12/07/2016 am.pm


12/07/2016

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and our coverage of Questions to the First Minister.

:00:22.:00:27.

The final FMQs, in fact, before the summer break.

:00:28.:00:30.

According to the Order Paper, we can expect questions on health services,

:00:31.:00:33.

adult education and, unsurprisingly perhaps,

:00:34.:00:37.

the development of football in Wales.

:00:38.:00:39.

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

:00:40.:00:42.

on our twitter feed - we're @walespolitics.

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Well, business in the chamber is already underway

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

:00:51.:01:02.

I call the National Assembly to order. And the first item is

:01:03.:01:12.

questions to the First Minister. How is the Welsh government improving

:01:13.:01:16.

access to health services in Montgomeryshire? We continue to work

:01:17.:01:19.

with the health board and other partners in Wales to take a range of

:01:20.:01:26.

actions to improve access. As close to people's homes as possible. You

:01:27.:01:31.

may be aware that stroke patients in mid Wales are no longer able to

:01:32.:01:37.

access specialist treatment from the royal shrews prehospital following a

:01:38.:01:41.

reconfiguration of services which has resulted in services moving

:01:42.:01:45.

further away to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. What

:01:46.:01:50.

discussions has your government had with the UK Government and

:01:51.:01:53.

Shrewsbury and Atcham health and Hospital NHS Trust to present their

:01:54.:01:58.

case for special services to be retained in Shropshire? And what is

:01:59.:02:01.

your government doing to make sure that mid Wales/ patients have

:02:02.:02:04.

adequate access to this specialist service? I am aware of the

:02:05.:02:13.

proposals. We expect as a government that the relevant stakeholders on

:02:14.:02:18.

our side of the border are involved in any potential changes. I know

:02:19.:02:21.

Powys health board has been very involved in representing the

:02:22.:02:25.

concerns of residents and there will be further work taking place to be

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subject to formal consultation later this year. Simon Thomas. I met

:02:31.:02:37.

recently with Newtown health Forum who told me that between the hours

:02:38.:02:43.

of 6pm and 12pm at night in Newtown, there is no GB or primary care

:02:44.:02:48.

service at all. The GP surgery closes at six o'clock and the GP Doc

:02:49.:02:56.

run from the Newtown hospital starts at midnight. People have too

:02:57.:03:03.

travelled to Welshpool to access GP services. Do you think that is a

:03:04.:03:08.

sufficient service in Newtown? The health board is looking at the

:03:09.:03:12.

situation and I know that filling that gap is important to them. For

:03:13.:03:18.

example, if we look at the minor injuries unit at Newtown, the health

:03:19.:03:22.

board will be starting a process to develop a long-term strategy during

:03:23.:03:27.

2016 and the health board will be reviewing services across Powys as

:03:28.:03:31.

part of its work on unscheduled care services in order to make sure that

:03:32.:03:39.

any gap is blood. Question two. Will the First Minister make a statement

:03:40.:03:44.

on access to Welsh ministers? Ministers are accessible in a

:03:45.:03:49.

variety of ways. Your government has made sure Wales has the weakest

:03:50.:03:52.

protection in the UK against commercial lobbying. The last

:03:53.:03:58.

Presiding Officer said we don't have the same problems as Westminster.

:03:59.:04:05.

But from what I can see, companies selling access and information to

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the highest bidder seemed to be everywhere in this Assembly. I was

:04:09.:04:13.

not even allowed to submit a question about cash for access to

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Welsh ministers. What are you hiding? I need to clarify that all

:04:19.:04:23.

questions that are tabled in order are accepted to be asked in this

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Assembly and your question has been accepted as it is in order. I submit

:04:29.:04:38.

a question about cash for access. The one is on the record but my

:04:39.:04:44.

question is, you clearly don't believe in open government otherwise

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we would have regulations. What are you hiding? Nothing. Commercial

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lobbyists don't have access to Welsh ministers. Perhaps I can turn

:04:55.:05:01.

matters a bit more constructively. I think it is important that

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politicians and ministers listen, and I hope you will identify Wales

:05:05.:05:09.

in which your ministers can listen to the vital interest out there all

:05:10.:05:13.

stakeholders and individuals. Your predecessor used to have sessions

:05:14.:05:18.

with the Cabinet but I think these have fallen into disuse. But

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listening to people's views is key to good governmental

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decision-making. I entirely agree with that and being able to engage

:05:26.:05:29.

with organisations is hugely important. It is right that open

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mike sessions have not taken place for seven years. However, I did

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travel around Wales offering myself as part of a Mac as it -- masochism

:05:39.:05:45.

strategy and I hold surgeries in my constituency in order to listen to

:05:46.:05:48.

the views of my constituents. Gareth Bennett. I think that the issues

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that the Plaid Cymru member raised are perhaps important ones.

:05:56.:05:59.

Transparency is paramount. We know that lobbying exists in reality in

:06:00.:06:06.

political circles but we do have to make sure that it is then

:06:07.:06:10.

legitimately and we need to know who is lobbying to. Are there any plans

:06:11.:06:17.

to establish a register of lobbyists in Cardiff Bay? These are matters

:06:18.:06:22.

that were looked at by the standards committee in 2013, and it came to

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the King Rouge and that it did. Ministers do not meet with

:06:27.:06:31.

commercial lobbyists. Ministers to meet with organisations such as

:06:32.:06:35.

charities in order to listen to their views but it is certainly not

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the case that commercial lobbying companies are able to bring clients

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to meet ministers. That is certainly not happening and nor will it

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happen. We now move to questions from the party leaders and I first

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called the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies.

