:00:00. > :00:08.Tonight on The Wales Report: What next for Wales' poorest areas?
:00:09. > :00:11.We speak to Communities Secretary Carl Sargeant about his plans
:00:12. > :00:12.after scrapping the Communities First scheme.
:00:13. > :00:14.Is there a bright Brexit future on the horizon?
:00:15. > :00:17.We'll hear from the leader of the Welsh Conservatives,
:00:18. > :00:20.And Aileen Richards, the first female to sit on the
:00:21. > :00:22.board of Welsh Rugby Union, tells us how she
:00:23. > :00:24.thinks you can get more women into public life.
:00:25. > :00:34.Good evening and welcome to The Wales Report.
:00:35. > :00:38.First tonight, what next for Wales' poorest areas?
:00:39. > :00:40.Remember you can join in the discussion tonight ?
:00:41. > :00:49.When it was launched in 2001, Communities First
:00:50. > :00:55.was the Welsh Government's big plan to tackle
:00:56. > :00:56.poverty in Wales' most deprived areas.
:00:57. > :00:58.But the programme has been mired in controversy
:00:59. > :01:00.and concerns that it doesn't deliver.
:01:01. > :01:02.Communities Secretary Carl Sargeant confirmed in the Senedd yesterday
:01:03. > :01:04.that the scheme would be phased out.
:01:05. > :01:06.With EU funding also at risk, that announcement
:01:07. > :01:10.has left many wondering what support will be left for those communities
:01:11. > :01:23.to help people out of poverty and into work.
:01:24. > :01:32.In some of Wales' most deprived areas, local Communities First
:01:33. > :01:35.projects provide a lifeline to those struggling with benefit changes and
:01:36. > :01:40.poverty. You will notice it is getting dry so
:01:41. > :01:45.what we're going to do is add the egg.
:01:46. > :01:50.The programme here helped 120 residents into work last year,
:01:51. > :01:55.teaching a range of life skills. People say it has helped them build
:01:56. > :02:01.confidence. I was on the cookery course. I was
:02:02. > :02:07.in a group for postnatal depression funded by Communities First. We were
:02:08. > :02:12.offered this as an add-on for a qualification. If it wasn't for
:02:13. > :02:17.Communities First I wouldn't have been able to afford to be able to do
:02:18. > :02:24.the qualification or have childcare that they have paid for. It has
:02:25. > :02:28.given me confidence for getting out there and doing it.
:02:29. > :02:33.Those involved in the scheme say it is not just about finding people
:02:34. > :02:37.work. Often more complex support is needed to help them turn things
:02:38. > :02:44.around. Employability is key but only one
:02:45. > :02:48.piece of it. People have low self-esteem and low confidence and
:02:49. > :02:53.you just think they really, really need intensive intervention to help
:02:54. > :02:56.get back on their feet and back into work and this is what we are doing.
:02:57. > :03:02.And what we would like to carry on doing.
:03:03. > :03:07.But despite pockets of success like this, Communities First has faced
:03:08. > :03:11.huge criticism. Since it was launched in 2001, it has been mired
:03:12. > :03:17.in concerns about the misuse of funds and even some high-profile
:03:18. > :03:21.fraud cases. Most importantly, it has made no change to the overall
:03:22. > :03:26.picture of deprivation in Wales. After 15 years and ?300 million of
:03:27. > :03:29.investment, almost one quarter of people in Wales are living in
:03:30. > :03:35.poverty. It depends on how we judge
:03:36. > :03:39.Communities First. If we judge it as a poverty eradication programme,
:03:40. > :03:46.let's be honest, it has failed. By and large, the poorest areas in
:03:47. > :03:54.Wales are at the same. It is over 15 years since the programme was
:03:55. > :03:59.introduced. I think we look at it as a poverty mitigation programme and
:04:00. > :04:03.then it has had enormous successes. You have to ask what some
:04:04. > :04:09.communities would be like without it.
:04:10. > :04:18.It was confirmed that the scheme was to be phased out. People working in
:04:19. > :04:21.the scheme and the people they support have already faced a long
:04:22. > :04:32.period of uncertainty. The problem is when you make an
:04:33. > :04:37.announcement as has been done, it already has effects. People are
:04:38. > :04:41.already looking for other jobs which means that some of the services are
:04:42. > :04:45.disintegrating already. My concern is that this is quite urgent because
:04:46. > :04:51.I can tell you there is a lot of nervousness around at the moment.
