:00:25. > :00:27.Good afternoon. Welcome to the programme. Politicians will be
:00:27. > :00:31.discussing the Assembly Budget today and a budget can still
:00:31. > :00:35.stretched to get Vaughan Roderick on the sofa later to talk about
:00:35. > :00:40.what might happen. Before that, we were taking First Minister's
:00:40. > :00:49.questions which no doubt will be dominated by the Budget. You can
:00:49. > :00:57.contact us via twitter, or send us The First Minister is on his feet
:00:57. > :01:01.taking questions from AMs. Let's go over to the Senate macro.
:01:01. > :01:04.The first item on the agenda is questions from the First Minister.
:01:04. > :01:10.Rebecca Evans. Will the First Minister make a statement on his
:01:10. > :01:15.health priorities for Wales. They can be found in the document.
:01:15. > :01:20.welcome the Welsh Government's effort to reduce suicide in Wales.
:01:20. > :01:25.How is the Welsh Government assuring local health boards are
:01:25. > :01:29.engaged with suicide prevention? The action plan identify his local
:01:29. > :01:33.health boards as those responsible agencies and leads to agencies for
:01:33. > :01:41.many of the atoms within the plan, so they are crucial to ensuring the
:01:41. > :01:47.actions are carried out. First Minister, we have all seen
:01:47. > :01:51.recently the shocking use of long ambulance queues outside a hospital
:01:51. > :01:56.in my constituency. Although I drew attention to this last week there
:01:56. > :01:59.were seven ambulances queuing outside on Sunday of this week. I
:01:59. > :02:02.am sure you will agree, First Minister that this needs urgent and
:02:02. > :02:06.immediate action. What is your government doing and what are you
:02:06. > :02:10.doing as First Minister in the short and long-term to resolve this,
:02:10. > :02:14.and how do you think that in health spending as you are doing will
:02:14. > :02:17.address this very real issue? -- cutting health spending. There will
:02:17. > :02:22.be occasions when a in the departments become very full but
:02:22. > :02:26.there are few and far between. -- accident and emergency departments.
:02:26. > :02:29.I take no lectures from the party opposite when we see is the
:02:29. > :02:32.substantial health that's happening in England. We in Wales will
:02:32. > :02:42.protect the NHS against the predatory instincts of the party
:02:42. > :02:46.opposite. Simon Thomas. Thank you, presiding officer. To return to
:02:46. > :02:52.Wales and my local trust area in particular, the government and the
:02:52. > :02:57.Health Minister had said it is a priority not to close any district
:02:57. > :03:03.general hospital sites, but what about developing expert surgery --
:03:03. > :03:09.Surgery expertise on all sides, will it be a priority for you and
:03:09. > :03:11.your government to ensure a very surgical specialism in every
:03:11. > :03:18.district general hospital attracting clinical staff and
:03:18. > :03:25.giving local people confidence that local hospitals are essential for
:03:25. > :03:33.your health plans in that area. Local hospitals are essential part
:03:33. > :03:38.of our policies and the way we can insure that there are centres of
:03:38. > :03:42.specialist surgery in that area. -- N Short. It is also important to
:03:42. > :03:47.ensure that we attract more doctors into the area. It has been a
:03:47. > :03:50.problem for many years, but they didn't want to go to the west of
:03:50. > :03:56.Swansea, so the minister Lesley Griffiths has launched a campaign
:03:56. > :04:00.in order to attract more doctors to Wales and the West. Russell George.
:04:00. > :04:07.Question 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on his priorities
:04:07. > :04:12.for halting biodiversity loss? Protecting Eco systems is a
:04:12. > :04:20.priority for the government, and includes actions such as ecosystem
:04:20. > :04:27.resilience, diversity and the funding of measures such as those
:04:27. > :04:29.to improve equality. I welcome the �1 million funding the government
:04:29. > :04:35.has recently announced for projects on improving the natural
:04:35. > :04:40.environment, but does he have a dedicated budget for delivery
:04:41. > :04:44.against biodiversity loss? The government has missed its 2010
:04:44. > :04:49.target for halting what biodiversity loss and has new
:04:49. > :04:52.targets in place for 2020, so would you agree that it is crucial but
:04:52. > :04:58.there is a commitment from government to ensure enough funding
:04:58. > :05:03.is to live at to make the targets possible, and they should be a
:05:03. > :05:09.dedicated line in the Budget? budget doesn't contain one specific
:05:09. > :05:14.example of funding for biodiversity loss. There are many examples. The
:05:14. > :05:21.woodland strategy as another. Thereon Umbro -- a number of areas
:05:21. > :05:26.within the budget of the government that identify ways to improve
:05:26. > :05:32.biodiversity retention. Rebecca Evans. Thank you, presiding officer.
:05:32. > :05:38.Marine protected areas Arequipa to war for protecting being diet --
:05:38. > :05:43.biodiversity and require management. Given that many marine centres are
:05:43. > :05:49.not in favourable status, what will Welsh Government do to ensure they
:05:49. > :05:52.are well managed? We intend to contribute towards an ecologically
:05:52. > :05:56.coherent UK network of well-managed green areas, and the Countryside
:05:56. > :06:03.Council for Wales is currently undertaking a review which is due
:06:03. > :06:08.to report to the government in the New Year. Dafydd Elis-Thomas.
