Browse content similar to 15/01/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good afternoon. Welcome to the programme and our weekly coverage | :00:22. | :00:26. | |
of questions to the First Minister. Plans for a major shake-up of the | :00:26. | :00:29. | |
NHS are dominating the news today with the release of Hywel Dda | :00:29. | :00:33. | |
Health Board's proposals for change in mid and west Wales. We can | :00:33. | :00:36. | |
expect to hear more on hospital reorganisation during First | :00:36. | :00:41. | |
Minister's Questions. There are also a number of questions to | :00:41. | :00:43. | |
Carwyn Jones about the Welsh Government's priorities for this | :00:43. | :00:46. | |
year. That's what we're expecting the | :00:46. | :00:49. | |
politicians to be talking about, but what do you want to talk about? | :00:49. | :00:52. | |
You can comment on anything on the programme, but don't feel | :00:52. | :00:57. | |
restricted by that. If you want to talk about any other political news | :00:57. | :01:01. | |
talk about any other political news get in touch with us. You can reach | :01:01. | :01:03. | |
us via Twitter, we're @walespolitics or send us an email | :01:03. | :01:13. | |
Well, business in the chamber is already in full flow. Let's go over | :01:13. | :01:23. | |
:01:23. | :01:28. | ||
there now for questions to the The Will the First Minister make a | :01:28. | :01:35. | |
statement on his priorities for 2013. I understand you have given | :01:35. | :01:39. | |
permission for questions 1 and 7 to be gripped. Our priorities are | :01:39. | :01:42. | |
outlined in the programme for government which will be updated in | :01:43. | :01:48. | |
May. I am sure one of your priorities for 20 certain will be | :01:48. | :01:54. | |
the health service. You will be aware that Hywel Dda Health Board | :01:54. | :01:59. | |
is progressing with its plans, including the special post-natal | :01:59. | :02:03. | |
care units in my local hospital. The people will feel that their | :02:03. | :02:06. | |
fears have been ignored bearing in mind that so many spoke up against | :02:06. | :02:12. | |
these plans. Can you tell us, what was the point of the public | :02:12. | :02:16. | |
consultation if the reviews are not taking into account and are you | :02:16. | :02:21. | |
willing to stand up with me at against the it closure of the | :02:21. | :02:25. | |
crucial units and against downgrading services in my | :02:25. | :02:30. | |
constituency? I will support any service which is safe and secure. | :02:30. | :02:34. | |
As regards to the system of consultation, the plans have | :02:34. | :02:39. | |
changed. In listening to the views of the people of the area, as | :02:39. | :02:45. | |
regard to the government's stance on this, there is a role for the | :02:45. | :02:49. | |
government if the community health councils cannot agree, then the | :02:49. | :02:53. | |
decision is given to the Welsh Government. There is a limit to | :02:53. | :03:02. | |
what I can say. As the consultation process on how services in West | :03:02. | :03:06. | |
Wales has now been concluded and so decisions the to centralise | :03:06. | :03:14. | |
services in terms of emergency service and paediatrics have been | :03:14. | :03:18. | |
taken from the rural hospitals to the more local hospital, are you | :03:18. | :03:22. | |
willing to tell us your do on the decisions taken in West Wales? | :03:22. | :03:28. | |
There were changes in Prince Philip hospital during the One Wales | :03:28. | :03:35. | |
government. Things did change there. That would mean that it you would | :03:35. | :03:41. | |
be against centralising any service, mainly in Llanelli. There is a role | :03:41. | :03:46. | |
for Welsh Government as regards to considering these plans. I am | :03:46. | :03:55. | |
restricted in what I can say on those plans. I know that one of | :03:55. | :04:00. | |
your priorities is about to tackling climate change. Would you | :04:00. | :04:08. | |
join with me in congratulating the council in my constituency on their | :04:08. | :04:14. | |
recent Chartered constituency it in Wace management award for their | :04:15. | :04:22. | |
innovative matches recycling facility. -- mattress. The facility | :04:22. | :04:26. | |
boasts a first of its kind machine that helps residents dispose of | :04:26. | :04:33. | |
their own mattresses and insuring that every piece of the matches is | :04:33. | :04:36. | |
recycled. How was the Welsh Government encouraging the public | :04:36. | :04:43. | |
to make the recycling a way of life? -- mattress. We have had | :04:43. | :04:47. | |
targets to increase recycling for many years and it has increased at | :04:47. | :04:52. | |
least 10 fold over the last decade. Can I say in relation to the scheme | :04:52. | :04:56. | |
you referred to, we know the facility has been developed with | :04:56. | :05:03. | |
the aid of a grant of �400,000 from the Welsh Government. Can I | :05:03. | :05:06. | |
congratulate the council and the Organisation for developing the | :05:06. | :05:16. | |
:05:16. | :05:18. | ||
facility? If I can ask you about the Welsh Government's plans to | :05:18. | :05:21. | |
support jobs in Wales. Last week saw the announcement that the Welsh | :05:21. | :05:26. | |
Government is planning the plug on a scheme which we were told was | :05:26. | :05:30. | |
supposed to help those most in need back into employment. Your decision | :05:30. | :05:35. | |
to pull the plug on that scheme has shown that it has clearly failed in | :05:35. | :05:41. | |
its objectives. Do you share my concern about the �35 million that | :05:41. | :05:46. | |
has gone into that scheme over -- over recent years and do you regret | :05:46. | :05:49. | |
the fact that the website of the scheme was not updated since 2010, | :05:49. | :05:52. | |
