:00:25. > :00:30.Good afternoon. Welcome to the programme. As footballers prepare
:00:30. > :00:35.for the FA Cup final this Saturday, politicians are getting ready for
:00:35. > :00:38.their own cup final, tomorrow's local elections. Rupert Murdoch has
:00:38. > :00:42.written to staff at British newspapers acknowledging that he
:00:42. > :00:47.should have cracked down faster on the wrong doing at the News of the
:00:47. > :00:51.World after some MPs say he's not a fit person to run a major
:00:51. > :00:57.international business. And we look ahead to tomorrow's elections.
:00:57. > :01:02.I will be looking at why he voters often call for the local produce on
:01:02. > :01:05.offer. And on the last full day of
:01:05. > :01:15.campaigning, I will be hearing from representatives of the Labour and
:01:15. > :01:18.
:01:18. > :01:21.Conservative parties about why they think they should have your vote.
:01:21. > :01:27.Joining the are two Assembly Members and two former council
:01:27. > :01:30.leaders. We do not throw this programme together! Good morning.
:01:30. > :01:36.The Prime Minister would not be at the despatch box or -- answering
:01:36. > :01:42.his weekly Questions today. But there is plenty happening in
:01:42. > :01:45.Westminster. We mentioned earlier on, Rupert
:01:45. > :01:49.Murdoch and the report yesterday from the committee. The headlines
:01:49. > :01:55.from that was that Rupert Murdoch was not a fit person to run a major
:01:55. > :01:58.international business. Is that for politicians to say? I think more
:01:58. > :02:03.intriguing is exactly what the extent of his knowledge was
:02:03. > :02:07.regarding what went on. I find it very difficult given his track
:02:07. > :02:11.record with regard to the way in which he has controlled companies
:02:11. > :02:15.to believe that he did not know what was going on. That is the
:02:15. > :02:20.impression he is trying to create. If he did not -- if he did know
:02:20. > :02:24.what was going on, I think it is right that politicians should
:02:24. > :02:27.actually give their views on that. There are some politicians who
:02:27. > :02:34.perhaps were quite close to Robert -- Rupert Murdoch when it suited
:02:34. > :02:39.them. That is what they need to ask questions about as well. What you
:02:39. > :02:44.make of the headline of the committee report? Rupert Murdoch's
:02:45. > :02:51.denials and his son's denials in not remembering much do not ring
:02:51. > :02:55.true. Flatley, I think they are telling lies.
:02:55. > :02:59.It is funny because the Tories are now accused of being too close to
:02:59. > :03:04.Rupert Murdoch but the truth is that Labour when in government
:03:04. > :03:08.courted Rupert Murdoch avidly. Tony Blair was in and out of his house
:03:08. > :03:18.on a regular basis. And they felt that they had to do
:03:18. > :03:20.
:03:20. > :03:25.so in order to gain his support. Everybody is as guilty as each
:03:25. > :03:34.other in the main parties because they felt that he -- his influence
:03:34. > :03:38.through his newspapers was Orpheus and so pervasive. You mentioned how
:03:38. > :03:42.parties courted Rupert Murdoch but if we look at the vote yesterday,
:03:42. > :03:48.members of the committee took a vote as to whether they approved
:03:48. > :03:54.what was said and that was split on party lines. The Conservatives not
:03:54. > :03:58.happy to endorse the view that he was not fit and proper.
:03:58. > :04:02.Yes, and you can almost understand it. Labour and the Liberal
:04:02. > :04:08.Democrats now want to put as much distance between them and Rupert
:04:08. > :04:14.Murdoch as they can. He has an awful, terrible man. And Labour
:04:14. > :04:22.when in power courted him, Gordon Brown did, Tony Blair did. But now
:04:22. > :04:25.it since then to painting as dark as they can find -- as dark a brush
:04:26. > :04:30.as they can find. It is just politics. Your party voted to
:04:30. > :04:34.support the idea that he was not a fit person.
:04:34. > :04:39.News Corporation say that tears. What do you make of the political
:04:39. > :04:44.split on the committee? Does anything like that happen in the
:04:44. > :04:48.Assembly? Not in my experience. We tend to debate the recommendations
:04:49. > :04:54.put forward uncertainly, I am not aware of minority reports coming
:04:54. > :05:00.out, but I think the nature of politics in the Assembly is quite
:05:00. > :05:04.different to that in Westminster, luckily. I would say there is a
:05:04. > :05:12.weakness here, we tend to feel that we should agree on everything. It
:05:12. > :05:20.is not natural. You do not agree on everything in the Chamber. It means
:05:20. > :05:23.that the recommendations for the often are a bit general. Even the
:05:23. > :05:28.Government accepts most of them. There is something unnatural about
:05:28. > :05:35.that. I think that might change as the institution becomes more mature.
:05:35. > :05:40.And in reality, we will have more meaty legislation. It may well be
:05:40. > :05:45.the case that there are minority reports for example if it is the
:05:45. > :05:55.case that the Government cannot actually get its way as far as it
:05:55. > :05:56.
:05:57. > :05:59.legislate -- Lesley to programme is concerned. -- legislative.
:05:59. > :06:06.might start calling questions on disagreeing we are members of
:06:06. > :06:11.committees? It very much depends on the topics. To date, the
:06:11. > :06:14.committee's advice on, we have been discussing things like oral health.
:06:14. > :06:17.The reality there is there was agreement amongst the committee
:06:17. > :06:26.which was even critical of some of the stance is that the Government
:06:26. > :06:30.took. The Government in that case, the Welsh government, it has
:06:30. > :06:37.rejected one of the recommendations. It was only accepted one in
:06:37. > :06:42.principle. -- it has. The committee took a somewhat critical view of
:06:42. > :06:46.the programme. That is how we committee should operate. Are you
:06:46. > :06:56.going to be causing havoc on committees? As I get older,
:06:56. > :06:56.
:06:56. > :06:59.obviously, I will probably get wilder! And more insane. There is a
:06:59. > :07:03.suggestion in the last Assembly when Andrew Davis and Brian Gibbons
:07:03. > :07:12.stop being Ministers and went on to committees, they really did cause
:07:12. > :07:17.some problems for people giving evidence. You are a former Minister.
