, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Supporting mental well-being in education
This is a long-term piece of work and I want to ensure that our work in schools is replicated across other public services and across communities. This is why we have ensured strong links between our whole-school approach framework and the Together for…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Supporting mental well-being in education
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Supporting the emotional and mental well-being of learners is essential if we are to support every young person to reach their full potential. We in Wales have acted at pace. In the current year alone, we have provided record levels…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Professional Qualifications Bill
Can I also thank Huw Irranca-Davies and the committee for their work, as I mentioned at the start, and for his forbearance about the question about replying to the recommendations in the report? I can assure him that we will be accepting the recommendations…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Professional Qualifications Bill
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I thank all contributors to the debate today and acknowledge what Paul Davies said about the committee's work, and thank him and the committee for their work on this?
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Professional Qualifications Bill
As you're aware, my advice to the Senedd is that we should not give approval to the Bill in its current form. The Bill was developed at speed by the UK Government, and the majority of this activity took place during our pre-election period, which prevented…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Professional Qualifications Bill
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome this opportunity to explain the background of this LCM, and to explain why I suggest that the Senedd should not agree to this LCM. I'm grateful to the Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee for considering…
, Plenary
The Education Tribunal for Wales (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. As we continue with the work of preparing the ground for introducing the additional learning needs system in full, it's come to our attention that there is an incorrect cross-reference in regulation 17(2) of the Education…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
We anticipate that all children in that age group will have received the offer of vaccination during the month of October through invitations to mass vaccination centres. Just on the point that the Member made about the increase in cases in the 10 to 19…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
On the Member's last question in relation to support for rural schools—indeed, support for all schools—and the need to be able to provide for remote learning as and when that's required, obviously, I think we're in a very different position now than we were…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I'd like to put on record my thanks to the education sector for the hard work that they've done in keeping schools as safe as possible. I wrote to headteachers and college leaders just yesterday, recognising the work that they have been doing. I acknowledge…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I recognise that this has been a challenging start to the school year. We continue to work closely with schools, local government, the teaching unions, and public health specialists, to monitor the situation and to decide what steps are needed to ensure our…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Thank you very much.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Of course.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, I'm in the Chair's hands in that sense.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, the £200,000 is one of the ways in which we've supported the National Eisteddfod. Last year, we provided some £500,000 to support the Eisteddfod with the cost related to the postponement of the Tregaron Eisteddfod. So, there are many ways in which we…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
We need to ensure that these things are properly sequenced. We can't do everything on the first day, but I will be certainly happy to keep you in the picture on the timetable for that.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
They take between 12 and 18 months to go through the Senedd. I haven't yet decided what the timetable for laying those is. There is a question of ensuring that resources are available at the moment for all kinds of things. We have a programme for government…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, we have a manifesto commitment, as you will know, to introduce specific regulations to place duties under the standards on Transport for Wales before the end of the Senedd term, and we will certainly do that. So, that is a clear commitment that we will…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, Chair, if I may, I agree with Alun Davies—we need to ensure that rights are delivered and that people, in reality, have access to Welsh-medium education in all parts of Wales, if they so desire. So, I'd be happy to write to the committee on that.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Yes.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, you say 'just encouragement'; we've just stated that there will be a £2 million fund to ensure that it does happen, so it's more than just encouragement. But, in terms of what we can do in terms of enforcement, Bethan's just mentioned the journey that…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
This is a very exciting policy, I believe. And we've seen how important this has been where the provision has been in place, and we've had immersion centres since the 1980s. There are some 14 counties in Wales providing some sort of immersion—some in…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, we may need further resources, but I will be looking at all of those elements as part of the fuller response to the review, which I'll be announcing in the next few weeks.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, that's the point I was trying to make. I think there are specific skills in the National Centre for Learning Welsh that could be used in our education system. We have an aim of ensuring progress in terms of Welsh language education in English medium or…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, the work of the coleg Cymraeg is important, and we've expanded their budget this year in order to ensure that we use the range of skills that they have. But there is also a question as to the work of the national centre, and how we can use the specific…
