:00:18. > :00:29.Good afternoon. Welcome to the programme. Carwyn Jones is expected
:00:30. > :00:34.to face questions on a range of subjects from small businesses,
:00:35. > :00:38.rough sleeping and having a constitutional convention. Don't
:00:39. > :00:45.forget we are on Twitter where you can see all the latest business and
:00:46. > :00:53.the session is already underway. So, questions to the First Minister. I
:00:54. > :01:01.called a National Assembly to order and the first question is from Paul
:01:02. > :01:06.Davies. We want a statement to find out what the Welsh Government is
:01:07. > :01:15.doing to support his knees in West Wales. Business support is available
:01:16. > :01:24.for small, and medium business, and our focus remains on supporting
:01:25. > :01:29.entrepreneurs, jobs and the economy. First Minister, I continue to
:01:30. > :01:35.receive comments from constituents and business in North Wales to say
:01:36. > :01:40.that although you have announced additional funding, there is indeed
:01:41. > :01:45.confusion and many business operators don't know whether they
:01:46. > :01:49.are able to receive this. Can you be more specific about who qualifies
:01:50. > :01:52.and can you tell us why the Government wanted to target
:01:53. > :02:00.high-street business without including other business? Of course,
:02:01. > :02:05.what we have been trying to do is help those who have lost out
:02:06. > :02:09.temporarily because of the renewal of the business rates and many
:02:10. > :02:15.people have benefited from that, and of course, those businesses who have
:02:16. > :02:21.perhaps seen a drop in business rates, we hope we will be able to
:02:22. > :02:28.help small businesses particularly those who have seen a rise in their
:02:29. > :02:36.rates. Figures from Lloyds bank have shown that 40% fewer businesses were
:02:37. > :02:42.established in the last five year in Pembrokeshire, winning and Anglesey
:02:43. > :02:46.as compared to the 26 across Wales and a 20% in England. Is the First
:02:47. > :02:53.Minister willing to look into why the figures are so different in the
:02:54. > :03:00.Westerly counties, as compare it with places such as Gwent, where
:03:01. > :03:11.there's been a decline of 8% and the award goes to Merthyr, where half a
:03:12. > :03:15.percent decline was seen. Will the First Minister ask his ministers to
:03:16. > :03:20.look at what is happening in West Wales, in this particular area.
:03:21. > :03:26.Well, I believe you are talking about the Lloyds and figures. We
:03:27. > :03:34.don't know what methodology they used and what the nature of the data
:03:35. > :03:45.set is. Having said that, the number of businesses has increased by 2025
:03:46. > :03:48.in 2011. So, 11,025 in 2015, but of course, we will consider the figures
:03:49. > :03:55.issued by Lloyds bank to see if there's any kind of problem here
:03:56. > :04:00.that we need to address in one part of Wales. We are talking about
:04:01. > :04:05.business ones of ?7 million each. The application deadline is in just
:04:06. > :04:13.five weeks' time, just the same as what happened with the Growth And
:04:14. > :04:18.Prosperity By, on the 17th of last year, the deadline for the
:04:19. > :04:24.applications was just four weeks later. The Scottish Government has
:04:25. > :04:31.created a ?500 million fund with an open window. Every time the Welsh
:04:32. > :04:37.Government finds a bit of money down the back of their first sofa, we
:04:38. > :04:40.announce a new fund and its closed before most businesses have had the
:04:41. > :04:45.opportunity to hear about it. It's the opposite of strategic and I
:04:46. > :04:53.believe it makes Wales look amateurish. Our economic growth is
:04:54. > :04:59.better than Scotland and we've done better than Scottish Government in
:05:00. > :05:03.that regard. The window is short but nevertheless, the schemes are
:05:04. > :05:11.popular, they deliver and the economic statistics show that. What
:05:12. > :05:17.is the Welsh Government doing to tackle rough sleeping in Wales. We
:05:18. > :05:24.have got the legislation that we passed to ensure that rough sleeping
:05:25. > :05:28.was dealt with. There's a? The moment in terms of trying to
:05:29. > :05:33.understand the numbers of people who are sleeping rough, it difficult to
:05:34. > :05:41.assess but we are not complacent and we are trying to provide a programme
:05:42. > :05:44.to help those who are homeless. Last week, a press report highlighted
