:00:23. > :00:28.Welcome to the programme. It is the final First Minister's Questions
:00:28. > :00:32.before the Easter break today and as usual we will bring you coverage
:00:32. > :00:42.here on am.pm. If you would like to get in touch with us you can do so
:00:42. > :00:43.
:00:43. > :00:49.Business in the Chamber is under way so we will take a look at
:00:49. > :00:56.today's questions for the First Minister.
:00:56. > :01:01.The first item on the agenda is questions for the First Minister.
:01:01. > :01:05.What is the First Minister doing to develop science policy in Wales?
:01:05. > :01:14.The signs for whales agenda sets out a programme of action to
:01:14. > :01:18.improve Welsh science. -- the science for Wales. I welcome one of
:01:19. > :01:24.the announcement by the Prime Minister, the doubling of money for
:01:24. > :01:29.research into dementia. Considering that one of the world's outstanding
:01:29. > :01:36.research teams in the Cardiff Medical School in my constituency
:01:36. > :01:40.of Cardiff North is leading the way in the research, will he do what he
:01:40. > :01:46.can to ensure that that team and other teams throughout Wales get
:01:46. > :01:49.this fair share of the money? appears that the majority of the
:01:49. > :01:54.money will be distributed in England but we are trying to
:01:54. > :02:04.establish how much money will be available for research teams in
:02:04. > :02:05.
:02:05. > :02:09.Wales. I welcomed the announcement yesterday. The Welsh Government
:02:09. > :02:14.aims to increase our share of UK research and development funding to
:02:14. > :02:21.5 % on the basis of the Welsh population. Scotland has 8 % of the
:02:21. > :02:25.UK population but already receives nearly 15 % of UK research for --
:02:25. > :02:31.research council funding, three times your current target. Do you
:02:31. > :02:37.agree you should be more ambitious? It would mean a substantial
:02:37. > :02:41.increase in the amount of money coming into Wales. It is absolutely
:02:41. > :02:51.crucial that Welsh research teams can put forward the strongest
:02:51. > :02:55.possible bids to make sure we get at least our fair share. I welcomed
:02:55. > :03:02.the document that you published last week outlining how you intend
:03:02. > :03:07.to develop signs in Wales. During the budget process another 100,000
:03:07. > :03:14.was provided for science and technology. Do you know if there is
:03:14. > :03:20.any consequential to that? What specific steps are you taking to
:03:20. > :03:30.increase the put -- the percentage of council money coming to Wales?
:03:30. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:35.Of course the member will be aware off the scheme and the
:03:35. > :03:39.participation. It does not mean we will be receiving any additional
:03:39. > :03:44.funding because research funding has not been devolved. As regards
:03:44. > :03:54.the statement from the Chancellor last week, we know there will be no
:03:54. > :03:59.additional funding, for example, as regards revenue. Well the First
:03:59. > :04:03.Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's priorities for
:04:03. > :04:08.local Government in Wales in the next six months? Our priorities are
:04:08. > :04:13.clearly set out in the programme for Government. One of the
:04:13. > :04:17.priorities of people in my area is the need to see councils being
:04:17. > :04:25.transparent. On this side of the Chamber we have drawn attention to
:04:25. > :04:30.the importance of encouraging councils to publish any expenditure
:04:30. > :04:36.over �500. The Minister for local Government has ignored this, saying
:04:36. > :04:42.it would be a burden. Can you tell us what the EU agree with this and,
:04:42. > :04:45.if so, why you are not supporting something so sensible? This is for
:04:46. > :04:49.local authorities themselves and there is no way of knowing that the
:04:49. > :04:57.man at how much this will cost local authorities. If they want to
:04:57. > :05:01.do it, they are accountable to their constituents. A designated
:05:01. > :05:06.public place order has been put into effect which makes it an
:05:06. > :05:13.offence to stop drinking -- to refuse to stop drinking when asked
:05:13. > :05:20.to buy a police officer. It is intended to stamp out the
:05:20. > :05:24.problematic behaviour that causes concern to many. Well the First
:05:24. > :05:29.Minister joined me in congratulating our city council has
:05:29. > :05:33.on their innovative action? I would. It is important to ensure that,
:05:33. > :05:38.where drinking of alcohol takes place in the street, that is dealt
:05:38. > :05:47.with, because we know it causes anti-social behaviour and puts fear
:05:47. > :05:51.into the hearts of so many people, particularly the elderly. First
:05:52. > :06:01.Minister, the Minister for Transport announced in January cuts
:06:02. > :06:02.
