For this debate today to have real merit, it is worth establishing some fundamental parameters. The UK Government's sustained austerity agenda has led to a cut of nearly £1 billion to Wales's overall budget. This is real. Despite this, the Welsh Labour Government has worked hard to protect Welsh public services from the significant cuts and has taken direct action to prioritise key public services through local government, and that includes schools. It is worth reminding ourselves that the Welsh Labour Government does not fund schools directly. Each local authority in Wales is responsible for determining how much funding is allocated to its schools from the total resources available to it, and each local authority is expected to and does engage with its schools on budget matters in its budget forum.

The Welsh Labour Government has a clear and long-standing commitment to schools funding, despite the fact that by the end of the last Assembly, the block grant was, I repeat, 8 per cent lower in real terms than it was in 2010-11. Welsh Labour in Government delivered on its commitment— [Interruption.] I will in a second—to protect spending on schools and made available an additional £106 million for Welsh schools. And improving that education system is a Welsh Labour priority. Yes.