:06:08. > :06:13.Minister, in what way will the policy of combining the Countryside
:06:13. > :06:17.Council for Wales, the Environment Agency Wales and the Forestry
:06:17. > :06:23.Commission, how will that promote biodiversity, considering that
:06:23. > :06:26.Wales has been very slow on a number of occasions already in
:06:26. > :06:30.implementing conservation areas? is very important that we look at
:06:30. > :06:34.the most efficient and effective ways of delivering on the
:06:34. > :06:39.environment, and of course a single body is a means of doing that and
:06:39. > :06:44.bringing the expertise that exists in those three organisations into a
:06:44. > :06:48.single body for the benefit of the environment in Wales. We now move
:06:48. > :06:53.to questions from party leaders. I called the leader of the opposition
:06:53. > :07:02.to ask that this Minister three questions. Andrew RT Davies. Thank
:07:02. > :07:10.you. First Minister, last year the Institute of Directors said that
:07:11. > :07:15.their members perceived... There was also a comment from the role
:07:15. > :07:18.Institute of Chartered Surveyors, who said there was an inherent
:07:18. > :07:21.suspicion around development -- developers and entrepreneurs from
:07:21. > :07:24.the Welsh Government. You are the minister charged with
:07:24. > :07:27.responsibility for the Welsh Government business scheme. What
:07:27. > :07:31.are you doing to address those concerns from two leading
:07:31. > :07:34.professional bodies representing the private sector here in Wales?
:07:34. > :07:38.These are reflected in the Council for economic renewal that met last
:07:38. > :07:43.week. We had a wide range of discussion on a number of issues on
:07:43. > :07:47.that -- at back Council and concern was not expressed about Welsh
:07:47. > :07:51.Government's attitude. There will be announcements in due course that
:07:51. > :07:57.will show businesses in Wales we want to help them in difficult
:07:57. > :08:02.times. First Minister, you say they were old concerns, but last week
:08:02. > :08:05.your business minister lamented the fact that the capitalist system --
:08:05. > :08:07.of the capitalist system and extolled the values of Marxism. Do
:08:07. > :08:11.you not think when you have the business and enterprise minister
:08:11. > :08:15.talking on the floor of the Assembly in such terms that the
:08:15. > :08:19.points I have what you are reinforced, and it alienates
:08:19. > :08:25.business interacting with the government. What we hear from the
:08:25. > :08:28.party opposite, redundancies in the public sector, records youth
:08:28. > :08:31.unemployment, yet the party opposite does nothing. I can
:08:31. > :08:37.guarantee the leader of the opposition this government will
:08:37. > :08:41.help young people find work, unlike his party. First Minister as usual
:08:41. > :08:44.you have not given one answer this afternoon, not one answer. Your
:08:44. > :08:48.Business Minister has not made one statement to this plenary on the
:08:49. > :08:52.cause of this government. It has not highlighted what you will be
:08:52. > :08:59.doing to assist business other than playing Inter governmental
:08:59. > :09:02.squabbles. I put two very valid points made by business about the
:09:02. > :09:05.Welsh Government interacting. I have made a point about what the
:09:05. > :09:10.minister for business said in the plenary. There is a perception
:09:10. > :09:15.about them that this government is risk-averse and takes no listening
:09:15. > :09:20.to the business sector in our community. Why were you not respond
:09:20. > :09:23.to the questions I have put you and ensure your government fully
:09:23. > :09:27.interacts with business in Wales when people are losing their jobs
:09:27. > :09:32.up and down this country? He stands there is if his party has no blame
:09:32. > :09:38.it all to be attached to it for this. Nothing to do with us, the
:09:38. > :09:41.fact that carbon taxes will cost jobs in Wales, the feed in tariff
:09:41. > :09:46.will cost jobs in Wales, nothing to do with the party opposite a tall.
:09:46. > :09:49.We have schemes such as the Welsh jobs fund which will put 4000 young
:09:49. > :09:52.people into training or apprenticeships every single year.
:09:52. > :10:02.That will ensure we make up for the neglect we see from the UK
:10:02. > :10:05.
:10:06. > :10:10.government. The leader of Plaid This is what Ed Miliband said last
:10:10. > :10:15.night and I will quote him in the language spoken. The government
:10:15. > :10:19.urgency -- her daily needs to get a plan for growth and jobs which will
:10:19. > :10:26.put young people back to work -- urgently needs. And get the economy
:10:26. > :10:31.moving. Do you agree? Yes. I had suspected you might agree with him,
:10:31. > :10:36.and it would be difficult for you not agree. You have referred to the
:10:36. > :10:41.fact that you are introducing a new scheme which will provide 4000
:10:41. > :10:44.opportunities for young people. The latest figures show an additional
:10:44. > :10:47.5000 young people are out of work already, even at the current
:10:47. > :10:51.economic climate, and the likelihood is that there will be
:10:51. > :10:57.yet more again joining that you tomorrow, which will mean 50,000
:10:57. > :11:01.young people between 16-24 I took work. These could be the last
:11:01. > :11:04.generation we saw in the Eighties and Nineties, seeing themselves in
:11:04. > :11:09.the same situation with no hope of finding work, and in addition to
:11:09. > :11:14.that scheme of 4000 apprenticeships, what are you going to do? There
:11:14. > :11:18.will be a statement this week from the minister for enterprise and
:11:18. > :11:24.business regarding the way forward for assisting businesses in Wales.
