Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

Welcome to this Plenary session. Before we begin, I want to set out a few points. A meeting held by video-conference, in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament, constitutes Senedd proceedings for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Some of the provisions of Standing Order 34 will apply for today's Plenary meeting, and those are set out on your agenda. I would remind Members that Standing Orders relating to order in Plenary meetings apply to this meeting. 

The first item is questions to the First Minister, and the first question is from Neil McEvoy. 

Llywydd, chemical and radiological testing was carried out in 2009, 2013 and 2017 on marine sediment prior to its disposal at Cardiff grounds.

Thanks, First Minister. In 2018, I went to the High Court with others to stop the dumping of Hinkley's nuclear mud in Welsh waters just outside of Cardiff. You voted for the dumping to go ahead without testing for plutonium. Now your own expert panel has found that any further dumping is against Welsh interests. It's advised that model studies are carried out. The UK Government report 'NRPB-M173' proves that plutonium alpha radiation leaked for decades without any spike in gamma radiation. So, you and Natural Resources Wales were wrong on your reason for not testing for plutonium. 

You've even been proven wrong about where the mud would end up. Scientists like Professor Barnham of Imperial College London and Professor Henshaw of Bristol university are asking that CR-39 testing is done, so that micro plutonium particles can be identified. Will you admit that you were wrong to dump the mud in 2018, and will you please ensure that CR-39 testing is carried out so that we will know for sure whether or not there are microparticles of plutonium in that mud? The real question is: will you please ensure that CR-39 testing is done because plutonium has leaked into that mud for decades? We know that now. Will you test, please?

Well, Llywydd, I established the independent advisory group to explore all aspects of the siting of a nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point as that affects Wales. The group comprises very senior figures from the range of relevant disciplines, and the group published its report on Tuesday of last week. Its conclusions include the need to put in place effective cross-border arrangements to deal with any emergency, and the need for remodelling of disposal at the Cardiff grounds as a result of its own detailed consideration of the suitability of the Cardiff grounds as a disposal site within a marine protected area and the wider resilience of the Severn estuary ecosystem. I will ensure that the report is made available to the regulator so that its conclusions can be properly taken into account when considering any application that might lead to the marine sediment being disposed at the Cardiff grounds. 

I thank the Member for that question. Llywydd, the Welsh Government continues to support local economies across Wales, including that of Aberavon, with our packages of funding available to businesses in response to the pandemic as well as through our Transforming Towns programme.

Can I thank the First Minister for that answer, and can I welcome the support given to the thousands of small businesses across Aberavon during the pandemic to ensure that, as the First Minister said, those in business in 2019 can stay in business when we come out of this pandemic? Now, there are still some who may need that support for a little bit longer because of the sectors they work in, such as Sonalyst in my consistency. But most of our small businesses actually depend on our major employer in Port Talbot, and that's steel, and the need for Government to continue its support for steel is critical, particularly in the face of the Tory denial over the future of the steel sector in Wales. It appears that cronyism is rife in the Tory Party, because we're seeing David Cameron lobbying Rishi Sunak for support for an investment company directly, but not for these businesses that the investment currently supports. Therefore, can the First Minister give steelworkers in my constituency, and in the wider region, assurances that this Welsh Labour Government will continue to stand up for our steel sector and support the industry as it moves towards decarbonisation in order to build a strong, sustainable steel industry for the future and for generations to come?

Llywydd, I thank David Rees for that supplementary question. Of course, this is an anxious time for steelworkers. My colleague Ken Skates attended a meeting of the UK Steel Council—long delayed, but finally meeting on 5 March. He also met with Liberty Steel on 18 March and raised all these issues again at a quadrilateral meeting, involving the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the UK Government, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, on the same day. And the point that the Welsh Government always make, Llywydd, is the strategic significance of a steel industry—you cannot hope to be a modern economy, let alone a manufacturing economy, without having an indigenous steel industry. That is the significance of the work that goes on in the Member's own constituency. Now, there, the Welsh Government continues directly to support efforts at Port Talbot to secure the sort of decarbonised future for the steel industry that David Rees has long supported. The Steel and Metals Institute at Swansea University, which my predecessor in this job opened in February 2018, focuses on reducing carbon emissions in the steel industry. The ASTUTE Institute, again at Swansea University, using £23 million of European funding, focuses on advanced sustainable manufacturing technologies that can help to secure a sustainable future for the steel industry. Here in Wales, the Welsh Government does everything we can to support that industry directly, but also to make the case that only the UK Government can deliver a sector deal of the sort that the steel industry requires, and we make that case to them whenever we have the opportunity.

Thank you, First Minister, for a sensible reply there, rather than a party political broadcast. As you know, the Welsh Conservatives themselves are deeply committed to the future of the steel industry in Wales. There's still a considerable amount of publicly owned land and property in my region, not least in Aberavon. As the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee has advised that youth unemployment will be set back as a result of COVID, and in light of ongoing concerns about the constituency's anchor employer, as you've just referred to, how can publicly owned assets be best used to help create investment and jobs that benefit young people in Aberavon?

I thank the Member for that question. The Welsh Government invests considerable sums of money in trying to bring back into beneficial use ground that, left to the market, would never come forward. Often, as in the sorts of areas that Suzy Davies has identified, that is because it is industrial land where contamination has happened in previous years, and, if you bring the land for sale, then nobody is able to buy it because they can't deal with the sunk costs that would have to be mopped up before the land could become usable. So, our stalled sites fund, for example, is designed to carry out that investment on publicly owned land so that it can then be used, for example, for housing, with all the jobs that that itself brings forward. And I agree with the Member—there is a real challenge for Wales, whichever political parties are involved in it, in making sure that our young people do not bear the brunt of the economic crisis that coronavirus has created. And finding ways in which we can create opportunities for them in education, in employment, in training so that they come through the pandemic, ready to take advantages of job opportunities when the economy recovers, I think, is absolutely at the top of the list of challenges that the next Senedd term will need to face.  

First Minister, Aberavon continues to have one of the lowest employment rates in Wales, with a quarter of the residents economically inactive. Do you accept that your economic policies have failed the people of Aberavon and the entire South Wales West region? So, what the people in my region need is greater support for domestic businesses, particularly those pursuing green technologies, as well as hoping to attract overseas companies. First Minister, how will your Government encourage entrepreneurial spirit in Aberavon? Thank you. 

Well, Llywydd, there's a lot in what the Member said in the second half of her contribution with which I can agree. Her analysis is deeply flawed, however. It is one of the most remarkable features of the Welsh economy over the last 20 years that we moved from having one of the highest proportions of our population economically inactive, and a growing proportion as well, in 1999, at the start of devolution, to having reduced that figure to at or occasionally below the UK average, and if you'd said that 20 years ago, that that could be achieved, you really would have been thought of as being out on a limb in terms of economic possibilities at that time. So, I think her analysis is deeply mistaken, but her positive suggestions for what is needed for the economy of Aberavon and the wider economy of south-west Wales has lots of sensible things in it.

Of course, we want to encourage indigenous enterprises. We have put money, during this pandemic, directly into supporting young people in particular who have ideas for self-employment, making sure that they have the mentoring that they need, the support that they need and some of the start-up capital they may need in order to turn those ideas into viable businesses of the future. And, while this Government has had a particular focus on the foundational economy, those jobs that can't be moved around the globe, we go on helping to bring investment to Wales from elsewhere as well. There's no one answer to the future of the Welsh economy. It needs to draw on a wide range of different ways in which we can support businesses that are here already, support the talents and enthusiasms of young people who have ideas for the jobs of the future, and, where opportunities arise, welcome inward investment to Wales as well.  

Questions now from the party leaders. The leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies. 

Thank you, Presiding Officer, and, with your permission, as it's the last Senedd First Minister's questions of this session, I'd like to just reflect for a moment on the tragedy that families have gone through over the COVID crisis that we've just seen behind us over the last 12 months. The loss of a loved one is incalculable, and the grief that families must be feeling across the whole of Wales is sombrely reflected today by all Members of the Senedd, but also in all communities the length and breadth of Wales. We've also seen huge acts of kindness that have been so inspirational, both community spirited kindness and compassion combined, which have carried many people through this crisis.

I'd also like to put on record my thanks, as leader of the Welsh Conservative group, to the staff of the Commission who, through this five-year session, have seen us through question times and debates, and also to reflect on the Members who aren't with us today, who gathered with us in May 2016 to begin this session, who tragically have lost their lives over the last five years. 

First Minister, with the third wave ripping through Europe at the moment, why is it easier to fly from Cardiff to Alicante than it is to drive to Aberystwyth?  

Llywydd, apologies to the leader of the opposition, as I just missed the—. The line just dipped in the very last part of his question to me. If he'd just be happy to repeat that very last line. 

Yes, First Minister. Sorry about that. Why is it easier to fly from Cardiff to Alicante than it is to drive to Aberystwyth at the moment in Wales? 

I beg your pardon. Thank you for that. Llywydd, could I also just echo the first points that Mr Davies made? We'll have a chance later this afternoon, in a statement that I will give, to reflect on the extraordinary last 12 months and those who have lost loved ones. It's a very important day for us to do that.

I wanted, as well, to take the opportunity, as the leader of the opposition did, just to reflect on the cruelty of the last five years as far as Senedd Members are concerned. We've never experienced a term like it, when we've experienced the loss of Members of the Senedd from all parts of the Chamber—talented, committed people. Their loss has been very profoundly felt across the Chamber. In the last five years, we also lost my own great friend, mentor and predecessor in this post, Rhodri Morgan. Going in, as we are, to an election, I find it odd every day to think of us having an election here in a devolved Wales without the person who was probably personally the most significant figure in establishing devolution as we have it today. 

As far as the travel issue is concerned, Llywydd, international travel to and from Wales is bound by the same set of rules in Wales as it is across our border and, indeed, in Scotland. Some air travel is permitted in very narrow circumstances, where the four Governments have agreed together that it is necessary for work purposes, education purposes, or where people are returning home elsewhere in the world. At the moment, the 'stay local' arrangements remain necessary in Wales because of the state of the public health emergency. I remain optimistic that, given the current figures that we continue to see in Wales and with the improvements that we are seeing, by the end of the next week, we may be able to move from 'stay local' to people being able to travel more widely across Wales.

First Minister, it cannot be right, with the current third wave going through Europe, as we're seeing, tragically, that you can fly from Cardiff more easily than you can travel, as I said, to Aberystwyth. I, this morning, for example, was able to purchase a ticket for Thursday to fly out of Cardiff Airport, where I do not believe a quarantine hotel exists or in-airport testing exists. If you're allowing, out of your own airport, people to fly to parts of Europe that potentially are hosting the third wave of the virus, why are there no testing facilities at Cardiff Airport and why, indeed, are there no quarantine facilities? 

There are no quarantine facilities, Llywydd, because no flights to Cardiff Airport go to red-list countries. Only people travelling into the United Kingdom from the 30-odd countries on the red list are required to quarantine, and none of them are allowed to enter the United Kingdom via Wales. So, there is no case for quarantine facilities at Cardiff Airport because nobody anywhere in the United Kingdom would be required to quarantine under the circumstances that the Member refers to.

I am very anxious, as is the chief medical officer, as is Public Health Wales in the statements that were published last week, at the prospects of international travel being allowed from 17 May. I share the Member's concerns about the third wave on the continent of Europe. I share his concerns about people being able to return to the United Kingdom from places where the virus is in renewed circulation, particularly as there are new variants that are appearing in different parts of the world. I raised this matter with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in our regular call on Wednesday of last week. I've heard other UK Ministers over the weekend taking a slightly more precautionary approach to this than was originally envisaged in the Prime Minister's road map for England; I do hope that that will turn out to be true for some of the reasons that the leader of the opposition has identified.

I noticed you didn't confirm whether there was testing at the airport. As of this morning, 45 people have currently booked to fly to Cardiff from Alicante on Thursday, and 32 people to fly the other way. Clearly, the informed decision making that will be going into the road map from Westminster is predicated on the report that will be made available on international travel on 12 April. So, it is remarkable that you, as the First Minister, keep non-essential shopping on the high street shut, but you're happy to see international travel coming to Cardiff Airport—an airport you control. Can you understand why people feel very frustrated at this prospect? They see one rule for one sector of the economy and another rule for another sector of the economy, when on your matrix and your COVID recovery plan it would be safe to open non-essential retail. But as it is, you're prepared to allow people to come into Cardiff Airport when no testing facilities exist, First Minister.

I think people are more sensible than the Member gives them credit for. They will understand that the rules that govern international travel out of Wales or into Wales are identical to those everywhere in the rest of the United Kingdom. If the Member is critical of them, he can only be equally critical of the position taken by his own Government.

I looked before we started questions this afternoon, Llywydd, at the list of flights that will be coming into Heathrow this afternoon—flights from Cairo, flights from many parts of the world where the risks are a good deal greater than any flight coming into Cardiff. If a flight comes into Cardiff, then people who arrive here will be subject to all the rules that are there. That includes a testing regime, it includes people being required to stay at home in their own homes for a period after they arrive back, being tested at the start, being tested at the eight-day point—all of that is in place here in Wales. Those are the same rules that happen elsewhere.

I've lost count of the number of times, Llywydd, that the Member has urged on me that we should follow a four-nation approach to these matters in the United Kingdom, and yet when I follow a four-nation approach identically where international travel is concerned, he seems to suggest that we should be doing something different here in Wales. We're doing it on a four-nation basis. I'm very glad we're doing it that way. Everything we are doing here in Wales is the same as in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, other than the point that the Member hadn't grasped, which is that no red-list flights are allowed to come into Wales. They are only allowed to land in Scotland and in England.

The leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, every administration should look back on its time in office and ask the question, 'What should we have done better?' When you ask yourself that question, what answer do you give?

I'm sure there are many answers, because I think the Member is right that anybody sensible would want to reflect on the experience of the last five years. I wish very much that we had persuaded the UK Government to strike a different deal with the European Union as we left it. People in Wales voted to leave the European Union. The Welsh Government was clear from the beginning that we accepted the fact of that, but we wanted to focus on the form of it. We failed to persuade the UK Government of our case, which would have resulted in a far closer economic relationship with our closest and most important market. Right up to the very end, we were unable to persuade the UK Government, in striking its deal with the European Union, to look after the interests of our young people by securing our continued participation in the Erasmus+ programme, a deficit that I'm very proud to say this Welsh Government made good over this weekend, so that young people in Wales will go on having opportunities to work, study and to volunteer abroad, as will young people from the rest of the world be welcome here in Wales.

I must admit, First Minister, that Labour's campaign launch recently caused a bit of a double take. When I asked you four weeks ago today to commit to giving the real living wage to our care workers, your response then was to pour scorn on what you deemed to be unaffordable pledges. Fast forward a month, and the real living wage for carers now is a headline policy for you going into the election. I'm personally glad we've persuaded you, I'm just sorry that, like with so many other policies—the north Wales medical school, the devolution of justice, and the youth job guarantee—it took so long. But in that spirit of belated reconsideration and at your last possible opportunity in the Senedd before the election, will you now commit to extending free school meals eligibility? You dropped your child poverty target, which we think is a matter of great regret, but will you take this opportunity to promise a hot meal for every child whose family is in receipt of universal credit?

Llywydd, the fundamental difference between my party's manifesto and his is that ours is credible and his is incredible. When I said to him four weeks ago that it was vitally important that any promises that any party makes to the people of Wales can be afforded and delivered, I meant what I said. And the work that my party has put into our pledges guarantees that every one of them can be delivered and can be delivered in a way that is affordable. It does nobody any good, Llywydd, just to pour out promises, one after another, without any possibility that those promises can actually be delivered in reality, because they all add up. His promises, just in a very conservative assessment of them, amount to well over £2 billion-worth of revenue and £6 billion-worth of capital that he hasn't got. I will not go into an election promising people things that I know are simply not possible.

On free school meals, this Government has a very proud record indeed. The first Government in the United Kingdom to guarantee free school meals during school holidays during the pandemic. The first Government in the United Kingdom to guarantee that that will continue through the whole of the next academic year. The first Government in the United Kingdom to make sure that the weekly sum available for free school meals during the pandemic is at a level that avoids the sort of scandalous things that we saw in England. Our record is proud, our record is deliverable and the promises we make will be affordable, credible and deliverable as well.

I note you said there, First Minister, that you were making a 'conservative assessment' of Plaid Cymru's policies and I think you used your words very advisedly, because I expect you next to be quoting Theresa May and the magic money tree. That's not an election campaign that went very well for her in the end. Our policies will be costed, independently verified by Professor Brian Morgan and Professor Gerry Holtham, an economist that you know very well and you've used as an adviser to the Welsh Government yourself.

I don't expect my powers of persuasion to extend to a u-turn by you any time soon on the question of independence, First Minister, but can I ask you a couple of genuine questions in this final First Minister's questions? In your vision of home rule, what powers would you leave at Westminster, given they would be for most of the time still in Tory hands? And, finally—and to us this is the central question—if the Conservatives, as currently predicted, win the next Westminster election, probably the one after that, and so on, is there some point at which even you would accept, First Minister, that independence becomes for Wales the more progressive option?

Well, Llywydd, my advice to the Member is to cheer up. My goodness, he's written off the next election, he's written the one after that off as well. Really, my party will be there, fighting to make sure that the results are different. We're not defeatist in the desperate way he has been there, this afternoon.

There are many things we could debate as to which matters would be left at a UK level. The key thing for my party is that all those things would be agreed, that we are a voluntary association of four nations. There we are, I have quoted Mrs May for him this afternoon, because that's how she described the United Kingdom in her Edinburgh lecture in the weeks before she ceased to be Prime Minister. A voluntary association of four nations means that we agree the things that we choose to operate at a UK level. It's in our hands, not in the hands of Westminster to determine it.

The truth is, Llywydd, that the choice at the election is this: the Welsh Conservative Party doesn't believe in Wales, his party doesn't believe in the United Kingdom, my party believes in both.

I thank Jack Sargeant, Llywydd, for that question. On Thursday last, 18 March, I chaired the latest meeting of the policing partnership board for Wales. The board reviewed the experience of communities during the pandemic, and recommitted the Welsh Government and the police to act together to support strong, safe communities across our nation, including the Member's constituency.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. You will know that the Tories came to Alyn and Deeside and they promised 62 new police officers, specifically in Deeside. They have delivered none, specifically in Deeside. Welsh Labour have funded police community support officers across Alyn and Deeside and the Welsh Tories have now committed to cutting them as well. First Minister, my community has been hit hard by the Tory police cuts. Will you commit to funding even more PCSOs to work with communities to make our streets safer, and will you continue to step in and act where the Prime Minister's failed to do so?

Llywydd, I thank Jack Sargeant for those very important points, and he's right: the record of the Conservative Party for a decade is of defunding the police across the United Kingdom. Between 2010 and 2018—all years in which the Conservative Party ran the UK Government—police numbers in Wales and England dropped by a staggering 21,732 officers. That's nearly 500 fewer police on the streets here in Wales because of the deliberate decisions of the Conservative Government. And even if all their current plans were to succeed—as Jack Sargeant has said, not a single one of the 62 officers they promised in Alyn and Deeside have yet materialised—even if they were to succeed in full, those numbers would not recover to where policing numbers were before the long Tory years of cutting police budgets and police numbers. I'm very proud of the fact that since 2011, successive Welsh Governments have funded 500 police and community support officers, and if this Government is returned in May, not only will those 500 officers remain in place, but we'll add to it with another 100 officers, so that there are more people on the beat, on the streets, in every part of Wales.

Community safety in Flintshire and across north Wales requires joined-up multi-agency working with communities themselves and the role of North Wales Police is central to this. With community safety being a devolved matter, Welsh Conservatives would continue to support and fund police community support officer numbers in Wales, working alongside the UK Conservative Government programme to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales by March 2023. How do you therefore propose to ensure partnership working between the Welsh and UK Governments on this agenda, where the actual uplift in additional police officers in England and Wales has already reached 6,620 by 31 December 2020, including 302 extra officers in Wales, and 62 in north Wales, with further increases to follow in the next two years, recognising that community safety in north Wales is entirely dependent upon north Wales's established integrated working with their adjacent partner police forces in north-west England?

Llywydd, is the Member seriously asking us to congratulate his party because they've managed to restore one quarter of the cuts in police numbers that they inflicted on Wales and England over the last decade? Is that a serious proposition that he's putting to us this afternoon? When I talk to people who are worried about community safety, they don't talk to me about joined-up agency working. What they ask is, 'Why aren't there more people here, on the beat, doing the job we want them to do?' And the answer is: because his Government took away nearly 22,000 of those people, and it was the Welsh Government that stepped in to restore those 500 police and community support officers that otherwise we would have done without. It's no point at all the Conservative Party in Wales pretending that their party did anything other than to defund the police year after year after year, and it was this Government that stepped in to help keep people safe.

I thank Carwyn Jones for the question. Just to say,

the JMC is a disappointment, and one that is of the UK Government’s making. It hasn’t met in plenary forum since 2018, when he last attended on behalf of Wales, and has not been convened once as the forum to craft a four-nation response to the public health crisis. 

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. Do you share my disappointment that the UK Government has buried the publication of the Dunlop review, which will contribute so much to the inter-governmental machinery we have here in the UK? Does he share with me the need to have a proper system where decisions can be taken across the UK by Governments working together? Does he agree with me there needs to be an unbiased dispute resolution process, which we don't have at the moment, and a better way where we can work with our friends in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

I'm aware of the fact that this is the last time that I will be speaking in the Senedd. This will not be the last time I express a view, I'm sure, on this issue. First Minister, do you look forward to a day when the UK has a proper constitution, a proper structure, a time when the rule of law is enshrined in the law and not simply a convention, and a time when Wales is a full and equal partner in the governance of the UK?

Llywydd, I think it is absolutely fitting that the last time that the former First Minister takes part in First Minister's questions that he should revert to a subject on which he has for a decade led the debate across the United Kingdom. I absolutely congratulate him on that. We are very much indebted to him for the legacy that we now draw on. 

He's absolutely right about the Dunlop review. I remember talking to the then Prime Minister, Mrs May, about her reasons for establishing the Dunlop review. I gave evidence to the Dunlop review myself. I want to pay tribute as well to the contributions that Lord Dunlop made during the passage of the internal market Bill through the House of Lords. Had the Government been wise enough to take his advice then, we would not be in the desperately difficult position that we are in as a result of that unconstitutional piece of legislation. 

The Prime Minister's had the Dunlop review for well over a year, and yet he refuses to allow it to be published out of Downing Street. And the reason he refuses is, I suspect, because it offers a very different prescription for the future of the United Kingdom, a prescription very much as Carwyn Jones has outlined: one based on the principles of parity of participation, mutual respect, independence in dispute avoidance and resolution, and a constitution that is enshrined and embedded in the law, and does not rest in the hands of one of the four nations of the United Kingdom.

As well as burying the Dunlop review, this Government has now taken over three years to complete the inter-governmental review that was commissioned at the last JMC plenary that Carwyn Jones attended. How is it possible to have confidence that the UK Government is genuinely interested in securing a future for the United Kingdom when, at every opportunity it has to do something positive and constructive in that direction, to describe its actions as tardy would be to put the most generous possible construction on the way in which they behave?

First Minister, since you took office in December 2018 you've been a constant critic of the UK Government. You, in fact, have not just been critical, but you've regularly tried to undermine the UK Government's policy, particularly with regard to Brexit, and you recently described the Prime Minister Boris Johnson as being awful. That's not conducive to having a positive working relationship between Ministers. Do you accept that, in order for the next Welsh Government to have a decent working relationship with the UK Government, people will need to vote Conservative in May?

Llywydd, a vote for the Conservative Party in May is a vote to hand Wales over to Whitehall, because that is the policy of the UK Conservative Government. It is to roll back devolution wherever it can, to put us back in our place, taking on devolved Governments instead of working with us. I am critical of the UK Government, of course I am, but I do it because I am a firm believer in the future of the United Kingdom, and yet we have a Government at Westminster who every day stokes the fires of nationalism because of the utterly disrespectful way in which it treats other nations of the United Kingdom, because of its failure to discharge the most basic obligations, such as publishing the Dunlop review and concluding the inter-governmental relations review.

There is so much that can be done, and I think this Welsh Labour Government, under the leadership of Carwyn Jones and in the time that I've been First Minister, has led the way in putting positive and constructive proposals forward as to how the United Kingdom can go on being a success. That is what I want to see. The neglect of that by the UK Government, their belief that the way to deal with the United Kingdom is to roll back the history of the last 20 years, and to do so in a way that is characterised by aggressive unilateralism on their part, is a recipe for the break-up of the United Kingdom. That's why I'm critical of the UK Government, because it is sleepwalking us all into a future in which the very thing I want to see avoided becomes more likely.

First Minister, I'm sure that you and the Counsel General have raised in the JMC the question of Erasmus+. Given the hugely disappointing decision by the UK Government to turn their back on this highly successful programme of learning exchanges, would you agree with me that the Welsh Government's announcement that it is to fund a new reciprocal learning programme for the whole of the next Senedd term is a massive boost for young people in Wales? 

Llywydd, can I thank Lynne Neagle for that? I very well remember being at a meeting of the JMC on European negotiations when the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, David Lidington, asked us to contribute to a list of those European Union organisations to which we would wish to remain in membership after we had left the European Union itself. Membership of Erasmus+ is available to countries far beyond the European Union, and I can assure the Member that it was always at the top of the list of things that we argued for, alongside Scotland, alongside Northern Ireland, to make sure that those opportunities remained available to young people here in Wales. And it was an act of straightforward cultural vandalism of the UK Government to turn its back and, more importantly, to refuse to offer to young people across the United Kingdom the ongoing opportunities that Erasmus+ would provide.

We've continued to make the case—we've argued and argued that it's not too late for the United Kingdom to take up that opportunity—and it's only the UK Government that has refused to do that, and the European Commission is clear that without unanimity amongst the four UK nations, they're not able to offer us that opportunity. That's why we made the announcement we did at the weekend, an announcement of which I'm enormously proud: a multi-annual programme that guarantees for the whole of the next Senedd term our young people will be able to travel abroad, work abroad, study abroad, and that young people from elsewhere in the world will come here to Wales. We get so much more out of that than we put into it.

I recently attended on St David's Day an event with Seren students in the United States of America—four young people from Wales studying at Harvard, Yale, Chicago and Princeton universities, Ivy League universities every one of them. They sat there in their rooms with a Welsh flag behind them. They are ambassadors for Wales every single day, and the young people who will come to Wales and the young people who will go from Wales to 50 different countries now, as a result of this scheme, will be our finest ambassadors. I couldn't be prouder of the fact that we now have given them those opportunities and we should all be proud of them as well.

