07/03/2012

:00:21. > :00:26.Good morning and welcome to AMPM, our twice weekly look at what's

:00:26. > :00:29.going on in politics in Wales, the UK and beyond. On today's programme.

:00:29. > :00:33.We'll be at Prime Minister's Questions as protestors gather at

:00:33. > :00:36.Westminster calling for a cut in fuel duty. And as Carwyn Jones

:00:36. > :00:43.heads off to the USA, we'll hear what the First Minister hopes to

:00:43. > :00:51.achieve from his transatlantic visit.

:00:51. > :00:53.I will be speaking to the three Joining me throughout today's

:00:53. > :00:56.programme are two AMs, Labour's Jenny Rathbone and the Liberal

:00:57. > :00:59.Democrat Eluned Parrott welcome to you both we'll have a chat in a

:01:00. > :01:04.minute, but first, Carwyn Jones heads off to the USA today where

:01:04. > :01:07.he's leading a Welsh Government trade mission. The First Minister

:01:07. > :01:14.has been telling our correspondent, Aled ap Dafydd what he hopes to

:01:14. > :01:19.achieve from the visit. Quite simply to sell Wales. I will

:01:19. > :01:23.be meeting with tourism operators, those in the defence industry,

:01:23. > :01:28.automotive, Life Sciences. We have to make sure we sell ourselves to

:01:28. > :01:32.the world and we tell them that Wales has a great place to invest.

:01:32. > :01:36.But your approach has been criticised by a committee of MPs in

:01:37. > :01:41.Westminster who say that getting rid of the WDA has reduced Wales as

:01:41. > :01:44.his ability in the global marketplace. Do you believe Wales

:01:45. > :01:49.has an image problem abroad? I don't think we have an image

:01:49. > :01:54.problem. The Ryder Cup was a tremendous success last year. We

:01:54. > :01:59.need to make sure we continue to have a presence in important

:01:59. > :02:03.countries such as the US, China, India. If we don't do it, they will

:02:04. > :02:10.take no interest in us. In 10 years, 171 foreign owned

:02:10. > :02:14.factories have closed in Wales. That was a loss of 31,000 jobs.

:02:14. > :02:21.Let's put this in context. Is a difficult economic situation around

:02:21. > :02:24.the world. Wales alone hasn't been suffering, so as the rest of Europe.

:02:24. > :02:29.That is why it's so important we go out there and sell Wales harder to

:02:29. > :02:33.bring investment in. We've had a good announcement in the fast -- in

:02:33. > :02:41.the past few weeks. When Alex Salmond goes abroad, he

:02:41. > :02:46.comes back with contracts. What do you come back with?

:02:46. > :02:51.Not with a panda because we know that the Scots are paying for the

:02:51. > :02:54.panda. Over the years, we want more jobs in Wales and more investment.

:02:54. > :03:01.We want more American companies investing in Wales. That doesn't

:03:01. > :03:04.happen overnight but is important to keep on having presents --

:03:04. > :03:09.having presents and looking carefully at opportunities to

:03:09. > :03:15.create jobs. Let's see what our guests make of

:03:15. > :03:20.that. Jenny Rathbone, do you see these kind of visits as a

:03:20. > :03:24.worthwhile from the First Minister? For most definitely. His visit to

:03:24. > :03:29.China and India are very important. We have to be doing business with

:03:29. > :03:33.the people in these countries. These are the drivers of the world

:03:34. > :03:38.economy and they need to make it clear, we need to make it clear to

:03:38. > :03:40.them that Wales is a very good place to come and do business and

:03:40. > :03:46.it's important Carwyn Jones does that because Cheryl Gillan won't do

:03:46. > :03:49.Do you think Wales is a good place to come and do business? Is it a

:03:49. > :03:53.difficult job, for the First Minister has got?

:03:53. > :03:56.It shouldn't be difficult. When you go one trade missions, it's

:03:56. > :04:01.important to do them in a professional manner and the First

:04:01. > :04:06.Minister did receive criticism for taking just a handful of Welsh

:04:06. > :04:10.businessman over with them. If we are going to sell Wales, is

:04:10. > :04:15.important to make Wales look like a credible place to do business. If

:04:15. > :04:24.you don't do that in a professional manner, businesses will be put off.

:04:24. > :04:27.One element of criticism has come from the Conservative leader,

:04:27. > :04:30.Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies.

:04:30. > :04:34.There is an opportunity to develop flights from Wales.

:04:34. > :04:37.He is going from Heathrow, of course.

:04:37. > :04:41.The First Minister has been extremely critical of the

:04:41. > :04:44.management of Cardiff airport and that is really unfair on the basis

:04:44. > :04:48.that Cardiff airport is a private business and not run by the Welsh

:04:48. > :04:53.government. The Welsh government haven't met with the airport to ask

:04:53. > :04:56.them what their priorities are and how the airport can serve the

:04:56. > :05:02.people of Wales. If you don't have that discussion, it is unfair to

:05:02. > :05:08.expect people to deliver. Andrew RT Davies his criticisms are

:05:08. > :05:12.completely ridiculous. We need to develop the airport but that is

:05:12. > :05:15.hardly important in relation to the important visit by Carwyn Jones to

:05:15. > :05:19.the United States and when I last checked, there aren't any direct

:05:19. > :05:24.flights to the US from Cardiff airport so he is going from

:05:24. > :05:28.Heathrow. It's a completely ridiculous side issue to how we

:05:28. > :05:33.build on the success we already have in Wales and attract people.

:05:33. > :05:38.We have a fantastic aerospace industry in North Wales and an

:05:38. > :05:42.amazing aluminium Company in Anglesey, which is also doing work

:05:42. > :05:46.for the defence industry in the United States. Those are the things

:05:47. > :05:51.we can demonstrate we can have the skilled workforce that people might

:05:51. > :05:55.want to take advantage of of. The other question, Carwyn Jones

:05:55. > :05:59.has highlighted and Jenny Rathbone has repeated the kind of businesses

:05:59. > :06:04.he will speak to. Is there an argument he should be attracting

:06:04. > :06:07.other kinds of businesses? I think what's critical when you go

:06:07. > :06:12.to try and attract inward investment is you target it

:06:12. > :06:17.carefully towards the supply chains and the value chains that we have

:06:17. > :06:21.in the Welsh economy. You want to attract businesses to Wales who are

:06:21. > :06:26.going to be embedded in the local community. We need to make sure the

:06:26. > :06:34.businesses we attract are the ones who will be able to use local

:06:34. > :06:40.businesses to feed their supply and their purchasing so it is sensible

:06:40. > :06:44.to focus on specific sectors. Thank you. Are we will be back with

:06:45. > :06:49.you later. Time to find out what's happening in the Senedd today. Over

:06:49. > :06:54.to the Oriel and Mark Hannaby. Good morning. Another interesting

:06:54. > :06:59.afternoon in prospect. First of all, we have questions to ministers.

:06:59. > :07:03.Today that is to defer -- to the health minister, Lesley Griffiths,

:07:03. > :07:06.and the Council general, he is the most senior legal adviser to the

:07:06. > :07:12.Assembly Government. Following that, there is a cross-party debate. A

:07:12. > :07:15.motion put forward from members from different parties. It is on

:07:15. > :07:19.the issue of the national transport plan and in particular calling on

:07:19. > :07:25.the government to provide within that plan funding for low carbon

:07:25. > :07:29.transport within rural areas. After that, the Conservative nomination

:07:29. > :07:32.debate will take place. They are upset about something that they say

:07:32. > :07:35.it exposes in ideological difference between themselves and

:07:35. > :07:40.the Labour government. We don't hear much about ideological

:07:40. > :07:44.differences any more but it is to do with council tax. In England,

:07:44. > :07:50.George Osborne has provided an amount of money to enable councils

:07:50. > :07:54.to freeze Castle tax in the coming year. As a consequence, �39 million

:07:54. > :07:57.has come to Wales which could have facilitators something similar here

:07:57. > :08:00.but the Assembly Government have decided to spend the money

:08:00. > :08:04.different day and they have allocated it to education as part

:08:04. > :08:09.of a deed -- as part of a deal they did with the Lib Democrats to pass

:08:09. > :08:13.the budget. More money will go to each child on free school meals.

:08:13. > :08:16.They think that is a better use of the money and point out council tax

:08:16. > :08:20.is lower in Wales and England anyway. The Conservatives think

:08:20. > :08:25.that money should have gone to local authorities and into our

:08:25. > :08:30.pockets. I gather you have spoken to Janet Finch Saunders about this.

:08:30. > :08:34.I will be interested to hear what she had got to say about this. On

:08:34. > :08:38.the end of that debate, there is the plight Cymru debate on capital

:08:38. > :08:44.projects. They are concerned that not enough money is going into

:08:44. > :08:50.schools and hospitals. The government want to see those

:08:50. > :08:54.stimulating the economy. Plaid Cymru are suggesting there should

:08:54. > :08:59.be capital projects funded from outside that Welsh block of funding

:08:59. > :09:03.from white torso it will be interesting to see what they are

:09:03. > :09:12.stipulating -- from Whitehall. This afternoon there is a debate from

:09:12. > :09:17.the Labour Democrat AEM, Aled Roberts. It is entitled improving

:09:17. > :09:21.the acoustics in the classroom. You can find out even more, if that

:09:21. > :09:30.were possible after that superb demonstration from the memory,

:09:30. > :09:34.about what is happening at the Assembly on our online coverage.

:09:34. > :09:38.From a grey Cardiff Bay, we will head off to a foggy Westminster

:09:38. > :09:42.where our correspondent will cut through the fog for us. Good

:09:42. > :09:48.morning. Vince Cable is making the headlines

:09:48. > :09:51.today. It is uncomfortable reading for the government.

