:00:28. > :00:31.programme and our weekly coverage of questions to the First Minister.
:00:31. > :00:37.Health and the economy seem to be dominating the minds of Assembly
:00:37. > :00:39.Members. Carwyn Jones is being asked about the Welsh Government's
:00:39. > :00:42.policies for economic growth and the future of NHS emergency services.
:00:42. > :00:46.That is what the politicians are talking about but what do you want
:00:46. > :00:56.to talk about? If you want to comment on anything on the programme
:00:56. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:19.feet, so let's go over to the Item one, first Minister's
:01:19. > :01:22.
:01:22. > :01:28.questions. Will the First Minister make a statement on the role of
:01:28. > :01:37.anti-human trafficking coordinator, please? His role is to deliver the
:01:37. > :01:43.best possible support for victims who have been trafficked. Too often,
:01:44. > :01:47.rescued victims of human trafficking are treated like illegal immigrants,
:01:47. > :01:52.either sent back to their country of origin or unsuitable detention
:01:52. > :01:56.centres. Will the First Minister agree that we need to create safe
:01:56. > :02:05.havens for victims where they can tell their stories and provide good
:02:05. > :02:15.information, in tackling the scourge of human trafficking at every centre
:02:15. > :02:17.in Wales? These are matters for the UK government, but it is important
:02:17. > :02:26.that people have been trafficked are treated with respect and given
:02:26. > :02:32.support. Children's charities and religious winners have expressed
:02:32. > :02:38.concern at the legal aid for victims of human trafficking. You join me on
:02:38. > :02:43.calling on the UK government to ensure that these most vulnerable
:02:43. > :02:46.people are protected? I believe the vulnerable in society should be able
:02:46. > :02:54.to receive the legal protection they deserve. We are looking at a
:02:54. > :03:04.situation where many small centres in Wales will cease to exist as
:03:04. > :03:43.
:03:43. > :03:48.result of the changes being Minister outlined the steps the
:03:48. > :03:52.Welsh government is taking to grow the Welsh economy in the next three
:03:52. > :03:58.years. You will be aware of all that has been done in terms of the
:03:58. > :04:07.different schemes to grow the Welsh economy and that will continue to be
:04:07. > :04:15.done. A recent report by the Wales TUC praised the Welsh government for
:04:15. > :04:19.the initiatives brought about in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, it
:04:19. > :04:23.says these initiatives demonstrate that with the right archbishops and
:04:23. > :04:27.-- in place between unions and government we can build a long-term
:04:27. > :04:33.manufacturing base in Wales. First Minister, will you take time to
:04:33. > :04:37.discuss this important report with your Welsh, colleagues and put in
:04:37. > :04:41.place planning to support long-term industrial growth? The document was
:04:41. > :04:47.produced with the Council for economic renewal yesterday and was
:04:47. > :04:57.discussed there, and all members of the council are considering further
:04:57. > :04:57.
:04:57. > :07:00.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 123 seconds
:07:00. > :07:04.a more substantive response to the than 18 months since the Government
:07:04. > :07:07.announced its programme to drive forward the Welsh economy, but
:07:07. > :07:11.looking around Cardiff enterprise zone it is difficult to see where a
:07:11. > :07:15.single brick has been laid in terms of investment. Where do you expect
:07:15. > :07:23.to see the first, new, permanent private-sector job to be created in
:07:24. > :07:27.that enterprise zone? She asked for an example in terms of enterprise
:07:27. > :07:31.zones across Wales and I would say that in terms of the business rates
:07:31. > :07:35.scheme that we have found in the enterprise zones, if you look at the
:07:36. > :07:42.North Wales enterprise zone, 14 approvals have been given with
:07:42. > :07:46.regard to that. I call on the party leaders to question the First
:07:46. > :07:55.Minister and I start with the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats,
:07:55. > :07:59.Kirsty Williams. The Government has missed and joins response times for
:07:59. > :08:04.the 11 seconds -- 11 consecutive month and Wales has the worst
:08:04. > :08:06.service in the mainland UK. And the accident and emergency performance
:08:06. > :08:11.is twice as bad as in England and you have never met government
:08:11. > :08:16.targets on that. When will the Government deliver the NHS that the
:08:16. > :08:21.Welsh public deserves? In a national survey, the Welsh public are content
:08:21. > :08:24.with the NHS, but that does not mean that we are complacent. Looking at
:08:24. > :08:29.waiting times for the month ending March this year, these have
:08:29. > :08:34.improved, and I'm joins response times have also improved.