:07:17. > :07:21.Maybe you can cause some have it yourself. Certainly, I do not
:07:21. > :07:25.believe that committees should operate, they should try to operate
:07:25. > :07:31.objectively. That is not easy. There is a tendency for the
:07:31. > :07:38.Government benches to try and protect Ministers. That is to focus
:07:38. > :07:45.and -- understandable. There is no reason why you cannot take an
:07:45. > :07:50.independent view as a committee. There are sound reasons sometimes
:07:50. > :07:56.for agreeing as a committee and operating independently. But there
:07:56. > :08:04.are other times when it is obvious that there are other things at play.
:08:04. > :08:12.Politics being one of them. We will leave it there for now. We
:08:12. > :08:16.will move on to see what is happening in the Senedd today.
:08:16. > :08:19.Good afternoon. Quite an interesting afternoon in prospect,
:08:19. > :08:23.as always. We start off with ministerial
:08:23. > :08:28.questions to the Education Minister, later Andrews. And in local
:08:28. > :08:31.Government Minister, Carl Sargeant. -- Leighton Andrews. And then
:08:31. > :08:36.emotion to establish a committee to scrutinise the First Minister and
:08:36. > :08:43.elect members to back new committee. We have the first debate of the
:08:43. > :08:46.afternoon. It is on oral health, children's oral health specifically.
:08:46. > :08:49.There was a report a couple of months back which was quite
:08:49. > :08:52.interesting on the way forward on that issue. A couple of
:08:52. > :09:02.recommendations in the tiddler. Dentists should do more to prevent
:09:02. > :09:03.
:09:03. > :09:07.tooth decay and other matters in the first place.
:09:07. > :09:14.They wanted to keep an open mind about this idea of adding fluoride
:09:14. > :09:18.to the water supply. There is a lot of debate about that.
:09:18. > :09:21.Following that, a couple of debates which are very much focused on
:09:21. > :09:29.tomorrow's comes elections. The Conservatives want to talk about
:09:29. > :09:34.Council Tax. The argument that they feel the money provided by the UK
:09:34. > :09:37.government to freeze Council Tax in Wales if the Welsh government what
:09:37. > :09:47.did to that, they did not, should have been passed on to the Council
:09:47. > :09:51.Tax payer. The Government decided would be far
:09:51. > :09:59.more useful to spend that money on apprenticeships. And on home energy
:09:59. > :10:04.efficiency. Even more so, you might argue, the
:10:04. > :10:10.Liberal Democrat debate which follows. It is on how effective the
:10:10. > :10:14.management of their councils has been. Was that the kind of debate
:10:14. > :10:18.that was envisaged all those years ago? I do not know. It is
:10:18. > :10:28.interesting we are having an -- a debate on how effective sum was
:10:28. > :10:32.councils are. -- some Welsh councils. The short debate, today
:10:32. > :10:42.it is from the Conservative form of Wales, Mark Isherwood. He wants to
:10:42. > :10:45.
:10:45. > :10:52.talk a lot hospices and palliative care.
:10:52. > :10:57.You can watch the proceedings live on Democracy Live. Online coverage.
:10:57. > :11:05.The address is on the screen. Let's have more on the phone
:11:05. > :11:09.hacking scandal. Good afternoon. What is the latest
:11:09. > :11:13.this morning. --? We have had plenty so far this morning on the
:11:14. > :11:19.sofa. A strongly-worded report published by the committee
:11:19. > :11:26.yesterday is losing a bit of it might become as committee members
:11:27. > :11:31.cannot agree on the detail. -- because. Let's see what they set
:11:31. > :11:35.out to do. It wanted to see if certain individuals had misled the
:11:35. > :11:41.committee and therefore Parliament. It relates to previous hearings on
:11:41. > :11:49.the phone hacking. The conclusion is clear. All the members agree on
:11:49. > :11:55.the conclusion of lard. Three former executives did mislead
:11:55. > :11:59.Parliament. This report has gone beyond its original remit by
:11:59. > :12:06.criticising the boss himself, Rupert Murdoch, and saying he is
:12:06. > :12:09.not a fit and proper person to be the head of a global company. It is
:12:09. > :12:15.on that particular criticism that has caused the split within the
:12:15. > :12:21.committee. That spitters on party lines. It is clear that
:12:21. > :12:30.Conservatives do not agree with it. It is the Conservative MPs that a
:12:30. > :12:40.poll that particular criticism of Rupert Murdoch. -- a poll was. --
:12:40. > :12:44.oppose. It is said that it means the report is effectively worthless.
:12:44. > :12:48.That is because it will be perceived as being partisan. News
:12:49. > :12:55.Corporation has issued a statement to say that they apologise for all
:12:55. > :13:05.be wrong to win but the attack on Rupert Murdoch himself is
:13:05. > :13:06.
:13:06. > :13:10.unjustified. -- wrongdoing. But it makes it seem as if the
:13:10. > :13:18.Conservative MPs are siding with Rupert Murdoch. And it creates
:13:18. > :13:26.further tension within the coalition. Does this damage Rupert
:13:26. > :13:36.Murdoch? Of course it is damaging to half the sorts of headlines. --
:13:36. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:49.have. It casts a Shadow over Rupert Murdoch's stake in BSkyB. Results
:13:49. > :13:55.will be published in due course. But oddly enough, BSkyB does not
:13:55. > :14:02.seem to be suffering at the moment because of these headlines. At
:14:02. > :14:08.close of play yesterday, shares were up. News Corporation has
:14:08. > :14:12.issued a statement saying that profits are up. As well as
:14:12. > :14:19.customers. Rupert Murdoch has e- mailed its staff -- his staff say
:14:19. > :14:23.in this report is hard reading but BSkyB insists it is fit and proper.
:14:23. > :14:32.Parliament is in recess. MPs are back next Wednesday. What can we
:14:32. > :14:38.expect our --? Many would say it is not a break. They are loud drumming
:14:38. > :14:44.up support for local election candidates. MPs will be back on May
:14:44. > :14:49.9th for the Queen's Speech. Parties when the Government sets out its
:14:49. > :14:59.legislative programme. -- that is when. One bill that will cause a
:14:59. > :15:01.
