:00:19. > :00:24.Good afternoon. Welcome to the programme and our weekly coverage of
:00:25. > :00:29.questions to the First Minister. From the order paper I can see there
:00:30. > :00:32.are questions on economic development, Cardiff airport and
:00:33. > :00:40.digital communications amongst other topics. We are on Twitter. Business
:00:41. > :00:47.has already started so let's cross to today's questions to the First
:00:48. > :00:50.Minister. TRANSLATION: I called the national Assembly to order and the
:00:51. > :00:54.first item on our agenda is questions to the First Minister and
:00:55. > :00:56.the first question from John Griffiths.
:00:57. > :01:00.Will be First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's
:01:01. > :01:05.policy on economic developer in South East Wales? Yes, we plan to
:01:06. > :01:10.support businesses in their growth, to invest in high-quality
:01:11. > :01:17.infrastructure and to improve economic conditions. Newport has
:01:18. > :01:24.great economic potential with its transport and economic strengths.
:01:25. > :01:28.There is the mainline and coast, with the neighbour Bristol, it is
:01:29. > :01:33.the hub of its wider regional economy. Would you agree with me
:01:34. > :01:39.that driving economic development in Newport would be a major factor in
:01:40. > :01:45.Wales achieving its great economic potential? Yes, I do. We obviously
:01:46. > :01:51.need Newport to develop to its full potential. Work is under way which
:01:52. > :01:54.will bring benefit to Newport including the ongoing regeneration
:01:55. > :02:02.activity establishment of innovation point, and the proposals being taken
:02:03. > :02:05.forward with regard to the M4. A report by the workcentre for
:02:06. > :02:08.well-being identified four Southeast local authorities as ranking among
:02:09. > :02:16.the highest for well-being in equality. These included tour van,
:02:17. > :02:20.Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly. There are a number of
:02:21. > :02:25.possible solutions but we should not dismiss the indications that we use
:02:26. > :02:30.which include how worthwhile people feel about their day-to-day lives.
:02:31. > :02:34.Economic development will be central to addressing those very deep
:02:35. > :02:38.feelings in those communities. Will the First Minister commit to
:02:39. > :02:43.rejecting now a trickle-down approach to economic development and
:02:44. > :02:46.instead put on record his commitment to a place -based approach so any
:02:47. > :02:49.future economic plans he reveals for this country are centred on what
:02:50. > :02:55.really matters which is people and their communities? Yes, it is
:02:56. > :02:58.certainly not a case we accept trickle-down economics, far from it.
:02:59. > :03:04.We want to make sure communities are connected and that's what the
:03:05. > :03:08.south-west metro is about. And digital as well. And to ensure that
:03:09. > :03:11.people have the skills that they need in order to improve their
:03:12. > :03:15.incomes and to get jobs in the future and that something as a
:03:16. > :03:23.government we are very much focused on. First Minister, research by
:03:24. > :03:28.Lloyds bank shows that the number of new businesses starting up in Wales
:03:29. > :03:36.has dropped by more than a quarter over the last five years. The number
:03:37. > :03:44.of business start-ups fell by 27% in Caerphilly, more than 33% in
:03:45. > :03:49.Monmouth and less than 9% in Newport and 8% in Blaenau Gwent. That
:03:50. > :03:54.doesn't show a good picture of start-up businesses in south-east
:03:55. > :03:58.Wales. What measures and incentives does the Welsh Government intend to
:03:59. > :04:02.introduce to ensure economic conditions to encourage new
:04:03. > :04:05.businesses to start up in south-east Wales? We have a record number of
:04:06. > :04:09.start-ups. We are seeing more and more young people getting involved
:04:10. > :04:14.in businesses and becoming very successful in business. It is right
:04:15. > :04:17.to say of course that Brexit introduces an element of uncertainty
:04:18. > :04:21.and these are uncertain times indeed for businesses but as a government
:04:22. > :04:29.we will continue to support start-ups and are sure that many of
:04:30. > :04:33.those businesses become SMEs and even larger in the future. Question
:04:34. > :04:38.two, David Rowlands. Will the First Minister outlined the Welsh
:04:39. > :04:42.Government's plans to improve access to Cardiff airport? We are
:04:43. > :04:47.continuing with proposals to improve access to Cardiff airport by public
:04:48. > :04:51.transport and car, supporting the current bus and rail arrangements. I
:04:52. > :04:54.thank the First Minister for his answer and I think all in the
:04:55. > :04:58.chamber welcomes the huge improvement in the airport's
:04:59. > :05:02.performance since the government's intervention. But does the First
:05:03. > :05:17.Minister not agree that a rail link will greatly enhance its
:05:18. > :05:20.appeal to the international traveller and give a competitive
:05:21. > :05:23.edge over other local airports? Can he tell us why this has not been
:05:24. > :05:25.included in the metro project? And I welcome what the member has said,
:05:26. > :05:29.particularly regarding the improvements the Welsh Government
:05:30. > :05:37.has made since taking it over. He does asked an important question.
:05:38. > :05:40.The focus is on the bus service, at looking at improving the frequency
:05:41. > :05:45.on the current role in line and beyond that looking to see either
:05:46. > :05:49.where we should consider a rail spur, there are issues with that.
