:00:22. > :00:24.Good afternoon, welcome once again to am.pm and our coverage
:00:25. > :00:30.According to the agenda we can expect questions
:00:31. > :00:33.on specialist critical care, school funding levels
:00:34. > :00:38.Don't forget you can follow all the latest on Welsh politics
:00:39. > :00:43.Well, question time is already underway,
:00:44. > :00:59.I call the National Assembly to order and before we begin members
:01:00. > :01:05.should have been informed by their business managers of my intention to
:01:06. > :01:09.be stricter in ensuring members ask short, succinct questions. The
:01:10. > :01:14.business committee agreed this is the best way to ensure if effective
:01:15. > :01:17.scrutiny. I called to order any member who will deprive others of
:01:18. > :01:23.the opportunity to scrutinise by not coming quickly to a question. And so
:01:24. > :01:27.the first item on the agenda of this afternoon is questions to the First
:01:28. > :01:33.Minister. The first question from Nick Ramsay. Will the First Minister
:01:34. > :01:38.provide an update on the timescale for developing these specialist
:01:39. > :01:42.critical care centre at Llanfrechfa. Following a review over the summer I
:01:43. > :01:44.can confirm that the Cabinet Secretary will receive the
:01:45. > :01:49.information he needs next week and will be able to move towards making
:01:50. > :01:53.a decision. Thank you, you did indicate that might be the case last
:01:54. > :01:56.week. There is going concern in South East
:01:57. > :02:01.Wales about the rate of progress with the critical care centre first
:02:02. > :02:04.plans ten years ago. You said the Health Secretary is going to have
:02:05. > :02:09.that information at his disposal in the near future. Will you do what
:02:10. > :02:12.you plan to take charge of this issue to make sure that people in
:02:13. > :02:17.South Wales can be reassured that they are going to get that vital
:02:18. > :02:28.piece of the National health service infrastructure that they've waited
:02:29. > :02:30.for foreign long time. And really need as soon as possible.
:02:31. > :02:33.The information is there. I'd like to pay tribute to my colleague who
:02:34. > :02:36.has been unstinting in her advocacy of the plans. It is right that a
:02:37. > :02:39.project of this size, full consideration is given to the
:02:40. > :02:42.project from a financial perspective. The decision process
:02:43. > :02:49.can now begin as it is in the hands of the secretary this week. Question
:02:50. > :02:53.tool, Jane Bryant. Willie first was a make a statement on the social
:02:54. > :02:57.construction pilot scheme? We are piloting it as part of our
:02:58. > :03:01.programme for government. We are scoping how the scheme could best
:03:02. > :03:05.operate. Social prescribing offers an
:03:06. > :03:09.opportunity to look behind medication. Chronic loneliness is as
:03:10. > :03:14.bad for our health as mugging 15 cigarettes a day, and as damaging as
:03:15. > :03:19.obesity. Research shows it affects people across their lifetime. The
:03:20. > :03:24.friending boots provide a vital lifeline in the battle against
:03:25. > :03:29.loneliness, one example which can reduce medication. In Aneurin Bevan
:03:30. > :03:33.health board there is an exciting new project designed to act as a
:03:34. > :03:38.description for loneliness. Does the First Minister agree with me that
:03:39. > :03:43.communication between health and commuter services must be as good as
:03:44. > :03:46.possible to make this work? And what support can be given to win Courage
:03:47. > :03:51.volunteers who will be crucial to the success of social prescribing?
:03:52. > :03:55.It is absolutely correct to say that we need to look at holistic approach
:03:56. > :04:03.is to helping people when they feel depressed, when they feel like that.
:04:04. > :04:07.The Welsh government is providing ?180,000 over three years to develop
:04:08. > :04:11.volunteer led networks which supports lonely and isolated people
:04:12. > :04:16.within communities, similar to the scheme she has mentioned.
:04:17. > :04:20.Angela Burns. Thank you, Presiding Officer. As you are aware social
:04:21. > :04:28.prescribing is dependent on the third sector. However, many rural
:04:29. > :04:32.communities have faced consistent downgrading of community assets. And
:04:33. > :04:36.support networks. Our Willie Welsh government, the house boards and
:04:37. > :04:42.local government work effectively together to ensure that community
:04:43. > :04:46.assets are in place. For a brief example the threatened closure of
:04:47. > :04:50.the Avenue Centre in Tenby which was threatened under the terms of the
:04:51. > :04:55.social care while being built. That's what the local government
:04:56. > :04:59.tried to do. We take that kind of asset away then social prescribing
:05:00. > :05:03.which we support, and think is an excellent way forward is going to
:05:04. > :05:06.struggle to be delivered on the ground specifically in rural
:05:07. > :05:13.communities. How are we going to tie this together? You've asked your
:05:14. > :05:16.question. First Minister. It is absolutely right that mutation will
:05:17. > :05:23.be crucial for the networks to be developed and established. --
:05:24. > :05:28.communication will be crucial. We launched us the delivery plan for
:05:29. > :05:31.mental health strategy together with mental health yesterday. And the
:05:32. > :05:36.social prescribing pilots included will complement that action. I
:05:37. > :05:50.believe the Government can learn from the delivery plan for best
:05:51. > :05:56.practice in rural areas. Now questions from the party
:05:57. > :05:58.leaders. I first called the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew
:05:59. > :06:00.Artie Davies. First Minister, I asked this question as a supporter
:06:01. > :06:02.of alleviating the traffic congestion around Newport. Last
:06:03. > :06:07.weeks announcement was bitterly disappointing. There was a clear
:06:08. > :06:12.letter issued last week to a member of the Assembly here that
:06:13. > :06:16.highlighted how the Welsh government had interrupted at various
:06:17. > :06:21.workshops, consultations, and indeed, the changing methodology has
:06:22. > :06:26.been highlighted as early as 2014 and confirmed in workshops in March
:06:27. > :06:31.20 15th brought forward in July 20 16. Why was it such a shock to the
:06:32. > :06:37.Welsh government that this methodology was changing? And
:06:38. > :06:41.ultimately could delay the advancement of the project?
