:00:38. > :00:41.help -- heavily with AMs asking about economic development in North
:00:41. > :00:45.Wales, enterprise zones in North at Haven and what the government is
:00:45. > :00:47.doing to promote tourism. We will also be watching out to see if
:00:47. > :00:52.there's any reaction to the UK government's call for Wales to go
:00:52. > :00:57.its own way on school exams and the education ministers response that
:00:57. > :01:01.GCSEs and A-levels are to stay. What you want to talk about? If you want
:01:01. > :01:09.to comment on anything on the programme, get in touch with us. You
:01:09. > :01:19.can reach us by a Twitter or send us an e-mail. The First Minister is
:01:19. > :01:26.
:01:26. > :01:36.already on his feet so let's go over now to the chamber. What actions as
:01:36. > :01:38.
:01:38. > :01:44.the First Minister taken to support care? We supported very highly. The
:01:44. > :01:54.reconfiguration proposals say there should be greater care in the
:01:54. > :01:57.
:01:57. > :02:01.community. The Welsh community has always seen a need for the community
:02:01. > :02:06.to be involved. There is a need to put more resources into such teams.
:02:06. > :02:09.What discussions has the wealth -- was government had with the health
:02:09. > :02:12.boards to ensure these resources are available for greater
:02:12. > :02:19.community-based healthcare services? It is an important issue
:02:19. > :02:25.and the Minister for health services isn't looking at the actions
:02:25. > :02:29.necessary -- is looking at the actions. So there have been some
:02:29. > :02:38.positive examples of joint working across Wales, for example the
:02:38. > :02:43.frailty programmes. You will be well aware the number of people who are
:02:43. > :02:45.receiving direct payments have increased by 20%. Can you ballot
:02:45. > :02:53.policies to maintain this increase allowing people to access services
:02:53. > :02:58.they need? We're working hard to insure that the health boards and
:02:58. > :03:04.social services are working together in order to provide the best
:03:04. > :03:07.possible outcome for our citizens. It is important that is provided for
:03:07. > :03:17.them because we know that primary and community services run together,
:03:17. > :03:17.
:03:17. > :06:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 208 seconds
:06:45. > :06:50.they are not separate services that McMillan has long highlighted the
:06:50. > :06:58.huge costs that for one cancer patients during their treatment and
:06:58. > :07:03.recovery. Their 2011 report says that the increased burden is �5,000,
:07:03. > :07:10.on top of the average �16,000 loss in earnings, can you tell us which
:07:10. > :07:20.aspect of your cancer plan addresses this? Years, cancer can cost up to
:07:20. > :07:23.�1500 in travel, clothes, and other costs on top of earnings. That is
:07:23. > :07:27.why we want to see a person centred approach to dealing with cancer,
:07:27. > :07:32.which is why key workers are so important to provide that holistic
:07:32. > :07:42.support, including being able to know where they can obtain financial
:07:42. > :07:47.
:07:47. > :07:51.Assembly research service show that over the fast track past five years,
:07:51. > :07:58.the number of people attending major accident and emergency units has
:07:58. > :08:02.risen by almost 70,000. To around 800,000 visitors per year. We have
:08:02. > :08:07.an ageing population and the numbers of people with chronic conditions is
:08:07. > :08:11.on the increase. Can you explain, then, to the people of the South
:08:11. > :08:21.Wales area, why you are reducing the number of accident and emergency
:08:21. > :08:27.departments? I am not aware of any published plans. We are expecting
:08:27. > :08:32.plans to be published tomorrow. We all know that the number of service
:08:32. > :08:37.users is rising, capacity is an issue. Plaid Cymru has opposed to
:08:37. > :08:40.your reorganisation plans in the past. We believe services should be
:08:40. > :08:47.provided safely, as close to people's homes as is possible. Now,
:08:47. > :08:56.in February, a poll found that 74% of people in Wales disagreed with
:08:56. > :09:00.your hospital policy. You've often said that these changes are
:09:00. > :09:05.clinically led and a report looked at 10,000 patients in
:09:05. > :09:11.life-threatening situations and found that for every additional ten,
:09:11. > :09:17.does travel, it increases the mortality rate by 1%. Do you agree
:09:17. > :09:20.or dispute that finding? I agree with the leader of Plaid Cymru.
