Committee publication · Correspondence · 5 March 2026
Letter, dated 1 December 2025, from the Welsh Government relating to the Committee's Second Report on the security of MPs, candidates and elections
From: Speaker's Conference (2024)
Inquiry: Speaker’s Conference on the security of candidates, MPs and elections
Summary
Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education in Wales, responds to the Speaker's Conference regarding its Second Report on MP, candidate and election security. The letter outlines Wales's approach to political and citizenship education, including mandatory democratic studies in the Curriculum for Wales, the Democratic Engagement Grant supporting thirty projects, and educational resources such as Vote2Voice and The Politics Project, positioning civic education as essential to democratic health.
Key findings
- Wales mandates political awareness education from early years through age 16 within the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience under the Curriculum for Wales
- The Democratic Engagement Grant funds over thirty projects across Wales, with commitment to three-year extension and increased budget ahead of 2026 Senedd and 2027 local elections
- Seven named educational programmes and resources are deployed: Vote2Voice, The Politics Project, ACT materials, Electoral Commission guidance, Media Literacy Resources, Global Citizenship Case Studies, and WJEC Political Literacy Pack
- One of the Four Purposes of the Curriculum for Wales explicitly targets development of learners as ethical, informed citizens capable of engaging with contemporary issues
- Extended voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales have elevated the importance of democratic education in schools
Tone
SupportiveTopics
Key actors
Lynne Neagle, Speaker's Conference, Welsh Government, Electoral Commission, Association of Citizenship Teaching, The Politics Project, Boys and Girls Club Wales, Scouts Cymru
Notable line
“It is important that we prepare our children and young people for active engagement in society, which is vital to the health of our democracy”
Key Quotes
“It is important that we prepare our children and young people for active engagement in society, which is vital to the health of our democracy”
“Schools are expected to deliver political awareness education from the early years through to age 16, ensuring consistent exposure to local, national, and international contexts.”
“With voting rights now extended to 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales, learning about Welsh democracy is more important than ever.”
“One of the Four Purposes of our curriculum is to develop learners as ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world, confident in engaging with contemporary issues and challenges.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