so people were unaware what the scheme was trying to achieve and | :05:53. | :05:57. | |
what you do to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated? WITH any | :05:57. | :06:02. | |
scheme, we seek to ensure that it delivers. That is why we monitor | :06:02. | :06:08. | |
schemes. Where we feel they are not in -- they are in danger of not | :06:08. | :06:15. | |
developing, then we take the appropriate action. We have other | :06:15. | :06:21. | |
schemes which are all helping people to get into business, to get | :06:21. | :06:29. | |
to jobs and stay in them. Another priority must be the economy. The | :06:29. | :06:39. | |
:06:39. | :06:39. | ||
latest quarterly survey, they have pointed to a slight increase in | :06:40. | :06:43. | |
business confidence in Wales by the end of 2012. Does this have | :06:43. | :06:46. | |
anything to do with the Welsh Government policy, given that the | :06:47. | :06:51. | |
minister for business stated in the Chamber last week that, or | :06:51. | :06:55. | |
confidence in the economy comes from a macro economic policies, | :06:55. | :07:00. | |
which is not the responsibility of of the Welsh Government. I believe | :07:00. | :07:05. | |
the Welsh Government is adding value to the economy of Wales. The | :07:05. | :07:10. | |
figures that we have recently seen it all the young people who are in | :07:10. | :07:15. | |
employment, it has been a roaring success. But the gross funds and | :07:16. | :07:21. | |
its other sons all added together all helped the economy in Wales. We | :07:21. | :07:25. | |
can see that employment is up, unemployment is down. Business | :07:25. | :07:30. | |
confidence is up, early entrepreneurial engagement is up, | :07:30. | :07:35. | |
as well. This is because of what we have put in place to assist people | :07:35. | :07:42. | |
in difficult times. Another key priority for your government is the | :07:42. | :07:46. | |
safety of children. In recent weeks, I have been involved in campaigning | :07:46. | :07:52. | |
alongside some parents locally to overturn a council decision that | :07:52. | :07:57. | |
would have forced pupils to walk almost three miles along an unlit | :07:57. | :08:01. | |
and exposed roots on at their way to a secondary school. Fortunately, | :08:01. | :08:06. | |
in part, due to the campaign that we have run, the council has | :08:06. | :08:12. | |
relented. But it has exposed the need to for a system of appeal | :08:12. | :08:17. | |
under the learner travel Wales match at to give parents an | :08:17. | :08:20. | |
opportunity for some redress and for consideration in this matter. | :08:20. | :08:27. | |
We you please give an undertaking to actually build in some -- such a | :08:27. | :08:31. | |
process when the appropriate legislation comes forward to ensure | :08:31. | :08:35. | |
parents are not left in the state of alarm that they were left in in | :08:35. | :08:42. | |
the last few weeks. That is an important point in terms of travel. | :08:42. | :08:45. | |
I will say that what he has said and I will write to him with his | :08:45. | :08:55. | |
:08:55. | :08:56. | ||
views on how the situation might be improved. Will the First Minister | :08:56. | :08:59. | |
make a statement on the delivery of health services in Brecon and | :08:59. | :09:08. | |
Radnorshire. Our plans and priorities can be found in our | :09:08. | :09:12. | |
programme for government. It has a strong emphasis on developing | :09:12. | :09:17. | |
services within communities and within a primary care. Yet your | :09:17. | :09:21. | |
government is committed to phasing out and abolishing the end peg over | :09:21. | :09:28. | |
the next seven years. To do so, it would have devastating effect on | :09:28. | :09:32. | |
the rural GP practices. Had the news editor one to increase | :09:32. | :09:38. | |
services delivered by primary care, and then fundamentally undermine | :09:38. | :09:47. | |
the sustainability of rural GP practices? -- how can you say. | :09:47. | :09:50. | |
will take those ideas forward with a view to getting a settlement that | :09:50. | :09:56. | |
is fair to all concerned. You will be aware that the people of Brecon | :09:56. | :10:00. | |
and Radnorshire rely on a hospital services in different parts of the | :10:00. | :10:04. | |
country and you will be aware that non-emergency operations have been | :10:04. | :10:08. | |
cancelled at hospitals across Wales as a result of bed pressures | :10:09. | :10:12. | |
brought upon by the cuts in the number of beds over the past few | :10:12. | :10:15. | |
years which a government has inflicted because of your financial | :10:15. | :10:20. | |
cuts, record-breaking financial cuts on our health service. What | :10:20. | :10:25. | |
you have to say to the people of Wales? WE you apologise so we you | :10:25. | :10:29. | |
defend the cancellation of their operations, adding to the already | :10:29. | :10:39. | |
:10:39. | :10:41. | ||
unacceptably -- an acceptable long waiting times? -- an acceptable. | :10:41. | :10:44. | |
20,000 operations are in that category. Bloodstock but honesty. | :10:44. | :10:50. | |
We have been straight and honest with the people of wares. It -- | :10:50. | :10:54. | |
let's talk about honesty. We are keeping health spending level and | :10:54. | :10:58. | |
are protecting it. But see what happens in England. We have the UK | :10:58. | :11:03. | |
statistics that are at the issuing a review about statements by the | :11:03. | :11:05. | |
Prime Minister and others in relation to health spending. He | :11:05. | :11:09. | |
says that health spending in England has changed very little. | :11:09. | :11:13. | |
The reality is that we have been almost whether the people of Wales. | :11:13. | :11:22. | |
It is a shame his party is not on this in England. -- almost. Last | :11:22. | :11:27. | |
