:00:30. > :00:34.Good afternoon and welcome to the programme. Now, what can we expect?
:00:35. > :00:37.There are questions on the order paper about the best way to improve
:00:38. > :00:41.the Welsh economy and about the recent measles outbreaks in parts of
:00:42. > :00:46.the country. I'm sure that party leaders will want to ask the First
:00:47. > :00:48.Minister where he stands now we have more information about which taxes
:00:49. > :00:54.are about to be transferred from London to Cardiff Bay. What do you
:00:55. > :00:58.want to talk about? If you want to comment on anything on the
:00:59. > :01:09.programme, or any other news, get in touch. You can reach us via:
:01:10. > :01:20.Business under way, so we'll look at today's questions to the First
:01:21. > :01:26.Minister. First item to the First Minister. Question one. Will the
:01:27. > :01:38.First Minister make a statement on finance Wales? Yes, finance Wales is
:01:39. > :01:45.to provide finance to support and encourage growth. It has invested
:01:46. > :01:53.?268 million in Welsh businesses, and a further ?443 million in
:01:54. > :01:57.creating 13,000 new jobs. Thank you. A welcome announcement by the UK
:01:58. > :02:04.Government devolving business rates to Wales is a step in the right
:02:05. > :02:09.direction for our small and micro-sized businesses, but how do
:02:10. > :02:15.they access finance? Of 743 loan investments made by Finance Wales
:02:16. > :02:21.since 2007, 73% have acacted borrowing rates -- attracted
:02:22. > :02:26.borrowing rates of 20% or higher. Some could have been along 5%. First
:02:27. > :02:34.Minister, there are calls now for more reform and scrutiny as regards
:02:35. > :02:40.Finance Wales, but also too, for the establishment of a Welsh Development
:02:41. > :02:46.Bank. Will you support these calls? Well, we very much welcome the
:02:47. > :02:49.proposal to fully devolve business rates to Wales. With regard to
:02:50. > :02:54.Finance Wales, the minister commissioned a review into Finance
:02:55. > :03:02.Wales and whatever the model is in the future, it's important that the
:03:03. > :03:09.body is able to fund itself and that is reflected by the need on occasion
:03:10. > :03:14.to ensure interest rates are set so to ensure the body is self-funding,
:03:15. > :03:22.but this was discussed in the assembly last week and the minister
:03:23. > :03:26.will look to take it forward. TRANSLATION: Do you believe that
:03:27. > :03:33.Finance Wales has been successful in responding to the borrowing needs of
:03:34. > :03:41.the sector over the past few years? TRANSLATION: Yes I do. As I
:03:42. > :03:48.mentioned earlier, there are 13,000 new jobs that have been created and
:03:49. > :03:52.I believe that's a very good record. In view of the fact that the UK
:03:53. > :03:59.business minister Vince Cable's proposal for a business bank doesn't
:04:00. > :04:05.seem to include any regional element to it, does he feel there is a role
:04:06. > :04:10.for Finance Wales in order to deal with the finance in Wales? Yes there
:04:11. > :04:16.is and I can say officials are working to explore how we might
:04:17. > :04:25.secure British business bank funds in the future. TRANSLATION: Thank
:04:26. > :04:30.you. What about food banks in Wales? We are supporting the network,
:04:31. > :04:38.particularly in light of the clanks resulting -- clanks resulting from
:04:39. > :04:42.-- changes resulting from welfare reform. We need to help the
:04:43. > :04:47.individuals deal with the challenges they're facing. Supermarket surplus
:04:48. > :04:51.has been raised with me. All three have reported a rise in numbers,
:04:52. > :04:56.particularly in light of welfare changes and I'm pleased to support a
:04:57. > :04:59.full collection this year. I know the FSA supports food donation,
:05:00. > :05:03.provided it's fit for human consumption and free from
:05:04. > :05:07.contamination and the Welsh Government is encouraging this. What
:05:08. > :05:11.further action can we take through guidance to further encourage the
:05:12. > :05:19.amount of surplus food donated to food banks? I can say that we fund a
:05:20. > :05:24.food waste programme and we have set up a working group. It's been tasked
:05:25. > :05:28.with developing a bet are understanding to the barriers of
:05:29. > :05:34.surplus food redistribution and finding solutions to those. They are
:05:35. > :05:39.working alongside Fair Share Recycle and retailers to undertake a trial
:05:40. > :05:46.to identify the surpluses arising at stores. The suitability for
:05:47. > :05:51.redistribution and processes to enable supply in local communities.
