Browse content similar to 07/02/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good afternoon, welcome once again to the programme and our coverage | :00:19. | :00:20. | |
According to the Order Paper we can expect questions on health policy, | :00:21. | :00:26. | |
economic development and access for disabled people | :00:27. | :00:29. | |
We're on Twitter of course - @walespolitics where you can see | :00:30. | :00:34. | |
the latest developments in the Welsh political world. | :00:35. | :00:37. | |
Well, business in the Siambr is underway - so let's cross | :00:38. | :00:40. | |
to today's questions to the First Minister. | :00:41. | :00:49. | |
TRANSLATION: I call the National Assembly to order and the first item | :00:50. | :00:54. | |
on our agenda of this afternoon is questions to the First Minister. | :00:55. | :01:00. | |
The first question. When does the First Minister intend to discuss | :01:01. | :01:07. | |
health considerations with the Prime Minister. I thank the First Minister | :01:08. | :01:19. | |
for that response, two weeks ago there was cross-party support in the | :01:20. | :01:23. | |
Assembly for a motion calling on the UK Government to initiate the | :01:24. | :01:28. | |
statutory public enquiry into the scandal of people with haemophilia | :01:29. | :01:32. | |
who were given contaminated blood in the 1970s and the 1980s, which | :01:33. | :01:36. | |
resulted in the death of 70 people from Wales and many more people are | :01:37. | :01:43. | |
still living with HIV, hepatitis C and liver disease. Will the First | :01:44. | :01:48. | |
Minister raised this directly with the Prime Minister when he meets her | :01:49. | :01:52. | |
next so that the families of the 70 people who did die in Wales and all | :01:53. | :01:56. | |
those who were affected can beat some closure? I can say that the | :01:57. | :02:01. | |
Cabinet Secretary is leading the discussions on this he wrote the | :02:02. | :02:05. | |
secretary of the health supporting the call for UK wide enquiry on | :02:06. | :02:10. | |
behalf of all those who received contaminated blood. He is also heard | :02:11. | :02:14. | |
it first hand the views of affected individuals and their family and is | :02:15. | :02:18. | |
now considering the issues and concerns before making a decision. | :02:19. | :02:27. | |
Good afternoon, may I first of all reinforce the calls for that | :02:28. | :02:30. | |
national public enquiry, I think that is very important. The L EDC | :02:31. | :02:37. | |
reported recently on the quality of the UK health services which | :02:38. | :02:41. | |
recommended the need to establish a set of key health data and quality | :02:42. | :02:45. | |
indicators for all of the UK health systems so we can benchmark | :02:46. | :02:50. | |
ourselves effectively using agreed common definitions, facilitate | :02:51. | :02:54. | |
quality and I wondered what discussions you or your colleagues | :02:55. | :02:58. | |
had had with dual counterpart in the other devolved nations and | :02:59. | :03:01. | |
Westminster to facilitate this so that we can judge ourselves in a | :03:02. | :03:08. | |
peer-to-peer basis? There are active discussions with officials about | :03:09. | :03:13. | |
this, the indicators the health very widely, but this is something that | :03:14. | :03:18. | |
is in the early stages of exploration. -- vary widely will | :03:19. | :03:28. | |
stop TRANSLATION: I also associate myself... | :03:29. | :03:31. | |
It might be useful for the First Minister to put health on the agenda | :03:32. | :03:37. | |
in relations to a exit from the EU, would the First Minister be prepared | :03:38. | :03:42. | |
to raise the issue for Wales to be able to determine the level of fees | :03:43. | :03:48. | |
is to be issued to NHS staff from aboard given greater dependence on | :03:49. | :03:54. | |
NHS staff from abroad. Also, will he seek an assurance that following the | :03:55. | :03:59. | |
UK leaving the Yukon and the requirements get a medicine licence. | :04:00. | :04:08. | |
-- leaving the European Union. I think it he seek important that | :04:09. | :04:16. | |
drugs are tested before they arrive on the market properly. There has | :04:17. | :04:19. | |
been several instances over the years of course not going through | :04:20. | :04:26. | |
proper appraisal. It is important that the current regulations stay in | :04:27. | :04:31. | |
place. With regards to regional work visas it is an issue that the UK | :04:32. | :04:35. | |
Government has not shut the door and, therefore it is interesting. | :04:36. | :04:40. | |
There are practical issues that need to be involved in something we are | :04:41. | :04:46. | |
keen to investigate. First Minister, one of the biggest challenges facing | :04:47. | :04:53. | |
health care in the 21st-century is a dramatic rise in anti-mac mobile | :04:54. | :04:59. | |
resistance, there have been few cases in China where resistance to | :05:00. | :05:05. | |
antibiotics has been seen, unless dramatic action is taken we will be | :05:06. | :05:10. | |
living in the world that existed before penicillin was discovered. | :05:11. | :05:16. | |
The only review of this recommends an overall of the antibiotic and an | :05:17. | :05:25. | |
intervention from the G20, what discussion has your government had | :05:26. | :05:28. | |
with the Prime Minister about this issue and will you join me in | :05:29. | :05:33. | |
calling on the UK Government to lead the way in tackling this resistance? | :05:34. | :05:41. | |
Disease control and defence is an international matter, this | :05:42. | :05:48. | |
resistance has been an issue the cell for years we have seen TB | :05:49. | :05:56. | |
resistance to drugs, and some conditions that even some -- | :05:57. | :06:05. | |
so-called last resort antibiotics have not been able to resolve. Yes, | :06:06. | :06:10. | |
there is a constant battle between humanity and microbes to ensure that | :06:11. | :06:15. | |
we do not start to move backwards and find that there are not affected | :06:16. | :06:18. | |
drugs to treat particular conditions. So, international | :06:19. | :06:28. | |
