Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:55 pm on 13 December 2016.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement and particularly for your emphasis on partnership, which I hope, of course, includes partnership with citizens themselves. Just a couple of questions—the first is: I wondered if there'd been any movement on an issue that I've raised before, which is about public services taking on a due regard for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. I think, myself, that should be a duty rather than an option, and I think it will actually help you in what you're hoping to do, as articulated in the statement that you've given today. Certainly, one of the strongest weapons in anyone's armoury against poverty is advocacy, particularly self-advocacy, wherever that’s possible. And I think that, with article 12 in mind, it would be a good idea to raise our young people with the ability to make their case where it matters, rather than just confining themselves to social media in so many cases.
You did mention the future generations Act in your statement, but you didn't make any specific reference to the Welsh language, and bearing in mind that this is now mainstreamed, or supposed to be mainstreamed, throughout Government policy, I think it would have been a good opportunity to reinforce that, because, realistically, there are still certain sections of our society who look at the Welsh language as a bit of an add-on, a bit of a nuisance, particularly when they have major social considerations to take into account. But I think, if we're looking at raising everyone’s or anyone's economic prospects by improving their skills, then we're doing our poorer children a disservice if we allow them to continue to accept that old-fashioned message, rather than looking at Welsh language as a way of improving their own economic prospects, with Welsh language skills just being part of what may help them, along with other skills—obviously, I'm not saying this is the answer to everything. Thank you very much.