:05:52. > :05:56.Later this year, that group will publish a set of guide is
:05:57. > :06:04.principles, along with implementation guidelines. Can we
:06:05. > :06:09.pay tribute to the faith groups who run things like the food banks and
:06:10. > :06:12.have done similar provision over many generations? I do very much
:06:13. > :06:16.applaud the work of all those who are involved with food banks,
:06:17. > :06:25.because in the current economic climate they provide a service that
:06:26. > :06:29.so many families rely on. #. I agree with my friend, Keith Davies, in
:06:30. > :06:33.view of the fact that too many supermarkets have stated they throw
:06:34. > :06:37.away tonnes of food every week. Can the Welsh Government not put
:06:38. > :06:41.pressure on the major supermarkets to donate more to banks? This is
:06:42. > :06:45.perfectly good food or perhaps you could persuade them, First Minister,
:06:46. > :06:49.to sell it even more cheaply than they do now. I think I referred the
:06:50. > :06:55.member to the answer I gave in response to the question to the
:06:56. > :07:03.member for clan ledgely, where I outlined -- Llanelli, where I
:07:04. > :07:07.outlined what was being doing done. We move to questions from the party
:07:08. > :07:13.leaders. First we have the leader of Plaid Cymru. First Minister, figures
:07:14. > :07:19.released this weekend show that Welsh town centres are still facing
:07:20. > :07:23.a tough time with lowering numbers of shoppers and too many empty
:07:24. > :07:29.shops. Plaid Cymru have outlined our plans to change the business rate
:07:30. > :07:34.multiplier and to introduce further business rate relief to give small
:07:35. > :07:40.and medium sized enterprises a competitive edge. What is your plan?
:07:41. > :07:43.Now that we know, as of yesterday, that business rates are to be fully
:07:44. > :07:48.devolved, that gives us the opportunity to develop more flexible
:07:49. > :07:53.solutions for Welsh town centres. Thank you for your answer. We look
:07:54. > :07:58.forward to the detail of your proposal. Interviewed on Radio Wales
:07:59. > :08:02.last night, the chief Secretary to the Treasury says the UK Government
:08:03. > :08:08.had decided to introduce a lock step on our potential income tax powers,
:08:09. > :08:12.because of the functioning of the UK labour market. This lock step will
:08:13. > :08:18.prevent Wales from being able to gain a competitive edge. What are
:08:19. > :08:25.you going to do about that contraining position? Proposals
:08:26. > :08:28.should have been implemented before. You with previous stated that you
:08:29. > :08:32.will not contemplate taking responsibility for income tax
:08:33. > :08:37.though, haven't you? Until we get fair funding. Plaid Cymru supports
:08:38. > :08:43.fair funding, of course we do, and there is a lot that Wales could do
:08:44. > :08:47.with a further ?400 million a year. I've asked you this before and so
:08:48. > :08:50.far you've failed to answer this question, so I give you another
:08:51. > :08:57.opportunity this afternoon to demonstrate your seriousness - will
:08:58. > :09:03.there be a commitment by your party to a needs-based funding formula in
:09:04. > :09:08.2015 election manifesto? If you are not able to make that commitment
:09:09. > :09:13.this afternoon, should we just take it that your influence on these and
:09:14. > :09:21.any other matters within your party is very limited? The first thing to
:09:22. > :09:25.remember is that my party is a GB-wide party and it's important for
:09:26. > :09:30.Wales and also for parts of England as well, so when we decide policy we
:09:31. > :09:35.consult with others outside of Wales. Our position as a Government
:09:36. > :09:40.is absolutely clear. We believe that reform is due. We believe that Wales
:09:41. > :09:45.should be entitled to the money that the Commission has identified that
:09:46. > :09:50.we should be receiving. As far as the leader of Plaid Cymru's party is
:09:51. > :09:54.concerned, once again, I have to riT Tate, that whenever there is a
:09:55. > :09:59.dispute between UK treasury and Welsh Government, her MPs take the
:10:00. > :10:05.side of UK Treasury. Jonathan Edwards, the MP for Carmarthen
:10:06. > :10:11.Eastern, whenever there is a dispute over HS2, he immediately leapt in
:10:12. > :10:15.with both feet and said it was the fault of the Welsh Government. The
:10:16. > :10:20.leader of Plaid Cymru can shout as much as she likes, I know she
:10:21. > :10:25.doesn't like the answer. The reality is it's important that her party
:10:26. > :10:32.steps up to the plate when it comes to standing up for Wales and her MPs
:10:33. > :10:36.move away from their London-centric tendency to support UK Treasury
:10:37. > :10:43.ministers in any dispute against Welsh ministers. It's about time her
:10:44. > :10:51.party started thinking more about Wales. We move to questions from the
:10:52. > :10:56.Leader of the Opposition. Thank you. First Minister, when did you realise
:10:57. > :11:00.that your policy on tuition fees was unsustainable? I thought that might
:11:01. > :11:06.have been the answer coming from you, so let's just recap shall we?