cooperation is important. Will the First Minister make a statement on | :06:29. | :06:34. | |
the performance of the PepsiCo fire -- Betsy had University health | :06:35. | :06:41. | |
board. Performance in some of the areas is not what we would expect | :06:42. | :06:46. | |
and the Cabinet Secretary has made his expectation clear. He needs to | :06:47. | :06:54. | |
do more than this, this is a health board in special measures, and yet | :06:55. | :06:59. | |
at other hospitals, the routine waiting time for orthopaedic surgery | :07:00. | :07:06. | |
is a weeks, more than four times the government's target. What specific | :07:07. | :07:13. | |
action is your government taking to address this particular problem | :07:14. | :07:16. | |
across North Wales and in particular at this hospital. An additional hand | :07:17. | :07:23. | |
surgeon has been appointed, some activity will be outsourced, we will | :07:24. | :07:31. | |
continue to enhance the muscular clinical teams, with a focus on | :07:32. | :07:37. | |
busier Gerard Pique. -- with a focus on physiotherapy. We expect that the | :07:38. | :07:47. | |
waiting lists will now come down. TRANSLATION: There is a concern in | :07:48. | :07:53. | |
the Colwyn Bay area that a surgery is closing, there are three | :07:54. | :07:59. | |
surgeries and only one GP. It is an area where the mIU has been closed | :08:00. | :08:06. | |
the several years there is an older population than the average and | :08:07. | :08:09. | |
there are hundreds of homes now being built as a result of the local | :08:10. | :08:13. | |
development plan. Would you agree that this is unsustainable and Tammy | :08:14. | :08:23. | |
what you are doing? -- tell me what you didn't help this situation? | :08:24. | :08:28. | |
Translate Shia, we have seen examples whether surgery say they do | :08:29. | :08:36. | |
not wish to remain open. -- TRANSLATION: We have seen examples | :08:37. | :08:38. | |
whether surgery say they do not wish to remain open. | :08:39. | :08:47. | |
And so, there is a responsibility on health boards to ensure that the | :08:48. | :08:51. | |
service continues and that it is broader and better. First Minister, | :08:52. | :08:58. | |
I read an article about the state of the North Wells health board, in | :08:59. | :09:03. | |
particular about hip operations, it claimed that some patients in the | :09:04. | :09:11. | |
wells are waiting to need years. --- North Wales health board. Compared | :09:12. | :09:15. | |
to England it is quite disgraceful, we wait a year and a half longer | :09:16. | :09:22. | |
than is recommended. I have been waiting... Sorry... Can remember the | :09:23. | :09:32. | |
head please. This is a very serious matter. -- Panther member be hard | :09:33. | :09:40. | |
please. I am an painkillers which might doctor, when he handed them to | :09:41. | :09:45. | |
me, it said on the box if you take these for more than three days you | :09:46. | :09:50. | |
will become addicted. I guess my doctor and he said your choice is, | :09:51. | :09:54. | |
you suffer the pain we don't take them. Now, people waiting the hip | :09:55. | :10:01. | |
operations can get very depressed from the constant pain, I know this | :10:02. | :10:06. | |
for myself, they can take painkillers that leads to side | :10:07. | :10:14. | |
effects, why is it in Wales, it North Wells specifically, we have to | :10:15. | :10:19. | |
wait up to two years with these operations? This is really not good | :10:20. | :10:22. | |
enough. What are you going to do about that? I am surprised that that | :10:23. | :10:33. | |
is the advice that the GP has giving you if it is correct, then I am | :10:34. | :10:39. | |
surprised. Dealing with the issue that he has raised, it is right to | :10:40. | :10:44. | |
say that waiting times are to log in some parts of the North of Wales. As | :10:45. | :10:50. | |
the Cabinet Secretary have outlined the steps being taken to address the | :10:51. | :10:57. | |
situation, including having an extra hand surgeon at hospitals. | :10:58. | :11:07. | |
Questions now from the party leaders of the Welsh Conservatives... First | :11:08. | :11:19. | |
Minister, you identified education as a priority of your stewardship is | :11:20. | :11:25. | |
first Minster, last week evidence was given that showed that the | :11:26. | :11:28. | |
number of teachers in our schools has declined by over a thousand | :11:29. | :11:32. | |
since 2000 pence. --- First Minister. Dashed 2010. Why have you | :11:33. | :11:40. | |
allowed the number of teachers teaching in schools to decline over | :11:41. | :11:46. | |
a thousand? Never mind that teaches pain conditions have not been | :11:47. | :11:52. | |
devolved, so his party is in charge of funding. There will be some | :11:53. | :12:00. | |
schools when numbers have dropped and staff has blocked. We look | :12:01. | :12:07. | |
forward to working to provide a package to show that teaching | :12:08. | :12:11. | |
remains attractive. It is always somebody else's' fault to you. We | :12:12. | :12:22. | |
have seen a thousand pages disappear from the classrooms. ---1000 | :12:23. | :12:27. | |
teachers. The funding gap that is between what is bonded in England | :12:28. | :12:36. | |
has stretched from ?31 per pupil in 2001, two ?607 in 2015, so, not only | :12:37. | :12:42. | |
are we getting less teaches your government is getting less money | :12:43. | :12:47. | |
available. What are you going to do about closing that gap? He is surely | :12:48. | :12:56. | |
having a laugh. He is a member of a party that wanted to cut spending on | :12:57. | :13:02. | |
schools. If he had been in my job now schools would have been starved | :13:03. | :13:06. | |
of funding, with fewer teachers and few achievements in our schools. We | :13:07. | :13:10. | |
have kept our promises on school funding. We have seen an improvement | :13:11. | :13:18. | |
in GCSE results, A-level results, we saw the categorisation results from | :13:19. | :13:21. | |
last week where schools have improved, we provided money to help | :13:22. | :13:26. | |
those from deprived backgrounds and helped those schools financially | :13:27. | :13:31. | |
