:00:21. > :00:24.Good afternoon. Welcome to am.pm. It's the first day of the new
:00:24. > :00:27.Assembly term today and after a three month recess, I'm sure our
:00:27. > :00:31.elected members are feeling refreshed and ready to go, as are
:00:31. > :00:33.we here on am.pm. We'll get to see them in action during First
:00:33. > :00:37.Minister's Questions shortly and we'll also speak to our political
:00:37. > :00:41.reporter Brian Meechan, too. Before all of that, I'll give you
:00:41. > :00:43.the opportunity to get in touch with us if you want to comment on
:00:43. > :00:47.anything on the programme or any other political news, for that
:00:47. > :00:53.matter. You can reach us via Twitter @walespolitics. Or send us
:00:53. > :00:55.Twitter @walespolitics. Or send us Twitter @walespolitics. Or send us
:00:55. > :00:59.an email at am.pm@bbc.co.uk. Business is already underway in the
:00:59. > :01:09.chamber, but let's take a look now at today's questions to the First
:01:09. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:16.The the the first question is from Joyce Watson. Were the First
:01:16. > :01:21.Minister provide an update on a review of qualifications for 14-19
:01:21. > :01:28.year-olds. The review board intends to submit its final report in
:01:28. > :01:32.November. I thank the deputy minister forced skills for his
:01:32. > :01:36.minister -- his statement last week. You not think that the considered
:01:36. > :01:41.review going on that involves listening to parents, schools,
:01:41. > :01:45.colleges, employers and young people is in marked contrast to a
:01:45. > :01:49.unilateral announcements coming from Westminster and that narrow
:01:50. > :01:56.minded fixation with creating more school failures that has fuelled
:01:56. > :02:02.the GCSE fiasco. You will know that on Friday 21st September, an
:02:02. > :02:10.unprecedented group of educational bodies started a legal challenge
:02:10. > :02:14.over the GCSEs in England. Are you coming to the question? Has Nick
:02:14. > :02:21.Clegg got it wrong on education again and the do you think he
:02:21. > :02:26.should say he is so, so sorry? Minister in Wales, Leighton Andrews,
:02:26. > :02:29.took the right decision following a report that was repaired by
:02:29. > :02:35.officials. I'm sure students here appreciate the fact that fairness
:02:35. > :02:41.has been put into action. Can I remind members that we are
:02:41. > :02:49.looking for short, sharp questions this term. That includes everybody.
:02:49. > :02:54.Angela Burns. My question to you is, would you ask the Minister for
:02:54. > :02:58.Education if he would consider the qualifications review looking at
:02:58. > :03:00.the whole issue of whether or not we are to have an independent
:03:00. > :03:05.regulator for whatever qualification cities that the
:03:05. > :03:10.review brings forward. What is clear to me that in Wales, the
:03:10. > :03:15.system worked and when in England, it did not. Further evidence is
:03:15. > :03:19.provided by the fact that a review is taking place of the regulator
:03:19. > :03:29.and in -- Road later in England and there is no such revered taking
:03:29. > :03:30.
:03:30. > :03:36.place in Wales. Will the Government retained a similar manner system of
:03:36. > :03:40.GCSEs in Wales. What would your Government do? We are awaiting the
:03:40. > :03:43.submission of that report. But will be ready in November and ministers
:03:43. > :03:52.will then look at the conclusions of the report and come to decisions
:03:52. > :03:56.from there. A number of statements were made but qualifications over
:03:56. > :04:01.the summer. The deputy minister in considering the review has stated
:04:01. > :04:04.that any decision will be based on evidence. Will you ensure as a
:04:04. > :04:10.Government that that evidence will be available to all members across
:04:10. > :04:13.the Chamber so that we can also consider the recommendations from
:04:13. > :04:19.the review. We will do a our best and there will be an opportunity
:04:20. > :04:25.for members to ensure that they do have an opportunity to consider the
:04:25. > :04:29.plans after the report has been published. This minster, you may be
:04:29. > :04:32.aware of Commons made by the Chief Inspector of Ofsted that the
:04:32. > :04:36.obvious gap in English back proposals is the lack of any
:04:36. > :04:41.serious proposal for discussion about the Catia are qualifications.
:04:41. > :04:48.Can he confirm that the era Verschueren Wales will deliver a
:04:48. > :04:53.meaningful pathway for Vocational qualifications. The review of
:04:53. > :04:57.qualifications has consulted widely on the future of the British are
:04:57. > :05:01.qualifications. The early indication we have of the analysis
:05:01. > :05:05.suggests there is a need to address both the rigour and the purpose of
:05:05. > :05:11.vocational qualifications and that analysis will inform ministers the
:05:11. > :05:15.decisions on the future of qualifications in Wales.