:04:52. > :04:54.Many of the same areas that are supported by Communities First also
:04:55. > :04:59.received funding from the European Union. While it is true that those
:05:00. > :05:05.two sources of funding that have -- have failed to lift Wales out of
:05:06. > :05:15.poverty, the question marks hanging over them are causing concern.
:05:16. > :05:22.A huge source of funding would disappear from the EU and from
:05:23. > :05:32.Communities First. Parts of Wales could have their -- have core parts
:05:33. > :05:45.removed. What will happen to those communities?
:05:46. > :05:52.I think Communities First has been a success in many areas but it is
:05:53. > :05:57.temporary Reef fresh. He announced your phasing it out and
:05:58. > :06:04.the money will come to an end next April. What next?
:06:05. > :06:16.We will look at interventions and other programmes. Communities First
:06:17. > :06:24.could never be the only poverty programme. I am looking forward with
:06:25. > :06:32.optimism to tackling poverty. What about the cookery course we
:06:33. > :06:40.saw? Well that carry on? We will have a ?6 million revenue
:06:41. > :06:44.fund and a ?4 million capital fund where local authorities can pick up
:06:45. > :06:48.the best local programmes that are having a good effect. There are some
:06:49. > :06:55.effective programmes but the poverty trap is stubborn and we have to do
:06:56. > :07:03.something about it. A lot of projects were listed by our
:07:04. > :07:07.speaker that said it was a sad day. There is no long-term vision for
:07:08. > :07:12.tackling poverty. I don't agree with you. We are very
:07:13. > :07:16.keen on making sure that all our policy interventions from government
:07:17. > :07:22.and making sure that we're tackling poverty head on. The fact is that...
:07:23. > :07:28.Why did you run backbencher described it as a sad day?
:07:29. > :07:32.That is a matter for him and I think he is just misunderstood. He doesn't
:07:33. > :07:39.agree with me but that is nothing new in any party. We have
:07:40. > :07:42.opportunities to make sure communities across Wales are
:07:43. > :07:45.tackling poverty and we will do that.
:07:46. > :07:50.But you are more or less washing your hands of this. You're seeing to
:07:51. > :07:55.local communities, it is up to you, you can carry on with the projects
:07:56. > :08:01.or not. That is not the message. You're
:08:02. > :08:07.working with them. 100,000 apprenticeships, the best childcare
:08:08. > :08:20.anywhere in the UK. We are seeing that --... Let's not make this a sad
:08:21. > :08:27.day for communities. What I don't understand is that of
:08:28. > :08:34.the pot of money was available to amenities by Communities First, does
:08:35. > :08:38.that no get spread through communities or is there a specific
:08:39. > :08:43.poverty part? If you look at the whole Communities
:08:44. > :08:46.First budget there is around ?3 million of savings. We will be
:08:47. > :08:51.making stronger interventions in those other programmes to make sure
:08:52. > :08:56.they link up better. One announcement yesterday was a ?12
:08:57. > :09:03.million project that didn't receive much coverage. It will fund projects
:09:04. > :09:08.similar to those in your VAT and those things that work we will
:09:09. > :09:14.continue to do -- similar to those in your video.
:09:15. > :09:18.It is not great timing for these projects due to coming out of the
:09:19. > :09:22.EU. They are already facing uncertainty.
:09:23. > :09:28.You are right. It is important that we plan for the future and that is
:09:29. > :09:32.what we have done. Brexit and welfare reform have had to stabling
:09:33. > :09:38.effects on our communities and we need to get a grip of this and
:09:39. > :09:43.tackling poverty is one of this government's main priorities. We
:09:44. > :09:45.have got to do something different. Do the same and you get the same
:09:46. > :09:48.effect and we are not doing that. Britain's journey towards the EU
:09:49. > :09:51.exit door is progressing. The House of Commons took the big
:09:52. > :09:54.step of backing the triggering of Article 50 last week
:09:55. > :09:56.and now the debate moves So we're a step closer to Brexit
:09:57. > :10:03.but what will it mean for Wales? One politician who's full
:10:04. > :10:07.of optimism about life outside the EU is the leader
:10:08. > :10:24.of the Welsh Conservatives, How do you think the Brexit process
:10:25. > :10:29.is going? Quickly enough? I think it is going well. The
:10:30. > :10:36.detractors wouldn't say that but if you look at what Theresa May has
:10:37. > :10:43.done around the negotiations, she has set up various ministries and is
:10:44. > :10:46.going to bring forward a bill to consolidate all the legislation to
:10:47. > :10:51.be done in tandem with the negotiations. He has stuck to her
:10:52. > :10:58.guns and want article 50 in focus by the end of March.