:11:07. > :11:10.In 2010, the form eeducation minister said the Government has the
:11:11. > :11:14.responsibility for Welsh domicile students wherever they choose to
:11:15. > :11:18.study. Leighton Andrews went on to tell the BBC that the figures, which
:11:19. > :11:24.took account of inflation, showed that the fees policy was
:11:25. > :11:31.sustainable. However, the FOI that we have clearly shows that that
:11:32. > :11:35.policy was mot eleed up to 2021 and -- modelled up to 2012, and yet
:11:36. > :11:40.today we have a review and whether it is viable to continue. In its
:11:41. > :11:47.first full financial year you are already questioning the viability of
:11:48. > :11:51.it. Wasn't it not just a gimmick in 2011 for the election? I'm not sure
:11:52. > :11:56.I can improve on the answer that was given mind me, by my friend, the
:11:57. > :11:59.member for the Rhondda. I can say plainly that we made a commitment as
:12:00. > :12:04.a Government to implement this policy and it will continue for the
:12:05. > :12:10.course of this Government. You might well say you cannot improve on the
:12:11. > :12:14.answer of Christmas past who sits on the backbenches, because every now
:12:15. > :12:17.and again we hear a rumbling, but he obviously sits there rather than
:12:18. > :12:22.around the Cabinet table, but what we have to remember is today,
:12:23. > :12:28.because of your policy, a plumber would not get the same level of
:12:29. > :12:34.support as a barrister, because you choose not to support vocational
:12:35. > :12:39.education to the same level as you support higher education and indeed
:12:40. > :12:44.you were quite happy to allow a significant proportion of the Welsh
:12:45. > :12:50.Government's budget to leech out of Wales and support universities in
:12:51. > :12:55.England. # is it not the case, First Minister, that instead of standing
:12:56. > :13:00.up for students, you are cherry picking in HE over FE, where you
:13:01. > :13:04.have announced I ?50 million worth of cuts in further education. When
:13:05. > :13:12.it comes to fees, you've got as much credibility as Nick Clegg has got.
:13:13. > :13:16.LAUGHTER I will leave it to the leader of the
:13:17. > :13:20.Liberal Democrats to answer that final part of the question, if I
:13:21. > :13:24.may. Let's examine the situation carefully. His party wants to treble
:13:25. > :13:30.tuition fees for students. That's what they wish to do, to make it
:13:31. > :13:35.more expensive to go to university and he uses the example. That is the
:13:36. > :13:40.wrong example to offer. Barristers are not funded at all. It isn't
:13:41. > :13:45.funded. It's the wrong example to give. The reality is if you enter on
:13:46. > :13:51.to the Bar course there is no funding available. It's an
:13:52. > :13:54.exceptionally expensive course to undertake. That is the daftest
:13:55. > :13:58.example I have heard in the chamber. Perhaps he should take it up with
:13:59. > :14:04.those who gave thiple that. He talk about FE. We have helped FE
:14:05. > :14:10.financially as best we can, given the cuts. Where was he and his
:14:11. > :14:14.protests when the allowance was abolished by his part in London? We
:14:15. > :14:19.have kept them in Wales. The reality is that we are committed to students
:14:20. > :14:25.more than HE and FE when all his party wants to do is make it more
:14:26. > :14:31.expensive for people to get qualifications. I'm looking forward
:14:32. > :14:36.to being able to here the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Thank
:14:37. > :14:40.you. Today, the BMA have said that the main reason that there is
:14:41. > :14:45.massive pressure on A departments in Wales is because of a 20%
:14:46. > :14:50.reduction in the number of beds. Do you agree with them? No, I think the
:14:51. > :14:54.pressures on A are more complex. We have seen the winter pressures
:14:55. > :15:01.and more admissions. They've increased by 68% over the past ten
:15:02. > :15:04.years. And, it is difficult to ensure that with that level of
:15:05. > :15:09.demand, that demand is met. Looking at the latest figures, we are moving
:15:10. > :15:13.in the right direction. Two weeks ago in MPQs the Prime Minister
:15:14. > :15:16.launched a stinging attack on the Welsh NHS and your spokesman
:15:17. > :15:20.responded by saying that David Cameron was inaccurate. For once, I
:15:21. > :15:25.agree with him. The Prime Minister said that A waiting times had not
:15:26. > :15:29.been met since 2009. He was inaccurate in saying that. Because
:15:30. > :15:33.you've never met your A waiting times. Isn't it time that you did
:15:34. > :15:37.admit that there are not enough beds in the Welsh NHS to cope with the
:15:38. > :15:45.demands that will be placed upon it this winter?
:15:46. > :15:50.Our plan is robust and we are in a good place to deal with pressures.
:15:51. > :15:55.One wonders what plans you are looking at. The most recent figures
:15:56. > :15:58.show that the number of people suffering from delayed transfer of
:15:59. > :16:02.care in September this year is 10% up from the figure September last
:16:03. > :16:07.year. Not only do we not have enough beds in the NHS, we don't have the
:16:08. > :16:13.right patients in the right beds. What is your Government going to do
:16:14. > :16:18.to ensure that hospital beds are volunteer -- -- available to
:16:19. > :16:22.patients who need them the most and those who don't need them are
:16:23. > :16:29.discharged in a timely fashion. The length of delay and time of delay
:16:30. > :16:38.has fallen, days delayed fall be -- fallen by 80%. I do have to point
:16:39. > :16:43.out to the leader of the Liberal Democrats that her party's record in
:16:44. > :16:49.health is nothing to shout about. 4,500 nurses sacked. ?20 billion
:16:50. > :16:54.worth of cuts in the English NHS. The NHS chief responsible for A
:16:55. > :16:58.services in England saying he would be unhappy if one of his relatives
:16:59. > :17:01.was admitted to hospital over the weekend because of a shortage of
:17:02. > :17:06.consultants. We know that the financial problems in the English
:17:07. > :17:11.NHS. We know that the number of trusts missing the UK's Government
:17:12. > :17:15.four-hour waiting time target has more than doubled. We accept the
:17:16. > :17:21.difficulties that occasionally arise in the Welsh NHS. We deal with them.