:15:01. > :15:09.bit of problem -- tension within the coalition will be that they
:15:09. > :15:13.will that relates to the House of We'll talk about local elections
:15:13. > :15:19.today, but tomorrow is the day of the London mayoral election. It has
:15:19. > :15:24.been a lively campaign? Yes, it's been a bloody battle in London
:15:24. > :15:29.between the two main candidates, Labour's Ken Livingstone and the
:15:29. > :15:34.Conservative, Boris Johnson. Other candidates of course include Brian
:15:34. > :15:40.Paddick for Liberal Democrats and the independent candidate and Jenny
:15:40. > :15:44.Jones for the Greens. You can go to the BBC web-site for the full list.
:15:44. > :15:50.The polls show the most recent Politics Show that Boris Johnson is
:15:50. > :15:55.in the lead and the feeling is that Labour has missed a trick by
:15:55. > :15:59.fielding Ken Livingstone. That it should have put forward a strong
:15:59. > :16:06.female candidate that would have been a better contest for Boris
:16:06. > :16:12.Johnson. And there is the feeling that possibly Ken Livingstone has
:16:12. > :16:16.too much political baggage. It is never a good thing to predict
:16:16. > :16:21.election results, but I'm pretty sure Boris Johnson will be in City
:16:21. > :16:28.Hall for another term. Thank you. I have never been one for making
:16:28. > :16:32.predictions and I never will. Now we don't just enjoy talking
:16:32. > :16:42.amongsts ourselves in the studio, we want to hear from you. You can
:16:42. > :16:49.
:16:49. > :16:58.Tomorrow the polling station will be open for the local elections.
:16:58. > :17:02.Here is Mark at the Oriel. I'm joined by Nick Ramsay. Your party's
:17:02. > :17:07.gone big on the idea of freezing Council Tax. Not many people will
:17:07. > :17:12.disagree with that and not many taxpayers want to pay more. But
:17:12. > :17:18.what services will you cut? Some people have disagreed with it. But
:17:18. > :17:23.we are pleased. It is a populist measure? It is a pledge what has
:17:23. > :17:27.happened in England. We don't see why people, just because they live
:17:27. > :17:32.in Wales, won't benefit. The Welsh Government was given the money to
:17:32. > :17:37.freeze Council Tax and they chose not to do that. In our areas we as
:17:37. > :17:40.local authorities will be freezing Council Taxes where we can. Haven't
:17:40. > :17:45.you hit on something, the Welsh Government has made the decision
:17:45. > :17:52.not to enable that money to go on to freeze the tax f you do well
:17:52. > :17:55.tomorrow, your councils still won't be able to freeze council tax. You
:17:55. > :18:00.would need to be in power in the National Assembly. Nofrpblgts then
:18:00. > :18:06.all councils would have had the -- No, then all councils would have
:18:06. > :18:10.had the power to do it. In Monday moultshire, they have chose on the
:18:10. > :18:14.freeze Council Tax and local Conservatives winning local
:18:14. > :18:19.elections can freeze Council Tax. It is not as easy as it should have
:18:19. > :18:26.been, but Conservativing will keep your Council Tax down. Some
:18:26. > :18:30.services will be cut? No there are huge savings that can made in local
:18:30. > :18:35.authorities. In Monmouthshire they have taken money from management
:18:35. > :18:39.cost and it can be done. Don't think that local authorities just
:18:39. > :18:44.because they haven't been given the resourcing from the government can
:18:44. > :18:49.blame everyone else, but themselves. Its for locals to save Monday ci.
:18:49. > :18:54.You mentioned Monmouth and the veil of Glamorgan, what do you think,
:18:54. > :18:58.you have mentioned efficient circumstances is there a policy
:18:58. > :19:02.platform that would appeal to people? I think if you look at
:19:02. > :19:06.where we have been in power and where we controlled authorities,
:19:06. > :19:11.then public services are doing well. So it is not just about making
:19:11. > :19:16.savings, but value for money. In the sort of climate we're in,
:19:17. > :19:20.households are having to save money, but they're having the same out
:19:20. > :19:24.goings. We have said where local authorities want to levy more, they
:19:24. > :19:30.should be allowed to ask people in a referendum if they want that.
:19:30. > :19:33.Going through your manifesto, you are talking about direct funding of
:19:33. > :19:37.schools. That has been a Conservative for a while, why do
:19:37. > :19:42.you think it is a good idea to circumvent local education
:19:42. > :19:47.authorities? Because of waste. If you give money to schools, not only
:19:47. > :19:50.does it m power people to have the schools they want, but you don't
:19:50. > :19:54.have the expensive management costs that we can't afford. It is
:19:54. > :19:58.happening in England, there noise reason why it shouldn't happen here.
:19:58. > :20:02.-- there is no reason why it shouldn't happen here and give
:20:02. > :20:09.people the power to do things. We believe Conservatives are better
:20:09. > :20:14.suited to do that. What about your plans for small business? That is
:20:14. > :20:19.my particular interest. We believe that business rates are too high.
:20:19. > :20:26.We're waiting to hear what the Government's panel comes back with,
:20:26. > :20:31.but when I was, when I went to Caerphilly, people were saying time
:20:31. > :20:36.after time these business rates are crippling us. Again, we think that
:20:36. > :20:40.small businesses should be taken out of business rate relief. But
:20:40. > :20:46.failing that there is some support. We have got through as much as we
:20:46. > :20:53.can in the time. Thank you. Back to you. As I mentioned the Prime
:20:53. > :20:59.Minister isn't facing his queebg -- weekly questions. So let's turn our
:20:59. > :21:03.attention to the Senedd and yet's - - yesterday's questions to the
:21:03. > :21:09.First Minister. Prior to the last elections, you gave a promise to
:21:09. > :21:11.the people of Wales that a Welsh Labour Government would not
:21:11. > :21:15.downgrade district General Hospitals. Today the BBC has
:21:15. > :21:22.reported that your Government has a plan to undermine public confidence
:21:22. > :21:27.in the NHS so you can go ahead with your plans to downgrade hospitals.
