:01:06. > :01:11.Following the resignation of Leighton Andrews, Huw Lewis is in
:01:11. > :01:21.charge of education. We look at some of the issues he'll face in one of
:01:21. > :01:21.
:01:21. > :33:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1921 seconds
:33:22. > :33:25.the most challenging jobs in Following the dramatic resignation
:33:25. > :33:29.of Leighton Andrew from the Welsh Government, we'll look at some of
:33:29. > :33:32.the challenges facing the new Education Minister, Huw Lewis.
:33:32. > :33:34.And as we await the UK Government's response to recommendations that
:33:34. > :33:40.ministers in Cardiff be given tax-varying powers, I've been
:33:40. > :33:42.speaking to the man who's commission is making those recommendations.
:33:42. > :33:52.Joining me throughout today's programme are the Labour AM David
:33:52. > :33:56.Rees and the Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott.
:33:56. > :34:03.We are few days the Spending Review. We have had a few days to consider
:34:03. > :34:08.its implications. The Welsh government says the real terms cut
:34:08. > :34:14.of 2% in the budget is extremely disappointing. How do you respond to
:34:14. > :34:18.that? Wales has come out of this Spending Review much better than
:34:18. > :34:22.almost any other part of government. It has been protected quite
:34:22. > :34:27.significantly by the fact the Westminster government has protected
:34:27. > :34:31.spending on health and education. Labour have accepted the overall
:34:31. > :34:36.amount the government is cutting but would not have protected health and
:34:36. > :34:44.education. Had they been in power, the cut to the watch assembly budget
:34:44. > :34:53.would have been far deeper. I am relieved how well Wales has done.
:34:53. > :35:00.Wales has done well. In real terms we have lost �1.6 billion since
:35:00. > :35:10.2010. The coalition is setting the budget and we have got to
:35:10. > :35:12.
:35:12. > :35:16.acknowledge that. We are seeing dramatic reductions. So the
:35:16. > :35:20.implication as you see it, the narrative often is not from the
:35:20. > :35:25.Welsh government that they can only deal with what the UK government
:35:25. > :35:31.gives them. Do you think that is a thin narrative? That is the budget
:35:31. > :35:36.we have. We have also got a look at how we can respond to some of the
:35:36. > :35:40.other actions the government takes. The cuts to the welfare, the custody
:35:40. > :35:48.and employed, the cuts to the people who are going to be in the most
:35:48. > :35:53.vulnerable positions, we have got to respond to those. It is clearly a
:35:53. > :35:57.very difficult financial times. The priority is to clear up the mess
:35:57. > :36:02.that was left in 2010 and that has meant some very difficult choices.
:36:02. > :36:05.The whole of the UK is affected by these cuts but there is a lot more
:36:05. > :36:12.the Welsh government could be doing with the budget they have two attack
:36:12. > :36:15.people, create jobs and build skills in the economy. We will deal with
:36:15. > :36:18.more Welsh government news in a moment.
:36:19. > :36:21.There's a big week ahead for the new Education Minister, Huw Lewis, as he
:36:21. > :36:25.introduces his first piece of education legislation in the chamber
:36:25. > :36:29.and makes a statement on the new exam regulator. Those are just two
:36:29. > :36:31.of the issues in his ministerial in-tray as he begins one of the most
:36:31. > :36:36.challenging jobs in government following the shock resignation of
:36:36. > :36:40.Leighton Andrews. Brian Meechan's been finding out more.
