:00:23. > :00:26.our weekly coverage of First Minister's Questions. There's a mix
:00:26. > :00:31.of topics on the agenda today, with assembly members asking about NHS
:00:31. > :00:34.waiting times, animal welfare and Wales' links with Cuba. That's what
:00:34. > :00:38.the politicians are talking about, but what do you want to talk about?
:00:38. > :00:48.If you want to comment on anything on the programme, or any other
:00:48. > :00:56.political news, get in touch with us. Well, the First Minister is
:00:56. > :01:00.already on his feet, so let's go over now to chamber.
:01:00. > :01:10.The National Assembly for Wales is now in session. I would like to take
:01:10. > :01:11.
:01:11. > :01:18.the opportunity to congratulate Iestyn Williams -- Esther Williams
:01:18. > :01:24.on being awarded the CBE in the Queens birthday honours list. Many
:01:24. > :01:29.congratulations, Kirsty. No special favours though! The first item this
:01:29. > :01:35.afternoon, questions to the First Minister. Rebecca Evans. What action
:01:35. > :01:40.is the word government taking to support the millennium goals of the
:01:40. > :01:45.United Nations? We have supported many thousands of people across
:01:45. > :01:49.Wales to work together through community and hospital projects,
:01:49. > :01:53.making a real difference to people in sub-Saharan Africa.
:01:53. > :01:59.particularly proud that we are leading the way in terms of fair
:01:59. > :02:02.trade programmes. Will you explore how we can lead the way in terms of
:02:02. > :02:08.enabling disabled people here and in the developing world to benefit from
:02:08. > :02:15.the international links? We will indeed look at that. It has been of
:02:15. > :02:19.great benefit to schools, two Welsh managers and leaders. Just over 100
:02:19. > :02:24.have been involved in projects. I have met so many of them over the
:02:24. > :02:27.years, particularly medics of different professions. We want to
:02:27. > :02:37.make sure the links are as strong as possible and involve as many people
:02:37. > :02:47.as possible. First Minister, one of the United Nations millennium goals
:02:47. > :02:48.
:02:48. > :02:54.is the promotion of gender inequality and empowerment of women.
:02:54. > :03:02.Rape crisis has said many women in Wales have to deal with the legacy
:03:02. > :03:04.of sexual violence without any support due to the standard and
:03:04. > :03:11.availability of services. Will the First Minister address this by
:03:11. > :03:16.ensuring that specialist sexual support services across Wales will
:03:17. > :03:21.feature in the forthcoming Bill? have the violence against women and
:03:21. > :03:26.domestic abuse Bill. Of course, one of the greatest barriers that will
:03:26. > :03:32.be erected in terms of women getting justice will be the lack of access
:03:32. > :03:36.they will have two legal aid in years to come. Either because they
:03:36. > :03:39.are not eligible as individuals or are not eligible are able to get
:03:39. > :03:45.advice because of the fairly ludicrous contracting system that
:03:45. > :03:51.has been put in place. Member -- the member is shouting that is not true.
:03:51. > :03:54.I can assure him, I know more about it than he does. Many women will not
:03:54. > :04:04.get justice in the future because they will not have access to legal
:04:04. > :04:34.
:04:34. > :04:44.aid. SPEAKS IN WELSH.
:04:44. > :05:02.
:05:02. > :05:08.update on the Welsh government's response to ash dieback? Yes, the
:05:08. > :05:18.most recent discovery was detected during a routine inspection at ferry
:05:18. > :05:19.
:05:19. > :05:25.side. Thank you for that answer. The Forestry Commission warned that the
:05:25. > :05:31.spread of ash dieback is unstoppable. Do we have a management
:05:31. > :05:37.plan in place? Can I have an update on how much recently planted in fact
:05:37. > :05:41.that has been removed, and have the protected zones being -- of the
:05:41. > :05:48.protective zones been established yet? Can I have an update on the
:05:48. > :05:56.embargo is regarding ash saplings and trees like Chestnut? Can I ask
:05:56. > :06:01.the Minister to working with natural resources Wales to create an ash
:06:01. > :06:06.dieback app to help people to report the disease? We have the management
:06:06. > :06:16.plan. It does highlight the potential benefits of removing
:06:16. > :06:16.