:09:21. > :09:26.want services to be as safe and is close to people 's homes as
:09:26. > :09:30.possible. We want to do this. didn't answer the question. I asked
:09:30. > :09:35.you whether or not you agreed with or you disputed the Sheffield
:09:35. > :09:40.finding? The Sheffield study is robust, it is clinical evidence and
:09:40. > :09:44.yet to be challenged. Clinicians say that it is a lack of staff and
:09:44. > :09:48.failure to recruit that is causing the problems in our hospitals,
:09:48. > :09:52.something you've blamed on Westminster in the past. Plaid Cymru
:09:52. > :09:57.has said we should look at financial incentives and support to attract
:09:57. > :10:02.new doctors. Are you prepared to be honest with the people of Wales now,
:10:02. > :10:06.First Minister, and agree that these changes are being driven by a
:10:06. > :10:09.shortage of qualified medical staff? I would be very grateful for a
:10:10. > :10:15.straight answer on that, First Minister, so that people can be in
:10:15. > :10:22.the position to decide whether there is increased risks from travelling
:10:22. > :10:27.extra distance to AMD, and whether it can be blamed on the previous
:10:27. > :10:33.government 's immigration policy, or that government here controls the
:10:33. > :10:38.NHS? I do not accept this sudden increased risk the leader of Clyde
:10:38. > :10:43.Comrie puts forward. If she can find me any consultant that supports her
:10:43. > :10:47.position, I would love to speak to them. Consultants themselves say
:10:47. > :10:51.then eats to be reconfiguration. Her party ignores what doctors say and
:10:51. > :10:55.we want to make sure that people have access to a service that is
:10:55. > :11:02.safe and sustainable but her party wants to make sure that the NHS is
:11:03. > :11:06.not in that position. The safety of the service is not important, the
:11:06. > :11:16.sustainable and the of the service isn't important, but what is
:11:16. > :11:16.
:11:16. > :11:20.important from her point of view is political gain. First Minister,
:11:20. > :11:25.according to visit Britain, Cardiff is the any Welsh town or city in the
:11:25. > :11:28.top 50 most visited places in Britain, given the importance of
:11:28. > :11:32.tourism to the Welsh economy and jobs, what is your government 's
:11:32. > :11:39.target for increasing the number of visits to Wales? The tourism
:11:39. > :11:42.strategy will be published on 17th of June. According to official visit
:11:42. > :11:48.figures, in the last six years, visitor numbers were falling in
:11:48. > :11:55.Wales by almost a quarter, whereas across the cake, they went down by
:11:55. > :11:59.just 3%. -- across the UK. Your government spent an extra �850,000
:11:59. > :12:03.on tourism promotion, what exactly did Welsh taxpayers get for that
:12:03. > :12:09.investment? Selling Wales around the world. The weather has not been kind
:12:09. > :12:13.to us. That has not helped. We have committed many millions of pounds to
:12:13. > :12:20.market Wales around the world. One of the things we are doing now, of
:12:20. > :12:24.course, is developing the tourism market as new routes are served from
:12:24. > :12:29.Cardiff airport, to make sure the flow of passengers is not all one
:12:29. > :12:33.way. It is right to say, for example, we need to make sure we
:12:33. > :12:39.have indoor attractions, we have Cardiff city in the Premier League
:12:39. > :12:43.next year, and that is a lot of money. More than anything else on
:12:43. > :12:48.top of the marketing support, we need to make sure we have better
:12:48. > :12:53.weather than we have had over the last few years. That in itself is
:12:53. > :12:56.not a reason to be complacent. We understand that. It doesn't make it
:12:56. > :13:01.any less of an issue. First Minister, I've spent a lot of time
:13:01. > :13:11.criticising you for things you don't do, but even I would have to
:13:11. > :13:13.