:36:40. > :36:44.As a former teacher, Huw Lewis may be able to bring his direct
:36:44. > :36:49.experience of schools to his new role. That may be useful as he has
:36:49. > :36:53.little time to get on top of his brief. The Welsh government had to
:36:53. > :36:57.intervene in six council areas because the schools needed extra
:36:57. > :37:00.attention. The special measures range from providing an action plan
:37:00. > :37:05.to sending in commissioners to take over the running of the education
:37:05. > :37:10.department. Huw Lewis will need to decide how to respond to review
:37:10. > :37:16.which calls for the 22 education services in Wales to be cut by a
:37:16. > :37:21.third in favour of larger, regional management groups. The general
:37:21. > :37:25.consensus is that 22 is too many. We need to have a more streamlined
:37:25. > :37:32.process but there has to be local accountability. We have seen the
:37:32. > :37:35.work of the consortia in recent years as well. They are still in
:37:35. > :37:42.their infancy and we need to make sure that they have the chance to
:37:42. > :37:46.work. David Evans has been campaigning with the union this week
:37:46. > :37:49.against the UK government's policies. The teaching unions often
:37:50. > :37:57.find themselves with the Welsh government's approach to education
:37:57. > :38:02.in recent years. Ministers have responded with the banding of
:38:02. > :38:07.schools to allow better monitoring and the reintroduction of testing
:38:07. > :38:15.young children. David Evans wants to see some changes. Everyone wants the
:38:15. > :38:20.best. The results are not the be all and end all. While schools formed
:38:20. > :38:25.the bedrock of the portfolio, further and higher education are key
:38:25. > :38:29.economic drivers which need to occupy Huw Lewis's attention. Senior
:38:29. > :38:38.figures from universities say the Minister needs to support them in
:38:38. > :38:44.reforming the system to allow them to compete internationally. There
:38:44. > :38:50.are areas like chemicals and physics were high costs are associated.
:38:50. > :38:56.English universities currently get about �1500 per student more.
:38:56. > :39:01.Welsh government capped tuition fees at �3500 wherever they choose to
:39:01. > :39:07.study in the UK. I can see that is a good policy for students to one
:39:07. > :39:16.domicile in Wales. Unfortunately, the Welsh government ends up funding
:39:16. > :39:22.English universities. What I would like to see is a review of tuition
:39:22. > :39:26.fee policy. The former Education Minister cut the number of
:39:26. > :39:30.universities from 11 down to eight through mergers. His successor will
:39:30. > :39:35.have to decide whether to continue on that route or whether that is
:39:35. > :39:39.enough of a reduction. Leighton Andrews was criticised by some for
:39:39. > :39:45.having a no-nonsense style which at times bordered on the abrasive.
:39:45. > :39:48.Others will argue that he got a grip of an education system which was
:39:48. > :39:53.underperforming in key areas. Opposition parties are looking at
:39:53. > :39:57.whether the new minister will have a different style. He has been a very
:39:57. > :40:02.different type of minister in his previous jobs so we are waiting to
:40:02. > :40:07.see whether he can continue that work. The danger might be that the
:40:07. > :40:13.people who have been herded together like cats will now start to scatter
:40:13. > :40:19.and we will not see that delivery. We have not seen the improvement in
:40:19. > :40:23.the standards despite the activity. 50%. Secondary school children
:40:23. > :40:27.failing in numerous ER levels. We have had six by rector generals in
:40:27. > :40:33.seven years of the Department. We have got a relatively inexperienced
:40:33. > :40:38.deputy minister as well. Carwyn Jones has given Huw Lewis the role
:40:38. > :40:47.of tidying up an education system that is in a state of flux. All eyes
:40:47. > :40:52.will be on the new minister as he makes his first moves.