:06:16. > :06:20.potentially infected ash. The information... We know that removals
:06:20. > :06:23.are taking place. In terms of sweet chestnut, particularly sweet
:06:23. > :06:30.chestnut blight, there is no indication it is present in Wales at
:06:30. > :06:40.the moment. An investigation of recent findings in England are being
:06:40. > :06:40.
:06:40. > :06:42.conducted. An app has been developed by the Forestry Commission on the
:06:42. > :06:48.reporting of tree diseases, which originally included information only
:06:48. > :06:54.and ash dieback. It has been expanded to include information on
:06:54. > :07:01.other pests and diseases. There are no plans to produce an app for
:07:01. > :07:04.Wales. First Minister, you will know that there are vast numbers of
:07:04. > :07:10.history to be felled in Wales. Have you made plans for the use of this
:07:10. > :07:15.timber? That is a matter for those who are selling the timber. It is
:07:15. > :07:25.not known if that timber can be used in a normal way. Clearly, if there
:07:25. > :07:27.
:07:27. > :07:37.is a market for that timber, that will be the case.
:07:37. > :07:38.
:07:38. > :08:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 55 seconds
:08:33. > :08:40.SPEAKS IN WELSH. leaders. First we have the leader of
:08:40. > :08:45.Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood. Before I ask my questions, I would like to
:08:45. > :08:51.pay tribute to -- on behalf of all members of Plaid Cymru to my
:08:51. > :08:54.predecessor, Ian Wynne Jones, for all of the work he has done for this
:08:55. > :09:00.institution. For his determination to tackle the problems in this
:09:00. > :09:07.economy. And for all he has done to build this country of ours. And now
:09:07. > :09:13.to my questions. First Minister, wages have fallen in value by 8% in
:09:13. > :09:17.real terms since 2007. I would agree with one of your backbenchers, who
:09:17. > :09:22.said this morning that austerity is not inevitable, it is a political
:09:22. > :09:29.choice. That is why Plaid Cymru supports the TUC campaign for a
:09:29. > :09:33.future that works. First Minister, do you back the Wales TUC campaign?
:09:33. > :09:39.And if you agree that austerity is a political choice, can you please
:09:39. > :09:49.explain why your party will stick to Tory spending plans if elected to
:09:49. > :09:49.
:09:49. > :09:56.Westminster in 2015? Can I join with the leader of Plaid Cymru and pay my
:09:56. > :10:03.tributes to Ieuan Wyn Jones? He is somebody I have the utmost respect
:10:03. > :10:09.for and I wish him well in his future develop -- in his future. As
:10:09. > :10:13.far as my party is concerned, Westminster is in a difficult
:10:13. > :10:17.position in terms of the decisions it will have to take. As a Welsh
:10:17. > :10:21.government we do not agree with the programme of austerity that is being
:10:21. > :10:25.propagated by the Tories and the Lib Dems in London. We do not see that
:10:25. > :10:28.the evidence is there that shows what they are doing is working. We
:10:28. > :10:33.have put in place a number of programmes to mitigate the effects
:10:33. > :10:39.of what is being presented to us. But First Minister, you and your
:10:39. > :10:46.party cannot have it both ways. Labour cannot oppose austerity here
:10:46. > :10:49.and supported in London. You warn us about the effect of courts because
:10:49. > :10:58.of next week 's comprehensive spending review, yet Labour will not
:10:58. > :11:02.even commit to scrapping the bedroom tax. Labour wants to see a regional
:11:02. > :11:05.benefit on Social Security in Wales. Why is your party proposing a
:11:05. > :11:09.regional development which will mean disabled and unemployed people in
:11:09. > :11:15.Wales will get less money than people in the same circumstances in
:11:15. > :11:22.other parts of the UK? I have seen no evidence to suggest my party
:11:22. > :11:27.supports a as a matter of policy. suggest you would read your various
:11:27. > :11:31.ministers speeches, First Minister. Wales has been described as the poor
