08/03/2016 am.pm

Welcome to the programme and our weekly coverage

of questions to the First Minister.

The Plenary session has started early today to allow for a long

debate on the Public Health Bill later this afternoon.

According to the Order Paper, Carwyn Jones can expect questions

on the future of the NHS, the progress of the Swansea Bay city

deal and how much money was invested in attracting Aston Martin

Don't forget you can follow all the latest on Welsh politics

Well, business in the chamber is already underway

so let's take a look now at today's questions to the First Minister.

Good afternoon. The National Assembly of Wales is in session. The

first item this afternoon is question to the First Minister.

Questionable one by Darren Millar. Were the First Minister make a

statement on the future of the NHS in Wales.

It is one of our top priorities that is why we are investing more than

ever in the health service. One of the first things a future

Wesco, it will have to address is the challenges in our out-of-hours

care. The report that has been reported by the public services

ombudsman which shows patients are coming to harm. There were also

concerned about GB out-of-hours care in North Wales which explained

clearly that around 77% of rotors are covered in parts of Wales which

leaves 23% without GP cover. What action are you taking to address the

problems in North Wales? We are working with the Royal

College of the BMA to address those issues. There are 112 GP practices

in North Wales. Four of them have served notice they are not able to

fulfil their contracts. What then happens is the local health board

will work with those practices. If that is not possible other practices

are able to take over the practices that are no longer exist. Then the

LHP will take it over to make sure services will continue.

The Wales converters proposal for scores on the doors to rank Welsh

hospitals is the clearest indication yet. -- the Welsh Conservatives.

They will follow David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt...

Would you agree with me First Minister that the future of the NHS

in Wales is dependent not on treating patients as customers or to

shop around or create an internal market, but in the spirit of

cooperation and investments we have created to ensure that all hospitals

can provide a high quality service. Absolutely. I don't think the

challenges the NHS is facing can be solved by a sticker on the door. It

is ambitious because we look at the my health online website, there are

farmer indicators the public can access to see how their hospitals

are doing. The Welsh Conservatives are not going to apply this to

mental health, GPs, dentists. Why not? The public would ask that. From

our perspective we have a service which is more comprehensive. You

have tried five times in the seated position. Stop. Have you finished my

First Minister? The spirit of collaboration and

investment that Lynne Eagle mentioned has led to a situation in

North Wales where the Betsi Cadwaladr health board has had to

spend millions of pounds in one month on agency staff. What's those

that tell us in your view of the condition of the capacity of

staffing in health services in North Wales?

The health service has always depended on some agency staff.

Sometimes when staff are sickly after ensure that that is a

temporary service available for the patients. It isn't something that is

a permanent fixture. As the majority of staff in the NHS are permanently

employed by the NHS itself. First Minister, one of the things

that concerns the of North Wales is waiting times. In July 2014, your

Minister said, about waiting times in North Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr is

an available to provide treatment in the weeks we have laid down. My

officials are working closely to make sure it isn't like that in

future. Are you therefore concerned that the Betsi Cadwaladr health

board has asked for local variation with hospitals in England who state

they will only be treated within 52 weeks and if you go to Garbo in

hospital, for example, if you are from Hywel Dda are in poets, the

agreement between the hospital and the health board is they should be

treated within 14 months. If you live in... Sally, 40 weeks.

It is up to any health board to ensure that they work within the

target as regard the waiting times and of course we expect the English

hospitals to ensure that treatment is available for people from Wales.

It is true vice versa. The Welsh health board pays for the treatment

that people receive in England. The waiting times are reducing. The

times people are waiting for treatment of, forbade gnostic tests

and that demonstrates that the funding that we have invested in the

health service is bearing fruit. That diagnostic tests.

In England since 2010, the Tories have caught ?4.6 billion from adult

social care, a 31% reduction which has led to a devastating

consequences in accident and emergency. Can you confirm the Welsh

Labour government will not go down the road the Tories would do if they

were in power here? The problem is that the Tories like

to protect -- pretend social care and health are two areas that are

not related. They are. We know social care is not available it has

an effect on delayed transfers of care which is rocketing in England.