:08:34. > :08:41.Nevertheless, the trend is in the right direction. It is the opposite,
:08:41. > :08:44.of course, in when. In England, 6% of patients wait more than four as
:08:44. > :08:50.casualties, and in Wales, the number waiting is more than double that, at
:08:50. > :08:56.16%, and worse, 6% of Welsh people wait more than eight hours in
:08:56. > :09:00.casualty departments. In England, your label -- Labour colleagues
:09:00. > :09:07.accuse the Government of complacency in the face of a crisis. If that is
:09:07. > :09:13.the Labour view, isn't the reality that under Labour in Wales, we have
:09:13. > :09:21.double the crisis, and from the answer you have just given, double
:09:21. > :09:23.the complacency. I would take that with an enormous pinch of salt.
:09:23. > :09:29.Casualty waiting times and Angela's response times have improved over
:09:29. > :09:36.the month of March. She and the party opposite have cut the NHS by
:09:36. > :09:43.�20 billion. Their performance is still better than yours, First
:09:43. > :09:53.Minister. Every option for the future of NHS services in South
:09:53. > :09:55.
:09:55. > :09:58.Wales assumes the provision of a new specialist centre in Cwmbran. You
:09:58. > :10:04.have been promising to build that for the last seven years. It was
:10:04. > :10:09.initially said building would start in 2009 and the hospital would be
:10:09. > :10:16.operational by 2013. In March 2011, she said construction would start by
:10:16. > :10:22.2013, and in May, 2011, the SMB was told, " I am happy to confirm that
:10:22. > :10:25.that project has had the go-ahead". It is now 2013 and as of Friday, the
:10:25. > :10:35.health minister said he is still considering the outline business
:10:35. > :10:40.case. First Minister, when will you get round to building that hospital?
:10:40. > :10:44.It is important that the structure of the NHS is correct. And as result
:10:44. > :10:49.of that, figures in Wales are going in the right direction in Wales, and
:10:49. > :10:54.in the wrong direction in England. And that is much to do with the
:10:54. > :11:03.party in government and the party opposite. First Minister, is it
:11:03. > :11:11.right that we should forget Wales? As long as he and his party don't.
:11:11. > :11:15.am glad everyone on those benches laughed, because that is what the
:11:15. > :11:21.health -- shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham has claimed, that
:11:21. > :11:25.should forget Wales, and we have the lamentable figures that your
:11:25. > :11:31.government has decided over. I want to focus on what your health
:11:31. > :11:35.spokesman has said here, around access to drugs. He said, a drug
:11:35. > :11:40.that is available in every other home nation of United Kingdom must
:11:40. > :11:46.be available to patients here in Wales. We clearly know that that is
:11:46. > :11:51.not the case. We have known the past two years, that that is not the
:11:51. > :11:56.case, because we have locked horns on this time and time again in this
:11:56. > :11:59.Chamber. When are the health ministers words going to be put into
:11:59. > :12:07.action so that people are not deprived of the key medicines that
:12:07. > :12:12.they require to extend their lives put their cancer into remission?
:12:13. > :12:15.These things have to be assessed rationally. The health minister has
:12:15. > :12:22.given a recent decision with regard to a drug for cystic fibrosis and
:12:22. > :12:26.has made that drug available. He felt it was important there was
:12:26. > :12:29.equity between Wales and the other nations of the UK. That will not
:12:29. > :12:34.offer comfort to patients who, today, tomorrow and in the near
:12:34. > :12:38.future, are going to be denied vital, life-saving drugs that could
:12:38. > :12:42.make a radical difference to the outcomes of their diagnosis, and it
:12:42. > :12:47.is regrettable that you cannot offer more substance to the comments of
:12:47. > :12:52.your health minister. It shows that you are out of the loop. When you
:12:52. > :12:55.talk about equitable and equity, isn't it the case that when we hear
:12:55. > :12:58.the rhetoric coming from your London colleagues, either the health
:12:58. > :13:03.spokesman said that should forget Wales, or the Shadow Chancellor who
:13:03. > :13:08.has ripped up the labour conventions of the last 50 years, is it not the
:13:08. > :13:11.case that you are not standing up for Wales, and you are completely
:13:11. > :13:19.ignored by your colleagues, time and time again? Who do you believe
:13:19. > :13:26.follow, do you follow Andy Burnham, or Ed Balls? He talks to me about
:13:26. > :13:31.figures. When we broke for Whitsun, he was claiming there was a �500
:13:31. > :13:35.million gap in terms of health service funding in Wales. No figures
:13:35. > :13:41.provided and he didn't summon whether the figures were correct.