:11:31. > :11:37.man of Europe. The rest of the world is moving ahead so fast that if we
:11:37. > :11:43.do not start catching up, the legacy we will leave our children is a
:11:43. > :11:47.hopeless wasteland. Those are not my words but the words of Welsh
:11:47. > :11:53.broadcaster Vincent Kate -- Vincent Kane. Is he right and how will you
:11:53. > :11:58.stop his prediction? My party does not have any ministers in London. We
:11:58. > :12:02.do have ministers in Wales. No ministers have used such words. I do
:12:02. > :12:08.not believe in the gloom written description which she has given of
:12:08. > :12:15.the Welsh situation. She will know the schemes that have been put in
:12:15. > :12:19.place. The Wales economic front, the digital development fund, the life
:12:19. > :12:28.sciences fund... The appointment this week of the first professor to
:12:28. > :12:33.be appointed. Levels of unemployment have the creased. There is a long
:12:33. > :12:40.way to go but this government is proactive. She also says, why can't
:12:40. > :12:45.I have it both ways? There are several different views within Plaid
:12:45. > :12:50.Cymru. It would be useful for us to know if they support the
:12:50. > :12:56.establishment of the new reactor. now move to the leader of the
:12:56. > :13:00.opposition. Thank you, presiding officer. If I could join the
:13:00. > :13:03.sentiments expressed about the leader -- about the member for
:13:03. > :13:08.Anglesey. I have had the pleasure of sitting in this chamber for five
:13:08. > :13:11.years with him. I have known him to be a very competent minister, who
:13:11. > :13:15.delivers on what he says. Also a colleague who said on committees and
:13:15. > :13:19.has always worked in the best interests of his constituents and
:13:19. > :13:25.indeed Wales. He has had the opportunity to sit in Westminster
:13:25. > :13:29.and the assembly. A measure of his success is the progress he has made
:13:29. > :13:34.in moving many good causes in Wales and advancing because of Wales in
:13:34. > :13:39.the United Kingdom and Europe. I share the tributes. I also join in
:13:39. > :13:46.the congratulations to the leader of the Liberal Democrats on the honour
:13:46. > :13:54.given in the Queens honours list. -- Queen's 's point is that such
:13:54. > :14:01.importance attached on the setting of targets with regard to the
:14:01. > :14:07.delivery of public services? Can I join you in your comments about the
:14:07. > :14:13.leader of the Liberal Democrats. I have to remember that when we pay
:14:13. > :14:16.tribute to people sometimes, they are in fact alive. The political
:14:16. > :14:21.tribute are important. But I know that he has much to contribute yet
:14:21. > :14:25.to the public life of Wales. It is important, of course, that we have
:14:25. > :14:32.milestones and targets to ensure, particularly with regard to health,
:14:32. > :14:38.that progress can be measured. work in the drawing our attention to
:14:38. > :14:46.health. We know that cancer waiting times have not been met since 2008.
:14:46. > :14:52.AMD response times have not been met since 2009. -- A&E. We learned last
:14:52. > :14:57.week there are 7611 people waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment. A
:14:57. > :15:01.massive increase in the target. Only recently your comment put much store
:15:01. > :15:05.by those targets. We do not know the success of enterprise zones in
:15:05. > :15:10.Wales. I was interested in the response to the leader of Plaid
:15:10. > :15:14.Cymru, that when you listed your achievements, you did not list
:15:14. > :15:16.enterprise zones as being one of those achievements. We fully support
:15:16. > :15:21.the introduction of enterprise zones and the benefit they can bring to
:15:21. > :15:25.local economies. But we have tried time and time again to try to find
:15:25. > :15:29.out what jobs have been created, what new businesses have been
:15:29. > :15:34.created, and what investment has gone into enterprise owned in Wales.
