:01:20. > :01:23.TRANSLATION: I call the National Assembly for Wales to order.
:01:23. > :01:27.before I call the first question I am sure members will wish to join
:01:27. > :01:32.me in conveying our deepest sympathies to Quint Thomas on the
:01:32. > :01:41.sudden loss of her beloved husband. Our thoughts are with her and her
:01:41. > :01:45.family at this sad time. -- of Grender Thomas. First question for
:01:45. > :01:55.First Minister. Will he outlined plans to tackle bullying in
:01:55. > :02:04.
:02:04. > :02:12.Learning resources on behaviour management will be available from
:02:12. > :02:16.April. Thank you. I invited the Education Minister to a local high
:02:16. > :02:20.school to see the project there that the school have initiated, but
:02:20. > :02:25.they have involved the wider community, resulting in older
:02:25. > :02:30.pupils who are able to be mentors for those able -- who do not feel
:02:30. > :02:35.safe, and they have also included safe havens in the town where the
:02:35. > :02:41.child can seek refuge. Do you think this is the sort of initiative we
:02:41. > :02:47.should be looking at shearing across schools, and does this High
:02:47. > :02:53.School deserved the praise and recognition for this work? Yes, it
:02:53. > :02:57.is very encouraging to see the scheme developing. I have asked my
:02:57. > :03:05.officials to keep in touch of -- with the progress of a, and share
:03:05. > :03:10.it as an example of good practice with local authorities. Do you
:03:10. > :03:19.share the concerns of parents at the recent comments of Professor
:03:19. > :03:23.Ken Read, the teacher Training -- that teacher training remains poor,
:03:23. > :03:28.and attendance is a problem in a third of secondary schools? What
:03:28. > :03:33.confidence do you have that your government will be able to address
:03:33. > :03:39.bullying effectively, when many schools are failing to tackle
:03:39. > :03:44.barely adequate teachers? continue to ensure that the level
:03:44. > :03:49.of expertise among teachers increases, which is why we have
:03:49. > :03:54.plans for the Master's qualification in teaching. In terms
:03:54. > :03:59.of issues such as attendance, if we look at attendants, you mention
:03:59. > :04:09.secondary schools. Overall absence has been decreasing each year since
:04:09. > :04:16.
:04:16. > :04:20.2006, from 9.8% to 7.8%, which we very much welcome.
:04:20. > :04:27.TRANSLATION: thank you. You'll be aware there has been a change in
:04:27. > :04:32.the kind of bullying, with less emphasis on physical bullying, and
:04:32. > :04:39.more emphasis on bullying through social media, which leads to more
:04:39. > :04:42.absence and impact upon achievement in terms of numeracy and literacy.
:04:42. > :04:50.What is the government doing to tackle bullying through the social
:04:50. > :04:57.media? We have provided funds to local authority, 300,000 in the
:04:57. > :05:02.last academic year, in order to give training to teachers on
:05:02. > :05:10.bullying, and it is right to say that cyber-bullying is a problem
:05:10. > :05:17.that is getting worse every year. In addition to that, we have the
:05:17. > :05:25.education Wales measure, 2010, which does ensure that training is
:05:25. > :05:30.available for governors on the issue, and one way of helping
:05:30. > :05:35.children is through the advisers, and under the School Standards Bill,
:05:35. > :05:45.local authorities will be required to ensure that an advisory service
:05:45. > :05:51.is available for children between the ages of 11 and 16, and more
:05:51. > :06:01.children will be assisted. Will the First Minister make a statement on
:06:01. > :06:06.how his policies of improving policies? Improving education
:06:06. > :06:11.requires teachers to spend as much time as possible in the classroom,
:06:11. > :06:15.but it is reported that more than 19,000 schooldays have been lost in
:06:15. > :06:21.the past three years, due to teachers in Gwent being on sick
:06:21. > :06:27.leave with work-related stress. The NASUWT has said that teachers are
:06:27. > :06:29.under too much pressure, often working over 50 are as a week. What
:06:29. > :06:39.is the Welsh government doing to tackle the cause of stress among
:06:39. > :06:40.