:06:42. > :06:44.This is a queue list tale, which, with your permission I'd like to
:06:45. > :06:47.elaborate on. The letter received by Mohammed Asghar was dated the 5th of
:06:48. > :06:53.October to apologise for a delay in responding. I do wonder when that
:06:54. > :06:57.letter originally was signed, because normally we don't get a
:06:58. > :07:02.response within three days from the Department for Transport. That is
:07:03. > :07:06.curious, is it not? Secondly, it's not right to say that the
:07:07. > :07:11.information, the planning data was before the Welsh government at any
:07:12. > :07:14.time before July this year. No indication was given by the
:07:15. > :07:17.Department for Transport what that data would look like. They said
:07:18. > :07:21.after the referendum that they believed they would be a delay in
:07:22. > :07:27.the publication of that data, that's what officials were told. It is not
:07:28. > :07:31.the case either that they had information before July. Alan
:07:32. > :07:35.officials discovered that highways England had received the information
:07:36. > :07:40.to weeks before and had not shared it with us as the Government. That
:07:41. > :07:46.information was requested and not provided until July 28. Even more
:07:47. > :07:50.curious is that the data was provided is normally provided in
:07:51. > :07:54.draft, with a nine to 12 month consultation period for the data to
:07:55. > :07:58.be examined and question. This occasion it hasn't been
:07:59. > :08:03.published in draft but in final form which disturbs us because the data
:08:04. > :08:08.is so badly flawed. It uses planning data for Wales not included in the
:08:09. > :08:12.LDP and has no apparent basis in fact. We've not been provided with
:08:13. > :08:17.any information as to where the DFT got this information.
:08:18. > :08:21.Once data is provided takes a long time to work out what the effect of
:08:22. > :08:26.that data is which is why it's a nine to 12 month period for it to
:08:27. > :08:30.happen. On this occasion, nothing. It was made final straightaway.
:08:31. > :08:37.Curious that highways England were told before us, and what they set of
:08:38. > :08:41.data does is, in fact, benefit schemes in London, the south-east
:08:42. > :08:45.and east of England at the expense of everywhere else. Even more
:08:46. > :08:50.furious, isn't it. We are calling on the DFT to work with us and
:08:51. > :08:54.re-examine these figures. To tell us where they found the planning data
:08:55. > :08:57.from and to work with us to provide figures that are far more accurate
:08:58. > :09:02.for the Welsh context. Many curious issues, to which we
:09:03. > :09:07.have not received an answer. Thank you for that detailed answer.
:09:08. > :09:11.I don't think there's much curiosity around any of this. We've been
:09:12. > :09:16.highlighting this for the last 12 months that the methodology needed
:09:17. > :09:19.to be revisited. The blue and black wood could be evaluated on the same
:09:20. > :09:23.methodology so that ultimately the two words could be compared
:09:24. > :09:28.favourably and taken forward either blue or black. The Welsh
:09:29. > :09:34.government's solution around South East Wales, it is a crisis, the jam
:09:35. > :09:39.on the M4 can stretch back 12 miles, is to favour the black route. So can
:09:40. > :09:45.you commit to having a traffic solution in place by 2021 so that
:09:46. > :09:50.people can have confidence that your manifesto commitment to deliver that
:09:51. > :09:56.solution will be met by 2021? Yes, that is the aim. It is not
:09:57. > :10:00.helpful when we have government departments in Whitehall acting in
:10:01. > :10:04.this way. They knew there was a public enquiry beginning in autumn
:10:05. > :10:10.this year. Yet this data was... We had to ask for it. It was not
:10:11. > :10:14.provided. We were not notified it existed. Then officials worked hard
:10:15. > :10:19.through August to look at the date and see what it would mean for Welsh
:10:20. > :10:23.road schemes. It is not just Wales affected, it's everywhere outside
:10:24. > :10:26.the south-east of England. So as far as the Department for Transport is
:10:27. > :10:31.concerned I urge them to revisit this data and have a proper process
:10:32. > :10:38.where data is published in draft and then given to examine that data.
:10:39. > :10:40.Examine its robustness rather than adopt the strange approach they've
:10:41. > :10:45.adopted so far. I disagree with you about the
:10:46. > :10:49.strange and unusual process. This process has been going on for two
:10:50. > :10:56.years. This change would be coming down the road at you. Obviously,
:10:57. > :10:59.your governments didn't respond. Traffic Scotland were involved,
:11:00. > :11:02.Northern Irish transport apartment of infrastructure were debating with
:11:03. > :11:06.the Department for Transport. They are all on this letter as
:11:07. > :11:11.participants in workshops and consultations. What is important is
:11:12. > :11:15.that we find a solution to the traffic gridlock that exists in
:11:16. > :11:19.south-east Wales. Your government has put its colours firmly on the
:11:20. > :11:23.mast of the black route. You are on record as saying that the blue
:11:24. > :11:27.route, if you supported the blue route you could kiss goodbye to
:11:28. > :11:30.winning elections in Newport for a generation. If it winning elections
:11:31. > :11:35.driving the decision around the traffic gridlock and solutions to
:11:36. > :11:39.solve that gridlock or are you actually looking at what is the best
:11:40. > :11:45.solution both financially and in terms of traffic going forward?