:06:02. > :06:08.of 25 % in the grant for local transport services and 25 % in the
:06:08. > :06:16.grant for bus provide us. He has now announced that he will be
:06:16. > :06:23.deferring the cuts, as -- postpone in them. Is there any further logic
:06:23. > :06:27.apart from the fact that the local Government elections are facing us?
:06:27. > :06:32.Not at all. It has been very difficult in terms of the budget
:06:32. > :06:37.negotiation but it is true to say that the amount provided to bus
:06:37. > :06:43.companies per litre is higher than in England. It is of course a very
:06:43. > :06:48.important that we ensure that those who do not have much money can
:06:48. > :06:54.access the bus services and that is why we have the systems we have in
:06:54. > :07:03.place to ensure that people can travel on buses free of charge if
:07:03. > :07:12.they are disabled or over 60. demand for child protection
:07:12. > :07:17.services within local authorities is still on the increase. A number
:07:17. > :07:21.of charities called for early intervention services in order to
:07:21. > :07:27.stop child neglect. Does your Government intend to do anything
:07:27. > :07:31.about this over the next six months? There will be an
:07:31. > :07:36.opportunity provided by the Social Services Bill to consider issues
:07:36. > :07:40.such as this, and making sure there is and efficient way of dealing
:07:40. > :07:45.with that within the bill. Will he agree that the most important thing
:07:45. > :07:48.in local Government is having official at -- efficient services
:07:48. > :07:53.and avoiding duplication and having parties collaborating to get the
:07:53. > :07:58.best value for money for the people they represent? Absolutely. It is
:07:58. > :08:01.critical that we see effective collaboration across local
:08:01. > :08:06.authorities and indeed between local authorities and other public
:08:06. > :08:13.sector bodies. Questions from the party leaders. First is the Leader
:08:13. > :08:20.of the Opposition. Thank you. What has Cardiff have in common with
:08:20. > :08:27.Bicester, Torbay and Hull? thing I do have -- I do know about
:08:27. > :08:32.Cardiff is that it has four Labour Assembly Members. He does not seem
:08:32. > :08:36.to know much else about it because ultimately those with three other
:08:36. > :08:40.places that were discounted at the first bidding round of the Green
:08:40. > :08:45.Investment Bank. The bid was put together by your Government and it
:08:45. > :08:50.had the potential to be located in Cardiff, an organisation worth
:08:50. > :08:54.about �3 billion worth of spend into green energy projects. Given
:08:54. > :09:02.that Cardiff city centre is an enterprise zone for the financial
:09:02. > :09:09.services centre -- sector, do you not see this as a critical failure
:09:09. > :09:13.of your Government to get beyond the first stage in the bidding
:09:13. > :09:23.process to attract this major investment? The reason we did not
:09:23. > :09:24.
:09:24. > :09:30.get past the first stage is there is no direct planning for it. The
:09:30. > :09:36.Prime Minister wanted to placate the Scots. He went to Scotland but
:09:36. > :09:40.did not bother with Wales. I ask the Leader of the Opposition, which
:09:40. > :09:46.is right? The Prime Minister holding Wales in low regard or the
:09:46. > :09:56.Prime Minister holding him in low regard? I find it farcical that the
:09:56. > :10:00.
:10:00. > :10:06.First Minister of Wales can lower the tone to petty... Order, order.
:10:06. > :10:14.Petty politics when your Government had its bid discounted in the first
:10:14. > :10:24.round of bidding with such financial giants as Hull, Bicester
:10:24. > :10:28.and Torbay. If you look at the bid document which was put together...
:10:28. > :10:38.Order. If you look at the document put together by the Welsh
:10:38. > :10:44.Government, it had grammatical mistakes, spelling mistakes and its
:10:44. > :10:49.strongest... Would you lead the order of the -- the Leader of the
:10:49. > :10:56.Opposition finish? If you think this is a laughing matter, the
:10:56. > :11:00.branding of Wales is at fault. I pointed out to you that not only is
:11:00. > :11:06.the financial services sector supposedly a priority for your
:11:06. > :11:12.Government, green jobs are supposedly as well, yet you have
:11:12. > :11:18.allowed... You have allowed this project to go under the radar. What
:11:18. > :11:22.is your Government doing to improve the offering of Wales to ensure
:11:22. > :11:29.more inward investment, better opportunities and better jobs so we
:11:29. > :11:32.can start punching above our weight? I don't know if members
:11:32. > :11:38.have seen the Conservative press release this morning. He accuses me
:11:38. > :11:46.of playing petty politics after accusing me of being the Emperor
:11:46. > :11:53.Nero of Wales. I apologise for the grammatical mistakes. When I listen
:11:53. > :11:58.to the opposition, it is a bit like listening to General Custer. You
:11:58. > :12:08.know he should not be there but at least he wasn't being attacked by
:12:08. > :12:13.his own man. We talk about complete failure. He has completely failed.