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With all the politics that is going on in the country at the moment, the

:07:00.:07:03.

change in leadership in other legislators and the fallout from the

:07:04.:07:08.

Brexit referendum, some of the bread-and-butter issues do tend to

:07:09.:07:11.

get looked over and I would like to draw your attention to the bliss

:07:12.:07:14.

report that was brought forward last week by the charity which is a vital

:07:15.:07:19.

document which I hope your government will steady with care

:07:20.:07:21.

because it does offer a real route map to developing neonatal services

:07:22.:07:26.

in Wales. One of the findings showed that only 20% of neonatal units had

:07:27.:07:33.

enough nurses to staff the cots according to national standards.

:07:34.:07:35.

There have been improvements over time to neonatal units in Wales but

:07:36.:07:44.

2008, 2010 and 2011, the report points to. Can you commit in this

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Assembly session to addressing the staffing problems that this report

:07:49.:07:52.

clearly identifies, that only 20% of units have enough staff to man the

:07:53.:07:57.

cots according to national standards? The network works with

:07:58.:08:03.

health boards to meet a fluctuating needs for specialised neonatal

:08:04.:08:05.

services and to address any shortcomings in staffing levels to

:08:06.:08:09.

support the development of our workforce. We have an ?85 million

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package of investment in the education and training of health

:08:15.:08:17.

professionals in Wales including neonatal staff and the findings of

:08:18.:08:21.

this report will be used by the network to help all units reflect on

:08:22.:08:25.

and plan for any changes for the future. I appreciate that detailed

:08:26.:08:30.

answer and it is a road map of sorts but what we would appreciate is how

:08:31.:08:36.

during this Assembly will be measured your success, going from

:08:37.:08:41.

20% to 50% of units having enough staff? Or 100% of units having

:08:42.:08:47.

enough staff? What is key is identifying the road to success in

:08:48.:08:51.

getting the numbers up. Can you give us a timeline where the script you

:08:52.:08:54.

read is actually acted on and we will see more staff in the neonatal

:08:55.:09:00.

units providing that vital service. I expect those numbers to grow over

:09:01.:09:03.

the next five years and I expect every new nickel unit to be properly

:09:04.:09:08.

staffed in that time. It is true to say that recruitment has been a

:09:09.:09:12.

challenge, it will continue to be a challenge in light of the vote a

:09:13.:09:17.

fortnight ago, but we will continue to tell those who want to come to

:09:18.:09:20.

work in Wales that they are welcome. We will also train new specialist

:09:21.:09:26.

ourselves. One of the issues identified in the report is the

:09:27.:09:30.

retention of staff. Very often we focus on attracting new staff into

:09:31.:09:34.

the health service but in particular in neonatal units, it is the

:09:35.:09:38.

difficulty to retain staff once you have attracted them into the unit.

:09:39.:09:43.

40 but said of mothers will suffer postnatal depression, who have had

:09:44.:09:48.

an episode on these units. Ultimately, only five of the units

:09:49.:09:52.

can offer support for postnatal depression. When you look at those

:09:53.:09:58.

much -- numbers, 40% of expectant mothers will suffer an episode of

:09:59.:10:03.

postnatal depression and only five units can offer that support. That

:10:04.:10:07.

is a clear area that needs detailed work undertaken by your government

:10:08.:10:11.

and the health boards. What assurances can you give the Assembly

:10:12.:10:17.

today and Bliss in particular as a charity who has a special interest

:10:18.:10:21.

in this field that we will see progress so that support can be

:10:22.:10:25.

offered in all units, wherever they exist in Wales. These services are

:10:26.:10:32.

working with local services in order to look to provide the services that

:10:33.:10:37.

people would expect. We did announce last year that new perinatal

:10:38.:10:41.

services would be set up across Wales and are developing well with

:10:42.:10:48.

staff being recruited back by ?1.5 million of new investment. The

:10:49.:10:52.

leader of the Ukip group, Neil Hamilton. Has the First Minister

:10:53.:10:58.

seen that Europe's largest conglomerate, Siemens, is meeting

:10:59.:11:00.

this weekend in The Cotswolds to work out their post Brexit strategy

:11:01.:11:07.

and that the chief Executive will be there? He has said that Siemens is

:11:08.:11:13.

fully committed to the UK whatever happens. He says they are here for

:11:14.:11:18.

the long term because the UK is a good place to do business. He has

:11:19.:11:22.

called for common sense to prevail on tariffs and that is something we

:11:23.:11:26.

hear from the German industry Federation. Do you agree with me

:11:27.:11:34.

that the project via has now become project optimism? Access to the

:11:35.:11:41.

single market is now crucial to many businesses. They are now reassured

:11:42.:11:45.

this position is stabilising within the UK as they see it but the next

:11:46.:11:50.

big question for them will be, will baby free access to the single

:11:51.:11:55.

