:00:30. > :00:34.our coverage of questions to the First Minister. Lots coming up
:00:34. > :00:38.today, Carwyn Jones facing questions on ambulance provision, Police and
:00:38. > :00:45.Crime Commissioners and first-time buyers access to housing. It will
:00:45. > :00:49.also be interesting to hear about the junior doctors voicing their
:00:49. > :00:57.issues with the local health board coming up. You can comment on any
:00:57. > :01:02.thing on the programme. You can e-mail us, or you can get us on
:01:02. > :01:12.Twitter. The first Minister is already on his feet, let's go to the
:01:12. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:21.chamber. Will the First Minister highlight
:01:21. > :01:30.what main issues have been highlighted since the policies have
:01:30. > :01:35.been raised on the new Welsh enterprise zones? We recognise the
:01:35. > :01:39.shortcomings of the 1980s shortcomings. Today's are building
:01:39. > :01:42.for the economy over the long term and this will minimise potential
:01:42. > :01:52.displacement while encouraging the spillover of benefits to the broader
:01:52. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :02:01.region. Each job cost �24,000, a lot of them were relocated in the area,
:02:01. > :02:04.and often it was negated by renting creases. How will the government
:02:04. > :02:07.looked at the rate increases and the direct benefit to businesses to make
:02:07. > :02:12.sure it doesn't go straight into the pocket of the building and
:02:12. > :02:18.landowners? We operate a grand scheme, very different to the
:02:18. > :02:23.previous scheme which reduced liabilities to those in an
:02:23. > :02:28.enterprise zone. We have to look at eligibility requirements designed to
:02:28. > :02:31.promote growth and then the grant is claimed when rates have been paid.
:02:31. > :02:35.Owners of buildings and enterprise zones would not be eligible under
:02:35. > :02:43.the terms of the scheme unless they operated a business in the premises
:02:43. > :02:49.that met the eligibility criteria. Welsh Conservatives are certainly
:02:49. > :02:53.priest by the conversion on the road to Damascus that has gone on on the
:02:53. > :02:56.subject of enterprise zones. -- certainly pleased. The question
:02:56. > :03:03.relates to issues about the 1980s enterprise zones compared with
:03:03. > :03:09.today, back in the 1980s, welsh inward investment stood at about 15%
:03:09. > :03:12.of inward investment into the UK, that has fallen in recent years down
:03:12. > :03:18.to 3% when this was announced by your government, how do you see this
:03:18. > :03:24.being used as a mechanism to improve inward investment? Recent figures
:03:24. > :03:28.have seen 123% increases in foreign investment into Wales. The
:03:28. > :03:32.enterprise zones are part of the armoury in developing the Welsh
:03:32. > :03:38.economy, but we have to remember they need to promote Wales overseas,
:03:38. > :03:48.this is something the Minister for economy, science and transport and
:03:48. > :03:48.
:03:48. > :04:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 52 seconds
:04:40. > :04:46.myself have been doing on a regular equivalent to today's money, what
:04:46. > :04:50.cost per job would you be content with in your enterprise zone and the
:04:50. > :04:54.consideration you would have on it being a success? We want to ensure
:04:54. > :04:58.that the package we have in place is a package that is sufficient to
:04:58. > :05:03.attract jobs to the enterprise zones around Wales. We do not want to
:05:03. > :05:09.repeat the mistakes of the 1980s where jobs were not attracted, but
:05:09. > :05:12.merely displaced from one place, particularly, the city, like
:05:12. > :05:16.Swansea, they were sent from one place to another. Like many
:05:16. > :05:20.enterprise zones around the country, nothing happened, Swansea was
:05:20. > :05:24.perhaps the most successful, but it is right to say that a number of
:05:24. > :05:29.businesses that moved in, they moved from somewhere else, rather than
:05:29. > :05:36.businesses attracted from within. Will the first Minister make a
:05:36. > :05:39.statement on access to housing for first-time buyers? They can access
:05:39. > :05:44.through housing associations and through local authorities with the
:05:44. > :05:48.first by schemes, and also private developers have schemes that are
:05:48. > :05:55.detailed on their websites, and we look forward to seeing the
:05:55. > :05:59.devolution of stamp duty to assist first-time buyers. Your anticipation
:05:59. > :06:03.by the statement on the UK government there. We are waiting for
