:00:21. > :00:25.Good afternoon, welcome to the programme. A busy start to the last
:00:25. > :00:27.week of the political term here in Cardiff Bay. The UK Cabinet has
:00:27. > :00:30.been meeting at the Royal Mint in Llanstrisant this morning, while
:00:30. > :00:34.First Minister Carwyn Jones has been meeting with the Prime
:00:34. > :00:36.Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister here at the Senedd. And
:00:36. > :00:46.David Cameron has just been adressing AMs, and we will bring
:00:46. > :00:47.
:00:47. > :00:54.that to you shortly. Get in touch with us. Send us a
:00:54. > :00:56.Tweet: Or you can write to us: You can send us an e-mail: The Prime
:00:56. > :01:06.Minister, David Cameron, has been addressing AMs, and the First
:01:06. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:16.Minister has been answering questions.
:01:16. > :01:19.Welcome to the National Assembly for Wales. I would like to welcome
:01:20. > :01:24.the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State. When you last
:01:24. > :01:30.visited in 2010, you said you would like to return. I am very pleased
:01:30. > :01:38.to you have been able to do so so early. May I invite you to address
:01:38. > :01:45.the Assembly? Thank you for your kind invitation to speak to the
:01:45. > :01:49.National Assembly today. I already feel this is more civilised than at
:01:49. > :01:56.the sessions we have it in the Westminster Parliament. Standing in
:01:56. > :02:01.this building, unconscious of the role Wales has played in shaping
:02:01. > :02:06.the United Kingdom. Wales deserves its title as the world's first
:02:06. > :02:16.industrial nation. Eight Welshmen created our cherished public
:02:16. > :02:24.
:02:24. > :02:34.service, the NHS. While many traditional industries may have
:02:34. > :02:35.
:02:35. > :02:42.gone, wears's international reputation is earned in other areas.
:02:42. > :02:47.World leading research and the life science centre in Swansea
:02:47. > :02:52.University put Wales at the forefront of advances in technology.
:02:52. > :02:57.The engines of Toyota and Ford, built here in Wales, keep the world
:02:57. > :03:03.moving. While speaking about the part of that Wales has played in
:03:03. > :03:07.our past and present, I want to put on record my gratitude to the brave
:03:07. > :03:12.Welsh Regiment. From the trenches of northern France to South Korea,
:03:12. > :03:17.they have fought and died in defence of our nation and values.
:03:17. > :03:22.In Afghanistan, they continue to serve with courage and distinction.
:03:22. > :03:25.I want to pay tribute to them and to all the people of Wales. I will
:03:25. > :03:31.always be an advocate of this country and everything it has to
:03:31. > :03:36.offer. But, being an advocate of Wales does not mean ignoring the
:03:36. > :03:41.challenges that Wales faces today you. Wales has some of the poorest
:03:41. > :03:45.parts of the United Kingdom. Unemployment remains high. Too many
:03:45. > :03:50.people are trapped in benefit dependency. Children are growing up
:03:50. > :03:55.in poverty. This is an affront to everything we know that Wales can
:03:55. > :04:00.and should be. The task for everyone in this group is to pour
:04:00. > :04:05.Wales on this predicament and give it a future as glorious as its past.
:04:05. > :04:09.I want to speak about what we must all do to achieve that. There are
:04:09. > :04:15.some things we must do together, there are some things that you are
:04:15. > :04:21.responsible for. Before I say some words, let me to talk about the
:04:21. > :04:26.constitutional future of Wales. Four months ago, Wales held a
:04:26. > :04:31.referendum. No longer will the Assembly have to ask permission
:04:31. > :04:35.from Westminster to legislate on devolved matters. There is no
:04:35. > :04:40.turning back from devolution. I believe, along with this new level
:04:40. > :04:48.of power, should come accountability. As promised, we
:04:48. > :04:52.will establish a process similar to Scotland. It worked by consensus:
:04:52. > :04:57.Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour coming together and
:04:57. > :05:01.agree a way forward in Scotland. I am asking the political parties to
:05:01. > :05:05.seek a consensus on the future direction of devolution. Whatever
:05:05. > :05:12.the outcome, I want you to know: I will be here to work with you for
:05:12. > :05:15.the good of all Wales as part of a strong, united Kingdom. I it
:05:15. > :05:19.welcomed the co-operative approach that First Minister Carwyn Jones is
:05:19. > :05:27.taking. We have had some discussions today and will have
:05:27. > :05:37.more in future. In that spirit of corporation, but we must work
:05:37. > :05:37.
