, Local Government and Housing Committee
Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Good afternoon, Minister. Thank you for your time this afternoon with us. I just want to ask a few questions around electoral registration without application. So, we have heard evidence from organisations or individuals concerned about divergence in devolved…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Yes, some great questions.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Yes. I think it's a really important point around the specialist needs that will need to be catered for, and that's why, on the face of the Bill, I outline that this provision 'must provide that residential outdoor education is suitable to a pupil’s age…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
So, Welsh Government Ministers will already have structures in place for all sorts of levels of compliance with different schemes, programmes, projects that they have in place. I don't see this as being anything different to what exists. It's just a different…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Sorry, I won't ramble on.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Yes, I think they are some of the details that we expect to have to be worked through. I don't have all the answers. I'm not going to pretend to have all the answers here today. The Bill itself—I didn't want to put that level of restriction on the face of the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
It will be the same way in which the outcomes for children in the Curriculum for Wales are currently measured. This is not, again, looking to change the world or completely change the curriculum itself. It's an asset within the curriculum to help learners…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Thanks. I guess the point here is trying to put something in place that isn’t again a whole new industry. Let me come back to the point recognising that a lot of these activities already take place, and there’s already good tracking within the EVOLVE system…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
I think it’s fair to say that this could be considered as part of the journey around outdoor learning, so if this isn’t the very end point, or if this isn’t even the start point, there may be ways in which the principles within this Bill could or should be…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
I think it's a really interesting idea. I know colleagues elsewhere in the UK are looking at similar things. I know that the Scottish version of this looks at a private-public partnership set-up, which I think is a really interesting route to consider. I’ve…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Thanks, Laura. It's a really challenging question around how costs would be met. My initial response, as I presented to the Senedd last week, is that Government finds money for things that it thinks are important and are a priority. The Government has a…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
I think I'd broadly come back to the point that, as with the Curriculum for Wales, it's down to schools and teachers to ensure that what is being provided for the children is what's best for them. I would expect schools and teachers to understand that an…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
I'm really sorry about that.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Thanks. Perhaps, Jen, you'd want to make a point, as well, from the legal perspective.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
I think it's fair to say it's something that we chewed over a lot. It comes back, though to, I think, two important points. The first is to remember again that a lot of this stuff already happens. So, coming back to what we're trying to achieve here, it's the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
It's something, again, that was interesting, visiting the many centres that I did, that they all acknowledged—. Perhaps that’s too much of a sweeping statement. Many of them acknowledged that there is a better opportunity for them to engage with Welsh…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Yes. It's a really important point, and I think it is pretty strong within the Bill already—having it there that they 'must provide that residential outdoor education be provided in Welsh'. I've had to include 'subject to availability' within there, but…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
So, the—. Just give me one second on this one here. So, yes, of the 50 that we surveyed, the 50 that are in Wales, 31 of them said that they would have capacity for additional residential bookings. The number of spaces spread across those 50 centres—the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Yes, I think it's a really important point: there's no point having something in place that can't be provided for. So, I think we are blessed in Wales with the number of outdoor activity centres that there are. I believe that there are around 50 here in Wales…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Thank you.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Yes, and, just for clarity, in the explanatory memorandum, the teacher cover costs are calculated within paragraph 209—there's clearly the teacher cost in there.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Yes, absolutely. It's a piece of work that's outlined, as you say, within the explanatory memorandum as well. So, going back to the Bill itself—sorry to do this—there is section 2, 64B, the funding bit that you're referring to: 'The Welsh Ministers must pay a…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
Thank you. I guess there is a temptation to put something in place that is exactly the same for every school across Wales. I think that flies in the face, though, of the intentions of the Curriculum for Wales, which is very much about schools themselves…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 1
I'm really sorry, I missed the very last part of that, Buffy. Would you just be able to say that again? Sorry.