I thank Angela Burns for that question, Llywydd. The decision to provide full, year-long rate relief for more than 70,000 Welsh businesses is just one example of the support that the Welsh Government will provide over the next 12 months as we plan to move beyond the pandemic.

Thank you for that, First Minister. As you are very aware, the tourism and hospitality sectors are incredibly important in my constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, and last week I held a virtual roundtable with representatives of the sector, from the most upmarket of hotels to pubs and clubs trying to survive this pandemic. I heard the gratitude that they offered for the UK Government's furlough scheme and the Welsh Government's many different schemes of financial support, and they are very grateful to both Governments for that. However, the other message I heard was a need for clarity on when and how businesses are to be brought out of hibernation, and they raised the challenge of staff. It's the recruitment and training of skilled staff such as chefs, such as the person who runs the front end of the restaurant, such as the sommeliers and all these other people. You can't just get them off the street; they need to be brought on and trained. The point they were making is that if they are given very little warning of when lockdowns will stop, then they don't know how long they have to go out there and get them. They also raised the concerns that actually the resource isn't there, because people have moved on; people are looking at other, alternative forms of employment where they might be able to have a more secure tenure going forward. So, can I ask you, First Minister, as my last request of you as a Member of this Senedd, to really bear in mind these more fragile sectors where a lot of casual work is required, a lot of casual labour, but where you still need good standards and the time to train the people who can support those businesses, and to give them all of the warning you possibly can as to when they might be able to open up and carry on?

Llywydd, can I thank Angela Burns for that very constructive question, and indeed for the tone with which she always raises questions here on the floor of the Senedd? I don't dissent from the points that she makes at all. It's why we have tried to give the industry as long a lead-in time as we can to the reopening of self-contained accommodation, which I still hope will be possible for the Easter period, and have said that, in the period beyond 12 April, then the start of the opening of outdoor hospitality, which is an intrinsic part of the tourism industry, of course, in south-west Wales—that that will be on the table for us to consider at that point, provided the public health circumstances of Wales allow. 

Llywydd, I don't suppose, if I do this, you probably will be able to see the front of this document—I wanted to do it, simply because it has such a fantastic picture from the Member's own constituency. And this is the document we published last week: 'Let's Shape the Future. Working in partnership to reconstruct a resilient future for the visitor economy in Wales.' This is a document drawn up in partnership with the sector itself, and it tries to answer some of the questions that the Member has raised with us this afternoon. The picture there of North Beach and Harbour Beach in Tenby reminds us all of what fantastic natural assets we have here in Wales and which the Member has represented here in the Senedd. And we will work alongside the sector for as long as we can, to make sure that it can reopen as it did last year, carefully but successfully and in a way that allowed it to deal with the challenges that the Member has identified.

Helen Mary Jones. Helen Mary Jones.

Diolch, Llywydd. Apologies—I was just waiting to be unmuted. The First Minister will be well aware of the long-term impact of the COVID closures on cultural businesses. I'm thinking of some that are partly in public ownership, like the Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli, but also some of our flagship institutions, like the millennium centre. Obviously, this will be a matter, ultimately, for the next Welsh Government to decide, but does the First Minister agree with me that these cultural businesses will continue to need support well into next year, the next financial year, because of the income that they've already lost? And what plans does he have, should he be part of the next Government, to ensure that we don't lose these vital cultural institutions, particularly after all the investment and support that's gone into them already?

Well, I thank Helen Mary Jones for that important question as well, Llywydd. She will have seen yesterday that the Welsh Government announced £30 million in additional investment in the cultural recovery fund—that's in addition to the £63 million that we've made available in this financial year. That £30 million will help the sector in the first six months of the next financial year, and it's there for all the reasons that Helen Mary has identified: the fragility of the sector during coronavirus, when audiences are simply not possible in a safe way; the freelancer nature of that economy—and that £30 million is in addition to the £10 million that we've already made available; the only part of the United Kingdom to have a freelancer fund, and very important to people who earn their living in the cultural sector—and because of what the cultural sector will mean to us all once this pandemic is behind us. Because we will want to make sure that those very important institutions and the joy they give to people, after such a difficult time—and we will be there to continue to support them.

The £30 million, as I say, is designed to support the sector up until September and then it will be for an incoming Government to see what can be done to support it beyond that, as, we hope, we can restore to the sector more opportunities for it to do what it wants to do, which is to be welcoming people to its venues and earning a living for itself.

Well, Llywydd, we've stepped in to protect the interests of Welsh people across a range of non-devolved responsibilities, from transport to broadband, from funding police community support officers to supporting EU nationals applying for settled status. The Thomas commission concluded that 38 per cent of total justice expenditure in Wales—all of that non-devolved responsibilities—now comes from the Welsh Government and Welsh local authorities. 

First Minister, it's clear that, if the Welsh Conservatives win the Senedd election, one of the first things they will do is sack 500 police community support officers in Wales. At their last UK conference, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives made their position completely clear when he said:

'Those things that are devolved will be managed by my Government, and those things which are not devolved will be managed by Boris.'

And he went on to say that they will defund what is not devolved. That is their promise, First Minister.

Community safety is at the forefront of all our minds at the moment. Policing is not devolved, yet the 500 police community support officers are paid for by the Welsh Government because a Tory Government won't. In Pontypridd, we value their contribution to public safety and the role that they have played during the COVID pandemic, and we see what a difference they make in helping to solve anti-social behaviour. Will you confirm your continued support and commitment to community safety and the role of our Welsh police community support officers?

Well, Llywydd, I'm very happy to confirm that, if this Government is returned to office, those 500 police community support officers are secure in all parts of Wales and that we will add to them as well. As the Member said, the approach of the Welsh Conservatives is crystal clear. They laid it out at their conference: if it's not devolved, they won't fund it. That's what the then leader of the party said. I heard Mark Isherwood try to deny that earlier this afternoon, but I'm afraid that people in Wales heard what his party said—'if it's not devolved, we won't be funding it.' Police community support officers are not devolved; they are part of the justice system that his Government refuses to devolve, in any part, to Wales. We will fund them here in Wales. It's no use, Llywydd, Conservative Members looking at me like a set of superannuated goldfish on the screen here, a sort of lumpendinosauriat of Welsh politics. This Government is clear; we will go on making sure that people in Wales are safe. The Conservative Party not only removed 40 per cent of police and crime officers, they robbed us of 500 police officers as well.

I thank Jenny Rathbone for that, Llywydd. The Welsh Government welcomes the interim report of the Sir Peter Hendy review of union connectivity. The report highlights the work of the Burns commission and its proposals for mainline investment, creating new stations and services to improve connectivity through better public transport. 

Last week, we adopted more challenging carbon emission reduction targets for Wales, and it was backed by all Members, which was fantastic. So, I was disappointed—not to say it's contradictory—that the Welsh Conservatives still plan to fritter £2 billion on a redundant relief road instead of the modern public transport network proposed by the Burns report and endorsed by your Welsh Government. I think the Burns report is a really excellent way forward for delivering clean air as well as our obligations on reducing carbon emissions, not just for my constituents but for the whole of south-east Wales.

But, as you know, First Minister, the spine of this integrated metro scheme, proposed by Burns, is better use of the four main lines between Cardiff and Newport and beyond. So, what discussions have been had with the UK Government, in light of the interim report from Peter Hendy, about taking forward this transformative plan, given that they remain responsible for the mainline rail infrastructure?

Well, Llywydd, I very much echo what Jenny Rathbone said about the calibre of the Burns commission report, and now, very importantly, the report endorsed in the Sir Peter Hendy union connectivity review, specifically referenced by Sir Peter in the foreword to that document, where he says that devolution has been good for transport and where he specifically refers to the mainline upgrades, which are the spine of that Burns commission. And, indeed, the Sir Peter Hendy review, in the way that Jenny Rathbone just mentioned, places particular emphasis on decarbonisation, the environmental agenda and the net-zero carbon target by 2050. So, all of that is good news; what we now need is the UK Government to come in behind both the Burns commission and its own union connectivity review.

Now, my colleague Ken Skates met with Baroness Vere, the Minister responsible in the UK Government, on 10 March, to discuss the union connectivity interim report. And that was an opportunity to impress on the UK Government, again, the part that they can play in making a reality of the Burns commission's recommendations and, at the same time, to improve connectivity between south Wales, the south-west of England and beyond.

I said in an earlier answer to Darren Millar, Llywydd, that I want to see the United Kingdom reinforced. Here is a report of a group of people that the UK Government commissioned. They specifically refer to what the UK Government can now do to invest in Wales to create those connections that will sustain the union in the future. Let us hope that they demonstrate that their fondness for the union is not just in asserting the UK Government's rights in Wales, but in following through on investments that genuinely would help to make the UK operate as a connected whole.

And the very final question to the First Minister in this Senedd term is to be asked by Laura Jones, our newest Member. Laura Jones.

Well, I thank the Member for that very important final question. Llywydd, the past 12 months have been different and challenging for many people in Wales, with consequent impacts on mental health and well-being. As we move out of lockdown, securing positive impacts on mental health is directly considered by the Cabinet at each three-week review, while always keeping Wales safe.

Thank you. First Minister, the benefits of sport and physical activity to mental health are something that I've talked about a lot in the Chamber since I joined not that long ago. The link between the two are well known, and, I believe, will play a pivotal role in the recovery stage of this pandemic. On 1 February, the mental health Minister said fitness facilities and swimming pools were crucial for the nation's health. So, you can understand the surprise and anger of our physical activity operators across Wales at your decision to push back the reopening of gyms just weeks after the Minister promised that health clubs and leisure centres would be amongst the first businesses to reopen. You've said that you will now revise the decision on 22 April, which is welcome, but more certainty is needed, First Minister, for these companies, these businesses, to prepare for reopening, ironically, so they are COVID-safe, as well as obviously preparing grounds, facilities and that sort of thing. Don't you agree, First Minister, that the benefits of them opening cannot be overlooked?

I certainly don't intend to overlook the benefits of them reopening, Llywydd. I know the Member will have welcomed the decision to allow the resumption of children's outdoor activities during the Easter holidays, and, of course, outdoor gyms are already open here in Wales. The Member will be aware of the technical advisory cell report that rehearsed the risks that enclosed indoor spaces where people exercise continue to pose during a global pandemic. We hope that the conditions in Wales will be sufficiently improved after 12 April that the reopening of gyms and leisure centres can be considered, and I've already said that it will be one of four things that will be on the list of things that we will consider for that next three-week phase. That is a recognition of both the physical and the mental well-being benefits that come from people being able to use those venues, but it has to be balanced against the risks that are posed. Those risks are real, and they're set out in the TAC report. I'm afraid that if you're making responsible decisions in Government, you cannot afford just to shrug off advice that you don't find appealing or palatable. We will reopen the sector. We'll do it carefully. We'll do it in line with advice. We'll do it as soon as the public health position in Wales makes it safe to do so, but not before. 

Thank you, First Minister. 

The next item this afternoon is the business statement and announcement. I call on the Trefnydd to make that statement. Rebecca Evans. 

Diolch, Llywydd. There are two changes to tomorrow's agenda. The debate on the Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) (Amendment) Order 2021 has been reduced to five minutes, and the debate on the Welsh Elections (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order 2021 has been withdrawn. 

[Inaudible.]—George. Russell George. 

Thank you, Llywydd. I think you were just cut off the first time then. Thank you.

Can I ask, Trefnydd, for some input, please, from you? The Welsh Government made a statement last week, a press release via the First Minister, with regard to two new woodlands being created, one in north Wales and one in south Wales. As the Welsh Government press release says, it's hoped that they will be places of commemoration where families and friends can remember lost loved ones. I think it's important to mention this on this particular day that we sadly commemorate on this occasion. I would point out, of course—and I'm sure you'll be aware, Trefnydd—that, sadly, families have lost loved ones in other parts of Wales, in mid Wales also. So, can I ask the Trefnydd at this time to perhaps discuss this with ministerial colleagues? I know that Natural Resources Wales is leading on this particular project, but even though we are in an election period, or about to be in, perhaps you could discuss with local authorities and look for woodland in other parts of Wales, such as mid Wales, that can also be used to commemorate and can be planted in this way as well. I hope the Trefnydd will be able to take this up with colleagues appropriately. 

Thank you to Russell George for raising what is a really important issue, especially on this particular day. It will be important in the months and years to come that we do have appropriate places around Wales in which to pause and reflect and remember those who've lost loved ones, and also remember those who we've lost during the course of the pandemic. I will ensure that colleagues with responsibility for delivering on this particular agenda are aware of that particular concern that you've raised, and I will endeavour to have those conversations that you've suggested.

I've got a request for two statements today. Today, Siyanda Mngaza faces an appeal hearing to challenge the sentence she is currently serving for grievous bodily harm. Siyanda was a 4 ft 2 in, 20-year-old black disabled woman and was attacked by three people whilst camping in Brecon. Two of her attackers were men twice her age, and despite telling officers at the time that she was racially attacked, police admitted in court that her allegations of assault were not investigated. As Camilla Mngaza fights for her daughter's right to justice today, what will your Government do to ensure that young women of colour, like Siyanda, are protected from racism and hostility here in Wales? Please can we have a statement on your actions in this area?

The motherhood penalty, unpaid care, data bias—all terms that relate to the exacerbated imbalance that the pandemic has placed on women. The Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales has confirmed that he's only collecting data split by gender on redundancies where individuals access the ReAct scheme. Can I please have a written statement from the economy Minister regarding the collection of disaggregated data on unemployment in light of the impact of COVID restrictions on parenting and work?

On the first issue, I'm really pleased to say that, this afternoon, we will have a statement from the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip on the Wales race equality action plan. That will be a good opportunity, I think, to hear about the Welsh Government's approach in this area, and also to potentially raise those specific issues that you've just brought to the floor of the Senedd with the Minister.

On the second issue, about data bias and the collection of data regarding unemployment, I will again make the Minister for economy and transport aware of that particular concern, and explore if there is more that we can be doing in this area to better understand the impact of the pandemic on women, but also on others with protected characteristics.FootnoteLink

I ask once again: would the Welsh Government make a statement condemning the appalling behaviour of Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission in the handling of the vaccine roll-out in Europe? As well as threats to block the exports of vaccines to the UK, her obfuscation and u-turn strategies have undoubtedly cost many thousands of lives across the European Union. And further, would the Government make a statement on the incredible way in which both the Welsh and UK Governments, freed of EU intervention, have handled the vaccine roll-out in the UK, and by so doing saved many thousands of British lives? Surely this in itself is a justification for Brexit.

I don't want to rerun the arguments that we've been having for the past few years in relation to leaving the European Union, but I will respond to the substantive point, just to reflect the fact that, at this point, there is no ban on EU exports of AstraZeneca. I am aware that the Prime Minister is having some direct conversations with the EU on this, and I think that that's the appropriate thing to do, given the fact that vaccine supply in that sense is not devolved to the Senedd. And of course, later on this afternoon, actually, as the next item of business, we will have a statement from the First Minister on COVID-19 one year on, which will be an opportunity to reflect across the last 12 months and the impact that the pandemic has had on all of our lives.

Trefnydd, I wondered if we could have a statement from one of our health Ministers about the importance of Endometriosis Awareness Month, which is this month. This is a terrible condition that affects one in 10 women. Normally, we'd be marching to pay attention to everybody and just what a complicated condition this is. I wondered if we could just have a statement in solidarity from the Government about the commitment to really get to the bottom of this disease and ensure that we are treating people more effectively and more quickly.  

The women's health implementation group was established to provide that strategic leadership for us here in Wales, to ensure that we have that all-Wales approach to break down barriers and also join up the pathways between primary, secondary and tertiary care, so that women's health can be managed in the community, wherever possible, without the need for more intensive intervention. I'm very pleased that the group has developed plans to use some of its funding to bolster endometriosis services across Wales and provide additional support that will come together to form a network, working closely with the existing pelvic health and well-being co-ordinators who have been established by that group. That should, then, ensure that women in Wales affected by endometriosis are supported more effectively. But, as you say, it is awareness week, and I'm really pleased also that the group has developed a menstrual awareness learning resource. That will be published in the next few months, and that does aim to give young girls in particular better awareness and understanding of normal menstruation, allowing them to also get onto that diagnostic pathway at an earlier stage when issues do arise, so that they can recognise when there might be problems. So, I think there is some positive work now happening in this area.  

Business Minister, can I please request that the First Minister of this Government outlines in a detailed statement how and when it's going to bring back adult outdoor organised sport please? As I've already said—and I'll repeat it because of its importance—physical exercise has proven benefits that are well renowned and well known, and the impact on mental health will form an important part of recovery from this pandemic. It is to this end that I ask, please, that there be a statement issued outlining when exactly the Government plans to bring back and reopen all things that will enable children and adults to play sport and take part in physical exercise, recognising those, of course, that will be open and come into effect soon. Our football and rugby clubs, for example, need time to prepare, First Minister and Minister, grounds and fixtures, ironically to ensure they're COVID safe et cetera. This sector is often overlooked in importance, and it needs clarity, Minister. Therefore, can I ask you to ensure there is a road map for clubs and businesses to follow as a matter of urgency? Thank you. 

You were able to hear from the First Minister in response to your question earlier this afternoon, but you did see, at the last three-weekly review, that we did endeavour to provide a greater level of detail as to the steps that might happen in the weeks ahead. Always, we look to give as much certainty and notice as we possibly can, but in this fast-moving situation it can be difficult to give too much notice looking further ahead. But I think the points that you've made about the importance of outdoor activity, and particularly the important role all our sporting clubs have in our own local communities, are very well made and well understood, and I know that this will be considered as we move forward through the next three-weekly review cycle. 

The final report of the Valleys taskforce has been published, and stakeholder views include saying that the taskforce, and I quote,  

'had a fairly limited direct impact upon the Valleys communities.'

It also highlighted a lack of resources. Another direct quote from the report's conclusions: 

'The VTF started out with a very ambitious set of aims and objectives but lacked the resources and capacity to deliver on these effectively.' 

A key issue raised was

'whether the VTF ought to have been established from the outset with an adequate level of revenue and capital funding in place to enable it to achieve its ambitious aims and objectives.'

As the Senedd Member for the Rhondda, I have consistently pushed for more investment, including for a specific proposal for an exciting, well-skilled co-operative of former Burberry workers on that site to set up clothes manufacturing. The taskforce has missed this opportunity and many others, and it has neglected large areas of the Valleys that really need economic development. 

Have lessons been learned from this experience? The Rhondda has been let down by successive governments in London and in Cardiff for decades now. Doesn't this show that the only way that the Rhondda will get the economic development that the people there deserve is with a Plaid Cymru Government? Do you accept that now?

I think that you've given a very unbalanced reflection of the work of the Valleys taskforce, which I think has had some really significant impacts in Rhondda Cynon Taf and elsewhere. Of course, I'm thinking about interventions such as the significant work done in terms of bringing underused and unused housing back into use, which has been particularly important, the important role and contribution of the Valleys taskforce in terms of the Better Jobs Closer to Home projects, and also the Big Bocs Bwyd schemes, which have been very important in terms of tackling food poverty in communities. So, I think it has been a successful programme, and part of the success, I think, is based on the fact it was very much ground up. This was very much a programme and a taskforce that was involved in listening to communities, understanding what the priorities and concerns were. And all of those concerns related to aspects such as the importance of jobs and skills, and I think the Valleys taskforce does have a good story to tell and a good legacy in that respect.

Trefnydd, could I ask for a statement on the challenges facing the use of stop notices and enforcement powers during the pandemic? I've got a long-running issue in my constituency in Rhiwceiliog where stop notices have been placed on unlawful developments in a very peaceful, quiet area. They've been issued, but they've been wilfully ignored, where there's been harassment and intimidation from the unlawful occupiers, who are proceeding to rip up hedges, destroy sensitive ecology, historic parts of the site. And you can understand, Minister, that local residents are deeply frustrated. Police have been involved, Natural Resources Wales have been involved, the local authority has been involved. So, could we have a statement on the use of enforcement powers and stop notices during the pandemic, but also a statement that could make clear that, if we have a future Welsh Labour Government, we will bring forward in an environment Act, and we will have in that environment Act, padlock powers so that stop means stop? When unlawful activity is prohibited from going ahead, people will be stopped from going onto that site, and if we hadn't had the distraction, I have to say, of civil servants being pulled away from EU transitioning, we'd have had that Act a long time ago. So, could we have that statement, Minister? It would be great reassurance to residents in Rhiwceiliog.

Yes, I'd like to provide that reassurance, and the fact that we've been very clear in our commitment that we would want to legislate to place our approach to environmental principles and governance on a statutory footing here in Wales. But, as Huw Irranca-Davies says, when the First Minister reflected on the legislative programme, he said that the pressures that we faced in terms of the end of transition from European Union, and also, of course, the impact of COVID-19, have had a significant impact on that programme of work and that difficult decisions had to be taken in terms of the legislative programme. It does mean that the legislation on environmental principles and governance couldn't be brought forward in this term, but, yes, the First Minister has reiterated his commitment to do so should we be in a position to do so in the next Senedd.

Trefnydd, can I call for a statement from the Minister for Education on the use of face coverings in schools in Wales? I've been contacted by a number of constituents who've been very concerned that the schools are requiring them to wear face coverings all day in school, and of course that is causing a great deal of discomfort to many children who are having to wear them for the full period. We know, of course, that the Welsh Government has introduced regular, twice weekly lateral flow testing in schools in order to reduce risks, so it does seem to me that that needs to be taken into account and the guidance needs to be refreshed on the use of face coverings to ensure that it's appropriate.

Can I also call for a statement on the use of enforcement powers by Natural Resources Wales? I listened very carefully to your response just a few moments ago to Huw Irranca-Davies, but I have issues in my own constituency in the Ruthin area with a significant issue in relation to smoke pollution, and it seems to me that Natural Resources Wales do not have adequate resources to be able to meet their obligations to respond quickly to these things when they happen. In fact, there was an investigation launched into the source of the smoke problem back in January, and we're getting towards the end of March and the outcome is still not expected until the middle of April. Clearly, that's unsatisfactory. It is possible that people's health is being put at risk as a result of these delays, so I would be grateful if there could be a statement from the Minister for environment just on the adequacy of the resources that Natural Resources Wales has in order to deal with and tackle the problems caused by air pollution, in particular in north Wales. Thank you.

Thank you for raising both of those issues. On the matter of face coverings in schools in Wales, I will ask the Minister for Education to review your comments this afternoon and to write you with the latest position, especially in respect, as you say, of the fact that lateral flow tests are now available. On the matter of resourcing for NRW to undertake its enforcement work, I will ask you to write to the Minister with some more detail about the specific smoke problem that you've described this afternoon in order for her to have that fuller picture in order to respond to you.

As we all reflect today, Trefnydd, on the experience of lockdown and those that we've lost, will you first of all join me in congratulating the seven representatives from the Hywel Dda University Health Board who were awarded last week's High Sheriff of Dyfed awards for some of the work that they've done at this really difficult time? But may I primarily ask for a written statement from the Minister for mental health with regard to the immediate support available to young people facing mental health problems, and we know that these have been exacerbated by their experiences during the crisis? I met last week with students from Ysgol Y Strade in Llanelli, and one of their main concerns was the future mental health and well-being of themselves and their young colleagues. I think the Minister herself would acknowledge that there are real issues with access to services, with very long waiting times for some services to child and adolescent mental health services.

We, of course, in Plaid Cymru would like to see a national network of mental health and well-being centres for young people, and I'd very much like to see one of those in Llanelli, but I'd like to hear, in the meantime, from the Minister for mental health about what support she can provide in the short term for those young people so that the very long waits for access to CAMHS are dealt with and the approach that she has talked about as regards it being more community based, using services like youth work services, rather than purely medical services to address the concerns of those young people from Ysgol Y Strade and from across my region.

I'd like to begin absolutely by joining you in giving those congratulations to the seven individuals who have been recognised in the High Sheriff of Dyfed awards. People have gone well above and beyond over the past 12 months in order to serve communities and to provide the healthcare and support that people need. So, I'm very happy to say 'congratulations' and extend our thanks there, and also, of course, to all of those people who have been doing incredible work and have, as yet, remained under the radar, so haven't had the opportunity to be formally recognised, but we all know, and the families whose lives have been touched will have known the kindness and the professionalism with which they've undertaken their roles as well.

This afternoon, we do have a statement on mental health and well-being support in educational settings from the Minister for Education, which I think will start to respond to some of the concerns that you've raised this afternoon. And then, tomorrow, the Minister with responsibility for mental health does have questions, and I know that there are several opportunities on the order paper to hear more directly in terms of the concerns that you've described about the mental health support available for children and young people, and the impact that the pandemic will have had on their lives.

Finally, Paul Davies.

Diolch, Llywydd. Trefnydd, I'd like to request two statements: one from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs regarding the support for agricultural shows across Wales following the recent news that the Pembrokeshire show has been cancelled again this year, which, of course, is understandable. You'll be aware that the Royal Welsh Show is also not taking place, as well as smaller shows across all parts of Wales. Now, these shows are not just important to the agricultural sector, but they're also important community events and are crucial in promoting our culture, and they are also responsible for community cohesion as they bring communities together, they bring people from rural and more urbanised areas together. Therefore, as more and more cancellations are announced in the wake of the COVID pandemic, it's vital that the Welsh Government publishes a statement of support for shows and, indeed, festivals that confirms exactly how it is supporting them through the pandemic, particularly the smaller agricultural shows and festivals.

Secondly, can I also request a statement from the Welsh Government regarding personal protective equipment for NHS workers? I've been contacted by a distressed constituent who has made it clear that the equipment does not suitably enable workers to lip-read, making life very difficult for workers who have hearing difficulties. I know that there should be appropriate equipment being made available, but I'm told that, in this case, the clear face masks are very challenging in that they're difficult to use for long periods of time, hence my constituent is unable to lip-read due to the right equipment not being worn. I'm sure that you'll agree with me that this is unacceptable and so it's crucial that the Welsh Government provides some leadership on this matter by publishing a clear statement outlining its PPE policy, explaining the importance of suitable equipment for NHS workers who need the right equipment because of hearing problems, and ensuring that those workers have access to the right equipment.