better not improving as they should. We have a good record on education. | :13:32. | :13:35. | |
Obviously you must have been living in a different universe because we | :13:36. | :13:45. | |
had no courts from education... What we have had since Christmas are | :13:46. | :13:51. | |
report and results that have shown on your watch education has either | :13:52. | :13:55. | |
gone backwards or stood still. That is a fact. The evidence given to the | :13:56. | :14:02. | |
ever patient Dee education commission pointed to less teaches | :14:03. | :14:08. | |
and less money available in schools here in Wales. The issue you have, | :14:09. | :14:14. | |
is the news today of the introduction of the new curriculum | :14:15. | :14:18. | |
is hitting problems when it comes to leadership as well as the Pioneer | :14:19. | :14:21. | |
schools not knowing where they are going with the introduction of the | :14:22. | :14:26. | |
new curriculum. How can you give any certainty that you will right the | :14:27. | :14:30. | |
wrongs of your first term in office that pupils, teachers and parents | :14:31. | :14:35. | |
can seek genuine improvement in school and are we going to be on the | :14:36. | :14:39. | |
mystery tour that the Scottish education minister said they are | :14:40. | :14:41. | |
going and? I have no idea what he means by | :14:42. | :14:52. | |
that. I'm not letting him off the ski were on this one. He's fought | :14:53. | :14:57. | |
elections on the basis of a 12% cut in education. That is fact. He stood | :14:58. | :15:04. | |
as a Conservative candidate in the election in 2011, in 2011 when his | :15:05. | :15:10. | |
leader went on live TV, live TV, and said we need to cut education by | :15:11. | :15:16. | |
20%. The evidence is there. Not the alternative facts he wants to | :15:17. | :15:20. | |
present. We see a school buildings programme, new schools across Wales, | :15:21. | :15:24. | |
members can see where they are. With him in charge nothing would have | :15:25. | :15:29. | |
been built. His party kept at the school building programme in | :15:30. | :15:33. | |
England. You want to see the improvement in schools in terms of | :15:34. | :15:35. | |
capitalisation, you wouldn't have seen the grant, you wouldn't have | :15:36. | :15:39. | |
seen the money we have put into schools, we wouldn't have seen | :15:40. | :15:44. | |
improvements in GCSEs or A-levels. It's right to say and the Welsh | :15:45. | :15:48. | |
Conservatives Welsh education would be consigned to the dustbin. | :15:49. | :15:54. | |
The leader of the Ukip group, Neil Hamilton. | :15:55. | :15:57. | |
The First Minister will know I'm a strong supporter of the Welsh | :15:58. | :16:00. | |
government policy of achieving 1 million Welsh speakers by 2015, and | :16:01. | :16:04. | |
I'm a great admirer of the Minister for lifelong learning who brings his | :16:05. | :16:09. | |
legendary -- 2050. Who brings his skills to the achievement of that | :16:10. | :16:14. | |
objective. In particular I approve of the basic principle of tolerance | :16:15. | :16:19. | |
and respect those for English speakers and Welsh speakers that he | :16:20. | :16:22. | |
has brought to the development of this policy. It's made it marketable | :16:23. | :16:26. | |
beyond areas where it might otherwise have been. Does the First | :16:27. | :16:29. | |
Minister think that the success of this policy in the Welsh government | :16:30. | :16:34. | |
is being put at risk by Plaid Cymru control of Carmarthenshire County | :16:35. | :16:37. | |
Council which is forcing a Welsh language school upon people in an | :16:38. | :16:42. | |
area near Llanelli against the overwhelming wishes of the majority | :16:43. | :16:46. | |
of parents in that village? These are matters for | :16:47. | :16:49. | |
Carmarthenshire Council, they must make an assessment in terms of what | :16:50. | :16:53. | |
they see is the right solution for any particular area within their | :16:54. | :16:57. | |
county boundary. The Welsh medium education strategy | :16:58. | :17:07. | |
says that it's for Wales should be a country where people choose to live | :17:08. | :17:12. | |
their medium for either or both Welsh or English. Here we've had a | :17:13. | :17:17. | |
consultation process, 18 months after the decision was made, in | :17:18. | :17:25. | |
which five people proposed for everyone in favour, and 757, which | :17:26. | :17:30. | |
is an enormous number for a small village responded against this | :17:31. | :17:34. | |
proposal by Carmarthenshire County Council. That's not a consultation, | :17:35. | :17:39. | |
does he agree with me that the leader of the people who are against | :17:40. | :17:42. | |
this proposal when she says that Welsh by compulsion breeds | :17:43. | :17:46. | |
resentment. These are matters for | :17:47. | :17:48. | |
Carmarthenshire Council as a government we are supportive of the | :17:49. | :17:52. | |
Welsh language. We want to see an extension of Welsh medium education | :17:53. | :17:56. | |
and more children involved in it. It is for Carmarthenshire Council to | :17:57. | :17:59. | |
justify the decisions they take in view of elections in May. | :18:00. | :18:05. | |
That is the constitutional position but the Welsh government, because | :18:06. | :18:08. | |
this is a Welsh government policy on improving the condition of the Welsh | :18:09. | :18:12. | |
language and maximising its appeal and reach, must have a persuasive | :18:13. | :18:16. | |
influence here. There is a practical solution to this problem, at the | :18:17. | :18:19. | |
moment there are three Welsh medium schools in Llanelli. With 170 | :18:20. | :18:25. | |
surplus places than 120 out of area Welsh speaking pupils currently | :18:26. | :18:29. | |
being brought into the school whilst 81 English medium pupils are being | :18:30. | :18:34. | |
taken out of the school. What we needed to have a practical solution | :18:35. | :18:38. | |
on the ground which that defies both parties. That can be done without | :18:39. | :18:42. | |
putting at risk the acceptability of what, otherwise, I think is an | :18:43. | :18:45. | |
exceptional policy which paves the way for the Welsh language. | :18:46. | :18:49. | |
