0:00:01 > 0:00:05It will be another 20 years before the tax payer has finished paying
0:00:05 > 0:00:10for Wales'' biggest PFI hospital but there are already plans to move
0:00:10 > 0:00:20some of its services elsewhere. Was it a giant waste of money? This is
0:00:20 > 0:00:25
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Good evening. Wales's largest private finance health project,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Neath Port Talbot Hospital, could be about have some services
0:00:32 > 0:00:37withdrawn from it despite the fact that taxpayers will be paying for
0:00:37 > 0:00:40the building for another 20 years. The university health board that
0:00:40 > 0:00:43runs the hospital has indicated that they could be a drop in the
0:00:43 > 0:00:47number of beds at the side. It has told us that while some provisions
0:00:47 > 0:00:52might be withdrawn, the hospital will become a centre of excellence
0:00:52 > 0:00:55for others. It was a public-private partnership
0:00:56 > 0:01:00approved by an assembly in its infancy to provide a state-of-the-
0:01:00 > 0:01:10art hospital for the Neath Port Talbot area. It opened its doors in
0:01:10 > 0:01:10
0:01:10 > 0:01:202002 with the health minister It cost �66 million to build
0:01:20 > 0:01:24according to the Treasury. The NHS will pay �353 million for the
0:01:24 > 0:01:29building and may miss over the course of its life. But now review
0:01:29 > 0:01:34is being undertaken into services across the region. The PFI is very
0:01:34 > 0:01:39inflexible in terms of its contract. It sucks money in. A we are 10
0:01:39 > 0:01:43years into a 30 year contract about that and we'll be paying as a
0:01:43 > 0:01:47health board for another 20 years. It makes sense. I am not an
0:01:47 > 0:01:50accountant but a surgeon. However it seems pretty obvious we will
0:01:50 > 0:01:55want to get the best value at this hospital. So although we are
0:01:55 > 0:02:00looking in general and moving services closer to be's homes,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05doing more at home, more in the community and or in primary care,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09curiously this hospital is probably less likely to see big changes in
0:02:09 > 0:02:13the bed numbers. But what it will do is see changes in what goes on,
0:02:13 > 0:02:18as were all our hospitals. hospital has 270 beds and provides
0:02:18 > 0:02:23a range of in-patient and out- patient services, including dealing
0:02:23 > 0:02:27with medical emergencies. It also has a number of operating theatres
0:02:27 > 0:02:32including those for orthopaedic surgery and it provides mental
0:02:32 > 0:02:36health services, including an acute unit. In a letter to a local AM,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39the health board says it needs to save �45 million to break even by
0:02:39 > 0:02:46the end of the financial year, confirming that changes are being
0:02:46 > 0:02:49proposed to a number of beds and services provided, including some
0:02:50 > 0:02:53with a mental health services. concern as an elected
0:02:53 > 0:02:57representative is to find best value-for-money bet to ensure that
0:02:57 > 0:03:02services are provided as close to people as possible and to make sure
0:03:02 > 0:03:07that we do not waste money in these contracts with PFI contractors, and
0:03:07 > 0:03:11ensure that the health services are sustained in these areas as opposed
0:03:11 > 0:03:15to being taken out of a hospital and move to other places. I have
0:03:15 > 0:03:19not had those assurances yet. board says Neath Port Talbot
0:03:19 > 0:03:22hospital will become a centre of excellence for some services,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26particularly orthopaedic surgery. But problems with finding enough
0:03:26 > 0:03:31qualified staff means other divisions may have to go elsewhere.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35We have always tried, in the NHS, to provide everything everywhere.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Patients now expect to see consultants at the front door. Bit
0:03:39 > 0:03:45by consultants making the decisions. We do not have enough to do that
0:03:45 > 0:03:48everywhere, 24/7. The debate about Neath Port Talbot mirrors ones that
0:03:48 > 0:03:51are going on across the country. The NHS is launching a wider
0:03:52 > 0:03:56consultation about services this summer. The population is growing
0:03:56 > 0:03:59more elderly, which is just one of the issues facing the NHS. Obesity
0:03:59 > 0:04:03is increasing and the Tappin well- being between the wealthiest and
0:04:03 > 0:04:07the poorest in the country is growing. -- the gap in the well-
0:04:07 > 0:04:11being. All this comes as NHS budgets are being cut in real terms.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15That is why politicians, NHS managers and academics are telling