Money has been siphoned out of social care in England and we know

by the fact that has an elder people. They have given up on

funding social care. It is up to the council areas. It is an abdication

of responsibility by a Tory government in London that'll do

exactly the same if it happened in Wales. The people of Wales have to

make sure the vulnerable people are looked after, the Welsh Tories would

abandon them. Question number two.

Will the First Minister make a statement on ambulance response

times in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area will

stop the latest figures for January showed that the response times

performance in DNA Lynne Bevan health board area was the best in

Wales. 70.2% of red calls were answered

within eight minutes. Thank you. I was recently contacted

by a family of an eight-year-old lady who lives in my constituency

region. This lady was found by her grandson lying on the floor of her

bedroom at 4:20pm. She was still in her nightdress so she had fallen the

night before. A paramedic arrived 20 minutes later and said she could not

be moved because of her severe pain she was in. An ambulance was called

which took three hours and 20 minutes to arrive. There is the

First Minister think it is acceptable that and his government

and eight-year-old lady should be left in severe pain for over three

hours waiting for an ambulance? -- 80 years old.

We know that the red calls are designed for emergencies. I

appreciate what the member said about the lady being in pain, but

the judgment is made by the paramedics as to the severity of the

person's condition. Where somebody is a emergency, where they are

categorised as red, you see Aneurin Bevan Health Board has a good and

improving figures. Questions from party leaders.

First, Andrew RT Davies. First Minister, today we have had the

reports from the Public Service Ombudsman and the findings when he

looked that while specific space -- cases. He has called for an

independent enquiry into of hours provision and in particular the

health of support that could be put in place the junior doctors. I have

over this five-year term called time after time for a enquiry into the

Welsh NHS. This is a growing bank of evidence that has come forward again

today. Will you now in the twilight hours of your government of this

Assembly term, commission such an independent enquiry that can

celebrate the good practice that is many quarters of our NHS but

identify the area of concern that need support and put the packages of

support in place sued junior doctors and other staff members do not feel

they are left isolated without supervision?

You have got to add to my head brass neck over junior doctors. Junior

doctors and on strike in England over 48 hours tomorrow. He stands up

about work for junior doctors. He raises the issue of the ombudsman's

report, yes, we take that seriously. The Minister has asked for a league

on a unscheduled care. It is fair to say in terms of background, 12

people have been identified, they were 3 million admissions in the

period that was described. One of the people of that 12, that case

occurred in the last three years. We have arranged a case of measures

that isn't covered in the report. The report, we take seriously and we

will describe the actions the Minister is taking. We do not need

his junior strike in Wales. You say you got the brass neck with

this report recognises premature deaths because people were not

getting the help and support they require from the consultant led

teams that should been in place supporting the junior doctors and

some of the decisions make. I make no apologies for making sure that we

route out of work practice where editors and make sure we minimise

the nub of premature deaths within the NHS in Wales and in any other

part of the UK. You declined the opportunity to instigate an

independent enquiry that could potentially look into these areas.

If it is a no from you, the electorate can make up their minds

in the election campaign. However, First Minister, if we move onto

another area questioning. If we move on to a different areadot-mac a no.

One of the key infrastructure projects you have identified as

needing to deliver the Welsh economy is the M4 relief road. Time and

again you have stood there and said it is in critical part of the

infrastructure to develop a 21st-century economy in Wales. Will

you make sure that you, like us, committed to delivering the M4

relief road in the next Assembly term?

Yes. Let's come back to the issue raised earlier and that is what he

devised which is the fact that if he had been anywhere near power in

Wales we would have a junior doctor strike in Wales. There is nothing

worse in terms of care, in terms of premature deaths and having a

situation where doctors are not in hospitals. That is exactly what his

government in London has delivered for the people of England and we

will not allow that to happen in Wales.

