2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:49 pm on 23 January 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:49, 23 January 2018

In terms of the first question that Julie Morgan asked, I've met with Dr Edward Gomez as well, and he's a very enthusiastic astrophysicist. The comic books are fantastic, and I will be discussing with the Cabinet Secretary for Education how we can make better use of such facilities, either in person or through Hwb, which is now out to about 70 per cent of Welsh schools. I had a very enthusiastic meeting with him about how we might take that forward, and they are indeed a brilliant resource.

The Member's absolutely right: we've got to find a way of getting more children interested in that kind of science career, especially girls. We have a range of things in place, but Dr Gomez is particularly great at enthusing younger children and making a really complex subject completely transparent and really interesting. So, I thought his approach to it was really excellent and I certainly will be taking that forward with the Cabinet Secretary for Education. 

I'm still chairing the women in STEM board for the Welsh Government, as well, so we will be looking at it there in terms of how we might enthuse girls in some of the more theoretical science subjects as well. He is a very interesting person for those of you who may not have met him; he's well worth a conversation.

In terms of the active travel stuff, that's actually really important. The whole issue about cycling as a means of transport as opposed to recreational use is extremely important. The Member raises really good points about the preparedness of larger organisations in terms of facilities to park bikes securely and also to change and so on and be ready for work. We're working very hard with local authorities across Wales to improve active travel through capital investment funding. The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport will be making an announcement in due course about the outcome of some of those conversations and that investment, with exactly the point that the Member raises in mind. This is not about cycling because it's fun; it's about cycling as a means of getting from one place to the other in a healthy and sustainable way, and it's particularly important in our big cities that we encourage that, in terms of the air quality debate that we've been having recently as well.

I just wanted to raise one other point, which is that there's a real issue around disability for cycling as well. I have a marvellous organisation in my own constituency, if the Llywydd will indulge me, called BikeAbility. It's a really excellent facility for people with physical disabilities who can also get active on their bicycles, and it's important that employers take that into account as well when they're designing these schemes.