:05:45. > :05:56.people sleeping rough in Neath. People had had difficult times with
:05:57. > :06:07.job loss, addiction, leaving prison. There is an acknowledgement that the
:06:08. > :06:13.bear has been great progress. We are told you don't know enough about
:06:14. > :06:19.rough sleeping to fix it, and there is a comparative lack of housing in
:06:20. > :06:25.Wales. Will the First Minister look at how the Welsh Government monitors
:06:26. > :06:37.rough sleeping and help us find out why it happens. The housing Wales
:06:38. > :06:42.act 2014 has been implemented and there is a report on this, so we can
:06:43. > :06:48.find out how rough sleepers are being treated. And other systems are
:06:49. > :06:52.being explored in order to assist with the annual monitoring that
:06:53. > :06:58.takes place and they will be further information that take place -- that
:06:59. > :07:02.will take place later in the year. We will look at local authorities
:07:03. > :07:07.who are responsible for meeting that need a local areas to find out and
:07:08. > :07:19.help with people not becoming homeless in the first place. Shelter
:07:20. > :07:24.are gravely concerned about the lack of data being able to monitor what
:07:25. > :07:29.is happening in Wales, I believe many of your other programmes such
:07:30. > :07:37.as communities at work, the data and a lack of data is an emerging theme
:07:38. > :07:40.for your Government. We have strong legislation so wide as this
:07:41. > :07:49.situation arise where there is such a lack of data on such an important
:07:50. > :07:54.issue, and what will be gunning to ensure that there is no growth of
:07:55. > :08:07.the number of homeless people in Wales? Well, one data which is
:08:08. > :08:11.important is the data from 2016, showing the legislation were
:08:12. > :08:16.successful in helping 85% of families who felt under pressure,
:08:17. > :08:23.who had perhaps lost their House because of that, so we know that has
:08:24. > :08:27.worked extremely well, but as I said earlier, it's important to insure
:08:28. > :08:34.that the data we have is adequate to ensure that the legislation works in
:08:35. > :08:38.the most effective way possible. As a member of the multi-agency
:08:39. > :08:44.cross-party working group that successfully campaigned under TCC to
:08:45. > :08:49.build a night shelter in Wrexham, is particularly frustrating that the
:08:50. > :08:55.Welsh Government's rough sleeper couch shows a 72% rise and that the
:08:56. > :09:01.numbers in Wrexham are up from 17 to 27 from the previous year and with
:09:02. > :09:05.61, it has the highest proportion of people sleeping rough over a
:09:06. > :09:10.two-week period in Wales, even higher than Cardiff. How do you
:09:11. > :09:18.propose the Government should interact with the charities there,
:09:19. > :09:28.stop blaming each other, and help ask it to grips with the town 's
:09:29. > :09:31.issues? I have to say, his party, the Conservatives have to take
:09:32. > :09:36.responsibility for this. The hammering people have had three the
:09:37. > :09:42.bedroom tax. Yes, it's true to say that we look to use legislation to
:09:43. > :09:47.prevent homelessness, but of course the UK Government is responsible for
:09:48. > :09:53.taking money away from people and making people homeless, though his
:09:54. > :10:03.party has to accept that they are responsible for much of the threat
:10:04. > :10:07.of homelessness. First Minister, the discussions around rough sleeping
:10:08. > :10:13.has been completely toxic. Rather than seeing them as poor unfortunate
:10:14. > :10:19.souls basing hyperthermia, sleeping in shop doorways, many have seen
:10:20. > :10:24.them as delinquents and a scourge to be removed from our high streets. Do
:10:25. > :10:30.you agree with me that rather than serving ASBOs on these people
:10:31. > :10:34.locking them up, councils across Wales should be providing shelter
:10:35. > :10:43.and working with various agencies in partnership to find them permanent
:10:44. > :10:49.accommodation. I take your point on stigma. I have been to the Salvation
:10:50. > :10:54.Army in Cardiff and have seen and met many of the people who are
:10:55. > :10:59.homeless. Some of them have very different stories, some are
:11:00. > :11:01.wrestling with addiction, some find it difficult to remain in
:11:02. > :11:11.accommodation, and there are many Rob learns individuals have to face.