:10:59. > :11:05.What about the voice of Wales in that? None of the devolved regions
:11:06. > :11:14.feel that their voices are being heard. Why do think that is?
:11:15. > :11:16.I don't agree with that. The Prime Minister has shown her intention to
:11:17. > :11:25.engage with devolved administrations. I think it is a bit
:11:26. > :11:31.rich for Labour ministers to talk about not being heard when you look
:11:32. > :11:35.at the First Minister was the actions and refusing to talk to me
:11:36. > :11:45.even though I have offered to work with him. Theresa May has not taken
:11:46. > :11:48.that approach and has had the First Minister of devolved regions around
:11:49. > :11:54.the table and making sure all that feeds into the process.
:11:55. > :11:59.You are not part of the white paper for the Welsh Government but where
:12:00. > :12:03.would Common ground be with Carwyn Jones?
:12:04. > :12:12.I think there could be a lot but I'm not just talking about Carwyn Jones.
:12:13. > :12:17.The common ground would be about the transitional arrangements when we
:12:18. > :12:21.come out of the European Union, how the United Kingdom will operate, in
:12:22. > :12:25.particular around issues that might bring more responsibility to this
:12:26. > :12:29.institution. The tape of landscape that we want on structural funds and
:12:30. > :12:33.the Common Agricultural Policy for the UK. I believe that we could find
:12:34. > :12:42.common ground. Let's look at funding because Wales
:12:43. > :12:45.has been dependent on funding and you have said before the referendum
:12:46. > :12:50.that you could guarantee that money would still come to Wales. David
:12:51. > :12:53.Cameron was more cautious but you said you would guarantee that a UK
:12:54. > :12:58.Government would get that money to Wales. Are you still guaranteeing
:12:59. > :13:01.that? That money will be there to
:13:02. > :13:07.distribute around the United Kingdom, without a shadow of the
:13:08. > :13:16.doubt. Every ?2 and we only get ?1 back. A damning indictment is that
:13:17. > :13:21.Wales still requires huge amounts of this money because successive
:13:22. > :13:24.governments have failed to lift a GDP figures.
:13:25. > :13:29.You see it as they are to be distributed around the UK but he
:13:30. > :13:33.can't guarantee it will come here. Those are the political choices we
:13:34. > :13:38.can make. Well your government make those
:13:39. > :13:42.choices? Of course because we have a
:13:43. > :13:47.government governing for the whole of the native kingdom, not a
:13:48. > :13:52.government like the Labour administration here. We have created
:13:53. > :13:57.a record number of jobs and increase prosperity levels. What we haven't
:13:58. > :14:06.got regrettably in Wales is a government here.
:14:07. > :14:13.Let's focus on Brexit. Whether the money will be the same. You cannot
:14:14. > :14:17.guarantee. That money is there. It is the
:14:18. > :14:22.political choice. People bought at the ballot box to see what type of
:14:23. > :14:27.government they want. There will be a general election in 2020.
:14:28. > :14:30.You will be in power. When we come out, there will be a general
:14:31. > :14:34.election in 2020 and it will be manifested in what those parties
:14:35. > :14:38.seek to do. It can bring that money into wheels. You will campaign to
:14:39. > :14:41.bring that money here. But there will be less money coming from the
:14:42. > :14:45.European Union if we had stayed in because all the indicators were
:14:46. > :14:47.saying that that money was going east to the succession countries
:14:48. > :14:50.rather than coming over to the countries that have historically
:14:51. > :14:51.been in the European Union so less money would a comment.
:14:52. > :15:07.You mentioned farming. We know that many Welsh
:15:08. > :15:14.farmers voted to leave so why will they be better off?
:15:15. > :15:23.If you look at the average age of farmers in European Union, there is
:15:24. > :15:26.no way to build a successful industry. I believe that we will be
:15:27. > :15:30.able to craft the Common Agricultural Policy that has
:15:31. > :15:35.security and protection of the environment and elements to ensure
:15:36. > :15:39.we do our bit for global warming and climate change and will be able to
:15:40. > :15:45.craft that to be fit for the Wales and United Kingdom.