week it, you told me that you would be willing to be taken to hospital | :11:27. | :11:32. | |
in a taxi. Those people would at least expect a taxi home from | :11:32. | :11:39. | |
hospital, but a constituent of mine had to walk 23 miles home in the | :11:39. | :11:44. | |
early hours of New Year's Day. As there is no general hospital | :11:44. | :11:48. | |
locally, and the Hywel Dda Health Board is centralising services | :11:48. | :11:53. | |
serving the area and everyone would have to travel for treatment, can | :11:53. | :11:56. | |
you guarantee the ship today that no one else will have to walk home | :11:56. | :12:02. | |
from hospital in Wales? I have year and read the stories. By do not | :12:02. | :12:10. | |
know the details. -- sheet. We are looking into it and I think it is | :12:10. | :12:13. | |
extremely important we understand the circumstances and what happened | :12:13. | :12:21. | |
to this gentleman. We will then make a statement. And our questions | :12:21. | :12:26. | |
from the party leaders. First will, the leader of the opposition. | :12:26. | :12:31. | |
Leading on from the previous question, company macro of romance | :12:31. | :12:35. | |
in their half a reconfiguration downgrading proposals. If the | :12:35. | :12:39. | |
management think it appropriate that a 62 euros patient suffering | :12:39. | :12:43. | |
with a chest infection should be sent home from hospital and is | :12:43. | :12:48. | |
expected to walk 23 miles home, had come we have any confidence in the | :12:48. | :12:52. | |
African -- proposals of their passing today? They can have | :12:52. | :12:56. | |
confidence in the honesty of the Welsh Government as opposed to the | :12:56. | :13:00. | |
UK Government. There are 17 hospitals in England with unsafe | :13:00. | :13:04. | |
staffing. The difference between ourselves and his party is that we | :13:04. | :13:11. | |
believe in safe services and he does not. I have stood here for | :13:11. | :13:15. | |
nearly 18 months and I think that is the worst answer that I have hit | :13:15. | :13:20. | |
you did. There is a serious discussion going on in one of the | :13:20. | :13:26. | |
major half boards. I put a real- life case scenario to you that was | :13:26. | :13:30. | |
reported extensively last we cannot you can refer to is the English NHS. | :13:30. | :13:35. | |
Let's look at the Welsh NHS. The Health Minister in 20th November 11 | :13:35. | :13:39. | |
said she did not want any downgradings. She went on to say on | :13:39. | :13:44. | |
Radio Wales, I do not want to hear anything about downgrading in Wales. | :13:44. | :13:49. | |
But today, we have in the Hywel Dda Health Board proposals a 20% | :13:49. | :13:54. | |
reduction in acute beds. We have a community hospitals facing closure | :13:54. | :14:00. | |
and we have a special care baby unit closing, as well. Is that not | :14:00. | :14:03. | |
downgrading? Of his services not available in a district general | :14:03. | :14:07. | |
hospital, is that not downgrading and that in the community down that | :14:07. | :14:12. | |
relies on the services in some of our most remote areas? Of course | :14:12. | :14:16. | |
not. You suggest that the health service should stay exactly as it | :14:16. | :14:19. | |
is and should not changed regardless of what doctors say. He | :14:19. | :14:24. | |
is fighting the doctors. These are sensible proposals. But he knows | :14:24. | :14:28. | |
better than the doctors themselves. He has to explain himself. On the | :14:28. | :14:33. | |
one hand, he says, isn't it terrible that our proposals are | :14:33. | :14:36. | |
changed, and it illustrates a case that apparently happened at the | :14:36. | :14:40. | |
moment and then says there is no need for change. It is double | :14:40. | :14:45. | |
standards. If he is it -- if he is saying there is a problem if | :14:45. | :14:49. | |
someone has to walk 23 miles home, that is why there has to be changed. | :14:49. | :14:53. | |
He seems to think that what is better is that we have an save | :14:53. | :15:03. | |
:15:03. | :15:05. | ||
services and that is all regattas How ridiculous an answer can you | :15:05. | :15:08. | |
give? I asked you about downgrading. Those services are not going to be | :15:08. | :15:16. | |
there. The reason the NHS is in the state it is, is because your | :15:16. | :15:21. | |
government is taking a �500 million out of their budget. Not government | :15:21. | :15:28. | |
has failed to attract key clinicians, into Wales to run many | :15:28. | :15:34. | |
of our key services. Despite 12 months ago you going on that there | :15:34. | :15:38. | |
was a tidal wave of commissions wanting to work in Wales. It is | :15:38. | :15:42. | |
about your Government's ideology that failure to recognise that | :15:43. | :15:47. | |
these are the people in North, murder and West Wales. When are you | :15:47. | :15:52. | |
going away And start addressing people's real concerns? I currency | :15:52. | :15:55. | |
the full tariff Thurstaston babbling away but perhaps that | :15:55. | :16:00. | |
part-time first minister could give us some answers. Quite often you | :16:00. | :16:05. | |
see in the summer a fly or a B and it keeps try to get out and it hits | :16:05. | :16:09. | |
its head at all that time. That is what the opposition leader has been | :16:09. | :16:13. | |
like over the last few months. It - - he asks the same question over | :16:13. | :16:18. | |
and over again. The reality is this. We are looking to provide a safe | :16:18. | :16:23. | |
Health Service. He has not. He is not interested in a safe Health | :16:23. | :16:26. | |
Service. He is not interested in the well-being of the people of | :16:26. | :16:32. | |
Wales. It is legitimate to look at what happens over the border | :16:32. | :16:40. | |
because their ideology in England has meant 70 hospital's operating | :16:40. | :16:46. | |
