I want to write to James Evans
James Evans: ...out of your statement that I think is very positive and I think it’s around children and the pilot that you’re doing in Blaenau Ffestiniog of bringing the mobile dentist unit actually into schools. What I’d like to know is some questions around that. How long is that trial going to last in Blaenau Ffestiniog? How long is the Welsh Government going to take to do the evaluation around...
James Evans: Minister, I've said in this Chamber on a number of occasions that I want to see brand new Welsh-medium schools right across Wales, and I'd especially like to see them in Brecon and Radnorshire. I'd like to know what assessment the Welsh Government has done on the cost-of-living crisis and the rise of costs of everything that is associated with building these schools, and what impact that is...
James Evans: ..., speaking in my own national tongue, and I think it's very, very important. I don't want to do some summing up, but it's very like what Heledd said, actually, about somebody who learned Welsh in school. It's what I did; I had a GCSE and got a B in my GCSE yn Gymraeg, and I still feel very angry about the fact that I cannot use and converse in my natural, native tongue in Wales, because...
James Evans: ...dentist is extremely difficult, and even if you get a dentist, the travelling times to those dentists can be very lengthy. So, will the First Minister look at actually bringing mobile dentists into schools, so that we can actually have them in the school, so that they can get the check-ups they need to ensure that their oral health is in good condition, because we all know that good oral...
James Evans: ...are visually impaired and those young children who need that habilitation training are not left at home and they're not forgotten, because it is very important to their future development, their education and their future life that they have the opportunity to live that full life, as we all live in this Chamber. I hope we can all agree that it simply is not good enough that 2,000 children...
James Evans: Thank you for that answer, Minister. Powys County Council are looking at making education cost savings of over £1.7 million. Proposals for schools from the council include turning off laptops and ceasing photocopying. I'm not exactly sure how much of £1.7 million will be saved from stopping photocopying in schools, but this seems an inadequate way of treating our teachers and our children,...
James Evans: 7. What assessment has the Minister made of potential cost-saving measures for schools? OQ59092
James Evans: ..., Minister. The Welsh Government do hold all the levers here to prevent the strikes, and it's time that the Welsh Government did take some responsibility for this, by, for example, not cutting the education budget in real terms and rising it in line with inflation. Under Welsh Labour, children in Wales are being left behind. Not only did they miss more school days than anyone else in the...
James Evans: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on his expectations of his meetings with the teaching trade unions later this week in terms of avoiding school closures? TQ711
James Evans: I'd like to thank you, Minister, for your statement today. A major, long-term strategic capital investment programme with the aim of creating a generation of sustainable schools is something that is important for schoolchildren across Wales, and very important for my party. Having sustainable learning environments is one of the most important things that can help children learn and achieve...
James Evans: Diolch, Gweinidog. Minister, you said this morning in the education committee that there is money available in the Welsh Government budget to establish new Welsh-medium education. That's really welcome. A political choice was taken in Powys County Council by the Liberal Democrat administration not to establish a Welsh-medium primary provision in Dolau. Minister, narrow-minded decisions like...
James Evans: .... Could you please update us as to when you intend to do that? My second Welsh Government statement that I'd like to ask for is from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change on the shambolic home to school transport changes in the south of my constituency by Powys County Council. Children have been left in the rain, left on the side of the road, told to catch service buses that arrive late...
James Evans: ..., I would like to thank you for your answer. I was deeply concerned to read that the Liberal Democrats in charge of Powys County Council are considering forcing children to miss one day a week of school in favour of so-called virtual education. I'm sure you'll agree with me that this puts a huge amount of pressure on parents and pupils. And I hope you'll also agree with me—and I got that...
James Evans: 2. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure education is delivered in a face-to-face format? OQ58743
James Evans: ..., and I believe, and a lot of other people believe, that that would be a perfect place for an agricultural college. There's support for this from local people, local companies support it, and an education provider said that they would support it as well. And that means that that land could be used for farming and to help the next generations of young farmers. So, will the Welsh Government...
James Evans: ...I'd like to take this moment just to thank Joyce Watson for all her long-continued work in this area; she's an absolute champion for the White Ribbon campaign. Peer-on-peer sexual harassment in our schools is totally unacceptable, and it's happening up and down Wales. This was found in the recent peer-on-peer sexual harassment inquiry done by the Children, Young People and Education...
James Evans: ...home of the British army in Brecon. My constituency not only is the spiritual home of the army in Wales, but it also plays an ongoing role in the defence of the nation through the Infantry Battle School in Brecon, which trains officers and soldiers to meet the operational requirements of the army, but also the Royal Navy training base in Talybont, and also the Royal Air Force training base...
James Evans: ...debate was about to start. [Laughter.] Research funding is vital to solving some of the major problems we do have in the world, and, as colleagues in this Chamber sat through the recent Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Bill, it was evident through evidence taking that there was a focus from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and others that the setting up of the new...
James Evans: ...about. Is this going to go further than overnight stays? Because there is no detail around that. We’ve also heard the leader of Plaid Cymru saying that funds will be going towards paying for free school meals, and you've said yourself today, and in written statements, that this money will be invested back into local services. So, which is it here? Because the coalition between yourselves...
James Evans: ...all who attended, and I'm very glad to say the royal train arrived on time. To mark her own Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Her Majesty visited the Glanusk estate and was welcomed by children from over 50 schools in the area. Her Majesty braved the rain, meeting and greeting as many people as possible with that infectious smile. The Duke of Edinburgh, for most of the visit, observed, quite...
