Well, there has been a great deal of change in terms of the
way in which supply teachers are procured in Wales. So, the
new National Procurement Service framework for supply
teachers became operational in September of this year for
the start of the academic year, and there are 27 agencies
on that framework, so schools are now offered a choice of
provider. Framework agencies must comply with the terms of
the framework agreement, including promoting the minimum
pay point, and the NPS is monitoring compliance with the
framework, and they will address any issues of
non-compliance with any agencies. So, if Mike Hedges has
some examples of agencies that are exploiting supply
workers, we'd be very keen to have that evidence, and we
certainly will work to ensure that that exploitation comes
to an end. The framework is designed, really, to ensure
that workers' rights are protected, so there'll be the
minimum pay rate for qualified supply teachers, abolition
of the Swedish derogation and fixed and transparent agency
charge rates. So, I think that we've made some really
important steps, but if there are agencies that aren't
working to the spirit and to the letter of what we've set
out, then I need to have that information.
In terms of the free swimming initiative, Mike Hedges will
be aware that it was only 6 per cent of the over-60s who
were taking up the opportunity for the free swimming
initiative, and the independent report suggested that the
scheme did need to be amended, to ensure that young people,
particularly from poorer backgrounds, were able to take up
the opportunity for free swimming.
So, the situation now is that, based on the understanding
of the needs of their own communities, local authorities
are being asked to focus on supporting young people, and
older citizens from more disadvantaged areas, and provide
new plans to meet those objectives. And those plans, I can
say, are currently being introduced, and we are in a
transition period, where users are being encouraged to feed
back their views and experiences to the provider via their
local swimming pools. Again, I'd be really pleased if Mike
Hedges and other Members are able to feed back some of
their feedback to Welsh Government in terms of what their
constituents are telling them, because that feedback will
be used to help local authorities and delivery agents
provide a more tailored service in the future. Support will
be provided by Sport Wales and Swim Wales, who
will, in turn, report back to the Deputy Minister for
Culture, Sport and Tourism every six months, for a period
of 18 months.
