:00:20. > :00:26.Good afternoon, welcome back to the programme, after the assembly's is
:00:27. > :00:29.to break, two sets of elections on going, plenty for assembly members
:00:30. > :00:33.to ask the First Minister in this weekly session. The order paper says
:00:34. > :00:37.there will be questions on social services, housing and plans for
:00:38. > :00:43.having a medical school in North Wales. You can follow us on Twitter,
:00:44. > :00:46.business in the chamber is already underway. Let's take a look now at
:00:47. > :00:51.today's questions to the First Minister.
:00:52. > :00:57.TRANSLATION: I call the National Assembly, the first item on the
:00:58. > :01:06.agenda, questions to the First Minister, and the first question
:01:07. > :01:13.from Dai Lloyd. TRANSLATION: Plans for social services. TRANSLATION:
:01:14. > :01:16.Centre of national strategic importance. The field has been
:01:17. > :01:23.protected through the investment of an additional ?55 million for 2017
:01:24. > :01:28.to 2018, alongside 60 mini and pounds for the integrated care fund.
:01:29. > :01:32.TRANSLATION: Thank you for that response, further to that, may I ask
:01:33. > :01:36.what measures are in place, led by the Welsh government, in order to
:01:37. > :01:40.secure an adequate supply of home care services for older people and
:01:41. > :01:43.those with disabilities bearing in mind the increasing demand for those
:01:44. > :01:51.services and the shortage of funds to provide them to meet the
:01:52. > :01:55.increasing needs in this area. Of course I have alluded to the
:01:56. > :01:59.integrated care fund and what has been invested in that, and the new
:02:00. > :02:09.funding that has already been announced, and we see this, bearing
:02:10. > :02:12.in mind the transfer from hospital to care, that that kind of delay is
:02:13. > :02:23.actually at its minimum level. ?22 million has been cut from the
:02:24. > :02:27.social care budget despite condition 2 billion from UK Government and
:02:28. > :02:30.Wells government money as well, additional money, your Minister told
:02:31. > :02:41.me, just before the recess, that some money would be additional, that
:02:42. > :02:45.money... I know you will have its and all of the council budgets, can
:02:46. > :02:49.you tell me, yes or no, whether you are sure that all the money that the
:02:50. > :02:53.Minister has set aside for social care will be used for social care
:02:54. > :02:59.and not for competing authorities? Is there an election is Thursday?
:03:00. > :03:01.Ask myself. -- next Thursday. Authorities across Wales have done
:03:02. > :03:07.very well in providing social services, despite the cuts that have
:03:08. > :03:10.come from her party, and her party in government in London. We have
:03:11. > :03:14.seen, we have seen the crisis in social care in England, a crisis we
:03:15. > :03:17.have not had in Wales because of the investment we have put in to social
:03:18. > :03:21.care, and the ester ?20 million already announced, the last thing we
:03:22. > :03:28.want is to import that kind of chaos into Wales.
:03:29. > :03:33.As a result of the women taking the well-being future generations Wales
:03:34. > :03:37.act, we have witnessed in recent years significant progress in the
:03:38. > :03:40.improved integration of health and social care despite some the
:03:41. > :03:47.comments being made today. In particular, I mention the
:03:48. > :03:50.multi-agency safeguarding pub -- hub. You agree with me that one of
:03:51. > :03:54.the early priorities of any new council coming in after the 4th of
:03:55. > :03:57.May, should be to build on the excellent work to date carried out
:03:58. > :04:06.by current Labour councils like that in Merthyr Tydfil? I very much
:04:07. > :04:10.applaud the work of Merthyr Council. I look forward to that work
:04:11. > :04:14.continuing, in the next weeks to come.
:04:15. > :04:21.First Minister, fast approaching a point where social care is
:04:22. > :04:24.unaffordable. Unless we take urgent action, we are facing the real
:04:25. > :04:28.possibility that the system may collapse. Successive governments
:04:29. > :04:33.have failed to take account of the ageing population. And properly plan
:04:34. > :04:38.for future demand. What discussions have you had with the UK Government,
:04:39. > :04:44.about how to ensure the social care sector has sufficient funding to
:04:45. > :04:48.provide top-quality care for all who need it, now and in the future? I
:04:49. > :04:53.think the member raises an important point in that regard, we know demand
:04:54. > :04:57.continues to increase, there has to be debates in society as to how that
:04:58. > :05:02.demand will be met. That does mean there must be discussions between
:05:03. > :05:05.the governments of the UK, Vickers between the countries of the UK, we
:05:06. > :05:09.have ensured that there is sufficient funding for all social
:05:10. > :05:13.care, we have increased that funding, but of course, it is hugely
:05:14. > :05:19.important in the long term to think carefully how social funding should
:05:20. > :05:27.be -- social care should be funded. TRANSLATION: Plans for a medical
:05:28. > :05:34.school for North Wales? TRANSLATION: Work is ongoing to determine the
:05:35. > :05:37.appropriate approach to getting sustainable medical education and
:05:38. > :05:40.training in North Wales, the cabinet secretary for health well-being and
:05:41. > :05:46.sport will be working a statement in coming weeks. TRANSLATION: The case
:05:47. > :05:50.for a medical school to serve North Wales and rural areas is clear and
:05:51. > :05:56.robust. The health board will have spent over ?21 million on employing
:05:57. > :06:01.agency medical staff over the past 11 months, up until February this
:06:02. > :06:08.year, the Royal College of physicians summarises the situation
:06:09. > :06:11.in one sentence. Establishment of a medical school in Bangla would be
:06:12. > :06:15.part of the process of training these additional doctors, which we
:06:16. > :06:19.need in Wales. -- Bangor. When exactly will the business case be
:06:20. > :06:24.published, and when will the necessary steps taken to establish
:06:25. > :06:27.the medical school be put in place? TRANSLATION: There will be a
:06:28. > :06:31.statement over Dean suing weeks, and the Minister will be considering
:06:32. > :06:35.this over this week and the next, so there will be quite a swift
:06:36. > :06:36.statement. -- there will be a statement over the ensuing weeks.