:05:37. > :05:44.together, to strengthen the Welsh economy. Wales is a country with
:05:45. > :05:50.industrial flair and enterprising people. The private sector in Wales
:05:50. > :05:56.is too small, so we must all more recognise that the Welsh economy is
:05:56. > :06:01.too dependent on the state. When we are dealing with the largest budget
:06:01. > :06:06.deficit in our peacetime history, this is an untenable. I recognise
:06:06. > :06:10.that for Wales to develop a more sustainable economic future, we in
:06:10. > :06:15.Westminster must act responsibly and thought fully. That is why we
:06:15. > :06:18.made sure that Wales was less affected in the spending review. By
:06:18. > :06:26.the end of this Parliament, the Welsh resource budget would have
:06:26. > :06:31.gone down by 7.5%. This is less than the average cuts to most
:06:31. > :06:35.Whitehall departments. As well as this, we have taken vital steps to
:06:35. > :06:43.protect the poorest. We are restoring the link between pensions
:06:43. > :06:46.and earnings. We are increasing child tax credits, helping more
:06:46. > :06:55.than 250,000 families. And our decision to increase the tax
:06:55. > :07:00.allowance will benefit over one million a Welsh tax payers. At the
:07:00. > :07:06.same time, we are trying to protect the investments that you need to
:07:06. > :07:15.growth. We are electrifying the Western main line, we remain
:07:15. > :07:21.committed to Wilkin with the Welsh government. -- working. Last month,
:07:21. > :07:26.we announced decides we considered are suitable for new nuclear
:07:26. > :07:33.investment. Today and have a new announcement: We know that
:07:33. > :07:40.broadband is vital. That is why today I can announce that Wales is
:07:40. > :07:44.set to receive �56.9 million to help take broadband to 90% of homes
:07:44. > :07:50.and businesses here in Wales. We are acting responsibly, and we are
:07:50. > :07:55.making the necessary investments. But that does not mean they can be
:07:55. > :08:00.blank cheques. The size of the fiscal deficit we inherited, larger
:08:00. > :08:05.than that in Greece and Portugal, means the days when you can ask the
:08:05. > :08:10.Treasury for more money are over. Our focus must be on the areas we
:08:11. > :08:14.must drive growth: Skills and education. It is the responsibility
:08:14. > :08:24.of all of us to think of new ways to boost enterprise and jobs in
:08:24. > :08:27.Wales. The issues are the same in England. Already, our two
:08:27. > :08:31.governments are working well together. The Secretary of State
:08:31. > :08:35.are working closely with the Welsh government and ministers to promote
:08:35. > :08:39.trade and investment in Wales. There is regular dialogue between
:08:39. > :08:45.the Secretary of State and First Minister in creating new enterprise
:08:45. > :08:51.zones. The decisions we have taken in Westminster, to cut corporation
:08:52. > :08:57.tax, or help businesses here as well. I know we can bring
:08:57. > :09:02.prosperity to the Welsh people. That is a job must do together. Let
:09:02. > :09:06.me briefly talk about a job that is yours alone. With the powers you
:09:06. > :09:11.have come responsibility. Responsibilities to children in
:09:11. > :09:14.your schools, students in your universities, doctors, nurses and
:09:14. > :09:21.patients. They are looking to due to provide improvements to their
:09:21. > :09:26.lives. Like many other parts of the UK, some public services in Wales
:09:26. > :09:30.are too bureaucratic to deliver those improvements. I believe that
:09:30. > :09:36.now is the time to modernise our public services, and in England,
:09:36. > :09:40.that is what we are doing. We are opening up choice in the schools we
:09:40. > :09:45.send our children to and the hospitals we are sending our
:09:45. > :09:48.patients to. We are making the whole system more transparent. I
:09:48. > :09:54.believe these changes will revolutionise public services in
:09:54. > :09:58.England, and improve people's lives. I believe more open public services
:09:58. > :10:03.could do the same in Wales. Devolution of power from
:10:03. > :10:08.Westminster to Cardiff is not enough. We need real devolution,
