:00:21. > :00:26.Good morning and welcome to am.pm, our twice weekly look at what's
:00:26. > :00:29.going on in politics in Wales, the UK and beyond. On today's
:00:29. > :00:33.programme: We'll be at Prime Minister's Questions as the latest
:00:33. > :00:39.unemployment figures are published. We'll hear from Owen Smith, the new
:00:39. > :00:42.Shadow Welsh Secretary. And with the Olympic football kicking off in
:00:42. > :00:52.the Millennium Stadium in just two months time, are AMs united in
:00:52. > :00:53.
:00:53. > :01:01.Joining me throughout today's programme are two AMs, the
:01:01. > :01:05.Conservative, Mark Isherwood, and for Labour, Jenny Rathbone.
:01:06. > :01:14.Unemployment figures have been published this morning. On the face
:01:14. > :01:19.of it seems like good news. Unemployment is down 1,000 in Wales.
:01:19. > :01:23.It is cautiously welcome. It is good to see the figures moving in
:01:23. > :01:30.the right direction. That has followed a trend that has been
:01:30. > :01:33.established since made 2010. What you put that down to? A number of
:01:33. > :01:40.factors perhaps including the change of the UK Government. The
:01:40. > :01:45.Welsh Government came into office last year. Our jobs is to
:01:46. > :01:49.scrutinise and criticise where appropriate. The figures on the
:01:49. > :01:56.face of them are going down but if we look at the percentages of
:01:56. > :02:03.people unemployed, it is 9% in Wales. Wales had a similar rate to
:02:03. > :02:07.the north of England, that is now at 11%. It is bad news for the
:02:07. > :02:13.north-east. We need to be very cautious about one set of figures.
:02:13. > :02:19.It is good news for the 1,000 less people having to sign on. Looking
:02:19. > :02:24.at the long-term trends, the long- term unemployment rate is Op. That
:02:24. > :02:29.is what concerns me most. Huge numbers of people are finding it
:02:29. > :02:33.difficult to get work and the longer they are unemployed the more
:02:33. > :02:37.difficult it is for them to get work. Would you make of the fact
:02:37. > :02:41.there seems to beat the trend since the Conservatives and Liberal
:02:41. > :02:48.Democrats came into government of a downward spiral at the time with
:02:48. > :02:55.the UK has gone back into recession? The Welsh Government as
:02:55. > :03:01.a clear focus on the need to create more jobs and to save jobs. I would
:03:01. > :03:11.like to hope that is because we have a focus on jobs, jobs, jobs.
:03:11. > :03:16.We are able to save jobs and also bring in new investment. You could
:03:16. > :03:25.say that the world's governments's different approach is having a
:03:25. > :03:30.benefit. -- Welsh Government's. You're nodding your head. You don't
:03:30. > :03:40.think there was government is having an impact. -- the Welsh
:03:40. > :03:42.
:03:42. > :03:50.Government is having an impact. made 2010, 627,000 people of
:03:50. > :03:53.working age in words were not in work. It had fallen before today's
:03:53. > :04:00.figures bear that wearing the stubborn high figure is historic.
:04:00. > :04:05.It predates the credit crunch. We need to be turning down to the re-
:04:05. > :04:09.-- to the causes of that. We have had devolution for 13 years and I
:04:09. > :04:15.have heard the same rhetoric over and over again. We still don't seem
:04:16. > :04:21.to be tackling that stubborn resistance block. They is an
:04:21. > :04:26.argument that Wales doesn't have the levers to be able to do that.
:04:26. > :04:36.It doesn't have fiscal or monetary power. It doesn't control pensions
:04:36. > :04:41.and benefits. But there are things it can do. It had invested billions.
:04:41. > :04:47.It was supposed to be closing that prosperity gap which included
:04:47. > :04:52.employment at the GVHD. The gap persistently widened. It is good
:04:52. > :05:02.news that unemployment as a whole appears to be in a trend of
:05:02. > :05:08.
:05:08. > :05:15.production. There is a massive -- there is much more to do. Many
:05:15. > :05:25.thanks. We will come back to you shortly. Let's find out what is
:05:25. > :05:26.
:05:26. > :05:32.happening outside the Senedd. It is sunny year. It is remarkable.
:05:32. > :05:36.a day that the farm will -- Farmers' Union of Wales I using to
:05:36. > :05:40.highlight the great benefits of life and work in the countryside.
:05:40. > :05:44.You might be able to see them behind me. They have brought the
:05:44. > :05:48.weather with them. This afternoon, we start the afternoon with
:05:48. > :05:55.questions to ministers. Today it is the environment minister and the
:05:56. > :06:02.housing minister. There is a motion on a report that the standards
:06:02. > :06:10.committee of published last week into an incident, an altercation
:06:10. > :06:15.involving the Assembly Member, Keith Davies. It has been
:06:15. > :06:20.recommended he be censured for being a part of that. There will be
:06:20. > :06:25.a debate this afternoon to see if the Assembly agrees to endorse that
:06:25. > :06:28.recommendation. Following on from that, a packed afternoon. We have a
:06:28. > :06:32.motion to agree the general principles of the official
:06:33. > :06:37.languages bail. That is to make sure the responsibilities of the
:06:37. > :06:41.Assembly and the separate commission at clearly defined in
:06:41. > :06:45.relation to a bilingual services. Following that, something that has
:06:45. > :06:53.brought about an awful lot of public attention, it is leading the
:06:53. > :06:57.news bulletins today, an initiative by the Labour Assembly Member for
:06:57. > :07:06.Pontypridd to look again at the way the law deals with issues around
:07:06. > :07:10.asbestos. If people suffer from terrible diseases as a result of
:07:10. > :07:18.being in contact with asbestos, they can take the companies to
:07:18. > :07:23.court. But Mick Antoniw wants the NHS to be able to recoup the cost
:07:23. > :07:29.of looking after patients with asbestos related diseases. Others
:07:29. > :07:34.are thinking about the impact on the insurance into as -- industry.
:07:34. > :07:42.I caught up with Mick Antoniw and you will see that interview a bit
:07:42. > :07:46.later on. After that, we have got a debate on the Conservatives on
:07:46. > :07:50.agriculture. They don't think the government is doing enough to
:07:50. > :07:55.support that sector. We have a short debate on the British
:07:55. > :07:59.football team at the Olympics. Very contentious in Wales. Many people
:07:59. > :08:02.are worried if we have Welsh players in that team we might
:08:02. > :08:07.undermine the separate nurse, the independence of the Football
:08:07. > :08:13.Association of Wales, the Olympic Committee has said that is not the
:08:13. > :08:18.case. People are worrying about it. Are our Assembly Members behind the
:08:18. > :08:22.British football team? I will be talking to a couple of them later
:08:22. > :08:32.on to examine that point. It is the issue in the short debate which has
:08:32. > :08:34.
:08:34. > :08:36.been raised by the Conservative leader. You can find out even more
:08:36. > :08:45.on what's happening in the National Assembly on BBC Wales's Democracy
:08:45. > :08:49.Live online coverage. Just go to bc.co.uk/walespolitics. That is the
:08:49. > :08:54.view from Cardiff Bay. We will head off to Westminster now to our
:08:54. > :08:58.correspondent. We have already discussed the economy and
:08:58. > :09:02.unemployment here but the economy at home and abroad is in the news
:09:02. > :09:07.again. Good news on unemployment but the bad news is the future of
:09:07. > :09:11.the you wrote is still in jeopardy. A lot of economic data out this
:09:11. > :09:16.morning. Unemployment in Wales has down slightly but it still stands
:09:16. > :09:22.at 9%. There is also some more gloomy news from the Bank of
:09:22. > :09:29.England. It expects the UK economy to grow at 0.8% this year. It had
:09:29. > :09:34.been expected growth to be 1.2%. It says the economy will not return to
:09:34. > :09:39.the levels of growth we saw before the banking and economic crisis
:09:39. > :09:46.until 2014. Quite a long way away. He does not take a political genius
:09:46. > :09:54.to work out that figure takes you closer to the general-election we
:09:54. > :10:00.are expecting in 2015. A headache for David Cameron. Some questions
:10:00. > :10:05.as to whether the UK Government's economic approach, VAT you cut back
:10:05. > :10:12.on the benefits -- deficits and that will allow the economy to grow
:10:12. > :10:17.is actually working. I think Ed Miliband will raise that today. He
:10:17. > :10:21.might point out voters in Europe at turning their backs on the idea
:10:21. > :10:25.that austerity is the way to put economy back on track. It seems to
:10:25. > :10:29.be happening in France. All eyes are on Greece. There are fresh
:10:29. > :10:36.elections coming up there. It is a referendum on whether the country
:10:36. > :10:41.will sustain the Euros. All those economic figures I gave you now are
:10:41. > :10:51.dependent on no change in Greece. If Greece pulls out, we are into
:10:51. > :10:56.