market without tariffs? I agree with the First Minister on that. Free

:11:56.:11:59.

trade is very sensible from both sides because we have a massive

:12:00.:12:03.

trade deficit with Germany and it is very much in their interests that

:12:04.:12:08.

they should be free trade within the EU. Trade is mutually beneficial to

:12:09.:12:13.

both sides whether you have a surplus or a deficit. In the spirit

:12:14.:12:17.

of constructive cooperation, will be First Minister agree with me that we

:12:18.:12:22.

need in Wales to beef up our relationship with Germany and to put

:12:23.:12:31.

more resource into our connections through the German industry

:12:32.:12:34.

federations and the German lender and with the federal government to

:12:35.:12:38.

encourage further trade with Germany and also to take advantage of the

:12:39.:12:45.

political climate Germany is going to have in the EU in the years to

:12:46.:12:51.

come? A German commitment to free trade in the EU is the best way we

:12:52.:12:56.

can get what we both want. The leader of Ukip seems to be saying

:12:57.:13:01.

that with the UK out of the EU, Germany needs to do the work for us

:13:02.:13:04.

in the EU, which is a curiouser scenario. The only model that exists

:13:05.:13:09.

that offers free access to the single market and that has with its

:13:10.:13:18.

connotations with the free movement of people. There is nothing else on

:13:19.:13:23.

the table at the moment. For me, access to the single market is an

:13:24.:13:27.

absolute Red Line as far as Wales is concerned. Germany is a major

:13:28.:13:32.

investor in the Welsh economy. One of the issues that I am examining is

:13:33.:13:39.

how we beef up our offices overseas, whether we should look to increase

:13:40.:13:43.

staffing in the existing offices or whether we should open new offices.

:13:44.:13:47.

That is a difficult balance to strike. We have had work done on

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that and we have listened to Ireland. They have a similar dilemma

:13:53.:13:56.

to us because of their limited resources and their size as well.

:13:57.:13:59.

But we will look to increase the Welsh presence now in markets that

:14:00.:14:06.

are important to us. I welcome that responds. Turning to a different

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matter, after today the First Minister will be unique in the UK

:14:11.:14:14.

because we will have a woman Prime Minister in the UK, a woman First

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Minister in Scotland and a woman First Minister in Northern Ireland.

:14:19.:14:21.

Does he look forward to the day when he can make way for a woman to

:14:22.:14:27.

replace him in this Assembly? What I can say to the leader of Ukip, the

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Guardian a few days ago said that it would be the case that women would

:14:33.:14:36.

now be heads of government across the UK. I have to say that was

:14:37.:14:41.

corrected by the Guardian saving me hopefully from radical surgery.

:14:42.:14:47.

Leader of the Opposition, Leanne Wood. I very much look forward to

:14:48.:14:52.

the day when Wales is presided over by a woman First Minister.

:14:53.:15:00.

Tomorrow there will be a new Prime Minister who says she intends to

:15:01.:15:08.

implement the UK's draws from the European Union. The pledges that

:15:09.:15:16.

were made by the Leave campaign have to be implemented for Wales. We want

:15:17.:15:24.

to see an official Welsh negotiating position to be agreed by the

:15:25.:15:29.

Assembly and on her desk as soon as possible. First Minister, when I

:15:30.:15:33.

asked you last week you felt to publishing a formal position or did

:15:34.:15:45.

not have it debated. Can you confirm that you will aim to come to an

:15:46.:15:51.

agreed official negotiating position and you will press the new Prime

:15:52.:15:55.

Minister for Wales to have a direct role in negotiations come as was

:15:56.:16:01.

offered by David Cameron? As I can. I expect that promise to be

:16:02.:16:06.

honoured. We will have a twin track approach. We will have our own

:16:07.:16:13.

negotiating team in Brussels. It is complementary to the UK route. There

:16:14.:16:19.

are two macro issues. Firstly free access to the single market. That

:16:20.:16:23.

cannot be compromised on. Secondly, every penny lost to European funding

:16:24.:16:31.

should be made up by the UK Government. Thank you, Minister. He

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recalled last week that I suggested you needed to have a word with your

:16:41.:16:44.

Westminster MPs and tell them to get a grip and get on with their jobs.

:16:45.:16:49.

Last mike the amendments to the Wales Bill were again debated in the

:16:50.:16:55.

House of Commons and your MPs, at least the ones that turned up,

:16:56.:17:03.

abstained again on Welsh policy regarding the devolution of Welsh

:17:04.:17:09.

policing. They did the same thing regarding creating a legal

:17:10.:17:12.

jurisdiction. How comes your Labour MPs have no problem supporting

:17:13.:17:18.

policing powers have Greater Manchester, but they can't bring

:17:19.:17:21.

themselves to support the devolution of policing to Wales? Why are your

:17:22.:17:26.

MPs letting the Tories of the book in this way and how can you defend

:17:27.:17:32.

their behaviour, First Minister? It is a matter of timing rather than

:17:33.:17:36.

principle. The situation we will face in the years to come is there

:17:37.:17:41.

may be different sets of criminal law in Wales compared to England.

:17:42.:17:48.

