3. 2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:19 pm on 11 July 2017.

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Photo of Nick Ramsay Nick Ramsay Conservative 2:19, 11 July 2017

Leader of the house, two things, if I may. Firstly, I attended Monmouth School's speech day on Saturday—a school that is achieving increasingly good results. Meanwhile, just up the road, Monmouth Comprehensive School's new school building is under construction, partially funded by Welsh Government’s twenty-first century schools programme. Two excellent schools, and schools that work closely together. I wonder if we could hear from the education Secretary as to how the independent school sector in Wales and the state sector are working together and how they are being encouraged to work together. I think there’s a lot of cross pollination that can happen between the two. I know, traditionally, the independent sector is allowed to get on with doing its own thing, but I think lessons can be learned. It's certainly happening in Monmouth, and I think that there is good work that can be done across Wales.

Secondly, I’d like to thank Julie James, the Minister for superfast broadband—or not superfast in some cases, in some parts of Wales. She attended a meeting in my constituency last night that was well attended, and she reassured my constituents that a prominent notspot just outside Chepstow in the Wye valley does have hope of connection at some point in the medium-term future. I understand the Welsh Government’s consultation on broadband is coming to an end shortly, possibly later this week, and it’s very important, I’m sure you’ll agree, leader of the house, that as many people and businesses contribute to that consultation as possible, so that the Welsh Government knows where notspots are, and the type of services that will be needed—bespoke in many cases—to fill those notspots moving forward. They weren’t dealt with in the phase 1 of broadband roll-out, but it’s important now that people across Wales do contribute to that consultation so that you have the fullest picture possible as to how to move forward.