:06:41. > :06:44.teachers in Gwent? I know that the Education Minister is able to
:06:45. > :06:49.listen to the concerns, and take action. But those suffering from
:06:49. > :06:57.stress, we would expect the schools and local authorities to intervene
:06:57. > :07:01.to help them. I am sure you would agree that education and careers
:07:01. > :07:06.advice is important in changing the lives of those leaving prison, to
:07:06. > :07:10.turn them away from a life of crime. So why has your Government decided
:07:10. > :07:16.that they can no longer work face- to-face with ex-offenders over the
:07:16. > :07:20.age of 25? There will be reasons why that is, and reasons as to who
:07:20. > :07:30.is responsible, but I will write to the member with further details to
:07:30. > :07:35.give her an answer. When I moved to questions to party leaders. -- we
:07:35. > :07:40.know move. Today, it has been reported that we need to achieve
:07:40. > :07:46.better standards in literacy in half of primary and secondary
:07:46. > :07:51.schools. A Labour Education Minister has been in post for 13
:07:51. > :07:59.years. For three of those years, you were in charge. Statistics tell
:07:59. > :08:07.me that we are letting many of our children down. Are you happy with
:08:07. > :08:17.your Government's performance in education? I was the Education
:08:17. > :08:19.
:08:19. > :08:24.Minister for 6.5 weeks, not three years. This is topical, we have big
:08:24. > :08:29.literacy and numeracy framework, which has been launched to help
:08:29. > :08:32.deliver change for the better. There has been a Labour Education
:08:32. > :08:42.Minister since the beginning of devolution, First Minister, and we
:08:42. > :08:50.know that Wales came 38 at of 67 countries in the last standards
:08:50. > :08:56.test, and since then we have seen very little progress. The target
:08:56. > :09:01.for this year's results is to be in the top 20 for literacy, but you
:09:01. > :09:09.Education Minister has said that target will not be met. -- Your
:09:09. > :09:13.Education Minister. Following today's report, are you confident
:09:13. > :09:23.that this year's results will show significant improvement to reach
:09:23. > :09:28.the standards which parents and pupils it specked? -- expect? The
:09:28. > :09:33.Education Minister has made the point forcefully, but there is no
:09:33. > :09:38.target, but we are confident we are heading in the right direction in
:09:38. > :09:42.terms of providing a good education for children, and the literacy and
:09:42. > :09:50.numeracy framework is part of that. It is a radical programme to help
:09:50. > :09:55.pupils when they need it. Our young people and teachers work hard, but
:09:55. > :09:59.they do not get the results they deserve. Since devolution, the
:09:59. > :10:04.Minister for Education in Wales has been a Labour minister. You failed,
:10:04. > :10:09.according to the targets you said, and you failed according to the
:10:09. > :10:14.international comparison. You have got to take responsibility and
:10:14. > :10:17.accountability for these failures. Will you give us a guarantee that
:10:17. > :10:22.the education Mr will remain in post and will the next set of
:10:22. > :10:32.results, so that we can judge him on his success or failure in the
:10:32. > :10:41.role? That would be a matter for me to decide to redress, and she will
:10:41. > :10:45.know in due course. I can promise I will not be making any offers to
:10:45. > :10:49.those in her party, but as far as we're concerned, there is no doubt
:10:49. > :10:56.in my mind we are heading in the right direction and we have
:10:56. > :11:03.fulfilled the pledge made to her students, in terms of tuition fees.
:11:03. > :11:07.-- the students. We both have school-age children, so declared an
:11:07. > :11:13.interest. We will continue to work closely with teachers to make sure
:11:13. > :11:20.we get the best possible outcomes. When I moved to the leader of the
:11:20. > :11:26.Welsh Liberal Democrats are. The -- we now move. When I questioned you
:11:26. > :11:36.about the school inspector's annual report last year, you told me, next
:11:36. > :11:37.