:05:15. > :05:19.TRANSLATION: How does the Welsh Government hope to solve staffing
:05:19. > :05:23.problems in the Welsh NHS? We are introducing a new planning
:05:23. > :05:29.framework for the NHS than those which will support the NHS in
:05:29. > :05:32.delivering sustainable services. We expect all NHS organisations to
:05:32. > :05:40.develop a robust reinforce plans with opportunities for innovative
:05:41. > :05:48.ways of working to support its delivery. Do you agree with me that
:05:48. > :05:56.medical colleges in Wales have a possibility of train and to deliver
:05:56. > :06:01.a number of medical staff for NHS was in a future. We have launched a
:06:01. > :06:07.campaign to attract more medical staff into Wales. But does not been
:06:07. > :06:13.held that the visa rules have been changed. There are fewer workers
:06:13. > :06:17.from abroad considering Wales as an option. Depending on those people,
:06:17. > :06:22.it is very important, of course, that the medical colleges to ensure
:06:22. > :06:29.that services are delivered in a way that is safe. I think that is
:06:29. > :06:33.something the public would expect for the future. The RCN has warned
:06:33. > :06:37.that community nurses in Wales are overburdened and spending less time
:06:37. > :06:40.with patients on they are concerned that vulnerable patients could face
:06:41. > :06:45.being discharged from hospital before Clint to care is in place.
:06:45. > :06:52.How why you ensuring that health boards investor and community
:06:52. > :06:59.nursing to ensure care is available. We have been focusing on committee
:07:00. > :07:02.nursing. A group was set up in 2009 and three outcomes of the group
:07:02. > :07:07.have been, for example, the improvement of chronic disease
:07:07. > :07:10.management, the development of seen as care and also continuing
:07:10. > :07:15.education in the sense that educational community nurses has
:07:16. > :07:21.improved. We now have who modules for staff nurses to upgrade their
:07:21. > :07:25.knowledge and skills. Do you accept that one of the reasons we have got
:07:25. > :07:29.stopping problems in the Welsh NHS is because of the very poor
:07:29. > :07:34.workforce planning by successive Labour lead administrations over
:07:34. > :07:38.the years in Wales. Two also accept that the uncertainty of the
:07:38. > :07:42.hospital services is a major contributory factor to the problems
:07:42. > :07:46.that we are experiencing? They have been a recruitment problems for the
:07:46. > :07:50.best part of 20 years. That has affected governments of either
:07:50. > :07:53.party. We are putting steps in place to resolve those problems.
:07:53. > :07:58.They have been made worse by your Government's decision to restrict
:07:58. > :08:03.visas. That does not help in terms of attracting doctors into the UK.
:08:03. > :08:11.We also see what is happening in England, where there is now what it
:08:11. > :08:15.-- an admission that NHS funding has not been ring-fenced, I am sure
:08:15. > :08:20.that people in those will value the fact that they live in Wales where
:08:20. > :08:23.the NHS is treasured. You will know that the decision to change the
:08:23. > :08:28.visa regime was made by the last Labour Government, not by the
:08:28. > :08:30.current Government. Nevertheless, it has been indicated in
:08:31. > :08:39.conversations I have had had the UK Government that there are
:08:39. > :08:44.mechanisms in which you can't recruit from overseas. -- you can.
:08:44. > :08:49.We you engage about the situation in East and Tarbet wearing a major
:08:49. > :08:53.part of my agent is deprived of a local access to it do you to
:08:53. > :09:00.medicine and with a major impact on Morriston and Bridgend in terms of
:09:00. > :09:04.people having to wait longer to be seen in accident and emergency.
:09:04. > :09:07.difficulty was that they tried hard to recruit doctors. They had an
:09:07. > :09:10.interview process. Some of the people shortlisted did not turn up
:09:10. > :09:16.and there was very difficult to recruit the right medical staff
:09:16. > :09:20.with a proper qualifications. We saw what was decided. With that in
:09:20. > :09:24.mind, we have to make sure our health services are as accessible
:09:24. > :09:28.and as safe as possible. That means, of course, there will be occasions
:09:28. > :09:38.when it is difficult to recruit doctors in some areas to ensure
:09:38. > :09:39.
:09:39. > :09:44.services are organised for the benefit of patients. Let's have
:09:44. > :09:47.questions from the Leader of the Opposition.
:09:47. > :09:57.In the first four months of this financial year, several health
:09:57. > :09:57.
:09:57. > :10:00.boards have run up considerate deficits. All these on a year that
:10:00. > :10:07.your Government is insisting they make some to �2 million worth of
:10:07. > :10:11.savings, �68 million worth in one case and �45 million worth in
:10:11. > :10:15.another case. There is a real financial storm happening within
:10:15. > :10:19.the Welsh NHS. Is it still your Government's contention that you
:10:19. > :10:26.will insist that local health boards can in on budget or will you
:10:26. > :10:29.be offering them the end of year flexibility like you did last year?
:10:29. > :10:34.Where they are just slightly short on budget, we will help them.
:10:34. > :10:39.Bearing in mind the situation in England is that many health boards
:10:39. > :10:43.are close to by Chris -- bankruptcy. I will make it clear, we expect
:10:43. > :10:46.them to come in on target. But they are slightly short, we will look to
:10:46. > :10:52.see what we can do to help, but I want to make it absolutely clear
:10:53. > :10:57.that they must be just short of the target. From the answer, I would
:10:57. > :11:01.suggest you have given some flexibility to local health boards.
:11:01. > :11:04.Euro Health Minister said that she will not to bail them out this year.
