:00:22. > :00:34.Welcome to the programme and our weekly coverage of questions
:00:35. > :00:41.According to the Order Paper, we can expect questions on a range
:00:42. > :00:42.of subjects, including local development plans,
:00:43. > :00:44.opencast mining and, as you might expect,
:00:45. > :00:48.Don't forget you can keep right up to date with all the Welsh political
:00:49. > :00:50.goings-on by keeping an eye on our twitter feed.
:00:51. > :00:53.Well, the session in the Senedd got underway a little while ago
:00:54. > :00:56.and before the first question was asked, Assembly Members observed
:00:57. > :01:00.a minute's silence for the victims of the recent Orlando attack.
:01:01. > :01:07.I called the Assembly to order and before we move to questions for the
:01:08. > :01:11.First Minister and following the vigil held outside yesterday
:01:12. > :01:15.evening, on behalf of the Assembly, I would like to convey our
:01:16. > :01:19.condolences to those who were affected by the Orlando shootings.
:01:20. > :01:26.Today our thoughts are with the injured and the families and friends
:01:27. > :01:32.who have been bereaved. As an Assembly, we aspire to a world free
:01:33. > :01:34.of hate of discount. I ask members to be standing for a minute's
:01:35. > :02:37.silence to commemorate them. Questions to the First Minister.
:02:38. > :03:07.Neil McEvoy. Will the First Minister make a
:03:08. > :03:19.statement on local development plans? They are an essential part of
:03:20. > :03:30.our planning system. Thank you. First Minister, the integrity of and
:03:31. > :03:34.the people of Wales' confidence in this Assembly is based on being able
:03:35. > :03:44.to believe what is set in this chamber. In April 2012, you stated
:03:45. > :03:49.in public that Labour would implement its local development
:03:50. > :03:56.plan. Labour's plans included allowing big business to concrete
:03:57. > :04:01.huge swathes of greenfield sites and, as a result, I published that
:04:02. > :04:06.you had announced plans to concrete Cardiff by stating your party would
:04:07. > :04:13.implement its plans. You said in this chamber on April 20 four, 2012,
:04:14. > :04:18.my publications were untrue and a blatant lie. Your words, not mine.
:04:19. > :04:25.Can you bring yourself to a question? Last week, you stated that
:04:26. > :04:33.you did not say what you have already said on the record. Can you
:04:34. > :04:39.bring this to a question? Do you think it is at all acceptable for
:04:40. > :04:45.Wales' First Minister to come here and deny what you have already said?
:04:46. > :04:50.Will you set the record straight? The member lives in a land of
:04:51. > :05:01.fantasy. He did not even ask a proper question. There is no point
:05:02. > :05:08.of order. I have no idea what that was all about. This is not Cardiff
:05:09. > :05:12.Council chamber, this is the National Assembly for Wales. What we
:05:13. > :05:17.are talking about is 22 development plans across South Wales which do
:05:18. > :05:21.not connect very well and the Welsh Assembly has already introduced the
:05:22. > :05:25.planning act 2015 to resolve those issues. A strategic development plan
:05:26. > :05:30.could involve all ten local authorities and it is certainly the
:05:31. > :05:34.case that with the Cardiff City Region, ten local authority leaders
:05:35. > :05:38.are already on board, involved and supportive. There is the First
:05:39. > :05:41.Minister agree with me for the need to take such an approach into
:05:42. > :05:45.serious consideration? And can it only be achieved by working
:05:46. > :05:51.together, not being party political and tribal, like Neil McEvoy is
:05:52. > :05:56.being? There is a huge challenge for the entire area of south Wales and
:05:57. > :06:00.Cardiff can't be expected on its own to provide housing for the entire
:06:01. > :06:05.region. That is why it makes perfect sense. The ten local authorities
:06:06. > :06:11.should work together to have a strategic plan that goes beyond the
:06:12. > :06:17.local development plans which, of themselves, can never be enough to
:06:18. > :06:35.satisfy the demand with the success we wish. Mark Isherwood. You are not
:06:36. > :06:42.being heard. Local development plans don't build any houses. Given that
:06:43. > :06:47.local plans produced in consultation with the community in England, how
:06:48. > :06:49.will your government engaged with the home builders Federation
:06:50. > :06:52.regarding the statement in its Welsh election paper, building
:06:53. > :07:08.communities, boosting investment. The results can be seen in the most
:07:09. > :07:12.recently published data on planning permission which shows that since
:07:13. > :07:17.the start of 2013, the number of private units granted planning
:07:18. > :07:21.permission in Wales has increased by 4%, while increasing by more in
:07:22. > :07:26.England? We have seen a significant increase in the number of houses
:07:27. > :07:29.being built in Wales over the last two years. It seems the plans in
:07:30. > :07:34.England are aimed at blocking housing development. What we need is
:07:35. > :07:37.a properly regulated development plan so people can see which
:07:38. > :07:41.development will take place and I don't believe the local development
:07:42. > :07:46.plans are sufficient over the wider economic area which is why strategic
:07:47. > :07:49.plans have a great deal of force and are a great deal of help when it
:07:50. > :07:55.comes to planning for the future. Bethan Jenkins. Will the First
:07:56. > :08:00.Minister make a statement on opencast mining in Wales? There are
:08:01. > :08:05.serious issues relating to opencast mining and the restoration of sites.