Someone could be arrested in Wales for something that is not an offence

:17:49.:18:00.

here, but it is in England. It becomes nonsensical. It is not

:18:01.:18:04.

sustainable to be in a position where it will be a matter for the

:18:05.:18:14.

people of Wales to have a say in what defences they want. That is not

:18:15.:18:24.

an issue of timing. The Wales Bill may not be hot of overriding

:18:25.:18:30.

priority for your MPs, but the future of the steel industry is

:18:31.:18:35.

critical and Wales without a steel industry is not a Wales I am the

:18:36.:18:45.

pair to contemplate. The Tata Steel cell is of concern. It could lead to

:18:46.:18:56.

cuts in still production. If there is edge, we need cast iron guarantee

:18:57.:19:10.

regarding workers' rights. Can you also explain why the is nothing

:19:11.:19:16.

regarding the suspension of the sales process? Will you confirm that

:19:17.:19:27.

you will support the employees and management and press on tartar the

:19:28.:19:36.

needs that the tartar still the need for secondment. -- Tata Steel. I had

:19:37.:19:48.

a senior official based in Mumbai who has reported back to me. The

:19:49.:19:57.

issue now for Tata Steel is a financial package is on the table

:19:58.:20:01.

and we expect it to be with pro-quota. We expect guarantees

:20:02.:20:05.

regarding future jobs and a commitment for a specified period of

:20:06.:20:11.

time. We do have to see what happens with the pensions which we have the

:20:12.:20:17.

control over. We have a package on the table that we believe

:20:18.:20:23.

terror-macro will be happy with. We need to demonstrate to the people of

:20:24.:20:26.

Wales that the package will achieve what they expect, but we need

:20:27.:20:38.

progress regarding the pensions. The outstanding performance by the Welsh

:20:39.:20:51.

team is going to help to grow the team further across the country. I

:20:52.:20:55.

am pleased that how the Welsh team did at the European Championship. In

:20:56.:21:08.

order to continue to develop football, the is a need to improve

:21:09.:21:17.

pitches. How does the First Minister intend to do this. Sports world is

:21:18.:21:29.

working with other agencies to develop 3G pitches. We need to

:21:30.:21:37.

facilitate regular participation in sport and physical activity and we

:21:38.:21:43.

needs facilities that are sustainable. Is it not a

:21:44.:21:52.

contradiction between seeking to increase for jeed pitches, but yet a

:21:53.:21:56.

mile down the road there is an all-weather pitch which is locked

:21:57.:21:59.

up. Children are unable to play there because it is too expensive.

:22:00.:22:04.

Also in this south of the city in a very challenged Ward, the leisure

:22:05.:22:10.

centre is closed by your Labour council. There is a hall that

:22:11.:22:18.

children can use. Do you not see the contradiction there? The reality on

:22:19.:22:26.

the ground is that your Labour government is cutting facilities. --

:22:27.:22:36.

Labour council. The reality is that councils are in difficult position

:22:37.:22:40.

is financially, but they must ensure that they do not price communities

:22:41.:22:48.

out of facilities. It is a fair point. We need to make sure that

:22:49.:22:53.

where facilities are developed, they don't become so expensive that

:22:54.:22:57.

people cannot use them. We would urge all those involved to think

:22:58.:23:00.

again to make sure the facilities are accessible. First Minister, I

:23:01.:23:10.

would like to join with you to say what wonderful news it was last

:23:11.:23:14.

week. Not only did our team do as well as they did, but they turned

:23:15.:23:22.

someone at me who has the richest in football into a passionate football.

:23:23.:23:25.

I could probably talk about the offside rule if I tried. I was proud

:23:26.:23:30.

of them and proud of our fans and how they behaved, and also our

:23:31.:23:35.

footballs came across as real, decent, grounded human beings and a

:23:36.:23:39.

real example to our young people. I come to the heart of Mike question,

:23:40.:23:43.

which is where you have discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for

:23:44.:23:47.

education to talk about how we can up the hours and minutes that young

:23:48.:23:51.

people in primary schools spend in sport? It has been cut consistently

:23:52.:23:56.

year on year and if you want to identify not just our footballs to

:23:57.:24:01.

us of the future, but our sporting stars of the future, we need to get

:24:02.:24:05.

them early, get them healthy and get them used to the whole sports agenda

:24:06.:24:13.

instead of it being a dwindling time. It is difficult for children

:24:14.:24:17.

who do not have access to public transport. These are the issues that

:24:18.:24:21.

we want to explore with sports governing bodies. The member has

:24:22.:24:27.

refreshing candour when she said she had no interest in football up until

:24:28.:24:35.

now. Converts are always welcome. It is difficult to underestimate the

:24:36.:24:39.

publicity that this has given our nation. I was in Paris on the night

:24:40.:24:48.

of the semifinal and around the all I could hear was people talking

:24:49.:25:00.

about Wales. The team have been role models as far as young people are

:25:01.:25:03.

concerned and they can see it is possible to be successful in

:25:04.:25:08.

football and other professional sport without carrying emotional

:25:09.:25:19.

baggage, have we -- has we have seen previously. We will look to work

:25:20.:25:24.

with sport Wales and governing bodies to deliver accessible

:25:25.:25:30.

facilities of the highest standards across Wales. For the First Minister

:25:31.:25:44.

make a statement about increasing employability and adult education.

:25:45.:25:56.

