:00:22. > :00:27.Good afternoon, welcome to the programme and our weekly coverage
:00:27. > :00:30.of questions to the First Minister. Snow may be hogging the headlines
:00:30. > :00:33.but I'm pleased to report the Assembly Members have made it to
:00:33. > :00:36.the office by-and-large. We're expecting questions to Carwyn Jones
:00:36. > :00:39.on the funding of students and universities. There's also a
:00:39. > :00:43.question about the economic benefits of Swansea City playing in
:00:43. > :00:46.the Premiership. That's what we're expecting the
:00:46. > :00:48.politicians to be talking about, but what do you want to talk about?
:00:48. > :00:52.but what do you want to talk about? You can comment on anything on the
:00:52. > :01:02.programme but don't feel restricted by that. If you want to talk about
:01:02. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:08.any other political news get in Well, business in the chamber is
:01:08. > :01:14.already in full flow. Let's go over there now for questions to the
:01:14. > :01:20.First Minister. National Assembly for Wales is now
:01:20. > :01:25.in session. The first afternoon -- I do this afternoon his questions
:01:25. > :01:32.to the First Minister. Thank you Presiding Officer will the First
:01:32. > :01:35.Minister make a statement about the number of pupils applying to
:01:35. > :01:45.universities. As the Minister has said a number of times the early
:01:45. > :01:48.
:01:48. > :01:53.application figures is not always a good predictor of final acceptance
:01:53. > :01:56.figures. I thank the Minister for that but there is a trend starting
:01:57. > :02:01.to identify itself now, although the early figures may not be that
:02:01. > :02:04.reliable, but there has been a reduction in the number of students
:02:04. > :02:08.applying for university places and a reduction specifically in the
:02:08. > :02:12.number of English students studying in Wales and as a result Plaid
:02:12. > :02:17.Cymru is consulting on an alternative solution for student
:02:18. > :02:22.funding. How long will you retain your policy? The aim is to retain
:02:22. > :02:26.the policy for the full lifetime of this Government and the following
:02:26. > :02:30.the next election it depends what the views of the people of Wales is
:02:30. > :02:33.up. My concern is the drop-off in international students that
:02:33. > :02:36.universities are reporting as a result of the virulent anti-
:02:36. > :02:40.immigration a gender coming from the UK government which is having a
:02:40. > :02:44.serious impact in the numbers of students coming from places like
:02:44. > :02:48.India and Malaysia who say they will go elsewhere because they are
:02:48. > :02:55.not welcome in Wales or the UK generally. What can we do to
:02:55. > :03:01.counter that very damaging business case of the Welsh universities?
:03:01. > :03:05.There is no doubt that the perception of the UK and other
:03:05. > :03:09.countries is -- in other countries is that it is not welcoming,
:03:09. > :03:12.particularly in India. Students are going to the US or Australia where
:03:12. > :03:16.they perceive there is a better welcome. It is a drain of talent
:03:17. > :03:20.that could be coming here. It is forecast more overseas students
:03:20. > :03:24.will be coming to Wales and the next few years but whether that
:03:24. > :03:33.forecast comes to fruition depends on the mood music that comes from
:03:33. > :03:37.the UK government. It is not helpful. When this �3.6 billion
:03:37. > :03:41.policy was originally announced it was very clear, looking at every
:03:41. > :03:46.university's intake of pupils from the European Union, Wales and
:03:46. > :03:50.England, but for a number of them their financial success would be
:03:50. > :03:53.predicated on being able to maintain a level of English
:03:53. > :03:58.students. Given it is dropping, what will your special delivery
:03:58. > :04:01.unit be doing in relation to ensuring there is real cross
:04:01. > :04:07.collaboration between education and finance to ensure it is not a
:04:07. > :04:11.policy that just ripped the guts out of the finances of Wales?
:04:11. > :04:15.Attended the Royal Mail who have a special delivery unit! In terms of
:04:15. > :04:19.of what she says, the reality is that the policy remains robust and
:04:19. > :04:23.the final figures are not yet there for us to see. She should be more
:04:23. > :04:32.courageous and say to the people of Wales that she wants to treble
:04:32. > :04:41.student tuition fees. Say it. Go into the election saying that, that
:04:41. > :04:48.is your challenge! First Minister, last year the fees schemes for
:04:48. > :04:53.individual universities was changed and a further consultation has been
:04:53. > :04:58.opened on 15th January which will close on 26th February. Has there
:04:58. > :05:04.been any discussions between them and the Government regarding to a
:05:04. > :05:08.deficiency in the funding for the ensuing year? No, no deficits have
:05:08. > :05:13.been identified to date and we hope that, as was the case last year,
:05:13. > :05:16.the number of students will increase in terms of those actually
:05:16. > :05:23.accepting university places in Wales and of course that is what
:05:23. > :05:26.occurred last year, although the figures have been down in January.
:05:27. > :05:31.In previous answers to questions the First Minister has indicated
:05:32. > :05:38.that funding for part-time students has been deferred for further
:05:38. > :05:43.consideration. Can he confirm there will be no delay to the support for
:05:43. > :05:46.part-time students? I can say they are able to apply for a means
:05:46. > :05:50.tested the grant and a course grunt and other means tested targeted
:05:50. > :05:54.support in the form of childcare grants an adult dependent grams and
:05:54. > :06:03.the parents learning allowance. They are still available to part-
:06:03. > :06:05.time students during the course of the assessment that is being made.