:06:03. > :06:09.news on this particular scheme, if you cannot relaunch this scheme get
:06:09. > :06:16.a launch date by recess, will you consider re-strengthening the home,
:06:16. > :06:20.buy and rent first scheme where the shelters are waiting up to 15 years
:06:20. > :06:26.before they can get onto the housing ladder. That is unacceptable, we
:06:26. > :06:31.need to do something it. If new buyers are not available, can we
:06:31. > :06:39.look at reinforcing the schemes? Lenders are assessing the position,
:06:39. > :06:44.they need more information on the new schemes first, so this will be
:06:44. > :06:47.helpful on taking this decision, but should we find ourselves in the
:06:47. > :06:54.position where it is not moving forward at a satisfactory rate, then
:06:55. > :06:59.we will look at possible future alternatives. First Minister, with
:06:59. > :07:04.no Welsh first-time buyers schemes and sizeable deposits required to
:07:04. > :07:10.secure a mortgage, people have to wait up to 12 years to get their
:07:10. > :07:14.foot on the property ladder, what is your advice to them? It is important
:07:14. > :07:18.that people understand there are variety of ways to get accommodation
:07:18. > :07:22.with housing associations, the private rental sector, shared equity
:07:22. > :07:28.schemes, there are examples of this across Wales, such as a community
:07:28. > :07:33.land trust. They exist across Wales and there are schemes such as the
:07:33. > :07:37.recent scheme announced by the UK government which we are looking to
:07:37. > :07:42.see further details on, to see if a Welsh scheme could still tell
:07:42. > :07:47.successfully with this scheme. average age, First Minister, of the
:07:47. > :07:51.first-time buyer is well into their 30s, which is enough to make any
:07:51. > :07:59.parent grown. I can hear people in this chamber actually thinking about
:07:59. > :08:05.this. But the challenge we face and house prices. What are you do to
:08:05. > :08:10.make Wales a high wage economy and would you condemn the use of such
:08:10. > :08:20.practices like zero hours contracts? Yes, I would. It is
:08:20. > :08:22.
:08:22. > :08:24.important to emphasise that the way to increase people 's rate of pay in
:08:24. > :08:26.the medium to long-term, is through increased emphasis on skills. We
:08:27. > :08:32.know, looking at the world economy, that those people that have the
:08:32. > :08:34.skills, they are paid the most. It was the economic policy in the 1980s
:08:34. > :08:41.and 1990s that investors should come to Wales because we were cheaper
:08:41. > :08:44.than anywhere else. That is consigned now to many disciplines.
:08:44. > :08:51.We realise that the more skills people have, the better paid they
:08:51. > :09:00.will be. We move now to questions to the party leaders, and first, the
:09:00. > :09:10.leader applies Comrie, Leanne Wood. There has been damning reports on
:09:10. > :09:10.
:09:10. > :09:15.the governance of a local health board. Consultants are saying that
:09:15. > :09:22.governance is not fit for purpose on one mental health board. This has
:09:22. > :09:26.happened on your watch, when did you first become aware of the failings
:09:26. > :09:29.within the local health board? became aware of when this was
:09:29. > :09:33.published. The received desperate need to improve the governance on
:09:33. > :09:37.the health board and the Health Minister is taking steps to make
:09:37. > :09:41.sure that governance is strengthened, by ensuring that there
:09:41. > :09:45.are officials available to support the board. We are also looking at
:09:45. > :09:49.strengthening the leadership of the board also. That is not good
:09:49. > :09:55.enough, it is your job to run the health service in Wales, and it is
:09:55. > :09:58.your job to monitor things. This health board has lost its chair,
:09:58. > :10:04.it's advised chair, its chief executive, and consultants have no
:10:04. > :10:09.faith in the management. -- it's vice-chair. You put great store on
:10:09. > :10:14.the views of consultants, what will you do to improve this? We will
:10:14. > :10:19.listen to the consultants, we will put better management in there, the
:10:19. > :10:23.situation here is not acceptable, and when we see these difficulties
:10:23. > :10:29.arising, we take firm and swift action to deal with them. I am
:10:29. > :10:32.astounded that you were not aware of this before. You have allowed the
:10:32. > :10:38.failing health board to outsource the care of babies to a different
:10:38. > :10:42.health service, rather than try to develop services here. That looks to