:12:13. > :12:20.I call on him now, in public, to say that he does not agree with
:12:20. > :12:30.reductions in pay in Wales by 20 %. Let's hear him condemn regional pay,
:12:30. > :12:32.
:12:32. > :12:41.let's hear him stand up for ordinary people. You have already
:12:41. > :12:47.had more than three questions. Can we did -- give the leader of Plaid
:12:47. > :12:51.Cymru the attention she deserves? First Minister, can you outline how
:12:52. > :12:55.good Government will boost renewable energy generation in
:12:55. > :13:02.Wales and clarified what additional powers you have requested to
:13:03. > :13:07.achieve this? I have requested powers for renewable energy of 100
:13:07. > :13:12.megawatts but I will not be bound by that figure. It was a reasonable
:13:12. > :13:20.request but it has been rejected. We will continue to look to fund
:13:20. > :13:26.projects such as the �6.4 million we have put into green energy in
:13:26. > :13:35.Pembrokeshire. But we need powers over renewables and over planning
:13:35. > :13:40.consent to maximise Wales' resources. Let's put to one side
:13:40. > :13:44.the to-ing and fro-ing over the question of 100 megawatts. The
:13:44. > :13:49.Crown Estate will benefit from a renewable energy production schemes
:13:49. > :13:53.on land and more importantly at sea. Plaid Cymru believes that the
:13:53. > :13:57.benefits should go to the people of Wales through the Welsh Government.
:13:57. > :14:02.On numerous occasions you have been asked in this Chamber whether you
:14:02. > :14:07.will pursue the devolution of the Crown Estates to Wales yet, to date,
:14:07. > :14:12.we have received no clear answer. Can you tell us what is the boss
:14:12. > :14:19.Government's position on the devolution of the Crown Estates?
:14:19. > :14:22.This is a matter I believe should be dealt with locally and it is
:14:22. > :14:30.important that we will come to an arrangement that will benefit the
:14:30. > :14:36.people of Wales. We should go ahead with the creation of 600 jobs in
:14:36. > :14:40.Anglesey. Will the Leader of Clyde, we join me in that? We need jobs in
:14:40. > :14:44.the north-west of Wales but I would argue that jobs in the renewable
:14:44. > :14:48.sector are ones we should be pursuing. Can you understand how
:14:49. > :14:53.people from within the renewables industry, which is what this
:14:53. > :14:59.question is about, who are crying out for more clarity and direction
:14:59. > :15:09.and to, more importantly, will not commit to invest until they get
:15:09. > :15:11.
:15:11. > :15:14.some clarity? What are you doing She asks the question about
:15:15. > :15:19.renewable energy and we are very clear, the statement was published
:15:19. > :15:27.two weeks ago but it is correct to say, I don't know whether she
:15:27. > :15:30.agrees with this, we need to see further devolution of energy and
:15:30. > :15:36.the devolution of the subsidy regime which is what Scotland has
:15:36. > :15:40.and attracting it into it because the money available and then we
:15:40. > :15:45.will be able to offer a fully comprehensive service to potential
:15:45. > :15:52.investors and we will see maximum benefits in terms of income and
:15:52. > :15:57.jobs for the people of Wales. Kirsty Williams. First Minister,
:15:57. > :16:01.this morning a dentist from Merthyr Tydfil told good morning Wales that
:16:01. > :16:11.he turns away between five and 30 people seeking NHS treatment every
:16:11. > :16:11.
