, Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
Could I support Jane Dodds's calls for more detailed information on your implementation of your childcare offer? I tabled a written question asking for the membership of the childcare steering group, and the reply came back saying that the Deputy First…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27
—but you haven't spent a single penny on ALN.
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Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27
Thank you. Thank you, Cabinet Minister. I'm sure you will not be surprised that I want to press you on the funding for ALN. I can tell you that, although there was no statutory override, those pressures in ALN were either absorbed by local authorities or are…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Priorities for Education
Can I congratulate the Cabinet Minister on her appointment? It is, without any shadow of a doubt, the very best job in Government, and I wish her well with it. If I can turn to questions on the statement. I wanted to start with literacy and numeracy, which…
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Questions to the First Minister
First Minister, today you announced £55 million of new money for childcare places. This is despite the fact that, last week, you told us you weren't able to provide any costings and that we needed to wait for the work of an expert group. Well, the only new…
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Questions to the First Minister
1. What are the First Minister's priorities for education in Sir Fynwy Torfaen? OQ64188
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Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body
Diolch. Can I thank all Members for their contributions to this debate? I'll try, in the time that I have available, to respond to as many points as I can. Sera, thank you for your contribution, and I wish your son well with his new role. I do have to say…
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Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body
I move the motion in my name. Llywydd, Wales has around 27,000 school support staff. I want to begin today by thanking each and every one of them. They help children to learn, keep them safe, support children with additional learning needs and allow teachers…
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Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
Thank you for that. If I can just point out that I am not a spokesman, I am a spokesperson. I'm very happy to clarify that our aim in this Chamber is to do the absolute best by the people of Wales, including our children, and that is the aim of our amendment…
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Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
Of course.
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Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
Diolch, Lywydd, and I move the amendment in my name. As we approach a month since Plaid Cymru formed their Government, we are still short on information regarding their flagship policy. It's all well and good making pre-election pledges and getting headlines…
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Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality: Priorities for Social Justice and Equality
Can I congratulate the Deputy First Minister on her appointment and welcome her to her post? Every child does deserve the best start in life, and under the last Welsh Labour Government, we rolled out free school lunches for all children in primary schools…
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Questions to the First Minister
First Minister, 'Our Bravery Brought Justice' must be a watershed moment for children in Wales, and I pay tribute again to those young people whose courage has meant that Neil Foden faced justice. The previous Labour Government accepted every single…
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Business Statement and Announcement
Trefnydd, can I ask for two statements? The first is from the Cabinet Minister for health and social care. On the back of the Audit Wales report into Aneurin Bevan health board's dealings with the eHarley partnership, I and the Torfaen MP made representations…
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Questions to the First Minister
In the spring statement, the UK Labour Government announced a further £555 million for Wales over three years. Most of that funding arose from extra money allocated to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities in England, and…
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Nomination of the First Minister under Standing Order 8
Abstain.
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Improving educational standards in Wales
Thank you very much, Adam. I am really worried about behaviour. I don't want anyone, whether it's children and young people or teachers, to feel unsafe in their working environment. Everybody has got a right to feel safe where they work. You'll be aware that…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Improving educational standards in Wales
Can I thank the Member for her response to my statement, negative though it was? I would have to disagree with her that there were no solutions in what I said. I have set out what we see as key priorities for the education sector in Wales. We know that we've…
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Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Improving educational standards in Wales
Thank you very much, John. I know how passionate you are about sport and physical activity, and, obviously, it's really important—it's important for children's health, but also does help them to learn in school, and is absolutely vital. You'll be aware that…
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Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Improving educational standards in Wales
Thank you very much, Cefin, for your comments. If I can just say in relation to PISA, as I said to Tom Giffard, I was very clear that our last PISA results were not where we wanted them to be and that has been part of what has driven my prioritisation of…
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Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Improving educational standards in Wales
Well, thank you very much, Tom, for that speech. I will try and pick up on as many of the points that I can. I wanted to start, though, by absolutely refuting your suggestion that I am being in any way ideological. That is simply not the way that I work. My…
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Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Improving educational standards in Wales
Today, I am outlining the key improvement priorities that will be my absolute focus and will underpin the improvements we want to see. I've said many times that education begins by attending school and engaging with learning. Our attendance figures show signs…
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Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Improving educational standards in Wales
Thank you, acting Dirprwy Lywydd. I took up this role because I am passionate about making a positive difference to children and young people. Their futures and the future of Wales requires all our children and young people to succeed. We need to work…
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Welsh Conservatives Debate: Teaching of reading skills in schools
Thank you. Can I just say, then, Llywydd, in closing, that we know that we have work to do to support schools to improve the literacy skills of our learners? I am 100 per cent committed to doing that work. I also appreciate what Cefin Campbell said about…
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Welsh Conservatives Debate: Teaching of reading skills in schools
Thank you, Janet. I'm not sure if you actually listened to what I just said about the misinformation your group is promoting about functional illiteracy, so maybe you want to go back and review the record on that. As I was saying, our PISA results have been…