:13:41. > :13:45.Completely made up. He came back and then had the barefaced cheek to
:13:45. > :13:48.suggest we had a plan for the airport, which was exactly the plan
:13:48. > :13:53.that he had in the first place. Margaret thatcher said that the
:13:53. > :13:59.lady's not for turning, but he does the biggest U-turns I have seen on
:13:59. > :14:04.the floor of this Assembly. Welcome to the party. Has he bothered to
:14:04. > :14:10.make that submission to London? Of course he hasn't. Now he said he
:14:10. > :14:13.would devolve a passenger duty. I agree with him in that regard, but
:14:13. > :14:20.we're has he been for the past few months? We take the lessons from a
:14:20. > :14:30.party that does not stand up for Wales, and makes up figures as it
:14:30. > :14:39.
:14:39. > :14:44.in Wales is your health service. It should be safe in your hands. It is
:14:44. > :14:48.fully devolved. Our health service is a wholly-owned entity of the
:14:48. > :14:53.Welsh Government. You make the decisions. Under the south Wales
:14:53. > :14:59.programme proposals, local communities will lose their local
:14:59. > :15:05.Welsh National health services. First Minister, you are in charge of
:15:05. > :15:11.health in Wales. You can stop this now. Why don't you? The programme
:15:11. > :15:19.board is continuing along the lines of consultation. That will continue.
:15:19. > :15:22.First Minister, you can stop this now if you choose. Ambulance arrival
:15:22. > :15:27.times show that the worst performing areas in Wales are in the central
:15:27. > :15:33.valleys. Travel time and distance is linked with mortality rates. First
:15:33. > :15:37.of all, do you accept that point? If you do, how can you justify closing
:15:37. > :15:42.accident and emergency services in the very location that has the worst
:15:42. > :15:45.ambulance response times in Wales? First of all, I don't accept that
:15:45. > :15:49.distance is the main determining factor. It is where you get the
:15:49. > :15:58.treatment and what sort of treatment you get. Secondly, she has misled
:15:58. > :16:08.us. What she says is that there are plans to close AMD in the -- to
:16:08. > :16:11.close AMD services. As she will know, it is in nobody's interest to
:16:11. > :16:14.misrepresent the representation. Nor is it in anybody's interest for her
:16:14. > :16:19.to claim that she knows better than the dock as you are saying that
:16:19. > :16:23.change must happen. First Minister, I have not misled this Assembly.
:16:23. > :16:28.Services will close as a result of these proposals in the long term.
:16:28. > :16:32.First Minister, I was in a demonstration last Saturday, a
:16:32. > :16:42.demonstration that was called to save the services at the Royal, in
:16:42. > :16:42.
