4. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on Digital Strategy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:48 pm on 15 March 2022.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:48, 15 March 2022

(Translated)

Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. As chair of the cross-party group on the digital agenda in Wales, I very much welcome this update by the Deputy Minister today. I look forward too to hearing the update that he intends to give soon on the delivery programme for digital. It's important to put on the record that I'm grateful for the leadership shown by the Deputy Minister in this field. I know it's one that he has a genuine interest and personal interest in driving forward, and in that regard I know that he will feel frustrated, as am I, with the fact that this is an area that Governments over the years have dragged their feet on.

It is right, I think, to talk about the need for a change of culture here. It's certainly true within the Government too. It was very refreshing to hear the health Minister acknowledging openly here, when I called for an acceleration of the introduction of e-prescribing and prescriptions, that she was surprised how slowly things had moved in this field to date.

So, yes, we do need to generate that excitement within the Government and that activity within the Government, as well as in the bodies that have been created to drive this agenda forward specifically. But if there's one thing that we have learned within the cross-party group, it's the lack of skills in this area. That's been referred to by the Minister. Figures shared with me about the number of teachers who started a course in secondary education focusing on IT for the previous education year says that the total was 10, and that demonstrates what the scale of the problem is.

So, my question is, very simply put: even though the Minister has referred to the fact that, yes, this is an important agenda and that he wants to push things forward, can I get a sense of what the Government is trying to do to fast-track, now, this progress, and increase the number of teachers that can plant that digital seed in our pupils in far greater numbers, so that they can go on to careers in this area?