:05:50. > :05:53.There will be opposition that is true or whether in fact at some
:05:54. > :05:56.point in the future the terminal itself would move closer to the
:05:57. > :06:00.existing railway line. At the moment it is a question of improving what
:06:01. > :06:07.is already there and looking to see if there is a way of locating the
:06:08. > :06:16.terminal closer to the rail link. Adam Price. The agreement announced
:06:17. > :06:18.yesterday between the Welsh Government and Heathrow Airport is
:06:19. > :06:21.welcome, but in stark contrast to that published in relation to
:06:22. > :06:30.Scotland, there is no concrete targets in the agreement. On the --
:06:31. > :06:35.nothing on the amount of construction spent, nothing on
:06:36. > :06:38.landing charges or development fund for flights? Is that because
:06:39. > :06:43.essentially the First Minister negotiated any leverage she had away
:06:44. > :06:46.from announcing his support for Heathrow, without actually getting
:06:47. > :06:50.these concessions, in contrast to what the Scottish government did?
:06:51. > :06:54.The question is about access to Cardiff airport but I am more than
:06:55. > :06:59.happy to answer the question about Heathrow. I'm surprised he's not
:07:00. > :07:03.welcoming that 8000 jobs will be secured, all that investment, the
:07:04. > :07:08.fact that we work with Heathrow... High pitched screaming won't help
:07:09. > :07:11.him! The fact that we have secured commitment to manufacturing outside
:07:12. > :07:15.Wales, we have an event on the 5th of July to ensure that Welsh
:07:16. > :07:17.businesses... There is still high-pitched screaming won't help
:07:18. > :07:19.him! The fact that we have secured commitment to manufacturing outside
:07:20. > :07:22.Wales, we have an event on the 5th of July to ensure that Welsh
:07:23. > :07:24.businesses... There is still high pitched screaming. He still hasn't
:07:25. > :07:26.learned his lesson. That Welsh businesses... I think the members
:07:27. > :07:40.may be screaming because the member did well these great mentor. -- --
:07:41. > :07:45.he did welcome the statement. We will ensure there is manufacturing
:07:46. > :07:49.outside Wales. We will be ensuring there are routes being looked that
:07:50. > :07:53.not just Cardiff and what was announced yesterday is far more
:07:54. > :07:59.substantial than Scotland has achieved. Russell George. I will
:08:00. > :08:04.give another welcome this afternoon. I will welcome the growth in
:08:05. > :08:10.passenger numbers on the T9 bus service. I think that is fantastic
:08:11. > :08:15.news to welcome. The service is a success and is now proving to be
:08:16. > :08:19.sustainable in the long term, but would he commit to scrapping the
:08:20. > :08:22.half a million pound Welsh subsidy for this service and instead of the
:08:23. > :08:30.subsidies to other bus services which have been axed by cuts to the
:08:31. > :08:34.bus operators' grants. What he seems to be suggesting is we should not
:08:35. > :08:39.have a bus service to the airport. They did not want the airport to
:08:40. > :08:43.succeed. At the end of the day, the Welsh Conservatives did not want the
:08:44. > :08:46.airport to grow. They were happy to see the airport the climb. They
:08:47. > :08:51.would have sat on their backsides to see the airport closed down. They
:08:52. > :08:56.are still not happy that the airport is doing well in reality. They do
:08:57. > :09:00.not want a bus service to the airport and we want to make sure our
:09:01. > :09:04.service links to the airport in Cardiff and they will continue.
:09:05. > :09:08.Having public transport links surely, whether they are bus or rail
:09:09. > :09:16.are hugely important to the future development of any airport. I
:09:17. > :09:21.welcome the partnership agreement, in relation to the fact that flights
:09:22. > :09:29.want to fly out of Cardiff airport and the potential new jobs boosting
:09:30. > :09:34.the Welsh economy, however, Mike concern -- my constituents have a
:09:35. > :09:48.better connection to airports which serve them? Better train links form
:09:49. > :09:58.a key part of the Welsh Metro plans. Reva Wales started operating
:09:59. > :10:02.services in May of last year and we are working with Mersey travelled to
:10:03. > :10:05.develop opportunities to deliver better services to Liverpool and
:10:06. > :10:14.John Lennon airport in the next franchise. First Minister, I put in
:10:15. > :10:18.a Freedom of Information request to Cardiff airport owned by the Welsh
:10:19. > :10:22.public. I wanted to know how much money had been spent on lobbying
:10:23. > :10:27.firms, what companies had been employed and whether or not there
:10:28. > :10:31.had been a tender process gone through by those lobbying companies?
:10:32. > :10:34.Now, this is owned by the Welsh public, so the public have a right
:10:35. > :10:43.to know these things. The airport have refused to answer. What to make
:10:44. > :10:48.of this? Well, there are ways of appealing if he feels his question
:10:49. > :10:55.has not been dealt with. Neil Hamilton. While the First Minister
:10:56. > :10:59.was away last week, he may have seen that the secretary of finance rate
:11:00. > :11:03.to the Chancellor of the Exchequer about proposed public spending cuts
:11:04. > :11:09.in two or three years' time which are said to amount to ?3.5 billion.
:11:10. > :11:13.The government this year is running a budget deficit equivalent to ?60
:11:14. > :11:17.billion on George Osborne managed the singular achievement of
:11:18. > :11:24.borrowing twice as much money in six years as Gordon Brown and Alistair
:11:25. > :11:30.Darling, and the national debt is now 1000 800 billion compared with
:11:31. > :11:34.1000 200,000,000,006 years ago. That is ?28,000 for every person in Wales
:11:35. > :11:38.and indeed the United Kingdom. It is very easy to spend money we haven't
:11:39. > :11:43.got, of course, and everybody would be like -- would like to be able to
:11:44. > :11:48.borrow interminably and never pay it back. By how much does he think the
:11:49. > :11:52.government's borrowing should increase on a permanent basis? It is
:11:53. > :11:55.a case for borrowing to invest in the future. It has never been
:11:56. > :11:59.cheaper to borrow on the world markets. We know from the experience
:12:00. > :12:03.after the Second World War when the UK was in a far worse position than
:12:04. > :12:05.it is now financially, that the government of the day took the
:12:06. > :12:08.position that it would seek to borrow money in order to invest in
:12:09. > :12:16.the future and then we saw the economic growth of the 1950s and
:12:17. > :12:18.1960s. I am unashamedly Keynesian in this regard and I take the view that
:12:19. > :12:23.government should be borrowing now in order to invest in order to be
:12:24. > :12:27.able to pay back the cost of the borrowing and more in the future.