:17:22. > :17:25.The figures show that. It's a shame that her party and the Conservative
:17:26. > :17:29.Party cannot recognise the mess they're making of the NHS elsewhere.
:17:30. > :17:34.It's perfectly valid. The Prime Minister stands up in Prime
:17:35. > :17:39.Minister's Questions, he talks about the Welsh NHS as is his freedom to
:17:40. > :17:43.do, but it's right with the Tories and Lib Dems in charge of the NHS in
:17:44. > :17:50.Wales, we'll see fewer nurses, fewer beds, less money, more burning rupt
:17:51. > :17:55.LHBs and a level of care that will continue to decline.
:17:56. > :17:59.THE SPEAKER: Now we move back to questions on the paper. Will the
:18:00. > :18:03.First Minister detail what the Welsh Government is doing about
:18:04. > :18:07.competitiveness in Wales. We're making it ease whier for business to
:18:08. > :18:12.access finance. We're developing an economic framework for investment to
:18:13. > :18:19.signal future direction for economic policy in Wales. Thank you. You may
:18:20. > :18:23.be aware that the UK competitiveness index last week showed Cardiff
:18:24. > :18:27.falling seven places since 2010 and four of the bottom least competitive
:18:28. > :18:32.UK local authorities are located in the South Wales valleys. I'm sure
:18:33. > :18:37.you would agrow that this simply isn't good enough. You've previously
:18:38. > :18:42.blamed a lack of tools in the box for the economic woes. Now the UK
:18:43. > :18:45.Government is giving you more fiscal rules, when will you get on turning
:18:46. > :18:49.the job of the economy around because you don't have anywhere to
:18:50. > :18:53.hide now. We haven't got the tools yet nor a date by which those tools
:18:54. > :18:57.will be in place. But we welcome them. We have to remember that the
:18:58. > :19:02.level of unemployment has dropped. The level of economic inactivity has
:19:03. > :19:08.dropped. If you look exports, this eare up 4. 3% over the last quarter.
:19:09. > :19:14.Foreign investment doubling over the course of the past year. We have
:19:15. > :19:19.seen GDP improve, gross domestic household income has improved. We
:19:20. > :19:24.believe we are on course. We cannot divorce ourselves from the economic
:19:25. > :19:30.policies being implemented across the UK. Without doubt that would
:19:31. > :19:34.hold us back. # First Minister, over the weekend we heard fantastic news
:19:35. > :19:38.from the Dubai air show that Erebus has secured over ?30 billion worning
:19:39. > :19:44.of orders. Now this is incredibly -- worth of orders. This is incredibly
:19:45. > :19:48.important. I know the local member for Deeside is particularly
:19:49. > :19:52.delighted even more that his football team had a hammering, so
:19:53. > :19:59.he's had good news this weekend. The aerospace industry is vital to the
:20:00. > :20:10.Welsh economy. It protects Mandy - who beat conyaz key? Rhyl? --
:20:11. > :20:13.ConnahsQuay? Rhyl? Will you congratulate Erebus on their success
:20:14. > :20:17.and update us on what your Government is doing to drive forward
:20:18. > :20:20.growth through supporting high-tech manufacturing sectors? We have a
:20:21. > :20:24.close working relationship with Erebus. We've provided them with
:20:25. > :20:28.assistance in years gone by. They're an important employer as far as
:20:29. > :20:36.Wales is concerned. Our support for the advanced tells and manufacturing
:20:37. > :20:40.sector is designed to is designed to advance that sector. Working with
:20:41. > :20:44.Erebus, we look forward to seeing the Erebus plan to grow from
:20:45. > :20:51.strength to strength in the future. I'm delighted to congratulate them
:20:52. > :20:59.on this dlent -- excellent news. You say that you want the
:21:00. > :21:06.implementation, but can I pick up on a question asked earlier. Will you
:21:07. > :21:10.pledge to make it a priority now to negotiate the devolving of income
:21:11. > :21:15.tax in the way that silk proposed, rather than in the inflexible way
:21:16. > :21:20.that is now proposed by the UK Government in order to give the
:21:21. > :21:26.Welsh economy a competitive edge? The aebs to that is -- answer to
:21:27. > :21:28.that is yes, I think it is important that the Silk Commission's
:21:29. > :21:32.recommendations should be followed through. The proposal with regards
:21:33. > :21:37.to income tax is not to implement the commission's recommendation. I
:21:38. > :21:43.if fully support the implementation the mechanism -- of the
:21:44. > :21:48.implementiation of a mechanism for the future. But that's not the
:21:49. > :21:51.mechanism implementing proposals of silk. These are issues that no doubt
:21:52. > :21:58.will form part of the debate over the next few years. Members will
:21:59. > :22:02.know, I am not of the view that the devolution of income tax powers is a
:22:03. > :22:07.priority. It wouldn't be possible anyway before 2017, I suspect. I did
:22:08. > :22:12.see mention being made last week of a potential sun set clause which
:22:13. > :22:16.certainly isn't the case as far as a referendum would be concerned. It
:22:17. > :22:21.would be wrong for any UK Government minister to suggest that a
:22:22. > :22:25.referendum could be held in Wales over income tax powers, but it would
:22:26. > :22:32.have to be done by a certain time. That would be counter to the