:08:06. > :08:08.We know that in 1994, the UK Government did not require operators
:08:09. > :08:12.to set aside enough money for restoration and so the UK Government
:08:13. > :08:16.have a moral responsibility to work with us to make sure that sites are
:08:17. > :08:26.restored. You will know that Neath put a council has a partial
:08:27. > :08:29.restoration of Mark opencast area but that is partial restoration and
:08:30. > :08:35.many of the residents they are concerned about the future and avoid
:08:36. > :08:39.not being restored and with it being in Celtic Energy's fans, for the
:08:40. > :08:44.full restoration to take place. Can you give a commitment today, First
:08:45. > :08:48.Minister, whether you could seek to bring people together to look to
:08:49. > :08:52.restore that eventually because people are concerned, especially as
:08:53. > :08:56.key people within the Council are concerned now about how that will be
:08:57. > :09:00.restored if there are any flooding problems within that void. I agree
:09:01. > :09:06.with the concerns she expresses. She will know there was an effect on my
:09:07. > :09:10.constituency as well. In 1994, when privatisation took place, those
:09:11. > :09:14.companies who took over former British Coal site were excluded from
:09:15. > :09:19.putting aside finance for restoration and that is why we are
:09:20. > :09:22.where we are now. Partial restoration is welcome but it is not
:09:23. > :09:27.full restoration and there must be full restoration. Given that it was
:09:28. > :09:30.the UK Government that created this problem, there is no doubt in my
:09:31. > :09:37.mind they have irresponsibly teach work with us to resolve the problem.
:09:38. > :09:41.Lynne Neagle. I am sure members across the chamber will be pleased
:09:42. > :09:47.to welcome with me the withdrawal of an opencast application in my
:09:48. > :09:54.constituency and I am very grateful to the group that visited the site
:09:55. > :09:57.last year and whose objections led to the application being withdrawn
:09:58. > :10:00.but most communities cannot the light on the protection of being in
:10:01. > :10:06.a world Telecom digits site and they need to rely on us as a National
:10:07. > :10:13.Assembly and the protection we give them -- of being in a World Heritage
:10:14. > :10:17.site. I can assure a member that a focused review was announced by the
:10:18. > :10:20.Minister prior to the UK Government's announcement on
:10:21. > :10:25.coal-fired power stations and that review will proceeds because we know
:10:26. > :10:30.it is important that the planning guidance is as up-to-date as
:10:31. > :10:37.possible. Suzy Davies. Members will note that the past restoration plans
:10:38. > :10:41.are pretty unpopular. None of us would wish to see the history behind
:10:42. > :10:45.that repeated, but we were talking about this in some detail over a
:10:46. > :10:49.year ago now. The local authority asserts there is no alternative to
:10:50. > :10:54.the plans so is the Welsh government holding direction, a whole year
:10:55. > :10:58.later, an indication of a case that there is an alternative to what is
:10:59. > :11:07.being suggested by Newport all but, and if not, what statutory
:11:08. > :11:10.time-limit preventing... The site at the moment is in the case study of a
:11:11. > :11:15.company that in reality does not exist. It is registered in the
:11:16. > :11:19.British Virgin Islands and I have no confidence that organisation would
:11:20. > :11:27.continue to exist if action was taken against it. To my mind, it is
:11:28. > :11:32.important the UK Government recognises its responsibilities.
:11:33. > :11:37.This was created not by the current UK Government but by a UK Government
:11:38. > :11:40.in 1994. There is no doubt the amount of money we're talking for
:11:41. > :11:46.the full restoration of one site is huge. It cannot be reasonable to
:11:47. > :11:47.expect the local authority nor the Welsh government to meet the full
:11:48. > :11:58.costs of that restoration. I know: the party leaders to
:11:59. > :12:02.question the First Minister. The Ukip group leader, Neil Hamilton.
:12:03. > :12:09.The First Minister will no that Welsh farming is in crisis. In some
:12:10. > :12:16.sectors, like Derry, it is done by as much as half stop this is caused
:12:17. > :12:19.to a great extent by a collapse in prices but or administrative
:12:20. > :12:24.reasons, in particular the chaos in the payments system, the basic
:12:25. > :12:28.payments scheme. And there is a particular problem for cross-border
:12:29. > :12:33.farmers. With land in England as well as Wales. When hundreds of them
:12:34. > :12:38.have still not been paid and indeed the information they provided a year
:12:39. > :12:41.ago has not been validated doc-mac bigger-mac I want to hear an
:12:42. > :12:46.important question on farming. Allow the member to be heard. I would ask
:12:47. > :12:53.what further progress has been made with the payments agency in England
:12:54. > :12:57.to get these problems sorted out. The vast majority of payments in
:12:58. > :13:02.Wales have been made, over 90%, if I recall correctly. There are some
:13:03. > :13:08.cross-border forms that await payment because we are awaiting data
:13:09. > :13:13.from the payments agency. Until that is available, it is not possible to
:13:14. > :13:20.make full payment. We hope it will be resolved swiftly. I fully agree,
:13:21. > :13:23.but it is quite extraordinary that two Government agencies cannot find
:13:24. > :13:28.the means by which to talk to each other electronically, whereas this
:13:29. > :13:33.happens quite naturally in the private sector. I wonder what he can
:13:34. > :13:36.do to try to integrate the administrative arrangements between
:13:37. > :13:42.England and Wales in this respect. Partners on the border are in dire
:13:43. > :13:47.financial straits. The solution is not in our hands. We await data from
:13:48. > :13:52.the rural payments agency. We can only pay once that data is made
:13:53. > :13:55.available. The payment schemes are radically different because the
:13:56. > :14:02.nature of Welsh farming is different to the nature of farming across much
:14:03. > :14:06.of England. Soon the data is available, of course we will pay our
:14:07. > :14:16.farmers. Another problem that needs to be addressed is with the growth
:14:17. > :14:24.of bovine TB. In my region, cases of cattle slaughter I up -- are up.