:16:11. > :16:18.day from his practice and he has patients travelling around four
:16:18. > :16:24.hours to him. Only 37% of dentists accepting new NHS patients. When
:16:24. > :16:29.Labour introduced the new dental contract in 2006, a Rhodri Morgan
:16:29. > :16:32.tour the Assembly that everyone who needed access to an NHS dentist
:16:32. > :16:37.would get it. Six years on, are you satisfied that so many people
:16:37. > :16:41.cannot access NHS dental services? I am because I do not recognise the
:16:41. > :16:51.figures that you have produced. It seems to be a self-selecting
:16:51. > :16:56.audience. I know many dentists... The reality of the situation is
:16:56. > :17:05.that in one place, there are 40,000 patients who regularly access NHS
:17:05. > :17:10.dentistry than five years ago. There are some places in Wales
:17:11. > :17:16.which I will look into, but on the existed industry is much improved
:17:16. > :17:21.in Wales. The First Minister can say what he likes about the
:17:21. > :17:30.research we have taken out but the BDA described it as a very valuable
:17:30. > :17:34.piece of work and I am very glad to hear first and from dentist's. The
:17:34. > :17:40.truth is that many people struggle to find an NHS dentist and even
:17:40. > :17:44.though the dental practices are still accepting NHS patients, 65%
:17:44. > :17:47.of waiting lists are for more than two months and in some cases,
:17:47. > :17:50.waiting lists to get on the list exceeds one year. The First
:17:51. > :17:55.Minister seems to think that is good enough, I do not. Your
:17:55. > :18:00.programme says you will improve access to dentists and increase the
:18:00. > :18:05.percentage of the population with an NHS dentist which seems to
:18:05. > :18:09.suggest that he does think something should be done. Please
:18:09. > :18:13.could you clarify the figures for the Chamber now. What percentage
:18:13. > :18:16.increase do you expect to see by the end of this government and does
:18:16. > :18:20.have 100% target set by your predecessor still apply? It does
:18:20. > :18:25.and in the past five years, there has been a substantial increase in
:18:25. > :18:31.the number of NHS dental places and the people able to access them. I
:18:31. > :18:35.know of areas in Wales, my own home town, where there are NHS dentists
:18:35. > :18:39.and people have not found it difficult to access them. There may
:18:39. > :18:42.be other places where access is more difficult but I cannot accept
:18:42. > :18:48.that the situation has got worse over the past five years when
:18:48. > :18:52.clearly it has got much better. First Minister, the boss Liberal
:18:52. > :18:55.Democrat have today revealed in these figures that anyone who is in
:18:55. > :19:00.touch with the Welsh people know that some people cannot register
:19:00. > :19:04.with a dentist and a very many more people are having to travel for
:19:04. > :19:08.hours to see a dentist. And while one third of dentists are not
:19:08. > :19:12.taking on NHS patients, over two thirds of them are taking on
:19:12. > :19:16.private patients. So the well off go private what the poorest are
:19:16. > :19:22.left waiting. Is this not another case of Labour's poor services
:19:22. > :19:28.doing poor people down? As I have said many times, the situation has
:19:28. > :19:35.vastly improved. I cannot take lectures from the Liberal Democrats
:19:35. > :19:38.after supporting tax decreases for the rich in the Budget last week.
:19:38. > :19:44.Failing to say that regional pay was wrong and this is the leader of
:19:44. > :19:48.the Liberal Democrats accusing me of being out of touch, we will see
:19:48. > :19:53.how out-of-touch she is in May. will move back to the paper and I
:19:53. > :19:58.am sure the questioned will be concise and to the point. I shall
:19:58. > :20:02.try to be concise and to the point. Will the First Minister what
:20:02. > :20:08.progress is made in delivering the Government's policy into
:20:08. > :20:13.legislation? Yes, we propose to meet on a weekly basis and with
:20:14. > :20:18.delivery of the five-year programme. Thank you. In 2011, one of the
:20:18. > :20:24.first questions I asked was about the 20 proposed White Papers and
:20:24. > :20:27.bills of which no fewer than 13 did not have any year specified for
:20:27. > :20:29.introduction. You told me at the time that that was the method of
:20:29. > :20:33.setting out proposed bills and was in line with UK parliamentary
:20:33. > :20:39.procedure. I have to say I was disappointed because I was hoping
:20:39. > :20:41.we would not ape the UK Parliament but we seem to be doing that day by
:20:41. > :20:45.day these days and that establishment is losing the
:20:45. > :20:51.confidence of people. Do you think that the Liberal unit will help to
:20:51. > :20:56.produce much more specific timescales on the intervention of
:20:56. > :21:01.bills and buy papers and prompt your government to face criticism
:21:01. > :21:05.over delays in taking any decisive action? I must remember to look at
:21:05. > :21:08.the Plaid Cymru programme for government and its legislative
:21:08. > :21:15.proposals in terms of the date he proposes because if we relied on
:21:15. > :21:20.his, we would have nothing at all. Education, we have consulted on a
:21:20. > :21:24.white paper. Will be introducing the Bill into the Assembly shortly
:21:24. > :21:27.after the Easter recess. We are currently consulting on a draft
:21:27. > :21:31.bill which will be introduced before the summer recess and
:21:31. > :21:34.currently a consultation is running for the social services for Wales
:21:34. > :21:40.bill. We will be launching consultations on a sustainable
:21:40. > :21:44.development bill as well as white papers for bills for local
:21:44. > :21:48.government, democracy and the tissue donation white paper that
:21:48. > :21:53.has been released and also the draft food hygiene rating Bill.