:15:34. > :15:37.Will you be setting key targets so we can benchmark the success of
:15:37. > :15:47.enterprise zones? And if those figures already exist, will you make
:15:47. > :15:59.
:15:59. > :16:02.We will not set targets that cannot be met. As far as we're concerned,
:16:02. > :16:07.with accident and emergency, we are encouraged by the fact that waiting
:16:07. > :16:13.times have decreased, encouraged that ambulance response times have
:16:13. > :16:21.decreased, but there is some way to go in meeting targets. Welsh
:16:21. > :16:25.enterprise zones, there have been jobs created in many areas. They
:16:25. > :16:34.are working very well. He will have seen this week the announcement
:16:34. > :16:39.made by Cardiff Bay Aviation Authority. I welcome that, but we
:16:39. > :16:45.cannot find out how many jobs are being created. In England, I can
:16:45. > :16:51.find out 3,000 jobs are being created. Millions of pounds of
:16:51. > :16:55.extra private sector investment has been created. I am saying, from the
:16:55. > :17:00.side of the House, we support the introduction of enterprise zones.
:17:00. > :17:04.But all we have seen so far, if you take the card of enterprise zone,
:17:04. > :17:08.as the Welsh government buying of the space and effectively
:17:08. > :17:13.nationalising the office-based market in Cardiff. I note you went
:17:13. > :17:23.through your file and did not come up with any specific examples. Will
:17:23. > :17:33.you be bringing forward key targets that the people working in the
:17:33. > :17:35.
:17:35. > :17:41.zones know that we can benchmark everything? In Cardiff, there was a
:17:41. > :17:46.recent announcement of 450 jobs. There are 10 job creation inquiries
:17:46. > :17:53.in the pipeline. There is interest in the city centre. We have seen
:17:53. > :17:57.the acquisition of Callaghan's Square, which is to provide support
:17:57. > :18:04.for the enterprise service. I see nothing wrong with that, it ensures
:18:04. > :18:10.that there is enterprise available. There will be excellent office-
:18:10. > :18:20.based brought to the city centre, and we have the creation of more
:18:20. > :18:22.
:18:22. > :18:32.than 200 jobs with Admiral. Do not shout me down, he wanted a list of
:18:32. > :18:38.
:18:38. > :18:48.things! Order.There is a new �45 million campus. His own is
:18:48. > :18:54.maximised. That is enough for now. -- the zone. We now move to the
:18:54. > :18:58.Welsh Liberal Democrat leader. Thank you for you kind comments I
:18:58. > :19:04.have received over the weekend from colleagues in the chamber, and
:19:04. > :19:09.could I take this opportunity to thank a colleague for the personal
:19:09. > :19:14.kindness he has always shown to me while we have served here. He has
:19:14. > :19:18.been a true and faithful servant to his party and the people of
:19:18. > :19:24.Anglesey, and I wish him well in his future endeavours, presiding
:19:24. > :19:29.officer. Governments in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland all
:19:29. > :19:33.have specific schemes to support farmers operating in hills and
:19:34. > :19:40.upland areas. Why is Wills's the only home nation where no such
:19:40. > :19:44.support is available? We have a package of so bought from farmers,
:19:44. > :19:49.and that is very attractive. Farmers would not swap their
:19:49. > :19:55.position in Wales to move to England in that regard. It is also
:19:55. > :20:03.the case that we have previously paid farmers their money as quickly
:20:03. > :20:07.as possible, which is in contrast to anywhere else in the UK. Last
:20:07. > :20:13.week he said DEFRA did not care about a hill farmers, that they
:20:13. > :20:17.only cared about arable farms. Why then do they think that English
:20:17. > :20:23.upland farmers deserve extra support, whilst you have decided to
:20:23. > :20:30.put Welsh farmers at a competitive disadvantage to the rest of the EU?
