Episode 1 Ask the Leader

Your hospitals, your jobs and your vote, tonight live in Swansea it is

your chance to ask the leader. Good evening and welcome to the

National Museum in Swansea. For the first in our series Ask the Leader

ahead of the election on the 5th of May. Tonight we have an audience

with plenty of questions, a mixture of undecided voters as well as

supporters of each of the main parties, and you too can have your

say on social media, the #is Wales 2016, so please welcome the leader

of the Welsh Conservative Party Andrew RT Davies.

APPLAUSE Thank you.

And our first question this evening comes from Tracey Hopkins. Hello,

I'm a Port Talbot girl born and bred, my hotels and restaurants

employ it more than 200 people and my family has invested more than 2

million over the last 20 years. If we can do this and show commitment

to Port Talbot why can't the UK Government?

APPLAUSE Thank you, Tracy, for your question.

It is by to the important we recognise steel as a vital part of

our economic profile. Sajid Javid, the Prime Minister and all

politicians in Westminster and the Welsh assembly have recognised the

importance of steel if we are to maintain a credible manufacturing

strategy in this country. So with that in mind what we've got to do is

create the space and security for purchasers to come forward, look at

what Tata Steel have put up for sale and make sure they purchased the

assets as a going concern. We cannot, we cannot allow a fire sale,

we cannot allow the assets to be stripped out of Port Talbot, and

above all we cannot allow Port Talbot, Trostre and others to shut,

we have to keep those works open and we have to make sure there is a

future for steel-making within Wales, and indeed within the United

Kingdom. I am 100% signed up to that agenda and I will work tirelessly to

make sure that that happens along with colleagues, irrespective of

whatever political party they are in, because this is bigger than

party politics, this should transcend the party boundaries and

we have to work collectively to secure that future, not put a

sticking plaster on the problem but put a long-term plan in place so

that Port Talbot and the other works have a future. Your government in

Westminster put 124 billion into the ailing out the banks. Why not

bailout steel? From what the Business Secretary has

said today he has ruled out nothing when it comes to supporting the

steel industry. He has been to Mumbai, he's been down to the plant

on two occasions to speak to the unions and speak to businesses in

the area and communities, and what we are committed to doing is making

sure there is a successful outcome to the proposals that been put

forward by Tata Steel. Tracey. The meeting was going on when your guy

was on a jolly to Australia with his family. He was on a business

mission, a trade mission out there. We are committed to working to make

sure there is a long-term future for the plant in Port Talbot, also

Trostre and others. Should he have been in Mumbai on that day? The

Welsh government were not in Mumbai either but two wrongs don't make a

right. Was it wrong? The Business Secretary and primers Minster worked

night and day leading up to the decision to make sure there wasn't a

fire sale. Should he have been there? To make sure the plants were

not closed overnight which was a real proposal from Tata Steel. The

lady in the top row. Why has the Government waited for crunch time?

Why have we had this cheap Chinese steel dumped here? I disagree they

have waited for crunch time, over ?50 million has been returned to

Tata Steel as one of the high energy users under the proposals brought

forward from the Westminster government. Greater use of public

procurement contracts have been brought forward. If you take

Crossrail, 100% Welsh steel has been used in Crossrail, public

procurement and British Railway board has to use as much steel as

possible sourced from the UK. But what we have to do is make sure we

give the protection to the UK steel industry against cheap imports. But

what we must not do is start another trade war on other products because

if we put tariffs in place that the Chinese suddenly say we will not buy

the Airbus claims from you and start a spiral down to the bottom, then

all of a sudden the 6000 jobs that depend on the other factories across

Wales including Airbus could come under threat.

What do you intend to do to bring energy prices down so that they can

make steel to compete with the world?

What has happened is the Chancellor has brought forward measures that as

I just said in response to the question, was that we have rebated

to Tata Steel and other steel users, in Tata's case ?50 million and ?180

million in total since the changes came into effect on the 1st of

January. That is not the answer to my question, that is subsidies. I'm

asking what will you do to bring the cost of energy down. What we are

doing on energy pricing is to make sure that we have a level playing

field when we commissioned a mixed bag of energy production across the

United Kingdom. You believe in carbon taxes? What I believe in...