with analysts say for medical staff, 17 of them. -- 17. They have lied | :16:46. | :16:50. | |
about spending in England. The reason it is relevant is because we | :16:50. | :16:55. | |
know full well fact if ever he were in a position of power in this | :16:55. | :16:59. | |
Assembly, he would simply follow whatever he was told by his | :16:59. | :17:09. | |
:17:09. | :17:13. | ||
colleagues in Westminster. He is nothing more than a puppet. | :17:13. | :17:18. | |
TRANSLATION: Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Over the weekend, | :17:18. | :17:22. | |
health boards did indeed announce that they were cancelling non- | :17:22. | :17:26. | |
emergency operations in North and South Wales. Not the patience not | :17:26. | :17:30. | |
turning up, not the patient being too sick to operate on, managers | :17:30. | :17:36. | |
cancelling operations. In cases of extreme winter pressure, that they | :17:36. | :17:40. | |
be understandable. However, Public Health Wales has already stated | :17:40. | :17:44. | |
that pressures are with inspected - - expected levels for this time of | :17:44. | :17:47. | |
year it could have been planned for. Why have those operations being | :17:47. | :17:52. | |
cancelled? It's very difficult to give reasons why operations are | :17:52. | :17:56. | |
cancelled. It is right to say that there have been cancelled for the | :17:56. | :18:00. | |
reasons that have been outlined but the majority have been cancelled | :18:00. | :18:04. | |
for unavoidable reasons. We expect local health boards to minimise the | :18:04. | :18:06. | |
need for cancelling operations because we understand the effect | :18:06. | :18:14. | |
that has on the individuals concerned. There have been whole | :18:14. | :18:20. | |
scale consolations of a non-elected surgery. Plans announced today will | :18:20. | :18:24. | |
see the closure of one 5th of all the acute beds in west Wales. If | :18:24. | :18:31. | |
the NHS is struggling to cope now, how will dramatically reducing of | :18:31. | :18:37. | |
the overall capacity of the NHS to provide but emergency care and non- | :18:37. | :18:46. | |
emergency surgery help? diverting... We know there are many | :18:46. | :18:50. | |
conditions that can be managed by GPs or dealt with by GPs. For | :18:50. | :18:58. | |
example, for some 30 years ago, it was common practice for people with | :18:58. | :19:04. | |
gall bladders to spend time in hospitals. Not any more. What sort | :19:04. | :19:09. | |
of level of care to people get? That is what we need to make sure | :19:09. | :19:12. | |
as many people as possible get care as close to home as possible. That | :19:12. | :19:16. | |
doesn't mean as -- the nearest hospital, but often the nearest GP. | :19:17. | :19:21. | |
If if we had enough capacity within the system, they would not be the | :19:21. | :19:26. | |
whole scale cancellation of non- emergency surgery in several of | :19:26. | :19:30. | |
Wales's district general hospitals this week. Understandably, the | :19:30. | :19:34. | |
question for many people have a seemed today's report is where will | :19:34. | :19:39. | |
I be treated? Harris suggest they should also ask, how and when will | :19:39. | :19:44. | |
I be treated? With an elderly population, demand for services | :19:44. | :19:49. | |
rising, a 20 % reduction in beds, a reduction in community of bottles | :19:49. | :19:52. | |
and the threat to the sustainability of GP practices | :19:52. | :20:00. | |
because of cuts to their funding, we would do it today that the plans | :20:00. | :20:05. | |
announced by the board will only mean longer waiting lists and more | :20:05. | :20:09. | |
cancelled operations during the winter? Of course not. What we are | :20:09. | :20:18. | |
looking to do is to provide safe services. I would never support Ace | :20:18. | :20:21. | |
surface that was local and unsafe. I wouldn't support it. Services | :20:21. | :20:25. | |
need to be as local as possible but also need to be as safe as possible. | :20:25. | :20:29. | |
People need the best outcome as possible. As far as the leader of | :20:29. | :20:32. | |
the Liberal Democrats is concerned, she talks about the wholesale | :20:32. | :20:35. | |
cancellation of operations. She spoke last week about lots of | :20:35. | :20:40. | |
people not getting access to NHS dentists. She asked people to | :20:41. | :20:50. | |
contact by officers and we've had no e-mails. Following the | :20:50. | :20:56. | |
announcements today from the board, the process has been completed at a | :20:56. | :21:02. | |
local level and there is a difference of opinion between the | :21:02. | :21:05. | |
consultants working at Prince Philip and the local health board. | :21:05. | :21:11. | |
The committee healths -- Committee half board in his say that Pleshey | :21:11. | :21:19. | |
should keep a good service. -- Llanelli. Do you agree with them or | :21:19. | :21:24. | |
do you agree with help poor? I have to refer the leader of Plaid Cymru | :21:24. | :21:27. | |
to the answer that I have given. There is a limit to what I can say. | :21:27. | :21:32. | |
What is obvious in the document is that there have been changes made | :21:32. | :21:39. | |
as a result of listening to local people. By note for example Fahd -- | :21:39. | :21:43. | |
a note for example that in terms of the changes that have been made to | :21:43. | :21:47. | |
Prince Philip... He spent 10 minutes defending his proposals so | :21:47. | :21:53. | |
to say that you cannot take a view is odd. You referred earlier to | :21:53. | :22:01. | |
hospital staffing figures. They were published in England at the | :22:01. | :22:05. | |
weekend, showing that 17 NHS hospitals have unsafe staffing | :22:05. | :22:11. | |
levels. That was described by your own party as a result of a toxic | :22:11. | :22:17. | |