:20:30. > :20:33.I do not believe they are at a competitive disadvantage. Welsh
:20:33. > :20:39.farming has enjoyed a high level of support from government, through
:20:39. > :20:47.subsidy and government in terms of Welsh produce. I remind her that we
:20:47. > :20:54.were the first country to ensure that Welsh lamb arrived to in Dubai.
:20:54. > :20:58.It is simply a question of being proactive went other governments --
:20:59. > :21:03.when other governments in the UK were not being. Proactive? The food
:21:03. > :21:10.strategy was published in 2010, and it is now 2013, and you have not
:21:10. > :21:12.decided on your strategy. -- on your plan. You blame the weather
:21:12. > :21:18.for your Government's per performance in providing health
:21:18. > :21:25.care, and the ability to provide tourism. Farming is one area where
:21:25. > :21:30.it is rarely affected by the severe weather. There is no reason at all
:21:30. > :21:36.why a scheme to support hill farmers cannot be implemented in
:21:36. > :21:45.Wales. Will you commit today to implementing the scheme to support
:21:45. > :21:54.a stronger rural economy and end a run envious position as the only
:21:54. > :22:03.nation in the UK not to support upland farmers? -- end the
:22:03. > :22:06.unenvious position. The only year they did not receive their
:22:06. > :22:09.financial support, that was when the Liberal Democrats have their
:22:09. > :22:19.hands on the levers of payment. They did not pay farmers in plenty
:22:19. > :22:31.
:22:31. > :22:41.of time. The evidence is there. Success of the Government's have --
:22:41. > :22:42.
:22:42. > :22:46.other governments have delivered. I have improved -- I am police to see
:22:46. > :22:53.me improvement in accident and emergency departments. People are
:22:53. > :22:59.now waiting less than four hours, but we accept there is a way to go
:22:59. > :23:02.yet. Thank you. At the various meetings with the South Wales
:23:02. > :23:10.programme, concerns have been raised regarding ambulance waiting
:23:10. > :23:15.times. That is related to people waiting in accident and emergency.
:23:15. > :23:18.Given the way that the departments are been changed and the reliance
:23:18. > :23:27.on the ambulance service in relation to that programme, are you
:23:27. > :23:29.confident that if those proposals are brought forward, but accident
:23:29. > :23:33.and emergency departments around South Wales will be able to cope
:23:33. > :23:41.with the extra demands being put on them as a result of the changes
:23:41. > :23:48.being proposed? That is self- evident that that is the case. I do
:23:48. > :23:51.not want to discuss the proposals, and they may be decided by the
:23:51. > :23:55.Health Minister. With regard to changes, there are a number of
:23:55. > :24:04.factors that need to be taken into account, and ambulance response is
:24:04. > :24:06.will be one of them. -- responses. Do you realise that one of the
:24:06. > :24:12.reasons that accident and emergency departments are finding it
:24:12. > :24:17.difficult to hit the targets for the past four years in terms of the
:24:17. > :24:26.waiting time targets you have given, do you accept that you're record-
:24:26. > :24:32.breaking cuts of over �812 million by the end of the next financial
:24:32. > :24:36.year, do you accept that those cuts will make it even more difficult
:24:36. > :24:43.for those departments to hit your targets which have not been met for
:24:43. > :24:49.four years? We went from 500 million before, which was
:24:49. > :24:59.apparently a wrong, then 800 million, which was wrong, now it is
:24:59. > :25:00.
:25:00. > :25:09.812 million. If we believe what the Conservatives are saying, there are
:25:09. > :25:13.just plucking the figures out of the air. The reality is that health
:25:13. > :25:17.spending in Wales stays constant, and the parties opposite never tell
:25:17. > :25:25.you where the money is coming from. They did not say that there are 20%
:25:25. > :25:28.of teachers and schools... They all was plucked out the figures from
:25:28. > :25:38.thin air, and they never tell the people of Wales how they will pay
:25:38. > :25:43.
