27/04/2016 BBC Wales Today

We're in Cardiff on the latest stop of our tour of Wales.

In just over an hour, the last live television debate

With just over a week to go until the election,

they know tonight may be crucial to winning your vote.

I don't know who to vote for. No one does a good job.

Everyone, especially young people, take an

interest in politics because it is going to affect you for longer.

Also tonight, the Prime Minister says there's no guarantee that UK

government efforts to save the steel industry here will succeed.

We meet the retailers in Queensferry who say these roadworks

And with 100 days to go until the Rio Olympics,

we look at the Welsh athletes who've already earned a place in Team GB.

I think I have still got my head in the clouds.

It has not really sunk in. It is just an incredible feeling.

Tonight the city plays host to the final televised leaders'

debate ahead of next week's election.

Six party leaders will take to the stage to make

In what may be an election with a low turnout, tonight's

performances may be crucial to electoral success.

And here's why debates like this can be so important.

Last time around, in this constituency, Cardiff Central,

the result was so close, Labour beat the Liberal Democrats

And the constituency that lies to the north of the city regularly

changes hands between the Conservatives and Labour.

Among the lowest in Wales at just shy of 37%.

So now you know the figures you'll understand why the leaders

may be feeling the heat backstage as they rehearse

Here's our political editor Nick Servini.

It is all about performance tonight as the six main party leaders

lock horns for the last time in the centre of Cardiff.

But with fears of a low turnout, as the Assembly election has been

overshadowed by the EU referendum and the steel crisis,

what do people in Cardiff Central, Wales' tightest marginal seat,

I am not interested in the Assembly really.

I won't to decide until the very last moment just in case.

Did you know there was a leaders' debate tonight?

Taking part in tonight's vote will be Carwyn Jones for Labour,

Andrew RT Davies for the Conservatives, Leanne Wood

for Plaid Cymru, Kirsty Williams for the Liberal Democrats,

and Alice Hooker-Stroud for the Greens.

Inevitably it will be Carwyn Jones who is under most scrutiny

because Labour have been the party in government

but the opposition parties have to strike a balance.

They want to get their blows in on Labour but, at the same time,

in a positive way, set out what they would do

Last week's ITV Wales debate came to life on the subject

The expectation is that health will play a more

I don't think anybody screwed up last week

but I don't think anybody cut through either.

I think some of the polling demonstrated that the electorate

was warming to them in similar sorts of ways.

We had a really interesting opinion poll figures earlier this week

showing Leanne Wood connecting with the audience.

Plaid Cymru are feeling pretty buoyed up.

I can imagine them trying to do something to trigger a final sprint

towards actually substantially increasing their seats next week.

And one bit of advice from a former adviser to Welsh Labour who says

above all, the leaders need to avoid getting bogged down in detail.

We are not that sure how many undecided there are out there

because people, the opinion polls are quite

It could make a difference in some marginal seats

but only if they really make a strong case.

If all of the leaders focus on minor elements of manifestos of different

parties and they start rowing with each other about

percentages here and there, people will turn off.

There are not many set piece events that give politicians

the opportunity to reach out to those who would otherwise

This is one of them and one they will all want to maximise.