:22:33. > :22:35.commission's proposals. One area of particular economic growth potential
:22:36. > :22:41.is the film and television industry. Just last week, you may have heard
:22:42. > :22:47.that the Warner Brothers blockbuster the Man from Uncle was being filled
:22:48. > :22:52.in Ceredigion, bringing many thousands of pounds into the Welsh
:22:53. > :22:58.economy. However, on occasions the opportunities can be hampered by
:22:59. > :23:03.delays in local planning. As recently of 2012 we have the example
:23:04. > :23:06.that Skyfall went to Scotland because of specific planning
:23:07. > :23:11.difficulties. In the context of that, what is your Government
:23:12. > :23:16.prepared to do to ensure that maybe through the Planning Bill and other
:23:17. > :23:20.methods, what can be done to ensure that Wales is open for business
:23:21. > :23:24.particularly when we're seeking to ensure that we are competitive with
:23:25. > :23:29.the creative industries? The creative industries is important to
:23:30. > :23:35.Wales. They were part of the agenda for the British-Irish Council held
:23:36. > :23:37.in Jersey last Friday. Local planning authorities have to take
:23:38. > :23:43.decisions for themselves, but it's important that we understand that
:23:44. > :23:46.where there are opportunities for job creation and injection of funds
:23:47. > :23:50.into the local economy, the planning authorities have to bear that in
:23:51. > :23:58.mind when they take their decisions. It is correct to say that Skyfall
:23:59. > :24:03.was lost to the Brecon beakens and went to -- Brecon Beacons and went
:24:04. > :24:06.to Scotland that is regrettable. We are responsive in terms of Welsh
:24:07. > :24:12.Government and local Government as possible when it comes to ensuring
:24:13. > :24:17.that we are the locations for particularly well-known films. I did
:24:18. > :24:21.notice watching World Ward Z where those of you familiar with it will
:24:22. > :24:25.know that the world is saved because of a medical facility based in
:24:26. > :24:29.Cardiff. Even though it's clear that the facility itself isn't in Wales
:24:30. > :24:39.given the crick etc in the background are a give away. That is
:24:40. > :24:43.something to be proud of. What are the milestones expected to be
:24:44. > :24:48.achieved by the active travel act for Wales, which has just become
:24:49. > :24:51.law? It's an important piece of legislation which will result of the
:24:52. > :24:55.development of integrated roots and -- routes and facilities across
:24:56. > :24:58.Wales in the next few years. I'm pleased to see as part of road
:24:59. > :25:02.safety act this week, your Government has announced a
:25:03. > :25:06.consultation of risk assessing the routes to school for children who
:25:07. > :25:11.are walking there. And thanks to the Welsh Government's safer routes in
:25:12. > :25:18.communities scheme parts of my constituency are now going to become
:25:19. > :25:22.a 20mph pilot zone, which is extremely welcome. This is expected
:25:23. > :25:27.to have minimal impact on journey times by car and bus and will make
:25:28. > :25:32.it safe for pedestrians and cyclists. How can we ensure that
:25:33. > :25:41.initiatives like this link up with the objectives of the active travel
:25:42. > :25:46.act? What's important is that as we work with travel, there is -- there
:25:47. > :25:51.is sufficient road safety. One of the concerns is having to share the
:25:52. > :25:55.road with cars. If cars are slowed down, that will encourage more
:25:56. > :25:59.people, I believe, to cycle. I welcome what Cardiff Council is
:26:00. > :26:03.doing. We allocated ?400,000 for those schemes. They will be
:26:04. > :26:06.important schemes in areas, for example, where there are a lot of
:26:07. > :26:10.students, who themselves have access to bikes. It's important that we
:26:11. > :26:15.promote active travel in that way. Of course, also ensure that the
:26:16. > :26:21.roads are as safe as they can be for cyclists and pedestrians in the
:26:22. > :26:26.future. First Minister, I have two
:26:27. > :26:30.documents, the one the climbing higher document from January 2005
:26:31. > :26:36.and the climbing higher next steps from July 2006, I have them here
:26:37. > :26:40.because they had a target set of 95% of people in Wales having a foot
:26:41. > :26:46.path or cycle path within a ten-minute walk of their home. Nine
:26:47. > :26:51.years down-the-line, that has still not come to fruition. I ask the
:26:52. > :26:55.question on the back of the last question, how confident are you that
:26:56. > :27:03.the objectives of the active travel bill, which all the subscribe to,
:27:04. > :27:06.how confident are you in five years, ten years down-the-line, the bill
:27:07. > :27:09.will make hay difference to people's lives and that local authorities
:27:10. > :27:13.will actually have enough finance at this time to make it a reality? This
:27:14. > :27:18.is legislation, this is not what we could have done in years gone by. I
:27:19. > :27:22.am certain with the legislation and the statutory guidance which will
:27:23. > :27:30.support the implementation of the act that we will see the act's
:27:31. > :27:34.objectives being met. One of the issues arisen out of sad deaths of a