:21:27. > :21:33.You have an opportunity now to set the record straight. Will you tell
:21:33. > :21:39.us ahead of next Thursday's local elections does your Government plan
:21:39. > :21:44.to downgrade hospitals, or centralise core services? It is a
:21:44. > :21:49.serious allegation to make about the BBC that they have published a
:21:49. > :21:54.news zory, claiming we're trying to undermine the health service. That
:21:54. > :21:58.is not what they have said. I think the cat was let out of bag when she
:21:58. > :22:02.talked of the local elections. From our point of view, we want to make
:22:02. > :22:07.sure the health services are safe. No hospital is under threat. No
:22:07. > :22:12.hospital was ever under threat in Wales. I note in the Plaid Cymru
:22:12. > :22:16.press release, they say, as far a this report, which is not our
:22:16. > :22:20.report, it is a cynical scaremongering tactic and people
:22:20. > :22:24.across Wales will be horrified they are willing to sink to these depths
:22:24. > :22:31.to get their way. I won'ter whether they were looking in the mirror
:22:31. > :22:36.when that was written. -- wonder. It notice there was no denial in
:22:36. > :22:43.the report and isn't tit kies that if your Government intend to
:22:43. > :22:49.scaremongering to -- isn't it the case that your Government intends
:22:49. > :22:55.to scaremongering. Would you say the BBC is scaremongering. Order.
:22:55. > :23:02.Can we listen to this please? you. On the 1st February, your
:23:02. > :23:07.health minister denied that she knew the LHB's plans with regard to
:23:07. > :23:12.health reconfiguration, last week she confirmed that she was awaiting
:23:13. > :23:17.LMB's plans. If that is true, how could you minister and your
:23:17. > :23:24.Government know what case to make to the people of Wales? There are
:23:24. > :23:28.no plans in place, final plan for the LHBs, this report was
:23:28. > :23:31.commissioned by the confederation. Is not a Government report and
:23:31. > :23:37.contains information we can't ignore. We want to improve the
:23:37. > :23:41.health service and mortality rates. If that is not a priority for Plaid
:23:41. > :23:46.Cymru, they should say. She is playing hard and fast with the
:23:46. > :23:50.facts. She's stepped back from the allegation about the BBC and I
:23:50. > :23:54.repeat what she didn't hear the first time, no hospital in Wales is
:23:54. > :23:59.under threat and no hospital was ever under threat. We want to make
:23:59. > :24:04.sure that there are centres of excellence across Wales that
:24:04. > :24:12.provide services for the people of Wales. You say you have no final
:24:12. > :24:18.plans, will you publish the plans that you have. You have tried to
:24:18. > :24:21.keep t under wraps. Now you have been caught out. It is time for
:24:21. > :24:29.honestty. If your Government is making the case, what are you
:24:29. > :24:37.making the case for? What services do you intend to strip out of
:24:37. > :24:44.Prince Philip hospital or the hospital in Wrexham, Prince Charles
:24:44. > :24:47.in and I could go on. You know that there are big concerns about the
:24:47. > :24:52.future of our district General Hospitals. First Minister, why
:24:52. > :24:56.won't you come clean? Well I'm appraised to hear her say this is
:24:56. > :25:01.secret. Because we published it on the web-site. It is not even our
:25:01. > :25:10.report. Let me make something clear. She talks about scaremongering,
:25:10. > :25:14.Plaid Cymru are handing out leaflets saying that we close A and
:25:14. > :25:19.E and that another hospital will close. If that is not
:25:19. > :25:24.scaremongering, I don't know what is. If we're going to have honestly,
:25:24. > :25:28.let's have honestly from Plaid Cymru and let me say to the people
:25:28. > :25:33.of clan earthly, there noise threat to those hospitals there never was
:25:33. > :25:38.a threat to the hospitals. We want to make sure there are centres of
:25:38. > :25:44.excellence in both areas, because we care about health, we care about
:25:44. > :25:54.access to services, we care about outcomes and lives. But Plaid Cymru
:25:54. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:01.seem to care about votes. Thank you. We move to question three. Will the
:26:01. > :26:06.First Minister make a statement on the delivery of the programme for
:26:06. > :26:13.Government. Yes we are making good progress and the first full report
:26:13. > :26:16.will be published this month. course, it is the 1st May fr, now
:26:16. > :26:21.the rights measure places the important duty on your Government
:26:21. > :26:25.to have due regard to the UN convention on the rights of child
:26:25. > :26:30.in all your policies. So how will you demonstrate what your
:26:30. > :26:35.Government is specifically doing to uphold those rights? We know, what
:26:35. > :26:41.the new law imposes on us. And of course we will be looking to, well
:26:41. > :26:46.first we have ensured that the rights are worked through, all that
:26:46. > :26:48.we do as a government and during the course of the debate on the
:26:49. > :26:56.report of the programme for government there will be an
:26:56. > :27:00.opportunity to question us on our progress. First Minister, I know
:27:00. > :27:06.that many families many my constituency are benefiting from
:27:06. > :27:11.flying start and I do welcome the additional �55 million investment
:27:11. > :27:17.to support its expansion. That is going to help deliver better
:27:17. > :27:22.outcome for children living in poverty. I was pleased to visit the
:27:22. > :27:25.family centre and this is a community-based service, which
:27:26. > :27:31.offers a range of family support services and advice to children,
:27:31. > :27:36.parents and carers. Would you join with me in commending the work of
:27:36. > :27:41.the centre and agree by investing in those early years of a child's
:27:41. > :27:45.life that this an investment in their future? That is why we are
:27:45. > :27:53.looking to double the number of family 40 can get the support of
:27:53. > :27:58.programme. We know very well in addition to the new duties impose
:27:58. > :28:03.on us by the measure, regarding children and young people, that
:28:03. > :28:10.taken together this will be a significant step forward for young
:28:10. > :28:14.people in Wales. Thank you. First Minister, your programme for
:28:14. > :28:18.Government pledged to review what entrepreneural support is needed by
:28:18. > :28:23.small firms to thrive and grow. We know that the independent review
:28:23. > :28:27.panel into the impact of business rate relief will report later this
:28:28. > :28:31.month. If that panel does recommend that there should be a reduction in
:28:31. > :28:35.business rates, for businesses in Wales, will you give those
:28:35. > :28:44.businesses an assurance that you will implement that recommendation?