:11:04. > :11:09.I think the record would show that you were now offering them a degree
:11:09. > :11:15.of flexibility. When you listen to Tina Donovan, who are saying that
:11:15. > :11:18.ticket services face collapse this winter because of the pressures
:11:18. > :11:22.they are under an integer run Chief Medical Officer in August of this
:11:22. > :11:26.year highlighted the enormous pressure that accident and
:11:26. > :11:30.emergency is under across the whole of Wales, do not think it is time
:11:30. > :11:34.that there was better leadership coming from the Welsh Government in
:11:34. > :11:39.working covertly with local health boards to do with these issues and
:11:39. > :11:44.to take on any real concerns that people are flagging up time and
:11:44. > :11:47.time again. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot say on the one
:11:47. > :11:51.hand so that more money should be spent on health and then when we
:11:51. > :12:00.try to happen, he says we should not have them. He cannot have it
:12:00. > :12:04.both ways. We have done the best we to insure people in Wales had the
:12:04. > :12:08.best service possible in an era of Tory and slip them cuts. A isn't it
:12:08. > :12:11.amazing that he there reverts to England rather than her except in
:12:11. > :12:16.his responsibility and we have said time and time again, the only way
:12:16. > :12:19.you will deliver a safe, sustainable services in Wales to
:12:19. > :12:24.the health service is to protect the health budget. It is you that
:12:24. > :12:27.is taking �538 million out of the health service. It is your Health
:12:27. > :12:31.Minister that is saying to people that they have to come in on
:12:31. > :12:35.budgets. We have no problem with you make any money available that
:12:35. > :12:40.endorses our position. When we look at the doctors and medical position
:12:40. > :12:47.that many hospitals are finding themselves in, shouting minor
:12:47. > :12:50.injuries in one hospital for example, other hospitals having to
:12:50. > :12:53.shut wards for two weeks over the summer, there is a real issue about
:12:53. > :12:57.your Government's ability to attract doctors into Wales to work
:12:58. > :13:02.in a Welsh hospitals. Why is it that you say there is a tidal wave
:13:03. > :13:06.of doctors' waiting to get out of the English NHS to wickedly Welsh
:13:06. > :13:10.NHS won so many vacancies exist within the Welsh NHS and local
:13:10. > :13:16.services are being shut? Are you not hoodwinking the communities
:13:16. > :13:19.across Wales who depend on these key services? One of the biggest
:13:19. > :13:24.deceptions practised by the party opposite is to divorce themselves
:13:24. > :13:28.with what is happening in the UK level. They are financed by the UK
:13:28. > :13:32.Treasury. Our funding has been cut substantially and we have to cut
:13:32. > :13:36.our cloth. He has been demanding we do it and what we have done is we
:13:36. > :13:43.have protected the health budget as best we can, whereas his party,
:13:43. > :13:47.let's remember, his party wanted to cuts education spending by 20% and
:13:47. > :13:51.to cut local Government spending, or at a time when hard-pressed
:13:51. > :13:55.families were finding it difficult to make ends meet. The party of tax
:13:55. > :13:59.rises, the party of tax people that of finding it difficult at the
:13:59. > :14:09.moment and the party that practices the biggest deception on the barge
:14:09. > :14:10.
:14:10. > :14:15.people. -- Welsh people. As a fellow trade unionists, I am sure
:14:15. > :14:18.that you would agree with me that the broad range and variety of
:14:18. > :14:22.trade unions in Wales should be seen as an asset, particularly when
:14:22. > :14:26.we are planning a frontline services at this difficult economic
:14:26. > :14:29.time. Can you tell us what mechanisms your Government has in
:14:29. > :14:38.place to ensure that all voices argued within the decision-making
:14:38. > :14:42.process. We consult widely with the trade unions. We value them as
:14:42. > :14:46.social partners. Whenever there are discussions regarding the future of
:14:46. > :14:52.a service, we end of the unions because we know they are run
:14:52. > :14:55.important part of the decision- making process. Plaid Cymru believe
:14:55. > :14:59.that all trade unions and professional bodies have a role to
:14:59. > :15:03.play in ensuring that the expertise of staff involves decision making
:15:03. > :15:08.forever possible. The workforce partnership council is a good
:15:08. > :15:11.example of this. I wonder if you can tell us how you would ensure
:15:11. > :15:18.that the workforce partnership council will contain a diverse
:15:18. > :15:27.range of abuse representing unions, both in sides the traditional trade
:15:27. > :15:31.union structure and those outside, The the does represent a wide range
:15:31. > :15:35.of views. There is a trade-off between involving as many
:15:35. > :15:39.organisations as possible without involving so many that the whole
:15:39. > :15:43.council becomes unwieldy. Thank you, First Minister. We know
:15:43. > :15:47.from your Green Paper that you are considering giving legislation to
:15:47. > :15:50.give a statutory footing to decision made by the work
:15:50. > :15:54.partnership council. If the council is to be strengthened, it is
:15:54. > :16:01.essential that the membership reflects the whole of the public
:16:01. > :16:03.sector and the trade union movement. A Plaid Cymru Government would
:16:03. > :16:08.ensure the council is representative of the whole of the
:16:08. > :16:13.public sector workforce including non-trade union bodies including
:16:13. > :16:18.the RCN which represents 25% of the NHS workforce. Can you now reassure
:16:18. > :16:23.us this afternoon that organisations like the RCN and the
:16:23. > :16:26.BMA won't be excluded from your workforce partnership council?
