:00:53. > :00:54.Welcome to the programme and our weekly coverage
:00:55. > :00:56.of questions to the First Minister.
:00:57. > :00:59.The Plenary session has started early today to allow for a long
:01:00. > :01:02.debate on the Public Health Bill later this afternoon.
:01:03. > :01:04.According to the Order Paper, Carwyn Jones can expect questions
:01:05. > :01:08.on the future of the NHS, the progress of the Swansea Bay city
:01:09. > :01:12.deal and how much money was invested in attracting Aston Martin
:01:13. > :01:16.Don't forget you can follow all the latest on Welsh politics
:01:17. > :01:21.Well, business in the chamber is already underway
:01:22. > :01:28.so let's take a look now at today's questions to the First Minister.
:01:29. > :01:36.Good afternoon. The National Assembly of Wales is in session. The
:01:37. > :01:41.first item this afternoon is question to the First Minister.
:01:42. > :01:44.Questionable one by Darren Millar. Were the First Minister make a
:01:45. > :01:47.statement on the future of the NHS in Wales.
:01:48. > :01:52.It is one of our top priorities that is why we are investing more than
:01:53. > :01:56.ever in the health service. One of the first things a future
:01:57. > :02:00.Wesco, it will have to address is the challenges in our out-of-hours
:02:01. > :02:05.care. The report that has been reported by the public services
:02:06. > :02:17.ombudsman which shows patients are coming to harm. There were also
:02:18. > :02:22.concerned about GB out-of-hours care in North Wales which explained
:02:23. > :02:28.clearly that around 77% of rotors are covered in parts of Wales which
:02:29. > :02:32.leaves 23% without GP cover. What action are you taking to address the
:02:33. > :02:37.problems in North Wales? We are working with the Royal
:02:38. > :02:42.College of the BMA to address those issues. There are 112 GP practices
:02:43. > :02:47.in North Wales. Four of them have served notice they are not able to
:02:48. > :02:51.fulfil their contracts. What then happens is the local health board
:02:52. > :02:55.will work with those practices. If that is not possible other practices
:02:56. > :03:01.are able to take over the practices that are no longer exist. Then the
:03:02. > :03:07.LHP will take it over to make sure services will continue.
:03:08. > :03:10.The Wales converters proposal for scores on the doors to rank Welsh
:03:11. > :03:22.hospitals is the clearest indication yet. -- the Welsh Conservatives.
:03:23. > :03:28.They will follow David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt...
:03:29. > :03:32.Would you agree with me First Minister that the future of the NHS
:03:33. > :03:36.in Wales is dependent not on treating patients as customers or to
:03:37. > :03:41.shop around or create an internal market, but in the spirit of
:03:42. > :03:46.cooperation and investments we have created to ensure that all hospitals
:03:47. > :03:51.can provide a high quality service. Absolutely. I don't think the
:03:52. > :03:57.challenges the NHS is facing can be solved by a sticker on the door. It
:03:58. > :04:02.is ambitious because we look at the my health online website, there are
:04:03. > :04:06.farmer indicators the public can access to see how their hospitals
:04:07. > :04:10.are doing. The Welsh Conservatives are not going to apply this to
:04:11. > :04:16.mental health, GPs, dentists. Why not? The public would ask that. From
:04:17. > :04:22.our perspective we have a service which is more comprehensive. You
:04:23. > :04:32.have tried five times in the seated position. Stop. Have you finished my
:04:33. > :04:36.First Minister? The spirit of collaboration and
:04:37. > :04:40.investment that Lynne Eagle mentioned has led to a situation in
:04:41. > :04:43.North Wales where the Betsi Cadwaladr health board has had to
:04:44. > :04:50.spend millions of pounds in one month on agency staff. What's those
:04:51. > :04:53.that tell us in your view of the condition of the capacity of
:04:54. > :04:58.staffing in health services in North Wales?
:04:59. > :05:04.The health service has always depended on some agency staff.
:05:05. > :05:07.Sometimes when staff are sickly after ensure that that is a
:05:08. > :05:13.temporary service available for the patients. It isn't something that is
:05:14. > :05:24.a permanent fixture. As the majority of staff in the NHS are permanently
:05:25. > :05:27.employed by the NHS itself. First Minister, one of the things
:05:28. > :05:37.that concerns the of North Wales is waiting times. In July 2014, your
:05:38. > :05:44.Minister said, about waiting times in North Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr is
:05:45. > :05:48.an available to provide treatment in the weeks we have laid down. My
:05:49. > :05:53.officials are working closely to make sure it isn't like that in
:05:54. > :05:58.future. Are you therefore concerned that the Betsi Cadwaladr health
:05:59. > :06:05.board has asked for local variation with hospitals in England who state
:06:06. > :06:10.they will only be treated within 52 weeks and if you go to Garbo in
:06:11. > :06:13.hospital, for example, if you are from Hywel Dda are in poets, the
:06:14. > :06:20.agreement between the hospital and the health board is they should be
:06:21. > :06:28.treated within 14 months. If you live in... Sally, 40 weeks.
:06:29. > :06:32.It is up to any health board to ensure that they work within the
:06:33. > :06:36.target as regard the waiting times and of course we expect the English
:06:37. > :06:42.hospitals to ensure that treatment is available for people from Wales.