:21:53. > :21:59.This is a five-year programme, a tremendous amount has been done.
:21:59. > :22:05.Andrew RT Davies. The delivery unit was supposed to speed up government
:22:06. > :22:08.delivery and the legislature programme we have heard through the
:22:08. > :22:13.course of this Assembly, only one bill has been presented before the
:22:13. > :22:23.Assembly. Is this not a failure of the delivery unit to help the
:22:23. > :22:26.
:22:26. > :22:36.Government to bring more things before the power of Wales? I think
:22:36. > :22:45.
:22:45. > :22:49.it was a member for South Wales Apologies, what action... Have as
:22:49. > :22:53.the Welsh Government response to the transparency International UK
:22:53. > :22:57.report on corruption in the UK? Government operates a zero-
:22:57. > :23:00.tolerance policy towards corruption, bribery and fraud. Two weeks ago,
:23:00. > :23:05.there was an event hosted by transparency International in
:23:05. > :23:11.Cardiff University presenting a report which found that politicians,
:23:11. > :23:15.government and business institutions urgent need to add up
:23:15. > :23:19.understand that corruption is a problem in key sectors and must be
:23:19. > :23:24.tackled consistently and coherently. How therefore do you respond to
:23:24. > :23:28.continuing concern that Wales has a higher proportion of whistleblowers
:23:28. > :23:34.in the public sector and the publicly-funded sector in Wales who
:23:34. > :23:39.frequently report harassment, intimidation and threats? And that
:23:39. > :23:47.even a good friend of mine who represents... You have had two
:23:47. > :23:50.questions already, can you draw to a conclusion, please? Highlighted
:23:50. > :23:54.to me through his case work that this was a particularly growing
:23:54. > :23:58.problem in his representation of employees in publicly-funded
:23:58. > :24:04.organisations? And Les there's hard evidence of that it is hard to
:24:04. > :24:11.comment but I do know that they transparency report is
:24:11. > :24:21.significantly English competition - - and Les -- unless there is hard
:24:21. > :24:24.
:24:24. > :24:26.Corruption and cash for access does reach your government because
:24:26. > :24:32.you're civil servants have been involved in the chemistry club
:24:32. > :24:37.which is an �1,800 per year networking event for senior civil
:24:37. > :24:40.servants and politicians. This was previously banned by the Cabinet
:24:40. > :24:45.Office and has now suddenly been allowed once again. This perception
:24:45. > :24:55.that you pay for access to senior civil servants and ministers must
:24:55. > :24:57.
:24:57. > :25:02.stop, whichever party you take part I know of no example of
:25:02. > :25:06.professional lobbyists paying for access to senior civil servants or
:25:06. > :25:16.indeed politicians. If the member has evidence, that is a serious
:25:16. > :25:26.allegation and I suggest he produces it. Excuse me? Order.
:25:26. > :25:26.
:25:26. > :25:36.Order. Can we have no more chit chat from the backbenches,
:25:36. > :25:39.including you, Simon Thomas. First Minister, would you like me Hale
:25:39. > :25:47.the move towards transparency from the party over there and perhaps
:25:47. > :25:53.they could ask and they urge their Prime Minister for an inquiry into
:25:53. > :25:57.a cash for access matters which have been raised? Yesterday I
:25:57. > :26:01.watched the unfolding events and the U-turns that happened pretty
:26:01. > :26:06.much every single hour of the day and clearly there are questions
:26:06. > :26:09.which must be answered by the Prime Minister. Transparency in
:26:09. > :26:17.government must apply equally to Whitehall as to every other level
:26:17. > :26:21.of government. Question 5 has been withdrawn, question number six.
:26:21. > :26:24.Will the First Minister make a statement on his priorities for
:26:24. > :26:30.Aberconwy in the next five months? Yes, they are outlined in the
:26:30. > :26:35.programme for government. As a result of last week's budget, the
:26:35. > :26:39.UK Government announced the reduction of Bat of some 5% which
:26:39. > :26:44.will now apply to small cable operated transport systems and I am
:26:44. > :26:49.delighted that this now applies to the landed no cable-car. Will the
:26:49. > :26:54.First Minister join it in paying tribute to the UK Government for
:26:54. > :27:00.announcing this positive initial initiative and for their main
:27:00. > :27:10.support for small businesses and our tourism industry here in Wales?
