for example, and is doing a great deal of work. It is confident that the...
Rebecca Evans: David Rowlands raises a number of questions in relation to curriculum reform. I know that the Minister for Education does provide updates in various ways to colleagues in terms of curriculum reform, which I think it's fair to recognise is a long-term piece of work, and it's certainly a complex piece of work. David Rowlands had some specific concerns regarding recruitment and STEM subjects...
Rebecca Evans: In the first instance, I would encourage Mohammad Asghar to write to the education Minister with his concerns regarding school admission policies and the associated guidance that goes alongside that, because the question that you asked does have some detail to it and it deserves a detailed response.
Rebecca Evans: I thank Mohammad Asghar for raising his concerns relating to two specific schools in Newport, but perhaps on this occasion, certainly in the first instance, I would invite him to write to the Minister for Education setting out those concerns, so that she can consider an appropriate response to you.
Rebecca Evans: Leanne Wood will be familiar with the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 and the importance that Welsh Government attaches to that in ensuring that children and young people do get the support that they need at the earliest possible point in their educational journey. And it is entirely appropriate to take up those individual cases with the local authority....
Rebecca Evans: ...I'm still, really, considering what the options might be. One of the difficulties really is that just shortly after that, there'll be the UK budget, which could potentially change things again. An educated guess would be that there wouldn't be much change in terms of revenue but there might be additional capital, so I think that this is a time really for us and others to be considering...
Rebecca Evans: ...invests in all parts of Wales to support our public services, including a £20 million boost for the north Wales metro, continued investment in Flintshire for band B of the twenty-first century schools programme, and a range of active travel paths. The local government settlement also provides a 3.7 per cent increase for Flintshire.
Rebecca Evans: Our draft budget delivers on our promises to the people of Wales, including in the Rhondda valley. We are investing £284 million across Rhondda Cynon Taf through our band B twenty-first century schools programme; £2.7 million in expanding Welsh-medium childcare, and the new rail franchise is delivering enhanced services.
Rebecca Evans: ...advice on home energy and on tackling fuel poverty for low-income homes. Another area that we didn't have the opportunity to speak too much about in the previous debate was the importance of education and early years in the preventative agenda, because education is clearly one of the most important investments that we can make to improve the life chances of children, particularly those...
Rebecca Evans: .... This fourth budget of this Assembly, which provides for the final full year of this term, delivers on the key spending pledges we made to the people of Wales in 2016 on all-age apprenticeships, school improvement, childcare, help for small businesses, quick access to new treatments, affordable housing, and much more. We are bringing our total investment in health and social care to more...
Rebecca Evans: ...make sure that the Minister has heard your request for that statement and particularly with your concern about the impact that it might have on young people and children in their ability to stay in school. So, making sure that we take that joined-up approach across Government and so, also liaising with my colleague with responsibility for education to ensure that young people and children...