:06:43. > :06:46.It is true vice versa. The Welsh health board pays for the treatment
:06:47. > :06:53.that people receive in England. The waiting times are reducing. The
:06:54. > :06:58.times people are waiting for treatment of, forbade gnostic tests
:06:59. > :07:05.and that demonstrates that the funding that we have invested in the
:07:06. > :07:13.health service is bearing fruit. That diagnostic tests.
:07:14. > :07:21.In England since 2010, the Tories have caught ?4.6 billion from adult
:07:22. > :07:24.social care, a 31% reduction which has led to a devastating
:07:25. > :07:28.consequences in accident and emergency. Can you confirm the Welsh
:07:29. > :07:31.Labour government will not go down the road the Tories would do if they
:07:32. > :07:41.were in power here? The problem is that the Tories like
:07:42. > :07:45.to protect -- pretend social care and health are two areas that are
:07:46. > :07:50.not related. They are. We know social care is not available it has
:07:51. > :07:54.an effect on delayed transfers of care which is rocketing in England.
:07:55. > :07:57.Money has been siphoned out of social care in England and we know
:07:58. > :08:01.by the fact that has an elder people. They have given up on
:08:02. > :08:11.funding social care. It is up to the council areas. It is an abdication
:08:12. > :08:14.of responsibility by a Tory government in London that'll do
:08:15. > :08:18.exactly the same if it happened in Wales. The people of Wales have to
:08:19. > :08:21.make sure the vulnerable people are looked after, the Welsh Tories would
:08:22. > :08:27.abandon them. Question number two.
:08:28. > :08:30.Will the First Minister make a statement on ambulance response
:08:31. > :08:35.times in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area will
:08:36. > :08:39.stop the latest figures for January showed that the response times
:08:40. > :08:42.performance in DNA Lynne Bevan health board area was the best in
:08:43. > :08:49.Wales. 70.2% of red calls were answered
:08:50. > :08:55.within eight minutes. Thank you. I was recently contacted
:08:56. > :09:00.by a family of an eight-year-old lady who lives in my constituency
:09:01. > :09:09.region. This lady was found by her grandson lying on the floor of her
:09:10. > :09:13.bedroom at 4:20pm. She was still in her nightdress so she had fallen the
:09:14. > :09:20.night before. A paramedic arrived 20 minutes later and said she could not
:09:21. > :09:27.be moved because of her severe pain she was in. An ambulance was called
:09:28. > :09:30.which took three hours and 20 minutes to arrive. There is the
:09:31. > :09:35.First Minister think it is acceptable that and his government
:09:36. > :09:39.and eight-year-old lady should be left in severe pain for over three
:09:40. > :09:46.hours waiting for an ambulance? -- 80 years old.
:09:47. > :09:50.We know that the red calls are designed for emergencies. I
:09:51. > :09:55.appreciate what the member said about the lady being in pain, but
:09:56. > :10:02.the judgment is made by the paramedics as to the severity of the
:10:03. > :10:06.person's condition. Where somebody is a emergency, where they are
:10:07. > :10:12.categorised as red, you see Aneurin Bevan Health Board has a good and
:10:13. > :10:18.improving figures. Questions from party leaders.
:10:19. > :10:22.First, Andrew RT Davies. First Minister, today we have had the
:10:23. > :10:28.reports from the Public Service Ombudsman and the findings when he
:10:29. > :10:33.looked that while specific space -- cases. He has called for an
:10:34. > :10:35.independent enquiry into of hours provision and in particular the
:10:36. > :10:40.health of support that could be put in place the junior doctors. I have
:10:41. > :10:46.over this five-year term called time after time for a enquiry into the
:10:47. > :10:51.Welsh NHS. This is a growing bank of evidence that has come forward again
:10:52. > :10:56.today. Will you now in the twilight hours of your government of this
:10:57. > :10:59.Assembly term, commission such an independent enquiry that can
:11:00. > :11:04.celebrate the good practice that is many quarters of our NHS but
:11:05. > :11:09.identify the area of concern that need support and put the packages of
:11:10. > :11:12.support in place sued junior doctors and other staff members do not feel
:11:13. > :11:16.they are left isolated without supervision?
:11:17. > :11:21.You have got to add to my head brass neck over junior doctors. Junior
:11:22. > :11:29.doctors and on strike in England over 48 hours tomorrow. He stands up
:11:30. > :11:33.about work for junior doctors. He raises the issue of the ombudsman's
:11:34. > :11:43.report, yes, we take that seriously. The Minister has asked for a league
:11:44. > :11:47.on a unscheduled care. It is fair to say in terms of background, 12
:11:48. > :11:50.people have been identified, they were 3 million admissions in the
:11:51. > :11:56.period that was described. One of the people of that 12, that case
:11:57. > :12:00.occurred in the last three years. We have arranged a case of measures
:12:01. > :12:09.that isn't covered in the report. The report, we take seriously and we
:12:10. > :12:13.will describe the actions the Minister is taking. We do not need
:12:14. > :12:18.his junior strike in Wales. You say you got the brass neck with
:12:19. > :12:21.this report recognises premature deaths because people were not
:12:22. > :12:24.getting the help and support they require from the consultant led
:12:25. > :12:27.teams that should been in place supporting the junior doctors and
:12:28. > :12:33.some of the decisions make. I make no apologies for making sure that we
:12:34. > :12:36.route out of work practice where editors and make sure we minimise
:12:37. > :12:42.the nub of premature deaths within the NHS in Wales and in any other
:12:43. > :12:46.part of the UK. You declined the opportunity to instigate an
:12:47. > :12:50.independent enquiry that could potentially look into these areas.