Well, the technical rehearsals are underway,

Nick, this really is a significant evening

That's right. This is where all the action will be denied. In an

election campaign, hundreds of people are involved

behind-the-scenes but over the next few hours, it really does come down

to the six key individuals and point is, at this stage in the campaign,

if there is a strong performance by a particular leader, it could really

generate a sense of momentum as we head into the final week. In terms

of the content tonight, I have spoken to the debate produces, and

they say they have had loads of questions on the of the NHS. The

likelihood is that that will be the first subject and topic that is

discussed. The opposition parties were like that. Expect lots of

criticism on things like waiting times and access to GPs. In way of

defence from Carwyn Jones, is that lots of talk of the junior doctors

strike in England and how there is not one in Wales. Also expect 20 on

the economy, not just the steel crisis but also the major

infrastructure and plans for an M4 relief road. And also education, may

be the surprise package in previous debates, in terms of the Passion it

has aroused. All to play for in what will be the last set piece events of

this campaign. And you can see the debate

on BBC One Wales and Elsewhere today, Ukip leader

Nigel Farage says he hasn't spoken to Neil Hamilton

during the Assembly Speaking in Caerphilly earlier,

Mr Farage insisted he supported all the party's candidates and hoped

Mr Hamilton would do a very good job Senior party sources have said

Nigel Farage and the Ukip Wales leader Nathan Gill were unhappy

Mr Hamilton was selected. I have supported all

of our candidates. I have come back again and again

to Wales, repeatedly. I am here today, I will be

back again next week. This election matters to me,

matters to our party and matters More from the centre

of Cardiff later. We've been telling you about

the larger parties over the last few weeks, tonight we'll tell

you what some of the smaller parties are offering at the

election next week. Now with the rest of the day's

news, here's Nicky. The Prime Minister, David Cameron

says there's no guarantee that government efforts

to save the British steel industry will be successful,

but it's doing everything it can. The UK government said last week it

would consider taking a stake in Tata's UK operations

after they were put up for sale. While I want to do everything we can

to secure the future not only for Port Talbot but also

for Scunthorpe and steel-making in Britain, we are coping

with a massive oversupply, a collapse in prices from China,

so we must do all we can. There is no guarantee of success,

we will work hard, get a proper sales process and get behind it

on a bipartisan basis, Well, our business correspondent

Brian Meechan is here. Brian, what more did

the Prime Minister have to say? There has been some speculation

around today in newspapers that because the ground has completely

shifted since Tata put these sites up for sale, Tata could be having a

rethink about that. Now there is that 25% state that the UK

Government has offered, potentially hundreds of millions of extra

investment. The UK Government has said that co-investment is for

another buyer, it is not available for Tata. It has said if the

#colourgreen does decide to change its mind, it will look at whether

financial help or whether there will be any financial help made available

to the company. I think we are where we work, ultimately. We have got the

two businesses, Liberty and the management buyout, going through the

process publicly, but there are other interested parties who have

not gone public. And we will be hearing from the Business Secretary

Sajid Javid tomorrow. He is going to talk to the business committee in

the House of Commons. We will also hear from Tata. We have not heard

from them since a lot of the new information has come out. So plenty

to watch tomorrow morning to see those developments.

A Wrexham-based football club has severed all ties with a player over

remarks he made on Twitter about the Hillsborough disaster.

26-year-old Jonny Taylor, who played for Gresford Athletic,

retweeted a comment about fans' behaviour

The club says it does not condone the views and wants to distance

The inquests concluded the 96 fans were unlawfully killed.

Traders in Flintshire say they're losing business

Delays mean the improvement work in Queensferry has been extended

Business owners say they've had little communication from

the council about the disruption, as Matthew Richards reports.

Andre Potter runs a furniture store in Queensferry and for the past

12 weeks it's been in the middle of a construction site

as work is carried out on traffic easing measures.

But the delays caused by long traffic jams and the restricted

visibility of the store are having a financial impact and it's

This started in the first week of February and I would say our sales

They are closing down the roundabout not this weekend

but the weekend after, which will stop any traffic

A few stores down, this sports shop has been a fixture

in Queensferry for decades, but the added journey times are also

He lives a mile down the road and it has taken him

It's an effort for people to get a Queensferry at the moment

The work will step up a gear next week as the major A494

The work has taken longer than expected.

Flintshire Council has apologised for the delay and disruption

caused by the works but says access to the properties

and businesses in the vicinity will be maintained throughout.

However, many business owners feel they are losing customers

because local people are staying away from the area

and potential passing trade is being lost in traffic queues.

Let's make it clear, there will be no businesses left isolated.

We are doing our best to improve signage to businesses

on the periphery but every business will be provided

A public meeting is being held tomorrow to update local

people and businesses on the current situation.

Business owners say their only hope is that the eventual improvement

to the road will bring a corresponding boost in trade.

Much more to come before seven o'clock.

The Olympics in Rio is 100 days away.

But how many Welsh athletes will make it?

How unusual is it? I'll tell you later.

Plus what's in store for the bank holiday weekend.

Before that, let's return to Jamie in Cardiff city centre.

The audience are taking their seats in the auditorium

Just an hour to go now until tonight's live

Over the last few weeks we've been telling you what the largest parties

are offering ahead of next Thursday's election.

Tonight it's the turn of some of the other parties hoping

To see what they have on offer, here's Carl Roberts.