:10:42. > :10:52.me like a lack of confidence. While all of this is happening, it is
:10:52. > :10:55.already open to looking at other issues across the area. Should there
:10:55. > :11:02.be a renewal of the board membership before changes to hospital services
:11:02. > :11:07.take raised in the north of Wales? Firstly, renewing the entire board
:11:07. > :11:11.creates a dangerous vacuum, that is something we have to look at. I do
:11:11. > :11:14.not know what the leader was suggesting when she said that
:11:14. > :11:20.maternity services were being moved, she knows that a review has been put
:11:20. > :11:25.in by myself in case of neonatal services, and I will look at this
:11:25. > :11:29.review in the autumn. She indicated she was unaware of this. We take
:11:29. > :11:34.seriously the need to promote Wales and the health service, and that is
:11:34. > :11:36.why we take action when these things arise and we will continue to do
:11:36. > :11:39.this, wherever there are difficulties and where there are
:11:39. > :11:46.weaknesses in the health services. The people of Wales can be
:11:46. > :11:51.guaranteed that we will take swift and decisive action. Now, the leader
:11:51. > :11:55.of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Do you
:11:55. > :11:58.agree with the chief nursing officer who says that the number of patients
:11:58. > :12:03.per nurse should not exceed seven during the daytime? These are
:12:03. > :12:07.matters that the chief nursing officer will make known to the
:12:07. > :12:13.Health Minister, and he would be listening carefully to these views
:12:13. > :12:21.with a view to implementing what is required for the health service.
:12:21. > :12:26.chief nursing officer issued that guidance over one year ago, yet some
:12:26. > :12:29.of the health boards have reported that they do not meet the one to
:12:29. > :12:34.seven ratio, the Safe Staffing Alliance are stating that one to
:12:34. > :12:44.seven ratio, the Safe Staffing Alliance are stating that 128 is is
:12:44. > :12:44.
:12:44. > :12:50.unsafe. How long will you tolerate staffing levels that are considered
:12:50. > :12:54.unsafe and have that intentional to put patients at risk? This is one of
:12:54. > :12:59.the reasons why we have a process of reconfiguration at the moment,
:12:59. > :13:04.something that party has imposed. Not entirely, that is for to say.
:13:04. > :13:07.She has said she would support some kind of reconfiguration, but she has
:13:07. > :13:12.not stated what kind of reconfiguration. We want to create a
:13:12. > :13:17.safe, sustainable future for the health service, and we will look to
:13:17. > :13:19.see that these ratios that she mentioned her mat. One of the
:13:19. > :13:23.reasons that was given for what happened in mid Staffordshire was
:13:23. > :13:27.the lack of attention given to workforce planning. Is it not time
:13:27. > :13:31.that you listened to your chief nursing officer, to the Royal
:13:31. > :13:35.College of Nursing is and to the evidence from the United States and
:13:35. > :13:40.Australia were minimum staffing levels in trench in law, are the
:13:40. > :13:48.most effective way of ensuring that we have the best care for the
:13:48. > :13:52.patients. . -- entrenched in law. am concerned about the parallel the
:13:52. > :13:56.leader of the Liberal Democrats draws with the situation here in
:13:56. > :14:06.Wales and the mid Staffordshire situation. It is known for parallel.
:14:06. > :14:08.
:14:08. > :14:11.This was not typical of the NHS in England. I do not think it is hugely
:14:11. > :14:17.helpful to make this parallel. If she listens, she might learn
:14:17. > :14:21.something. That is why, for once, that is why it is important for us
:14:21. > :14:25.to get the structure of the health service right and to get the ratio
:14:25. > :14:29.of staffing right and to move away from the suggestion that any kind of
:14:29. > :14:39.issue in the health service is bound to lead to a situation like mid
:14:39. > :14:43.Staffordshire, I deplored that kind of comment. Two weeks ago your
:14:43. > :14:47.education minister resigned from his post. Letters were exchanged between
:14:47. > :14:52.you and him. The letter the former minister said to you, I feel I have
:14:52. > :14:57.no option but to offer you my resignation today. In your reply you
:14:57. > :15:01.said, it is with great regret that I accept your resignation. On Sunday
:15:01. > :15:08.you were as it by Hugh Edwards if Leighton Andrews hadn't resigned,
:15:08. > :15:17.would you have continued with him on government? At interviews that you
:15:17. > :15:21.have given, he said that you Ascot him to resign. What is the case?