Adult education complaint a vital role in breaking the poverty cycle.

:25:57.:26:04.

That was the message from an awards ceremony last month. The new

:26:05.:26:12.

building in Aberdare will avoid an aspirational building for adult

:26:13.:26:18.

education, but the challenge is to provide quality courses for

:26:19.:26:21.

learners. How is the Welsh government working with providers to

:26:22.:26:25.

achieve this? The new campus will be a superb facilities for the people

:26:26.:26:30.

of Aberdare and the surrounding area. We are in regular contact with

:26:31.:26:35.

the post-16 sector with regards to the planning of provision, delivered

:26:36.:26:45.

by the FEC to. Plans are also scrutinised by officials to make

:26:46.:26:48.

sure a range of provision is offered within the budget available, and

:26:49.:26:54.

every institution is subject to inspection. There is serious concern

:26:55.:27:01.

amongst adult learning is Welsh throughout the country because of

:27:02.:27:08.

the new system which has led to a loss of jobs amongst local tutors,

:27:09.:27:14.

and already significant numbers of staff have we made redundant in

:27:15.:27:23.

Swansea and a further number are facing job losses. The government

:27:24.:27:31.

failed to commit to funding the Welsh for adults courses texture. --

:27:32.:27:44.

next year. If cuts are to continue, don't you believe it will work

:27:45.:27:47.

against your government's ambition to increase the number of speakers

:27:48.:27:55.

to 1 million? It has been difficult over the last financial year, but we

:27:56.:28:00.

have made short new centres have been opened across wealth in order

:28:01.:28:07.

to ensure that there are places where people can go and use the

:28:08.:28:10.

Welsh language, particularly in those areas where the language is no

:28:11.:28:15.

longer the language of the high street or generally used. I know

:28:16.:28:22.

that some places have been successful in ensuring people can

:28:23.:28:26.

learn Welsh, but also use Welsh so they do not lose the language once

:28:27.:28:36.

they have learnt it. First Minister there are a number of adults across

:28:37.:28:42.

Wales who want to learn Welsh, including people in my constituency.

:28:43.:28:48.

Financial support is important. What specific financial support will be

:28:49.:28:51.

made available over the next few years to support and nurture the

:28:52.:28:54.

language, particularly in communities like mine where there is

:28:55.:28:58.

a living language, but it needs fresh life brought into it,

:28:59.:29:01.

particularly for people who move into the area from outside those

:29:02.:29:05.

traditional Welsh speaking communities. We have invested in

:29:06.:29:11.

making sure the language is used widely in school. There are good

:29:12.:29:17.

examples like Gwynedd and Ceredigion that have centres that allow

:29:18.:29:30.

children to become immersed in the language and they work well. We

:29:31.:29:34.

found children were able to influence their parents. They help

:29:35.:29:41.

their parents to learn Welsh as they learnt the language that easily. Can

:29:42.:29:55.

you make a statement on the 21st-century 's school programme.

:29:56.:30:02.

There will be ?25 billion invested. All 22 authorities will see the

:30:03.:30:10.

rebuilding and refurbishment of schools and colleges across Wales.

:30:11.:30:18.

For some, when mention of a new school is taken forward, there can

:30:19.:30:24.

be concern when children and parents very happy with the school they are

:30:25.:30:31.

attending. Under the statutory schools organisation called, local

:30:32.:30:35.

authorities are obliged to consider all objections committed

:30:36.:30:38.

conscientiously and not to make decisions on amalgamation proposals

:30:39.:30:43.

with a closed mind to stakeholders' concerns. However, in Connolly

:30:44.:30:48.

recently, two recent proposals affecting five of our primary

:30:49.:30:52.

schools are being taken forward by the council despite many objections.

:30:53.:30:57.

Many parents, teachers and governors and even the teachers unions are

:30:58.:31:02.

angry, frustrated and disappointed, considering this consultation to be

:31:03.:31:06.

meaningless, particularly when relevant Cabinet decision minutes

:31:07.:31:10.

were published before the meeting had even taken place. In order to

:31:11.:31:14.

address the concerns raised, will you work with the new Cabinet

:31:15.:31:21.

secretary in the new school term to look again at how the concerns and

:31:22.:31:26.

views of those most affected are considered within the 21st-century

:31:27.:31:29.

schools decisions so that these voices are heard and acted on

:31:30.:31:36.

appropriately? The member criticises Conwy Council and the way they

:31:37.:31:40.

conducted themselves. I know there have been concerns of air,

:31:41.:31:48.

particularly with regard to schools in Llandudno Junction. My

:31:49.:31:55.

understanding is that there has been a re-consultation, which is open at

:31:56.:31:58.

the moment and will be until the 27th of July. I understand that has

:31:59.:32:07.

already been approved. But it is correct to say that way we set in

:32:08.:32:10.

place standards that we expect to be observed when school closures and

:32:11.:32:15.

mergers are proposed, that we expect that process to be observed. There

:32:16.:32:22.

are legal pitfalls for local authorities and less they can

:32:23.:32:25.

demonstrate they have followed the correct procedure and we expect all

:32:26.:32:28.

local authorities in Wales to do that. John Griffiths. First

:32:29.:32:35.

