, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
Do you want to ask anything else on that?
, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
Thanks. Ian.
, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
Ann-Marie, do you want to come in on the other part?
, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
Okay, thank you. So, a significant part of your report is in relation to key performance indicators, the KPIs; I know colleagues have some questions around those. Elfed, do you want to come in first on that?
, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
Absolutely, okay. And then in terms of the assurance that what has been reported is accurate, how have you gathered that assurance?
, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
Thank you for that. There's accountability and there's responsibility, and you used the word 'accountability' there, which I think is appropriate, because, of course, the responsibility for the previous performance could be with the previous Auditor General…
, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
Thank you for being with us this morning, and thank you for your time previously, as well, in working with the committee and sharing the work that you do. We have a number of questions around the report that you've published as well. I'll kick off with some…
, Finance Committee
Audit Wales - Scrutiny of Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 and the Annual Plan 2026-27: Evidence Session 1
The next item on our agenda is the Audit Wales scrutiny of annual reports and accounts 2025-26 and the annual plan 2026-27. It's our first evidence session. We're really pleased to have the Auditor General for Wales and chair of the Audit Wales board with us…
, Finance Committee
Papers to note
The second item on our agenda is papers to note. We have five papers to note there. Are Members content to note all those? Yes. Okay. Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Bore da. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to our Finance Committee here on 1 October. The first item on our agenda today is introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest. We have no apologies. Any declarations of interest from anybody at…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector
Diolch, Lywydd. I'm grateful to all Members who've contributed to the debate in this Chamber this evening. I think it shows the importance of the defence sector in Wales to all parts of Wales. I will start my closing of this debate, Llywydd, by addressing the…
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
Can I build on that slightly? I appreciate your response, Deputy Minister. Do you have a feel, or do your officials have a feel, as to how much of those in that NEET category—that it may be an employability thing rather than a skills thing? I'm wondering in…
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
We've mentioned a few issues here, obviously, around NEETs, throughout these two hours we've had together, and then the role of apprenticeships and skills. It strikes me we don't often talk much about employability as an issue, so you may have the…
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
[Inaudible.] And I still remember the speech well, Deputy Minister, from those awards, so da iawn.
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
Thanks. Thanks, Chair.
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
Forgive me, the issue actually is the limited number of options of apprenticeships in Wales. So, whilst, yes, it is controlled at UK level, the choice of which courses are available in Wales is a decision for us here in Wales. So, currently, there are just…
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
On the apprenticeship levy—and thank you for your response there, Deputy Minister—one of the challenges that some employers have, those who are paying into the levy, because they meet the threshold required to, is that the apprenticeship options don't suit…
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
Yes, on this particular issue, Chair. Thank you.
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
You mentioned earlier, Deputy Minister, the conversations you're having across the Cabinet to tackle some of these issues. Are they willing to chip in to support colleges, if that's the case? If they're sitting around the table and recognising the challenges…
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
And if I may, Chair, just briefly on this point—
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
Thanks, Minister. And do you think, therefore, it's a fair level playing field for colleges at the moment, if that's the case, where schools and universities are getting the funding required to do the job but colleges aren't?
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
Good to have you with us this morning. Just going back to the funding for our colleges, just to be really clear on this, colleges are saying that they are currently educating nearly 5,000 learners who aren't funded placements. Are you aware of any other areas…
, Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Welsh Government General Scrutiny Session
Diolch, Chair. Thank you very much. Good morning, Deputy Minister.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
First Minister, I certainly agree with the comments made by colleagues across the Chamber here so far, because local authorities, councils, and the work they do is the lifeblood of our communities, from the roads that we drive on to the schools that we send…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Can I support the Member in his questions on this topic, First Minister? We know that many older people at the moment are struggling with the cost of living, and particularly with the impact of a fixed income on many older people in our communities. We also…