:06:05. > :06:09.Will the First Minister make a statement on the sustainable food
:06:10. > :06:13.production across Wales. I very much support sustainable food
:06:13. > :06:18.production. It makes a contribution to us economically and also to the
:06:18. > :06:21.social sustainability of many of our communities. I'd like to thank
:06:21. > :06:25.the First Minister for that answer. In recent weeks I have been
:06:25. > :06:28.contacted by several farmers interested in creating a
:06:28. > :06:32.sustainable Welsh branded strawberry for the market in
:06:33. > :06:38.Britain. Such an endeavour would require the use of poly tunnels on
:06:38. > :06:43.a significance Gale, in some cases above 15 heck tears. In scoping
:06:43. > :06:47.these plans the farmers concerned have experienced considerable
:06:47. > :06:51.difficulty in getting planning advice from several Welsh
:06:51. > :06:57.authorities. In the context of this, what steps are you prepared to take
:06:57. > :07:01.to ensure greater clarity and consistency is available to such
:07:01. > :07:06.people looking for -- looking forward to developing such an
:07:06. > :07:11.enterprise. This is not an isolated in student. The Planning Bill will
:07:11. > :07:14.begin its progress during this year and it is something we want to
:07:14. > :07:18.progress. I have heard in many occasions that the planning system
:07:18. > :07:21.is not responsive enough or consistent enough to deal with
:07:21. > :07:27.planning applications and during the course of the Planning Bill we
:07:27. > :07:31.want to make sure we have a more responsive system. First Minister,
:07:31. > :07:36.food has risen by 32% in the last five years, placing enormous
:07:36. > :07:42.pressure on school budgets. Indeed in the last month Wrexham Council
:07:42. > :07:46.has estimated it has overspent by �100,000. Would you join me for a
:07:46. > :07:49.school canteen visit next time you are in North Wales where we can
:07:49. > :07:53.discuss with teachers and pupils and suppliers what work the Welsh
:07:53. > :07:59.government can do to look at financial sustainability of our
:07:59. > :08:04.school catering services? healthy eating in the schools in
:08:04. > :08:08.Wales measure gives a legislative approach for us to take forward.
:08:08. > :08:15.The provisions and the measure will commence later this year. The
:08:15. > :08:19.standards set out in appetite for life are obviously important and
:08:19. > :08:26.regulations in the food and drink provided will have an effect in
:08:26. > :08:31.ensuring that our children get a nutritious school meal. First
:08:31. > :08:34.Minister, one of the priorities in your programme for government is to
:08:34. > :08:38.support the food production industry by supporting the
:08:38. > :08:42.promotion and marketing of food from Wales and your government had
:08:42. > :08:47.promised to publish a strategic government it -- document to focus
:08:47. > :08:50.on this last year. Bearing in mind the importance of the industry to
:08:50. > :08:53.the Welsh economy can you tell us when your government will be in a
:08:53. > :08:58.position to publish its strategic document so we can see what are the
:08:58. > :09:03.priorities of your government for food and drink? Well, of course we
:09:03. > :09:11.have supported sustainable food over the years and this is a
:09:11. > :09:17.priority sector for the Department. There are a number of ways in which
:09:17. > :09:23.the industry is assisted, namely capital support, support in terms
:09:23. > :09:27.of developing new products, in terms of research, so there are
:09:27. > :09:31.many aspects of support provided to the food sector in Wales and, of
:09:31. > :09:40.course, we have seen that sector developing very strongly in the
:09:40. > :09:45.past few years. The First Minister will be very much aware, given his
:09:45. > :09:51.tenure as a successful agriculture minister, that the production of
:09:51. > :09:56.sustainable food in Wales is dependent upon a secure lamb market.
:09:56. > :10:01.Can the First Minister tell us what his Government is doing now to deal
:10:01. > :10:07.with the crisis in the Lamb and sheep meat market and the resultant
:10:07. > :10:10.decline in income for farmers and to deal with what is happening in
:10:10. > :10:14.Anglesey and other locations in terms of the ability to produce and
:10:14. > :10:22.processed foods in Wales, particularly red meat, because of
:10:22. > :10:26.the importance of that to our economy. I beg the Member for his
:10:26. > :10:32.comment about my career in agriculture, but of course this is
:10:32. > :10:37.something that concerns us very much and concerns the farmers and
:10:37. > :10:42.the Minister will make a statement on this tomorrow. First Minister,
:10:42. > :10:46.last Thursday I was delighted to host the National Federation of
:10:46. > :10:50.Women's Institute great food debate here indeed Assembly to discuss the
:10:50. > :10:55.global implications of food security. We join me in welcoming
:10:55. > :10:59.the contribution that the WI are making to this important area of
:10:59. > :11:03.public policy and confirm what new targets you will be setting this
:11:03. > :11:07.year to increase the proportion of Welsh food and drink that is
:11:07. > :11:11.procured by the public sector in Wales as the figure was just 23%
:11:11. > :11:17.when it was last measured. Setting targets would be illegal under
:11:17. > :11:20.European law. We cannot do that. We can have aspirations. If you look
:11:20. > :11:24.at a procurement in the public sector, it has increased remarkably
:11:24. > :11:28.in the last few years because of the assistance we have given to
:11:28. > :11:33.companies to enable them to supply the larger public sector contracts.