Thank you for raising both of those important issues this afternoon. The Minister with responsibility for energy, environment and rural affairs will have heard your request for the statement on agricultural shows and the Welsh Government's support for them. I just would join you in recognising the important role that agricultural shows play in our rural community life right across Wales and they are often the highlight of the year for many people. So, obviously it's disappointing when people don't have those opportunities to come together in that unique kind of way.

On the matter of PPE, I'd be grateful if you would write to the health Minister, describing the specific issue so that we can explore to what extent this is a wider spread issue or something that is more local, so that we can consider how best to respond to that particular concern. Thank you. 

I thank the Trefnydd.

The next item is a statement by the First Minister on COVID-19, one year on. I call on the First Minister to make the statement.

Thank you, Llywydd. Today, we mark a major milestone in this pandemic, a pandemic that has had such an impact on us all. A year ago to today, all four countries of the UK entered lockdown together for the first time. For a great many people, this would have been the first time they became aware of the seriousness of the public health crisis that we have lived with now for so long. 

Today, events are being held across the country. At midday, we stood in silence with people throughout the UK. Later today, we will hold our own commemorative event, as we come together to remember all those who have died and to recognise the huge commitment made by so many throughout Wales. Tonight, landmarks and buildings will be lit up across Wales. Llywydd, we will mainly be focusing today, and rightly so, on the huge loss of life the pandemic has caused. As they have been throughout the pandemic, our thoughts are with all the families who are mourning the loss of a loved one. We remember those individuals behind the figures reported on a daily basis. 

Llywydd, this is a terrible and cruel virus. It has struck indiscriminately, taking the old and the young. It has laid bare stubborn inequalities in our society, exposing divisions and affecting those communities most vulnerable, particularly disabled people, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Over the last year, we have heard desperately sad stories of husbands and wives dying within days of each other, of brothers and sisters taken by the virus, of generations from the same family succumbing to COVID-19. They will be remembered in the hearts and minds of all those who know and loved them and, today, we remember them too. Wales will have two permanent living memorials to all those who have died, as we plant forests in north and south Wales. These will be spaces for families to come to remember their loved ones and places of reflection for others. Because this virus has taken something from each one of us here today; each one of us will know someone who has died or someone who has been ill.

The cost has been felt in ways in which we live our daily lives. It has interrupted our traditions from Christmas, Ramadan, Diwali and Hanukkah. It's cancelled weddings and changed the way we say goodbye to those whom we have lost. There has been a huge financial cost as businesses have closed, some of which will, sadly, never reopen, and jobs have been lost too. And the virus has fundamentally changed the ways we interact with each other, casting a shadow on all our lives. It's not just touching elbows instead of shaking hands, or Zoom calls replacing face-to-face meetings; the virus has taken human touch and human contact away from us. We have already seen the impact of the pandemic on our mental health and well-being in feelings of loneliness, isolation, anxiety and frustration, and, as we discussed earlier this afternoon, the full force of all of that may yet be to come.

And yet, Llywydd, as painful as the human cost has been, this extraordinary year has also shown the huge resilience of the human spirit and the phenomenal willingness of people in communities to help one another. Week after week, we have seen more people volunteering to help those who have been shielding and to support our public services; over 100 new volunteers coming forward again in just the last week. And as schools and shops have closed for prolonged periods, our homes have become classrooms and workplaces, and businesses have found innovative ways to offer services remotely. Rush-hour queues have almost disappeared, and we've learned how to deploy the 'mute' button—or at least most of us have most of the time.

Llywydd, I want to pay tribute to the remarkable way our public services have responded to the pandemic, and to the dedication and determination of the tens of thousands of people working in our NHS and care services and in all those day-to-day services we rely upon that are provided by our local authorities, and, beyond all that, I want to thank everybody who has put themselves at risk at work to serve others: in retail, bus, train and taxi drivers, teachers and school staff—the list is long and longer than I can set out this afternoon. It is your tireless work that has kept us all safe.

And the response to the pandemic in Wales has been a social partnership response, whether that's our successful test, trace protect service, which was built from scratch and which the Wales Audit Office said last week was making an important contribution to the management of COVID-19, whether it's securing supplies of personal protective equipment from Welsh businesses for the NHS and social care, or our world-leading genomic surveillance system in Wales, which is helping to identify new variants of the virus, and of course, our fantastic vaccination programme, which continues to go from strength to strength as it provides vaccines to people at incredible speed. In less than four months, Llywydd, thousands of NHS staff, supported by military personnel and volunteers, working from 600 centres, have given more than half the adult population of Wales their first dose of the vaccine, vaccination that gives us real hope for a better future and a different relationship with this virus—a future where we will be able to live with fewer restrictions.

Because, over the last 12 months, all four UK Governments have taken unprecedented decisions to protect people’s health and to control the spread of the virus. It's meant intervening in people's lives in ways not seen for generations. None of these decisions have been easy, and quite certainly none of them have been taken lightly, but they have been necessary to save lives and livelihoods.

I want to thank everyone in Wales for their support and help. Yours is the victory that has brought the virus under control time and again over the course of this year. It is only because people across our nation have followed the rules and kept ourselves and our families safe that we are now able to start relaxing those restrictions, carefully unlocking Wales sector by sector. And we will go on doing this gradually, step by step, so that we do not throw away any of the hard work and sacrifices 3 million people have made over the last three months, always mindful of how quickly this virus can return, as we have seen from the sobering experiences in Europe over the last week.

Llywydd, across Wales we have seen an enormous spirit of social solidarity and hundreds of thousands of individual small acts of kindness, even as so many lives have been disrupted and put on hold. It's because of that spirit that we start this spring and mark this anniversary with a sense of hope. Cases have fallen, the pressure on our NHS is receding; we have more and different tests available and vaccination on a mass scale. We are beginning to unlock our country and we are determined to do so in a way that keeps rates of the virus low. We will rebuild and recover, building a fairer and a greener Wales, in which no-one is held back and no-one is left behind.

Llywydd, we are living with coronavirus and are likely to be so for some time yet. But the tenacity of hope in the bad days and the audacity of hope in the better times are both part of the human condition. It's this that allows us to say that this year can be different and this year will be better than the last. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you, First Minister, for your statement this afternoon. I agree entirely with the sentiments expressed within this statement. A year today, obviously, we first had the restrictions imposed on us, and the tragedy that has befallen 7,000 plus families of losing a much-loved member of that family is completely unimaginable, and the love and compassion that is shown by the society as a whole across Wales is a credit to that community spirit that exists in every corner of Wales.

The dedication that services have provided in supporting families, from the NHS right the way through the public sector and into the charitable sector, is an exemplar for anyone to look upon with great pride. I think it's a matter of great pride as a country that we can look at the way we've faced this virus. I might well have had my policy disagreements with the First Minister, but it is a fact that, as a country of 3 million people, everyone has played their part in facing down the virus, and, as the First Minister's pointed out, we're not out of the woods yet, but certainly we've put a lot of that dark undergrowth behind us, and the spring looks a lot brighter than it did a couple of weeks ago.

With that in mind, First Minister, if I could ask a series of questions out of the statement, I would be grateful for some answers. At the end of the statement you talk about that we are living with the coronavirus and it is likely we will be living with it for some time. You've made representations in the media recently that you believe that quite a few regulations will be still with us right the way through 2021 and into 2022. Could you give an indication of what your thinking is, from the information you have before you, of what type of restrictions we might be looking at as we carry on into 2021 and into 2022? Also, the point you make about the living memorials—I welcome that, in particular the way you've geographically spread them to north and south Wales, but I do wonder why consideration has not been given to establishing a memorial in mid Wales, so that all parts of Wales do have that garden of remembrance that could be visited in an equal spread across Wales. And so I just wonder whether you have given consideration to the thought of establishing such a woodland in mid Wales, as it was notable by its absence in the announcement that you made last week.

In another part of the statement, you touch on loneliness, isolation, anxiety and frustration, the full force of which may yet be to come. What assessment has the Government made of the demands that may well be pressed on the mental health services that are provided? A welcome move by the Government was to establish a dedicated mental health Minister back in the autumn, and I hope that the Government have been able to make assessments of the requirements that we need to build our services going forward. And I think that's a very important line in this statement, about loneliness, isolation, anxiety and frustration, because that has been acutely felt by many people across the whole of Wales.

And finally, you highlight the success of the vaccination roll-out, something we can all celebrate in all parts of the United Kingdom, where over 50 per cent of the adult population has been vaccinated. Regrettably, there has been dialogue between the European Union and the UK and other parts of the world, and in particular the European Union, about withholding supplies. I very much hope that's not the case. I realise the difficulties the European Union finds itself in with its own roll-out and, indeed, dealing with the third wave now that is engulfing the continent is something that none of wish to see, but I'd invite you to make a comment on what you would personally send as a message to the European Union President not to go down this route of sanction and reneging on contracts, to allow vaccines to flow freely where they are contracted. No-one is looking to walk outside of the contract parameters, but I do think it's important that you're on record, First Minister, because this is such a topic of great concern and, ultimately, those contracts are in place and we do not want to see anything that hinders the vaccine roll-out which, as your statement this afternoon alludes to has (a) been such a success and (b) offers some bright sunshine into the spring that we're walking into. Thank you, First Minister. 

Llywydd, I thank the leader of the opposition for what he said in responding to the statement and for the questions that he has raised. He will have seen what the Prime Minister said yesterday about the risk of a third wave of the virus here in the United Kingdom. He will have seen the new variants that are emerging in different parts of the world. That's why the advice that I have received from our chief medical officer and others tells me that we're not done, unfortunately, with this virus yet. I think, if things all go well, then by the end of this year we may we be living with the simple restrictions—the social distancing, the hand washing, the mask wearing in crowded places—the things we've become very used to doing to keep one another safe. But we simply cannot, I think, say to people with the certainty we would like that all the risks of coronavirus are already passed. There may be more twists and turns in the story yet. Of course, our aim is to lift restrictions as fast as it is safe to do so, but that's what I meant when I said that I thought that we will be living with this virus for some time to come. 

Thanks to Andrew R.T. Davies for what he said about the living memorials. I've seen correspondence from mid Wales and would be very happy indeed to consider that. He will know of our plans for a national forest and I can see ways in which commemorative woodland could be part of that wider plan for afforestation that would link north, south and mid Wales together.

The plan that was published yesterday for the recovery of the NHS was jointly signed by the Minister for mental health, the Deputy Minister for Social Services and Vaughan Gething. That is a sign of our determination that the mental health needs and the well-being needs of the population will have every bit as great a significance in the work that the health service will do as we recover from the pandemic as any other aspect of its work. Thank you to the leader of the opposition for drawing attention to the importance of third sector organisations, because that part of the document published yesterday particularly draws attention to the way in which those recovery services for people with loneliness, anxiety, whose mental well-being has been affected by the pandemic—. That it's not a job for the health service alone. It's very much a job for the health service to do in partnership with those voluntary organisations who play such an important part in mental health and well-being in Wales.

And finally, to the issue of vaccine supply, well, I simply echo what the Prime Minister was saying yesterday, that we need our friends in Europe to come to an agreement with us on this matter. We all face the challenge of coronavirus. It has no respect for any national boundaries. We all face, therefore, the challenge of vaccination together, and we need an agreement between us all as to the best way in which that can be secured for the benefit of all. The Prime Minister will be in further discussions with European leaders today and tomorrow. I will have a meeting later today with Michael Gove, as head of the Cabinet Office; the First Minister of Scotland; and the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, where we will be discussing this matter again. That's my message to friends and colleagues elsewhere. We resolve this matter by discussion and agreement. That is the way to make sure we go on working for the benefit of us all.

May I take this opportunity to extend my sincerest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones as a result of the terrible cruelty that we have suffered during the last 12 months, and those still suffering today? Our thoughts are with them all. As you said in your statement, First Minister, it will be some time before the impact of the pandemic can be fully understood, and I do fear that the scars on our society will last well into the future.

In hopelessness there is hope, and even in the darkest hours there is light, and our key workers have been a source of light and have supported us all through these dark days. I would like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart, to all the workers in the health service; the care workers; unpaid carers; teachers, who have maintained education remotely; the police force, who have put themselves at risk to ensure that the regulations are maintained for the benefit of all of us; our transport workers; those working in shops and supermarkets; our food producers, who have safeguarded our food supply chains; and to the undertakers, who do very difficult work at the best of times but who have had to do that under circumstances that have been so much more difficult. I would also like to thank everyone in Wales who has played their part in keeping everyone safe by making those sacrifices in following the unprecedented rules and regulations placed on all aspects of our lives. May I particularly give thanks to our young people, who have sacrificed more than anyone?

However, as Sir Mansel Aylward said recently, there are lessons to be learned from the past 12 months. We believe that we need an independent Welsh inquiry, as there will be lessons that are unique to Wales that need to be learned, and they perhaps wouldn't be given due focus in a UK-wide umbrella inquiry. But how can we recognise and learn lessons even now? I refer to the report of the Welsh NHS Confederation, along with other partners, which looked at the innovation that has happened during this period in responding to the appalling challenges that we have faced over the past 12 months, but through doing that, they've found new strengths: Wales at its best coming together, working across sectors; local government working with the health service on the ground in terms of the test and trace system and the vaccination regime; the use of new technology and digitisation working at a rate that nobody could have anticipated; the ability to put aside bureaucracy and to empower workers in our services to make decisions swiftly. How can we harness this experience, First Minister, in the new period facing us, which, of course, will pose ongoing challenges? Are there more general lessons too in the fact that we have benefited from ploughing our own furrow as a nation during the past 12 months?

And finally, as the British Academy report published today has outlined, the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the inequalities that already existed within our society. That's true of income and wealth, geography, gender and race. Is the pandemic a moment for us to decide to tackle these long-term and grave problems that have cast a shadow over our nation and our society for too long? Isn't this the greatest commitment that we can make in memory of the sacrifices and loss suffered by so many during this difficult year?

Llywydd, thank you very much to Adam Price for those general comments that he made at the beginning of his contribution this afternoon. I share his sentiments and we are concerned about the long-term impact on people here in Wales. Nobody knows, of course, and people can come together, as we've seen during this pandemic, and draw strength from each other. But the impact of coronavirus on our communities and on the lives of those who have lost loved ones and have suffered from coronavirus, that isn't going to disappear quickly, I'm sure. I also agree with what Adam Price said about hope: hope is what sustains us, hope for the future.

I'd like to thank the leader of Plaid Cymru too for what he said about the police force, who have worked so very hard to keep us safe in very, very difficult circumstances, and about the impact on young people too. That's why our first priority as a Government was to bring young people back to schools and colleges to try and give them some things back and make them as normal as possible, so that they could meet with other young people, and so on and so forth. That's why we as a Government have said that if we have that opportunity after May, we want to invest millions of pounds in services to help young people to continue to learn lessons and to catch up on those things that they've lost out on over the past year.

And learning lessons is important, of course, as Mr Price said. I don't want to wait for an independent inquiry before we start to learn those lessons. It's important, as Adam Price said, that we learn those lessons now about the strength that people have shown, and about the things that we've been able to do so very quickly during the past 12 months. I had the privilege of being Minister for health here in the Senedd and I recall how difficult it was to persuade people to work digitally, but now, of course, it's a matter of course. We shouldn't forget those lessons; we should harness those things that we have learnt and take them forward in a positive manner. There have been very many difficult things that we've dealt with over the past year, but there are positives too and it's important that we learn those lessons and not wait for an independent inquiry at some point in the future before we do that.

And I agree also with what Adam Price said, and I said it myself in the original statement, that inequalities that had been ingrained, well, coronavirus has drawn them to the surface within our society. And the future won't be better unless the future is fairer. And that's the spirit in which I want to help Wales, if I'm able to, to come out of this pandemic in a way that is better for us all, of course, but is also fairer, so that we can learn those lessons that we've seen with people living with the inequalities within our communities.

John Griffiths.

I hadn't actually submitted my name for this item, Llywydd.

Oh. Right. That's perfectly fine. Rhianon Passmore.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, today marks a year of the national lockdown, yet on 8 March 2020 Scott Howell, then 48, from Blackwood in Islwyn, became the first person from Gwent to go into intensive care due to complications caused by what turned out to be COVID-19. Scott Howell epitomises the communities of Islwyn and he thanks the Welsh national health service for saving his life. But it is very right that we also reflect and remember all of those who have very sadly succumbed to this cruel virus.

First Minister, on behalf of all the people of Islwyn, may I place on record, as their representative, my thanks again to all those women and men who serve in our Welsh NHS and social care, who have fought this fight alongside, often, our own loved ones? The people of Islwyn are made of strong stuff and we've endured this pandemic and only now can we all see light at the end of the tunnel. Llywydd, with every Islwyn resident to be offered the vaccine by 31 July, we know in Wales that the Welsh national health service remains true to Labour Nye Bevan's vision, and that of our Labour Government has ensured that Wales is one of the most successful nations in vaccinating its populace. First Minister, what has the pandemic taught us about the value of our living Labour vision of free healthcare for all, for Islwyn and for Wales, in the twenty-first century?

Llywydd, can I thank Rhianon Passmore and thank her for drawing attention to Scott Howell’s experience? It’s very important, I think, this afternoon that we do remember, of course, people who have died and the suffering and the grief of families, but those many people who did not lose their lives, but whose lives have been profoundly affected by the experience of coronavirus. It is a cruel illness. And those people who end up in intensive care, fighting for their lives, have been very much part of the thinking behind today. Those days back at the start of this pandemic when we worried that we might run out of beds, that we would run out of ventilators, that there wouldn't be intensive care available for people who needed it, and it is thanks to not just the commitment and hard work, but the sheer inventiveness of firms and of clinicians across Wales that created conditions in which we didn’t face those most worrying eventualities.

You would expect me to say, Llywydd, that the lesson I draw from this experience is of the power of practical socialism. When I see people going for vaccination, I think to myself, 'There you see a service that depends not at all on who you are or where you live or who you know or whether you can pay; the only thing it depends upon is the fact that your need comes first.' And we have provided vaccination to those people in order of their clinical vulnerability—each according to his need, each according to his ability. It is the ability of those people who turn up to carry out vaccination that provides that hope in the lives of those individuals. I see that sense of public service in everything that they do, and I see in the Welsh public's reaction to it that powerful sense of fairness—that if somebody needs it more than you, you are prepared to wait your turn. That's what I see in those queues of people waiting for vaccination. I think it lifts our spirits, because it tells us something fundamentally important about who we are and what we are as a nation. 

We remember today all those who have died of COVID and their families. We also, I think, should think of those who have long COVID, think of those who are going to have other health treatments delayed, and think of the impact for so many on their mental health, and those who've suffered worst economically from this. 

First Minister, I'd like to say that anything I say from an Abolish the Welsh Assembly perspective I'd like to preface with two remarks, one about you personally. I appreciate the huge work rate and effort that you have put into this crisis, and how it must have changed you as a leader. You've had to deal with our questions from different perspectives over the past year, and you've generally done so with great conscientiousness and good humour, so I would like to thank you for that. 

I'd also like to say that, whatever our perspectives on what Government should do or shouldn't do, or how it's different from what a Government somewhere else does, whether that's within the United Kingdom or wider afield, I'm struck by how common the experience has been. Even in countries that appeared to be doing well or badly, there seems perhaps to be a reversion to the mean. Sometimes, policies don't have the impact we expect, and overall, perhaps we as politicians are less determinative of the outcomes than we might expect. 

I wonder though, First Minister, could I ask you about one particular decision that was taken before—[Inaudible.]

I think we may have lost Mark Reckless. I'll come back to Mark Reckless later if he's able to rejoin us. Laura Anne Jones, are you able to ask your question now?

Thank you. First Minister, a year on, may I just firstly take this opportunity, on this day of reflection, to remember all those who have devastatingly lost their lives to COVID, and also take this opportunity to thank all those on the front line that have gone above and beyond, and have witnessed sights that none of us would have wanted to witness, or hoped for them to witness? They have put in an incredible amount of effort into saving lives across Wales. It is recognised that it is a great achievement that, along with the volunteers and army, we have now vaccinated half of the Welsh adult population. So, thank you to the First Minister and the Government for that, and the part that they played alongside the UK Government in delivering that. Also, let me please just thank teachers and all those that have enabled us to be safe and to carry on. 

The virus has been incredibly cruel and nasty, and taken many amongst us far too soon. Our thoughts are with them and their families today and always. Personally, I didn't think this time last year, as we entered lockdown, that this pandemic would last more than a few weeks, and yet, here we are, a year on. It is important that we learn from mistakes made. It's important that we reflect. It's important that we mourn. But we must learn from those mistakes during the pandemic on how we've governed, and how we've looked to control the virus, and the effects it's had on livelihoods, and also recognise the impact that it's had not only on livelihoods, on businesses, on education, but also on mental and physical health, both young and old.

In the early stage of this pandemic, tough decisions had to be made, and at no point were they going to be decisions that we all agreed on or thought were perfect. We were in unchartered waters. We all recognise that, and as long as those in power admit that mistakes were made, it is then, and only then, that we can learn from the mistakes that have been made. There have been a lot of great decisions in the UK, and by the Welsh Government, and I hope we've given credit where credit is due. But it's also true that the right balance hasn't always been struck. Our economy has often missed out, resulting in the recovery part of this pandemic, which will be faced after the coming election, being of paramount importance, to ensure that we leave things in the right place for future generations. And also, it's vitally important that we look to address those vast inequalities that have been highlighted by this pandemic, and really take this as an opportunity to right those wrongs.

Our children have silently suffered. They've given up a year of their childhood, which has affected development and their education, and they've also given up physical exercise, for the sake of the vulnerable in our society. We owe them a great debt. But we must ask questions. Was it entirely necessary, when we look at the figures of the rate of the spread of infection in outdoor spaces, for example, to shut down organised outdoor activities for as long as we have done, as many were deemed COVID safe, and hundreds was spent on them to make sure they were safe? Was it entirely necessary not to let all our children go back into school, educational settings until they did? Some, of course, are still not back in school. The impact on our children—

You'll need to bring your contribution to a close and to ask questions of the First Minister now, please.

The impact, of course, has been massive. First Minister, in the next Parliament, I really hope that whoever's in Government, and all MSs, play their part, and are brutally honest in their scrutiny and appraisal of the next Welsh Government, and this Welsh Government, in the handling of the crisis. I hope that, from that, we learn and can be more holistic and ensure that we have a more effective response in the future. Do you share my views that it is now time to really reflect on what has been done in this Government, and be honest with ourselves? Many thanks.

I'll ask the First Minister to respond, and then I'll go back to Mark Reckless, for him to complete his question as well.

Diolch, Llywydd. Thanks to Laura Anne Jones for what she said in opening her remarks; this is indeed a day of reflection, and we ought to do exactly that. I don't think I've ever claimed that the decisions made by the Welsh Government are perfect. Sometimes, I feel like I've spent 12 months walking along a tightrope with an enormous chasm underneath—always balancing, always trying to find the right centre of gravity between so many competing harms and so many competing needs. And of course, reasonable people can disagree about whether that balance has been properly struck, or optimally struck.

I think it has been one of the strengths of Welsh democracy that the Senedd has sat throughout the pandemic. We haven't had long periods in which Members of the Senedd have not been able to ask searching questions of the Government, to put different points. We met right through the summer, in extraordinary ways. And while, when you are in the position of trying to make decisions, and with all the demands that that brings, answering for what you do isn't always the most comfortable part of the job, I think it has been absolutely a necessary one. The Senedd has shown the strength of Welsh devolution in the way that those questions have been put and in the way that answers have been attempted to them. I hope that sense of scrutiny to which Laura Anne Jones refers certainly does go on into the next term, because there will be many other difficult and closely balanced decisions that we will want to debate and make better as a result of the conversations and the challenges that we have here.

Mark Reckless to, hopefully, complete your questions to the First Minister.

Diolch, Llywydd, I appreciate that. After my positive comments in my initial contribution to the First Minister, I wanted to ask him whether he regretted the decision at the end of the firebreak period to focus on enforcing a border with England, while restoring complete freedom of movement, pretty much, within Wales, compared to the strict travel restrictions we had before. I asked him at the time why constituents from Merthyr Tydfil were allowed to travel to Monmouth, from a very high infection area to a low infection one, yet he had this border enforced between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye. Did that make any sense? We had some of the highest infection rates in the world a few weeks after that.

I just ask, as we come out of the restriction period, whether he'll do what he can to welcome back domestic tourism, by which I mean from elsewhere in the UK, to Wales, and clarify what the situation will be post 12 April. I think, earlier, he made some sensible comments in response to Andrew R.T. Davies around international tourism, but the other side of that is if people aren't going to be able to travel abroad, will we work to welcome them to Wales in a COVID-compliant and sensible way. 

Could I finally ask him to reflect, perhaps, on what the Prime Minister is reported as having said yesterday—that he regrets having allowed, as he put it, the devolved administrations to go their own way on the COVID response? This could have been done a different way through the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, rather than through the separate Coronavirus Act 2020 and the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. What difference would it have made if that had happened?

Has COVID not put us on a different path in terms of devolution? Many people who were previously not aware or didn't engage in it see the hugely exorbitant powers that the First Minister and Welsh Government can exercise over their lives for good or for ill, and many people who feel at least as British as Welsh, or in some cases even English, do not like it that the First Minister and the Welsh Government have those huge powers over them. At the times when he's done things just in a very different way than the UK Government has in England, may that not have reduced compliance and made it harder for people to come together? Has he any reflections on that? 

Thank you for the very positive remarks with which you, Mr Reckless, opened your contribution, and for drawing attention quite rightly to the four harms of coronavirus. We should be reflecting on them all today. I thought he made some very interesting points about the way in which different countries across the globe, at different points, have had successful periods in their management of the virus, and yet the virus comes back in ways that manage to subvert the different defences that different governments have built. That has been a common experience, and it probably is a salutary thing to reflect on the limitations that any one—any one—government has had in being able to find a full set of successful measures. 

In relation to the points we came back to when we heard from Mr Reckless again, when I look back over the firebreak period, the thing that strikes me the most is that we were reopening society here in Wales at a time when we were unaware of the fact that the Kent variant was already making its way across the country to us. The additional transmissibility of that variant made a difference to the rate at which the flow of coronavirus happened in the post-firebreak period. The firebreak period itself, according to The Lancet, was the most successful in Wales of any part of the United Kingdom, because we embarked on that earlier than anywhere else and we went deeper than anywhere else, but we were facing a set of circumstances, as we came out of it, that we simply hadn't anticipated and didn't know about either. 