:11:46. > :11:50.It is a fact that the blue route goes past many homes that would
:11:51. > :11:55.affect nearly 4000 people. That is the reality. It passes close to
:11:56. > :12:00.their houses. Some buildings would have two be demolished, commercial
:12:01. > :12:03.and residential. I doubt very much any government would be looked on
:12:04. > :12:07.favourably if it were to move ahead with the blue route without proper
:12:08. > :12:11.consultation. We've said that the public enquiry will look at the
:12:12. > :12:24.black and blue routes and I want that enquiry to be as wide-ranging
:12:25. > :12:27.as possible and as open as possible. The process is one where they can
:12:28. > :12:29.have faith in. But I say once again, any suggestion that the Welsh
:12:30. > :12:32.government was involved, or knew of the data that was provided on the
:12:33. > :12:37.25th of July is wrong. Wholly wrong, and wholly untrue. The information
:12:38. > :12:41.he has received is simply wrong. They worked on this, the informed
:12:42. > :12:46.people what they were doing, they did not even tell us when figures
:12:47. > :12:50.were going to be published. They shared them with highways England
:12:51. > :12:56.first. We had to ask for them and then they were shared with us on a
:12:57. > :13:00.basis that is abnormal. Normally nine to 12 months is available for
:13:01. > :13:06.data to be examined. That was not done and we have a set of data that
:13:07. > :13:11.would benefit London and the South East of England at everyone else's
:13:12. > :13:16.expense. The Leader of the Opposition, Leanne
:13:17. > :13:20.Wood. First Minister, the UK Home Secretary announced plans last week
:13:21. > :13:25.to force companies to publish lists of their foreign workers. A
:13:26. > :13:30.regressive step, I'm sure you agree with me. It's not clear exactly how
:13:31. > :13:34.this information was intended to be used, but I'm concerned that it
:13:35. > :13:38.could have led us down a very dark path indeed. Since then the UK
:13:39. > :13:43.Government has rolled back on that position after a public outcry. The
:13:44. > :13:51.data is still going to be gathered and they remain questions to be
:13:52. > :13:52.asked about what will happen to that data.
:13:53. > :13:55.Can you prevent any of these measures in Wales? I think the word
:13:56. > :14:01.that is now being used is nudge. Nudge companies in that direction.
:14:02. > :14:05.We're not going to do that. Nor any of the body 's response. At the end
:14:06. > :14:09.of the day it is a matter for companies who they employ, I don't
:14:10. > :14:13.think it's helpful to have lists of people that would be used against
:14:14. > :14:18.those businesses for many reasons, firstly the sinister side of it,
:14:19. > :14:23.which is to suggest that if people are not UK passport holders then
:14:24. > :14:27.they are in some way in in the jobs they hold. That is the message it
:14:28. > :14:31.would convey. I can think of no more powerful disincentive to an
:14:32. > :14:35.investor. If you come to Wales or the UK you have to tell us how many
:14:36. > :14:40.workers from outside the UK you will employ, they don't have to do that
:14:41. > :14:44.in other countries and it's another barrier to investment. Like me, I
:14:45. > :14:48.know that she shared the same view very publicly when the announcement
:14:49. > :14:52.was made. I do not think that creating lists of people from
:14:53. > :14:56.outside the UK with a view to using those people against the companies
:14:57. > :15:02.who employ them is the right way forward for Wales or Britain.
:15:03. > :15:08.I welcome the sentiment you have conveyed. Many of our problems in
:15:09. > :15:12.Wales do not stem from certain people moving into the country, but
:15:13. > :15:15.from the fact that many of our young people move out and don't return.
:15:16. > :15:19.This is especially true of graduates, where we have a lower
:15:20. > :15:24.retention rate than any other UK nation. There has been a lot of
:15:25. > :15:27.focus on immigration, particularly around the debate on Brexit. Yet
:15:28. > :15:33.very little attention has been given to out migration. Plaid Cymru
:15:34. > :15:37.believes graduates should be allowed to live and work where they choose
:15:38. > :15:41.but we should be also be able to incentivise them to come back so
:15:42. > :15:46.that we can see a return on our public investment in their
:15:47. > :15:51.education. We are the only party to have proposed a mechanism through
:15:52. > :15:55.higher education to incentivise students to return to work and you
:15:56. > :16:00.will be aware we put forward those proposals ahead of the election in
:16:01. > :16:04.May. In that election, you had no policy on this and you claimed that
:16:05. > :16:12.Plaid Cymru would charge students fees. If you implement the diamond
:16:13. > :16:16.review, these are likely to be charged by your government. Will you
:16:17. > :16:20.accept we need to incentivise graduates to return to Wales after
:16:21. > :16:26.study? If you do agree, what do you intend to do about it? The reality
:16:27. > :16:36.of the situation is that if I recall I think the minister has intervened,
:16:37. > :16:41.but I will answer the question. If I remember, policy in May was such
:16:42. > :16:44.students would be incentivise to stay in Wales and their fees would
:16:45. > :16:49.be paid if they studied in Wales but not elsewhere. That is not a
:16:50. > :16:52.position I would share. From my perspective, what I want to do is
:16:53. > :16:56.make sure we attract students into Wales, not just those from Wales but
:16:57. > :17:03.also from outside Wales. Make sure there are skilled jobs there for
:17:04. > :17:07.them. It is a question of enabling them to return, not whether they
:17:08. > :17:13.leave. I see no reason why young people would want to leave and come
:17:14. > :17:16.back. In the same way I know there are people who will come to Cardiff
:17:17. > :17:23.in their 20s and then go back to rural Wales when they are older. For
:17:24. > :17:27.us it is all about ensuring the jobs are there. Unemployment is at 4.1%,
:17:28. > :17:31.lower than England, Scotland, Northern Ireland. That is why we see
:17:32. > :17:36.Wales is a good place to invest in skilled jobs. First Minister, you
:17:37. > :17:41.have completely misunderstood what we were proposing ahead of the
:17:42. > :17:45.election. What you said we should have done is what you said we should
:17:46. > :17:49.have been doing and what you were attacking us for. You should get a
:17:50. > :17:55.better brief and next time. I would like to return to a serious issue
:17:56. > :18:00.raised by a Welsh volunteer in the Calais refugee camp. Yesterday, the
:18:01. > :18:04.UK Government agreed to house the 378 children from the camp in Calais
:18:05. > :18:09.who have connections in the UK. The woman who has contacted me told me
:18:10. > :18:12.she has encountered an unaccompanied child in Calais who is being
:18:13. > :18:16.horrifically exploited by traffickers. She relates a story to
:18:17. > :18:21.me how this young boy of 12 has been given heroin by traffickers,
:18:22. > :18:26.promising him that it will helping get to the UK easier and it will
:18:27. > :18:30.make his journey easier. On his addiction to heroin, he was passed
:18:31. > :18:35.by the traffickers to predatory men outside the camp, not other
:18:36. > :18:38.refugees, who paid those traffickers with violence being the price of
:18:39. > :18:44.refusal along with the withdrawal of heroin, on which he is now
:18:45. > :18:47.completely dependent. I am sure you will agree with me that this is a
:18:48. > :18:53.completely up current situation and I am sure that you will, like me,
:18:54. > :18:56.wants to do what you can to help children in vulnerable situations
:18:57. > :19:02.like this. During the Second World War, we did what we could to help
:19:03. > :19:06.the Kindle transport children. To help these children today, we need
:19:07. > :19:10.to make sure our child protection systems are ready and prepared to
:19:11. > :19:15.accommodate what will be incredibly vulnerable children who may be sent
:19:16. > :19:18.to Wales. If we are to remove those children from a very vulnerable
:19:19. > :19:21.situation, we cannot risk putting them into another vulnerable
:19:22. > :19:25.situation, so how can you ensure that local authorities social
:19:26. > :19:32.services departments in Wales are ready to step up and help these
:19:33. > :19:34.children now? Who can disagree with the powerful testimony that the
:19:35. > :19:39.Leader of the Opposition has given? I have no reason to disbelieve what
:19:40. > :19:45.has been said. In an atmosphere of desperation, predators will thrive.