:13:13. > :13:22.acknowledge that you can't control the weather, despite... Despite your
:13:22. > :13:30.well-known resemblance to a certain weatherman. The reality is, First
:13:30. > :13:34.Minister, your government has spent an additional �850,000 in tourism
:13:34. > :13:38.marketing last year, and I asked what Wales and Welsh taxpayers have
:13:38. > :13:41.got for it. You say you are increasing the number of
:13:41. > :13:48.international visitors but the reality is that in six years, total
:13:48. > :13:52.overseas visits to Wales are down by 22%. European visitors are down by
:13:52. > :13:59.27%, and there's been a massive drop of 40% from the North American
:13:59. > :14:03.market. Visit Britain has clearly stated that it aims to bring an
:14:03. > :14:07.extra 9 million tourists a year to Britain by 2020. I am asking you
:14:07. > :14:13.when you finally mean get round to publishing your tourism strategy,
:14:13. > :14:21.how many visitors will be expected in Wales as a result of your
:14:21. > :14:28.government's action? Without wishing to prejudge the strategy, we do put
:14:28. > :14:35.substantial amount of money into tourism, 4.1 million pounds for
:14:35. > :14:39.marketing, and more money for other things. The question for us is how
:14:39. > :14:47.can we increase the numbers of visitors, which is widely tourism
:14:47. > :14:52.strategy is being published on 17th of June. First Minister, can you
:14:52. > :14:59.tell me what you know about the Welsh government's business partner
:14:59. > :15:05.called part cabbie? I am aware of what it is, and I am aware of what
:15:05. > :15:12.plans they will be fired. That business Park has had 21 million
:15:12. > :15:16.pounds spent on it in recent years by Joel government. It has no
:15:16. > :15:21.businesses whatsoever located on that side. It has had �7 million
:15:21. > :15:25.spent on infrastructure, 5 million putting in electricity substation.
:15:25. > :15:29.Doesn't this show a lack of ability to actually correlate the spending
:15:29. > :15:32.of money on enterprise and business projects with the pity of creating
:15:32. > :15:38.jobs, especially when you look back on the record of previous Labour
:15:38. > :15:42.governments around tech theorems which have been shelved after an
:15:42. > :15:47.expensive �100 million, the Dragon project in the Vale of Glamorgan,
:15:47. > :15:50.littered across the whole of Wales, we have white elephants that have
:15:50. > :15:57.had huge expenditure on behalf of the Welsh government and yet, as I
:15:57. > :16:05.have said, �21,221,000 spent and not one single business occupies that
:16:05. > :16:10.side. He will be aware there are archaeological issues surrounding
:16:11. > :16:15.that area. And he mentions the red Dragon project, that was his party
:16:15. > :16:20.who did that and you can pull the wool over other people's eyes but
:16:20. > :16:25.not over hours. I have heard some answers in my time but
:16:25. > :16:30.archaeological problems... I stood on the business Park last Friday,
:16:30. > :16:34.there are huge roadways that many communities would love to have.
:16:34. > :16:39.There is a beautiful cycle track their that many communities would
:16:39. > :16:43.love to have. What isn't there is one single business. We have, from
:16:43. > :16:49.your Government, a policy that we support, the creation of enterprise
:16:49. > :16:52.zones. We have had outlines of what the Welsh Government is doing in
:16:52. > :16:56.those business zones but what we cannot tell is how many jobs have
:16:57. > :17:00.been created, how much money has gone into those enterprise zones and
:17:00. > :17:07.how many new business start-ups have actually been started on those
:17:07. > :17:11.zones. I have listed the red Dragon project, and others. Are we to see
:17:11. > :17:15.more white elephants around Wales or what confidence can you give that
:17:15. > :17:18.you have got your economic policy right and that we will start seeing
:17:18. > :17:22.jobs being created by your Government and new business
:17:22. > :17:27.start-ups and above all in about four years time, we will not look
:17:27. > :17:30.back on your Government and say they were exactly the same as their
:17:30. > :17:37.predecessors? Who can only see what is happening in the Haven waterway
:17:37. > :17:41.is zoned, this is just the start. Enhanced capital loans in sum, new
:17:41. > :17:44.business rates schemes announced recently, we are proactive in terms
:17:44. > :17:48.of jobs and the jobs growth for Wales. Something they have
:17:48. > :17:52.criticised and they have got their figures wrong. They say a third of
:17:52. > :17:56.people who start on this are unemployed and that is nonsense. I
:17:56. > :18:02.challenge them to produce those figures to produce and back up what
:18:02. > :18:06.they are saying but they are being casual and lazy to figures, we are
:18:06. > :18:11.used to that on this side of the House. I want to show some sympathy
:18:11. > :18:14.for the Leader of the Opposition. It is important because he is the
:18:14. > :18:17.leader of the Welsh Conservative Party, of several Conservative
:18:18. > :18:21.parties that seem to exist now. We have seen what is happening in
:18:21. > :18:29.London as the Conservative Party there falls apart and it was
:18:29. > :18:37.unfortunate that a Conservative advisor close to the Prime Minister
:18:37. > :18:44.described his own activists as mad, swivel eyed loons. We may think that
:18:44. > :18:50.was a blunt and direct message but I can tell you that that quote is an
:18:50. > :18:54.anagram and that is what is the Conservative Party is doing to their
:18:54. > :19:04.only there. We do not need lessons on how to control the party, their
:19:04. > :19:04.