The Member's obsession with the border is absolutely not one that I share. I've tried to make the point all the way through that, for me, this is never a matter of the border; it's a matter of trying to make sure that we protect lower incidence areas from higher incidence areas wherever they may be, and that's how I will go on approaching this. It's never been for me a matter of England and Wales; it's a matter of trying to make sure that we don't reimport the virus into parts of Wales that have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get those numbers under control.

I absolutely want to welcome visitors from other parts of the United Kingdom back to Wales when it is safe to do so. At the moment, both the UK Government for England and the Scottish Government for Scotland, as well as the Northern Ireland Executive, don't regard it as safe for their citizens to travel. Now, when those things improve, then I very much look forward to welcoming people back to Wales, because then it will be safe to do so. And, as the Member will know, we have to take into account the sensibilities of those parts of Wales that haven't seen visitors for a long time, where the indigenous population is relatively low in numbers but swells greatly during the tourist season. So, we've got to think of all of that as well. 

I'm afraid the Member betrayed his own way of thinking, certainly, and, if he was accurately quoting the Prime Minister, then I'm afraid the Prime Minister's way of thinking as well. It is not for the Prime Minister to allow the directly elected Senedd here in Wales or the Parliament in Scotland to exercise the powers that are devolved to us. It is such a cast of mind that believes that we are somehow some sort of subsidiary body where the Prime Minister allows us to do certain things or not. I'm sure there were other ways in which the coronavirus crisis could have been approached, and the huge powers that were exercised would have had to have been exercised by somebody here in Wales. I believe it has been better for the decisions that affect people in Wales to be made by people in Wales elected by the people of Wales to make those decisions on their behalf. We are grown up enough to do it, and we don't need anybody else to tell us what we are allowed and not allowed to do.

I thank the First Minister.

We'll move on to our next statement, which is a statement by the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport on 'Llwybr Newydd: a new Wales transport strategy'. And I call on the Deputy Minister to make the statement—Lee Waters.

Diolch, Llywydd. On 19 March, I was proud to publish the Welsh Government's new Wales transport strategy. It sets what we consider to be a bold new vision for transport in Wales over the next two decades. And the context for the document is very clear: we are in the midst of a climate crisis, and it is time—indeed, it is urgent—that we turn the broad consensus that now exists for action to address it into practical and radical measures for change, and this is exactly what the document sets out to do. 

The document is called 'llwybr newydd', which means 'new path', because we have to take a new and different path to not only reduce the carbon footprint of transport in Wales, which represents some 17 per cent of our total emissions, but in doing so create a high-quality, reliable and affordable transport system that can support prosperity and equality. This is why our new strategy has modal shift at its heart. It sets out to tackle the deeply-rooted car dependency that sits at the centre of so much of modern life by encouraging fewer car journeys and by supporting the infrastructure and changes needed to encourage a much greater share of trips by sustainable forms of transport.

The strategy focuses on three simple priorities: firstly, to reduce the need to travel; secondly, to allow people and goods to move more easily from door to door by sustainable forms of transport; and, thirdly, to encourage people to make the change to more sustainable transport. The challenge of any new strategy is translating ideas into action—change that people can see and change that people can benefit from. This is why we are including clear and stretching targets for increasing the number of journeys made by bus, rail and, for local journeys, active travel. For the first time, we will increase the share of journeys made from these sustainable forms from 32 per cent today to 45 per cent by 2040, and we will go further and faster where we can, reviewing and extending these targets as we go in order to support our journey to the 2050 net-zero climate targets that we have set.

We've already begun work on the £750 million electrification of the Valleys lines that will be the foundation of the south Wales metro, we have brought our Wales and borders rail network back into public ownership, and we are taking greater control over planning our vital bus network, with new legislation being prepared for the next Government to consider. And perhaps the thing I'm most proud of: we are investing in high-quality active travel infrastructure—£75 million has been allocated in next year's Welsh Government budget, up from the £5 million that was in place at the start of this Senedd term.

Now, this strategy would have been vital before the pandemic. But COVID-19 has increased the urgency for change. For, as well as the sadness and disruption coronavirus has brought, it has significantly accelerated many of the enormous changes impacting on our society and our economy: digital change, the reshaping of town centres, as well as the very nature of work itself, will look very different coming out of this pandemic. As Members will have seen, this new strategy aims to stand alongside our new 'Future Wales' development framework, and initiatives such as our transforming towns work, in supporting the recovery and reshaping our economy after COVID.

It also complements the new ambition we have set as a Welsh Government for 30 per cent of people across Wales to work remotely. Indeed, the entire strategy is very much framed in the context of supporting other Ministers across Government and the wider partners in helping us all to use transport as an enabler of our wider, shared priorities.

As Members will see from the strategy, the other golden thread running through it is fairness. Twenty-five per cent of people in Wales do not own a car, and we have a duty to build a high-quality, affordable and reliable public transport system to support every community in Wales. Indeed, a high-quality transport system can and should be an important tool in helping support poverty reduction and regeneration in many communities in Wales hit hard by 40 years of deindustrialisation, and this we intend it to be.

This marks a significant shift in transport policy in Wales, Llywydd, one that recognises that business as usual will not do if we are to reduce transport emissions, accelerate modal shift and meet our ambitious climate change targets, which we have all committed to. That means changing the way we make investment decisions across Government. At the heart of our new approach is the new sustainable transport hierarchy, which sets out a new ordering of investment priorities for transport in Wales.

There will clearly need to be new thinking in the context of this new strategy and that new hierarchy. It is not going to be consistent to return to a predict-and-provide model of road construction as a first solution to congestion. Indeed, I think the recent Burns commission work shows that, with thought, collaboration and will, there is a way to construct an alternative, joined-up solution. But, equally, a blanket policy of simply not building new roads isn't a solution either. There will be a case for new construction in certain circumstances and there will be a clear need to fulfil our existing statutory duty to maintain the existing road network.

All of that means we need a new and intelligent framework through which to consider in what circumstances new infrastructure, including roads, is taken forward across Wales in the context of our targets, the new strategy and our new hierarchy. And I've asked officials to begin work developing that new framework and a set of metrics that can underpin new infrastructure decisions in the future. We will ask the Welsh Local Government Association and the future generations commissioner to work with us as part of this—and I believe the committees of the next Senedd must play an important part in shaping this work as well—to develop a consensus on how these new metrics can be used to achieve the target we've all committed to of net zero by 2050.

Llywydd, 'Llwybr Newydd' is a new path. Delivering on our vision will be challenging, but it'll be worth it, and I am proud to have played a part. Diolch.

Can I thank the Deputy Minister for the briefing that he provided to myself and other opposition spokespeople last week and thank his officials as well for that? I do have some specific questions, obviously, about the strategy, but I'll make some general points, as, of course, this is the end of this Government's particular term.

When it comes to transport and infrastructure, I don't think that the Deputy Minister would be surprised for me to say that I don't think that this Government has delivered at all for the people of Wales. And I noted the Deputy Minister expressed disappointment over the weekend that the £200 million investment that he had announced didn't make the news headlines, but I guess the media feel the same as me: £200 million over 20 years is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed, I think, to invest in our transport networks and encourage the behavioural change that he wants and that I want to see as well.

As a Labour Government, I'm afraid to say you've consistently failed when it comes to putting into place solutions for congestion on the M4, the A55, the A40. We have had 20 years of discussion and consultations but no practical solutions have yet been delivered, and, whilst the Government has been dithering and delaying on any meaningful schemes, the traffic volume has increased. And I think one of the biggest failures of this administration is not delivering the M4 relief road. Your boss, the economy Minister, was in favour of the M4 relief road; your other boss, the First Minister, wasn't. It's just disorganised and disjointed, and, in that process, millions and millions of pounds of taxpayers' money have been wasted. So, I'll make it clear to the Deputy Minister and Welsh Government that my party is committed to building that M4 relief road from the £1 billion of money from the UK Government, and, if we are the next Government in Wales, we will build the M4 relief road, and, unlike the Labour Government, we will not go back on our manifesto commitment and we will deliver the M4 relief road.

I'll move on to some areas now where perhaps I can agree with the Deputy Minister—I hope I can find some areas this afternoon to do that. So, I have a range of questions about the new strategy. Certainly, I think it's well overdue, the strategy; I think the previous strategy was brought forward by Ieuan Wyn Jones. We've had a number of plans set under that strategy that have—. The current one expired some time ago, so, certainly, well out of date on bringing forward a plan. You've listed three points, very simple points, you've mentioned yourself. I can't disagree with all of them, and, if I was to be the next economy Minister, I'd be happy to adopt those three points; they're very welcome, from my perspective.

You said at the end of your statement today, Deputy Minister, that delivering it would be challenging. I agree entirely that this is particularly challenging, particularly the first priority. The first priority is, of course, to bring services to people in order to reduce the need to travel. I can agree with that, but I'm just thinking. 'What does that mean?' How will you liaise with Government colleagues and local authorities on that? I was speaking to somebody from Machynlleth the other day who has to do a 60-mile round trip to drop off their recycling—because the recycling facility closed in Machynlleth—all the way to Newtown. I was visiting Churchstoke school yesterday—walked around the village, new housing development taking place, all the children walk to school; just as on page 10 of your strategy, two children walking to school. But how is this going to work when the local authority is proposing to close that school, so those children who now walk to Churchstoke school will now be getting into a car or onto a bus to get to the nearest school? So, this is huge. Bringing services closer to people in terms of integrating planning systems and health systems is huge, and I'm just wondering what kind of buy-in you think that you've got from other departments of Welsh Government and from local authorities. And Minister, in your statement, you talk about the commitment to move away from cars to walking, and you talk about the current 32 per cent share and raising that to 45 per cent—so, very ambitious. How have you come to that figure? What's your analysis? What was your thinking to get to that figure? And also the 2040 figure—why that figure as well? No criticism; I'm just asking a question about the logic behind that.

And you talked about the shift away from the private car, and my question is: what does this mean for rural Wales? Well, you do address that, so I welcome that in your strategy. You said to increase public transport, especially in rural Wales. I was very pleased to get that—'especially in rural Wales'. 'How are you going to do that?', I suppose is the question. You have mini-plans within the strategy—

Can the Member wind up please?

Yes, Deputy Presiding Officer, I will do. How are those mini-plans going to be brought about? Are you going to be developing those, or are those the plans going forward? And finally, Deputy Minister, you talk about joining up a lot of the report as well, how did your work on the strategy link in with the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales?

Dirprwy Lywydd, a number of points to address there, and obviously I'm conscious this is the penultimate session of the Senedd before the election, and Russell George is in election mode, and I obviously factor that into my response. It's a different Russell George who chairs with great consensus the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, and the same Russell George who signed up to a report that said we shouldn't be building new roads, we should be maintaining existing ones. So, his thinking has developed rather rapidly in the last couple of years.

He says we haven't delivered for his constituents, and I certainly seem to remember him welcoming the Newtown bypass, but again, his thinking developed rather rapidly in the couple of years since then too.

He's wrong to say that the £200 million is over 20 years, it's not. It's for next year, and we are putting our money where our mouth is. We are putting investment in behind the priorities in the Wales transport strategy around modal shift. We are prioritising public transport and active travel, and we are continuing where we have commitments for road-building schemes as well. This is a mixed approach.

But he says, were he Minister, he would deliver the three priorities in the plan—he agreed with the thrust. But the whole premise of the plan is to deliver modal shift targets, is to reduce car use. So, he's complaining on the one hand that we are not—. He says traffic volumes are increasing, he says we haven't built the infrastructure, he says he agrees with the plan to reduce car use, but then criticises us for not building more roads. So, there's a muddle of thinking there, if he doesn't mind me saying so. Those things are not compatible.

If we are going to achieve net zero by 2050, the evidence is very clear: we have to reduce car use. The figures in the strategy commit to a 5 per cent reduction in car mileage by 2030. Now, that is going in the opposite direction than we've been going, but it is not particularly radical bearing in mind the Scottish Government over the same period are looking for a 20 per cent reduction in car mileage use. So, it is going to be a challenging target to achieve, but it is not as radical as it might have been. We did look at a range of scenarios, and we went for the most conservative of the scenarios. Now, whether or not that can be sustained in the light of the evidence as we go forward and as we meet our targets, that remains to be seen, but it's putting us on a new path, and that's the important thing. So, the figures that we've come to—he asks how we get those figures—they were based on substantial analysis for us of the different trajectories to meet the climate change goals, and this was seen to be achievable, a stretch, but an achievable target to get us onto the right path.

He asks what does it mean for rural Wales; well, I did provide him with a report that we had commissioned on a particular set of breakdowns for rural Wales and what this would be like, and I'd be happy to provide that to the committee as well, even though it's a little late in the day. But I think it does show that we have put a lot of thought into how we can get this trajectory delivered, but it is going to be a challenge for the whole Senedd. I would say to Members, it is no good any of us signing up to climate change targets and then resiling from the practical impact of the measures we need to put in place to achieve that. It's all very well for us to play to the gallery on local schemes that are long-cherished in many parts of Wales, but if we're going to put us on a different path, that means a different set of approaches, and we need the courage of our convictions to see that through. I'm sorry that Russell George's thinking has developed quite a bit, I might suggest, but I think there's a way to go if he's sincere about delivering the targets he signed up to.

I believe we might have lost connection with mission control.

Can we have Alun Davies's mike switched on? Alun Davies.

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Minister, I very much welcome the statement you've made this afternoon, and welcome what lies behind it as well. I think it is a refreshing statement that certainly creates a very real vision for the future.

There are three things I'd like to raise with you after the statement. It will be no surprise to you that I very much welcome the funding for the rail enhancements on the Ebbw valley line. This is something that we've been arguing for and campaigning for for some time. The UK Government has walked away from its responsibilities on rail for some time, and it's good to see the Welsh Government stepping in and doing the UK's job for it, and I appreciate that very much. It would be useful for us to understand—this may be something that you would wish to write to me and other Members on—how you see the £70 million unlocking further developments on the line over the coming years, now that we can see the movement towards four trains an hour, other enhancements such as the station in Abertillery and other matters, and how you see development on the line through the next Senedd.

The second question is on the bus industry. I very much agree with the approach being taken by the Welsh Government on the re-regulation of buses. I think the deregulation of the 1980s has been one of the most catastrophic and long-lasting failures of the Thatcher Governments, but the bus industry itself is an industry that's on the edge. We've seen a number of different companies falling into bankruptcy and administration over recent years, and the Welsh Government already spends a huge amount of funding on bus services. And it might well be that the economy of buses at the moment isn't working, and it would be useful to understand how the Welsh Government sees the re-regulation in economic terms and not simply in terms of service enhancement, because there's clearly a structural issue in the economy of bus services at the moment that we need to address.

And the final question is this on active travel. I very much agree with the thrust of policy in this area, but it will be no surprise to the Minister—I have raised this with him before—that it is considerably easier to cycle your way around a city on a coastal plain than it is to cycle your way around Blaenau Gwent in the Heads of the Valleys. Where I'm sitting here at the moment, I've got Sirhowy hill just to my east, and if I wanted to visit the Aneurin Bevan memorial, which is probably about 1.5 km from where I'm sitting at the moment, it would involve quite a considerable hill to get there, and also to get to my nearest supermarket. So, how do you ensure that active travel isn't simply a policy of the cities and the suburban commuter belt in and around Cardiff, Swansea or Newport, and that it is actually something that those of us who live in the Valleys—and in the Heads of the Valleys in this instance—are able to enjoy as well, because at the moment I worry that the policy is too focused on the cities, and not focused enough on the towns of Wales?

Thank you. A good set of challenging questions there. We are delighted that we're able to provide the £70 million to accelerate the delivery of the Ebbw Vale lines, that services at last can go to Newport as well as to Cardiff, and this, of course, was one of the key recommendations of the Burns report. We are very keen that the Burns report is not a report that sits on a shelf, that there is action behind it, pace and momentum behind it. And in that vein, I'm very pleased to be able to tell the Senedd today that we have created a delivery board, and that we've appointed Simon Gibson as the chair of that delivery board to hold our feet to the fire. He is certainly not an uncritical friend of the Welsh Government, and he's been deliberately appointed as somebody who will make sure that there is pace. And I'm also very pleased to say that Dr Lynn Sloman, who was a member of the Burns commission and a leading practitioner of sustainable transport, has agreed to be vice-chair of that delivery board. So, I think the two of them make a very powerful combination to make sure that the actions and recommendations of the Burns report are delivered. We start off with a significant package of new electric buses, of active travel and, of course, of the Ebbw Vale enhancement now. 

I should also say this is an indictment of the UK Government. Rail infrastructure is not devolved. The Ebbw Vale enhancement should have been funded by the UK Government. We are already dramatically underfunded, as the work from Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre showed just this week on railway infrastructure, and over the next 10-year control period Wales is getting £5 billion less than we should be getting out of the UK Government. So, it does stick in the throat that on top of that existing underfunding, we've had to dip into devolved funds to fund a non-devolved piece of work, and bearing in mind what was said by the First Minister earlier on the range of responsibilities we are stepping into to compensate for the UK Government's disinterest in Wales, when they are telling us, as a Conservative Party, that they would no longer fund non-devolved activities. So, this is yet another example of where the Tories would not be funding this Ebbw Vale enhancement measure, consistent with their policy position.

On buses, there is a significant programme of reform that is required. As I mentioned, the next Senedd will have from the Welsh Government a draft, or the Welsh Government will have a Bill that they can consider taking forward. The emergency bus scheme that we brought forward under COVID has enabled us to make great progress in terms of our relationship with the bus industry through the support we've had to put in to stop the private sector going bankrupt. We've been able to get a something-for-something relationship out of them to make sure that they commit to doing a wider package of responsibilities for the funding that they will be getting, and Transport for Wales is currently beginning a piece of significant work on planning what a future network would look like. So, there's a lot of work under way already, and there's much more to do to make sure we can have an integrated transport system, as is much discussed. So, that is an integral part of that package.

And then, finally, on the active travel challenge, which I think is an understandable one, I would say a couple of things. It absolutely is not an urban agenda. The work that's informed the Wales transport strategy shows that in order to achieve carbon reduction, electric cars will play their role, of course, but we can't rely on electric cars; we have to have modal shift, and that's going to fall heavily on public transport, principally buses, but also active travel too, for those short journeys. Ten per cent of car journeys are under a mile. Something like half of car journeys are under five miles. Now, for some people—not for everyone, but for some people—those journeys are switchable to active travel.

Now, to Alun Davies's point I would say two things. You look back 50 years ago in Blaenau Gwent and the levels of cycling were significantly higher than they are now. The hills haven't appeared overnight. A lot of this is about perception and it's about culture and it's about habit, and certainly our health conditions have worsened in that time, and I don't think these two things are unrelated. In fact, there is strong evidence to show that they're not. But I do think electric bikes offer a real, practical way forward for lots of areas, particularly hilly areas and for rural and semi-rural areas. We've just announced a pilot project, trialling, in fact, in hilly areas, in Barry and in Swansea in the first instance, targeting more deprived areas, a low-cost loans scheme that Sustrans are managing on our behalf, targeting deprived communities to try and get people to take up electric bike use, and then a similar project using e-cargo bikes to try and get small businesses to use electric bikes for those last-mile deliveries in Aberystwyth and one other town that I've temporarily forgotten—apologies. But if that is successful, then I think we should be rolling that out into communities like Blaenau Gwent and as part—. With the right infrastructure in place to convince people it's a safe environment, plus the electric bikes, I think there is significant potential for modal change.

We've heard already, Minister, how Burns offers a blueprint for the sort of integrated transport system that we need to move to, and I'm very keen on that blueprint. I'm very keen on the new rail stations that are proposed in Newport East, such as the walkway station at Magor, which I know you're familiar with and is very innovative, and also at Somerton and Llanwern. We can have a bus interchange at Newport train station, which will also help with modal shift and which will be very significant and a possible early win, I think, and there are impressive active travel developments in train. So, I think we're fairly well set, Minister, but I just wonder whether there's any update you could give us, returning to the role of the UK Government, because we need that upgrade into the main line and the relief lines if we're really going to get the frequency of service and the opportunity for people to make that modal shift in the numbers and to the extent that we need. So, I'd be grateful if you could give us any update on the willingness of the UK Government to play their part. 

In terms of the pandemic, Minister, and air pollution, we've seen a reduction in air pollution. People have very much appreciated that and they have reconnected with nature. I think that's all to the good in terms of public support for the integrated system that we need. I just wonder whether there might be some further Welsh Government funding for electric buses—we've seen some impressive numbers coming into operation in Newport—and also for conversion of taxi fleets to more environmentally friendly, low-emission fuels. Because these taxis are around our town and city centres throughout the day and night, and if they were converted to friendlier fuels, as it were, I think that would be a further important gain in our efforts to tackle air pollution.

To take those questions in reverse order, we have provided Newport Bus with a £2 million loan to buy a fleet of electric buses for the city to replace their ageing fleet, which I think is very welcome. But clearly, there is a big challenge for the whole industry to convert to electric buses over the period of this document, and that is a significant challenge for them. We are looking to try and cross-fertilise my ministerial responsibilities for the foundational economy. We are looking at this as an opportunity to build these buses in Wales. We know we are building trains in Newport as part of the new franchise; we'd like to be building the buses too, and there's an opportunity for demand aggregation, as it's called in the jargon—trying to bring the bus companies together to agree a package of work, and we can then find Welsh manufacturers to step in to create jobs locally, as well as providing the necessary change in technologies that we need to see to meet the carbon targets. So, again, there are opportunities for green and local jobs as part of this necessary climate response as well.

In terms of the willingness of the UK Government to do its part in delivering the Burns review, I think that is a good question; it remains a moot point. I do note, as the First Minister said in his questions, that the union connectivity review by Sir Peter Hendy, which came out in the last few weeks, was very positive about the Burns report. And certainly, in the conversation he had with my colleague Ken Skates, he was very complimentary about the work of the Burns commissioners and the report that they produced. He certainly was complimentary also about the impact that devolution has had, unlike Russell George, in delivering transport—he said that devolution had been a positive thing for the delivery of transport. The question remains what ministerial appetite there is at Westminster to deliver on the findings of that report. Their initial response wasn't that encouraging, because they immediately abandoned the report and started talking about the M4 relief road even though the report had said nothing at all about that. So, the UK Government, once the election is out of the way, I hope, will buckle down and get to the serious business of delivery and confront the fact that they've been shirking their responsibilities to date.

On the first point about the rail infrastructure development, I joined, at his invitation, a meeting with the Magor walkway station group last month and was very impressed by the work that they had done as a community movement to make the case for a unique station that didn't have car parking facilities, because it was within a mile of most of the population of Magor on the main line already. I was very keen for us to support that project, and, in fact, it is one of the packages of work that the Burns delivery unit is currently scoping out, along with, as you mentioned, Somerton and Llanwern. I think there is an exciting package of work for the people of Newport from the Burns commission to deliver what, frankly, a city the size of Newport should have had in the first place, which is a modern public transport network.

But this, I'm afraid, is a reflection of the sort of underinvestment we've had in railways for a number of years, which leaves the city of Newport without the basic infrastructure to allow people to make everyday journeys by public transport. That's what we've got to put right, and I think that's what we've got to demonstrate to the people of Newport—that we will take it seriously and will do so with pace and with urgency. The UK Government must play its part in that, and so far, they're not doing so.

Can I thank the Deputy Minister for his statement this afternoon? Also, can I acknowledge both Lee Waters's and Ken Skates's personal commitment to the cause of carbon-free transport? One cannot doubt that the aims outlined in this report are, indeed, laudable aims. We all want to see a greater use of public transport, more active travel and less use of cars, and where it is not possible to replace car transport, as many as possible should be electric. In fact, my colleague Caroline Jones has just shown her commitment by purchasing such a vehicle. It is comforting to see that there will be substantial financial backing towards achieving these ambitious goals. I particularly welcome the £70 million interest-free loan to Blaenau Gwent borough council to make improvements to the Ebbw Vale line, but can I ask whether this loan will be ring-fenced? 

As one can see, I wish to support these ambitions in their entirety. However, can I issue a note of warning? The transition from car to alternative forms of transport must be gradual. People must be encouraged to make the switch, not penalised for not doing so. There are many who will never be able to use public transport for work purposes, and many more outside urban areas who will not be able to switch to the bicycle to access their work. It is therefore essential that any punitive measures taken by the Government to help implement their ambitions must take these factors into consideration. Would the Minister, please, address this? 

We must remember that there are many in society who would relish the opportunity to switch to a brand-new electric car, but who are far too financially impoverished to be able to do so. We have to accept that there will be many old cars on our roads for some time to come, simply because many cannot afford better but will still have to use them for both leisure and work. Focusing on electric cars, we will have to have a substantial increase in charging facilities across not only Wales but the UK as a whole if we are to see an exponential take-up in their use. We also have to contend with the fact that the grid system in Wales will not—

The Member does need to wind up, please.

[Inaudible.]—use of electric vehicles. Has the Welsh Government sought help from the UK Government to implement these?

One final point. Reducing the speed limit in urban areas to 20 mph will not help reduce carbon emissions but, as the ministry of transport figures prove, will increase carbon emissions. Why does the Welsh Government ignore this paradox with a proposed implementation of those limits throughout Wales? Again, Llywydd, thank you.

You were doing so well there. Up until the last point, I was encouraged. Whenever I hear David Rowlands welcome laudable aims, I'm waiting for a big 'but', and we got the 'but' at the end with his campaign against our effort to try and save children's lives from being killed unnecessarily on the road. Certainly, the evidence that came out of our own review on 20 mph default urban speed limits did not support the view that they significantly increased emissions.

Just to go through some of the other points, the loan has been agreed with Blaenau Gwent council, it has been committed to the task at hand, and we're working closely with them. I do agree with his point on the gradual shift out of car use towards alternatives, and it is clearly not something that applies to every journey. We're not saying that people must never use cars again. Clearly, the car is the most practical option for some journeys, but, for most journeys—the research is quite clear on this—sustainable transport is a realistic option, providing the infrastructure is in place, the services are in place, and the information and the incentives are in place to encourage people to make that shift. There are bags of evidence and experience of where that can happen. Where there's a will, there's a way. There's no need for punitive language; this isn't a punitive choice. Done properly, this can enhance and improve people's lives and improve people's journeys, reduce people's stress and improve people's health—bus users walk more than car users. So, it is good for a whole range of public health targets that we have. He is right to say that it's not going to be suitable for all, but we don't need it to be done by everybody to achieve our targets. As I say, we're talking about a 5 per cent reduction in car mileage by 2030; this is not beyond what can be achieved, for sure.