:11:37. > :11:40.year I expect to see improvement. Today, the report says that the
:11:40. > :11:45.expectations are lower than last year. Where is the improvement you
:11:45. > :11:50.promised? They share our concerns about the number of local
:11:50. > :11:53.authorities not performing as they should. It is one reason why the
:11:53. > :12:00.ministers brought forward a review of the effectiveness of the
:12:00. > :12:05.delivery system in Wales. I have to say as far as the reporters
:12:05. > :12:14.concerned, there are encouraging areas that are identified --
:12:14. > :12:19.courage in areas, and areas that need attention. You promised us
:12:19. > :12:23.that there would be improvement, yet the number of schools getting
:12:23. > :12:26.that good or excellent judgment has gone down. You're Education
:12:26. > :12:31.Minister says the problems are literacy, numeracy and breaking the
:12:31. > :12:36.link between poverty and low levels of attainment, but today's report
:12:36. > :12:40.says there are no national benchmarks for or targets for
:12:40. > :12:42.outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. If breaking that link between
:12:42. > :12:49.poverty and low levels of attainment is your Government's
:12:49. > :12:54.priority, why do you not measure how well you are doing? She seems
:12:54. > :12:58.to be talking down the pupil declaration ground that she was
:12:58. > :13:01.instrumental in establishing. If you look at any figure in terms of
:13:01. > :13:06.performance, performers has increased in terms of schools over
:13:06. > :13:13.the last few years. The number of pupils achieving a level two
:13:13. > :13:17.threshold has increased by 11 points. If you look at the numbers
:13:17. > :13:26.of the gap in performance, between free school meals and paid school
:13:26. > :13:30.meals, that is something we intend the pupil deprivation grant to
:13:30. > :13:33.enhance. It takes some time for it to take effect, but I am sure she
:13:33. > :13:38.will join me in seeing the grant having the maximum possible benefit
:13:38. > :13:43.and the future. If it is a Government's priority, why do you
:13:44. > :13:48.not take steps to see how you are doing? We can trade quotes from the
:13:48. > :13:52.report. Standards of writing and a concern across all sectors.
:13:52. > :13:56.Attendance is not good enough in one-third of secondary schools,
:13:56. > :14:02.many schools do not do enough to monitor the progress of pupils from
:14:02. > :14:06.poorer backgrounds. Let us turn to the people depravation grunt. Given
:14:06. > :14:09.the outcomes are outlined in the report today, do you now regret
:14:09. > :14:13.ignoring the Welsh Liberal Democrats' proposals to
:14:13. > :14:19.substantially increase the funding for the poorest pupils in budget
:14:19. > :14:25.discussions for the next financial year? She knows there were a number
:14:25. > :14:31.of issues discussed, and we could only go on the issues she raced. We
:14:31. > :14:34.were more than happy to accept proposals for the pupil development
:14:34. > :14:38.grant, but we know the financial situation is such that there are
:14:38. > :14:47.many competing priorities. If we look at the national implementation
:14:47. > :14:51.plan, that is taking us for good, and we are developing and training
:14:51. > :14:54.leaders for the future. But it is right to say that a number of
:14:54. > :14:57.concerns were flagged up, one of which is the fact there is
:14:57. > :15:07.inconsistency in terms of local authority performance regarding
:15:07. > :15:14.
:15:14. > :15:21.education delivery, which needs to You kindly Eadie a statement -- you
:15:21. > :15:27.kindly issued a statement. How much the Welsh business did take are no
:15:27. > :15:33.trade trips? They are not great trips. They were marketed as trade
:15:33. > :15:40.trips. I have a written answer upstairs that marks them as tree
:15:40. > :15:47.trips. Surely the best way to do that is to take Welsh businesses
:15:47. > :15:51.with E. Ireland, for example, is an important customers operas but has
:15:51. > :15:59.no dedicated budget for marketing Wales as it pays for inward
:15:59. > :16:04.investment. Today we rank Dublin airport a plant planned but you
:16:04. > :16:10.could take up advertising space but to promote Wales for �6,000. We
:16:11. > :16:15.have no budget to promote Wales has an attractive place for inward
:16:15. > :16:21.investment and yet you go to the Republic for a ministerial group
:16:21. > :16:27.and yet often nothing of substance. When are you going to start
:16:27. > :16:30.engaging with 12 businesses? I was chair of the Council for economic
:16:30. > :16:33.renewal is yesterday and I can promise the day of the opposition
:16:34. > :16:37.that will do businesses for league support the trade missions. One of
:16:37. > :16:43.the things they want to be established quickly was a regular
:16:43. > :16:47.programme of trade missions and that is what I have. We will be
:16:47. > :16:56.placing someone full-time in Dublin as a representative are the Welsh
:16:56. > :17:01.Government. There are a number of opportunities in Ireland, as did
:17:01. > :17:06.republicans out of the difficult economic situation that has seen
:17:06. > :17:13.itself having to deal with. There is a difference between a busied
:17:13. > :17:16.and a trade mission. My trade mission to San Francisco it will be
:17:16. > :17:26.marked. Are the site are the chain and we have no objection to trade
:17:26. > :17:28.