These are matters I would have expected Carmarthenshire County | :18:50. | :18:52. | |
Council to consider. It's not for the Welsh government to intervene. | :18:53. | :18:56. | |
It is important, of course, that any local authority takes into account | :18:57. | :19:00. | |
the views of those who live locally whilst considering, of course, the | :19:01. | :19:07. | |
encouragement we give the to supporting the Welsh language. | :19:08. | :19:09. | |
It is a matter for the council to decide and explain. | :19:10. | :19:14. | |
Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood. I'm sure Carmarthenshire council would | :19:15. | :19:16. | |
have expected more support from you, First Minister. But I want to return | :19:17. | :19:23. | |
to a matter of income differences. First Minister, when it comes to | :19:24. | :19:29. | |
differences in income between... Can we hear the leader of Plaid Cymru, | :19:30. | :19:35. | |
please? When it comes to differences in income between regions and | :19:36. | :19:38. | |
nations the UK is one of the most unequal states in Europe. Wales | :19:39. | :19:43. | |
suffers from this imbalance as well. To address this imbalance on market | :19:44. | :19:47. | |
towns and post-industrial towns need good quality public sector jobs. | :19:48. | :19:54. | |
Now, hijab musty, DWP, the job centre are moving jobs from towns | :19:55. | :20:01. | |
which suffer from low wages like Porth and Llanelli. Jobs are being | :20:02. | :20:07. | |
moved to more centralised sites. -- H M R C. There is a consultation on | :20:08. | :20:13. | |
moving Ambulance Service jobs from Carmarthenshire to Bridgend. Do you | :20:14. | :20:17. | |
recognise this centralisation agenda, and are you concerned about | :20:18. | :20:21. | |
jobs and services being moved out of communities through a smaller number | :20:22. | :20:26. | |
of locations? I deplore the decision taken by huge | :20:27. | :20:30. | |
MRC in Porthmadog and those including my own time some years | :20:31. | :20:34. | |
ago. Certainly I am concerned about the withdrawal of commercial banks | :20:35. | :20:39. | |
from many of our communities and we need to ensure that the Post Office | :20:40. | :20:42. | |
is then able to offer up the same kind of services the bank does. That | :20:43. | :20:46. | |
depends on post offices being there as well which is is why we need the | :20:47. | :20:51. | |
post office to grab and fund to keep that service. | :20:52. | :20:54. | |
I share your concern about the post offices and banks, there is a real | :20:55. | :21:00. | |
concern about the viability of some of our town centres if this agenda | :21:01. | :21:03. | |
continues. We know what the UK Government agenda is, but, First | :21:04. | :21:08. | |
Minister, you have levers to counter this on the Welsh revenue authority. | :21:09. | :21:13. | |
Plaid Cymru would agree that Treforest industrial estate is a | :21:14. | :21:18. | |
better location than Cardiff. But that decision means that Porthmadog | :21:19. | :21:23. | |
Andrex them feel very hard done by and they need an alternative offer | :21:24. | :21:29. | |
-- and racks. What plans do you have to support a Welsh public sector | :21:30. | :21:33. | |
presents in the North west of Wales and in the Wrexham. You said that | :21:34. | :21:38. | |
the WRAP and have a presence in Aberystwyth on Llandudno. How many | :21:39. | :21:44. | |
jobs as a presence represent? And when it comes to the targeting for | :21:45. | :21:47. | |
the distribution of Welsh government jobs across the country, are you on | :21:48. | :21:51. | |
course to reach those targets? In terms of the number of jobs the | :21:52. | :21:56. | |
total number would be 40 in the Welsh revenue authority. Some people | :21:57. | :21:59. | |
would be based home in order to work, and it looked very carefully | :22:00. | :22:06. | |
with the WRAP could be based. A report was commissioned and member | :22:07. | :22:08. | |
should know that that report was placed in the library on Friday. The | :22:09. | :22:14. | |
skills that are required for the Welsh revenue authority skills not | :22:15. | :22:17. | |
actually available on ways to any great extent. They aren't the same | :22:18. | :22:21. | |
skills as the people and Porthmadog have. We have to recruit from | :22:22. | :22:24. | |
outside Wales to make those skills available to us. The Welsh revenue | :22:25. | :22:28. | |
authority will begin in April and it was made clear to me that bringing | :22:29. | :22:33. | |
people to Cardiff in order to work was the option that was easiest in | :22:34. | :22:40. | |
terms of recruiting people. But that doesn't mean in the future that the | :22:41. | :22:45. | |
body can't reconsider where it might go. At the moment it's going to | :22:46. | :22:51. | |
Treforest. That was the strong advice, by far the location that was | :22:52. | :22:57. | |
favourable in terms of attracting people with specialist skills many | :22:58. | :23:00. | |
of whom are in London at the moment. If there is a skills shortage in | :23:01. | :23:04. | |
Wales that is down to your responsibility. You are responsible | :23:05. | :23:08. | |
for the skills of people in this country. I want to move on to | :23:09. | :23:12. | |
transport now. 12 months ago you unveiled a plan for the North Wales | :23:13. | :23:18. | |
Metro, that plan fails to include Gwyneth, Conwy or Anglesey. But it | :23:19. | :23:23. | |
did include Cheshire, Liverpool and Manchester. The maps of the routes | :23:24. | :23:32. | |
are existing rail and bus lines, your economy secretary was quoted by | :23:33. | :23:35. | |
the BBC as saying that ?50 million would be available for this. Do you | :23:36. | :23:39. | |
really think ?50 million is enough to deliver an actual Metro? Where | :23:40. | :23:45. | |
you commit today that the Metro system is planned in Wales will | :23:46. | :23:50. | |
start with a points furthest away from the densely populated towns and | :23:51. | :23:57. | |
cities so that those people who feel distant from this institution and | :23:58. | :24:01. | |
