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Written Assembly Questions tabled on 20 April 2015 for answer on 27 April 2015

R - Signifies the Member has declared an interest.
W - Signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.

(Self identifying Question no. shown in brackets)

Written Questions must be tabled at least five working days before they are to be answered. In practice, Ministers aim to answer within seven/eight days but are not bound to do so. Answers are published in the language in which they are provided, with a translation into English of responses provided in Welsh.

To ask the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister provide a breakdown of funding allocated through the Communities First programme to the Merthyr Tydfil area and, in particular, the 3Gs Development Trust, giving figures for each of the last three financial years? (WAQ68602)

Answer Received 28 April 2015

The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty (Lesley Griffiths): Communities First funding for Merthyr Tydfil for each of the last three financial years is set out in the table below. 

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is the Lead Delivery Body and grant recipient.  3Gs Development Trust does not receive Communities First funding directly from the Welsh Government.       

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): What guidance is given to local authorities in relation to the allocation of Communities First funding, and is there a minimum expected proportion of any such award of funding which must go directly to projects themselves? (WAQ68603)

Answer Received 24 April 2015

The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty (Lesley Griffiths): Welsh Government provides detailed financial guidance to the Local Authorities and Third Sector Organisations acting as Lead Delivery Bodies for the Communities First Programme.  This includes how funding should be allocated.

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills

Suzy Davies (South Wales West): Will the Minister make a statement on education outside of schools in Wales? (WAQ68604)

Suzy Davies (South Wales West): Following recent concerns raised by Estyn, what developments is the Minister considering in education outside schools? (WAQ68605)

Suzy Davies (South Wales West): Does the Minister intend to reduce the number of teachers who work with pupils outside school, either at home or in referral units? (WAQ68606)

Suzy Davies (South Wales West): Does the Minister intend to merge or reduce the number of units designated to provide education outside of the school environment? (WAQ68607)

Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What steps does the Minister intend to take against local authorities that do not make provision for the statutory minimum of hours education for a child educated out of school? (WAQ68608)

Answer Received 24 April 2015 (WAQ 68604/05/06/07/08)

The Minister for Education and Skills (Huw Lewis): EOTAS (education otherwise than at school) provision plays a crucial role in educating vulnerable learners. Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) in particular remain a necessary alternative to mainstream schooling.

At the annual Welsh Government PRU conference, which followed the publication of Estyn's annual report, my officials announced plans to establish a working group which will be tasked with developing an EOTAS framework for action. The purpose of the framework will be to identify key actions which build upon existing good practice within the sector and are aimed at improving EOTAS services in Wales.

However, the arrangement of EOTAS services, such as PRUs, is a matter for local authorities to determine as they are best placed to make decisions based on the needs of pupils in their area. Likewise, decisions regarding staffing levels in EOTAS provision are the responsibility of local authorities.

All local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that pupils who are unable to attend school, through illness or exclusion, are provided with access to EOTAS services within 15 school days. However, there is no statutory minimum number of hours per week for which EOTAS services should be provided. The Welsh Government's Inclusion and Pupil Support document provides non-statutory guidance for local authorities in which it is recommended that children and young people receiving EOTAS provision have access to full-time education. Full-time in this instance means offering supervised education or other activity equivalent to that being offered by mainstream schools in the area.

Full-time provision may not always be appropriate for pupils who may have become deeply disengaged from education. In these circumstances it is important that local authority and school staff are able to provide flexible services whilst planning for a reintroduction into full-time services. 

Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What steps does the Minister intend to take against local authorities that do not consult appropriately with children and young people on decisions that affect their education? (WAQ68609)

Answer received on 7 October 2015

Huw Lewis:  

The Welsh Government has continually shown commitment to promote and protect the rights of children and their participation is a significant part of this commitment. 

In terms of setting out the local structures to support participation, Section 12 of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 places a duty on Local Authorities to put in place suitable arrangements to promote and facilitate participation by children in decisions which might affect them. Statutory guidance for Local Authorities and their partners has been issued as an annex to Shared Purpose – Shared Delivery: to use in the development of Single Integrated Plans (SIP).

Where Welsh Ministers are satisfied that a local authority is failing, or is likely to fail, to comply with the duty to put in place arrangements to promote and facilitate participation of children in decisions that affect them they may direct the authority to take any action which they consider necessary or expedient to secure its compliance, which may include a written direction.

Were a school or local authority to fail to comply with a specific duty set out in education legislation to consult with pupils, Welsh Ministers have the power, in the School Standards and Organisation Act 2013, to direct the school or local authority to do so. 

In response to your question therefore I would need to consider the particular circumstances of the case before deciding on any steps that might be appropriate.