:16:42. > :16:47.hospital. I spoke to support this. Plaid Cymru cannot support the
:16:47. > :16:54.premise of a consultation that pits local amenities and hospital against
:16:54. > :16:58.each other. United we stand, divided we fall. Labour backbenchers, MPs
:16:58. > :17:05.and even members of your own cabinet are openly campaigning against your
:17:05. > :17:14.own policy. Members of the Liberal party are campaigning to cut
:17:14. > :17:22.services at your hospital in Bridgend. -- the Labour Party. Will
:17:22. > :17:27.you be defending Bridgend Hospital and supporting plans to cut services
:17:27. > :17:31.at other hospitals? She has said something that is misleading, untrue
:17:31. > :17:39.and wrong. The record will be there for all post rejection. She said
:17:39. > :17:47.that AMD services would be lost. That is untrue. No point saying
:17:47. > :17:53.consultant led, that is not what she said. She said A&E services and that
:17:53. > :17:59.is untrue. Order. I cannot hear the First Minister nor can the people of
:17:59. > :18:02.Wales. Order! On this very important issue about reconfiguration of
:18:02. > :18:07.hospital services which directly affects our constituents, we will
:18:07. > :18:11.hear the First Minister. Unless she has a crystal ball, she is in no
:18:11. > :18:15.position to determine how services will be developed. I see this in all
:18:15. > :18:19.seriousness, and they have said for many weeks, she is fighting against
:18:19. > :18:23.the medicine. It is the doctors themselves who say it has to be
:18:23. > :18:29.changed. The doctors themselves. She is saying that she knows better than
:18:29. > :18:33.the people of the health service. If she is convinced that she is right,
:18:33. > :18:39.then she needs to produce the evidence to show that she is and the
:18:39. > :18:42.A&E consultants, who I have spoken to, are wrong. She has failed to do
:18:42. > :18:52.that and should be straight with the people of Wales. Order a question
:18:52. > :18:59.three. Will be First Minister make a statement on the future of NHS
:18:59. > :19:04.services? We expect images Wales to deliver a good service. You have
:19:04. > :19:10.just accused that member of misleading us. Do you agree that the
:19:10. > :19:17.Labour MPs, including members of your own cabinet, are misleading
:19:17. > :19:20.as? In a press release, it was said that A&E services were disappearing
:19:20. > :19:29.and Chris Bryant has described the A&E department they as clothing and
:19:29. > :19:32.doing what he can to defend it. Do you condemn of them in the same way
:19:32. > :19:38.as you have before when people scaremonger about the future of
:19:38. > :19:44.services in local hospitals? Chris Bryant is not a minister. The last
:19:44. > :19:48.time I looked. The point that is, what has been suggested by the party
:19:48. > :19:52.opposite is that A&E services will completely submit. That has never
:19:52. > :19:56.been suggested by anyone in this Chamber, only by members of Plaid
:19:56. > :20:04.Cymru. What we want to know is why this apparent �500 million deficit
:20:04. > :20:09.in the NHS has suddenly mushroomed to 800 million pounds? If you want
:20:09. > :20:13.to play hard and fast facts, look no further than the benches opposite.
:20:13. > :20:19.Order. We must calm down because people cannot the exchange of that
:20:19. > :20:29.is the purpose of this question Time.
:20:29. > :20:29.
:20:29. > :21:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 123 seconds
:21:27. > :21:32.SHE SPEAKS WELSH HE RESPONDS IN WELSH
:21:32. > :21:37.First Minister, listening to what she said, there was a clear comment
:21:37. > :21:40.about the shortage of A&E consultants across the UK. Having
:21:40. > :21:43.seen first-hand the difficulties created by unplanned change,
:21:43. > :21:49.particularly in my local hospital last summer, do you agree with me
:21:49. > :21:55.that the best way of issuing improved outcome for patients is to
:21:55. > :21:58.have a planned service which places the patient at the heart of gear,
:21:58. > :22:05.provides immediate support of special services? There are two
:22:05. > :22:10.choices here. Either one managed change for the better or chaos.
:22:10. > :22:15.There is no joy is no choice that say we can put our heads in the sand
:22:15. > :22:20.and hope it goes away. I cannot agree with Plaid Cymru and the good
:22:20. > :22:25.doctors. There has to be changing order to attract more trainees. They
:22:25. > :22:29.want come otherwise. We need to attract more consultants and this is
:22:29. > :22:33.in pool were there are a small number of A&E departments. Wheels
:22:33. > :22:38.must be seen as a good way to -- good place to train. That is one
:22:38. > :22:44.factor. It is quite clear, as consultants have said, unless there
:22:44. > :22:49.is change, change that is managed, there will be change that is
:22:49. > :22:59.unmanaged. People will retire and move on. That is not in the best
:22:59. > :23:18.
:23:18. > :23:28.interests of anyone. HE SPEAKS WELSH
:23:28. > :23:39.
:23:39. > :23:42.HE RESPONDED WELSH Thank you.
:23:42. > :23:49.What plans does the First Minister have to strengthen community
:23:49. > :23:58.cohesion? We will publish an updated action plan later this year. That
:23:58. > :24:03.will be supporting the main unity cohesion coordinators. -- immunity
:24:03. > :24:09.cohesion coordinators. In the aftermath of the terrible murder in
:24:09. > :24:13.Woolwich, Muslim women in Cardiff have told me that they are almost
:24:13. > :24:18.afraid to go out on the street because they fear being the targets
:24:18. > :24:23.of anti-Muslim feelings. Is there any more that the Welsh Government
:24:24. > :24:28.could do to build up relationships between different communities?