:11:33. > :11:35.Welsh beef in hospitals is one example. We welcome the WI
:11:35. > :11:39.contribution to the debate and I have been part of those debates in
:11:39. > :11:44.years gone by in various different parts of Wales and I know the
:11:44. > :11:50.government -- I know the WI takes a vigorous a positive role in terms
:11:50. > :11:55.of supporting well sustainable food production. We now move to
:11:55. > :11:58.questions from the party leaders. First Minister, we have had
:11:58. > :12:01.inclement weather over the last couple of days and I know it has
:12:01. > :12:05.not been on the scale of some of the blizzards and tremendous
:12:05. > :12:09.whether we have had in previous years but it has placed to promote
:12:09. > :12:12.-- placed tremendous demands on the public services. You are in a
:12:12. > :12:16.unique position to see some of the problems the public services have
:12:16. > :12:21.faced such as the health service and education. What update can you
:12:21. > :12:25.give the Chamber today, as well as comments some of our key public
:12:25. > :12:29.service workers who stayed overnight to look after patients in
:12:29. > :12:31.hospitals, what consequences can we see going forward from the
:12:32. > :12:36.information that you have been provided with from the partner
:12:36. > :12:39.bodies that supply the services. The information we have is that the
:12:39. > :12:46.emergency services cope well last Friday. The roads were clear
:12:46. > :12:50.reasonably quickly. There were parts of some roads such as the M4
:12:50. > :12:54.which were closed for a while but given the volume of the snow and
:12:54. > :12:57.the fact that the roads were cleared as quickly as they were is
:12:57. > :13:02.testament to a hard work of a number of people. There is a
:13:02. > :13:07.substantial amount of grit that has been kept in supply depots by Welsh
:13:07. > :13:11.local authorities and it has been used. The ambulance -- the
:13:11. > :13:15.ambulances seemed to have coped with the weather and everything was
:13:15. > :13:18.back to normal by Friday evening. Given past experience we have had
:13:18. > :13:23.with snow I think it is right to say that we have coped with this
:13:23. > :13:30.snow fall in a far better way that has happened in years gone by.
:13:30. > :13:36.of the consequences of the weather is the effect on the economy and I
:13:36. > :13:39.noticed on Wales on Sunday that the cold snap had cost the Welsh
:13:39. > :13:42.economy �50 million. It could be an arbitrary figure but there is a
:13:42. > :13:46.knock-on effect as anyone will tell when they went around on the
:13:46. > :13:50.weekend and saw shops and pubs and restaurants closed. Many small
:13:50. > :13:54.micro businesses are struggling at the moment and require assistance
:13:54. > :14:00.to allow them to carry on trading and grow their businesses. Do you
:14:00. > :14:03.agree that today and going forward we should put greater measures of
:14:03. > :14:07.supporting to support small and medium-sized businesses in Wales so
:14:07. > :14:11.we can rebuild our economy so it is more competitive with the the rest
:14:11. > :14:15.of the United Kingdom and create more jobs within the economy?
:14:15. > :14:18.know there were businesses that were affected. I saw some of them
:14:18. > :14:22.closed myself on Saturday and Sunday as the Leader of the
:14:22. > :14:27.Opposition rightly says. I don't think it is possible to help
:14:27. > :14:31.businesses over a particular where the incident but in general we have
:14:31. > :14:36.the small business rate relief which is welcomed and the Wales
:14:36. > :14:39.Growth Fund and loans for micro businesses. Of course we are
:14:39. > :14:44.through the planning Bill looking at ways of simplifying certainly
:14:44. > :14:47.the planning system as far as small and medium-sized businesses are
:14:47. > :14:52.concerned. The weather incident on its own does not need that level of
:14:52. > :14:55.support but we are in challenging economic climate. Yesterday we
:14:56. > :14:59.launched an investing Wales strategy that would offer immediate
:14:59. > :15:04.support to businesses across Wales by providing a lending system that
:15:04. > :15:09.would allow small and medium-sized businesses in Wales to seek that
:15:09. > :15:14.financing on a localised basis and local decision -- local decisions
:15:14. > :15:17.could be taken in relation to their businesses. Could I commend your --
:15:17. > :15:20.this government -- are recommended document to you and encourage you
:15:20. > :15:23.to look at this because it could deliver some of the solutions to
:15:23. > :15:27.the lending problems that many of our small and medium-sized
:15:27. > :15:30.businesses are facing Wales and which is holding them back so they
:15:30. > :15:36.are not able to create jobs and prosperity in their local
:15:36. > :15:40.economies? I would argue that Finance Wales is doing this. I did
:15:40. > :15:44.note in the press release that was sent out by the party, I always
:15:44. > :15:49.note the press releases, is suggested that Finance Wales gives
:15:49. > :15:53.grants out but it does not do that, it provides loams, I will make that
:15:53. > :15:57.clear. It raises the point, what can be done to assist businesses to
:15:57. > :16:04.get access to finance. There is a review being carried out by a
:16:04. > :16:08.member of your party who is looking at the effect of a lack of finance
:16:08. > :16:17.particularly on the high street and on small businesses and we we --
:16:17. > :16:19.await the results of that work with You would challenge last week on
:16:20. > :16:24.health reorganisation and you have given a non-committal answer which
:16:24. > :16:28.says centralisation was in the hands of the local health boards.