Do you believe in carbon taxes? We must have a mixed bag of energy

generation and not put all of our eggs in one basket. We cannot

support projects that are completely uneconomical and drive energy costs

up and we must be competitive with North America, for example, where

energy prices plummeted recently. We have seen the price of energy coming

down because of the oil price falling. But ultimately what a

government must do is secure energy security and make sure the energy is

affordable for domestic households, and also businesses the length and

breadth of the country. The gentleman in the checked shirt. The

point I was making was making sure there was a mixed energy policy to

keep the lights on. You are saying you will not retaliate but China put

a 66% tariff on steel exports. We are going to do nothing about that,

just let our steel supper, or do something about it? We must do

something batted, tariffs have been introduced, reinforcing steel, that

ultimately has had a big impact, but what you cannot do is have a knee

jerk reaction to this problem, because as I said, you get the

knock-on effect of a trade war happening that ultimately will

affect other locations. The gentleman in the tie, briefly. Just

changing the theme slightly, for the last 17 years, the Assembly has

banned a lot of money in Cardiff, but they seem to have ignored

investment in the rest of Wales, West Wales in particular. So, what

is your administration going to do, and how are you going to keep that

promise to the people in the rest of Wales? It is our commitment to make

sure... APPLAUSE

It is our commitment to make sure that the economic benefits are

spread around the whole of Wales. Transport links, for example, are

vital to make sure there are opportunities in any part of Wales,

for either businesses to thrive or setup. That's why we want to see the

duelling of the 840. What is vital as we keep momentum behind the city

deal concept that has the Westminster government working with

Welsh Conservative government in Cardiff Bay and local authorities to

deliver a Swansea City deal and North Wales powerhouse steel as well

as others. Let's move onto the second question. It comes now. Do

you have a stake in an offshore fund?

APPLAUSE I must probably do, my holiday

account which I try and put a couple of quid in each of week but I don't

have anything in Panama or the Cayman Islands or anything like that

and I can categorically and unequivocally confirmed that because

I will publish my tax affairs, just like every other leader has all will

be doing in the coming days. I don't have any stake in any offshore funds

whatsoever and I've never had a stake in an offshore fund. We will

get your tax return in a few days? That's correct, it would have been

today but I've been all around, tomorrow when I get back to Cardiff.

The other leaders accept Nathan Gill have given them out. I'm committed

to publishing them. As David Cameron done you a favour, or has he set a

dangerous precedent? Did you want to publish it? I've never had a problem

making that transparent to anyone who has asked. I've never had it

asked of me before. Where do you draw the line? The people that put

themselves forward to stand for election for First Minister have to

be completely open and transparent, as does anybody in public life, but

where the line is drawn, the current situation will determine that. Let's

take a point here. Thank you for your honesty but is it right for

David Cameron to benefit from his father's offshore funds, specially

at a time when the disabled community and other people are

having their benefits take enough them, ?30 taken off disabled people

around the UK and the bedroom tax, but David Cameron is benefiting from

his father's fund. I have personally lost out. What we have got to

reflect on is what society as a whole and disabled people have

benefited from, which is a growing economy, a record number of people

in employment, paying down the deficit and an extra ten the

compounds that went into dis-. It is a port in the last Parliament.

Working in shops and working in offices, very few, go around Saint

David Centre in Cardiff which I did a couple of weeks ago, fully

accessible and disabled people shopping but not one disabled person

working in any of those shops. Unfortunately what you say is not

true. I disagree, the figure showing the last 12 months to more people

with disabilities found employment, 3 million people found employment

with disabilities in the marketplace at the moment and ultimately over

the last two to three years 296,000 people have found employment who are

categorised as disabled. We need to do all we can to assist people back

into work and we need to put that support in-place. The only way you

can do that is if you have a growing economy that pays its way in the

world and ultimately offers that support. No one will thank us

because we picked up the letter in the Treasury when we walked into in

2010 that said all of the money is gone. What about Iain Duncan-Smith's

resignation letter? He left over disability reform and he said, I

hope as the government goes forward you can look again at the balance of

cuts you insisted upon and wonder if enough has been done to ensure we

are all in this together. Isn't that what this tax week shows? Extremely

wealthy people are in the government and we are not all in this together.

