Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:14 pm on 14 May 2024.
Laura Anne Jones
Conservative
5:14,
14 May 2024
Thank you. Minister, I too want to welcome you to your portfolio, and I'll watch with interest what you do with it, considering the knowledge that you have. As a fantastic former chairman of the children and young people's committee, you'll know that we've been told that there is money, apparently, to tackle mental health in schools, but schools I've visited across Wales haven't seen this money. Not only that, there has been no national approach to helping our children and young people, whilst there's been a massive rise in health problems. No national strategy, no guidance, every school has a different approach—some good, some concerningly poor. One school in my own region, in the city that we both represent, have enlisted the help of a third-party organisation, Mind Cymru, originally to be there for one day a week. But due to the high demand in that school—and many schools would chomp at the bit for this—they've increased that provision to five days a week.
Minister, when are we going to see some help, some guidance and a consistent approach across Wales to tackling mental health challenges in our schools, and what are your thoughts on using third-party organisations? Will you take firm action to share the best practice that is happening across Wales, and how will you work with the Cabinet Secretary for Education to achieve this? Diolch.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
