Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

When parents decide to home educate their children, they are responsible for delivering the child’s education and ensuring their needs are met. Local authorities must ensure the child is receiving a suitable education, and we are improving their ability to safeguard children through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

We remain clear that fines are to be used in only the most extreme cases. They are part of a range of options available when all efforts to engage with the family have been tried and failed, and where there are no underlying reasons impacting attendance at school.

The school admissions code for Wales explains that admission authorities must make arrangements enabling the parents of children in their area to express a preference for a school and to give reasons for that preference. Admission authorities must comply with parental preferences where there are spaces available.

Local authorities are wholly responsible for decisions on whether they provide public conveniences and how they are managed. Local authorities are legally required to have a local toilets strategy, and the Welsh Government has provided comprehensive statutory guidance to support them with this requirement.  

Officials continually review the new Warm Homes Nest scheme to ensure it meets its primary objectives in tackling fuel poverty and the climate emergency. The scheme is still in its infancy, but these changes are having a positive impact in supporting fuel-poor householders.

In addition to the disabled facilities grant, funding for housing adaptations is available through the independent living programme. I have committed an additional £5.5 million to the programme this year to enhance the support available for older and disabled individuals across all tenures in Wales.