:06:37. > :06:50.Any plans will be sustainable. It has been a year since I first
:06:51. > :06:52.discussed the need for an emergency school, the previous Vice
:06:53. > :06:57.Chancellor, continue to have those special, three years since the local
:06:58. > :06:59.North Wales local medical committee warned that general practice in
:07:00. > :07:03.North Wales was in their words facing crisis and unable to fill
:07:04. > :07:09.agencies, GPs considering retirement. The previous supplier
:07:10. > :07:13.from Liverpool, the Liverpool medical School, had been severed,
:07:14. > :07:16.where their generation her primary come from there. In considering as
:07:17. > :07:19.you have agreed to do the business case for a medical school in Bango,
:07:20. > :07:23.how would you ensure that that includes a dialogue with Liverpool
:07:24. > :07:28.alongside Bangor to make sure that we keep local medics local. The
:07:29. > :07:32.issue is that the population in that area is quite small, compared to
:07:33. > :07:36.other centres, and so there are issues in terms of how could such a
:07:37. > :07:41.medical school work closely with other medical schools in Wales or
:07:42. > :07:44.England or elsewhere. It is hugely important, any medical school must
:07:45. > :07:48.be sustainable, and it must work closely with others in order to
:07:49. > :07:58.ensure that sustainability is in the future. Graduates will come back to
:07:59. > :08:01.work in Wales if they have the desire and ability to do so, does
:08:02. > :08:04.the First Minister agree that the government also needs to look
:08:05. > :08:09.further at ways it can improve the life offered for the people of North
:08:10. > :08:12.Wales, as this illustrates that too often, those who move out of Wales
:08:13. > :08:18.to train or work often do so permanently. The scheme, the
:08:19. > :08:21.campaign we have in place for recruitment and staff is working
:08:22. > :08:25.well. We have had a great deal of interest from those in all areas of
:08:26. > :08:27.medicine. Ultimately, lifestyle is important, but professional
:08:28. > :08:30.challenge is important, people want to go somewhere they will find their
:08:31. > :08:35.work interesting, they feel they will be challenged, from a medical
:08:36. > :08:38.point of view, and they want to live somewhere they feel they are
:08:39. > :08:43.supported, campaign we have put in place has put all of these issues to
:08:44. > :08:48.potential medical practitioners who wish to come to Wales and the
:08:49. > :08:53.response has been in courage in. TRANSLATION: Questions now from the
:08:54. > :08:57.party leaders. Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary, has announced that
:08:58. > :09:02.Labour plans to recruit another 10,000 police officers in England
:09:03. > :09:07.and Wales, which would mean an extra nearly 1000 in Wales. But she was
:09:08. > :09:12.rather sketchy about the cost of this proposal first of all, saying
:09:13. > :09:18.it would cost ?300,000, average salary of ?30, for a policeman(!),
:09:19. > :09:23.then it went up to 8000 a year, ?80 million, perhaps the First Minister
:09:24. > :09:27.could give his own view of the credibility of this policy and what
:09:28. > :09:33.the figures are. Hugely important we see more bobbies on the beat, more
:09:34. > :09:36.police officers, 10,000 of them, and people will support that, you asked
:09:37. > :09:39.the question where the money will come from, ?300 million a year over
:09:40. > :09:44.the course of five years, ?2.7 billion is the part of money that
:09:45. > :09:48.will be created by reinstating the previous levels of capital gains
:09:49. > :09:54.tax, ?1.5 billion, with 1.2 billion left over. Those are the maths. What
:09:55. > :10:01.happened last time, when it was increased in 2010, capital gains
:10:02. > :10:07.tax, the rate was raised from 18% to 28%, and whereas before the 23rd of
:10:08. > :10:12.June, 2010, he had raised 8.23 billion a year, after the 23rd of
:10:13. > :10:17.June, it raised 3.3 billion a year, so actually there was a cut in
:10:18. > :10:24.revenue, ?4.9 billion a year. How is this increase in police numbers
:10:25. > :10:32.going to be paid for? Takes it back to the rate it was before, from to
:10:33. > :10:37.28, from 18 upwards on a lower level, that is the way in which this
:10:38. > :10:40.will be paid for. Reinstating a tax that was there before, and not
:10:41. > :10:44.something that was new. The point I was making to the First Minister, as
:10:45. > :10:49.a result of raising the rate, the revenue raised from the tax fell,
:10:50. > :10:55.not increased, and so, consequently, the tax base was reduced, because
:10:56. > :10:59.people could postpone the realising capital gains. People most likely to
:11:00. > :11:02.want to realise capital gains are pensioners who cannot afford to live
:11:03. > :11:07.on their incomes. This is actually a tax increase which is aimed very
:11:08. > :11:11.largely at the people who can least afford to pay it. Perhaps...
:11:12. > :11:17.Perhaps... Perhaps... Perhaps, and... Perhaps... Perhaps the
:11:18. > :11:24.illiterate financial plan which has been put before us by the Labour
:11:25. > :11:27.Party is the overall... Part of the overall plan that he committed
:11:28. > :11:30.himself to in my presence in a television studio in Cardiff just a
:11:31. > :11:35.couple of weeks ago, increasing borrowing by ?500 billion a year.
:11:36. > :11:38.D'Arcy Rae Leith think that the credibility of the UK Government in
:11:39. > :11:44.international financial markets is Gary to be advanced by such a stupid
:11:45. > :11:50.policy? -- does the really think. Soft on crime, Neil Hamilton, you
:11:51. > :11:54.heard it here first! Not supporting a policy to increase bobbies on the
:11:55. > :12:01.beat, we have a sprained how this will be paid for, I don't see his
:12:02. > :12:05.point about pensioners, losing out, because of capital gains tax, if you
:12:06. > :12:08.are talking about inheritance tax... Perhaps even as the two confused.
