Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:57 pm on 18 June 2019.
Thank you, Llywydd. Trefnydd, as Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson on local government, I am very aware of the financial pressures on the budgets of local authorities. Indeed, that’s why I put pressure on the Welsh Government to provide more money to our county councils some months ago. However, recently in Neath Port Talbot, proposals have been introduced to increase payment for post-16 transport very substantially, from £100 a year to £390 per year. Now, clearly, this will have a significant impact on families across the county, but it will have a particular impact on the only Welsh-medium school in the county, which is Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera Bro Dur, and the only faith school in the county, which is St Joseph’s Catholic School. With pupils traditionally travelling to these schools from all corners of the county, these families will be hit harder than the majority. I, along with my fellow regional Member Bethan Sayed, have already received comments from families who send their children to Welsh-medium education and the concerns that they have, and we are committed to supporting their case.
Now, we know that the Welsh Government has a target of creating a million Welsh speakers, and in order to achieve that target, the Welsh Government and local authorities will need to make Welsh-medium education accessible across Wales. This proposal from Neath Port Talbot council does quite the opposite. In deciding on a child’s education, parents will surely be influenced by the cost attached with that education, and there is a real risk that parents will choose to send their children to the closest provision, which will be English medium, rather than sending pupils to ysgol Ystalyfera. Therefore, will the Welsh Government make a statement on what it intends to do to ensure that Welsh-medium education is not disadvantaged in this way, and will you consider introducing national legislation on the issue of transport in order to ensure fair play for the Welsh language? [Interruption.]