from the centres and the arterial roads are able to see some early | :24:02. | :24:04. | |
benefit from this transport investment? | :24:05. | :24:09. | |
First of all the Welsh revenue authority will be up and running in | :24:10. | :24:13. | |
April next year. It needs people quickly. It's not possible to change | :24:14. | :24:17. | |
people and specialist skills in the time allowed. | :24:18. | :24:21. | |
You've had years! It's not possible suddenly to train a pool of skilled | :24:22. | :24:25. | |
people in a short space of time. Those people are in London at the | :24:26. | :24:28. | |
moment and we are looking to recruit them. The skill doesn't exist in the | :24:29. | :24:33. | |
main in Wales. The Metro is our idea, of course we want to promote | :24:34. | :24:37. | |
it. The South Wales Metro was mentioned by me in bed with Rugby | :24:38. | :24:42. | |
club in 2008 not as we are seeing improvement on that. Of course, we | :24:43. | :24:49. | |
continue to support transport in all parts of Wales. | :24:50. | :24:54. | |
We have called incessantly for the electrification of the North Wales | :24:55. | :24:58. | |
mainland as far as Holyhead and we want the UK Government to deliver | :24:59. | :25:01. | |
that the future. We want to make sure that as we look at the North | :25:02. | :25:06. | |
East Wales Metro, in time, it can expand west. These are not Metro | :25:07. | :25:09. | |
system is designed to be self-contained. The system is | :25:10. | :25:13. | |
designed to be extended in future. Question three. | :25:14. | :25:19. | |
Will the First Minister make a statement on how the Welsh | :25:20. | :25:21. | |
government intends to distribute economic prosperity across Wales? | :25:22. | :25:28. | |
Well, taking Wales forward sets out our commitments to deliver resilient | :25:29. | :25:32. | |
communities and prosperity for all and economic prosperity will | :25:33. | :25:37. | |
underpin for cross cutting strategies published this spring. | :25:38. | :25:42. | |
As we have heard there was an announcement that the headquarters | :25:43. | :25:46. | |
of the Welsh revenue authority would go to Treforest. Now, having seen | :25:47. | :25:53. | |
the paper that you mentioned and the location selection, the criteria | :25:54. | :25:56. | |
make it entirely impossible for any thing to come to North Wales or | :25:57. | :26:00. | |
anywhere beyond easy reach of Cardiff. Related to skills, but too | :26:01. | :26:06. | |
related to being close to stakeholders and customers. Karen | :26:07. | :26:11. | |
Arfon, nor Porthmadog were on the list of six possible locations being | :26:12. | :26:17. | |
considered by the Government despite what you told this year on the 10th | :26:18. | :26:22. | |
of January. Will you give detailed consideration to the need for new | :26:23. | :26:27. | |
criteria when considering the location of posts, criteria that | :26:28. | :26:31. | |
will allow dispersal of growth across Wales, otherwise the recent | :26:32. | :26:36. | |
words by the Labour Party both here and in Westminster, by your Shadow | :26:37. | :26:41. | |
Chancellor, are empty words. Well, we must remember reality here. | :26:42. | :26:46. | |
It's important to realise that we have two ensure that it's easy, easy | :26:47. | :26:56. | |
to achieve and secure the expertise that we need. That doesn't mean | :26:57. | :26:59. | |
there isn't a role for North Wales or mid Wales. We will ensure that | :27:00. | :27:05. | |
there are officers there in order to give customers the service that | :27:06. | :27:11. | |
we're talking about, jobs that are specialist jobs that aren't | :27:12. | :27:14. | |
available in Wales. More people will come from London and so we must | :27:15. | :27:19. | |
realise that they are different jobs to the winds we had in Porthmadog. | :27:20. | :27:27. | |
But we have to look for opportunities for people in towns | :27:28. | :27:30. | |
such as Porthmadog to become part of the authority. | :27:31. | :27:38. | |
First Minister, yesterday the economy secretary kicked off a week | :27:39. | :27:42. | |
of job announcements with the outstanding news that the BBI group | :27:43. | :27:47. | |
is consolidating and expanding its UK manufacturing operations onto a | :27:48. | :27:51. | |
single site in my constituency at the border technology Park. This is | :27:52. | :27:55. | |
in great part likes to Welsh government grant of 1.8 million. | :27:56. | :28:04. | |
This investment will see BBI employment in Wales increased almost | :28:05. | :28:08. | |
double by 2020 and provide excellent career opportunities in the South | :28:09. | :28:12. | |
Wales valleys, fostering closer links to the scientific and academic | :28:13. | :28:16. | |
community. It will provided significant boost to local economy. | :28:17. | :28:21. | |
Isn't there is further evidence that the Welsh government intends to | :28:22. | :28:25. | |
distribute economic prosperity across Wales, and when can the First | :28:26. | :28:29. | |
Minister next come to a slowing to celebrate this news? | :28:30. | :28:35. | |
I'm sure I will come to the constituency soon. BBI is an example | :28:36. | :28:39. | |
of the hard work done by the Welsh government help businesses expand. I | :28:40. | :28:43. | |
was pleased that sport has allowed the headcount in Wales to grow, | :28:44. | :28:47. | |
particularly as these will be high quality management, scientific and | :28:48. | :28:51. | |
technical roles. It was my pleasure the week before last to spend time | :28:52. | :28:56. | |
in North Wales to see some of the excellent projects taken forward | :28:57. | :28:59. | |
there as well in terms of job creation, tourism and education. | :29:00. | :29:06. | |
First Minister, the UK's industrial strategy AMs to close regional | :29:07. | :29:09. | |
productivity gaps. Here in Wales regional productivity regions | :29:10. | :29:15. | |
deliver varies widely from Anglesey with 53% of the UK's GDA appeared | :29:16. | :29:22. | |
with 19% in Cardiff. The Government has previously stated that | :29:23. | :29:27. | |
variations in levels of GDA per unaffected by commuting patterns. | :29:28. | :29:31. | |