:25:43. > :25:53.for it. So they will never be in government. I told members are able
:25:53. > :25:53.
:25:53. > :26:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 55 seconds
:26:52. > :26:59.to hear his reply. I found it a Will the first minister make a
:26:59. > :27:08.statement on the level of her is building starts in Wales? They were
:27:08. > :27:12.up 6%. You are committed to increasing the number of houses
:27:12. > :27:19.built, but according to recent figures, the number of new houses
:27:19. > :27:28.started in 2012, -- started in 2012 was less than half of that in
:27:28. > :27:33.2007/2008. Does he accept the concern addressed by the industry
:27:33. > :27:37.that he is increasing the burden on the availability of the Welsh
:27:37. > :27:47.housing market, putting Wales at a competitive disadvantage compared
:27:47. > :27:57.to England? That is not so prising that it is less because that was
:27:57. > :28:04.
:28:04. > :28:10.before the crash. The -- it isn't He is using out of date figures. If
:28:10. > :28:17.he is referring to the sprinkler legislation, he voted for them. His
:28:17. > :28:27.party applauded it. Nick Ramsay stood up and welcome them profusely.
:28:27. > :28:31.
:28:31. > :28:34.He cannot have it both ways. At the end of the day, you cannot argue
:28:34. > :28:38.that there is an unproven suggestions that somehow the
:28:38. > :28:42.regulation burden in Wales is more, when in fact the main piece of
:28:42. > :28:49.evidence used to support but is evidence that his party supported.
:28:49. > :28:53.They cannot get away with that. I remind them time and time again,
:28:53. > :29:02.there rightly supported this legislation and cannot back out of
:29:02. > :29:06.that now. You will be aware of the new high demand of one and two-
:29:06. > :29:12.bedroom properties. How many properties does your Government
:29:12. > :29:22.estimate are needed, and how many are they planting -- are they
:29:22. > :29:25.
:29:25. > :29:30.planning to create? It will be something around 25,000. That
:29:30. > :29:33.cannot be done overnight, but this is a situation created by the UK
:29:33. > :29:42.government, and the challenge in the future is to insure there are
:29:42. > :29:50.sufficient properties of that size being built. We have ensured that
:29:50. > :29:53.there are 249 social houses being built, but there have to be ways of
:29:53. > :30:00.coping with the demand and the people of Wales by the UK
:30:00. > :30:04.government. It is important for Communities in Rural Wales that a
:30:04. > :30:08.housing development other organic and that smaller developments are
:30:08. > :30:13.more appropriate, but while they can help young people stay in their
:30:13. > :30:18.local communities, the high cost of using -- introducing infrastructure
:30:18. > :30:22.to those can make them not cost- effective. It is pushing the price
:30:22. > :30:32.beyond the reach of the young people who want them. Can you look
:30:32. > :30:42.
:30:42. > :30:52.at ways we can help tackle those people buy houses. We are looking at
:30:52. > :30:57.her stamp duty can be used in the future. We have said to the
:30:57. > :31:00.construction industry we want to use stamp duty constructively to help
:31:00. > :31:10.them to provide more houses for people and more opportunities for
:31:10. > :31:12.
:31:12. > :31:22.young people to get on the housing ladder.
:31:22. > :31:22.
:31:22. > :33:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 55 seconds
:33:06. > :33:10.Would be First Minister I agree that adults with Asperger's syndrome have
:33:10. > :33:15.great difficulty in accessing welfare benefits because of their
:33:15. > :33:18.communication problems? It is particularly difficult in the
:33:18. > :33:24.present climate because of the difficulty of getting advocates to
:33:24. > :33:32.work with them to get those benefits. Yes, I would. Asp urge is
:33:32. > :33:38.sits at one end of the state spectrum. -- Asperger's syndrome. It
:33:38. > :33:42.is particularly difficult for people with the syndrome to explain their
:33:42. > :33:47.position and to interact with others, to do themselves justice.