:28:44. > :28:52.We will await any recommendations before commenting. Thank you. 30
:28:52. > :28:57.months ago, the healthy eating measure received royal consent.
:28:57. > :29:02.That measure has not been commenced. Will do you intend to commerce the
:29:02. > :29:06.measure? We had to wait for appetite for life to finish as a
:29:06. > :29:14.programme to provide the evidence we needed. For primary schools it
:29:14. > :29:23.will come into force in September this year. Will you outline your
:29:23. > :29:27.priorities for the area. Yes the require priorities are to deliver
:29:27. > :29:34.on our programme for government. This is one area that will suffer
:29:34. > :29:38.if the coalition presses ahead and imposes regional pay on Wales. Can
:29:38. > :29:42.you outline what steps the Welsh Government has taken to put the
:29:42. > :29:47.argument against regional pay 5 what contacts it has with
:29:47. > :29:53.Government and what steps are taken to mitigate the argument that is
:29:53. > :30:00.being put forward for regional pay? Well we can't to -- continue to
:30:00. > :30:05.make the case that we think regional pay is inappropriate.
:30:05. > :30:09.Thank you. First Minister, one of the areas that has been let down by
:30:09. > :30:14.Welsh government programmes, objective one and convergence
:30:14. > :30:18.funding is Rhonda, sadly the outcomes have not been as desired
:30:18. > :30:23.and figures are very disappointing. Given that the commissioner nor
:30:23. > :30:27.regional policy from the EU was never last week and talked of
:30:27. > :30:31.results in the next round of funding, what goal are you going to
:30:31. > :30:34.set for your government to make sure that the last two
:30:34. > :30:44.opportunities the previous governments have missed will not be
:30:44. > :30:46.
:30:46. > :30:50.another missed opportunities when We will continue. We do need the UK
:30:50. > :30:57.government to do its bit and reverse its disastrous you can at -
:30:57. > :31:03.- economic policies. Unemployment is a big problem in Rhondda Cynon
:31:03. > :31:13.Taff. Jobs we can ill afford to lose our lot rest in Rhondda Cynon
:31:13. > :31:14.
:31:14. > :31:18.Taff and other parts of Wales. With the clock ticking Against the
:31:18. > :31:24.threat and Remploy factories, what is your government doing to secured
:31:24. > :31:34.their future? Have you push the idea of devolving the Remploy
:31:34. > :31:35.
:31:35. > :31:40.budget to Wales? The Minister has visited all of the Remploy
:31:40. > :31:43.factories. We have written to the UK government asking for the
:31:43. > :31:51.devolution of the budget for Remploy. But has been refused. You
:31:51. > :31:56.looking at other options. Perhaps we could help by seeing it saved
:31:56. > :32:00.through social enterprises. They have a full order books. We will
:32:00. > :32:09.continue to work and fight for those workers that have been let
:32:09. > :32:19.down by the UK government. Rhondda Cynon Taff Council have been
:32:19. > :32:28.
:32:29. > :32:32.spending money developing the centre of. Decreed. -- Pontypridd.
:32:32. > :32:37.First Minister, local residents do not want the new development in
:32:37. > :32:42.Talbot Green. It cuts against the evidence this Assembly has seen on
:32:42. > :32:48.town-centre regeneration. It is not for me to call for it to be
:32:48. > :32:54.reviewed. The Welsh government has a role in terms of whether they are
:32:54. > :33:03.called in or not. Rhondda Cynon Taff have a good record in
:33:03. > :33:11.developing the beard and environment. -- be urban
:33:11. > :33:16.environment. The tobacco control action plan
:33:16. > :33:20.aims to turn down smoking prevalence records by 2013. Could
:33:21. > :33:29.you outline how the Government is to tackle the alarming increase in
:33:30. > :33:36.smoking she Show. Recent research has suggested a smoker inhales over
:33:36. > :33:40.100 full-strength cigarettes. It is currently unregulated.
:33:40. > :33:48.I have to say there have been no specific discussions. But I will
:33:49. > :33:56.raise the matter would be cheap -- Chief Medical Officer. I have seen
:33:56. > :33:59.outside a premises, particularly in London. There are a number of
:33:59. > :34:07.establishments that offer these pipes. I will take it up with the
:34:08. > :34:10.Chief Medical Officer. Following his visit by young
:34:10. > :34:14.ambassadors to the Assembly last week urging Assembly Members to
:34:14. > :34:19.take part in the UK wide consultation on plain packaging
:34:19. > :34:23.Fawcett -- cigarettes, what specific proposals are the First
:34:23. > :34:29.Minister have to help young people that they have started smoking? To
:34:29. > :34:35.help them stop smoking. There is support for young people aged
:34:36. > :34:44.between 12 and 17. They are classified as smokers. Beset Shezad
:34:44. > :34:51.-- sessions are delivered on a one- to-one basis. The service also
:34:51. > :34:59.offers brief intervention to ensure they are aware of the support but
:34:59. > :35:05.is available. -- that is available. Smoking in
:35:05. > :35:12.cars is very damaging to the health of children. Why then will you not
:35:12. > :35:15.start a process now legislating to ban smoking in cars? What we have
:35:16. > :35:20.said is there is a campaign on going at the moment to reduce the
:35:20. > :35:28.number of smokers smoking in cars when children are present. If that
:35:28. > :35:32.does not work, we will legislate. Will the First Minister please
:35:32. > :35:38.outline his plans to develop the Welsh tourism industry?
:35:38. > :35:42.programme for government sets out our proposals. Thank you for that
:35:42. > :35:47.answer. Last week, I have the opportunity to attend a conference
:35:47. > :35:53.on sustainable tourism, during which the important matter of
:35:53. > :35:57.overseas marketing of Wales as a destination was a topic of concern.