:24:28. > :24:31.Anti-Muslim hate is a specific agenda on the next community
:24:31. > :24:38.cohesion network meeting. I will consider the need to coordinate a
:24:38. > :24:48.meeting of the faith communities to discuss anti-Muslim hate ahead of
:24:48. > :24:48.
:24:48. > :24:54.the scheduled meeting. I will monitor it. First Minister, how is
:24:54. > :24:56.the Welsh Government promoting an understanding and respect for
:24:56. > :25:01.difference between and amongst children, particularly through play
:25:01. > :25:09.and education. Particularly insofar as faith and culture is concerned?
:25:09. > :25:13.Within the foundation phase, it is obviously an area for all of us.
:25:13. > :25:16.Concept of fairness and justice are introduced and children are
:25:16. > :25:20.encouraged to think about and respect the feelings of others. It
:25:20. > :25:30.is they were the foundations will be laid to challenge stereotyping later
:25:30. > :25:32.
:25:32. > :25:35.on in life. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, in the wake of
:25:35. > :25:38.the April Jones murder, as you can imagine, after the sentencing the
:25:38. > :25:42.community may have the chance to heal. There have been increased
:25:42. > :25:50.demands, not just locally, that Internet companies such as Google
:25:50. > :25:54.take a tougher action to stab about -- to stamp out pornographic images
:25:54. > :25:57.online. What discussions have you had with the UK government and other
:25:57. > :26:01.devolved administrations so that the strongest British case can be made
:26:01. > :26:08.to these companies that we will no longer be prepared to tolerate this
:26:08. > :26:15.content. -- content? The day to must adopt a zero tolerance policy.
:26:15. > :26:18.have been no recent discussions but we were all deeply shocked at the
:26:18. > :26:25.events surrounding the tragic murder of April Jones. Particularly, those
:26:25. > :26:30.of us who follow the trial in some detail, utterly appalling. Not just
:26:30. > :26:34.for the parents but for her entire family and the entire community.
:26:34. > :26:38.There are some who takes the view that the Internet should be as
:26:38. > :26:41.uncensored as possible. I do not take that view when it comes to,
:26:41. > :26:44.amongst other things, child pornography. I cannot see what
:26:44. > :26:50.possible advantage there is in allowing unfettered access to
:26:50. > :26:53.something that if it were published in a magazine would be a crime. I
:26:53. > :26:58.can't understand that. I am willing to write the member's suggestion to
:26:58. > :27:04.the, well I will write to the Prime Minister, to ask what his response
:27:04. > :27:11.might be after the revelations that emerged in the trial. I certainly
:27:11. > :27:14.would want to pursue this to the greatest extent that I can. I very
:27:14. > :27:18.much agree with Russell Jones's comments and support them
:27:18. > :27:22.completely. However, turning to the question of intergenerational
:27:22. > :27:25.cohesion, could you give me your views, First Minister, as to whether
:27:25. > :27:32.the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance will help build or hinder
:27:32. > :27:42.social cohesion? There is in no such of suggestion put forward in this
:27:42. > :27:53.