:10:56. > :11:02.the unknown. No -- now closer to home. Steve
:11:02. > :11:11.Hilton has left. He was a close adviser to David Cameron. He is
:11:11. > :11:19.taking a sabbatical. He has been the prime minister's blue-sky
:11:19. > :11:23.thinkers. He walked around Number 10 in his socks and shorts. He has
:11:23. > :11:25.been involved in a long running battle with civil servants about
:11:25. > :11:30.why they have not been there quicker in implementing his
:11:30. > :11:36.policies, his ideas. It is a battle most prime ministers have whether
:11:36. > :11:46.it is Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair. They become frustrated with
:11:46. > :11:46.
:11:46. > :11:51.the civil servant machine. Steve Hilton's parting shot is policy
:11:51. > :11:55.developments should be taken out a civil service hands and outsourced,
:11:55. > :12:05.given to think tanks. They should come up with policy ideas and see
:12:05. > :12:05.
:12:05. > :12:09.if they will work. He also said the welfare budget should be cut even
:12:09. > :12:13.further. George Osborne said they needed to find another �10 billion
:12:13. > :12:22.worth of savings from the welfare bill. Steve Hilton said he should
:12:22. > :12:28.go further, why not 25 pack -- the �25 billion? Iain Duncan-Smith was
:12:28. > :12:35.concerned about that. Steve Hill turned, an influential figure, but
:12:35. > :12:42.not everyone would be sad to see him go. -- Steve Hilton. One Welsh
:12:42. > :12:50.Conservative peer wants Britain to go metric. If you go to the pan and
:12:50. > :12:55.by her beer, it is served in a pint. But if you buy a cola drink, that
:12:55. > :13:00.is served in a litre bottle. Geoffrey Howe, Foreign Secretary
:13:00. > :13:04.and Chancellor, said it was all confusing. It might confuse
:13:04. > :13:08.visitors who come here for the Olympics. It is time we transferred
:13:09. > :13:15.to the metric system. Not everybody is convinced. Public opinion is not
:13:15. > :13:23.ready for this. But Lord Howe is saying Britain is hanging on to its
:13:23. > :13:28.Imperial past. After a few pints, people will not mind if they are
:13:28. > :13:37.having a pint or half a litre! We would like to hear from you. You
:13:37. > :13:44.can contact us on this address. Or you can send us an e-mail. We are
:13:44. > :13:48.on Twitter. Employers who expose workers to dirtiest vessels could
:13:48. > :13:52.be forced to reimburse the NHS for the cost of treating victims if new
:13:52. > :13:56.registration goes ahead. The Pontypridd Assembly Member, Mick
:13:56. > :13:59.Antoniw, is asking Assembly Members to back the change in the law this
:13:59. > :14:03.afternoon and early today he spoke to Mark Hannaby.
:14:03. > :14:09.If you are bringing forward this at a station this afternoon. What you
:14:09. > :14:14.hope to achieve? I hope it recognises the large numbers of
:14:14. > :14:19.deaths that occur in Wales as a result of asbestos exposure. I hope
:14:19. > :14:24.it will give you Welsh Government the ability to recover the costs of
:14:24. > :14:29.medical treatment from employers who are to blame for that exposure.
:14:29. > :14:34.That money should be put back into the health budget to specifically
:14:34. > :14:39.help asbestos victims and their families. Can we take the apostle -
:14:39. > :14:44.- a few possible issues with this. Is the timing right for this? Mower
:14:44. > :14:51.does, we would hope employers are unaware of the dangers of asbestos
:14:51. > :14:55.and those that weren't in the past are less to blame. The employers
:14:55. > :14:59.had their insurance policies and they have a liability for things
:14:59. > :15:03.that happen many years later. The asbestos exposure may occur in the
:15:03. > :15:10.60s or seventies but it may be decades later that the disease
:15:10. > :15:14.occurs. If there is that my ability and if the insurance companies has
:15:14. > :15:18.reserves to cover things like compensation, should it not be
:15:18. > :15:22.reasonable for the Welsh Government to say on top of that, as you are
:15:22. > :15:26.to blame for this exposure and his illness which occur as, if we can
:15:26. > :15:31.recover the cost of that medical treatment we can use it to make the
:15:31. > :15:36.lives of people who suffer from asbestos perhaps even during their
:15:36. > :15:40.palliative period of care, before death, and also for the families
:15:40. > :15:43.who suffer, to make life a bit better for them in terms of the
:15:43. > :15:53.assistance, the counselling and the support we can give them. That is
:15:53. > :15:55.
:15:55. > :16:03.If something happened in the '60s, that is recognised in out that
:16:03. > :16:07.people can take these companies to court. Should we extend that
:16:07. > :16:12.principle of culpability, to do something that could do quite
:16:12. > :16:17.severe damage to the insurance industry? It will not do any damage
:16:17. > :16:22.to the insurance industry. Secondly, it is nothing to do with
:16:22. > :16:27.culpability. This Bill will not create new entitlement to
:16:27. > :16:31.compensation or bring claims. It will only trigger an entitlement to
:16:31. > :16:37.cover medical costs, once an employer has admitted they are to
:16:37. > :16:43.blame. So, there is no new probability or liability. This Bill
:16:43. > :16:46.has nothing to do with the issue of negligence or liability.
:16:47. > :16:48.Still to come on am.pm: We'll be going live to the House of Commons
:16:49. > :16:51.for Prime Minister's Questions - that's at midday.
:16:52. > :16:54.Now, what captures the essence of democracy in Wales for you? The
:16:55. > :16:56.National Assembly wants your ideas and more than that - your pictures!
:16:57. > :16:59.An inaugural photography competition was launched by the
:16:59. > :17:07.Presiding Officer at the University of Wales, Newport, earlier this
:17:07. > :17:14.week. Mark Hannaby went along to get the picture.
:17:14. > :17:19.The photographic competition aims to show off more than Welsh
:17:19. > :17:29.slappers skills. The hope is that by showing what was democracy is
:17:29. > :17:30.
:17:31. > :17:40.about, contestants will get more involved. -- Welsh snappers.
:17:40. > :17:47.could be the local Wales and Bloom committee. It could be anything.
:17:47. > :17:51.Absolutely any idea. It is not just about us in Cardiff. It is about
:17:51. > :17:55.how you run your local communities and how you can make a difference.
:17:55. > :18:00.We are hoping some very good ideas will come forward, which we can
:18:00. > :18:07.take forward to the Assembly and change people's lives. One of the
:18:07. > :18:11.competition's judges is David Hearn. He says people should not be put
:18:11. > :18:15.off by a fair bet camera is not so great at all that they lacked
:18:15. > :18:20.technical expertise. What is more important is the idea behind the
:18:20. > :18:26.photo, the vision the photographer wants to realise. Photography is
:18:26. > :18:30.difficult. It is the end product of a thought process. What I will be
:18:30. > :18:37.looking for is not whether it is technically proficient. That can be
:18:37. > :18:45.easily done. I AM looking for that thought process, somebody who has
:18:45. > :18:52.thought to have some good -- something intelligent. I do not
:18:52. > :18:57.want be bored. At the launch, was Newport photography student. She is
:18:57. > :19:06.looking forward to entering the contest. It is more accessible for
:19:06. > :19:10.young people to express visually. You describe how you are feeling,
:19:10. > :19:15.but through a picture, it is easier to understand an expression of
:19:15. > :19:21.views and opinions. The Presiding Officer says it is more than just a
:19:21. > :19:27.photographic competition. It is a chance to have a historical record.
:19:27. > :19:31.What is happening in Wales will be documented. 20 shortlisted photos
:19:31. > :19:37.will be displayed in the Senedd, before the winner is announced a
:19:37. > :19:43.month later. You tell me you are a dab hand at
:19:43. > :19:48.the camera. Or you'd be submitting any photos? A picture tells 1,000
:19:48. > :19:52.words. It is a great idea. Everybody has the ability to take a
:19:52. > :19:57.shot these days, so I think it is a very good way of enabling people to
:19:57. > :20:07.express their views about the world around them. You tell me you have
:20:07. > :20:12.
:20:12. > :20:15.even submitted a few pictures of your own. Members have exhibited
:20:15. > :20:20.photographs. This is fantastic - it is reaching out to the population
:20:20. > :20:26.and trying to bear to engage them. Hopefully, it will help improve
:20:26. > :20:32.their understanding of what their understanding of the Assembly as. -
:20:32. > :20:37.- better engaged. It is fun, serious, engaging people, among
:20:37. > :20:43.have a positive, political affect us well. What have you taken
:20:43. > :20:52.pictures of? One was a head chugger my garden. What has that got to do
:20:52. > :21:02.with democracy?! The theme is communities. -- a hedgehog. We have
:21:02. > :21:04.
:21:04. > :21:14.now moved on to a public engagement. What was the other picture? I AM
:21:14. > :21:14.
:21:14. > :21:21.trying to think... One in the past, I've had to graft my feet! I called
:21:21. > :21:23.it political feet. -- photographed my feet. I was told I had broken
:21:23. > :21:33.the rules because you're not allowed to take a photograph of
:21:33. > :21:34.
:21:34. > :21:39.yourself. I have got a picture of "closed" outside a petrol station.
:21:39. > :21:41.Apolitical point made there. It's been a very busy 24 hours for
:21:41. > :21:44.Owen Smith - the Labour MP for Pontypridd was appointed Shadow
:21:44. > :21:47.Welsh Secretary by Ed Miliband yesterday, and today, he's been in
:21:47. > :21:52.the Senedd with the First Minister, Carwyn Jones. Our political editor,
:21:53. > :21:59.Betsan Powys, had a word with them both.