:14:25. > :14:29.With the nonavailability of vaccine, the preferred option is not
:14:30. > :14:36.available, so what can the Welsh Government do to try to cope with
:14:37. > :14:39.the problem of bovine TB? He is correct that the vaccine is not
:14:40. > :14:44.available at present. The Minister has held a meeting this week to look
:14:45. > :14:48.at this issue. There is a need to move forward when dealing with
:14:49. > :14:53.bovine TB, cannot be left to proceed and the Minister is examining what
:14:54. > :14:58.science led approach can be taken in order to make sure there is a
:14:59. > :15:05.reduction in the presence of bovine TB and in time, eradication. The
:15:06. > :15:09.Leader of the Opposition, Leanne Wood. I'm sure you will have shared
:15:10. > :15:15.the warm feelings that I felt on seeing images of the Welsh fans in
:15:16. > :15:19.France, singing and linking arms with fellow fans. They were
:15:20. > :15:27.ambassadors for our nation and I thought those images captured
:15:28. > :15:35.something about the naturalness of our place as Wales within Europe,
:15:36. > :15:39.singing with Slovakians. As we approach the final week of the
:15:40. > :15:44.campaign, families will be gathering this weekend to work out the best
:15:45. > :15:49.options for them. Good information is vital to enable people to make a
:15:50. > :15:54.fully informed choice. What can you and your Government do in the final
:15:55. > :15:59.week to make sure that people vote on accurate information and not on
:16:00. > :16:03.the basis of myth and propaganda? We cannot send information has a
:16:04. > :16:08.government, that is covered by the purdah, but as politicians we can
:16:09. > :16:15.make our case. I will be making the case that Wales is better off in the
:16:16. > :16:21.UK and in Europe. Well, maybe not in the UK, as far as she is concern!
:16:22. > :16:26.But better in Europe. We agree on our unity within Europe. Let's just
:16:27. > :16:31.leave it at that for now. We are in Wales the most export intensive
:16:32. > :16:37.nation within the UK. We have a balance of trade payments surplus in
:16:38. > :16:44.terms of goods with the EU and that is not the case for the UK.
:16:45. > :16:47.Uncertainty will therefore impact more upon Welsh businesses and the
:16:48. > :16:53.Welsh economy will be affected disproportionately here. I'm keen to
:16:54. > :16:58.understand what your Government's contingency plans are there is a
:16:59. > :17:02.vote to leave the EU. Can you please outline what plans you how to
:17:03. > :17:06.mitigate the worst effects for the Welsh economy and Welsh businesses,
:17:07. > :17:12.especially exporting businesses, in the event of a vote to leave the EU?
:17:13. > :17:16.It is very difficult to reach a contingency plan when there is such
:17:17. > :17:21.uncertainty. Nobody knows what would happen if we were to vote to leave.
:17:22. > :17:28.Last week they said it didn't matter if there was a trade deal at all.
:17:29. > :17:33.For me, I have seen both campaigns, at the end of the day it comes down
:17:34. > :17:37.to, why would we put an unnecessary hurdle over which we would have to
:17:38. > :17:41.jump before us when it comes to attracting investment? It is a huge
:17:42. > :17:48.advantage to have free access to an enormous market, the EU. The UK is a
:17:49. > :17:52.10th of that market. To lose that access or to jeopardise that simply
:17:53. > :17:55.puts another wall in front of us when it comes to attracting
:17:56. > :18:00.investment and exporting. The last thing we need to do is to make it
:18:01. > :18:04.harder to export what we produce in Wales and harder to attract
:18:05. > :18:07.investment into Wales. I share your concerns and I think we need to
:18:08. > :18:14.think carefully about what happens in the event of a vote to leave next
:18:15. > :18:19.week. Former Prime Ministers Blair and Major waded into the debate,
:18:20. > :18:24.saying that one or the other likely consequences of a vote to leave
:18:25. > :18:27.would be the break-up of the UK. I accept our parties have very
:18:28. > :18:33.different views on that but I'm sure we both agree that we want to stop a
:18:34. > :18:36.situation whereby Wales is at the total mercy of a Tory government
:18:37. > :18:41.that we have never, ever in this country voted for. What contingency
:18:42. > :18:48.plans do you have for Wales if we find ourselves part of a rump UK,
:18:49. > :18:52.where we would risk facing a Tory Government or an even more
:18:53. > :18:57.right-wing Government than the present one on a permanent basis?
:18:58. > :19:04.What plans do you have two protect and promote Wales' best interests in
:19:05. > :19:07.this scenario? Again, it is impossible to predict what would
:19:08. > :19:10.happen. There are serious consequences for Northern Ireland.
:19:11. > :19:14.The peace process is based on EU membership. What happens with the
:19:15. > :19:21.peace process is difficult to predict. The border with open with a
:19:22. > :19:24.motorway over, that border would be the border between the UK and the
:19:25. > :19:31.EU, it would need border control and customs control. It is a hugely
:19:32. > :19:37.difficult thing for the people who live on that island. It is difficult
:19:38. > :19:42.to know what the people of Scotland might think, but at the very least,
:19:43. > :19:45.there needs to be a full reassessment of the relationship
:19:46. > :19:50.between the nations of the UK. The current constitution does not work,
:19:51. > :19:56.the concept of Parliamentary sovereignty does not work, I think
:19:57. > :20:00.they need to move towards a system of shared sovereignty. But there is
:20:01. > :20:07.no question that if there is a vote to leave, the UK will not carry on
:20:08. > :20:12.as before. It cannot do so if it wishes to remain stable. The leader
:20:13. > :20:18.of the Welsh Conservatives. Last week in response to my questions on
:20:19. > :20:22.the deal you stop with the Lib Dems, you indicated your government would
:20:23. > :20:27.be making available an additional ?42 million to meet that commitment
:20:28. > :20:32.over and above the Labour manifesto commitment of ?109 to education. You
:20:33. > :20:35.also said that if you have the responsibility of the Severn Bridge
:20:36. > :20:42.tolls, you would abolish the tolls and that itself could crystallise