With the greatest respect, mortality rates are higher in Wales than they

are in England. It is a clear identifiable strands there a greater

number of premature deaths in the weekend. If you want to stand by and

let that to continue that is your prerogative. Have that discussion

with relatives that have lost loved ones in hospital. Have that

discussion with medics who are in the position of not having the

support they require when the ad on call at the weekend and out of

hours. Time and again you have refused to support that independent

enquiry. Another point I have raised with you that would help A

provision would put consultants on the walls to make sure that is

consultant cover. The Royal college of emergency medicine have

identified a staffing level that is required for consultants. If you

take the advice we have received, I appreciate it mess be boring for the

Labour Party, but premature deaths is an important is you. The royal

college of emergency medicine having had a clear bench line of staffing

for emergency departments. How well that is 15% of that bench line. They

are not meeting their staffing requirements. What action he going

to take to make sure you get consultants in place to support

junior doctors in cars 2-mac department to make sure we get on

top of the situation? -- A departments.

We don't need your personal comments. The First Minister is

capable of answering. The NHS depends on senior doctors, on junior

doctors, nurses. We have seen what has happened to innocent numbers in

England, we have seen the fact that the UK Government has abused the

medical profession to the extent they go out on strike. If the Leader

of the Opposition turned round and condemned what his party has done in

England I would have more respect for him and the position he has

taken but the reality is that we have a situation in Wales where we

work with the medical profession and the nursing profession. We do not

work against them or provoke them to go out on strike. He only has two

seat the response of the medical profession in England who say that

morale is low, many junior doctors want to leave England, they will be

welcome in Wales, they want to come to a system where we spend more per

head than England does, more on mental health, to better on cancer.

We recognise the challenges, not everything is perfect, we accept

that, but we do not have lots of trust in special measures, a ?2

billion deficit, which is what his party have delivered in England. We

will have in Wales and NHS that is free at the point of delivery, free

from privatisation, a nHS that is well funded and not the chaos in

England. Now we move to the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

Kirsty Williams. You are correct to say the Tories have declared war on

junior doctors in England. Applications to work abroad surged

by 100% on the day Jeremy Hunt announced his contract for junior

doctors. We do need to take advantage of that, getting those

medics to practice here in Wales. If we are to be successful we need to

assure junior doctors there will be supervision and support and training

opportunities for them here in Wales. Could you outline clearly

what steps you will take in response to the report to ensure that junior

doctors in Wales will be a steward adequate cover, supervision and

training? The Minister has asked the clinical staff to look at. We take

the report seriously and there are cases mentioned in the report that

deserve full investigations, we accept that. Against the context of

12 cases over 3 million admissions in five years, one case mentioned in

the report is from the last three years, we have had steps in place

and that is measured in the report, to deal with the issues raised

there. Yes, the 12 cases are concerning, of course they are. It

is not evidence of a systemic failure in the system. We wait to

see what clinicians say. I believe that the report from the ombudsman,

and he is entitled to and it is his duty to carry out such thematic

reports, but I believe this is evidence that we do need wholesale

change in the way we inspect our health services and an important

element of that would be to establish a new health watchdog that

is completely independent of Welsh Government and that is properly

resourced and able to do its job without fear of repercussions. Would

you commit yourself to establishing a stand-alone health Inspectorate

system here in Wales independent of your government who could

investigate such matters as identified by the ombudsman? I do in

principle. I would not agree that the Inspectorate is leaned on in any

way or isn't able to deliver a judgment that it feels is fit.