:27:35. > :27:42.number of cyclists in London recently is the poor design of
:27:43. > :27:46.routes with cycle lanes being marked intermittently on roads. Can you
:27:47. > :27:51.tell us how the bill will alleviate the situation so that we can ensure
:27:52. > :27:55.that cyclists are not dying on Welsh road? The design guidance will be
:27:56. > :27:58.issued as a result of the act. That will set the standards for the
:27:59. > :28:02.design of walking and cycling infrastructure. The member is right
:28:03. > :28:06.to point out that there are examples, I've seen them, of cycle
:28:07. > :28:14.paths that come to an abrupt end with the word "end" and then people
:28:15. > :28:18.are back onto the main highway. That guidance will need to be implemented
:28:19. > :28:23.by local authorities. Also the delivery guidance will explain what
:28:24. > :28:26.the duties in the act mean in practice, with those things taken
:28:27. > :28:33.together, I believe we will see proper cycle routes that don't come
:28:34. > :28:38.to an abrupt end, as we have seen in the past. Will the First Minister
:28:39. > :28:43.provide an opinion on the welfare reform in Wales. We commissioned a
:28:44. > :28:46.three-stage programme and this has helped us to inform our response to
:28:47. > :28:53.mitigate, where we can, those impacts in Wales. The next report is
:28:54. > :28:57.due to be published in the new year. Nearly 34,000 people across Wales
:28:58. > :29:02.have been hit by the bedroom tax losing an average of more than ?13
:29:03. > :29:08.per week, while 6,500 households with two spare rooms are losing more
:29:09. > :29:12.than ?20 per week. With Christmas ash the corner I'm worried about the
:29:13. > :29:17.1700 tenants building up housing debt because of this pernicious
:29:18. > :29:20.policy. I support recent Welsh Government proposals to scrap
:29:21. > :29:25.mandatory ground eight, which can be used to evict them. Though I
:29:26. > :29:28.understand the current envelope moratorium on ground eight has
:29:29. > :29:32.worked well, working with the Housing Minister will you ensure
:29:33. > :29:37.this is strengthened by a change in the law so that people do not face
:29:38. > :29:42.mandatory eviction because of bedroom tax arrears. First of all
:29:43. > :29:47.the bedroom tax is pernicious. There's no question about that. We
:29:48. > :29:51.see the effect on people despite the assurances given by the UK
:29:52. > :29:59.Government. We are exploring, as a Cabinet, ways of ensuring that
:30:00. > :30:04.people don't face the difficulties of unnecessary evict. I've heard
:30:05. > :30:09.calls from other parties to put forward a no-eviction policy. That
:30:10. > :30:13.has an effect on other people who pay and there is a cost to that. But
:30:14. > :30:20.nevertheless, it is something that we are actively giving consideration
:30:21. > :30:24.to at the moment. It's three years since the private sector built in
:30:25. > :30:27.welfare reform and needed to work with local Government.
:30:28. > :30:30.Two-and-a-half years since the UK Government issued detailed guidance
:30:31. > :30:37.on Prius for the changes. Why did the Welsh Government delay action to
:30:38. > :30:40.identify exempt groups, those priority for discretionary housing
:30:41. > :30:44.payments and increase supply until after the changes had taken effect.
:30:45. > :30:48.I assume the member is joking given the fact that these reforms came
:30:49. > :30:52.into place in April and he expects us to have build 17,000 one-bed
:30:53. > :30:55.accommodation since that time. It's not good enough for the
:30:56. > :30:59.Conservatives to suddenly blame us as a party and a Government for the
:31:00. > :31:04.problem they introduced. One of the other members tried it last week, he
:31:05. > :31:08.pointed out that people was being see vict -- evicted. It's your
:31:09. > :31:12.policy. You defend. It you explain it to the people of Wales. You tell
:31:13. > :31:21.those people who face eviction that's something that according to
:31:22. > :31:27.your party, they deserve. TRANSLATION: First Minister, there
:31:28. > :31:30.are thousands, if not millions of people on benefits and pensions
:31:31. > :31:34.facing a hard winter, particularly bearing in mind that the price of
:31:35. > :31:39.fuel is increasing and if that's the case, would awe gree it's
:31:40. > :31:43.disgraceful that the major energy companies are sitting on money and
:31:44. > :31:49.increasing prices that have been gathered for things such as eco,
:31:50. > :31:52.which is supposed to insulate homes and people people on benefits cope
:31:53. > :31:57.with the winter. Is there anything you can do to put more pressure on
:31:58. > :32:01.the companies to release this money, which is already being gathered
:32:02. > :32:11.through their high prices, but yet to be spent on low-quality homes in
:32:12. > :32:16.Wales? TRANSLATION: We have schemes, but what is very important is that
:32:17. > :32:21.people should be able to afford the energy that they use and one of the
:32:22. > :32:24.things my party has said on a British level is we will freeze
:32:25. > :32:32.prices in future and that will be of a great benefit to all. #
:32:33. > :32:37.TRANSLATION: As part of the welfare reforms under the last Labour
:32:38. > :32:41.Government in London, the independent living fund was closed.