:17:28. > :17:32.missions. Your statement does reflect your visit being about
:17:32. > :17:37.drainage and what you find it ironic that you have not chosen to
:17:37. > :17:44.take any a Welsh companies with you when you have gone to be her key up
:17:44. > :17:50.or the Republic of Ireland. When we look at the figures, to North
:17:50. > :17:56.America for example. They are down by 9%. Exports to Asia are down by
:17:56. > :18:01.6%. These are two areas where you have undertaken trade missions in
:18:01. > :18:04.this Assembly. When you going to stop working with Welsh business
:18:04. > :18:10.and industry that that the results for Government and industry can be
:18:10. > :18:14.put in to best effect so that Wales can be seen in a positive light for
:18:14. > :18:17.inward investment? At the moment, the impression many are getting is
:18:17. > :18:22.this is a vanity project for the first minister to go around and
:18:22. > :18:26.promote his and Nikko. It is about times these figures were arrested
:18:26. > :18:31.and turned around so that Wales becomes an attractive place for
:18:31. > :18:36.inward investment, rather than these year-on-year declines we are
:18:36. > :18:41.seeing. I fear he has not been straight with the chamber. If he
:18:41. > :18:47.looks at the actual up export up -- that we export figures and not what
:18:47. > :18:52.his advisers give him, he will this week that the exports to India has
:18:52. > :18:56.doubled, export to the United States has also increased. When I
:18:56. > :19:02.spent my time promoting Wales around the world, he is sitting on
:19:02. > :19:06.his backside. I have seen his press releases. They go on a back jet-
:19:06. > :19:11.setting around the world. He knows nothing about this around the world.
:19:12. > :19:18.He does do nothing would do nothing to sell Wales around the world.
:19:18. > :19:25.What has he is Prime Minister brought back for Wales from trade
:19:25. > :19:29.missions? Absolutely nothing. The differences we take selling Wales
:19:29. > :19:39.and getting in essence the receipt whereas his party would sell Welsh
:19:39. > :19:47.
:19:47. > :19:55.businesses Dan Biggar. What is the Welsh Government doing to promote
:19:55. > :20:05.the illegal money being green energy projects? -- doing to
:20:05. > :20:12.
:20:12. > :20:22.We understand the need to make sure that when we look at renewable
:20:22. > :20:24.
:20:24. > :20:28.energy, all products are considered, a large and small. After a survey -
:20:28. > :20:33.- I offered a Survey of houses in multiple occupancy areas. The
:20:33. > :20:37.houses with no snow on the roof, they are the ones with the worst
:20:37. > :20:42.Rif installation. What can the government do to increase take-up
:20:43. > :20:50.of private landlords of the available renewable energy schemes?
:20:50. > :20:53.I was disappointed that less than 300 installations have been done. I
:20:53. > :20:58.would also like to know what the viewers of the government of the
:20:58. > :21:00.latest green deal from the UK government, where there is
:21:00. > :21:09.considerable concern being expressed that the amount of
:21:09. > :21:14.interest is going to be charged by the installation companies. What
:21:14. > :21:19.can we do to improve on this? plans to introduce a mandatory
:21:19. > :21:24.licensing scheme for landlords and letting agents in the private
:21:24. > :21:29.rented sector will result in more detailed information on landlords
:21:29. > :21:35.and their property. That information will enable initiatives
:21:35. > :21:45.like the green deal to look at initiatives like houses in multiple
:21:45. > :21:46.
:21:46. > :21:52.occupation. Nearly one year ago, you were clear to state that the
:21:52. > :21:58.document that the Government will be keen to look on resources of
:21:58. > :22:05.energy. You will be aware of that hydro-electricity energy generation
:22:05. > :22:13.that provides the best energy a return to the consumer, but Wales
:22:14. > :22:23.is only generating 13% of renewable energy from this sector. With the
:22:23. > :22:33.Pill -- developers having increased competition, can this be held for
:22:33. > :22:36.