:20:43. > :20:45.between 15 and ?29 and you have personally put a lot of political
:20:46. > :20:55.capital to the most expensive option for the M4 relief road, which is
:20:56. > :20:58.anything from ?1 billion upwards. What has been uncovered that gives
:20:59. > :21:02.you confidence that you will suddenly find all this new money to
:21:03. > :21:06.meet these commitments you are making in the opening weeks of this
:21:07. > :21:11.fifth Assembly? So he is against more spending on education and
:21:12. > :21:14.against the abolition of the bridge tolls and against the M4 relief
:21:15. > :21:20.road. Three things which apparently he was in favour of last week! We
:21:21. > :21:24.addressed the UK Government for the devolution of the tolls and we would
:21:25. > :21:28.expect there to be a fair settlement to reflect that so we can get rid of
:21:29. > :21:38.this tax on people coming into Wales. It is not unreasonable to ask
:21:39. > :21:43.the question, what will have to give in your spending commitments to meet
:21:44. > :21:47.your new commitments? I have identified ?42 million you committed
:21:48. > :21:56.to last week. A potential liability of 15 to ?20 million if you get rid
:21:57. > :22:02.of the bridge tolls. And also if you built the Black root, up to ?1.2
:22:03. > :22:07.billion liability that you will have to finance. I do not think that is
:22:08. > :22:14.unreasonable. People in Wales ask those very questions, if the big
:22:15. > :22:18.capital project in South East Wales gets the go-ahead, what will have to
:22:19. > :22:21.give in their own errors? So I put the question again, where are you
:22:22. > :22:27.going to find this money to meet those commitments you have given on
:22:28. > :22:29.the record, because you only have a set amount of money available to
:22:30. > :22:35.you? Can you answer a simple question? Borrowing it, that is the
:22:36. > :22:42.whole point. The money will be borrowed. The point of that is to
:22:43. > :22:46.make sure that we are able to do it. And secondly, through borrowing the
:22:47. > :22:51.money it does not eat into the roads budget. It means road schemes
:22:52. > :22:54.elsewhere are protected in Wales, they can move forward, and that is
:22:55. > :22:59.on the basis of the M4 relief road would not take a chunk out of the
:23:00. > :23:04.roads budget. So it is possible to do both, as the Prime Minister has
:23:05. > :23:08.said. I fully understand you can borrow, but paying back has a cost
:23:09. > :23:15.in itself. But I also asked about the education commitment. Which we
:23:16. > :23:22.welcome. I also made a comment about the 15 to ?20 million you would have
:23:23. > :23:26.to meet if you abolished the tolls, so, how will you meet those
:23:27. > :23:30.liabilities? Those are perfectly legitimate questions. In total, it
:23:31. > :23:33.is an extra ?60 million you will have to find from the Welsh block
:23:34. > :23:40.grant. Some commitments we dubbed will have to give. -- some
:23:41. > :23:45.commitments will have to give. From our position of opposition, it is
:23:46. > :23:50.our job to ask you these questions and I would hope you would have the
:23:51. > :23:54.answers that we would require to satisfy our constituents. Or are you
:23:55. > :23:58.just making it up as you go along? I have stood here in the chamber
:23:59. > :24:04.listening to the Leader of the Opposition has he was then saying
:24:05. > :24:06.that they would make spending commitments across the board, not
:24:07. > :24:12.knowing where that money would come from. It is a legitimate question
:24:13. > :24:16.and there are two answers. First, yes, we will have to examine some
:24:17. > :24:19.current spending commitments. That will happen during the course of the
:24:20. > :24:24.budget process because the money will have to come from somewhere.
:24:25. > :24:28.Second, even though we will see real terms cuts in the block grant, there
:24:29. > :24:32.will be an uplift in the amount of money available. So there will be
:24:33. > :24:36.extra money, even if it isn't sufficient to cover inflation. So
:24:37. > :24:40.there will be difficult decisions to take, but we are confident the money
:24:41. > :24:47.can be found and that will be completed in the budget process.
:24:48. > :24:50.What will be the main benefits to Wales of EU mothership during the
:24:51. > :24:56.fourth A reminder of our main news. ? I understand your bush may have
:24:57. > :25:00.given permission for questions to be group. We know in recent years, EU
:25:01. > :25:08.funds have supported significant investments to the Welsh economy
:25:09. > :25:10.have labour market. Scientists and universities in Wales have spoken
:25:11. > :25:14.out strongly about the importance of remaining in the EU. Is the First
:25:15. > :25:23.Minister aware that Cardiff University alone has received 2020
:25:24. > :25:26.funding for projects at a value of ?16 million and that this money
:25:27. > :25:30.enables the University to build working relationships with experts,
:25:31. > :25:33.leading experts all over the European Union to develop important
:25:34. > :25:40.and ground-breaking research such as testing innovative vaccines for type
:25:41. > :25:44.one diabetes, solar powered water purification and working out how the
:25:45. > :25:53.brain works. Do we want to throw all these opportunities await? No, we do
:25:54. > :25:58.not. Our world model, it is important to have as much access to
:25:59. > :26:02.brainpower as possible as well. In Swansea, the new campus is being
:26:03. > :26:05.built partially with the help of European money. Cutting ourselves
:26:06. > :26:14.off is not the way to advance science in the UK. Thank you. As the
:26:15. > :26:19.First Minister knows, if the British state remains a member of the
:26:20. > :26:22.European Union, it will hold the presidency of the Council for six
:26:23. > :26:27.months next year. That would be a golden opportunity to start the
:26:28. > :26:32.process of renewing Europe and creating a partnership that worked
:26:33. > :26:36.better for our citizens. With the First Minister agree that in order
:26:37. > :26:40.to ensure that presidency is one that is held jointly between the
:26:41. > :26:44.various governments of the UK with Wales playing a key role, and even
:26:45. > :26:49.considering holding a European summit in Wales?