Perception is important and these are issues which we are keen to have

that in the course of the next assembly. In terms of what has

happened since 2012, if I could inform the assembly, we are the only

nation to review all deaths in hospitals, we implemented a national

early warning system to identify deteriorating patients at all times

and there have been significant improvements in sepsis and stroke

care and outcomes. That has been put in place before this report came

out, but they take the point the leader of the Liberal Democrats

makes about the need to look carefully at the perception of

independence of the Inspectorate. When the Inspectorate was set up we

did not have the legislative powers we do now but if it is good enough

to have an independent inspector for education, I am sure you'll agree

with me it is equally important to have that in the field of health

care. The announcement says the cases highlighted do not appear to

be independent cases and a systematic review would reveal any

inconsistencies in quality of care. I am sure you would agree with me

that in order to learn lessons from this report and many of the

strategic challenges facing our NHS in Wales into the future, it is time

to put patients, not politics, first. Would you recommit to support

our idea of a cross-party commission look into the future of our NHS that

will look at issues around staff and that we can develop a quality care

environment for all Welsh patients? We agreed. It was the other parties

who would not agree. In an ideal world. I dare say it will not happen

before an election but we were in agreement with the Liberal Democrats

on this. A cross-party commission would have been a good idea but that

didn't find favour with the other parties. The eater of Plaid Cymru. I

am slightly concerned that you appear to dismiss research because

it looked at just 12 cases. I am sure that you are well aware of the

difference between qualitative and quantitative research and

qualitative research of this nature should not be dismissed. I want to

ask you about your manifesto for the last election because you promised

then that people would be able to access local GP services in the

evenings and on Saturday mornings. Why is it then that not one single

surgery offering appointments after 6:30pm in four health board areas

and there are only two surgeries offering appointments on Saturday

mornings across the whole of the country? Can you tell us what you

failed to meet this election pledge? If you look at what we have done

with GP surgeries, there has been an increase in the number of open

through their core hours. This has been an increase in the number of GP

surgeries we have opened beyond half six and an increase in the number of

open on weekends. That is something we want to see improved in the

future. They are independent contractors in the sense we can

order them to do it. A number of surgeries, in fairness, or doing it

themselves. Two Saturdays are doing it on Saturdays. You have clearly

failed to meet your pledge. You said GP services will be available on

evenings and Saturday mornings and statistics show that simply has not

happened. If getting a date and appointment is difficult enough and

an evening and weekend appointment is impossible and all too often

people end up giving up giving up trying and going to the instead and

we all know about the problems with waiting times in a day. Do you

accept that doctor shortages and nursing shortages are impacting upon

patient care or are you in denial that this is a problem? 82% of GP

practices are open before daily core hours, it pay them to have 6pm. He

asked the question, if you want the answer... 97% of practices offer

appointments at any time between 5pm and 6:30pm and on at least two

weekdays. 79% offer appointments at any time between 5pm and 6:30pm

every day, up from 62%. We have seen an increase in the number of GPs in

Wales, the highest ever. We have more nurses than ever and, so, it is

to be acknowledged that we have been recruiting doctors successfully over

the past five years. The number of GPs went down last year and the

full-time equivalent numbers should service levels have not gone up. You

fail to recognise the impending crisis. You feel to prevent it. You

said earlier in answer to the leader of the Conservatives that morale is

low amongst junior doctors in England. Well, morale is low amongst

doctors here in Wales. You have previously talked about protests

outside hospitals in England, while we have seen here, in Wales, your

own ministers and backbenchers protesting at hospitals against

centralisation plans. The Royal College of GPs want another 400 GPs

in Wales by 2020. The BMA wants to see an increase in trading places

for GPs. Several reports on care provided in your hospitals have

recommended more doctors and nurses and there is the report we have

heard about from the ombudsman out today. Over the past year, your

government has announced an increase in training places for nurses and

other health professionals, but you have not increased the number of

places for doctors. Plaid Cymru has published detailed proposals to

bring an extra 1000 doctors to the Welsh NHS. I hope you have read or

plan, he added the last time I questioned you about this. Can you

tell us, why has there been an increase in the number of training

places for doctors in Wales? I am confused. The proposal was it was to

train 1000 doctors, now it is to bring 1000 doctors to Wales. The

reality is that bring 1000 doctors to Wales. The

the market for doctors is just in Wales or the UK, it is worldwide.