:12:51. > :12:54.If it is a no from you, the electorate can make up their minds
:12:55. > :13:00.in the election campaign. However, First Minister, if we move onto
:13:01. > :13:09.another area questioning. If we move on to a different areadot-mac a no.
:13:10. > :13:13.One of the key infrastructure projects you have identified as
:13:14. > :13:17.needing to deliver the Welsh economy is the M4 relief road. Time and
:13:18. > :13:20.again you have stood there and said it is in critical part of the
:13:21. > :13:25.infrastructure to develop a 21st-century economy in Wales. Will
:13:26. > :13:30.you make sure that you, like us, committed to delivering the M4
:13:31. > :13:35.relief road in the next Assembly term?
:13:36. > :13:39.Yes. Let's come back to the issue raised earlier and that is what he
:13:40. > :13:46.devised which is the fact that if he had been anywhere near power in
:13:47. > :13:51.Wales we would have a junior doctor strike in Wales. There is nothing
:13:52. > :13:55.worse in terms of care, in terms of premature deaths and having a
:13:56. > :13:59.situation where doctors are not in hospitals. That is exactly what his
:14:00. > :14:02.government in London has delivered for the people of England and we
:14:03. > :14:05.will not allow that to happen in Wales.
:14:06. > :14:09.With the greatest respect, mortality rates are higher in Wales than they
:14:10. > :14:14.are in England. It is a clear identifiable strands there a greater
:14:15. > :14:18.number of premature deaths in the weekend. If you want to stand by and
:14:19. > :14:22.let that to continue that is your prerogative. Have that discussion
:14:23. > :14:25.with relatives that have lost loved ones in hospital. Have that
:14:26. > :14:29.discussion with medics who are in the position of not having the
:14:30. > :14:33.support they require when the ad on call at the weekend and out of
:14:34. > :14:36.hours. Time and again you have refused to support that independent
:14:37. > :14:42.enquiry. Another point I have raised with you that would help A
:14:43. > :14:48.provision would put consultants on the walls to make sure that is
:14:49. > :14:50.consultant cover. The Royal college of emergency medicine have
:14:51. > :14:56.identified a staffing level that is required for consultants. If you
:14:57. > :15:01.take the advice we have received, I appreciate it mess be boring for the
:15:02. > :15:09.Labour Party, but premature deaths is an important is you. The royal
:15:10. > :15:16.college of emergency medicine having had a clear bench line of staffing
:15:17. > :15:22.for emergency departments. How well that is 15% of that bench line. They
:15:23. > :15:26.are not meeting their staffing requirements. What action he going
:15:27. > :15:29.to take to make sure you get consultants in place to support
:15:30. > :15:33.junior doctors in cars 2-mac department to make sure we get on
:15:34. > :15:42.top of the situation? -- A departments.
:15:43. > :15:49.We don't need your personal comments. The First Minister is
:15:50. > :15:54.capable of answering. The NHS depends on senior doctors, on junior
:15:55. > :15:59.doctors, nurses. We have seen what has happened to innocent numbers in
:16:00. > :16:05.England, we have seen the fact that the UK Government has abused the
:16:06. > :16:10.medical profession to the extent they go out on strike. If the Leader
:16:11. > :16:13.of the Opposition turned round and condemned what his party has done in
:16:14. > :16:18.England I would have more respect for him and the position he has
:16:19. > :16:21.taken but the reality is that we have a situation in Wales where we
:16:22. > :16:25.work with the medical profession and the nursing profession. We do not
:16:26. > :16:30.work against them or provoke them to go out on strike. He only has two
:16:31. > :16:35.seat the response of the medical profession in England who say that
:16:36. > :16:39.morale is low, many junior doctors want to leave England, they will be
:16:40. > :16:44.welcome in Wales, they want to come to a system where we spend more per
:16:45. > :16:49.head than England does, more on mental health, to better on cancer.
:16:50. > :16:54.We recognise the challenges, not everything is perfect, we accept
:16:55. > :16:58.that, but we do not have lots of trust in special measures, a ?2
:16:59. > :17:02.billion deficit, which is what his party have delivered in England. We
:17:03. > :17:08.will have in Wales and NHS that is free at the point of delivery, free
:17:09. > :17:22.from privatisation, a nHS that is well funded and not the chaos in
:17:23. > :17:26.England. Now we move to the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
:17:27. > :17:31.Kirsty Williams. You are correct to say the Tories have declared war on
:17:32. > :17:35.junior doctors in England. Applications to work abroad surged
:17:36. > :17:40.by 100% on the day Jeremy Hunt announced his contract for junior
:17:41. > :17:44.doctors. We do need to take advantage of that, getting those
:17:45. > :17:48.medics to practice here in Wales. If we are to be successful we need to
:17:49. > :17:52.assure junior doctors there will be supervision and support and training
:17:53. > :17:57.opportunities for them here in Wales. Could you outline clearly
:17:58. > :18:01.what steps you will take in response to the report to ensure that junior
:18:02. > :18:08.doctors in Wales will be a steward adequate cover, supervision and
:18:09. > :18:15.training? The Minister has asked the clinical staff to look at. We take
:18:16. > :18:19.the report seriously and there are cases mentioned in the report that
:18:20. > :18:25.deserve full investigations, we accept that. Against the context of
:18:26. > :18:30.12 cases over 3 million admissions in five years, one case mentioned in
:18:31. > :18:34.the report is from the last three years, we have had steps in place
:18:35. > :18:40.and that is measured in the report, to deal with the issues raised
:18:41. > :18:44.there. Yes, the 12 cases are concerning, of course they are. It
:18:45. > :18:50.is not evidence of a systemic failure in the system. We wait to
:18:51. > :18:55.see what clinicians say. I believe that the report from the ombudsman,
:18:56. > :18:59.and he is entitled to and it is his duty to carry out such thematic
:19:00. > :19:03.reports, but I believe this is evidence that we do need wholesale
:19:04. > :19:08.change in the way we inspect our health services and an important
:19:09. > :19:12.element of that would be to establish a new health watchdog that
:19:13. > :19:15.is completely independent of Welsh Government and that is properly
:19:16. > :19:21.resourced and able to do its job without fear of repercussions. Would
:19:22. > :19:24.you commit yourself to establishing a stand-alone health Inspectorate
:19:25. > :19:27.system here in Wales independent of your government who could
:19:28. > :19:33.investigate such matters as identified by the ombudsman? I do in
:19:34. > :19:38.principle. I would not agree that the Inspectorate is leaned on in any
:19:39. > :19:43.way or isn't able to deliver a judgment that it feels is fit.
