16/05/2017 Welsh First Minister's Questions

Even the UK Government admits it is largest environmental threat to

public health in the UK. A cross-party group if the House of

Commons called it a public health emergency, these quality management

areas include an area of Newport Road where I have no less than three

primary schools running along it and they are breathing in toxic levels

of air at the moment. And the latest plan by the Tories, that was

published earlier this month is no more than an options paper, there is

nothing in it that even approaches a strategy. One of the options is to

have clean air zones where polluting vehicles have to pay to enter them.

Obviously, this would be the thing that would make the biggest impact

on cutting pollution, but the Tories have passed the buck to Local

Authorities with shackles on. They are not allowed to do anything along

these lines until for example all buses have been converted from

diesel to clean energy, and... Ewe need to come to a question. What is

the Welsh Government interpret from this plan and what it sees its

responsibility in ensuring that communities like mine are relieved

of this aning thing? It is important to note some of the ideas are none

devolved. The level of commitment to take action to UK Government action

sun clear but as evidence of our commitment to do what we can to

improve quality of air we have said in the UK plan within 13 months with

will consultant on the proposal for a clean air zone framework for

Wales. I commend that study. Yes you look at Germany it has been popular

in their city, reducing them by 50% in some cases. They encourage

cycling and the like, access to city areas and free parking for cleaner

vehicles, and better use of existing infrastructure, that is

redesignating for pedestrians and cyclist, I do think we should have

the ambition to declare Cardiff a clean air zone, I encourage do you

do that as soon as possible. We are encouraging local authorities to

create more cycle routes, the act is evidence of that and the proposalses

for a metro, which will lead to better and quicker journeys on

public transport, taking peel out of their cars white the Metro will

reduce emissions from the current all diesel rolling stock, clean air

zones would bring about compliance, before other measurers and in the

shortest possible time, we will set out how to ensure the effective

implementation of such zones. TRANSLATION: Thank you. Will you

confirm that it is the Welsh Government's intention that these

air quality management zones do reduce air pollution, particularly

in terms of the very small particulates that can go deep into

the lungs and are particularly dangerous to children and young

people, who walk our cycle to school. And will there be specific

targets, within your plans for these air quality zones of. This is

something which is being considered at the moment as regards air quality

management zones and it is part of the consultation that will take

place as has been noted in the British plan.

Will the First Minister make a statement on the importance of

professional sport to Wales. Professional sports brings a Umber

of important benefit tos Wales, particularly to Swansea, I know the

member, no doubt he will ask about Swansea City and their campaign to

stay in the Premier League. But of course we know the professional

sport is a catalyst not just to increase participation rates but can

give people in cities and nations a feel-good factor and of course the

euros of last year were an example of how that can happen in Wales.

Can I highlight the importance of professional sport in promoting the

identity of an area and generating wealth. I want to tress the

important of Swansea City staying in the Premier League for the area, for

tourism in the Swansea bay city region and for named recognition of

Swansea, will the First Minister join me in congratulating Swansea on

staying in the Premiership, which benefits the whole of Wales? Yes, I

do. It is usually important we have a team that not just gets into the

Premier League but stays there, also important to note of course, the

successful campaign by Newport County to stay in League Two, we all

saw the scenes whence the final goal was scored a minute for the end of

normal time, I can see the member for Newport East beaming when I

mentioned that, but it is true to say professional sport is a hugely

important economic catalyst, we know that for example Swansea's presence

from the Premier League has been hugely important in creating tourism

for the area, in terms of improving hotel rate occupancy and improving

spend by visitors to the city and beyond.

First Minister, grass roots training in football is so often crucial to

future development of I don't think players to a more professional

level. Currently however three or four Welsh police forces are

investigating allegations of historic child sexual abuse at this

level, with the FA chairman calling this the biggest crisis in football.

Firm, in North Wales there are several accusations of an historical

nature it is felt must be investigated. Steve Walters of the

offside trust and PC Mike Smith, both of whom have suffered are

leading calls for the FAW to launch a full inquiry. Will you work with

your cabinet secretary, to support those call, and in doing so provide

an environment where children seeking to fulfil their ambitions in

the sport, to a more professional level, are able to do so safely? We

know that a safe environment is crucial and young people. We know

standard were laxer than they are now, these are mares for if AAW and

the police but it is hugely important that as enough assurance

as possible can be given that any allegations in the past or indeed

the present are investigated fully, so as we can ensure our children and

young people continue to have safer environment now and in the future.

TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. I was delighted that the assembly

unanimously supported a Plaid Cymru amendment to the public Health Bill

which will mean there will be a government strategy to tackle

obesity and that will be on the face of the bill. I am grateful to

members for supporting that, does the First Minister agree that clubs

and professional sporting organisations, as well as grass

roots sport, have to feed in now to create that strategy, in order to

ensure that we have a strategy that can truly tackle the greatest

problem perhaps faces us in terms of public health? Yes, that is is

right, because although sports in the community is vital to ensure

that people are active within the community, professional teams can

give an example, especially to young people, they see their heroes coming

to talk to them and telling them how important healthy living is, so

there is a vital role for professional clubs as regards

ensuring that we do address obesity. Swansea City and Newport County FC,

they are both important focuses in their communities, and community

morale will work in those places as a result of these teams' success,

proproblem we have sometimes is that they tend now to be foreign owned,

two of the three Football League clubs, well, no, I understand it is

not going to be an EU thing, sometimes they become distant from

their fan base whereas they are also important assets in the community. I

wondered is there any way in which the Welsh Government can help to

preserve them this their role as assets in the community? Swansea

City did that successfully, Cardiff City, we want to see them back in

the Premier League next year, before long, I will have to go round Wales

an mention several clubs and wish them success s and all other

football clubs in Wales and any sporting clubs playing at any level,

the best of luck for next year, he is right, it is hugely important

that fans are given the opportunity to own their clubs. Bayern mew snick

a model of a club that is fan owned. I worry that where there is is a

lack of commitment by some owners, I don't mention Cardiff City, but in

some clubs, the question has to be asked are the owners properly

committed to the clubs in the way fans could be. We saw the

resurrection of Swansea City because of the dedication of supporters who

were were willing to put the money in and so it is strongly embedded in

the community: Thank you presiding officer, could I welcome back the

Cabinet secretary for rural affairs who makes a welcome return to

chamber and I wish you hosepipefully in getting over the recent tall you

had cabinet secretary. First Minister, you said at the end of

April, that Jeremy Corbyn needed to prove himself if he were to become

the Prime Minister at the end of this general election, the

relationship between the First Minister of Wales, or Scotland or

Northern Ireland and the Prime Minister is a very important

relationship, and indeed intergovernmentmental relationship.

Last week at the campaign launch you failed to mention his name. Last

week when the manifesto was leaked out to the press you put a press

release out to say it was not your manifesto, then within a couple of

hours' time, it was Redacted and changed. Do you believe that Jeremy

Corbyn will be the Prime Minister on June 9th That is what I want to see.

I have dealt with Theresa May. I see no evidence of strong leader sip

from her, she can't answer a straight question. Leadership is

about doing lewder debates. We know that in chamber, leadership is about

talking to people rather than going to stage-managed events and

question, that is what true leadership is about. Those of us,

there are receive of us who have had expense of that, that is what

leadership is about. I want to make sure we have somebody who is willing

to engage in the public not someone who shuts herself off from public.

Gaving a straight answer is probably not your strongest card to be stand

on to be fair as anyone who has asked you a question in this chamber

could attest to. The manifesto of the Labour Party, it talks of

establishing tuition fees. Yet your education spokesperson, cabinet

secretary said last week, that actually it is not tuition fees that

is the problems it is living cost, she said through a press spokesman

that Jeremy Corbyn would not be the Prime Minister, how on earth can you

have any joined up thinking in your Government, when you have such a

dislocate between the message that in the the manifesto and the

spending commitments that your sideling up to, day in, day out.