:27:53. > :27:57.regard. ALL MUTTER
:27:57. > :28:04.Do you have any intentions to take any action on the communities first
:28:04. > :28:07.programme or having already started working on this? I would expect the
:28:07. > :28:14.community confusion forum, and also of course the communities first
:28:14. > :28:22.organisations, to work together. The boundaries are not coterminous in
:28:22. > :28:26.that regard. Inevitably, the aim of these organisations are to build
:28:26. > :28:29.strong communities. The need to be opportunities per as many people as
:28:29. > :28:36.possible and cohesion involves breaking down barriers. I would
:28:37. > :28:40.expect a close working relationship. Will the First Minister outline how
:28:40. > :28:45.the Welsh Government is raising an awareness of the potential dangers
:28:45. > :28:48.of rubella? We will continue to support the tremendous efforts of
:28:48. > :28:52.public health Wales and the images in reminding the public of the
:28:52. > :28:56.dangers of rubella and the need for everyone to received two doses of
:28:56. > :29:03.the MMR vaccine. I am most grateful for that reply. Certainly, L members
:29:03. > :29:09.working on the report published today on the increased up date of --
:29:09. > :29:13.uptake of vaccination. There are so many people who are not vaccinated
:29:13. > :29:17.and they are potentials for passing on rebel at a pregnant woman. Will
:29:18. > :29:24.the First Minister not consider that we should have it campaign to make
:29:24. > :29:28.people aware of this? That is something I'm sure that public
:29:28. > :29:32.health Wales will be considering. What I can inform the member Rob is
:29:32. > :29:36.that the most recent support published by Public Health Wales
:29:36. > :29:44.shows that the uptake of the first dose was 95%. That is the worst time
:29:44. > :29:50.the uptake has exceeded 95%. I am sure that they will be trying to
:29:50. > :29:57.keep that momentum going. It is important of course that momentum is
:29:57. > :30:02.not lost. First Minister, I am sure we all agree that the dangers of
:30:02. > :30:05.rubella to expectant mothers is extremely high and I welcome to have
:30:05. > :30:09.just said. Would you with needle that perhaps the health authorities
:30:09. > :30:14.should be savaged to go into the comprehensive schools and encourage
:30:14. > :30:19.more people to have the MMR injections because clearly their
:30:19. > :30:23.parents didn't have them injected at the appropriate time? It is never
:30:23. > :30:28.too late and I really think that if we can we should be targeting the
:30:28. > :30:38.younger people in our schools who are far more intelligent than,
:30:38. > :30:38.
:30:38. > :30:42.perhaps, some of the debate I have heard in this Chamber today. I think
:30:42. > :30:50.he does himself down, there. In terms of increasing immunisation
:30:50. > :30:55.awareness, we have a work pack which has been produced and distributed
:30:55. > :31:01.across Wales, to every secondary school. I can also say that
:31:01. > :31:08.resources were made available to school nurses on teenager
:31:08. > :31:17.immunisation. So this information is already out there. Will the First
:31:17. > :31:26.Minister make a statement on future community Wales? The Minister will
:31:26. > :31:32.be holding a summit on 13th June, discussing credit unions. Thank you,
:31:32. > :31:40.when does the Welsh government intend to respond to recommendations
:31:40. > :31:47.made in the report in March, which suggested that the system was
:31:47. > :31:57.failing? Consideration has been given of course to the contents of
:31:57. > :31:59.that report. The Minister will be responding on the 13th of June.
:31:59. > :32:02.Would you agree that rather than attacking the Welsh Labour
:32:02. > :32:08.government who are trying their best to support people through these
:32:08. > :32:11.difficult times, the Welsh Liberal Democrats efforts could be best
:32:11. > :32:16.deployed by inklings there Westminster colleagues were
:32:17. > :32:24.collaborating with the Conservatives to inflict the most savage attack on
:32:24. > :32:30.the welfare state that communities have ever seen in Wales? In fairness
:32:30. > :32:37.to Peter Black, has questions where reasonable, but the point is true,
:32:37. > :32:45.nevertheless. Some very savage cuts have been pushed forward by the
:32:45. > :32:50.Tories and the Lib Dems. Would you accept the UK government's credit
:32:50. > :32:56.union expansion project at the only way that credit unions in England
:32:56. > :32:58.and Wales can fulfil their role in supporting resilient communities is
:32:58. > :33:05.to be self-sustaining financial businesses providing a range of
:33:05. > :33:15.other services to a broad range of members, and what does the Welsh
:33:15. > :33:15.
:33:15. > :33:20.government intend to do to support this goal, when credit unions really
:33:20. > :33:24.need time to prepare for transition? This is a matter that we would be
:33:24. > :33:30.taking forward to the 13th of June. It is important that credit unions
:33:30. > :33:40.are self-sustaining. I credit union that cannot sustain itself
:33:40. > :33:40.
:33:40. > :34:50.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 123 seconds
:34:50. > :34:55.financially cannot be a credit statement on what the Welsh
:34:55. > :34:57.government is doing to help people in the private rented sector?
:34:57. > :35:04.committed to improving conditions for people who rent from private
:35:04. > :35:11.landlords. We are proposing a registered scheme for landlords and
:35:12. > :35:16.agents. A scheme that was approved last week. The proposals to improve
:35:16. > :35:22.this sector will make an enormous difference, we believe.