:27:10. > :27:11.
:27:11. > :27:16.Yes, that is an enormous help I am sure to the plan -- to the area. I
:27:16. > :27:22.hope that the plans for regional play do not mean that they will not
:27:22. > :27:28.be able to afford the right on it. TRANSLATION: In creating enterprise
:27:28. > :27:34.zones in the north-west and north- east, what measurements are being
:27:34. > :27:40.taken to make sure that investment are not suck to those two polls,
:27:40. > :27:44.particularly in the context of regenerating key strategic sites?
:27:44. > :27:47.Of course, what we did was ensure that enterprise zones are in every
:27:47. > :27:52.part of Wales including Pembrokeshire, the valleys and
:27:52. > :27:58.Anglesey. This perception is important that there is investment
:27:58. > :28:02.opportunity everywhere in Wales and that is why we ensure that every
:28:02. > :28:05.enterprise park as a theme in order to ensure that investors are coming
:28:05. > :28:08.back to an area where skills are already available in order to
:28:08. > :28:14.ensure that those areas are considered as good places for
:28:14. > :28:19.investment. If question seven, Jenny rough blow. What action is
:28:19. > :28:24.the Welsh Government taking to the staff of the challenge of reshaping
:28:24. > :28:28.health service to meet the needs of patients? The framework has been
:28:28. > :28:33.developed to support the implementation for health and that
:28:33. > :28:39.is produced in partnership with staff and representatives. As we
:28:39. > :28:42.are asking staff to support the reconfiguration of services to
:28:42. > :28:49.better meet the needs of patients, some of them obviously become
:28:49. > :28:56.anxious about delivering services in the community where there is
:28:56. > :29:00.less, so specifically have come it takes staff with us in the
:29:00. > :29:05.reconfiguration that is desirable and outlined to care for health?
:29:05. > :29:08.The representatives of staff have a important role to play. They
:29:08. > :29:18.understand how working differently will bring about a better quality
:29:18. > :29:24.focused care and I expect that everybody to support this. The NHS
:29:24. > :29:28.in Wales is facing unprecedented cuts in its budget, �500 million
:29:28. > :29:31.over the next three years. Record breaking cuts and as a result of
:29:31. > :29:36.that, services are being reshaped but of course many times service
:29:37. > :29:41.change is being introduced without any consultation with members of
:29:41. > :29:44.staff within the NHS. Only last week when I was visiting the
:29:44. > :29:49.Wrexham hospital, I was told by members of staff on the wards there
:29:49. > :29:52.that some of the beds were being axed, not being reopened, no
:29:52. > :29:56.explanation been given to staff about why those service changes had
:29:56. > :30:02.been introduced until they were actually imposed. What are you
:30:02. > :30:06.doing to ensure that staff at all levels are being fully engaged in
:30:06. > :30:16.discussions before changes are implemented in hospitals and not
:30:16. > :30:23.I congratulate the member for the transparent she shown by his office
:30:23. > :30:28.with the response to the Cancer charity's mailing that was sent to
:30:28. > :30:32.all members. -- transparency. We were not able to agree with what
:30:32. > :30:39.was said by his office. I don't agree that there are record-
:30:39. > :30:43.breaking cuts. There are �20 billion worth of cuts in the
:30:43. > :30:47.English NHS. The changes proposed in the NHS will be enormously
:30:48. > :30:50.expensive. Another figure that has been kept from and members of the
:30:51. > :30:55.public. Whenever I hear the party opposite talk about the NHS, they
:30:55. > :31:03.talk about NHS professionals having a role but what they don't do is
:31:03. > :31:07.talk about what role there is for other people working in the NHS.