combination of reorganisation and cuts. Some health boards own risk | :22:17. | :22:20. | |
registers in Wales have said that some services are at risk of | :22:20. | :22:27. | |
becoming unsafe. Can you tell us today whether there are any unsafe | :22:27. | :22:33. | |
services in Wales now? We agreed to publish a list for Wales outlining | :22:33. | :22:37. | |
which hospitals are safe and which services are not safe? First of all, | :22:37. | :22:43. | |
we don't believe there are any unsafe services but there will be. | :22:43. | :22:48. | |
There will be, without change, there is no question. The leader of | :22:48. | :22:56. | |
Plaid Cymru says, well, there are hospitals in England which might | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
become unsafe for are unsafe. That is our fear. Our fear is services | :23:01. | :23:05. | |
in Wales become an safe unless there is change. That is why these | :23:05. | :23:08. | |
proposals have been suggested. I make observations on his proposals. | :23:08. | :23:14. | |
The reason I cannot go into detail is because, and I will explain, we | :23:14. | :23:20. | |
have a role in decision-making if the decision is referred to us. I | :23:20. | :23:25. | |
express a view -- if I express a view now, we will end up in court. | :23:25. | :23:29. | |
We all know what a judicial review involves. My fear is that | :23:29. | :23:33. | |
expressing any view beforehand will inevitably lead to people | :23:33. | :23:36. | |
challenging any decision the government has to make because I | :23:36. | :23:41. | |
have expressed a view beforehand. You have just spent 10 minutes in | :23:41. | :23:50. | |
this chamber defending the proposals. Order, order. You say | :23:50. | :23:54. | |
one of your key concerns his safety and one of the concerns for many | :23:54. | :23:57. | |
people out there is the issue of how long it takes to get to | :23:57. | :24:02. | |
hospital. You were a way of a Sheffield University study which | :24:02. | :24:06. | |
says the danger of death in an emergency situation increases by 1% | :24:06. | :24:10. | |
every 10 kilometres. This is a concern, particularly in rural | :24:10. | :24:15. | |
areas, but also parts of Wales where there is no car -- low car | :24:15. | :24:19. | |
ownership and especially when we have snow and floods to deal worth | :24:19. | :24:23. | |
and roads are closed. The Sheffield study is absolutely clear, First | :24:23. | :24:29. | |
Minister, lives are really at stake here. How will further | :24:29. | :24:36. | |
centralisation make patients in Wales safe? The leader of Plaid | :24:36. | :24:40. | |
Cymru says I've been defending it and they have not. What I do defend | :24:40. | :24:44. | |
is the need for safe services in Wales. I think that is important. | :24:44. | :24:53. | |
I've seen services, 20 years ago for example, it was kept on going | :24:53. | :24:57. | |
for the sake of prestige and not prepared for that to happen in | :24:57. | :25:07. | |
:25:07. | :25:07. | ||
Wales. She raised is unimportant issue, that of transport. -- an | :25:07. | :25:13. | |
important issue for stop it is no good going to hospital if find that | :25:13. | :25:20. | |
people treating you aren't -- have no experience of your condition. If | :25:20. | :25:24. | |
you have a head injury in my part of the world, you go to Cardiff | :25:24. | :25:34. | |
:25:34. | :25:34. | ||
because that is where the experts are. The exercise always has to be, | :25:34. | :25:41. | |
how can you make services local while ensuring that fail-safe -- | :25:41. | :25:48. | |
that they are safe. And sustainable. There is no point keeping his | :25:48. | :25:50. | |
service in place if there are serious doubts about its | :25:50. | :25:55. | |
sustainability in the future. Change must be for the better. What | :25:55. | :25:59. | |
we don't want is what we see over the border, namely and the safe | :25:59. | :26:02. | |
services, hospitals under threat of closure, medical staff being sacked. | :26:02. | :26:08. | |
We don't think that is the right approach. TRANSLATION: And now | :26:08. | :26:14. | |
bound to questions on the Order Paper. Question number three. | :26:14. | :26:16. | |
the First Minister outline which policies from the programme for | :26:16. | :26:21. | |
government he expects to deliver in 2013? I will give some examples. | :26:21. | :26:24. | |
First of all, we know that's natural resources Wales will be | :26:24. | :26:31. | |
established on the 1st April. Houses into homes scheme will bring | :26:32. | :26:37. | |
5000 empty homes in to use. We have the introduction of the National | :26:37. | :26:47. | |
Reading and numerous see... We see the introduction of the Social | :26:47. | :26:54. | |
Services Bill. The human transposed -- human drug plantation bill will | :26:54. | :26:58. | |
be taken through. We will see the completion of the Government's | :26:58. | :27:05. | |
commitment to deliver 500 wells government-funded CSOs across Wales. | :27:05. | :27:10. | |
Thank you for that direct answer. I would like to ask you about the | :27:10. | :27:16. | |
progress report for 2012 in relation to health problems is. One | :27:16. | :27:22. | |
of the reasons Fair at... To improve access and patient | :27:22. | :27:27. | |
experience. Can you give us an update on when you might be able to | :27:27. | :27:35. | |
meet for cancer waiting times targets that you agreed to? Of all | :27:35. | :27:40. | |
the illnesses that might strike one, having to wait for cancer | :27:40. | :27:45. | |
treatment... It will be very useful to the people of Wales, if you can | :27:45. | :27:49. | |
make that promise this year. If we expect to keep that promise by the | :27:49. | :27:56. | |
end of March. One of the objectives outlined in the programme for | :27:56. | :28:04. | |