:15:46. > :15:50.You mean a UK wide Common Agricultural Policy so when it comes
:15:51. > :15:55.to making a deal with New Zealand you cannot guarantee that Welsh lamb
:15:56. > :16:00.would be at the top of the agenda, can you? You're missing the point
:16:01. > :16:04.about key priorities for agriculture so in the government has to sign up
:16:05. > :16:07.to the idea we need food security and any government recognises the
:16:08. > :16:11.importance of having food security is part of its policy because we
:16:12. > :16:17.know there will be water shortages, there is global hunger regrettably
:16:18. > :16:21.across the planet and any government that does not have food security at
:16:22. > :16:28.the heart of its planning... Let us talk about Welsh lamb. Welsh lamb is
:16:29. > :16:30.part of the portfolio. The Welsh ministers said a food trade deal
:16:31. > :16:35.with New Zealand would be a disaster. This is the same Welsh
:16:36. > :16:41.minister who said farmers are the best people to run their business.
:16:42. > :16:47.Who said there is no such thing as UK agriculture. I would not put too
:16:48. > :16:50.much store by what the Welsh agriculture minister says. You are
:16:51. > :16:54.confident Welsh farmers will be at the top of the agenda for a UK
:16:55. > :16:58.minister forming trade deals across the world? Of course. The
:16:59. > :17:01.Conservatives are the party who stand up for rural Wales and rural
:17:02. > :17:07.Britain and they will be campaigning to make sure the Welsh voices heard,
:17:08. > :17:11.making sure we deliver for Welsh farmers to have an industry that has
:17:12. > :17:15.succession at its heart so we have young people coming into the
:17:16. > :17:19.industry and food security and environmental goals that the
:17:20. > :17:26.taxpayer once. You said it is not right that some Welsh farmers, up to
:17:27. > :17:29.80% or 90% dependent on EU subsidies but they need that money, there is
:17:30. > :17:35.no guarantee they will get that money after Brexit. Good security at
:17:36. > :17:41.the heart of your decisions, you have to put the money on the table.
:17:42. > :17:44.Who puts the money on the table? The Treasury. The UK Treasury sends
:17:45. > :17:52.money to Brussels and Brussels sends the money back. You are saying that
:17:53. > :17:56.a UK Government after Brexit would still give those subsidies to Welsh
:17:57. > :18:02.farmers? Those dependent will still get that money? Any government worth
:18:03. > :18:07.its salt has food security at its heart. To underpin agriculture
:18:08. > :18:13.because we have a Common Agricultural Policy... Yes or no?
:18:14. > :18:16.You will need to continue to subsidise agriculture but we need to
:18:17. > :18:21.move to a position where you get more money from the marketplace.
:18:22. > :18:24.Every farmer I speak to want that goal and because of the way the
:18:25. > :18:29.Common Agricultural Policy works we have not moved in that direction and
:18:30. > :18:33.have become more dependent on subsidies. No farmer in Wales will
:18:34. > :18:39.be worse off? That is the guarantee you made. Farmers in Wales have had
:18:40. > :18:45.an extra ?30 million on the table because of the Brexit vault because
:18:46. > :18:51.of the devaluation of the pound against the euro. Exports are
:18:52. > :18:59.booming. I have not heard any of the detractors say we have got our
:19:00. > :19:01.calculations wrong. People saying we would have economic collapse, record
:19:02. > :19:05.unemployment and the country would go to the dogs. We have not had
:19:06. > :19:09.that. Let us have some apologies from them because I stand by every
:19:10. > :19:14.word I said and I will be heard to account. Let us have some apologies
:19:15. > :19:21.from people who misled the Welsh public and that referendum. Plenty
:19:22. > :19:25.of people cannot wait for Brexit and you are one of them. There are those
:19:26. > :19:29.who have doubts that it is more complicated than they thought and
:19:30. > :19:31.perhaps if there were to be a second referendum they would thought
:19:32. > :19:41.different make. What would your message be to people who maybe have
:19:42. > :19:44.regrets? The vote was 52-48. You cannot discount 48% of the
:19:45. > :19:49.electorate who voted to remain and we have to take as many people along
:19:50. > :19:53.this journey with us so we have a successful negotiation. We have a
:19:54. > :19:57.successful exit from the European Union. I believe we can do that but
:19:58. > :20:03.we must remember, especially from the Assembly point of view, that
:20:04. > :20:11.will voted out, and we have a Assembly that by is in denial of
:20:12. > :20:14.that result. You had Labour backbenchers castigating their own
:20:15. > :20:17.constituents for voting out. You had other Labour members standing up and
:20:18. > :20:23.seeing people would be slashing their wrists. Is that the language
:20:24. > :20:27.people should be using? No. The referendum was fought on June 23.