:32:42. > :32:46.Now, there has been a court case over this part fortnight that
:32:47. > :32:49.questioned whether the funds should continue, but there is a requirement
:32:50. > :32:54.for the Welsh Government to decide whether the fund is to implement it
:32:55. > :32:58.nationally here in Wales or at the County Council level. When will the
:32:59. > :33:01.Government make that decision? TRANSLATION: This is something that
:33:02. > :33:09.we are discussing at present, but it's true to say that the fact that
:33:10. > :33:14.our budget has been squeezed over the past years doesn't help matters.
:33:15. > :33:17.Of course, we know that the United Kingdom Government has the record of
:33:18. > :33:21.giving us the responsibility without giving us the full funding and we
:33:22. > :33:25.saw that with the council tax benefit and we have seen it with
:33:26. > :33:34.other issues too. So, we then have to find that funding in order to
:33:35. > :33:39.maintain the same schemes. Will you outline the latest information on
:33:40. > :33:44.measles in Wales? Our latest information indicates there have
:33:45. > :33:48.been 39 notifications of measles since Octobe They centre on four
:33:49. > :33:54.schools in the south Powys area and we continue to take action to reduce
:33:55. > :33:59.the number of children affected. It seems cleaver, due to the outbreaks,
:34:00. > :34:07.that they confirm that hard-to-reach groups are not responding to appeals
:34:08. > :34:10.to have doses of the MMR. Public Health Wales has warned there is
:34:11. > :34:14.another risk and somehow the message that it can be a very, very serious
:34:15. > :34:20.condition does not seem to be getting across to the public.
:34:21. > :34:25.Therefore, if current appeals to parents and olders children to have
:34:26. > :34:28.this fail, will the Welsh Government look at tougher measures, including
:34:29. > :34:37.invoking public health law, keeping children who have not had the MMR
:34:38. > :34:42.vaccine and close contacts infected children away from school? We do not
:34:43. > :34:45.support compulsory vaccination, but nevertheless Public Health Wales
:34:46. > :34:52.have identified the need to tighten the law possibly in terms of
:34:53. > :34:56.ensuring that a close contact of probable cases are excluded from
:34:57. > :35:01.schools until the infectious period is over. That is something that we
:35:02. > :35:05.are looking at at the moment. Nevertheless, it's important to
:35:06. > :35:09.encourage people to ensure their children are vaccinated. If that
:35:10. > :35:14.doesn't happen, it's important to ensure the disease doesn't Prince
:35:15. > :35:19.Edward -- spread to those who are unvaccinated. It may be that further
:35:20. > :35:27.steps should be taken to ensure the safety of those children. First
:35:28. > :35:32.Minister, the outbreak that took hold in South Wales was particularly
:35:33. > :35:36.damaging, I think, to the confidence that people have had sometimes in
:35:37. > :35:41.the whole of the vaccination programme, because of the adverse
:35:42. > :35:48.publicity received over a decade ago, as a result of some very poor
:35:49. > :35:52.media reporting and some atrocious propaganda put out by a particular
:35:53. > :35:59.medical professional. What work are you now doing to capture this 30,000
:36:00. > :36:03.group of young people who still aren't vaccinated? I appreciate the
:36:04. > :36:06.response you have have previously given, but we know many of the
:36:07. > :36:11.people are in the same Local Health Board areas and I wonder what
:36:12. > :36:17.focussed work you might do to play catch-up with those 30,000 young
:36:18. > :36:23.people? The new delivery framework includes the need to ensure that 95%
:36:24. > :36:27.of children are vaccinated by four years old. All plans are in to the
:36:28. > :36:30.Chief Medical Officer, ensuring there are measures in place and to
:36:31. > :36:49.provide catch-up opportunities for children who have missed out on
:36:50. > :36:54.scheduled vaccinations. The Public Health Wales report says there are
:36:55. > :36:58.problems in the 10-18 and co horse who are continuing to resist efforts
:36:59. > :37:02.to get them vaccinated. How will you refocus the messages and information
:37:03. > :37:07.to parents to try to tackle those issues? It's difficult with those
:37:08. > :37:13.who missed being vaccinated when they were young children. At the
:37:14. > :37:21.time when the publicity against the vaccination was at its highest. Both
:37:22. > :37:25.organisations have recommended that health professionals use every
:37:26. > :37:30.opportunity they have in terms of encounters they have with young
:37:31. > :37:38.adults as an opportunity to check their status and to promote
:37:39. > :37:45.vaccination. One of my constituents died. In the pre-vaccination era my
:37:46. > :37:48.sister ended up profoundly deaf. Wh more could be done to check the
:37:49. > :37:52.seriousness of measles and increase the number of children who are
:37:53. > :37:59.vaccinated by the MMR? I think part of the problem is that many parents
:38:00. > :38:03.are of the generation where the vaccine was not available and think
:38:04. > :38:08.it was a harmless illness, because they didn't have it. Those of us who
:38:09. > :38:15.did it were lucky as measles can be serious and as we know potentially
:38:16. > :38:21.fatal. Important then that we re-emphasise the message that it's
:38:22. > :38:25.not mob tested with. It's far better to be vaccinated against the disease
