Peter Black challenges other parties on top-up fees

12.00.00am GMT Sat 10th Mar 2007

Peter Black will today throw down the gauntlet to other parties on top-up fees for higher education.

In a wide-ranging speech about education at the Welsh Liberal Democrat Spring Conference, Peter will say: "My commitment has always been to education free at the point of access. It is an investment in our future, we should not erect barriers to participation nor should we penalise those who wish to better themselves.

"I believe in society. I believe it is the duty of the state to fund education opportunity for the good of us all.

"I challenge the other parties to say where they stand."

Peter will also talk about another item of unfinished business from the Partnership Government - maximum primary class sizes of 25 in the second Assembly term.

"That objective was explicitly stated in the partnership agreement. It was abandoned by Labour. If we are in a position of power in the next Assembly, we will re-instate that target.

"There is of course a great deal of unfinished work for Welsh Liberal Democrats in Education policy. A lot has been achieved, including smaller Primary School class sizes, investment in school buildings, the Assembly Learning Grant for FE and HE students, support for part-timers, no top up fees for Welsh students, free school milk for 5 to 7 year olds and the Welsh Baccalaureate.

"However, as anybody who has visited schools in any area of Wales will know, many remain not just unfit for purpose but in some cases an actual health hazard.

"I've seen schools where you can put your hand through holes in the external walls, where water is pouring down staircases so as to make them unusable and where windows are falling out and lintels hanging loose. Local Councils are trying to keep up but they still do not have the resources they need.

"An authoritative survey by accountants Pricewaterhouse Coopers concluded that no Welsh Council will reach Labour's 'fit for purpose' target by 2010 and only just over half of them will have achieved this goal by 2015.

"Yet the current Labour Government has a firm manifesto commitment to bring all school buildings up to standard by the end of the decade. This has all the hallmarks of a classic Rhodri Morgan U-turn. They abandoned free care for the disabled because they could not afford it. They have now abandoned this pledge too.

"Welsh Liberal Democrats will do what Labour should have done. We will work in partnership with local education authorities to put together a clear programme of improvement so as to bring all of our schools up to scratch. That may take some time and not all parts of Wales will move at the same speed, but together we will set realistic goals and we will achieve them."