Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:50 pm on 26 May 2021.
Minister, one of the important factors in helping young children to recover from the pandemic is the learning environment. It's also very important, of course, for their well-being and the well-being of staff. But concerns have been raised by many young people and their parents with me regarding the ongoing requirement to wear face masks and face coverings in secondary schools in Wales. Given that there has been a significant change across the border in England and that that requirement no longer is there, what consideration has the Welsh Government given to looking at this particular requirement again, especially given that concerns have been raised by the children's commissioner about the impact that face coverings can have on young people's well-being in terms of the discomfort that people can experience, the skin rashes and conditions that people are having, and the fact that, of course, those who wear spectacles can often have difficulty seeing through those spectacles because of the steam that can be created? I think it is something that does need to be looked at.