:21:59. > :22:04.Congratulations. What do you see as the main parties ahead of you?
:22:04. > :22:08.fault - one is speaking for Wales in Westminster, and making sure the
:22:08. > :22:14.Government in Westminster understands the specific needs of
:22:14. > :22:21.Wales, and understands what Carwyn Jones needs to be delivered. Such
:22:21. > :22:25.that we can deliver economic growth and jobs in Wales. That is the key
:22:25. > :22:29.task that faces all politicians, and also speaking to a wider UK
:22:29. > :22:35.audience with all the great things happening in Wales under Carwyn
:22:35. > :22:44.Jones's leadership. How about chemistry? What is it like so far?
:22:44. > :22:49.Good. We have known each other quite a long time. We have known
:22:49. > :22:56.each other a long time. We have got a lot in common in terms of our
:22:56. > :23:01.passions for all sorts of things - angling, we have just discovered.
:23:01. > :23:07.Rugby. But we have similar political views as well. That will
:23:07. > :23:11.hold us in good stead and a buzz forge a powerful partnership.
:23:11. > :23:19.Shadow Welsh Secretary has said his first job will be to say, what I do
:23:20. > :23:23.to help? Is that how they all work? I think it is mutual help. It is
:23:23. > :23:27.important the UK government is held to account for what it does in
:23:27. > :23:32.Wales, and we want to make sure we provide all the information about
:23:33. > :23:36.what is happening to Wales in Owen Smith. It is important for people
:23:37. > :23:42.in Westminster and across the UK what is happening in Wales, so yes,
:23:42. > :23:48.it is a true partnership and one based on helping each other. What
:23:48. > :23:53.you see as its priorities? Delivering for Wales. We can
:23:53. > :23:56.deliver on the ground. It is exceptionally important to have a
:23:56. > :24:03.strong voice in Westminster, holding the UK government to
:24:03. > :24:08.account. How do you think this relationship might develop? In the
:24:08. > :24:13.past, there have been suggestions that two heads are better than one.
:24:13. > :24:19.Sometimes, it makes the difficulties. How do you two see
:24:19. > :24:26.this working out? I AM not sure there have been difficulties. What
:24:26. > :24:30.I saw on the inside, people were working together seamlessly for the
:24:30. > :24:36.benefit of Wales. That is a tradition I hope we will keep up, a
:24:36. > :24:41.man confident we will. I think we have very similar perspectives on
:24:41. > :24:47.Welsh politics, and politics more broadly. And anticipate there being
:24:47. > :24:52.no difficulties. The Assembly is extremely well established and
:24:52. > :24:56.mature. Westminster is far more comfortable. Welsh politicians are
:24:56. > :25:01.more comfortable with the nature of devolution. I do not see those
:25:01. > :25:05.issues, frankly, a rise in. Is it because a better view pointing a
:25:05. > :25:12.finger at the UK government? There are many occasions when it is
:25:12. > :25:17.important to show what is being done at the UK level - such as
:25:17. > :25:21.welfare reform. That is fair for the Labour Party to point out
:25:21. > :25:25.whether in Wales or the rest of Britain. We know, here, we have to
:25:25. > :25:29.deliver as well to show people we are delivering in terms of the
:25:29. > :25:34.economy, health and education. We will focus on making sure that
:25:34. > :25:41.people know what is going on in Wells as well. The two days are not
:25:41. > :25:48.contradictory. -- in Wales. there times your finger will be
:25:48. > :25:52.pointed this way? I do not think so. The Ministers here are getting on
:25:52. > :26:00.with important reforms across a range of public services, and we
:26:00. > :26:07.are seeing improvements. I cannot imagine there will be incidents
:26:07. > :26:12.whether or happen. The Westminster government is getting it wrong. The
:26:12. > :26:18.Bank of England is having to downgrade its growth forecast. That
:26:18. > :26:21.is the result of there being a Downing Street-made recession, at
:26:21. > :26:27.the same period where we are learning that Europe is managing to
:26:27. > :26:33.avoid recession. I would continue to point out the failings of George
:26:33. > :26:40.Osborne and David Cameron, and point out where Carwyn Jones is
:26:40. > :26:44.getting it right. Time for a quick chat with my
:26:44. > :26:52.guests before we head off to Westminster.
:26:52. > :26:58.Clearly, with the UK government in its sides there. Of course, we are
:26:58. > :27:02.used to hearing more rhetoric from Labour about the UK government. But
:27:02. > :27:07.I want to congratulate Owen Smith on his appointment. I welcome his
:27:07. > :27:12.initial statement that he wants to improve relationships between Wales
:27:12. > :27:22.and Westminster. I hope that means not just between Labour, but
:27:22. > :27:24.
:27:24. > :27:30.between the two governments of Wales. So much depends upon
:27:30. > :27:36.efficient working between the two, whatever political make cups there
:27:36. > :27:42.are. In terms of UK, we have heard it all before. It is the same order
:27:42. > :27:51.lines being trotted out, with no reference to the what -- the
:27:51. > :28:01.situation for which the Welsh Government is responsible. --
:28:01. > :28:03.
:28:03. > :28:13.called lines. After 13 years, it is easy to deflect attention on a
:28:13. > :28:14.
:28:14. > :28:19.government, at least -- dealing with the largest deficit. Before
:28:19. > :28:24.you address those points, your reaction to the fact that Owen
:28:24. > :28:30.Smith has been appointed. I think it is great. I think he will be a
:28:30. > :28:37.great advocate for Wales. It is important we have a clear voice in
:28:37. > :28:42.Westminster and in the Labour Party. He needs to be on top of the
:28:42. > :28:46.important initiatives we are taking in Wales. We can demonstrate to the
:28:46. > :28:55.UK population that there is an alternative to the economic policy
:28:55. > :29:02.is being pursued by the Coalition. I think it is very important that
:29:02. > :29:07.Owen Smith is giving his first interview here outside the Senedd.
:29:07. > :29:17.That is symbolic of the close relationship I AM sure I macro end
:29:17. > :29:20.
:29:20. > :29:27.he will have. Let us look ahead to Prime Minister's Questions. It is
:29:27. > :29:32.difficult to see beyond the economy. We face the very difficult times at
:29:32. > :29:37.the moment. The situation in Europe is very significant for the future
:29:37. > :29:45.of the UK economy, and because that is where most of allow exports are
:29:45. > :29:50.sold. I AM sure that Ed Miliband will lead on the economy. I think
:29:50. > :29:57.that there is no doubt there is a shift in Europe in the type of
:29:57. > :30:01.approach that people want, and people realise that just dealing
:30:01. > :30:07.with the economic circumstances is not working. That is what is
:30:07. > :30:11.happening in Germany. If you look at what the voters of the sort of
:30:11. > :30:21.big - this send a message to Angela Merkel saying they want a growth
:30:21. > :30:21.
:30:22. > :30:27.It has set up a game of political ping-pong between the two leaders.
:30:27. > :30:32.David Cameron promised to bring an end to it. It seems to be the
:30:32. > :30:37.growing theme. It is about taking responsibility of reality. It is
:30:37. > :30:44.lenders not borrow was to decide if they are going to lend and on what
:30:44. > :30:52.rates and terms. If we lost control of this it means more expensive
:30:52. > :31:00.mortgages, less consumer spending, higher borrowing costs for
:31:00. > :31:07.businesses. They will be bigger extern cuts. They will be imposed
:31:07. > :31:15.on the UK because we failed to tackle the problem. We are going
:31:15. > :31:24.over to Westminster now. The Prime Minister is in his place.
:31:24. > :31:32.They are just finishing on Northern Ireland questions. Questions to the
:31:32. > :31:37.Prime Minister. Number one. Thank you. I'm sure the whole House would
:31:37. > :31:47.wish to join in paying tribute to the two servicemen who were killed
:31:47. > :31:48.
:31:48. > :31:53.in Afghanistan on Saturday. Our deepest condolences go to their
:31:53. > :31:55.families and loved ones. They were courageous and respected men who
:31:55. > :32:01.were engaged in the important work of training and mentoring the
:32:01. > :32:06.Afghan police. Their service must never be forgotten. I had meetings
:32:06. > :32:11.with ministerial colleagues and others and I shall have further
:32:11. > :32:16.such meetings later today. May end associate myself with the
:32:16. > :32:21.Prime Minister's correct tribute to our fallen servicemen. It is the
:32:21. > :32:28.right thing to do. Can I welcomed the fall in unemployment we have
:32:28. > :32:33.seen today. There is also a rise in employment. Can you assure me he
:32:33. > :32:41.will continue to invest in apprenticeships and the other
:32:41. > :32:45.schemes they get my constituents back to work. I thank my honourable
:32:45. > :32:51.friend for what he says about the schemes that we are putting forward.
:32:51. > :33:01.It is welcome that we have had the largest rise in employment for a
:33:01. > :33:07.year. It is up by 370,000. We are not remotely complacent about this.