:09:51. > :09:56.The Business Secretary and senior Liberal Democrat has been busy. He

:09:56. > :10:02.has written a letter to David Cameron and Nick Clegg. It has

:10:02. > :10:06.found its way to the papers overnight and has attracted

:10:06. > :10:12.attention in Westminster. It says, the big problem with the coalition

:10:12. > :10:19.government at the UK level is it hasn't got a strategic vision, a

:10:19. > :10:22.proper industrial strategy as to how the economy will grow. The

:10:22. > :10:25.entire political plan is said to cut the budget deficit and allow

:10:25. > :10:30.the private sector to grow but those cable says it isn't clear how

:10:30. > :10:36.the second part will happen. -- Vince Cable. There are good

:10:36. > :10:42.companies around the UK, he says, that haven't produced anything on

:10:42. > :10:47.the level of Google or Apple and we shall be asking ourselves why not.

:10:47. > :10:55.We must be doing something wrong as a government. And happy reading for

:10:55. > :10:58.the Deputy Prime Minister -- and happy reading. He goes on to

:10:58. > :11:02.suggest the World Bank of Scotland which was bailed out by the

:11:02. > :11:06.taxpayer should be broken up and part of it used as an investment

:11:06. > :11:11.bank to help British businesses get a foot up the ladder and invest in

:11:11. > :11:16.their products and marketing. Breaking up RBS is and what the

:11:16. > :11:20.Treasury wants to do. They want to see it get itself on its feet and

:11:20. > :11:25.selling of to the private sector and getting return for the taxpayer

:11:25. > :11:29.Investment. The only other figure I've heard calling for RBS to be

:11:29. > :11:34.broken up is John Redwood, an unlikely bedfellow for Vince Cable.

:11:34. > :11:39.Why does it matter what he thinks, you might wonder? Vince Cable is

:11:39. > :11:42.the grit in the oyster as far as the Liberal Democrats are concerned.

:11:42. > :11:46.Activists feel more comfortable with the coalition knowing that

:11:47. > :11:50.Vince Cable is more from the left of the party and is making

:11:50. > :11:55.decisions at Cabinet level and keeping the flame alive in the

:11:55. > :11:59.coalition. That is why he is such a pivotal figure in the Cabinet and

:11:59. > :12:02.why so many newspapers have but his remarks on the front page for us

:12:02. > :12:07.stop if they keep landing on the front page, one wonders how long he

:12:07. > :12:11.will continue in the Cabinet. The budget is a fortnight today.

:12:11. > :12:14.Many people watching to see whether the Chancellor will change his tune

:12:14. > :12:19.on child benefit? A couple of years ago the

:12:19. > :12:29.Chancellor announced that in future, people who've paid the higher rate

:12:29. > :12:34.

:12:34. > :12:39.of tax, earning over 42 and a half �1,000 a year, -- �42,500 a year.

:12:39. > :12:44.He said higher earners would have to make sacrifices. The problem

:12:44. > :12:49.with the policy is there is an anomaly in that one partner is

:12:49. > :12:53.earning just over that threshold, the other partner isn't working at

:12:53. > :13:00.all, then they would lose their child benefit but if both partners

:13:00. > :13:05.were working and earning �40,000 each a year, they would keep their

:13:05. > :13:10.child benefits. A lot of Tory MPs are unhappy with this anomaly and

:13:10. > :13:14.David Cameron has called it a bit of a cliff edge with people around

:13:14. > :13:20.that threshold. There is talk around Westminster's corridors as

:13:20. > :13:25.to how George Osborne can maybe address that issue. The trouble is,

:13:25. > :13:29.if he does do any sort of a U-turn, you will have to find money from

:13:29. > :13:33.somewhere else to reduce the deficit and there are pressures on

:13:33. > :13:39.him with people wanting to get rid of the 50 be additional rate of tax.

:13:39. > :13:44.The Liberal Democrats, Vince Cable, will be saying, we should put

:13:44. > :13:50.something else in place, may be a mansion tax. That is an old Lib Dem

:13:50. > :13:53.policy but not very polis -- not very popular with Tory policies.

:13:53. > :14:01.Difficult negotiations going on between the coalition partners and

:14:01. > :14:04.the budget is only two weeks away. Thank you. We will speak to you

:14:04. > :14:14.again in 15 minutes for Prime Minister's questions. Don't forget

:14:14. > :14:17.

:14:17. > :14:21.you can get in touch with us via Tomorrow is International Women's

:14:21. > :14:25.Day. Yesterday in the National Assembly, most of the 25 female

:14:25. > :14:30.Assembly Members gathered on the steps, led by the Presiding Officer,

:14:30. > :14:40.Rosemary Butler, for a photo-shoot to mark the event which is a day of

:14:40. > :14:50.

:14:50. > :14:53.global celebration for the social We'll hear more about International

:14:53. > :14:56.Women's Day later in the programme. And still to come on am.pm - we'll

:14:56. > :15:01.be going live to the House of Commons for Prime Minister's

:15:01. > :15:04.Questions. That's at midday. Time to go back to Mark in the

:15:04. > :15:11.Oriel, where he's joined by one of the three Plaid Cymru leadership

:15:11. > :15:18.hopefuls. I am delighted to say that I am

:15:18. > :15:24.joined by one of the three contenders. How important is Plaid

:15:24. > :15:31.Cymru's belief of independence? do not understand what you mean the

:15:31. > :15:36.core belief of a political party. The whole question of the structure

:15:36. > :15:41.of the state relates to other states as well. I am happy with the

:15:41. > :15:45.Plaid Cymru policy of independence in Europe - we are part of a

:15:45. > :15:51.federal Europe. I am also happy with the question asked in Scotland,

:15:51. > :15:58.which has not do you believe in independence? It is, do you want to

:15:58. > :16:07.be an independent country? That question will run and run. To most

:16:07. > :16:14.people, Plaid Cymru stand for an independent Wales. I have been a

:16:14. > :16:16.member of his party since 1962, and the word independence was never

:16:17. > :16:24.used. Self determination, a Parliament for Wales, these have

:16:24. > :16:31.all been achieved a. The ism of independence is a philosophy. It

:16:31. > :16:35.belongs in the 19th century. I have written 2000 words on this issue,

:16:35. > :16:41.saying that shouting independence on the touchline is not what we

:16:41. > :16:48.should be doing. This is not what politics in Wales is about.

:16:48. > :16:52.Politics is the art of moving forward. One of those methods of

:16:52. > :16:58.change would be coalition government. Would you be eager to

:16:58. > :17:04.get into a coalition with Labour in this Assembly? You do not form a

:17:04. > :17:13.coalition just because you think you want to do it. You die because

:17:13. > :17:18.there is a political necessity. -- you do it. But the issue I am

:17:18. > :17:25.interested in is how we progress, what seems to be the will of the

:17:25. > :17:29.Welsh people relating to fiscal policies and taxation policies. I

:17:30. > :17:36.am taken by the First Minister's proposal to look at the future of

:17:36. > :17:41.the UK in the light of Scotland. I would like to contribute my

:17:41. > :17:46.constitutional knowledge as well to that project. You have made it

:17:46. > :17:51.clear that the issue of sustainability, how we harvest our

:17:51. > :17:56.resources and therefore would it is important. In particular, you are

:17:56. > :18:02.keen on a nuclear future. The perception is your party is

:18:02. > :18:09.conflicted on this. Her there was a serious debate last autumn, which

:18:09. > :18:17.was agreed by a minority that we supported the replacement of

:18:17. > :18:21.reactors on nuclear sites. This is important for the workforce.

:18:21. > :18:26.you put in those short-term interests ahead of a long-term

:18:26. > :18:30.possible problem in the future for thousands of years? I do not think

:18:30. > :18:38.of politics in terms of long and short-term. I had been very

:18:38. > :18:46.interested in the storage of nuclear waste. The search for a

:18:46. > :18:53.deposit tree in Scotland is not an option. But there needs to be

:18:53. > :18:57.containment. -- deposit tree. As waste changes, or when the question

:18:57. > :19:04.of how we managed nuclear power stations is developed further, then

:19:04. > :19:12.of course there will be less waste. What is your fish in to revitalise

:19:12. > :19:22.the economy of Wales? We need to create a green jobs. -- what is

:19:22. > :19:32.

:19:32. > :19:36.The last few weeks have focussed people's attention on the Scottish

:19:36. > :19:38.independence referendum. The Scottish First Minister, Alex

:19:38. > :19:41.Salmond, says he'll start campaigning after May's council

:19:41. > :19:46.elections, but it's not just Scotland that's been staring into

:19:46. > :19:49.the constitutional future. Here in Wales, thoughts have been turning

:19:49. > :19:53.to what Scottish independence, or devo max, might mean for us and the

:19:53. > :19:55.other home nations. Our reporter, Brian Meechan, has been finding out

:19:55. > :20:03.why Wales is taking such a keen interest in developments in

:20:03. > :20:08.Scotland. It may be Scotland's referendum,

:20:08. > :20:12.but that cannot be separated from Wales's future. Scottish

:20:12. > :20:21.independence is a matter for the Scottish people, but it can be

:20:21. > :20:26.under most -- underestimated what a rival effect this is having. -- aim

:20:26. > :20:31.ripple effect. What would be left it would be unrecognisable. There

:20:31. > :20:37.would not be a status quo. If Scotland votes for independence,

:20:37. > :20:42.Wales would be part of a rump that would not just be lopsided, but a

:20:42. > :20:47.bit would be shaved off. If you were to start again, you would not

:20:47. > :20:54.start from here. Some Assembly Members argue the outcome is so

:20:54. > :20:59.important that Unionist politicians cannot ignore it. We need a voice.