:12:09. > :12:11.Capital gains tax affects those people with the most money, it is
:12:12. > :12:15.only right that people with the most money are asked to pay more to fund
:12:16. > :12:18.police officers on the street, there has never been a cheaper time to
:12:19. > :12:23.borrow money on the world financial markets. The Labour government of
:12:24. > :12:27.the 1940s did this, built the health service, else the welfare state,
:12:28. > :12:31.rebuilt the British economy, from a far worse position, a far worse
:12:32. > :12:34.position than the Tories did. Individuals, individuals know that
:12:35. > :12:38.if you want to buy a house, you have a mortgage, you pay it off over 30
:12:39. > :12:42.years, you have an asset at the end of it you are able to use as you
:12:43. > :12:45.want, the Conservative Party don't understand that, a lot of them have
:12:46. > :12:50.never had a mortgage, they don't know what the concept is! Everything
:12:51. > :12:53.given to them on a plate. From our perspective, we know the public
:12:54. > :12:57.understand, you borrow in order to create an asset that is then worth
:12:58. > :13:01.far more, works for individuals, will work for Britain, that is the
:13:02. > :13:03.kind of vision we want, a vision that rebuilt Britain and does not
:13:04. > :13:20.let it drift. First Minister, in June last year
:13:21. > :13:25.you said Labour had no chance of avoiding a general election. Why
:13:26. > :13:28.have you abandoned ship? I do know that Labour has a better chance of
:13:29. > :13:36.winning an election than Plaid Cymru does. From our Per Spett if, we will
:13:37. > :13:40.work hard, -- from our perspective, we will work hard, as I know she
:13:41. > :13:44.does. In the very same week that you said Labour had no chance of winning
:13:45. > :13:48.a general election, one of your senior front bench MPs in
:13:49. > :13:51.Westminster resigned and derided your leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and you
:13:52. > :13:56.have now appointed him as your election co-ordinated for Wales.
:13:57. > :14:03.We've seen five different shadow secretaries of state for Wales from
:14:04. > :14:08.the Labour Party since the last UK collection. Four in the last 12
:14:09. > :14:17.months. Not only have you abandoned ship, you are all squabbling over
:14:18. > :14:20.the votes. This is gross incompetence. Do you really expect
:14:21. > :14:24.people who have trusted your party for so long to have any confidence
:14:25. > :14:29.in your party's ability to defend Wales? We did last year, Welsh
:14:30. > :14:33.Labour showed it could defend the people of Wales last year, and Welsh
:14:34. > :14:37.people voted as they did and we continue to do the same this year.
:14:38. > :14:40.We will be standing up for Wales in Westminster, we do not want the
:14:41. > :14:48.Tories to walk all over Wales. Such complacency. People need a national
:14:49. > :14:56.party of Wales that is going to protect this nation's interests, a
:14:57. > :14:59.party that will protect this institution, people's jobs and
:15:00. > :15:06.pensions and the NHS. Labour is in no fit state to defend Wales, and so
:15:07. > :15:12.the national party of Wales is Plaid Cymru. Tomorrow there will be yet
:15:13. > :15:17.another vote on scrapping zero hours contracts, it will be the seventh
:15:18. > :15:21.time we have had a vote on this. Six times, labour and the Tories have
:15:22. > :15:27.voted together against Plaid Cymru's proposals to end zero hours
:15:28. > :15:32.contracts. Tell me, First Minister, are you going to make it seven times
:15:33. > :15:40.tomorrow? Will you again vote with the Tories against Welsh workers and
:15:41. > :15:44.against the Welsh national interest? It has always been a mess in Plaid
:15:45. > :15:51.Cymru that they stand for the Welsh national interest, if that was true
:15:52. > :15:57.they would be doing better in elections than they are. One party
:15:58. > :16:00.does not have a monopoly on Welsh interests. There will be questions
:16:01. > :16:06.that affect the general election in this chamber, but people deserve to
:16:07. > :16:10.have questions asked about what will happen in Wales if you are in the
:16:11. > :16:15.assembly. We do not support zero hours contracts. She is trying to
:16:16. > :16:19.suggest that in principle we think they are good thing, we don't. But
:16:20. > :16:23.for many reasons, there have been issues surrounding what Plaid Cymru
:16:24. > :16:27.want to do that would jeopardise the passage of legislation. Because of
:16:28. > :16:31.the lack of clarity over devolved competence. On the reality of the
:16:32. > :16:35.situation is we have led the way when it comes to getting rid of zero
:16:36. > :16:39.hours contracts, we have done so in government and in organisations
:16:40. > :16:48.funded by government. She just talks, we have done. Can I first of
:16:49. > :16:51.all welcome the new clerk to the assembly, and I look forward to
:16:52. > :16:57.working with you over the coming months and years that you fill the
:16:58. > :17:00.role but was so admirably done by Claire Clancy. First Minister, you
:17:01. > :17:05.have said that you want questions asked of you that are relevant to
:17:06. > :17:08.this place, and I do want to draw on the auditor general's report last
:17:09. > :17:16.week on the circuit for Wales and its funding. And in particular the
:17:17. > :17:18.points about government money. Welsh government money being used to buy a
:17:19. > :17:25.motorcycle firm in Buckinghamshire that went bankrupt. Is that a good
:17:26. > :17:30.use of Welsh taxpayers' money? ?300,000 of Welsh taxpayers' money
:17:31. > :17:34.to buy a motorcycle company in Buckinghamshire that then went
:17:35. > :17:39.bankrupt. And if it isn't a good use of Welsh taxpayers' money, we
:17:40. > :17:42.apologise? We had a report last week where Cancer Drugs Fund showed it
:17:43. > :17:48.wasted ?1 billion of public money, so I won't be lectured on that. The
:17:49. > :17:53.answer is quite a bit this. Whenever we have a project like the circuit
:17:54. > :17:56.of Wales, there will be risks, those risks have to be managed acceptably.
:17:57. > :18:00.The circuit of Wales is still in play, we are looking to see whether
:18:01. > :18:03.a model can be produced to take the project forward, and we think the
:18:04. > :18:09.people of Blaenau Gwent can be expected us to do that. Banks lend
:18:10. > :18:14.money they acknowledge there is a level of risk with that, and it is
:18:15. > :18:17.the same for government. That is the most bizarre answer in six years
:18:18. > :18:22.that I have stood here I have received from you, First Minister. I
:18:23. > :18:25.asked you a simple question about Welsh government money that was used
:18:26. > :18:30.to buy a motorcycle firm in Buckinghamshire that went bankrupt.