:10:08. > :10:14.where power is passed from here to patients and parents, doctors,
:10:14. > :10:20.nurses, teachers, charities. They have the ideas and energy and
:10:20. > :10:26.commitment to improve our schools, build a fantastic NHS, and make way
:10:26. > :10:31.of a better place to live a. It is not my intention to interfere in
:10:31. > :10:35.decisions over devolved matters. That is your responsibility. But it
:10:35. > :10:42.is my duty to give my opinion where I feel it can benefit the Welsh
:10:42. > :10:47.people. Just as I believe Cardiff come learn from Westminster, we can
:10:47. > :10:53.learn the same front you. Your decision to raise the profile of
:10:53. > :10:58.the elderly, to end age discrimination, that sets a
:10:58. > :11:04.positive example to the rest of us. I believe that this is what a
:11:04. > :11:10.healthy, matured devolution should be about: Mutual respect. The
:11:10. > :11:14.sharing of ideas. Collaboration. It has been a privilege to address the
:11:15. > :11:20.National Assembly today, and I would like to end by saying this:
:11:20. > :11:24.Devolution will not always be easy. We will not always agree. I know we
:11:25. > :11:29.share common aims, to work together to make life better for the people
:11:29. > :11:39.of Wales, to give them a more prosperous future and a stronger
:11:39. > :11:45.
:11:45. > :11:51.Thank you, Prime Minister. Assembly members will have noted what we
:11:51. > :11:55.said to date. As you say, following the referendum in March, it is
:11:55. > :12:00.important that we maintain a constructive relationship as we
:12:00. > :12:05.deliver another significant stage in the history of devolution. The
:12:05. > :12:09.people of Wales delivered a decisive Yes in March. They
:12:09. > :12:15.believed the Assembly should make laws. Laws which affect their daily
:12:15. > :12:22.lives. Their expectations are very high, and we work hard to meet
:12:22. > :12:29.those expectations. We are responsible for matters affecting
:12:29. > :12:34.Wales's interests. We will do all we can to ensure that you are
:12:34. > :12:38.working hard on and will behalf. What you said today about the
:12:38. > :12:43.commission on devolution it is of particular interest. We look
:12:43. > :12:47.forward to hearing more details of that in due course. Prime Minister,
:12:47. > :12:57.thank you on behalf of all Assembly members are being here today, and
:12:57. > :13:00.for the interest you show in our work.
:13:00. > :13:10.Let's see what happened. Well that was the Prime Minister. Now it's
:13:10. > :13:26.
:13:26. > :13:35.the First Minister. He has been Before I ask my question, as a new
:13:35. > :13:41.member... First Minister, the Conservative government hold
:13:41. > :13:51.meetings around the United Kingdom. Today is evidence of that. Can you
:13:51. > :14:05.
:14:05. > :14:10.ask the question on the paper When it somebody asks a question
:14:10. > :14:20.for the first time, it can be a nervous occasion. The question has
:14:20. > :14:30.
:14:30. > :14:35.been asked. I would like to say, as a new member, I would like to say
:14:35. > :14:45.how disappointed I was about the rudeness extended to allow Prime
:14:45. > :14:56.
:14:56. > :15:03.Minister. Can you move on with the question, please? Thank you. Order!
:15:03. > :15:05.Your comments are appreciated, but not appropriate. You have
:15:05. > :15:10.previously talked about holding Assembly or committee meetings in
:15:10. > :15:15.North Wales. In the first and second Assembly, meetings were
:15:15. > :15:22.being held in North Wales on a regular basis. This made people
:15:22. > :15:28.feel more engaged. The lack of Assembly activity now has led to
:15:28. > :15:32.feelings of this enfranchisement. This was highlighted to me by many
:15:32. > :15:36.people during my election campaign, in particular by the business and
:15:36. > :15:43.farming community, who are eager for you to engage with them up in
:15:43. > :15:49.North Wales. I believe that you are losing an opportunity to engage
:15:49. > :15:54.with our electorate, and I was seeking reassurance that you will
:15:54. > :16:04.consider holding Assembly meetings in North Wales over the term of
:16:04. > :16:09.