:11:24. > :11:29.There will be a statement next week as regards a capital fund we have
:11:29. > :11:35.for next year, and, of course, we have ensured that it is easier for
:11:35. > :11:40.young people in Wales to study in keeping the further education
:11:40. > :11:46.allowance, and also the Assembly's learning grant. Help which is not
:11:46. > :11:50.available in England, of course. am very pleased that you appear now
:11:50. > :11:56.to be responding to this crisis, which is a very real crisis in the
:11:56. > :12:01.economy. I am sure you will have seen the price Waterhouse Coopers
:12:01. > :12:04.report published today which makes the point that there are structural
:12:04. > :12:08.problems and the Welsh economy, and that is why, of course, we have
:12:08. > :12:10.published the economic renewal programme, because of the
:12:10. > :12:13.structural problems facing the Welsh economy which are being
:12:13. > :12:17.worsened because of the economic climate, particularly for young
:12:17. > :12:22.people. We are seeing that the private sector is too small in
:12:22. > :12:26.Wales and we must develop and grow that. The problem with that is that
:12:26. > :12:30.it does demonstrate that Wales has a less attractive place to live
:12:30. > :12:37.because of the structural problems in the economy, then, as well as
:12:37. > :12:40.the long-term plans. Do you also acknowledge that we need short-term
:12:40. > :12:46.solutions that will help the economy through the current
:12:46. > :12:50.recession? And if we see that sort of thing, then are you willing to
:12:50. > :12:53.review the one Wales programmes to see if there are lessons to be
:12:53. > :13:00.learnt there? Of course we must ensure we are effective as we can
:13:00. > :13:05.be, and in addition to the statement I have mentioned, �39
:13:05. > :13:10.million of funding is available after freezing council tax in
:13:10. > :13:15.England, which is part, of course, of the plan to move forward, and I
:13:15. > :13:19.am certain that there will be discussions between the parties as
:13:19. > :13:25.regards the most effective way forward. Welsh Liberal Democrats.
:13:25. > :13:29.Kirsty Williams. Do you agree that education does more than shaped the
:13:29. > :13:33.life chances of individuals or achieve economic success, it is
:13:33. > :13:37.fundamental to building a just, inclusive and fair society, and if
:13:37. > :13:41.you do believe that, or why we are not back Welsh Lib Dem proposals to
:13:41. > :13:45.put -- close the funding gap between Welsh and English schools
:13:46. > :13:50.and find extra money to help our poorest children? We have made a
:13:50. > :13:54.commitment, of course, to close in the funding gap that exists. It was
:13:54. > :14:00.one of the pledges we took in the election and has been fulfilled as
:14:00. > :14:06.a result of the Budget. These are issues, of course, which form part
:14:06. > :14:10.of the divisions between the two parties. The education
:14:10. > :14:16.announcements you have made to date will have little appreciable affect
:14:16. > :14:24.on closing that gap. In Wales, just one in five children on free school
:14:24. > :14:27.meals, our poorest children, get five good GCSEs grade A *-C.
:14:27. > :14:31.Society pays the price for educational failure. Three-quarters
:14:31. > :14:34.of young offenders describe their academic attainment as Neil and
:14:34. > :14:38.two-thirds of employers say schools do not equipped young people with
:14:38. > :14:42.the skills they need for work, and one-third of those excluded from
:14:42. > :14:46.school are involved in substance misuse. That is the long-term
:14:46. > :14:49.impact for a short-term failure to invest. Does the Labour Party
:14:49. > :14:59.really disagree but directing extra resources to the poorest children
:14:59. > :15:00.
:15:00. > :15:04.to give them that extra help they No, but we disagree with moving
:15:04. > :15:09.money from other areas to pay for that, it is simply money being
:15:09. > :15:14.moved around. That said, I appreciate the comments and the
:15:14. > :15:19.force behind them, whilst standing on her feet is not the best way to
:15:19. > :15:24.negotiate over the next two minutes, I look forward to discussing these
:15:24. > :15:33.matters at an appropriate time. Have course, the First Minister
:15:33. > :15:40.fundamentally would misrepresents policy in England, but I'm
:15:40. > :15:44.interested in Welsh children. Wales cannot afford a politician's short-
:15:44. > :15:49.term fix to get the budget through this afternoon. Do you not agree
:15:49. > :15:54.that we need a Statesman's budget that makes the right choice before
:15:54. > :15:59.education now end in the future? is important that you put country
:15:59. > :16:04.before party. Nick Clegg sold students down the river. The second
:16:04. > :16:08.point to be made is that this, of course, there needs to be a budget,
:16:08. > :16:13.and there needs to be a Budget that is statesmanlike, and there needs
:16:13. > :16:17.to be proposals coming forward from other parties that are sensible,
:16:17. > :16:22.and that means the way it has proposed that money should be spent
:16:22. > :16:25.in a particular way, or more money should be spent in a particular
:16:25. > :16:30.area, then consideration should be given to read that comes from.