government was increased... Last year's science strategy outlined | :28:04. | :28:08. | |
some vital measures the government is taking to increase participation | :28:08. | :28:12. | |
and deliver this policy, such as the National Science Academy and | :28:12. | :28:17. | |
its out rich programme. However, the Institute of Physics recently | :28:17. | :28:21. | |
identified a transformation in culture and perception, both within | :28:21. | :28:25. | |
schools and the home, particularly amongst girls, as being essential | :28:25. | :28:31. | |
to encourage greater take-up of stem subjects. First minister, how | :28:31. | :28:34. | |
come the Welsh government contribute towards this to deliver | :28:34. | :28:40. | |
on its stem objectives? To give three examples perhaps. The Science | :28:40. | :28:44. | |
Advisory Council has said it will look further into the barriers | :28:44. | :28:50. | |
facing schools in Wales to huffing more of their peoples taking part | :28:50. | :28:53. | |
in science activities. Those recommendations will be submitted | :28:53. | :28:57. | |
by March of this year. We do continue to fund a number of | :28:57. | :29:01. | |
activities through the national side's recovery. There is a focus | :29:01. | :29:09. | |
on the raising the awareness of stem subjects. People find funding | :29:09. | :29:16. | |
for a programme. Something factors not, as far as I am aware, in your | :29:16. | :29:20. | |
programme or something that you phrased as a priority but maybe now | :29:20. | :29:23. | |
we should become a priority and that is the future of the Probation | :29:23. | :29:27. | |
Service in Wales. Given last week's announcement that parts of the | :29:27. | :29:31. | |
Probation Service are to be opened up to privatisation, and the | :29:31. | :29:34. | |
concerns that have been expressed about that, will you agree to make | :29:34. | :29:38. | |
representations to the Home Office to oppose the privatisation of the | :29:38. | :29:41. | |
Probation Service and to call for the devolution of probation | :29:41. | :29:51. | |
:29:51. | :30:08. | ||
It will need to include prisons, as well. All these things are going to | :30:09. | :30:18. | |
be considered. You may have seen a study recently that said that | :30:18. | :30:23. | |
saving for a deposit to buy a home takes eight times longer now and it | :30:23. | :30:28. | |
did in the 1990s. Over eight months ago, we negotiated a introduction | :30:28. | :30:33. | |
of a mortgage guarantee a scheme to help first-time buyers get a | :30:33. | :30:37. | |
deposit and to be able to buy new properties and yet there is no sign | :30:37. | :30:41. | |
as yet of the details of that law when it will be implemented. Are | :30:41. | :30:46. | |
you able to give us more details today? We have schemes in place | :30:46. | :30:49. | |
that does is people to get mortgages, as we have schemes in | :30:49. | :30:55. | |
place in terms of affordable housing. We know that 2004 Trinity | :30:55. | :30:59. | |
nine additional affordable housing has been delivered across Wales in | :30:59. | :31:04. | |
the financial year at 22012. There is a assistance available with | :31:04. | :31:12. | |
mortgages. I were right to remember with verve that Tito. Will the | :31:12. | :31:14. | |
First Minister make a statement on work being undertaken towards | :31:14. | :31:21. | |
stroke prevention in Wales. sixth December, or we launched a | :31:21. | :31:29. | |
stroke delivery plan which includes a range of recommendations. High | :31:29. | :31:33. | |
blood pressure can increase the risk of a stroke by 40%, yet many | :31:33. | :31:37. | |
people are unaware they suffer from high blood pressure because they do | :31:37. | :31:41. | |
not get it checked. There is a particular problem amongst men. | :31:41. | :31:44. | |
What more can the Welsh Government due to encourage people to get | :31:44. | :31:49. | |
their blood pressure checked? terms of high blood pressure, I | :31:49. | :31:55. | |
suspect a career in politics is not advised, as many of us would think. | :31:55. | :32:00. | |
In answer to the question, the member will be aware of the | :32:00. | :32:03. | |
campaign launched by the previous Chief Medical Officer to raise | :32:03. | :32:07. | |
awareness of high blood pressure and atrial relation which because | :32:07. | :32:12. | |
of the irregularity of the heart beats, that can lead to clubs and | :32:13. | :32:18. | |
their four strokes. That campaign stemmed from a stroke risk | :32:18. | :32:23. | |
reduction. There is also a know your blood pressure campaign which | :32:23. | :32:33. | |
:32:33. | :32:33. | ||
offers free tests along with advice on what blood-pressure is. | :32:33. | :32:38. | |
According to the Stroke Association, you are twice as likely to have a | :32:38. | :32:42. | |
stroke if you smoke. Will the the First Minister provide an update on | :32:42. | :32:47. | |
progress and implementation of the tobacco control action plan with | :32:47. | :32:50. | |
particular reference to an independent review on smoke in | :32:50. | :32:57. | |
which aims to improve and extend the plan. It is an important point. | :32:57. | :33:00. | |
We believe the plan has been a success and we will look at what | :33:00. | :33:05. | |
needs to be done in order to ensure it continues to be a success. One | :33:05. | :33:09. | |
way of ensuring smoking does not cause harm to people is making sure | :33:09. | :33:14. | |
adults do not smoke in cars when there are children present. We have | :33:14. | :33:24. | |
:33:24. | :33:25. | ||
recently ran a campaign to make people aware of that. The road | :33:25. | :33:30. | |
carried -- Royal College of Physicians reported shortly before | :33:30. | :33:33. | |
Christmas and found that acute services have improved and that is | :33:33. | :33:39. | |