:18:31. > :18:33.?300,000 that the auditor general in a report released last week, and you
:18:34. > :18:37.have called to questions that are relevant to you in your role as
:18:38. > :18:42.First Minister, but you don't believe you need to explain that or
:18:43. > :18:46.apologise for that fact? Secondly, the report outlined how officials
:18:47. > :18:51.highlighted two ministers that they believed you would be in breach of
:18:52. > :18:56.state aid rules by allowing the 7.3 million loan guaranteed to be put in
:18:57. > :19:00.place, and then drawn down. Officials gave that advice to
:19:01. > :19:04.ministers, the auditor general could not find any evidence to contradict
:19:05. > :19:09.that advice that was given to ministers, so why did ministers put
:19:10. > :19:12.the Welsh government and Welsh taxpayers' money at risk, and
:19:13. > :19:18.potentially for infringement proceedings by the European
:19:19. > :19:22.Commission because you up breaking state aid rules? Normally when state
:19:23. > :19:27.aid rules of breached, it is the recipient pays. We will assess the
:19:28. > :19:32.situation to see if the risk is acceptable. Two things to be said
:19:33. > :19:34.about the circuit of Wales. The auditor general has not said that
:19:35. > :19:41.this is a project not worth supporting. Nor has the auditor
:19:42. > :19:45.general said that the circuit of Wales is a business organisation
:19:46. > :19:49.with no assets, contrary to his own MP, David Davis, of what he has
:19:50. > :19:52.said. Yes, in the course of the development of the circuit of Wales,
:19:53. > :19:58.there is an assessment of risk. Decisions are taken to accept that
:19:59. > :20:01.risk if deemed necessary, and then of course we move on to see if the
:20:02. > :20:07.circuit of Wales can become a reality. That is what governments
:20:08. > :20:10.do, look at risk and decide if it is acceptable, because ultimately the
:20:11. > :20:14.prize might be one that is something that is worth having. We are not at
:20:15. > :20:18.that stage yet, we are still looking to see whether the circuit of Wales
:20:19. > :20:23.can produce that has a single model. The auditor general was specifically
:20:24. > :20:28.what he's looking at, the tranche of money that the Welsh covered has
:20:29. > :20:31.spent to date, ?9.3 million. That is a significant sum of. No one is
:20:32. > :20:35.disputing that the overall scheme could have a massive impact of
:20:36. > :20:39.regeneration, but you are accountable for the way money is
:20:40. > :20:44.allocated. I have highlighted to you two examples in the report. One
:20:45. > :20:49.buying a motorcycle firm in Buckinghamshire that went bankrupt
:20:50. > :20:53.for ?300,000. What bids will you accept if you are accepting bids
:20:54. > :20:56.like that? And two, that you infringe state aid rules by putting
:20:57. > :21:00.the loan guarantee in place. Both of which you have not apologise for or
:21:01. > :21:06.you haven't discounted to say it is incorrect. What exactly can we
:21:07. > :21:11.expect from the Welsh government given that there is a litany of
:21:12. > :21:19.examples where officials advice were totally ignored and ministers
:21:20. > :21:22.dispose of high-value land, officials were discounted on the
:21:23. > :21:27.public lost out through losing money when overall sales were conceded,
:21:28. > :21:30.and this is the same example were public money has been put in
:21:31. > :21:35.jeopardy as the auditor general has pointed out. How can we have any
:21:36. > :21:41.confidence that your government is working positively to either form a
:21:42. > :21:45.causative conclusion on this agreement, or that you will end up
:21:46. > :21:48.putting more public money at risk? The agreement is one that we would
:21:49. > :21:52.want to be positive, we are not looking to put more public money in.
:21:53. > :21:55.We are willing to work with a private investigator for the future
:21:56. > :21:58.of these things which is under discussion. I remind the leader of
:21:59. > :22:01.the Welsh Conservatives that sometimes you have to take a
:22:02. > :22:10.decision to benefit people in the future. Last week we saw the
:22:11. > :22:13.decision by Qatar Airways to fly into Cardiff airport. He is
:22:14. > :22:17.questioning the fact that the Welsh government bought the airport. We
:22:18. > :22:23.have seen great passenger growth, huge opportunities for Wales as a
:22:24. > :22:30.result of that. Let him apologise for the fact that he's willing to
:22:31. > :22:34.put 1000 jobs at risk in the Vale of Glamorgan by letting the airport
:22:35. > :22:36.close. On top of that, we have unemployment that is lower than
:22:37. > :22:41.England, lower than Scotland, lower than Northern Ireland. We have a
:22:42. > :22:45.situation where the five companies that have grown most in Wales over
:22:46. > :22:49.the past year are companies that we as a Welsh Government have helped,
:22:50. > :22:52.the fact that we have had the best foreign investment figures in 30
:22:53. > :23:01.years. We create jobs when the Tories destroy them.
:23:02. > :23:05.TRANSLATION: What is the Welsh Government doing to support the
:23:06. > :23:09.housing needs of people in Pembrokeshire? We are making
:23:10. > :23:12.significant investment in all types of housing in Pembrokeshire and
:23:13. > :23:19.across Wales. This includes continued investment in social
:23:20. > :23:23.housing and helped Wales as well, and schemes to make homeownership
:23:24. > :23:27.more successful and support innovation. Thank you for that
:23:28. > :23:33.response. I recently met representatives of the housing
:23:34. > :23:39.association to discuss the housing needs of people in Pembrokeshire
:23:40. > :23:41.that would mean providing affordable housing for local people with at
:23:42. > :23:46.least a third of the residents over 50 years of age to bridge between
:23:47. > :23:50.the generations. So would you agree with me therefore that we should be
:23:51. > :23:53.encouraging projects of this sort, and if so, can you tell me what
:23:54. > :24:01.support the Welsh government is providing to projects such as this
:24:02. > :24:04.one? Of course, it would be interesting if the officials could
:24:05. > :24:09.meet our officials to understand better the model that they have, and
:24:10. > :24:17.I'm sure should they want to do that, we would welcome a meeting.