:16:28. > :16:32.Last Friday, Betsi Cadwaladr announced that North Wales would
:16:32. > :16:40.have no tears three neonatal care and that families would be expected
:16:40. > :16:44.to go across the border. Given your previous condemnation of the
:16:44. > :16:50.privatise and fragmented English health service, can you tell us
:16:50. > :16:53.whether you agree with that proposal. It is a sustainable
:16:53. > :16:59.health service. I have no doubt the party opposite wants to see that as
:16:59. > :17:04.well. Your colleagues full well know if the Community Health
:17:04. > :17:08.Council decides to defer the proposals to the minister then a
:17:08. > :17:17.decision will have to be taken by a Welsh Government ministers. It is
:17:17. > :17:23.not possible to express a view at this stage. much as I would like to
:17:23. > :17:28.express a view which I can not do it at this stage. Your government
:17:28. > :17:33.continues to make their case for centralisation of health services.
:17:33. > :17:43.In First Minister's Questions last week a reference to a report there
:17:43. > :17:49.was a 1% increase in the chance of deaf -- of a death in 10 kilometres
:17:49. > :17:56.of emergencies. I were health- service and ambulances must be able
:17:56. > :17:59.to cope in this weather whatever we have. How can your government to
:17:59. > :18:05.ensure ambulance services operate properly in all weather and we knew
:18:05. > :18:09.we agree to oppose centralisation that was lives at risk especially
:18:09. > :18:15.in adverse weather conditions? government will support any scheme
:18:15. > :18:18.that puts lives at risk. The argument I we do use is this, if
:18:18. > :18:25.there is no change in the health service lines will be put at risk.
:18:25. > :18:28.The reality is it is important to be within reasonable distance of
:18:28. > :18:32.medical services but you have to make sure the people who are
:18:32. > :18:38.providing those services are qualified, properly qualified. That
:18:38. > :18:43.means that there will be some conditions that have to be
:18:43. > :18:48.delivered in centres of excellence. We already do it with burns and
:18:48. > :18:54.Neurosurgery. We have to have people who are experienced and
:18:54. > :18:58.practised. There is a debate to be had as how that is achieved and how
:18:58. > :19:02.the balance should be between local delivery and specialised delivery.
:19:02. > :19:06.There would take place of the next few months. They gave them some
:19:06. > :19:11.policies followed by health boards are drawn up by your government.
:19:11. > :19:17.Your government is in charge of the direction of health policy in Wales.
:19:17. > :19:19.First Minister, you are the government. You are responsible.
:19:20. > :19:26.When are you going to take responsibility for this instead of
:19:26. > :19:30.hiding away from it? We have a safe and sustainable health service.
:19:30. > :19:36.What she seems to say is she would ignore the views of doctors. If a
:19:36. > :19:40.particular service is not safe, it does not matter. What matters is
:19:40. > :19:45.provision of service locally if it -- even if it can not be done
:19:45. > :19:50.locally and the safely. What we want to do is to make sure the
:19:50. > :19:57.services are safe, that is it. I don't want to see situations oh
:19:57. > :20:05.Coeur that happened 20 years ago when people would die a because
:20:05. > :20:09.people went properly qualified. But for us what we want to make sure is
:20:09. > :20:14.that the system continues to be safe and sustainable and continues
:20:14. > :20:18.to deliver for the people of Wales. There will be a debate and concern
:20:18. > :20:21.as to what the balance should be between a provision of local
:20:21. > :20:29.service and the provision of specialised service. I won that
:20:29. > :20:33.debate to take place rationally. -- I want that debate. Have let's move
:20:33. > :20:43.now to Kirsty Williams. First Minister, by how much will that
:20:43. > :20:46.
:20:46. > :20:52.last tee at budget be overspent. -- last year. I'm sure your government
:20:52. > :20:57.is working on a those figures. Some suspect there will be a substantial
:20:57. > :21:02.underspend. Every member state of the EU has some kind of financial
:21:02. > :21:06.support for farming in less favoured areas. England, Scotland
:21:06. > :21:12.and Northern Ireland all have dedicated schemes of support for
:21:12. > :21:16.less favoured areas. 80% of Welsh agricultural land is in the less
:21:16. > :21:23.favoured area better your Deputy Minister says he has not seen any
:21:23. > :21:29.evidence that sent LF a scheme is the panacea some people suggest.
:21:29. > :21:39.What is a Deputy Minister know that every other EU minister does not?
:21:39. > :21:43.
:21:43. > :21:49.You suggest there is a return to Tir Mynydd. Their is no going back
:21:49. > :21:54.to a scheme they used to be in place. We would all argue for a
:21:54. > :22:00.scheme that assists highland farmers. DEFRA and not interested
:22:00. > :22:03.in upland farms, they never have been. Their idea of farming is
:22:03. > :22:10.large farms producing large arable crops. That is the decays four
:22:10. > :22:15.years. That has been the case regardless of which party is in
:22:15. > :22:21.power. We take a different view. Upland farms are important for
:22:21. > :22:31.social, economic and sustainability and the fabric of rural ladies.