:11:12. > :11:13.-- problems. We need to find holistic solutions to these
:11:14. > :11:29.problems. Thank you, Presiding Officer, may I
:11:30. > :11:34.wish you many happy returns. I have many years to go before I hit a
:11:35. > :11:39.milestone of 50! I look forward to you telling me what it is like! But
:11:40. > :11:46.I wish you all the best on your birthday today, and I'd like to send
:11:47. > :11:55.best wishes to be Minister for rural affairs who is in convalescence at
:11:56. > :12:01.present. We want to talk about the local deals with authorities, and
:12:02. > :12:08.creating a combination of projects that will hopefully lift GBA and
:12:09. > :12:12.employability and skills and the prospect of Swansea city, and its
:12:13. > :12:19.region, because it's not just Swansea we are looking at here. It's
:12:20. > :12:26.not in unreasonably put to people that we want to discuss what Terry
:12:27. > :12:31.Matthews was talking about as the chair of the City Region Board, and
:12:32. > :12:38.concept has moved away from the people and more to buildings. Do you
:12:39. > :12:44.share that view and the view that the deal before us could potentially
:12:45. > :12:52.be built for people to come rather than for people in the region? It
:12:53. > :12:56.had to be agreed by the local authorities, ourselves and the UK
:12:57. > :12:59.Government and almost half of the investment will come from the
:13:00. > :13:04.private sector. It's an example of what happens when Government call
:13:05. > :13:12.operate, and the public and the private sector as well. The 11
:13:13. > :13:16.projects are about creating 11,000 jobs. That's opportunities for
:13:17. > :13:20.people and that's something that both governments and the local
:13:21. > :13:27.authorities are confident that happening. Are you confident that
:13:28. > :13:32.GBA which is about 74% in the Swansea region will increase as part
:13:33. > :13:38.of the deal, so can you give firm indicators that you and the
:13:39. > :13:41.Government will be benchmarking the success, what we can expect in
:13:42. > :13:46.three, five, eight and ten years, with this deal coming forward so we
:13:47. > :14:00.can mark you and the UK Government and need partners about the rising
:14:01. > :14:05.GBA levels. So we can see this increasing rather than just sound
:14:06. > :14:14.bites on redevelopment has happened in the Park. One area where
:14:15. > :14:19.productivity can be improved is with skills and higher paid jobs. The
:14:20. > :14:34.lead up asks how we can measure this? Firstly with GVA per head and
:14:35. > :14:37.GVA compared to the rest of the UK. I Hello and welcome to the
:14:38. > :14:42.programme. But I'd like more definitive markers to see where GVA
:14:43. > :14:48.will go from where it is at the moment, 74%. Cardiff have got a city
:14:49. > :14:54.deal, Swansea has got a city deal and Swansea region, the North Wales
:14:55. > :14:58.desperately needs a great deal to be delivered. Yesterday, in the
:14:59. > :15:04.Guardian, you accuse the Prime Minister had a 10-year about
:15:05. > :15:09.concerns you have around devolution and our role in the UK. One of the
:15:10. > :15:16.things in North Wales that has come out is the ability for the
:15:17. > :15:21.Government to devolve responsibility to North Wales so those powers
:15:22. > :15:25.around transport, skills, business rates, there would be a greater
:15:26. > :15:30.synergy between the northern powerhouse and North Wales to create
:15:31. > :15:37.a better driver for economic prosperity in North Wales. Will your
:15:38. > :15:43.Government actively considered evolving responsibilities, or will
:15:44. > :15:49.you be showing a Kenya to North Wales for business and council
:15:50. > :15:53.leaders when they are asking you for business responsibilities. The
:15:54. > :15:57.Swansea Bay and Cardiff City they deals are driven by local
:15:58. > :16:03.authorities. Something we seek to impose. The same will pry to the
:16:04. > :16:10.North Wales growth deal, large urban areas, these are the two deals that
:16:11. > :16:16.were ready first. In the north-east, that would come next. We would look
:16:17. > :16:20.to devolve as many powers as we can in the future. In terms of business
:16:21. > :16:24.rates, it's more difficult because we know there are authorities who
:16:25. > :16:30.would lose out if these were devolve, and we want this main
:16:31. > :16:34.decisions are attained locally, meaning local authorities are as
:16:35. > :16:43.much in the driving seats. And working
:16:44. > :16:53.I would like to wish the First Minister happy birthday. Age is
:16:54. > :17:00.nothing to fear, as long as you remain in rude health, like me. The
:17:01. > :17:05.First Minister will agree, whatever our differing views on Brexit,
:17:06. > :17:08.uncertainty is to be deprecated and the Prime Minister is about to
:17:09. > :17:15.resolve one answer by triggering Article 50. It is regrettable that
:17:16. > :17:21.Nicola Sturgeon has now sought to create another uncertainty over a
:17:22. > :17:24.referendum in Scotland. No doubt confident the Prime Minister would
:17:25. > :17:28.refuse a request. I wonder if the First Minister would agree with me
:17:29. > :17:32.the best way to reduce this uncertainty is to call Nicola
:17:33. > :17:41.Sturgeon's bluff and hold the referendum? Thank you for the good
:17:42. > :17:46.wishes. From different perspectives. My view is, and I've said this
:17:47. > :17:51.publicly, if the Scottish Parliament votes to hold a referendum, the UK
:17:52. > :17:56.Government should not stand in its way, any more than the European
:17:57. > :18:02.Commission of Parliament should have stood in the way of the UK holding a
:18:03. > :18:05.referendum on Brexit. If the Scottish parliament seeks to hold a
:18:06. > :18:13.referendum, then the views of that parliament should be respected. I
:18:14. > :18:19.agree with him. It is rarely wrong to consult the people. If there were
:18:20. > :18:23.to be a referendum campaign, it would have some relevance for Wales
:18:24. > :18:27.because Scotland has a budget deficit of 15 billion a year,
:18:28. > :18:35.although it has a larger economy than Wales, it is much the same
:18:36. > :18:40.figure as we have here. 15 billion deficit. And that is effectively a
:18:41. > :18:44.transfer of funds from one part of the UK to another, which would
:18:45. > :18:49.disappear if either Scotland or Wales became politically
:18:50. > :18:55.independent. It is not my view that independence is in the interests of
:18:56. > :19:00.Wales. I am aware of the substantial financial transfers that take place.
