Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services – in the Senedd at 1:57 pm on 28 February 2018.

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Photo of Gareth Bennett Gareth Bennett UKIP 1:57, 28 February 2018

Yes, you raised the important point there that people need the knowledge. If you're going to give them the responsibility of voting, they need the knowledge, and I think that that is a crucial point. Now, you said in your statement that:

'Within schools, the active citizenship theme of personal and social education will provide young people with an understanding of politics and the right to vote.' 

That's the end of your quote. Now, it has been raised recently by young campaigners—who actually support what you're doing and who actually want the vote to be extended to 16 and 17-year-olds—that many of them feel that what they have in schools at the moment in the active citizenship theme, which you alluded to, isn't actually sufficient to give them that political knowledge. So, I wondered were you seeking to change that element of the national curriculum in Wales, working with the education Minister, or does your statement actually indicate that you think that the education system at the moment does provide 16 and 17-year-olds with that knowledge?