:19:04. > :19:08.party is falling apart before our statement on any discussions the
:19:09. > :19:12.Welsh Government has had with the UK Government on the proposed sale of
:19:12. > :19:18.Royal Mail? We have had no specific discussions about this issue but
:19:18. > :19:21.needless to say we oppose the sale. He will be aware that Vince cable is
:19:21. > :19:26.leading the privatisation of the Royal mail for the UK Government. It
:19:26. > :19:30.looks to me like a fire sale that has nothing to do with quality of
:19:30. > :19:34.service for customers or providing value for money. The Royal Mail
:19:34. > :19:38.announced profits for one year of over �400 million. Does the First
:19:39. > :19:41.Minister agree with me that it represents poor value for money and
:19:41. > :19:47.a particular threat for the future of the universal sales obligation
:19:47. > :19:54.and the six-day service especially within rural Wales? We know one
:19:54. > :20:04.major operator is already refusing to deliver to every address in
:20:04. > :20:06.
:20:06. > :20:11.Ceredigion. I believe it is the future, any company that will charge
:20:11. > :20:14.more to delivering to more rural areas, and it is all down to trying
:20:14. > :20:20.to make money and nothing to do with trying to provide a service for the
:20:20. > :20:25.public. I regret that you seem to have swallowed the Mets on which the
:20:25. > :20:29.question was based. How will you address the scaremongering and help
:20:29. > :20:34.people understand that regardless of whether Royal Mail is in public or
:20:34. > :20:41.private ownership, the universal service is protected by law.
:20:41. > :20:44.Further, the law protects the VAT exemption for universal service
:20:44. > :20:50.providers, Royal Mail is obliged to deliver to every address whether
:20:50. > :21:00.urban or rural and the services are protected by law. Only of common --
:21:00. > :21:05.
:21:05. > :21:08.of common -- Ofcom... The fact that it is protected by law is no
:21:08. > :21:13.protection because the law can be changed by end of the Government.
:21:13. > :21:17.The reality is that once Royal Mail is privatised, it is brave to break
:21:17. > :21:19.up to the destruction of the universal service, to massively
:21:19. > :21:23.increase costs, particularly for rural areas and once that takes
:21:23. > :21:26.place, then the Royal Mail is exposed. I have no doubt there will
:21:26. > :21:31.be those in the party opposite who would like nothing better than to
:21:31. > :21:40.see the full market have full rein when it comes to postal services and
:21:40. > :21:50.rural communities lose the services on which they depend.
:21:50. > :21:50.
:21:50. > :23:00.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 208 seconds
:23:00. > :23:05.preparation for the sale, they are closing post offices throughout
:23:05. > :23:09.Wales including the last one in Swansea and this but the
:23:10. > :23:13.Westminster's promise of no boss office closures, do you share my
:23:13. > :23:18.concern that the closure of these post offices -- no post office
:23:18. > :23:28.closures? Yes, I do, I want to see them return to Cuba services in the
:23:28. > :23:30.
:23:30. > :23:34.present format and locations. -- them return to keep services. What
:23:34. > :23:38.they said to the Minister is they want to keep the Crown office is
:23:38. > :23:41.accessible to customers and would only move to locations with equal
:23:41. > :23:47.access for its customers. Much better in my view, that they keep
:23:47. > :23:55.the Crown post offices as they are. We'll be First Minister make a
:23:55. > :24:00.statement to the health technologies fund? Yes, it will ensure the
:24:00. > :24:04.availability of leading edge equipment and applications for
:24:04. > :24:09.funding are currently being invited for the second round. We need to use
:24:09. > :24:13.this money to invested innovative and truly effective treatment for
:24:13. > :24:19.Welsh patients. Prostate cancer treatments but would benefit from
:24:19. > :24:27.accruing screens and articulated arms, there are 30 in England but
:24:27. > :24:34.none in Wales. I was informed that the Welsh health boards together
:24:34. > :24:40.plan to bid for a particular robot. Do you think we should be increasing
:24:40. > :24:43.looking at technology and how will this fund reflect this priority?
:24:43. > :24:48.This is exactly the kind of equipment that the fund will provide
:24:48. > :24:58.funding for in general. I know that the Cardiff and Vale University
:24:58. > :25:05.
