11/03/2016 BBC Wales Today

There are concerns tonight that many thousands of patients in Wales

suspected of having breast cancer are waiting too long to get

That's despite a pledge by the Health Minister that

all potential cancer cases should be seen by an expert within 10 days.

David Cameron is criticised for focusing on the UI to the parties

conference. There are concerns tonight that many

thousands of patients in Wales suspected of having breast cancer

are waiting too long to get David Cameron is criticised

for focusing on the UI That's despite a pledge

by the Health Minister that all potential cancer cases should be

seen by an expert within 10 days. Steffan Messenger has

this excluse report. Still proudly on display,

the many Mothering Sunday cards sent to 63-year-old Andrea

Evans from Bari. After battling breast cancer

for the last three years, she says every moment

spent with her six I found a lump in my breast and went

to my doctor the same day and I was referred to the breast

centre and I had a telephone call the following Tuesday

for an appointment. It was 12 days but it

seems like an eternity. What was going through your mind

during that period? If you don't count the weekend

in between going to see the doctor and getting a first hospital

appointment, Andrea was seen Back in 2013, the health

minister Mark Drakeford said he expected all potential cancer

cases to be referred to a specialist But today's figures

show that is not been happening in the vast majority

of suspected breast cancer A Freedom of Information request

by the Welsh Liberal Democrats revealed that across four

of Wales' seven health boards, more than 11,000

suspected breast cancer patients have waited longer than ten

days to see a specialist since 2013. That's at least two thirds

of all breast cancer referrals in those areas and there

are wide variations in average waits, with patients

waiting 24 days on average in the Aneurin Bevan

Health Board area, compared to just 8.3

days in Cwm Taf. The Minister was quite clear

in his expectations back in 2013. It seems to me it was one

of his top priorities, yet two and a half years down

the line, far too many patients are not being seen within

the timescale for the Welsh government had set itself and has

set for the National Health Service. Cancer charities point to a rise

in the number of cases of breast cancer in Wales as one

reason behind the delays. It affects more women

here than any other type of cancer. Once you've been diagnosed

with breast cancer, you want your treatment

to start as as possible. This may actually impact

on your recovery and The Welsh Government says more

people are surviving cancer in Wales They claim many women

with breast cancer here starts treatment on the same day

as the first appointment. There's been criticism tonight

of a speech by the Prime Minister at the Welsh Conservative

conference, which was dominated by arguments to remain

in the European Union. Former Welsh Secretary David Jones

said he was disappointed David Cameron had used the platform

to promote the EU cause. Other senior Welsh Conservatives

have also expressed concern at the focus on Europe

rather than the Assembly. From Llangollen, here's

our Political Editor, Welsh lamb was on the menu

for David Cameron today. He used the visit to a farm

in Denbighshire to stress the importance of remaining

in the EU for among other things, the good of

Welsh lamb experts. And then onto the conference

and the very public and workmanlike handshake with probably the most

high-profile farmer in Wales, Andrew RT Davies, the Labour --

leader of the Welsh Conservatives The strain was there for all to see

when David Cameron used large chunks of his speech to try to persuade

people to remain in. People's livelihoods,

people's life chances, people's families we are talking

about and I say, don't put them at risk, don't take

this leap in the dark. This was above all a speech

by the Prime Minister to argue for the need to remain

in the European Union, particularly

for Welsh farmers. It was not though a speech that

talked up Andrew RT Davies as a future First Minister,

other than very briefly at the beginning, he hardly

mentioned him at all by name. It went down well with those

in the in camp but there was criticism from Conservatives

campaigning to leave. It's understandable that people

worry about a farm subsidies In actual reality,

because the United Kingdom is in a net contributor of that

over ?8 million a year, They are British

subsidies for farmers. Those subsidies would still be

there in the event of an exit. So it was wrong for

the Prime Minister Earlier, Andrew RT Davies focus

was firmly on the Assembly as he used his speech to set out

the policies he'll be These include plans to allow people

to keep ?100,000 of their assets before paying care home fees

and to reduce income tax when it's The central message

was the need for change. Conference, Labour have

proven time and time again that they are bad

for your business, bad for your school and

bad for your health. Bad, lazy, complacent

government, year after They've run out of steam

and out of ideas. The Conservatives script over

the past year has been to keep the momentum from the Welsh

wins in the general election The challenge is keeping to that

in the face of divisions over A man from Caernarfon

who tried to kill his wife as they walked their children

to school has been jailed for life 46-year-old Sylvan Parry attacked

Fiona Parry on the first day Mold Crown Court heard how

he repeatedly stamped on her head in front of their children

and other parents. Mrs Parry, with the short blond

hair, was left with a brain injury. Rugby and Wales' Under 20s

are still on course for a junior Grand Slam, after a spectacular

first-ever away win against England Wales won the Triple Crown

in Bristol, beating England 42-16. Fly-half Dan Jones scored 17 points,

including a try. Staying with rugby and Jamie Roberts

says the Welsh players know how much is at stake when they take

on England at Twickenham tomorrow. England go into the game

with a point to prove, after Wales knocked them out

of the Rugby World Cup. It's going to be a team that's very

fired up and we have two weather the storm.

The astronaut Tim Peake has posted this photo on social media tonight

of Anglesey and part of the coast, taken from the International Space

So let's see how the weekend weather's looking.

It's not looking too bad weather wise for us here in Wales.

This weekend, plenty of dry weather but there will be some cloud around,

Sunday the best day with more in the way of sunshine.

Tonight, most of the country dry but a few spots of light rain

Cloud increasing later in the night in Powys and the South.

A few mist and fog patches forming, not as cold as last night but chilly

inland with a slight frost, temperatures in parts of mid Wales

Tomorrow morning, cloudier than in the north

A few spots of light rain, elsewhere dry.

Bright in the south, with a few mist and fog

Across the rest of the UK, there is a warning of a fog

patches for southern, central and east England.

These will slowly lift, most of England then dry and bright

Cloud with outbreaks of rain in Scotland and Northern Ireland,

wettest in the West of Scotland with a high of 12

Closer to home, most places dry tomorrow afternoon,

fairly cloudy, but some brighter spells likely.

With a light to moderate breeze from the south.

it's looking good for the rugby, dry and bright, with hardly

Tomorrow night, most places dry but we may

see a few spots of light rain in the West, and temperatures

Sunday promises to be a better day, dry, a cloudy morning

but it should brighten up quite nicely with more in the way

of sunshine in the afternoon and it will turn out like spring,

with a light breeze from the south or east.

High pressure in charge as we head into next week,

that means plenty more dry weather, some sunshine and overnight frost.

In the meantime, from me and all of us on the programme,