, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I understand the point that the Member is making. When he refers to white working-class boys and their performance within the education system, there are, it seems to me, three separate factors summed up in just those few words. My own view is…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, the life chances of children are affected by many factors beyond the school gate, and are often laid down before education even begins. Enormous efforts are made by teachers and the education system to compensate for those wider factors in the lives…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I’ll do my best to help the Member. I’m struggling to see the connection between that question and the pupil deprivation grant, which was the subject of the question on the order paper. But, if you’re happy for me to take a wholly unrelated…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I thank Mike Hedges for what he said about the extension of free school meals; 80,000 extra pupils are already newly eligible for universal free school meals, and nearly 5 million additional meals have already been served since the policy began…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Mike Hedges for that question. The grant has a key part to play in tackling the impact of poverty on attainment. Year on year, we have extended the grant to reflect the increase in learners eligible for free school meals, with £130 million allocated…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I’ve seen a brief version of Plaid Cymru’s plan and there are some things in there that I’m sure we would wish to think about and to see whether those ideas could be made useful. I don’t agree about a return to the Welsh Development Agency. I think…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I agree, of course, in terms of long-term sickness absence. That's not just true of Wales but across the UK as well. It's a problem that has arisen more in the UK than in other European countries in the context of emerging from COVID. When you look into the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
First of all, of course, I welcome Llyr Gruffydd to his new responsibilities. I'm perfectly willing to offer some mutual aid on the avoidance of disasters front. In relation to his question, I'd suggest for him not to put too much reliance on one month's data…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I hope that it is a comfort to people who are still waiting to know that two-year waits have been reduced by over half in recent months. So, the system is working as hard as it can, and is succeeding in getting those long waits down. The Minister has…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
First of all, can I thank the leader of the opposition for what he said about the hard work of staff right across Wales? He's right: two-year waits have reduced by more than half since the target was first announced. Of course we wish that it had been…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I've seen the letter that the Minister has sent directly to health boards. It asks them to do exactly that—to provide 99 per cent, is what the Minister is reminding me, because there will always be a small number of people for whom it is…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I agree with Buffy Williams about the importance of disabled parking and it being accessible to people, and the position she reports from RCT is indeed a vivid illustration of the pressures that local authority budgets—and the budgets of all…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, of course, I agree with what Vikki Howells has said, Llywydd, and the Welsh Government will make sure that, across the range of our responsibilities, we respond to the important points she’s made this afternoon. The disability rights taskforce has a…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I thank the Member for that supplementary question, and it does indeed illustrate the strength of the social model, which focuses on the way in which society is organised and the social and institutional barriers that restrict disabled people's…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank the Member for those important questions, Llywydd. I agree strongly with what he has said about the need to go on addressing the barriers faced by disabled people. We know, from the work of the taskforce and hearing directly from disabled people…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank the Member for that question. Llywydd, the Welsh Government is committed to equality for disabled people and has set up the disability rights taskforce. It ensures that the voices of disabled people themselves are at the heart of policy and practice…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I don't think it can, for a moment, be an accurate accusation to suggest that the can is being kicked down the road, because that guidance has already been issued. Nobody is waiting for the guidance; the Minister has published the guidance. It…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Can I thank Hefin David for that supplementary question, Llywydd, and begin, as I've done before, in thanking him for all the local efforts I know that he makes to promote the help that is available, both from the Welsh Government and also through the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, the Welsh Government is clear that the cost of school uniform should not be a barrier to learning. Our updated uniform guidance requires schools to prioritise affordability. Funding of £13.6 million has been made available for the school essentials…
, Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
The Prime Minister.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, my advice to the company is simple, Llywydd—it's to get on with contacting Business Wales as fast as they can, to make sure it provides the best possible information, as quickly as it can. And, then, I know that the people on the ground who do this work…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, investment in skills, infrastructure and emerging industries form the bedrock of Welsh Government support for the business growth in the Member’s constituency. The recent successful Celtic free-port bid is an example of that approach in action.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I agree about the importance of stroke care services. It’s why we have had national leads in place for stroke care and why we will continue to work with the local health board to make sure that the reports set out in the national audit are attended to…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Paul Davies for that. The Welsh Government works with Hywel Dda University Health Board to secure improved health outcomes for its local population. Across a range of population health measures, including on life expectancy at birth, the health board…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
It’s an exciting prospect that the Member for Ogmore sets out for us. Where I definitely do agree with him is that local development plans do indeed shape the future. My anxiety for people in Wrexham is that, without such a plan, they will see their green…