:22:31. > :22:32.
:22:32. > :22:38.Buses was we will keep in mind. -- that is what we will keep in mind.
:22:38. > :22:43.Every other EU state hasn't LF a scheme. If Scotland, Northern
:22:43. > :22:46.Ireland and England can find a scheme that works the question is
:22:46. > :22:54.why can't you. The National Farmers' year and has said the
:22:54. > :22:58.industry faces in perfect stock and hill sheep farms are down. Given
:22:58. > :23:02.your comments and your understanding of the importance of
:23:02. > :23:07.agriculture to the social interaction of life in rural areas,
:23:07. > :23:12.with you commit today that any underspend from the programme will
:23:12. > :23:17.be used to support farming in our most challenging areas. That is
:23:17. > :23:23.something we will consider as we look at our underspends. I can't
:23:23. > :23:27.accept the suggestion that the scheme in Wales is something the
:23:27. > :23:31.government has ignored. If you speak to farmers in Wales, if you
:23:31. > :23:38.ask them if there has been a drop, I know what the answer will be.
:23:38. > :23:44.They actually get paid on time. We will continue to provide the right
:23:44. > :23:49.level of support for our farmers in Wales. We have the historic basis
:23:49. > :23:53.we have used over the past decade to pay farmers their rural payments,
:23:53. > :23:57.that wasn't done in England. It was then on three different bases. We
:23:57. > :24:02.have stuck with farmers in Wales to make sure the payment system is the
:24:02. > :24:05.most appropriate system for Welsh farming. Let's move back to
:24:06. > :24:10.questions. Question number three. Will the First Minister make a
:24:11. > :24:13.statement on sustainable food production across Wales.. -- What
:24:13. > :24:17.progress has the Welsh Government made to introduce the next
:24:17. > :24:21.generation of broadband to Wales. The UK Government has given final
:24:21. > :24:25.state aid approval for the Wales programme and that means we can
:24:25. > :24:33.start to work in providing the next generation broadband the length and
:24:33. > :24:38.breadth of words. More information will be available shortly. Ofcom
:24:38. > :24:42.has a map which knows the most underprivileged or deprived
:24:42. > :24:50.counties as regard availability of broadband. Ceredigion is one of
:24:50. > :24:54.those. You published last week that you intend to ignore some of those
:24:54. > :25:01.end gave investment and priorities but two other counties. You have
:25:01. > :25:06.asked BT to give priority is to counties with enterprise zones. My
:25:06. > :25:12.constituency is under a double disadvantage. Appalling broadband
:25:12. > :25:18.availability and no enterprise zone. Are you intentionally promoting 8
:25:18. > :25:22.double Tear economic policy? Not at all. I understand that the member
:25:22. > :25:32.wishes to represent her constituency and the RAC we have
:25:32. > :25:40.
:25:40. > :25:44.discussed this with ministers. -- and I must say. I welcome the start
:25:44. > :25:49.of the super-fast project. As the First Minister will be aware there
:25:49. > :25:54.is a proportion of the population who will not be in a position to
:25:54. > :26:04.access the benefits of this project because of their Real -- the
:26:04. > :26:07.
:26:07. > :26:10.rurality. My constituents have asked for other broadband solutions.
:26:10. > :26:13.As a scheme will be coming to end end this financial year, what
:26:13. > :26:21.measures with your government be implementing to ensure that those
:26:21. > :26:25.who do not -- who do require other solutions have the resources.
:26:25. > :26:34.Around 4% of the population want benefit as a result of this scheme.
:26:34. > :26:40.Work is under way to identify when appropriate mechanism to address it.
:26:40. > :26:43.More information will be available in the spring. Will the First
:26:43. > :26:48.Minister make a statement on his policy with regard to Welsh higher
:26:48. > :26:53.education. We have made good progress to deliver high education.
:26:53. > :26:59.It becomes more financially sustainable and more competitive
:26:59. > :27:03.and responsive to the challenges it faces. Although I support the
:27:03. > :27:08.current Welsh Government policy on tuition fees, you will be aware of
:27:08. > :27:13.the evidence given by Cardiff University who said in the first
:27:13. > :27:16.day of that policy �10 million off teaching grant has come out of
:27:16. > :27:20.Wales into English high education institutions simply because of the
:27:20. > :27:24.imbalance in the number of students coming to Wales as opposed to those
:27:24. > :27:32.studying in English universities. Have you made any study into the
:27:32. > :27:42.impact on Welsh universities as to the loss of that income.
:27:42. > :27:44.
:27:44. > :27:49.No. That income would be lost anyway. Some were students would
:27:49. > :27:52.choose to study in England anyway. -- some Welsh students. Some will
:27:52. > :27:56.study subjects that are not available in Wales such as Burton
:27:56. > :28:01.the science. We want those students to have the experience of studying
:28:01. > :28:06.those subjects. The alternative is to pay the grounds to Welsh
:28:06. > :28:10.students to choose to stay in Wales. -- to pay the grounds. It would
:28:10. > :28:16.also mean that it would reduce the range of options available to Welsh
:28:16. > :28:20.students and that is not of the grant is available for. I'm sure
:28:20. > :28:24.you're aware that the Western Mail has carried an article casting
:28:24. > :28:29.doubt on just how transparent your government, the Education Minister
:28:29. > :28:33.has been regarding the progress of the merger of Newport, Glamorgan
:28:33. > :28:38.and Cardiff met Universities. Money and people are looking to attend
:28:38. > :28:48.one of these institutions. -- many young people. Can you assure them
:28:48. > :28:48.