:16:09. > :16:19.It is not a matter for Government. There will be a cabinet meeting
:16:19. > :16:25.
:16:25. > :16:29.held in Llandudno towards the end of this month. TRANSLATION: Members
:16:29. > :16:33.of the Civil Service Office report that a senior civil servant
:16:33. > :16:39.recently announced one of the Government offices in a Wales will
:16:39. > :16:47.be closing in the future, which one will that be? If anyone said that,
:16:47. > :16:52.they did not have a authority to say so. First Minister, can I ask
:16:52. > :16:57.for your assurances, despite what we have heard previously, that your
:16:57. > :17:07.priorities for North Wales will not include privatisation of the health
:17:07. > :17:17.service? We are not looking to privatise the health service.
:17:17. > :17:24.
:17:24. > :17:28.Roberts. Are you aware of any efforts to update the National Grid
:17:28. > :17:34.in North Wales? I understand it they are looking at the network in
:17:34. > :17:41.all parts of Wales to ensure it is able to cope with what is in place
:17:41. > :17:49.at present. There are questions arising regarding denude
:17:49. > :17:59.development of nuclear power when the new reactor is in place. -- the
:17:59. > :18:05.
:18:05. > :18:09.new development of nuclear power. The locale been a revolution -- the
:18:09. > :18:14.law car been revolution will see the promotion of reverse -- the
:18:14. > :18:21.diverse a renewable technologies. We will also maximise the economic
:18:21. > :18:27.and employment sector for the people of Wales. Could you clarify
:18:27. > :18:35.your policy in terms of devolution decisions on energy protection? Are
:18:35. > :18:45.you in favour of evolving projects up to 100 megawatt only, or will
:18:45. > :18:46.
:18:46. > :18:51.there be more? Renewable energy up to 100 megawatts. I want to clarify
:18:51. > :19:01.the message which has arisen according to the energy capacity
:19:01. > :19:02.
:19:02. > :19:09.limits. For onshore or when it is 120 megawatts but elsewhere it is
:19:09. > :19:18.seen that these should not be the limits for the area. Last year you
:19:18. > :19:23.published targets were to achieve two Gillotts. On your statement on
:19:23. > :19:33.17th June you clearly indicate the capacity should be regarded as the
:19:33. > :19:33.
:19:33. > :19:40.upper limits. Last week the maximum targets where top about as in 1,700
:19:40. > :19:46.megawatts. Are you coming to the question? Some in the sector think
:19:46. > :19:52.you are moving the goalposts. His 1,700 megawatts now your final
:19:52. > :20:02.answer for generating capacity or would you like to phone a friend?
:20:02. > :20:09.
:20:09. > :20:13.The correct figures are those in the report will stop on 10th June
:20:13. > :20:19.the Higher Education Funding Council in Wales said they rejected
:20:20. > :20:23.the plans of the higher education institutions to raise the tuition
:20:23. > :20:31.fees to �9,000. Yesterday the Minister of Education said eight of
:20:31. > :20:41.those universities which charge �9,000, what has changed? This is a
:20:41. > :20:46.
:20:46. > :20:48.decision for her head score, not the minister. -- HEFCO. There was a
:20:48. > :20:53.statement from the minister yesterday is all I think it is
:20:53. > :20:57.quite appropriate because he mentions in his statement the
:20:57. > :21:04.university's plan. Unless we know what the differences in the plan
:21:04. > :21:10.have arisen, how are we supposed to represent the people of Wales? If
:21:10. > :21:16.you see it is a matter for another in Group, will you make discussions
:21:16. > :21:25.with them. They can release information about the plans RBG
:21:25. > :21:29.University. Then we can judge what is the difference between these
:21:29. > :21:34.decisions. If the financial modelling has been carried out on
:21:34. > :21:40.tuition fees averaging �7,000, would you please now publish a
:21:40. > :21:47.statement to show what the differences? I think it is
:21:47. > :21:52.reasonable to ask for more details on the way the decision was reached.