:15:21. > :15:25.remember what he said. When he came to the resignation, the situation
:15:25. > :15:29.did not arise as to whether somebody should no longer be in their
:15:29. > :15:39.position because a resignation had taken place. I was then asked the
:15:39. > :15:39.
:15:39. > :15:45.question, would I be looking for Leighton Andrews to come back in the
:15:45. > :15:51.future? The answer was, yes. former education minister says quite
:15:51. > :15:55.clearly in the interviews he has given, that you asked him to resign.
:15:55. > :16:00.You are saying in your letter that you regretted that he resigned and
:16:00. > :16:10.also you make the point in the Wales report that he would have continued
:16:10. > :16:16.
:16:16. > :16:24.two scenarios. All I am asking to clarify is did you ask him to resign
:16:24. > :16:31.when you met with him two weeks ago today? I doubt whether he
:16:31. > :16:38.understands his own question. The reality is he admitted his
:16:38. > :16:42.resignation and I accepted it. are unable to give a clear and said
:16:42. > :16:47.to the question and therefore that discrepancy will continue. The other
:16:47. > :16:55.point we learned last week was the close relationship that you enjoyed
:16:55. > :17:00.with the Unite macro union. This report that came out and said that
:17:00. > :17:06.the model of cooperation that you enjoyed with Unite and the 20
:17:06. > :17:10.members of your group that are subscribing to Unite, is a model for
:17:10. > :17:16.the UK Government. Given the deplorable... Order, letters listen
:17:16. > :17:21.to the question. Given the deplorable actions that have been
:17:21. > :17:25.taken in other parts of the UK, do you subscribe to the changes that
:17:25. > :17:28.your leader in London has announced today or do you believe the model
:17:28. > :17:36.that you undertake is the better model for governance and relations
:17:36. > :17:40.with the unions? First of all, he has raised events two weeks ago. I
:17:40. > :17:44.noticed today he claimed when I said we were looking to get a commercial
:17:44. > :17:49.operator to run at Cardiff airport, he said it was something that I had
:17:49. > :17:53.said from new. For eight weeks, I have been saying this on many
:17:53. > :18:03.occasions and it shows the level of listening that he exhibits in this
:18:03. > :18:03.
:18:03. > :18:09.change and outside. -- Chamber. I listened to what Ed Miliband has
:18:09. > :18:13.said and there are issues there that I believe need to be taken forward
:18:13. > :18:17.in terms of moving the Labour Party forward. I am with him on that but I
:18:17. > :18:26.do not see that we should be ashamed of having an open leak with a trade
:18:26. > :18:33.union. His body has acquaintances who are expat millionaires. He has
:18:33. > :18:37.the brass neck to talk about an improper relationship with ourselves
:18:37. > :18:47.and the trade unions. He needs to get his own house in order before he
:18:47. > :18:50.
:18:50. > :18:53.can preach to us. We now move to question three. Will the First
:18:53. > :19:03.Minister make a statement on ambulance provision in Brecon and
:19:03. > :19:06.