:40:52. > :40:57.David, before you became an Assembly Member, you have a background in
:40:57. > :41:02.education. Maybe you should have been considered for the job. But
:41:02. > :41:06.this ministerial change was not predicted. It has given interested
:41:06. > :41:10.parties an opportunity to lobby the new minister to try and unpick the
:41:10. > :41:17.bits they did not like about Leighton Andrews. Could that
:41:17. > :41:20.destabilise the government policy? don't think so. Huw Lewis will
:41:20. > :41:30.continue the policies laid down by the government under Leighton
:41:30. > :41:36.Andrews. Is he right to do that?He is right to do that. We put forward
:41:36. > :41:41.policies in our manifesto and he will continue to drive that. What do
:41:41. > :41:45.you make of this resignation and do you think it will have more of an
:41:45. > :41:50.impact on the government's education policy or on the dynamic of the
:41:50. > :41:57.Labour backbenches? I think it could be quite interesting in both areas
:41:57. > :42:01.but I hope it does mean that there is a significant change in focus on
:42:01. > :42:06.standards in Wales. Wales has fallen very disappointingly behind in the
:42:06. > :42:12.gap between English pupils and Welsh pupils. Leighton Andrews was
:42:12. > :42:19.committed to raising standards. Wales has fallen backwards over the
:42:19. > :42:24.last few years. We need to see that turned around. Wales has got to
:42:24. > :42:29.improve. We have got to go back up the rankings because otherwise we
:42:29. > :42:34.are letting down the young people of Wales. They are not reaching their
:42:34. > :42:39.potential and that is not fair. Let's address the tuition fees
:42:39. > :42:46.debate. A call for a review of the policy. Your party had its own
:42:47. > :42:52.troubles with tuition fees and you voted against the government. Do you
:42:53. > :42:58.agree that the situation in Wales should be reviewed? It definitely
:42:58. > :43:02.needs to be reviewed. There is a lot of money going from Wales to English
:43:02. > :43:06.universities as the report said. There has been a significant gap in
:43:06. > :43:12.funding for a very long time now. It was a problem before the assembly
:43:12. > :43:15.was established and it is getting worse every year. We have some
:43:16. > :43:21.fantastic -- universities in Wales and they need to be able to produce
:43:21. > :43:26.the results they are capable of. will not take any lessons from the
:43:26. > :43:31.Liberal Democrats on tuition fees. We are supporting Welsh young people
:43:31. > :43:36.to get the best opportunities possible. That sometimes has to be
:43:37. > :43:42.in institutions across the border. We are helping our young people get
:43:42. > :43:46.the best start in their lives. how do you suggest the suggestion
:43:46. > :43:51.that, essentially, the Welsh government is funding universities
:43:51. > :43:57.in England at the expense of universities in Wales? The answer
:43:57. > :44:02.is, if we follows a policy of the UK government, the UK government
:44:02. > :44:06.stopped funding institutions by 80%. We are looking to support our young
:44:06. > :44:11.people to go into higher education wherever they feel there are the
:44:11. > :44:15.best courses and the best opportunities for them. But when
:44:15. > :44:18.someone like the vice chancellor of Cardiff University says it should be
:44:18. > :44:25.reviewed, shouldn't the Welsh government at least sit down and
:44:25. > :44:33.listen? Anyone who is funded by the Welsh government will seek to raise
:44:33. > :44:37.questions. I mention the change in the dynamic within the Labour group.
:44:37. > :44:41.Leighton Andrews is considered by many to be the brightest minister
:44:41. > :44:45.now start on your backbenches. Do you think you will be sitting
:44:45. > :44:49.quietly? I look forward to him joining us on the backbenches
:44:49. > :44:56.because it will give him a chance to attack the opposition as a
:44:56. > :45:01.backbencher. Will it be harmonious on the backbenches with him? People
:45:01. > :45:08.know he is committed fully to the Welsh government. Going forward, we
:45:08. > :45:14.have got Huw Lewis as a minister. He has been in government. Choosing
:45:14. > :45:18.him, he has got a background in education, I think he was Deputy
:45:18. > :45:21.Education Minister years ago. Is he the right choice? I am less
:45:21. > :45:26.concerned about who it is and more concerned about what they do in
:45:26. > :45:30.their job. I disagree with what David has said about tuition fees
:45:30. > :45:32.and about the way we need to Mitchell our universities are
:45:32. > :45:37.protected in terms of their funding and they don't fall further behind
:45:37. > :45:44.English institutions. But what they do in terms of bringing up standards
:45:44. > :45:50.in schools is going to be incredibly important. And is he the right man
:45:50. > :45:54.for the job? He has knowledge and history of the education system and
:45:54. > :45:58.he will drive it forward. He is very passionate about education and
:45:58. > :46:00.making sure people from poorer backgrounds get the best
:46:00. > :46:03.opportunities. We went into last week's Spending
:46:03. > :46:05.Review knowing that the UK Government would not meet its own
:46:05. > :46:10.deadline on responding to a report that recommended ministers in
:46:10. > :46:13.Cardiff be given tax-varying powers. Welsh Secretary David Jones had said
:46:13. > :46:20.his government's view on the Silk Commission report would be given in
:46:20. > :46:24.the near future, but not before the end of spring, as had been promised.