:12:28. > :12:31.But the First Minister knows that never happens and he has only to
:12:32. > :12:38.look at the recent history of the UK government's debt position to see
:12:39. > :12:41.what is the reality. We have a well-being and future generations
:12:42. > :12:45.act in Wales, a very good thing it is indeed but what we are doing in
:12:46. > :12:48.carrying on this Rake 's progress of borrowing is to hand onto the next
:12:49. > :12:53.generation and massive debt which they will have to reply. I do think
:12:54. > :12:56.that is a terrible immoral position for us to hold. But there is a
:12:57. > :13:00.better solution for us. We do not have to borrow that money at all. We
:13:01. > :13:11.can look at what the government spends
:13:12. > :13:15.money on at the moment and cut that risk to anybody in Britain being
:13:16. > :13:17.disadvantaged. Let's take the foreign aid budget for example in
:13:18. > :13:20.which we are spending ?12 billion this year. If we knocked 3.5 billion
:13:21. > :13:23.of that 12 billion it would amount to the same sort of savings that the
:13:24. > :13:25.Cabinet sector of finance wants the Chancellor of the Exchequer to avoid
:13:26. > :13:29.deducting from the Welsh government's budget. There are
:13:30. > :13:32.plenty of reasons why we should cut the foreign aid budget. Is the First
:13:33. > :13:33.Minister putting the interests of people in foreign countries before
:13:34. > :13:44.the people of Wales? There is the obvious moral question
:13:45. > :13:50.of those countries who are rich helping the poor. Norway is a prime
:13:51. > :13:53.example, grants set up by the Norwegian government because they
:13:54. > :13:57.felt they had done well out of oil and gas and wanted to give something
:13:58. > :14:03.back. That desire to help humanity is hugely strong. Looking at it
:14:04. > :14:11.economically, aid, it buys friends and colleagues. -- allies. If you do
:14:12. > :14:19.not do it, someone else will. There is a strong moral case for aid, but
:14:20. > :14:25.in diplomatic terms, if you offer aid, they will remain your friends
:14:26. > :14:29.and trade with you in the future, increasing the wealth of their own
:14:30. > :14:32.people and buying the goods you manufacture. There is a humanitarian
:14:33. > :14:36.case for aid and no one is against that but a lot of the aid budget
:14:37. > :14:40.goes to country spending a huge amount of money on projects we would
:14:41. > :14:46.not regard for a moment as humanitarian. We are increasing aid
:14:47. > :14:51.to Pakistan this year by ?100 million to nearly ?450 million a
:14:52. > :14:56.year and Pakistan this year is increasing its defence budget by 635
:14:57. > :15:01.million to 6.7 billion. They spend far more per capita on defence than
:15:02. > :15:06.we do in the UK. They have a nuclear programme and a space programme. We
:15:07. > :15:11.are increasing the amount of aid to Pakistan, it is indirectly funding
:15:12. > :15:15.the space and military budgets. There are many other examples of
:15:16. > :15:20.countries where people have suffered greatly, a lot of it because of the
:15:21. > :15:23.ineptitude of European powers who left those countries with artificial
:15:24. > :15:27.boundaries and economic incoherence, without a tradition of governance
:15:28. > :15:39.and they struggled as a result. Many have good governance now. Barna, for
:15:40. > :15:44.example. Governance is robust. -- Ghana. I see nothing wrong with
:15:45. > :15:49.providing aid to people in order for them to survive and also to enable
:15:50. > :15:55.people to develop themselves economically and of course to enable
:15:56. > :15:59.those people to provide for those families. I was in Uganda two years
:16:00. > :16:00.ago and what struck me was the entrepreneurial spirit of the
:16:01. > :16:09.people. But they did not have capital. Offaly was the -- coffee
:16:10. > :16:15.was the main cash crop. The great thing that happened was banking via
:16:16. > :16:19.mobile phones. For many people around the world, they just need a
:16:20. > :16:23.bit of help to prosper and that is why we give aid to people to make
:16:24. > :16:32.sure they can prosper in the future and their communities can prosper.
:16:33. > :16:35.On the 16th of January, you introduced the Trade Union Bill and
:16:36. > :16:41.the intention is to do supply aspects of the UK Government's trade
:16:42. > :16:45.union act. Light country supports this, we believe industrial
:16:46. > :16:54.relations should be decided upon here and not in Westminster the --
:16:55. > :16:59.Plaid Cymru. It will be incompetence under the assembly's current powers.
