Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:35 pm on 15 November 2016.
I think the point you make about adults particularly with learning difficulties is important. We’re committed, and this is an opportunity to restate—as a Welsh Government, we’re committed to ensuring everyone in Wales has an opportunity to access our education system. Of course, where specialist provision is identified, Ministers do consider applications and make every effort to respond in a timely fashion. We always try to fund provision that runs over a comparable time to provision in mainstream FE sector, and we continue to consider applications for longer provision, depending on individual need. But I think we also need to look to our additional learning needs transformation programme, and those plans for revised legislation, of course, to provide a smoother transition. The guidance is currently being revised to make it more clear what Welsh Government can fund through those routes. So, that’s a very important point to come back on.
On your second point, I think the Minister will want to clarify certainly what this actually will mean for employers in terms of the apprenticeship levy. I’ve said that the figures provided by the UK Government don’t mean significant new money is coming to Wales as a result of the apprenticeship levy. So, I think we need to straighten that out and make it clear what that actually means, because, you know, you’ve got to recognise that this will form part of our settlement, and so it’s going to be a question of, again, the allocation that we get through our block grant. It’s not going to be what you’re making it out to be, I don’t believe, today.