:19:46. > :19:55.It seems that is the case in Calais. Last week, I met with CW LGA's
:19:56. > :19:58.responsible elected member, we worked through some of the issues
:19:59. > :20:06.including unaccompanied children. It is true to say that few refugees
:20:07. > :20:09.have come to Wales thus far, but we talked about how we can help local
:20:10. > :20:15.authorities to resettle adult refugees, as well as unaccompanied
:20:16. > :20:19.children. And of course we agreed to work together in order to make sure
:20:20. > :20:24.that where we feel that the funds should come from a non-devolved
:20:25. > :20:29.sauce and those bonds do come from Whitehall. Certainly, it was a good
:20:30. > :20:34.meeting and emphasise once again that we want to very much an issue
:20:35. > :20:38.worth that children have a safe haven in Wales and are able to move
:20:39. > :20:46.away permanently from the sort of exploitation she has relate. VW get
:20:47. > :20:50.group, Neil Hamilton. In the year 2000, Wales was second from bottom
:20:51. > :20:55.in the league tables amongst the nations and English regions in the
:20:56. > :20:59.UK for gross weekly earnings. In the interim period, earnings have gone
:21:00. > :21:03.up by 55% in Scotland, 51% in Northern Ireland and only 46% in
:21:04. > :21:09.Wales so that we now have the dismal accolade of being bottom of those
:21:10. > :21:12.league tables. We've had Labour governments in Cardiff Westminster
:21:13. > :21:16.for either all or most of that time. Do you and your party accept any
:21:17. > :21:20.responsibility for this regard of failure? He was a member of the
:21:21. > :21:25.Conservative Party in the 1980s and if you look at the statistics,
:21:26. > :21:31.inequality increased markedly. Markedly. In the 1980s compared to
:21:32. > :21:36.any other decade. That was when people started to lose confidence in
:21:37. > :21:40.politics and saw that inequality rise. If we look at the level of
:21:41. > :21:45.employment in Wales, it is at a record high, far higher than when he
:21:46. > :21:50.was in government. Employment is -- unemployment is 4.1%. Youth
:21:51. > :21:58.unemployment 13.7%. The UK rate is 14.1%. The fall in Wales was nearly
:21:59. > :22:01.5% in one year. As far as numbers are concerned, we know the economy
:22:02. > :22:06.is moving in the right direction. It is right to say that challenge is to
:22:07. > :22:10.make sure we raise people's incomes, and make sure they have the skills
:22:11. > :22:14.required to bring well-paid jobs from investors who are coming in
:22:15. > :22:18.from abroad but also that they have the ability and confidence to set
:22:19. > :22:21.themselves up in business and succeed in the future. None of these
:22:22. > :22:25.things were in place when he was a member of the Conservative Party. No
:22:26. > :22:29.party did more to wreck our economy, raise unemployment and create more
:22:30. > :22:35.inequality than the party he was once a member of. I don't intend to
:22:36. > :22:39.rehearse the arguments about the winter of this content in 1979,
:22:40. > :22:43.which led to all the cuts that took place in the 1980s. We are here to
:22:44. > :22:49.talk about the 21st century, not the 20th. Looking forward to the future,
:22:50. > :22:52.although the First Minister won't accept his responsibility for this
:22:53. > :22:57.record of failure, isn't it clear that we now need to create in Wales
:22:58. > :22:59.and enterprise economy, a low tax jurisdiction relatively speaking,
:23:00. > :23:04.and one where we have proportionate regulation, and the opportunity that
:23:05. > :23:07.wrecks it provides its us the tools with which to achieve what both he
:23:08. > :23:11.and I want, which is greater prosperity for the Welsh people? Not
:23:12. > :23:17.surprised he doesn't want to discuss his record in the 1980s. One phrase
:23:18. > :23:21.I picked up on there. The creation of a low tax economy. I thought his
:23:22. > :23:24.party's line was he didn't want to see any text evolution to this
:23:25. > :23:31.place. He needs to make his mind up by what he means by that. I think
:23:32. > :23:34.there is merit in looking, for example, at the way corporation tax
:23:35. > :23:38.operates, particularly in terms of tax breaks. I think the territory
:23:39. > :23:43.needs to be far more flexible in terms of the powers it gives in that
:23:44. > :23:45.regard. Why not have a system of tax breaks for research and development
:23:46. > :23:52.in Wales watch my bees are the powers we think will be practical,
:23:53. > :23:55.without carrying too much danger in terms of potential loss of three the
:23:56. > :23:59.Barnett formula. It is correct to say we want to make sure Wales is a
:24:00. > :24:02.good place to invest. We see it, we have seen a number of big investors
:24:03. > :24:06.coming in over the last year and beyond. There is a challenge of
:24:07. > :24:09.Brexit of re-entering investors in the future they will have access to
:24:10. > :24:12.European markets, bigger than America and Russia combined, and we
:24:13. > :24:19.ensure to make sure that they see Wales as a natural place to access
:24:20. > :24:23.that market in the future. My party is not against the devolution of
:24:24. > :24:26.income tax per se, what we are against is devolution of income tax
:24:27. > :24:31.without a referendum as we were promised before 2011. Moving to the
:24:32. > :24:35.future and the opportunities that Brexit provides, isn't it rather
:24:36. > :24:40.disappointing that the European advisory group that the First
:24:41. > :24:44.Minister has appointed 20 members has lots of politicians and
:24:45. > :24:47.academics on it, very few people with practical business experience,
:24:48. > :24:53.and as far as I can define from looking at the names, very few of
:24:54. > :24:57.these were the people were actually in favour of leaving the EU. The new