:20:59. > :21:05.It will dramatically affect the way British politics is conducted in

:21:05. > :21:14.the years after 2014. It was only last year, after a referendum, that

:21:14. > :21:18.the Assembly got the power to make all laws in devolved areas.

:21:18. > :21:23.Nationalists believe they can use the Scottish debate to put a

:21:23. > :21:27.further powers here, perhaps even independence for Wales. We are

:21:27. > :21:37.players - we would like independence for Wales, and we need

:21:37. > :21:38.

:21:38. > :21:48.to have a cohesive debate. -- we are very clear. Some people are

:21:48. > :21:50.

:21:50. > :22:00.pursuing federalism, but we need a cross-party debate. We need to

:22:00. > :22:01.

:22:01. > :22:06.really be aware to what we could be doing. Wales does not suffer from a

:22:06. > :22:16.lack of page citizen, but a poll suggests that does not translate

:22:16. > :22:18.

:22:18. > :22:22.into support for or independence. Only 7% back bit. -- backed it. The

:22:22. > :22:27.First Minister hosted only celebrations for St David's Day in

:22:27. > :22:37.Brussels last week. He did not pull any punches in responding for the

:22:37. > :22:41.

:22:41. > :22:44.call for Wales to follow Scotland. My point is - if you look at the UK,

:22:44. > :22:54.we need to look at it now, rather than waiting to see what happened

:22:54. > :23:02.

:23:02. > :23:09.in Scotland. His comments have been echoed by Rhodri Morgan. In general,

:23:09. > :23:15.it is easier to be campaigning for a Yes to something. It is either

:23:15. > :23:21.yes to independence, but what is the yes if you are not an SNP

:23:21. > :23:26.supporter? It should be yes to a constitutional convention and a

:23:26. > :23:32.written constitution, and a commission that determines what

:23:32. > :23:40.Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England get in terms of tax.

:23:40. > :23:45.All parties agreed in Senedd that Wales is badly served. An

:23:45. > :23:49.independent report found a shortfall of �300 million a year,

:23:49. > :23:57.missing from the Welsh budget. Scotland is regarded as being over

:23:57. > :24:03.funded. Rhodri Morgan worked with Alex Salmond. He told me he would

:24:03. > :24:10.not support my campaign for a change in the formula, and a change

:24:10. > :24:15.in the way that the formula is allocated. Unless Scotland had

:24:15. > :24:20.control of its own up oil and gas resources. The Assembly has no

:24:20. > :24:26.control over taxation, but a poll suggests two thirds of voters want

:24:26. > :24:36.that to change. We have a commission which is considering

:24:36. > :24:38.

:24:38. > :24:48.what further powers might be useful. Some powers may be devolved to the

:24:48. > :24:49.

:24:49. > :24:53.Welsh government. These are children of a devolved Wales.

:24:53. > :25:00.Devolution it is a process not an event. It will continue to change,

:25:00. > :25:10.just as a has dramatically over the last decade. What Scotland does may

:25:10. > :25:17.

:25:17. > :25:22.Time for a quick word with my guests. We heard about Vince

:25:22. > :25:29.Cable's possible mischief-making. What you make of the timing of this

:25:29. > :25:35.release of this letter? I am not sure about the timing. It is right

:25:35. > :25:40.and proper that Vince Cable, if he has concerns, he needs to challenge

:25:40. > :25:45.the Government. He needs to say that we need to clarify our vision,

:25:45. > :25:52.we need to put forward ideas to drive away economy forward. If he

:25:52. > :25:59.will not do it, who is? You can't expect the Liberal Democrats to sit

:25:59. > :26:06.there and St "yes sir, yes sir". Vince Cable is right to put his

:26:06. > :26:16.concerns about there. It is party policy that the banks should be

:26:16. > :26:21.split up. Vince Cable is absolutely right - but whether or not he will

:26:21. > :26:27.be allowed to remain in the Cabinet if he is shooting his mouth off

:26:27. > :26:33.outside the Cabinet, that remains to be seen. It shows cracks and the

:26:33. > :26:38.Government, though. We know there are tensions between the Lib Dems

:26:38. > :26:42.and Conservatives. Some policies make a lot of people very

:26:42. > :26:48.uncomfortable, because they are hitting the poorest hardest. But

:26:48. > :26:54.one of the interesting things about what the Government could be doing,

:26:54. > :27:03.Vince Cable mentions RBS, there have been alternative proposals to

:27:03. > :27:13.bring it back and being a mutual bank. Why are we spending so much

:27:13. > :27:15.

:27:15. > :27:19.of our money to revitalise another private bank? He quite rightly is

:27:19. > :27:24.saying we need banks that a more focused on lending to small and

:27:24. > :27:28.medium-sized businesses, because they cannot grow unless they have

:27:28. > :27:34.capital to invest in order to create the jobs we need a. He is

:27:34. > :27:42.right on that sort of thing. I would like to know why the Lib Dems

:27:42. > :27:47.have been so silent on the Robin Hood tax. Firstly, letters be

:27:47. > :27:51.playing - the reason we had a financial crisis is because as Ed

:27:51. > :27:57.Miliband said on the radio, the Labour government fails to take

:27:57. > :28:03.action to regulate the banks. We need to take action. We need to

:28:03. > :28:06.look at how banks operate. The crisis was because of Labour's

:28:06. > :28:11.failure to take control and regulate and recognise the warning

:28:11. > :28:14.signs of a system with a problem. Vince Cable is one of the first

:28:14. > :28:22.people to identify we may have a problem, and before the economic

:28:22. > :28:27.storm, warning people if we did not act. It is his role to tell people

:28:27. > :28:33.what we need to do in order to change that. What positive steps we

:28:33. > :28:38.need to go forward. Tackling the banks, and protecting consumer

:28:38. > :28:44.banking, is critical. Who will argue for that, if the Lib Dems are

:28:44. > :28:51.not? It is right that they do. It is not cracks are showing, it is us

:28:51. > :28:57.playing a responsible and honest role. It was actually under

:28:57. > :29:04.Thatcher that the deregulation occurred. That is why we are where

:29:04. > :29:11.we are today. It is absolutely right - Labour should have done

:29:11. > :29:15.more to regulate the banks. But the coalition government has not done

:29:15. > :29:19.anything. We are still in a dangerous position. We still have

:29:19. > :29:28.the gamblers in the City of London holding the future of our country

:29:28. > :29:38.to ransom. Clearly, your own party leader is admitting that it is

:29:38. > :29:39.

:29:39. > :29:45.Labour's fault, because they failed to act. But he is agreeing to that.

:29:45. > :29:55.He is a green we need to do more to regulate the banks. -- he is

:29:55. > :29:56.

:29:56. > :29:58.agreeing. Why they can't back the Robin Hood tax, I don't know.

:29:58. > :30:08.Let's cross now to Westminster and to our correspondent, Tomos

:30:08. > :30:14.

:30:14. > :30:18.They are a glorious example of an organisation bringing people

:30:18. > :30:26.together from all parts of the community and indeed, south of the

:30:26. > :30:30.border. From the D U P.

:30:30. > :30:35.Recognising the sacrifice of Our brave soldiers from Northern

:30:35. > :30:37.Ireland contributing to the defence of the United Kingdom. Does the

:30:37. > :30:41.Secretary of State acknowledged there is a timebomb of mental

:30:41. > :30:47.health problems facing those who return from the field of conflict

:30:47. > :30:52.and what steps are being taken to address this?

:30:53. > :30:56.I entirely endorse the old member's comments and I pay tribute to the

:30:56. > :31:01.members of the Royal Irish who lost their lives in the campaign last

:31:01. > :31:04.year. He is right to draw attention to the mental health problems and I

:31:05. > :31:08.do discuss this with my honourable friends in Cabinet and he should

:31:08. > :31:14.discuss it with local ministers who are responsible for delivering

:31:14. > :31:18.services in Northern Ireland. Questors to the prime minister.

:31:18. > :31:23.Number one, sir. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I hope you

:31:23. > :31:28.will permit me, before answering questions, Mr Speaker, to make the

:31:28. > :31:31.following announcement. Yesterday, an armoured fighting vehicle near

:31:32. > :31:36.the eastern border of Helmand province was struck by an explosion.

:31:36. > :31:40.It is with great sadness that I must tell the House that six

:31:40. > :31:45.soldiers are believed killed. Five are from the Yorkshire Regiment and

:31:45. > :31:49.one is from the first Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. Our

:31:49. > :31:54.thoughts are with the friends and family of these servicemen. This

:31:54. > :31:58.would be the largest loss of life in a single incident in Afghanistan

:31:58. > :32:07.since 2000 the 6th. It brings our total number of casualties in

:32:07. > :32:11.Afghanistan to over 400. -- since 2006. I have spoken this money to

:32:11. > :32:17.the Chief of Defence Staff, the commanding officer of the Yorkshire

:32:17. > :32:21.Regiment. They each stress the importance of getting the job done

:32:21. > :32:26.but I know that everyone will want a message of support and backing

:32:26. > :32:29.for a troops and families to go out from this has today. This morning I

:32:29. > :32:34.had ministers with Miss missed -- with ministerial colleagues and

:32:34. > :32:40.others and I will have further such meetings later today.

