4. Will the Minister make a statement on funding for education providers in north-east Wales? OAQ55078

The draft budget for 2020-21 outlines my priorities for education funding as set out in 'Our national mission', which includes funding for education providers in north-east Wales. This budget continues to be committed to the success and well-being of every learner, regardless of their background or personal circumstances, or whichever part of Wales they are studying and learning in.

Thank you for that answer, Minister. With the labour market constantly changing, adults often need to retrain and upskill. This is particularly the case with the need for many to acquire new digital and technical skills. The need for a dedicated regional adult skills budget is clear. Now, this will enable us to properly react to the skills required by employers in north-east Wales and will also help to attract new employers to the area, boosting the local economy. What consideration have you given to funding such a budget for adults over the age of 19 to train full time? 

Well, Jack, I've recently announced my continued support for the skills development fund. That is £10 million, allocated on a regional basis, to specifically respond to priorities that are identified by the regional skills partnership to ensure that there is an alignment between curriculum and the skills needed in the labour market in a particular area. The SDF is aimed at those learners needing to upskill to improve their employment prospects and, therefore, if digital skills are identified as a key regional priority, this funding can be utilised accordingly by training providers in that area.

You will also be aware, I'm sure, that we are piloting individual learning accounts at present. The ILAs are designed for people who are currently in work but on a relatively low income. That funding is available for them to use again to upskill themselves, and those provisions are also aligned to the regional skills needs as identified by the RSP. So, for instance, whilst not in your particular area, in the Gwent area, digital skills have been acknowledged as something we need to focus on, and the individual learning accounts are there to enable people to access those new digital qualifications to allow them to enhance their career opportunities and prospects.

Well, it's now 17 years since secondary headteachers in Flintshire raised concern that they receive one of the lowest school budget settlements in Wales, and they told me about the constant pressures they face managing this while striving for educational excellence. They've continued to receive from Welsh Government every year since one of the lowest settlements—this current year, 2019-20, they got the nineteenth out of 22 overall school budget expenditure per pupil, and eighteenth for delegated budgets per secondary school pupil out of 22 local authorities. What action have you therefore taken, if any, since publication of a report last September showing that seven of the county's 11 secondary schools were in the red, with an overall deficit of nearly £1.5 million, made public shortly after an inspection by education watchdog Estyn found that Flintshire County Council had allowed a small number of schools to carry a shortfall for too long?

Well, Mark, as you rightly identified, the funding of secondary schools in Flintshire is predominantly a matter for Flintshire County Council. Flintshire are in receipt of a percentage increase in their budget of over 3.5 per cent, and it is for them, now, to decide how best to use those resources.

I'll catch up with you, Minister, in a moment.

Number 5, I think.

Question 5, Llyr Gruffydd.