I disagree, we are all in this together, you need a growing

economy, you need an economy that can pay its way. VIP payments or

example will go up by nearly ?5 million to ?18 billion and

ultimately over ?50 billion spent on disability support. 156,000 people

in the last five months who have got this ability is have gone into

employment and 3 million people with disabilities are in employment.

There is more we can do and we should never sit back on our laurels

and constantly keep fighting for disability across all sections. A

few points from the audience, this gentleman here. You avoided a big

part of this man's question earlier. Since you want to be first minute of

the people of Wales deserve to know, do you condemn or do you condone

David Cameron's actions regarding his offshore fund? He's done nothing

illegal, he's been open and transparent. What about ethically?

Is what he did write? He's done what many thousands if not tens of

thousands or hundreds of thousands of people do which is to take

financial advice that offer them the ability to make sure they have

financial planning in-place. Ultimately he has been transparent

and open. Are you happy with the answer? I'm not happy with the

answer. Another point up there. What about people in a wheelchair, who

are not getting the facilities going round supermarkets. They are only

getting just a basic changing toilet. Why not have a proper

changing place toilet? What is that problem for the government? There

can be no excuses in the 21st-century fourth place is almost

being exclusion zones for people with disabilities. We have to make

shops, public spaces, the workplace accessible for people with

disabilities. I just don't accept that with modern building techniques

and the role of government in driving through building regulations

and ultimately the planning system and guidance in the planning system,

we have to make sure that we have an inclusive society that takes in all

sections of our society. It is government's rolled to do that. You

are just worrying about the cost. This is people's lives we are

talking about. This is what people in Britain and the whole of Wales

want, a proper changing place and not to be discriminated against. I

agree and if I was First Minister I'd make sure all of the leaders of

the Welsh government were working to that aim. In the 21st-century we

should not have any no-go areas in our society.

APPLAUSE It is time to move onto the next

question which comes from Rory Daniels.

What are your plans in terms of university tuition fees? We've come

forward with our plans and we are part of the Diamond Review group

that the current Welsh government has set up to look into the

financing of higher education. It is an important review that will look

to the sustainability of funding for students going into higher

education. We have announced we would reform student tuition fees so

that instead of paying the tuition free grant we would contribute to

the living costs of students and that would be a package over the

term of the assembly of ?400 million. All parties know that the

current system is unaffordable. At the moment, in England or other

parts of the United Kingdom, it kicks in at 21000 and if you start

earning over 21,000 you start paying back the tuition fee. You are

looking at a guy who never went to university. I'm not someone who had

free higher education. I left school at 16, so ultimately what I want to

see is parity with vocational education and academic education. It

is a fact that if you hack the degree you will earn more in the

workplace, but one thing that students keep telling us time and

time again is one of the biggest obstacles they face at university is

the cost of living and those upfront costs they cannot meet. -- have a

degree. Our package would pay half of that if you live away from home

and that is a package of ?400 million of support for students.