:16:26. > :16:31.Well, the RCN wanted to be part of the council for sometime. They told
:16:31. > :16:35.you that. The difficulty is that if you have one or two more bodies on
:16:35. > :16:38.and there are others who want to be part of it and soon the whole thing
:16:38. > :16:42.becomes unwieldy. What is important, is there is there is sufficient
:16:42. > :16:49.consultation with those not directly members of the workship
:16:49. > :16:55.partnership council and that's something we stride to do.
:16:55. > :16:59.First Minister, could you update the assembly as to exactly how many
:16:59. > :17:03.doctors, in what specialities and to which hospitals you have
:17:03. > :17:06.recruited? Those figures will be made available as the campaign
:17:06. > :17:10.progresses. It has not been in place for a great length of time
:17:10. > :17:14.yet. I take it First Minister, that you
:17:14. > :17:17.simply don't know how many doctors you have recruited. We have had a
:17:17. > :17:27.summer of headlines where hospital units had to close close because of
:17:27. > :17:27.
:17:27. > :17:35.a lack of medical staff, in the royal Glamorgan hospital, we have
:17:35. > :17:38.seen mental health facilities close all because of a lack of medical
:17:38. > :17:43.doctors for a very long time you said that the Labour Party want to
:17:43. > :17:48.create a world-class Health Service in Wales. How much longer will we
:17:48. > :17:53.have to wait for that world-class service and to see adequate numbers
:17:53. > :17:57.of doctors working in our hospitals?
:17:57. > :18:00.The shamble your party created in England. As far as Wales is
:18:00. > :18:05.concerned, it is the case there are issues regarding medical
:18:05. > :18:09.recruitment that have been in force for sometime. The colleges
:18:09. > :18:13.increasingly want doctors to work in larger groups and that's a new
:18:13. > :18:20.development. Also doctors want to work in larger centres. This is
:18:20. > :18:26.something that's been made to -- a point point made to many times. We
:18:26. > :18:29.took the view that we would launch a campaign to recruit doctors into
:18:29. > :18:32.Wales and we expect that campaign to succeed.
:18:32. > :18:36.First Minister, that campaign was started a number of months ago and
:18:36. > :18:41.you are unable to tell this assembly how many additional staff
:18:41. > :18:48.have been recruited. You say that doctors want to come and work in
:18:48. > :18:52.larger units. Over the summer a number of boards have con out to --
:18:52. > :18:58.gone out to consultation on that plan to create larger units, but
:18:58. > :19:05.their plans will only be able to be delivered if they recruit more
:19:05. > :19:08.doctors and one hospital will need an additional nine consultants.
:19:08. > :19:13.Another have doubts over their ability to recruit the number of
:19:13. > :19:21.paediatricians they need to maintain the paediatric services.
:19:22. > :19:30.When will your Government take additional action to recruit the
:19:30. > :19:33.doctors that Wales' NHS and Wales' patients need? The reality is that
:19:33. > :19:38.we're facing difficult changes in the NHS. We understand that. But it
:19:38. > :19:42.is also the case that we need to ensure that consultants feel that
:19:42. > :19:45.working in some parts of Wales, it is more difficult to recruit in
:19:45. > :19:48.some parts of Wales than others and it is something they see as
:19:48. > :19:51.worthwhile and something that will help them with their career
:19:51. > :19:54.progression and that's what we are doing. We have been working with
:19:54. > :19:59.consultants on the recruitment campaign in order to attract people
:19:59. > :20:03.into Wales and we are recruiting consultants and doctors into Wales.
:20:03. > :20:06.There is some way to go, but we anticipated that. That's why we
:20:06. > :20:10.launched the campaign. We move back to questions on the
:20:10. > :20:13.paper and and question three, Suzie Davis.
:20:13. > :20:18.Good afternoon, First Minister. What progress has the Welsh
:20:18. > :20:26.Government made in making emergency life-saving skills a part of the
:20:26. > :20:29.school curriculum? Well, the framework provides facilities to
:20:30. > :20:33.teach skills to our young people. There are no plans to review this,
:20:33. > :20:40.but it does exist as part of the framework.
:20:40. > :20:50.It is almost a year ago since the Deputy First Minister committed to
:20:50. > :20:52.considering teaching of life-saving skills. In the light of concerns
:20:52. > :21:01.about school standards, could you tell us when your Government might
:21:01. > :21:06.be reviewing a curriculum content or was the deputy Minister's wishes
:21:06. > :21:10.kicking the wishes of parents in the long grass? Changes To the
:21:10. > :21:14.curriculum are done in other ways. The qualifications review has not
:21:14. > :21:17.reported and these are issues that will be considered once the report
:21:17. > :21:27.is available and ready to be analysed.
:21:27. > :21:34.
:21:34. > :21:44.TRANSLATION: The towns working hard. The current sta statistic for those
:21:44. > :21:46.
:21:46. > :21:50.who survive a heart attack outside hospital is 10%. I am please that
:21:50. > :21:55.had our Health Minister has launched a new scheme for patients.
