1. When will every child in Wales be taught to code? OAQ(5)0577(FM)

Our programme for government sets out that we will ensure young people in Wales have the relevant skills they need for the future by developing coding skills in our young people. The Cabinet Secretary will be making an announcement as to how we are taking this forward in June.

Thank you, First Minister. My daughter was nine yesterday, and, for her birthday, she asked for a Raspberry Pi, which is not a fruit-based pudding, but, in fact, as you know, a small computer manufactured in your constituency.

No, in my constituency. [Laughter.]

In your area. [Laughter.] But when she leaves education, the ability to programme computers will be an essential skill, everything from programming a manufacturing line to designing the next innovation. But the chief inspector of schools found that ICT standards are strong in only a very few schools, and not enough understand the potential of digital learning to aid teaching and learning. Teaching our children to code should not rely on the enthusiasm of the odd teacher, or on a parent’s ability to buy a Raspberry Pi. It must be a key part of what our schools do, or we’ll be left behind. Now, as you indicate, the Donaldson curriculum will, of course, address this, but more than 150,000 young people will graduate the school system without this basic skills before that’s fully implemented. So, would you consider, First Minister, what interim measures you can put in place to ensure that every child in Wales gets the opportunity to learn computer coding as soon as possible?

Well, can I begin, first of all, by wishing the Member’s daughter a happy birthday for yesterday? She’ll be a teenager soon. [Laughter.] In answer to his question, we do know, of course, that we want to encourage coding skills. We’ve fast-tracked the publication of the digital competence framework, which will support the development and embedding of digital skills in everything a young person does in school. Many schools have already introduced coding skills into the classroom. We have invested £670,000 to the Technocamps and Technoteach programmes to deliver computer coding workshops to pupils and teachers in secondary schools in Wales, and we’ve made a commitment to expand code clubs in every part of Wales. And that is before, of course, the announcement next month.

First Minister, we do need to be part of the coding revolution, and it’s important that our young people learn these skills. But, of course, one of the problems that they’ve got is being able to do homework in relation to coding, because there is inadequate access to the Superfast Cymru high-speed broadband scheme. You’ll be aware that you made a clear commitment in your 2011 Labour Assembly manifesto, which gave a pledge to roll out broadband to all residential premises and businesses by 2015. That was a broken promise, wasn’t it? Don’t you think that it’s about time you delivered on that promise, and the others in that manifesto that you didn’t keep?

Well, our promise is to deliver to 96 per cent of premises by the summer of this year, in contrast to his party who made no promises at all when it came to broadband, and probably struggle with the very concept of what broadband is.

If we have the money to be spending on IT, wouldn’t that money be better spent on literacy and numeracy in schools, which has been failing for a while?

I see that 1951 has dawned in the corner over there. Well, of course, literacy and numeracy are important, but so are IT skills. We know, as Members here, that we couldn’t function properly in our jobs if we didn’t have at least basic IT skills, and it’s hugely important that our children have the same, if not better, IT skills, compared to other children in the world.