:33:07. > :33:11.There is good news about youth unemployment and the claimant count
:33:11. > :33:18.coming down but there are too many people in part-time work for want
:33:18. > :33:28.full-time work. We are not complacent, whereas the flexibility
:33:28. > :33:31.
:33:31. > :33:41.-- flexible new deal took it four years to be put in place. Mr Ed
:33:41. > :33:42.
:33:42. > :33:46.Miliband. Can I join the Prime Minister in paying tribute to the
:33:46. > :33:50.servicemen. They both showed the utmost bravery and courage and our
:33:50. > :33:54.thoughts are with their families and friends. We do need to make
:33:54. > :33:57.sure that the welcome reduction in unemployment to a sustained by
:33:57. > :34:02.economic growth. Can the Prime Minister tell us what discussions
:34:02. > :34:10.he has had about a growth plan for Europe with a new president of
:34:10. > :34:14.France? Can I welcome the fact that he has welcomed the fall in
:34:14. > :34:18.unemployment. It is not just unemployment has come down, the
:34:18. > :34:22.claimant count has come down and it is worth making the point the
:34:22. > :34:27.number of people out of work benefits has fallen by 70,000 since
:34:27. > :34:30.the election. There are challenges and we must go when investing in
:34:30. > :34:34.apprenticeships and in the work programme. Had a brief discussion
:34:34. > :34:38.with the President of France after his victory. I look forward to
:34:38. > :34:42.having him longer bilateral with him before the G 8 starts this
:34:42. > :34:47.weekend. I look forward to discussing what more we can do to
:34:47. > :34:50.help in terms of European growth as the Right Honourable Gentleman will
:34:50. > :35:00.know, together with the Italian Prime Minister and other prime
:35:00. > :35:01.
:35:01. > :35:05.ministers. Met complete the energy single market. -- lets complete.
:35:05. > :35:14.These things could add to growth in Europe. That is what we should be
:35:14. > :35:18.focusing on. If I may say so it is a shame you
:35:18. > :35:28.did not see the Prime Minister -- the French peasant three months ago
:35:28. > :35:46.
:35:46. > :35:51.when he was in England then.S are Europe needs a growth plan.
:35:51. > :35:55.Brittany is a growth plan which has failed. Business is pleading with
:35:55. > :35:59.the government for regrowth plan. Does he really agree with the
:35:59. > :36:04.foreign secretary that the problems of our economy is a British
:36:04. > :36:11.business is not working hard enough? I have to admit that I have
:36:11. > :36:21.been over using my mobile phone but at least I know how to use it ran
:36:21. > :36:30.
:36:30. > :36:34.her and just throw it at people who They will be common ground between
:36:34. > :36:38.the British point of view and the French view. I know the French
:36:38. > :36:42.president when asked how he would stimulate growth, he said the me is
:36:42. > :36:46.can't be extra public spending since we want terrain it in. It is
:36:46. > :36:52.interesting the French President does not back the Labour view that
:36:52. > :36:55.the way out of the debt crisis is to borrow more, spend more and add
:36:55. > :37:01.to your bet. I do think what we need to have in Britain, absolutely
:37:01. > :37:06.vital, is the low interest rates we have. When this government came to
:37:06. > :37:12.Palmer we had the same interest rates as Spain, today hours are
:37:12. > :37:15.below 2% whereas Spanish rates are over 6% this up to the Shadow
:37:15. > :37:19.Chancellor's two were saying from a sedentary position that this was
:37:19. > :37:24.delusional, let me remind him what he said. He said the simplest
:37:24. > :37:33.measure of monetary and fiscal policy is a long-term low interest
:37:33. > :37:39.rates. Those were his words. That is what we must not lose.
:37:39. > :37:42.totally failed to answer the question about the foreign
:37:42. > :37:47.secretary who said the problem in our economy is British business is
:37:47. > :37:54.not working hard enough. He is trying to claim their President of
:37:54. > :37:58.France as an ally. What is he on about? There is one group of people
:37:58. > :38:03.who we know are losing their jobs and that is the police. 30,000 of
:38:03. > :38:06.whom marched on the streets last week. And the Prime Minister tell
:38:06. > :38:11.us how many frontline police officers have been lost since he
:38:11. > :38:17.came to power? I am not surprised he wants to rush off the economy
:38:17. > :38:22.after his first few questions. Many remind him what the government is
:38:22. > :38:26.doing to boost the economy. We are investing in apprenticeships,
:38:26. > :38:30.investing in housing, making sure we put their money into
:38:30. > :38:37.infrastructure but because we have a plan to do with our deficit we
:38:38. > :38:42.have the lowest interest rates. Turning to the police, her
:38:42. > :38:45.Majesty's Inspectorate have found that the police forces are
:38:45. > :38:50.increasing the number rough proportion of police officers and
:38:50. > :38:56.staff working on the frontline. They are taking people out of the
:38:56. > :38:59.back-office and putting them on the front line. Let me tell you this,
:38:59. > :39:05.both parties are committed to making cuts in police budgets. He
:39:05. > :39:10.is committed to a billion pounds of cuts. We are reforming allowances,
:39:10. > :39:15.cutting paperwork, freezing pay, reforming pensions, he would not do
:39:15. > :39:21.any of those things. His cuts would be the pet because he does not have
:39:21. > :39:28.the courage to do the right thing. -- his cuts would be deeper. We are
:39:28. > :39:37.in a double dip recession. A recession made in Downing Street.
:39:37. > :39:43.That is the reality. On policing, everybody will have noticed his
:39:43. > :39:47.answer. The proportion of frontline officers. He is sacking so many
:39:47. > :39:55.officers from the back office. What is happening to the number of
:39:55. > :40:02.frontline officers? 5,000 fewer his frontline officers. Fewer 999
:40:02. > :40:08.responders, fewer traffic police. What was his sales pitch? Mr
:40:09. > :40:14.Speaker, they were elected on the premise on more police officers. No
:40:14. > :40:20.wonder they are losing the elections. This is what he said.
:40:20. > :40:25.They don't want to hear what he said. Any Cabinet minister who
:40:25. > :40:28.comes to me and says he and my plans and they involve frontline
:40:29. > :40:33.for their actions will be sent back to their department to go away and
:40:33. > :40:41.think again. Is it any wonder the police are furious with his broken
:40:41. > :40:45.promise? He is having a bad day. Many try to explain. Whoever was
:40:45. > :40:50.standing here right now would have to cut police budgets. They accept
:40:50. > :40:57.that, we accept that. If you don't have the courage to deal with
:40:58. > :41:07.allowances, people were, pay, it have to make deeper cuts. I am
:41:08. > :41:11.
:41:11. > :41:15.extremely calm. This is what his own police spokesman said. He was
:41:15. > :41:23.asked the question, aren't you accepting the need for a freeze on
:41:23. > :41:30.police pay? This is what Yvette Cooper said, no. They don't accept
:41:30. > :41:35.the pension reform, they would not do the paperwork cuts. Absolutely
:41:35. > :41:42.no policy ideas at all. I know he's going to have extensive training
:41:42. > :41:49.before he goes before the Leveson Inquiry. I have got a suggestion
:41:49. > :41:54.for stunt I think he should include anger management. I don't think it
:41:54. > :41:59.is policing where he has broken his promises. We remember his promises
:41:59. > :42:03.to the nurses. He told the conference there would be no top-
:42:03. > :42:07.down reorganisation. He did not go back to the Royal College of
:42:07. > :42:12.Nursing conference this year. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many
:42:12. > :42:17.fewer nurses their asses he came to power? The number of clinical staff
:42:17. > :42:22.in the NHS has gone up. NM -- the reason it has gone up is because
:42:22. > :42:27.this government has put more money into the NHS each year. What is his
:42:28. > :42:32.commitment? His commitment is that spending on the NHS is
:42:32. > :42:37.irresponsible. That is his commitment, to cut spending on the
:42:37. > :42:41.NHS. What is happening in the NHS is the lowest number of people
:42:41. > :42:46.waiting for 18 weeks in the NHS. That is because we have got more
:42:46. > :42:52.doctors, more clinical staff and fewer people who are bureaucrats
:42:52. > :43:00.working in the NHS. I am afraid that to the bunker with that answer.
:43:00. > :43:04.There are 3,500 fewer nurses. They could not get the figure right.
:43:04. > :43:10.They could not tell us how many nurses. Nurses in training who
:43:10. > :43:20.can't find jobs. He has diverted billions of pounds from patient
:43:20. > :43:24.care to a top down reorganisation and nobody voted for it. That means
:43:24. > :43:30.he broke his promise. That is the problem with his government. They
:43:30. > :43:36.cut taxes for millionaires and cut services for the rest. I know they
:43:36. > :43:41.don't like hearing about it. What do the honourable member for
:43:41. > :43:47.Cleethorpes say, we can't convince voters we are on their side when we
:43:47. > :43:53.give top earners eight Turks -- a tax cut. That is the truth of this
:43:53. > :43:57.government. They're out of touch and stand up for the wrong people.