Minister, as well as building new schools, it is also important that

:32:36.:32:38.

we continue to build new colleges of further education. Colic went have

:32:39.:32:45.

ambitious and important plans to relocate their Newport campus to the

:32:46.:32:51.

riverfront, alongside the University of South Wales campus and indeed

:32:52.:32:57.

further buildings around and about. Would you agree with me that we must

:32:58.:33:01.

continue to improve our further education colleges in that way and

:33:02.:33:08.

support energy and ideas to bring about improvements to further

:33:09.:33:12.

education, and particularly perhaps stronger links with higher

:33:13.:33:18.

education? I do, and I know there may be proposals coming forward with

:33:19.:33:22.

regard to the Newport campus. But it is entirely right to say that we

:33:23.:33:27.

should make sure there is no hard and fast boundary between further

:33:28.:33:32.

education and higher education for the student. I know there are many

:33:33.:33:36.

students who go on to complete degree courses who begin in a

:33:37.:33:39.

further education setting because it is better for them. Then they become

:33:40.:33:47.

successful over time. Great working between further education and higher

:33:48.:33:51.

education is hugely important in order to create that seamless

:33:52.:33:58.

pathway for the student. In light of the duty on the public sector, given

:33:59.:34:02.

the introduction of the well-being of future generations act, should

:34:03.:34:06.

there be a requirement on all buildings erected using public

:34:07.:34:11.

funding and, in this case, 21st-century schools, using all

:34:12.:34:14.

opportunities in terms of renewable energies? Yes, and we have seen a

:34:15.:34:19.

number of examples of the way buildings are excellent. We have

:34:20.:34:26.

seen water being collected from the roofs, being used in the school

:34:27.:34:30.

itself, so we would expect local authorities to consider the good

:34:31.:34:33.

example is that I have seen across Wales. Question six. Joyce Watson.

:34:34.:34:42.

Will the Welsh government made a statement on GP recruitment in

:34:43.:34:46.

Powys? We will shortly be bringing forward proposals for a national and

:34:47.:34:52.

international scheme to promote Wales and that will allow us to

:34:53.:34:56.

recruit and train GPs and primary care professionals. I thank you for

:34:57.:35:03.

that statement, but on Friday I attended a public health meeting and

:35:04.:35:07.

one of the big challenges that they were facing was GP recruitment,

:35:08.:35:14.

particularly in a local surgery. I welcome what you have just said in

:35:15.:35:18.

terms of your plans to train and recruit more GPs. I look forward to

:35:19.:35:26.

receiving an update on how those plans are going to produce more GPs

:35:27.:35:33.

into the areas, particularly in rural Wales, where they are

:35:34.:35:38.

currently finding this to be a huge challenge. Yes, we put in additional

:35:39.:35:46.

investment, over ?40 million last year, in primary care, and some of

:35:47.:35:51.

that funding was targeted at workforce diversity and, including a

:35:52.:36:00.

range of primary care roles. There have been recruitment problems. The

:36:01.:36:06.

result has been a number of GP sessions have been reduced. I know

:36:07.:36:10.

the practice is going through a sustainability support process

:36:11.:36:14.

because even though it is physically within the Powys Teaching Health

:36:15.:36:18.

Board, the two health boards are working closely to agree a long term

:36:19.:36:29.

solution. First Minister, I am grateful for Joyce Watson raising

:36:30.:36:33.

this question because I have an issue in my constituency with many

:36:34.:36:37.

GPs reaching retirement age and struggling to recruit. Many

:36:38.:36:43.

surgeries in that instance are having to reconfigure how they

:36:44.:36:47.

operate. What GPs are saying to me is that there is the potential of

:36:48.:36:51.

the devaluation of their premises if their practices cease to operate as

:36:52.:36:56.

a barrier for recruiting GPs, especially in rural Wales. What

:36:57.:37:03.

steps are the Welsh government taking in order to offer protection

:37:04.:37:08.

to GPs to incentivise them to recruit them to rural Wales? If GPs

:37:09.:37:14.

wish to be seen as contractors and independent businesses, there is a

:37:15.:37:19.

risk involved in terms of potential devaluation of buildings, although I

:37:20.:37:22.

don't see why that should be the case necessarily. It is the case

:37:23.:37:25.

that many of those who wish to enter general practice don't want to buy

:37:26.:37:31.

into practice, they want to be salaried GPs. That is something that

:37:32.:37:36.

we and the will need to accommodate. In terms of powers as a whole, I can

:37:37.:37:43.

say that there have been six new GP partners in Powys and 11 new

:37:44.:37:47.

salaried GPs that have commenced their work during the course of

:37:48.:37:52.

2015-16. Question seven, Leo Griffith. Will the First Minister

:37:53.:37:58.

make a statement on the future of the rural development plan? We know

:37:59.:38:03.

that this supports the rural communities and the economy by a

:38:04.:38:07.

combination of Welsh government and European Union funding and in the

:38:08.:38:13.

light of the lack of assurances from the UK Government to date over

:38:14.:38:18.

replacing European Union funding and programme continuity, I cannot

:38:19.:38:23.

predict its long-term future. Thank you for that response because your

:38:24.:38:27.

skills in response to a question from following a statement last week

:38:28.:38:33.

that she is continuing to plan programmes on the basis that the

:38:34.:38:37.

funding will come to Wales. If it does not come from the EU, she is

:38:38.:38:40.

expecting it to come from the pledges made by the UK Government.