Now while the Welsh government has put 80 million of European funding | :29:32. | :29:36. | |
into the heads of the valleys Road improvements, mid and North Wales | :29:37. | :29:39. | |
are traditionally suffering from poor transport connectivity. I know | :29:40. | :29:43. | |
the exception of the Newtown bypass which is making good progress. Can I | :29:44. | :29:49. | |
ask what your government is doing to close these regional gaps and | :29:50. | :29:52. | |
economic prosperity caused by inadequate transport infrastructure? | :29:53. | :29:58. | |
Well, he has slightly argued against himself thereby saying that there's | :29:59. | :30:02. | |
a lack of infrastructure when the Newtown bypass is being built. That | :30:03. | :30:08. | |
is hugely important. We've seen improvements on the 8470, the | :30:09. | :30:11. | |
stripping of the road. And over the years we've had developments further | :30:12. | :30:19. | |
south with bypasses and the Christmas pitch on the way to many, | :30:20. | :30:27. | |
many examples. And in terms of the rail network we see improvements on | :30:28. | :30:31. | |
the passenger services and do the constituency that he represents. | :30:32. | :30:35. | |
They are important opportunities in the future to improve the service | :30:36. | :30:39. | |
and potentially look up new stations. Bow Street is an example | :30:40. | :30:43. | |
of that. We demonstrated our commitment both public and private. | :30:44. | :30:51. | |
First government make a statement on the Welsh government's economic | :30:52. | :30:59. | |
plans. We are improving economic development conditions. The First | :31:00. | :31:02. | |
Minister will be aware that last week I bought a group of individuals | :31:03. | :31:08. | |
together who have a track record of delivery in global Wales to make the | :31:09. | :31:12. | |
case of developing a specific economic development strategy full | :31:13. | :31:17. | |
formal Wales will stop whilst that model may work for many parts of the | :31:18. | :31:22. | |
country, does the first Minster agreed that it might not be relevant | :31:23. | :31:28. | |
for global Wales? EU agreed that there is an urgency to develop a | :31:29. | :31:33. | |
plan in particular in the wake of the Brexit boat, as the impact of | :31:34. | :31:37. | |
with global might be greater than elsewhere in the country. -- in the | :31:38. | :31:48. | |
wake of the Brexit vote. And will you use the concerns of this group | :31:49. | :31:54. | |
as the basis of creating a strategy full formal Wales. Yes I will. It is | :31:55. | :32:01. | |
important that this is not seen as an urban and normal divide. I think | :32:02. | :32:10. | |
the Member for what she has done and have passion for rural Wales. It is | :32:11. | :32:17. | |
like to say that there are challenges beyond 2020 will stop we | :32:18. | :32:23. | |
will see millions of pounds disappeared as farming subsidies go. | :32:24. | :32:26. | |
There is no certain sees in that regard. -- there is no certainties. | :32:27. | :32:36. | |
Now is the time to plan for a rural economy in Wales. | :32:37. | :32:46. | |
TRANSLATION: First Minister one of the key elements of economic | :32:47. | :32:51. | |
development lands where the enterprise developments, including | :32:52. | :32:57. | |
creation of a waterway part in my constituency. Given that they are | :32:58. | :33:03. | |
crucial to your plans, can you give us the latest news on the | :33:04. | :33:08. | |
development of the enterprise zone, including the progress made towards | :33:09. | :33:16. | |
a centre of excellence in marine and engineering and also the development | :33:17. | :33:23. | |
opportunities for the enterprise part in contest is an energy and | :33:24. | :33:29. | |
tourism? -- concentrating on energy and tourism. | :33:30. | :33:33. | |
TRANSLATION: Many companies have benefited and received ?2 million of | :33:34. | :33:41. | |
support. A group has been established in the enterprise zone | :33:42. | :33:47. | |
itself which has a programme of work to support businesses and secure new | :33:48. | :33:50. | |
contracts. We have seen investments as well, such as equipment projects, | :33:51. | :34:01. | |
which have invested millions of pounds... And now, I planning | :34:02. | :34:08. | |
application has been submitted to create a new energy generation site | :34:09. | :34:14. | |
in Pembrokeshire, so many things have happened in the enterprise zone | :34:15. | :34:26. | |
at a price full is not in 2014, 70.5%, the lowest ever recorded | :34:27. | :34:32. | |
since records began for Wales, indeed the lowest fare any UK nation | :34:33. | :34:39. | |
or region. It bounced back to 71% in 2015, but that was one of the lowest | :34:40. | :34:43. | |
figures as well. Is the First Minister prepared to commit, the | :34:44. | :34:48. | |
Welsh government, that we will not see this income per capita vigour or | :34:49. | :34:53. | |
even further, but if it does after eight years at First Minister GB | :34:54. | :34:59. | |
prepared to take personal responsibility? Bearing in mind that | :35:00. | :35:03. | |
his party was in charge of this years. Saw GDP go down then. It | :35:04. | :35:11. | |
shows... I know that is easily forgotten that... It does show the | :35:12. | :35:17. | |
challenges in raising GDP. The more skilled people have, the more they | :35:18. | :35:21. | |
can and and the higher they GDP goes. We have shown that we can | :35:22. | :35:26. | |
deliver, unemployment is lower than England, and Scotland. GDP is now | :35:27. | :35:34. | |
the challenge. Unemployment is not as much an issue as GDP. It is going | :35:35. | :35:38. | |
in the right direction and we continue to acquit of people with | :35:39. | :35:43. | |
the skills they need. -- to equip our people. | :35:44. | :35:54. | |
TRANSLATION: Will the First Minister make a statement on dental practices | :35:55. | :35:59. | |
in Wales? The health board is working to improve this and progress | :36:00. | :36:05. | |
has been made. Some 30,000 additional patients are accessing | :36:06. | :36:12. | |
NHS dentistry then a decade ago. You may be aware, First Minister, that | :36:13. | :36:16. | |