:16:30. > :16:33.There is no money in reserve, money is moved from other parts of the
:16:33. > :16:36.Budget, that is what is sensible, and that is what the Welsh people
:16:36. > :16:42.expect, and we are more than happy to deal with the discussions we
:16:42. > :16:45.have had. William Graham. Will the First Minister outline the
:16:45. > :16:50.priorities for the economic development of the South Wales
:16:50. > :16:55.East? Yes, they are in their new programme for government. Thank you
:16:55. > :17:01.for your brief answer. Let me join you in congratulating the private
:17:01. > :17:06.industries such as BAE Systems which has had enormous input with
:17:06. > :17:12.apprenticeships, and the food company that has increased its
:17:13. > :17:17.staff by 50, and the �39 million of private investment that the company
:17:17. > :17:20.Newport has pioneered in cloud computing. We Dewar agreed that
:17:20. > :17:26.private industry has made an enormous contribution tooth South
:17:26. > :17:33.Wales East? Yes, and that has been the case for many years and we want
:17:33. > :17:37.that to be the case across all of Wales. Will the First Minister
:17:37. > :17:45.outlined his Government's plans to boost the economy? Our plans are
:17:45. > :17:51.set out for the programme for government. Thank you. The
:17:51. > :17:55.Construction Industry needs an injection of confidence, and what
:17:55. > :17:58.the leaders of the industry had been telling me, they are looking
:17:58. > :18:03.for a national capital plan, when will the Government announced such
:18:04. > :18:10.a plan? We're hoping to do that before Christmas, during this
:18:10. > :18:14.Assembly term. I just got off the phone to a company that has been
:18:14. > :18:21.providing solar panels to the people on fixed income, people on
:18:21. > :18:27.low income, for free, because they are able to sell the energy that is
:18:27. > :18:35.produced by renting the space above the roof of those people. They are
:18:36. > :18:41.telling me that the impact of this tariff, four months before it was
:18:41. > :18:46.meant to happen, is absolutely devastating green industries. I
:18:46. > :18:50.just wonder what impact this is having on the environmental
:18:50. > :18:56.programme? I think there is a serious threat to jobs as a result
:18:56. > :19:00.of what was a Brentry decision and I would urge the UK government took
:19:00. > :19:06.reconsider it. We would do what we can to ensure that this continues
:19:06. > :19:09.as successfully as it has, and last Friday, the First Minister
:19:09. > :19:15.announced �8.8 million to improve the energy efficiency of Welsh
:19:15. > :19:20.homes and to stimulate the wild green economy. That would seek 550
:19:20. > :19:23.homes benefiting from energy generating technology through this
:19:23. > :19:33.scheme and it would make sure jobs are made available to people that
:19:33. > :19:34.
:19:34. > :19:38.need them. During your trip, Your recent trip to China, you
:19:38. > :19:43.reaffirmed the arrangement that your predecessors signed there in
:19:43. > :19:47.2006, given the relatively small size of Wales compared with this
:19:48. > :19:51.Chinese city that is home to more than 28 million people, and a high
:19:51. > :19:55.level of competition that Wales faces from other international
:19:55. > :19:58.cities which competes for influence in China, do you agree that the
:19:58. > :20:03.Welsh economy would be well served by building additional
:20:03. > :20:06.relationships with smaller and more innovative cities in China? We give
:20:06. > :20:09.a commitment to broadening the Welsh government approach and links
:20:09. > :20:14.it builds between Welsh universities and businesses in
:20:14. > :20:21.China? A small city in China is rather different to the definition
:20:21. > :20:25.of what we would call a small city. They all very big. We would like to
:20:25. > :20:31.engage with some cities in China rather than overstretch ourselves
:20:31. > :20:34.and spread too thinly. We have established a relationship through
:20:34. > :20:37.a memorandum of understanding, a relationship with Beijing had we
:20:38. > :20:46.would like to ensure that we maximise investment opportunities
:20:46. > :20:49.in Wales. First Minister, a small and medium-sized enterprises are
:20:49. > :20:54.critical to growth in the Welsh economy, but a number of smaller
:20:54. > :20:57.businesses I have met with recently have identified difficulty in
:20:57. > :21:04.accessing financial sources that are currently available as a
:21:04. > :21:08.barrier to growth, and hinder their survival. I visited if the Otley
:21:08. > :21:12.brewery which is a fantastic example of a Welsh brand with a
:21:12. > :21:16.capacity to grow and its bottles are in the shop upstairs, but they
:21:17. > :21:21.had to bottle those products by hand because of the lack of
:21:21. > :21:25.bottling facilities of their own which requires a small investment.
