06/04/2014 BBC Wales Today

That's all the sport for now. Many thanks. That's

Good evening. There are calls for the most senior medical officer in

the Armed Forces to give evidence to the Assembly's health committee. It

follows reports that he raised concerns about long waiting times.

The Welsh Government has angrily denied suggestions that military

personnel here wait longer for treatment than they do in the rest

of the UK. Daniel Davies reports. War on Wales. That's what the First

Minister calls attacks on the Welsh NHS by the Conservatives and by some

newspapers. This morning's papers say there's concern in the top ranks

of the military about troops being held up on Welsh waiting lists. A

meeting of health officials heard from the Armed Forces' most senior

medical officer, Surgeon General Air Marshal Paul Evans. He said there

were personnel facing longer waiting times in Wales than elsewhere. He

also noted the example of patients being treated quicker thanks to

referrals across borders. It's totally misleading to suggest

that Welsh military personnel wait longer for treatment, according to

the Welsh Government. But some of the Government's opponents want to

hear more from the Surgeon General and there's a debate about whether

he should come here to answer questions from the Assembly's health

committee. It's evidence that the health committee may wish to look at

but it hasn't come to me as a member of the committee and it hasn't come

to me as a constituency member. No-one has approached me in relation

to waits for service personnel. And, in fact, if you look at the Welsh

Government's policy, it is actually to prioritise service personnel and

their families if they have illnesses through their service

actions. Carwyn Jones's aides say he is furious. He wants a Whitehall

investigation into how troops have been dragged into a political row

about the NHS. The row goes on, with no sign of a truce.

Meanwhile, the performance of public services has dominated the final day

of the Welsh Liberal Democrat conference in Newport. The party's

leader, Kirsty Williams, says the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, is

hiding behind public sector staff instead of taking responsibility for

what's gone wrong. Being leader of the fourth party in

the Assembly isn't always easy, particularly when your colleagues

are in government at Westminster. But Kirsty Williams thinks she's

found the Welsh Government's weak spot - poor results in health and

education. Much of the UK media started saying the same thing but

that, she says, just proves the point. These headlines might hurt

our sense of national pride but we must not forget... It is Labour that

has become Wales's weakest link. It is a Labour government that is

holding us back and it's a Labour government and their policies that

have become a weight around our nation's neck. A couple of miles

from the conference hall, it's public sector workers like these at

the Royal Gwent Hospital who've found themselves on the political

front line. The First Minister, Carwyn Jones, says attacks on public

services are attacks on Wales itself. But Kirsty Williams's

argument is that that's nonsense and the people to blame are the people

in charge. That's Mr Jones's Welsh Labour government. Labour say the

Liberal Democrats are becoming an irrelevance in Welsh politics. But

what's very clear is that the performance of public services is

going to dominate campaigning in next year's general election and the

Assembly elections in 2016. Mountain rescuers taking part in a

training exercise had to put their skills to the test for real after a

hiker needed help in Snowdonia. Members of the Ogwen Valley team had

to carry a man down from Bochlwyd Buttress yesterday, when he slipped

in wet conditions. Glamorgan have started this year's

County Championship campaign in London today with their first match

against Surrey at the Oval. The home side batted first, ending the first

day of the four-day match on 182-5. Let's get the weather forecast now -

here's Sue Charles. Good evening. After a few wet and

windy days, some improvements this week. Turning dryer and more settled

midweek. Tonight is dry for a time but mist, low cloud and rain will

gradually move back in from the south overnight, so a dull and damp

start tomorrow. Cloudy and windy with outbreaks of rain. Clearing

northwards. Drier and conditions by the afternoon. Fewer showers and

highs of 13 Celsius along the Marches. Tuesday is breezy with

variable cloud, isolated showers and turning brighter later. High

pressure builds from the south midweek, so things really settle

down. Wednesday's fine and dry. Clearer conditions bring colder

nights. Cloudier, though, on Thursday.

That's Wales Today. We're back in Breakfast from six tomorrow morning.

But from everyone on the late team, goodnight.

Good evening. After a spell of mild weather, a fresher feel to

conditions this week. If you are in Scotland, Northern Ireland and

northern enEngland you will get a sense of that through the night with

clearer skies. Further south, temperatures will hold steady,

cloud, outbreaks of rain extensive through the night, as well