People will come here as they have done for 50 years. The trick is to

make sure the NHS is seen as a system in which doctors can prosper

and stop it must be well funded and offer the service to patients in

that country and must not be under threat of privatisation. On

that country and must not be under that. The Swansea Bay city region

port have been working with local authorities and the evidence of that

is the bid itself. It requires joint working between a number of

different bodies and now we await the UK Treasury to respond to the

bid on the 16th of March. We hope with regard that and the Cardiff

city region that the Treasury will give sufficient commitment to enable

the two bids to proceed. The City Deal is very important for the

Swansea city region and will bring trend is visited. They cannot act in

isolation. They need to work with other government policies. Can you

say to what extent the City Deal fits into other government

priorities for the Swansea city they region, in particular in terms of

transport? Would you extend the Metro concept further west into the

Swansea city area a pie in the transport links to make the best of

that initiative? Yes, that is part of it. Clearly, the ability to move

easily around the region in order to access employment is important. The

City Deal proposal that has been put forward will seek the city region

become a giant test-bed that innovates and commercialises smart

Internet-based solutions that will transform the local economy,

transform the energy sector and the health sector in the same point

internet has transformed the telecoms industry. It is a very

ambitious bid and, inevitably, the transport system in the region could

be important for conductivity in the region but also beyond.

First Minister, last week the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published a

report which expressed concern that smaller cities and towns were losing

out to the capital within the city region. What can the city region

board to do to make sure areas benefits from the Swansea Bay city

region? It is vital to ensure that the whole

region is considered as a region rather than the city of Swansea and

other adjacent towns. Llanelli is extremely important as are the towns

and villages around Llanelli itself. In order to develop the area

economic league which ensures that investment comes to every part of

that region, Swansea is the largest city in that area but that doesn't

mean everything has to go to Swansea. Elin Jones. What are the

Welsh Government's priorities for improving public services in

Ceredigion? To ensure that services, first-class

services are delivered in a most efficient and effective way in line

with the needs and preferences of the local communities. The post

office intends to close the Crown Post Office in Aberystwyth and this

will mean that they will not be a Crown Post Office services between

the M4 corridor and the A55. Big unity in Aberystwyth and the

surrounding area oppose this intention in timely. Would you agree

with me that it is important public services are available within a

reasonable distance of travel for all communities in Wales and that is

a responsibility of the post office to ensure that as any other public

service? Yes, I do. I believe that I agree with the member that the Crown

Post Office at Aberystwyth. Aberystwyth is important to mid

Wales. It is the largest towns in mid Wales and it is therefore

important that the Crown post office exists in the towel. -- the towns.

It has affected badly and it is important. Post offices have two

exists within the rural towns. There have been concerns in Cardigan

on the delivery of health and social service care. On this forthcoming

Thursday, Hywel Dda health board is running a drop-in event to consult

with the local community on plans for the new facility which will be

there not only for the residents of Cardigan and Ceredigion but also for

those in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. Given the integral

role of the central on delivering packages, do you agree that

accessibility by public transport is for these new facilities is of great

importance? Will you join me and calling upon members of the public

in that area to attend the event to voice their concerns about this

matter and other matters pertaining to the new development?

The development itself is an excellent development for Cardigan.

The business case was approved in June last year the health board is

progressing with the full business case which is expected to be

received in April. It is crucial that the public are fully engaged

with the proposals as they develop and transport is an important issue

that the health board will be to consider.

Question number five. Were the First Minister make a statement of the

importance of community pharmacies in Wales.

We recognise how important community pharmacies are in Wales. We continue

to invest in developing the role of community pharmacies as part of

improving primary care. Including our announcement yesterday that

seven at ?50,000 or be spent to access patient records. I for one

agree that pharmacies is an excellent incident. Can further

service be given to pharmacies? The great opportunities, where

pharmacists and able to provide treatment for people there is no

need for them to go to GP. It means that they can administer flu

vaccines, they can bring smoking cessation programmes, emergency

supply of medicines, a review of medicines. These are the issues that

would have been done by a GP in days gone by. The GPs can deal with more

serious cases. It is part of the choose well message. Go first of all

to the pharmacy, the GP and so forth.

First Minister, community pharmacists have been helping

patients with the inconvenience of renewing prescriptions for some time

by arranging to reorder and collect and deliver drugs to patients. Will

your government reconsider the possibility of allowing committee

pharmacies to dispense for more than one month at a time to patients with

certain stable chronic conditions. We're not talking about wasted drugs

at all. That would reduce the impact of missed appointments and GP

appointments. That is available now. They are

releasing time for GPs to deal with mossy decision is.