:21:26. > :21:30.Given that small and medium-size enterprises often lacks Special
:21:31. > :21:36.Administrative resources to have bureaucratic have been applying for
:21:36. > :21:39.government support, what we will you help these businesses and to
:21:39. > :21:46.release money efficiently and quickly? I hope that it was
:21:46. > :21:48.memorable the two the Otley brewing company! I can say that the
:21:48. > :21:57.minister will be making an announcement this week that would
:21:57. > :22:01.be of help in the way bet you described. What steps will the
:22:01. > :22:06.First Minister take to ensure ministers and their officials were
:22:06. > :22:11.together on cross-country issues for Wales? We work together for all
:22:11. > :22:15.matters to make sure that officials do so too. You will be aware I
:22:15. > :22:19.brought this an issue of before because in my constituency
:22:19. > :22:21.identified a lack of strategic and joined-up thinking on some of the
:22:22. > :22:26.approach has undertaken by government. One of the concerns I
:22:26. > :22:33.would like to race today is what can you, as First Minister, to me
:22:33. > :22:35.to bring together people, with regards the new planning
:22:36. > :22:40.consultation that is coming out, because there will be any planning
:22:40. > :22:45.Bill which is good for Wales, but I want to make sure the minister for
:22:45. > :22:48.business, education and skills is also involved in this to ensure
:22:48. > :22:52.that planning helps businesses to flourish in this country and I
:22:52. > :22:55.believe that you as First Minister have that ability to bring together
:22:55. > :22:59.these various departments and I wonder what he would do to halt
:22:59. > :23:03.that? I am not sure what planning consultation you were referring to,
:23:03. > :23:07.but if you mean the one that will lead to the publishing of the new
:23:07. > :23:12.Planning Bill, all ministers will have an interest in ensuring that
:23:12. > :23:20.this bill is robust, as indeed will local authorities and other bodies
:23:20. > :23:25.and the public in Wales. As with the previous question, I would like
:23:25. > :23:29.to ask what proactive steps you as First Minister will be taking to
:23:29. > :23:34.ensure that the wide range of relevant ministers contribute in a
:23:35. > :23:39.full and considered wait to be discussions on reforming of the
:23:39. > :23:46.Common Agricultural Policy? course, around the Cabinet table,
:23:46. > :23:50.there are a number of items that are discussed and it is an
:23:50. > :23:54.opportunity for the ministers to express an opinion on things
:23:54. > :24:01.outside their own portfolio and it makes sure the Government works
:24:01. > :24:04.together well. What discussions has the First Minister had with the UK
:24:04. > :24:08.government over the electrification of the main line between South
:24:08. > :24:13.Wales and London? The UK government is responsible for this funding,
:24:13. > :24:17.but officials are working with the Department for Transport on a joint
:24:17. > :24:19.business case that will be completed in December. I wonder if
:24:19. > :24:25.the First Minister can tell us how the Government intends to promote
:24:25. > :24:30.the benefits of the electrification of the Great Western line with
:24:30. > :24:34.businesses in Wales only recently, there was a special First Great
:24:35. > :24:37.Western servers that I'm sure he knows of and he will agree that it
:24:37. > :24:43.was great that it broke the previous speed record from Cardiff
:24:43. > :24:47.to London. It shaped around 20 minutes off the time of travel
:24:47. > :24:50.between Cardiff and London, so there will be major benefits of
:24:51. > :24:55.electrification, we were greed is important the Government does all
:24:55. > :24:59.it can at this point to capitalise on these benefits? Bear in mind,
:24:59. > :25:04.that train, as far as I know, it did not stop anywhere, which is one
:25:04. > :25:09.reason why it was rather faster than the normal service! But to
:25:09. > :25:15.take the point on electrification, it sends a message to investors
:25:15. > :25:19.that Wales, South Wales, is easy to reach. Investment has been made in
:25:20. > :25:24.the transport infrastructure and as a result, connectivity between
:25:24. > :25:29.Cardiff and London, on this occasion, is actually faster than
:25:29. > :25:39.many would realise. It is important that we seek a letter vocation as
:25:39. > :25:40.
:25:40. > :25:43.far as Swansea in the meantime. was on the train that no grants you
:25:43. > :25:49.referred to and I notice that we did not stop in any stations on the
:25:49. > :25:52.way. But it has to be said that having considered that, it was a
:25:52. > :25:59.particularly smooth journey and you could see there would be advantages
:26:00. > :26:04.in operating the railway line. -- up grading. We need to everything
:26:04. > :26:08.in your ability to ensure that the upgrade, including the
:26:08. > :26:13.electrification, does go as far as Swansea. It would be wonderful if
:26:13. > :26:19.it could go further, but if it at least goes as far as Swansea.
:26:19. > :26:22.very important, for two reasons. It gives a message that if it were to
:26:22. > :26:28.stop in Cardiff, it gives the message that the main line stops in
:26:28. > :26:38.Cardiff, and that would not assist Wales in any way. We know that
:26:38. > :26:42.future investment on trains will be in the electric trains. It is very
:26:42. > :26:49.important that we in Wales can benefit from an electrified line in
:26:49. > :26:53.the future. For the very reasons you have just set out, you will
:26:53. > :26:57.know that Swansea council, local MPs and other bodies are trying to
:26:57. > :27:01.put together an alternative business case to take
:27:01. > :27:05.electrification to Swansea. Can you outline what the Government's
:27:05. > :27:08.involvement is with that process and how much support rigging to it?
:27:09. > :27:15.We are working with the Department of Transport on a joint business
:27:15. > :27:19.case to see it completed next month. Will the First Minister make a
:27:19. > :27:23.statement on improving health and equality in Wales? Yes, good health
:27:23. > :27:27.and well-being should not depend on where people live for their social
:27:27. > :27:30.circumstances and the importance of reducing health inequalities is
:27:30. > :27:37.highlighted in our fight your vision for the NHS in Wales
:27:37. > :27:41.together for health. -- are a five- year revision. I was very pleased
:27:41. > :27:45.to attend the National child poverty Conference and young
:27:45. > :27:48.people's summit recently were children gave first and accounts of
:27:48. > :27:51.the inequalities they are experiencing because of the poverty
:27:51. > :27:56.of their parents, and there were discussions about poor diet,
:27:56. > :27:59.smoking, stress, for example. I know that the programme for
:27:59. > :28:02.government has set up a range of measures to tackle all of this, but
:28:03. > :28:07.can you tell us what the white government is doing to address the
:28:07. > :28:12.needs of children that are suffering in particular? -- what
:28:12. > :28:22.the wise government is doing? strategy is to reduce the
:28:22. > :28:24.