the main reason children visit emergency units today is because of | :36:17. | :36:20. | |
tooth decay and it is crucial that good dental care is provided for | :36:21. | :36:26. | |
them at an early age. But, schoolchildren from many areas have | :36:27. | :36:34. | |
lost access to a mobile dentist who visited schools because there was no | :36:35. | :36:39. | |
learning to buy a new vehicle. -- there was no funding to buy new | :36:40. | :36:48. | |
pillock or vehicle. -- there was no funding to buy a new vehicle. Do you | :36:49. | :36:56. | |
agree with me that losing that service is quite unacceptable and | :36:57. | :37:01. | |
what are you doing to ensure that it is reinstated in the future? Well, | :37:02. | :37:04. | |
this is a temporary measure and know the health board are looking at | :37:05. | :37:10. | |
fresh ways of ensuring that the service survives. They are looking | :37:11. | :37:14. | |
at mobile units from other areas in order to achieve that and they are | :37:15. | :37:18. | |
considering opportunities with regards to funding a new mobile unit | :37:19. | :37:24. | |
to ensure this happens and in the meantime there is care available in | :37:25. | :37:31. | |
other places. These are temporary measures and the hope is that the | :37:32. | :37:38. | |
service will ultimately restart. 40% of children still don't visit the | :37:39. | :37:45. | |
dentist regularly. A third of children start school and show signs | :37:46. | :37:49. | |
of tooth decay and it is the most common reason why children aged five | :37:50. | :37:54. | |
to 29 require admissions to hospital. Given that this North | :37:55. | :37:58. | |
Wales mobile dental unit was last September, and the health board is | :37:59. | :38:05. | |
only reporting now that they will get a replacement vehicle, and | :38:06. | :38:09. | |
looking at other mobile dentistry resources, isn't it a little late | :38:10. | :38:13. | |
six months later and should this not have been treated as a priority? If | :38:14. | :38:18. | |
you agree with that, will your colleagues get on the phone to the | :38:19. | :38:21. | |
health board and ensure that with your partnership it is treated as a | :38:22. | :38:28. | |
priority? There are alternative provisions in place, although the | :38:29. | :38:31. | |
intention is to restart the service. I can say that because of the design | :38:32. | :38:38. | |
to smile, the latest dental survey shows a 6% reduction of children | :38:39. | :38:49. | |
with dental problems. Over the last eight years, we've seen a 12% | :38:50. | :38:53. | |
reduction in the proportion of children with at least one tooth | :38:54. | :38:57. | |
affected by decay. That is an example of the success. | :38:58. | :39:05. | |
TRANSLATION: What assessment has the First Minister made of disabled | :39:06. | :39:12. | |
access to train stations in Wales. Access ability to all is the | :39:13. | :39:19. | |
cornerstone of our transport. We measure passenger satisfaction with | :39:20. | :39:25. | |
research and following that we see what kind of barriers it should be | :39:26. | :39:30. | |
removed in order to ensure that no barriers exist in train stations for | :39:31. | :39:36. | |
those who wish to use them. Thank you for that response, further to | :39:37. | :39:43. | |
that over the past few months I received a number of complaints | :39:44. | :39:47. | |
about the ability of disabled people to use a number of train stations | :39:48. | :39:54. | |
including Pontypool, whilst recognising that train stations are | :39:55. | :39:59. | |
not devolved at the moment, what is your government doing to ensure that | :40:00. | :40:04. | |
stations across Wales reached the appropriate standards? Well, I | :40:05. | :40:12. | |
greeted Lee with that, 245 stations, under the franchise in England and | :40:13. | :40:18. | |
Wales and only a quarter of staff at present. Was macro I totally agree | :40:19. | :40:23. | |
with that. We expect total improvements made... A station which | :40:24. | :40:37. | |
had terrible disabled access, and after many years of campaigning, it | :40:38. | :40:43. | |
became upgraded and I'm sure you will welcome the changes we now see | :40:44. | :40:51. | |
all stop however, it is slightly tarnished by the conditions and diet | :40:52. | :40:55. | |
as a consequence of an indecision between Network Rail as to who runs | :40:56. | :41:04. | |
the station. -- the conditions and diet stop will you look at the | :41:05. | :41:11. | |
opportunities at other railway station so that disabled access is | :41:12. | :41:19. | |
not just at the station but getting to the station. Railway access is | :41:20. | :41:24. | |
hugely important and they have to be accessible. We are aware of hygiene | :41:25. | :41:33. | |
issues at stations. There is funding for a new cleaning regime and the | :41:34. | :41:40. | |
services will be provided by the rail operator in the future. There | :41:41. | :41:46. | |
was an opening question which mentioned the problems for people | :41:47. | :41:52. | |
with disabilities at stations, you may be aware of the work of one of | :41:53. | :41:57. | |
my constituents a disabled access rights campaigner who worked | :41:58. | :42:06. | |
tirelessly across Wales to try and improve disabled access. While you | :42:07. | :42:09. | |
are right to say that a large aspect of this isn't devolved, the | :42:10. | :42:14. | |
management of this station is within the remit of Riva trains and that | :42:15. | :42:22. | |
franchise. What are you doing to make sure that that franchise date | :42:23. | :42:29. | |
as it vastly approaches that the disabled issues are put at the heart | :42:30. | :42:33. | |
of all this. -- the remit of Arriva trains. So, that a new focus can be | :42:34. | :42:40. | |
put on that so that disabled people do have access to stations which | :42:41. | :42:45. | |
they deserved. We know we will be in full control of the franchise, and | :42:46. | :42:51. | |
the opportunity is there to make the stations accessible. It is important | :42:52. | :42:55. | |
that the issues are dealt with as part of the next franchise | :42:56. | :42:58. | |