:28:48. > :28:53.that these merger would not harm education provision in these areas?
:28:53. > :28:57.It will strengthen provision. Glamorgan and Newport wish to merge.
:28:57. > :29:00.We know Cardiff Metropolitan have a different viewpoint and that has
:29:00. > :29:07.been made public on a number of occasions. That is a great shame as
:29:07. > :29:11.far as we're concerned. The institution will be far stronger as
:29:11. > :29:17.to be able to deliver more courses for students. It will be more
:29:17. > :29:25.attractive to students. The Lindsay Whittle. What measures has the
:29:25. > :29:31.Welsh Government taken to encourage his Welsh universities in the
:29:31. > :29:35.science department to work with industry. That is happening.
:29:35. > :29:39.Cardiff University work very closely as do Glamorgan University
:29:39. > :29:45.with industry and have developed joint projects with industry.
:29:45. > :29:50.Swansea University are building a new engineering department, that is
:29:50. > :29:55.based on the fact that they need to service the companies and firms
:29:55. > :29:59.around them. We see good work being done in Wales is at the
:29:59. > :30:02.universities as well. It will be fair to say that universities were
:30:03. > :30:06.not maximising the opportunities they had to work with businesses,
:30:06. > :30:11.not all of them were doing that, but that has changed over the past
:30:11. > :30:15.few years. Will the First Minister outline what steps the Welsh
:30:15. > :30:18.Government is taking to support the most vulnerable people in Torfaen.
:30:18. > :30:23.The programme for government has set out the range of actions we are
:30:23. > :30:27.taking. We help people in Wales including those in Torfaen.
:30:27. > :30:37.recently circulated to Assembly Members a series of distressing
:30:37. > :30:38.
:30:38. > :30:43.case studies collected by my constituents who were going to be
:30:43. > :30:46.hit by the bedroom tax. It will hit fault or households in Torfaen and
:30:46. > :30:52.Wales leaving families and How sauce to make absolutely impossible
:30:52. > :30:59.traces to try and meet the shortfall in Lent -- in the rent.
:30:59. > :31:04.Whether governments do all it can to it mitigate the impact of that.
:31:04. > :31:07.Can you work to ensure every local authority is using discretionary
:31:07. > :31:11.housing payments effectively and the social landlords exercise the
:31:11. > :31:19.maximum possible discretion when dealing with tenants who fall into
:31:20. > :31:23.Can I commend the Member for the work she has done in this area. I
:31:23. > :31:28.know she has done a great deal of research and has been a strong
:31:28. > :31:32.advocate for the people affected by this change. The difficulty is that
:31:32. > :31:35.if you start penalising people because their houses are, as it is
:31:35. > :31:39.said, too big, it means that grandparents cannot have
:31:39. > :31:43.grandchildren staying with them, it means that grant -- families cannot
:31:43. > :31:47.stay together. It means that for example, where there is a break-up
:31:47. > :31:51.in a relationship and children live with grand parents for a temporary
:31:51. > :31:55.peridot time, it will not happen because they must be fostered
:31:55. > :31:59.elsewhere. All of these things are designed to wreck family life in so
:31:59. > :32:02.many ways and many people will find themselves in arrears and forced
:32:02. > :32:10.out of homes they have lived in for many years. We believe it is
:32:10. > :32:16.utterly and completely wrong. people in tour Fein and elsewhere
:32:16. > :32:22.are specifically targeted a for some forms of criminal activity, as
:32:22. > :32:26.such as distraction burglaries and up scams. The roll-out abuse
:32:26. > :32:31.campaign has revealed that under report -- under-reporting of abuse
:32:31. > :32:34.and more must be done to tackle these crimes against older people.
