, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
Okay. So, how do you feel the Welsh Government has considered the success, then, of the new booking platform take-up and impact?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
Okay. And, obviously, in terms of a supply teacher, they're not going to go to an INSET day if they're not getting paid for it, and, if they're from an agency, they won't.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
We need to have two things clear, don't we? We need to know what the gap is in terms of how many supply teachers are actually working across Wales via agencies. We don't have the 8 per cent because of the lack of data coming through to Welsh Government around…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
Yes, that's fine—thank you. So, the early feedback that Welsh Government received on the booking platform from Anglesey is just as you've stated, really, isn't it? It's just waiting for that evaluation, and, if you could let us know when that evaluation will…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
I think everybody would understand that it's very difficult, because you're working in a commercial environment and we're using public money around this, and how best value that public purse is going to be is going to be a matter not just of the finance…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
And when will that be reviewed—or evaluated, sorry—in terms of being able to monitor it, because obviously as a pilot it's going to be really important to us to understand that take-up?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
Yes, okay. And we're not quite clear as to the take-up yet at the moment.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
Thank you. So, I'm right, I think, in saying that the platform has been rolled out as a pilot in Anglesey.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
Okay.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
Chair, there is a report of National Education Union Cymru that says that around 13 per cent of agency staff have been asked to work outside of their mandate. I don't know whether you've seen or got access to that.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
And I think we hit the nail on the head about direction earlier on. Those information data gaps have to be fully understood, and we can ask schools to provide this information—it is public money. So, I think that's an important issue to pursue. I'm not so…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Evidence Session with the Welsh Government: Covering Teachers' Absence
In regard to that professional development and in the supporting of excellence, in terms of the plethora of different pressures and tensions that the teaching workforce and supply cover for the teaching workforce within that are suffering, how do you feel…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Sorry, Chair—just to note that the majority have been accepted, it seems.
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership: HeartUnions Week
Thank you for your statement, Deputy Minister. I know the profound impact being a trade unionist has had on you personally, and also within my own political life. The HeartUnions Week is an important opportunity for us all to recognise and reflect on the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: Anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Nation of Sanctuary update
Minister, thank you very much for your statement today. Two years may have passed since the predatory Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the threat to democracy and the values that we all here in this Chamber hold dear in Wales and the west has also greatly…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
It will be incredibly important and welcomed by third sector voluntary organisations. And if there is that mechanism in terms of local government, that will be so, so welcomed, I think, across Wales, if we can get this improved. It's been a massive issue for…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Actually, it's not a question, so, I hope, Chair, you'll forgive me.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Sorry, in terms of the online VOA system, in terms of the robustness of those figures, perhaps we can write with the other figure question to the Minister on that. Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Okay.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Thank you. So, my final question—. Before I go to that, there are some little discrepancies, which we can write to you with, in terms of some inconsistencies around compliance activities, but I'm not going to do that now. So, to facilitate regular…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Okay, thank you. You've identified additional costs to local authorities of the more regular cycle around revaluations of around about, I think, £311,000 over the appraisal period; I think those are down as opportunity costs. Will, then, the Welsh Government…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Okay, thank you. Moving to a more frequent valuation, will that mean more additional costs to ratepayers if the circumstances of those ratepayers are changing more frequently and if their rateable value changes more frequently—so, for example, in terms of…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Sorry, yes.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Thank you very much, Chair. Minister, you've estimated an increase in costs of around £6.3 to £10 million for moving to more regular business rates revaluations, and I think that's mostly with the Valuation Office Agency costs. With similar changes happening…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Okay. Diolch. Thank you, Chair.