:38:41.:38:44.

But the Cabinet Secretary for rural affairs has said programmes were to

:38:45.:38:50.

be deferred because of uncertainty. That suggests to me you don't have

:38:51.:38:54.

much of a strategy as a government in terms of responding to the

:38:55.:38:58.

decision following the referendum. Can you tell us whether the left

:38:59.:39:01.

hand knows what the right hand is doing? We are going to continue with

:39:02.:39:06.

the capital schemes in order to progress with those but as regards

:39:07.:39:10.

the revenue programmes and schemes, it is a much more, located picture,

:39:11.:39:15.

but it is quite evident that if we see a cut of ?600 million in the

:39:16.:39:21.

Assembly's budget year-on-year over the ensuing years, there will be a

:39:22.:39:24.

very negative impact on some of the projects we have. First Minister, I

:39:25.:39:32.

appreciate that you have met with representatives of the cultural

:39:33.:39:35.

industry -- agricultural industry last week to discuss concerns

:39:36.:39:39.

following the result of the referendum on the European Union and

:39:40.:39:43.

I support your calls for farming support payments and funding for

:39:44.:39:47.

rural communities to be safeguarded for the future. Bearing in mind that

:39:48.:39:52.

the Lindsay will still be a major trading partner for our farmers for

:39:53.:39:57.

the future -- that the European Union will still be a major trading

:39:58.:40:00.

partner, can you tell is what discussions your government has had

:40:01.:40:05.

to date with the UK Government and the European Union commissioner to

:40:06.:40:08.

make sure that plans such as the rural development programme can

:40:09.:40:13.

continue? There is no guarantee at all. We note that the commission

:40:14.:40:22.

cannot play its part as regards European funding at the moment and

:40:23.:40:26.

there is no assurance from the UK Government so there is no certainty

:40:27.:40:30.

at all for the people of Wales. It is important that we get this

:40:31.:40:33.

assurance as soon as in order to give our farmers some assurance. We

:40:34.:40:40.

know that ?260 million will be coming into Wales as regards to

:40:41.:40:44.

payments to farmers but at the moment there is no money left should

:40:45.:40:51.

we leave the European Union. On the same theme as the last two

:40:52.:40:55.

questions, I know that within my own constituency and the constituency of

:40:56.:40:59.

the First Minister, we have just had the announcement of grants of up to

:41:00.:41:05.

?100,000 for individual regeneration schemes and it often surprises

:41:06.:41:08.

people died in a constituency like mine, a former mining and heavy

:41:09.:41:13.

industry constituency, that all but two of the wards in my constituency

:41:14.:41:17.

of rural. We have below one and pillar to funding as well but that

:41:18.:41:21.

pillar to funding has been crucial for rural regeneration,

:41:22.:41:27.

controversial as it is. In his discussions with the UK Government,

:41:28.:41:31.

is he stressing to them the importance of making good any

:41:32.:41:34.

shortfall in the immediacy of programmes that are already

:41:35.:41:37.

committed to but also in the longer term because we need to make sure we

:41:38.:41:42.

have that backfill shortfall filled by the UK Government in order that

:41:43.:41:45.

we can keep those teams progressing for many years to come. It is

:41:46.:41:50.

critical to the regeneration of my communities. We have made that

:41:51.:41:57.

point. In future, agricultural policy will be wholly autonomous and

:41:58.:42:01.

evolved. We are not going to get interference from Westminster in

:42:02.:42:05.

that regard and it is a matter for the people of Wales, Scotland and

:42:06.:42:09.

England to decide what sort of agricultural policy should be

:42:10.:42:13.

pursued. The difficulty is, how will the money be distributed? We need to

:42:14.:42:17.

make sure there is a guarantee from the UK Government that Wales will be

:42:18.:42:21.

guaranteed at least it's current share of funding. My fear is that

:42:22.:42:30.

there will be an attempt to cut the funding for Welsh agriculture. The

:42:31.:42:33.

sooner Welsh farmers get these certainty from the UK Government

:42:34.:42:37.

they need, the better. Question eight, Nick Ramsay. Will the First

:42:38.:42:41.

Minister make a statement on the Welsh government's policies for

:42:42.:42:43.

improving the investment in south-east Wales? The finance plan

:42:44.:42:49.

published last year sets out our investment plans for transport and

:42:50.:42:53.

infrastructure for 2015 - 20 across all of Wales. A solution to the M4

:42:54.:42:59.

Tunnel's congestion is a key priority for the Welsh government

:43:00.:43:02.

and this Assembly as a whole. I am sure Professor Stuart Cole, who will

:43:03.:43:07.

be sleeping a little bit easier knowing that his blue route is part

:43:08.:43:11.

of the mix to be considered by the public enquiry announced recently.

:43:12.:43:18.

You will be aware that the services have concerns about the effect of

:43:19.:43:26.

the Black route. How are the concerns of important local

:43:27.:43:28.

businesses such as these being taken into account by the public enquiry?

:43:29.:43:35.