:26:50. > :26:56.We must ensure that the UK is still part of the European Union after
:26:57. > :27:00.next week. It is very important that we should be positive about what the
:27:01. > :27:07.European Union has done, namely that it has brought democracy to Eastern
:27:08. > :27:12.European countries, funding has gone to those areas that needed it,
:27:13. > :27:16.namely investment in a number of parts of Europe that would not have
:27:17. > :27:20.seen such investment previously. It would be a stream the odd if they UK
:27:21. > :27:26.took the European Union presidency on the way out of the union and of
:27:27. > :27:32.course it is important after the referendum next this stage that the
:27:33. > :27:37.positive message is preached, if you like, not just across Wales but the
:27:38. > :27:44.whole of Europe. First Minister, you may have seen a Leave broadcast last
:27:45. > :27:51.week that Britain's contributions to the European Union will be spent on
:27:52. > :27:56.the NHS, also on Welsh regional aid, also guaranteed payments to farmers
:27:57. > :28:00.and now, wonder of magic money, it is going to preserve the amounts
:28:01. > :28:04.going to Welsh universities. Do you agree with me a better way to
:28:05. > :28:08.preserve these valuable contributions to our economy is to
:28:09. > :28:14.vote to Remain in the European Union next Thursday? The member puts it
:28:15. > :28:19.well and I could not improve on that. He is right to say, we have
:28:20. > :28:24.certainty now. We have no certainty if we choose to leave next Thursday.
:28:25. > :28:30.It is a jump off the edge of a Cliffe. I noticed today, I saw a
:28:31. > :28:33.letter signed by various backbenchers and ministers from
:28:34. > :28:43.London saying that funding would be guaranteed. They have no such power
:28:44. > :28:46.to offer that guarantee. Those who signed this letter have no more
:28:47. > :28:54.power to deliver on it than my children's pet cat. Given that one
:28:55. > :29:01.of the Labour Party's great benefits of belonging to the European Union
:29:02. > :29:04.is the workers' rights legislation supposedly emanating from Brussels,
:29:05. > :29:08.perhaps the First Minister would like to comment on the rights of
:29:09. > :29:13.those workers formerly employed at the Bosch plant bordering his
:29:14. > :29:16.constituency? And perhaps reflect on the flat it was British many used in
:29:17. > :29:22.regional aid which actually built the brand-new plant in Hungary,
:29:23. > :29:31.which cost them their jobs, along with all their workers' rights. The
:29:32. > :29:34.issue was that the factory did move to Hungary. Most of the people
:29:35. > :29:38.employed there found jobs elsewhere very quickly. Another company now
:29:39. > :29:45.own the site and they are developing very quickly. But we are successful
:29:46. > :29:49.in attracting investment from other countries so it does work both ways.
:29:50. > :29:58.Yes, we need to make sure that those who suffer most from globalisation
:29:59. > :30:01.are protected. That has been a weakness because globalisation has
:30:02. > :30:07.not been an unmitigated benefit for all workers. Whatever happens on
:30:08. > :30:11.Thursday, the idea that we must live in an age of austerity for ever and
:30:12. > :30:16.workers' rights are consistently whittled away would be difficult
:30:17. > :30:20.because the people of Britain would not accept that. I don't see that
:30:21. > :30:25.leaving the European Union and putting us in the hands of those who
:30:26. > :30:31.signed the letter who are wild free-market ears is the way forward.
:30:32. > :30:35.But the days when we could say to people globalisation is all a good
:30:36. > :30:40.thing have gone and we have to make sure that across Europe, people's
:30:41. > :30:45.rights are protected, workers' rights are protected, and people
:30:46. > :30:51.truly feel governments are on their side and many governments have lost
:30:52. > :30:56.their way. The previous member talked about one business. I would
:30:57. > :31:01.like to draw attention to the fact that 770 businesses have been
:31:02. > :31:05.created across Rhondda cannot have, thanks to European Union funding.
:31:06. > :31:10.They employ local people and contribute to the local economy.
:31:11. > :31:15.First Minister, do you agree with me that our continued membership of the
:31:16. > :31:17.European Union and the support it provides are essential to
:31:18. > :31:24.contributing an environment where businesses in Wales can thrive? I
:31:25. > :31:28.do. European many we have seen come into Wales was money that was not
:31:29. > :31:33.provided by successive British governments. It did not come to
:31:34. > :31:38.Wales. This is extra money the Tories in the 80s and 90s would not
:31:39. > :31:41.provide for Wales. We still have a situation where the Barnett formula
:31:42. > :31:46.has not been addressed properly. What would happen if it was not
:31:47. > :31:51.there? That money would end up back in the Barnett formula or being kept
:31:52. > :31:55.in London and the regions of England as well as in Scotland would not see
:31:56. > :31:58.that money, it would be kept in Whitehall. I don't buy this argument
:31:59. > :32:04.that somehow this is money that would come to Wales, I think this
:32:05. > :32:08.money, if it does exist at all, that would sit in Whitehall and we would
:32:09. > :32:17.not see every penny that we get now and that is dangerous for the people
:32:18. > :32:24.of Wales. Dafydd Elis-Thomas. Mark Reckless. The First Minister said
:32:25. > :32:29.earlier that he did not want exported to face unnecessarily high
:32:30. > :32:33.hurdles. In setting up the challenges for the steel industry,
:32:34. > :32:39.he has emphasised his view that the pound has been too high. Would he
:32:40. > :32:43.therefore welcome a more competitive level for the pound, including
:32:44. > :32:49.against the euro? It depends what you mean by competitive. If it is
:32:50. > :32:54.going to plummet, that would drive inflation because we import so much.
:32:55. > :32:58.More than anything else, what the industry needs is a market and if it
:32:59. > :33:02.cannot enter the European steel market without a tariff being
:33:03. > :33:07.imposed, the steel industry does not have a future. They UK is not big
:33:08. > :33:10.enough to drive that demand. What concerns me more than anything, I
:33:11. > :33:14.don't believe there is a plan for what happens if we leave. Nigel
:33:15. > :33:19.Farage has said it does not matter if there is a trade deal or not.
