Mark Drakeford: ..., and if it’s helpful, I’m happy to update that for the current Finance Committee. Can I just attempt to answer some of the points raised by Mark Reckless, particularly in relation to the education MEG? As far as revenue is concerned, this supplementary budget contains three main additions to the education resources: £3.5 million to contribute towards student finance pressures, and...
Mark Drakeford: ...Government to support the launch of the new treatment fund to give people in Wales fast access to new and innovative treatments. An additional £20 million in revenue funding goes to the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and is formalised in this budget to respond to current and future financial pressures, including the implementation of the Diamond report recommendations. This...
Mark Drakeford: ...out its commitment to examine innovative ways of funding public infrastructure. Since then, innovative financial instruments have already been used to increase investment in transport, housing and education by £0.5 billion. One of the reasons we have been able to fund this additional investment is because Wales has not been exposed to large-scale PFI schemes. Our exposure to the cost of...
Mark Drakeford: Band A of the twenty-first century schools and education programme will see investment of over £356 million in schools in South Wales Central over the five-year period ending 2019.
Mark Drakeford: The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill, currently being considered by the Assembly, will replace outdated legislation and improve the support for all learners with ALN up to the age of 25. We have announced £20 million funding to support the successful implementation and delivery of the new system.
Mark Drakeford: ...a wider range of services suitable for discharge at a regional level. In October, the balance of advice favoured mandating health board footprints for the regional delivery of purposes such as education improvement, public protection and social services. The more detailed discussion has highlighted concerns that sticking rigidly to the health board footprint for other services could...
Mark Drakeford: ‘Taking Wales Forward’ sets out our programme of education reforms to improve education in Wales.
Mark Drakeford: ...is a process that I intend to pursue further as this Assembly proceeds. Dirprwy Lywydd, amendments to the budget happen in both directions. The change in arrangements for the registration of the education workforce has resulted in a transfer out of the settlement of £1 million formerly provided in respect of teacher registration fee subsidies. The bulk of changes, however, have been to...
Mark Drakeford: Budget discussions were held with a range of stakeholders and Cabinet colleagues on financial issues, including priorities within the education main expenditure group, which informed the spending plans approved yesterday.
Mark Drakeford: The additional £0.5 million investment will help provide quality meals and services during the school summer holidays, supporting those in some of Wales’s most deprived communities.
Mark Drakeford: ...thought it right to bring the LCM before this Assembly for it to make a determination. And Nick Ramsay's absolutely right that, as we move into this area more, there will be a job of learning and education for other parts of the system to understand the way that we work here. However, having said that, we do support the creation of a single criminal offence that will apply to all taxes...
Mark Drakeford: Supporting a strong economy, closing the education attainment gap and improving skill levels are our key priorities and represent the most effective levers at our disposal to improve living standards in Wales.
Mark Drakeford: It is important that nurse education continues to develop to ensure the training provided to individuals equips them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deal with the challenges we face in Wales. We continue to work with key stakeholders to ensure appropriate development.
Mark Drakeford: Based on the latest available information, all schools in Islwyn meet the current bandwidth targets of 10 Mbps to primary schools and 100 Mbps to secondary schools, set under the Learning in Digital Wales grant programme.
Mark Drakeford: The current curriculum requires financial education for all learners. Estyn is reviewing provision in schools and will publish recommendations in the spring on how financial education can improve. In Financial Capability Week, I should highlight our partnership with the Money Advice Service, which supports money management teaching in schools.
Mark Drakeford: Job creation, closing the education attainment gap and improving skill levels are our key priorities and represent the most effective levers at our disposal to tackle poverty in Wales.
Mark Drakeford: ...subject of local government, very well set out the wide agenda of vitally important services that local government provides and the important part it plays in the lives of every citizen in Wales: educating our children, looking after the elderly, disposing of our waste, lighting our streets and much, much more. As far as the second leg of the motion is concerned, of course, we share the...
Mark Drakeford: .... As a result of their advice, it has been updated to take account of the latest population estimates, it has been updated to take account of the latest information in relation to pupils attending schools, and it has begun to take account of the latest advice in relation to social services expenditure. There was a major reform of the way in which social services expenditure was to be...
Mark Drakeford: .... The protection of 1 per cent, which was a feature of the last Assembly term, has not been possible to provide again in this Assembly term, but there are very significant investments in the education field. There is £20 million for general education improvement as part of the £100 million commitment that we made as a Government, and those budgets that are there as part of the pupil...
Mark Drakeford: ...; it will deliver a £100 million tax cut for small businesses; provide the best local government funding settlement in years; confirm our investment in the intermediate care fund; raise school standards with a £20 million investment next year; safeguard and increase funding for the pupil deprivation grant; take forward work on the UK’s most generous childcare offer for working parents....