:24:58. > :25:03.one I can positively identifies my honourable friend from North Wales,
:25:04. > :25:09.Nathan Gill. Would it not be sensible therefore to have more
:25:10. > :25:14.people actually see Brexit as an opportunity rather than something to
:25:15. > :25:17.be feared? The purpose of the group is not to refight the referendum,
:25:18. > :25:24.the result is clear. The purpose of the group is to advise government on
:25:25. > :25:28.potential ways forward. For example, looking at models like Norway, can
:25:29. > :25:31.that be adapted? Or the other models? This is what we need to look
:25:32. > :25:35.like. Nathan Gill is a member of that group, he is an MEP. He is
:25:36. > :25:39.somebody who has contributed greatly to the work of the group thus far
:25:40. > :25:51.and is somebody who can bring his experience in Europe and bring --
:25:52. > :25:54.use it to good effect. Will the First Minister make a statement on
:25:55. > :25:59.schools funding levels in South Wales West? The Welsh government
:26:00. > :26:07.will shortly publish it local government settlement for 2017, 20
:26:08. > :26:10.18. Thank you for that response. We all understand the complexes of the
:26:11. > :26:18.funding formula, but can I ask what you are doing to secure adequate
:26:19. > :26:20.funding for smaller schools? Well, it's a matter for local authorities,
:26:21. > :26:27.of course, to ensure there is sufficient funding for their
:26:28. > :26:32.schools. We give them the funding and we expect them to spend an
:26:33. > :26:36.adequate amount of money on their skills in order to create good
:26:37. > :26:39.education in their areas, but the responsibility lies with the local
:26:40. > :26:49.authorities for funding of individual schools. Will the First
:26:50. > :26:57.Minister join me in congratulating Swansea Council on record-breaking
:26:58. > :27:02.GCSE results? And congratulate to macro skills on the excellent
:27:03. > :27:07.results. I very much welcome where Pathways success skills have
:27:08. > :27:11.improved. I would also like to congratulate the schools on their
:27:12. > :27:17.best ever sets of results whilst taking part in the challenge. The
:27:18. > :27:22.member is rightly proud. It was back in December 2011 that the then
:27:23. > :27:26.education Minister Leighton Andrews made an announcement about ?1.4
:27:27. > :27:30.billion of expenditure for the 21st-century schools programme. That
:27:31. > :27:34.covered south Wales West and other parts of Wales. Kanute us how much
:27:35. > :27:39.has actually been released of that cash, given we are now five years
:27:40. > :27:42.into the programme and that 700 million was supposed to have been
:27:43. > :27:46.spent within the first seven years? I believe roughly half has been
:27:47. > :27:51.allocated. It is a matter for local authorities to come forward with
:27:52. > :28:00.schemes to replace or repair schools and I have seen them up and down
:28:01. > :28:04.from real to Cardiff. We see that new buildings are going up all over
:28:05. > :28:07.Wales to provides facilities that youngsters need and expect. At the
:28:08. > :28:15.same time, nothing is happening under his party in England. First
:28:16. > :28:19.Minister, cuts in local authority budgets have put pressure on school
:28:20. > :28:23.budgets throughout my region. In addition to school budgets, Swansea
:28:24. > :28:28.Council have also increased the amount they charge for service level
:28:29. > :28:32.agreements, which is impacting upon schools' ability to deliver things
:28:33. > :28:38.like music lessons, swimming lessons and supply library books. Swansea
:28:39. > :28:42.now has one of the lowest per-pupil funding levels in Wales. Will the
:28:43. > :28:47.Welsh government consider the impact budget cuts are having on schools in
:28:48. > :28:52.my region when it set the level of government funding in the
:28:53. > :28:56.forthcoming budget? Of course we expect local authorities to allocate
:28:57. > :29:00.money for local services such as education. It is for them to justify
:29:01. > :29:04.the amount of money they spend on education. It is true that there are
:29:05. > :29:08.some schemes run centrally as a government, but we expect all local
:29:09. > :29:12.authorities to fund schools in such a way that we continue to see the
:29:13. > :29:19.improvement we have seen over the last few years in children's
:29:20. > :29:24.education. Will the First Minister make a statement on road safety in
:29:25. > :29:28.Pembrokeshire? The road safety framework sets out the actions that
:29:29. > :29:35.we and our partners will take to achieve our casualty reduction
:29:36. > :29:43.rates. On our roads. The framework will be reviewed once again
:29:44. > :29:49.following the release of the 2016 I shall teach statistics are released.
:29:50. > :29:56.Rio I'm grateful to the First Minister for that response. Road
:29:57. > :30:08.safety is a problem for walkers in Fishguard. Despite having assurances
:30:09. > :30:10.from previous ministers and although feasibility was undertaken in 2012,
:30:11. > :30:13.2013, the current minister has asked for another study to build a
:30:14. > :30:16.footbridge. I am sure you are familiar with that part of the town
:30:17. > :30:20.and it is important to improve safety in that part, so what
:30:21. > :30:24.assurances can you give the people of that area that a footbridge will
:30:25. > :30:30.truly be built during the term of this Assembly, rather than
:30:31. > :30:31.commitments on endless feasibility studies are smart and what funding
:30:32. > :30:42.will be available? When you mention that area I'm not
:30:43. > :30:54.aware of any footpath there. There is a problem with Newport, to
:30:55. > :30:58.Cwmgwaun. I will write him on the issue with greater detail so that we
:30:59. > :31:04.can ensure that those details are available to his constituents.