Question six. How much money has the Welsh Government invested in

attracting Aston Martin to St Athan? The financial terms are commercially

confidential. I can tell members we will be investing in a new road

that'll be key to providing access to the occupiers at St Athan. We

will be working with the company in order to ensure the building is

three fitted. Thank you. I can understand your

reluctance to answer due to the sensitivity but it is taxpayers

money. Could I ask you how many of the seven at 50 skilled jobs will go

to current workers in Wales? -- seven and 54 stop I can accept posts

will be important but I do hope this will create jobs for people here in

Wales. That is the idea. It was the same

with General Dynamics in Merthyr yesterday. The reason why these

companies invest in Wales is nothing to do with money. They had better

financial offers to go elsewhere. They were impressed by what they

described as the passion, professionalism of the Welsh

Government and the team that brought in the investment. But also any

investor needs to be sure that the skills, the pipeline of skills in

for -- include in the local area. It is made clear to me by Aston Martin

and general Dynamics yesterday they are confident the skills they need

exist in the local area. I think most of the jobs will go to local

people. We welcome the arrival of Aston Martin and the jobs it will

bring. I have never had an Aston Martin myself! It is important that

we should establish a private-sector led investment Council which can

feed better to government Eadie quests are private industry to make

more of these new developments successful in Wales. We do that

already. The evidence of that is shown by the fact we have had record

foreign investment was up Aston Martin is one example, General

Dynamics is another. There are others in the pipeline. Wales is

seen as the place to come. What is important is we are seen as a place

where high skilled, well-paid jobs come. The argument I always have

about the policies of the late 80s and 90s is was this, jobs were

brought, they were low paid and unskilled and they went elsewhere.

Unemployment fell in the 90s but GDP went down as well. We are seen as

being in the forefront as a country that can attract high skilled

investment. It is Iturbe to the people of Wales themselves that they

are seen by so many investors around the world as the sort of people who

can provide the skills that are needed for those companies to

prosper. Question number seven. FN Jenkins.

Were the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's

involvement in the Rhondda internal project. -- tunnel. They took over

what was once described as the burdensome state of the railways and

now it is the historical agency railways Estates. We're working with

them to establish the legal, safety and environmental liabilities with

transfer of ownership. We're working with them to discuss it.

Thank you. I'm asking about that because the members of the society a

big concern there has been toing and froing between the vast government

and the highways department. It is the has the Oracle part of the

department that we would be talking to in terms of that estate. During

those discussions, are you minded to take over responsibility because

from talking to the Society of things can fall in place as planning

permission for other types of access for the ADF when that ownership is

you has been sorted. They would like to timeline from you, First Minister

of the wee need to establish the liabilities.

We don't know what they are get. You won't buy a house without a

structural survey. What we're working with highways on doing is to

understand what the structure of the tunnel is like, what the liabilities

might be. Once that is understood the next age will be to consider

whether there should be a formal request for transfer. We can't do

that without knowing what the liabilities will be. It is important

that you go into this with our eyes open and that is why we are working

with highways in order to have those liabilities understood.

The Welsh Government support for the feasibility of the Bath survey has

been welcomed. These are just the first steps in the process which

will see the connection opportunities. Were the Welsh

Government to continue to work with members of the Rhondda internal

society in acknowledging what he said about the late ability is. This

project can be taken forward. We will work with the society. I

know that they work... The Minister has asked Sir strength for

expertise. -- Sustrans for expertise. That cooperation will

continue. This was on the order paper so

hopefully you have had a bitter briefing. You need to make the

assessment of the liabilities, everybody understands that. Can you

give a time frame for when those assessments will be concluded and

the government will be in a position to give concrete answers are

perfectly legitimate customers because they just find themselves

unable to bid for grants without secure knowledge about the ownership

of the potential for securing a stake in the tunnel.