:19:44. > :19:47.Perception is important and these are issues which we are keen to have
:19:48. > :19:52.that in the course of the next assembly. In terms of what has
:19:53. > :20:00.happened since 2012, if I could inform the assembly, we are the only
:20:01. > :20:03.nation to review all deaths in hospitals, we implemented a national
:20:04. > :20:07.early warning system to identify deteriorating patients at all times
:20:08. > :20:12.and there have been significant improvements in sepsis and stroke
:20:13. > :20:17.care and outcomes. That has been put in place before this report came
:20:18. > :20:21.out, but they take the point the leader of the Liberal Democrats
:20:22. > :20:25.makes about the need to look carefully at the perception of
:20:26. > :20:29.independence of the Inspectorate. When the Inspectorate was set up we
:20:30. > :20:32.did not have the legislative powers we do now but if it is good enough
:20:33. > :20:36.to have an independent inspector for education, I am sure you'll agree
:20:37. > :20:40.with me it is equally important to have that in the field of health
:20:41. > :20:45.care. The announcement says the cases highlighted do not appear to
:20:46. > :20:48.be independent cases and a systematic review would reveal any
:20:49. > :20:52.inconsistencies in quality of care. I am sure you would agree with me
:20:53. > :20:57.that in order to learn lessons from this report and many of the
:20:58. > :21:03.strategic challenges facing our NHS in Wales into the future, it is time
:21:04. > :21:09.to put patients, not politics, first. Would you recommit to support
:21:10. > :21:12.our idea of a cross-party commission look into the future of our NHS that
:21:13. > :21:18.will look at issues around staff and that we can develop a quality care
:21:19. > :21:22.environment for all Welsh patients? We agreed. It was the other parties
:21:23. > :21:27.who would not agree. In an ideal world. I dare say it will not happen
:21:28. > :21:30.before an election but we were in agreement with the Liberal Democrats
:21:31. > :21:33.on this. A cross-party commission would have been a good idea but that
:21:34. > :21:44.didn't find favour with the other parties. The eater of Plaid Cymru. I
:21:45. > :21:49.am slightly concerned that you appear to dismiss research because
:21:50. > :21:53.it looked at just 12 cases. I am sure that you are well aware of the
:21:54. > :21:57.difference between qualitative and quantitative research and
:21:58. > :22:01.qualitative research of this nature should not be dismissed. I want to
:22:02. > :22:06.ask you about your manifesto for the last election because you promised
:22:07. > :22:10.then that people would be able to access local GP services in the
:22:11. > :22:15.evenings and on Saturday mornings. Why is it then that not one single
:22:16. > :22:22.surgery offering appointments after 6:30pm in four health board areas
:22:23. > :22:26.and there are only two surgeries offering appointments on Saturday
:22:27. > :22:31.mornings across the whole of the country? Can you tell us what you
:22:32. > :22:35.failed to meet this election pledge? If you look at what we have done
:22:36. > :22:39.with GP surgeries, there has been an increase in the number of open
:22:40. > :22:43.through their core hours. This has been an increase in the number of GP
:22:44. > :22:48.surgeries we have opened beyond half six and an increase in the number of
:22:49. > :22:52.open on weekends. That is something we want to see improved in the
:22:53. > :22:57.future. They are independent contractors in the sense we can
:22:58. > :23:03.order them to do it. A number of surgeries, in fairness, or doing it
:23:04. > :23:06.themselves. Two Saturdays are doing it on Saturdays. You have clearly
:23:07. > :23:10.failed to meet your pledge. You said GP services will be available on
:23:11. > :23:15.evenings and Saturday mornings and statistics show that simply has not
:23:16. > :23:20.happened. If getting a date and appointment is difficult enough and
:23:21. > :23:25.an evening and weekend appointment is impossible and all too often
:23:26. > :23:30.people end up giving up giving up trying and going to the instead and
:23:31. > :23:34.we all know about the problems with waiting times in a day. Do you
:23:35. > :23:38.accept that doctor shortages and nursing shortages are impacting upon
:23:39. > :23:45.patient care or are you in denial that this is a problem? 82% of GP
:23:46. > :23:52.practices are open before daily core hours, it pay them to have 6pm. He
:23:53. > :24:01.asked the question, if you want the answer... 97% of practices offer
:24:02. > :24:05.appointments at any time between 5pm and 6:30pm and on at least two
:24:06. > :24:18.weekdays. 79% offer appointments at any time between 5pm and 6:30pm
:24:19. > :24:22.every day, up from 62%. We have seen an increase in the number of GPs in
:24:23. > :24:28.Wales, the highest ever. We have more nurses than ever and, so, it is
:24:29. > :24:33.to be acknowledged that we have been recruiting doctors successfully over
:24:34. > :24:36.the past five years. The number of GPs went down last year and the
:24:37. > :24:41.full-time equivalent numbers should service levels have not gone up. You
:24:42. > :24:48.fail to recognise the impending crisis. You feel to prevent it. You
:24:49. > :24:52.said earlier in answer to the leader of the Conservatives that morale is
:24:53. > :24:58.low amongst junior doctors in England. Well, morale is low amongst
:24:59. > :25:02.doctors here in Wales. You have previously talked about protests
:25:03. > :25:08.outside hospitals in England, while we have seen here, in Wales, your