Students would end up with less than they have now. They would end up

with less. How much? Our package is ?400 million over the five years of

the assembly and the current package of support is heading towards ?250

million a year. We have done some rough calculations and tell me if

I'm wrong, we have worked out they would be ?2000 worse off each year,

is that correct? It depends on the student and what package comes out

of the Diamond Review currently looking into higher education

funding, which all parties I had assumed were signed up to, and no

party is committed to continuing the current package. They would be ?2000

per year worse off. Will you be honest about how much worse off they

will be? What I'm saying is our package is a different package, it

is costed and affordable and will be in place for the five years of the

assembly, and it will deliver support straightaway. What about

students living with their parents, would they get anything? There would

not be support for living with your parents, it is for students who move

away and it would be ?400 million of support for the five years of the

assembly. The lady in the strikes. Would you be cutting student

maintenance grants? We'd still make that available to students and

ultimately supporting them in their higher education experience. The

package I've said we have brought forward is affordable, costed and

deliverable and ultimately, we are not trying to pre-empt what the

Diamond Review will support. It's a review the Labour Party set up and

other parties signed up to. That will be the guiding principle of the

way HE support funding goes in the future. The lady there who's been

very patient after you first, Sir? What would a Welsh Government go d

to stop the brain drain of students from London, England, those areas?

My grandmother is going to university next year, ?400 million

means nothing to us as individuals. Surely you should have more detail

ready by now so everybody knows exactly how much it's going to cost

them? It's about half the living costs of what the student would

face. It's rent only, to be specific? And it would be payable on

the first day of entry, so it would be an upfront payment, rather than

having to wait to be paid. The biggest put off to students about

going to university is the upfront costs that deter many people access

in the University of Their choice. Would this be at any University? It

would be at any, yes. The brain drain point? That is vital for the

future well-being of the Welsh economy. Figures out last week came

forward that showed Wales after 17 years of devolution is still

spending ?14.5 billion more than it raises in taxes. There's one thing,

one thing, that the Welsh Conservatives want to achieve, and

that is a more prosperous, successful Wales. We have great

talent in Wales. We have the ambition and the entrepreneurial

skill. We need a Government that will unlock that skill, that

entrepreneurial talent, and I believe that we have the answers,

the solutions, that will retain those brains in Wales to ultimately

make us a successful and dynamic 21st century economy.

APPLAUSE. Do you intend to stay in Wales? Yes. I just know that most

people... Wales for instance, per GDP Capita, is half that of England.

Given the taxes are the same, what incentive is there for someone who's

leaving university with a first or a 2-1 looking to get a good job, why

stay in Wales? That is why we have got to grow the business community

here in Wales so that there are greater opportunities in all

sections of the business world for people to practise and put their

degrease into practise here in Wales.

Thank you very much. Sorry to rush you, we must move on to the next

question from Sandra Watson? You supported the nurse staffing

levels Bill. If you win the election, will you go further and

guarantee staffing levels within the NHS? Thank you very much for that

question, Sandra. The NHS is one of the things that is so dear to my

heart and I really don't mean that cornually, I owe the life of my

18-year-old son now to the brilliance and Majesty of the NHS.

In 2003, he was involved in a car accident. I've been passionate since

I was elected leader, but before that when I was the health spokes

thes person to make sure we give the Welsh NHS a fair deal. That's why we

are committed to protecting the health budget that will allow Health

Commissioners to commission the staffing requirements that they

require on the wards, in the GP surgeries and in the community, so

that we can meet the aspirations of what nurses, doctors and everyone in

the NHS wants, which is a well-funded, well-staffed,

well-managed NHS that will get on top of the doubling of waiting times

that we've seen under the current Welsh Labour Government. If you

haven't got the staff and don't value the staff, you will never

reach your objectives. The staff are the oil that makes the NHS work in

Wales. You say you're passionate about the NHS in Wales, yet all your

Government's done in Westminster is ridicule it and describe it as a

line between life-and-death, and that has upset a lot of people

within the NHS in Wales? No. You are completely wrong there. What we have

done... APPLAUSE.

