Llyr, the issue around supply teaching is a complex and sensitive one. You will be aware that the task and finish group that was set up by the previous Minister have acknowledged in their own report, which was delivered to me, that there is no single answer to addressing the issue around supply teaching. It’s not fair to say that no action has been taken. A group has been set up by myself to work through and implement the findings of the task and finish report. So, for instance, supply teachers now have access to Hwb, whereas they didn’t have that before. We are working on new training arrangements for supply teachers. We have new collaborative arrangements in a number of local authorities around newly qualified teachers, who find themselves working in a supply route, to better support them in their role. And we continue to look at new models of delivering supply.

As I said in my statement last week, in a question, I think, you raised then, officials have recently been in Northern Ireland to look at the experience of Northern Ireland. However, until we have the completion of the devolution of teachers’ pay and conditions, we are somewhat constrained by our ability to introduce an innovative new model that I would like to see.