:20:28. > :20:33.Let's move on. We will deliver Brexit. Let us not look at our feet.
:20:34. > :20:44.Let's grab the great opportunities ahead. On immigration, Carwyn Jones
:20:45. > :20:47.has written to today's me to the decision to cut the numbers of
:20:48. > :20:56.unattended migrants and children travelling here. Do you agree with
:20:57. > :21:01.Theresa May or do you -- do you think there are too many children
:21:02. > :21:06.coming here? I believe in immigration and that it supports us
:21:07. > :21:10.culturally and economically. The referendum was about giving power
:21:11. > :21:15.back to politicians in this country to make the decisions that control
:21:16. > :21:18.immigration on our borders. We could well through the ballot box get a
:21:19. > :21:26.government that says we will take everyone. You back Theresa May? It
:21:27. > :21:30.is a wonderful thing called democracy. Theresa May of the Prime
:21:31. > :21:33.Minister of this country who has to make the decisions on immigration
:21:34. > :21:39.and she has made this particular decision. Do you back it? We are
:21:40. > :21:43.putting over ?1 billion into the Middle East to support refugee
:21:44. > :21:46.camps. We have a very good record and we have to make sure people stay
:21:47. > :21:50.as close to the country they have been displaced from so that
:21:51. > :21:56.eventually they can go back. Do you back her decision? The UK Government
:21:57. > :22:00.has a very good record when it comes to supporting refugees and making
:22:01. > :22:05.sure we are a home and sanctuary and we will continue to make sure that
:22:06. > :22:09.we offer those solutions and put the resources in place to support
:22:10. > :22:13.refugees. Do you back her decision when it comes to unattended
:22:14. > :22:17.children? I back her decision when it comes to the immigration choices
:22:18. > :22:21.she is making because it is for the whole country and we are putting
:22:22. > :22:24.money on the table to support refugee camps and are taking
:22:25. > :22:26.refugees and I believe immigration is positive economically, socially
:22:27. > :22:30.and culturally. Positive discrimination, quotas,
:22:31. > :22:32.all-female short lists, twinning, zipping -
:22:33. > :22:35.they've all been a part of the debate on how to encourage
:22:36. > :22:38.more women into In Wales' top 100 businesses, only
:22:39. > :22:50.2% of chief executives are women. In Westminster, of Wales' 40 MPs,
:22:51. > :22:52.just nine are women. Two years ago, in an
:22:53. > :22:55.attempt to address this imbalance, the WRU appointed its first
:22:56. > :23:02.female board member. Former businesswoman
:23:03. > :23:04.Aileen Richards has told us of her experience
:23:05. > :23:25.and how she would go about I joined in 1995 and it was a very
:23:26. > :23:31.different world. We had 10% of managers female. 25 years later it
:23:32. > :23:34.was 50%. That tells you about the level of change that is going on
:23:35. > :23:40.driven by what was the good organisation who recognised that you
:23:41. > :23:45.can run a better business and have better business results if you have
:23:46. > :23:50.a diverse set of leaders. Typically whether it is in sport, Parliament,
:23:51. > :23:53.business, there is still an underrepresentation but the good
:23:54. > :24:03.news as it is much greater than it was before but there is still some
:24:04. > :24:08.way to go. The board of Welsh rugby union is a board I sit on. I am a
:24:09. > :24:12.woman. There was some scepticism from the board members when I
:24:13. > :24:18.joined. Late in any new job you have to prove yourself, demonstrate you
:24:19. > :24:27.add value and make a contribution, and that leads to acceptance over
:24:28. > :24:32.time. It takes time because if you are going to develop females up,
:24:33. > :24:36.whether it is through a club or through an organisation or politics
:24:37. > :24:40.or whatever you have to create opportunities for them, give them
:24:41. > :24:44.experiences, give them development, and with women you have to give them
:24:45. > :24:50.confidence, mentoring and encouragement, because we know, all
:24:51. > :24:54.the research shows that women are less confident at standing for
:24:55. > :25:02.positions. In whatever field that is in. The belief of the WRU is that
:25:03. > :25:06.you have to have the right skills and we have recently done a big
:25:07. > :25:11.exercise in school profiling and the skills we need to be bored and where
:25:12. > :25:19.we are going to get them from and recognition that will be including
:25:20. > :25:24.women. That is absolute commitment that we have to drive a skills
:25:25. > :25:27.agenda, drive the diversity profile, not just women, and that has to lead
:25:28. > :25:33.to more women being represented on the board. The first thing, you have