:22:36. > :22:40.This is governed like the subsidy system ultimately, so we are tied
:22:40. > :22:45.into England. We would like to be like Scotland and have control of
:22:45. > :22:49.those certificates and be better able to target our resources,
:22:49. > :22:56.especially with a wave and tidal power where we have a disadvantage
:22:56. > :23:00.in terms of subsidy. TRANSLATION: Before too long, a
:23:00. > :23:04.number of local authorities in Wales will have to make decisions
:23:04. > :23:09.on their energy from waste plans and that is the use of incineration
:23:09. > :23:13.to produce energy, and that is counted as renewable energy
:23:13. > :23:17.according to the rules, and as authorities make these decisions,
:23:17. > :23:21.do you think that the changing technologies that have happened
:23:21. > :23:25.since the start of this process in 2008 now up mean incineration and
:23:25. > :23:30.waste is still value for money within the public sector in Wales?
:23:30. > :23:36.TRANSLATION: There is a difference between incineration of waste and
:23:36. > :23:41.incinerating waste in order to create energy. With some of the
:23:41. > :23:51.waste, we would have to deal with that I want form of inspiration,
:23:51. > :23:59.
:23:59. > :24:03.but of course it depends -- with one form of incineration. At the
:24:04. > :24:08.very end of our hierarchy, we have landfill, but of course technology
:24:08. > :24:14.has changed and it is true to say their opportunities in incineration
:24:14. > :24:23.to generate energy and I would expect people to consider it all
:24:23. > :24:32.very carefully before making an announcement on this. The progress
:24:32. > :24:35.of enterprise zones in Wales. The statement by the Business Minister
:24:35. > :24:42.last we did set out how the policies shaping up on the ground
:24:42. > :24:47.and I very much welcomed the progress so far. My question is
:24:47. > :24:50.about our this affects small and the medium businesses, especially
:24:50. > :24:54.those who qualify for the business rate part of the scheme. The first
:24:54. > :25:01.round of applications is due to close on 11th February though
:25:01. > :25:08.Tanner asked what the Government is doing to get worked out -- can I
:25:08. > :25:18.ask what the Government is doing to get the word out? We are writing to
:25:18. > :25:18.
:25:18. > :25:21.those concerned. Including directly to businesses in the science.
:25:21. > :25:25.minister, following the Business Minister's statement last week
:25:25. > :25:30.regarding progress being mate on Enterprise Zones, I'm sure you are
:25:30. > :25:37.where she mentioned the possibility of discussions having begun
:25:37. > :25:45.regarding the resurrection of the virtual enterprise zone in the
:25:45. > :25:50.south-east Wales area. Could you tell us at what point those
:25:50. > :25:58.discussions have reached? There is great merit in virtual enterprise
:25:58. > :26:04.zones. Their tie in well with the plans we have of improving
:26:04. > :26:09.broadband speeds across Wales. It is something we are considering in
:26:09. > :26:15.great detail. TRANSLATION: thank you. First
:26:15. > :26:19.Minister, how would you ensure that these Enterprise Zones will attract
:26:19. > :26:23.companies that are already established in other parts of Wales
:26:23. > :26:29.but do not have the advantages that these enterprise zones have now?
:26:29. > :26:37.That is one of the great criticisms of the idea of Enterprise Zones so
:26:37. > :26:41.what guarantee can you have that this will not happen in the future?
:26:42. > :26:51.Translation we are ensuring that every enterprise Zen is a fiend,
:26:51. > :26:59.for example, in the day love -- every Enterprise Zone has a theme.
:26:59. > :27:03.For example, we want to make sure that the enterprise zones develop
:27:03. > :27:09.industries that already exist in those areas. There is no evidence
:27:09. > :27:17.today that this is going to need to companies or businesses relocating
:27:17. > :27:22.from one part of Wales to another. Diolch yn fawr. Will be First
:27:22. > :27:31.Minister make a statement on the plan to increase train and bus
:27:31. > :27:36.journeys across Wales? Between four and 5% of trouble is taken on a bus
:27:36. > :27:43.journeys and 3% through Rail. -- travel. In terms of what we're
:27:43. > :27:48.doing to improve the situation, we have its funding, additional train
:27:48. > :27:52.services and investment in stations. Thank you. You will be aware that
:27:52. > :28:02.improving access to stations is a great way to boost numbers,
:28:02. > :28:03.