:19:01. > :19:06.That come into Wales. That is why I am a strong devolutionist, but not
:19:07. > :19:11.somebody who supports independence. It is important to all those who
:19:12. > :19:17.believe in the sovereignty of the United Kingdom that we unite on this
:19:18. > :19:22.point that Wales would be vastly poorer if it were to leave the
:19:23. > :19:27.United Kingdom. There is no way that any cut in any budget from a UK
:19:28. > :19:33.department subsequently devolved to Wales could possibly be compensated
:19:34. > :19:37.for in any other way. Because public expenditure is now nearly 60% of
:19:38. > :19:42.Welsh GDP, there would be a massive hit for all poor and vulnerable
:19:43. > :19:49.people, and all those who rely on the NHS and other social services
:19:50. > :19:54.for their health and well-being. The case for independence by those who
:19:55. > :20:02.make it in Wales is not built on the economy but on emotion. It is
:20:03. > :20:07.important that when the UK leaves the EU, we have in place a structure
:20:08. > :20:11.that reflects a proper partnership of four nations within the UK. It's
:20:12. > :20:17.not a case of the UK Government imposing its will on devolved
:20:18. > :20:27.governments. We also have an independent judiciary process to
:20:28. > :20:30.police the internal market. For me, that will represent for Wales a very
:20:31. > :20:45.good outcome. My worry is the UK Government itself doesn't create the
:20:46. > :20:51.conditions were people feel annoyed enough to take the view that the UK
:20:52. > :21:00.is not worth preserving. That is not something I want to see. It is clear
:21:01. > :21:05.that Wales is so wealthy and prosperous the status quo is the
:21:06. > :21:08.only option for us, isn't it? First Minister, in recent years, there
:21:09. > :21:12.have been a number of scandals concerning the quality of treatment
:21:13. > :21:17.or some patients in some wards in the Welsh NHS. How confident are you
:21:18. > :21:24.that the systems for identifying and correcting problems are no robust
:21:25. > :21:32.enough to prevent another Princess of Wales style scandal? We are
:21:33. > :21:39.confident the structures are in place to avoid those scenarios and
:21:40. > :21:43.robust. One area of treatment where problems have regularly been
:21:44. > :21:49.identified is nutrition and you -- and hydration. That is a basic
:21:50. > :21:53.health care need. Yesterday, the Public Accounts Committee released
:21:54. > :21:59.another report on nutrition. This is five years after the last report on
:22:00. > :22:04.nutrition. The report found, and I quote, a story of a distinct lack of
:22:05. > :22:09.leadership, stagnant activity and frustratingly slow progress in the
:22:10. > :22:14.number of important areas. You claim to have introduced new initiatives
:22:15. > :22:18.to fix this. I have they not yet succeeded? And what reasons can you
:22:19. > :22:25.give for the slow progress on hospital nutrition? There is a
:22:26. > :22:29.formal process for responding to reports. The report highlighted good
:22:30. > :22:33.progress that had been made in a number of areas. It is hugely
:22:34. > :22:38.important to have reports such as this to make sure there is as much
:22:39. > :22:44.improvement as we want to see. How many reports do we need? 9% of
:22:45. > :22:51.patients were not being given enough water to drink. There are other
:22:52. > :22:57.areas where progress is nonexistent. No progress on a computerised
:22:58. > :23:02.information catering service, identified in 2011. Not a single
:23:03. > :23:06.health board has named director with responsibility for nutrition. Not a
:23:07. > :23:10.single health board has achieved 100% compliance with nutritional
:23:11. > :23:17.care pathway training, despite it being mandatory since its
:23:18. > :23:21.introduction in 2011. What you hear from management is very different to
:23:22. > :23:25.what we as Assembly Members here from patients and our constituents.