:24:18. > :24:20.The problem of second homes and holiday homes is a particular
:24:21. > :24:23.problem in Pembrokeshire as it is in a number of areas that are popular
:24:24. > :24:27.with visitors and tourists and people looking to retire to those
:24:28. > :24:34.areas, and it overheats the local housing market in terms of the
:24:35. > :24:37.income is available to local people, particularly young people, there are
:24:38. > :24:41.whole streets in Tenby where nobody is living for most of the year. So
:24:42. > :24:45.what can the Government do to assist in that context? Like Camry has
:24:46. > :24:51.proposed that planning regulations could be used in certain communities
:24:52. > :24:58.in order to ensure that there is a change of use when a home leaves a
:24:59. > :25:01.permanent occupation and becomes a holiday home. Is that a
:25:02. > :25:06.consideration for Government? This is something that has been discussed
:25:07. > :25:09.and considered previously, but it is much more difficult in practice
:25:10. > :25:13.rather than in principle as regards what kind of definition you place on
:25:14. > :25:16.a second home. But having said that, I understand what the member is
:25:17. > :25:22.saying about the impact on communities, and we have ensured
:25:23. > :25:27.that there is more social housing available, and other considerations
:25:28. > :25:31.have been made such as trusts to acquire land that people can
:25:32. > :25:35.construct their own home, and also sharing of property equity, and in
:25:36. > :25:43.the future, we can maybe look at how to purchase houses from the private
:25:44. > :25:46.market so that the houses are available particularly in villages,
:25:47. > :25:51.so there are a number of ways in which we can secure a future for
:25:52. > :25:53.those people who wish to live and remain in those communities, but
:25:54. > :25:59.perhaps we need to think more imaginatively than the traditional
:26:00. > :26:03.ways of thinking to date. What assessment has the First Minister
:26:04. > :26:08.made of the benefit to Wales if the UK Government were to borrow more to
:26:09. > :26:11.invest at the current low rates? Any increase in public expenditure in
:26:12. > :26:18.comparable areas would be more money in Wales to support our priorities.
:26:19. > :26:22.I thank the First Minister for that answer. In household terms, has he
:26:23. > :26:26.outlined a response to the earlier question, we are used to the idea of
:26:27. > :26:29.balancing the books, managing income and outgoings, and critically
:26:30. > :26:33.managing debt, whether on the mortgage on our home or our family
:26:34. > :26:36.car. Government borrowing is far more complex, but the basic
:26:37. > :26:39.principles remain, including managing your debt at any given
:26:40. > :26:43.time, yet classic economics recognises that for Government
:26:44. > :26:49.roaring there are times, especially when the cost of rain is as low as
:26:50. > :26:51.it is now, when borrowing can be used to reverse austerity and bring
:26:52. > :26:58.growth, and by bringing growth, ensuring that the deficit remains at
:26:59. > :27:01.the same percentage of GDP. So isn't it time, I say to the First
:27:02. > :27:05.Minister, for the UK Government to change its approach for the good of
:27:06. > :27:12.the country, for Wales and the UK, or for the good of the country, is
:27:13. > :27:19.it time to change the UK Government? All governments borrow, Michael --
:27:20. > :27:22.Margaret Thatcher borrowed every single year, but they use that to
:27:23. > :27:29.pay the tax decreases, that was unsustainable. The issue is, borrow
:27:30. > :27:32.money to invest in capital infrastructure, and secondly, borrow
:27:33. > :27:35.in a way that is prudent so the debt doesn't become unmanageable. The
:27:36. > :27:37.problem we have the moment is the Government in London is completely
:27:38. > :27:43.without vision, doesn't know what it wants to do, has no vision for
:27:44. > :27:53.investment in if a structure. We were promised infrastructure on the
:27:54. > :27:56.-- electrification of the Southwest mainline, no clarification on HS2,
:27:57. > :27:59.just dithering from the government when it comes to funding essential
:28:00. > :28:02.capital in four structure. Countries that do not invest in their
:28:03. > :28:06.infrastructure decline. They cannot compete with other countries around
:28:07. > :28:11.the world, and the proper we have the current UK Government is they
:28:12. > :28:15.are willing to invest. Minister, let's get a little bit of sanity
:28:16. > :28:19.back into this question, borrowing is of course an important tool in
:28:20. > :28:23.any government's tool box, important tool for the wealth government,
:28:24. > :28:27.important tool for the UK Government. -- Welsh government. The
:28:28. > :28:33.levels of borrowing proposed by the Labour government -- Labour Party in
:28:34. > :28:37.the UK are I watering, in your heart of hearts, you know that, the last
:28:38. > :28:40.thing this country needs, the last thing the UK needs, the last thing
:28:41. > :28:45.that Wales needs is for Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party to ratchet up
:28:46. > :28:49.the debt once again and for us to end up in the same kind of position
:28:50. > :28:53.we have been in every time the UK Government has been in power before.
:28:54. > :28:59.-- the Labour Party has been in government. Britain's best years are
:29:00. > :29:02.always under Labour, look at where we were the start of the last
:29:03. > :29:07.decade, much, much better, look at where we are now. We are in a much
:29:08. > :29:11.better position than we were in the 1980s, when the Tories main
:29:12. > :29:13.manufacturing product was high unemployment! They took Wales to a
:29:14. > :29:18.level of unemployment well beyond 10%. We need competent economic
:29:19. > :29:23.policies, which the Tories have never ever given us. So it is hugely
:29:24. > :29:27.important we have a UK Government that understands the value of
:29:28. > :29:31.investment, capital investment, has a vision for the country and doesn't
:29:32. > :29:34.keep on saying, we need stable and strong leadership, let me tell you,
:29:35. > :29:38.it involves doing leadership debates, talking to ordinary people,
:29:39. > :29:42.not having events that are closed off to the regional press, as was
:29:43. > :29:49.the case in Cornwall today, and a Prime Minister who is strong and not
:29:50. > :29:55.one who acts as a frightened rabbit! If we followed the logic of the
:29:56. > :29:59.First Minister, now is the time to take advantage of historically low
:30:00. > :30:03.interest rates, then why is it that his own government's finance
:30:04. > :30:10.secretary is limiting the financing through the mutual investment model
:30:11. > :30:16.to a billion, not increasing it to the 10.5 billion suggested by Gerry
:30:17. > :30:19.holding, senior adviser to his government, isn't this yet another
:30:20. > :30:24.example of the Labour Party saying one thing in its British manifesto
:30:25. > :30:28.and doing a different thing in Wales, that is the kind of hypocrisy
:30:29. > :30:35.that has given democratic politics a bad name! Says the man described as
:30:36. > :30:41.the last prophet of Wales, in his election leaflet, who am I to argue!