:46:24. > :46:28.Led by the former assembly Clark, Paul Silk, the commission was set up
:46:28. > :46:32.as part of the coalition agreement between the code -- conservatives
:46:33. > :46:36.and the Liberal Democrats. The first part of the review looked at the
:46:36. > :46:40.financial powers of the assembly and now they are looking at the other
:46:40. > :46:44.powers. I met up with Paul Silk and asked him whether he was surprised
:46:44. > :46:51.that the UK government had not yet responded to his first report on
:46:51. > :46:55.finance. I think there will be a response imminently. It is not very
:46:55. > :47:01.far away. It always takes some time when there is a cobbler set of
:47:01. > :47:06.recommendations by typical -- different government departments. I
:47:07. > :47:11.am not surprised it had taken some time. The summer recess is coming
:47:11. > :47:21.up. You plan to publish your next report in the spring. How does your
:47:21. > :47:24.workload look bit dinner to that? -- building up to that? We will be
:47:24. > :47:29.concluding our evidence taking in the early autumn and then our job is
:47:29. > :47:34.to think about the evidence we have had, to talk about it between
:47:34. > :47:39.ourselves, to think where we come to a common view and were, in this
:47:39. > :47:44.process, there are some differences and whether there is something we
:47:44. > :47:48.can do to resolve those differences in a way we can all agree upon. One
:47:48. > :47:54.of the strengths of our first report and one of the reasons I hope it
:47:54. > :47:58.will be found acceptable to the UK government was that all members of
:47:58. > :48:02.the commission were prepared to endorse it and that led to the
:48:02. > :48:07.assembly unanimously endorsing it as well. There is a lot of strength
:48:08. > :48:11.that comes first the ball from having all four parties represented
:48:11. > :48:18.on the commission but also from a consensus report. I don't think
:48:18. > :48:23.anyone can say it is not say anything at all but quite radical
:48:23. > :48:28.things were said in the first report despite having a consensus. I hope
:48:28. > :48:35.we can do the same in part two. have compiled a substantial report.
:48:35. > :48:39.As a former senior civil servant, ego does not come into it, but will
:48:39. > :48:45.you be disappointed if all of these recommendations are not taken on
:48:45. > :48:51.board by the UK government? course I would be. When we look at
:48:51. > :48:57.what the response is, I hope, because we produced our report as a
:48:57. > :49:00.package, we would like it all to be accepted as a package. It may be
:49:00. > :49:05.that one or two elements, they may be good reason why the UK government
:49:05. > :49:10.will not want to go along with them, and if they explain those reasons
:49:10. > :49:19.well, I don't think I will be so disappointed. We don't necessarily
:49:19. > :49:22.expect everything we recommend to be taken up line and sinker. But we
:49:22. > :49:27.came up with a package we thought hanged together very well and we
:49:27. > :49:33.would like to see the whole of that package accepted.
:49:33. > :49:37.We have had plenty of hints from the UK government that this response is
:49:37. > :49:45.imminent but it has taken longer than they said it would. That is not
:49:45. > :49:50.good news. It has left it hanging in the air. I am an eternal optimist
:49:50. > :49:54.and I think the longer we wait, the better the chance we have of it
:49:54. > :49:59.agreeing with the commissioner and devolving more powers to the
:49:59. > :50:08.assembly. I hope we will see it soon. I have no inside track on it.
:50:08. > :50:18.But I am an optimist. David, are you an optimist? We were told it would
:50:18. > :50:19.
:50:19. > :50:22.be done by spring. That has come and gone. Not in Westminster terms.It
:50:22. > :50:28.is interesting to see that Westminster defines terms
:50:28. > :50:31.differently than we all do. It says imminent, when his imminent? If we
:50:31. > :50:39.are not careful, we will have part two out before part one has even
:50:39. > :50:44.been discussed. Paul Silk said that he and the commissioners would be
:50:44. > :50:50.disappointed if the UK government did not take on-board most, if not
:50:50. > :50:55.all of the recommendations. What is your recommendation or expectation?