:17:00. > :17:01.Do you believe it will be incompetence under the reserved
:17:02. > :17:07.powers model under the new Wales act? The competence will change. We
:17:08. > :17:11.will pass this legislation. We will do what is right by the people of
:17:12. > :17:16.Wales. It is a matter for the UK Parliament to decide whether it
:17:17. > :17:19.wishes to override an act passed by the people of Wales in their
:17:20. > :17:23.parliament. If they choose to do that, they will precipitate a
:17:24. > :17:27.constitutional crisis. The Wales act implements a heavy list of
:17:28. > :17:31.restrictions and industrial relations is one of those and we
:17:32. > :17:35.heard from the constitutional and legal affairs committee yesterday
:17:36. > :17:38.that the UK Government intends to legislate on industrial relations
:17:39. > :17:44.once the Wales act is in force and they used the words at the earliest
:17:45. > :17:49.opportunity. If you want to reduce strike action, the best way is not
:17:50. > :17:53.through legal restrictions, but through negotiation, dialogue and a
:17:54. > :17:57.social partnership approach that is advocated by a majority of people in
:17:58. > :18:02.this assembly. You have said you still intend to take the Trade Union
:18:03. > :18:07.Bill through this assembly, what is your plan to ensure that its
:18:08. > :18:11.provisions are not overruled by the UK Government? We will do everything
:18:12. > :18:14.we can to make sure it does not happen. We will take this
:18:15. > :18:18.legislation through the assembly and we believe it will pass with the
:18:19. > :18:23.support of not just the governing parties but our own party as well.
:18:24. > :18:27.It is a matter for the UK Parliament, the House of Lords
:18:28. > :18:29.particularly, to decide whether it is constitutionally appropriate to
:18:30. > :18:35.seek to overturn legislation made in a devolved parliament by the elected
:18:36. > :18:39.members of that devolved parliament acting within competence. That is a
:18:40. > :18:43.serious constitutional matter that the UK Parliament will embroil
:18:44. > :18:49.itself and if it goes down that line. Hankey. I wonder if we will
:18:50. > :18:55.now see another Supreme Court case. -- thank you. I am sure you agree it
:18:56. > :18:59.would be a damning verdict on the Wales act. Plaid Cymru voted against
:19:00. > :19:03.the legislative competence motion because we were the view it could
:19:04. > :19:07.lead to Westminster power grab. Would you agree that this now looks
:19:08. > :19:11.like a vindication of our position on that vote must not there is
:19:12. > :19:15.agreement across most of this to Chamber that the Wales act is not
:19:16. > :19:19.going to provide a lasting settlement, as the UK Government
:19:20. > :19:26.stated its objective was to achieve that. Will you state whether you
:19:27. > :19:31.believe the Wales act 27 is unworkable and if you do think it is
:19:32. > :19:36.unworkable, do you support Plaid Cymru's call for a new Wales Bill
:19:37. > :19:44.immediately? It is not unworkable, but it is not satisfactory. It was
:19:45. > :19:48.part of a package and parts of it we did not accept but nevertheless it
:19:49. > :19:52.took this assembly forward when it was viewed as a package. Does it
:19:53. > :20:03.mean there is unfinished business? Of course, the issue of jurisdiction
:20:04. > :20:06.and policing is still unfinished. Yes, undoubtedly, there will be
:20:07. > :20:16.another Wales Bill which will improve on the one we have had
:20:17. > :20:20.recently. First Minister, today there is the startling news that
:20:21. > :20:25.five people a week are dying in Wales five people a day, sorry, I
:20:26. > :20:30.dying in Wales because of air pollution. It a frightening figure
:20:31. > :20:36.that has been raised many times in this Chamber. Many communities would
:20:37. > :20:39.rightly be looking to the Welsh Government to try to understand what
:20:40. > :20:43.measures the Government will be taking to improve our quality
:20:44. > :20:47.through the lifetime of the assembly -- air quality. I would be grateful
:20:48. > :20:55.you could give us some understanding of the action the Welsh Government
:20:56. > :20:59.is taking so that communities can take comfort from it and see real
:21:00. > :21:06.improvement. It is for local authorities to review local air
:21:07. > :21:10.quality. We assist them. We are considering responses to the recent
:21:11. > :21:12.consultation held on the subject. It recognised the immediate and
:21:13. > :21:19.long-term health benefits to be gained by reducing pollution
:21:20. > :21:24.exposure. One area which has a beneficial effect on air quality is
:21:25. > :21:30.to encourage more people onto public transport which is why we passed the
:21:31. > :21:33.tram act for that to happen. We need more investment in public transport
:21:34. > :21:38.in Wales. We are doing our bit with the Metro. We need electrification
:21:39. > :21:41.to take place to Swansea as promised by the UK Government to encourage
:21:42. > :21:46.more people onto the trains. The more we can reduce car use and
:21:47. > :21:53.provide an alternative, the better it will be for air quality. Five
:21:54. > :21:58.people a week dying because of air quality in Wales, 2000 people a
:21:59. > :22:01.year, it is a frightening figure and as Public Health Wales have
:22:02. > :22:05.identified, one of the biggest if not the biggest issue we face. The
:22:06. > :22:09.programme today invited the Welsh Government to take part in the
:22:10. > :22:13.programme and regrettably they chose not to and issued a written
:22:14. > :22:16.statement. Can you understand why people are concerned they are not
:22:17. > :22:18.seeing real progress in their communities when they cannot see the
:22:19. > :22:22.lead coming from the Welsh Government to make these
:22:23. > :22:32.improvements? The figure of infringements is eating and yet the
:22:33. > :22:36.community in Caerphilly has had many more infringements of air quality
:22:37. > :22:40.and yet they are still blighted day in, day out, with the pollutants in
:22:41. > :22:46.the atmosphere -- the figure of infringement is 18. We need a sense
:22:47. > :22:51.of the figures we can calibrate. What would you do deem a successful
:22:52. > :23:00.outcome for the measures you will be taking by 2021? A reduction in the
:23:01. > :23:03.amount in the atmosphere. If we look at reducing emissions, I mentioned
:23:04. > :23:09.the consultation earlier, our responses to be published shortly.