:32:34. > :32:38.Will the First Minister commit his government to working with police
:32:38. > :32:43.and the crime commissioners the tour will raise awareness of
:32:43. > :32:51.distraction burglaries among older people and ensure they are tackled
:32:51. > :32:55.effectively in Wales? I heard the member's first post -- I heard the
:32:55. > :33:00.member's first question, all the people in tour Fein are being
:33:00. > :33:03.affected. He is right to raise this. The classic scam is to tell someone
:33:03. > :33:08.of that the chimney is falling down and it can be fixed for ridiculous
:33:08. > :33:11.sum of money. In fairness to the police they regularly remind the
:33:11. > :33:14.people are to be exceptionally aware of people coming to the
:33:14. > :33:18.doorstep about whether they are selling something or whether they
:33:18. > :33:21.are offering work that does not have to be done. Is a criminal
:33:21. > :33:27.offence and I would urge people to reported if they see activity like
:33:27. > :33:31.that in their rear. There are many older people who are vulnerable he
:33:31. > :33:36.could be saved from the predations of these people if other members of
:33:36. > :33:44.the Community report these activities at the time. First
:33:44. > :33:47.Minister, who decided if a room upstairs is a bedroom? I asked to
:33:47. > :33:50.housing minister last week if he would think about that and use any
:33:50. > :33:56.powers he would have to redesignated a because I am sure
:33:56. > :34:02.that some of the cases that I have seen today would point out that
:34:02. > :34:07.some of those bedrooms -- rooms upstairs, are not bedrooms. He did
:34:07. > :34:14.not know if you have the powers, do you know? This is what we are
:34:14. > :34:18.looking at at this moment in time, to see if we can be flexible. We
:34:18. > :34:22.had someone last week you had a disabled child and the bedroom is
:34:22. > :34:28.downstairs. A bedroom does not have to be upstairs so how do you
:34:28. > :34:31.designate what is a bedroom? There has not been proper thought given
:34:31. > :34:35.to what the consequences might be and how you define what a bedroom
:34:35. > :34:42.is. These are things that we are looking at at the moment to see if
:34:42. > :34:45.we can find a way to be more flexible in Wales. Does the Welsh
:34:45. > :34:52.government have any plans to commemorate the life and work of
:34:52. > :34:56.Alfred Russel Wallace this year? as a government, do not have plans
:34:56. > :35:00.to mark this but I know the science academy is funding a performance
:35:00. > :35:06.for schools on his life and work. Thank you for that answer. This
:35:06. > :35:09.week the National History Museum launched a project to celebrate him
:35:09. > :35:12.and it is fantastic that he is finally getting the recognition
:35:12. > :35:17.that his immense achievements deserve. The focus of the
:35:17. > :35:20.anniversary is the planned unveiling of a life-size bronze
:35:21. > :35:25.statue at the National History Museum in November. I contacted the
:35:25. > :35:29.fund-raising campaign and they have raised 20 of the �50,000 needed but
:35:29. > :35:33.unfortunately it has to close on 31st January to give the artist
:35:33. > :35:37.enough time to make the sculpture. Will the First Minister join me in
:35:37. > :35:42.celebrating one of Wales's greatest sons here today, and I am hoping to
:35:42. > :35:47.raise awareness of the fund-raising drive in this final week to spread
:35:47. > :35:55.the message so that Alfred Russel Wallace is commemorated in style.
:35:55. > :36:05.Yes, I am happy to provide that support. I note the voluble support
:36:05. > :36:10.from the member of Monmouth who would have been her having this man
:36:10. > :36:15.in his constituency where he still alive! It is fabulous to support
:36:15. > :36:19.someone who was Welsh-born and made such a great contribution to
:36:19. > :36:24.science. They are a remark that Alfred Russel Wallace, during the
:36:24. > :36:29.time he lived in Wales, contributed to the street maps in Wales and
:36:29. > :36:33.laid out the streets and designed the council buildings in and Neath.
:36:33. > :36:37.He is a man of Wales and within his context in the 19th century, a
:36:37. > :36:40.major think and philosopher who should be recorded. I am grateful
:36:40. > :36:50.to the Member for raising the matter and I hope your government
:36:50. > :36:53.give active and consistent support. I am grateful for pointing out a
:36:53. > :37:03.what Alfred Russel Wallace did in terms of pickled contribution to
:37:03. > :37:04.
:37:04. > :37:07.Wales as well as to science generally. It is a matter of regret
:37:08. > :37:15.that Alfred Russel Wallace is receiving so little attention in
:37:15. > :37:19.this important year, as he was a scientist of first rank. How many
:37:19. > :37:22.people in Wales are do you believe the know about Alfred Russel
:37:22. > :37:27.Wallace and what he achieved and what does that tell us about our
:37:27. > :37:33.education system here in Wales? think the honest answer is very few
:37:33. > :37:36.because, of course, most children in Wales would never have heard of
:37:36. > :37:44.Alfred Russel Wallace and that is why it is important that we ensure
:37:44. > :37:49.that people are informed of him and his work during his centenary year.
:37:49. > :37:54.This is why there is this tour around schools in parts of Wales to
:37:54. > :37:58.ensure that those children do learn more about Alfred Russel Wallace
:37:58. > :38:03.and his work. Will the First Minister make a statement on the
:38:03. > :38:08.economic benefits brought to the Swansea Bay region thanks to the
:38:08. > :38:13.promotion into the premier league of Swansea City. We know there was
:38:13. > :38:17.a research done by Cardiff University which estimates Swansea
:38:17. > :38:20.delivers millions of pounds of economic benefits to the region.
:38:20. > :38:28.That will continue next year as they will remain firmly in the
:38:28. > :38:32.Premier League! Possibly in Europe! Do you agree with me that the Swans
:38:32. > :38:38.success can be in a chair it -- major economic driver in areas such
:38:38. > :38:42.as this. Can you assure me that departments treat football clubs as
:38:42. > :38:45.businesses and key businesses in their community, and not just as
:38:46. > :38:51.sporting clubs. I am sure the First Minister would like to join with me
:38:51. > :38:54.with wishing them every sex -- success tomorrow night against
:38:54. > :39:01.Chelsea. We know that sport can generate substantial amounts of
:39:01. > :39:05.money in the economy. I hope that the Swans are joined by Cardiff
:39:05. > :39:10.City in the Premier League next year although the Minister is less
:39:10. > :39:14.than vocal in his support for that! It is certainly something that for
:39:14. > :39:19.those of us who live halfway between the two will be more than
:39:19. > :39:22.happy to say. We know that what happens is substantial numbers of
:39:22. > :39:26.people come into the city and spend money when they are in the City and
:39:26. > :39:30.people come and stay in hotels which provides a boost to the hotel
:39:30. > :39:39.and catering industry. There is no doubt at dawn that sport of the
:39:39. > :39:44.highest level is Sport of course, but more than that, it is a key
:39:44. > :39:48.employee. As a lifelong supporter of Swansea football club I share
:39:48. > :39:51.the pride of the people in the team a thriving in the Premier League.