:25:05. > :25:09.health board is considering the use review and the Scottish vision
:25:09. > :25:14.strategy, the Scottish covenant unlock funding for high-tech digital
:25:14. > :25:18.cameras for high-street opticians allowing photos to be taken off the
:25:18. > :25:24.back of people's eyes. And allowing closer integration of primary and
:25:24. > :25:31.secondary care. What consideration have you given for such funding so
:25:31. > :25:35.that high-street technologies can be adopted here in Wales? It is
:25:35. > :25:38.available to all potential bidders. When it comes to the process you are
:25:38. > :25:42.describing, if I remember correctly, ophthalmologists are able to
:25:42. > :25:50.register in this with existing equipment. What the digital machine
:25:50. > :25:55.does is provide an image on a screen that they are then able to access.
:25:55. > :26:00.It is not the case that... It is not possible to carry out this procedure
:26:00. > :26:10.but if the new technology would be of assistance, then these are being
:26:10. > :26:10.
:26:10. > :26:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 208 seconds
:26:55. > :27:01.invited at this moment. announced that some of the funding
:27:01. > :27:05.from this fund will be used for new radiotherapy techniques. Could you
:27:05. > :27:11.confirm that the area will be able to purchase certain technology
:27:11. > :27:14.rather than fixed gantry systems which are older technology, less
:27:14. > :27:19.effective and can treat less patients? I think I am right in
:27:19. > :27:23.saying that the radiotherapy that the member refers to has not been
:27:23. > :27:29.paid for out of this fund. That is being paid for I understand why
:27:29. > :27:32.exist in funds. But nevertheless it is open to the area to bid for
:27:32. > :27:42.capital to make sure that they have access to the best technology that
:27:42. > :27:42.
:27:42. > :29:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 208 seconds
:29:06. > :29:09.is available using this fund as a conference on the 1st of May, you
:29:09. > :29:12.went on to highlight your expectations of how the wind
:29:13. > :29:17.industry must work with each other, local communities and also other
:29:17. > :29:23.stakeholders to ensure that wind developments deliver benefits for
:29:23. > :29:27.communities hosting them. Just last week, a number of my constituents
:29:27. > :29:32.experienced bullying tactics from agents of the National Grid as they
:29:32. > :29:36.issued a number of legal notices for forced access. When challenged by
:29:36. > :29:42.186-year-old woman to show their identification, she was met with
:29:42. > :29:46.foul and abusive language. -- challenged by one 86-year-old. Will
:29:46. > :29:51.you join me in condemning this disgraceful behaviour from National
:29:51. > :29:57.Grid agents? Those are exceptionally serious allegations. I will not
:29:57. > :30:00.comment on them for now, I have no way of knowing the extent of their
:30:00. > :30:03.voracity but I will, of course, investigate the matter with National
:30:03. > :30:13.Grid and write to the member with the conclusion of that
:30:13. > :30:13.
:30:13. > :32:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 208 seconds
:32:11. > :32:17.seminars to pass on advice to woodland owners and managers about
:32:17. > :32:26.how to spot ashtray back and what they can do to stop this -- stop it
:32:26. > :32:30.spreading. Of course, it is spread by fungal spores. These seminars
:32:30. > :32:35.were available in South Wales and in Mid Wales but not in North Wales,
:32:35. > :32:40.and presumably West Wales. Given the fungus has now spread to the wider
:32:40. > :32:44.environment, would you -- agreed is important that businesses and
:32:44. > :32:48.individuals from all areas of Wales can get access to the latest advice?