:21:52. > :22:00.We are confident that the policy can be paid for and that modelling
:22:00. > :22:05.has been done on the figures of �7,000 and �9,000. You are seeing
:22:05. > :22:13.that and you have to Z of course that you believe that the new
:22:13. > :22:17.settlement is affordable. -- saying. All we have is a brief statement by
:22:18. > :22:22.the Funding Council of Wales. How can we judge whether that is
:22:22. > :22:29.affordable or not? I believe we have the right to have all the
:22:29. > :22:33.information in order to take a view on that. When the minister
:22:33. > :22:42.announced in 20th December 10, his plans, he said it was affordable
:22:42. > :22:50.because it had been modelled on raising the tuition fees to an
:22:50. > :22:55.average of �7,000. It had been modelled on the �7,000. What I am
:22:55. > :23:02.asking you now is to publish the modelling at 9,000 bounce in order
:23:02. > :23:06.that we can judge whether the current scheme is affordable.
:23:06. > :23:11.surprised that this is a policy that Plaid Cymru has supported a
:23:11. > :23:17.prior to the election, now I am not sure of their position. It is
:23:17. > :23:24.important that students in Wales should know what Plaid Cymru's
:23:24. > :23:29.policy is. You must ensure we keep student payments law. First
:23:29. > :23:35.Minister, are you trying to tell me that nothing has changed since last
:23:35. > :23:41.December? Things have changed. Let us make it perfectly clear once
:23:41. > :23:50.again. The Minister issued a statement last December which
:23:50. > :23:54.contained figures modelled on the expectation that these would
:23:54. > :24:01.increase to �7,000. Those figures were announced on that basis. We
:24:01. > :24:06.now know that fees in the Wales will be increased to �9,000. That
:24:06. > :24:11.means it was modelled on figures that are now inaccurate. I am
:24:11. > :24:16.asking you to publish those figures that have been modelled on those
:24:16. > :24:22.published figures. I will give you an example of why this is important.
:24:23. > :24:29.In the report in December the minister said that on an average
:24:29. > :24:39.fee of �7,000, by 2015, we will have to pay the cost of a student
:24:39. > :24:39.
:24:39. > :24:44.in England would be �70 million. A sorry, 70,000. That figure has been
:24:44. > :24:49.increased which means that out of the Welsh budget there will be 80
:24:49. > :24:54.million being paid out which impacts on your figures. Will you
:24:54. > :25:04.please publish the figures so that we all in Wales can know if the
:25:04. > :25:09.figures are affordable? Of course we will. In 1997 manufacturing
:25:10. > :25:13.accounted for 98 % of the Welsh economy. Will the First Minister
:25:13. > :25:19.tell us when we can expect his much-delayed manufacturing
:25:19. > :25:23.strategy? The manufacturing strategy has been published by the
:25:23. > :25:28.Deputy First Minister of the previous Government. We have a
:25:28. > :25:33.strategy. We have the economic renewal programme. We have a
:25:33. > :25:39.strategy to attract investment and increased business start-up. The
:25:39. > :25:46.party opposite have none. The First Minister is referring to the Welsh
:25:46. > :25:51.manufacturing forum's document will stop it clearly states that it is
:25:51. > :25:54.important to note that this is not a Government strategy will stop the
:25:54. > :25:59.Welsh Government got to take responsibility for our setting out
:25:59. > :26:03.a framework in which Welsh manufacturing can be sought. When
:26:03. > :26:07.can we expect a manufacturing strategy from your Government
:26:07. > :26:12.question might You made a reference to the economic renewal programme
:26:12. > :26:15.which was well publicised before the last election. This Government
:26:15. > :26:24.is looking to implement that programme to make sure we have a
:26:24. > :26:29.sustainable and sound manufacturing bases in Wales. We do not yet know
:26:29. > :26:34.in what form the economic renewal programme will be. It currently has
:26:34. > :26:39.six sectors. Three years ago or your Government strategy had 14
:26:39. > :26:45.sectors. The business minister has suggested a more sectors could be
:26:45. > :26:49.added to take the total up to nine. Can he confirm that he plans and
:26:49. > :26:56.back to the future approach by taking the number of key sectors
:26:56. > :27:04.up? We will look to see if other key sectors emerge from time to
:27:04. > :27:14.time. Hour policy contrasts sharply with his Government's policy that
:27:14. > :27:16.