:33:20. > :33:27.That is disastrous for the UK economy. We export half of what we
:33:28. > :33:33.produce. Half of it to the EU. Half our exploits go there. Coming the
:33:34. > :33:36.other way, it is 7%. It may be a higher figure financially but we
:33:37. > :33:41.exported far more than comes back in. What worries me is our export
:33:42. > :33:45.market would be jeopardised, Welsh lamb would be hit by a double whammy
:33:46. > :33:50.where it would cost more to sell Welsh lamb on the continent and yet
:33:51. > :33:53.I sit -- your party wants to trade with New Zealand, which means floods
:33:54. > :34:03.of New Zealand lamb flooding into Wales. Better, I say, that we don't
:34:04. > :34:06.have the barriers to export that leaving the European Union would be
:34:07. > :34:09.put in place, better not to have that and better to have a situation
:34:10. > :34:14.where we are able to export freely and we are able to get access to
:34:15. > :34:21.those funds. We will not get those funds and that guaranteed access if
:34:22. > :34:23.we leave. Lynne Neagle. Will the First Minister outlined how the
:34:24. > :34:27.Welsh Governance Centre or the development of business in Wales? We
:34:28. > :34:33.are delivering on a range of actions to develop businesses and help them
:34:34. > :34:36.prosper. There is no escaping the fact that the outcome of the
:34:37. > :34:42.referendum next week will have a huge impact on businesses in Wales.
:34:43. > :34:46.If you just takes jobs growth Wales, a government programme, which with
:34:47. > :34:50.the support of European Union funds has enabled smaller boy is to take
:34:51. > :34:54.on people and has helped support more than 15,000 young people into
:34:55. > :34:59.work over the last few years alone. I'm sure you will have seen
:35:00. > :35:07.yesterday a letter sent -- signed by ten top business figures in Wales.
:35:08. > :35:11.It argues the case for Britain to remain in the EU. Would you agree
:35:12. > :35:14.with me and those leading Welsh business figures that Welsh
:35:15. > :35:21.businesses are stronger, safer and better off in the European Union? I
:35:22. > :35:26.would. Half of what we export rose to the EU. You interfere with that
:35:27. > :35:31.market at your peril. Many of our largest employers are part of a
:35:32. > :35:37.European operation. That is why access to the European market is
:35:38. > :35:42.essential for them. They have no incentive to stay in the UK if they
:35:43. > :35:47.can't access the European market. The market is too small if they
:35:48. > :35:52.can't access the European market. We are able to export freely at the
:35:53. > :35:58.moment. We have farmers who are dependent on exports to the EU. It
:35:59. > :36:02.is absolute crucial that we say, we are a positive, confident country,
:36:03. > :36:06.we do not need to hide behind walls, we don't need to put our heads in
:36:07. > :36:09.the sand and a sign of that confidence is being part of
:36:10. > :36:18.something bigger, ensuring the prosperity of all. Adam Price. One
:36:19. > :36:23.of the government's aims is to enhance the level of Public
:36:24. > :36:27.Procurement Bill and Welsh businesses and it is an aim that
:36:28. > :36:35.Plaid Cymru would agree with. But if that is the case, why has business
:36:36. > :36:49.Wales cap the number of tender advisers down from 12 or 14 a few
:36:50. > :36:53.years ago down to Two or three now and what impact is the First
:36:54. > :36:57.Minister think that will have on the ability of businesses in the public
:36:58. > :37:02.sector in Wales? We will make sure that a development back is
:37:03. > :37:05.established and use that structure to strengthen and in harms the
:37:06. > :37:13.advice that is available to businesses. It is an age-old problem
:37:14. > :37:16.that regard is accessing pretty woman and accessing capital and we
:37:17. > :37:30.have worked very hard with businesses to make -- accessing
:37:31. > :37:40.pretty woman and accessing -- accessing pretty woman. The seven
:37:41. > :37:44.valley effect was launched nearly two years ago covering the seven
:37:45. > :37:50.Valley area and I should declare an interest in having an involvement in
:37:51. > :37:55.the project. It has helped people start and grow businesses in my
:37:56. > :37:58.constituency. Funding has been supported by the Welsh government
:37:59. > :38:01.but it is due to come to an end in August and additional funding is
:38:02. > :38:07.being sought to secure the future of the service. Will you convey --
:38:08. > :38:10.commit the Welsh government to looking at how the success of this
:38:11. > :38:14.project can be looked at as a blueprint to help enterprises in
:38:15. > :38:17.other communities in other parts of Wales and can I also ask that you
:38:18. > :38:24.join me to visit people who have benefited from this project next
:38:25. > :38:28.time? If the member will write to me with that invitation I will consider
:38:29. > :38:33.it. He makes a strong case for the scheme that he has mentioned. We are
:38:34. > :38:36.always keen to make sure that we look at schemes that have worked
:38:37. > :38:42.effectively across Wales to see how they can be rolled out across the
:38:43. > :38:45.rest of the country. Darren Millar. Will the First Minister outlined the
:38:46. > :38:51.Welsh government's priorities for the NHS. They are set out in our
:38:52. > :38:55.manifesto. One of the commitments you gave during the election period
:38:56. > :38:58.was that in 100 days you would consult on whether the Betsy to the
:38:59. > :39:03.University health board ought to be divided into two or more health
:39:04. > :39:08.organisations. Have you abandoned that commitment or are we going to
:39:09. > :39:11.see a proposal come forward? We have not abandoned the commitment to
:39:12. > :39:15.consult people on the future structure of the health service in
:39:16. > :39:23.the north. That remains in place. Rhun ap Iorwerth. Among Plaid
:39:24. > :39:27.Cymru's priorities in this Assembly is pressing for real measures to
:39:28. > :39:33.tackle recruitment within the health service, as is reflected in the
:39:34. > :39:40.post-election compact, but will the First Minister acknowledge and agree
:39:41. > :39:44.with me that in the meantime, the contribution made by health
:39:45. > :39:48.professionals from the European Union is dealing with the
:39:49. > :39:51.recruitment problem we have in the health service at present with a
:39:52. > :39:56.threat to that from the campaign to Leave. The member is right to say
:39:57. > :40:01.that medicine and nursing is a global market. People travel the
:40:02. > :40:06.world with the qualifications they have and there are number of nurses
:40:07. > :40:11.and doctors working in the NHS in Wales from other European Union
:40:12. > :40:14.countries or they are out with the European Union, for example the
:40:15. > :40:18.nurses in Bridgend that come from the Philippines. Without those
:40:19. > :40:22.people, we would not have a health service in Wales or the rest of the
:40:23. > :40:26.United Kingdom either. It is extremely important that no
:40:27. > :40:30.obstacles are placed in their way to stop them from coming to Wales or
:40:31. > :40:38.the rest of the UK, because it will be the patients who suffer. I
:40:39. > :40:42.received a letter from one of my constituents who is a health worker
:40:43. > :40:48.who has been working in the NHS for 19 years and he expresses his
:40:49. > :40:51.concerns about the health board. He says the service is floundering for
:40:52. > :40:59.lack of strategic direction. He goes on to say the effect of this means
:41:00. > :41:03.that individuals are now burned out and looking for early retirement.