:19:06. > :19:11.Radnor shy. --? -- Radnorshire. A Freedom of Information response has
:19:11. > :19:15.revealed that in the last six months, ambulances have routinely
:19:15. > :19:23.been called to answer calls outside their areas. In the worst cases,
:19:23. > :19:26.this board -- responding to the urgent calls in places such as
:19:27. > :19:30.Newcastle and Emlyn. The Health Minister tells me this is a matter
:19:30. > :19:34.for the Welsh ambulance trust but when paramedics are coming to me
:19:34. > :19:39.worried that they are leaving Brecon and Radnor shut with adequate --
:19:39. > :19:45.inadequate cover, that is a matter for your government. What will you
:19:45. > :19:49.do to ensure my constituents have ambulance cover? The Health Minister
:19:49. > :19:52.will be making a statement later with regard to the ambulance
:19:52. > :19:58.service. I did see the article published with the information that
:19:58. > :20:03.the Lib Dems made reference to and I will be asking the Health Minister
:20:03. > :20:09.to respond more fully to her in order to respond to the questions
:20:09. > :20:17.she has asked. We know one of the problems with the performance of the
:20:17. > :20:20.ambulance service across the country is the inability of people to get
:20:20. > :20:24.through accident and emergency developed -- departments because
:20:24. > :20:29.beds have been axed over the past few months under your government's
:20:29. > :20:33.stewardship. Can you tell us what plans you have to increase the
:20:33. > :20:37.availability of patient beds across Wales because there are a great deal
:20:37. > :20:40.of concerns, particularly in other places where Doctor Tony Roberts,
:20:41. > :20:45.the chair of this Gwyneth consultants, said those who need to
:20:45. > :20:51.be in hospital are not getting in hospital. That is down to beds and I
:20:51. > :20:54.know there are plans to cut more. What are you doing about it? This is
:20:54. > :21:03.the first time we haven't heard about record-breaking cuts in the
:21:03. > :21:06.health service. It is for each local health board to ensure they have a
:21:06. > :21:13.sufficient number of beds. What over the course of the winter, there have
:21:13. > :21:17.been enormous and unforeseen pressures on the health service.
:21:17. > :21:22.That is something that is beginning to tail off but it is right to say
:21:23. > :21:26.those pressures have been there. The Health Minister will be discussing
:21:26. > :21:33.the issue further with the local health boards to ensure they do have
:21:33. > :21:43.sufficient beds available to allow a flow of people through A&E and to
:21:43. > :21:43.
:21:43. > :24:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 52 seconds
:24:08. > :24:13.have contributed to correspondence and there is a comparison to see
:24:13. > :24:20.what the differences are between the protections and the actual figures
:24:20. > :24:27.that will impact upon the nature of the projected growth. This was a
:24:27. > :24:32.point that was made last week with regards to the growth figures in the
:24:32. > :24:42.future. That is why it is important to listen to what was being said at
:24:42. > :24:42.
:24:42. > :24:52.the conference. Before publishing a revised one, I will discuss this
:24:52. > :24:56.
:24:56. > :25:00.with the minister in order to write to you. It started losing its
:25:00. > :25:09.community. Will he give consideration to supporting the
:25:09. > :25:14.Welsh language being the primary consideration in lower areas or by
:25:14. > :25:24.the worst population exceeds 70%? wouldn't cover many wards. The
:25:24. > :25:31.figure that is often used, many communities are strong communities
:25:31. > :25:37.that are below 70% now. Only wards in Gwyneth and Conwy would come --
:25:37. > :25:41.qualify. We have one ward in Carmarthen and others that are close
:25:41. > :25:45.to it. I wouldn't have a definition that was that narrow. Nevertheless
:25:45. > :25:52.it is important that the Commons that were made last week, that we
:25:52. > :26:02.look carefully at how it may be used to help the language in the future.
:26:02. > :26:10.
:26:10. > :26:14.Thank you. Some of the things have greater weight than others. How will
:26:15. > :26:23.you ensure that they will be sufficient weighting given to turn
:26:23. > :26:30.20 in any language guidelines by planning authorities? They are of
:26:30. > :26:35.equal force. There is no hierarchy. It is important that local
:26:35. > :26:41.authorities consider each and everyone and that they don't favour
:26:41. > :26:48.one over another. I accept that the planning minister has suggested that
:26:48. > :26:52.he is eager to listen to the big conversation as regards to the
:26:53. > :26:57.revised TAN 20 but as the language standards were rejected by the
:26:57. > :27:02.former minister, it was suggested there should be a consultation
:27:03. > :27:07.between mid July and November regarding the proposed standards or
:27:07. > :27:11.the standards proposed by the government and that a statement
:27:11. > :27:17.would be prior to the consultation. We are given to the same timetable
:27:17. > :27:22.or has there been a delay? consultation on standards will
:27:22. > :27:27.commence in the autumn and my opinion wouldn't be appropriate to
:27:27. > :27:34.start any consultation now in July. It is important this happens during
:27:34. > :27:41.the autumn so a statement can be made at the beginning of next year.
:27:41. > :27:51.Will you make a statement... I apologise. What engagement has the
:27:51. > :27:57.
