Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

Under our local management of schools arrangements, governing bodies and local authorities are responsible for contracting supply teachers. We are supporting employers via a revised National Procurement Service agency framework, which protects agency workers’ rights and offers schools a choice of supplier, and are trialling a direct employment school-based cluster pilot.  

Private schools by their very nature are independent of Welsh Government in terms of their finance and governance. Any school that meets the definition of an independent school must be registered with Welsh Ministers.

The regional education consortia work closely in partnership with local authorities to promote high standards of education and the fulfilment of learning potential. The year-on-year increase in the number of schools needing the least amount of support demonstrates the effectiveness of regional ways of working. 

Reducing our carbon footprint is hugely important to us. All new-build education facilities should achieve BREEAM 'excellent', have an energy performance certificate rating of A, and use 15 per cent recycled materials as a condition of grant. We have also expanded and refocused the curriculum to include sustainability and decarbonisation. 

Levels of delayed transfers of care in the Swansea Bay University Local Health Board area are not consistent with the improvements across Wales over recent years. We are working with the health board and its local authority partners to increase service capacity through the effective use of integrated care funding.

We are committed to supporting Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board to improve outcomes for bowel cancer as set out in the cancer delivery plan for Wales. This includes a focus on earlier detection and rapid access to evidence-based treatment.

I am pleased to see the improvement in the number of people waiting over 36 weeks for elective surgery in South Wales West, with the number waiting 22 per cent lower in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg in March 2019 compared to March 2018, and the lowest position since April 2014.