Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 2:51 pm on 11 January 2017.
I’m grateful to my good friend and neighbour for tempting me into an appalling indiscretion again. She will be very aware that I cannot comment on any proposals for change that might be under consideration by local authorities; these proposals will, of course, be or may be referred to Welsh Ministers for some decisions, and we recognise that. I’m aware that Torfaen is considering this matter, and I think the executive will be considering it, in fact, in the next week or so. Let me say this: I’ve seen the benefits of the post-16 changes that we’ve seen in my own constituency in Blaenau Gwent and I would want to see those benefits extended to students elsewhere in the country as well. I think we need to ensure that we have consistency of opportunity, consistency of service and consistency of provision. Consistency doesn’t always imply uniformity, of course, and there will be different options for different parts of the country and for different areas. But, let me say this: we are aware of the decisions that are being taken by Torfaen and we’re aware of the debate and discussion that’s been taking place with Torfaen. We’ve got a good relationship with the local authority, which has got an excellent new leader now in Torfaen, and I can look forward to continuing to work with the local authority in Torfaen for a conclusion to these discussions.