I thank the committee for this important report. I would like to take the opportunity this afternoon to question the Minister on some of the issues arising from her responses to the committee report—firstly, the thematic review that Estyn is going to be doing, looking at the arrangements for teaching Welsh history at schools. Have the terms of reference been agreed and what is the timetable for publishing that work? This needs to happen quickly. I presume that the report will confirm what we already know, namely that there are pockets of very good practice, but that a lack of consistency is the most obvious feature, with some schools failing to present anything to their pupils about the history of Wales. We do need that evidence—I agree that that needs to happen quickly.

As others have mentioned, the response to recommendation 2 is extremely disappointing. The recommendation asks for guidance setting out a common body of information for all pupils studying history. As I said yesterday, when discussing first aid, I do understand the vision and concept of the new curriculum, and I welcome the flexibility it will give teachers, but I think that some issues, including Welsh history, deserve greater clarity and certainty. As things stand, the certainty that every child will be taught fully about our country's history is absent, and the new curriculum will not improve the situation without clear guidance. Without that, there is a risk that things will be made worse, and that's what I'm concerned about. I have suggested changing 'history', under the humanities heading, to 'Welsh history and the world', so that at least a Welsh perspective will be given to the learning. Is that something the Minister is willing to consider?

I'm very pleased that you in your response to the committee's report are commissioning new resources. That’s very good news. What are the details of that, please, and what is the timetable for their publication? I see from your response to the report that you say that this will be driven by the Estyn inspection, which is another very good reason for having a tight timetable and an early publication of that inspection. Having a body of dedicated resources referring to key events and topics in the history of Wales and the world is vital. Many have already been published, of course, and I know that they're available on Hwb and so forth, but how do you intend to bring all this together, and how will the resources ensure that our young people come to learn about the basic elements of our long history and not just unconnected chunks of it?

While talking a long journey over Christmas, I had the opportunity to listen to one of the Welsh history podcasts of the entertainer Tudur Owen. I listened to an episode entitled 'Who was Owain Glyndŵr?', with the historians Rhun Emlyn and Eurig Salisbury taking us through one of the great dramatic periods of our history. I hung on their every word and learned a wealth of interesting new information, and, indeed, I was completely captivated by the experience of listening to these young historians talking so intelligently and passionately about their subject. The trip was over in no time.

Our history is full of excitement, but at the moment most of us are being deprived of it. Plaid Cymru in Government would rectify that. In the meantime, I urge the current Government to ensure that every child and young person in Wales can learn about the history of Wales and the world in every school across our country.