:28:03. > :28:09.particularly in rural areas. Last month a fund was announced. You
:28:10. > :28:14.have already identified some places in my own region where you would
:28:14. > :28:19.like to see passenger services operate from. What can you do to
:28:19. > :28:25.make sure they are ready for the next round of funding? She mentions
:28:25. > :28:30.a number of stations that have been, are planned now, but are waiting
:28:30. > :28:34.for funding and a plant in that future. Any new money to improve
:28:34. > :28:40.stations is a very much welcome and we will be seeking details as to
:28:40. > :28:45.harass the fund she refers to will be distributed.
:28:45. > :28:50.TRANSLATION: First minister, the heart of Wales rail line travelling
:28:50. > :28:55.through it and Llanelli is about to carry out a feasibility study and
:28:55. > :28:59.the intention is to increase the number of customers using the train
:28:59. > :29:03.and improved links with the sweets. Will he give an update on any
:29:03. > :29:09.discussions with the representatives of the heart of
:29:09. > :29:13.Wales line in terms of looking into a not-for-profit models when of the
:29:13. > :29:18.time comes to renewing the franchise in 2018?
:29:19. > :29:23.TRANSLATION: The minister has initiated a call for evidence in
:29:23. > :29:27.March of last year and the railway people take their own evidence. We
:29:27. > :29:33.have been supporting the work of the forum with regards to seeking
:29:33. > :29:38.ways of improving the route itself and there are discussions taking
:29:38. > :29:44.place at the moment between the industry and the Forum, that is the
:29:44. > :29:49.heart of Wales forum, in order to ensure that everybody knows what
:29:49. > :29:59.the next steps will be in regards creating a feasibility study on a
:29:59. > :30:00.
:30:00. > :30:03.community management for at The free concessionary bus travel
:30:03. > :30:09.scheme has been operating successfully for a number of years.
:30:09. > :30:14.At concern that has been raised by some bus operators is that the
:30:14. > :30:19.scheme is operated in consistently by some bus operators who may be
:30:20. > :30:23.using it for their own financial advantage. Can I ask what measures
:30:23. > :30:26.is the government taking in Wales to make sure the scheme is
:30:26. > :30:36.operating consistently and the taxpayer is getting value for
:30:36. > :30:39.money? The serious allegation he mentions is effectively fraud. If
:30:39. > :30:45.he has evidence of this I would be more than happy to investigate.
:30:45. > :30:52.There is a fraud team in place to investigate allegations, and any
:30:52. > :30:56.information he can supply a would- be mill -- welcome. You will be
:30:57. > :31:03.aware that there was an accident on the railroad in Pembrokeshire,
:31:04. > :31:07.where a train collided with a car. This was a cross and where there
:31:07. > :31:11.were no barriers available. There raise the issue with the transport
:31:11. > :31:16.minister some time ago, and he said he would look into the issue
:31:16. > :31:19.regarding these crossings which exist in Wales. What is the
:31:19. > :31:29.intention of your government to insure that there are barriers on
:31:29. > :31:33.
:31:33. > :31:38.all crossings? This is not within the Government's responsibilities,
:31:38. > :31:44.but in a sea every crossing providing some sort of barrier in
:31:44. > :31:48.order to ensure that cars do not cross while lights are dread, and
:31:48. > :31:52.alarms are sounding. There have been accidents on a number of lines
:31:52. > :31:59.in Wales over the years, and I would like to see all crossings
:31:59. > :32:05.being dealt with in the same way. The afternoon. What plans does the
:32:05. > :32:13.Welsh government have to Wickwar Paul fire engines with external
:32:13. > :32:18.defibrillators? It is up to the authorities to determine how they
:32:18. > :32:23.provide those? Some fire engines already carry these pieces of
:32:23. > :32:26.equipment. I wondered if you agreed that it is slightly odd to ask
:32:26. > :32:32.members of the public to use these defibrillators when they are
:32:32. > :32:42.available in public place without any training, yet fire officers
:32:42. > :32:46.