:25:09. > :25:12.own ministers and backbenchers protesting at hospitals against
:25:13. > :25:18.centralisation plans. The Royal College of GPs want another 400 GPs
:25:19. > :25:24.in Wales by 2020. The BMA wants to see an increase in trading places
:25:25. > :25:27.for GPs. Several reports on care provided in your hospitals have
:25:28. > :25:31.recommended more doctors and nurses and there is the report we have
:25:32. > :25:35.heard about from the ombudsman out today. Over the past year, your
:25:36. > :25:39.government has announced an increase in training places for nurses and
:25:40. > :25:46.other health professionals, but you have not increased the number of
:25:47. > :25:49.places for doctors. Plaid Cymru has published detailed proposals to
:25:50. > :25:54.bring an extra 1000 doctors to the Welsh NHS. I hope you have read or
:25:55. > :25:58.plan, he added the last time I questioned you about this. Can you
:25:59. > :26:04.tell us, why has there been an increase in the number of training
:26:05. > :26:10.places for doctors in Wales? I am confused. The proposal was it was to
:26:11. > :26:13.train 1000 doctors, now it is to bring 1000 doctors to Wales. The
:26:14. > :26:52.reality is that bring 1000 doctors to Wales. The
:26:53. > :26:57.the market for doctors is just in Wales or the UK, it is worldwide.
:26:58. > :27:00.People will come here as they have done for 50 years. The trick is to
:27:01. > :27:05.make sure the NHS is seen as a system in which doctors can prosper
:27:06. > :27:09.and stop it must be well funded and offer the service to patients in
:27:10. > :28:41.that country and must not be under threat of privatisation. On
:28:42. > :28:43.that country and must not be under that. The Swansea Bay city region
:28:44. > :28:49.port have been working with local authorities and the evidence of that
:28:50. > :28:53.is the bid itself. It requires joint working between a number of
:28:54. > :28:59.different bodies and now we await the UK Treasury to respond to the
:29:00. > :29:03.bid on the 16th of March. We hope with regard that and the Cardiff
:29:04. > :29:10.city region that the Treasury will give sufficient commitment to enable
:29:11. > :29:15.the two bids to proceed. The City Deal is very important for the
:29:16. > :29:19.Swansea city region and will bring trend is visited. They cannot act in
:29:20. > :29:22.isolation. They need to work with other government policies. Can you
:29:23. > :29:28.say to what extent the City Deal fits into other government
:29:29. > :29:33.priorities for the Swansea city they region, in particular in terms of
:29:34. > :29:37.transport? Would you extend the Metro concept further west into the
:29:38. > :29:42.Swansea city area a pie in the transport links to make the best of
:29:43. > :29:46.that initiative? Yes, that is part of it. Clearly, the ability to move
:29:47. > :29:50.easily around the region in order to access employment is important. The
:29:51. > :29:55.City Deal proposal that has been put forward will seek the city region
:29:56. > :30:00.become a giant test-bed that innovates and commercialises smart
:30:01. > :30:03.Internet-based solutions that will transform the local economy,
:30:04. > :30:06.transform the energy sector and the health sector in the same point
:30:07. > :30:11.internet has transformed the telecoms industry. It is a very
:30:12. > :30:14.ambitious bid and, inevitably, the transport system in the region could
:30:15. > :30:18.be important for conductivity in the region but also beyond.
:30:19. > :30:28.First Minister, last week the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published a
:30:29. > :30:32.report which expressed concern that smaller cities and towns were losing
:30:33. > :30:40.out to the capital within the city region. What can the city region
:30:41. > :30:42.board to do to make sure areas benefits from the Swansea Bay city
:30:43. > :30:49.region? It is vital to ensure that the whole
:30:50. > :30:53.region is considered as a region rather than the city of Swansea and
:30:54. > :30:59.other adjacent towns. Llanelli is extremely important as are the towns
:31:00. > :31:06.and villages around Llanelli itself. In order to develop the area
:31:07. > :31:13.economic league which ensures that investment comes to every part of
:31:14. > :31:18.that region, Swansea is the largest city in that area but that doesn't
:31:19. > :31:26.mean everything has to go to Swansea. Elin Jones. What are the
:31:27. > :31:28.Welsh Government's priorities for improving public services in
:31:29. > :31:35.Ceredigion? To ensure that services, first-class
:31:36. > :31:38.services are delivered in a most efficient and effective way in line
:31:39. > :31:45.with the needs and preferences of the local communities. The post
:31:46. > :31:50.office intends to close the Crown Post Office in Aberystwyth and this
:31:51. > :31:55.will mean that they will not be a Crown Post Office services between
:31:56. > :32:00.the M4 corridor and the A55. Big unity in Aberystwyth and the
:32:01. > :32:03.surrounding area oppose this intention in timely. Would you agree
:32:04. > :32:09.with me that it is important public services are available within a
:32:10. > :32:12.reasonable distance of travel for all communities in Wales and that is
:32:13. > :32:18.a responsibility of the post office to ensure that as any other public
:32:19. > :32:27.service? Yes, I do. I believe that I agree with the member that the Crown
:32:28. > :32:30.Post Office at Aberystwyth. Aberystwyth is important to mid
:32:31. > :32:34.Wales. It is the largest towns in mid Wales and it is therefore
:32:35. > :32:43.important that the Crown post office exists in the towel. -- the towns.
