Buffy Williams
Welsh Labour · Wales
“Thank you. The Welsh Government’s commitment to iechyd da, and the Cabinet Secretary’s actions to tackle waiting lists, are really encouraging for my constituents, who tell me that, in some areas, they are still facing the 8 a.m.”
“And I know the Cabinet Secretary has previously touched on this, but could he please provide an update on the progress of the diagnostic and treatment hub, explain how Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board will use its share of the £50 million allocated to reduce waiting times, and outline plans to achieve a pharmacy-first approach across Wales?”
“I'd like to declare an interest, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm still a trustee at Canolfan Pentre. I know the difference this warm-hub funding makes to the day-to-day running of the canolfan .”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. In spring 2023, the Children, Young People and Education Committee launched one of our most ambitious inquiries to date: a detailed exploration of the childcare and education experiences of disabled and neurodivergent children and their families.”
“Our inquiry has told us that many families of disabled and neurodivergent children struggle to get any provision at all. Fundamentally, our inquiry has told us that many children and young people’s rights to an education are currently being breached. I hope that the future of childcare and education in Wales will be more inclusive.”
“Without a step change, we will continue to fail too many children, young people and their families. I know that the Cabinet Secretary, like us, as a former committee member, won’t want to be here in 20 years or 10 years having the same debate as a result of the same problems.”
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“And I know the Cabinet Secretary has previously touched on this, but could he please provide an update on the progress of the diagnostic and treatment hub, explain how Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board will use its share of the £50 million allocated to reduce waiting times, and outline plans to achieve a pharmacy-first approach across Wales?”
“Thank you. The Welsh Government’s commitment to iechyd da, and the Cabinet Secretary’s actions to tackle waiting lists, are really encouraging for my constituents, who tell me that, in some areas, they are still facing the 8 a.m. scramble to get a GP appointment, and others have been waiting over a year for procedures like cataract surgery. I know that the recent funding announcements to tackle waiting lists, coupled with plans for the diagnostic and treatment hub near the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, will lead to better healthcare outcomes for my constituents.”
“4. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwella hygyrchedd i wasanaethau iechyd ar draws gofal sylfaenol ac eilaidd i drigolion Rhondda? OQ61928”
“I'd like to declare an interest, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm still a trustee at Canolfan Pentre. I know the difference this warm-hub funding makes to the day-to-day running of the canolfan . It means we can continue to provide our well-established services as well as additional service sessions, but we can keep our doors open for longer and support more residents. I know that past warm-hub funding has supported community groups like Pontygwaith and the Waun Wen centres, the community interest companies like Manage Money Wales and Mothers Matter, and churches like Bethany Baptist in Ynyshir and Seion in Maerdy, in similar ways. But one of the biggest challenges previously was communication with residents. So, what steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure clear communication and accessibility to warm hubs this winter?”
“3. Sut y mae’r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn hyrwyddo cynllun canolfannau clyd Llywodraeth Cymru, y dyrannwyd £1.5 miliwn ar ei gyfer? OQ61887”
“We know just how precious your time is. Your passion, love and commitment to improving things, not just for your own children, but for all children, is inspiring. We were often told that they felt invisible, that people did not care. Today, I want to make it very clear that we do care. I know that many people are disappointed with the Welsh Government’s response to our report. We share that disappointment. Like you, we will keep fighting for equal access to childcare and education throughout this Senedd and beyond, and I urge the Welsh Government, local authorities and others to do the same. Diolch.”
“Without a step change, we will continue to fail too many children, young people and their families. I know that the Cabinet Secretary, like us, as a former committee member, won’t want to be here in 20 years or 10 years having the same debate as a result of the same problems. But we’re concerned this will become the stark reality if this and future Welsh Governments proceed as you set out in your response to our report. Something fundamental has to change. I’d like to thank again everyone who’s taken the time to contribute to this inquiry, the organisations who submitted evidence to us, the members of the public who sent us their personal stories, the people we met throughout our engagement activities, and, most of all, the members of our online advisory group, who took so much out time to support and guide our work.”
“Our inquiry has told us that many families of disabled and neurodivergent children struggle to get any provision at all. Fundamentally, our inquiry has told us that many children and young people’s rights to an education are currently being breached. I hope that the future of childcare and education in Wales will be more inclusive. That must be our long-term goal. But working towards a fully inclusive system does not preclude us from improving the availability and quality of the provision that already exists. It does not preclude us from taking steps right now to give all children the opportunities and support they deserve, and these changes need to happen now. Children and young people have such a short time in education. It can be very difficult also to repair the damage of unequal access, both educationally, but also mentally.”
“And, John, the committee obviously agrees with your comments to upskill staff, and I'm sure the committee will take on board all of your comments. Dirprwy Lywydd, our committee believes in inclusive childcare and education, where the needs of every child, whether disabled or not, neurodivergent or not, are met within the same establishment, where every child can participate fully in all aspects of school life. This is also the vision of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But that vision is not the reality of where we are in Wales today. If we are honest, we would admit that we are far away from the realisation of that vision. Our inquiry has told us that, today, many families of disabled and neurodivergent children struggle to get good-quality provision.”
“I had one parent who actually cried to me in a setting, saying that she didn't know how much more she could take. And Hefin—Hefin always speaks so passionately and eloquently about his lived experience, and we value his input. And you know I always listen when you speak, because I know that lived experience and how important and how difficult it's been and how much you've had to fight to make sure your daughter has exactly the education that she needs. I totally understand that, but we also know that there are parents who are not getting the right education for their children. Sioned was right in saying that children's rights were at the heart of this inquiry, and I'd also like to thank her constituent Betsan, who I've met on numerous occasions and who I think is an absolute warrior.”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to thank all Members for their contributions today, and the Cabinet Secretary for her response. Gareth mentioned the cost of childcare, and we heard, time and time again throughout this piece of work, how difficult it is to access childcare at any cost. As Heledd has said, every piece of evidence we received was important and needed to be included, and absolutely deserves to be in this report. And in our next steps we will definitely be reflecting on today's debate, and be assured we won't be letting this go. Carolyn mentioned learner travel. This is something that came up consistently in the course of the report, bringing lots of issues in itself. Laura mentioned children being wrongly diagnosed. We heard this from parents who were desperate—desperate—for support.”
“Over the course of our inquiry, we held 13 oral evidence sessions. We received over 80 separate pieces of written evidence, many of them directly from families. We visited five schools and three childcare and support settings. We bolstered our written evidence via correspondence with a range of different bodies. Alongside this, the citizen engagement team held over 40 family interviews with parents, carers and children, and also young people from across Wales, on our behalf.”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. In spring 2023, the Children, Young People and Education Committee launched one of our most ambitious inquiries to date: a detailed exploration of the childcare and education experiences of disabled and neurodivergent children and their families. Our work covered early years and pre-school provision, including funding, staffing, and sufficiency. It covered breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday provision. We looked in detail at the school day itself—special schools, mainstream schools, extra-curricular activities and school buildings. We explored school funding, staffing arrangements, capacity, training, Welsh-medium provision and more. We also explored the impacts of inequitable provision on children and their families, whether families have the information they need, and whether they are listened to.”