:35:57. > :36:02.One of the concerns ranged was that your government has in recent times
:36:02. > :36:12.drastically reduced the Budget and privatisation given to the
:36:12. > :36:12.
:36:12. > :36:22.marketing of Wales. -- raised. We make a statement as to whether
:36:22. > :36:23.
:36:23. > :36:29.these concerns are well-founded? -- Visit Wales has been allocated a
:36:29. > :36:37.budget of �15.3 million for 2012. Eight by �6 million has been
:36:37. > :36:42.earmarked for campaigns. -- �8.6 million. I spent some time talking
:36:42. > :36:46.to tourism operators in America and India to see what will work in
:36:46. > :36:51.terms of promoting Wales in those markets. Some of the ideas they
:36:51. > :36:56.give us will be implemented. That was first must -- Minister's
:36:56. > :37:01.questions from yesterday afternoon. We are now talking about tomorrow's
:37:01. > :37:04.local elections. But before we do that, for the local health boards
:37:04. > :37:08.would not have broken even this year without an emergency cash
:37:08. > :37:16.injection of more than 12 bn-Pounds from the was government. The
:37:16. > :37:20.Government describes it as a remarkable achievement. A
:37:20. > :37:26.remarkable achievement to break- even? It is a remarkable statement,
:37:26. > :37:34.to say that that the boards have broken even after handing over �12
:37:34. > :37:44.million. I hate there something wrong with the arithmetic. -- I
:37:44. > :37:44.
:37:44. > :37:47.think there is something wrong. �150 million was given to the
:37:47. > :37:55.boards to try and get them through this difficult period. Three of
:37:55. > :37:58.them have failed. Questions need to be asked about that. There are
:37:58. > :38:02.strains and stresses but there is no point going round the place
:38:02. > :38:07.saying they have broken even just because they have been handed �12.5
:38:07. > :38:15.million. It is a remarkable statement. Economical with the
:38:15. > :38:23.truth. I'd Roberts, do you agree it is a remarkable achievement? --
:38:23. > :38:29.Aled Roberts. We need a degree of honesty. The spin-doctors have a
:38:29. > :38:35.run away with the story to a certain degree. There is an
:38:35. > :38:38.election tomorrow, of course. there was no need. The Health
:38:38. > :38:48.Minister indicated quite clearly there was no extra money and get 12
:38:48. > :38:49.
:38:49. > :38:53.million has been given. -- yet. What is more worrying is the part
:38:53. > :39:01.of the state the same that �12 million will be taken out of the
:39:01. > :39:05.budgets for this coming year -- statement saying. What we need from
:39:05. > :39:12.the Health Minister is a degree of honesty. I do not think this does
:39:12. > :39:20.her any credit whatsoever. We will get some response some Labour now
:39:20. > :39:29.actually. We will come to that in a minute.
:39:29. > :39:35.All -- first of all, your party has made a big issue of the UK
:39:35. > :39:43.government in this campaign. But the UK government has not run Welsh
:39:43. > :39:47.councils. In part, a referendum. But it did think that actions are
:39:47. > :39:56.held in splendid isolation. This will be in part a UK government
:39:56. > :40:04.referendum. On the ground, it will be a judgment on local councils.
:40:04. > :40:11.You have not put out any national manifesto. The other parties are
:40:11. > :40:16.said where they stand. We have stayed true to our principles. Our
:40:16. > :40:19.opponents have sold out. What is important for local councils is
:40:19. > :40:21.people know what local parties are going to be doing on that the
:40:21. > :40:28.ground at to make sure they are most responsive to what is
:40:29. > :40:34.happening in their street, not to some national party. Are you
:40:34. > :40:40.confirm that will have happened? Yes, I am. A lot of people get
:40:40. > :40:44.their information from the media. It is important the message is
:40:44. > :40:50.unique to every local area. It is important. We would not expect
:40:50. > :40:55.anything to be top-heavy. I know the Tories have done it differently.
:40:55. > :41:04.Their campaign has been London's centralised. We have local messages
:41:04. > :41:11.going out across Wales. Give us an example of these local messages.
:41:11. > :41:17.my area, one that is strong is transport. That is really important.
:41:18. > :41:21.It chimes with a lot of people. They are struggling at the moment.
:41:21. > :41:25.What are you going to do to ease that problem? We are looking to
:41:25. > :41:30.make sure that more children can get to schools where at the moment
:41:30. > :41:34.the schools are having to pay for transport. In Llangollen, we are
:41:34. > :41:37.looking at ways to make sure puts - - children can go to school without
:41:38. > :41:47.the burden falling on schools. That is a really local issue but it is
:41:47. > :41:51.incredibly important. In terms of the party's campaign,
:41:51. > :41:54.in Cardiff, you are talking about freezing Council Tax. That is
:41:54. > :42:03.something the Tories are very big on. Why not make that a pledge
:42:03. > :42:13.everywhere? So absurd -- subsidiarity. Decisions on a cut
:42:13. > :42:19.
:42:19. > :42:26.local government. -- are made by. There are decisions made by people
:42:26. > :42:30.that are taken into account at local level. All councils are going
:42:30. > :42:37.to have different issues that they need to address. They need to
:42:37. > :42:42.address it in line with spending commitments. Let's look at business.
:42:42. > :42:49.What about this has added local council level? At the moment, we
:42:49. > :42:56.have a local Lib Dem Lead coalition. They did not set up to the mark. We
:42:56. > :43:00.are now looking at if Labour can form a majority in Wrexham after
:43:00. > :43:08.Thursday and we will be looking more proactively at promoting
:43:08. > :43:14.Wrexham as an innovation centre... What would be a good result over or
:43:14. > :43:24.in Wales? I am not looking at figures. On Friday, we will be one
:43:24. > :43:26.
:43:26. > :43:34.be closer to the UK coalition government's demise. -- one day.
:43:34. > :43:38.What about this breaking story on the health boards. The Minister
:43:38. > :43:42.said she would be tough with them. Many people will think the
:43:42. > :43:46.Government looks a bit lame. The Minister is going to be looking
:43:46. > :43:52.into this and as I understand, there will be an external financial
:43:52. > :43:56.review. People in the NHS are working incredibly hard. The public
:43:56. > :44:06.sector is working incredibly hard and they are not being credit but
:44:06. > :44:09.
