3. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government about the Down Syndrome Act 2022? OQ58281

I thank the Member for that, Llywydd. Early discussions with the UK Government established that its Down Syndrome Act will provide people with Down's syndrome in England with the same level of support and protection already enjoyed by people in Wales.

Thank you, First Minister, for that response. Last week, I met with two constituents, who are also parents of Down syndrome children, who run a local charity that supports young people with Down syndrome from across much of south Wales. It was highlighted that, despite improvements in things like childcare, education and employment, young people with Down syndrome still face barriers to inclusion. In particular, our meeting focused on the lack of a joined-up approach within the post-16 education provision.

Training placements for such individuals are often few and far between, whilst many placements run for just two years, with many of these young people requiring longer and more flexible learning options to meet their needs. The constituent also pointed out that, in England, such courses often have the possibility of employment attached, whilst, in Wales, courses are focused more around just life skills. Now, in England, the Down Syndrome Act, as you’ll recognise, introduced by Dr Liam Fox, will require a range of public bodies and education providers to take into account guidance published by the Government on steps that can be taken to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome.

First Minister, will the Welsh Government consider how the provisions of the Act could be introduced in Wales to ensure that existing barriers to inclusion are removed, as well as raising public awareness and greater acceptance of people with Down syndrome in society? Finally, First Minister, would you or one of your ministerial colleagues commit to meeting with reps from this area to discuss how services for people in Wales with Down syndrome can continue to be improved?

I thank Peter Fox for those points, Llywydd. He's right to say that the Act passed by the UK Parliament is an Act for England only. What it requires is for public authorities to take account of guidance—guidance that, as yet, has not been published. But of course—I certainly give him this commitment—when the guidance is published, we will look to see whether there is anything that we can draw on here in Wales. The reason that we concluded, in those discussions with the UK Government, that there was no case for Wales being included in that Bill was because the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 already require public bodies in Wales to do what the UK Act now requires to be done in England. And the learning disability plan, which my colleague Julie Morgan introduced here in an oral statement on the floor of the Senedd on 24 May, has both education and employment as one of its six core themes.

Does that mean that there is not more to be done? Of course not, and I absolutely recognise the point that Peter Fox made about the continuing difficulties that are in the path of young people with Down's syndrome. I will discuss with my colleague whether a meeting of the sort that you describe would be worthwhile. I myself have met very regularly with organisations that represent people with learning disabilities, and, as a Government, our commitment to making sure that they have the sorts of futures that we would want to see for them, where their needs are safeguarded but their prospects are improved, that is absolutely the spirit in which our learning disability action plan has been constructed.