:32:48. > :32:53.I will take the matter up with natural resources Wales and asked
:32:53. > :32:57.them what plans they have two publicise the incidents of the
:32:57. > :33:01.disease in parts of Wales where previously it was not recorded. It
:33:01. > :33:09.is important there is awareness across the whole nation. With the
:33:09. > :33:13.importance that Ash has within the wider world forestry sector, what
:33:13. > :33:18.books have theirs so far been between Welsh government and the
:33:18. > :33:24.relevant sector, particularly the important tree nursery sector of the
:33:24. > :33:29.industry, to ensure there isn't a long-term gap in our future
:33:29. > :33:38.sustainability and self-sufficiency in timber? The Welsh plan that has
:33:38. > :33:44.been produced on 25th of March of this year, it advocates the actions
:33:44. > :33:48.that need to be taken by landowners in terms of mitigating the spread of
:33:48. > :33:53.the disease. I know that natural resources Wales have been using this
:33:53. > :34:01.with landowners to minimise the risk and to stop the disease from
:34:01. > :34:06.spreading. For the First Minister make the state and on his last
:34:06. > :34:11.meeting with the secretary for Wales? The content of the meeting is
:34:11. > :34:15.private but we discussed a number of political matters. Thank you. Over
:34:15. > :34:22.the past few weeks, since he has been put in the post of Secretary of
:34:22. > :34:26.State, you've been making unhelpful comment, talking down the
:34:26. > :34:30.instruction -- construction industry, and most of all what for
:34:30. > :34:37.me is the most disgusting of his unhelpful comments is he has now
:34:37. > :34:42.done a grading a law passed in this chamber with the full support of all
:34:42. > :34:51.parties across this chamber. Despite requests from me to meet with him,
:34:51. > :34:54.he seems to have gone very silent. So, will you continue to remind the
:34:54. > :34:59.Secretary of State for Wales to stop interfering in devolved matters and
:34:59. > :35:05.urge him to start standing up for Wales and Westminster because he has
:35:05. > :35:08.spectacularly failed to do so since his appointment? It is right to say
:35:08. > :35:12.that the legislation was fully supported on all sides of the house.
:35:12. > :35:16.That much is true, including the Secretary of State's own party. He
:35:16. > :35:20.has publicly called for the legislation to be ignored, I think
:35:20. > :35:30.is the word I would use, and I explain to him this is legislation
:35:30. > :35:34.
:35:34. > :35:40.part -- past with full party support. In terms of construction, I
:35:40. > :35:43.have the figures, the ONS figures which clearly show the situation in
:35:43. > :35:49.Wales is far better than in the whole of UK in 2012. Construction in
:35:49. > :35:55.the UK has gone down to ten times than construction in Wales which
:35:55. > :35:59.shows the effect the Welsh government is having in terms of
:35:59. > :36:05.encouraging construction in Wales. First Minister, in contrast to this
:36:05. > :36:08.pessimism, will you join me in talking up the enormous contribution
:36:08. > :36:13.they Secretary of State for Wales and the UK coalition government are
:36:13. > :36:19.making in terms of the Welsh economy? Electrification of the
:36:19. > :36:25.great Western mainline, substantial broadband improvements, and
:36:25. > :36:27.enterprise zones. Will you tell us First Minister what discussions you
:36:27. > :36:33.had with the Secretary of State for Wales to ensure that both your
:36:33. > :36:35.government and the UK coalition government continued to work for
:36:35. > :36:40.waters for the best interest of Wales, and you can only do that by
:36:40. > :36:48.working together. We will always seek to work with the Secretary of
:36:48. > :36:51.State as well as possible with Wales best interest. The parties in the UK
:36:51. > :36:58.cannot work together, though, and the major party is falling apart
:36:58. > :37:08.completely. It is not a question of corporation between Cardiff and
:37:08. > :37:08.
:37:08. > :38:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 208 seconds
:38:16. > :38:21.London, but cooperation within First Minister, HMRC announced on
:38:21. > :38:26.May 14 they plan to close all of their enquiry Centres across the UK
:38:26. > :38:29.by March 2014. In addition to the potential job losses, the closure of
:38:29. > :38:32.the centre in Merthyr would disenfranchise those of my
:38:32. > :38:37.constituents who rely on that enquiry Centre for any issues they
:38:37. > :38:43.may have with their tax. I've spoken to the PCS you who were concerned
:38:43. > :38:47.that these plans. Will you raise First Minister the effects of this
:38:47. > :38:51.on my constituency and others with the Secretary of State when you next
:38:51. > :38:55.meet him? I will seek to do that either through the next meeting,
:38:55. > :38:58.which I'm not clear when that is scheduled at the moment, but I will
:38:58. > :39:08.talk to him and make clear your concerns on behalf of your
:39:08. > :39:14.