:28:24. > :28:28.inequalities that can't see exist in help. -- that currently exist.
:28:28. > :28:32.Actions are being delivered to improve the health outcomes of
:28:32. > :28:39.children and young people and families living in poverty. First
:28:39. > :28:49.Minister, I am deeply concerned about the health and inequality
:28:49. > :28:50.
:28:50. > :28:59.that exists in South Wales East. Statistics suggest that smoking and
:28:59. > :29:03.obesity rates above the Wiesner but average. -- the reasonable average.
:29:03. > :29:08.People have health problems that are higher than the Welsh average.
:29:08. > :29:11.How will the administration insurer there is a renewed focus on
:29:11. > :29:15.preventive health measures, to reverse these troubling trends,
:29:15. > :29:21.particularly in areas of Wales that suffer most from poor public
:29:21. > :29:26.health? You mentioned smoking, we talked about a tobacco control
:29:26. > :29:30.action plan that discourages young people from starting to smoke and
:29:30. > :29:38.to support people that want to give up, and it has a strong focus on
:29:38. > :29:43.protecting children and reducing inequality in health. Thank you.
:29:43. > :29:47.The health trust in the Nice area at consulted on creating a new
:29:47. > :29:52.health centre and the plan was to close the surgery and create a new
:29:52. > :29:57.centre and retain the resolve and surgery. The intention is now to
:29:57. > :30:01.close both surgeries with the expectation that people will travel.
:30:01. > :30:10.How we USS as a government in ensuring that these people that
:30:10. > :30:16.have to travel on public transport will not suffer health inequalities
:30:16. > :30:19.as a result as any plan of this sort, and would maintaining a
:30:19. > :30:24.second surgery be something the Government would support? -- how
:30:24. > :30:30.would you resolve as a government? It is difficult to know that answer
:30:30. > :30:34.without considering the concision of both surgeries because it is we
:30:34. > :30:38.need to make sure that local health boards consider how easy it is to
:30:39. > :30:48.travel from one place to another. When they considered decisions they
:30:49. > :31:04.
:31:04. > :31:08.We know there are stark statistics on health inequality not only
:31:08. > :31:12.within the City of Cardiff but across the country, Bute Town
:31:12. > :31:17.compared to parts of Ceredigion, there is a distance of over --
:31:17. > :31:22.difference up over a decade in her life expectancy. Can the government
:31:22. > :31:27.co-ordinate action between agencies including local health boards and
:31:27. > :31:32.local government to direct and improve the health in terms of our
:31:32. > :31:35.poorest and most vulnerable communities. Our Health
:31:35. > :31:41.unsustainable pre-schools scheme is being rolled out in pre-school
:31:41. > :31:47.settings -- and sustainable pre- school scheme. By extending flying
:31:47. > :31:54.start, that is an effective way of reducing inequality in terms of
:31:54. > :32:00.health in different areas. What are the Welsh Government's priorities
:32:00. > :32:06.for animal health? Well, the priorities include the eradication
:32:06. > :32:10.of bovine TB -- TB and taking steps to control other animal diseases,
:32:10. > :32:14.and ensuring contingency measures can be acted on quickly in the
:32:14. > :32:18.event of disease outbreak. Thank you for that response, but I am
:32:18. > :32:23.sure you as I am disappointed that your government has failed to keep
:32:23. > :32:28.its word in terms of making a clear announcement on the badger cull
:32:28. > :32:34.plan in the autumn, as was promised. Now the plan will has established
:32:34. > :32:37.and concluded its work -- panel, or will you ensure it makes an early
:32:37. > :32:42.statement so York ministers can explain the rationale behind the
:32:42. > :32:47.decision, be it in favour or against a badger cull, directly
:32:47. > :32:51.with the agricultural community in the winter fare at Builth Wells
:32:51. > :32:54.later in the month? This statement will be issued as soon as possible.