The 60 Assembly Members elected on the 5th of May will meet

in the Senedd but if the Abolish the Welsh Assembly party wins seats,

they won't want to be here at all, but will fight to close

The Assembly now wants more powers, they want more Assembly Members,

a pay rise, tax-raising powers and a separate legal system.

The Welsh Office and our 40 MPs in Westminster did the job perfectly

A crisis in the steel industry has arguably overshadow the Assembly

election campaign and focused the minds of politicians

The Welsh Communist Party wants the next Welsh government

to nationalise the steel industry and are calling on Labour supporters

to give their second vote on the regional list to the party.

There is so much that could be done with a thoroughly modernised steel

industry but we don't have those resources at the moment.

Only the Communist Party in Wales is standing in this election

not only for a Welsh Assembly and government with real powers

and resources to make a big difference but we believe this needs

to take place within a federal Britain so that the wealth

that is currently hoarded by the wealthiest 10%

of the population, who avoid paying their taxes, would be

redistributed to all of the nations and regions

The Monster Raving Loony Party have launched a so-called manic-festo

Policies include re-routing any M4 relief road to boost

tourism in Porthcawl, Tenby and even take it

We are offering an alternative for people and we are saying

If you don't like what is being offered in the mainstream,

We will be on everybody's ballot paper and everybody in Wales

gets the chance to vote for the Monster Raving Loony Party.

There are plenty of people and parties after your vote.

There is a full list on the BBC election website.

Tomorrow, our tour heads to Merthyr College and we'll be

assessing Ukip's chances in next week's election.

Let's cross over to Lucy now, who's in the BBC tent.

Now, each one of the politicians in the leaders' debate

would like you to vote for them, so they could be running

the country after the election, but what would you do

if you were the First Minister of Wales?

That's the idea behind My Manifesto 2016.

Lucy's been to meet one woman from Cardiff who feels very strongly

Does where you live in Wales make it more or less likely that you'll get

access to certain expensive drugs and treatments?

Annie Mulholland has spent the last five years

She got in touch to tell us what she would do

If I was First Minister, I would stop the NHS

Annie was told a drug which had not been approved for use

on the NHS because of its cost could prolong her life.

Patients in Wales can apply to their health board

to get these treatments in exceptional circumstances.

Annie's health board turned her down.

Provision for cancer in Wales is really different

First of all it was drugs and then there were other things as well.

I started to look to find out where do I need to live in Wales

to optimise my life span and I couldn't get any

information, but I could get information about England.

Annie went to stay with her daughter in London

She claims it would have been easier being closer to home.

When you have a terminal diagnosis, one thing you want to do is spend

as much of your time with your family, you don't

want to be going up and down to another place for treatment.

It would have reduced the most terrible amount of trauma

Health boards were set up so funds can best serve the local population.

Annie says if she was First Minister, a single power

would decide who could receive non-approved drugs or treatments

rather than one for each of the seven health boards.

And she is not just talking about cancer patients

Annie's cancer is no longer responding to treatment

but she hopes in the future patients will have more choice.

The guilt of having sorted myself out is enormous

It has been my nine to five job, Monday to Friday, for the last

three and a half years, because I want to make sure that

other people can be discerning if they want to and they can make

And I just hope, if by having cancer and being the person I am,

things might change for the better in future,

Well, let's talk to our health correspondant Owain Clarke.

Let's be clear, Annie Mulholland is not talking about any differences of

policy between Wales and England, merely asking whether there is a

level playing field within Wales. New drugs for a range of conditions,

often expensive, are developed all the time, but how do you judge

whether the benefits of those drugs justify the costs when you consider

the needs of the entire population? Expert panels covering Wales and

England make those calls. If they say yes, the drugs should be

generally available but even if they say no, patients and their doctors

can try to get the NHS to pay for them through a different route. But

in order to do that, they need to demonstrate they are exceptional

cases, which can be tricky to define, and different health boards

have different panels making those decisions and the concern is they

might be reaching different conclusions. As this issue been

looked into? The cross-party health committee at the Assembly suggested

a few years ago perhaps there should be a single panel for Wales. The

Welsh government had a review of the process subsequently. New guidelines

are on the way. One changes, if there is a critical mass of similar

requests across Wales, perhaps they should be a more consistent

decision-making process. And what are the parties saying about this? A

lot of parties talk about finding new drugs but the Lib Dems say they

should be a symbol panel, so do Plaid Cymru, who say it should be

judged on the benefits for patients, not exception allergy. Labour want

to get the best access for new drugs that are proven to work, the

Conservatives promising millions for clinical trials and new drugs and

Ukip say that if you have the opportunity to elect health boards,

that makes them more accountable. Thank you very much.