:41:04. > :41:08.What is the Welsh government going to do to fix the situation and
:41:09. > :41:13.deliver the health service that the people of North Wales deserve? The
:41:14. > :41:17.member's comments would have been fair at one time but I do think they
:41:18. > :41:24.are thin now. We put the health board into special measures, we know
:41:25. > :41:32.they have problems. I don't think the comments are correct now. We
:41:33. > :41:37.have seen significant improvements. The delivery of services in the
:41:38. > :41:42.area. And rightly so because it was quite clear that the local health
:41:43. > :41:47.board was not working as it should. It's silly was in communicating with
:41:48. > :41:50.people as it should. The situation has improved markedly but it is
:41:51. > :41:53.important to take on board the comments of those who work in the
:41:54. > :41:54.health service to make sure that every possibility for improvement is
:41:55. > :42:03.taken. Well the First Minister make a
:42:04. > :42:07.statement, sorry, will the issue guidance to local councils to act
:42:08. > :42:13.proportionately when exercising regularity powers? Decoder sex good
:42:14. > :42:19.practice in our regulatory functions should be exercised. -- the code
:42:20. > :42:26.sets out. Is he aware of the problems being faced by a union in
:42:27. > :42:31.North Wales, where having been closed for several months on account
:42:32. > :42:35.of flooding, or the bank holiday weekend, the landlady decided
:42:36. > :42:39.because it was sunny to put out tables and chairs for drinkers to go
:42:40. > :42:43.outside, but unfortunately, a killjoy from the County Council came
:42:44. > :42:47.around and told her to remove the tables because they were technically
:42:48. > :42:52.on a highway. This is a prime example of the kind of heavy-handed
:42:53. > :43:00.actions which local authorities take which discourage business and wealth
:43:01. > :43:04.creation. I was not aware of. -- of it. He has caught me in terms of the
:43:05. > :43:14.detail. I will write to him, of course. This is an important issue
:43:15. > :43:21.to the union and I understand that. I will investigate this issue and
:43:22. > :43:25.will provide a full answer. First Minister, regulatory services are a
:43:26. > :43:31.very important service and evaluable key area of local government.
:43:32. > :43:33.Environment or health, Trading Standards, food safety, public
:43:34. > :43:37.protection, regulatory housing provisions to name just some. But
:43:38. > :43:42.much of the new legislation passed in the last term has placed even
:43:43. > :43:46.more obligations on our departments and there is only 1% of council
:43:47. > :43:52.spend on average being spent on these services across Wales on an
:43:53. > :44:02.annual basis. How will you work with the new Cabinet member, Cabinet
:44:03. > :44:06.Secretary for local government, who I like very much forward to
:44:07. > :44:10.shadowing over this Assembly term, how will you work with him to ensure
:44:11. > :44:14.our regulatory departments have the appropriate and adequate funding in
:44:15. > :44:22.order to keep our constituents actually safe? It will not come as a
:44:23. > :44:26.surprise when I say I work closer with the Cabinet Secretary for
:44:27. > :44:35.Finance and Local Government. We will provide an appropriate level of
:44:36. > :44:41.funding. Will you make a statement on your Government's plan to
:44:42. > :44:45.increase the number of Welsh speakers in Wales? Ensuring the
:44:46. > :44:52.Welsh language in Wales prosperous remains a priority and we will
:44:53. > :44:58.continue to set out the priorities and focus on increasing people's use
:44:59. > :45:04.of the language. We also want to improve planning and develop things
:45:05. > :45:10.through technology and increase Welsh language education. Very
:45:11. > :45:19.pleased to hear that. But your manifesto did set a target of 1
:45:20. > :45:21.million speakers by 2015 and that is an excellent thing and I
:45:22. > :45:26.congratulate you on setting such a target. Which means that 34 years
:45:27. > :45:30.hence, we will have double the number of Welsh speakers that we
:45:31. > :45:37.have at present. But how are you going to proceed to do that, and
:45:38. > :45:42.what are the action plans you will be taking, and on what will you be
:45:43. > :45:47.focusing, what is the timetable for that action? And would you agree
:45:48. > :45:54.with me that it appears to the public that the political ambition
:45:55. > :45:58.does not exist, bearing in mind that you have now moved the Welsh
:45:59. > :46:03.language out of the Cabinet. The Minister with responsibility for the
:46:04. > :46:07.Welsh language, and I do not doubt his commitment and passion for the
:46:08. > :46:12.language, but he is not essentially part of the Cabinet by now, so one
:46:13. > :46:18.could be rather sceptical or doubtful about this ambition by now.
:46:19. > :46:23.Do you agree with that? How will you progress matters and how can you
:46:24. > :46:29.convince me that the Welsh language is a priority of this,? The Welsh
:46:30. > :46:33.language is a priority for me as one who comes from an entirely Welsh
:46:34. > :46:37.speaking family and has children attending a Welsh school. So this is
:46:38. > :46:40.something that is prospering across government although there is a
:46:41. > :46:44.minister with individual responsibility for the language,
:46:45. > :46:47.there will be a full statement during Eisteddfod week on the
:46:48. > :46:51.details of how we will progress in this area but we need to make sure
:46:52. > :46:56.there is more Welsh language education available. In some parts
:46:57. > :47:02.of Wales, it is difficult to access Welsh reading skills, particularly
:47:03. > :47:06.Welsh medium comprehensives, which are occasionally a long way from
:47:07. > :47:11.where people live. That is why there are plans in place to ensure that
:47:12. > :47:17.changes and to ensure the new National centre, which will assist
:47:18. > :47:19.Welsh line which were adults to prosper, does work effectively.