:32:40. > :32:45.Can I echo the prime minister's tribute to the fallen. Fear service

:32:45. > :32:52.and sacrifice humbles us all. With this terrible news in mind, will my

:32:52. > :32:59.right honourable friend uses meetings next week with President a

:32:59. > :33:04.bona -- Barack Obama to insure Afghan forces get the training and

:33:04. > :33:09.equipment they need to takeover. I thank my friend for his question.

:33:09. > :33:14.Next week is an opportunity to make sure that Britain and America, as

:33:14. > :33:18.the largest contributors to the mission in Afghanistan are

:33:18. > :33:23.absolutely in lockstep to the importance of training up the army

:33:23. > :33:27.and police and making sure all nature partner have a coordinated

:33:27. > :33:32.process for transition so that the Afghans can take responsibility for

:33:32. > :33:36.the security of their own family. Ed Miliband.

:33:36. > :33:39.Labour leader. Can I join the prime minister in

:33:39. > :33:44.expressing profound sadness at the terrible news of our six soldiers

:33:44. > :33:49.missing, feared dead. Today we are reminded of the ongoing commitment

:33:49. > :33:53.and sacrifice that our service personnel make on our behalf. By

:33:53. > :33:56.putting themselves in harm's way for our benefit, they demonstrate

:33:56. > :34:01.the utmost in service and courage and we owe them and all of those

:34:01. > :34:05.who have lost their lives in Afghanistan and it meant -- an

:34:05. > :34:08.immense debt of gratitude and of thoughts are with their friends and

:34:08. > :34:13.family and colleagues. At moments like this, does the Prime Minister

:34:13. > :34:18.agree that we must restate clearly the reasons for our mission in

:34:18. > :34:22.Afghanistan? A more stable, self- governing Afghanistan to produce

:34:22. > :34:27.more stable and comes in the region and to ensure greater safety for

:34:27. > :34:31.our citizens at home. I thank the Right Honourable

:34:31. > :34:35.Gentleman for his words. He is right. Our mission in Afghanistan

:34:35. > :34:39.remains vital to our national security. We are there to prevent

:34:39. > :34:44.that country from being a safe haven for Al-Qaeda or from where

:34:44. > :34:48.they might plan attacks on the UK or allies. We must equip the Afghan

:34:48. > :34:52.government and the forces of Afghanistan with the capability and

:34:52. > :35:02.capacity to take care of their own national security without the need

:35:02. > :35:03.

:35:03. > :35:09.of foreign troops. That is the aim. We are making progress. The army

:35:09. > :35:14.stands at 185,000. The Afghan national police standing at 145,000.

:35:14. > :35:17.They are both on target for the end of this year. We are making

:35:17. > :35:20.progress and this is absolutely essential for bringing our troops

:35:21. > :35:27.home but I agree that we must restate clearly why we are there

:35:27. > :35:33.and it is in our national interest. We must make sure, as both the

:35:33. > :35:38.commander of the bad Italian said to me today, -- the Battalion, the

:35:38. > :35:42.men have high morale and want our support.

:35:42. > :35:46.I think the Prime Minister for that answer. He and I also agree that it

:35:46. > :35:50.is essential we build now for a political settlement in Afghanistan

:35:50. > :35:54.for when our troops are gone. Can he therefore take this moment to

:35:54. > :35:59.update their house on what diplomatic Prozac -- diplomatic

:35:59. > :36:02.progress is being made for a more inclusive political settlement

:36:03. > :36:09.needed for a more inclusive Afghanistan and does he agree that

:36:09. > :36:16.the international community must up the pace of progress so Mae West in

:36:16. > :36:20.straw we can do all we can -- so we must do all we can to withdraw our

:36:20. > :36:23.troops by the end of 2014? We are clearly planning the

:36:23. > :36:28.increase in the army and police, which are the physical forces that

:36:28. > :36:31.will take over. The greatest difference we can make is a

:36:31. > :36:36.stronger political settlement which can make sure Afghanistan has the

:36:36. > :36:40.chance of real peace, stability, prosperity and security. There are

:36:40. > :36:44.good signs in that there'll proper discussions between Afghan and

:36:44. > :36:48.Pakistani government. There is a clear message coming out of

:36:48. > :36:54.Afghanistan and Pakistan to all those who are engaged in violence

:36:54. > :36:59.to give up and joined a political process. There is strong support

:36:59. > :37:03.for that, across the Arab world. We need to give them every support we

:37:03. > :37:08.can and send a clear message to the Taliban but whether it is our

:37:08. > :37:11.troops or Afghan troops that are there, they will not win on the

:37:11. > :37:17.battlefield because they never do and now is time for a political

:37:17. > :37:22.settlement to give this country a chance for peace for progress.

:37:22. > :37:26.-- peaceful. I would also like to echo the

:37:26. > :37:33.tributes to a brave men and women who are asked to make sacrifices on

:37:33. > :37:36.a day basis to keep our country safe. Will the Prime Minister

:37:37. > :37:40.confirmed that despite these tragic events, the mission will remain in

:37:40. > :37:45.Afghanistan for as long as it takes to complete the mission, which is

:37:45. > :37:49.for a safe, secure and stable Afghanistan and the Afghanistan the

:37:49. > :37:54.people taking control? We have a very clear timetable

:37:54. > :37:57.which is all about transition in parts of Afghanistan over to Afghan

:37:57. > :38:02.security controls which allows our troops to move into the background

:38:02. > :38:08.and eventually out of the country. In Helmand province, where we have

:38:08. > :38:12.been for years, one of the toughest parts of Afghanistan, the effective

:38:12. > :38:18.capital of Helmand province is now controlled by Afghan forces. This

:38:18. > :38:23.process is ongoing and it can be completed by the end of 2014 so we

:38:23. > :38:29.will lead in a proper and orderly fashion. Let's be clear, the

:38:29. > :38:32.relationship between Britain and Afghanistan will go on. It'll be a

:38:32. > :38:36.relationship of military training, diplomacy, support, aid and help.

:38:36. > :38:45.We must learn from the past which is what a mistake it was to turn

:38:45. > :38:50.away from Afghanistan. The Prime Minister's Business

:38:50. > :38:56.Secretary on economic growth. He said, our actions are, frankly,

:38:56. > :39:02.rather piecemeal. Does the Prime Minister agree?

:39:02. > :39:05.I don't agree with that. What the government is doing is cutting

:39:05. > :39:09.corporation tax, investing in apprenticeships, building

:39:09. > :39:14.enterprise zones, making sure that across the economy there is the be

:39:14. > :39:17.balancing that is necessary for sustained economic growth.

:39:17. > :39:21.MP for Carmarthen West. My constituents have to wait longer

:39:22. > :39:25.to get a hospital appointment than they would in England. They are

:39:25. > :39:30.five times less likely to get certain cancer drugs than in

:39:30. > :39:32.England and in hospital, they are twice as likely to get an infection.

:39:32. > :39:39.Does this prove to the prime minister that you can't trust

:39:39. > :39:42.Labour with the NHS? My Honourable Friend makes an

:39:42. > :39:47.important point. When you look at what has happened to the NHS in

:39:47. > :39:51.Wales, it shows what has happened when you don't put in the resources

:39:51. > :39:55.because the resources are being cut in Wales but also you don't reform

:39:55. > :40:01.the NHS to make sure there is a proper chance for people to get the

:40:01. > :40:04.treatment they need. There is a cancer drugs found in Wales. There

:40:04. > :40:08.are longer waiting lists and I think that's an example of what

:40:08. > :40:18.happens without the reforms and the money.

:40:18. > :40:28.

:40:28. > :40:33.Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister is Can he, can he look me in the eye

:40:33. > :40:38.and tell me he is proud of the decision to remove all disability

:40:38. > :40:46.benefits from a 10-year-old child who can hardly walk and you cannot

:40:46. > :40:49.toilet herself because she has cerebral palsy. Is he truly proud?

:40:49. > :40:54.This government is not cutting the money that is coming into

:40:54. > :40:57.disability benefits. We are replacing disability living

:40:57. > :41:01.allowance with the personal independence payment and as someone

:41:01. > :41:05.who has filled out the form for disability living allowance and had

:41:05. > :41:10.a child with cerebral palsy, I know how long it takes to fill in the

:41:10. > :41:13.form. We are going to have a medical test so those who are

:41:13. > :41:20.disabled and need that help get it more quickly.

:41:20. > :41:25.Mr Speaker, on Friday, PC Trevor Hall...

:41:25. > :41:34.Order. I say to the Honourable Gentleman from Brighton that sort

:41:34. > :41:42.of noise is not acceptable. On Friday, PC Trevor Hall and PC

:41:42. > :41:48.Collette Miller came to see me about the life-threatening effects

:41:48. > :41:53.the new legal high on a constituency. I am told that black

:41:53. > :41:58.mamba is being sold on our streets in the UK. Now we have regulations

:41:58. > :42:04.to allow us to act swiftly to ban potentially dangerous legal highs,

:42:04. > :42:08.will my right honourable friend act on this substance immediately?

:42:08. > :42:12.We are grateful to the Honourable Gentleman to receive his seat. It

:42:12. > :42:17.is too long. It is an important issue. We are

:42:17. > :42:22.determined to stamp out these legal highs. We do have this drugs early

:42:22. > :42:25.warning system which brings these things to attention but a decision

:42:25. > :42:31.needs to be made and I will make sure that happen.

