Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:39 pm on 21 November 2017.
Could I assure Darren that, in approaching the legislation before me, I have certainly not taken the attitude of simply dismissing things out of hand because they've been tabled by opposition Members? I'm very grateful for the engagement by opposition Members throughout the course of this process, and, as we've seen by many of the votes here this afternoon, we've been able to arrive at a consensus on how to improve this legislation. However, in relation to Darren's amendment 13, we've made it very clear that we would not want to see support suddenly cease on somebody's twenty-first birthday. That's why section 32 is included within the legislation: to allow that person to continue their course to the academic year. I believe that the provisions within the legislation, as drafted, are fair to the learner concerned and other learners, both those not in an FEI in Wales and older learners who may have an ALN but would not get an IDP. I would urge Members to support amendments 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35 and 47, which have been tabled in my name, and reject amendment 13.