:31:05. > :31:07.Thank you, First Minister for his answer on that. I wanted to widen
:31:08. > :31:13.this slightly to those safety issues. They've certainly been
:31:14. > :31:17.raised with me and other members relating to safety around schools.
:31:18. > :31:21.It's often the case that even with the provision of separate pelican
:31:22. > :31:28.crossings the safety of children travelling to and from schools is of
:31:29. > :31:33.concern. Ideally the council would imply a school crossing patrol
:31:34. > :31:36.staff. But the cost of that is prohibitive as councils need to
:31:37. > :31:41.prioritise spending. Does the First Minister agree with me that as part
:31:42. > :31:46.of obligations under the active travel at their is opportunity for
:31:47. > :31:49.local authorities, when preparing maps, to think proactively about
:31:50. > :31:54.addressing concerns in schools in respective areas.
:31:55. > :31:58.Absolutely. The point of the active travel act is to encourage road
:31:59. > :32:02.safety and to ensure that the local authorities see walking and cycling
:32:03. > :32:15.not just as forms of recreation but most of transport. It was at the
:32:16. > :32:20.heart of the active travel act. John Griffiths's summary was very
:32:21. > :32:23.passionate. We want to see local authorities ensure that in the
:32:24. > :32:31.future cycling and walking are seen as normal as modes of transport.
:32:32. > :32:37.Alongside more traditional modes. Simon Thomas. Thank you, Presiding
:32:38. > :32:42.Officer. It's difficult to reach the state of normality that you talk
:32:43. > :32:46.about when cycling accounts for 1% of all journeys taken in Wales, or
:32:47. > :32:54.in premature. Being killed or seriously injured on bicycles is
:32:55. > :32:58.33%. There is a huge mismatch there between the risks taken by those on
:32:59. > :33:01.cycles and those who are killed or seriously injured. This is
:33:02. > :33:06.particularly true of younger people where you have a target of 40%. You
:33:07. > :33:11.reduce the number killed or seriously injured by 28% but haven't
:33:12. > :33:15.reached your target. What steps will you take to improve road safety in
:33:16. > :33:20.premature and beyond, particularly for cyclists and young people who
:33:21. > :33:25.make use of those roads? One of the things that the act gives
:33:26. > :33:30.as is the power over speed. Because on some roads it would be worth, in
:33:31. > :33:35.my view, considering whether the speech should be reduced in order to
:33:36. > :33:42.safeguard cyclists. There is a risk in doing that, because obviously a
:33:43. > :33:47.cycle isn't as large as a car. Obviously we don't want people to be
:33:48. > :33:52.at an excessive risk. Others would not agree with me on this, but it's
:33:53. > :33:58.important that we have cycle only parties. It's believed that cyclists
:33:59. > :34:02.should have the same rights as cars. For many people they don't have the
:34:03. > :34:08.confidence to go on the roads and mix with cars. Developments we've
:34:09. > :34:15.seen recently with a bypass in Rhondda Cynon Taff, the Church
:34:16. > :34:20.Village bypass where it is quite usual for them to have a cycle path
:34:21. > :34:27.in parallel. That's a safe way of travelling.
:34:28. > :34:30.Question five, Rhiannon Passmore. What importance does the Welsh
:34:31. > :34:33.government plays on broadcasters in terms of public money for high-level
:34:34. > :34:39.programming? We believe they should portray the
:34:40. > :34:44.culture of Wales. We ensured that the new BBC Charter included a much
:34:45. > :34:54.better public purpose to deliver that content.
:34:55. > :34:57.The Chief Executive of S4C stated 50% of its programmes had been shown
:34:58. > :35:07.before compared to 20% when it was launched in 1982. Funding will
:35:08. > :35:11.remain at ?74.5 million a year until 2022. S4C also received ?7 million
:35:12. > :35:16.from the UK Government. What actions can the UK Government take to wonder
:35:17. > :35:22.store the importance of individual programming and when programmes such
:35:23. > :35:26.as hinterland are universally applauded, when my constituents are
:35:27. > :35:29.concerned at the lack of representation of English bilingual
:35:30. > :35:34.Welsh lives across the public sector Metro.
:35:35. > :35:38.As we are reviewing the charter, the BBC would be obliged to reflect the
:35:39. > :35:42.diverse communities of Wales and other nations and regions of the UK.
:35:43. > :35:49.It will now have to set up and develop those new duties including
:35:50. > :35:58.improving services for Wales. That is a new development, one we believe
:35:59. > :36:02.will develop and reverse the slow decline in English language
:36:03. > :36:07.programming made in Wales. Thank you, very much, Presiding
:36:08. > :36:14.Officer. Bearing in mind the Brexit wrote and the need emerging from
:36:15. > :36:19.that to improve the information available to the people of Wales as
:36:20. > :36:23.to what happens in this place and what happens in Wales, the portrayal
:36:24. > :36:29.of Wales and what we in the Assembly do to address that and can't do.
:36:30. > :36:34.What's discussions have you had with the hierarchy at the BBC and others
:36:35. > :36:39.on the dire needs to improve the portrayal of Wales both within Wales
:36:40. > :36:42.and outside Wales? There is a problem with some parts
:36:43. > :36:49.of the BBC weather isn't a great deal of understanding. One of the
:36:50. > :36:56.things we have discussed is whether we should have our own news at six,
:36:57. > :37:03.and also our Ronan News at ten. And this is something we have to
:37:04. > :37:12.consider -- our own News at ten. It's sure to say, of course, that
:37:13. > :37:16.there is a lack of knowledge and information amongst the people of
:37:17. > :37:21.Wales about what happens here, what we do, and what happens in Wales
:37:22. > :37:25.itself. We must ensure that more news is available for the people of
:37:26. > :37:29.Wales, appropriate to the people of Wales.