:43:57. > :44:02.What this government has done is the lead a tax cut every single
:44:02. > :44:06.working person in the country. We have frozen the council tax every
:44:06. > :44:11.household in the country. We have taken 2 million people out of tax
:44:11. > :44:14.in our country. What is the big decision that the Leader of the
:44:14. > :44:19.Opposition has taken this requires much he took the person in charge
:44:19. > :44:26.of his policy review, the Honourable Member for honcho, the
:44:26. > :44:31.person who said they had to be serious about the deficit, they
:44:31. > :44:36.have replaced him with a policy chief who things labour's problem
:44:36. > :44:45.is they are not close enough to the trade unions. That is his big
:44:45. > :44:55.decision. I wonder if his problem is whether he is weak or left wing.
:44:55. > :44:58.
:44:58. > :45:02.Maybe it is both. The father of the House. MPs are
:45:02. > :45:06.sceptical whether this will be a short question! Does my right
:45:06. > :45:11.honourable friend supposed that the chance up -- that Angela Merkel
:45:11. > :45:19.regrets that she did not take the advice which she -- which we gave
:45:19. > :45:23.her last October about the big bazooka which, if she had fired it
:45:23. > :45:33.but then, would have spared the European Union from its present
:45:33. > :45:36.
:45:37. > :45:42.I can't give a direct answer to that. The eurozone has to make a
:45:42. > :45:47.choice - if it wants to continue as it is, it has got to build up a
:45:47. > :45:52.proper firewall, it has got to take steps to secure all the weaker
:45:52. > :46:02.members of the eurozone or it will have to work out where to go. It
:46:02. > :46:03.
:46:03. > :46:09.either has to make-up, or it is looking at the potential break-up.
:46:09. > :46:19.Ed Andy Coulson was not vetted, why did he attend secret briefings? Is
:46:19. > :46:28.this not a mess? I know she is desperate to find the smoking gun,
:46:28. > :46:38.but this is absolutely not. We took the view that in the past,...
:46:38. > :46:42.
:46:42. > :46:48.order expat -- or dock or der! Actually, when it came to it, Andy
:46:48. > :46:57.Coulson was in the process of being vetted. So, there is no mystery
:46:57. > :47:07.about this at all. I would go and look somewhere else. Britain has
:47:07. > :47:13.
:47:13. > :47:16.just posted its first quarterly trade surplus in cars. Will the
:47:16. > :47:23.Prime Minister welcomed the news that Britain has not only cut its
:47:23. > :47:30.deficit by 25% over the last two years, but is once again a net car
:47:30. > :47:34.exporter? He makes an extremely good point, and the party opposite
:47:34. > :47:38.do not want a hear good news. What we have had to take difficult
:47:38. > :47:46.decisions, the deficit has now been reduced by one quarter, so we are
:47:46. > :47:52.on a hallway with balancing the budget. On the issue of motor car
:47:52. > :47:57.manufacturing, it is encouraging. The first time since 1976 we have a
:47:57. > :48:00.surplus in manufacturing. That is because of the hard work put in. It
:48:00. > :48:05.is extremely good news that there has taken this long to get back to
:48:05. > :48:12.a trade surplus in parts, and that Britain is once again in real hope
:48:12. > :48:17.for manufacturing. Two years ago, during the general election, the
:48:17. > :48:26.York press reported the Prime Minister promising that "we will
:48:26. > :48:34.not bring in the 80 increase" - has the Prime Minister considered that
:48:35. > :48:39.he would put money end people's pockets if that were the case?
:48:39. > :48:45.reason we had to put up VAT is we were left at the biggest budget
:48:45. > :48:49.deficit anywhere in Europe. It was bigger than Greece, Spain, Portugal.
:48:49. > :48:53.The complete mess left by the party opposite, and we now know, from
:48:53. > :49:01.reading the former Chancellor's memoirs, that he would also put up
:49:01. > :49:05.VAT. You may be aware that this is adult learning week, and Gosport's
:49:05. > :49:10.charity has just received lottery funds to support the innovative
:49:10. > :49:13.work they are doing. Can I invite the Prime Minister and the
:49:13. > :49:16.education team to visit Gosport, and see for themselves how this
:49:16. > :49:22.work can be rolled out across the rest of the country to benefit
:49:22. > :49:25.people? I think she is absolutely right to raise this issue. It is a
:49:25. > :49:28.tragedy that there are too many adults who do not have proper
:49:28. > :49:33.literacy and reading skills because of not being taught properly at
:49:33. > :49:37.school. It is vital we put that right through initiatives like the
:49:37. > :49:42.one she recommends. We have got to do better in our schools in the
:49:42. > :49:48.first place to make sure no child is left behind. We now know you can
:49:48. > :49:51.teach reading so no child gets left behind through the public scheme
:49:51. > :49:58.beats Secretary of State is leading on, and we must make sure this is
:49:58. > :50:04.available for every child in every school. The police service in
:50:04. > :50:10.Northern Ireland has revealed that between 1960 and 2005 it kept body
:50:10. > :50:16.parts and tissue samples of suspicious deaths, without
:50:16. > :50:19.notifying the families of those concerned. Other police forces in
:50:19. > :50:24.England have done the same. The Prime Minister and the House was
:50:24. > :50:28.sympathise with the families concerned, and the shock felt
:50:28. > :50:34.around Northern Ireland today as the families are being visited.
:50:34. > :50:41.What the Prime Minister John with me in demanding a answers as to
:50:41. > :50:45.what happened? -- will the Prime Minister joined. We need it
:50:45. > :50:49.independent review to explain how this practice went on for so long
:50:50. > :50:53.across the United Kingdom. I am sure as big they everyone in the
:50:53. > :50:58.House, expressing sympathy for the families who found that this
:50:58. > :51:02.terrible news about their loved ones. It must be a time of huge
:51:02. > :51:10.anguish. I am extremely sorry this report has been leaked, because it
:51:10. > :51:14.would be announced probably on Monday. I am short the Secretary of
:51:14. > :51:18.State for Northern Ireland will listen carefully to the form of
:51:18. > :51:25.inquiry that will be held, but letters publish the information on
:51:25. > :51:30.Monday so everybody can see what went wrong. Growing up in a council
:51:30. > :51:38.house, I remember well how proud people in my community were to be
:51:38. > :51:42.the first to own their own homes. Well might right honourable friend
:51:43. > :51:52.do everything he can to make a opportunity available to her this
:51:53. > :52:02.
:52:02. > :52:12.generation? I think it is very sad that, under the last government,
:52:12. > :52:22.discounts were allowed to go away. In some cases, years of Labour
:52:22. > :52:28.
:52:28. > :52:34.neglect. In recent weeks, we have had... Britain has gone back into
:52:34. > :52:40.recession, we have had a botched Budget, crazy advice from a Cabinet
:52:40. > :52:44.Office. Which of these does he think has caused the calamitous
:52:44. > :52:47.collapse in his reputation for competence? What you should be
:52:47. > :52:52.recognising his third today, unemployment has fallen, the
:52:52. > :52:57.claimant count has come down, more people are in work. We have a
:52:57. > :53:01.difficult economic situation, but he should listen to the Governor of
:53:01. > :53:05.the Bank of England. He is saying we are coming back with a textbook
:53:05. > :53:11.response to what needs to be done to clear up the mess made by people
:53:11. > :53:18.like him. Homeowners in my constituency are having a tough
:53:18. > :53:24.time at the moment. It would be worse if it was not for
:53:24. > :53:29.consistently low interest rates. Under Labour, long-term interest
:53:29. > :53:34.rates. This week, our rates were at their record low, while Spain's are
:53:34. > :53:41.at 6%. Well be Prime Minister as sure as he will do nothing to but
:53:41. > :53:45.the situation in jeopardy? Are she makes a very important point -
:53:45. > :53:49.their every increase in interest rates, it will add �1,000 to be
:53:50. > :53:53.typical family mortgage. British interest rates are below 2% because
:53:53. > :53:57.the world has confidence but in spite of our economic difficulties,
:53:57. > :54:02.we have a plan to do with that debt and deficit. You can see from
:54:02. > :54:06.looking around Europe, or what happened if you do not have a plan
:54:07. > :54:14.- your interest rates go up. That is what we would get if we listen
:54:14. > :54:23.to the party opposite. Many agencies let down those children
:54:23. > :54:29.involved in the Rochdale sex abuse case. The House must agree that
:54:29. > :54:35.children need to live in a safe and secure a place. In that context,
:54:35. > :54:38.will the Prime Minister look at having an inquiry into whether they
:54:38. > :54:46.are properly funded and have properly trained staff? When he
:54:46. > :54:49.made sure monitoring begins to work effectively as well? I am glad deep
:54:49. > :54:55.honourable gentleman raises this issue. It is a truly shocking case.
:54:55. > :54:59.We need to look very carefully at what went wrong. I have asked the
:54:59. > :55:03.Secretary of State for Education to do this. I think we need to look at
:55:03. > :55:07.why it information was not passed more rapidly from children's home
:55:07. > :55:11.to police, what action was not taken more rapidly. There are
:55:11. > :55:21.issues about inspection, but also issues about what action was not
:55:21. > :55:23.