:23:10. > :23:13.What is our contribution? Looking at the Metro providing an alternative
:23:14. > :23:17.to car use, meaning a reduction in exhaust fumes coming out of cars,
:23:18. > :23:22.making sure people have that alternative, promoting cycling as
:23:23. > :23:30.well, not using cars, the problem is, with the new changes to vehicle
:23:31. > :23:36.excise duty coming in, after the first year of a car's existence,
:23:37. > :23:39.every car, regardless of its emissions, will pay the same road
:23:40. > :23:45.tax. We have had a system for years were those cars who pollute the most
:23:46. > :23:48.pay the most. Now it is a flat fee and I think it is wrong. I
:23:49. > :23:53.understand the UK Government having to change the system. Otherwise no
:23:54. > :23:58.one would pay road tax eventually. But effectively now if you have a
:23:59. > :24:02.car that has a huge amount of emissions, you pay the same as
:24:03. > :24:09.someone whose car is very light in emissions. That will not help air
:24:10. > :24:12.quality in Wales. Would you agree to convene a summit on this issue of
:24:13. > :24:17.all the interested public bodies so there can be a joined up approach to
:24:18. > :24:24.it on the basis that we do across parties want to see improvements?
:24:25. > :24:30.When you have a public health issue taking 2000 lives a year, I would
:24:31. > :24:35.suggest it is rated as pressing number one button in your list of
:24:36. > :24:40.rarities. There seems to be an element of divergence when it is
:24:41. > :24:45.delivered in Wales -- list of priorities. Will you agree to host a
:24:46. > :24:50.summit to make sure progress can be made on this agenda item so that we
:24:51. > :24:54.can see genuine improvements across Wales, but importantly, improvements
:24:55. > :25:00.to make sure we do not continue to see the number of people dying from
:25:01. > :25:04.poor air quality going up in Wales? One of the issues increasingly a
:25:05. > :25:13.problem is cars idling in traffic jams are leaving the engines on. It
:25:14. > :25:17.creates a particular low air quality. One way to deal with it is
:25:18. > :25:21.making sure the blockages are removed. It means of course is also
:25:22. > :25:28.looking at ways of promoting electric cars. As part of the
:25:29. > :25:31.response to the consultation taking place, we will look to be as
:25:32. > :25:38.inclusive as possible in our approach. We have to work with local
:25:39. > :25:43.government as well, as the main monitors of local air quality, to
:25:44. > :25:50.make sure we can continue to improve the air the people of Wales breeze.
:25:51. > :25:54.-- breeze. How is the Welsh Government helping to reduce
:25:55. > :26:03.barriers to employment for people with long-term fluctuating health
:26:04. > :26:07.problems? We have a plan to support low activity groups including
:26:08. > :26:15.support for those with longer term health conditions. After action for
:26:16. > :26:24.any delivered employment support programme for people with any for
:26:25. > :26:28.the North Wales, Bristol NHS -- ME. How will you ensure the Welsh
:26:29. > :26:36.Government looking at the good practice across the border will
:26:37. > :26:42.address the barriers faced by people with long-term fluctuating
:26:43. > :26:47.conditions such as ME and ensure these are produced code productively
:26:48. > :26:53.in borders with the social and well-being act when you 14? I have
:26:54. > :26:59.mentioned the employability plan. In terms of healthy working Wales,
:27:00. > :27:05.there are three -- 3000 organisations engaged with healthy
:27:06. > :27:09.working Wales. 33% of the working population. An investment of
:27:10. > :27:13.?800,000 per year in the programme. We are also supporting workplaces to
:27:14. > :27:21.tackle Eskimo nation associated with mental health problems through the
:27:22. > :27:26.Time To Change. -- to tackle discrimination. I welcome your
:27:27. > :27:31.reference to mental health issues which is what I was going to raise.
:27:32. > :27:34.One effective measure in treating mental health problems is talking
:27:35. > :27:41.therapy which can reduce the need to prescribe medication which would
:27:42. > :27:45.itself enhance the ability of people to enter the job market. What is the
:27:46. > :27:53.Welsh Government doing to assist with the provision of talking
:27:54. > :27:57.therapy in Wales? We recognise that they cannot all be pharmaceutical
:27:58. > :28:01.intervention. Counselling is important, as is exercise and
:28:02. > :28:06.exercise is available in most of Wales in terms of it being
:28:07. > :28:14.prescribed to people. Our delivery plan, for mental health, is there to
:28:15. > :28:19.help people become more resilient and be able to tackle poor mental
:28:20. > :28:24.well-being when it occurs. Looking as part of that plan, we look at
:28:25. > :28:24.different therapies to help people in different and more effective
:28:25. > :28:37.ways. Will be First Minister make a
:28:38. > :28:41.statement on digital communications in Wales? Less, with our superfast
:28:42. > :28:45.Camry project and ongoing negotiations with the UK government
:28:46. > :28:52.we have access to fast fibre broadband to over 60,000 Welsh
:28:53. > :28:58.premises and achieved 90% of coverage in Wales by the end of this
:28:59. > :29:02.year. Can I congratulate the Welsh Government in rolling out superfast
:29:03. > :29:07.broadband. It is clear that the Tobruk fee of Wales, beautiful as it
:29:08. > :29:11.is, poses particular challenges to digital connectivity and we need
:29:12. > :29:19.greater proportional access to reach the same level of coverage -- the
:29:20. > :29:24.topography. I hope there are steps to press operators to share with the
:29:25. > :29:31.structure. We'll be First Minister confirm that how the publicly owned
:29:32. > :29:35.land can be used to help locate digitally connected infrastructure
:29:36. > :29:40.and how we look post-Brexit to how we can use public funds to support
:29:41. > :29:44.land management? At how we can use programmes to incentivise the
:29:45. > :29:49.digital structure in rural and semi rural areas where they can make a
:29:50. > :29:56.difference to connectivity worldwide? We can look carefully
:29:57. > :29:59.with the forthcoming mobile action plan to see how best this could
:30:00. > :30:06.support the targeted delivery of Communications of the structure on
:30:07. > :30:11.the more regional basis. -- communications infrastructure. We
:30:12. > :30:16.know some parts of Wales, the island of Anglesey for example, where there
:30:17. > :30:20.appears to be coverage but it is not powerful enough to deliver data
:30:21. > :30:24.coverage so there are issues that will need to be resolved for the
:30:25. > :30:34.future and using regional economic funding is one-way. TRANSLATION:
:30:35. > :30:38.Thank you very much. First Minister, I have received complaints from
:30:39. > :30:42.representatives of the business community on the quality of Wi-Fi
:30:43. > :30:46.services on trains running from Swansea to Paddington. This is often
:30:47. > :30:50.because of a poor signal on route. As this is a crucially important
:30:51. > :30:53.service for us in Wales, what is your government doing in connection
:30:54. > :31:00.with the Welsh Government and the private companies have to improve
:31:01. > :31:03.the signal along this route and other routes across Wales?