I would expect the enquiry to take full account of the views of all

:43:36.:43:38.

those who express a view to the enquiry. We took a conscious

:43:39.:43:42.

decision to make God that all the possibilities were examined by the

:43:43.:43:49.

enquiry -- to make sure that all the possible at his work examined by the

:43:50.:43:53.

enquiry and we wanted to make sure that all the options were properly

:43:54.:43:56.

examine and now the member knows that I have stood her and said the

:43:57.:44:01.

blue route is hugely problematic in terms of its affect on so many

:44:02.:44:05.

people but let's see what the public local enquiry actually says and see

:44:06.:44:09.

what recommendations are made from that. The key to ensuring success in

:44:10.:44:18.

the capital region is to pursue a multi-hub approach to infrastructure

:44:19.:44:22.

and economic development. While the city deal and the city region model

:44:23.:44:27.

look to build on Cardiff's international brand, we must

:44:28.:44:31.

recognise the role of overpopulation sectors as well. Does the First

:44:32.:44:35.

Minister agree that in moving forward, the distinct status of

:44:36.:44:38.

Newport as a regional capital in its own right, the capital of the former

:44:39.:44:43.

county of Gwent, should be upheld and that he agreed this distinct

:44:44.:44:47.

status for Newport should be enshrined in the capital region's

:44:48.:44:51.

planning and should be promoted at every opportunity? I don't agree

:44:52.:44:55.

with him on that. All the local authorities have an equal voice in

:44:56.:44:59.

terms of the development of the city region. Identity is important but

:45:00.:45:03.

the economic region pays no heed at all to political boundaries. Newport

:45:04.:45:10.

is busy and important city, it is our third biggest city, and together

:45:11.:45:15.

with Cardiff and the Valley areas to the north, they all play an

:45:16.:45:18.

important role in developing the whole of the city region for the

:45:19.:45:20.

good of all those who live in it. I welcome the new allocation of

:45:21.:45:29.

money in the Welsh government supplementary budget in the

:45:30.:45:34.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. I would like to ask the Venice the

:45:35.:45:39.

macro if this fits into any wider development strategy for integrating

:45:40.:45:48.

our waterways into south-west Wales. The waterways were fragmented along

:45:49.:46:02.

time ago. What is important is that we have a potential for tourism

:46:03.:46:09.

through our canals and they will act as economic drivers and we will work

:46:10.:46:12.

with State builders to make sure that potential is realised. But the

:46:13.:46:24.

-- will the Minister make a statement on the cancel tax

:46:25.:46:32.

collection. Figures released by your government released that some

:46:33.:46:44.

councils are not collecting the council tax. 6000 people are now

:46:45.:46:52.

struggling to pay their bills. We'll be First Minister explain to those

:46:53.:46:58.

families in Wales's poorest areas why he decided not to use the funds

:46:59.:47:01.

provided by the UK Government to freeze council tax in Wales for the

:47:02.:47:09.

purposes they were intended for? Devolution means that it is not for

:47:10.:47:18.

a purpose intended. Authorities in England turned down the council

:47:19.:47:22.

tax-free is and chose to increase it. Despite that, council tax in

:47:23.:47:28.

Wales is lower than in England and he will remember that when council

:47:29.:47:39.

tax benefits were devolves, only 90% of the budget was allocated. Surely

:47:40.:47:52.

the fact that the highest percentage of people who don't pay the tax live

:47:53.:48:01.

in our poorest areas and surely that reflects the fact that this tax is

:48:02.:48:05.

fundamentally unfair. The burden ways most heavily on those people

:48:06.:48:12.

who are least able to pay. So is it not now time for us to reform this

:48:13.:48:19.

tax so that it is fairer, as flood Kimmeridge had argued during the

:48:20.:48:25.

election campaign back in May. We are always open to consider new ways

:48:26.:48:32.

of funding local authorities. People talk about a local income tax, but

:48:33.:48:39.

it would have to be collected locally so it went where they lived

:48:40.:48:43.

as a poster where they work. The higher the price of the house, the

:48:44.:48:49.

greater the income of the resident is, although that is not always

:48:50.:48:53.

true, we understand that, but the system we have at present is one

:48:54.:48:59.

that works because it is a tax that has been applied to a house. But of

:49:00.:49:05.

course in the years to come there is always an argument whether there

:49:06.:49:12.

might be a more effective way of funding local authorities.

:49:13.:49:16.

There we are - that was First Minister's Questions.

:49:17.:49:18.

If you want more more coverage of the National Assembly you can go

:49:19.:49:21.

online to BBC Wales's Senedd Live page at bbc.co.uk/walespolitics.

:49:22.:49:23.

Don't forget, for all the latest political news, watch Wales Today

:49:24.:49:25.

later today a t6.30pm on BBC One Wales and

:49:26.:49:28.

As for AM.PM though, that's it from us until September.

:49:29.:49:31.

From all of us on the programme, goodbye.

:49:32.:49:40.

As part of World War I from BBC Wales...

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Welsh women helped the British win the war.

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..historian Deirdre Beddoe explores how war may have been

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This piece of film is 100 years old. Anything familiar about it?

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"God speed the plough and the woman who drives it."

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..bringing opportunity and changing perceptions for ever.

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Some of mystery, intrigue and controversy.

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The more you discover, the more compelling it becomes.

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