His point on electric cars being expensive is also a sound one. This is why we want to make sure that there is an affordable and realistic alternative through public transport. I think what we really want to see is for people not to need to have multiple cars per household. So, things like car clubs and car sharing, for example, instead of a second or third car in a household, are realistic things that that can bring people along the behaviour change spectrum with us in a way that doesn't feel like it's making their choices restrictive. In fact, it's giving them extra choices and freeing up money for them, because a car is the second most expensive capital purchase a householder will make next to a house, as I'm sure Caroline Jones has just discovered.

I think that this report is absolutely excellent. It's so coherent and fits so well with the NHS recovery plan and the 'town centre first'. So, I congratulate you on that. I just want to pick up on a couple of points, having listened carefully to what you've said with other earlier speakers. It isn't just in rural areas that people don't have a bus. There are parts, even, of my inner-city constituency that don't have any buses serving elderly people who can't walk a mile to get a bus. So, we've got quite a challenge that I presume can only be resolved once we've regulated the bus services, because otherwise, we're simply having people chasing the same cherry-picking routes. If we're thinking about building the buses we need in the future in Wales, which I completely support, would you be thinking in terms of different sizes of bus for less popular, less populated routes? And what would be the fuel that you were thinking of using for all these buses? Is it electric or is it hydrogen? It seems to me that, as part of our zero-carbon pledges, we need to be thinking now about this. And the second point I just wanted to ask you about, really, is how we are going to achieve the cultural shift required so that in an urban place like Cardiff, we have to assume that most pupils will be able to bicycle to school.

Can I first of all pay a very sincere tribute to Jenny Rathbone for the campaigning she's done on this agenda throughout her entire time as a Member of the Senedd? She has been ahead of the pack as a persistent advocate for the need to shift to sustainable transport, and so I am pleased that she is here to welcome this report as a realisation of many of the themes that she's been calling for successive Welsh Governments to take up. I'm pleased on her behalf that she's able to be here to be part of this joint endeavour.

On her points on the bus network, as I said, there are two things going on. One is that TfW are modelling what a comprehensive local bus network would look like, and we're going to be building that, hopefully, over the next Government—I hope we'll be building that into the franchises as it is designed, to make sure that there is a coverage for the whole area, so that it is a realistic alternative for most people. But in that mix is that concept of what a modern bus service looks like, and we are piloting, as Jenny Rathbone knows, our Fflecsi demand-responsive bus service. We're doing that in Newport and we're doing it in different settings across Wales, some rural, semi-rural and urban, to see how it responds in different settings. That is about having a non-scheduled bus, an on-demand bus, which can then either do direct door-to-door drops or can feed into a spine of a scheduled service. We've seen that through the Bwcabus project for some years in north Carmarthenshire and southern Cardigan. It's an updating of that concept with modern technology, and the early results of the pilots are very encouraging. In fact, it is proving too popular for the service we've got in place. So, I think the notion about what a bus service looks like will evolve quite quickly, and I think we are at the vanguard of developing some of those different models. In terms of what fuel they use, that is a good question. Clearly, we'd want to minimise the impact of fuel, so we are looking at electric buses, we are looking at smaller buses, and I believe biofuel is also part of the mix in some settings. She rightly points to hydrogen being a proven carrier of energy that is useful for battery storage, and that's part of the work that we are developing through our hydrogen plan.

And then her point on the cultural shift needed for cycling to school. If you look at the announcement we've made on active travel this year, the schools work is perhaps the most important and the most challenging, and getting education departments and transport departments to see this as a joint endeavour is a challenge for us. That's not traditionally something education has been interested in doing, and that needs to change. I must pay tribute to Cardiff Council. Under the leadership of Huw Thomas and Caro Wild, they've been doing excellent work over the last couple of years—really, the leading authority in Wales on this—putting—. Not only have they been successful in attracting Welsh Government funding, but putting significant funding of their own in, and putting hard measures—the infrastructure measures—alongside the soft measures, the behaviour change interventions, particularly in schools. And that, I think, is going to reap dividends, because you do need to have the hard and the soft together. That is one of the weaknesses and challenges of our approach as a Welsh Government. It is harder for us to find revenue funding than it is to find capital funding in this area, and we know that without both we're not going to be able to achieve what we want to achieve. So, we hope this year we will be able to dedicate about 10 per cent of the £75 million towards behaviour change work, but it needs to be more than that in future years to meet the challenge Jenny Rathbone has rightly set.

Minister, thank you for your statement and for your thoughts on how we can promote better and more sustainable public transport in the future. By the way, you mentioned electric bikes earlier in your statement and it reminded me of a bike ride that we both went on down the Wye Valley some years back, when you were working with Sustrans. I remember us talking then about the potential in the future for modernising the cycling infrastructure, so I'm pleased that you carried on with that passion into Government.

Two areas, if I may: can I also welcome the Burns review and the Minister's commitment to reducing carbon emissions? You've mentioned Newport extensively, and it's been raised, really, by many Members, and you've said that it needs a modern transport infrastructure and it's waited too long for that. I'd certainly agree with that, and the people of Newport would agree with that. But also rural areas need infrastructure as well. My constituency is just north of Newport, but it's particularly poorly served by, certainly, bus services; train services—we've only got one, the main line to Hereford. After 6.00 p.m., it's very difficult to get back from Newport station, if you want to commute from Newport station to my constituency. I've raised this with the economy Minister, with Ken Skates, many times, so I'll raise it with you as well: how are we getting on with developing the metro network and potentially developing a hub at the Celtic Manor so that we can improve links from Newport into deeper rural areas in my constituency and beyond after 6.00 p.m., so that if people do want to commute by public transport they can?

And secondly, electric cars: yes, you're right that cars are appropriate for some journeys. In rural areas, they're particularly important. I know what you mean about not wanting to have multi-car households, and it would be desirable just to have one car per household, but, in rural areas, that's often very difficult, particularly with some of the larger families. So, what are you doing to improve the electric car infrastructure in rural areas? Only a couple of years ago, a new electric charging station that was planned—a planning application went in for one in Monmouth, and that was turned down, I think on the basis of a conflict with technical advice note 15 at the time. I think that the planning system needs to recognise that we do need this electric car charging infrastructure, but it needs to make sure that there aren't obstacles put in the way developing that, so that, both in terms of public transport and the electric car system infrastructure moving forward, we can get on with the job of providing a greener, more sustainable, more durable and cleaner transport infrastructure.

Thank you very much, and that contribution just underlines I think how much we will miss the reasoned and reasonable tone of Nick Ramsay's contributions from the Conservative benches, and I wish him well.

Just to address his points: the rural challenge is a very real one, but it is an absolutely achievable one. So, as I've said, we've commissioned a piece of work, which we'll happily publish, on what a package of rural measures looks like, because it'll be different from urban measures, for sure, but it's still achievable, and, if you look at what is currently happening in rural Germany, in rural Switzerland, where, absolutely, there is a bus network where every village has a service every hour, that is what we should be aiming towards. Clearly, we're some way off that, but, if we're going to achieve this strategy over the lifetime of this plan, then we have to be aiming for that, and that is going to require a shift of resources towards public transport to achieve the modal shift target. So, there is a set of measures that we can do, and, again, active travel and electric bikes form part of that, as does the Fflecsi demand-responsive bus service. So, there is a range of realistic and proven measures that can work in a rural setting to achieve these targets there too.

In terms of the work on the metro, that is continuing apace, and TfW remain—. Clearly, COVID has had some impact on that, but it is still broadly on track. I'm not sure what the status of the Celtic Manor interchange is, but I will happily send him a note on that. Then, in terms of electric, we have just published our electric charging plan, which does aim for access for all cars in Wales to charging infrastructure by 2025, which is a significant challenge, given where we're starting from. It is, again, the role of the UK Government to provide this infrastructure. The Welsh Government, as we do on many of these things, looks to see where we can provide gap interventions, but it is for the—. This is a non-devolved area. There is funding going through the ultra-low emission vehicles scheme at the moment, but we face a significant challenge. So, for example, just to give you a sense of the challenge, by 2030 we need an increase in our rapid charging infrastructure by a factor of 10 to 20. That's in nine years' time. So, we really do have to pull our finger out on getting the infrastructure in place to give people the confidence to make the shift to electric cars. As I say, our strategy sets out how we intend to do that, and we hope the UK Government will add value further.

Thank you, Deputy Minister.

Item 5 on the agenda this afternoon is a statement by the Minister for Education on mental health and well-being support in educational settings, and I call on the Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams.

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Colleagues, the last year has been tough for us all. Our way of life changed beyond all recognition as we learned to live with the ever-present danger of coronavirus. The cumulative effect on our wellbeing has been enormous, and even more so for our children and young people. The fear of illness, the impact of furlough or job losses on the adults around them, the separation from their wider family and friendship circles, and the impact on their normal routine, just being able to attend school—it will have all been very, very daunting. 

However, if there is one positive that we can take from the last year, let it be the issue of well-being, in particular that of children and young people, and the role of education in supporting them. It's now fully recognised. Emotional and mental health is now at the centre of education, and children's health and confidence is one of the four central purposes of education in Wales. Building learners' resilience is key to that.

Schools are not just there to churn out children with a grasp of algebra or the key dates in history. They are there to help build resilience, preparing them for a future in which all of our young people will meet challenges, meet successes, but sometimes meet disappointments. I'm really proud, as I'm sure other Members are, that this Parliament recently voted to support a new national curriculum that ensures that health and well-being have equal importance to more traditional subjects and areas of learning.

Earlier this month I launched our framework on embedding a whole-school approach to emotional and mental well-being, which will support the new curriculum. The statutory guidance will enable schools, as they review their well-being needs, to develop plans to build on their strengths and address any weaknesses and evaluate the impact of their work. 

Let me be clear: we are not looking to medicalise growing up or our education system. What we are asking teachers and school staff to do is what many already do naturally—the little things, which have the biggest impact on children's lives. For example, pre lockdown, Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School in Bridgend held a Friday running club for both staff and learners. This provided a shared opportunity for staff and learners of any ability to go for a run together in the local area during the lunchtime break. That promoted positive relationships and shared values and, of course, real benefits for learners and staff's health and well-being.

At its heart, our new framework is about building trusting relationships between learners and between learners and teachers, the wider school staff and, indeed, across the whole school community. And when there are occasions, as there inevitably will be, when teachers encounter something out of the ordinary and outside their particular skill set, then they will know where to go to access appropriate support in a timely fashion.

The NHS-led Together for Children and Young People programme is developing an early help and enhanced support framework. This describes the help available to build resilience and support mechanisms. Together with our whole school framework, this will ensure the whole system now works seamlessly to meet all children's well-being needs.

Supporting implementation of our whole-school framework, we have increased our funding in this area by 360 per cent over three years, with funding coming both from the education department and the health budget, demonstrating the cross-departmental commitment to this work, which has been absolutely crucial. We will use the additional funding next year, as we have in the last two years, to support schools, local authorities and others to deliver real improvements in well-being support; for example, by improving and expanding our school counselling service, which currently sees around 11,500 children and young people every year. 

We have been reviewing the impact of the additional £1.2 million we made available for the service in the current year. So far, of the 18 local authorities that have responded, they've informed us that our funding has enabled almost 13,500 additional counselling sessions to the end of March, enabling over 5,500 more children to receive support.

Now, whilst the framework is aimed at schools, the principles underpinning it have equal relevance in other settings, such as further and higher education. Supporting staff and student mental health and well-being is essential if we are to tackle the attainment gap and widen access to educational success. In the last two years alone we've invested over £56 million to support mental health and well-being in colleges and universities. Our universities are working with Public Health Wales and with the Welsh Government through the healthy and sustainable colleges and universities framework to ensure all aspects of university life are designed to provide the greatest level of support to students. This whole-university approach to mental health means ensuring that good mental health and well-being is a core part of all university activities as part of their offer to students and to faculty.

And we have commissioned Estyn to undertake a thematic review of FE learner well-being during the COVID pandemic. Funding will result in resources disseminated sector-wide during 2021, including commissioned toolkits to support whole-college approaches on substance misuse and adverse childhood experiences.

Deputy Presiding Officer, in conclusion, this Government is committed to ensuring well-being is at the heart of our whole education system, and I truly believe that Wales is now leading the way. I would like to conclude by placing on record my thanks to both the Chair and the members of the Children, Young People and Education Committee for their work in this area and also members of our task and finish group, which has helped shape our activity. Diolch yn fawr. 

Thank you for your statement, Minister. I think we'd all agree that this last year has been highlighting the human need for physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual well-being in order to function, let alone even live our best lives, and I think it's been especially true of our children and young people and their ability to learn, be it traditionally or in the myriad of ways that they've experienced during COVID. That includes their ability to be with their peers, not just adults, and a whole range of experiences, some of which may have been forgotten. So, my first question, I think, is: what plans have you considered for using the summer holidays to enhance well-being in a way that can be accessed by all children and young people? 

Members, of course, have been long concerned about the mental health and well-being support for our children and young people—it's not just this year—which is why some us have been a bit nervous about the future of the Together for Children and Young People programme, which has been such an important driver of change, albeit with clipped wings, if I can put it like that.

Minister, I'm happy to acknowledge the effort that you and your department have put into this framework and I'm pleased to hear that it can be read across to the FE and HE institutions, and I also welcome the early interventions that you reference in your statement, which I hope have been successful. So, my next questions, I suppose, are: how would you measure the adherence to the framework as we go forward, and how will you measure the success of the results of adhering to the framework?

You refer to counselling sessions, which is very welcome, but you commented in the past on counselling being unsuitable for younger children. Early intervention in education settings helps counteract the effects of adverse childhood experiences and reduces the need for support in later life, so what's being considered for our youngest children, and how does the framework empower staff to push back against that medicalised intervention that you mentioned in your statement and that concerns us all?

And then, finally, yes, this is an NHS-led programme, but it still feels pretty much like an education-led programme. The First Minister referred earlier today to the statement on mental health and well-being, jointly signed by both Eluned Morgan and Vaughan Gething. So, how strongly is the work of Together for Children and Young People and this framework featured there in that statement? What resources will flow into the framework from the health department? And do you agree that it will be impossible to measure the impact of that health department investment in this route to improving children's mental health and well-being, when we continue to have these combined impact assessments for the Welsh Government budget, which do not separate adults and children and which continue to disappoint both the CYPE committee and the children's commissioner? Diolch.

Deputy Presiding Officer, could I, first of all, thank Suzy Davies for her comments and questions? With regard to the summer, I think the holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to look to support a number of activities to ensure that our children, who have really missed that social contact that Suzy talked about, have an opportunity to do just that. The Member will be aware of our very successful Food and Fun activities that have run in local authorities across Wales since I came into office. We have doubled the amount of funding available to the Welsh Local Government Association to ensure that that programme reaches many more children, and I continue to explore, with my officials, how we can best use the summer holidays as part of our learning 2021 programme, not to have academic lessons but look to employ a range of approaches, both cultural, creative, sporting, access to the outdoors, working with partner organisations and the third sector, to enhance, even above and beyond the Food and Fun activities, because we recognise that, for many children, that interaction and that opportunity to develop their resilience and learn in a different way will be an important part of how we can respond positively to the impact the pandemic has had on their lives.

With regard to who will look at the framework, well, the framework will have an evaluation arm of its own, but crucially, when face-to-face inspections are ready to go again and are reintroduced at the appropriate time, the new inspection framework from Estyn itself will look at how schools are addressing issues around well-being so that there is an added incentive, if you like, for the schools to actively engage in the framework, because that is one way in which they will be able to demonstrate to inspectors how they are addressing these needs within their school. So, I have every confidence that the framework will be used. In fact, what the framework does allow is some clarity for schools that in the past have been bombarded by different approaches, different types of programmes, which can be really, really sometimes confusing, sometimes contradictory. The framework gives a clear plan, and we will be using resources to ensure that there are people in Public Health Wales to support the schools in the use of the framework. So, those individuals are being identified at the moment so that there will be support there for schools in how they use the framework and how they can shape their work from that perspective.

You're absolutely right: traditional school counselling is not appropriate for our youngest children. The whole premise of counselling is that you are able to make some changes in your own life, and the ability of a five-year-old or six-year-old to do that, of course—it's not appropriate. Therefore, although I used the example of traditional counselling in my opening statement, local authorities have been also using different approaches to support younger children, whether that be play-based approaches, for instance, or whether that be family therapy and family-based approaches, as well as then, in schools, ensuring that more and more of our practitioners have ACE awareness training. And the framework absolutely gives that freedom for schools to become trauma-informed practitioners. The use of nurture programmes within our primary sectors—all of which we know are particularly effective in our youngest children.

And, of course, some schools are choosing to use some of their pupil development grant to look at supporting children's education with innovative approaches. Only yesterday, I was in Roath Park Primary School, where they are engaging in a programme that brings a dog to school, a therapy dog, and the children actually engage, walking the dog in the local park, and the counsellor encourages the child to talk about their challenges with the dog and that interaction actually is proving very successful. I know that the school has used it to support a child who has been bereaved during the pandemic, not from COVID—unfortunately, the child's mum had terminal cancer and has passed away—and the dog has been really, really useful in a really non-challenging way for that child to express their feelings. And I did meet a child yesterday who has been out walking the dog, whose parents are front-line NHS workers, and the impact of the pandemic on that child has made him really anxious about his mum and dad's safety, because they're both medics and he's been really, really anxious about his mum and dad being safe and well. So, there are really innovative approaches and schools are taking this very seriously.

Finally, can I just say that there is absolute determination, both within the education department and the health department, to work jointly on this project? And the resources that we've been able to put into the programme have come from both budgets. I take your point about the transparency, sometimes, of the ability to follow the impact of those inputs, but we will continue, I'm sure, in the next Senedd—not you and I, but other people—to discuss how that greater transparency can be achieved. But I have been really pleased with the joint departmental working that we've been able to achieve and the ability to harness resources from both budget lines to be able to enhance these services.

Thank you for the statement. I'd like to focus on two specific issues. I know that you would agree that it's crucial that we use a preventative approach in dealing with mental health issues, and whilst, of course, we do need to respond to problems as they arise, it's also important to take action to prevent those problems from arising in the first instance.

So, we do need to tackle one of the fundamental causes of mental health problems, and poverty is one of those. It is important that we bear in mind that disadvantaged children and young people are more likely to suffer mental health problems and that tackling poverty, through a number of different ways, is an effective way of preventing mental health problems before they emerge. Research shows that children who go hungry are far more likely to suffer anxiety and stress at a serious level. And there's also a proven link between poverty and hunger in early life and depression and suicide in later life. And in addition to this, if we are to see healthy brain growth in children, we must provide specific nutritional needs for them. And this includes the provision of zinc, vitamin D, iron, selenium, protein, iodine and other key nutrients. As you will know, Plaid Cymru is in favour of expanding free school meals to 70,000 children, and ultimately to all children, in order to ensure the children eat a healthy meal at least once a day. So, my question is this: shouldn't free school meals be at the very heart of a mental health and well-being strategy for education settings for any Government because of all of the preventative benefits that they bring?

And the second area I want to look at is the post-16 sector. Mental health support is crucial in schools, but it's also crucial that there is appropriate provision in all post-16 settings too, and one area that is at risk of being ignored is work-based learning and the well-being of apprentices. Apprentices, as well as the additional stress of completing a qualification after completing their framework, also have that additional stress of future employment, and during COVID that anxiety, I'm sure, has been increased, with 1,690 apprentices placed on full furlough from the beginning of the year, adding to the pressure on them of course. So, my final question, and my second question is: is there sufficient support available for this specific group of learners?

Thank you, Siân, for those points. Whilst I in no way disagree with the importance of nutrition for children and the important role that that plays in their education, I think it is just a little naive to think that, and that alone, can tackle the challenges of promoting good well-being and mental health in our schools. Can I say, one of the things that we do know that causes a great deal of stress and mental ill health is a lack of qualifications, and therefore ensuring that children receive excellent tuition and make real academic progress in schools is vitally important? And I am delighted to say that I have just signed off to officials now the largest ever investment in the pupil development grant—the largest single, as I said, budget line that that particular programme has ever had. In talking to teachers about that, they are very concerned that that money continues to flow to school after the next election because it has been fundamental in their ability to support children from our poorest backgrounds.

With regard to the issue of free school meals, the Member is absolutely aware—I know she is—that we were the first part of the United Kingdom to commit to funding free school meals during school holidays, and that support will continue in this academic year through to Easter of next year. The resources that have been made available to our partners in local government not only look to cover the costs of free school lunches, but we know, for many of these families, they would have been in receipt of a free breakfast while at school as well, and hence the—. In terms of monetary amounts to families, again, it's the best in the United Kingdom. We have promised to keep under review eligibility criteria for free school meals, but our families that are most in need are supported by that programme. Those families are also supported, of course, by our PDG access account, and I'm very pleased again this year that we have increased the number of year groups that are available for support in that programme, so that families in secondary schools can now apply for every single year that their children are in secondary school. And, of course, whilst traditionally those resources have been used to purchase items of uniform, that programme also allows parents to purchase items of kit and equipment so that their children can go into school feeling absolutely confident that they have, as I said, the uniform and the equipment that they need so that they are not different from their peers and don't have a lack of resources holding them back.

With regard to the further education sector, the Member is absolutely right—we need to ensure there is a continuity of support for children and young people as they move through education, and that's why we have ensured, as I said in my statement, that we have invested heavily both in the FE sector and in the HE sector so that students are supported. Many of our work-based learning providers, of course, will have linkages with their local further education provider, as part of their apprenticeship, and we would expect those colleges that are working with work-based learning providers to ensure that those young people have the support that they need. I recognise that it's been a particularly challenging year for some of those students. Their ability to complete qualifications has been more difficult because they've not been able to be in their traditional workplaces or they've not been able to cover the hours that they need to gain their qualifications, and our expectation is that further education colleges will be doing all that they can to support them. We have put additional moneys in place for those vocational learners to be brought back to college as a priority group, and, indeed, to support them if their courses run over into the next academic year to ensure that they are supported throughout that.

As I said, we have also significantly increased the investment in mental health support for our universities, and, again, to highlight best practice, in north Wales, I was delighted to hear this morning in a meeting with Glyndŵr University in Wrexham of how they are working hard to become the first trauma-informed university, not just in Wales, but in the United Kingdom, recognising the need to support their learners and their students. So, this is not just a whole-school approach, it is a truly whole-system approach.

Minister, as this is likely to be our last exchange in this Senedd, I just wanted to take this opportunity to place on record my heartfelt thanks to you for your work in this area, which has delivered such substantial progress in this Senedd. Your engagement with my committee has been rooted in respect for the value and worth of Senedd committees, fuelled by your commitment to children and young people's mental health, and has been hugely constructive and productive. As you know, what has driven my work in this area is a determination to save young lives. I've got no doubt that the embedding of mental health on the face of the curriculum Bill, mandatory inclusive RSE for all pupils, and the whole-school approach for mental health will make a huge contribution to saving young lives in Wales, and there can be no more significant or important legacy than that, and I do thank you for that.

If I can just turn now to a question about the whole-school approach, and mindful of your answer to Suzy Davies, which was very encouraging about the role of Estyn in ensuring that the framework, which is an excellent framework, rooted in strong relationships, is implemented, can I just ask specifically about secondary schools? As you know, all too well, lots of primary schools are already really very good at this work, and we have much to be proud of, but we have a longer journey to go on with our secondary schools. What specific steps have you taken and put in place to ensure that we can make that seismic shift, really, in delivering this whole-school approach in our secondary schools? Thank you.

Thank you, Lynne, first of all for your kind words. I guess serving an apprenticeship before becoming a Minister for some 16 or 17 years on committees perhaps gives you a perspective that isn't always present, sometimes. By engaging with you and your committee, I think we have achieved more than if the Government had just tried to move along this path on its own. And can I say, a lot of that is down to you, to your personal commitment, which goes beyond simply a political commitment, to this agenda, and, of course, just that little bit of fear sometimes you put into me of the consequences of what might happen if we don't get things done. But that creative tension between the Senedd and the Government is something that we should look to enhance at all times, because it leads to better policy outcomes for the people of Wales. And, goodness me, for those of us who have been involved in this project since 1999, that's what we set out to achieve, and I'd like to think that's what we have done in our relationship, Lynne, over these last five years.

You were absolutely right to talk about the secondary sector. You will be aware of the thematic work that's already been done by Estyn that talks about the differentiation, often, between the primary and the secondary sector, and the need to ensure that our secondary practitioners are well acquainted with, if nothing else, the simple biological changes that our young people go through during adolescence and how we need to be mindful of that in our approaches in the secondary school system. And I, certainly, sitting on the task and finish group, learned a lot and, indeed, have adjusted my own parenting style at home with that deeper understanding.

Of course, the pressures on secondary schools are sometimes not of their making but they're of Government's making. And that's why it's really important that we not only change our curriculum, that we not only have a learning inspectorate and a different approach to inspections, but we as a Government need to change the way in which we hold schools accountable for their performance. In the past, we have held schools accountable for their performance—because they need to be held accountable, there is no getting away from that, the job that they do is too important not to be held accountable—but they've been held accountable on such a narrow, narrow set of measures. And, as important as those measures are, surely if COVID has taught us nothing else, it's that school is a much wider and a much bigger piece of children's lives than just the narrowness by which we've held schools to account. So, it's also about changing our accountability regimes as a Government as well in terms of what success looks like in a secondary school and what does good practice look like in a secondary school, and, clearly, ensuring that the whole-school approach is embedded in approaches in secondary school will be really important, going forward.

And can I just reassure people that, sometimes, there is a false and artificial argument put up that you can either have well-being excellence or you can have academic excellence. Oh, goodness me, it's so not the case. What all the studies show is that if you have good well-being in school, for both pupils and faculty, actually that leads to greater educational attainment. So, this isn't an either/or or a 'nice to have'; this is an absolutely essential building block for driving forward greater levels of educational attainment for all of our children.

