Mark Drakeford: We are investing in free school meals and provided additional funding for the food and fun/bwyd a hwyl programme, bringing the total for this year to £900,000. Last year the scheme was run in Merthyr and helped mitigate the impact of universal credit on deprived households.
Rebecca Evans: ...Tydfil and Rhymney, including £225 million planned for improvements to Prince Charles Hospital, a further £42.5 million approved in principle for the second wave of the twenty-first century schools programme, and over £2 million through the social housing grant in 2019-20.
Rebecca Evans: Funding early intervention services has been an important consideration in allocating the 2020-21 budget. For example, in 2020-21 we have doubled funding for our whole-school approach to mental health to £5 million, invested £5.5 million to support Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales and invested an additional £3.5 million for the Flying Start approach.
Rebecca Evans: ...infrastructure across all parts of Wales. Investments in South Wales West include £9.7 million to improve the neonatal care unit in Singleton Hospital and the £29 million twenty-first century schools development at Cefn Saeson in Neath Port Talbot.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: There is a wide range of information available to the public to support their mental health needs through the 111 website. Schools have been issued with guidance to support learner and teacher wellbeing. All health boards have now included new information on their website to help people find the most appropriate mental health support for their needs.
Mark Drakeford: ...Start and Families First programmes. We are helping families maximise incomes, reduce living costs and build financial resilience. We are supporting children to continue learning through free school meals, additional teachers and addressing digital exclusion.
Mark Drakeford: All learners have been impacted by the pandemic, with challenges for their learning and well-being, particularly those already disadvantaged. We have provided nearly £40 million to support schools and learners. We work with our partners to develop a comprehensive, medium-term support plan, which will be published in the coming months.
Rebecca Evans: ...demonstrated by the range of allocations I have made to directly support children and young people, including targeted support for the most vulnerable such as £23.3 million extra for free school meals and an extra £2 million for PDG Access.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: ...to take a broad approach to the mental health needs of young people. This includes prevention and early intervention, for instance through our whole-system approach to emotional well-being in schools, through to improving access to specialist services.
Julie James: Communities like Islwyn are leading the drive to make the circular economy a reality in Wales, with innovative local businesses using recycled materials and eco-schools taking action on plastic. These important contributions are a key part of our drive for a zero-waste, net-zero-carbon Wales.
Jeremy Miles: The South Wales West region benefited from a total investment of £218.2 million during the first wave funding of the twenty-first century schools and colleges programme. A further £304.5 million investment, with a 65 per cent Welsh Government intervention rate, is planned for the second wave of funding, which began in 2019.
Jeremy Miles: Supply teachers employed directly by schools or local authorities are covered by the same statutory provisions as permanent teachers. Staff employed by agencies are not covered by these provisions. However, in Wales, most supply teacher agencies have voluntarily agreed to abide by conditions set out in the National Procurement Service framework agreement.
Mark Drakeford: We continue to move ahead with plans to establish a north Wales medical school. This year, the numbers of medical students being trained in north Wales will rise again, with further increases to follow as undergraduate students are recruited from 2023 onwards.
Jeremy Miles: ...poverty on children and young people’s attainment is central to our flagship pupil development grant. Year on year we have extended the PDG to reflect the increase for children eligible for free school meals with funding for 2022-23 now over £130 million.
Jeremy Miles: On Monday, I announced plans about the roll-out of the co-operation agreement commitment to deliver universal primary free school meals. From September, children in reception classes will be the first to start receiving a free meal as part of these plans.
Mark Drakeford: Our pupil development grant—access provides funding directly to eligible families for the purchase of uniform, kit and other school supplies. We announced an additional one-off payment of £100 to all children and young people eligible for PDG— Access this year, taking funding to over £23 million for 2022-23.
Mark Drakeford: ...do to prevent their use by this group as part of our new tobacco strategy. We are also looking at messaging around young people and e-cigarettes as part of the JustB programme aimed at secondary school pupils in areas with the highest smoking prevalence rates.
Mark Drakeford: ...s mental health. We have invested significantly in mental health support from early intervention to specialist services. We have also introduced statutory guidance to embed mental well-being in schools and we are implementing the NEST/NYTH Framework across Wales.
Lynne Neagle: ...’s mental health. We have invested significantly in mental health support from early intervention to specialist services. We have also introduced statutory guidance to embed mental well-being in schools and we are implementing the Nest/Nyth framework across Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Tackling child poverty is a key priority for the Welsh Government. We fund a range of programmes which support better outcomes, such as financial help with the cost of the school day, our childcare offer and initiatives helping young people across Wales reach their potential including our Young Person’s Guarantee.