:42:31. > :42:36.Ed Miliband. Jim Howells is a delivery driver

:42:36. > :42:40.from Dartford. He is a married father and the sole earner. He

:42:40. > :42:45.works 20 hours a week but next month, under the Prime Minister's

:42:45. > :42:52.proposals, unless he works 24 hours a week, he will lose his working

:42:52. > :42:58.tax credit, �60 a week. He says he has been told that the hours aren't

:42:58. > :43:03.there. He wants to work full-time. What is the prime minister's advice

:43:03. > :43:07.to Jim holes? Let me set the context for this. I

:43:07. > :43:12.will answer the question very directly but we do need to reform

:43:12. > :43:17.the tax credit system because we have a massive budget deficit. When

:43:17. > :43:20.we came to office, tax credits were going to nine out of 10 families,

:43:20. > :43:26.including people right up the income scale, including members of

:43:26. > :43:30.parliament. What our changes do in terms of this specific case is we

:43:30. > :43:35.are dealing with a basic unfairness that we ask a single parent to work

:43:35. > :43:39.16 hours before getting access to the tax credits system so it's only

:43:39. > :43:46.right to say to couples that between them they should work 24

:43:46. > :43:53.hrs, 12 hours each. If they do that, they will be better off.

:43:53. > :44:02.Mr Speaker, that answer is no use to Mr Howells and his family. He

:44:02. > :44:07.can't find the extra hours. He is going to use. Defence Secretary

:44:07. > :44:17.Schultz but what about his wife? Let me tell you. His wife is

:44:17. > :44:25.looking after their three school- age children and can't find hours

:44:25. > :44:31.consistent with fat. Mr Speaker, this man along with 200,000 couples,

:44:31. > :44:34.are going to lose out as a result of this. Before the election, the

:44:34. > :44:39.Prime Minister said that for Labour to say that the changes we are

:44:39. > :44:45.making to tax credits will hit low- income families is simply not true.

:44:45. > :44:48.Why has he broken that promise? We have increased the child tax

:44:48. > :44:52.credit which goes to the poorest families in our country. To answer

:44:52. > :44:56.directly. I don't think it's unreasonable when we say to a

:44:56. > :44:59.single parent they have to work 16 hours to get access to the tax

:44:59. > :45:05.credit system, I don't think it unreasonable to ask a couple to

:45:05. > :45:09.work an average of 12 hours each. In a way, this relates to a bigger

:45:09. > :45:13.picture. We have a massive budget deficit. If he's not going to

:45:14. > :45:18.support the welfare cap, if he would support the housing benefits

:45:18. > :45:28.cap, if you win support cuts to legal aid or tax credits, how on

:45:28. > :45:30.

:45:30. > :45:35.earth will the deal with the He in Dartford, there are five

:45:35. > :45:39.people chasing every vacancy. It is not good enough for the Prime

:45:39. > :45:43.Minister to say they should get outdoors. If they cannot find the

:45:43. > :45:47.work, they are better off in benefits than in work. That is

:45:47. > :45:53.something he said he wanted to avoid. It also goes to this matter

:45:53. > :46:00.of trust - the Prime Minister made a promise, just like he promised

:46:00. > :46:09.child benefit. Before the election, he said he would give it to a

:46:09. > :46:14.straight. He said, I like a child benefit. I would not change it. I

:46:14. > :46:19.will not means tested. I do not think that is a good idea. We have

:46:19. > :46:24.already established he has broken his promise to low income families,

:46:24. > :46:34.but why middle income families as well? Another change she doesn't

:46:34. > :46:40.support! He seems to think... The Prime Minister's answer must be

:46:40. > :46:47.heard. -- order. Does he really think people earning �20,000 should

:46:48. > :46:53.pay for his child benefit? I do not agree. We have to make savings. Not

:46:53. > :47:03.giving a child benefit to the wealthiest 50 -- 15% of people in

:47:03. > :47:04.

:47:04. > :47:11.our country, that is a difficult decision. Mr Speaker, first double,

:47:11. > :47:15.we are talking about families on �43,000 a year. Secondly, it is no

:47:15. > :47:20.good the Prime Minister saying he supports the principle that people

:47:20. > :47:24.on higher income should not get child benefit. Before the election,

:47:24. > :47:30.he supported the opposite principle, and he said quite clearly to have

:47:30. > :47:36.families, I will not take away your child benefit. In my book, there is

:47:36. > :47:45.a simple word for that - a broken promise. A broken promise by this

:47:45. > :47:51.Prime Minister. Two broken promises. The reality is this - lower income

:47:51. > :47:55.families are losing their tax credit. Middle income families are

:47:55. > :48:03.losing child benefit. Does he understand why people just do not

:48:03. > :48:08.believe him when he says, "we are all in this together"? It is time

:48:08. > :48:11.they him to listen to his own Shadow Chief Secretary. He said we

:48:11. > :48:18.insure the test of fiscal credibility. If we do not get this

:48:18. > :48:22.right, it does not matter what we say about anything else. She is

:48:22. > :48:30.absolutely right. Reducing our deficit takes tough decisions. He

:48:30. > :48:34.has opposed every single cut. He opposes all cuts. No wonder, when

:48:34. > :48:44.people dial-up a radio phone-in, they all say the same thing - he is

:48:44. > :48:53.

:48:53. > :48:59.Let us hear it from the honourable gentleman. The following last

:48:59. > :49:03.week's statement on the use of wild animals in circuses, could be quite

:49:03. > :49:10.-- Prime Minister informed the House that a ban would be

:49:10. > :49:15.introduced in this Parliament, and before the next general election?

:49:15. > :49:18.do want to see a ban introduced. It is the overwhelming opinion of

:49:18. > :49:28.members in this House. We are putting in a scheme in the short

:49:28. > :49:30.

:49:30. > :49:34.term, but I think my honourable friend is right. Today, the

:49:34. > :49:43.Business Select Committee published a report on consumer debt. Last

:49:43. > :49:49.November, 60% of people worried about debt, and 3 million

:49:49. > :49:53.considered pay-day loans. No action has been announced. Will the Prime

:49:53. > :49:59.Minister commit to act now to protect valuable -- vulnerable

:49:59. > :50:04.families, or will he accept he is completely out of touch? As the

:50:04. > :50:08.last exchange proved, we are worried about debt. The problem is,

:50:08. > :50:12.the Labour Party does not understand there has a debt problem.

:50:12. > :50:16.There has been a debt problem end our economy, and for many

:50:16. > :50:25.households, and we need to make sure they get help. That is why we

:50:25. > :50:29.are making sure Citizen's Advice Bureau continues to get help.

:50:29. > :50:37.coalition agreement contains many bold and brilliant proposals to

:50:37. > :50:42.give Britain the change we need. Radical localism, for example.

:50:42. > :50:48.Sometimes, however, progress has been slowed. Sometimes, radicalism

:50:48. > :50:55.has been slow. Is this because of the constraints of coalition or the

:50:55. > :50:59.Whitehall machine? It was good to have such a helpful start! I think

:50:59. > :51:06.this government has done a number of radical things, right across the

:51:06. > :51:11.board, whether it is all they reform to make sure it pays to work,

:51:11. > :51:16.education reform, whether the tax reform to give us competitive tax

:51:16. > :51:23.rates. I wonder has to go further and faster. I do not blame the

:51:23. > :51:30.Whitehall machine. Politicians must always take responsibility.

:51:30. > :51:36.constituent was arrested nearly three years ago in Goa. He was

:51:36. > :51:40.released, when it was found out be police officers were under

:51:40. > :51:46.investigation for corruption. His passport has been confiscated, he

:51:46. > :51:52.cannot work, he does not even know when this case will go to court. To

:51:52. > :51:55.the Prime Minister agree that justice has been denied? Can be

:51:55. > :52:00.Foreign Office Minister meet with meet urgently? I will certainly do

:52:00. > :52:02.that. It is important the honourable gentleman feels he

:52:02. > :52:11.cannot stand up for his constituents on the other side of

:52:11. > :52:16.the world. I will make sure the Foreign Office meet with him soon.

:52:16. > :52:20.Will the Prime Minister join me in congratulating the project that has

:52:20. > :52:28.started in my constituency in September, funded by the private

:52:28. > :52:34.sector, Redbridge, charities, congratulating the Interface Group

:52:34. > :52:38.to get young people with special needs into employment? I will

:52:38. > :52:43.certainly join him in supporting that project. It is important that

:52:43. > :52:53.we help children with special needs to this calling, and true that

:52:53. > :52:56.

:52:56. > :53:02.transition after-school. -- special needs to his calling. Is it true

:53:02. > :53:06.that the problem is, policy is being run by two public school boys,

:53:06. > :53:10.who do not know what to do is like to go to the supermarket and put

:53:10. > :53:17.things back on the shelves because they cannot afford it for their

:53:17. > :53:23.children's lunch boxes? Not my words, but the words of a

:53:23. > :53:31.Conservative MP. Coming from the north-east, she should be

:53:31. > :53:41.celebrating the fact that Nissan are building a new car plant!

:53:41. > :53:45.

:53:45. > :53:51.Instead of whatever nonsense she read out! My personal tributes are

:53:51. > :53:54.to the fall in as well. On Monday, Claire's law came into being. All

:53:54. > :54:01.my honourable friend be willing to meet with me and a sergeant to

:54:01. > :54:09.learn, first hand, how this ground- breaking initiative in Devonport is

:54:09. > :54:16.helping to make sure children in my constituency grow up where there

:54:16. > :54:20.will not be domestic violence any more? He is right to raise this

:54:20. > :54:27.issue in his constituency, when tomorrow we have International

:54:27. > :54:32.Women's Day. It is a breakthrough to give women this information if

:54:32. > :54:37.they seek it. I want us to follow that by looking at stalking, I want

:54:37. > :54:47.us to continue to support rape crisis centres, and made sure we

:54:47. > :54:50.