:44:09. > :44:13.the desert by the UK government in these tough times. -- they deserve.
:44:13. > :44:19.Yoga and is trying to spin a failure as a success. -- your
:44:19. > :44:23.government. It is about being responsive.
:44:23. > :44:31.None of these are in the areas that I represent. So I do not know. But
:44:31. > :44:35.it is important that the Minister's continues to keep an eye on it.
:44:35. > :44:41.Local elections more than any other election are historically a forum
:44:41. > :44:50.for independent councillors to do very well.
:44:50. > :44:54.But what do they offer? Competition on Welsh high streets
:44:54. > :44:58.is fierce. In a crowded marketplace, it can be tough for independent
:44:58. > :45:01.resellers to make their mark and as the council election draws to we
:45:01. > :45:06.close, independent candidates are trying to make sure their voices
:45:06. > :45:13.are here. But in local politics, voters in Wales often go for local
:45:13. > :45:23.produce. They avoid the big brand names. This independent
:45:23. > :45:29.greengrocers says been distinctive his key. -- being. We sell so many
:45:29. > :45:35.different items at the moment ranging from Asian, Caribbean, run
:45:35. > :45:42.of female British fooled. We are catering for a wide range at the
:45:42. > :45:45.moment. -- run of the Mini does run moment. -- run of the Mini does run
:45:45. > :45:53.moment. -- run of the Mini does run moment. -- run of the Mini does run
:45:53. > :45:58.People have connected local politics because traditional
:45:58. > :46:03.parties have not been in charge. It gives you freedom of
:46:03. > :46:07.independence to deal with issues that are front facing to the public
:46:07. > :46:12.and the committees that you represent. It is dealing with
:46:13. > :46:22.people rather than with party politics. 200 and centre nine
:46:23. > :46:23.
:46:23. > :46:28.independent councillors were returned last time out. -- 279.
:46:28. > :46:31.There has been a general long-term trend in Britain and right across
:46:31. > :46:36.the democratic world of declining senses of support and loyalty
:46:36. > :46:46.towards major political parties. That does creates an opportunity
:46:46. > :46:47.
:46:47. > :46:51.for people not attached to political parties. In 2003, John
:46:51. > :47:01.Marek warning came as a victory for an independent candidate when he
:47:01. > :47:02.
:47:02. > :47:08.became an interest -- Assembly Member. I'd personally prefer them
:47:08. > :47:14.to be of a party. To be honest, they have too many independents in
:47:14. > :47:19.Pembrokeshire County Council. the man my vote for every time. It
:47:19. > :47:26.is the person of the top. The person that does the work, not the
:47:26. > :47:30.party. Many voters last time out bought the Independent's campaign.
:47:30. > :47:40.They will have to convince them they have delivered on the quality
:47:40. > :47:42.
:47:42. > :47:48.produce they promise last time Now ore erover to Mark. I'm joined
:47:48. > :47:52.by Darren Hill. Let's look at the parties. Labour first, they seem to
:47:52. > :47:56.be putting great store by the idea if they point out the failings of
:47:56. > :48:01.the UK government that will be enough to win here? I seemed to
:48:01. > :48:07.work at the Assembly elections, so I don't blame them for trying the
:48:07. > :48:10.same tactics. They're coming from a low base, 20 year ago they were in
:48:10. > :48:16.control of 14 local authorities. Last time they won two outright.
:48:16. > :48:21.The only way is up for them. In some authorities, that is quite a
:48:21. > :48:27.slog N Cardiff they're coming from 14 seats and would need to get up
:48:27. > :48:34.to late 30s to take control that. Would be a massive swing. But in
:48:34. > :48:38.other authorities, Newport, Swansea, perhaps others the climate may not
:48:38. > :48:41.be as great to deliver a significant return.
:48:42. > :48:48.Conservatives are emphasising they're on the side of the Council
:48:48. > :48:55.Tax payer who does not want to pay more. That could be a popular idea?
:48:55. > :49:01.I don't think the Conservatives can do too badly. In the last local Lex
:49:01. > :49:04.elections they did well and the Liberal Democrats took the brunt of
:49:04. > :49:09.the unpopularity. The Conservatives have had a sticky few weeks with
:49:09. > :49:14.David Cameron not being the asset he has been. They will probably
:49:14. > :49:19.take a knock, but I think they will hold on to Monmouth and some other
:49:19. > :49:23.authorities they may emerge in that position in terms of leading
:49:23. > :49:28.councils after Thursday. They're in power, or hold the balance in
:49:28. > :49:31.Newport that is the kind of area they may have more of a fight on?
:49:31. > :49:38.think Newport is an interesting one, the Conservatives and Liberal
:49:38. > :49:44.Democrats are running the authority together, it is the only one where
:49:44. > :49:50.the UK government is replicated and the fight is being fought on UK
:49:50. > :49:54.terms. Plied have a new leader and seem to be down playing
:49:54. > :49:59.pectionations as if they -- expectations as if they don't want
:49:59. > :50:05.anything to go wrong. Well she has only be in position six week and
:50:05. > :50:11.won't have had a Hans to transform the party. But she has energised
:50:11. > :50:17.the party and been visiting member and that will do them good. They
:50:17. > :50:22.had a good election in 2008. Can they hold on to their seat sths
:50:22. > :50:25.will be the key. We must mention the Liberal Democrats. They have
:50:25. > :50:29.punched above their weight in the past and have been running Cardiff
:50:29. > :50:36.and Wrexham. They may face difficulty? I think they will have
:50:36. > :50:42.a difficult night. I can't see them having the amount of sway they had
:50:42. > :50:49.come Friday morning. So many variables, can independents and
:50:49. > :50:53.others, but for now, thank you. A fitting round of applause for Mark
:50:53. > :51:02.there. The local elections aren't the only event, today the First
:51:02. > :51:06.Minister's been launching Gemau Cymru, for young people. Mark was
:51:06. > :51:12.there for the launch and spoke to two of the people who will be
:51:12. > :51:22.involved. To talk about this exciting event I'm joined by the
:51:22. > :51:24.