:23:26. > :23:30.When can we expect to see some leadership from you on hospital
:23:31. > :23:35.nutrition? When will we get beyond apologies and claims of lessons
:23:36. > :23:40.learnt, to see that these simple basic problems in the NHS have to be
:23:41. > :23:44.prevented before they cause a serious harm to some of our
:23:45. > :23:51.patients? We have already introduced a range of initiatives. We are
:23:52. > :23:56.considering ways to improve healthy food provision in hospitals even
:23:57. > :24:02.further, including an upcoming review of the mandatory standards.
:24:03. > :24:12.There have been huge improvements already achieved by the NHS. The
:24:13. > :24:16.auditor general in a report says the recognise that two thirds of the
:24:17. > :24:23.recommendations have been actioned. Must have been done, some have not
:24:24. > :24:32.yet been done. The auditor general is saying that what is left to do is
:24:33. > :24:35.the of being done. Will the First Minister provided an update on Welsh
:24:36. > :24:42.Government plans to create better jobs closer to home? Across
:24:43. > :24:51.government team is taking forward the programme to better align a
:24:52. > :24:56.range of commercial projects. It is worth remembering it was in October
:24:57. > :25:00.2015 the wheels Trades Union Congress launched its excellent
:25:01. > :25:05.campaign for better jobs closer to home to benefit valleys communities,
:25:06. > :25:09.such as my constituency. I received a friendly note last week
:25:10. > :25:13.emphasising that. I was pleased to see the same principles were
:25:14. > :25:20.contained in the programme for government. I would like to welcome
:25:21. > :25:30.the speech from yesterday it was recognised regional differences were
:25:31. > :25:33.addressed. Will the First Minister provide more specifics about the
:25:34. > :25:42.Welsh Government's approach? Will it tackle economic challenges faced by
:25:43. > :25:48.those in South Wales, building on existing strengths and the social
:25:49. > :25:52.capital that exists? The commercial pilots are a start in testing
:25:53. > :25:59.interventions, to see how they can be as effective as they can. Were
:26:00. > :26:02.looking to implement a specific strategy regionally in the northern
:26:03. > :26:06.valleys and across the whole of Wales. There is a ministerial task
:26:07. > :26:14.force which has been set up across government to address these issues.
:26:15. > :26:24.The challenges there are differences within the valleys themselves. We
:26:25. > :26:27.are looking to ensure we can even out economic development and
:26:28. > :26:30.improvement over the course of the next few years, rather than seeing
:26:31. > :26:38.some parts of the valleys do well and others less well. Pilot projects
:26:39. > :26:49.are part of that. The task force is another level. TRANSLATION: All this
:26:50. > :26:53.means for my constituents is creating quality jobs in North West
:26:54. > :26:59.Wilts. The Welsh Government is duty bound to show away in this regard to
:27:00. > :27:04.have deliberate policies to ensure that government jobs are distributed
:27:05. > :27:10.across Wales. When does the government intend to reform a job
:27:11. > :27:13.location strategy, to include specific criteria which would lead
:27:14. > :27:21.to the distribution of Welsh Government jobs in an equal number
:27:22. > :27:33.across Wales? I would suggest you amend this strategy before the
:27:34. > :27:38.people of North Wales lose all faith in your strategy? TRANSLATION: We as
:27:39. > :27:45.a government have moved more jobs out of Cardiff than ever under the
:27:46. > :27:50.Welsh office. It is not possible to have jobs in every location, but our
:27:51. > :27:54.record is extremely good, particularly in North Wales. There
:27:55. > :27:58.are more people working for the Welsh Government in North Wales than
:27:59. > :28:06.was ever true under the old Welsh office. What about home-working? One
:28:07. > :28:10.of the problems home workers face in my constituency and in other parts
:28:11. > :28:15.is pure broadband connectivity. Report last week said some of the
:28:16. > :28:19.lowest speeds can be found in North Wales. There are still many people
:28:20. > :28:23.who don't have access to superfast broadband. What are you doing to
:28:24. > :28:28.hold BT and open reach to account, to make sure they deliver on their
:28:29. > :28:32.promises and obligations under the scheme? And what action are you
:28:33. > :28:38.taking to address those 5% of properties which are currently
:28:39. > :28:47.outside the scope of the scheme, so that those in those areas have the
:28:48. > :28:56.opportunity to work from home? Many of the 96% of those who have access
:28:57. > :28:59.to broadband would not have had that without government intervention.