:21:55. > :22:04.What further action is the Welsh Government taking to promote
:22:04. > :22:09.emergency life-saving skills? the work that is progressing as
:22:09. > :22:14.part of Action in Wales as part of the cardiac scheme, we are work
:22:14. > :22:18.with St John's and the ambulance services and the health boards in
:22:18. > :22:27.order, of corks to improve -- of corks to improve the services in
:22:27. > :22:32.Wales. Thank you. As someone who used to
:22:32. > :22:37.work in the emergency life-saving sector I think it is very important
:22:37. > :22:41.that we do take into consideration having lessons in schools because
:22:41. > :22:47.not all people in Wales know how to respond in emergency situations so
:22:47. > :22:51.I ask the First Minister again, will you look to represent the
:22:51. > :22:56.views of the young people who have come before the committee asking
:22:56. > :23:01.for the statutory lessons in Wales for for life-saving? Well, as I
:23:01. > :23:08.said this will be considered once we know the conclusions of the
:23:08. > :23:10.review. As regards it is something the Deputy First Minister will
:23:10. > :23:13.consider. Will the First Minister make a
:23:13. > :23:20.statement on the Welsh Government's procedure to to seeking legal
:23:20. > :23:25.advice? Yes, legal advice can be sought by submitting a request to
:23:25. > :23:29.the legal services department. Then Welsh Government lawyers work with
:23:29. > :23:33.other officials to ensure that any legal issues are addressed as early
:23:33. > :23:37.as possible. With regard tote bye-laws Bill.
:23:37. > :23:40.Whilst you might have received advice from the Welsh Office, as
:23:40. > :23:44.well as the council general, you and the Minister for Local
:23:44. > :23:49.Government chose to ignore that advice. Will you explain to this
:23:49. > :23:54.chamber and to the people of Wales, why you chose to do this? Are you
:23:54. > :23:58.not now embarrassed that the first ever Bill to come forward from this
:23:58. > :24:02.institution has now found its way to the Supreme Court?
:24:02. > :24:05.Well, we didn't refer it. The UK Government referred it. She was on
:24:05. > :24:11.the committee that dealt with this Bill and she never mention this
:24:11. > :24:15.point in all the time that she examined the Bill. Can I make one
:24:15. > :24:21.thing clear? The council general is representing the Welsh Government
:24:21. > :24:26.in the hearing in October. Make of that what you will. This is also,
:24:26. > :24:30.of course, a criticism of the assembly commission and the
:24:30. > :24:33.Presiding Officer. Also I can tell the member that Northern Ireland
:24:33. > :24:36.are also part of the hearing and they will be supporting our
:24:36. > :24:39.position. It is not a case of somehow Wales is on its own on this.
:24:39. > :24:44.Northern Ireland see the point. They are supporting us and wre
:24:44. > :24:54.await -- we await the outcome of the hearing in October.
:24:54. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:04.TRANSLATION: Well, First Minister, I am sure that you are always aware
:25:04. > :25:06.that the need for legal advice has increased following the fact that
:25:06. > :25:08.this institution has been given legislation power. How much of that
:25:08. > :25:10.advice does the First Minister believe is required within the
:25:10. > :25:15.Government and how much legal advice will need to be commissioned
:25:15. > :25:25.outside the Civil Service? Can he tell us what the balance is at
:25:25. > :25:31.present? There will be certain issues where it it would be worth
:25:31. > :25:34.employing full-time lawyers within the Government. It will be issues
:25:34. > :25:39.and we may need to commission services from time to time to
:25:39. > :25:43.ensure that correct advice is provided to ministers. Of course,
:25:43. > :25:48.we need to strengthen the number of lawyers that we have in house, but
:25:48. > :25:52.I don't see a time coming when everything will be dealt with in
:25:52. > :25:58.house if I can put it in those terms because there will be certain
:25:58. > :26:01.issues which will arise from time to time maybe once or twice every
:26:01. > :26:05.five years so there is point in having a full-time employee to deal
:26:05. > :26:09.with those. Question five.
:26:09. > :26:15.What steps are being taken by the Welsh Government to address obesity
:26:15. > :26:21.in Wales? We launched the pathway in 2010 which sets out prevention
:26:21. > :26:25.and treatment for obesity from early intervention to specialist
:26:25. > :26:31.services. Earlier this month, the New York
:26:31. > :26:36.City Health Board agreed to outlaw the provision of fizzy drinks in
:26:36. > :26:40.restaurants that are provided with a rating which the New York
:26:40. > :26:46.authorities because of the amazing contribution which such drinks make
:26:46. > :26:48.to the problem of obesity. With a Public Health Bill on the horizon
:26:49. > :26:52.in Wales, would the Welsh Government consider that course of
:26:52. > :26:56.action and see whether it is something we might want to
:26:56. > :27:00.replicate here? What they have done in New York City is limit the size
:27:00. > :27:05.of drinks rather than ban them. There are in some American sports
:27:05. > :27:10.stadiums drinks that can be bought that contain 600 calories, but it
:27:10. > :27:13.gives you some idea of the size of American porsz compared to urs --
:27:13. > :27:17.portions compared to ours. I will ask my officials to look at
:27:17. > :27:21.examples from other countries and consider whether we have the powers
:27:21. > :27:31.to regulate, if appropriate, in Wales.
:27:31. > :27:32.
