Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:56 pm on 17 May 2022.
Can I commend Members generally for having been restrained in their use of musical puns in their contributions today? But, I'll just say, Carolyn Thomas, that your contribution hit the right note. I hope Members won't feel this is too orchestrated. [Laughter.] But, just to say, I think the point that she makes about the variety of experience is absolutely at the heart of this. I started off playing cornet and then became a euphonium and baritone player, partly because of the availability of instruments. So, I think we want to do everything we can to make sure that there's a range of instruments available and, certainly, if the experience that the First Minister and I had yesterday in the school in Swansea is anything to go by, there was definitely a menu of options for young people to choose from. And actually, the investment that we made at the end of last year has been invested with that very much in mind.
In relation to the costs, yes, for those who need the most support, tuition will be free, and for those for whom it's an important part of their GCSE or A-level examinations, it'll be free. But, for everybody, the ambition in the plan is to agree a maximum charge for the tuition that is delivered during school time. So, that'll be an important part of the work that the WLGA, together with the music services, will be delivering as part of this.