, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well, with that postgraduate element, that of course is possible. We don't believe it will make a big difference, to be perfectly honest, but it's possible that some people might decide not to where they previously would have.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Yes, it will be the basis of the funding that will change. I don't expect and I'm not planning on the basis that that will change. The change related to how it's paid and the move from grants to loans. This is one of those very difficult decisions that we've…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well, there has been an increase is the point I'm making. But in terms of the PLA itself, we have a new approach in this budget of combining PLA with the broader budget, because we were hearing from colleges that the way that PLA works—. PLA is popular—we've…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Okay. If I may, just two things in terms of context on this. The first thing is that, in terms of the cut to the post-16 budget in general, if you put the fund for supporting learners that we've just mentioned to one side, the cut in terms of percentage is…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well, it's a mixed picture, Chair. So, the approach that has been absolutely consistent is that we've applied the same set of principles. So, we've asked ourselves the same questions in making the cuts we had to make in-year last year as the reductions we've…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
We may be some time with this, Chair. [Laughter.] The short answer to your question, which I'm sure you would appreciate, is that the 2024-25 revenue budget, which we've published in draft, is in fact a little over £15 million higher than the 2023-24 budget…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Yes, certainly, Chair. I think any cut of that magnitude will be missed, won't it, to a budget. But what we have endeavoured to do, in making choices that I'm sure have been the most difficult choices during the period of devolution, really, given the…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Diolch.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
No. Thank you for your questions.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I support that. I think it's a sensible use of the public estate. We have resources in the middle of the capital city and this is a positive way of making use of them. I understand the point that you make on the concept of independence. I don't think this is…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
That's a fair point. At the moment—. Well, not at the moment, but until recently, part of the funding went through the consortia; it didn't go directly to the local authorities. So, you had a statutory responsibility to deliver on the objectives in one place…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Yes, well, because I think it provides more autonomy for councils to administer these financial resources in a more flexible way. I think that's important. I also think that it allows a more innovative element, in terms of how you can combine late immersion…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
But that's the process in the WESPs. Of course things change over a period of years, but the council will look at the WESP and will determine what provision we can afford, and in order to achieve that, 'Here is a contribution from Government and a…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
So, what we're trying to do and what we are doing as a Government is providing the capital, as you've just recognised, and then, along with that, other grant elements that will help the council with the workforce and with training and so on. So, that's the…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, yes, of course, but the revenue impact—. It isn't entirely additional, that's the point I'm making, because the numbers of pupils don't on the whole increase.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, we're not usually talking about educating more children, so—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Okay. [Laughter.] Therefore, what's happening, generally, not just in the Welsh language budget, is that we are bringing together some 25 individual grants in the education department more generally, provided to the consortia or the local authorities, into…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
There is more than one purpose, but that is an impact, certainly.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I think it's fair in terms of ensuring that the core budget can meet the regulatory requirements, but, as I've just said, the position of the Welsh Language Commissioner is a little different because of the legal element around the tribunal and so on. We do…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Not at all. It's great.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, the core budget available to the commissioner is adequate to meet the regulatory requirements of the commissioner under the standards regime, but the additional question there is: what is the position when one has to go to a tribunal or to court or…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, I know, because of the nature of the commissioner's budget, any commissioner doesn't have many options in terms of dealing with any budgetary cuts, so, in fairness, I need to make that point. And therefore, this will cause pressure on staffing budgets…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
It will start before then. When we do have that analysis, we will have that discussion during this year.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, they have been a central part of that process, and that's great and I'm grateful to them for that. But it is difficult when you're talking about change, and I understand that that's difficult. But, although that analysis hasn't shaped this draft budget…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Yes. It hasn't had an impact on this allocation. The report has been received, and I'd like to thank everyone who has participated in that. The discussion has been very positive. We are working through the review's conclusions at the moment, so that data and…