:27:57. > :28:05.bus, tyres with the Police and Crime Commissioners? -- what has the
:28:05. > :28:08.Minister? She has regular meetings and other ministers have been in
:28:08. > :28:15.correspondence with the commissioners on matters of mutual
:28:15. > :28:20.interest. Despite the brilliant work of individual police officers, the
:28:20. > :28:24.former system was incapable of demanding change. The new system
:28:24. > :28:29.tipped the balance of power towards local democratic accountability.
:28:30. > :28:36.Given that the role has the enormous potential to increase public
:28:36. > :28:41.safety, something that I understand Labour and independent commissioners
:28:41. > :28:49.are accepting, how do you respond to recognition that this democratic
:28:49. > :28:56.element of scrutiny towards the authorities will drive them to apply
:28:56. > :29:02.independent scrutiny. Dog --? don't think there is any evidence of
:29:02. > :29:05.that yet. I make no further comment on that but we will have seen what
:29:05. > :29:11.has been reported. I see no evidence at this moment in time that the
:29:11. > :29:18.Police and Crime Commissioners will not add to scrutiny for the police.
:29:18. > :29:24.The jury is out on that issue. We will continue to work with the
:29:24. > :29:28.commissioners in order to reduce crime and to keep communities safe,
:29:28. > :29:38.something we have added to with our funding of 500 community support
:29:38. > :29:41.
:29:41. > :29:45.officers across Wales. In the last ten years, there has been an
:29:46. > :29:52.increase in the number of women sent to prison, the majority of them
:29:52. > :29:59.convicted of non-violent offences and having short sentences, but this
:29:59. > :30:05.often intensifies problems that have children offending also. We know
:30:05. > :30:12.that centres provide a lifeline for many women and provide support,
:30:12. > :30:17.training... What are you doing to reduce women's offending and would
:30:17. > :30:24.you agree that a community-based approach to this is having positive,
:30:24. > :30:30.social and economic outcomes? not have any discussions personally,
:30:30. > :30:33.but the minister will have heard what has been said. It is important
:30:33. > :30:37.to reduce reoffending, that is crucial. Whether that is done in a
:30:37. > :30:41.community setting, which would be the preference, in terms of any
:30:41. > :30:50.individual, or in terms of it custodial setting, that depends on
:30:50. > :30:55.the case. The percentage of women in the prison system tends to hover
:30:55. > :31:00.around the 4%, 5% mark. It is difficult to give a view on whether
:31:00. > :31:02.there are particular offenders who may not have been sent to prison in
:31:02. > :31:07.different circumstances, like knowing their circumstances,
:31:07. > :31:14.somebody that has worked in the system for ten years or more. We
:31:14. > :31:21.need to have more women's prisons, because it cannot be right that were
:31:21. > :31:26.women received sentences in custody, that they cannot serve the
:31:26. > :31:30.sentence is close to their families, where they had been imposed. It is
:31:30. > :31:35.important to prevent reoffending, but whether there are custodial
:31:35. > :31:45.sentences, it is important that they serve these sentences in custody at
:31:45. > :31:54.
:31:54. > :32:04.a reasonable distance from their loved ones. SPEAKS WELSH -
:32:04. > :32:04.
:32:04. > :32:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 52 seconds
:32:59. > :33:02.TRANSLATION UNAVAILABLE. What is he doing to promote the big society
:33:02. > :33:08.bank in Wales? It is called the big society Capitol
:33:08. > :33:14.Mall, it is a matter for the UK government to promote products that
:33:14. > :33:18.can be accessed by the entire UK. They need to provide a range of
:33:18. > :33:24.support for organisations in Wales, including advice on potential
:33:24. > :33:28.sources of funding. Less than a dozen of organisations in Wales have
:33:28. > :33:35.received exerciser to capital funding by intermediaries, but one
:33:35. > :33:45.of those is come in a, an organisation in my region. In reply
:33:45. > :33:46.
:33:46. > :33:50.to your earlier reply, you are not frequently clear, but some have
:33:50. > :33:59.contributed to the housing need and it mitigates your governments
:33:59. > :34:04.failure to meet housing targets in the past? The good work is
:34:04. > :34:10.continuing, we would encourage all organisations in Wales to source
:34:10. > :34:14.funding from all potential sources, whether that be the UK government,
:34:14. > :34:19.the Welsh government or of course, the European Union, where we would
:34:19. > :34:25.see very severe financial difficulties happening in Wales.
