I was delighted to see, on the eve of the Wales vs England Six Nations finale, that the tournament will remain free-to-air in Wales in the UK until at least 2029. It’s so important that our national sport is available to everyone, not just people who can afford expensive sports subscriptions. The result was, of course, very tough to take, but making sure the sport is for everyone is going to be crucial to rebuilding our national side.

During the Covid pandemic many lives, and businesses were destroyed. Sadly, the effect of the pandemic is still being felt today in Monmouthshire County. Despite this, the Welsh Government blocked Covid Committee witnesses from giving evidence under oath. This is a clear example of the Welsh Labour Government running away from public scrutiny. Bereaved families in the area and across Wales deserve answers, not words they can’t trust. I will continue to fight Welsh Labour on this in the Senedd and push for a vote to overturn Labour’s shady decision so they can be held to account for their poor handling of the pandemic.

Monmouthshire County Council are set to roll back their provision of school buses for children in September, meaning that many of our children will have to rely on public transport or parent’s cars. Unfortunately, in Monmouthshire, we’re in a situation where buses are often late and don’t even turn up sometimes, causing some young people to wait for hours on each side of school in the wet and cold. This is no way to start the school day. Many parents have contacted me with concerns about their children's safety and well-being. I believe that we have a responsibility to provide safe, reliable transport to schools especially when we’re trying to tackle soaring absenteeism in schools, unreliable transport just isn’t helping. I'm well aware of the ambition to save the council money, but the Welsh Government and council both have a responsibility to ensure that children get to school safely and on time. Children's welfare should be our No. 1 priority. For this reason, I asked the Welsh Government for a statement updating the Senedd on the Learner Travel Policy.

The recently released Estyn report shows just how much this Welsh Labour Government has failed schools across the country. The report noted a significant decline in teacher recruitment and retention, especially in secondary schools. The number of initial teacher education students has reduced by nearly half since 2014. On attendance, the report highlights the percentage of secondary-age pupils who are absent for more than 20 per cent of sessions more than tripled between 2018-19 and 2022-23. This report shows just what happens when the Welsh Government doesn’t put money in the right places, local authorities need far more support financially to improve our schools, as the number of Welsh schools that are in debt tripled last year. I would like to see more money sent directly to schools, as they know where it’s needing to be sent. We will not see an improvement in education until this changes. This is something I have repeatedly called for in and out of the Chamber, and it’s about time the Welsh Government listen and take action before it’s too late.

As a result of the previous work I did as Shadow Education Minister, I was delighted to see that the government put additional millions in their budget to ALN funding for schools in Monmouthshire, however, there is a lot more that needs to be done including upping the levels of teaching assistants in the classroom.