:25:34. > :25:39.to persuade people, is that it is the right thing to do. There has to
:25:40. > :25:42.be belief that we will run a better board, business, Parliament,
:25:43. > :25:45.whatever, because it is more diverse. We have to take them with
:25:46. > :25:47.us through the power of persuasion because that is the right thing to
:25:48. > :25:52.do. I'm joined now by Cerys
:25:53. > :25:57.Furlong, the Chief Executive of ChwaraeTeg, a charity that
:25:58. > :26:09.promotes women's equality. How big a problem is this? I would
:26:10. > :26:15.agree with almost everything that Aileen said about behaviour change
:26:16. > :26:21.needed. Our concern is that the pace of change is too slow. It has taken
:26:22. > :26:26.134 years to get the first female onto the WRU board. The problem is
:26:27. > :26:32.across the board, whether it is in politics, chief executives, and on
:26:33. > :26:39.boards of companies in the private sector. Why? In the NHS 77% of the
:26:40. > :26:45.workforce are women and in management it is 10%. Why is there
:26:46. > :26:51.that block? There are a range of factors but simply put we conceive
:26:52. > :26:57.of leaders and leadership in the way that we are used to seeing it. If
:26:58. > :27:10.the current leaders are classic white male in the -- middle-aged we
:27:11. > :27:15.are predisposed to think of future leaders in the same model. What to
:27:16. > :27:18.do about it? Aileen suggesting it is about persuasion rather than the
:27:19. > :27:23.stick. Maybe it is not about quarters or all women short lists of
:27:24. > :27:28.twinning and slipping as some parties have done. What do you think
:27:29. > :27:34.of these mechanisms to promote women? There is no one silver bullet
:27:35. > :27:38.and no one intervention whether from the government or voluntary is going
:27:39. > :27:41.to make the breakthrough. I agree we need that behaviour change and we
:27:42. > :27:45.need to make the argument but we have been making that for decades
:27:46. > :27:55.and have not seen the change. We would support things like quotas as
:27:56. > :28:01.the necessary legislative nudge but hopefully as a short-term measure
:28:02. > :28:06.and when we get that mass of women representing the public and private
:28:07. > :28:11.sector that will not have to remain. They often cause rows, all women
:28:12. > :28:15.short lists, within the Labour Party for example, some of those women
:28:16. > :28:19.might feel they are only there because they had help, if you like.
:28:20. > :28:27.It is all about skills and women should compete on their skills base.
:28:28. > :28:33.You are saying that is almost utopia and we are not there yet. Yes, I do
:28:34. > :28:37.not buy that. Women compete on their skills but unfortunately when we are
:28:38. > :28:43.assessing those skills and looking for future leaders we are situating
:28:44. > :28:48.that within narrow mindset that is within our existing perception of
:28:49. > :28:55.what good leaders should be. Is it historical or is there sexism? There
:28:56. > :28:59.can be sexism but our research has shown that there sexism, we are not
:29:00. > :29:05.seeing that certainly in the work we have done around public
:29:06. > :29:10.appointments. We think we could get gender balance in this Assembly with
:29:11. > :29:14.some concerted effort around this. It is working with boards so that
:29:15. > :29:21.they aim for gender diversity explicitly and that might be around
:29:22. > :29:24.quotas but it is also about building a bigger pool of talent because we
:29:25. > :29:29.need to give women the confidence in their skills to be able to do it.
:29:30. > :29:39.What do women bring to a boardroom? Why do we need these skills? They
:29:40. > :29:43.are 50% of the population. No one woman is ever going to speak for all
:29:44. > :29:47.women. It is about increasing diversity across the piece but this
:29:48. > :29:51.is something we can do. We know it works. We know it increases the
:29:52. > :29:55.representation and we make better decisions for the people we work
:29:56. > :30:01.for. Is the political leadership there? We used to have 50% Assembly
:30:02. > :30:07.women leaders. The political drive is there but too often we are at the
:30:08. > :30:11.end not the means and if we want to get to the end we have to put the
:30:12. > :30:13.effort in and put the steps in place to get there.
:30:14. > :30:18.If you'd like to get in touch with us about what's been discussed
:30:19. > :30:19.tonight or anything else, email us at
:30:20. > :30:23.thewalesreport@bbc.co.uk, or follow us on social media
:30:24. > :30:25.where the discussion continues - the hashtag is #TheWalesReport.
:30:26. > :30:55.Every night, about 40 people find themselves sleeping rough