And if you'd like to be a part of My Manifesto 2016,

tell me what you would do if you were First Minister.

So that's it from us in Cardiff city centre.

It's certainly not quieting down here as audience members

are arriving for the last live party leaders' television debate ahead

You can see it all here on BBC One Wales at 8:30pm and we'll

have all the reaction after the BBC News at 10pm.

Tomorrow our tour of Wales reaches Merthyr College.

Join us if you can at 1:30pm and 6:30pm.

Now, 100 days before the start of the Olympic Games, the Director

of Elite Sports Performance in Wales says there will be fewer Welsh

athletes in Rio this summer compared to the representation in London.

30 from Wales were part of Team GB four years ago.

But Brian Davies believes those in the team now will have a genuine

chance of returning with a medal, as Iwan Griffiths reports.

With 100 days to go, a Welsh Olympic class of 2016 is starting to emerge.

So far, sailor Hannah Mills has secured her place. Elena Allen is

part of the shooting team. Joe Gaudino will be the only Welsh boxer

on the plane. Non Stanford and Helen Jenkins both aim to claim triathlon

gold this summer. Four swimmers, Jaz Carlin, Georgia Davies, Ian Lloyd

Hughes also claim their places. And having lost out on the 2012

Olympics, for experienced athlete Jaz Carlin, making Team GB was an

emotional moment. That 25-year-old who finally secured her place

earlier this month has been striking the official Olympic commemorative

coin. It is all a bit surreal. I think I still have my head in the

clouds so it has not sunk in but it is an incredible feeling and I can't

wait for the next few months. Originally from North Wales, Natalie

Powell is on the cusp of making the team but she still needs to gain

crucial points to seal her place. There are three competitions left in

the qualification period so I have got to concentrate on them and put

in a performance. If I perform my best in all three, I will be on the

plane. What would a place in Rio mean to you? It would mean

everything. Everything I have done over the last four years has been

aimed towards that. I would be very, very happy. 30 athletes from Wales

were part of the team in London, contributing seven medals. With nine

confirmed, is the aim to beat that record in Rio? We will not get 30.

London was a special case because it was a home games. Everyone going to

Rio has had to learn that place through a quota system. The next

announcement will be the rowing team, due on the 9th of June. With

the likes of Victoria Thornley and Chris Barkley set to get the nod. As

Wales at more names and faces to the Olympic list.

Glamorgan's County Championship match against Derbyshire has ended

in a draw after more weather delays today.

Glamorgan ended on 87-2 in their second innings

after bowling Derbyshire out this morning for 345.

Time for a look at the weather now with Derek.

It feels more like winter than spring at the moment.

The air over us has come from the Arctic so it's cold

and unstable with towering cumulonimbus clouds,

There's been more hail in places today.

Hail the size of peas in Newtown and snow in places too.

A dusting of snow on the hills above Church Village.

In fact, snow is more common at Easter than Christmas,

We've even had snow in May and, dare I say, in 1975,

This evening will be the best part of the day.

Temperatures inland falling as low as minus 3 Celsius in some rural

So here's the picture for 8:00am in the morning.

Parts of the south bright with sunshine.

A few showers in mid and north Wales.

Like today, these wintry in places with snow.

Later in the morning, the showers will clear.

Dry and bright for a while but during the afternoon it will cloud

The wind picking up as well with top temperatures between

Tomorrow, the evening breezy with outbreaks of rain.

Turning drier and clearer overnight but with a few showers in mid

On Thursday night and Friday, low pressure will move

across the UK, bringing some rain and showers.

Snow in parts of the north and stronger winds as well.

Friday will be chilly and breezy with scattered showers.

Some dry weather and sunshine as well.

Temperatures below average for late April.

As for the bank holiday weekend, in a word, changeable.

Saturday will be the driest day with some sunshine and one

Sunday will start dry but with rain on the way.

The wind increasing as well and turning milder.

Monday windy with rain clearing to showers and some sunshine.

I'll have a quick update at 8pm and a full round up after the BBC

News at 10pm with all the analysis of tonight's leaders' debate.

For now though, from everyone on the programme, good evening.