:32:46. > :32:51.often do not have the opportunity to use them. A number of them were
:32:51. > :32:58.fitted five years ago. The Mid and West Wales firefighters have been
:32:58. > :33:05.trained to use them, but they are not fitted at the moment. On
:33:05. > :33:11.January 18th, a pilot was launched between the fire service trust
:33:11. > :33:16.which aims to improve the response of community responders, which is a
:33:16. > :33:21.template that can be used for other fire authorities as well, in terms
:33:21. > :33:25.of North Wales. They are looking at finalising emergency arrangements,
:33:25. > :33:33.but we understand the fibrin waiters will be available there, on
:33:33. > :33:42.all appliances, in due course. the Government's -- what are the
:33:42. > :33:52.priorities? EU funding has been used to drive infrastructure for
:33:52. > :34:01.would, such as opening up dog wins in Port Talbot. -- the Docklands.
:34:01. > :34:07.What action is the Government taking to improve future investment
:34:07. > :34:13.and repair damaged confidence? We have by years of uncertainty now.
:34:13. > :34:15.heard what the Prime Minister had to say, and I agreed with him. I
:34:15. > :34:23.heard him say that the British people needed to have their say,
:34:23. > :34:28.but that should not happen in the course of five years. It was a big
:34:28. > :34:33.talking point last week, but I was talking to the Chamber of Commerce
:34:33. > :34:43.and businesses. The US ambassador said this was a major issue, and
:34:43. > :34:49.will take you to San Francisco and a fortnight. People will ask why
:34:49. > :34:57.they should provide investment if there are not part of the EU. We
:34:57. > :35:07.now see five years of uncertainty, which cannot be good. Recognising
:35:07. > :35:13.
:35:13. > :35:18.the importance of Tata, to the community, since the most welcome
:35:18. > :35:23.statements you made, there have been redundancies within the
:35:23. > :35:28.company. Can you reassure us that you're doing all you can to prevent
:35:28. > :35:32.further redundancies, and update on what action the task force has done
:35:32. > :35:36.to help those affected? They are more than happy with the
:35:36. > :35:40.relationship they have with us, and it is right to say that the steel
:35:40. > :35:43.industry is going to be difficulties, but the investment
:35:43. > :35:47.promised will enable port Talbot to overcome these difficulties. You
:35:47. > :35:50.can see the results of the investment with the new blast
:35:50. > :35:59.furnace being built. Without the investment, the future would be
:35:59. > :36:09.very bleak indeed. We are fortunate they see the need to invest and
:36:09. > :36:11.
:36:11. > :36:20.provide Port Talbot with a bright future. TRANSLATION: Just to expand
:36:20. > :36:24.on that question, in terms of employment in TATA steel, and a 90
:36:24. > :36:31.day consultation on the proposed loss of 500 jobs in the factory,
:36:31. > :36:34.can you outline the work being done by ministers and officials in the
:36:34. > :36:38.context of existing TATA steel to find employment for the workforce
:36:38. > :36:45.that is to be affected, or to find employment near by so that people
:36:45. > :36:49.will not have to leave the area? have been speaking to the union and
:36:49. > :36:53.the company, and what is unclear at present is whether the majority of
:36:53. > :37:03.the people, or perhaps all affected, might be taking voluntary
:37:03. > :37:05.
:37:05. > :37:13.redundancy, this is something being considered at present. Will the
:37:13. > :37:22.first minister make a statement on the contribution of co-operatives
:37:22. > :37:27.and rituals? The play an important part. -- they play. I welcome the
:37:27. > :37:37.work and the setting a pub off the co-operatives and mutual
:37:37. > :37:45.
:37:45. > :37:51.Will the first minister specifically consider the
:37:51. > :37:54.regeneration prospects and possibilities, and career the work
:37:54. > :37:58.for word in Wales? Following a meeting yesterday, there was a
:37:58. > :38:08.meeting with Professor Andrew David, and the commission will be making a
:38:08. > :38:11.
:38:11. > :38:16.full report to the minister and the recommendations will be part of
:38:16. > :38:20.that work. TRANSLATION: Do you agree that corporate of schools are
:38:20. > :38:26.a particularly good position to develop strong links with local
:38:26. > :38:31.businesses, businesses that can inform the curriculum and develop
:38:31. > :38:35.entrepreneurship and develop next- generation of business leaders? I
:38:35. > :38:39.want to ensure we have quality and high standards across the board,
:38:39. > :38:49.and it is important that schools remain within the public sector and
:38:49. > :38:52.