:32:44. > :32:51.It has affected badly and it is important. Post offices have two
:32:52. > :32:58.exists within the rural towns. There have been concerns in Cardigan
:32:59. > :33:04.on the delivery of health and social service care. On this forthcoming
:33:05. > :33:08.Thursday, Hywel Dda health board is running a drop-in event to consult
:33:09. > :33:14.with the local community on plans for the new facility which will be
:33:15. > :33:17.there not only for the residents of Cardigan and Ceredigion but also for
:33:18. > :33:27.those in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. Given the integral
:33:28. > :33:29.role of the central on delivering packages, do you agree that
:33:30. > :33:34.accessibility by public transport is for these new facilities is of great
:33:35. > :33:38.importance? Will you join me and calling upon members of the public
:33:39. > :33:42.in that area to attend the event to voice their concerns about this
:33:43. > :33:47.matter and other matters pertaining to the new development?
:33:48. > :33:51.The development itself is an excellent development for Cardigan.
:33:52. > :33:54.The business case was approved in June last year the health board is
:33:55. > :34:00.progressing with the full business case which is expected to be
:34:01. > :34:04.received in April. It is crucial that the public are fully engaged
:34:05. > :34:07.with the proposals as they develop and transport is an important issue
:34:08. > :34:11.that the health board will be to consider.
:34:12. > :34:13.Question number five. Were the First Minister make a statement of the
:34:14. > :34:18.importance of community pharmacies in Wales.
:34:19. > :34:24.We recognise how important community pharmacies are in Wales. We continue
:34:25. > :34:27.to invest in developing the role of community pharmacies as part of
:34:28. > :34:33.improving primary care. Including our announcement yesterday that
:34:34. > :34:41.seven at ?50,000 or be spent to access patient records. I for one
:34:42. > :34:53.agree that pharmacies is an excellent incident. Can further
:34:54. > :34:59.service be given to pharmacies? The great opportunities, where
:35:00. > :35:07.pharmacists and able to provide treatment for people there is no
:35:08. > :35:14.need for them to go to GP. It means that they can administer flu
:35:15. > :35:17.vaccines, they can bring smoking cessation programmes, emergency
:35:18. > :35:21.supply of medicines, a review of medicines. These are the issues that
:35:22. > :35:31.would have been done by a GP in days gone by. The GPs can deal with more
:35:32. > :35:36.serious cases. It is part of the choose well message. Go first of all
:35:37. > :35:42.to the pharmacy, the GP and so forth.
:35:43. > :35:45.First Minister, community pharmacists have been helping
:35:46. > :35:49.patients with the inconvenience of renewing prescriptions for some time
:35:50. > :35:55.by arranging to reorder and collect and deliver drugs to patients. Will
:35:56. > :35:58.your government reconsider the possibility of allowing committee
:35:59. > :36:02.pharmacies to dispense for more than one month at a time to patients with
:36:03. > :36:07.certain stable chronic conditions. We're not talking about wasted drugs
:36:08. > :36:10.at all. That would reduce the impact of missed appointments and GP
:36:11. > :36:17.appointments. That is available now. They are
:36:18. > :36:23.releasing time for GPs to deal with mossy decision is.
:36:24. > :36:28.Question six. How much money has the Welsh Government invested in
:36:29. > :36:32.attracting Aston Martin to St Athan? The financial terms are commercially
:36:33. > :36:38.confidential. I can tell members we will be investing in a new road
:36:39. > :36:42.that'll be key to providing access to the occupiers at St Athan. We
:36:43. > :36:46.will be working with the company in order to ensure the building is
:36:47. > :36:51.three fitted. Thank you. I can understand your
:36:52. > :36:56.reluctance to answer due to the sensitivity but it is taxpayers
:36:57. > :37:02.money. Could I ask you how many of the seven at 50 skilled jobs will go
:37:03. > :37:12.to current workers in Wales? -- seven and 54 stop I can accept posts
:37:13. > :37:15.will be important but I do hope this will create jobs for people here in
:37:16. > :37:19.Wales. That is the idea. It was the same
:37:20. > :37:25.with General Dynamics in Merthyr yesterday. The reason why these
:37:26. > :37:30.companies invest in Wales is nothing to do with money. They had better
:37:31. > :37:34.financial offers to go elsewhere. They were impressed by what they
:37:35. > :37:36.described as the passion, professionalism of the Welsh
:37:37. > :37:42.Government and the team that brought in the investment. But also any
:37:43. > :37:49.investor needs to be sure that the skills, the pipeline of skills in
:37:50. > :37:53.for -- include in the local area. It is made clear to me by Aston Martin
:37:54. > :37:58.and general Dynamics yesterday they are confident the skills they need
:37:59. > :38:07.exist in the local area. I think most of the jobs will go to local
:38:08. > :38:13.people. We welcome the arrival of Aston Martin and the jobs it will
:38:14. > :38:27.bring. I have never had an Aston Martin myself! It is important that
:38:28. > :38:32.we should establish a private-sector led investment Council which can
:38:33. > :38:34.feed better to government Eadie quests are private industry to make
:38:35. > :38:40.more of these new developments successful in Wales. We do that
:38:41. > :38:46.already. The evidence of that is shown by the fact we have had record
:38:47. > :38:48.foreign investment was up Aston Martin is one example, General
:38:49. > :38:53.Dynamics is another. There are others in the pipeline. Wales is
:38:54. > :38:57.seen as the place to come. What is important is we are seen as a place
:38:58. > :39:03.where high skilled, well-paid jobs come. The argument I always have
:39:04. > :39:06.about the policies of the late 80s and 90s is was this, jobs were
:39:07. > :39:17.brought, they were low paid and unskilled and they went elsewhere.