:33:47. > :33:50.That is why important there are advice and advocacy services are
:33:50. > :34:00.available to them. That is why we have made commitments to making sure
:34:00. > :34:00.
:34:00. > :35:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 55 seconds
:35:08. > :35:15.update as to whether the First Minister's delivery unit is being
:35:15. > :35:19.progressed? The delivery unit works alongside departments in ensuring
:35:19. > :35:24.that cancer patients are seen within the target times. That is one of our
:35:24. > :35:30.key commitments. White men's -- In January I asked
:35:30. > :35:34.you about the cancer waiting times. You give me a brief answer. Annoying
:35:34. > :35:41.question from no doubt an annoying assembly member. You anticipated the
:35:41. > :35:48.waiting times would be met by March. Of course, they have not been met.
:35:48. > :35:52.You have minister has now gone on to say that he would hope that people
:35:52. > :35:57.waiting a diagnosis of cancer would see a diagnosis within ten days,
:35:57. > :36:02.which would help to speed up the meeting of these important targets.
:36:02. > :36:07.We are talking about people whose lives have been utterly blighted by
:36:07. > :36:10.our inability to deliver cancer services on time. Rather than give
:36:10. > :36:18.me a glib answer, I would very much like it if your delivery unit would
:36:18. > :36:22.actually look at how we can bring the local health boards to seal, and
:36:22. > :36:28.get -- local health boards to heal and get the waiting times delivered
:36:28. > :36:36.on time. People are waiting tragically too long diagnoses that
:36:36. > :36:40.do not help them in the end. member does herself a disservice
:36:40. > :36:44.when she annoys herself as annoying. Her answers -- questions
:36:45. > :36:48.are always important and deserve an answer. The Minister has made his
:36:48. > :36:52.position very clear. We do understand that there is a need to
:36:52. > :36:57.make sure that the targets are met. It hasn't been easy, of course,
:36:57. > :37:02.given the financial situation imposed on us by the UK government.
:37:02. > :37:08.Nor has it been easy generally in the health service. The Health
:37:08. > :37:12.Minister is committed as I am to making sure that waiting times
:37:12. > :37:17.improve with regard to cancer. The delivery plans are in the main now
:37:17. > :37:27.in place. These are things that will assist people in their journey in
:37:27. > :37:28.
:37:28. > :37:36.coping with cancer. White macro -- The Health Minister
:37:36. > :37:38.was not surprised --... The Health Minister said he would attempt to
:37:38. > :37:45.ensure greater consistency and quality in the plans. We are all
:37:45. > :37:50.aware that performance in other aspects of the health service is a
:37:50. > :37:53.variable between health boards. Do you think there is a need for the
:37:53. > :37:57.Welsh government to establish mechanisms to ensure that the
:37:57. > :38:03.performance of health boards is raised, and that the patient
:38:03. > :38:09.experience is consistent across Wales? Yes. That is why health
:38:09. > :38:14.boards have been tasked with producing recovery plans. A 31 day
:38:14. > :38:19.target will be met across Wales from this month. The 62 day target will
:38:19. > :38:24.be achieved from October. We will provide an assessment of the
:38:24. > :38:34.position after the chief executive's reading on June 18,
:38:34. > :38:38.today, in fact. We will ensure they are held to those plans.
:38:38. > :38:41.First Minister, one of the ways in which we could improve cancer
:38:41. > :38:46.services for my constituents is to allow more people to have
:38:46. > :38:51.chemotherapy closer to their home in their community hospitals, therefore
:38:51. > :38:58.taking pressure off some of the regional centres. Harris local
:38:58. > :39:01.health board and I are keen to see chemotherapy sessions. We do need
:39:02. > :39:06.capital investment from the Welsh government. The Minister and the
:39:06. > :39:12.finance minister have both said they would be happy to look at the
:39:12. > :39:15.exciting plans to develop services. Perhaps you would like to join them
:39:15. > :39:22.and therefore get a decision on whether the bid for �5 million worth
:39:22. > :39:25.of capital funding for the local health board will be successful.