:51:24. > :51:28.Chief Executive and Dr Hugh Jones. Gemau Cymru, what is it? It is a
:51:28. > :51:32.mini-Olympics for young people and in July all around Cardiff young
:51:32. > :51:38.people will be competing with each other to reach the top of their
:51:38. > :51:45.sport. What events are we looking at? All sorts. 12 different sports
:51:45. > :51:52.from rugby, disabled sports, netball and a wide variety and
:51:52. > :51:57.rowing for the first time. And there will an athletes village to
:51:57. > :52:04.get a true experience. That is crucial, that our athletes are used
:52:04. > :52:10.to hopefully the kinds of events they may compete in later in their
:52:10. > :52:16.careers? Snee yes the om multi- sports -- Yes the only murt sports
:52:16. > :52:20.are the Olympics and this provides an early experience of living in
:52:20. > :52:24.that athlete environment and prepare themselves and getting to
:52:24. > :52:33.their events and performing at the highest standards. How old are the
:52:33. > :52:41.young people we're talking about? It will vary, depending on the
:52:41. > :52:49.sportings u but most are between 14 Athletic 17 or 18. -- between 14
:52:49. > :52:53.and 17 or 18. It is an opportunity to ensure that those that do have
:52:53. > :52:58.talent will be able to perform at the best for Wales in the years to
:52:58. > :53:06.come. How do young people get involved? Are we talking about
:53:06. > :53:10.people who are already well known? Yes there are varying structure and
:53:10. > :53:15.this will fit into the varying structures of sport and it is meant
:53:15. > :53:20.to be top level and a centre of excellence for young people and to
:53:20. > :53:26.be something for their to aspire to. We make no apology for that. It
:53:26. > :53:33.will be the best young athletes competing. It is being launched
:53:34. > :53:37.here today by the First Minister himself. What role have the Welsh
:53:37. > :53:44.government had? They have been crucial in pulling together the
:53:44. > :53:50.partners who will be staging this event. We are pleased to have
:53:50. > :53:53.Olympic sponsors this year non-lip sponsors without their co-operation,
:53:53. > :54:00.this couldn't happen. It is a partnership between the Coll untri,
:54:00. > :54:10.the public and the private sector and hopefully will be a legacy.
:54:10. > :54:12.
:54:13. > :54:15.what extents can see see this as people are asking, where is the
:54:15. > :54:19.Welsh legacy from the Olympics, this is part of that? Yes We want
:54:19. > :54:24.to see more people taking part in sport. Whether they are children or
:54:24. > :54:28.young people. We want to ensure we have a structure to deliver talent.
:54:28. > :54:33.This ehaven't will be part of that second activity. Making sure that
:54:34. > :54:37.we have a talent identification structure. The other week we
:54:37. > :54:46.launched our community strategy and next month we will launch an
:54:46. > :54:52.initiative with the earth. Now we have spoken to everyone about the
:54:52. > :54:57.local elections. We had almost a prophet of doom, Darren Hill saying
:54:57. > :55:01.that you would lose out. Counter that Well the reality is we have
:55:01. > :55:05.kept the message local and gone out in the areas where we have been in
:55:05. > :55:12.control or running coalitions and have said to people, listen this is
:55:12. > :55:15.our track record. I think if you look at the record compared to
:55:15. > :55:19.previous administrations, you have well well run council who have kept
:55:19. > :55:23.Council Tax low and people have seen an improvement. That is a
:55:23. > :55:27.message that people will actually resonate with and we will see what
:55:27. > :55:30.the results are tomorrow. You don't want to talk about being in
:55:30. > :55:36.coalition in Westminster? We have done it because these are local
:55:36. > :55:41.elections and it is important that people know who will be responsible
:55:41. > :55:48.for their local service. I was interested in the comments from Ken,
:55:48. > :55:55.if he checks with his business minister, Wrexham did put an
:55:55. > :56:01.enterprise zone application in that, was turned down by the Labour Party.
:56:01. > :56:04.Now Alun Ffred Jones I was going call you Plaid Cymru's election
:56:04. > :56:13.supremo, but we will have to wait for the results. What do you say
:56:13. > :56:19.about people who are not sure they will vote for Plaid Cymru.
:56:19. > :56:23.councils we have controlled and are in partnership with, we have a fine
:56:23. > :56:27.track record and kept the message we expect our councils to be
:56:27. > :56:32.leaders within the communities and to go the extra mile, because I
:56:33. > :56:38.think people expect that and should expect that. But in over all terms
:56:38. > :56:44.we have a good record in term of economic development with good
:56:44. > :56:51.schemes, where we have created 350 onjobs in one areament. And the
:56:51. > :56:57.same in Cardiff with the excellent fund which has created 600 jobs and
:56:57. > :57:01.Caerphilly with an apprenticeship scheme. Sound financial control and
:57:01. > :57:09.good democratic management, in working alongside other partners
:57:09. > :57:15.and this is what Labour fail to do very often. I was interested Peter
:57:15. > :57:22.Hain called the independents Quaye si Tories, but Labour are in
:57:22. > :57:28.partnership with the quasiTories. So all in all, I think I agree with
:57:28. > :57:33.my colleague, that these are local election and especially in the west
:57:33. > :57:40.and the north, and perhaps in some of the urban areas, local issues
:57:40. > :57:44.will prevail and people will look and vote for the person rather than
:57:45. > :57:48.some fancy ideology, if there is such a thing in local elections. It
:57:48. > :57:53.is about the people who you can trust in these difficult times, who
:57:53. > :57:59.are the people you can trust to make these difficult decisions at a
:57:59. > :58:03.local level? And that is why they are unpredictable. No one likes
:58:03. > :58:09.making preDixs, do you, will you still be holding the councils you
:58:09. > :58:13.hold now? The response has been more positive than the political
:58:13. > :58:19.pun dills would have you believe and I think it will turn on
:58:19. > :58:25.personalities and the fact that there is a good track record in
:58:25. > :58:32.those areas. Will you hold as many councils It depends on a few seats.