:29:00. > :29:04.There will be other alternatives which have to be explored. For
:29:05. > :29:11.example, the use of satellites rather than tables. We are aware of
:29:12. > :29:18.these areas. We need to ensure the 4% are not forgotten about. I'm
:29:19. > :29:24.given to understand there are present 175 businesses on lists for
:29:25. > :29:30.cancel old units in Caerphilly. Some for up to five years. Are there any
:29:31. > :29:35.government plans to help councils like Caerphilly construct new units
:29:36. > :29:40.to accommodate such surpluses? Given the fact that obviously there is the
:29:41. > :29:48.potential to create thousands of jobs closer to home. I'm unaware of
:29:49. > :29:53.the situation as he describes it. I will write to him on that as it is
:29:54. > :29:58.specific to that council. We need to avoid a situation where we build
:29:59. > :30:04.speculatively lot of factory units. Lots of them remained empty in the
:30:05. > :30:07.1990s. We want to identify existing business is appropriate for
:30:08. > :30:12.businesses who want them. And to look at where building can take
:30:13. > :30:20.place where there is demand. Back as part of the economic strategy. What
:30:21. > :30:22.progress has been made in setting up the Constitutional Convention? I
:30:23. > :30:33.have been calling for a number of years for this constitutional
:30:34. > :30:41.convention. The case is now even stronger. This is an important
:30:42. > :30:45.issue. Would he agree that the unwritten constitution of the UK is
:30:46. > :30:54.unsustainable in view of leaving the EU and with the threat of a second
:30:55. > :30:57.Scottish independence referendum? The heart of the problem is
:30:58. > :31:02.parliamentary sovereignty. All power comes from one place in Westminster.
:31:03. > :31:07.It has the ability to do whatever it wants. I think there are several
:31:08. > :31:11.centres of democratic accountability, of which this
:31:12. > :31:17.assembly is one. For me, the UK has to move more towards a system of
:31:18. > :31:24.shared sovereignty. It works in Canada. We need to get away from
:31:25. > :31:28.this idea that somehow everything is subordinate to Westminster. That is
:31:29. > :31:32.not the model I believe. It might have worked in the 19th century, I
:31:33. > :31:42.don't think it will work in this century.
:31:43. > :31:49.Moving forward, we know that the Welsh Government, Plaid Cymru White
:31:50. > :31:53.Paper has been rejected out of hand by the UK Government. We know the UK
:31:54. > :31:58.Government has broken its promise to other UK wide approach to EU
:31:59. > :32:04.negotiations before triggering Article 50. Doesn't bode well ahead
:32:05. > :32:12.of the repeal Bill and the legislation. The First Minister
:32:13. > :32:17.could trigger an article, which would bring a continuity bill to
:32:18. > :32:22.this assembly now to defend the current Welsh constitution from a
:32:23. > :32:27.power grab from Westminster. There has been no formal response to the
:32:28. > :32:35.White Paper that we have produced. Secondly, the great reform Bill is
:32:36. > :32:43.designed to be a bill that will reserve EU law in the jurisdictions
:32:44. > :32:51.of the UK. The laws of the different parts of the UK. That is all it
:32:52. > :33:00.does. But we would oppose any suggestion there will be a claw-back
:33:01. > :33:04.in devolved powers. Or that powers returning from Brussels would sit
:33:05. > :33:08.through a period of time in Westminster. We would argue against
:33:09. > :33:18.that strongly. We will not support that if that is proposed as part of
:33:19. > :33:21.that Bill. I think the problem with the convention as you can only have
:33:22. > :33:28.one until after a second referendum in Scotland, which at some point in
:33:29. > :33:33.the future does look a possibility. I just wonder if you're more
:33:34. > :33:39.immediate aim to be with the Prime Minister to see out the G system
:33:40. > :33:45.could be strengthened. I commend the remarks on how that might happen,
:33:46. > :33:51.although not the style he made them. I think he was to course when he
:33:52. > :33:56.compared it to since I gets community council. He made some
:33:57. > :34:06.interesting points about how this could be made more robust. Over the
:34:07. > :34:09.next two years, there is a golden opportunity to restructure the way
:34:10. > :34:13.in which decisions are taken across the UK. It's no good waiting until
:34:14. > :34:18.that periods of time has elapsed because then when you find ourselves
:34:19. > :34:24.in a situation where there is no way to put in place an alternative
:34:25. > :34:28.system. It means the GMC should evolve into a proper council of
:34:29. > :34:37.ministers. Where joint decisions are taken in areas which are devolved.
:34:38. > :34:41.In might be there is merit in having a common fisheries policy for
:34:42. > :34:46.example. We know when the UK leaves the EU there is the distinct
:34:47. > :34:52.possibility that state aid rules will no longer apply. In which case,
:34:53. > :34:57.there will be a free for all in terms of the insider market in the
:34:58. > :35:03.UK. It is in no 1's interest for there to be a trade war. We want to
:35:04. > :35:10.put together a set of rules in the UK agreed by the four governments.