:55:23. > :55:28.taken. Huddersfield Town fans are celebrating today, having won a
:55:28. > :55:34.place in the League One play-off finals. Bird also winning in my
:55:34. > :55:38.constituency - our local manufacturing businesses. Would the
:55:38. > :55:41.Prime Minister agree with me that the record number of
:55:41. > :55:46.apprenticeships in the UK is a clear sign this government is
:55:47. > :55:50.committed to getting Britain working? I am grateful to my
:55:50. > :55:58.honourable friend, and I would like to wish Huddersfield Town or the
:55:58. > :56:02.best. Although that might be a prime ministerial curse! We
:56:02. > :56:07.achieved 450,000 apprenticeship starts last year. The budget has
:56:07. > :56:12.been increased over one by pride billion pounds. This should deliver
:56:12. > :56:16.more apprenticeships across this Parliament. There is a lot more to
:56:16. > :56:24.do, also to make sure these are high quality apprenticeships, and
:56:24. > :56:30.we are targeting the young people who need how most. My honourable
:56:30. > :56:38.friend made reference to the situation in Rochdale. I want to
:56:38. > :56:44.talk about the girls in that case. I pay tribute to their bravery in
:56:44. > :56:49.coming forward and standing up to their abusers. They did it to get
:56:49. > :56:54.justice and to stop it happening to others. Vulnerable girls like this
:56:54. > :56:58.do not usually get heard by politicians. They do not get easy
:56:58. > :57:03.access to power or influence. How will the Government respond to
:57:03. > :57:08.these terrible crimes, and will the Prime Minister support base serious
:57:08. > :57:11.case review? Can I pay tribute to the honourable gentleman? He is
:57:11. > :57:16.absolutely right to say these girls have been brave to come forward and
:57:16. > :57:21.to tell their stories, and all the difficulties that involves. But
:57:21. > :57:27.also to be right - he himself has talked about people who have pumped
:57:27. > :57:30.in his constituency surgeries. This is a problem across communities.
:57:30. > :57:35.But there are problems in particular communities, and he has
:57:35. > :57:43.been brave to say that. In terms of what he asked, I will have a look
:57:44. > :57:48.at that. The children commissioner will come up with recommendations.
:57:48. > :57:52.I understand that Rochdale has conducted a review of child sex
:57:52. > :58:02.exploitation, but the issue of his serious case review - I will go
:58:02. > :58:02.
:58:02. > :58:06.back as well. Next year, Camborne all become the first school took
:58:06. > :58:10.launched the International Science Fair. But the Prime Minister agreed
:58:10. > :58:19.that if Britain is to prosper, we need to plead the world in science
:58:19. > :58:23.and technology? -- lead the way. is right to highlight this issue.
:58:23. > :58:28.If we want to compete in a very competitive global market, we need
:58:28. > :58:32.more science teaching, science graduates and to encourage does
:58:32. > :58:41.science graduates back into the classroom to train up the next
:58:41. > :58:46.generation of scientists and genera -- Engineers. My right honourable
:58:46. > :58:52.friend has put in place some generous bursaries schemes to
:58:52. > :58:55.encourage some of our top maths and science graduates back into the
:58:55. > :59:00.classrooms. It is now clear the Government does not have a
:59:00. > :59:04.comprehensive, a long-term strategy for careful stop does the Prime
:59:04. > :59:10.Minister agree the sharp increase in home care charges, released and
:59:10. > :59:16.figures today, is a result of his cut of �1 billion from local
:59:16. > :59:21.council budgets? I do not think the honourable gentleman's figures are
:59:21. > :59:25.right. In the spending review, we put �2 billion extra into adult
:59:25. > :59:30.social care, but we have inherited a situation where there is not a
:59:30. > :59:36.clear strategy or part with the social care. We need to deliver one.
:59:36. > :59:44.That is why there will be a white paper coming forward this here. He
:59:44. > :59:48.says when! They had 13 years! They just that decision after decision.
:59:48. > :59:58.Absolutely nothing was done. Within two years, we did far more than
:59:58. > :59:58.
:59:58. > :00:03.they did it in 13! 2000 highly paid public servants have been exposed
:00:03. > :00:07.for avoiding paying tax. Would the Prime Minister agree that whenever
:00:07. > :00:13.someone is paid a salary, using taxpayers' money, the Government
:00:13. > :00:22.should insist that they are on the pay roll, the papal income tax and
:00:22. > :00:32.I agree with what she says. We have been shocked with the level of this
:00:32. > :00:36.
:00:36. > :00:41.problem. We need to take forward the Severn
:00:41. > :00:49.barrage project. It is the bigger source of renewable energy in
:00:49. > :00:55.Europe. Does he accept that a flat economy in Britain and in Europe,
:00:55. > :01:00.this investment in growth and jobs is a no-brainer. I heard the
:01:00. > :01:06.honourable honourable gentleman on farming Today. It there's have
:01:06. > :01:10.advantages for us to it is a huge amount of renewable energy for some
:01:10. > :01:15.he knows there are lots of problems and the environmental groups have
:01:15. > :01:19.been divided over it. I will be happy to listen to his views as he
:01:19. > :01:23.takes on this important piece of work. There are opportunities in a
:01:23. > :01:28.challenging European economy to look at energy connectors and
:01:28. > :01:35.corporation particularly between England, France and other European
:01:35. > :01:37.countries. The National Audit Office and the Public Accounts
:01:37. > :01:41.Committee of praise the work programme for getting off the
:01:41. > :01:48.ground in a year are in stark contrast to the four wasted years
:01:48. > :01:51.it took Labour's project to get off the ground. What help can you give
:01:51. > :02:00.my jobseekers where unemployment figures are falling to find the
:02:00. > :02:06.work they want? The on the Hon Gentleman makes an important point.
:02:06. > :02:14.-- the honourable honourable gentleman. It will help 3 million
:02:14. > :02:18.people in total. We are paying providers more money for the more
:02:18. > :02:23.difficult people who have been out of work for a long time. We have
:02:23. > :02:26.serious challengers. I think we can use his programme not just to help
:02:26. > :02:30.people who have fallen out of work recently but people who have lost
:02:30. > :02:37.connection with the big market. Those are the people we want to
:02:37. > :02:44.help the most. In April last year we announced the
:02:44. > :02:49.successful bids in round one of the regional growth bond. It means
:02:49. > :02:53.rescuing people from some of the poorest housing conditions in the
:02:53. > :02:59.country. But not a penny of that money has materialised. Will the
:02:59. > :03:05.Prime Minister tell me why. If he can't, will he find out to make
:03:05. > :03:10.sure the money flows before the summer recess. I will look YOU read
:03:10. > :03:20.-- you raised. Around half of the projects and under way. Serious
:03:20. > :03:22.
:03:22. > :03:26.amounts of money are being dispersed. We are able to put a lot
:03:26. > :03:35.more money into these projects that I will look at a specific project
:03:35. > :03:38.and write to him shortly. We can now to... Those were the Prime
:03:38. > :03:42.Minister's questions. Some warm words by the Prime Minister about
:03:42. > :03:50.the Severn barrage project. The main topic of debate was the
:03:50. > :03:55.economy. Let's have a quick chat with our
:03:55. > :04:01.guests. We suggested that the economy would dominate and the dead.
:04:01. > :04:05.The exchanges were quite tetchy. They were. Both leaders seem to
:04:06. > :04:15.annoy each other. The Prime Minister and responded quite
:04:16. > :04:17.
:04:17. > :04:23.angrily. I think he had every reason to be. A degree of
:04:23. > :04:27.provocation, intentional. A degree of managed anger to express anxiety
:04:27. > :04:33.and the comments being made and the lack of admission of responsibility
:04:33. > :04:39.or partnership in dealing with the problems. It was a good example of
:04:39. > :04:43.pension Judy politics. Ed Miliband made several good hits. One was to
:04:43. > :04:52.remind everybody about the inappropriately close relationship
:04:52. > :04:57.between the Prime Minister and Rebekah Wade. The Conservative bit
:04:57. > :05:07.of the coalition is their lead on the ball in terms of their
:05:07. > :05:11.
:05:11. > :05:15.relationship with the Murdoch empire. -- is concerned in terms of
:05:15. > :05:18.their relationship with the Murdoch empire. The other thing was the
:05:18. > :05:24.Prime Minister was unable to answer the question about the cuts in the
:05:24. > :05:29.number of nurses in the NHS and the commitments that the Prime Minister
:05:29. > :05:33.made prior to the general election that he was not going to indulge in
:05:33. > :05:36.any top-down reorganisation of the NHS. That is one of the weakest
:05:37. > :05:46.points for the Prime Minister because every single problem in the
:05:46. > :05:54.NHS is going to be that. The Prime Minister quite rightly acknowledged
:05:54. > :06:01.there had been increase in the number of cuts. He did not state
:06:01. > :06:07.the figure. There is a reduction in registered nurses. From our context,
:06:07. > :06:11.look at Wales, that does not affect Wales. The NHS in Wales is devolved.