Isn't it the case if people vote for Jeremy Corbyn on June 8th you

through have a coalition of chaos, as opposed to the strong and stable

leadership of Theresa May? I wonder if the leader of the Welsh

Conservatives believe Theresa May is a strong leader. When asked on the

radio, whether she was supportive of him in his position, she said he is

the leader -- testify Welsh Conservatives. Stunningly true as a

fact but hardly a great vote of confidence in him. We are proud of

the manifesto that we are standing on, it offers great hope for our

people, one thing we note is that the diamond review, has put students

in Wales ahead of those in England. What we know of course, is that if

the Tories won the general election students would be hammered harder,

they will be forced to pay more, so one thing we know is that the

students will never be in a position where they are better off under the

Conservatives. You cut off the quote which you went

on to say what a good job I am doing. Doing. She went. If you look

at who the offer is on June 8th, it is an offer from the Welsh

Conservatives today, to establish, to establish Severn Bridge tolls an

deliver a shot in the arm of ?100 million to the Welsh economy. ?100

million. Against the fiscal illiteracy we see coming out of

Labour, that I notice the First Minister has not signed up to or

committed to today yet he sat in a meeting of the National Executive

and put his hand up to spend billions that this country has not

got. It St a fact that if you want to get rid of Severn Bridge tolls

and put ?100 million into the Welsh economy you need to vote for the

Welsh Conservatives under the strong and stable leadership of Theresa

May, unlike the coalition of chaos Jeremy Corbyn...

I am generous to the leader of the Welsh kith. I want him to stay as

their leader. Theresa May doesn't. Theresa May doesn't. So I will

offer, he is right, I want him to stay, but Theresa May doesn't, and

that is chaos for you, he stands there, within the chutzpah to claim

that establishing the Severn Bridge toll is his idea and his party's

idea. For how many years have we stood here and demand the end of

toll? Be were told by his party it was too expensive. We saw estimated

between 20 and ?120 million a year of how much it would cost. Now it is

7 million. I welcome their conversion, I welcome their

conversion, but at the end of the day, let us face it, the

Conservatives would not have established the Severn Bridge tolls

if it wasn't for the action taken by this Welsh Government.

The Shadow exit secretary was in Wales a few days ago and I see that

he said Conservative Brexit negotiations posed a danger to the

successful campaign to recruit more doctors in Wales. Can the first

secretary tell us how many extra doctors from the EU this campaign

has managed to recruit? We know that 5.8% of our staff are from the EU.