:35:11. > :35:17.And by an independent body to police those rules. The US Supreme Court
:35:18. > :35:24.performs that function in terms of interstate commerce in the US. And
:35:25. > :35:28.internal single market without a proper policing of rules is not
:35:29. > :35:34.working properly and I don't want to see that.
:35:35. > :35:42.Personally I welcome the initiative the First Minister is showing, but
:35:43. > :35:52.regarding David's important question, following that fascinating
:35:53. > :35:58.session speaking to students at the University of South Wales looking
:35:59. > :36:04.on, if we don't achieve this polarity, what is your prognosis
:36:05. > :36:10.going forward as we transition to exiting the EU to a very different
:36:11. > :36:16.framework in the UK, what's your promise if we don't get those
:36:17. > :36:22.mechanisms in place? There is a danger that the UK will start to
:36:23. > :36:30.unravel, in particular, one thing that is not often mentioned what is
:36:31. > :36:36.worth noting is what might cause the rise of English nationalism, leaving
:36:37. > :36:45.England agreed that the system. This can be dealt with, our four distinct
:36:46. > :36:50.nationalities, but that means putting in place a structure that
:36:51. > :36:53.reflects that this is a partnership of nations, rather than believing
:36:54. > :37:04.that this is something like a unitary state, before it entered the
:37:05. > :37:08.common market. These issues are resolvable, they need to be resolved
:37:09. > :37:15.so that when the UK leads the EU, that structure is already in place
:37:16. > :37:18.in terms of the single market, the council ministers, rather than doing
:37:19. > :37:33.it in a few years' time and leaving a vacuum. Will the First Minister
:37:34. > :37:39.make a statement on the Welsh Government's efforts to combat
:37:40. > :37:47.homelessness in Romney. We have the legislation to help those at risk of
:37:48. > :37:51.homelessness. My concerns are similar to those raised by Jeremy
:37:52. > :37:57.Miles, but I have one specific point. I had the opportunity from
:37:58. > :38:05.January through to this week to volunteer in the wheel winter night
:38:06. > :38:09.shelter provided by the council in my constituency, and I would like to
:38:10. > :38:16.thank the council there for providing that night shelter and for
:38:17. > :38:20.providing selfless volunteers who worked throughout that period to
:38:21. > :38:24.assist residents there, but perhaps what I was moved by most was the
:38:25. > :38:31.total hopelessness of people who find themselves homeless now. There
:38:32. > :38:36.are many people there who are homeless for a number of reasons,
:38:37. > :38:41.health problems, drug dependency and so forth, but I'm struck by the
:38:42. > :38:43.number of those who are there because of relationship and family
:38:44. > :38:52.breakdowns. They didn't have anywhere else to live and it was the
:38:53. > :39:01.kind of downward spiral. You do need to come to a question. The question
:39:02. > :39:04.came with a discussion I had between two men who could lift themselves
:39:05. > :39:11.out of homelessness by joining together to get a place to rent.
:39:12. > :39:22.They'd... You really need to get to your question. I need to explain.
:39:23. > :39:25.You've explained your explanation. They couldn't find a guarantor
:39:26. > :39:28.because they didn't have any access to anyone who could guarantee their
:39:29. > :39:33.rental with a private landlord, could you, First Minister, gives
:39:34. > :39:39.some indication about what the Welsh Government could do, possibly
:39:40. > :39:44.working with local authorities and riders to break down the barriers
:39:45. > :39:58.that make it difficult for homeless people to secure rented
:39:59. > :40:04.accommodation. There are many points she has made. People can't get
:40:05. > :40:08.themselves out of the rut they find themselves in. They can't look the
:40:09. > :40:14.part for the job because they haven't got any money, they can't
:40:15. > :40:20.get health or mental health help for problems, or they have addiction.
:40:21. > :40:28.There are a number of pathways but getting the monster that pathway is
:40:29. > :40:31.the difficult part. A tailor-made approach to that individual will
:40:32. > :40:39.work most effectively, but we also face a situation because people have
:40:40. > :40:43.nowhere to live and can't claim housing benefit because of their
:40:44. > :40:53.age, and that is something that could have been prevented by the UK
:40:54. > :41:01.Government. The Conservative Government announced a ?14 million
:41:02. > :41:08.programme to help those endangered by homelessness, to provide
:41:09. > :41:16.educational opportunities, helping long-term rough sleepers with poor
:41:17. > :41:22.mental health and substance abuse, we'll be First Minister find out
:41:23. > :41:28.what measures can be taken to tackle homelessness in south-east Wales?