:35:22. > :35:25.increasing number of Wales in our renting privately. What they need is
:35:25. > :35:29.increased security on the measure supporting the new housing bill,
:35:29. > :35:34.particularly with the compulsory licensing scheme, which will provide
:35:34. > :35:37.exactly this. It is inevitable more people will look to the private
:35:37. > :35:43.sector for housing and we need to make sure that those are good
:35:43. > :35:53.quality homes, well maintained by landlords. That is a major priority
:35:53. > :35:57.for us in the Government. Your previous question made it sound like
:35:57. > :36:01.it was a question of choice, but 91,000 households waiting for some
:36:01. > :36:08.kind of help to find rented accommodation. No wonder they turn
:36:08. > :36:11.to private rented landlords. When are we, or you, going to kick the
:36:11. > :36:14.new housing scheme so that some people can get onto the housing
:36:14. > :36:18.ladder, and what are you doing to address that situation of the
:36:19. > :36:21.chronic shortage of housing, because that is ultimately your
:36:21. > :36:26.responsibility and that is why people turn to the private rented
:36:26. > :36:31.sector. We have built 2500 new homes. In terms of the new buys
:36:31. > :36:37.scheme, options are still being explored. The housebuilders are on
:36:37. > :36:43.board, and that is very much our intention. I have to say I am
:36:43. > :36:50.surprised that the Conservative party opposing the idea of oppose --
:36:50. > :36:53.licensing landlords. First Minister, you will be aware that many people
:36:53. > :37:00.are forced into the private rented sector as a result of the bedroom
:37:00. > :37:07.tax. Many of those people will go into the private rented sector with
:37:07. > :37:15.arrears, and of course a recent report by the charity, shelter, show
:37:15. > :37:18.that private rented accommodation is almost always more expensive than
:37:18. > :37:23.social rented accommodation. The problem here is not that there is
:37:23. > :37:27.not enough accommodation, but that people are being forced into a
:37:27. > :37:31.private rented sector that is unaffordable and will Ashley cost
:37:31. > :37:37.the taxpayer more, as a direct result of the bedroom tax?
:37:37. > :37:41.absolutely agree with that. We will see more of the most vulnerable
:37:41. > :37:46.evicted from their homes because of the bedroom tax. It is inevitable
:37:46. > :37:49.because are so many people who want one bedroomed accommodation. The
:37:49. > :37:58.bedroom tax is a particularly metropolitan solution, as the UK
:37:58. > :38:02.government would see it. It does not work in rural Carmarthenshire
:38:02. > :38:06.Bridgend. Such accommodation does not exist. As I have said before,
:38:06. > :38:10.people find themselves where they either pay more get evicted. That
:38:10. > :38:20.will lead to the housing crisis that is of the UK government's own
:38:20. > :38:20.
:38:20. > :38:24.making. A recent BBC Watchdog investigation exposed the use of
:38:24. > :38:29.unreasonable clauses in tenancy agreements, such as tenants being
:38:30. > :38:34.locked into contracts with landlords for their energy supplier. You
:38:34. > :38:42.mentioned the housing bill. Will you ensure that that Bill outlaws this
:38:42. > :38:46.practice? It is certainly something we would look to do. Whether we have
:38:46. > :38:53.a legislative ability to do it is an open question. But it is something
:38:53. > :38:57.we will investigate. First Minister, I recently had the pleasure of
:38:57. > :39:03.receiving a petition from Aberystwyth University student
:39:03. > :39:07.welfare officer Laura Dickens, and the report that they have compiled
:39:07. > :39:12.surveyed the private rented sector in Aberystwyth, including in some
:39:12. > :39:16.circumstances students being charged for rent for the whole summer
:39:16. > :39:21.period, but being denied permission to occupy premises chewing that
:39:21. > :39:29.time. Such a practice is not acceptable and should not be allowed
:39:29. > :39:35.to continue. This is problematic in rural markets such as Aberystwyth
:39:35. > :39:39.and Bangor, where the rural rental market is limited. What will the
:39:39. > :39:44.Prime Minister do to address this important issue that needs our
:39:44. > :39:49.attention? The practice as she describes it is already unlawfully
:39:49. > :39:54.in reality. It is a breach of the rights of a tenant. I would
:39:54. > :40:00.encourage chiboust to think about entering tenancy agreements, to make
:40:00. > :40:04.sure that they are not bound for the entire calendar year, rather than
:40:04. > :40:09.just the academic year, to ensure that this does not happen. Where it
:40:09. > :40:15.does happen, I would encourage them to take up the issue with the
:40:15. > :40:24.appropriate student union offices. Will the plane -- First Minister
:40:24. > :40:26.update is on the Welsh language project in Patagonia? We continues
:40:26. > :40:32.to support its rag grant through the British Council and its partners.