0:04:15 > 0:04:19us we cannot go on doing things the way they have been done the past.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22But the board argues that money is not the main driving force behind
0:04:23 > 0:04:26the proposed changes. People are always suspicious that change is
0:04:27 > 0:04:32about saving money. Let's be clear - we do need to make the NHS's
0:04:32 > 0:04:36money go further. But there is never a bad time to try to improve
0:04:36 > 0:04:42the quality of what we are doing and luckily, high quality, better
0:04:42 > 0:04:46care nearly always translates into cheaper care. If I do run operation
0:04:46 > 0:04:51and the patient has a complication, that is bad for the patient but it
0:04:51 > 0:05:00is also bad for the Budget. Welsh and UK governments have put a
0:05:00 > 0:05:04hold on the PFI contracts that led to the building of this hospital.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08For that contractor cost the taxpayer so much when we are
0:05:08 > 0:05:14hearing that services may change and when things may need to change
0:05:14 > 0:05:17next year, and we are hearing that staff may be moved, these are vital
0:05:17 > 0:05:21concerns for the future. We really need to ensure that if the
0:05:21 > 0:05:25government are entering into such contracts that these are taken into
0:05:25 > 0:05:28regard and I do not think they were at the time. The answer is to go
0:05:28 > 0:05:33back to government procurement using property government capital,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36which is either raised through borrowing it and itself all through
0:05:36 > 0:05:41taxation. But this mechanism whereby the Government is borrowing
0:05:41 > 0:05:45from the banks that very high rates of interest is actually
0:05:45 > 0:05:49unsustainable. The private financing of public projects was
0:05:49 > 0:05:54always controversial. As budgets shrink and Murray becomes tighter,
0:05:54 > 0:06:01questions will be asked about ensuring the best possible value. -
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- money becomes tighter. During the is a representative of
0:06:05 > 0:06:09the University of Glamorgan and the conservative AM Mig- Ramsey. There
0:06:09 > 0:06:13was a report last year where the Treasury Select Committee said that
0:06:13 > 0:06:18these BFI's were not providing good value for money for the taxpayer.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Do you think there is still a role for the private sector? There is,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but it is true to say that the early PFI projects were not well
0:06:25 > 0:06:32managed. Beryl all sorts of disaster stories about how they
0:06:32 > 0:06:35were originally set up. -- there are. But at this point, for us to
0:06:35 > 0:06:39say there is no role at all for the private sector, as there was
0:06:39 > 0:06:43government seems to repeatedly tried to say, that is nonsense. I
0:06:43 > 0:06:45don't think people cared whether the funding is coming from the
0:06:45 > 0:06:49private sector or the public sector. But they care whether they are
0:06:49 > 0:06:55getting good value for money. do, and day care whether they are
0:06:55 > 0:06:58getting the service they won. If it is necessary to rely on a PPI to
0:06:58 > 0:07:04provide those services, I don't think we should cut off our noses
0:07:04 > 0:07:08to spite our face. I think they are historical mistake, the way they
0:07:08 > 0:07:10have been constructed. Their only merit was that they brought forward
0:07:10 > 0:07:18capital investment that would not have been possible otherwise, but
0:07:18 > 0:07:21that it huge cost. If we are to use private capital in future, we have
0:07:21 > 0:07:25to find a new way of doing it. In the next few years, the banks are
0:07:25 > 0:07:31not going to have a lot of money to spare anyway. We will park that all
0:07:31 > 0:07:35the moment and talk about the in flexibilities you were mentioning.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40The taxpayer is in a long-term contract for this hospital and they
0:07:40 > 0:07:48rather the 20 years ago. Does that mean that any Port Talbot is, in
0:07:48 > 0:07:51fact, protected weather comes to decisions being made? And if so it
0:07:51 > 0:07:56does it mean that clinical decision-making is being skewed by
0:07:56 > 0:07:59such inflexible contracts? That is certainly possible. That hospital
0:07:59 > 0:08:04is further away from the exit and some of the others because of the
0:08:04 > 0:08:09cost of coming out of the contracts. It is quite possible, however, in
0:08:09 > 0:08:12that part of Wales that those beds are going to be needed and if they
0:08:12 > 0:08:17can be used in different ways, we may have a happy ending to the
0:08:17 > 0:08:24story. But it is an inflexibility and in the overall pattern of
0:08:24 > 0:08:28health care, that sort of rigidity is not a good idea. I think that
0:08:28 > 0:08:32the NHS will change. It has to change. But I am deeply unhappy