:47:20. > :47:30.There will be a full statement during August. Will the First
:47:31. > :47:37.Minister join me in wishing the language centre in my constituency
:47:38. > :47:42.that is just launch -- has been launched, and will he agree it is a
:47:43. > :47:48.basic aim of the languages that are in to develop through the medium of
:47:49. > :47:53.Welsh? -- for businesses to develop through the medium of Welsh? I very
:47:54. > :47:58.much welcome the development of the centre. Of course, the Swansea
:47:59. > :48:01.Valley is an area which has gone from being a majority of Welsh
:48:02. > :48:07.speakers to an area where the Welsh language tends to be spoken at the
:48:08. > :48:12.top of the Valley, which has happened in a period of 30 years and
:48:13. > :48:18.that is a serious decline. It is important to ensure the Welsh
:48:19. > :48:22.language is viable beyond that area, further afield, in order to ensure
:48:23. > :48:34.the Welsh heritage of the area is revitalised. According to the
:48:35. > :48:37.language use survey of 2013 and 2015 that was commissioned by your last
:48:38. > :48:47.Government, it has demonstrated that only about 50% of the people asked
:48:48. > :48:50.in Camara venture, in Cardiganshire, were supportive of the language.
:48:51. > :48:55.What is your Government intent to do to ensure that businesses are given
:48:56. > :49:00.greater support to promote the Welsh language? The pilot project is
:49:01. > :49:03.taking place so that businesses do not feel it is too difficult to
:49:04. > :49:08.ensure the Welsh language service is provided. And also to demonstrate
:49:09. > :49:11.this is something which will be commercially beneficial so they can
:49:12. > :49:15.provide services to those who wish to use the Welsh language, or those
:49:16. > :49:20.who feel it is important that service should be available, so we
:49:21. > :49:23.will consider the outcomes of a project to see how we can ensure
:49:24. > :49:29.that businesses see the commercial benefits of using the Welsh language
:49:30. > :49:34.within their own businesses. Finally, question nine. Could we
:49:35. > :49:38.have an update on the implementation of childcare support for working
:49:39. > :49:41.parents? We are committed to offering 30 hours of free childcare
:49:42. > :49:46.to three at four-year-old working parents. The most generous offer in
:49:47. > :49:51.the UK. The delivery plan will be put in place shortly. I welcome your
:49:52. > :49:58.commitment to working parents. It is a huge issue for my constituents.
:49:59. > :50:02.Whilst it is fantastic we are offering the most ambitious
:50:03. > :50:07.childcare support in the UK, it is important it works for the lives of
:50:08. > :50:11.working parents today. What assurances can you give a child
:50:12. > :50:14.carer support will be flexible and its delivery will take into account
:50:15. > :50:19.and look at the needs of working parents? One thing I have to say is
:50:20. > :50:26.the intention is not to displace existing childcare providers. It
:50:27. > :50:29.will help them because it will mean they have a greater source of income
:50:30. > :50:33.than is the case now and in many parts of Wales, the provision for
:50:34. > :50:36.childcare is nonexistent. So we will have to stimulate the childcare
:50:37. > :50:41.provision in many parts of Wales. For many parents, three and four
:50:42. > :50:45.years old, that is when people are looking to go back to work so that
:50:46. > :50:52.is the time it is most expensive to get access to childcare. Thank you
:50:53. > :50:57.for increasing the provision you referred to for working families are
:50:58. > :51:00.something which should be welcomed. But you will be aware it would be
:51:01. > :51:06.desirable to expound the provision to all families, because that would
:51:07. > :51:11.create opportunities for parents who currently are not working to return
:51:12. > :51:17.to the workplace. What consideration will you give to extending their
:51:18. > :51:22.provision? We have asked a company to look at this to see what is the
:51:23. > :51:27.best way of delivering this. According to their evidence, the
:51:28. > :51:32.most effective way would be to target working people, because of
:51:33. > :51:37.the fact that people who do not work at present have informal networks to
:51:38. > :51:43.assist them with childcare. What we want to ensure is that we encourage
:51:44. > :51:47.people back into the labour market so then they will get free
:51:48. > :51:54.childcare. That is the principle behind the scheme as it stands. In
:51:55. > :51:59.England, there is already an entitlement for 15 hours of
:52:00. > :52:03.childcare each and every week, versus the entitlement to just ten
:52:04. > :52:07.hours in Wales. Some local authorities are providing more than
:52:08. > :52:11.that but it is not something which is across the board. Given there is
:52:12. > :52:16.already a second rate deal for parents here in Wales, can I ask you
:52:17. > :52:20.for a clear timetable by which you expect to be able to transition to
:52:21. > :52:24.this 30 hours and can we see an immediate jump to the 15 hours so at
:52:25. > :52:29.least we have a level plain field between England and Wales? Us all
:52:30. > :52:33.the commitment was made by his party in the election. We were clear what
:52:34. > :52:38.we were offering to working parents and it was reflected in the respect
:52:39. > :52:46.of the results for the parties, I would argue. We will roll this out
:52:47. > :52:47.as what was our main pledge of our five first pledges as soon as we
:52:48. > :52:48.can. There we are, that was
:52:49. > :52:50.First Minister's Questions. If you want more coverage
:52:51. > :52:52.of the National Assembly, you can head online to
:52:53. > :52:54.BBC Wales' Senedd Live page at And before I go, there is just time
:52:55. > :53:01.to mention a special BBC Wales EU debate that will be taking place
:53:02. > :53:05.in Swansea later this week, That's the BBC Wales EU debate,
:53:06. > :53:15.this Friday at nine o'clock. As for am.pm though, from all of us
:53:16. > :53:20.on the programme, goodbye.