:30:42. > :30:45.That is on his leaflet! There you are, he asked a question, the
:30:46. > :30:51.reality is, 1.5 billion, we will borrow up to a level that is proven,
:30:52. > :30:54.1.5 billion, in devolved terms, is a prudent level of borrowing.
:30:55. > :31:07.TRANSLATION: INAUDIBLE
:31:08. > :31:13.The enterprise zone is an important lever. It is hugely important, we
:31:14. > :31:19.know the zone is a compelling proposition for investment. Thank
:31:20. > :31:22.you for that answer, it was established to the closure of the
:31:23. > :31:27.steelworks following the original decision by Tata to set up a UK
:31:28. > :31:31.operations. It is important we diversify manufacturing and other
:31:32. > :31:35.manufacturing within Port Talbot, but it is believed to be within the
:31:36. > :31:39.Port Talbot enterprising, what analysis as the wealth government
:31:40. > :31:42.undertaken to consider the impact that building a prison in that
:31:43. > :31:47.enterprise zone will have on attracting new businesses, and
:31:48. > :31:54.attracting growth to build a stronger economy based on high-tech
:31:55. > :31:59.ability. A negative outcome, will fail to sell the land government to
:32:00. > :32:04.the justice? We have not committed that analysis yet, what I can say,
:32:05. > :32:09.to reassure him, I have a person my constituency, in fact, built while I
:32:10. > :32:12.was Ward councillor in my world Jedward. -- I have a prison in my
:32:13. > :32:17.constituency. It has not had an negative impact at all, it employs a
:32:18. > :32:22.large number of people locally, it has provided work for a large number
:32:23. > :32:28.of contractors. While I can well understand some of the constituents
:32:29. > :32:31.being concerned, and those are represented, the experience in
:32:32. > :32:36.Bridgend, in fact, a housing estate is being built next to it, as we
:32:37. > :32:42.speak. The prison becomes integrated into the life of the community and
:32:43. > :32:47.in fact can be a job creator. The Swansea -based city region, steel,
:32:48. > :32:52.which has been signed in Swansea, is set to trigger ?1.3 billion worth of
:32:53. > :32:55.investment in the region, the proximity of the University as you
:32:56. > :33:00.have mentioned already and the emphasis on steel -based supply
:33:01. > :33:05.chain within the enterprise zone, the enterprise zone bought also
:33:06. > :33:09.hopes to create opportunities and promoting innovation and
:33:10. > :33:13.entrepreneurship in advanced manufacturing and materials, what
:33:14. > :33:17.kind of help can we expect from wealth government to help the local
:33:18. > :33:20.steel sector take advantage of RMT, and commercialisation is in those of
:33:21. > :33:24.the two sectors, in order to protect the economy. -- RND. We have been
:33:25. > :33:29.working with Swansea University in terms of RND ad we have been working
:33:30. > :33:34.with Tata to move RND into South Wales, and we want to make sure
:33:35. > :33:37.there is as much taking basis in Wales as possible. There are great
:33:38. > :33:41.opportunities therefore Tata, we believe there is great opportunities
:33:42. > :33:48.with the lagoon, that is widely supported in the chamber, and I do
:33:49. > :33:53.hope that whatever happens after, we will have the creation of 1000 jobs
:33:54. > :33:58.in the area, which will be hugely, a huge catalyst in terms of job
:33:59. > :34:02.creation within the enterprise zone. I heard your response to David
:34:03. > :34:07.Reese, but I did not hear whether you as First Minister have a
:34:08. > :34:10.government that would be supporting the prison in for Tolbert, I
:34:11. > :34:13.recognise what you say about Bridgend, but you will understand,
:34:14. > :34:17.the prison in Port Talbot, if it is built, will be significantly
:34:18. > :34:21.overcapacity and is not something that we think will add benefit to
:34:22. > :34:24.the local economy. -- David Rhys. I have had concerns from local people
:34:25. > :34:30.with regards to the fact that many of them are trying to rent out space
:34:31. > :34:34.of over 10,000 square feet input all but, small businesses wanting to
:34:35. > :34:37.develop, now moving to your area, I'm sure you are pleased to hear
:34:38. > :34:41.that, but they cannot stay in Port Talbot. Could you not be focusing on
:34:42. > :34:45.the real everyday issues that small businesses are facing rather than
:34:46. > :34:50.imposing a super prison on Port Talbot. Prisons are not devolved, we
:34:51. > :34:55.will examine any and all consequences of building a prison,
:34:56. > :35:00.so if people are moving to Bridgend and the prison has not -- then the
:35:01. > :35:03.prison has not affected their decision. We will consider these
:35:04. > :35:10.things carefully, it is important the UK Government makes very clear
:35:11. > :35:13.that what it feels the prison can deliver, Rogers capacity but the
:35:14. > :35:18.local comic, and they will make the case for the prison and we will
:35:19. > :35:21.examine carefully what the case is. Will the First Minister outline the
:35:22. > :35:25.wealth government's plans to improve access to primary health care. Yes,
:35:26. > :35:28.through modernising primary care services we will have access
:35:29. > :35:34.continuing to approve when local issues arise, local needs will
:35:35. > :35:38.continue to be met. In my constituency, we have experienced
:35:39. > :35:43.big problems with GP retention and recruitment, it is of particular
:35:44. > :35:47.concern in the Rhondda, because we have an ageing population and an
:35:48. > :35:54.ageing GP population, we saw the closure of 80 surgery last year,