:38:26. > :38:28.that might potentially kill and that is the message I'm happy to
:38:29. > :38:32.reiterate again in this chamber again and I know health
:38:33. > :38:40.professionals will be doing the same. Will the First Minister make a
:38:41. > :38:45.statement on co--production in public sectors? It can bring
:38:46. > :38:55.benefits to public services and we are looking at ways in which
:38:56. > :39:01.coproduction can become a reality. How do you respond to the statement
:39:02. > :39:05.of last week's communities conference in Wales that now is the
:39:06. > :39:09.time for change, but the fear is that we either don't respond quickly
:39:10. > :39:14.enough or that we respond with a further programme, rather than
:39:15. > :39:17.reform services and changing systems and structures breaking down the
:39:18. > :39:23.barriers wen those who provide services and those who use them? --
:39:24. > :39:30.between those who provide services and those who use them? A panel has
:39:31. > :39:33.been recruited to provide an independent voice for carers and
:39:34. > :39:38.citizens. There is the framework I mentioned in the proposed Bill. Our
:39:39. > :39:42.framework or action on independent living is an example as well of a
:39:43. > :39:46.co-productive approach to addressing the barriers to equality and
:39:47. > :39:50.inclusion, that are faced for example by disabled people and of
:39:51. > :39:58.course there are supporting people programmes and the families first
:39:59. > :40:04.programme and in communities first. TRANSLATION: First Minister, in the
:40:05. > :40:09.financial context facing us at present, do you believe that local
:40:10. > :40:17.authorities, when they talk about providing basic services when senior
:40:18. > :40:22.officers leave or departs from the authority, should they look at
:40:23. > :40:24.re-allocating those responsibility from among the management team
:40:25. > :40:28.rather that making a new appointment? TRANSLATION: That's
:40:29. > :40:31.something for local authorities to decide for themselves and they are
:40:32. > :40:34.accountable to the people they represent. There we are. We'll leave
:40:35. > :40:41.First Minister's Questions there, but you can see more coverage of the
:40:42. > :40:49.National Assembly on-line from the democracy live page. Our Welsh
:40:50. > :40:54.affairs editor has been watching in our newsroom. Vaughan, a lot of
:40:55. > :41:00.discussion about the commissioning report and tax powers. Any clearer
:41:01. > :41:05.now on where the parties stand and what they would do with them? Well,
:41:06. > :41:09.I think we are a little bit clearer. Carwyn Jones made it pretty clear
:41:10. > :41:14.that he was very much opposed to any idea of a sunset clause, that he
:41:15. > :41:19.wanted the mechanism to transfer tax powers from London to Cardiff, but
:41:20. > :41:25.that he didn't intend to use that. You also had a slight air of
:41:26. > :41:28.embarrassment on the Conservative and Liberal Democrat benches,
:41:29. > :41:34.because what the Westminster coalition delivered yesterday wasn't
:41:35. > :41:37.exactly what the Silk Commissi recommended and what the
:41:38. > :41:43.Conservatives and Liberal Democrats here were fighting for. That was the
:41:44. > :41:47.freedom to vary income tax rates independent of each other. Instead
:41:48. > :41:51.of that, the UK Government has put a lock step in place, which means you
:41:52. > :41:58.have to cut the rates or increase the rates at the same level. We saw
:41:59. > :42:02.a little bit there about the sort of debates we'll see going forward, but
:42:03. > :42:10.it's still very early days. Does this lock step argument, does it
:42:11. > :42:14.make it a bit easier for him to say that really he can argue it's not
:42:15. > :42:18.something that would be of any benefit to the Welsh Government? He
:42:19. > :42:23.can argue that. The question is, how long that lock step will last,
:42:24. > :42:28.because the political reason that that is there is because it exists
:42:29. > :42:33.in Scotland. It would have looked very odd if the UK Government on the
:42:34. > :42:39.eve of the independent referendum had given the Welsh Government and
:42:40. > :42:44.the Welsh Assembly more freed Dom that Scotland at the moment. Once we
:42:45. > :42:48.are passed the independent referendum next year, I think you
:42:49. > :42:52.may well see, whatever the result, a change in the lock step aroundments
:42:53. > :42:58.for Scotland, or indeed Scotland going alone. I think the whole
:42:59. > :43:04.question of that lock step will be open again after the referendum.
:43:05. > :43:13.Briefly, a lot of talk on higher education. There is a review, but it
:43:14. > :43:15.will not report until back after the elections. Not everyone impressed?
:43:16. > :43:18.No. There have been heated exchanges in an urgent question that is going
:43:19. > :43:23.on behind me at the moment. People are accusing the Welsh Government of
:43:24. > :43:29.attempting to kick the issue into the long grass. The education
:43:30. > :43:34.Minister saying that that synthetic outrage and he's determined to try
:43:35. > :43:41.to achieve consensus. Vaughan, thank you.
:43:42. > :43:45.That's it for today. We'll be bat at the same time next week, with more
:43:46. > :43:49.coverage of First Minister's Questions. If you want more Welsh
:43:50. > :43:59.politics before then, there is Wales Today this evening at 6.30pm and on
:44:00. > :44:01.S 4 C at 9.00pm. The Wales kl Report with Huw Edwards tomorrow at