:39:18. > :39:25.Unemployment fell in the 90s but GDP went down as well. We are seen as
:39:26. > :39:30.being in the forefront as a country that can attract high skilled
:39:31. > :39:35.investment. It is Iturbe to the people of Wales themselves that they
:39:36. > :39:38.are seen by so many investors around the world as the sort of people who
:39:39. > :39:42.can provide the skills that are needed for those companies to
:39:43. > :39:47.prosper. Question number seven. FN Jenkins.
:39:48. > :39:53.Were the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's
:39:54. > :40:02.involvement in the Rhondda internal project. -- tunnel. They took over
:40:03. > :40:08.what was once described as the burdensome state of the railways and
:40:09. > :40:17.now it is the historical agency railways Estates. We're working with
:40:18. > :40:19.them to establish the legal, safety and environmental liabilities with
:40:20. > :40:29.transfer of ownership. We're working with them to discuss it.
:40:30. > :40:32.Thank you. I'm asking about that because the members of the society a
:40:33. > :40:36.big concern there has been toing and froing between the vast government
:40:37. > :40:40.and the highways department. It is the has the Oracle part of the
:40:41. > :40:47.department that we would be talking to in terms of that estate. During
:40:48. > :40:50.those discussions, are you minded to take over responsibility because
:40:51. > :40:54.from talking to the Society of things can fall in place as planning
:40:55. > :41:02.permission for other types of access for the ADF when that ownership is
:41:03. > :41:06.you has been sorted. They would like to timeline from you, First Minister
:41:07. > :41:10.of the wee need to establish the liabilities.
:41:11. > :41:13.We don't know what they are get. You won't buy a house without a
:41:14. > :41:19.structural survey. What we're working with highways on doing is to
:41:20. > :41:26.understand what the structure of the tunnel is like, what the liabilities
:41:27. > :41:29.might be. Once that is understood the next age will be to consider
:41:30. > :41:35.whether there should be a formal request for transfer. We can't do
:41:36. > :41:41.that without knowing what the liabilities will be. It is important
:41:42. > :41:47.that you go into this with our eyes open and that is why we are working
:41:48. > :41:53.with highways in order to have those liabilities understood.
:41:54. > :41:58.The Welsh Government support for the feasibility of the Bath survey has
:41:59. > :42:01.been welcomed. These are just the first steps in the process which
:42:02. > :42:10.will see the connection opportunities. Were the Welsh
:42:11. > :42:15.Government to continue to work with members of the Rhondda internal
:42:16. > :42:23.society in acknowledging what he said about the late ability is. This
:42:24. > :42:30.project can be taken forward. We will work with the society. I
:42:31. > :42:42.know that they work... The Minister has asked Sir strength for
:42:43. > :42:49.expertise. -- Sustrans for expertise. That cooperation will
:42:50. > :42:54.continue. This was on the order paper so
:42:55. > :42:58.hopefully you have had a bitter briefing. You need to make the
:42:59. > :43:02.assessment of the liabilities, everybody understands that. Can you
:43:03. > :43:06.give a time frame for when those assessments will be concluded and
:43:07. > :43:09.the government will be in a position to give concrete answers are
:43:10. > :43:14.perfectly legitimate customers because they just find themselves
:43:15. > :43:17.unable to bid for grants without secure knowledge about the ownership
:43:18. > :43:22.of the potential for securing a stake in the tunnel.
:43:23. > :43:28.We can't give a timescale until we know what the liabilities are. We
:43:29. > :43:34.understand what highways England give us. Because it is a disused
:43:35. > :43:40.railway asset the tunnel has no monetary value. There are bound to
:43:41. > :43:43.be levels of liability. In terms of the transfer, Berardi number of
:43:44. > :43:47.implications that need to be considered before we take this
:43:48. > :43:50.further. Highways England considered thereat liability costs although
:43:51. > :43:54.they haven't told us what those costs are. Those costs are
:43:55. > :43:57.underwritten by the Secretary of State. If they were to be
:43:58. > :44:02.liabilities it follows those costs would need to be underwritten by the
:44:03. > :44:08.Welsh Government. We need to have that figure in place. As soon as the
:44:09. > :44:16.figure is in place we will give greater clarity and a timescale.
:44:17. > :44:18.Question number eight. Will the First Minister make a statement on
:44:19. > :44:24.mobile phone provision in rural areas.