:31:04. > :31:07.TRANSLATION: Well, as one who has used that service many times, I have
:31:08. > :31:12.to say that the majority of the time it doesn't work and when it does
:31:13. > :31:17.work it doesn't work effectively. We are in touch with great Western of
:31:18. > :31:20.course to ensure that the service will ultimately improve. I know it
:31:21. > :31:25.is possible, I have seen it on other trends where the system works well
:31:26. > :31:30.and we wish to ensure that by considering the franchise next year,
:31:31. > :31:36.that this is something that will be quite normal in every train in
:31:37. > :31:43.Wales. First Minister, you mentioned fast fibre in your initial question.
:31:44. > :31:47.I will start with good news that the village of Tintern in my
:31:48. > :31:51.constituency has been recently connected to a superfast broadband
:31:52. > :31:57.box which is pleasing the village no end. On the flip side, in the rural
:31:58. > :32:02.hinterland in a village just outside, they haven't benefited from
:32:03. > :32:06.that box. BT seem to be under the impression that the whole area is
:32:07. > :32:13.now being served by superfast broadband and the problem has been
:32:14. > :32:16.dealt with. Can you liaise with BT that when a village in a rural area
:32:17. > :32:19.is connected, that a neighbouring village is not felt to be dealt with
:32:20. > :32:23.in the same way because then those people don't have any hope for any
:32:24. > :32:28.end date for their broadband problems. I will investigate the
:32:29. > :32:33.issue and write to the member with a response. I think mine is a
:32:34. > :32:44.straightforward question with a straightforward answer. There is
:32:45. > :32:47.fantastic work being done by superfast Wales in their workshops
:32:48. > :32:49.and road shows across the country. They are raising the potential on
:32:50. > :32:52.how to get those connections up. But the one place that is missing is one
:32:53. > :32:58.of the Hartland is of great industry in South Wales and it is Bridgend.
:32:59. > :33:02.Could I suggest that through his good offices on mine they might be
:33:03. > :33:12.able to bring one of the road shows to Bridgend, possibly north of the
:33:13. > :33:16.M4. Standing here, I cannot comment on behalf or Bridgend but I hope the
:33:17. > :33:31.member's words will find resonance with that member. Question five,
:33:32. > :33:36.Angela Burns. Good afternoon. What what plans does the First Minister
:33:37. > :33:44.have to address the barriers that are facing GP recruitment in Wales?
:33:45. > :33:51.We are investigating the money which was announced at the weekend. I work
:33:52. > :33:55.with organisations that represent all facets of the GP work sphere and
:33:56. > :33:59.the issue of professional indemnity is one of the points that comes
:34:00. > :34:03.across as a barrier for getting more GPs who are currently thinking of
:34:04. > :34:07.retiring, work part time, to release more of their GP hours and going to
:34:08. > :34:12.GP practices which would help with all of the queues and the problems
:34:13. > :34:17.we see in GP practices. I am aware that some of that ?27 million is
:34:18. > :34:21.earmarked to help offset some of that indemnity but what I really
:34:22. > :34:35.wanted to know is that I understood the Cabinet secretary had issued a
:34:36. > :34:40.report into this report -- had compiled a report into this issue.