There is interest from the UK and abroad. Every single health system

competes in the world market. It is folly to think somehow the UK can

train and recruit all of its own doctors in the UK. What we need are

fewer doctors and nurses from abroad, nobody said that, it is

vital it is still seen as a welcoming place to people. I agree

with that. Seven extra doctors have been recruited this year compared to

last year. None of whom perhaps will have come from the EU. Therefore

this seems rather irrelevant to the whole subject of the Brexit

negotiations. Keir Starmer seem to be trying to instil some sort of

fear into the minds of those who might be susceptible to his words,

that after Brexit, we will turn away potential doctors and nurses from

United Kingdom. I'm sure the First Minister knows in his heart of

hearts that this is a preposterous idea and four example in Australia,

they have strict immigration system is based on points, awarded in order

to fill various skills gaps in the economy at the United Kingdom are

just the same. So why did you get bored with the Brexit negotiations

and try to make a success, instead of being obstacle to progress all

the time? But handled badly, doctors and nurses will get the impression

that the UK does not want them. It is already there, because the issue

of mutual recognition of residency has not yet been dealt with. Nobody

wants to see people not being able to stay in the UK or UK citizens

unable to stay in the EU but there is no agreement on it yet. It needs

to be dealt with as possible. -- it needs to be dealt with as quickly as

possible. My fear is that we end up with a cap on immigration every

year. That there is a cap in each sector, that the city gets the

lion's share, to protect banking and finance, and because of that cap, we

are unable to recruit doctors and nurses into Wales. I think that

would be a foolish way of dealing with it. Any cap introduced will

work in such a way to prevent NHS filling skills gaps, that is not

true. There was an in-depth study of the impact of migration at wage

levels and at the lower end of the scale, people like waiting staff and

cleaners in the health service, it concluded that unlimited immigration

from the EU and other parts of the world or unskilled and semiskilled

workers, reduces wages by a factor of 2%, in relation to a 10% rise in

the proportion of immigrants in those sectors. What is happening is

that wage levels are being compressed for the people who can

least afford it while there is no danger, as a result of the Brexit

negotiations, the number of doctors and nurses being recruited from

outside the UK. If there is to be a cap, a cap is a cap. We need to

avoid it. 80,000 EU citizens in Wales at 3 million people saw a tiny

proportion of the population. I take your point that many feel wages are

being depressed as a result. Part of that lives in the failure to

prosecute for minimum wage legislation. No prosecution at all

as far as I'm concerned. His former parties were against the minimum

wage and that would have driven wages down even further. There is

exploitation. I have heard stories of exploitation of EU citizens

coming to Wales. That needs to be cracked down on and prosecuted. In

the same way that those who tried to employ people below the minimum

wage, trying to get around employment legislation, should be

prosecuted according to the law at the law should be strengthened to

make sure no one is exploited in the future. Last week of the successful

time to change campaign launched a pilot scheme in nine schools to

tackle mental health discrimination and stigma. If this scheme is

successful, we should see more young people coming forward to seek help

for problems that they might have. Can you tell us what additional

funds you have made available for school councillors and for training

for teachers to deal with this? Every school has a school

councillor. We have ring-fenced funding for help and put more money

into it and we have seen a massive reduction in waiting times. We have

not seen a massive reduction in waiting times. You can fairly say

waiting times are no worse than they were before but you can't say they

are improved. It is not clear at all what those improved outcomes are

from this extra spending. What we do know is that the number of children

requiring counselling is going up and that's a good thing because

hopefully that means the problems can be prevented before they become

severe and require specialist help. However, we know that many schools

do not have enough councillors or teachers with trading to help those

pupils who may need it. Also, we have seen a reduction in local

authority youth workers, a staggering 40% in that workforce, as

a decrease. This is clearly going to have an impact on whether the

children experiencing the low-level mental health problems are going to

be able to get the support that they need, particularly as your

Government has raised the threshold for access in specialist cams

services. I spoke recently to someone who works with care levers,

who told me that they are only able to refer young people who are at

risk of suicide. They have no capacity in the system to work on

mental health prevention. If that situation acceptable to you? When is

there going to be an early intervention service that is so

badly needed? There is a councillor in each secondary school in Wales

and health boards have committed to reach the target by the end of

March. They have made great strides to reduce waiting times. We have

seen the potential of cams referrals seen within 28 days ago from 21%

last year to 84.5% in February this year. That's an enormous improvement

in the time required to get a first appointment. The money we put in,

together with the counselling available in schools, is paying for

it. It is true to say that the waiting lists are no worse than

before and overall, you cannot say, throughout Wales, that they are

better. Children and young people with mental health difficulties go

an average of ten years, ten years, before they receive specialist help.

These are the people who are likely to be the most ill and also who cost

our service is the most money. It didn't have to happen this way. We

have the kind of teenage mental health early intervention scheme,

that we don't have that we badly need. We know that self harm is the

second biggest killer of teenage girls globally. Are we going to have

to wait for 16-year-olds to have the vote before the mental health of our

children and young people get the proper priority it deserves? Some of

us do have children and I have a 16-year-old daughter so I know the

pressures that exist on the young, particularly through social media,

something that didn't exist when I was 16. I know some of the things

that said online and I know that when youngsters are at their most

vulnerable in terms of their confidence, they can deeply affected

by it. You didn't listen to the figures I gave. The percentage of

cams... She can shout as much as she once, she has had three questions

already. Betsy is an example of what has happened around Wales and the

levels of cams referrals around Wales there has gone up. The figures

needed to improve, we knew more buddy had to be put in as the

demands on the service grew and we are delivering young people. Could

the First Minister make a statement on the progress of the Welsh

Government commitment to raise the capital limit for those entering

residential care? We aren't delivering this, commitment is

underway, we have provided local authorities with ?4.5 million in

2017 - 18 to deliver that increase. I commend the Welsh Government of

taking early steps to deliver on this pledge to raise the capital

limit to more than double over the life of this Assembly term to

?50,000. We now offer that the only asset our constituents have is that

home so more than doubling it is a disproportionately great benefit on

what they can pass on to their relatives at some point. There is

also to be a full disregard of the disablement pension being introduced

in Wales which means Welsh veterans no longer have to use any part of

this to pay for the care they need. This is part of us honouring our

covenant with those who put their lives on the line for the country.