:34:25. > :34:30.With finance drying up for small to medium-size enterprises following
:34:30. > :34:35.the financial crisis 2007 and not returning from then, is it not a
:34:35. > :34:40.good time now to create a Welsh business bank at arm's-length from
:34:40. > :34:44.government? Despite initiatives like Finance Wales, we know that small
:34:44. > :34:49.businesses are finding it difficult to get hold of funding. There is a
:34:49. > :34:54.state-owned bank in almost every European country. If Wales had won,
:34:54. > :34:58.we could fill that void. First Minister, do you accept that private
:34:58. > :35:04.sector growth is vital to the economic recovery, and if you access
:35:04. > :35:07.that, can you explain why a Welsh business bank is not a top priority
:35:07. > :35:12.for your government? I would argue that there are several state-owned
:35:12. > :35:17.banks in the UK, not just the ones that we see, but some of the bigger
:35:17. > :35:27.banks. A bank needs �100 million in working capital to begin with, it is
:35:27. > :35:29.not a panacea, it takes a lot of money to set up. We believe that in
:35:29. > :35:31.Finance Wales we have the situation correct and we are working with
:35:31. > :35:37.regard to procurement, where retirement levels in Wales are far
:35:37. > :35:40.higher than in Scotland, and despite the fact that I have noticed that
:35:40. > :35:48.Plaid Cymru had been criticising the contract that Wales was awarded,
:35:48. > :35:52.despite it had been awarded by one of their own ministers! What
:35:52. > :35:57.discussions have taken place between the Welsh government and the UK
:35:57. > :36:01.government regarding the proposal to privatise the Royal Mail? We had no
:36:01. > :36:11.discussions with the UK government regarding these proposals, but we
:36:11. > :36:12.
:36:12. > :36:17.would of course view any disastrous for rural communities,
:36:17. > :36:22.and it is the same old story from the Tories, break it up, sell it
:36:22. > :36:28.off, massive job cuts, poor services, and a quick buck on
:36:28. > :36:34.long-time price rises, but my worry is the financial future of local
:36:34. > :36:37.post offices in small villages would be under strain, so can you outline
:36:37. > :36:42.how the government could cushion the blow, and have you considered if
:36:42. > :36:47.there is a scope to default for service in Wales, where it could
:36:47. > :36:52.provide an opportunity for a Welsh bank as well as protect services?
:36:52. > :36:55.need to separate the Royal Mail from the post office. With regard the
:36:55. > :37:03.Royal Mail and the post office, they are different services. We could not
:37:04. > :37:07.Steve also Royal Mail without having a separate Welsh post service with
:37:07. > :37:14.Welsh stamps, it is not evolved in Northern Ireland, I would not
:37:14. > :37:20.recommend it here. We have had post office development and
:37:20. > :37:23.diversification funds, so the post offices have to benefit from the
:37:23. > :37:27.money benefited from the Welsh government also, but there are great
:37:27. > :37:31.challenges make sure that the post office continues to have a business
:37:31. > :37:41.base, because of different behaviour amongst the population, it has been
:37:41. > :37:41.
:37:41. > :37:46.dwindling away. First Minister, I had been contacted by the owner of a
:37:46. > :37:50.publisher in my area in which the Royal Mail is its main customer in
:37:50. > :37:57.the area, and they are concerned about the cost structure change as
:37:57. > :38:00.well as the future role of off, as a regulator, can you confirm about how
:38:00. > :38:08.you will meet with the people in Wales to discuss these matters and
:38:08. > :38:13.what you have spoken to the UK government about when talking about
:38:13. > :38:16.the future of Royal Mail and the future restructuring for customers?
:38:16. > :38:22.Were open to discussions with anyone's business that looks for our
:38:22. > :38:25.help, that much is true. -- we are open. But these are things that are
:38:25. > :38:29.being pushed forward by her party, she talks like this is different to
:38:29. > :38:33.the party that she is a member of, that is pushing through these
:38:33. > :38:37.changes. It is important for the Secretary of State for Wales to make
:38:37. > :38:41.these points on behalf of of Welsh business in Cabinet, and if he does
:38:41. > :38:44.this, we will be looking at supporting anything he might do to
:38:44. > :38:54.support whilst governments, and look at the concerns on changing the
:38:54. > :38:54.