:06:11. > :06:17.The Prime Minister referred to the fact behind ring-fence the NHS
:06:17. > :06:23.budget in real terms. We have got an ageing population and increasing
:06:23. > :06:29.cost of medication, but it wasn't as bad as the cuts that have
:06:29. > :06:33.happened in Wales. The cuts in community nursing has been far
:06:33. > :06:39.greater than in England. There are very worrying figures about North
:06:39. > :06:44.Wales where the shortage of doctors is the highest in the UK. A answer
:06:44. > :06:54.some of those points, Ed Miliband had a standing ovation from the
:06:54. > :06:58.
:06:58. > :07:02.Royal College of nothing -- Royal College of Nursing. The Labour
:07:02. > :07:07.government here have cut the health government was up they have not cut
:07:07. > :07:12.it. We would have to take it out of education and we were not prepared
:07:12. > :07:17.to do that. We have a much better chance of rising to some of the
:07:17. > :07:24.challenges that we face across Europe which is rising ageing
:07:24. > :07:28.population and increased the cost of drugs. Because we have a unified
:07:28. > :07:33.NHS in Wales, we have a better chance of the level of
:07:33. > :07:38.reconfiguration we need to make in order to ensure our patients are
:07:38. > :07:48.getting the world class service they should be able to expect. In
:07:48. > :07:52.North Wales, the shortage of clinicians means they have overshot
:07:53. > :07:58.their agency budget even more than any other tries put together.
:07:58. > :08:07.leave the health service and me -- move on to Peter Hain. Whatever you
:08:07. > :08:13.think of him, he is an effective campaigner. He is on his feet in
:08:13. > :08:21.Prime Minister's Questions lobbying to bring about the establishment of
:08:21. > :08:24.the Severn barrage. It is a hugely topical for everybody. I was
:08:24. > :08:28.pleased by the Prime Minister's encouraging response. The potential
:08:28. > :08:38.was outlined by Peter Hain and acknowledged by the Prime Minister.
:08:38. > :08:39.
:08:39. > :08:42.There will be no opponents when this will be debated.
:08:42. > :08:48.Environmentalists acknowledge when there is a game, there is a cost.
:08:48. > :08:51.The potential is huge. Hopefully, Peter Hain will be working closely
:08:51. > :08:57.with the UK and Welsh governments on a partnership basis to drive
:08:57. > :09:01.this forward. It is important that we have got such a strong advocate
:09:01. > :09:11.as Peter aim to drive forward the Severn barrage. This is the way
:09:11. > :09:11.
:09:11. > :09:16.forward. It is interesting that the French president has said no more
:09:16. > :09:21.nuclear. Renewables has to be the way forward. He has wasted no time
:09:21. > :09:27.at all. He is a great politician and knows how to get his points
:09:27. > :09:34.heard. Do you think he will be a mess to the Shadow Cabinet? Some
:09:34. > :09:40.eyebrows may have been raised when he stepped down. That is fine. He
:09:40. > :09:47.wants to dedicate this part of his political career to a specific
:09:47. > :09:52.project. We have got an excellent replacement in Owen Smith.
:09:52. > :10:00.believe that for now. Should Wales's agricultural heritage be
:10:00. > :10:04.recognised by a statue of a sheep? The London tended 12 Olympics kick-
:10:05. > :10:10.off in Cardiff in two months' time with the football at the Millennium
:10:10. > :10:19.Stadium. There's been a big row over Welsh employment in the team.
:10:19. > :10:24.More from Mark in Cardiff Bay. joined by the leader of the Welsh
:10:24. > :10:29.Conservatives and the Plaid Cymru Assembly Member, Alun Ffred Jones.
:10:29. > :10:35.Andrew RT Davies, you have got a short debates this afternoon. US
:10:35. > :10:45.spelling out the cultural, sporting, economic benefits of eight Great
:10:45. > :10:46.
:10:46. > :10:51.Britain team. -- US spelling out. This is a great opportunity to
:10:51. > :10:56.promote the virtues of football across the United Kingdom. It is a
:10:56. > :11:02.one-off occasion because it poses no risk to the status of the
:11:02. > :11:05.Football Association of Wales. Should we all in Wales be
:11:05. > :11:11.supporting a team cheap because man should our players be taking part
:11:11. > :11:18.in it? They will enjoy all of the gains but you have to ask the
:11:18. > :11:22.question whether the idea of a football team is in the long term
:11:23. > :11:28.interest of Wales? If you have one team wide you have four
:11:28. > :11:34.associations? This calls into question the privileges that have
:11:34. > :11:37.been accrued to the association's since 1947. If they are real threat
:11:37. > :11:47.and dangers you have to call into question whether this is a good
:11:47. > :11:52.
:11:52. > :12:00.idea in the long term. You have met the head of UEFA. He is a very
:12:00. > :12:04.powerful man within football. If this whole concept undermines the
:12:04. > :12:11.FAW and the Welsh team in the future, I am not in favour of it.
:12:11. > :12:21.That is not the case. How do you know that? I will outline this this
:12:21. > :12:23.
:12:23. > :12:32.afternoon. This is a one-off events. This is typical Plaid Cymru a
:12:32. > :12:34.nationalist MP scaremongering. on now! We're talking about a
:12:34. > :12:41.celebration of football across the UK because we are hosting the
:12:41. > :12:50.Olympics. Many famous players wanted this to happen. So there
:12:50. > :12:54.won't be a future team? We all understand it is a one-off event.
:12:54. > :12:58.It is a shame Plaid Cymru can celebrate that. Can I suggest they
:12:58. > :13:03.are getting aside from this nationalist verses Unionist
:13:03. > :13:07.argument, they will be many people in Wales who supports the Great
:13:07. > :13:12.Britain team and are still worrying about the future of Welsh
:13:12. > :13:22.participation. That is not the case. None of us can say what the future
:13:22. > :13:24.
:13:24. > :13:30.is. We know the European Union is expanding all the time. Many would
:13:30. > :13:35.like to take part in the competition. In this case this is
:13:35. > :13:39.the Olympics, it has been hosted by the United Kingdom, there is a
:13:40. > :13:48.sculptor have this one off team to play at the London Olympics. There
:13:48. > :13:52.is a scope to have. Let's celebrate that fact. Less embrace it. I have
:13:53. > :13:58.been celebrating Wales or longer then you have. I am a bit older and
:13:58. > :14:03.a bit wiser. I will be enjoying the Olympics and the football. But they
:14:03. > :14:07.have said this potentially undermines the existence of the
:14:07. > :14:12.associations within the UK. The less anybody have evidence to the
:14:12. > :14:18.contrary I will have my doubts about it. Should our Welsh players
:14:18. > :14:28.boycotted? The question was addressed to me axeman if they want
:14:28. > :14:34.
:14:34. > :14:38.to play they will play. -- addressed to me! Showed -- should
:14:38. > :14:46.that happen, would you be concerned about that's would you be worried
:14:46. > :14:52.about the disappearing of a Welsh team's I it would. I want them to
:14:52. > :14:57.have a an independent association. We want to promote Cardiff and
:14:57. > :15:01.Wales as one of the venues for the Olympic event. Instead of being
:15:01. > :15:04.negative and downbeat about it we have the assurance are so let's get
:15:04. > :15:09.behind the team as celebrate the Olympics. That is what I will be
:15:09. > :15:14.doing as well as hundreds and thousands of others. A are you
:15:14. > :15:17.downbeat? Of course not. I am supported of the Olympic movement
:15:17. > :15:21.and Welsh football but I don't want anything to happen that undermines
:15:21. > :15:27.that position of the FA of Wales and the potential existence of the
:15:28. > :15:32.Welsh team. That is my concern about the your issue of this team.
:15:32. > :15:36.If it is a one-off and you say it will go away, fine. But what if
:15:36. > :15:46.next and the Olympic Association wants to put in a Great Britain
:15:46. > :15:48.
:15:48. > :15:53.On this occasion, this is very much a one-off because we are hosting
:15:53. > :15:58.the Olympic Games. This does not happen every day of the week. It
:15:58. > :16:03.only happens once in a generation of. Let us embrace it, let us
:16:03. > :16:11.celebrate it, let us show what Wales can do. We are hosting one of
:16:11. > :16:18.those matches. Let us full that stadium. Final question - will you
:16:18. > :16:28.be supporting the team? Of course. I have grave guides about the long-
:16:28. > :16:29.
:16:29. > :16:35.term implications of Welsh football. We will be watching with interest.
:16:35. > :16:42.Yes, you could have issued a couple of the yellow cards there!