:27:32. > :27:37.First Minister, the obesity problem is becoming he can a huge problem
:27:37. > :27:40.in Wales. You will know in the latest annual health health survey
:27:40. > :27:44.indicates there is a reduction in the eating of fruit and vegetables
:27:44. > :27:48.and more than half of adults are overweight. Is it not time to
:27:48. > :27:53.relook at your policies to increase the reduction in this serious
:27:53. > :27:57.disease? Well, if you look at our Change For
:27:58. > :28:07.Life Campaign. That That helps families to eat well and exercise
:28:07. > :28:14.more and live longer by providing ideas to address their eating
:28:14. > :28:19.habits. 8 500 families signed up to Games For Life since July and we
:28:19. > :28:23.expect that to have a real outcome on reducing obesity in Wales.
:28:24. > :28:28.First Minister, when the party of Wales were in Government, we
:28:28. > :28:32.introduced a programme to help children who were above a healthy
:28:32. > :28:39.weight to become fitter and happier. Since we have left Government, we
:28:39. > :28:43.have seen headlines about our obesity problems. You seem
:28:43. > :28:48.reluctant to adopt our policy. What we are doing is not working. What
:28:48. > :28:55.radical ideas do you have to tackle this issue, please?
:28:55. > :29:03.The new title his party seems to have, but as far as his concerned,
:29:03. > :29:12.we would expect, of course, health visitors to take an why in people's
:29:12. > :29:16.lives and -- -- healths. We have the Change For Life Campaign and
:29:16. > :29:22.that will lead to a reduction in obesity.
:29:22. > :29:29.The Food programme highlighted the food and drink sold in cinemas. 85%
:29:29. > :29:33.of these items are for profit, are for pure profit and it is difficult
:29:33. > :29:39.to see how these cinemas will stop selling this junk and it was
:29:40. > :29:46.established that it was all junk, of no nutritional value whatsoever
:29:46. > :29:49.and the sell that goes on in cinemas persuade families to buy
:29:49. > :29:54.this stuff. Would your Government consider putting a measure into the
:29:54. > :30:02.Public Health Bill because I can't see how the matter is going to
:30:02. > :30:07.change. It is akin to the tobacco industry, they gave people cancer.
:30:07. > :30:17.Cinemas know this is causing obesity. It has no nutritional
:30:17. > :30:23.
:30:23. > :30:26.content and people buy additional A I can say it is important to
:30:26. > :30:34.provide a supporting environment in which the children and young people
:30:34. > :30:38.can make healthy choices. Last week, we issued two guidance strategies.
:30:38. > :30:48.They give advice to support the production of healthy food and
:30:48. > :30:52.drink at leisure venues. TRANSLATION: May I ask the First
:30:52. > :31:00.Minister what agreement see -- what discussions he held with the Prime
:31:00. > :31:03.Minister of the UK during the summer recess. I met him at the
:31:03. > :31:09.joint ministerial committee last Wednesday. For the First Minister
:31:09. > :31:14.take every opportunity it to explain to the the Prime Minister
:31:14. > :31:20.and Deputy Prime Minister as in the UK that it is no business of theirs
:31:20. > :31:26.to make comments on devolved policies in Wales, particularly
:31:26. > :31:30.education matters. The it is right. We believe that, in fairness, that
:31:30. > :31:36.is not quite how it stands as regard to the English ministers. It
:31:36. > :31:41.is a bit of an irony that we are recluse by Nick Clegg that we are
:31:41. > :31:46.criticising the UK Government all the time. We do not. What he does
:31:46. > :31:49.is criticised the Welsh Government. There is an irony there. We are the
:31:49. > :31:55.responsible Government in Wales and we are very disappointed in seeing
:31:55. > :32:02.what has been set by Nick Clegg, who has taken a stance against the
:32:02. > :32:06.interest of the end people Wales. During the summer, the GMB are
:32:07. > :32:11.published statistics highlighting that one in three workers in Wales
:32:11. > :32:15.will be at risk of having their bridges cut if the Tory Lib Dem
:32:15. > :32:19.Coalition Government, through on their plans to reduce regional pay
:32:19. > :32:26.in Wales. Will you re- offend the Welsh Government total and
:32:26. > :32:30.unqualified opposition to the introduction of regional pay.
:32:30. > :32:35.which at that. By welcome what the leader of the Liberal Democrats has
:32:35. > :32:40.been saying about that and, also what Jim Anderson has been saying.
:32:41. > :32:45.Peopling Wales do not deserve to be paid less for doing the same thing
:32:45. > :32:49.as people in England. It is as simple as that. Of course they are,
:32:49. > :32:53.says the Leader of the Opposition. Now we know where he stands. Can I
:32:53. > :32:59.say to him, things cost the same, if not more, in those than many
:32:59. > :33:03.parts of England. Petrol, food, it does not cost less to shop in
:33:03. > :33:07.Tesco's in Bridgend than it does and Tesco in Bristol. This is
:33:07. > :33:11.nothing but an attempt to remove money from hard-working families
:33:11. > :33:18.across the UK at a time when the UK Government, once again, is trying
:33:18. > :33:22.to target those who are most vulnerable. I made no such
:33:22. > :33:25.allegation. Here were the only leader in this Chamber who is
:33:25. > :33:29.leading a party that interest original pay into Wales. Get your
:33:29. > :33:34.facts right. The point I was going to make here was, what actions have
:33:34. > :33:39.you taken it over the summer months to promote Cardiff airport in
:33:39. > :33:42.respect of the aviation policy of the UK. Because I raised this with
:33:42. > :33:45.you win cheering and to indicated that you would take action to raise
:33:45. > :33:49.it with the Prime Minister that Cardiff airport should be
:33:49. > :33:53.considered in the next to alleviate overcrowding over the south-east of
:33:53. > :33:58.England. I hope that you have taken that. Forward in your meetings with
:33:58. > :34:01.the Prime Minister of the last couple of weeks. The Leader of the
:34:01. > :34:06.Opposition should be careful what he says in the sides. He had an
:34:06. > :34:10.opportunity to declare his opposition to a regional pay and he
:34:10. > :34:15.failed. He failed to do so in this Chamber. He asked about Cardiff
:34:15. > :34:18.airport. He will see the announcement made today. He will
:34:18. > :34:22.see what Cardiff airport itself has said about the gritted they have
:34:22. > :34:26.expressed for the support of the barge Government. Once again, he is
:34:26. > :34:31.on the wrong side of the argument. He claimed the airport was fined.