arrangements to make sure that we can use trains in the future. We had | :42:59. | :43:04. | |
a visit to the Assembly last week from a group of wheelchair units who | :43:05. | :43:11. | |
had the carrying complaints that transport staff hadn't been trained | :43:12. | :43:16. | |
to deal with disabled people. This was unfortunately the case with rail | :43:17. | :43:20. | |
staff, bus drivers and taxi drivers, what can your government do to | :43:21. | :43:24. | |
ensure that transport staff are properly trained in this respect? It | :43:25. | :43:31. | |
is a matter for operators of course, I've seen staff in my own | :43:32. | :43:38. | |
constituency Terry station... With regard to the boss services it is | :43:39. | :43:49. | |
packed year to remember braised cards being installed only for the | :43:50. | :43:53. | |
bus country to introduce bosses that didn't lower. They were coaches with | :43:54. | :44:00. | |
a seat that could be lowered onto the ground, but quite often the seat | :44:01. | :44:05. | |
didn't work. That is a fine example of a transport company not thinking | :44:06. | :44:10. | |
of the needs of its customer. It is hugely important the transport | :44:11. | :44:13. | |
companies to comply with the law as it stands to make sure there is | :44:14. | :44:22. | |
access for all. Would you make a statement on funding for | :44:23. | :44:28. | |
postgraduate students? TRANSLATION: It will be confirmed | :44:29. | :44:31. | |
this week that loans will be made for students beginning a | :44:32. | :44:36. | |
postgraduate Masters course in the 2017 to 2018 year. LQ. Perhaps the | :44:37. | :44:45. | |
First Minister will be aware, following an item on the news about | :44:46. | :44:50. | |
the story of someone from my constituency who has tend to | :44:51. | :44:54. | |
crowdfunding to try and pay her way through a postgraduate course to | :44:55. | :45:02. | |
become a physician 's associate in Banga. She has a first-class degree | :45:03. | :45:08. | |
in medical sciences but is having difficulty in affording the course | :45:09. | :45:15. | |
because of her and similar students' inability to access postgraduate | :45:16. | :45:20. | |
loans in Wales. The health service needs Emma and therefore students | :45:21. | :45:24. | |
like Emma need that support now will stop as well as the pledge the | :45:25. | :45:29. | |
students in the next academic year, which we are grateful for, how can | :45:30. | :45:34. | |
we look at students who are at risk of dropping out of courses now in an | :45:35. | :45:39. | |
area where we truly need their expertise? | :45:40. | :45:46. | |
TRANSLATION: well, of course the course will start in autumn this | :45:47. | :45:52. | |
year and by then assistance and support will be available. Of | :45:53. | :45:57. | |
course, they will have had a much shorter wait than students from | :45:58. | :46:01. | |
England, but one of the things they had to resolve was that more funding | :46:02. | :46:11. | |
is available for postgraduates in order to ensure that will happen in | :46:12. | :46:17. | |
the autumn. Question eight, Jenny Rathbone. What assurances does the | :46:18. | :46:21. | |
First Minister have from the UK Government that the new rules would | :46:22. | :46:27. | |
water down... It will be for this Welsh Assembly | :46:28. | :46:32. | |
to decide what happens to food standards. I met with the chair of | :46:33. | :46:37. | |
the Food Standards Agency, we effectively buy into the services of | :46:38. | :46:40. | |
the Food Standards Agency and they are committed to ensuring that the | :46:41. | :46:45. | |
exit from the EU will not compromise the UK's first-class food safety | :46:46. | :46:48. | |
standards built up after many years of problems in the past. | :46:49. | :46:54. | |
Unfortunately, there are villains across the world is keen to | :46:55. | :46:58. | |
penetrate any weaknesses in our defences on this matter. We remember | :46:59. | :47:03. | |
the horse Berger scandal. And I am concerned that trees Theresa May | :47:04. | :47:13. | |
seems hell-bent on some sort of deal with United States who has much more | :47:14. | :47:22. | |
difficulties with problems than this country or any other country of the | :47:23. | :47:27. | |
European Union. What insurance did not assurances can we have from this | :47:28. | :47:30. | |
government to ensure that the labelling on the food is what it | :47:31. | :47:34. | |
says it is. And that we are absolutely up to the mark in terms | :47:35. | :47:39. | |
of identifying adulterated food that might otherwise come onto the | :47:40. | :47:43. | |
market. It is the case that during the | :47:44. | :47:48. | |
Second World War American forces wouldn't choose British food. In the | :47:49. | :47:56. | |
1990s I had a part in prosecuting abattoirs R standards were beyond | :47:57. | :48:01. | |
description. Now we have practice that is world leading. Now we have | :48:02. | :48:08. | |
practice is that mean now food is amongst the safest in the world and | :48:09. | :48:12. | |
we should not play around with that hard earned, hard-won status. We | :48:13. | :48:16. | |
will make sure in terms of devolved confidence that the food standards | :48:17. | :48:18. | |
are not lower during Wales. There we are, that was | :48:19. | :48:20. | |
First Minister's Questions. We're on a little later next | :48:21. | :48:22. | |
week at about 4:15pm. If you want more Welsh politics | :48:23. | :48:25. | |
this week, don't forget The Wales Report with Huw Edwards | :48:26. | :48:29. | |
after the Ten O'Clock News As for today though, from all of us | :48:30. | :48:31. | |
on the programme, goodbye. To be in the Lords, | :48:32. | :49:01. | |
you have to be punctual... Sometimes you really do literally | :49:02. | :49:04. | |
have to slam the door What right do they have to tell | :49:05. | :49:06. | |
me about my fashion sense? Can you now control | :49:07. | :49:11. | |
your bad language? Yes, I will. Otherwise you'll be, | :49:12. | :49:17. | |
you know, drummed out. To win on something | :49:18. | :49:19. | |
as important as this A unique opportunity | :49:20. | :49:25. | |
to meet the Lords... | :49:26. | :49:28. |