0:08:32 > 0:08:36with the way there was government are approaching this by simply
0:08:36 > 0:08:39thinking reconfiguration is the answer. In certain areas, an amount
0:08:39 > 0:08:44of reconfiguration will be helpful but it has got to address local
0:08:44 > 0:08:48needs. There are deep concerns amongst people across certain parts
0:08:48 > 0:08:54of Wales about where these services are being threatened with
0:08:54 > 0:08:57withdrawal, and his reconfiguration the answer? You can reconfigure and
0:08:57 > 0:09:00reconfigure like we have done with local government. The big problem
0:09:00 > 0:09:05for the NHS in Wales is that it was government is cutting its budget
0:09:05 > 0:09:09far more than it should be. Even if it was not, do you accept that
0:09:09 > 0:09:17demand would still be rising with end elderly population, and the NHS
0:09:17 > 0:09:21cannot continue in the way it has? Yes, the NHS has to change. Anyone
0:09:21 > 0:09:25who denied that would be mad but what I am saying is that that
0:09:25 > 0:09:30change has to be responsible stop it is not a one size fits all
0:09:30 > 0:09:33imposed by Cardiff. It has got to listen to local people. People
0:09:33 > 0:09:38attending the Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli are worried
0:09:38 > 0:09:41about losing their services. Does the poor are not wrong. The whole
0:09:41 > 0:09:46point of as having a Welsh assembly is to listen to the concerns of
0:09:46 > 0:09:49local people. People are concerned when they hear about
0:09:49 > 0:09:52reconfiguration of services and that services may be moved further
0:09:52 > 0:09:57away from them - what is your position on that? The problem is
0:09:57 > 0:10:01that we have had a very poor public debate on these issues. A lot of
0:10:01 > 0:10:04the bin in Wales who are worried and are labouring under a lack of
0:10:04 > 0:10:08information I have not had a grown- up debate that they need to have.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14Solutions must be locally relevant and people must be persuaded that
0:10:14 > 0:10:18they are necessary. At the moment, people simply do not know the facts.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Do you think reconfiguration is necessary? Or we are going to see
0:10:22 > 0:10:27some major changes. It is about saving people's lies in reducing
0:10:27 > 0:10:31the amount of disability people suffer. -- saving people's lives.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35We need to have this intelligent debate otherwise the whole thing is
0:10:35 > 0:10:39shrouded in suspicion. We only found doubt yesterday that Cardiff
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Ebbw Vale the trust had been bailed out by a loan. We do not know when
0:10:43 > 0:10:47that was. Let's have a transparent debate but let snow from the
0:10:47 > 0:10:50government what the facts are first otherwise we are trying to make
0:10:50 > 0:10:53policy in the dark. A people want hot for hospitals at a safe,
0:10:53 > 0:10:59effective and efficient, don't they? However you achieve that,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02that is what people want. Yes, and hospitals have to meet a certain
0:11:02 > 0:11:08standard. What I am saying is that there was Government's policy
0:11:08 > 0:11:14should not simply be to speak, "we think this will see Duke". It has
0:11:14 > 0:11:17to address local needs and concerns. -- this will suit you.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Somewhat parents are having to make more than seven years for children
0:11:21 > 0:11:27with autism to be diagnosed. One in 100 children is born with the
0:11:27 > 0:11:31condition, a lifelong develop mental difficulty that affect how
0:11:31 > 0:11:35people communicate with others. There was government says it has
0:11:35 > 0:11:40only world-leading strategy that it published in 2008 but we can reveal
0:11:40 > 0:11:46that a commission -- a report published by the government
0:11:46 > 0:11:50revealed a number of witnesses. am going to take you into my world.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55Imagination. I will show you how autism affects kids in different
0:11:55 > 0:12:01ways. The BBC recently run at a series about autism on the
0:12:01 > 0:12:06children's Channel CBBC. It discussed issues around autism and
0:12:06 > 0:12:10young people. For some people on the orders and Spectrum, life can
0:12:10 > 0:12:15be confusing but the parents of children showing symptoms of autism
0:12:15 > 0:12:19spectrum disorder, life can be very frustrating. We have heard of
0:12:19 > 0:12:23parents having to wait seven years for a diagnosis. Often until they
0:12:23 > 0:12:25get it, there is little help on offer. The government says its
0:12:25 > 0:12:30waters and strategy is world- leading but the parents we have
0:12:30 > 0:12:35spoken with do not quite agree with that. Lisa from Pembrokeshire had