:34:31. > :34:34.He attacked as Thornton to take the are put forward. I will tell you
:34:34. > :34:43.something, I have spoken to airport workers, they are not impressed
:34:43. > :34:47.with him. We the First Minister make his Dymond on discussions he
:34:47. > :34:53.has had with the UK Government on the impact of high energy cost with
:34:53. > :34:56.Welsh industry. I have raised this issue on a number of occasions. I
:34:56. > :35:00.raised it with the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister last
:35:00. > :35:04.week. I recently wrote to the Secretary of State for business,
:35:04. > :35:08.innovation and skills to reiterate that priority must be given one
:35:08. > :35:12.considering measures to relieve the impact of high energy prices on
:35:12. > :35:18.manufacturers. During the summer, use of the excellent work that has
:35:18. > :35:20.been made to on plus bonus number of four and the Investment commend
:35:20. > :35:24.to roads through tighter still. They have indicated that the
:35:24. > :35:29.difficult economic conditions may have had an impact on the starting
:35:29. > :35:35.up on that blast furnace because of the high energy cars on the carbon
:35:35. > :35:38.tax which will disadvantage such industries based in Wales. What is
:35:38. > :35:43.the Welsh Government doing to support judge and a heavy
:35:43. > :35:50.industries to create a level playing Dean -- few to enhance
:35:50. > :36:00.their competitiveness in the market? Who did share a Senedd last
:36:00. > :36:02.
:36:02. > :36:07.week in a London office on energy intensive -- I did chair a meeting.
:36:07. > :36:11.There has been a report in 2006 but the benefits of increasing business
:36:11. > :36:15.of early transitional action in relation to improving environmental
:36:15. > :36:20.performance. Can you tell me what aspects of the summit meeting last
:36:20. > :36:24.week were focused on this issue and what specific action points emerged
:36:24. > :36:29.regarding voluntary improving environmental performance and
:36:29. > :36:32.increasing energy inefficiency? Those who attended have taken great
:36:32. > :36:38.steps to improve their energy efficiency. A critic has been done
:36:38. > :36:41.over the past few years to do that. The reality is is that if energy is
:36:41. > :36:46.cheaper in other countries, no matter how efficient people become,
:36:46. > :36:49.they will move to those other countries. It is a factor that
:36:49. > :36:55.injured -- industry is paying less in Germany, France, Spain. I'm
:36:55. > :37:02.worried that we will lose the shops were already have. It is a problem
:37:02. > :37:08.for the UK as a whole. -- jobs. TRANSLATION: One of those
:37:08. > :37:12.industries where there are high a few what costs is in the dairy
:37:12. > :37:17.farming industry. He made reference in your responses today a number of
:37:17. > :37:22.times that what is concerning in England. This matter is under your
:37:22. > :37:26.control. One of the answers for Derek promises to have a winner on
:37:26. > :37:30.their own plan to generate and it just jam site. Is your Government
:37:30. > :37:33.supportive of sub -- such applications are will put there be
:37:33. > :37:41.any reference to that any planning Bill that will be coming before the
:37:41. > :37:49.Assembly? We do want to promote it micro generation. This is not
:37:49. > :37:53.something that will necessarily be contained within the Bill, but it
:37:53. > :37:56.were to -- it would be considered in giving guidance to local
:37:56. > :38:00.authorities as to what they do in the future because this is
:38:00. > :38:06.something that I believe that should be placed in planning
:38:06. > :38:09.guidance rather than on the face of they belong measure. In the light
:38:09. > :38:16.of discussions that you have referred to with the UK Government,
:38:16. > :38:21.what steps will you be taking to promote aspects of the year Crean
:38:21. > :38:27.dealer and indeed Welsh Government programmes to reduce the impact of
:38:27. > :38:31.higher energy costs derived from the fossil fuel market on Welsh
:38:31. > :38:35.industry and household? We will seek to do that. The industry's we
:38:35. > :38:39.are talking about a very energy intensive. Some of them to generate
:38:39. > :38:42.their re-empower and have taken great strides to reduce their bills,
:38:42. > :38:45.but they are paying more than elsewhere. It seems to happen and
:38:45. > :38:51.the UK is that the wholesale prices are similar to us when Europe, but
:38:51. > :38:56.through a number of ways, the actual price paid by the industrial
:38:56. > :38:59.customer in the UK is more than elsewhere in Europe. It is done
:38:59. > :39:03.through a number of different ways. The punter would make is that it is
:39:03. > :39:08.crucial that we create a level playing field in the UK that does
:39:08. > :39:13.not exist at the moment. This is a message I'm having on a regular
:39:13. > :39:16.basis from our energy intensive industries. Well first minster make
:39:16. > :39:21.a statement on what the Welsh Government is done to help people
:39:21. > :39:24.find employment in Islwyn. We are delivering on a programme for
:39:24. > :39:30.Government commitments to extend the current issue ISPs and to
:39:30. > :39:36.create 4,000 jobs each year for young people. -- apprenticeships.
