Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 14 September 2021.
Well, Llywydd, the origin of the ozone approach to cleanliness comes through work carried out at Swansea University, carried out with an innovation grant from the Welsh Government. The work at Swansea University was focused on the efficiency of using ozone as a cleaning agent in the cleaning of ambulances, and the result of that innovative programme was thought to be successful. It had demonstrated that ozone disinfecting machines had a part to play in making the cleaning of ambulances as effective as it could be and that the learning that had been acquired in that field could be translated to help support schools in their cleaning efforts. That's what the original press release from the Welsh Government referred to. Now, having published that idea, there were, as Siân Gwenllian said, a number of concerns raised as to whether or not the effectiveness of the approach that Swansea University had developed in the ambulance context could simply be translated into school cleaning as well. Because of the concerns raised, we decided that the sensible thing to do was to pause in that programme—no actual machines had been procured at that point—and to get further advice from Swansea University itself, but also from our own technical advisory group, as an independent voice on all of that, to see whether the use of ozone disinfecting machines do present a new technological possibility for cleaning in education settings. There's a rapid review being carried out by the technical advisory cell, therefore, of the technology, of its possibility, because we would not, of course, want to proceed until we were certain that the benefits of doing so had been maximised and any risks mitigated, and that we were able to share that evidence with people who work in the field.
In the meantime, I agree with what Siân Gwenllian said at the end of her question, Llywydd, that of course we need to go on looking for effective ways in making sure that schools are safe. We've invested considerable amounts of money on enhanced cleaning regimes in schools in Wales over the period of the pandemic and through our school social partnership arrangements, we go on working with our partners to make sure that we have the highest possible standards of cleanliness and of safety in schools for teachers, other staff and students alike.