:54:50. > :55:00.act on domestic violence right across the board. I look forward to

:55:00. > :55:02.

:55:02. > :55:07.visiting Scotland soon! I am not so sure that he will come to my

:55:07. > :55:17.constituency very soon indeed! In fact, later this month to his Tory

:55:17. > :55:24.party conference. But I want to know whether or not he agrees with

:55:24. > :55:30.me that the uncertainty created around this separatist idea of a

:55:30. > :55:33.referendum, delayed longer than it should be, is it not leading to an

:55:33. > :55:42.uncertainty of inward investment, but to my constituency and

:55:42. > :55:49.elsewhere? Will he come with me, to see some inward investment? It is a

:55:49. > :55:53.promise he made to me at a meeting one year ago. When he asked me this

:55:53. > :55:59.question a year ago, I met with a delegation from his constituency. I

:55:59. > :56:09.agree with every word he says. He can make that short trip from his

:56:09. > :56:15.

:56:15. > :56:20.constituency, and we can share a platform to get a. -- together.

:56:20. > :56:30.want the honourable lady's question to be heard in full. Perhaps a bit

:56:30. > :56:32.

:56:32. > :56:36.of respect? Reports are trying to be repressed in to a scandal of

:56:36. > :56:42.wasted money, and councillors are being threatened with disciplinary

:56:42. > :56:48.action if they blow the whistle. Does the Prime Minister agree the

:56:48. > :56:53.council should come clean with the people? She raises an important

:56:53. > :56:56.point - there are proposals for transparency in local government,

:56:56. > :57:02.and expenditures should be documented. This summer's common

:57:02. > :57:09.names, budgets and responsibilities. Paid over �58,000 should be

:57:09. > :57:15.published, including expenses, and organisational charges. We want of

:57:15. > :57:21.transparency to go right through local government. Article 16 of the

:57:21. > :57:28.you appeal -- European fiscal compact says it will be

:57:28. > :57:35.incorporated in the European treaty in five years. Can he vetoed that?

:57:35. > :57:44.What it says is that it can only be incorporated with the position of

:57:44. > :57:47.all Member States. Our position on that has not changed. Can the Prime

:57:47. > :57:53.Minister join me, along with the thousands of families with missing

:57:53. > :57:57.loved ones, including the families of missing York woman Claudia

:57:57. > :58:03.Lawrence, in supporting recommendations of the Justice

:58:03. > :58:08.Select Committee report of missing people's rights? This is an

:58:08. > :58:13.important issue he races. I pay tribute to Peter Lawrence and his

:58:13. > :58:18.support for this campaign. The select committee has made a report

:58:18. > :58:22.on this issue. We acknowledge the law is complicated, and recognise

:58:22. > :58:26.the difficulties faced by loved ones. We will consider these

:58:26. > :58:35.recommendations carefully, and perhaps all right to be honourable

:58:35. > :58:45.gentleman when we have an answer. If the Prime Minister manages to

:58:45. > :58:45.

:58:45. > :58:55.persuade the Chancellor to remove some of the anomalies of the

:58:55. > :58:58.

:58:58. > :59:01.benefits system.... We are making a long-term reform. We are making a

:59:01. > :59:07.long-term reform, Universal Credit, which will mean everyone is better

:59:07. > :59:14.off in work, no matter how many hours they work. That is something

:59:14. > :59:22.we had 18 years to put in place. Saturday, 2000 marched through

:59:22. > :59:27.Kendall took produce a petition calling for radiotherapy services

:59:27. > :59:34.are not to be scrapped. Can we make sure we bring cancer treatment to

:59:34. > :59:38.Kendal, so local lives can be made longer, and journey shorter? I know,

:59:38. > :59:44.from having visited his constituency, how important the

:59:44. > :59:54.issue of the hospital is. Perhaps I can fix a meeting between his and

:59:54. > :59:58.

:59:58. > :00:02.my honourable friend to make sure RBS has recently axed jobs. They

:00:02. > :00:07.have been outsourced to India. The prime minister and the Government

:00:07. > :00:09.on the biggest shareholders on behalf of the stakeholders so when

:00:09. > :00:13.will the Prime Minister's stand up to RBS to prevent these needless

:00:13. > :00:17.job losses in the UK? I think the most important thing we

:00:17. > :00:25.have to do is to recognise that the last government put in, on behalf

:00:25. > :00:29.of the country, �45 billion, into that bank. That is �2,500 for every

:00:29. > :00:37.working family in the country and the important thing is we get that

:00:37. > :00:40.money back. We need Rds to return to help. -- RBS to return to health.

:00:40. > :00:45.It has to grow its business and we will then get into the position

:00:45. > :00:51.where we can return the money. That is what matters.

:00:51. > :00:56.Mr Chris Hopkins. Can I offer my sympathies to the families and

:00:56. > :01:01.friends of the six soldiers who have been killed, five of which

:01:01. > :01:06.served with the Yorkshire Regiment which I had the privilege of

:01:06. > :01:10.serving with. Can I ask the Prime Minister, I recognise the important

:01:10. > :01:16.role -- the important role which our troops endeavour to undertake

:01:16. > :01:18.and I support a process but we do need to bring our troops back in

:01:18. > :01:22.2015 and can I ask the prime minister we do everything to

:01:22. > :01:25.support the families of those that are lost?

:01:25. > :01:29.Where Honourable friend speaks with experience because of his service

:01:29. > :01:34.in our armed forces. Is important we have the date for our troops

:01:34. > :01:39.coming home from Afghanistan, a date that I set we won't be in a

:01:39. > :01:45.combat role at the end of 2014. It's also important they have the

:01:45. > :01:48.equipment between now and then to keep them as safe as possible. The

:01:48. > :01:54.last government started with this with extra money being put in

:01:54. > :01:58.vehicles since 2006 and they have spent �2 billion on better

:01:58. > :02:02.protected vehicles. He is absolutely right that we need to do

:02:02. > :02:04.more for their families at home and that is what the military

:02:04. > :02:11.government process and also the cabinet committee which I chaired

:02:11. > :02:16.the first meeting of, is all about. Using Applied Language Solutions

:02:16. > :02:20.was supposed to save the West Midlands police vast amounts of

:02:20. > :02:24.money but last week we heard that they were unable to close suspects

:02:24. > :02:28.for weeks. Is that what we can expect from our police forces when

:02:28. > :02:31.they take out deals with private security companies?

:02:31. > :02:35.I don't think there's anything wrong with the police getting back

:02:35. > :02:40.office functions carried out by private sector organisations.

:02:40. > :02:43.Indeed, when the shadow policing minister was asked the question at

:02:43. > :02:48.the Home Office, the Home Affairs Select Committee, he said he was

:02:48. > :02:52.relaxed about that. Can I say to the Honourable Lady I am delighted

:02:52. > :02:56.she is looking at looking at the issue of whether to become a police

:02:56. > :03:02.and crime commissioner. I hope many other Honourable Members will

:03:02. > :03:06.consider this Korea chain J. . -- Career Change.

:03:06. > :03:14.Can my Honourable Friend do all he can to support Mayor Boris Johnson

:03:14. > :03:18.in London. He is pleading with our biggest insurer not to leave the

:03:18. > :03:22.city of London because of the attack by the European Union on the

:03:22. > :03:28.city of London's competitiveness? Can't I invite him to lock the

:03:28. > :03:32.fiscal union treaty by applying to the European Court of Justice

:03:32. > :03:36.because it is illegal until we get the city safeguards he was

:03:36. > :03:40.demanding in December? My Honourable Friend is right to

:03:40. > :03:44.raise the case of the Prudential because it is an example where ill-

:03:44. > :03:51.thought-out EU legislation is endangering a great British

:03:51. > :03:54.business which should have its headquarters in the UK. We are

:03:55. > :03:57.working hard with the Prudential to try and deal with this and we have

:03:57. > :04:04.the support of Boris Johnson in a doing that.

:04:04. > :04:07.Order. That was a rather subdued Prime

:04:08. > :04:12.Minister's questions this week. There were some lively exchanges on

:04:12. > :04:19.child benefit. We look forward to the Budget in two weeks' time.

:04:19. > :04:24.Plenty to discuss in the studio. It was subdued. That was following

:04:24. > :04:29.the statement at the beginning of the session from the Prime Minister

:04:29. > :04:34.saying that six servicemen are missing in Helmand province. That

:04:34. > :04:39.led to a debate over, essentially, what British troops are doing in

:04:39. > :04:43.Afghanistan and Ed Miliband asking to restate the aims of the country?