:37:30. > :37:33.The draft charter provides an opportunity for further scrutiny of
:37:34. > :37:37.the BBC to include the appointment of a nonexecutive director agreed by
:37:38. > :37:41.the UK and Welsh government. Amidst concerns that the National Assembly
:37:42. > :37:47.of Wales will not be afforded the same waiting as the House of Commons
:37:48. > :37:50.and the House of Lords, what representation are you making half
:37:51. > :37:54.of this Assembly to ensure we are part of that process as regards to
:37:55. > :38:00.the appointment of a nonexecutive director? And also the further
:38:01. > :38:04.workings of the BBC? That is an important point. What I
:38:05. > :38:09.can say is that the Assembly will have powers to scrutinise the BBC.
:38:10. > :38:13.That's not happened before. To call it to appear before the Assembly and
:38:14. > :38:18.holder to account which puts it on a par with the UK Parliament. In terms
:38:19. > :38:21.of the issue the member raises it is something that is still being
:38:22. > :38:24.discussed in terms of the ability and the role of the National
:38:25. > :38:29.Assembly. Question six, Julie Morgan. What is
:38:30. > :38:31.the Welsh government doing to ensure there is a workforce with
:38:32. > :38:35.appropriate skills in Wales? One of the things we are doing is
:38:36. > :38:38.creating a minimum of 100,000 or later prone to ship during this
:38:39. > :38:47.term. That will continue our focus on raising -- apprenticeships. What
:38:48. > :38:52.progress has been made with the apprenticeship levy proposed by the
:38:53. > :38:56.former Chancellor, George Osborne, and what are the consequence of that
:38:57. > :39:01.for Wales? It's an issue which catch across
:39:02. > :39:04.much of the work we are doing. I know the Minister has been involved
:39:05. > :39:10.in many discussions with the UK Government on this. It is an area
:39:11. > :39:16.where I don't believe many businesses comply. They are not
:39:17. > :39:20.aware of the levy coming. They are certainly not knowing what they are
:39:21. > :39:23.going to get out of it. The UK Government has a great deal of work
:39:24. > :39:30.to do in informing businesses and what it means for meshing with
:39:31. > :39:36.programmes we already run. Thank you, president. There is
:39:37. > :39:41.evidence of course that pupils who fall behind in the early years,
:39:42. > :39:46.particularly in terms of cognitive development are more likely to
:39:47. > :39:51.struggle later in life in terms of lifetime opportunities and there is
:39:52. > :39:55.no evidence showing that having degree level practitioners in those
:39:56. > :40:01.early years is a great assistance in ensuring that doesn't happen. Your
:40:02. > :40:05.government, of course, will, in the spring, publish the early years
:40:06. > :40:08.workforce plan which will, hopefully, give workers in that
:40:09. > :40:14.sector the necessary skills. Will that planning to take commitment to
:40:15. > :40:19.ensuring that practitioners in the sector are of degree level,
:40:20. > :40:26.particularly working with children? This will be something discussed
:40:27. > :40:31.before the plan is published we wish to ensure that those working with
:40:32. > :40:34.children at an early age, when the children are at an early age, have
:40:35. > :40:43.the skills required in order to ensure that the best pathways is
:40:44. > :40:46.followed by those children. The older people's Commissioner for
:40:47. > :40:54.Wales stressed the need to keep older people in the workforce and to
:40:55. > :40:58.bring them back to work as well. How will the first moves ensure that the
:40:59. > :41:03.100,000 high-quality apprenticeships promised in the programme are
:41:04. > :41:06.delivered in a need basis rather than on the age of the person in
:41:07. > :41:11.Wales? The intention is that it is all age.
:41:12. > :41:17.I think the question here is making sure we work with those people who
:41:18. > :41:20.want to come back to work. Somewhat retired may feel financially
:41:21. > :41:27.comfortable. They are the basis for volunteers we have across Wales. One
:41:28. > :41:32.of the issues we face is people work longer is the prospect that we have
:41:33. > :41:37.fewer volunteers because people have less time. The whole point is to
:41:38. > :41:44.make sure it is an all age scheme. Vicky Howe was. Diolch, Llywydd. I
:41:45. > :41:48.recently met with careers Wales staff in Aberdare who told me how
:41:49. > :41:52.they are using the reactor programme to ensure that people who are
:41:53. > :41:57.affected by redundancy of the skills they need to seek alternative
:41:58. > :42:01.employment. Do you agree, First Minister, that's Korea's wheels and
:42:02. > :42:06.the reactor programme have a crucial role to play in developing skills
:42:07. > :42:13.people need to re-enter stay in the workforce -- careers Wales.
:42:14. > :42:18.It's certainly a good example. We will continue to ensure that schemes
:42:19. > :42:25.like we act that have been successful continue to work for the
:42:26. > :42:31.people. Question seven, David Melding.
:42:32. > :42:33.Willie First Minister make a statement on the measures to improve
:42:34. > :42:41.the planning process for the provision of housing?