And finally, David Rees. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, can I put on record also my thanks for your stewardship of the education portfolio over the last five years? The statement you've just made demonstrates your commitment to the well-being and education of our young children, our young people, and I very much appreciate that. I look forward and I hope that what you've just said comes to fruition, because I have experience, unfortunately, as have my constituents, where the well-being of young children and the mental health of young children hasn't been addressed fully during this pandemic, particularly children in primary school. As we know, mental health issues can sometimes present themselves as behavioural issues as well, and therefore behavioural changes, often at home, not necessarily in school, can cause difficulties for families. I know of a parent who went to a school to ask for help with those behavioural changes as a consequence of some of the experiences of COVID and being home, and was told, 'We haven't got services available to you.' And that parent didn't have that help, and therefore we need to ensure that the services are available to help parents with children, in primary schools in particular, and also when they move into secondary schools—that transition period as well—to ensure that those services are there so parents don't face the challenges at home because the system has failed to deliver and support the child in the education settings. So, before you leave your post on 6 May, can you give me assurances that you will ensure that every local authority has in place sufficient resources to ensure that children who need that support and parents who ask for that support are not going to be denied it?

Thank you, David, for your kind words. Can I say I'm very sorry to hear of the experience that your constituent has had? If you would be good enough to let me have further details, then I can assure you that I will ask officials to pursue that with Neath Port Talbot local authority and I would be very pleased to do so, because what we do know is when parents ask for help, sometimes that puts us in a very vulnerable position as adults. We know that admitting sometimes that we are struggling or need help, especially when that is something as personal as parenting, can make you feel very, very vulnerable, and you are worried about being judged at the same time as being really worried about what is happening with your child. So, the initial response has to be the right response first time round, so that people are not discouraged from seeking help. I can't comment, because I don't know the full details of the case, but what we also have to recognise is that whilst we can realistically expect schools to manage a certain amount within the school setting, sometimes a family or a child may need help above and beyond the competencies that could be expected within school, and that's where local education authorities and local authorities in general, and sometimes in partnership with health services, need to have wraparound services that the school can refer to, because sometimes it is an outside agency above and beyond school that will need to be there to assist a parent or to assist a child.

So, as I said, I can't comment, because I don't know the full details, but that could be the case, that we needed other services brought in there to support the family. But, David, I can assure you that we continue to work with local authorities around ensuring, especially as we come out of the pandemic—and, goodness me, I hope we are coming out of the pandemic—that they will be ready to respond in a whole-systems approach, not just leave it all to schools, but to ensure that there is youth work, social services input, and partnerships with other organisations to support families if they need it. Because you're quite right—I don't believe in children as being inherently naughty; behaviour is triggered by something and we need to support that, and often disruption at home or things that have been going on at home result in behaviour in school, and we need to ensure that there is support for the family to address what's been going on so that those behaviour issues can be addressed. Many schools do it very well, but education, like democracy, David, is never done. So, there will always be more work for an education Minister, whoever that is lucky enough to be, to do.

Thank you very much, Minister.

Item 6 on our agenda is a statement by the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip on the Wales race equality action plan—an anti-racist Wales, and I call on the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt.

Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Racism and race inequalities have adversely impacted global society for hundreds of years. Back in October 2020, the Senedd supported a motion to wholeheartedly root out racism and racist ideology, and strive towards a more equal Wales, tackling systemic and structural race inequality. The Runnymede Trust says that racial inequalities persist in almost every arena of British society from birth to death, and events throughout the last year have demonstrated the tragic reality of that statement. The disproportionate and more severe impact of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities expose the inherent racial inequality in our society, and in the aftermath of George Floyd's death, Black Lives Matter and others have ensured that racism and race inequality are issues that no-one can ignore.

Now is the time for action, and as we mark again the international day for the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, I'm pleased to announced that, this week, the Welsh Government will publish the race equality action plan for Wales for consultation. The race equality action plan for Wales—an anti-racist Wales sets out a series of goals and actions designed to improve the outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic people in Wales. It's based on a number of themes developed in co-production with ethnic minority communities. It's grounded in evidence and shaped by expert academics from across Wales and the wider UK.

The detail and scale of the race equality action plan is bold, to reflect our ambitious and radical vision for Wales—a vision of a Wales that is anti-racist. Not non-racist, not more equal—a Wales in which there is zero tolerance for racism in all its forms. Taking this stance is vitally important to our black, Asian and minority ethnic stakeholders and communities because it provides for an active and conscious understanding that our society is structured in a way that excludes ethnic minorities. An anti-racist stance challenges the status quo and rebuilds systems for the benefit of us all. Anti-racism shifts the burden of racism from the victims to everyone in society. There will be many people in Wales who do not consider themselves racist, but anti-racism requires us all to make a conscious, active effort to call out racism wherever we see it. Simply standing by and staying silent is not enough. Taking an anti-racist stance sets the race equality action plan apart from any other policy intervention of this kind, either previously in Wales, or across the UK.

There are other distinguishing features within this plan that set it apart from other plans of this nature. The principle of co-creation has been fundamental to the development of the race equality action plan. The content of the plan is grounded in the lived experience of black, Asian and minority ethnic people in Wales. Around 2,000 individuals have shared their views on what the plan should include and the plan would not have been possible without their contributions. It has been incredibly powerful and is already proving a catalyst for change. Sharing these lived experiences has been painful for those involved, and I acknowledge the emotional labour inherent in such work. These individuals have given so much of themselves in pursuit of a plan that creates tangible change and it is crucial that we now deliver in acknowledgment of those contributions.

I am grateful to the 17 black, Asian and minority ethnic community mentors who are currently working alongside Welsh Government officials and sharing their expertise. They have added value, enriched our understanding and demonstrated why diversity across a workforce is essential to achieve impactful policy development. Beyond those with lived experience of racism, the plan is a result of collaboration between many stakeholders, and I want to take this opportunity to thank every participant for their generosity of expertise, contribution, guidance and advice provided in support of the plan. I express special thanks to Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna, who has provided challenging, thoughtful and supportive leadership for the work, alongside his role in chairing the COVID-19 socioeconomic group.

The Welsh Government has always prioritised equality in its work. The strategic equality plan and implementation of the socioeconomic duty are demonstrable examples of action we are taking to address inequalities in Wales. The history of Wales in all its diversity will be mandatory within the new curriculum, and last Friday, as further evidence of our commitment to equality, the Minister for Education committed to embedding these principles within the Curriculum for Wales by accepting all recommendations made in the final report by the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, contributions and cynefin in the new curriculum working group, led by Professor Charlotte Williams.

The race equality action plan emphasises the importance of closing the 'implementation gap'. The plan must, in the words of one of our stakeholders, move us from 'rhetoric to reality'. It must deliver our anti-racist vision and create culture change. The actions delivered must be meaningful and result in tangible equality of outcomes. We must think differently about how we measure and monitor progress and delivery. In time, this may require legislative underpinning, but in the short term, we will utilise all of the levers at our disposal to deliver our transformational work alongside stakeholders, as co-owners of the plan, to ensure accountability.

The race equality action plan is ambitious, it is radical and it is a result of a unique form of co-creation and shared ownership. Deputy Llywydd, the successful implementation of the race equality action plan will benefit all citizens in Wales. An equitable employment market will improve overall productivity and economic growth that will benefit us all. A fairer education and training system will develop aspiration, opportunity and improved outcomes for us all. Equalising opportunities and outcomes in health and social care will improve the system for us all. In the words of Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna, 'the imperative for implementing the plan is the mutually beneficial nature of the outcomes; we all stand to benefit from racial equality'.

I invite all Members of the Senedd to consider the race equality action plan and to share in our vision for an anti-racist Wales, where systems that perpetuate inequality are dismantled, where racial diversity is valued, and where we work to achieve equality of opportunities and outcomes for all. Diolch.

Deputy Minister, I just want to say that I concur with all that you said. We very much welcome this plan today. May I first just take this opportunity, though, to thank the Deputy Minister, Jane Hutt, for all her hard work in this role? She was the perfect person to be in such a role, being such a caring and compassionate human herself. She's helped to bring this Senedd and our country great strides forward in talking about, debating and acting upon subjects that were often thought as taboo subjects. 

Black Lives Matter and the pandemic have highlighted systematic inequality, particularly within our BME communities. It has really brought to the forefront the very real issues that many in our society and our communities face on a daily basis in 2021. And I state the year, because it is quite bewildering that this severe inequality and racism still exists in our society in 2021. This plan is therefore welcome, timely and much needed. 

We very much welcome this cross-cutting and cross-department policy development approach, and the proactive rather than reactive approach that the Minister has outlined in her statement today about the plan—for example, as she has already outlined, incorporating black history to now be taught in the new curriculum. I hope that any successor Government and Ministers like Kirsty Williams would also adopt this approach going forward. If we as a nation are truly serious in combating racism in all its forms and guises, then this is the way we need to do it. 

Luckily, I believe that a lot of racism is generational and will die out naturally. It is always incredibly reassuring when you talk to our young people how important it is that we do tackle racism and inequality in our communities. In terms of Black Lives Matter, seeing the interaction with young people on Twitter, for example, with Manchester United Football Club—I say that because I'm a big fan myself—and how they're supporting the players when they've been abused, and things like that, is just wonderful to see and it's heartwarming. If that's a sign of things to come, I'm very happy to be a part of it, but we must remember that we are acting for those young people now, so action needs to be taken now.

We will need, obviously, very real innovative thinking and multiple partnership working to ensure that we get to the root of these systematic inequalities, and that we work in partnership with our local communities, our local authorities and community leaders to ensure that all backgrounds, all cultures, people of all languages within our communities engage with one another, and have opportunities to integrate naturally. I bring up sport again, as I do, but it's an example of a perfect enabler of bringing communities together in a natural way. It's important that we use that as one of the tools in doing so. 

It's fundamentally important and vital that we think about these things now, and our hopes, values and anti-racist stance, and that it's embedded in everything that we do—in our psyches when we're creating policy throughout the Senedd, and going forward into the sixth Senedd and beyond. I'm very pleased to say that the Welsh Conservatives are right behind you, Deputy Minister, on this plan and the approach, and we welcome this statement. 

Thank you very much, Laura, and thank you for your kind words and for your support for this plan. It does take me back to that debate we had back in October 2020. It was a debate and a motion that was supported by the vast majority of Senedd Members, a real cross-party consensus that we want to tackle racism and race inequality in Wales. Actually, it did recognise the need for a race equality action plan for Wales. It recognised structural and systemic inequality and that we had to address this in terms of developing a plan. So, now is the time for change, as you say. And of course, it's an opportunity for everyone in a position of power—Welsh Government, local government, public bodies and business. I'm glad that I've been able to share the draft plan ready for consultation with the shadow social partnership council, where, of course, we have not only trade unions but employers, the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, the private sector, as well as the third sector, embracing the plan and recognising this is for the whole of Wales. It's for the whole of the Welsh Government as well as the whole of Wales.

What we're doing also, I think, importantly, is actually setting out deliverable and achievable actions to tackle racism and inequality. Over the last few weeks I've been meeting with all my colleagues in the Welsh Government, because this is about health and social care, it's about housing, education, income and employment, culture, arts, heritage and sport. And you've given that vivid example where we see that racism and racism being tackled, and also our communities and our young people responding to that as well, as a result of their understanding, and grasping the impact of Black Lives Matter and wanting to be part of the response. But it's also recognising that this is about leadership and representation. It's about the environment, the Welsh language, and it's about areas where we do work with the UK Government, like crime and justice.

This plan is about fairness. It's about ensuring that everyone is entitled to equal treatment and equal services, but the experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic people in Wales, and years of data—years of data—show that it's simply not happening. What's come over, as I said, very clearly, is that this must not just be a strategy, it must be a plan of action. That's why we're engaging with those community mentors who've come into the Welsh Government, funding over 50 community organisations all over Wales, so all Senedd Members will have groups in their communities engaging with this—and also the Wales Race Forum and race equality organisations guiding us through. But of course, the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic people, and the death of George Floyd, have shone a light on those deep-seated inequalities that we must now address. I think this is a really good sign that we are getting this kind of response already in the Senedd this afternoon. Thank you.

Systemic and systematic racism in Wales have long been rife. Inequalities have been shown up even more during COVID, through its disproportionate effects on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. I'm still staggered that we still have yet to have a woman from a black, Asian or minority ethnic community representing people here in this Senedd, so we do have an awful long way to go.

The report from the Welsh Government's advisory group emphasising these issues should have been a final wake-up call for the Welsh Government to take urgent and immediate action to tackle the long-standing inequalities that exist in this country. Plaid Cymru called last summer for a full and thorough investigation into systemic racism in Wales, with concrete recommendations to be honoured. We led various debates here in the Senedd and outside, with various networks of people calling for change—for the mandatory inclusion of the history of black people and people of colour in the new curriculum, to inform pupils and set a precedent for a modern, forward-thinking country, free of prejudice, to enable the challenging of racist rhetoric. And we have led the debates against the toxic rhetoric on this front from the vocal far right. There is still so much work to be done on this front. You all know that Plaid Cymru wants Wales to have its own justice system so that we have the tools here to properly tackle all the different forms of inequalities that exist within the criminal justice system, including the disproportionate imprisonment rates of people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

So, my questions to you are: do you agree with me that more could be done if we had the criminal justice system fully devolved? Do you agree that more needs to be done in terms of giving teaching staff not just the resources but also the confidence to tackle and challenge racist attitudes when they arise in school? Do you accept that you haven't acted fast enough in tackling these inequalities that I've referred to? And while I commend an approach that commits to an anti-racist Wales, do you accept that challenging political rhetoric and embedding basic respect for difference at all levels within our society and communities is essential if this is going to be achieved?

Thank you very much, Leanne. And thank you, Leanne, because I know of your commitment to this and you've spoken up and it's very clear that, again, your support for the way forward in terms of tackling racism and racial injustice in Wales is something that you clearly embrace. And that's why it's so important that we've actually, in a sense, enabled black, Asian and minority ethnic people to create, to actually guide us and steer this plan, to the point where we believe it's not just going to be another plan, another strategy—it's going to be a plan that's shaped by the lived experience of black, Asian and minority ethnic people in Wales. And to have a plan that was co-created in that way, where we have a steering group, co-chaired by the Permanent Secretary and Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna, where we've had mentors coming into the Welsh Government, who actually I met with yesterday, who said that it's changed their lives being actually listened to—that they've actually felt they have been treated as equals and that their everyday experience of racism in their lives, that now they feel there's a real chance, a real hope. And of course, this will only be delivered in terms of responding to that expectation if we all join together and deliver on this plan.

Now, it is important that the stakeholders said that we should include the criminal justice system in the plan, even though it isn't devolved. And we know that, of course, in terms of our powers and indeed the evidence of the David Lammy report from 2017, which revealed that lack of trust in our criminal justice system, and that we have to address this. And of course, this is something that I've taken to the policing partnership board. And everyone who comes into contact with the criminal justice system should receive equal treatment and equal outcomes, whatever their ethnicity. And the race equality action plan is an important vehicle in helping us to ensure that it actually does address this and includes crime and justice as a theme. And of course, as we strive to have influence in the policy area of crime and justice, this is crucial in terms of delivering on the race equality action plan.

But it is also important that we recognise that this is actually about delivery and implementation. So, implementation gap came over very clearly—a desire to have an accountability group to see, as we go through 12 weeks of consultation, that there's an accountability group, and the next Government has got to deliver on this, and will be tested and held to account by the Senedd, I know, in terms of the commitment that is coming through. So, there is a real opportunity here, and also it is an expectation that all of us have got to live up to. And I think your point about political representation is a message here in this Senedd, isn't it, as we move into a pre-election period, and to recognise that all political parties have got that responsibility and that opportunity to redress that lack of representation, but also in our public appointments. And that's why our 'Reflecting Wales in Running Wales' equality and inclusion strategy for public appointments is so important, and why we, for the first time, recruited—nowhere else in the UK—our independent panel members openly and transparently to get more diversity, but clearly we have got to deliver on this and that will be our expectation. 

I very much welcome the action plan, Minister, and I very much take the point that you've made, and that so many of the stakeholders have made, consistently over a period of time, that there's been a lot of identification of problems, but not nearly enough action to deal with them, and I think that's why an action plan is so welcome.

As you say, the pandemic has put the issues, the inequalities faced by our black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, in stark relief. Just this morning, I visited the Jamia mosque in Newport, which was set up as a one-day vaccination centre for today, because there's been not enough take-up within those communities of the vaccination. And we know that they've suffered disproportionately in terms of the physical harm and, indeed, the economic and social effects of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. So, there's work to be done there, and it was good to see that initiative in Newport today. 

It's perhaps a slight paradox in some ways, Minister, that although there's been a lot of identification of the problems, we still don't have enough statistics really in terms of the prejudice, the discrimination, faced by our ethnic minorities here in Wales. So, I very much welcome what you say about, 'We need to think differently in terms of measuring and monitoring progress', because obviously, if we don't know our starting point and we're not able to measure the progress that we've made through the action plan, then, we're not in a position to comment effectively on its effectiveness and see whether change and tweaking is necessary. 

So, I wonder if you could provide just a little bit more detail in terms of what thinking differently is likely to mean in terms of measuring and monitoring progress on that essential delivery. And just, finally, Minister, in terms of the work done thus far, to what extent does it involve consideration of stakeholders from the Roma community, the Gypsy and Traveller community and those European Union state citizens still living in Wales? We need to make sure it's as inclusive as possible and, very often, there's a need for outreach into these communities, and I'd be grateful for your advice on to what extent that's likely to feature in the action plan. Diolch yn fawr. 

Diolch yn fawr, John Griffiths, and can I thank you, in your capacity as Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, for bringing this to the fore, in terms of your seminal reports in terms of exposing the inequalities, as a result of the impact of coronavirus, particularly on black, Asian, and minority ethnic people in communities, but also other people in groups with protected characteristics. And it's been important to have that scrutiny and that questioning from the Senedd in terms of preparations for taking this work forward, and, also, in terms of your role as Senedd Member for Newport East.

And I know that you and Jayne Bryant, your colleague, had a meeting, of course, with Vaughan Gething recently, and with community leaders, to look at the importance of raising the message of community engagement about the roll-out of the vaccination programme, and it's very good to hear of the mosque opening its doors to be a vaccination centre. But that's about trust—trust and engagement—that you have developed in your role as a Senedd Member and, also, Chair of the committee, and saying that this is about thinking differently and this has got to actually deliver change. And, also, seeing that this is something where, for example, one of our mentors—. One of our mentors is a councillor, Councillor Abdul-Majid Rahman, from Newport, who has huge experience and, also, being a member of the cabinet in Newport City Council, bringing to us not just his experience, but also saying how important local government is in terms of delivering those services, and recognising this is not a strategy, it's an action plan, and we had the Welsh Local Government Association clearly involved as a stakeholder.

But also, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma experience through mentoring and through also their engagement on the race forum, is very much impacting on the outcomes in the action plan. If you look at every department in the Welsh Government, they have responsibilities and action points that include that community. And also, that we've managed to extend the funding for the support for EU citizens in terms of settled status up until the end of this calendar year and having their voice and engagement as well to reflect the wonderful diversity of Wales; and also, going back to the points that I've made about the contribution in terms of the economy, community and particularly our health service and social care. Thank you.

I just want to thank Jane Hutt for all the work that she's done on this really challenging issue, which we know is not about to be finished any time soon. We really do have to ensure that those of us who return in the next Parliament really grasp this issue with both hands because this is a really complex area of work, because it's fantastic that Professor Williams's report on how we're going to teach black history in the curriculum is very, very important. But we're not going to be reaping the harvest of that for many years because, obviously, it takes time for children to work their way through the education system, and there's so much more that we need to do now.

I'm afraid that the death of people like Mohamud Hassan, Christopher Kapessa and Moyied Bashir really do make black and ethnic minority people feel very fearful about the workings of the criminal justice system. As Leanne said, there are far more black and ethnic minority people locked up than from any other ethnic group. But I think these unresolved, unexplained deaths also undermine people's faith in the police as the guardian of the law. So, there is a great deal more work to be done on that.

I also think it's also about people's sense of 'cynefin' in our community. And one of the most important things we did in this Parliament was not just to give the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, but to give the vote to all citizens, whatever their nationality. And I just wonder, Deputy Minister, if you could tell us how the Government, as well as the Parliament, is ensuring or trying to reach out to people at this very difficult time to ensure that people know that they are entitled to vote in the elections on 6 May. There are so many people who I've met in the past who say, 'Oh, I'm not entitled to vote in this election', and we really do need to get that across to ensure that they have their say on how their taxes are being deployed on all our behalf.

Thank you very much, Jenny Rathbone, and thank you for all your support in this area and your commitment to an anti-racist Wales, because that's the vision—it's an anti-racist Wales. It was fantastic at the weekend to see national headlines outside of Wales saying, 'Lessons on black history to be compulsory in Welsh schools'. That was a headline. Thanks to Kirsty Williams for accepting all of the recommendations and for commissioning Charlotte Williams to do that work in the first place, but to also say that there will be mandatory anti-racism and diversity training for all our trainee and acting teachers—adopting that recommendation. And BAME history is to be mandatory in schools. There will be scholarships to support more BAME students to enter teacher training as well as mentoring and social support offered to teachers from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. This is a fundamental change that we have to see coming back into the Senedd after this election. And it is important that this message goes out today, before the election, and that the leaders of the political parties in Wales stand against racism during this election campaign. And that's what we would be calling for, as a result of my statement today, in terms of the expectations that are now on us to deliver on this race equality action plan.

But I would say also that you have mentioned some very tragic criminal justice cases: the recent deaths of Mohamud Hassan and Moyied Bashir—absolute tragedies—and, of course, our thoughts are with the family and friends at this time. And, of course, referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct communication, and also a light shining on the outcomes of those cases. And, of course, this is where we have to ensure that we use every opportunity, transparently and openly, to support our communities and those we represent. But I think if we move forward in terms of the race equality action plan it is going to be, as I said in my statement, to the benefit of us all to embrace the opportunities of that vision that delivers an anti-racist Wales that will be for ourselves, for our economy, for our public services and for the people who have been blighted by racism. That, of course, is at the forefront of our goal and objectives. Diolch yn fawr.

Item 7 on the agenda is the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021. I don't think I'll miss all the brackets. Can I call on the Minister for Health and Social Services to move that motion? Vaughan Gething.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I move the motion before us. The most recent review of the coronavirus restriction regulations was completed on 11 March. Since the new year, the public health situation has been steadily improving. Thanks to the efforts of everyone in Wales, we have been in a position to make cautious step-by-step changes to the current restrictions. Those changes are provided for by the amendment regulations before us today, which are referred to as the No. 5 regulations.

We have been clear that our top priority is to enable children to return to face-to-face learning as soon as possible. All primary school pupils and those in qualification years returned on 15 March; all pupils will return to face-to-face teaching and learning after the Easter break on Monday, 12 April. From 13 March, the stay-at-home restrictions were replaced with the new interim 'stay local' rule. This means people can leave their homes and travel within their local area. That's usually within five miles, although, as I've explained previously, there is flexibility, especially taking into account the realities for people who live in more rural parts of the country. Also from that date, four people from two households have been able to meet outdoors, including in gardens, but there must still be no indoor mixing, and social distancing measures should still be taken.

Outdoor facilities for sport can reopen, including golf courses. They can be used locally by up to four people from two households. Indoor care home visits have also been able to restart for single, designated visitors. And, from 15 March, hairdressers and barbers have been able to reopen for haircuts by appointment. If the public health position remains positive, all close-contact services will open from 12 April.

Yesterday, the first steps towards reopening non-essential retail began. Restrictions on the sale of non-essential items were lifted for shops that are already open. Garden centres have also been able to reopen, and, again, if the public health situation remains positive, all shops will be able to open from 12 April, as they are likely to be in England.

Other changes made include removing the need for Ministers to authorise individual elite sporting events. Theatres and concert halls can now be used for rehearsals, irrespective of whether they are linked to a broadcast, and, finally, the expiry date for these regulations was amended to 31 May this year.

This week, we'll take stock of the latest evidence before confirming further changes for the Easter holidays. If the public health situation continues to be at this improved level, we will lift 'stay local' restrictions on 27 March and begin the process of opening up part of our tourism sector, starting with self-contained accommodation. Outdoor children's activities will also restart in time for the Easter holidays, and libraries can reopen too. This package marks the first significant step towards unlocking the alert level 4 restrictions that we have all had to live with since the middle of December.

Members will be aware that last week we published an updated coronavirus control plan. This takes account of the progress in vaccinations and the highly infectious new variants, in particular the Kent variant. It refreshes both interventions at each level and the range of indicators that the Welsh Government will analyse. Our purpose and approach is to go on lifting restrictions, provided the virus remains effectively suppressed.

I was therefore disappointed to hear the leader of the Welsh Conservatives yesterday claim that there are politicians in Wales who want to keep lockdown in place because it serves their power ego. Unfortunately, he then doubled down by claiming that it is ridiculous for politicians on the left who want to continue these restrictions unnecessarily. I hope that the leader of the opposition will reflect and, I hope, retract those comments. A senior figure in public life angrily claiming that the restrictions we're living with are ideologically driven and unnecessary will be taken by some as licence not to follow the rules, and that has consequences, I'm afraid. The comments were and are untrue, and, more than that, they're outrageously irresponsible. It is, of course, a matter of fact that, as we speak, there are more restrictions in place in England, and that's nothing to do with restrictions being driven unnecessarily by politicians on the right or the left; it's because we are living through an unfinished public health crisis.

We're reflecting today on the anniversary of the first lockdown. The past year has been incredibility challenging for us all—the pressure on health and care services, the economic harm, long COVID, the mental health impact, the extraordinary interventions and, of course, the loss of life. I have made choices, Deputy Presiding Officer—difficult choices—to try to keep my country safe in this last year. I've been driven by the scientific evidence and the public health advice and the inescapable responsibility. The choices in keeping restrictions in place are not driven by ego; the restrictions are being lifted, in fact, as quickly and as safely as we can. And we will continue to be open and transparent with the people of Wales. We will continue to publish papers from our technical advisory group and the advice of our chief medical officer. We are now entering the next critical phase in this unfinished pandemic. We really can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but this is not over yet.

I call on the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, Mick Antoniw. 

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. We considered these regulations at our meeting yesterday morning, and our report contains three technical and five merits points. All three technical reporting points highlight what appear to be issues of defective drafting. The Welsh Government's response to these reporting points acknowledges these errors, and we welcome the Government's commitment to make the necessary corrections at the earliest opportunity.