:39:25. > :39:28.understand the point of the member is making. If the Minister is
:39:28. > :39:36.looking to attend, that will be a matter for him to observe what is
:39:36. > :39:39.happening. We have moved away from an exceptionally large
:39:39. > :39:45.hospital-based system of chemotherapy. For understandable
:39:45. > :39:52.reasons, it was felled chemotherapy had to take place in a hospital. But
:39:52. > :39:57.of course, issues tend to arrive further down the line, not when
:39:57. > :40:03.chemotherapy is being administered. I am sure the Minister will be
:40:03. > :40:05.looking with great interest at the proposals for a land of nod. With
:40:05. > :40:12.the First Minister please make a statement on the Welsh Minister's
:40:12. > :40:22.met and to improving animal welfare? Yes, and animal health and welfare
:40:22. > :40:25.strategy is moving forward across Wales. The work on programmes is
:40:25. > :40:35.continuing. We will leave First Minister 's
:40:35. > :40:35.
:40:35. > :40:41.questions. You can see more coverage of the assembly online.
:40:41. > :40:49.Let's talk to our Welsh affairs editor, Vaughan Roderick. Warm
:40:49. > :40:56.tributes for a UI and Wyn Jones, who is standing down? -- I and Wynne
:40:56. > :41:01.Jones. That's right. He is to leave the assembly not, as expected, in
:41:01. > :41:06.2015, but in the next few months to take a job as head of a new science
:41:07. > :41:12.Park in Anglesey. It is a party has campaigned established. The tributes
:41:12. > :41:16.we heard came from all sides. They were genuine. He is well liked. He
:41:16. > :41:20.is one of those politicians who has seen his reputation go up as his
:41:20. > :41:25.career has gone ahead, rather than one who has seen his reputation go
:41:25. > :41:30.down. Genuine tributes from his own party and the leaders of the other
:41:30. > :41:35.parties in the assembly. Interestingly, this science Park
:41:35. > :41:39.came about from a budget deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru?
:41:40. > :41:49.That's right. It is one of the things that Plaid Cymru as for and
:41:50. > :41:51.
:41:51. > :41:55.later agreed to. -- and labour agreed to. I did wonder whether the
:41:55. > :41:59.Tories or the Lib Dems would pick up on that and say there was something
:41:59. > :42:04.fishy about lobbying for a grant and then taking a job from the body that
:42:04. > :42:10.gets it. They do not seem to feel that way. Everybody seems to think
:42:10. > :42:14.the science Park is a good idea and that Mr Wyn Jones is the right
:42:14. > :42:19.person to take up the job. It appears people are not try to make
:42:19. > :42:23.an issue out of that. They may because we now face a rare
:42:23. > :42:29.occurrence in assembly terms, a by-election. He is a constituency
:42:29. > :42:35.member and he will need to be replaced. We have just had the
:42:35. > :42:41.council elections. It will be a seat to watch, wanted? That's right. That
:42:41. > :42:49.may have played a part in his decision. The independent candidate
:42:49. > :42:52.did well. Plaid Cymru did well. The other parties did poorly. That may
:42:52. > :42:56.convince him that he could give up his seat in Anglesey with Plaid
:42:56. > :43:00.Cymru having every chance of holding onto it. I wonder would he have
:43:00. > :43:09.reached the same decision if Plaid Cymru had done badly and the Labour
:43:09. > :43:16.Party had done well? Leanne Wood was quite interesting in what she went
:43:16. > :43:20.after with the austerities programme. Yes, I thought Leanne
:43:20. > :43:25.Wood had a very effective first couple of questions. She was
:43:25. > :43:30.pointing out the difference between what people are saying here and what
:43:30. > :43:34.people like Liam Byrne as saying in Westminster, about a regional
:43:34. > :43:41.benefit tax. She did not quite managed to drive that point home in