0:12:35 > 0:12:39to wait over two years for a diagnosis. A I was more or less
0:12:39 > 0:12:43begging for a referral to an educational psychologist to because
0:12:43 > 0:12:48I could see that there was something unusual about my child
0:12:48 > 0:12:52that I could not see in other children of the same age. She has
0:12:52 > 0:13:02since set up a Facebook support group for parents like her. Collins
0:13:02 > 0:13:35
0:13:35 > 0:13:41I have heard this as a lot - that we have a world-leading autism
0:13:41 > 0:13:48strategy. That sounds fantastic. Aren't we lucky in Wales, to have
0:13:48 > 0:13:53this were leading strategy? That is all very well but we are not seeing
0:13:53 > 0:13:57the benefits in Pembrokeshire. If Pembrokeshire is world-leading,
0:13:57 > 0:14:04then I dread to think what the rest of the world must be like! We are
0:14:04 > 0:14:08floundering. Parents are desperate. One parent whose child had had to
0:14:08 > 0:14:14wait five years for a diagnosis did not want to be identified but told
0:14:14 > 0:14:18us about the experience. My child is of very high intelligence but it
0:14:18 > 0:14:22is getting worse by the day as far as their anxiety levels go. Her
0:14:22 > 0:14:27adverse are more and more frequent and violent. We have nobody to turn
0:14:27 > 0:14:32to, no help and no support. I don't know how I can maintain my job as I
0:14:32 > 0:14:36have been called to the school on a daily basis. Jonathan was diagnosed
0:14:36 > 0:14:42with autism at 21 and says that having an diagnosis made all the
0:14:42 > 0:14:45difference. I think it is crucial. The younger Tilda is diagnosed, the
0:14:45 > 0:14:53better it is for them because going through the education system not
0:14:53 > 0:15:03being understood is extremely to challenging. I think parents a need
0:15:03 > 0:15:09
0:15:09 > 0:15:14that time to get to grips with the 18 months ago, they commissioned a
0:15:14 > 0:15:24report, looking specifically at young people, crucially, it sought
0:15:24 > 0:15:44
0:15:44 > 0:15:52the views of clinicians. Their Last night, the National autism
0:15:52 > 0:15:55society was celebrating 50 years of service. It was attended by the
0:15:55 > 0:15:59deputy minister responsible for social services. It is the largest
0:15:59 > 0:16:04orders and charity in Wales and it says the situation here is not as
0:16:04 > 0:16:12good as it should be. More people in Wales are waiting three years or
0:16:12 > 0:16:21more for nought as an diagnosis. 47 % of people in Wales said they had
0:16:21 > 0:16:24waited three years or longer. In England, that figure was 34 %. It
0:16:25 > 0:16:28indicates that people are waiting longer for a diagnosis in Wales.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Other charities and Wales to spit that although they were not
0:16:32 > 0:16:36available to be interviewed. In April this year, the debt to the
0:16:36 > 0:16:41minister for social services was asked about the government's
0:16:41 > 0:16:48strategy. So since we published our world-leading autistic spectrum
0:16:48 > 0:16:53action plan, much has been achieved. We have developed and there -- and
0:16:53 > 0:16:57infrastructure, facilitated awareness and raising training for
0:16:57 > 0:17:01professionals and supported projects. Despite being very proud
0:17:01 > 0:17:03of the world-leading orders and strategy, the deputy minister
0:17:03 > 0:17:08declined our invitation for an interview on the subject but she
0:17:08 > 0:17:17did give us a statement and says she fully recognises the importance
0:17:17 > 0:17:21to parents and children of receiving a timely diagnosis. She
0:17:21 > 0:17:25goes on to say that workers on going to improve diagnosis in
0:17:25 > 0:17:29children and adults while ensuring greater consistency throughout
0:17:29 > 0:17:36Wales and finishes by saying that access to services is not always
0:17:36 > 0:17:38dependent on completion of a formal diagnosis or assessment. She expect
0:17:38 > 0:17:45professionals to ensure that families receive appropriate
0:17:45 > 0:17:49support at all times. Autism is in grave. One in 100 people artistic
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and it comes in all shapes and sizes. For any child with autism,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56receiving the right support at the right time can make the world of
0:17:56 > 0:18:00difference to their development but the longer they have to wait for
0:18:00 > 0:18:03that support, the more difficult it becomes.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Arwyn Jones reporting. Mark Isherwood is the chair of the
0:18:06 > 0:18:12Assembly's cross party group on autism. I asked him for his
0:18:12 > 0:18:19assessment of the effectiveness of diagnostic services in Wales.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25are many questions that have been raised by reports and surveys. The
0:18:25 > 0:18:31fact that Wales has and daughters and strategy is a great achievement.