:32:54. > :33:02.The minister is considering the conclusions of the report that will
:33:02. > :33:11.be given to him by the chief scientific consultant. First
:33:11. > :33:15.Minister, I have some real concerns about powers transferred to local
:33:15. > :33:22.authorities to protect animal welfare. I note that currently
:33:22. > :33:30.there has been a drop in many of the convictions from 204 in 2009 to
:33:30. > :33:35.147 in 2010. Of the 147, some 114 were for causing unnecessary
:33:35. > :33:40.suffering, and 20 it for not meeting the welfare requirements of
:33:40. > :33:46.animals have in their care -- 28. First Minister, what are you doing
:33:46. > :33:49.to ensure there has been sufficient levels of funding cent the cross
:33:50. > :33:53.from this Welsh Government to ensure local authorities are able
:33:53. > :33:56.to carry out their duties diligently so as to avoid any
:33:56. > :34:01.animals have been Wales and necessarily suffering? Of course,
:34:01. > :34:06.the funding is for local authorities to explain the level of
:34:06. > :34:11.funding they give to animal welfare issues. I know the RSPCA has
:34:11. > :34:15.recently been very supportive in terms of praising animal welfare in
:34:16. > :34:20.Wales and all the steps done in order to improve it. Question nine,
:34:20. > :34:25.Ken Skates. Will the First Minister outline what the Welsh Government
:34:25. > :34:30.is doing to support social enterprises in Wales. We have a
:34:30. > :34:34.number of ways of supporting social enterprises including specialist
:34:34. > :34:39.business support and a representative voice within the
:34:39. > :34:43.Welsh social enterprise coalition. Over the past two years, interest
:34:43. > :34:47.in social investment bonds has been growing. The central idea is that
:34:47. > :34:52.an authority such as the Assembly or local government sells bonds,
:34:52. > :34:58.and the money funds schemes such as those in new services. The bond
:34:58. > :35:03.issuer repays the bond. The small scheme is already operating in
:35:03. > :35:05.Peterborough prison at a in -- aimed at cutting reoffending. Will
:35:05. > :35:09.be Welsh Government were cut the role of innovative funding
:35:09. > :35:13.solutions like these that they could have been helping provide
:35:13. > :35:16.additional services such as extra support for care leavers? Yes, we
:35:16. > :35:21.are always interested in looking at solutions to issue such as
:35:21. > :35:24.reoffending. Graham aware of the project currently being undertaken
:35:25. > :35:29.in Peterborough prison, and we will continue to monitor those
:35:29. > :35:35.activities to see what the outcome of that pilot project is. Mark
:35:35. > :35:40.Fisher would. As with private enterprise, social enterprise in
:35:40. > :35:44.Wales is also concerned that they could lose out on procurement
:35:44. > :35:48.exercises when the public sector is procuring service delivery. What
:35:48. > :35:54.action is your government taking, or do you propose to take in
:35:54. > :35:58.practice, to ensure there is support for social enterprises in
:35:58. > :36:03.Wales, including for business, which takes into account community
:36:03. > :36:06.causes which too often are not given sufficient consideration by
:36:06. > :36:12.public sector procurers? The issue of procurement was right -- was
:36:12. > :36:15.raised at the council and there was a long discussion for part of the
:36:15. > :36:22.Council on that very topic. As a result of those discussions, we
:36:22. > :36:26.will be moving forward with plans to make procurement clearer, and to
:36:26. > :36:33.help smaller businesses bid for contracts in the future. Leanne
:36:33. > :36:37.Wood. Not a month seems to go by without some study or other
:36:37. > :36:43.publishing information illustrating how low life expectancy in certain
:36:43. > :36:48.areas in Wales compared to the rest of the UK. Given that diet is one
:36:48. > :36:54.of the main contributing factors to low-life expectancy, can you say
:36:54. > :36:57.how you would be prepared to support any community based
:36:58. > :37:01.companies set up -- setting up new systems of producing and
:37:01. > :37:08.distributing food to people who are currently struggling to afford
:37:08. > :37:12.food? We look, of course, to help through schemes such as the Social
:37:12. > :37:17.Enterprise Support Project, and the funding we provide to the Wales co-
:37:17. > :37:20.operative Centre, the redevelopment Trust Association and social firms
:37:20. > :37:24.Wales, and I know a major conference on social enterprise
:37:24. > :37:28.will be held in Swansea this week, in fact, during global
:37:28. > :37:32.entrepreneurship week. I urge any organisations that want to move
:37:32. > :37:38.forward in the area we describe to get involved and access the funding
:37:38. > :37:41.that they be available. Question- time, Sandy Mewies. First Minister,
:37:41. > :37:47.will you make a statement on the support the Welsh Government is
:37:47. > :37:51.giving to young people in further education in Wales? We will
:37:51. > :37:55.continue to support young people entering into and returning to
:37:55. > :37:58.further education, and we have retained important support schemes
:37:58. > :38:02.including the education maintenance allowance and the Assembly learning
:38:02. > :38:07.grant. Financial contingency funds are also available for those in
:38:07. > :38:12.financial difficulties whilst at college. Thank you, First Minister.