If the First Minister has any idea what sort of numbers we can be

talking about of those who may benefit from this excellent policy?

The initial increased to 30,000 will benefit around 250 people, the

increased to 50,000 will benefit around a thousand people. We support

the improvement in this policy, particularly the part relating to

the veterans this regard, but is this savings camp really the best

you can do for people who have tried very hard. In order for people to

save more? Jeremy Corbyn has recently said that he is not

wealthy, despite earning more than ?138,000 each year and House prices

in Wales are averaging ?175,000 a year. Don't you agree that the

?100,000 cap pledge by Welsh Conservatives probably reflects more

realistically the Hardwick people have put in turning this money

during the course of their lives? The pledge the Welsh Conservatives

have was not costed properly. There is a cost to how much such a policy

would cost. 25% roughly of care home residents in Wales will benefit from

this policy. It's another example of a Welsh Government keeping its

promises as we have done for the past six years. Will be First

Minister make a statement of the progress made on the Welsh

Government's industrial strategy? We will beat publishing our strategy

before the summer recess. I know the Government understands the

importance of manufacturing and engineering industries. They are

strengths within the Welsh economy. But the UK Government seems to

recognise the same thing and places steel towards the bottom of it. We

need to attract more manufacturing. We need to provide more premises of

a larger footprint, 25,000 square feet plus to make sure those

factories are there for them to come into. What are you doing to make

sure there are sufficient numbers of buildings to attract both inward

investment in manufacturing and also to allow industries to expand? We

work with manufacturers and others to look at buildings as they become

available. Aston Martin, it happened there and that was very useful. In

terms of being able to attract them. We worked closely with all

businesses to assess their needs in terms of future expansion. Where

they seek to do that, we usually are able to work within the source

buildings. First Minister, Jeremy Corbyn has set out plans for

sweeping Government intervention in our industry, including taking parts

of Britain's energy industry into public ownership alongside the

railways and Royal Mail. That is the biggest state intervention in our

economy for decades. Do you endorse Jeremy Corbyn's approach, which I

certainly believe would take Wales back to the 1970s, and do you agree

with your party leader when he says that private transport operators

cannot be trusted with having passengers' best interests at heart?

Anyone who says the energy market is good for consumers must be living in

a different universe to the rest of us. Time and time again, governments

have recognised the current system doesn't work. Energy was cheaper

proportionally in the 1970s and we had major investments. He talks

about the railways, the last major investment in intercity helped in

1977. It was under a Labour Government. Since then, no major

investment in the mainline. We are still waiting for electrification.

Still waiting for electrification to Cardiff and Swansea, where has that

gone? Not delivered by the party opposite. No sign yet from the

Conservatives. No one can argue the railways presently are delivering

value for money. They cost more for the taxpayer now that they did when

they were nationalised because of the way it was done. There needs to

be more reality from the Conservatives and above all, they

need to deliver on their promises for energy and railed and they had

been an abject failure in that sense.