Three of our merits reporting points will be familiar to Members. We've noted the Welsh Government's justification for any potential interference with human rights, that there has been no formal consultation on the regulations, and that a regulatory impact assessment has not been carried out. Our final two merits points relate to important matters about how Welsh citizens are able to understand the law that applies to them. Point 7 in our report notes that the changes brought into force by the regulations are given effect, in large part, by requiring the reader of the regulations to read various provisions in a particular way. Notably, readers are invited to read Schedule 4 to the principal regulations as if the wording of that Schedule is different from the actual wording that appears in it. This method has been used instead of simply amending the principal regulations. We recognise that the reason for this is partly because the changes are time limited. We also recognise the pressures currently faced by the Welsh Government in this respect. However, the use of this complex mechanism does mean that it's likely that, in many cases, only experienced readers of legislation may be able to find out the true effect of the regulations, and this obviously raises issues of the law lacking a degree of transparency.

In responding to our concerns, Welsh Government has said that, on balance, it considers this is the most appropriate way of making the required changes whilst also maintaining the principal requirements and core structure of Schedule 4 intact. The Government’s response also indicates that, while it hopes it will not be necessary, the system provided for in the regulations would enable a return to stricter restrictions quickly, either for the whole of Wales or a part of Wales. In its response to our report, the Welsh Government has also acknowledged the importance of the regulations to the general public.

We welcome the Government's decision to publish an illustrative document on the coronavirus and the law pages of gov.wales that shows the alert level 4 restrictions and requirements as they have been temporarily modified. We also welcome the Government’s intention to consider ways of drawing the public's attention to this document should this drafting approach continue to be used in the future.

Finally, reporting point 8 follows on from the previous point and highlights a particularly complex maze of provisions, which are explained in full in our report. The point relates to the change made by regulation 3(2) of the amendment No. 5 regulations. So, in responding to our concerns, Welsh Government has said that it does consider the drafting to be sufficiently clear. However, it has agreed to consider additional ways of ensuring the accessibility of these provisions should it be necessary to make similar modification in future amendment regulations. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.

These are broad-ranging regulations, and may I say at the outset that I agree with the general direction of travel and the pace or caution in terms of lifting restrictions generally? In terms of reopening schools and colleges, I think we all see that as a priority, and I'm pleased that we have moved from 'stay at home' to 'stay local', and, though it's a matter of guidance rather than something that is in the regulations, I do appreciate the realisation this time, as opposed to last year, that we need some flexibility as to what 'local' means, and that 'local' can mean something different in urban and rural areas. I'm pleased to see hairdressers and barbers open. I agree with allowing elite sport to take place.

I'll give particular attention to allowing up to four adults from two households to come together in the open air, including in gardens. I do welcome this. This is the direction that we want to be travelling in, of course, because this is the kind of cautious and safe relaxation that can make a real difference to people's well-being.

I do want to explain, however, why we will be abstaining on the vote today. There are two things, particularly. I don't quite understand why the Government has decided to allow supermarkets to sell anything they choose at this particular point. I can tell you that many retailers see this as something of a kick in the teeth, as we are so close to seeing shops being allowed to reopen. Why give supermarkets such an advantage at this particular point? The Government, I thought, had been clear since last year that providing fairness to small retailers, as well as safety issues surrounding COVID, was a core principle around not allowing the sale of non-essential items.

And the other element is that I would have liked to see more of an attempt to allow physical exercise locations to open indoors. I haven't called for the opening of every gym immediately. I do think that we would need risk assessments and so on, but I am again calling for these kinds of premises to be able to make the case for opening safely, and physical exercise, of course, is good for body and mind after such a challenging year.

I will also make an appeal to Government to refine its messaging and try and work on providing as much notice as possible, certainly weeks, of any intention to relax restrictions to allow business and every one of us to have a better idea of what's to come, although what's happening in my constituency as well as some other parts of Wales does demonstrate that the virus and the pandemic can change direction very quickly.

Another point that I draw attention to is that we are now in a period where regulations will be taking us beyond the election period and the formation of a new Government. We don't know who will be here, but whoever is here will need to take swift action to ensure a foundation of regulations that are relevant to the situation at that point.

And to conclude, very briefly, by mentioning the fact that we are now 12 months since the first lockdown. It's a day of reflection and of remembrance. It's been a difficult year for everybody, and it's been extremely painful to many. I sympathise and we sympathise with them today and, again, say thank you to everyone who has cared for us and helped their communities in this strange year.

I made some general comments earlier, but on the specifics of the regulations, I welcome broadly things that are moving in a liberalising direction. I do struggle a little understanding why, trying to connect the pace of opening to the pace at which the data is improving. It strikes me that data has been improving beyond our best expectations in recent weeks, but that doesn't seem to feed through to an accelerated pace of opening. We had the stage 4 restrictions and the overall levels of prevalence and the various tests set seem to be much more akin to level 2, but the regulations don't seem to move at a similar pace to allow that opening up. I know there's been a lot of mention of the Kent variant, but surely that's taken into account in the statistics that we are now seeing. 

I regret—. We have some changes. I haven't taken advantage of the Wales-only haircuts myself yet, but I know some people value that, and that's one area where we're ahead of England. The areas we seem to be behind: I'm not clear what's happening on the reopening of gyms and indoor sport, or why that has to be done more slowly. I think just those small differences—. Again, the Minister makes a great attack on someone from the centre-right suggesting politicians from the centre-left were keener on control and rules and regulations. He took great umbrage at that. I just again make the point that, for those of us who are unionists and who would prefer these decisions to be taken by UK Government rather than Welsh Government, having small differences at every stage (a) complicates the communication, but (b) I think gives challenges for compliance that would be less if Welsh Government tried harder to stay clearer to a four-nations approach in more areas and closer to what the UK Government was doing.

My greatest concern about these regulations, or at least how they're being implemented on the ground, is schools. We were told that getting kids back to school was the most important thing, yet this is the third week that all kids have been back in England, yet we still see huge numbers of children not going to school, at least physically, and I would question how effective some of the online teaching is in comparison, in Wales. And we're told that people can check in, but I speak to constituents' kids who have got one day where they check in, in year 7, 8 or 9, in the run-up to Easter, and I'd question whether that's satisfactory and couldn't we be doing more on that front. We intend to abstain on these regulations. Thank you.

No Members have indicated that they want to make an intervention, therefore I'll call on the Minister for Health and Social Services to reply to the debate. Vaughan Gething. 

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'll begin by thanking Mick Antoniw and the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee once again. We regularly go through areas they pick up for improvement or clarification, and I regularly say, and I'll say it again, I think that scrutiny means that we have a better statute book with more clarity for members of the public and, crucially, for people in businesses and areas and their legal representatives to understand the meaning and impact of these extraordinary measures in what is still a fast-moving picture. And we may be required to make different regulations in the future to keep people safe, but I really do think that the LJC committee is a key part of helping us to ensure that's the case.

I welcome Rhun ap Iorwerth's broad points about welcoming the direction and the cautious approach taken. I note that his group is going to abstain. On non-essential retail, we had a difficult choice to make, not a straightforward one, on whether we have opening of new areas, and that in itself could be messy and complicated, or whether we reopen those venues that are already open and that would only have been acceptable in the way that we have done it, in making sure there is further support available for those businesses that are yet to be able to open, albeit they can all see the clear telegraphing of 12 April as a date to reopen more fully. And again, that comes back to the point about having a properly phased return and being able to forecast those changes. And the phased return for schools has meant that we have had some room for alternative manoeuvre, but not to the extent that we could open all non-essential retail at the same time, and so a choice has had to be made.

When it comes to your concern about the balance of indoor and outdoor exercise—and I note that you didn't put in an absolute term, saying 'open up lots more indoor exercise'—it comes back to a point that I think you made earlier in your contribution: outdoor activities tend to be less risky, and that's why—as we did last summer and last spring—we're looking to open up outdoor activities typically first when it comes to exercise and potential mixing. That's a safer way to do this. We are looking at indoor exercise and indoor activity opening more gradually, and we of course have got to think about the balance of risk and the available headroom to us in the advice we get from our scientific advisers and the chief medical officer.

We have, though, provided a forecast for the future; we have an indication of six weeks or so of what we think is likely to happen, but we can't guarantee those things will happen. As the Member knows, in your reference to issues on your local patch around Holyhead, it's possible that circumstances may change, it's possible that we may see an unfortunate and more widespread increase in case numbers that may mean that we need to pause. So, as ever, that's why we are generally being driven by data and not dates.

I'll deal with Mark Reckless's point, and I think that when it comes to, 'The data is moving faster than our opening', I think, with respect, that doesn't take account of the clear advice that we've had and that we've published, but also the very public comments from the technical advisory group, from the SAGE committee, and from chief medical officers across the UK. The Chief Medical Officer for England has given some very clear advice about not having too fast a pace in reopening, because that would risk a significant return in coronavirus infections with all the harm caused physically, mentally and, crucially, economically as well. I recognise the Member has a desire to see as much liberalising as quickly as possible; we are simply taking seriously the public health and the scientific advice on how to do that as safely as possible as well as as quickly as possible, and that will remain the position during the lifetime of this Government.

I note that he took umbrage on behalf of Andrew R.T. Davies. I think, with respect, when the leader of the opposition is making the comments that he did and imputing motives to politicians making incredibly difficult choices, I don't think that's something that should be left uncommented on. And I think, with respect, he's taken a much broader point from the very specific issues, where I do think the leader of the opposition should reflect on the position that he's set out in public. These regulations and the measures that I have had to front and introduce—the measures that all Cabinet Members have had to take part in—have not been done by recourse to ego, but by recourse to the reality of our situation, and on a day when we're reflecting on a year of lockdown from the first one and the incredible loss of life we've seen despite those measures, I just think that it's a poor choice of tone as well as the deliberate content of those words yesterday from the leader of the Welsh Conservatives to suggest that there other irrelevant and ideological egos, rather than simply keeping the public safe. 

When it comes to being a unionist, I say that I'm a unionist as well. I just don't want to roll back devolution in the way that he does. The powers that the people of Wales have voted for on two occasions mean that this is why we're having these debates, this is why Welsh Ministers are making the range of decisions that we have made. And, with respect, he knows very well that we disagree on this, but I do object to a suggestion that to be a unionist you have to be in favour of rolling back powers and sending them back to Westminster, rather than a proper sharing of responsibility and powers across the United Kingdom that respects the two devolution referenda that we have had. And I did rather think that Mr Reckless liked to respect referenda results, but apparently not in this case. 

When it comes to the phased return for schools, we are respecting the advice from SAGE and our own technical advisory group and the chief medical officer. A phased return for schools—

The Minister does need to wind up, please. I'm sorry, we are out of time.

I'm winding up here. And that means that we are doing exactly as the advice has said. I look forward to all children returning to face-to-face learning on 12 April in line with the advice that we've had, and how we seek to make use of the alternative headroom available to us. I hope that Members in the majority will support the regulations before us.

Thank you. The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? [Objection.] I see an objection. Okay, so we defer voting under this item until voting time.

The next item on our agenda is a motion to suspend Standing Orders to allow for the motions under items 8 and 10 on our agenda to be debated, and I call on the Minister for Education to move the motion. Kirsty Williams.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021—

No. Sorry, can you just formally move the motion to suspend Standing Orders? Then we'll come to the debate, if we can suspend Standing Orders.

Apologies. I move the motion.

Thank you. The proposal is to suspend the Standing Orders. Does any Member object? No, I don't see any. Therefore, we will move on.

The proposal is, under Standing Order 12.24, unless a Member objects, that the four motions under items 8 to 11, the additional learning needs regulations, will be grouped for debate, but we will then vote separately. Does any Member object? No, I don't see objections.

Therefore, I now ask the Minister for Education to move the motions. Kirsty Williams.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and apologies. I was going to explain to colleagues about why we needed to suspend the Standing Orders, but I'm grateful for colleagues allowing that to happen so that this debate can now go ahead. I'm very grateful for the work of Mick Antoniw and his committee that have turned around their scrutiny of these Orders just yesterday. I'm grateful to them.

In 2016, Deputy Presiding Officer, this Government introduced ambitious new legislation that paved the way for a pioneering system for supporting children and young people with additional learning needs, namely the Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal (Wales) Bill, which became an Act in 2018. The Act represented the first step in the ALN transformation programme and the first step towards achieving a long-standing commitment and key priority for this Government, to reform the existing special educational needs system in Wales, a system that is over 30 years old and presents significant challenges for learners and their families. Since the consultation on the draft of the ALN code and regulations back in 2019, we've worked with key stakeholders to co-construct and help shape the subordinate legislation to maximise the positive impact it will have on children and young people with ALN, and today I'm very pleased to be able to present Members with the resulting ALN code and regulations.

As colleagues will know, almost a quarter of all children and young people in our schools and colleges will have some form of ALN during their educational life. Our ALN transformation programme aims to ensure that those learners are supported to achieve their full potential, and to ensure that they can have aspirations for their learning, to dream big and with confidence that, whatever route they take in life and their learning, they will be supported to do so. It will also improve the planning and delivery of support for learners with ALN from the ages of zero to 25, creating a person-centred approach and placing their needs, views, wishes and feelings at the very heart of the process. Finally, it will focus on the importance of identifying needs early and putting in place timely and effective interventions that are monitored and adapted to ensure that they deliver the desired outcomes for the individual learner. Having a suitable legislative framework in place to support learners to thrive and reach their full potential whilst recognising and accommodating their needs is essential, and to achieve this, we need to ensure our service providers have clear law and guidance to support them in meeting their duties. This is fundamental for ensuring that providers are able to deliver that timely and effective additional learning provision to those who require it, which we would all wish to see.

The ALN code and regulations presented to you today provide that clear law and guidance and represent another step forward to the delivery of a much-improved and consistent system for meeting the needs of learners with ALN, something that is crucial for increasing the life chances of some of our most vulnerable learners. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you. Can I now call on the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, Mick Antoniw?

Thank you again, Dirprwy Lywydd. These regulations do, of course, form an important part of the devolved administrative justice system that we have and that is developing within Wales. We considered these regulations at our meeting yesterday morning, and our reports on all four sets of regulations have been laid to assist with this afternoon’s debate. My comments this afternoon will just focus on the additional learning needs regulations and the education tribunal for Wales regulations.

Our report on the ALN regulations contains just one merits point. The explanatory memorandum to the regulations is a composite document that seeks to cover the suite of regulations and associated code of practice, which were issued concurrently. We noted that the explanatory memorandum covers in detail the consultation outcomes, the justice impact assessment and detailed regulatory impact assessment. However, and bearing in mind the subject matter of the regulations, it was unclear to us whether the detailed equality and human rights impact assessments were also carried out. If relevant impact assessments have been carried out, we said it would be helpful to include reference to them and their findings in the explanatory memorandum to assess the proportionality of the regulations.

In response to our reporting point, the Welsh Government has confirmed that it did undertake an equality impact assessment as part of the integrated impact assessment for the package of regulations that are before us today. The Welsh Government has also provided details of where the summary of that integrated impact assessment can be found on its web pages, for which we are grateful.

Turning now to the education tribunal regulations, our report on the regulations contains five technical points and one merits point. Dealing with the merits point first, our report notes that these regulations, which come into force on 1 September 2021, contain references to provisions in the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 that have not yet been commenced. The relevant provisions of the 2018 Act will therefore need to be brought into force by 1 September by the Welsh Ministers in order for the relevant provisions of these regulations to operate effectively.

Four of our technical reporting points relate to issues of possible defective drafting. The Welsh Government has looked into our concerns and, in its view, it does not consider that any of the four points we raise do amount to defective provisions in the regulations. Our fifth technical reporting point noted that while regulation 64 is included under the general heading of 'children who lack capacity and case friends', regulation 64 does not appear to be related to this heading. We suggested that regulation 64 relates instead to recommendations of the education tribunal to an NHS body. While we accept that headings in regulations do not have legal effect, we raised this point in the event that there may be confusion for the reader. In response, the Welsh Government has confirmed that it will seek to remedy this matter via a correction slip. Diolch, Llywydd.

Before I go on to the code itself, I wonder if I could just highlight the equality Act regulations being discussed today, because they bring extra protection to young people who challenge their school, via an advocate if necessary, on discrimination grounds. And I raise it because the ALN code has also improved its content as regards mental capacity in the new chapter 31. What's interesting, of course, about the equality Act regulations is that they too capture young people beyond compulsory school age. And I appreciate that the legislation covers young people up to the age of 25 if needed, but COVID has shown us quite how fragile and fragmented the education stage can be for post-16-year-olds without disabilities if we're not careful, and I wonder if the time has come to finally extend the age of compulsory education or training to 18.

I think such a move would also resolve an outstanding issue with the code itself, which is secure, safe and accessible transport provision for young people with ALN who are beyond compulsory school age, but still attend, and perhaps some of the other concerns raised by Natspec and the Third Sector Additional Needs Alliance. You'll know, Minister, there remains some anxiety about the accountability for transition to post-compulsory education, as well as post-education lives, particularly in terms of careers advice, which needs to be more specialist, rather than less. These organisations worry that lack of clarity and accountability could lead to late decision making, poorly planned transitions, the danger of placement breakdowns, and an increase in tribunals and the number of young people not in education, employment or training. I can see that the work has been done on this, but the Children, Young People and Education Committee was quite clear that that work cannot just result in a tokenistic response.

Further, on the code itself, I thank the Minister for taking on board some of the recommendations of CYPE on the draft code—recommendations that we made after a thorough consultation of our own. The material on ALNCOs has improved, but the sector has pointed out that there is still a clarity gap between guidance and how to implement that guidance, and while I completely understand your reluctance to be prescriptive, as every authority is different, it's going to be interesting, at the first review of the roll-out, to see where the inconsistencies are and how children are affected. Inconsistency and lack of resource, both human and financial, will remain the threat to the success of the Act.

Finally, I'm very pleased to see the baking in of the need for educational psychologists in these regulations, Minister. As Bridgend council in my region is considering having to get rid of some of theirs, an early e-mail to their chief executive there would be extremely welcome. So, we will be supporting these motions on the basis that the concerns raised on behalf of children and young people with ALN will not be forgotten, that the code will be tested in practice and data captured rigorously, and that any changes identified will be made swiftly. And it will take a future finance Minister to be willing to commit the money as well, I think. The code still gives authorities wiggle room to make decisions that are finance driven, which was, of course, one of the major complaints about the SEN system. All of us want this Act to work, so that our most vulnerable children and young people, and their families, have futures to look forward to. Diolch.

Stakeholders in this area have raised and continue to raise a number of concerns about this code, including the quality of information and advice, transition and the post-16 situation, qualifications of co-ordinators and the fact that the code isn't a code of practice, the appeals process, and the review timescale. That's a long list of concerns, and the Government need to respond to each and every one of them and to provide greater assurances to key stakeholders. I'm not going to ask you to cover each of the issues that I've listed this afternoon, clearly, or we'd be here for hours, but can you give the Senedd an assurance that these valid concerns are not going to be brushed under the carpet, and can you tell us what arrangements will be put in place in order to mitigate some of these concerns?

At the moment, there are around 100,000, or 21 per cent, of school-age children who are defined as having special educational needs, as was the term in the old system. The Welsh Government expected that the number of school pupils who would receive support under the new system—the additional learning needs system—would be similar to the number currently supported, but I'm hearing from a number of teachers and experts that there is concern that the pandemic has created a situation where there will be far more children who will require additional support, but, because of the new definition, it will be more difficult for them to access that support. What is your response to that, and how will the rest of the system cope with these new challenges in terms of more children possibly requiring support in dealing with additional learning needs as a result of the pandemic?

And to conclude, I will just mention one of the concerns that I raised earlier, namely the fact that the code isn't a code of practice and that it's therefore open to broad interpretation. That could have a detrimental impact on young people who have low-level needs, and high-level needs, and that there is an open door to a postcode lottery in the provision. And although the tribunal provisions are in place to challenge decisions made, parents will need some perseverance in challenging decisions, and, once again, it's the poorest families who will not be able to find their way through a complex system. Thank you.

I think future generations will have a great deal to thank this Minister for. The reforms that she has made in five years will stand the test of time. By laying these regulations and this code today, she will also make sure that no child is left behind, and that is an extraordinary record of a single parliamentary term.

When we introduced the legislation back in 2016, there was clear ambition—clear ambition—to ensure that our education system catered for everybody, whatever their needs, whatever their requirements, and that education was open to all and that all had the same opportunity to fulfil their potential. The legislation laid down the basis of this system, and this code delivers it. I'm very proud to have played my part in taking some of this legislation through. It's worth noting, at this final stage of this process, that the Minister in place today stood and worked hard with me and alongside me in doing so. We had the full support of her office in every step that we took and in every debate and discussion that we had, and it's worth reflecting, as we, I hope, all join together to vote for this code today, that this is putting some learners who have to face and overcome some of the greatest possible difficulties in learning at the centre of what we do and what we achieve. The code has not been invented in Cathays Park but has been created by the conversations up and down Wales with people who deliver education and not simply talk about it, with parents and with learners, talking together, listening together and learning together. I saw and I took part in some of those conversations, and I've also seen how the Minister today has driven this process through with the same determination and the same foresight as we've seen on other matters.

So, I will be very proud to support this code this afternoon, very proud to vote for this legislation, very proud to vote to put learners who have additional learning needs at the centre of our journey, and very proud, also, to put on record my own thanks and gratitude to the Minister for making this happen.

The Minister for Education to reply to the debate—Kirsty Williams.

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Could I thank colleagues for their comments and acknowledge the work that Alun Davies did on the ALN Bill when he was serving as my deputy in the education department? I'm very grateful for that and I know his own personal commitment to this agenda.

Suzy and Siân Gwenllian raised a number of issues. Can I just try and respond, as briefly as I can, Presiding Officer? I see the hour is late. With regard to transport, the provision for transport falls under a separate law, namely the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008. However, the ALN code provides for a section in the individual development plan standard form in which to record travel arrangements where this may be appropriate. Can I say, that was not something that was in the original code, but was changed as a result of conversations and consultation to address concerns that were raised? And I'm also very keen to assure Members that I do not believe that the reforms will raise the bar for the provision of an IDP. The test to decide who has ALN has not changed, and the person-centred approach that is the central principle of the system is there, and therefore I don't believe that learners with lower levels of ALN will be disadvantaged in any way. And, rest assured, children under the new ALN system who are identified as having ALN will be entitled to an IDP.

With regard to the issue of compulsory school leaving age, Suzy, I would refer you to a piece of work that I commissioned as independent policy research to look at the compulsory age. It was published on the Welsh Government website, I believe, last month. It's an interim review of the evidence out there, across the world, as to whether compulsory school age should be raised. I have to say, I was somewhat surprised by the findings, and of course time has worked against me to be able to push that forward. But I think it certainly is a debate that will need to be picked up in the next term, and hopefully the work that has been done in this term will help inform next steps in that regard.

As Alun Davies said, the whole emphasis in this new legislation is to ensure that all of those who work with our children with ALN have the right skills and can use the system, and this code is an important part of that, in making the Act real for people. Five ALN transformation leads have been in place since 2018, providing advice, support and challenge to local authorities, schools, early years settings and FE institutions as they prepare for the implementation of the reforms. Our ALN transformation leads will also be there monitoring implementation of the new system on the ground and being able to feed back as to whether there are changes that would need to be made.

With your approval today, I think it will mark an important next step in our reform agenda here in Wales, and will have a clear signal to the nation that the Senedd has worked hard, alongside the Government, to secure the best outcomes and opportunities for children and young people with ALN. I would urge Members to show their support this afternoon. Thank you.

The proposal is to agree the motion under item 8. Does any Member object? I can't see any objections, and therefore the motion is agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The next item is item 12, the Official Statistics (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2021. I call on the Minister for finance.

Diolch, Llywydd. I am pleased to introduce—

Sorry, can I cut across you? I'm sorry, Minister, I've—. Ah yes, I see what I've done. I've skipped through too quickly. I need to ask about all the motions that were debated during the last debate.

I will go through them one by one. The proposal is to agree the motion under item 9. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, there is objection, and therefore I will defer voting until voting time.

The proposal is that the motion under item 10 be agreed. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, there is again objection, and therefore I'll defer voting on item 10 until voting time.

So finally, the proposal is to agree the motion under item 11. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, there is an objection, and therefore we'll defer that item to voting time too.

That brings us to the official statistics Order. Apologies to the Minister. The Minister can now move that Order. Rebecca Evans.

Diolch, Llywydd. I am pleased to introduce the Official Statistics (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2021. The power for the Welsh Ministers to make the Order is contained in section 6(1)(b) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Section 65(7) of that Act states that the Welsh Ministers may not make the Order without approval by the Senedd.

The purpose of the amendment Order is to designate the statistics produced or to be produced by the newly created Digital Health and Care Wales as official statistics. Doing so offers assurances that the statistics they produce are trustworthy, of high quality, and of public value. It also means these statistics will then become subject to monitoring and reporting by the UK Statistics Authority. This official statistics Order-making power was first exercised by the Welsh Ministers in 2013, when five bodies were listed. A further Order was made in 2017, to include an additional 14 bodies across different sectors in Wales. This amendment Order reflects the transition of both the functions and the staff of the NHS Wales Informatics Service from Velindre NHS trust to the new body.

The importance of, and public interest in, official statistics and data more generally has been highlighted through the pandemic. The publication of official statistics and management information around COVID-19 involves a number of organisations alongside Welsh Government, notably Public Health Wales, who are already named in the Order, and the NHS Wales Informatics Service. NWIS do not directly publish COVID statistics or management information themselves, but provide data to support their publication, for example, vaccination information from the Welsh immunisation system. It is, therefore, important that DHCW, as a successor organisation, continues to work within the context of official statistics and the code of practice. The Order enables Digital Health and Care Wales to publish data as official statistics when they consider it appropriate and when robust arrangements have been established to do so.

Official statistics provide a window on our society, inform decision making and enable the public to hold Government to account. This Order ensures that the new body responsible for delivering digital health and care services for patients and the public in Wales will provide high quality, trustworthy statistics that will help to inform and shape the well-being of future generations. I ask Members to support the Order. 

I speak to oppose this Order. We've already got 19 official statistics providers specifically for Wales, as the Minister described, and we're now seeing Digital Health and Care Wales added to them. As the Minister rightly says, some of its tasks are coming from the NHS Wales Informatics Service and Velindre NHS trust, but as far as I'm aware, neither of those organisations are being deregistered from this process, and we have another new official statistics provider as part of what the health Minister terms the 'NHS Wales family'.

I find it's getting increasingly difficult to navigate through statistics that previously used to be presented on a consistent basis across the United Kingdom. The Minister talks about having statistics on an all-Wales basis, but actually, if you compile your statistics on an all-Wales basis, according to the procedures of these 19, now to be 20, bodies, they tend to diverge from how statistics are compiled elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The Minister rightly mentions that bodies that do this should be trustworthy, with high-quality  statistics that the public value. Very sensible. I think they should also be statistics that allow comparison across the United Kingdom, and not just within one of the nations. The Minister talks about having accountability for Welsh Government, but the reality is that this divergence in statistics makes that accountability less and less, because we can't compare how the Welsh Government is doing compared to elsewhere.