:39:36. > :39:39.It has not been an easy sum up for the work force in Remploy. They
:39:39. > :39:44.have been let down by the UK Government's determination to take
:39:44. > :39:47.down their jobs. I know how serious your Government has taken it
:39:48. > :39:51.finding employment and you have made funds available. Can you tell
:39:51. > :39:56.me what further steps are you taking so that local employers
:39:56. > :40:03.understand that money is available to take these people are back into
:40:03. > :40:08.the workplace. As you rightly say, the Government has established an
:40:08. > :40:12.substitute de -- subsidy to insisting disabled Remploy workers
:40:12. > :40:16.to gain employment in new organisations. Employers support
:40:16. > :40:21.grant is easily accessible and offers employers a low risk
:40:21. > :40:24.opportunity to utilise key skills, qualities and experience as from
:40:24. > :40:29.May Porlock will -- the employed workers who have recently been made
:40:30. > :40:33.redundant. The Welsh Government team has been set up to identify
:40:33. > :40:38.and assist employers looking to understand the capabilities of the
:40:38. > :40:41.Remploy work force in order that they may gain employment in the
:40:41. > :40:44.future. That's it for First Minister's
:40:44. > :40:47.Questions this week. You can, of course, see more coverage of the
:40:47. > :40:49.National Assembly online from BBC Wales's Democracy Live page at
:40:49. > :40:52.bbc.co.uk/walespolitics. Right, let's talk about First
:40:52. > :41:00.Minister's Questions. Our reporter Brian Meechan is in Cardiff Bay for
:41:00. > :41:04.us this afternoon. That was the first one back, the
:41:04. > :41:09.curtain raiser of the season, if you like. But it you make of that
:41:09. > :41:14.the performance? I think there were three big pines that came out today.
:41:14. > :41:17.The first one was obviously the argument over exams between the UK
:41:17. > :41:21.Government on the Welsh Government that has been rumbling on over the
:41:21. > :41:24.summer and there is no sign of its stubborn. There are plenty of other
:41:24. > :41:29.areas to come out cheer. The Conservatives are obviously talking
:41:29. > :41:34.about it. There has to be an independent regulator after
:41:34. > :41:37.Leighton Andrews order to that exam to be recruited for Welsh students
:41:37. > :41:42.whilst Michael Grove did not have the same thing for English students.
:41:42. > :41:46.There is the top of the English back laureate been injured,
:41:46. > :41:50.changing the exam system. What that will mean in terms of how children
:41:50. > :41:55.in Wales will be examined in the future. They have been mentioned
:41:55. > :41:58.was NHS funding. The rum lot of changes being proposed across local
:41:58. > :42:02.health boards. There were heated but debates going on between the
:42:02. > :42:06.Assembly members about that. The other very important thing that we
:42:06. > :42:12.will hear more of is the idea of the UK Government inducing regional
:42:12. > :42:17.paid in Wales for workers that they are responsible force. There was an
:42:17. > :42:23.intervention from the Presiding Officer was to Assembly members to
:42:23. > :42:26.ask shorter, sharper questions. As is a response to the news that some
:42:26. > :42:29.Assembly members have been receiving training from a QC,
:42:29. > :42:33.amongst other things, to sharpen up their questions? Some people might
:42:33. > :42:39.have thought the question should have been as sharp as possible
:42:39. > :42:44.after �10,000 has been spent on the extra training. This is a BBC World
:42:44. > :42:48.story where we have discovered that this �10,000 was paid to a QC to
:42:48. > :42:53.teach Assembly members had to ask questions. Not only that, they were
:42:53. > :42:57.also taught her to sit, where to position themselves at tables, and
:42:57. > :43:01.how to dress. The Assembly commission which is responsible for
:43:01. > :43:06.that �10,000 payment is saying that Assembly Member has a deserved to
:43:06. > :43:09.get extra training and development. I would like to think we do not
:43:09. > :43:13.need that kind of training. There were last you a very sharp question.
:43:13. > :43:16.Have you picked anything up around the building today? Absolutely.
:43:16. > :43:20.Andrew RT Davies has been telling us he is particularly and happier
:43:20. > :43:26.with what he has caught the pantomime of First Minister's
:43:26. > :43:29.Questions. -- and happy. He said the First Minister is blaming the
:43:29. > :43:34.UK Government and every time any question comes up that he finds
:43:34. > :43:38.particularly difficult. However, the Welsh First Minister would say
:43:38. > :43:42.that a lot of the issues in terms of the founding does come from the
:43:42. > :43:47.UK Government. I relieve people to decide for themselves whether it
:43:47. > :43:51.was a pantomime today or not. sure Carwyn Jones would say, oh, no,