2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:10 pm on 16 January 2018.

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Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru 3:10, 16 January 2018

(Translated)

May I ask for a statement from the health Secretary on the impact that cuts to the all-Wales school liaison core programme, or SchoolBeat, will have on the important work that that programme delivers? I know that in north Wales, it employs 16 officials who visit all schools and convey important messages to the children, from the youngest at age four up to those at age 16, on issues such as learning about the dangers of the misuse of drugs and substances, safety online, sexting, domestic abuse and so on and so forth. Cutting that budget, as far as I understand it, would mean that that service could be left with only eight officials in north Wales, which would mean that they would only visit secondary schools. Now, given the emphasis of the Government and many of us here on the need to tackle adverse childhood experiences, wouldn't cutting this service be a retrograde step in terms of tackling some of those problems? Of course, it would undermine an important means of conveying very important messages directly to the young people who could be impacted by them. So, I would appreciate a statement on that.

I would also ask for antoher statement. May I be one of the first to welcome the written statement released within the last hour and a bit on additional capital funding from the Government, particularly, of course, the additional element in terms of twenty-first century schools? We as a party have been eager to see a specific element for encouraging Welsh-medium education, and I recognise the fact that the Government has allocated £30 million this year and £30 million for ensuing years, and has stated in that statement that that is a priority that you share with us in Plaid Cymru. So, given that, can we have an early statement from the Minister for Welsh language to outline the criteria that she will use for distributing that additional funding? And also to endorse the fact that we shouldn't see that additional £30 million as the provision for Welsh-medium education, but that there is a clear emphasis in terms of twenty-first century schools in its entirety, still having to operate proactively to promote Welsh-medium education, and that that £30 million is additional and offers additionality to that too. I think it's important that that message isn't lost.