:44:25. > :44:34.Following an agreement with the United Kingdom government, ie no
:44:35. > :44:40.that things and now progressing. The mobile phone operators are planning
:44:41. > :44:44.improvements to data coverage and voice coverage in Wales by 2017.
:44:45. > :44:50.Learn to make sure that is what happens. Although rural areas such
:44:51. > :44:55.as Anglesey pay exactly the same as everyone else in the British Isles
:44:56. > :44:59.for their mobile phone signal, the service is often second-rate and to
:45:00. > :45:07.be honest many pay more for a mobile phone in areas such as Ynys Mon.
:45:08. > :45:11.Some pay for two phones. Some pay for a box to boost the signal,
:45:12. > :45:14.others have to pay roaming charges because the signal from Ireland is
:45:15. > :45:21.stronger than the signal available on Anglesey. The daily Post is
:45:22. > :45:24.running a campaign to try and improve mobile signal in North Wales
:45:25. > :45:31.and they revealed some figures yesterday on 4G coverage. The
:45:32. > :45:35.Netherlands is 83%, Britain 53% and Wales is on 20%. Given that
:45:36. > :45:40.connectivity is so important in rural areas is what has prevented
:45:41. > :45:44.the Welsh Government from encouraging the mobile phone
:45:45. > :45:46.providers to do more to provide enhanced signal in rural areas and
:45:47. > :46:02.in Ynys Mon. The signal comes from Ireland, so
:46:03. > :46:09.you pay roaming charges because of that. This is not a devolved issue,
:46:10. > :46:12.however, we have been pushing the UK Government and the mobile providers
:46:13. > :46:18.to ensure that people receive the service they should. If you look at
:46:19. > :46:24.Anglesey, it is flat. You would imagine it would be easy to get a
:46:25. > :46:30.signal to most of the communities on Anglesey. Despite this, and this is
:46:31. > :46:34.not right, there are some areas where there is a signal, but it is a
:46:35. > :46:40.very weak one. It is not possible to receive download, although it is
:46:41. > :46:45.possible to make a phone call. Now the agreement has been signed by the
:46:46. > :46:51.UK Government and the providers, we look forward to ensuring that the
:46:52. > :46:58.United Kingdom government insiders that things change for the better in
:46:59. > :47:02.the majority of Wales. I understand the mobile network operators have
:47:03. > :47:05.written a joint letter to the Welsh Government urging you to review the
:47:06. > :47:12.planning framework to facilitate the roll out of mobile infrastructure.
:47:13. > :47:17.They have expressed the view that if the necessary mobile infrastructure
:47:18. > :47:21.is to be rolled out across rural Wales, they must be permitted to do
:47:22. > :47:25.so by local planning authorities through more flexible planning
:47:26. > :47:29.regulation, which will allow an increase in permitted development to
:47:30. > :47:33.a height of 25 metres and a five metre height in non-protected areas.
:47:34. > :47:40.I would be grateful for an update on this and your view on it. I do not
:47:41. > :47:45.accept the situation is worse than in England. It is important
:47:46. > :47:49.operators learn to share as well. Learn to share masts. To have a
:47:50. > :47:53.separate mast for every operator is inefficient. In other countries they
:47:54. > :47:57.are shared and I would urge them to do that. Now we look to see the UK
:47:58. > :48:03.Government ensuring the agreement reached with operators becomes
:48:04. > :48:09.effective for most people in Wales. It is not just the masts as well.
:48:10. > :48:13.One issue that has been raised is the strength of the signal. There
:48:14. > :48:19.have been many occasions when members will have had experience of
:48:20. > :48:26.this, when you have phone reception but you cannot download data. I am
:48:27. > :48:29.not an expert in the technical aspects but it is not just a
:48:30. > :48:33.question of masts being in place a question of the strength of the
:48:34. > :48:38.signal, prompting must think strong enough with the bandwidth is strong
:48:39. > :48:40.enough to make sure people can use the signal for downloading
:48:41. > :48:47.information as well as phoning and texting. The mobile infrastructure
:48:48. > :48:53.project was meant to deliver hundreds of masts across the UK to
:48:54. > :48:57.prevent this problem. The government in Westminster have scrapped that
:48:58. > :49:01.programme, having built just 40. Having dealt with them and the
:49:02. > :49:04.companies, forgive me if I am cynical that this agreement will
:49:05. > :49:09.make a difference to my constituents. You say this is not a
:49:10. > :49:13.devolved issue, but economic development and public services are
:49:14. > :49:16.a devolved issues and mobile telephony and good signals are
:49:17. > :49:22.crucial to the delivery of both. What steps will the Welsh Government
:49:23. > :49:29.take to ensure that all communities in Wales have access to decent
:49:30. > :49:32.mobile phone coverage? Economic development is devolved, but
:49:33. > :49:37.telecoms are not. There is an obligation on the UK Government to
:49:38. > :49:41.make sure that mobile phone coverage improves across the whole of the UK.
:49:42. > :49:48.We expect to see the UK Government deliver that by next year. If that
:49:49. > :49:55.is not delivered then we will consider what steps to take next. We
:49:56. > :49:59.now move to item to... That was questions to the First Minister, the
:50:00. > :50:03.penultimate session at this assembly term. If you want more coverage of
:50:04. > :50:11.the assembly you can go online to our Senedd live page. That is it for
:50:12. > :50:21.now. For all the latest political news watch Wales Today at half six
:50:22. > :50:26.on BBC One Wales. As for AMPM, from all this on the programme, goodbye.