We can't give a timescale until we know what the liabilities are. We

understand what highways England give us. Because it is a disused

railway asset the tunnel has no monetary value. There are bound to

be levels of liability. In terms of the transfer, Berardi number of

implications that need to be considered before we take this

further. Highways England considered thereat liability costs although

they haven't told us what those costs are. Those costs are

underwritten by the Secretary of State. If they were to be

liabilities it follows those costs would need to be underwritten by the

Welsh Government. We need to have that figure in place. As soon as the

figure is in place we will give greater clarity and a timescale.

Question number eight. Will the First Minister make a statement on

mobile phone provision in rural areas.

Following an agreement with the United Kingdom government, ie no

that things and now progressing. The mobile phone operators are planning

improvements to data coverage and voice coverage in Wales by 2017.

Learn to make sure that is what happens. Although rural areas such

as Anglesey pay exactly the same as everyone else in the British Isles

for their mobile phone signal, the service is often second-rate and to

be honest many pay more for a mobile phone in areas such as Ynys Mon.

Some pay for two phones. Some pay for a box to boost the signal,

others have to pay roaming charges because the signal from Ireland is

stronger than the signal available on Anglesey. The daily Post is

running a campaign to try and improve mobile signal in North Wales

and they revealed some figures yesterday on 4G coverage. The

Netherlands is 83%, Britain 53% and Wales is on 20%. Given that

connectivity is so important in rural areas is what has prevented

the Welsh Government from encouraging the mobile phone

providers to do more to provide enhanced signal in rural areas and

in Ynys Mon. The signal comes from Ireland, so

you pay roaming charges because of that. This is not a devolved issue,

however, we have been pushing the UK Government and the mobile providers

to ensure that people receive the service they should. If you look at

Anglesey, it is flat. You would imagine it would be easy to get a

signal to most of the communities on Anglesey. Despite this, and this is

not right, there are some areas where there is a signal, but it is a

very weak one. It is not possible to receive download, although it is

possible to make a phone call. Now the agreement has been signed by the

UK Government and the providers, we look forward to ensuring that the

United Kingdom government insiders that things change for the better in

the majority of Wales. I understand the mobile network operators have

written a joint letter to the Welsh Government urging you to review the

planning framework to facilitate the roll out of mobile infrastructure.

They have expressed the view that if the necessary mobile infrastructure

is to be rolled out across rural Wales, they must be permitted to do

so by local planning authorities through more flexible planning

regulation, which will allow an increase in permitted development to

a height of 25 metres and a five metre height in non-protected areas.

I would be grateful for an update on this and your view on it. I do not

accept the situation is worse than in England. It is important

operators learn to share as well. Learn to share masts. To have a

separate mast for every operator is inefficient. In other countries they

are shared and I would urge them to do that. Now we look to see the UK

Government ensuring the agreement reached with operators becomes

effective for most people in Wales. It is not just the masts as well.

One issue that has been raised is the strength of the signal. There

have been many occasions when members will have had experience of

this, when you have phone reception but you cannot download data. I am

not an expert in the technical aspects but it is not just a

question of masts being in place a question of the strength of the

signal, prompting must think strong enough with the bandwidth is strong

enough to make sure people can use the signal for downloading

information as well as phoning and texting. The mobile infrastructure

project was meant to deliver hundreds of masts across the UK to

prevent this problem. The government in Westminster have scrapped that

programme, having built just 40. Having dealt with them and the

companies, forgive me if I am cynical that this agreement will

make a difference to my constituents. You say this is not a

devolved issue, but economic development and public services are

a devolved issues and mobile telephony and good signals are

crucial to the delivery of both. What steps will the Welsh Government

take to ensure that all communities in Wales have access to decent

mobile phone coverage? Economic development is devolved, but

telecoms are not. There is an obligation on the UK Government to

make sure that mobile phone coverage improves across the whole of the UK.

We expect to see the UK Government deliver that by next year. If that

is not delivered then we will consider what steps to take next. We

now move to item to... That was questions to the First Minister, the

penultimate session at this assembly term. If you want more coverage of

the assembly you can go online to our Senedd live page. That is it for

now. For all the latest political news watch Wales Today at half six

on BBC One Wales. As for AMPM, from all this on the programme, goodbye.