:38:12. > :38:15.Everyone here is where the relief are students felt when the Welsh
:38:16. > :38:19.Government took the decision to preserve the education maintenance
:38:19. > :38:23.allowance, unlike the despair felt by students across the border at
:38:23. > :38:28.the decision taken by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
:38:28. > :38:31.in Westminster. A survey has shown that almost half of England's
:38:32. > :38:36.further education authorities have seen a decline in student numbers
:38:36. > :38:40.due to the scrapping of the EMA, and of course, these are the poorer
:38:40. > :38:46.students. Would you agree with me, First Minister, that are decisions
:38:46. > :38:50.demonstrate that unlike the UK Tory coalition government, Welsh
:38:50. > :38:53.Government is investing in young people and not sitting by
:38:53. > :38:57.completion Lee as restore education are closed and tens of thousands of
:38:57. > :39:02.young people find themselves out of work because of the coalition's
:39:02. > :39:04.policy? -- sitting by complacently. Yes, the difference but in
:39:05. > :39:08.ourselves when it comes to student support and the attitude of the UK
:39:08. > :39:14.government is that we support students than they don't. Angela
:39:14. > :39:20.Burns. Sandy Mewies mentioned the thousands of young people in Wales
:39:20. > :39:24.who do not have a job, and Minister, I was wondering what do you have in
:39:24. > :39:29.your remit to ensure that for example are nine sectors identified
:39:29. > :39:33.actually reflect with the minister for education in terms of ensuring
:39:33. > :39:38.students going for further education actually are studying
:39:38. > :39:43.courses that will enable them to really go into business, for
:39:43. > :39:48.businesses we need here for our economy in Wales? That is done, of
:39:48. > :39:52.course, we want to ensure training opportunities are available in the
:39:52. > :39:56.key sectors we identified. There have been numerous discussions
:39:56. > :40:00.between a number of ministers to ensure the need for qualifications
:40:00. > :40:07.in these key sectors is reflected in the provision of education in
:40:08. > :40:15.Wales. Simon Thomas. Of course, Plaid Cymru support the
:40:15. > :40:18.government's current policies, but with investment of �3.6 billion
:40:18. > :40:22.over this Assembly period going into supporting students, I am sure
:40:22. > :40:28.you would agree that we must ensure value for money, so what steps were
:40:28. > :40:32.you as a government take to ensure current policies and plans do not
:40:32. > :40:37.decrease access to students from deprived backgrounds? Of course, we
:40:37. > :40:42.will be monitoring the situation, but we know there are so many
:40:42. > :40:49.students in a position where they wouldn't be able to go to college
:40:49. > :40:52.if they didn't receive significant levels of financial support, and we
:40:52. > :40:58.want to ensure that happens in Wales where it doesn't happen in
:40:58. > :41:07.England. The proposed budget includes a cut in the expenditure
:41:07. > :41:11.on transport within learning pathways 14-19. Will those cuts be
:41:11. > :41:17.implemented fairly or equally across the whole of Wales?
:41:17. > :41:22.course, we want to ensure that it is still possible for students to
:41:22. > :41:26.travel from one course to another, but in terms of funding, that is
:41:26. > :41:33.something that is currently, as I understand, going through so local
:41:33. > :41:42.authorities can take their own That is where we leave First
:41:42. > :41:45.Minister's questions. You can see more coverage on wine. -- online.
:41:45. > :41:49.Our Welsh Affairs Editor Vaughan Roderick is with us. Born, I
:41:49. > :41:52.mentioned at the top of the programme of the Budget dominating.
:41:52. > :41:57.-- born. Did we see attempts at budget negotiations from Kirsty
:41:57. > :42:02.Williams there? Yes, and I think in a more subtle way from the leader
:42:02. > :42:06.of Plaid Cymru. I didn't understand Kirsty Williams's tactics. Parties
:42:06. > :42:11.are in negotiation, so why try to bring it out into the open by
:42:11. > :42:16.saying, will you agree? She was never going to get an answer.
:42:16. > :42:20.and also she may have made things harder for herself, because one of
:42:20. > :42:24.the appeals, it seemed to me, of doing a deal with the Lib Dems for
:42:24. > :42:27.Carwyn Jones is that he could do it possibly without moving money
:42:27. > :42:31.around between departments, but by moving money around within the
:42:31. > :42:36.education budget. Kevin Jones, in his response, had to say he didn't
:42:36. > :42:39.think that was a good idea, which makes it harder. I thought it was a
:42:39. > :42:44.much less icy atmosphere between him and the Plaid Cymru leader
:42:44. > :42:47.today, so I think the possibility of a deal there is opening up as
:42:47. > :42:53.well. We know there is a debate in the Senate macro later and the boat,
:42:53. > :42:57.but it is a side issue really, but -- because it will be on going
:42:57. > :43:01.until 6th December. It is a ritual, and it doesn't matter if the
:43:01. > :43:05.government loses today. What is likely to happen today is that both
:43:05. > :43:08.the opposition amendment and the government motion will fail, but
:43:08. > :43:11.today is a crucial vote. But what this does show is that the
:43:11. > :43:15.opposition are in talks with each other. The government shouldn't
:43:15. > :43:18.think it just has three sets of bilateral talks going on. There are
:43:18. > :43:22.talks between the opposition parties as well which will
:43:22. > :43:28.underline to the government that it will not be easy to reach a deal.
:43:28. > :43:31.In terms of the numbers, we know Labour have 30, there are 30
:43:31. > :43:35.members of the opposition. Darren Millar of the Conservatives has
:43:35. > :43:39.been away from the Senate macro in South Africa, and injured his leg
:43:39. > :43:45.on a visit related to his job and has been wheeled into the chamber
:43:45. > :43:48.today. That is right, he is off sick but is coming down. It is very
:43:48. > :43:51.important for the opposition today at least to match the government's
:43:51. > :43:56.boat. It would be a bad day for them if someone pressed the wrong
:43:56. > :44:00.button or failed to be here, or whatever. So it is a test of
:44:00. > :44:04.strength, but a test that doesn't actually do anything apart from
:44:04. > :44:08.ratchet up the tension on the government. Vaughan Roderick, thank
:44:08. > :44:12.you. We will keep you updated across all our services here on BBC