good news. Particularly in relation to thrombosis. Rehabilitation | :33:39. | :33:44. | |
services remain inconsistent. This government has made stroke care a | :33:44. | :33:48. | |
top priority. We you take up this matter with health boards and local | :33:48. | :33:52. | |
a authorities to deliver equal access to these services throughout | :33:52. | :33:59. | |
Wales? I know that local health boards work with local services to | :33:59. | :34:04. | |
identify the local population at comes, to see what needs to be done. | :34:04. | :34:08. | |
Increasingly, it is important to examine the local population in | :34:09. | :34:12. | |
order to assess the risk and to make sure the right system is in | :34:12. | :34:20. | |
place to prevent strokes. It is important that those services are | :34:20. | :34:23. | |
available across Wales. Local health boards are required to | :34:23. | :34:26. | |
ensure that when it comes to strokes, it is not simply a | :34:26. | :34:30. | |
question of dealing with the aftermath, but that there should be | :34:30. | :34:34. | |
proper rehabilitation in place and more importantly insuring people | :34:34. | :34:37. | |
are in a place where they are not at risk of having a stroke in the | :34:37. | :34:41. | |
first place. Will the First Minister make a statement on the | :34:41. | :34:48. | |
importance of the Royal Mint to the south Wales economy. We know it is | :34:48. | :34:51. | |
of immense importance and we will continue to explore ways in which | :34:51. | :34:56. | |
we can support and work together with the Royal Mint. You will be | :34:56. | :35:01. | |
aware that the workers at the Royal Mint had one of the most successful | :35:01. | :35:05. | |
years and brought a considerable degree of attention to Wales with | :35:06. | :35:09. | |
their specialist skills, particularly in regard to the | :35:09. | :35:13. | |
medals at the Olympics. You have any intention to visit the Royal | :35:13. | :35:18. | |
Mint and convey the congratulations for their skills and the attention | :35:18. | :35:25. | |
that they have drawn up wares to the economy in person? We should | :35:25. | :35:29. | |
mention the Welsh Seal, which the Royal Mint had greater involvement | :35:29. | :35:35. | |
was. By a more than happy to visit the Royal Mint. It is an unusual | :35:35. | :35:38. | |
place to visit because there is money everywhere. I would not | :35:38. | :35:43. | |
advise anyone to take money. There are security measures in place, | :35:43. | :35:47. | |
including the police, who are not to be bargained with. I would be | :35:47. | :35:51. | |
more than happy to visit the Royal Mint in due course to convey my | :35:51. | :35:58. | |
congratulations. As someone who has visited the Royal Mint, one can | :35:58. | :36:01. | |
only stand back in awe at the Shea that the operation there and in | :36:02. | :36:08. | |
particular, the number of countries the actually meant currency for. -- | :36:08. | :36:17. | |
they actually mean its currency for. Do you have any plans to | :36:17. | :36:20. | |
incorporate the Royal Mint's put volume of operations in overseas | :36:20. | :36:25. | |
trips, promoting Wales and promoting businesses across the | :36:25. | :36:31. | |
globe that is sourced in Wales. is a sensible suggestion. There is | :36:31. | :36:37. | |
no reason why it cannot be promoted as part of what Wales has to offer. | :36:37. | :36:43. | |
Part of the issue is that we have to ensure that we have the ability | :36:43. | :36:48. | |
to export and the Royal Mint counts as an exporter because of the coins | :36:48. | :36:53. | |
that it produces for other nations. It clearly is an inst -- | :36:53. | :36:58. | |
institution that we value. I will try and help promote the work of | :36:58. | :37:08. | |
:37:08. | :37:09. | ||
the Royal Mint abroad. TRANSLATION: You talk about the importance of | :37:09. | :37:14. | |
the Royal Mint to the Welsh economy and some of the activities of the | :37:14. | :37:21. | |
Royal Mint are actually dependent on the beer -- on the copyright | :37:21. | :37:27. | |
payments. And the creative industries that are also dependent | :37:27. | :37:35. | |
on copyright payments and within that, we have a league made up of | :37:35. | :37:39. | |
musicians and composers. Would you agree that it is BBC announcer that | :37:39. | :37:43. | |
is stopping any agreement between the musicians and the BBC and will | :37:43. | :37:46. | |
you ensure that the BBC Wales are freed up in order to make an | :37:46. | :37:54. | |
agreement themselves? May I congratulate the member on insuring | :37:54. | :37:59. | |
that she made it his question relevant to the question on the | :37:59. | :38:04. | |
order paper today. It is extremely important and that there is a | :38:04. | :38:08. | |
conclusion to the negotiations currently ongoing. I hope we will | :38:08. | :38:13. | |
be in a position into a time when everyone will be content with any | :38:13. | :38:17. | |
settlement that is reached. I mentioned last week that that I | :38:17. | :38:21. | |
would look in detail at the situation. I do not think there is | :38:21. | :38:27. | |
a case for intervention at present, but it's it is not positive at | :38:27. | :38:33. | |
present that people listening to the local radio cannot share Welsh | :38:33. | :38:38. | |
music. That situation has changed for the better as soon as possible. | :38:38. | :38:40. | |
What action is the Welsh Government taking to help families with | :38:40. | :38:47. | |
disabled children cope with cuts in benefits. We are deeply concerned | :38:47. | :38:51. | |
by the UK Government's reforms and the impact on families and disabled | :38:51. | :38:54. | |
children. The member will be aware that we have put in place a | :38:54. | :38:58. | |
programme of research to look at how people will be affected by | :38:58. | :39:02. | |