The Minister mentioned some of the work the ONS was doing on COVID, and I think we should recognise actually what a fantastic job the Office for National Statistics has done—and 'national' in that context means national, the United Kingdom. It has had a survey across all four nations, I believe, which has provided very useful information around prevalence, and has done so in a really quite timely way. Before the ONS took that up, health organisations who were doing this, whether they're here or elsewhere in the UK, did not do the job with the quality and standard that we've seen from the ONS. So, I think we should recognise what they've done.

I'm concerned, as we have more and more statistics providers doing their own statistics and doing them on a Wales basis, rather than a UK basis, that we undermine the Office for National Statistics ultimately—based in Newport, and something that we in Wales should be very proud of, and in the region of south-east Wales we are very proud of. I don't think it's a good idea to have more and more statistical divergence. We should have the ONS in charge and they should organise statistics more on a UK basis, and we should have less divergence and more consistency. So, for that reason, I recognise this as a small step on the road, rather than a major one, but nonetheless we'd like to put down a marker and oppose this Official Statistics (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2021.

The Minister for Finance to reply. 

I'm grateful to Mark Reckless for his contribution to the debate this afternoon, although obviously we come from very different perspectives. I think it's important that we do have robust Wales-level information and statistics and data available to us in order to help the Welsh Government to make good decisions, but then also to allow others, including Mark Reckless, to hold the Welsh Government to account. I think that transparency and independence in the production of data and statistics is absolutely critical and that's what this Order allows to happen in the case of Digital Health and Care Wales.

It will also provide assurance that the information provided is of a very high standard and that it's trustworthy and of good public value. I think it's also important to reflect on the fact that the Welsh Government has an excellent working relationship with the Office for National Statistics. Clearly, we have frequent discussions about the kind of information that we require here in the Welsh Government and the ways that we can work together to ensure that information from all its sources is useful and can be compared in useful ways as well. So, I don't think that there's any tension there in terms of having specific Welsh data whilst also working within that wider context. On that basis, I would encourage colleagues to support the Order this afternoon.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? Yes, there is an objection, therefore, I will defer voting until voting time.

We now move to item 13, the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021. I call on the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to move the motion—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion.

I would like to briefly explain the background to today's debate on the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021. Firstly, the Pet Animals Act 1951 section 1(1) will cease to have effect in relation to Wales and will be replaced by these regulations. Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, the regulations make it an offence to sell a puppy or kitten that the seller has not bred themselves on the premises. I first committed to investigate the banning of commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in June 2018. It has been a long journey, but along the way, we've also taken other actions to strengthen the ability of local authorities across Wales to enforce existing regulations, as well as these new regulations. 

These regulations are yet another step towards ensuring the welfare of puppies and kittens currently being bred and sold onto third parties. Their welfare improves significantly by being sold only by breeders directly to the new owner. At present, commercial third parties are able to sell puppies and kittens, which means, in most cases, purchasers will not see the puppy or kitten interacting with the mother or siblings. They may also have had to endure a number of journeys before reaching their new home.

The regulations being made today will come fully into force on 10 September. During this time, statutory guidance will be co-produced to support enforcement by local authorities, and this timeline will also allow existing sellers affected to make changes and consider a different operating model to mitigate any potential impact. I would like to make it clear that statutory guidance for enforcement officers will provide local authority officers the flexibility they require to enforce the licensing regime, which steers away from a one-size-fits-all approach. 

We are bringing in regulations that close loopholes, creating discretion on enforcement to work with key organisations involved in either rehoming or rescue activities. They provide local authorities with a channel to assess whether the animals are being used purely for financial gain via the business test, and aim to improve animal welfare, supporting informed decision making by the purchasing public. I commend the motion to the Senedd. Diolch.

The Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, Mick Antoniw.

Thank you, Llywydd. We formally considered these regulations at our meeting yesterday morning and our report contains two merits points. Our first merits point notes that regulation 12 of the regulations allows local authorities to charge fees to cover the costs incurred in performing their licensing functions. Our second merits point indicates that concerns were raised with us regarding the consultation undertaken in relation to these regulations and potential unintended consequences. For these reasons, we decided to write to the Minister ahead of our formal consideration of the regulations, to draw her attention to these concerns. We welcome the detailed response that the Minister has provided, and we note the Minister's references to the production of further guidance and the consultation that will be undertaken. Diolch, Llywydd.

I'm delighted, actually, to be able to confirm Welsh Conservatives' support for these overdue regulations, regulations that are very similar to the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019, which came into force almost a year ago. So, I'm still disappointed, then, that our regulations won't come into force until 10 September 2021.

As we all know, Lucy was rescued from a Welsh puppy farm in 2013—eight years ago—and Welsh Government could have been the first to respond to a serious Welsh issue and an important campaign that had clear constituent support. It's been low-hanging legislative fruit, and it's a mystery to me why Welsh Government hasn't acted sooner.

The Minister will be pleased to hear, though, that we welcome numerous aspects of the regulations, including the requirement in regulation 4.2(a), that

'The local authority must—

'(a) appoint one or more suitably qualified inspectors to inspect any premises on which the licensable activity or any part of it is being or is to be carried on'

and we support the limitation of licences to one year and the requirement for animals to be kept at all times in an environment suitable for their species and conditions.

I do have a few questions, though, Minister. Local authorities will be responsible for the enforcement of the regulations. You advise that there's no additional cost to them, and we appreciate the fee flexibility, but, at the moment, we have no idea from you as to the number of inspectors currently in Wales and how many more that you will expect to carry out these regulations, because that's certainly going to affect the fees that councils can charge.

Regulation 26 requires each local authority to provide some details as to the number of licences enforced in the area and the average level of fees, but it doesn't seem to include the number and reason for licence breaches. I'm wondering why that's not included in these regulations. The Dogs Trust has highlighted that one attendant could be responsible for up to 180 adult dogs and puppies at one time, and I'd be pleased if you could clarify how we can be confident that their welfare needs will be met with just one Schedule 2 visit a day.

And just to finish, Janet Finch-Saunders, I think, asked you about the capacity of rescue and rehoming organisations in Wales, to continue the rehoming of animals rescued from situations of neglect, if they have to wait until their kittens or puppies are at least six months old before rehoming the parents, and you advised her that local authorities have an element of discretion in considering whether legitimate not-for-profit rescue and rehoming centres would need a licence. I'm just curious why you've not addressed that in these regulations.

And then, just one more: the Companion Animal Welfare Group Wales has explained to us that there needs to be further bespoke consultation on animal welfare, and I wonder why that hasn't already happened in the course of a five-year Parliament. But do you expect the next Welsh Government to do that, regardless of what colour they are? But, just to confirm, Minister, we'll be voting for the regulations today and agree with you when you called this a step forward just a few moments ago; it's just a shame it's not the final goal. Diolch.

I'd like to thank the Minister for bringing this motion forward. As we've heard, it's later than many of us would have wished, but Plaid Cymru will be supporting these regulations too, because it is an area that needs to be addressed, and we have waited longer than perhaps we should have waited, to get to this particular point.

Now, I too want to raise the concern that many in the sector have mentioned in terms of the exemption of rescue activity and rehoming. Now, you mentioned that there was discretion for local authorities. Well, there's a risk there that that could lead to all sorts of inconsistencies across Wales, so we need clarity on that. We know that in Scotland, the situation has been dealt with by introducing a registration and licensing system for such rehoming and rescue centres. Now, I don't know if that's something you're considering, and if you are, is that something that the Government could move on quite swiftly after the election? I don't know, but I would like to hear more from you on getting that clarity on the risk that some of the centres and organisations that do rehome dogs and cats won't be able to operate as they are currently operating.

This question of capacity I think is important. I want to hear more from the Government as to how exactly local authorities are going to meet this demand, because we can pass the best regulations in the world, but unless those regulations can be enforced effectively, then, clearly, they're not going to have the impact that we would desire. So, in the spirit of seeking to ensure that these regulations do have the desired effect, then I would ask you to tell us a little more about ensuring that local authorities have the necessary capacity. Thank you.

The Minister to reply to the debate—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to thank Members for their support. I'd also like to thank everyone who has contributed to getting these regulations to this stage, and I'd like to begin with my officials in the office of the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, who have been well supported by other colleagues throughout Welsh Government to ensure that we were able to bring these regulations forward before the end of term. I also want to acknowledge the determined lobbying by individuals, and that includes Members of the Senedd and also third sector organisations on this issue.

In relation to some of the questions raised by Members, I will just emphasise again that these regulations go beyond Lucy's law, and I'm pleased that Members from opposition parties are happy to support the regulations going forward. I think what the banning also does is encourage respectful and responsible attitudes, and that's particularly important to me for developing the attitudes of children and young people towards animals, and will also contribute to an improved perception of licensed premises, and empower local authorities to take action if they feel they've got concerns about how puppies and kittens are being bred and sold.

The new regulations will provide a legislative mechanism for future opportunities—Suzy Davies asked that question—to include an update of the licensed animal welfare establishments, and that includes, but not exclusively, all stables, for instance, riding schools and dog boarding establishments. It may also be appropriate to consider the inclusion of the dog breeding regulations when these are reviewed in the future. The local authority enforcement project is a three-year funded project, and that's going to gather further data and information on how best to enforce the regulations, but also on what could be done to improve them.

It's not the policy intent to introduce a new licensing regime for rehoming centres, but I think it is really essential that we don't apply blanket exemptions within these regulations, which then may introduce opportunities for exploitation. So, it will be possible for a local authority to apply their discretion and consideration as to whether the legitimate not-for-profit rescue and rehoming centres require a licence.

In relation to the financial impact for local authorities, the possible impacts of the new legislation are considered in the explanatory memorandum and regulatory impact assessment, and commercial third-party sellers already need to apply for a licence, but they're already subject to ongoing inspections. And local authorities will be able to set the licence fee to meet those anticipated costs of registration, inspection and enforcement by charging a fee for the issue of a licence.

I think a ban on commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens will go some way to rebuilding Wales's unfairly—in many ways—damaged reputation with regard to dog breeding, and it will better educate and protect the public in making informed decisions prior to purchasing a puppy or kitten. I think it does represent a big step forward today for animal welfare in Wales, and I'm pleased that Members have indicated that they will be supporting today. Diolch.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? I don't see any objections, therefore the motion is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

We move now to item 14, the Agricultural Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) (EU Exit) Regulations 2021. I call on the Minister to move the regulations—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you. I move the motion. I'd like to thank the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for its scrutiny of this statutory instrument. Following feedback from the committee, the instrument has been amended and relaid, ensuring the majority of technical scrutiny points raised have been addressed. The necessary change to deal with the remaining technical point highlighted will be made at the next suitable opportunity. Parts 2 to 4 of the regulations amend retained EU legislation and Welsh legislation to provide a regulatory framework to enable new domestic rural development support schemes, alongside the EU rural development programme 2014-20. The amendments were consulted on in the 'Sustainable Farming and our Land' consultation, which I launched on 31 July 2020 and closed on 23 October of last year. Part 5 of the instrument makes minor amendments to address errors identified in retained EU legislation relating to direct payments to ensure the legislation is accurate and functions effectively. Diolch.

Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, Mick Antoniw.

Diolch, Llywydd. We considered these regulations at our meeting yesterday morning, and our report contains one technical and two merits points. We noted a previous version of these regulations and a draft report on those regulations at our meeting on 15 March. As the Minister has just confirmed, following our report, the Welsh Government withdrew those regulations and relaid a new set, which are the subject of the debate today. The technical point draws attention to what appears to be an issue of defective drafting. In response, the Welsh Government told us it agreed with our assessment and that it would correct the references at the next suitable opportunity.

Our first merits point notes an inconsistency in the use of 'shall' and 'must' in the regulations. 'Writing laws for Wales: guidance on drafting legislation', which is published by the Welsh Government states that

'Welsh legislation should not use "shall" in the English language text.... Provisions imposing obligations should use "must"'.

The inconsistency was drawn to the Welsh Government's attention when the committee considered the previous version of the regulations. The Welsh Government noted the point but responded that the use of 'shall' will not change the effect of the text.

Our second merits point highlights a particular section of the explanatory memorandum, which states that Welsh Government officials consider the regulations to be 'routine technical amendments to the rural development legislative framework.' However, the explanatory memorandum also states that the regulations

'put in place a domestic framework to fund new rural development schemes in Wales following the end of the EU Implementation Period'.

We've drawn particular attention to these statements because the code of practice on the carrying out of regulatory impact assessments requires a regulatory impact assessment to be included as part of the explanatory memorandum, laid alongside a draft statutory instrument to be made by the Welsh Ministers unless certain exceptions apply. One exception is where routine technical amendments are required to update regulations. So, although the exception appears to apply to some of the amendments made by the regulations, provisions that put in place a domestic framework to fund new rural development schemes appear to constitute more than routine amendments.

When we considered the previous version of the regulations, the Welsh Government was asked to confirm which exception under the code applies to the decision not to produce a regulatory impact assessment. In confirming that it considers the regulations to contain routine technical and factual amendments, the Welsh Government response also said that the regulations do not create any new financial implications, criminal sanctions or administrative burdens that would affect the public or private sectors, charity or the voluntary sectors. Diolch, Llywydd.

Plaid Cymru will be supporting these regulations, of course, and whilst they are quite technical in nature, I think it is important that there is continued support available for Welsh farmers post Brexit and the common agricultural policy, and these regulations will provide some assurances in that regard. I'm pleased that the Government has reconsidered its position on support for young farmers. I think that's very important and, of course, we need more than just that, but it is a positive development. 

I would be eager—and I've tried to raise this is in the past with the Minister and I've not necessarily had a specific response to this point. But we know, of course, that commitments were made that not a penny less would be paid or would be available for us to support farmers post Brexit. Now, we saw how the Conservative Government in Westminster cut £137 million from that budget immediately and broke every pledge that was made prior to that. But, of course, there is a part of that deal the Welsh Government will have to acknowledge, namely the domestic co-financing that the Welsh Government would have provided to the RDP for 2021-27. And I would ask the Government to make it clear that it is the Welsh Government's intention to continue with that commitment come what may. I think that would be something that we should be making clear, so I will ask the Minister to respond to that.

But, as this is perhaps my final opportunity to formally reply to the Minister in this Senedd, I want to thank her for her work. We haven't agreed on all occasions, and I am convinced that where we want to get to is very similar, but perhaps we disagree on the direction of travel, and that's what we've done over recent times. But, certainly, despite any disagreements we may have had, she has engaged with me as a shadow Minister in a very fair and friendly manner, and for that I want to say thank you.

The Minister to reply to the debate—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. In relation to the response from the Chair of the LJC committee, I will just confirm again that the necessary changes will be made to deal with the single remaining technical point at the next suitable opportunity.

I'd like to thank Llyr Huws Griffiths for his very kind words. He's quite right, we haven't always seen eye to eye, but we've always dealt with each other, as he said, in a friendly manner, and I've always been very interested in his views and respected the comments he's come forward with.

Just in relation to the funding issue, I still have not given up on the UK Government funding us properly. Just yesterday, I discussed it with the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in our latest DEFRA inter-ministerial group meeting, and explained again how the UK Government had broken its promise that Wales would not lose a penny if we left the European Union. Those discussions are still going on, and I can see my colleague the Minister for Finance in Plenary today, and I know she is continuing to fight that also.

It will be for the next Government, obviously, to look at how that funding can be identified, but, clearly, £137 million is a huge amount of money to find, but we will continue to press the UK Government to keep their promise, going forward. Diolch.

Thank you. The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? I don't see any objections to this motion, and therefore the motion is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

We now to item 15, the Land Transaction Tax (Temporary Variation of Rates and Bands for Residential Property Transactions) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, and I call on the Minister for Finance to move the motion—Rebecca Evans.

Thank you. I'm pleased to open the debate on the Land Transaction Tax (Temporary Variation of Rates and Bands for Residential Property Transactions) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. I thank the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and the Finance Committee for their reports.

Last July, I made regulations to introduce a temporary tax reduction period for LTT. The Senedd approved the making of those regulations in September. The purpose of the latest regulations is to extend the temporary tax reduction period from the original expiry date of 31 March to 30 June. I have listened to the concerns of homebuyers across Wales and housing market professionals about delays that may be impacting on some of the people who might reasonably have expected to be able to complete their transactions by 31 March. This extension to the temporary tax reduction period is to provide those taxpayers with additional time to complete their purchases.

Buyers entering transactions now should plan for the possibility that they may have LTT to pay or have an increase to their tax liability. It is a simple and clear rule: if you complete on or before 30 June, the reduction period will apply; if you complete afterwards, than the standard rates will apply. Importantly, our temporary tax reduction period, unlike in the rest of UK, applies only to those paying the main residential rates. There are no tax reductions for investors in buy-to-let properties, furnished holiday lets or second homes. This ensures that the benefits of this temporary variation are provided broadly to those purchasing homes in which to live. 

The extension to the temporary tax reduction period, whilst it will continue to provide an economic stimulus and continue to support the economy in Wales, is primarily directed to help homebuyers who have encountered delays in the homebuying process in the run-up to 31 March. Most should manage to complete by the new deadline.

The extension to the temporary tax-reduction period is a balanced and simple response by this Government. The extension is fair to those homebuyers who have been unable to complete their purchases, and simple, by continuing to operate by reference to a clear deadline. I therefore ask for the Senedd's support to confirm the extension to the temporary LTT rates.

As we heard, these regulations specify an extension to the current temporary variation to the land transaction tax and LTT rates and bands that will apply to purchases and certain residential property transactions, commencing on 1 April and ending on 30 June 2021, with the rates and bands reverting back to those in force prior to 27 July 2020 after that date. We, of course, support this extension, although we regret that the ceiling on the zero-rate band is remaining at £250,000. 

Following the announcement by the UK Chancellor that the current stamp duty holiday in England, with a nil-rate band up to £500,000, was being extended until the end of June, and that the nil-rate band will then be £250,000 until the end of September to smooth the transition, returning to the normal rate there from 1 October, the Welsh Government announced that it was temporarily extending the equivalent LTT temporary tax reduction period in Wales until 30 June but still keeping the ceiling on the nil-rate band at £250,000.

In England, the nil rate for first-time buyers from 1 July will still be up to £300,000, whereas, from 1 July in Wales, the nil-rate band will only go up to £180,000, then rising to 3.5 per cent up to £250,000 and 5 per cent over £250,000. Well, as someone who grew up in north Wales told me, they're buying a new build in Wrexham for £280,000, but this will add an additional cost of £3,950 to their purchase and they're therefore considering finding something in England instead. And although the ceiling on the nil-rate band in England will fall to £125,000 from 1 October, first-time buyers there will then still pay nothing on purchases up to £300,000, unlike in Wales. Whereas this Welsh Government talks about average first-time buyer purchase prices in Wales, these do not apply to large chunks of the population of Wales, particularly in populous cross-border regions. We cannot therefore support these regulations and will abstain accordingly. 

I thank the Minister for her statement. We regret that these lower rates of LTT can't carry over until 30 September, because, if they were to, we would have a three-month period where we had a threshold of up to £250,000 that was, again, the same in England and Wales, which of course we would wish to have. However, I would like to thank the Minister for doing the extension at all, because I had in my postbag a number of concerns to a greater, or sometimes a very great, degree that they feared missing out on the 30 March because of solicitors or otherwise not being able to get through transactions as they expected. I saw today from the HMRC data for February, which I assume just relates to the SDLT for England and Northern Ireland, that there was about a 50 per cent year-on-year increase. So, I hope the Minister is getting in a good amount of land transaction tax revenue from people who are rushing to meet the deadline and perhaps now more still having extended it. So, while I regret that it's not being extended further to match the UK rate for England and Northern Ireland over that third quarter of the calendar year period, I nonetheless thank her for making the extension that she has, which, for a lot of individuals who feared missing out through no fault of their own, was well received. Thank you.

The Minister to reply.

Thank you for the contributions to the debate this afternoon, and the decision that I've taken here in Wales is very much appropriate to the housing market, because the temporary zero rate band is now around £66,000 higher than the average cost of a home here in Wales, which is £184,000. And it's also £70,000 higher than the normal starting threshold, which, of course, is £180,000. And as I said in my introductory remarks, the primary purpose of extending is to provide that additional time for those people who are unable to complete by 31 March, but it is the case that the housing market in Wales has been remarkably resilient even in the last 12 months, and the residential transaction data published by the Welsh Revenue Authority shows that transaction levels in the months from October to January have returned to around pre-pandemic levels. So, the housing market is proving to be surprisingly resilient, I think, here in Wales.

There are some questions that have been raised as to why we didn't decide to take the same approach as the UK Government in terms of the policy, and we have deliberately chosen a different approach, which is appropriate to our own housing market here in Wales. Because, of course, providing the same policy as they have across the border would have removed tax, or provided very, very large tax reductions, for some of the most expensive residential properties that we have in Wales, given that the average prices that we have are very different. And of course, the policy in England was very much designed to respond to house prices in London and the south-east. And of course, we took a different decision, and our decision meant that we haven't provided those tax reductions for the buyers of second homes or buy-to-let properties, so we've had a much more targeted and measured policy here in Wales, which also meant, of course, that we were able to invest additional money in the social housing market, meaning that our approach very much was more progressive as well.

I don't really consider that there is any merit in that kind of stepped approach that the UK Government has taken in terms of its withdrawal from the latest changes, because, across the border, the SDLT holiday provided a tax reduction of up to 3 per cent on the cost of a property, and a maximum saving there would have been £15,000, again reflecting the different housing market across the border, but the LTT tax reduction period up to a maximum of 1 per cent means a maximum saving of £2,450, so, again, reflecting the different house prices and the picture that we have here in Wales. But, when we do return to the normal starting threshold for LTT, and the other two UK property transaction taxes return to their normal levels, it will mean that Wales remains the only country in the UK with a starting threshold for paying tax that is around the average house price, and, of course, in England, the normal starting threshold is £125,000, which is around half of the average price across the border. So, even when we return to the normal prices—or the normal rates, I should say—then we will still have the most progressive system. And of course, our reduction is for all purchasers of homes, rather than just offering that to first-time buyers, as I understand is the intention of the Conservative Party, should they find themselves in a position in Wales to restrict their support only to first-time buyers, rather than all housebuyers.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? Yes, there is an objection, and therefore I will defer voting under this item until voting time.

The final item this afternoon is the debate on amendments to the 2020-21 local government and police settlements, and I call on the Minister for Housing and Local Government, Julie James.

Diolch, Llywydd. Today I am presenting to the Senedd for its approval a technical revision of the local government and police settlements for 2020-21. That is for the financial year about to end. The revised local government finance reports reflect the adjustments made in the third supplementary budget that provided for the increase in revenue support grant. As we all know, the local government and police settlements are made up of both redistributive non-domestic rates, NDR, and the Welsh Government revenue support grant. Together, these make up aggregate external finance. The distributable amount of NDR for each local government settlement is estimated at the time the settlement is calculated. The NDR account is managed over more than one financial year in order to manage the risks of local and national economic variations year on year.

The revised local government finance reports before you today rebalance the proportions of RSG and NDR in the current year settlement. The overall aggregate external finance will be unchanged at both the all-Wales and the individual authority and police force levels, i.e. no authority or police force will lose or gain from this change. It is a purely technical adjustment. Doing this will enable the Government to more effectively manage the deficit on the NDR account over a number of years. It will ensure that we use the COVID-specific and time-limited funding we have available to respond to the impact of the pandemic on business rates, as we have done in respect of council tax and other income. This is a prudent approach. The long-term outlook for NDR is difficult to assess, but several factors suggest that it will not recover in the short term given the expectation that Government will need to continue to impose restrictions on businesses and individuals to control the public health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. While nothing is certain in this uncertain world, taking this step now should mean that there will be a reduced deficit on the NDR account for the next Government to consider in setting its budget for 2022-23.

In addition to the funding provided for the local government settlement, Welsh Government has made available additional support through the hardship fund and other grants of over £660 million in this financial year to enable local authorities to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local government and police response to the challenges of the past year has been immense, and from EU exit, flooding and extreme weather to the impact of the pandemic, public servants have risen to the needs of Wales's citizens. Local authorities have provided support for individuals, communities and businesses. They have run, with the NHS, our contact tracing system and ensured those self-isolating are supported. They have continued to provide for the education of our children and the day-to-day services like waste and recycling we all rely on. The police have continued to keep us safe on our streets, in our homes and on our roads. They've engaged with good humour and patience as we have all learned to live in and out of restrictions, including, where appropriate, more robust enforcement. I therefore ask Senedd Members to support this motion today. Diolch.

Thank you. I have no speakers in this debate. I assume the Minister doesn't wish to reply. Therefore, the proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, there is an objection. We will therefore defer voting under this item until voting time.

And that brings us to voting time, and we will take a short break to make technical preparations for the vote. A short break.

Okay, that brings us to voting time and the first vote is on item 7, the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021. I call for a vote on the motion tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 36—. Correction. In favour 37, 11 abstentions, one against, and therefore the regulations are agreed. 

The next item is the Additional Learning Needs (Wales) Regulations 2021. I call for a vote on the motion tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 47, two abstentions, none against. Therefore, the motion is agreed.

We move now to item 10, the Equality Act 2010 (Capacity of parents and persons over compulsory school age) (Wales) Regulations 2021. I call for a vote on the motion, tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 44, four abstentions, none against. And therefore, the motion is agreed.

The next item is item 11, the Education Tribunal for Wales Regulations 2021. I call for a vote on the motion, tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 46, two abstentions, none against. Therefore, the motion is agreed.

That brings us to item 12, the Official Statistics (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2021. I call for a vote on the motion, tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. Close the vote. In favour 46, no abstentions, three against. And therefore, the motion is agreed.

That brings us to item 15, the Land Transaction Tax (Temporary Variation of Rates and Bands for Residential Property Transactions) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. I call for a vote on the motion, tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 39, nine abstentions, one against. Therefore, the motion is agreed.

Our final vote is on item 16, on the debate on amendments to the 2020-21 local government and police settlements. I call for a vote on the motion, tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. Open the vote. Thank you. You have voted. We will therefore close the vote. In favour 36, five abstentions, eight against. Therefore, that motion is agreed.

Thank you all. Good evening.