:42:42. > :42:46.First Minister, a rational land policy needs to identify land
:42:47. > :42:51.provide good quality, preplanning application advice and then
:42:52. > :42:54.encourage speedy use so that we don't have speculative land banks
:42:55. > :43:00.being built up. How will legislate achieve these
:43:01. > :43:06.AMs? We seek to ensure that if we look at, for example, the LDP
:43:07. > :43:09.process, that is done in a suitable time it will look at certain
:43:10. > :43:15.developments in order for them to be considered. Most speedily, not in
:43:16. > :43:20.terms of less detail, but in terms of being considered in an
:43:21. > :43:23.appropriate timescale, also, of course, it will ensure that as far
:43:24. > :43:27.as developers are concerned they will be a better understanding of
:43:28. > :43:32.how the process works and at what point the planning process must be
:43:33. > :43:35.identified. Ultimately, it's about ensuring not just that there is land
:43:36. > :43:40.available but various models are available in terms of the type of
:43:41. > :43:49.tenure that people wish to get when they either buy or rent houses. The
:43:50. > :43:53.local development plans, of course, are central to the process of
:43:54. > :43:59.housing provision. These plans have been established on the basis of
:44:00. > :44:04.historical statistics as regards the level of population growth. Do you
:44:05. > :44:13.therefore believe that it is high time to develop a more effective way
:44:14. > :44:17.of gauging the demand and getting in more strategic coordination between
:44:18. > :44:22.local authorities? There is opportunity for local authorities to
:44:23. > :44:26.produce their own figures. It is possible for them to say we have our
:44:27. > :44:29.own figures. They are figures which are supported by evidence, and
:44:30. > :44:35.therefore these are the figures we want to use. Then it's a matter for
:44:36. > :44:40.the planning Inspectorate as to how much waiting will be given to those
:44:41. > :44:43.figures. So it is already possible for local authorities to use
:44:44. > :44:50.different figures if they are evidence -based. Thank you,
:44:51. > :44:53.Presiding Officer. Since the 1960s Wales has seen many tens of
:44:54. > :44:58.thousands of new homes built that were never destined for local
:44:59. > :45:02.buyers. This happens on a grand scale across Wales and particularly
:45:03. > :45:07.north-east Wales. The situation we find in rural North Wales,
:45:08. > :45:10.particularly in Flintshire, is that commuters from across-the-board buy
:45:11. > :45:14.up houses as soon as they are available, distorting the local
:45:15. > :45:17.housing market. These commuters are earning money in England than
:45:18. > :45:23.spending it in Wales, but they are locals out of housing. The situation
:45:24. > :45:27.is cleverly manipulated by planners, developers, estate agents and others
:45:28. > :45:32.in the housing trade as an argument to build more new housing from which
:45:33. > :45:38.most locals are deluded. Improved transport connections... Can you
:45:39. > :45:43.bring yourself to a question please? Along the a 55 corridor will only
:45:44. > :45:46.exacerbate the problem. Are you willing to introduce legislation to
:45:47. > :45:53.reserve a percentage of housing stock for local buyers and went you
:45:54. > :45:58.post to do so? -- when do you propose to do so?
:45:59. > :46:06.We already require developers to reserve a certain percentage of
:46:07. > :46:11.housing for affordable housing. We have to see whether there is scope
:46:12. > :46:15.for the local market in the future to ensure there is sufficient
:46:16. > :46:19.housing available, particularly in villages where, at the moment there
:46:20. > :46:25.are no plans to build any houses. The reality is that the cross-border
:46:26. > :46:28.flow is there, it is in the economic interest of both England and Wales
:46:29. > :46:34.to work together for the prosperity of both regions. It shows how
:46:35. > :46:40.popular wheels is as a country to live in, people want to live in
:46:41. > :46:45.Flintshire rather than treasure. That rather than Cheshire. What
:46:46. > :46:51.plans does the Government have two review TAN8? Nun at the moment.
:46:52. > :46:56.That's a disappointment because TAN8 has been in place without
:46:57. > :47:00.significant review since 2005. In a way it has failed in its main
:47:01. > :47:05.objective to plan renewable energy. The targets set we are a long way
:47:06. > :47:11.off will stop we know that new powers in that area will come to the
:47:12. > :47:13.Government up to 350 megawatts which includes all of the terrestrial
:47:14. > :47:19.developments as well as interesting things such as tidal lagoons. Is it
:47:20. > :47:25.appropriate now to review TAN8 and have enforcement powers for climate
:47:26. > :47:28.change objectives and also to put pressure on the National Grid to
:47:29. > :47:36.strengthen the grid without needs to be done? I don't believe the problem
:47:37. > :47:42.lies with Islwyn full stop the problem is with the boundaries.
:47:43. > :47:50.Of course, everything else was considered by ministers in London.
:47:51. > :47:54.It's not TAN8 that is the problem but the artificial boundaries. We
:47:55. > :47:58.welcome the fact that 350 megawatts will be the ultimate boundary, there
:47:59. > :48:03.is no reason why that's been chosen. But perhaps we should... I quite
:48:04. > :48:07.agree, we should have the same powers over the grid as Scotland
:48:08. > :48:12.has. It's the powers that are the problem. Willie first Mr make a
:48:13. > :48:18.statement on trade between Wales and Ireland?
:48:19. > :48:22.Ireland is our fourth largest export market. While she exposed to islands
:48:23. > :48:33.are worth just over ?1 billion in 2015. -- Welsh exports to Ireland.
:48:34. > :48:38.The question of borders with Ireland is one of the most crucial question
:48:39. > :48:44.in terms of the debate on leaving the UPN union. If a border is placed
:48:45. > :48:47.around the ideal of Ireland as is suggested and the Secretary of State
:48:48. > :48:52.for Northern Ireland as said he wants to strengthen border controls
:48:53. > :48:56.in the ports and airports of Ireland, then what is the First
:48:57. > :49:02.Minister's assessment of the impact of that, or likely impact of that?
:49:03. > :49:07.On the crossing point in terms of trade between Britain and Ireland,
:49:08. > :49:12.that's in my constituency, the port of Holyhead? There are a number of
:49:13. > :49:17.problems and I alluded to this before the vote. Nobody wants to see
:49:18. > :49:21.a hard border between Northern Ireland and the republic. Nobody
:49:22. > :49:25.knows how that can be avoided. If some kind of system was put in place
:49:26. > :49:34.where you had to show your passport to fly from a fuss to Belfast
:49:35. > :49:38.Cardiff the Unionists of the DUP you would be completely against it.
:49:39. > :49:43.They've said they wouldn't wish to see a system where you had to show a
:49:44. > :49:47.password as they would see it, from one part of the United Kingdom to
:49:48. > :49:53.another. If that does become the position I don't see what will take
:49:54. > :49:59.place in Holyhead, Pembroke Dock or Fishguard because they would be
:50:00. > :50:04.different immigration policies in the Republic. And in Northern
:50:05. > :50:06.Ireland. So I can't see what kind of system they can have unless it's one
:50:07. > :50:14.where you have to show a passport. It would be any benefit to the
:50:15. > :50:17.residents. There we are, that was
:50:18. > :50:19.First Minister's Questions. If you want more coverage
:50:20. > :50:22.of the National Assembly you can go online to BBC Wales's Senedd Live
:50:23. > :50:24.page at bbc.co.uk/walespolitics. As for am.pm though, from all of us
:50:25. > :50:28.on the programme, goodbye.