:39:52. > :39:56.Following on from the question of early of what has your government
:39:56. > :40:00.done to ensure that we maximise the economic advantages of having them
:40:00. > :40:04.in the Premier League. Clearly there is a role the Swans can play
:40:04. > :40:09.in marketing Wales on a strategic level and what plans the do you
:40:09. > :40:11.have to capitalise on this? member will no if you visit the
:40:11. > :40:14.stadium that there is a substantial amount of advertising in the
:40:14. > :40:20.stadium which we have placed there to encourage people to visit Wales,
:40:20. > :40:26.on top of that we have a series of promotional adverts with sky during
:40:26. > :40:30.Swansea's matches. People will see adverts in the stadium when the
:40:30. > :40:32.games are televised and we know it has an income on their behaviour in
:40:32. > :40:35.future. There we are. We'll leave First
:40:35. > :40:37.Minister's Questions there, but don't forget that you can see more
:40:37. > :40:43.coverage of the National Assembly online from BBC Wales's Democracy
:40:43. > :40:48.Live page. Our Welsh Affairs editor Vaughan
:40:48. > :40:53.Roderick is in our Assembly newsroom.
:40:53. > :40:57.A bit like the weather outside, it was not the most heated of First
:40:57. > :41:02.Minister's Questions but there were a few topics being discussed.
:41:02. > :41:06.was a bit odd, it was pretty low key I thought. I think the reason
:41:06. > :41:09.for that is that if you notice Carwyn Jones tends to answer the
:41:09. > :41:13.question in the same tone in which it has been asked and because the
:41:13. > :41:18.three opposition leaders went into date in a fairly low-key and polite
:41:18. > :41:23.way, he responded in the same way. Each of them went on different
:41:23. > :41:28.subjects, help from Plaid Cymru and we had a weather related question
:41:28. > :41:30.at segueing into a question about banking and finance are for small
:41:30. > :41:35.businesses from Andrew RT Davies and as so often from Kirsty
:41:35. > :41:39.Williams it was the plight of Welsh farmers, particularly Welsh hill
:41:39. > :41:42.farmers that was attracting her attention. There was the discussion
:41:42. > :41:48.about this bedroom tax and it seems to be something that will run for a
:41:48. > :41:51.while. Yes, this is a change that the UK government is making. Berry
:41:51. > :41:56.and popular with people on the Labour benches and the Plaid Cymru
:41:56. > :42:01.benches. It means that it limits housing benefit depending on the
:42:01. > :42:04.size of your house. The Government in London would presented as being
:42:04. > :42:09.about freeing up housing. If you have a single person, elderly
:42:09. > :42:12.person may be living in a big house, should they really get help with
:42:12. > :42:16.their rent but there are all sorts of exceptions and examples that
:42:16. > :42:19.people are bringing forward. Carwyn Jones mentioned people having
:42:19. > :42:23.bedrooms downstairs for disabled children and they may be some steps
:42:23. > :42:29.that the Welsh government can take to ameliorate the situation in
:42:29. > :42:33.terms of how things are defined and that is what Jocelyn Davies a
:42:33. > :42:36.former housing minister was pressing Carwyn Jones on and it is
:42:36. > :42:39.is something that the government will want to do if it can do it.
:42:39. > :42:44.have had this banking spat this weekend between the Conservatives
:42:44. > :42:49.and Plaid Cymru. Yes, an extraordinary Littlejohn at this. I
:42:50. > :42:53.mentioned Andrew RT Davies talking yesterday about a new system of
:42:53. > :42:59.getting loans through to small businesses. The Tories were very
:42:59. > :43:05.myth about the pride come we put out a statement calling for a Welsh
:43:05. > :43:10.government owned bank which they see as an attempt to steal their
:43:10. > :43:14.thunder. If it was it did not succeed. We heard from Leanne Wood
:43:14. > :43:19.quite a strong question. She went again on neonatal care being moved
:43:19. > :43:22.to Liverpool. Yes, but I was surprised to be honest that Plaid
:43:22. > :43:26.Cymru did not go on that change to council tax benefit by the
:43:26. > :43:32.Government last week. After all that was something that Plaid Cymru
:43:32. > :43:37.had been pressing for. It was a bit odd to return to health as a
:43:37. > :43:42.subject today but the questions once again were pretty effective
:43:42. > :43:46.from Leanne Wood. I think she has managed to up again since Christmas.
:43:46. > :43:48.That's it for today. I'll be back at the same time next week with
:43:48. > :43:51.more coverage of First Minister's Questions. If you want more Welsh