6. Will the Minister make a statement on language impact assessments in the process of reorganising schools? OAQ(5)0034(EDU)[W]

The statutory school organisation code requires a number of different factors to be taken into account by relevant bodies developing school reorganisation proposals, including the Welsh language. Wherever proposals affect schools where Welsh is a medium of instruction, local authorities should carry out a Welsh language impact assessment.

Thank you for that response. Clearly, it is a requirement that this should happen. But my question is: who checks the quality and accuracy of these assessments? Because they are the basis for far-reaching decisions and there’s nothing to say that one of us here couldn’t establish a company that could begin to draw up such assessments. So, I want to know who polices this system, in the hope that the public aren’t expected to do that, because clearly you need an element of expertise to do that effectively.

I expect local authorities to be able to do that, and to ensure that they have the necessary expertise to have assessments that are comprehensive. If that isn’t true, or if you or any other Member has concerns about the system and how it works, you are welcome to write to me to ensure that we can change the system, if we need to do that.

The issue of language impact assessment would also have an effect on planning applications more generally. This question of training and guidance as to how to carry out these assessments is relevant to both sectors, I think. Can you explain who is responsible for planning the training and the guidance in this area, and if it is the Government, from which budget line is this cost met?

The Government will be responsible for ensuring that there is a workforce in every area that can make the provision that we need for the future. I welcome the addition to the budget that we have now, to be able to develop a workforce for the future. The Member will be aware that the Cabinet Secretary, Kirsty Williams, has made a statement this morning to say that there is a working group looking at how we develop more workforce skills through the FE system. We do recognise that we need more skills, and that we have to do some workforce planning. The working group will be an important part of doing that.