:40:32. > :40:37.That project aims to old Welsh teaching capacity and increase Welsh
:40:37. > :40:41.line which provision in Patagonia. Thank you for that answer. The
:40:41. > :40:45.programme supported by the Welsh government is doing important work
:40:45. > :40:51.in Patagonia, helping to keep the language alive on the other side of
:40:51. > :41:01.the world. Last year, there were 977 students learning and improving
:41:01. > :41:03.
:41:03. > :41:06.their Welsh, up from 762. 24 of the teachers were local people, which is
:41:06. > :41:10.essential, if the project is to carry on and be built upon. Since
:41:11. > :41:14.the project is such important work, could you clarify what the funding
:41:14. > :41:18.situation will be, and what support will be given in future to this
:41:18. > :41:23.project, and I hope you would agree that given the success of the
:41:23. > :41:28.project, we should not withdraw before it is able to stand on its
:41:28. > :41:34.own feet. We have no intention to terminate this successful project in
:41:34. > :41:41.Patagonia, and it has been strengthened with close links to
:41:41. > :41:44.provide opportunities to socialise in the medium of Welsh with there.
:41:44. > :41:48.That was at times rowdy first Minister's questions, but let's
:41:48. > :41:58.leave it for now. You can see more coverage of the Assembly line
:41:58. > :42:01.
:42:02. > :42:04.through the BBC Wales democracy live Editor, Vaughan Roderick, who's been
:42:04. > :42:09.watching proceedings. Interesting that the party leaders went on
:42:09. > :42:12.health this week. It was a very rowdy and noisy First Minister 's
:42:12. > :42:19.questions, but it was signing officer having to intervene numerous
:42:19. > :42:23.times, and I think that there was an element, maybe by coincidence, maybe
:42:23. > :42:30.by design, of all three opposition parties homing in on this question
:42:30. > :42:33.of health. At times today, Carwyn Jones looked a little bit rattled.
:42:33. > :42:38.Particularly when Darren Miller, the Conservative health spokesman,
:42:38. > :42:44.intervened to compare the remarks made by Leighton Andrews, the
:42:44. > :42:51.education minister, and MP, Chris Bryant, with remarks made by the
:42:51. > :42:53.opposition, which Carwyn Jones dismissed as shroud waving and
:42:53. > :42:58.scaremongering. I thought that he had a little difficulty coming back
:42:58. > :43:02.on that will stop he is normally supremely comfortable at first
:43:03. > :43:11.Minister's questions. I don't think he was today. That is a tricky one
:43:11. > :43:14.for him to handle in future. If he's going to have senior Labour figures
:43:14. > :43:18.campaigning against what will be the Welsh government oppose laws on the
:43:18. > :43:28.NHS. The opposition parties will have taken notice of what happened
:43:28. > :43:28.
:43:28. > :43:34.today. They will sense some vulnerability about this, the moment
:43:34. > :43:42.they saw the Labour constituency parties launching campaigns around
:43:42. > :43:48.A&E at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. So, I suspect we might see an awful
:43:48. > :43:52.lot of attacks, an awful lot of quoting of Chris Bryant, of Mick
:43:52. > :43:58.Andrews, over the coming weeks, so I think it is an interesting
:43:58. > :44:04.development, and it implies a degree of cooperation that we do not often
:44:04. > :44:08.see between the opposition parties in the Chamber. And Labour keep
:44:08. > :44:12.coming back and saying that it is the doctors that are proposing this.
:44:12. > :44:19.This is always the answer from Carwyn Jones, that he has spoken to
:44:19. > :44:22.a & the consultants. But he has got Labour politicians, senior Labour
:44:22. > :44:30.politicians, singing from the same hymn sheet as some of the opposition
:44:30. > :44:35.parties. Is he saying that to his own members as well? That is where
:44:35. > :44:43.the opposition parties will train their fire. If they are
:44:43. > :44:53.scaremongering, aren't your semi-members and MPs doing the same?
:44:53. > :44:55.