:27:16. > :27:21.they can attract businesses to Wales on the basis that we are
:27:21. > :27:26.cheaper than elsewhere. It is right to say that the minister and I are
:27:26. > :27:31.looking in particular at the principle of clustered enterprise
:27:31. > :27:36.zones in different parts of Wales. What preparations have been put in
:27:36. > :27:41.place to introduce them? That is exactly what we are doing. We are
:27:41. > :27:50.awaiting clarification from the UK Government on allowances which will
:27:50. > :27:56.be available. Do you are a geek that supporting school should be
:27:56. > :28:02.targeted at hour -- do you a agree that supporting schools should be
:28:03. > :28:09.targeted at our poorest children? believe the funding form looks to
:28:09. > :28:14.help schools that need help. While I would welcome the Government's
:28:14. > :28:20.stated intention to look at raising school funding across the board, it
:28:20. > :28:25.has been made very clear in the report this morning that poverty is
:28:25. > :28:29.the biggest obstacle to a good education for a child. Will you
:28:30. > :28:34.take that on board and provide extra support to the poorest
:28:34. > :28:40.children in our schools? Local authorities and already providing
:28:40. > :28:45.that support for our schools. Some schools in Wales which do not have
:28:46. > :28:50.the most affluent catchment area is are doing well but we will not take
:28:50. > :28:55.money from other schools to fund the pupil premium which is what is
:28:55. > :29:00.happening in England. You will be aware that there is a significant
:29:00. > :29:04.amount of money in an allocated budgets. A significant amount of
:29:04. > :29:09.money is being spent on hypothecated grants to local
:29:09. > :29:15.Government across the piece of will stop I am not surprised that your
:29:15. > :29:22.members and the Plaid Cymru members voted against calling on resources
:29:22. > :29:27.to be spent on our poorest children. Your own Government inspector is
:29:27. > :29:31.saying that now. Will you reconsider your position? I am not
:29:31. > :29:38.sure that anyone was suggesting areas a secret pot of money that
:29:38. > :29:43.exists that we can draw on. That is not the case. The cuts have been
:29:43. > :29:47.imposed on us by the Government of which you are part. If there is no
:29:47. > :29:54.secret pot of money as you say, but there are around allocated
:29:54. > :29:59.resources. The Welsh Liberal Democrats would choose to spend
:29:59. > :30:03.those resources on the education of our poorest children. We believe it
:30:03. > :30:07.is the right thing to do and beeping the chief inspector
:30:07. > :30:12.believes we should do. I caught, learners from the poorest families
:30:12. > :30:15.or those who are in care are more likely to obtain a lower levels
:30:15. > :30:19.than other learners, we believe there should be additional
:30:19. > :30:29.resources spent on those poorer as children, why does the Labour Party
:30:29. > :30:57.
:30:57. > :31:02.What are the priorities will be farming industry? The minister said
:31:02. > :31:07.the proposed review board should be established as soon as possible.
:31:07. > :31:15.Weeks later, we still have no idea what the remit should be, or what
:31:15. > :31:20.the timetable should be. In the meantime, hundreds of cattle are
:31:20. > :31:29.being slaughtered. Do you share my concern that this process is not
:31:29. > :31:34.moving swiftly enough? This is a matter for the scientific adviser
:31:34. > :31:44.to look at. Work is taking place at the moment to ensure that group is
:31:44. > :31:46.
:31:46. > :31:56.established. There are practical problems. They are problems about
:31:56. > :32:08.
:32:08. > :32:13.having a poll during deep tourism I find your previous answer
:32:13. > :32:23.surprising in relation to the tourism season. I doubt there are
:32:23. > :32:27.
:32:27. > :32:35.many tourists out at night. In the countryside! One of the other
:32:35. > :32:45.concerns of farmers, are the difficulties caused by the six
:32:45. > :32:48.
:32:48. > :32:52.states standstill which comes up time and time again. -- sixth day.