:31:07. > :31:12.They don't seem to count. As far as I'm concerned, we will have an NHS
:31:12. > :31:16.in Wales that delivers for the people of Wales and fight any
:31:16. > :31:22.suggestion that nurses in his constituency should be paid less
:31:22. > :31:27.than nurses in Cheshire. I look forward to his voice, as well as
:31:27. > :31:35.David Jones, who suggested that teachers in Denby would be more
:31:35. > :31:41.than happy to be paid less than teachers in England. Last week a
:31:41. > :31:45.number of health boards published all announced their intention to
:31:45. > :31:51.reopen minor injuries unit and other services at the start of the
:31:52. > :31:59.next financial year. Is this the pattern that we can now expect in
:31:59. > :32:03.our health service, namely that some services are closed in the
:32:03. > :32:10.last three months in the last financial year and then we opened
:32:10. > :32:14.in April? For no. We expect health boards to ensure that health
:32:14. > :32:20.services are available throughout the year and there will be
:32:20. > :32:23.occasions when it is not possible to retain staff in some members of
:32:23. > :32:30.the health service but I am very pleased to see that the problems
:32:30. > :32:36.that existed in some parts of Wales have been resolved. Alcohol Concern
:32:36. > :32:44.recently reported on the fact that children as young as 10 are more
:32:44. > :32:47.readily identified with the brands of alcoholic drink than ice-creams.
:32:47. > :32:54.Drink costs the NHS an extraordinary amount of money every
:32:54. > :32:57.year. Can I welcome the Welsh Government's campaign aimed at
:32:57. > :33:02.improving people's alcohol awareness and urge you to do all we
:33:02. > :33:08.can to tackle the problem of excessive alcohol drinking. Indeed,
:33:08. > :33:15.it is a priority for the Government and I welcome your support.
:33:15. > :33:19.Question eight. What steps has he taken to developer the programme
:33:19. > :33:26.for Government in South Wales Central? We have taken steps to
:33:26. > :33:30.deliver that in all parts of Wales. We both disagree on how individual
:33:30. > :33:35.patient funding for beds should be pursued but I take it that the
:33:35. > :33:40.Government had ordered a review which will be concluded shortly.
:33:40. > :33:44.That review have -- has not been conclusive and has been very
:33:44. > :33:49.bureaucratic. Can he give us an assurance that the review has
:33:49. > :33:54.looked at the entire picture for individual patient medicine
:33:54. > :33:57.requests, because this is a very contentious issue and I hope that
:33:57. > :34:03.we are approaching this from a sincere position of trying to get
:34:03. > :34:10.the best outcome. If it there is any evidence that the opposition
:34:10. > :34:19.has to support what he says, would be happy to look into it. -- I
:34:19. > :34:22.would. We know that carers in Wales do excellent work that often goes
:34:22. > :34:26.unrecognised and but welcome the strong commitment in the programme
:34:26. > :34:32.for Government to ensure that Welsh carers are provided with a strong
:34:32. > :34:40.voice. Will you join with me in welcoming the measures taken by a
:34:40. > :34:44.bond at have counselled to support carers within the county borough? -
:34:44. > :34:51.- by the Rhondda Council. Will you consider promoting this as an
:34:51. > :34:55.example of best practice? programme for Government commits us
:34:55. > :35:05.to refresh and the terror strategy by 2013 and that provides us with
:35:05. > :35:10.
:35:10. > :35:14.an opportunity to look at this. Supporting inward investment in
:35:14. > :35:21.Wales must surely be a priority of the programme for Government. Can
:35:21. > :35:31.you take -- say what programmes -- can you say what steps you have
:35:31. > :35:35.
:35:35. > :35:45.said to help this? Have we spent a two-years working on getting a
:35:45. > :35:46.
:35:46. > :35:49.improvement -- getting approval for the airport. We provide an update
:35:49. > :35:56.on the boss Government's strategy to reduce the number of people in
:35:56. > :36:01.Wales who smoke? Yes, our action plan drives -- aims to drive down
:36:01. > :36:06.smoking prevalence levels to 16 % by 2020. The latest figures reveal
:36:06. > :36:14.that although adult smoking levels have been falling they are still as
:36:14. > :36:19.high as 23 %. A high a number of boys and girls are smoking at least
:36:19. > :36:23.weekly. -- high number. Action has already been taken to prevent
:36:23. > :36:28.children being exposed to second- hand smoke but what progress has
:36:28. > :36:32.been made in discouraging young people from smoking a tour?
:36:32. > :36:36.delivery board has been established to drive forward the implementation
:36:36. > :36:40.of the action plan. Part of that will concentrate on discouraging
:36:40. > :36:45.young people from smoking in the first place. Our aim is to reduce
:36:45. > :36:50.the harm caused by smoking tobacco and that of course involves
:36:50. > :36:55.ensuring that young people are educated about the risks as well as
:36:55. > :37:04.removing the availability of tobacco products by, for example,
:37:04. > :37:14.Banningham the sale of cigarettes in certain areas. -- ban him. --
:37:14. > :37:15.