:35:55. > :35:59.less than a fortnight ago, other surgery patients were told to go out
:36:00. > :36:02.of the ward, because GP cover could not be arraigned for that particular
:36:03. > :36:06.day, causing a lot of concern in an area where appointments are
:36:07. > :36:12.difficult to come by at the best of times. With all the problems in the
:36:13. > :36:15.NHS in England, why is recruitment such a problem in Wales? Doctor
:36:16. > :36:19.should be falling over themselves to come and work in Wales but you
:36:20. > :36:24.failed to capitalise on that situation. Do you also regret that
:36:25. > :36:30.after 18 years of Labour running the NHS in Wales, we still have one of
:36:31. > :36:35.the worst patient doctor numbers in the whole of the EU? We have more
:36:36. > :36:40.GPs than ever before and we are getting to a situation, we are at
:36:41. > :36:42.the stage, more GPs are coming to work in Wales, hugely important that
:36:43. > :36:46.the structure of the general practice is attractive, it is a
:36:47. > :36:52.reality in my mind that more and more GPs want to be salaried, not
:36:53. > :36:55.buy into a practice, debt from medical school, why would they fork
:36:56. > :36:58.out more money, it is not an attractive proposition for many of
:36:59. > :37:02.them. It will be attractive for some, that is the important part of
:37:03. > :37:08.the NHS for years to come. -- that will be. Because of unforeseen
:37:09. > :37:11.circumstances cover was not there in the particular instance you
:37:12. > :37:13.outlined, I can understand people being frustrated about this part of
:37:14. > :37:23.the practice, but nevertheless, there is a grants surgery there are,
:37:24. > :37:31.but we have seen a 16% increase in the number of GP places fell so far.
:37:32. > :37:42.?42 million will be provided additional. And importantly, work is
:37:43. > :37:45.being taken forward in Cynon Taf, working across practices in one
:37:46. > :37:49.cluster. Surgery that are quite small and find it difficult to
:37:50. > :37:53.provide cover, at the level that would be expected these days, are
:37:54. > :37:59.able to work together in order to provide conference of cover that
:38:00. > :38:03.people need. Comprehensive cover. Patients need not only access to
:38:04. > :38:08.good GP surgeries and the GPs but also they need her quality of
:38:09. > :38:11.access. We all accept and there is a growing recognition that GPs should
:38:12. > :38:16.be left to deal with the more complex cases and those with
:38:17. > :38:24.multiple committed to is, and we welcome the growth in having
:38:25. > :38:28.councillors in GP surgeries, in having palliative care services and
:38:29. > :38:34.so on. -- comorbidities. I wonder what discussions your government may
:38:35. > :38:37.have had on extending the appointment time, because if a GP
:38:38. > :38:42.who is already under enormous pressure as to see a patient with
:38:43. > :38:46.complex health care issues, comorbidities or, and write up those
:38:47. > :38:50.notes, the standard ten minutes is a very difficult thing for them to
:38:51. > :38:55.undertake all that work in. -- or comorbidities. I wonder if your
:38:56. > :38:58.government has had any consideration of the particular matter? Can I
:38:59. > :39:03.welcome first of all what the member said about not piling, not piling
:39:04. > :39:07.all the pressure on GPs, a good number of cases that appear for GPs
:39:08. > :39:12.don't need a GP, which is why it is hugely important, we choose well, we
:39:13. > :39:17.see, when practices are taken over, they become multidisciplinary,
:39:18. > :39:20.people directed to a nurse, to a pharmacist, as appropriate, rather
:39:21. > :39:23.than everybody piling onto the GP. The challenge for the smaller
:39:24. > :39:28.practices is to be able to take pressure off themselves, by working
:39:29. > :39:32.with other practices, to provide more wider and to list it services
:39:33. > :39:36.between them, so for example, is it reasonable for a season Racing or
:39:37. > :39:40.had a practice to employ nurses and physiotherapist, no, what working at
:39:41. > :39:47.other practices, it becomes far more viable for that to happen. But she
:39:48. > :39:50.does not do this in fairness, it is important to think that primary care
:39:51. > :39:54.is not just about GPs, it is making sure people get the right level of
:39:55. > :39:57.care at the right time. You release more time for GPs if you take
:39:58. > :40:04.pressure off GPs, then they have more time to meet the patients.
:40:05. > :40:07.Future opportunities for them as Asians relocating to Wales from the
:40:08. > :40:12.south-east of England? The large proportion of recent investment from
:40:13. > :40:15.companies headquartered elsewhere in the UK have indeed come from London
:40:16. > :40:20.and the south-east of England. I thank the First Minister for that
:40:21. > :40:23.response, does the First Minister support the call from the leader of
:40:24. > :40:27.Cardiff Council for the UK Government, to the UK Government,
:40:28. > :40:31.for Channel 4 to be a gated to Cardiff? In view of the success of
:40:32. > :40:35.the media industry in Cardiff, and as part of the consultation that is
:40:36. > :40:40.now going on about the future of Channel 4? Yes, I do, very much, it
:40:41. > :40:43.has a great deal to offer in terms of media services, we have seen huge
:40:44. > :40:47.growth in the creative industry, not just in Cardiff but we have seen
:40:48. > :40:54.huge growth in the media in Cardiff, and Cardiff would be an ideal
:40:55. > :40:57.headquarters for Channel 4. Will the First Minister make a statement...