:32:53. > :32:58.These restrictions have now appeared disproportionate to the
:32:58. > :33:07.risks to animal health. Can you confirm your government is prepared
:33:07. > :33:14.to look at the relaxation of the sixth day it rule? I am surprised
:33:14. > :33:21.to hear there are no tourists in Pembrokeshire end of August! There
:33:21. > :33:28.are plenty out at night! There are many people who enjoy the
:33:28. > :33:31.countryside in the day, and indeed at night! There are many tourist
:33:31. > :33:40.organisations who lie in the business of providing tours to see
:33:40. > :33:47.wildlife at night. With regard to the Six Day standstill, we will be
:33:47. > :33:52.guided by D advice of the chief of rhetoric officer in terms of what
:33:52. > :33:55.precautions should be in place. And, of course, we must be bear in mind
:33:55. > :34:02.that nothing must be done to jeopardise the freedom of our
:34:02. > :34:12.farmers to export to the rest of the world. What are the Welsh
:34:12. > :34:14.
:34:14. > :34:20.government's priorities for South Wales? One of the plants you
:34:20. > :34:30.alluded to earlier, was the economic renewal programme. Last
:34:30. > :34:32.
:34:32. > :34:37.week, 190 jobs were announced. Only in June, the economic renewal
:34:37. > :34:43.programme identified this company as being a strategically important
:34:43. > :34:50.company. Does this show there is a lack of consultation of what is
:34:50. > :34:56.happening in the Welsh manufacturing?
:34:56. > :35:02.I met for these people last weekend. They value the fact there is full
:35:02. > :35:06.consultation with them. There will be occasions when manufacturing
:35:06. > :35:13.plants will experienced difficulties. We also know that
:35:13. > :35:23.Bausch has never been purchased. It is a right to say we have seen some
:35:23. > :35:29.good examples of job creation in Wales over the last month or two.
:35:29. > :35:35.In Jane Hutt's constituency, I was told that new apprentices were
:35:35. > :35:39.being trained or taken on. Residents of south Wales and
:35:39. > :35:43.elsewhere are concerned about the collapse of Southern Cross. Is
:35:43. > :35:47.there anything you can say to residents of these homes and their
:35:47. > :35:55.relatives, given that the UK government seemed to be reluctant
:35:55. > :36:00.to give assurances that people can remain in their homes? We have
:36:00. > :36:03.raised concerns over Southern Cross. It is inevitable that residents and
:36:03. > :36:09.their families and staff will be worried about their futures. What
:36:09. > :36:12.we have looked ensure is that there is continuity of care, continuity
:36:12. > :36:18.of employment for staff, and to ensure that the company addresses
:36:18. > :36:23.its financial difficulties. The company promised that no homes will
:36:23. > :36:28.close in the transition period. The objective must be to ensure that
:36:28. > :36:33.while Southern Cross is restructured, there is no affect on
:36:33. > :36:43.residents and staff. And there is a swift and seamless transition to
:36:43. > :36:50.new ownership. You just referred to the plant which recently had its
:36:50. > :36:58.last day of production. There were around 900 people employed there
:36:58. > :37:03.when the company announced it would move production to Hungary. There
:37:03. > :37:08.is a glimmer of light for former employees as a new firm is planning
:37:08. > :37:13.to take over the side from October. Can you tell us what discussions
:37:13. > :37:19.you have had, all discussions you plan to have come up with that firm
:37:19. > :37:23.to encourage and promote the best use of that site, so the most is
:37:23. > :37:29.made of what is an excellent location, and the maximum number of
:37:29. > :37:34.people can be employed there? a sign of the skills of the
:37:34. > :37:43.workforce that so many workers were snapped up by other companies. I
:37:43. > :37:47.know a number of them were taken on by Ford. I know a number of people
:37:47. > :37:51.have found employment using the skills they have. I am seeking an
:37:51. > :38:00.early meeting to explore the possibilities of the site, because
:38:00. > :38:04.as you say, it is an excellent site and well-connected. As you know,
:38:04. > :38:09.South Wales Central contains some of the most economically active
:38:09. > :38:14.areas of Wales as well as some of the least. There is a huge variance