:34:41. > :34:42.This is something which is under active discussion with the
:34:43. > :34:46.profession in order to move that forward. I can say that the package
:34:47. > :34:51.which was announced on the weekend is designed amongst other things to
:34:52. > :34:54.increase the contribution towards the rising costs of professional
:34:55. > :34:59.indemnity, as well as dealing with things like the increasing costs of
:35:00. > :35:05.pensions administration and the general uplift to deal with
:35:06. > :35:10.increasing practice costs. Adam Price. TRANSLATION: One of the
:35:11. > :35:17.frustrations is that qualifying students from Wales to want to be
:35:18. > :35:19.trained in Wales in our medical schools, but do not have the
:35:20. > :35:24.opportunity to undertake that training. If you look at the
:35:25. > :35:29.percentages in England, 80% of the students in medical schools are from
:35:30. > :35:37.England, 50% in Scotland, but only 20% in Wales. Can we guarantee that
:35:38. > :35:41.all Welsh domiciled students who have the ability to study can access
:35:42. > :35:49.a training place here in Wales and of course that has a great impact
:35:50. > :35:54.then with the ability to retain them in our health service. TRANSLATION:
:35:55. > :35:58.Well, I must say that he has said the same thing that people have told
:35:59. > :36:02.me they have seen examples of young people who have not received an
:36:03. > :36:05.offer to study in Cardiff, but have received an offer to study in
:36:06. > :36:09.England, and this is something which concerns me, because if they are
:36:10. > :36:15.good enough to go to England, then they should be good enough to attend
:36:16. > :36:20.a Welsh university. This was being considered recently but I will write
:36:21. > :36:24.to the member on this subject. I have heard people telling me this
:36:25. > :36:29.and I'm sure he said the same and it is important that we understand the
:36:30. > :36:36.selection system for students in order to ensure that Welsh students
:36:37. > :36:39.receive fair play. There is strong evidence -based suggesting that
:36:40. > :36:44.medical students are more likely to want to practice in the long term
:36:45. > :36:48.where they have trained. Therefore I welcome a health board's initiative
:36:49. > :36:51.where in partnership with Cardiff medical School, 60 medical students
:36:52. > :36:55.each year have experienced the early part of their training in GP
:36:56. > :36:59.surgeries in the south Wales valleys. Do you agree that giving
:37:00. > :37:03.medical students this exposure to general practice early on is crucial
:37:04. > :37:09.to promoting it as a career choice and how else can we promote the
:37:10. > :37:12.values as a good place for GPs to work? This is something which is
:37:13. > :37:17.hugely important as the member says. We look at the Rhondda cluster. That
:37:18. > :37:23.has been particularly active in terms of recruiting. It is hugely
:37:24. > :37:26.important that a student goes some warrant has a positive experience,
:37:27. > :37:30.and that is why it is important that we are able to do that. If we look
:37:31. > :37:33.at the Rhondda cluster as an example, they have a cluster
:37:34. > :37:38.communications officer to build up the Rhondda as a great place to
:37:39. > :37:46.work. They developed the website which describes the lifestyle and
:37:47. > :37:49.career available in the Rhondda and they have developed a recruitment
:37:50. > :37:54.survey and analysis. That is one example that can be used or adapted
:37:55. > :37:57.by other clusters in order to make sure that when students actually do
:37:58. > :38:01.their GP training in Valley areas that they feel they are coming to a
:38:02. > :38:11.place that is forward thinking, that is well resourced and has GPs who
:38:12. > :38:16.are dedicated to their community. Question six, Jayne Bryant. Will the
:38:17. > :38:23.First Minister make a statement on midwifery practices in Wales? Every
:38:24. > :38:29.woman has a named midwife to provide individual care during pregnancy.
:38:30. > :38:34.The ?95 million funding package announced recently introduced an
:38:35. > :38:41.increase in midwifery training places and that is the highest
:38:42. > :38:44.number. Thank you. The Royal College of Midwives report this year
:38:45. > :38:47.highlighted the growing age of the midwifery workforce and the need to
:38:48. > :38:56.replace those highly skilled and dedicated workers when they retire.
:38:57. > :39:00.The increase of student places and the continuing support for bursaries
:39:01. > :39:04.is very welcome. Commitment like this is essential to ensure that our
:39:05. > :39:09.maternity services attract more midwives over the coming years so
:39:10. > :39:13.they can deliver safe, high-quality care for women and babies. Will the
:39:14. > :39:16.Welsh Government pay tribute to the dedicated workforce we have and will
:39:17. > :39:20.the government worked with health boards and trade unions to make sure
:39:21. > :39:25.those approaching retirement can pass on their valuable skills and
:39:26. > :39:29.experience to the next generation of midwives? Absolutely. It's why we
:39:30. > :39:32.have increased the number of midwife training places. We know it is
:39:33. > :39:36.important to invest in the workforce of the future by making that
:39:37. > :39:43.investment now rather than wait for a time when we find we have a
:39:44. > :39:48.demographic problem with the workforce and we are making that
:39:49. > :39:53.commitment now. TRANSLATION: Thank you, I will also draw the First
:39:54. > :39:59.Minister's attention to a letter from AWI branch in my constituency,
:40:00. > :40:02.which makes the case for investment in midwifery services. They
:40:03. > :40:07.optically concerned about the sustainability of the workforce, and
:40:08. > :40:13.yes, you say there has been investment in more training places
:40:14. > :40:17.but does the First Minister agree with me that unless we see a
:40:18. > :40:21.significant increase in the training places available in Wales, that it
:40:22. > :40:24.will be impossible for us to provide for mothers and their families in
:40:25. > :40:31.the future, the kind of care that they need and deserve. Well, yes, we
:40:32. > :40:38.have invested to ensure there are more places available. We have seen
:40:39. > :40:44.a 40% increase in the number of training places available, and as I
:40:45. > :40:50.said earlier, that since -- that is since 1979. First Minister, you will
:40:51. > :40:56.be aware of the massive campaign a couple of years ago to ensure we had
:40:57. > :41:03.appropriate midwifery services and a consultant led maternity ward. We
:41:04. > :41:07.previously welcomed the development proposals of the unit and it would
:41:08. > :41:11.be really great if you could update members here on how well that is
:41:12. > :41:16.progressing and how that will lead to providing a first class
:41:17. > :41:24.consultant led midwifery service in North Wales? Well, that unit is a
:41:25. > :41:28.specialist unit. The original proposal was to move those services
:41:29. > :41:32.to Arrow Park. I took the view that we had to review that decision to
:41:33. > :41:35.see if it was possible and safe for that service to be delivered in
:41:36. > :41:40.Wales and sure enough that unit is the result of that. It is
:41:41. > :41:50.progressing well in terms of recruitment and building and I look
:41:51. > :41:54.forward to opening. Caroline Jones. First Minister, during the previous
:41:55. > :41:59.Assembly, the Welsh Government increased the number of student
:42:00. > :42:03.midwifery places. However, in the latest stated midwifery services,
:42:04. > :42:08.the Royal College of Midwives state it is no longer appropriate to
:42:09. > :42:11.maintain a steady number of training places at the midwifery population
:42:12. > :42:15.is ageing. What plans does your government have two increase the
:42:16. > :42:20.number of training places for student midwives in Wales?
