Firstly, I must say that I support Plaid's motion and I agree with them that the grant should be reinstated. However, I do think the grant in some ways treats a symptom rather than the cause. I agree with the chairman of the National Union of Teachers Wales, Neil Foden, when he described a school uniform as eliminating differences between pupils and said undermining it creates divisions. I also agree with him that a school uniform is a way of avoiding social stigma because pupils all look the same.

So, we undoubtedly have a social responsibility to advocate a system of school uniforms and also to make sure that all families can afford them without adversely affecting their living standards. It's therefore a concern that schools are demanding logoed items of school uniform, which are obtainable only from a limited number of suppliers, at a higher cost than parents would see on the high street or online. The high cost of logoed items and blazers doesn't help anyone and all families would benefit from being able to buy cheaper uniforms. 

A monopoly therefore exists that places local authorities and the Labour Government firmly on the side of the producers of the uniform. Why should taxpayers' money be spent on maintaining an artificially high price for children's uniforms when we could effectively open it up to the same price competition there is for most adults' work clothing? 

There have been very sensible suggestions from the Bevan Foundation that sew-on school badges should be an option rather than ready-made items with embroidered logos. Although the Government is said to be encouraging schools to go down this route and to get schools to scrap the requirement for an expensive blazer, some schools are not listening. But how is this Government responding? It is withdrawing the one thing that mitigates the expense of school uniforms for the poorest in society and it's saying nothing about what is being put in its place.

The low-income families of the 5,500 children affected will be right to be confused that a Labour Government that continually says they are on their side is cutting this grant—confused that not only are Labour cutting the grant, but they have given no suggestion of whether, come September, those parents will be poorer because of changes to any new school uniform grant. 

Much as I'm uncomfortable with the trading ethics involved with clothes available in some supermarkets, we must recognise that many people don't have the luxury of choice that others do, and opening up school uniforms to the competitive market is cost saving for the families involved and goes some way to treating the underlying need for the grant in the first place.

It's all very well for the Welsh Government to be saying, 'Don't worry, we'll come up with a new grant', but announcing the removal of the grant before detailing exactly what will replace it means that there will be many parents across Wales right now seriously worried about September, not knowing if or how they will cope with the expense of school uniforms and they will not be at all reassured by a vague, half-hearted response that does nothing to answer their real and significant concerns.

We all know that sometimes people don't claim all that they're entitled to and don't get all the help that they need, either because they're unaware of the help available or they wrongly feel embarrassed to ask. So, making uniforms as low cost as possible is a route that should be pursued in tandem with an effective grant system. So, in conclusion, I support Plaid's motion, but I do believe Welsh Government needs to be far more assertive in its efforts to compel schools to go for lower cost uniform options. Thank you.