these changes. Stage one of that programme of research was published | :39:02. | :39:06. | |
in February of last year and stage two will be published shortly. | :39:06. | :39:13. | |
Thank you very much. The majority of families with disabled children | :39:13. | :39:17. | |
fear the situation will get worse than the vast majority are blame | :39:17. | :39:21. | |
the welfare reforms. The family found his calling on the barge | :39:21. | :39:24. | |
government through the tackling poverty agenda to address the | :39:24. | :39:29. | |
specific issue of the job poverty amongst families with disabled or | :39:29. | :39:32. | |
chronically Sick children. But assistance can be Welsh Government | :39:32. | :39:36. | |
give to parents with disabled children too hot those parents gain | :39:36. | :39:40. | |
access to shocker and hopefully better opportunities for | :39:40. | :39:50. | |
:39:50. | :39:51. | ||
employment? -- child care. We have provided funding to concentrate on | :39:51. | :39:55. | |
families with disabled children. It sure, authority and has included | :39:55. | :39:59. | |
within their families first action plan details of how they will | :39:59. | :40:04. | |
develop -- deliver. We have provided finance for we look to the | :40:04. | :40:09. | |
local authorities to deliver this. The number of disabled children | :40:09. | :40:13. | |
living in three-bedroom Pollard's hype houses where the poll is used | :40:13. | :40:18. | |
as a downstairs bedroom for the job. What advice is the Welsh Government | :40:18. | :40:22. | |
didn't local-authority XAN designating the assassins are three | :40:22. | :40:27. | |
or four bedrooms. The changes in benefits in terms of housing, if | :40:27. | :40:31. | |
they change the 4th bedroom, then the parents would lose money. But | :40:31. | :40:37. | |
they do not designates its, if they only keep the three bedrooms, the | :40:37. | :40:41. | |
parents will not lose money. Eight- bedroom does not have to be | :40:41. | :40:47. | |
upstairs. A bedroom is a room with a bed. I would encourage local | :40:47. | :40:51. | |
authorities to be as flexible as possible in order to assist people. | :40:51. | :40:55. | |
Otherwise, because of the actions of the UK Government, we know that | :40:55. | :40:58. | |
many families looking after disabled children and adults will | :40:58. | :41:04. | |
lose out. There we are, we'll leave First | :41:04. | :41:07. | |
Minister's Questions there, but don't forget that you can see more | :41:07. | :41:09. | |
coverage of the National Assembly online from the BBC Wales Democracy | :41:09. | :41:13. | |
Live page at bbc.co.uk/walespolitics. | :41:13. | :41:15. | |
Let's go over to our Assembly newsroom where our Welsh Affairs | :41:15. | :41:21. | |
Editor, Vaughan Roderick, has been listening intently. | :41:21. | :41:26. | |
Sometimes we get next back at First Minister's Questions. Today could | :41:26. | :41:30. | |
have been health minister's questions. I felt it was very | :41:30. | :41:35. | |
enjoyable. It was interesting. Serious points were made. Sometimes, | :41:35. | :41:39. | |
you feel it is a better ritualistic, but I do not think that was the | :41:39. | :41:45. | |
case today. There were genuine disagreements between the party | :41:45. | :41:48. | |
leaders. I thought all the opposition party leaders have put | :41:48. | :41:55. | |
relevant points and its Carwyn Jones attempted to answer them. Ago, | :41:55. | :41:59. | |
there were legal constraints on what he could say. I thought it was | :41:59. | :42:05. | |
a meeting, a interesting First Minister's Questions time and an -- | :42:05. | :42:09. | |
and a rewarding one. Carwyn Jones went back to the situation of the | :42:09. | :42:12. | |
funding coming from the UK Government. He talked about the | :42:12. | :42:16. | |
situation in England. He was it quite hard on that. We have seen | :42:16. | :42:21. | |
this week after week. They take the question back to England. There is | :42:21. | :42:26. | |
a tendency for Carwyn Jones to do that when answering these specific | :42:26. | :42:31. | |
questions. One of the strongest sections was where he accused | :42:31. | :42:34. | |
Andrew RT Davies of being a puppet of his party Investment staff. | :42:34. | :42:42. | |
There is a genuine edge between those two. -- in Westminster. The | :42:42. | :42:46. | |
arguments were revolving around local issues and safety. The | :42:46. | :42:49. | |
question all the politicians are trying to match is, how do you get | :42:49. | :42:53. | |
the balance right? Carwyn Jones pushing very hard on the safety | :42:53. | :42:57. | |
aspects. Interesting questions from the UN would on what the distance | :42:57. | :43:01. | |
of travel to a hospital could mean for safety. There was a lot of meat | :43:02. | :43:06. | |
in there today. I felt it was interesting and worth watching. | :43:06. | :43:10. | |
you think it, we have obviously had so much about the reforms being all | :43:10. | :43:14. | |
about driven up by clinicians, now what is coming to the politicians | :43:14. | :43:20. | |
at this point. That is one of the big arguments. The opposition | :43:20. | :43:23. | |
parties say that because the health minister has left these decisions | :43:23. | :43:28. | |
to the local health boards, they pay too much attention to the Royal | :43:28. | :43:33. | |
Colleges and so that is rather than to the needs and views of patients. | :43:33. | :43:38. | |
If it moves back into the political arena, that will change. Patients | :43:38. | :43:41. | |
are the people who have their votes. Thank you very much. | :43:41. | :43:45. | |
That's it for today. I'll be back at the same time next week with | :43:45. | :43:48. | |
more coverage of First Minister's Questions. If you want more Welsh | :43:48. | :43:51. |