Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education – in the Senedd at 2:34 pm on 25 November 2020.
Thank you very much. I want to start where you finished there, namely with the tests on a wide scale. I'm aware that you are doing work and considering introducing a programme on a wider scale in schools and colleges, for pupils and teachers, and I agree entirely that we do need a planned programme of tests going forward. There are tests going on in schools in the Liverpool area, and you've just talked about the pilot programme in Merthyr. Teachers' unions are, generally, in favour, I believe, and other parts of the world are holding wide-ranging tests on pupils and staff—New York, Vienna, Berlin, Nashville, Montreal. Are there any specific barriers preventing asymptomatic testing in schools in Wales? Why is it taking a little bit too much time before this is being rolled out? Will you be targeting specific areas? What will your criteria be in rolling this programme out? And what exactly is the timetable?