:38:54. > :40:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 52 seconds
:40:20. > :40:25.doing to improve working conditions for care workers? This is central to
:40:25. > :40:30.the sustainable social services, we contribute grounds to enable the
:40:30. > :40:33.provision of high-quality citizen centred social care. Employment
:40:33. > :40:36.terms are the responsibility of the employer, but we would want to
:40:36. > :40:42.ensure that employers employ fair practices when recruiting and
:40:42. > :40:49.employing people. I was very appointed to read recently that the
:40:49. > :40:53.number of local authorities in Wales deliberately procure the services of
:40:53. > :40:58.adult social care workers in slots of 15 minutes. Would you agree that
:40:58. > :41:04.this is unacceptable and not in the interest of those receiving the care
:41:04. > :41:08.or providing a valuable service, and will you be trying to steer the
:41:08. > :41:13.local authorities away from this appalling practice? I could not
:41:13. > :41:19.agree more with her, the statutory guidance make the position clear. We
:41:19. > :41:23.are aware of the recent reports that have been provided. The Deputy
:41:23. > :41:28.Minister for social services has asked the Inspectorate to take a
:41:28. > :41:33.review of home care services in response to the concerns that were
:41:33. > :41:43.raised. We believe it there. Do not forget,
:41:43. > :41:46.
:41:46. > :41:55.you can see more coverage online on the BBC website. Let's speak to our
:41:55. > :42:04.Welsh affairs editor, he has been watching proceedings down there.
:42:04. > :42:09.What did you make of that, alt dominating from both Leanne Wood and
:42:09. > :42:13.the Liberal Democrat leader? -- health dominating. Slightly
:42:13. > :42:20.different angles, Leanne Wood going on the specifics of the Betsy
:42:20. > :42:27.Cadwallader health board. They have lost their chair, their vice-chair,
:42:27. > :42:30.and more people saying they had no field in the health ward, but we
:42:30. > :42:34.were pressing the Health Minister, the Health Minister insisting that
:42:34. > :42:39.the government had at it as soon as it had found out that there were
:42:39. > :42:43.problems at the health board. Kirsty Williams, on the other hand, she
:42:43. > :42:49.broadened it out and talked about the staffing ratio of nurses to
:42:49. > :42:53.patients and brought that up and in the light of what has been going on.
:42:53. > :42:58.Carwyn Jones, that was a quiet performance from him today, he
:42:58. > :43:02.sparked when she made reference to the mid Staffordshire situation,
:43:02. > :43:09.more or less calls the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader irresponsible for
:43:09. > :43:14.bringing that up and joining the connection between that and the
:43:14. > :43:18.situation in Wales. But I had to say, at a press conference earlier
:43:18. > :43:24.this morning, Kirsty Williams had said that some mortality statistics
:43:24. > :43:29.at Quin Ed were the same as the mortality statistics that had alarm
:43:29. > :43:34.bells ringing at mid Staffordshire. There is some way to go in that
:43:34. > :43:40.particular argument. We had that slightly odd exchange between Carwyn
:43:40. > :43:46.Jones and I knew Artie Davis at about the resignation of the
:43:46. > :43:53.resignation, but then there was the Welsh leaders relationship with
:43:53. > :43:57.United macro. We would have thought it was something of an open goal for
:43:57. > :44:00.the Conservatives here in the assembly today, because of that
:44:00. > :44:05.document holding up the relationship between the Welsh government and the
:44:05. > :44:10.Unite union, as a model of how the relationship between the party and
:44:10. > :44:14.the union should be. That was a union document. He spoke about the
:44:14. > :44:21.resignation of Leighton Andrews, which I thought the Welsh minister
:44:21. > :44:26.didn't understand, or he chose not understand it. It did seem to come
:44:26. > :44:29.across, however valid the point being made, as the kind of question
:44:29. > :44:39.of how many angels dancing at the head of a pin? But maybe he would
:44:39. > :44:43.have been better off going after the Unite union straightaway. That is it