0:18:31 > 0:18:39-- has an autism strategy. It also has cross-party support. The focus
0:18:39 > 0:18:46must be now on the delivery of that strategy and part of that his
0:18:46 > 0:18:56diagnosis so that proper support can be put into people. We have now
0:18:56 > 0:19:00
0:19:00 > 0:19:04had the 50th birthday survey and 40 % said they had to wait more than
0:19:04 > 0:19:14three years to be diagnosed which is Wellow -- well above the UK
0:19:14 > 0:19:16
0:19:16 > 0:19:26average. That was a relatively small sample but alongside that we
0:19:26 > 0:19:27
0:19:27 > 0:19:33have got an official report, dated December 2010. In March or April
0:19:33 > 0:19:42this year, the deputy minister answered a question in the chamber,
0:19:42 > 0:19:48saying she was now in 20th April 12 asking the authors to carry out an
0:19:48 > 0:19:53evaluation of children's diagnostic services. But we find out now this
0:19:53 > 0:19:57report was published in 20th December 10. So the strategy is not
0:19:57 > 0:20:03all it's cracked up to be? strategy is fine but the delivery
0:20:03 > 0:20:08is the problem. Most Assembly Members can give you examples
0:20:08 > 0:20:16involving parents telling them their own horror stories. Nearly
0:20:16 > 0:20:23half reported waiting more than three years is worrying. Services
0:20:23 > 0:20:32will intervene to support a child ever there needs but in reality,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35too often, we find that children and young adults are being denied
0:20:35 > 0:20:40access to speech and language therapy services and early
0:20:40 > 0:20:44intervention services because of delays in being diagnosed. Do you
0:20:44 > 0:20:48accept that this is something the Welsh government is taking
0:20:49 > 0:20:52seriously? There is a strategy, there have ring-fenced or than �7
0:20:52 > 0:20:57million over format years for autism diagnosis and treatment,
0:20:57 > 0:21:02they have commissioned a study themselves to assess how things are
0:21:02 > 0:21:09going. Aren't those the sides -- the signs of a government trying to
0:21:09 > 0:21:13get to grips with the problem? problem is we now discover we have
0:21:13 > 0:21:18a report 18 months ago with evidence from conditions --
0:21:18 > 0:21:24clinicians themselves, talking about postcode lottery diagnosis.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29They talk about the failure and a lack of understanding among senior
0:21:29 > 0:21:39managers. That was 18 months ago. Why is the minister being briefed
0:21:39 > 0:21:47to answer questions only in April? Does she know she has got that
0:21:47 > 0:21:57report? What has been done on the recommendations given to the Welsh
0:21:57 > 0:21:57
0:21:57 > 0:22:01government? So when that report complains of a postcode lottery,
0:22:01 > 0:22:07that is precisely the sort of inconsistency that they Wales wide
0:22:07 > 0:22:13strategy is supposed to prevent? is. These things involve a big
0:22:13 > 0:22:17change. They involve a lot of services working together in
0:22:17 > 0:22:21communities and a lot of money is going into this. I think you
0:22:21 > 0:22:26mentioned �7 million. The priority is to ensure that funding goes to
0:22:26 > 0:22:36frontline services and this makes sure that the people need the
0:22:36 > 0:22:40support I getting it. These reports are suggesting otherwise. The fact
0:22:40 > 0:22:44we got the funding and the strategy means we are far better off than we
0:22:44 > 0:22:49were but it also indicates there are still problems at delivery
0:22:49 > 0:22:53level which the Welsh government must take responsibility for.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56you for joining us. Badges have received a lot of
0:22:56 > 0:22:59attention over the last few days after it emerged that the First
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Minister approved a plan to buy a new one for the Counsel General,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Theodore Huckle. It's costing thousands of pounds but we're told
0:23:04 > 0:23:07that the Welsh Government's senior legal adviser needs the silver
0:23:07 > 0:23:10bullion insignia to "distinguish" him during ceremonial events. Our
0:23:10 > 0:23:18reporter, Carl Roberts, is a thrifty chap and also, it turns out,
0:23:18 > 0:23:23a frustrated Blue Peter presenter. So he made me a cheaper version.