:38:52. > :38:59.do not leave it? -- and do not leave it. Co-operatives and small
:38:59. > :39:05.businesses have insufficient funds to prosper. One such company has
:39:05. > :39:08.plenty of orders, including a new contract, they appear to be
:39:08. > :39:13.condemned to closure. Will you consider creating a new finance
:39:13. > :39:17.stream, akin to the Welsh public bank idea that Plaid Cymru put
:39:17. > :39:24.forward, and has been calling for for some time now? That would boost
:39:24. > :39:31.the flagging economy and enable Welsh businesses, social
:39:31. > :39:33.enterprises and co-operatives to survive and thrive? I seem to have
:39:34. > :39:38.stepped into the middle of a dispute between cloud Cumbria and
:39:38. > :39:44.the Tories on this! What I can say is that there is a commission that
:39:44. > :39:54.has been set up a under Professor Dylan Jones, to look at these
:39:54. > :39:58.
:39:58. > :40:01.issues. We are pleased to have him on board,... Will the outline the
:40:01. > :40:06.Government's plans for housing reforms? Yes, the housing Wales
:40:06. > :40:10.Bill will be announced this autumn, such -- including homelessness and
:40:10. > :40:20.private sector landlords and letting agents. The White Paper
:40:20. > :40:20.
:40:20. > :40:25.will be published soon. Where there are private homes that have been
:40:25. > :40:33.faking for six months, and then the housing White Paper, -- have been
:40:33. > :40:37.vacant, there is discretionary power for the council to charge
:40:37. > :40:41.higher tax on them. Are these the sort of the narrative solutions to
:40:41. > :40:45.a problem of wasted resources that will enable houses to be brought
:40:45. > :40:51.back into use? We know that into properties impact on the supply of
:40:51. > :40:55.housing those resource is, but they also attract antisocial behaviour.
:40:55. > :40:59.The proposals we have in terms of council tax are part of a series of
:40:59. > :41:04.measures that address the problem of empty properties. We also
:41:04. > :41:09.recognise the need to give owners incentives, so we announced a
:41:09. > :41:13.scheme to provide interest free loans for owners to bring their
:41:13. > :41:23.properties back into use. Let us leave it there. You can see more
:41:23. > :41:28.
:41:28. > :41:38.Let us pick up on some of that with the Welsh Affairs Editor, who has
:41:38. > :41:39.
:41:39. > :41:43.been watching. Quite important topics coming up. Education went on
:41:43. > :41:46.-- education was one of them. that may have been caused to
:41:47. > :41:52.because of the sudden death over the weekend of the husband of the
:41:52. > :42:01.social services minister, a figure who was liked across the chamber,
:42:01. > :42:05.and people were upset and stand up by the news. -- stunned by the news.
:42:05. > :42:09.People did not think it was an occasion to be aggressive or
:42:09. > :42:17.humorous or over the top. The Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru
:42:17. > :42:21.went on the recent education report, of which is always a fiery issue,
:42:21. > :42:26.because we have a fiery Minister who is not backward in coming
:42:26. > :42:33.forwards. What they were trying to do today was question why there
:42:33. > :42:41.were all these initiatives and why so little was delivered. One
:42:41. > :42:46.minister said there had been a Labour Education Minister for three
:42:47. > :42:53.years. Carwyn Jones answered them as much as you would expect, but it
:42:53. > :43:03.was interesting to hear Kirsty Williams say, blaming everyone but
:43:03. > :43:09.
:43:09. > :43:17.yourself. That is something we may hear more of. There were a lot of
:43:17. > :43:20.mentions of the economy. And the mention of a referendum. This,
:43:20. > :43:27.David Cameron and the Conservatives have gone up in the polls by 5%
:43:27. > :43:32.since he pledged that referendum. Welsh politicians on the left,
:43:32. > :43:39.particularly in the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru sense the
:43:39. > :43:44.popularity may not be the same across the border. We are hearing a
:43:44. > :43:54.terror more and more, as this being not in the Welsh National Interest,
:43:54. > :43:56.
:43:56. > :44:00.claiming that Wales benefits from being in the EU. The membership of
:44:01. > :44:10.the EU and the terms of membership of the matter of the UK government,
:44:11. > :44:12.