:04:43. > :04:46.I don't think there will ever be an end to this nightmare until we

:04:46. > :04:51.start talking to the Taliban because if we withdraw the troops

:04:51. > :04:56.without talking to the Taliban, it will prolong the civil war that is

:04:56. > :05:01.already going on, even with the troops there. At the moment we have

:05:01. > :05:05.the Hamid Karzai government which is corrupt and only represents one

:05:05. > :05:12.section of the population in Afghanistan. There is no

:05:12. > :05:16.alternative to talking to the Taliban, he tried to persuade the

:05:16. > :05:21.Americans to do it. At the moment it is an election year and it is

:05:21. > :05:25.hard to seek that it will happen before November. There is no

:05:25. > :05:30.solution to the Afghan problem as we saw with the Soviet Union. It's

:05:30. > :05:35.not possible to beat the Taliban, therefore we have to talk to them

:05:35. > :05:39.and bring about conciliation between these people who have

:05:39. > :05:45.suffered for so many years. The British troops have been there

:05:45. > :05:49.for a decade now. Jenny Rathbone suggests, as David Miliband

:05:49. > :05:55.suggested, a change of tack is required because what is going on

:05:55. > :06:00.is potentially not working. Worryingly, there is no end in

:06:00. > :06:06.sight and we are all concerned when we hear sad news like we have heard

:06:06. > :06:10.this week. Men and women are or putting their lives at risk in

:06:10. > :06:14.order to find a peaceful solution in Afghanistan on our behalf every

:06:14. > :06:18.day. It's incumbent on us as politicians and our colleagues in

:06:18. > :06:22.Westminster to make sure we have got an exit strategy and we know

:06:22. > :06:28.what we are trying to achieve and we are working constructively

:06:28. > :06:32.towards that. I think sometimes over that decade, there have been a

:06:32. > :06:36.lack of focus and we need to think carefully about that in Wales. It

:06:36. > :06:41.is incumbent on us to think that when servicemen and women come home

:06:41. > :06:45.we can care for them effectively, their mental health as well as

:06:45. > :06:51.their physical health. I have concerns about the provision of

:06:51. > :06:56.services for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

:06:56. > :07:00.Let's look at some of the other things, the usual knockabout, which

:07:00. > :07:08.did sit quite uncomfortably against the backdrop of the other stuff we

:07:08. > :07:11.heard about. The MP for Carmarthen West attacking the Welsh NHS, Jenny

:07:11. > :07:15.Rathbone. As a Labour representative, what did you make

:07:15. > :07:19.of his comments? This is a strategy by the coalition

:07:19. > :07:23.government to avoid discussing the harm they are doing to the NHS in

:07:23. > :07:28.England. But longer waiting lists, no cancer

:07:28. > :07:33.drugs? We certainly need to address

:07:33. > :07:37.waiting lists and we need to have a coherent drugs policy but the main

:07:37. > :07:45.issue is that we do have the support of doctors and nurses in a

:07:45. > :07:48.way that we are reshaping the NHS to meet the needs of our population.

:07:48. > :07:50.But there was a demonstration last week in Wales with doctors signing

:07:50. > :07:55.letters against the plans in West will.

:07:55. > :07:58.There will always be disagreements against individual but the

:07:58. > :08:03.organisations that represent doctors and nurses are not

:08:03. > :08:08.demonstrating outside the Assembly building and what we are

:08:08. > :08:12.unfortunately seeing is a scare campaign on behalf of one of the

:08:12. > :08:18.Plaid Cymru candidates to promote her campaign.

:08:18. > :08:21.You mean Elin Jones? I do. Both the First Minister and

:08:21. > :08:26.the health minister have been clear that there are no plans to close

:08:26. > :08:32.any district hospitals and they have been specific on that and it

:08:32. > :08:37.doesn't matter how often they repeat it, people who are about

:08:37. > :08:41.mischief-making are trying to distort what is going on and making

:08:41. > :08:46.people really worried and that is really totally disappointing

:08:46. > :08:49.because, you know, individuals who are worried about the services

:08:49. > :08:53.available to their families are as Ben wound-up to think that their

:08:53. > :08:57.services are going to be taking a wave and them.

:08:57. > :09:02.There were 800 protesters outside the Assembly last week who may have

:09:02. > :09:06.another view. Where do you sit on this? What is the Liberal Democrat

:09:06. > :09:11.view? 50 of the 60 consultants based at

:09:11. > :09:15.the hospital in question signed a letter expressing no confidence in

:09:15. > :09:18.the local health board. We have to take notice because it demonstrates

:09:18. > :09:22.that the provisions are not behind the Government approach on this and

:09:22. > :09:29.I think it's interesting we saw Rachel Reeves on Newsnight a couple

:09:29. > :09:35.of weeks ago talking about the Welsh NHS and Jeremy Paxman asked

:09:35. > :09:40.her three times, do they do it better in Wales?

:09:40. > :09:43.Remind us who Rachel Reeves is? The Labour spokesperson on health.

:09:43. > :09:49.The spokesperson for the opposition Treasury.

:09:49. > :09:53.Three times she refused to agree. Labour in London are ashamed of the

:09:53. > :09:58.Welsh government record. People are waiting longer and in pain. They

:09:58. > :10:01.are concerned about their services and they don't understand whether

:10:01. > :10:04.their services are going to be addressed by the Welsh government

:10:04. > :10:12.or the Welsh government are going to bat them back to the local

:10:12. > :10:15.health boards. We have to take that seriously and not sweep aside

:10:15. > :10:18.people's genuine and legitimate concern.

:10:18. > :10:24.We will leave it there but come back before the end of the

:10:24. > :10:28.programme. Andy Berman is the shadow health spokesman, isn't he?

:10:28. > :10:35.We will hear from three MPs about tomorrow's international women's

:10:35. > :10:42.day. Back for more on the Plaid Cymru leadership race.

:10:42. > :10:45.Our second contestant for the leadership is a Leanne Wood. You

:10:45. > :10:50.said that Plaid Cymru has not done as well as it would have liked

:10:50. > :10:55.because it had no unique selling point. What should it be? Should it

:10:55. > :11:01.be independent? We have met as a party our short

:11:01. > :11:07.term objectives by going into government in the previous Assembly.

:11:07. > :11:11.We secured legislation to protect the language, we've been part of a

:11:11. > :11:16.referendum campaign which secured a yes vote for law-making powers in

:11:16. > :11:19.the Assembly and all parties are united on the need to reform the

:11:19. > :11:22.Barnett formula. We have met our short-term objectives.

:11:22. > :11:29.You didn't get thankful that electric, did you?

:11:29. > :11:34.We didn't. We didn't have enough time to put forward our next set of

:11:34. > :11:40.objectives. I think that is what we need to do now, to put together a

:11:40. > :11:43.plan for the next stage and I think it should be independence but not

:11:43. > :11:50.independence for independence sake but independence so we can sort out

:11:50. > :11:54.our problems like the economy. People are concerned about jobs,

:11:54. > :12:00.youth unemployment, women's unemployment. People are in many

:12:00. > :12:05.cases unable to afford fuel or food. Those are the questions we need to

:12:05. > :12:10.be talking about as a party and offering constitutional solutions

:12:10. > :12:16.to address those problems, not constitutional solutions just for

:12:16. > :12:20.the sake of it. And yet, nobody would suggest

:12:20. > :12:24.constitutional solutions are for their own sake. The Poles seem to

:12:24. > :12:31.suggest that people aren't interested in independence. 7%

:12:31. > :12:35.approved in the last BBC poll. It's hardly surprising that the

:12:35. > :12:39.case when the case for independence hasn't been put. What was

:12:39. > :12:43.encouraging from that poll result... You have been putting it forward

:12:43. > :12:47.for years! Opposition parties say we are

:12:47. > :12:50.obsessed but we haven't talked about independence at all. What was

:12:50. > :12:55.encouraging from that result was that the number of people now in

:12:55. > :12:59.favour of fiscal powers being devolved. We need to be able to

:12:59. > :13:05.affect the economy in Wales. It is still in a weak position and we are

:13:05. > :13:10.powerless to address many of the problems in our economy. The next

:13:10. > :13:15.stage has to be devolution of those fiscal levers. We also have to be

:13:15. > :13:19.thinking about devolving the criminal justice service with

:13:19. > :13:24.police powers being privatised and aspects of the police service being

:13:24. > :13:29.privatised. That being talked about. If we want to continue to have

:13:29. > :13:34.public police service in whirls in future, we need it devolved. -- in

:13:34. > :13:39.Wales. There are plenty of short- term objectives in Pyecombe reach

:13:39. > :13:45.for instance controlling our natural resources and water policy.

:13:45. > :13:51.Plenty of aspects we can campaign One of those I wanted to talk about.

:13:52. > :13:54.Your economic vision. In particular, your plans as set out in your green

:13:54. > :14:00.print for the valleys. Tell us what it means.

:14:00. > :14:05.The green print is a job creation programme and the aim is to create

:14:05. > :14:12.markets for local jobs. You would have a big push on co-operative to

:14:12. > :14:17.try and create co-operative so. I'm thinking about building up

:14:17. > :14:23.resilience for things like peak oil, we need to reduce our carbon

:14:23. > :14:27.emissions further, if we had a programme of fitting our homes to

:14:27. > :14:31.maximise energy efficiency, people could be employed in that work. We

:14:31. > :14:36.need a plan, that is what I've said. Plaid Cymru needs to put the

:14:36. > :14:42.economy at the heart of will work and we need a long-term plan.

:14:42. > :14:45.As I said earlier on am.pm, tomorrow is International Women's

:14:45. > :14:47.Day - it's a day of global celebration for the economic,

:14:47. > :14:54.political and social achievements of women. Our reporter, Bethan

:14:54. > :14:59.James, has been speaking to two MPs about the event.

:14:59. > :15:05.100 years ago, there were no women in Parliament. Things have changed,

:15:05. > :15:09.but the percentage of women in Parliament he is still pretty low -

:15:09. > :15:16.22%. The party were the best record for female representation is the

:15:16. > :15:22.Labour Party, and I have three female Labour MPs joining the head.

:15:22. > :15:27.You were the first female MP to represent the Welsh valleys. What

:15:27. > :15:32.was it like here in Westminster in the 1980s? I came from the European

:15:32. > :15:37.Parliament, and it is quite a culture shock. There are far more

:15:37. > :15:43.women in the duet -- European Parliament. There were things that

:15:43. > :15:49.were important - there was no women's hairdresser here, there was

:15:49. > :15:55.a barber. First of all, we had to get a women's hairdresser. Then,

:15:55. > :16:02.there were things like not enough toilets for women. There was one

:16:02. > :16:09.particular toilet, which is called Barbara Castle. Barbara Castle

:16:09. > :16:13.fought very hard for equal pay for women, equal rights in the House of

:16:13. > :16:20.Commons. Things have changed here. But the percentage is low. Why is

:16:20. > :16:24.that? We have got a long way to go. We have got 32% in the Labour Party.

