, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Okay, thank you. Well, that's—. That is—. We'll go with that answer for now. Okay. So, you said there are only five local areas who are doing this targeted—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Okay. But, in your work, Harriet, about who's going to pay for apprenticeships and how does that link in with other types of tertiary education—. You know, what Joe Public will think is: they pay the apprenticeship levy—where is it?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Well—.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Well, surely we need to know how much money is being generated by Welsh employers and is this money coming back to us.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Okay. I'm going to look at the potential barriers for apprentices, but I want to start with: employers pay an apprenticeship levy—what happens to it? Have you had a chance to have a look at that? Where is this money that Wales is eligible for?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Thank you for that. So, that's a core part of your job, basically?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Looking at the strategic overview, I'm just a bit concerned that you've yet to mention anything around green skills or the net-zero challenge, nor, indeed, does the Welsh Government paper that was published last February. So, where does this fit with the…
, Plenary
Short Debate: Reaching a tipping point? Wales’s littering and fly-tipping epidemic
Will you take an intervention? I wonder when you think that the ban on single-use vapes is going to come in, because not only are they a horrendous eyesore, but they also cause fires when they're put into the incineration system.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Speech and language therapists
As I've realised that you have expert insight into the achievements of Flying Start, I wonder whether you are able to tell us what the differential outcome has been for families who've benefitted from this additional speech and language intervention, compared…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Speech and language therapists
England is doing better, yes. They have dedicated NHS speech and language therapists working in custody suites at police stations, because it can be no surprise that if you can’t speak to the level of your emotional development, you get frustrated. Look at…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Speech and language therapists
Well, we’ll wait to hear from the Cabinet Secretary. But if Natasha Asghar doesn’t think we have a good enough service here in Wales, then what were they doing, asking the previous UK Government for 14 years to devolve these services to Wales?
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Speech and language therapists
Okay.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Speech and language therapists
Thank you, Mabon, for mentioning the equality and social justice report on this subject, which was roughly two years ago. There is lack of certainty over future funding, and it’s clearly something I think it would be useful to explore in this discussion…
, Plenary
Debate: Natural Resources Wales's 'Case for Change'
I understand there was engagement with trade unions who represent their staff, but would staff who were already working in these visitor centres not be TUPE-ed over to a new organisation? Is that one of the things that's been holding things up?
, Plenary
Debate: Natural Resources Wales's 'Case for Change'
We know that NRW hasn't been adequately funded for the huge number of tasks it has. Guess what? We've had 14 years of austerity and, basically, decisions to underfund bodies such as NRW by the UK Government in order to drive down the quality of public…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
It's very good to hear the chief whip of the Welsh Conservatives saying that we want a two-state solution, and it's good that we all agree on that. Obviously, this is a very fragile situation, and the latest military activity by the Israeli military in Jenin…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care: Access to Primary and Community Care Services
The key there is the fact that Nia is working in a practice that is being directly managed by the health board, rather than one that's being managed by a GP practice. Clearly, there are different ways in which we need to look at the GP contract to have a more…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care: Access to Primary and Community Care Services
We've done some great work on getting better use out of the community pharmacists, because they're highly skilled individuals, and them dealing with the common ailments scheme seems to me just a much better use of their skills than simply dishing out somebody…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: Restoring nature in Wales
Thank you for all the wonderful work you described, going across the whole of Wales. I particularly want to thank you for sticking to your guns on ensuring that anybody entering the sustainable farming scheme will have to have 10 per cent of their farm for…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
That would be very useful. Thank you.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Okay. Those are really important contributions, I agree, to keeping young people in further education. Cabinet Secretary, would it be possible to have a note on what it would cost to uprate the free-school-meals entitlement in secondary schools, with all the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Okay, so what conversation has been had in the Cabinet about moving the school essentials grant, the EMA and the school meals entitlement into the social justice budget? Because I can see that there's a really difficult competition going on between the really…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Thank you very much. I just want to take us back to the issues around your current feeling that you can't uprate the free school meals entitlement for secondary school children because of its link with the school essentials and other benefits. The Cabinet…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership
Okay, fine. So, how are they going to do it because they're presumably not going to charge for entry into the castle? It's all about the facilities that they're able to charge for, i.e. cafe facilities, that sort of thing.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership
Finally, on income generation, obviously improved connectivity by train is an opportunity for them, for visiting Caerphilly castle, as well as, obviously, the bicycle routes, which are a bit more demanding. So, how much are they focusing on the huge…