0:23:23 > 0:23:31Frankly, I'm insulted. The trouble is, once he got out his sticky back
0:23:31 > 0:23:37plastic, there was no stopping him. Here's one he prepared earlier.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42As I'm sure you know, this is Theodore Huckle QC, the Council
0:23:42 > 0:23:49general for Wales. His duties include holding meetings and
0:23:49 > 0:23:52discussions with other law officers and in the future, he could be
0:23:52 > 0:24:02sporting what one Assembly member has been -- has described as a
0:24:02 > 0:24:02
0:24:02 > 0:24:05shiny badge. It gave me an idea. I have got my badge. I am waiting for
0:24:05 > 0:24:09the Council general who was answering questions over there.
0:24:10 > 0:24:17We're waiting for him to come over through that door and will see
0:24:17 > 0:24:27whether he will accept this badge. -- and we will see. This is my
0:24:27 > 0:24:28
0:24:28 > 0:24:33badge. What about this decision to buy a UA new badge? I am the lawyer
0:24:33 > 0:24:41in all of this. Into your new batch arrives, we have made you one. Will
0:24:41 > 0:24:44you accept it? Have a nice day. The Council general did not seem too
0:24:44 > 0:24:49impressed with my badge but the politician who discovered the
0:24:49 > 0:24:53information in the first place is not impressed either. Decisions
0:24:53 > 0:24:57like this, they do bring politicians into disrepute. It
0:24:57 > 0:25:02gives people the opportunity to say that politicians are all out of
0:25:02 > 0:25:09touch. Decisions like this, you can understand why people say that. It
0:25:09 > 0:25:16makes me angry when things like this happen and the people making
0:25:16 > 0:25:22the decisions don't understand that ordinary people just would not
0:25:22 > 0:25:28spend �5,000 of public money on a piece of jewellery. Business case
0:25:29 > 0:25:38recommends appears to peace with silver bullion which will cost
0:25:39 > 0:25:40
0:25:40 > 0:25:43�5,382 including VAT. It is sure to be a busier for staff here at the
0:25:43 > 0:25:50Royal Mint, because they have won prestigious commission that will
0:25:50 > 0:26:00raise their profile. They're making the Olympic medals here as well!
0:26:00 > 0:26:01
0:26:01 > 0:26:10this day and age, I would have thought that many is wasted. Other
0:26:10 > 0:26:16people might think differently. What does it matter? It's what
0:26:16 > 0:26:23comes out through his mouth that matters. That badge want making any
0:26:23 > 0:26:30better. It sounds like a good position to being and if that is
0:26:30 > 0:26:34what it's worth, fair enough. Welsh government confirmed that the
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Royal Mint had been commissioned by the First Minister to produce and
0:26:38 > 0:26:45signed the insignia and that the cost had yet to be finalised. He
0:26:45 > 0:26:55has already got one badge and soon he will have another one.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Our Welsh Affairs Editor, Vaughan Roderick, is here. You're here to
0:27:03 > 0:27:10talk about the GCSE row because in England, they are planning to bring
0:27:10 > 0:27:17back a O-levels. A leaked document said this morning the government in
0:27:17 > 0:27:23England was considering bringing back a 2 level exam process,
0:27:23 > 0:27:32something like O-levels. That did not impress the Liberal Democrats
0:27:32 > 0:27:36because they had not been consulted. The Welsh Education Minister said
0:27:36 > 0:27:40it was bonkers to launch something like that without any consultation.
0:27:40 > 0:27:46It has erupted from nowhere, that story. The there is a review of
0:27:46 > 0:27:52GCSEs going on in Wales at the moment. There are concerns about
0:27:52 > 0:28:00grade inflation and the Daily Telegraph to covered last year what
0:28:00 > 0:28:05appeared to be exam boards competing with each other. GCSEs
0:28:05 > 0:28:09are England, Wales and Northern Ireland exam and a jointly-owned by
0:28:10 > 0:28:15those three administrations. They are not owned by Michael Gove. Any
0:28:15 > 0:28:20change should have been discussed between the three administrations.
0:28:21 > 0:28:30Has Leighton Andrews ruled out his return to levels? He has absolutely
0:28:31 > 0:28:31