Helen Mary Jones: ...Chair has already said, we know that in this economic crisis, as in others, young people have been very hard hit. They tend to work in the sectors like hospitality that have been badly hit, their education has been disrupted, and with more experienced workers losing their jobs and re-entering the job market, their opportunities will be restricted. Previous economic crises have seen whole...
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to ask for two statements today, Trefnydd, if I may. May I request a written statement from the education Minister on whether she would consider a Wales-wide extension on school consultations that have been taking place under pandemic circumstances? I know this is an issue for many communities in my region, in Powys particularly, and in Carmarthenshire. Following recent revision of...
Helen Mary Jones: ...that no child in Wales should be going hungry. Well, I have to say that the Child Poverty Action Group, supported by the Bevan Foundation and that hotbed of nationalist politics the National Education Union, estimate that 70,000 children are going hungry today. So, it's no good us talking about the principle. I can't imagine that anybody in this room or practically anybody in Wales thinks...
Helen Mary Jones: ...others who saw these lovely lanterns too. I understand that there are now plans to expand the project beyond Carmarthenshire. So, I want to say thank you. I had thought to try and list all of the schools that I knew of that took part, but there are just too many, and I don't want to try the Deputy Presiding Officer's patience. So, I can't name them all, but thank you all so much—school,...
Helen Mary Jones: ...and very revealing, and his praise for innovation at the library—and here I do agree with Mick Antoniw about the capacity for the library to innovate even further and to contribute to the education of our young people, especially in the context of the new curriculum. I will repeat what David Melding said about the library being the soul of the nation: what we are, what we were, and what...
Helen Mary Jones: ...the Government is responsible. The report evidences that, while there is excellent practice, this has not happened everywhere. I have a particular concern that it has not happened everywhere in education and that there are still some of those working in our education field, hopefully a minority, who think that talking in terms of children's rights means allowing children to do exactly what...
Helen Mary Jones: ...our own that would be fairer when it came to supporting families in these positions? In the meantime, further to exchanges that we had last week, will he consider the practicality of extending free school meals to all those children whose families are in receipt of universal credit? If we can't get the devolution of the main part of the benefits system, is it not time for his Government to...
Helen Mary Jones: ...skilled Welsh-speaking youth workers' jobs continue to be at risk. I wonder if I could ask the Minister to ensure that she looks at issues of funding the Urdd with Ministers across portfolio—the education Minister, obviously, but there's also the Minister with responsibility for the Welsh language, and, I would argue, the culture budget as well. Because this is such a precious...
Helen Mary Jones: 1. Will the Commission provide an update on plans to engage with newly enfranchised voters, particularly as schools and colleges have moved once again to online learning? OQ56092
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to request, Trefnydd, a statement from the education Minister on a number of matters relating to how the system is responding to the current crisis. Firstly, there's a question of school deficits, school debts. Before COVID-19, Carmarthenshire County Council was working very hard with school leaders to bring down school deficits. However, since March 2020, schools and local...
Helen Mary Jones: ...families. It's estimated by the Child Poverty Action Group that there are about 70,000 children in Wales whose families are in receipt of universal credit and yet they are not eligible for free school meals in Wales. Can I ask the First Minister today, should the UK Government make the decision to remove the £20 uplift—and like the First Minister, I very much hope that they don't do...
Helen Mary Jones: ...points made by other Members. I was surprised to see Suzy Davies's 'delete all'. I know she doesn't usually do that, and I'm grateful to her for her explanation. And I think her point about further education is a very important one, and that needs to be taken forward. So, I'm grateful to her for that point that she's raised. But, in the end, when it comes to the provision of universal...
Helen Mary Jones: ...a day-to-day basis. And we know that, in those communities in the north and the west, access to housing is a huge issue. Members will remember the story from last year of a headteacher of a primary school who could not afford, in Gwynedd, to buy a house that was within 40 miles of the school where she lived—for somebody in that senior professional position not to be able to afford a home...
Helen Mary Jones: ...Can you tell us a bit more about what steps are in place to prepare for the next elections for our next young parliamentarians? That may potentially be done, of course, in a challenging time where schools and youth groups have got an awful lot on their plate that they wouldn't normally be having to deal with. So, I'm hoping that there is thought and planning going into how we can ensure...
Helen Mary Jones: ...it would have been better if they'd done it a little bit sooner. But the point that David makes very importantly about the need for social justice access: do we need to prioritise getting in our schools from our poorest communities, and since not everybody can go into our museums, should we be making those prioritisations? And I was very struck by what he said about the national museum's...
Helen Mary Jones: ...available. We recommended that Welsh Government revise the performance indicators for our national institutions, to promote more collaboration and to encourage the delivery of outcomes in health, education, tackling poverty and social inclusion. We were very convinced, Dirprwy Llywydd, by what the institutions told us of their ability to contribute to all these important agendas. Now,...
Helen Mary Jones: If I can return us, First Minister, to free school meals, I'd associate myself with a lot of what Joyce Watson said about how positive it is that we are still providing those, particularly in school holiday times. The First Minister will be aware of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report that was published yesterday, calling for a Welsh benefits system. One of the issues that we still have...
Helen Mary Jones: ...in our curriculum. The right—as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child makes clear—of every child to their own language and culture is at the heart of what we believe an education system should be, and again, I was encouraged by what the Minister had to say about that. Siân makes a very powerful case against examinations as a form of assessment, not only for this...
Helen Mary Jones: ...me in congratulating Powys County Council, who have recently put out to tender again to build the 150-place Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng in Welshpool. As someone who grew up in Montgomeryshire and was educated there, albeit a very long time ago, I very much welcome this investment. I'd like to ask you about the next steps for the new Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant in Llanelli. I'm aware that there...
Helen Mary Jones: 6. What recent assessment has been made of the demand for Welsh-medium education in Mid and West Wales? OQ55607
