From the outset, it must be noted that there has been chronic underfunding from the Welsh Labour Government in our schools and education system. For every £1 spent in England, Wales receives £1.20. As a result, education spending per pupil in Wales should be at least £1,000 per annum more, compared to England. However, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, every young person in Wales receives £100 less than their counterparts in England, mostly because of Welsh Government bureaucracy. As announced in the recent UK budget, the UK Conservative Government has committed to increasing the Welsh Government budget by £2.5 billion per year on average for the next three years. This is the largest annual funding settlement increase since devolution began and on top of an additional baseline funding of £1.9 billion, and let's hope that that money goes into our schools.

Turning to the current restrictions in place in our education establishments, the lack of Welsh Government preparation is having a negative impact on the education of our children and young people in Wales. Welsh Conservatives would end the mandatory wearing of face masks in our schools. Masks in a classroom stop children and young people in Wales enjoying a normal experience in the classroom. It continues to stifle their development. The mental health of children has suffered enough—