Can I join Vikki Howells and other colleagues by commending the committee on a really thorough piece of work, I think, into what is a very ingrained problem and one that was definitely here before COVID-19? But what's clear from the committee report is the added impact of COVID and lockdowns on pupil absence. So, it's deeply concerning to see evidence that shows that the mental health of children and young people has been severely affected by the pandemic, to the point that they are not attending school.

I see that the Minister is looking at a communication strategy to encourage children and young people back into school, and that this messaging could be localised. So, I'd be interested to see what updates the Minister has on this, and whether he's taken on board the committee's point that there needs to be a baseline for children across Wales to be supported back into school, so there won't be detrimental differences in local responses.

It's also notable from the Minister's reply to the committee that he's placing an emphasis on community-focused schools and family engagement officers to respond to the issue. So, I'm keen to know how the Minister is intending to use them, and what their role will be in spreading this particular message. 

Clearly, there are many, many factors at play when it comes to pupil absence, from those with additional learning needs not getting the right support to the impact of poverty, to being a young carer, which the Minister himself said was a hidden issue. It's a complex problem, and schools, local authorities and families need to have all of the tools available at their disposal to support children back into school. Education should be a right and not an added benefit. 

It should also be of no surprise to any of us in the Chamber today that the impact of absenteeism on pupil learning is devastating. We're already the country with the highest rate of school days lost during the pandemic in the UK, and, sadly, it looks like pupils are set to miss out on even more due to industrial action, which is entirely within the Welsh Government's gift to prevent. However, as the committee report shows, it's not just attainment and employability that are affected, it's socialisation, building friendships and access to mental health support at school. Without these basic interactions, a lack of schooling will lead to poor behaviour and, later on, as ASCL Cymru noted to the committee, criminal or anti-social behaviour even within the community, as well as the potential for increased youth violence.

I'm really curious about the statement the Minister made last May about Welsh Government action on pupil absence, which included national communication to families about the importance of attending school; nearly £4 million in funding for the family engagement officers and the reintroduction of fixed-penalty notices as a last resort. However, not only does it look like the Minister rowed back on the use of fixed-penalty notices by saying that they're being considered as part of a broader review of an all-Wales attendance framework, but the guidance he's been giving to local authorities when reintroducing them has been ambiguous, and I quote, 'has weakened the position of local authority interventions'. How can local authorities use those powers at their disposal without clear guidance on when they're able to intervene? 

It's very interesting to see as well in the part of the world that we both represent, Minister, Neath Port Talbot has the highest average rates of unauthorised absences in the academic year to date, running at over 5 per cent, nearly double the Welsh average and almost triple the rates in Powys and Monmouthshire. Neath Port Talbot also has the highest average percentage of sessions of absence, running at over 12 per cent in the 2022-23 academic year so far. Therefore, I want to know what urgent action the Minister is taking to ensure local authorities, particularly Neath Port Talbot, are able to take the necessary action to stop entrenched and persistent absenteeism, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

And finally, I was struck by a statistic outlined recently by Bridgend County Borough Council that said that even with a 90 per cent attendance rate over an academic year, a pupil would miss out on 100 lessons—100 lessons. That's 100 lessons of maths, English, Welsh, science, physical education and so on over a single year. We should be pushing really hard on this. Of course, lockdowns have affected our children's education severely, and we can't afford to have them further impacted after COVID restrictions have now ended. If we do continue down this road, then we're facing a potential lost generation, and the fault will have been ours. Diolch.