:39:14. > :39:18.constituents. First Minister, will you make a statement over the future
:39:18. > :39:22.of the Welsh tourism sector? These two questions have been grouped, the
:39:22. > :39:27.strategy will be published on 17th June. What assessment has your
:39:27. > :39:30.government made about the impact of energy development on the
:39:30. > :39:36.surrounding tourism industry? commission and enquiry into the
:39:36. > :39:45.impact of the Swansea tourist industry if wind farms are given the
:39:45. > :39:54.go-ahead alongside the proposed coal gratification? There's no suggestion
:39:54. > :40:00.there would be an effect on tourism. As long as wind element is made as
:40:00. > :40:05.sympathetically. A bit of it is made in Welsh Waters but the vast
:40:06. > :40:09.majority as an English waters. As for the effect on tourism, with wind
:40:09. > :40:13.turbines, there are some people who hate them with a passion, there are
:40:13. > :40:18.some people who are very much in favour of them, some who are
:40:18. > :40:20.indifferent. It is very difficult to quantify what the effect on tourism
:40:20. > :40:24.is when there are so many different views in terms of wind turbine
:40:24. > :40:29.technology. We will leave First Minister's Questions there but don't
:40:29. > :40:31.forget you can see more coverage of the Assembly online including an
:40:32. > :40:40.emergency question later to the education minister about the exams
:40:40. > :40:44.dispute with Westminster. That's via the life page. -- that is via the
:40:44. > :40:50.live page. It is that time of the week when we get the reflections of
:40:50. > :40:53.the Welsh affairs editor who's been watching proceedings. All the
:40:53. > :40:58.leaders going on something different this week. It was interesting,
:40:58. > :41:02.wasn't it? We thought maybe health would dominate again because we had
:41:02. > :41:06.the announcements that reconfiguration plans for the south
:41:06. > :41:11.eastern corner or quarter of Wales are coming tomorrow. It seems most
:41:11. > :41:17.of the politicians were keeping comparatively dry on that. Leanne
:41:17. > :41:27.Wood chose to follow up on the AMD plans -- on the accident and
:41:27. > :41:28.
:41:28. > :41:33.emergency plans. Kirsty Williams went on different fields entirely.
:41:33. > :41:39.Tourism as well. Tourism was a bit of a theme in First Minister's
:41:39. > :41:48.Questions today. And we also heard from Simon Thomas this dispute
:41:48. > :41:54.between Michael Gove about the future of exams. A fight partly
:41:54. > :41:59.being fought out over Twitter, surprisingly enough. Once -- Michael
:41:59. > :42:04.Gove wrote to the Welsh government to say we are not going to agree
:42:04. > :42:10.what these qualifications should be so let's have different systems in
:42:10. > :42:17.the different parts of the UK. Scotland is different already. The
:42:17. > :42:25.question that has arisen is what those exams will be called. Leighton
:42:25. > :42:34.Andrews insisted that the names, GCSE and A-level, are owned by all
:42:34. > :42:37.the UK. An unexpected knockabout over Royal Mail as well. Yes. That
:42:37. > :42:42.was interesting. Labour are trying to capitalise on worries about what
:42:42. > :42:45.might happen with Royal Mail being privatised, particularly about the
:42:45. > :42:53.service obligation which means even the most remote farm in Wales
:42:53. > :42:56.receives its post for the same cost. Plaid Cymru immediately said who
:42:56. > :43:04.started this process? It was the last Labour government in
:43:05. > :43:08.Westminster. There was a bit of blame going on and the First
:43:08. > :43:12.Minister said, what would you do to stop it? You can't form UK
:43:12. > :43:16.government, you don't stand in most of the seats in the House of Commons
:43:16. > :43:23.and it is the House of Commons that will decide this. The other thing is
:43:23. > :43:29.thirsty Williams doesn't blame the weather on Carwyn Jones! She was
:43:29. > :43:39.saying we need to ensure better weather and Kirsty Williams saying
:43:39. > :43:40.
:43:40. > :43:43.that we cannot do that. David Jones, the Welsh Secretary, he was
:43:43. > :43:48.mentioned there, about sprinklers. He is coming to the SMB tomorrow to
:43:48. > :43:53.talk about the Queen's Speech, so that could be interesting to watch.
:43:53. > :43:57.It is fair to say that David Jones is regarded as something of a
:43:58. > :44:03.prickly customer by some in the Assembly. I think we could see quite
:44:03. > :44:09.a frosty reception from at least some of the benches for the Welsh
:44:09. > :44:13.Secretary. OK, thank you for that. That's it for today. There is no
:44:13. > :44:17.programme next week as the Assembly breaks for half term but I'll be
:44:17. > :44:26.back with First Minister's Questions in a fortnight. For all the latest
:44:26. > :44:29.news, don't forget to watch Wales Today later at 6:30pm, and there is