Answers issued to Members on 19 October 2007
[R] signifies that the Member has declared an interest.
[W] signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.
Contents
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport
Questions to the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport
Joyce Watson (Mid and West Wales): Will the Minister outline what financial support the Welsh Assembly Government provides for vulnerable small and medium enterprises that have been affected by the recent cases of foot and mouth in England? (WAQ50480)
The Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport (Ieuan Wyn Jones): Every effort has been made to support small and medium sized enterprises that have been affected by the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease in England. Officials have been working with businesses on a case by case basis to explore options for support within agreed schemes. Businesses can obtain information on business support from the Business Eye service.
We recognise the difficulties the recent outbreak is having on the farming and rural economy and recognise the importance of the export trade to the Welsh lamb industry and welcome the news that the EU export ban will be lifted from 12 October under strict conditions. The First Minister and the Minister for Rural Affairs have also met with senior management from most of the major supermarkets to encourage the promotion of Welsh lamb and beef. The Welsh Assembly Government has offered over £1 million to Hybu Cig Cymru to carry out additional marketing and promotion of Welsh red meat products.
Questions to the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills
Joyce Watson (Mid and West Wales): What is the Welsh Assembly Government doing to promote 'Skills Framework’? (WAQ50487)
The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (Jane Hutt): The non-statutory skills framework has been developed for use with learners aged 3-19. It sets out progression in developing thinking, communication, number, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the areas most often identified as necessary by teachers, LEA officers and employers.
It has been used by every working group involved in revising the National Curriculum orders and the frameworks for Personal and Social Education (PSE), Careers and World of Work and Religious Education. As a result of this approach, the skills are embedded throughout the revised curriculum which will be implemented in schools from September 2008.
The purpose and significance of the framework will be explained at a range of seminars, conferences and training events attended by officials throughout 2008.
Copies of the Skills Framework will be distributed to schools alongside the orders and frameworks so that teachers have ready access to the document, and will be able to use it in planning their delivery of the revised curriculum.
Additionally, the skills framework is being used to underpin the development of the optional skills assessment materials designed for use with Year 5 pupils. Currently, these are under development in developing thinking, communication and number skills. These materials will reinforce use of the framework in primary schools.
Officials will be monitoring implementation of the revised curriculum, and the use and effectiveness of the framework will be kept under review as part of this process.
Andrew
R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): What discussions has the Minister had with the Disabled Children Matter Wales campaign and further to any discussions, what action does she plan to take? (WAQ50498) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Health and Social
Services.
The
Minister for Health and Social Services (Edwina Hart):
I met the Board members of the Disabled Children Matter Wales Campaign on 4 October.
We
discussed a range of issues regarding services for disabled children including the provision of wheelchairs.
Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Will the Minister make a statement detailing which Local Authorities operate a purely tertiary college system for A-level study, which just offer 6th form education and which offer a mixed 6th form and college approach? (WAQ50502)
Jane
Hutt:
In terms of post 16 provision in Wales, young people can access learning from school sixth forms, further education institutions and work-based providers, with the latter frequently operating across local authority boundaries and offering specialist learning
opportunities. Each of the 22 local authority areas in Wales actually offers a mixture of further education and school sixth form provision, although the infrastructure was generally established during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. There are consequently
no pure tertiary local authority areas and none offering just a college approach.
As a consequence of agreed Welsh policy for 14-19 year olds and a modern, pragmatic approach to increasing the opportunities for all learners, most schools and further education colleges tend to collaborate over curriculum delivery so that many learners will attend a school for some subject areas, a college for other parts of the curriculum offer; and a increasing number benefit from accessing work-based activity.