We certainly need new ideas when it comes to economic strategy because

the old ideas haven't worked, have they? We are poorer now, relative to

the rest of the UK, than when Labour first took office in 1997 at

Westminster and here in the Assembly in 1999. So can the First Minister

explain what new ideas Labour has to transform our economy and given the

fact that you've been in power in Wales for almost 20 years and for a

good proportion of that time in Westminster as well, what's kept

you? Where have those transformational ideas been up until

now? Where was his party when for four years his party was in charge

of the economy in Wales? I don't... That is something they would rather

forget about, conveniently. He asked for new ideas, the vallis task force

is moving forward with new ideas for the valleys. We are looking how we

develop ourselves as an international presence again,

because we know we have to look outside to new countries for

investment. The Airlink is extremely important. Major investment such as

Aston Martin, General dynamics, coming to Wales. The next challenge

will cause is to improve GDA. He is correct about that but certainly as

far as job creation is concerned, as far as reaching out to the world is

concerned, as far as getting investment income of the best

figures for 30 years last year, this Welsh Government is delivering. Will

the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's approach to investing

in capital infrastructure projects against Wales? It is a focus on

maximising the resources we have available and targeting these on the

areas where they have the biggest impact in boosting the economy,

supporting our communities and connecting all parts of Wales. It

was welcome news that the finance secretary stated ?1 billion mutual

investment model will be used to fund infrastructure projects in

Wales. This includes social infrastructure and 21st century

schools programme, but also the final of the a 40592, vital for my

own constituency. How does the Welsh Government plan to use similar

approaches to invest in infrastructure and benefit the

people of Wales in the future? We are facing unprecedented challenges

to public finances so it is vitally important we unlock all

opportunities to boost infrastructure investment. As well

as the ?1 billion in capital infrastructure investment we are

committed to delivering through the innovative finance model, we are

also using innovative ways of funding capital investment to the

250 million extension to the housing grant and 150 million coastal risk

management programme and they are in addition to the ?1 billion of direct

capital borrowing as a result of the Wales act 2014. First Minister, last

year's UK budget provided a valuable boost to capital infrastructure

spending in Wales and shows what can be achieved when Welsh and UK

governments work together. Do you agree with me that the projects that

you mentioned, the welcome agreement on a Cardiff City deal and today's

announcement on the scrapping of the Severn Bridge tolls shows what can

be achieved and the Welsh Government and yourself are much better working

with Theresa May than Jeremy Corbyn? There is some truth to that question

and I give you credit for that but the answer is quite simply no, I

would rather work with Jeremy Corbyn. But secondly, yes, I think

it is right that at a time when there is no election and Welsh and

UK governments are able to work together, city deal is an example of

that but when it comes to the Severn Bridge tolls, we have been pushing

for this for years. An example of working together is we have made the

case and hallelujah, the UK Government has converted, I welcome

that as well but it does show how important it is to have a strong

team here in the Welsh Government to keep on pushing a Tory Government so

they deliver things such as the ending of the Severn Bridge toll,

which we have called for four years. In terms of the three stage process

for assessing proposals the new railway stations in Wales, you are

no doubt aware that some campaigners are calling for the reopening of

certain stations which failed to make the second stage and feel

aggrieved, including members of action groups. In light of that, and

in the interest of transparency, will your Government be prepared to

share the results of the cost benefit analysis in moving from

stage one to stage two? I see no difficulty in doing that, it is

important it is shared so we can see what the methodology is. Will the

First Minister make a statement on the Welsh medium stream back in high

school? I cannot comment further on those proposals the change because

there is a potential role for the Welsh Government and that position

cannot be... I of course understand. This is the opposite to the

situation which we faced, weather was parental opposition to the

changing of the status of the school to a medium school. There is a

feeling in the locality in Brecon that this proposal for closure has

become a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, because the council has

for many years had a proposal to close down and provided free

transport to alternative schools for parents so it is not surprising that

parents who want to have their children taught through the medium

of Welsh are exploring other opportunities, but the school rolls

levels. I hold back then it hope the levels. I hold back then it hope the

First Minister would agree I have tried to be honest and nonpartisan

and helpful, so what I would like to ask the First Minister is in

addition to the acknowledged policy, which I think is a correct one,

bringing parents with us and going with the grain, is it not the case

of where they want their children taught through the medium of Welsh

to make it as easy as possible for them and requiring children to go on

a bus journey of over an hour in each direction each day is not

likely to bring more parents into the net of wanting to have their

children taught through the medium of Welsh? Without commenting on this

individual case, what can the First Minister do to make it easier for

parents in this situation that we find in Brecon to have their wishes

satisfied? If I can speak generally, the leader of Ukip is correct in

that in many parts of Wales, the length of the journey time to get to

a Welsh medium school puts parents. Particularly true in some parts of

Wales weather is a Welsh medium primary school but a substantial

journey to the secondary school. Monmouthshire is an example that

springs to mind. Steps must be taken to ensure they are able to access

secondary education, particularly more locally. Generally, local

authorities have to produce their strategic plans. We look at those

plans and if we judge them to be inadequate, we do not approve those

plans. It is for local authorities all across Wales to show they are

providing sufficient access to Welsh medium education in order that those

plans to be effective. The Welsh Government has an ambition to see a

million Welsh speakers by the year 2050. In order to reach that target,

we need to get as many children as possible starting their education

through the medium of Welsh and as you have said, it is difficult for

you to discuss this individual issue but as a matter of general

principle...