Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:44 pm on 3 July 2018.
Yes, indeed; the hot weather has been a real pleasure for most of us, but there are some real issues about appropriate responses. School uniform and appearance policies are set by each school headteacher and governing body, but they do give schools the flexibility to relax the rules if they wish, although we would expect some discretion to be used during periods of hot weather by the headteachers. Our guidance on school uniform and appearance policies suggests governing bodies take a flexible approach to basic uniform requirements during hot weather, as opposed to having separate uniforms for winter and summer—so, very much along the lines that Jane Hutt has just remarked on. Clearly, common sense needs to be used in these circumstances so that pupils remain comfortable and can continue with their learning, which is, after all, the overriding priority. I'm sure that headteachers will take that into account.
In terms of the vaginal mesh issue, the priority of the women's health implementation group in the first instance will be to oversee the implementation of recommendations from the vaginal mesh and tape review. We anticipate that the group will consider any recommendations arising from the endometriosis and faecal incontinence reviews in progress. The activities will be directed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on advice from the chief medical officer and chief nursing officer, and will have a central role in providing leadership and strategic direction to ensure an all-Wales approach is in place to help break down barriers and join up pathways between primary, secondary and tertiary care and manage women's health in the community. So, it is a fully rounded approach, which I'm sure we all very much welcome.