, 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 in the current climate, no. But what we are seeing already—and you will be aware of this—is how the process of the Eisteddfod itself and the communities raising funds turns into an opportunity itself to use and celebrate the Welsh language. Wonderful…
, 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
The idea of providing free entry to all is not possible in the current climate, but certainly we are discussing with the Eisteddfod what we can do to ensure that the Eisteddfod is accessible to people who perhaps wouldn't be able to afford to go usually. 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
No. Apologies for that.
, 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 the word 'increase' might be—
, 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 have—. This is the first year that it's increasing to £1 million, I think. So, in this financial year that we're in at the moment it'll be £1 million, and, in the next financial year, which is what we're discussing at the moment, it will be £1 million…
, 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.
, 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 have been £1 million this year, and it will be £1 million next year. So, the £1 million sum is the consistent sum.
, 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. I can explain how it's worked, but—
, 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 is something technical, but the figures have remained basically the same.
, 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, as I told Llyr, we just need to be transparent that there's a risk that that could happen. If you cut an organisation's budget, the risk that there will be reduced provision and therefore fewer learners is a clear risk in that scenario. But there are no…
, 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
We're expecting the current plans to continue, the current capacity to continue into the next 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
We have to be realistic that that is a risk. That's part of the financial impact and the austerity that we're facing. The relationship between our office and the coleg is a very positive one, therefore, the task, I think, is to collaborate to try and minimise…
, 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
Maintaining what they are doing at the moment.
, 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, as I told Tom, we don't pay per unit in terms of the number of learners coming into the post-16 sector. That's not the mechanism that we have in funding the coleg Cymraeg. The work that they do in creating capacity and promotion does of course lead to…
, 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
We've been able to maintain their core funding this year, but this is a good example of what I mentioned to Alun and Tom earlier, in terms of how a budget from one department can have an impact on the aim of another. So, it'll be important to look at 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
I think that the progress that is being made in terms of opening settings and new cylchoedd is positive and is what we were hoping to see, so that's positive. Over the last two years, we've allocated about an additional £0.5 million to Mudiad, so that they…
, 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, so the funding will remain in the Welsh in education BEL. Because we're in the early period of establishing Adnodd, for this year, there is no difference between the grant in aid and the resource budget. As you will know, perhaps, the difference usually…
, 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, we have two figures: the 2024-25 figure, which is just over £2.07 million, and that figure—. That figure confirms that figure. We're clear that that is sufficient for the company to undertake the work that they forecast they're going to do in 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
The cut of £3.5 million, of course, relates to the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and the National Centre for Learning Welsh, but it isn't a cut as compared to 2023-24, so we have maintained the budget in comparison to that year. That has allowed us to fund other…
, 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 relates to my answer to Alun, I think, doesn't it? It's about being transparent as to where that happens, and I hope that my response to the committee will give you some comfort in that regard. What I would say and my view is that a step change has…
, 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'd be very happy to do that. What I would say, as just a note on that, is that, as you will know, many policies are developed in a consistent way in English and Welsh in any case. But accepting that, I would be happy to respond to your request.
, 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 don't think we have a mechanism that we can present to this committee what the cuts are in other Ministers' budgets that have an impact on the Welsh language, but the challenge is fair. If I was a member of this committee, I'd also want to understand…
, 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 work that we're doing at the moment is positive. It has certainly changed the pace at which Government is seeking to deliver this. I think the aim—it is difficult to evaluate this, perhaps—is that every department should see Welsh language…
, 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 don't think we're in a position to have a data-based assessment in that way. I think two signals, if I could put it that way, is the work that has been happening with the Cabinet. There's been broad-ranging discussion with Ministers, one-to-one and as 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
Okay, well, what we've tried to do, and we've told the committee about this before, is to mainstream policy throughout the work of Government. So, my budget is a substantial contribution to that, but, of course, the budgets of other Ministers also contribute…
