Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 7 March 2023.
Well, Llywydd, of course I acknowledge the difficult context that Heledd Fychan has set out and, unfortunately, that will only get worse over the next month. At the beginning of April, the cost of energy will increase and there will be freezes in the area of income tax, which will have an impact on household income across Wales, and many people will face increased mortgage costs too. So, the impact in the classroom is going to be very great indeed. As I explained, we are doing a number of things under the co-operation agreement in order to assist families and to assist in classrooms too, and the Minister for education has been in discussion with the education unions over recent weeks to discuss with them what we can do together to help people working with children—both teachers and others—in order to provide more time to do the work that they're there to do, by providing more general assistance to them. So, in collaboration with the unions, and through the programme that we have agreed with Plaid Cymru, practical steps are being taken to assist people in a context that is very difficult for families and those working in the sector too.