:40:58. > :41:00.LAUGHTER On the appropriate magnitude of
:41:01. > :41:06.borrowing, for Welsh government in the UK context? Is readjusting
:41:07. > :41:10.myself there, and we will maximise all the tools available to support
:41:11. > :41:13.the economy and public services in Wales including making best use of
:41:14. > :41:17.the ?1 billion of borrowing power was secured through the new fiscal
:41:18. > :41:22.framework. First Minister, whether the question is 1 billion or 1.5
:41:23. > :41:26.billion of borrowing for Wales, or 500 billion of borrowing for the UK,
:41:27. > :41:30.your answer seems to be the same, let's borrow, it is cheap. There
:41:31. > :41:34.seemed to be less consideration to how we would pay back the money, or
:41:35. > :41:38.what would happen if interest rates go up. Do you seriously believe it
:41:39. > :41:45.is appropriate for the UK to borrow 300 times as much as Wales, and if
:41:46. > :41:48.so, is your position any more credible than Jeremy Corbyn's? The
:41:49. > :41:52.UK has far more physical tools available to it than the Welsh
:41:53. > :41:55.government in terms of the way in which it can borrow, in terms of
:41:56. > :41:59.taxation policies available to it, we know that... We know your party
:42:00. > :42:03.that you said over on that side of the chamber with, we know it will
:42:04. > :42:07.not roll out a rise in income tax, I appreciate that honesty, but I think
:42:08. > :42:13.it is right to say that even the Conservative Party is considering
:42:14. > :42:16.increasing income taxes in order to provide more money the public purse.
:42:17. > :42:20.-- not rule out. They've been asked several times to rule it out and
:42:21. > :42:27.several times it has not been ruled out. Borrowing for infrastructure
:42:28. > :42:31.investment is important, it must be prudent, it must be affordable, what
:42:32. > :42:34.is affordable for the U:K.'s many times more than what is affordable
:42:35. > :42:38.for Wales because of the tools at the UK's disposal and its ability to
:42:39. > :42:43.raise money. Was done in the 40s, when situation was far worse than
:42:44. > :42:48.this, the infrastructure was rebuilt, the UK got back on its
:42:49. > :42:53.feet, if it can be done in the 40s, when borrowing rates were higher,
:42:54. > :42:59.why is it so unreasonable to say it cannot be done now? What assessment
:43:00. > :43:06.has the First Minister made the impact of trade union 2016, coming
:43:07. > :43:10.into force in March this year. Our assessment of the trade union act is
:43:11. > :43:14.that it risks undermining public services and the economy and it is
:43:15. > :43:19.dangerous and damaging. I thank you for the answer, I share your
:43:20. > :43:23.opinion, do you agree that by forcing public sector employees to
:43:24. > :43:38.publish information on facility time, time taken off from work for
:43:39. > :43:44.-- time taken off work from work duties. We can their rights and
:43:45. > :43:49.their working conditions, and what First Minister is the Welsh
:43:50. > :43:51.government doing to help protect workers' rights across Wales? We of
:43:52. > :43:56.course have taken forward legislation in this assembly to do
:43:57. > :43:59.just that, in areas we believe our devolved, it is a bureaucratic
:44:00. > :44:03.imposition, on public sector employers that they have to do this,
:44:04. > :44:08.it is not something the private sector has required -- is required
:44:09. > :44:11.to do, also, it seems to indicate somehow the current UK Government
:44:12. > :44:14.sees public sector workers as somehow not as good as those in the
:44:15. > :44:18.private sector, that seems to be being seen you Asian, somehow, they
:44:19. > :44:21.are spending all their time, facilities time, not doing real
:44:22. > :44:26.work, that is not the case, huge amounts of work goes into the public
:44:27. > :44:35.sector. -- that seems to be what they are saying. That is why, this
:44:36. > :44:40.legislation was so unnecessary. What other was government plans for
:44:41. > :44:46.making Wales a fair work nation? 'S discussion with social partners, so
:44:47. > :44:52.that more people have access to good work and secure income, today I'm
:44:53. > :44:56.working with social partners, to establish the establishment of a
:44:57. > :44:58.fair work commission. He made this announcement in his Labour Party
:44:59. > :45:03.conference speech back in the spring, and it is disappointing
:45:04. > :45:07.given developments at UK level that this commission has not been
:45:08. > :45:11.established. According to the most recent data I have been able to
:45:12. > :45:15.find, Wales is among the least fair nations in terms of work in these
:45:16. > :45:20.islands, 45,000 people classed as being low paid self-employed, 60% of
:45:21. > :45:25.temporary workers want to become or get permanent jobs, 42,000 people
:45:26. > :45:29.are on zero hours contract. When he eventually gets round to
:45:30. > :45:31.establishing a fair work commission, can he deliver a commitment that
:45:32. > :45:37.part of the terms of reference will be to review all previous and
:45:38. > :45:41.current trade union legislation is related to devolved areas so that we
:45:42. > :45:48.Wales can take the spirit that the government has shown in raising to
:45:49. > :45:51.the 2016 trade union Bill, and amend all aggressive anti-trade union
:45:52. > :45:54.legislation. I would not like to prejudge the discussion tomorrow,
:45:55. > :45:57.but I take on board one he has said, it is hugely important that we get
:45:58. > :46:01.support and buy in from all sectors of industry as we look at fair work.
:46:02. > :46:06.In addition to working with social partners I have already asked the
:46:07. > :46:10.public policy to undertake work, specifically in terms of defining
:46:11. > :46:14.what fair work is. We have an idea of what it looks like, but it is
:46:15. > :46:17.important to define it as strongly as possible in order for the
:46:18. > :46:22.commission's work to be effective. STUDIO: That was this afternoon's
:46:23. > :46:23.First Minister's Questions, if you want more coverage of the National
:46:24. > :46:33.Assembly, go to the website. Also plenty there on the local
:46:34. > :46:37.elections ahead of Thursday's vote, and the latest on the ongoing
:46:38. > :46:42.general election campaign. Don't forget, for all the latest political
:46:43. > :46:45.news and election watching, watch Wales today later on today at 6:30pm
:46:46. > :46:51.on BBC One Wales. -- Wales Today. From all of us, on First Minister's
:46:52. > :47:00.Questions, thanks for watching, goodbye.
:47:01. > :47:05.The country's best chefs go head-to-head...
:47:06. > :47:07.The old gloves are off now, aren't they?
:47:08. > :47:16...for a chance to cook at the Wimbledon Banquet.
:47:17. > :47:20.There'll be a couple of hours of just fantastic music, really,