:16:42. > :16:47.I have got tickets for one of the Games, I think the bronze medal
:16:47. > :16:51.play-off. That was quite a lively Raul there, it wasn't it? I think
:16:51. > :16:57.it is fantastic the Olympics are kicking off with that women's
:16:57. > :17:03.football, because women's football is not subject to the pressures of
:17:03. > :17:06.money which has taken over the sporting event, to a large extent,
:17:07. > :17:13.and the spirit of conviviality between nations. I strongly support
:17:13. > :17:21.that, and do not have a particular view One Team GB. I think we should
:17:21. > :17:27.just celebrate. What do you think? You are party leader there. It is
:17:27. > :17:33.an individual few. But he made decays very forcibly, there, didn't
:17:33. > :17:38.he? We should keep the devolution politics out of sport and celebrate
:17:38. > :17:42.what is coming up. It is a fantastic opportunity for Wales
:17:42. > :17:46.within the United Kingdom. The Olympics have come to London, but
:17:46. > :17:52.London is sharing them with other parts of the UK. Let us celebrate
:17:52. > :17:56.this. It is no more threat to football with them Wales earned the
:17:56. > :18:01.many other Team GB sporting events which will be happening in the
:18:01. > :18:06.Olympics with the four nations coming together. Let us celebrate
:18:06. > :18:11.our differences, but within an integrated United Kingdom, and
:18:11. > :18:14.knocked let petty nationalism get into what should be a sporting
:18:14. > :18:21.celebration and party puts people in all four nations and regions of
:18:21. > :18:26.the United Kingdom. Let us leave football a side. The benefits of
:18:26. > :18:31.the Olympics - it is still the London Olympics. Why should Wales
:18:31. > :18:35.have any benefits from Olympics in London? I think it is excellent
:18:35. > :18:39.that there is this opportunity to offer our fantastic Millennium
:18:39. > :18:45.Stadium for one of the main events, and to be honest, it is just as
:18:45. > :18:49.accessible as some of the other events around London. So, it is
:18:50. > :18:54.brilliant. Some event a coming to Wales and we should celebrate that.
:18:54. > :19:04.The torch relay is coming in a couple of weeks' time. It is not
:19:04. > :19:04.
:19:04. > :19:11.going up as far as Wrexham, though. That is right. You don't mind it
:19:11. > :19:17.doesn't go to Wrexham? Are I am concerned, actually. There have
:19:17. > :19:21.been recent surveys saying there is low interest in the Olympics, but
:19:21. > :19:29.last week in the Chamber, I was pleased that Edwina Hart shared my
:19:29. > :19:39.view and those of the Chambers of Commerce view that wants the torch
:19:39. > :19:44.
:19:44. > :19:47.arrives, the interest will rise. -- at once.
:19:47. > :19:50.We've already seen that the countryside has come to the Senedd
:19:50. > :19:53.this morning - various countryside organisations say they are here to
:19:53. > :19:56.educate people and to try and get their views on issues over to
:19:56. > :19:58.politicians. Now the country folk may or may not be pleased to know
:19:58. > :20:02.that the Assembly's Petitions Committee yesterday considered a
:20:02. > :20:04.petition signed by 17 people for a statue of a sheep to be installed
:20:04. > :20:12.outside the Senedd here in Cardiff Bay.
:20:12. > :20:19.A petition submitted to, collecting 17 signatures, calling on the
:20:20. > :20:26.National Assembly to make a statement of support of a permanent
:20:26. > :20:32.statue of a sheep. We have had to supporting information, and it is
:20:32. > :20:36.included in the papers that you have. I think the only way forward
:20:36. > :20:44.for this is to ride to the Presiding Officer and ask his views
:20:44. > :20:49.on the petition. But everybody agree?
:20:49. > :20:59.When I was walking down to see Owen Smith and Carwyn Jones, I passed a
:20:59. > :21:09.life-size plastic model of a cow. Now, there is talk of a sheep!
:21:09. > :21:09.
:21:09. > :21:15.Sheep are an obviously important part of our economy. It is nice for
:21:15. > :21:21.kids to have a statue of a sheep. I do not disagree with it. But if you
:21:21. > :21:25.want action, you will probably have to collect more signatures. Moving
:21:25. > :21:33.away from the sheep issue, a petition with 17 signatures take up
:21:33. > :21:40.the time of the petition committee. There any need 10 signatures. Do
:21:40. > :21:48.you think it is time to raise VAT threshold? The petitions committee
:21:48. > :21:53.need to cope with the volume of signatures. -- raised the threshold.
:21:54. > :22:00.We do not want to exclude people. If William became unmanageable,
:22:00. > :22:05.perhaps we would be to consider it, but let us move on. -- if volume. I
:22:05. > :22:10.can see the merits, why she does so important to Wales, but surely our
:22:10. > :22:17.priority should be a dragon. Westminster has its Lyons. We have
:22:17. > :22:23.a temporary dragon. But it is very there temporarily. Surely the
:22:23. > :22:27.Parliament of Wales should have a permanent fighting Wales dragon.
:22:27. > :22:33.think you need to get it petition together, don't you? Only takes 10
:22:33. > :22:38.of you. Keith Davies is said to be censured
:22:38. > :22:46.by it Assembly Members after he was involved in a drunken altercation
:22:46. > :22:53.at the five-star Cardiff St David's Hotel last month. Can you fill us
:22:53. > :23:00.in on the background to the story? Or I am standing on the steps of
:23:00. > :23:06.the Senedd. And over my shoulder, the hotel, where Keith Davies was
:23:06. > :23:10.staying, paid for by the taxpayers. On a work night, he went out, he
:23:10. > :23:15.got drunk, he returned to the hotel in the early hours of the morning
:23:15. > :23:22.with an unknown woman, and their behaviour was bad enough to cause
:23:22. > :23:24.the hotel to contact the Presiding Officer to complain. That has led
:23:24. > :23:28.to the Standards Commissioner looking into the events of that
:23:28. > :23:36.Luke Knight. It was after him to decide whether there had been a
:23:36. > :23:40.breach of Assembly standards. -- events of that night. They agreed
:23:40. > :23:47.there had been a blot on the copybook, and it is they who are
:23:47. > :23:52.putting forward that report to all Assembly Members this afternoon.
:23:52. > :23:59.Mark here it is on the committee. Fell a cent on what we are
:23:59. > :24:04.expecting to happen this afternoon. -- fill us in. At the Labour
:24:04. > :24:11.Assembly Member whose stance that committee -- chairs that committee,
:24:11. > :24:15.will be presenting it to the Assembly. He is a lawyer. We do
:24:15. > :24:20.expect to hear Keith Davies themselves speaking. He has given
:24:20. > :24:27.an apology to go the commissioner, added to his report, but we have
:24:27. > :24:32.not hate him speak about this. -- not heard him. The Liberal
:24:32. > :24:36.Democrats said they were not say anything on the issue. But we will
:24:37. > :24:42.be hearing from Simon Thomas and Angela Burns, perhaps concentrating
:24:42. > :24:46.more on what this has thrown up to the extent that the Assembly can
:24:47. > :24:53.censure someone whose misbehaviour is not financial. They might
:24:53. > :25:01.concentrate on that more than the misbehaviour itself. There is
:25:01. > :25:06.another question - no matter what happens this afternoon, it his that
:25:06. > :25:10.the Labour group is in a position to show their views and do
:25:10. > :25:14.something. I understand that we would expect, after this, the
:25:14. > :25:22.Labour group to take some further steps against Keith Davies. I do
:25:22. > :25:28.not know what those are, but I gather it will not end here.
:25:28. > :25:33.As you are a member of that group, can you enlighten us further?
:25:33. > :25:39.only know about the position of the Presiding Officer. Her views are
:25:39. > :25:49.very important. She said the public opprobrium that go with the
:25:49. > :25:50.
:25:50. > :25:54.revelations are sufficient. He has apologised to the Labour group, and
:25:54. > :26:00.no doubt he will be apologising to the Assembly this afternoon, but I
:26:00. > :26:03.am not aware of any further action being taken. Mark, you sit on the
:26:03. > :26:09.standards committee, which probably limits what you can say on this
:26:09. > :26:18.issue. Let us pick up on the issue of the censure. Explain tour us
:26:18. > :26:24.what it is? It is a public judgment of having breached the code of
:26:24. > :26:29.conduct, a public telling off, which the member has an option of
:26:29. > :26:35.responding verbally to. The member in this case has already publicly,
:26:35. > :26:40.and in writing, acknowledged his actions and made a formal apology.
:26:40. > :26:45.The censure motion and therefore is not much more than that. As we have
:26:46. > :26:53.heard, the impact on the personal life of a member can be severe, so
:26:53. > :26:58.there is a high price to pay. The committee, even before this
:26:58. > :27:03.incident, is already considering what further measures the Assembly
:27:03. > :27:08.should it all might need in the future if a member transgresses a
:27:08. > :27:14.code of conduct. It might give the Assembly greater powers,
:27:14. > :27:19.proportional to the breach, to use in the future. For example,
:27:19. > :27:27.suspension or with the draw of privileges. But that is under
:27:28. > :27:37.discussion. How would that be brought forward, then? There is
:27:37. > :27:40.also a dialogue in Westminster. They are reviewing a register of
:27:40. > :27:44.lobbyists. And there is a discussion on whether we should be
:27:44. > :27:48.signing up to the Westminster register all approaching things
:27:48. > :27:53.differently in Wales. That is a matter of discussion. There is
:27:53. > :28:01.people are expressing different views. But this will be resolved
:28:01. > :28:06.with the commissioner for standards. Very briefly, this kind of thing,
:28:06. > :28:11.it way you are discussing the behaviour of an Assembly Member, is
:28:11. > :28:16.not the kind of thing you would be talking about the Chamber, is it?
:28:16. > :28:21.No, it clashes with the great decisions we are having to take
:28:21. > :28:27.about the funding of public services, the way we are able to
:28:27. > :28:32.create jobs or more people. This is a very unfortunate incident, but