:16:24. > :16:31.If you look at the Conservatives, the largest party here, they have

:16:31. > :16:35.not done half as well - they only have 49 women. They have gone down

:16:35. > :16:39.in the number of women they have got here, the Lib Dems. We do have

:16:39. > :16:42.to make a positive attempt to make sure that women have the

:16:42. > :16:49.opportunities, and women really do value themselves and put themselves

:16:49. > :16:57.forward. To you agree that other parties should adopt own all-women

:16:57. > :17:03.shortlist? We all have to have all -- more women MPs. There are at

:17:03. > :17:10.least half of the population women, and it is nonsense that there are

:17:10. > :17:14.20 to the centre people here represented by women. -- 22%.

:17:14. > :17:18.would argue they want to be in a job because they were the best

:17:18. > :17:22.person for the job, not just because they are a woman.

:17:22. > :17:27.Absolutely. But if you are good historical circumstances, in the

:17:27. > :17:31.past, very few women have come forward. If you want to redress

:17:32. > :17:36.that balance quickly, you have to put in measures now to say, what

:17:36. > :17:42.about the women who have missed out? Since we have had more women

:17:42. > :17:46.in Parliament, we have done more in terms of family problems, and child

:17:47. > :17:53.care. All those issues that will help women fulfil career potential

:17:53. > :17:58.as. No matter how much positive discrimination there is, do you

:17:58. > :18:03.think it is a personal choice? Politics is not really friendly for

:18:03. > :18:09.women, especially those with families. It is not always a

:18:09. > :18:17.personal choice. There has been discrimination against women. Where

:18:17. > :18:22.there has been discrimination, it is proper to give women extra help.

:18:22. > :18:26.With childcare costs so high, and this place still voting at 10pm, it

:18:26. > :18:30.is impossible for women with children, isn't it? I think it is

:18:30. > :18:37.very difficult, and we need reforms. If you look at the Assembly, they

:18:37. > :18:41.are much more sensible - they have structured the day much better. But

:18:41. > :18:48.it does a bit chicken and egg. The women have to raise the issues in

:18:48. > :18:54.order to get the change. Back to Mark in the Oriel, where

:18:54. > :19:01.he'll complete his hat-trick of Plaid Cymru leadership contenders.

:19:01. > :19:06.Last but not least, I am joined to buy another candidate. You made

:19:06. > :19:12.independence the centre of your campaign. It could be argued. The

:19:12. > :19:22.most recent polls show a very few people want that delivered. Are you

:19:22. > :19:24.

:19:24. > :19:30.setting off on the wrong tack? Senedd believes in independence. --

:19:30. > :19:35.Plaid Cymru believes in independence. We are also wanting

:19:35. > :19:42.to see greater powers for Welsh National Assembly Members. The

:19:42. > :19:49.recent polls have been very encouraging, really. 7%? That is

:19:49. > :19:52.not a surprise. There was a response and that poll same that if

:19:52. > :19:57.Scotland good for independence, there is a higher proportion of

:19:57. > :20:00.Wales. What was encouraging about that poll is that we have a

:20:00. > :20:04.majority of Welsh people thinking displays she should have some

:20:04. > :20:09.physical powers, is significant number of thinking it should have

:20:09. > :20:15.all fiscal powers. We are seeing a shift in the wake people in Wales

:20:15. > :20:22.consider the relative importance or status or powers of the National

:20:22. > :20:26.Assembly. -- in the way. People think there should be a growing

:20:26. > :20:35.number of decisions relating to Wales, being taken in Wales. And

:20:35. > :20:40.that is what Senedd has always been about. Ultimately, we want to see

:20:40. > :20:46.an independent Wales. We need to make a better case as to what that

:20:47. > :20:52.would mean, and I would lead that debate, but I am a practical,

:20:52. > :20:58.pragmatic politician. Independence is something the people of Wales

:20:58. > :21:03.would decide, but it will not happen tomorrow. I want to get to

:21:03. > :21:07.that pragmatism. Firstly, on health. You have indicated recently that

:21:07. > :21:11.you are concerned about the changes the Government is making. What

:21:11. > :21:17.would you do differently, if you were in government? The money is

:21:17. > :21:22.not there for the health service, and to hold inflation will rise.

:21:22. > :21:27.How to address that problem? have heard Carwyn Jones say quite

:21:28. > :21:34.clearly that reconfiguration proposals for the NHS are not

:21:34. > :21:42.related to financial pressures. They are about changes to the way

:21:42. > :21:47.the NHS works. There needs to be changed in the NHS, yes, but

:21:47. > :21:53.everybody needs to be able to access safe services that can save

:21:53. > :21:57.lives. At the moment, we have plans in a few area in Wales where a

:21:57. > :22:01.number of communities fear that their life-saving chances are being

:22:01. > :22:06.jeopardised by plans put forward by the health board. Chains happens

:22:06. > :22:16.all the time in the NHS, but that has to carry the confidence of

:22:16. > :22:18.

:22:18. > :22:23.local doctors. -- change. Also the local community. The boss

:22:24. > :22:31.government has a lot to do to instil confidence in the proposals.

:22:31. > :22:35.-- the Welsh government. Another aspect was nuclear power. Lots of

:22:35. > :22:45.people see that as inconsistent. You are opposed on principle, but

:22:45. > :22:46.

:22:46. > :22:55.in practice, while there B nuclear power? That will be taken by the UK

:22:55. > :22:59.government. I worry about nuclear waste, in particular. The issue of

:22:59. > :23:05.how to dispose with waste in a Safeway has never been solved by UK

:23:05. > :23:11.government, will any of government. I am opposed to nuclear power, but

:23:11. > :23:19.my pragmatism comes in. If the decision is taken, then I'd want to

:23:19. > :23:28.see the job opportunities that bombing. -- job opportunities that

:23:28. > :23:30.will mean. Now, later here in the Senedd, the

:23:30. > :23:33.Welsh Conservatives have a debate where they say they will renew

:23:33. > :23:36.their calls for the Welsh Government to implement a council

:23:36. > :23:39.tax freeze. I've been speaking to the party's Shadow local government

:23:39. > :23:46.minister, Janet Finch Saunders, and I began by asking her why they had

:23:46. > :23:52.chosen this topic. It is a very important topic. In England,

:23:52. > :24:01.council tax is frozen. In Scotland, it has been frozen for five years.

:24:01. > :24:06.In Wales, we have seen council tax rise, year on year. Money has been

:24:06. > :24:16.allocated. Almost that in a million pounds, specifically in order to

:24:16. > :24:19.

:24:19. > :24:29.freeze council tax. -- almost �39 million. It should have been passed

:24:29. > :24:31.

:24:31. > :24:36.over to our residents. Using money has been allocated. -- you say. The

:24:36. > :24:45.Government do not have to put the money towards freezing council tax,

:24:45. > :24:55.do they? Yes, but one has to recognise that the money has come

:24:55. > :24:55.

:24:55. > :25:00.over, and the people themselves... It is their money. Are people

:25:00. > :25:10.telling you they are concerned about council tax rises. Yes. In

:25:10. > :25:15.

:25:15. > :25:22.Wales, we have seen council tax increases that since 1997. In 2005,

:25:22. > :25:32.where we had re-evaluation, people saw their housing bans go up to all

:25:32. > :25:32.

:25:32. > :25:38.three bands. They have had a double whammy. -- go up two or three bands.

:25:38. > :25:46.You are having a debate today. It is unlikely you will win, though,

:25:46. > :25:51.isn't it? We believe we should be supporting households. It would be

:25:51. > :25:57.nice to think the other parties would support us, so far, they have

:25:57. > :26:03.not shown support for a one move all the residents themselves. We

:26:03. > :26:08.have to try to convince them this afternoon. But this is a hot topic.

:26:08. > :26:11.Money in people's pocket is very important to them. What difference

:26:11. > :26:17.will a council tax frieze made to the amount of money someone has an

:26:17. > :26:26.air pocket? Even if it is only a look for bread, it is a look of

:26:26. > :26:34.bread someone will not be able to bite. 139% increase since 1997, we

:26:34. > :26:44.are talking very large sums of council tax. Savings with little

:26:44. > :26:53.return, it is hitting people in the pocket. They feel it is so unfair.

:26:53. > :26:57.Time for a final word with my guests. Your party it has

:26:57. > :27:01.negotiated some use for the money the Conservatives would like to see

:27:01. > :27:06.go to war to a council tax freeze. I you happy with the use of that

:27:06. > :27:12.money? Absolutely. The freeze that might have been possible in Wales

:27:12. > :27:19.would have been 1p a week. People do not see the impact of that. They

:27:19. > :27:23.will see the impact of the agreement we have been able to

:27:23. > :27:27.negotiate. And the budget negotiations. They will see that

:27:27. > :27:32.every day - the job opportunities created, housing created, and I

:27:32. > :27:37.think people will see the benefit of that more than a loaf of bread.

:27:37. > :27:41.The Welsh government put the onus on councils, didn't it? Is that a

:27:41. > :27:47.reflection that there are not as many Labour councils as there used

:27:47. > :27:51.to be? I think the money has been was spent on children. It is all

:27:51. > :28:01.right we put it into this deprivation grant, which will pay

:28:01. > :28:02.

:28:02. > :28:10.for individual tuition. The UK government, which does not know the