:42:21. > :42:33.The funding package announced recently includes a 40% increase in
:42:34. > :42:36.midwifery training places. Will the First Minister make a statement on
:42:37. > :42:43.enforcement action under the animal welfare breeding of dogs Wales
:42:44. > :42:45.regulation 2014? The enforcement is the responsibility of the local
:42:46. > :42:49.authorities but officials are working with the heads of trading
:42:50. > :43:05.standards in Wales on a partnership delivery programme to capture data
:43:06. > :43:06.to assess the effectiveness of the regulations. Information received
:43:07. > :43:06.from anti-puppy farming campaigner says local authorities do not have
:43:07. > :43:12.the resources to enforce the legislation. The committee
:43:13. > :43:15.recommended the Government in the UK ban third-party sales of dogs and
:43:16. > :43:22.dogs should only be available for licensed regulated breeders or
:43:23. > :43:27.approved re-homing organisations, it would go a long way to shutting down
:43:28. > :43:31.the puppy farming industry. The UK Government has decided to ignore the
:43:32. > :43:35.recommendation. If the First Minister has the devolved powers to
:43:36. > :43:40.do so, does he intend to ban third-party dog sales in Wales and
:43:41. > :43:44.if he doesn't, how does the First Minister propose to take this issue
:43:45. > :43:49.further? We must separate out the issue of puppy farming and
:43:50. > :43:54.legitimate third-party sales. I do not accept there is no difference. I
:43:55. > :43:59.think there are those who sell us third-party... The third-party
:44:00. > :44:05.route, I think there are those who are dedicated to their animals.
:44:06. > :44:09.There are those who don't and they are the puppy farmers. What is
:44:10. > :44:13.hugely important is that local authorities devote the resources
:44:14. > :44:17.they should to ensuring the regulations are enforced and the law
:44:18. > :44:20.is observed and I know there was a recent court case in Ceredigion
:44:21. > :44:28.where the council did just that and they didn't force the law, followed
:44:29. > :44:32.the judicial process -- they did enforce the law. It lead to
:44:33. > :44:36.prosecution and they have also ensured suitable arrangements have
:44:37. > :44:42.been made for dogs removed from the premises. Local authorities are
:44:43. > :44:45.enforcing the law and it is hugely important those who are the real
:44:46. > :44:53.rogues, the puppy farmers, are dealt with and the law provides the means
:44:54. > :44:57.to do that. On a wider issue, of animal cruelty, it is widely
:44:58. > :45:01.established cruelty to animals is considered a gateway behaviour to
:45:02. > :45:07.violence against people, many of those perpetrators, as with other
:45:08. > :45:12.things, would deny their responsibility in these acts of
:45:13. > :45:15.violence, but what are you doing to consider this as part of wider
:45:16. > :45:22.animal abuse legislation and would you support the call I and others in
:45:23. > :45:26.this Chamber have asked of your animal Welfare Minister to have an
:45:27. > :45:30.animal abuse register for Wales? If we can track these perpetrators who
:45:31. > :45:35.are taking part in the violence against animals at the early stage,
:45:36. > :45:40.if they then go on to perpetrate against people, we can try and
:45:41. > :45:44.deflect from the seriousness of the potential things they may do in
:45:45. > :45:49.these positions, I would urge you to consider this seriously and to carry
:45:50. > :45:52.out research in this area. Can I give that consideration? It is an
:45:53. > :46:00.idea that is worth investigating. I do not know the practical issues but
:46:01. > :46:10.I wouldn't -- I would want to consider it further. I will write to
:46:11. > :46:15.the member. First Minister, I appreciate the Government gathers
:46:16. > :46:19.data at the moment which will steer any review into these regulations.
:46:20. > :46:24.Under these circumstances, can you give us an idea when this review
:46:25. > :46:32.will be held and can you also publish a timetable on this issue?
:46:33. > :46:35.There is no timetable in place at present but this is something of
:46:36. > :46:39.course the Minister will issue to the assembly once it is decided.
:46:40. > :46:44.That was First Minister's Questions. If you want more coverage of the
:46:45. > :46:51.assembly, you can go online to BBC Wales Senedd live page. That is it
:46:52. > :46:59.from us this week. We will be back next week. Thank you for joining us.
:47:00. > :47:01.How well do you know your Six Nations?
:47:02. > :47:04.OK, then. Fingers on the keypads, everybody.
:47:05. > :47:08.Who's made most appearances in the Six Nations in an England shirt.
:47:09. > :47:12.Scott Gibbs scored our last ever Five Nations try.
:47:13. > :47:14.Who scored our first ever Six Nations try?
:47:15. > :47:18.2011 was the first time an Italian player has been named
:47:19. > :47:22.Player of the Tournament. Who was it?