What we have done is point out where 17 years of Labour failure have

inflicted a doubling of the waiting times, a demoralisation of the staff

within the NHS, a closure of minor injury units and ultimately an

inability to have a drugs cancer funding system that will deliver

funding to cancer patients in Wales. Following on from the ongoing

situation in England, would a Conservative Government in Wales try

to manufacture a dispute with the Welsh junior doctors? Not at all. We

are not committed to changing the contract. What I will say to you is,

we'll not tolerate premature deaths within the Welsh NHS or any health

setting which ultimately is what a seven day, 24-hour NHS is seeking to

achieve on th. We will not be a Government, like the Labour Party,

that presided over the Mid Staffs debacle. The lady in the front? Some

very ambitious plans for the NHS and we know the NHS is facing serious

financial crisis. When are those things I've heard your Government

will do when you get into power is reinstate prescription charges in

Wales. How will you protect people who're on benefits, disabilities,

and actually can't afford multiple prescriptions who live with

APPLAUSE APPLAUSE. It's vital we protect free

prescriptions. I make no bones about that whatsoever. The prescriptions

budget for the Welsh NHS is about ?600 million. What I don't accept is

that people who can afford cannot make a contribution, a ?5

contribution to the cost, so we can pay for cancer treatments fund, we

can put money into hospices and stroke services. Our policy would

seek to free up about ?35-?40 million. All the groups that you

mentioned there would not pay prescription charges under the Welsh

Conservatives. I do not believe it's right or fair that a millionaire can

walk into Tescos and get paracetamol or Bonn gel la on prescription, yet

a person with a cancer diagnosis cannot receive the best drugs

available to them, either to beat the cancer diagnosis or give them

valuable times with their loved ones. That is not social justice.

APPLAUSE. We are not just talking about people

with cancer, we are talking about people with long-term conditions,

people with arthritis, previously when prescription charges were in

action in Wales, were going without their medication because they

couldn't afford their prescriptions. I do not want to see that happen

again. I don't want to see it happen again and it will not happen so long

as I'm First Minister or the Welsh Conservatives are in Government.

What we won't continue is funding millionaires, as I say, to have free

Bonn gel la and paracetamol or cream for athlete's foot. -- Bonjela. You

in red, you have been very patient? I want to say that the crap that's

been thrown at the PM over the tax haven thing is absolutely

unbelievable and has been used as a threat to the Conservatives from the

other parties and also, I would like to say, I've experience of the NHS

in England and the NHS in Wales I cannot fault. I would like to

pronounce that, because both my husband and myself, my daughter and

her family in England do not have the cover and the care that we have

in Wales. I know a lot of people will say, oh, no, we haven't got

this, we haven't got that. You try and go over the border on the Severn

Bridge and you'll not get the care that we have in Wales and that's due

to your support. I would also like to make the point

that I feel our leader of the Conservative Party in Wales is one

of the best we've ever had. Right, you have a fan there. I agree

with your last point! Can I give one stat? Very briefly. That's one thing

we can focus on on the NHS, along with many others. In England, you

are out of hospital in four-and-a-half days, in Wales, it's

six-and-a-half days, it costs ?500 a night too keep someone in hospital,

we can do so much more to make our NHS so much more efficient and get

the money working for the nurses, doctors, communities.

Let's take a point from the lady in the black dress here, please? Hi,

there. I would like to know what would be the annual minimum salary

in order to pay a prescription charge. Can you tell us, ?17,000,

?50,000? The I The base I use, take a 40% taxpayer, your national

insurance numbers determine where that starts and you can then have

that access from your medical records. I don't think it's fair

that a 40% taxpayer... But do you not know the actual amount because

I'm self-employed so obviously my earnings are going to change

throughout the year. So you want a figure, a salary figure? The 40%

taxpayer. So if you pay 40% tax, you pay? If you pay 40% tax, you will

not get free prescriptions. You very briefly? You say you want to put

money into hospitals. I have to ask, why has the Prince Philip Hospital

in Llanelli been produced? Loss of services you were talking about?

It's been reduced to a minor services facility. We'll commit to

re-opening of minor injuries units, protection of the health budget, a

sustainable model of health care fit for the 21st century and doesn't

allow waiting times to double again as they have done under this tenure

of a Labour Government from to #20 11-2015. That is not acceptable and

it's not what the staff want. We are not close any hospitals.

Thank you very much. We are out of time. Join us again tomorrow when

we'll put questions to the Ukip leader Nathan Gill. Thank you to our

audience here, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies

and to you. Good night.