:37:15. > :37:20.banning. Has your Government taken any steps to dealing with those who
:37:21. > :37:24.sell cigarettes to children? This is a matter for the police to
:37:24. > :37:29.enforce that we support any measures to crack down on the
:37:29. > :37:39.illegal sale of cigarettes to those on the rage and of course the
:37:39. > :37:47.illegal distribution of cigarettes. Question 10. Will he outline how
:37:47. > :37:51.the Welsh Government is supporting local businesses in taught fine?
:37:51. > :37:56.Yes, the details are to be found in the programme for Government.
:37:56. > :38:01.pool has been hit hard by the downturn and the loss of her iconic
:38:01. > :38:04.high street names. On top of the �13.5 million of regeneration
:38:04. > :38:13.funding announced last year, I am pleased that the Welsh Government
:38:13. > :38:16.has decided to accept most of the recommendations regarding town
:38:16. > :38:21.centre regeneration. Would you agree that we must do everything we
:38:21. > :38:28.can to support and improve town centres in places like pointy ball
:38:28. > :38:35.that are vital to local communities? I agree, town centres
:38:35. > :38:41.are in difficulties and they have been to many years. The future of
:38:41. > :38:50.town centres lies in regeneration, yes, but also in examining what
:38:50. > :38:52.businesses and retail outlets can be sustainable. There are good
:38:52. > :38:56.examples of businesses that are prospering in town centres do we
:38:56. > :39:04.need to ensure that we look at the secret of their success to make
:39:05. > :39:12.sure they can be replicated across Wales. You will be aware of the
:39:12. > :39:18.great disappointed -- disappointment after the reject
:39:18. > :39:22.meant -- the rejection of a virtual enterprise zone. This would have
:39:22. > :39:28.been based around a new digital economy and would have provided a
:39:28. > :39:35.huge boost. The business Minister said she would support any
:39:35. > :39:40.proposals that would make a significant economic impact. And
:39:40. > :39:45.will he direct the boss Government to look again at these proposals
:39:45. > :39:54.and ask what more can be done to support business in our region?
:39:54. > :40:04.will be happy to look at any fresh proposals. Question 11. What is the
:40:04. > :40:09.
:40:09. > :40:15.worst Government doing to deliver disability age? -- a EDF. We are
:40:15. > :40:19.looking to see what more can be provided. This week I attended a
:40:20. > :40:26.disability conference and one of the key issues for them was access
:40:26. > :40:29.to transport. In light of that I welcomed the announcement that new
:40:29. > :40:39.plastic blue badges with extra security features are going to be
:40:39. > :40:39.
:40:39. > :40:43.rid -- introduced in Wales. Can I ask you if you will provide us with
:40:43. > :40:48.updates on the implementation of that scheme? Of course I am happy
:40:48. > :40:51.to do that. We leave for First Minister's
:40:51. > :41:00.Questions today. For a couple of weeks you can see more of what is
:41:00. > :41:07.going on and in our online coverage. Before you do that, why don't you
:41:07. > :41:10.listen to what our Welsh affairs editor has to say? Let's focus on
:41:10. > :41:18.the leader's questions. The liveliest was between Carwyn Jones
:41:18. > :41:25.and Andrew Davies. It was likely, but how much substance was there? I
:41:25. > :41:31.know that a number of Conservatives feel that Carwyn Jones is succeeded
:41:31. > :41:36.-- succeeding in swatting him aside. There are struck short reasons to
:41:36. > :41:42.do with the way that Davies constructs his questions. --
:41:42. > :41:48.structural reasons. His first question was one that Carwyn Jones
:41:48. > :41:52.did not need to answer and then he ran out of questions. He gives
:41:52. > :42:02.these multiple caused questions, meaning that Carwyn Jones can just
:42:02. > :42:05.
:42:05. > :42:09.pick out the easy bits. -- cause. My feeling is that Andrew Davies
:42:09. > :42:15.needs to strip down his questions, be more direct and precise, because
:42:15. > :42:21.Carwyn Jones is sailing through at the moment. Somebody once told me,
:42:21. > :42:29.when you ask a question, only ask one. What can he do to improve the
:42:29. > :42:33.situation? It is that. Only ask one question. It is these lengthy
:42:33. > :42:38.questions with different options allowing Carwyn Jones to pick and
:42:38. > :42:43.choose from this menu of questions. He needs to be scripted more
:42:43. > :42:52.tightly and he doesn't want to do the kind of trick question where he
:42:52. > :42:59.says, what does Cardiff have in common with the other places? What
:42:59. > :43:02.did he expect? There will be no waffle on this quest -- this