29 January 2025 , Plenary
Topical Questions
The Welsh Government has discussed the proposals with Cardiff University and we expect the concerns of staff, students and trade unions to be heard during the consultation. Universities across Wales make vital contributions to our communities, economy and…
22 January 2025 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Janet, for that supplementary question and, of course, I am aware of the concerns that have been raised by students at Lampeter university regarding the potential closure of that campus there, which, obviously I should say, comes under the…
22 January 2025 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Well, thank you, Sioned for that supplementary question. I’ll start by saying that, by increasing the tuition fee limits for undergraduate students in Wales by 3.1 per cent for the 2025-26 academic year, that’s up from £9,250 to £9,535 a student, we will…
22 January 2025 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The Welsh Government has increased tuition fees next year, providing up to £21.9 million in additional income to universities. We have also provided an additional £10 million to the sector, bringing total grant funding to over £200 million in the current…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Diolch.
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Yes, thank you, Cefin, and I think I'll start with just that reminder that the 2024-25 budget round was the most stark and painful budget choices for Wales in the devolution era. I wasn't in Government at that time but colleagues remind me all the time how…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Thank you, Cefin, and, I think, first thing, I can start off with some good news, which is that, despite the tough financial settlement, the coleg's budget wasn't reduced in 2024-25. We were able to maintain its funding at the same level as 2023-24, and that…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Thank you, Cefin. I can see you looking at both of us there, because, obviously, this is another area that cuts across both portfolios, but, because the main focus there in your question was on post-16 participation, I'll take that. So, the additional £1.5…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Thank you, Chair. There will be an overall ring fence between the funding provided to Medr from the education MEG and the funding provided for apprenticeships from the economy, energy and planning MEG, and that's really in order to provide appropriate line of…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Yes, absolutely. That's something that has come out in some of my visits to universities that I have been conducting over recent months. I think that it is help as well for academic staff, so that they can be given some of the skills in this area, but…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Thank you, Joel. That's a really important question. Mental health and well-being, particularly in higher education, is something that I am really strongly focused on, and I know that Medr is too. To go over some of the figures to start with, in 2024-25, we…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
I can certainly add more to that. Medr submitted its strategic plan to my officials for review, and that’s in line with section 15 of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022. Then, we would expect to receive the final plan this month for…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Thank you for that question, Chair. As an arm’s-length body with a significant budget, we would expect that the committee would want to provide scrutiny of Medr and its financial allocation decisions. Probably the best way to do that is for you to liaise…
16 January 2025 , Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 2
Thank you, Lynne, and thank you, Jenny, and I'll just talk a little bit about the EMA and also the financial contingency fund because that's important for our tertiary learners. So, as you know, in 2023 we uplifted the EMA from £30 a week to £40 a week for…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Sam, for that supplementary question. I absolutely agree with everything you said there. It's so important that we don't just look at these skill sets, but at how they can enable our young people to stay in the communities that they are born and…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Dirprwy Lywydd, I'd like to thank Joyce Watson for that supplementary question, and I absolutely agree with her about the importance of initiatives like that. And, in fact, I'm undertaking a joint visit to Pembrokeshire College in just two weeks' time with…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
We want to ensure all our young people are able to positively engage with a world increasingly driven by technological and digital innovation. This financial year, the Welsh Government is providing over £1.6 million for STEM activities in schools, with a…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Cefin. Correspondence, as I'm sure you're aware, is written correspondence. All of my dealings with the universities to date have been through face-to-face meetings and discussions, and I've been really pleased to be able to meet with so many…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Cefin Campbell, for the question. I acknowledge that the Chancellor's announcements of changes to employer national insurance contributions from April next year will increase costs for our universities, and I'm currently working with my officials…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Is that all three of your questions?
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
I thank Cefin Campbell for those questions. I will begin by saying that I recognise that our universities, just like universities across the UK and beyond, are under significant financial pressure. I’m working with my officials to consider the impact of the…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Laura Anne Jones, for your supplementary there. And I would disagree with what you said there; I think the Government has got a really strong track record of investing in STEM. A £1.6 million commitment will reach across the STEM portfolio to…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
I’d like to thank Julie Morgan for that supplementary question, and I know from my own work as a local MS that when construction projects like this deliver these tangible educational benefits, then it can really help our learners to understand how studying…
6 November 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
I am committed to ensuring equality of opportunity, encouraging a culture of science literacy and learner progression. We provide support from nursery to higher education and beyond, prioritising STEM across the Curriculum for Wales, pledging £1.6 million for…
5 November 2024 , Plenary
& 10. The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (Designation of Providers) Regulations 2024 and the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (Registration and De-registration of Tertiary Education Providers in Wales) Regulations 2024
I'm grateful to the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for participating in today's debate. I call on Members to approve this package of statutory instruments to enable Medr and the Welsh Government to continue to work with the…