:38:14. > :38:21.in levels of deprivation across the region. What I would like to note
:38:21. > :38:29.is that given that your flagship programme has been described as
:38:29. > :38:35.being unable to demonstrate the eat overall impact of the programme to
:38:35. > :38:40.meet the objectives, providing little evidence of the money spent
:38:40. > :38:46.has made a difference to people in the communities, and that there are
:38:46. > :38:49.questions over whether communities can be expected to deliver up the
:38:49. > :38:54.wide at outcomes are needed to improve the conditions of people
:38:54. > :38:57.living in the most deprived neighbourhoods of Wales. Given this
:38:57. > :39:07.chorus of disapproval, can you tell the Chamber what assessment you
:39:07. > :39:16.have made of the impact of York new communities's reforms? I understand
:39:16. > :39:24.it is Lib Dem policy to criticise communities first! We will be
:39:24. > :39:31.seeking to improve communities first, and we will be seeking to
:39:31. > :39:40.improve the future of the programme. I would advise any member to go for
:39:40. > :39:45.the partnership, see what work has been done as I have done, as well
:39:45. > :39:49.as others across Wales. I have seen the real difference that this
:39:49. > :39:53.project makes to so many communities and the people that
:39:53. > :39:56.live in them. And yes, there have been occasions where some
:39:56. > :40:06.partnerships have not been as well managed as they should have been,
:40:06. > :40:08.
:40:08. > :40:12.but that is not a reason to condemn an entire programme. What
:40:12. > :40:18.discussions has the First Minister had around the decentralising of
:40:18. > :40:23.the powers of the Court of Appeal to Wales? I am not sure what you
:40:23. > :40:28.mean. If it is the case you are suggesting the Court of Appeal
:40:28. > :40:32.should sit in Wales, I would agree. That is what the Court of Appeal
:40:32. > :40:39.has been doing over the past few years. If you are suggesting there
:40:39. > :40:44.should be a separate court of appeal for Wales, then that would
:40:44. > :40:46.take place in the future. And you can find out even more on what is
:40:46. > :40:53.happening in the National Assembly on BBC Wales's Democracy Live
:40:53. > :40:56.on BBC Wales's Democracy Live online coverage.
:40:56. > :41:04.That's it from the Chamber. Joining me on the sofa to pick through what
:41:05. > :41:09.the Prime Minister had to say is our Welsh Affairs editor.
:41:09. > :41:14.There seems to be a lot going on in Westminster. Was David Cameron
:41:14. > :41:19.doing here today? If you remember those complaints yesterday in the
:41:19. > :41:23.House of Commons from Labour MPs saying, where his David Cameron? He
:41:23. > :41:33.found time to come here, even though there were not any questions
:41:33. > :41:43.being asked! He gets out of London at every so often, a practice
:41:43. > :41:50.Gordon Brown started. That was the reason. One senses he did not have
:41:50. > :41:59.a huge amount to save. If you were to listen to allow a radio
:41:59. > :42:03.broadcast this morning, there was a lot trailed about a possible future
:42:03. > :42:10.funding formula for Wales. We do not hear much about that, in the
:42:10. > :42:17.end. Yes, what David Cameron and Nick Clegg did was to meet with
:42:17. > :42:27.Carwyn Jones. One suspect that was about to dotting the i's and
:42:27. > :42:29.
:42:29. > :42:33.crossing the T's. I think that David Cameron does not want to be
:42:34. > :42:41.seen as imposing anything on Wales. He is trying to make sure that
:42:41. > :42:47.everything is set up before he announces it. You send David
:42:48. > :42:52.Cameron does not like imposing anything on Wales. I was reading
:42:52. > :42:57.through the speech, and there was one that jump of the page, when he
:42:57. > :43:01.was talking about public service reform. He was may be suggesting
:43:01. > :43:07.that the things he is doing in England with the NHS we should be
:43:07. > :43:14.doing here? Yes, it was fascinating. He was careful to say he was
:43:14. > :43:23.showing respect, and not try to tread on the toes of the Assembly.
:43:23. > :43:29.But to go into the Assembly Chamber with the substantial minority --
:43:29. > :43:37.majority of people against this reform, if he wanted to elicit a