:41:29. > :41:35.There are lots of young people who are homeless because of the UK
:41:36. > :41:38.Government's decision to not provide housing benefit. They end up living
:41:39. > :41:46.on the streets as a result of that. That money could have been better
:41:47. > :41:55.targeted if it had been used in that way. Our supporting people programme
:41:56. > :42:00.has played its part, we will protect that budget from 2017-2018. We have
:42:01. > :42:06.distinct approaches to support those in our community most at risk,
:42:07. > :42:12.ex-service personnel, ex-offenders, trying to help young people avoid
:42:13. > :42:18.homelessness because of the actions of the UK Government. I would argue
:42:19. > :42:32.to him that the UK Government is try to catch up with us already. Were
:42:33. > :42:41.the First Minister -- will the First Minister explain how work is being
:42:42. > :42:52.supported in south-east Wales, please? This is through... What
:42:53. > :43:00.about the sub editing hub in Newport which has been raised in this
:43:01. > :43:13.Chamber before, it has been revealed that the business has been provided
:43:14. > :43:18.with ?95,000 and ?245,000 to expand its sub editing hub last year, what
:43:19. > :43:25.conditions apply to these grants and what action would the Welsh
:43:26. > :43:32.Government take to stop this from happening in Newport? We gave money
:43:33. > :43:38.to the company to create 115 jobs. That was exceeded, but the award was
:43:39. > :43:43.conditional on the jobs being in place until May 20 20. If that
:43:44. > :43:53.condition isn't met then we will look to recoup the money. What is
:43:54. > :44:02.the Welsh Government doing to help employment practices in chains in
:44:03. > :44:07.South Wales? We expect the Welsh public sector to improve the
:44:08. > :44:12.well-being of workers in our supply chain. It's heartening to hear about
:44:13. > :44:21.the new code of practice within the employment for supply chains in the
:44:22. > :44:24.public sector. But it's only by working together that we can deliver
:44:25. > :44:28.a fairer deal for workers in the supply chains in Wales and
:44:29. > :44:34.throughout the world. Can I seek assurance from you that we will make
:44:35. > :44:40.this happen in Wales through the long reach of the public sector,
:44:41. > :44:44.third agencies and others, but reaching deep into other nations,
:44:45. > :44:51.including developing nations so that our supply chains, including
:44:52. > :44:58.sourcing overseas do not exploit any work-out, anywhere. It demonstrates
:44:59. > :45:04.the eradication of illegal practices, based in Wales and
:45:05. > :45:11.beyond. We need the longest reach possible to ensure that this role is
:45:12. > :45:17.not just through the public sector but the private one as well, we hope
:45:18. > :45:23.to raise and level the playing field for ethical businesses. So those who
:45:24. > :45:33.do so cannot be undercut by illegal methods. Will the First Minister
:45:34. > :45:39.outline how the Welsh Government is supporting disabled people to remain
:45:40. > :45:43.active members of their community? We aim to support those in their
:45:44. > :45:55.communities independently. We will be looking to renew the framework
:45:56. > :46:01.this year,. I have been dealing with a constituent whose wheelchair went
:46:02. > :46:06.into repair. He was left without a suitable turn a tip as it this boat.
:46:07. > :46:18.He has been done unsuccessful in contacting anybody.
:46:19. > :46:26.Frankly, this is unacceptable. I'm told that waiting time for
:46:27. > :46:31.wheelchairs is excessive. How can we hope to support disabled people to
:46:32. > :46:35.remain active members of our community if we can't provide such
:46:36. > :46:43.basic needs? What are you doing to eliminate this time waiting for
:46:44. > :46:49.wheelchairs and dealing with the repairs for an ailing person's
:46:50. > :46:53.support. It's evident that this constituent has gone through a bad
:46:54. > :47:01.experience. Can I ask you to write to me and I will write back to you
:47:02. > :47:06.with an explanation. That's it. First Minister's Questions is over.
:47:07. > :47:18.If you want more coverage, you can go to the Senedd live page. Don't
:47:19. > :47:22.forget the Wales Report, With Hugh Edwards is on, but from us on the
:47:23. > :47:27.programme, thanks for watching. Today we're road-testing
:47:28. > :47:30.the BBC iPlayer Kids app. You just pop in their age
:47:31. > :47:37.when you set it up and look - all their favourite CBeebies
:47:38. > :47:40.programmes are in one place. It's a whole family of woolly
:47:41. > :47:45.mammoths. Wow! Yes! so you can take CBeebies
:47:46. > :47:50.with you wherever you go. The BBC iPlayer Kids app.
:47:51. > :47:57.Ready to download now. He believes himself to be
:47:58. > :47:59.your equal. We would have no quarrel
:48:00. > :48:02.with Aelfric. I need 200 Christian men
:48:03. > :48:05.of Bebbanburg. In return,
:48:06. > :48:10.I shall require the head...