:50:55. > :51:02.I would hope they would take on the recommendations. We all know about
:51:02. > :51:11.the need for borrowing powers. The other forms of taxation could be
:51:11. > :51:15.expanded. There are ways forward. Danny Alexander and George Osborne
:51:15. > :51:21.are saying positive things this week, certainly about the M4 relief
:51:21. > :51:24.road and tying that into the government's response on the Silk
:51:24. > :51:30.Commission. That suggests it is needed as quickly as possible so
:51:30. > :51:34.that these kind of projects can get moving. There is a fair amount of
:51:34. > :51:37.negotiating going on behind-the-scenes. My understanding
:51:37. > :51:43.is there is a lot of conversations going on to pave the way for
:51:43. > :51:52.different things. I agree with David. I want to see it happening as
:51:52. > :51:55.soon as possible. But it is also important that it is right. A couple
:51:55. > :52:01.of weeks longer, if it means we get the right result, it is worth
:52:01. > :52:06.waiting. This commission is split into two parts and evidence is being
:52:06. > :52:11.taken at the moment on part two in terms of the assembly's powers going
:52:11. > :52:17.forward. If you were invited to give evidence, what would you tell the
:52:17. > :52:25.Silk Commission? It is quite clear where we want to go with more
:52:25. > :52:31.devolved powers and more like the Scottish equality situation. I spoke
:52:31. > :52:34.to Paul Silk about that and he said it was not official evidence.
:52:34. > :52:37.not official evidence but it is important that these are people who
:52:37. > :52:41.are going to be implementing any part.
:52:41. > :52:51.Time now for a quick look back at some of the political stories of the
:52:51. > :52:53.
:52:53. > :52:55.week in 60 seconds. With new ministerial jobs for Huw
:52:55. > :53:00.Lewis and Jeff Cuthbert and promotions fought for getting and
:53:00. > :53:05.Ken Skates, Angela Burns was disappointed that they were not any
:53:05. > :53:09.new women brought into the Welsh government. Then UK government
:53:09. > :53:13.announced a new �250 million super prison would be built in North
:53:13. > :53:23.Wales. An exact location has not been decided yet but it is expected
:53:23. > :53:27.to house up to 2000 inmates. To selected candidates for the Anglesey
:53:27. > :53:37.by-election. Plaid Cymru chose Rhun ap Iorwerth who has been a news
:53:37. > :53:40.presenter for BBC Wales until recently. Labour chose Tal Michael.
:53:40. > :53:44.And the first minister ordered a full investigation into why Big
:53:44. > :53:51.Ideas Wales, a Welsh government website, provided advice to young
:53:52. > :53:59.people on how to become strippers and how to set up escort agencies.
:53:59. > :54:04.David, let's look ahead. Tuesday afternoon, you and your fellow
:54:04. > :54:10.Assembly Members will be talking about the organ transplant bill, the
:54:11. > :54:14.final stage. What do you hope will happen on Tuesday? I hope it will
:54:14. > :54:21.pass on Tuesday. The Minister has brought forward some amendments
:54:21. > :54:27.which will relieve the situation of concerns raised. It should pass on
:54:28. > :54:32.Tuesday and look for Royal assent. What is your take on this Bill?
:54:32. > :54:37.think it will be very interesting to see it passed into law. It has been
:54:37. > :54:41.a very slow process. It is quite clear that the majority of people
:54:41. > :54:46.want to see it come into law and it will be very interesting for the
:54:46. > :54:50.rest of the UK to see what impact it has on transplant rates in Wales.
:54:50. > :54:56.While David and his colleagues will be debating this on Tuesday, you
:54:56. > :55:02.will be debating the Finance Bill this week and you could possibly go
:55:02. > :55:06.on until three a.m. In the morning. It is the only legislation which is
:55:06. > :55:11.not usually timetabled in Parliament so it can be all night. I am hoping
:55:11. > :55:17.we are not as late as we has been in previous years but I have a very
:55:17. > :55:21.comfortable armchair in my office. Let's touch on the advice on
:55:21. > :55:27.becoming strippers and escort agencies on a website supported by
:55:27. > :55:34.the Welsh government. Are you surprised about that? It is not the
:55:34. > :55:40.first time it has happened. There have been job advertised for lap
:55:40. > :55:43.dances. We need it sure this does happen again. They should be a no
:55:43. > :55:53.tolerance policy of any work of that sort anywhere on government