Browse content similar to 24/01/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Welcome to the programme and our weekly coverage | :00:19. | :00:21. | |
Though there are no questions on the order paper | :00:22. | :00:24. | |
about the Supreme Court's decision on Brexit, I'd be a little surprised | :00:25. | :00:27. | |
if none of the party leaders chose to ask Carwyn Jones | :00:28. | :00:30. | |
He's also expecting questions on winder preparedness of the NHS, | :00:31. | :00:34. | |
protecting the Welsh economy and increasing the number | :00:35. | :00:37. | |
You can follow us on Twitter, @walespolitics, where you'll | :00:38. | :00:43. | |
find all the latest political comings and goings. | :00:44. | :00:46. | |
Well, question time is already underway so let's | :00:47. | :00:48. | |
I call the national assembly to order and the first question is | :00:49. | :01:03. | |
questions to the First Minister and the first question is from Dai | :01:04. | :01:05. | |
Lloyd. Will the First Minister make | :01:06. | :01:06. | |
a statement on plans to increase the number of Welsh speakers | :01:07. | :01:09. | |
in South Wales West? Our vision is to have a million | :01:10. | :01:17. | |
Welsh speakers use the language by 2050. We have consulted on a draft | :01:18. | :01:25. | |
strategy in order to achieve that. Thank you for that response. Of | :01:26. | :01:29. | |
course like the rest of the chamber I am very pleased to support your | :01:30. | :01:35. | |
ambitious objective of securing a million Welsh speakers by halfway | :01:36. | :01:40. | |
through the century. That's an increase in some within the region | :01:41. | :01:48. | |
of 400,000 Welsh speakers. An average increase of 18,004 each of | :01:49. | :01:54. | |
current counties. The education sector is crucial to this. In light | :01:55. | :02:00. | |
of that to you believe that the capacity of Welsh medium primary | :02:01. | :02:06. | |
school places over the next three years as is suggested in the | :02:07. | :02:10. | |
Bridgend banned and other councils in South Wales is that small numbers | :02:11. | :02:15. | |
sufficient in order to reach your target and if not then what will you | :02:16. | :02:20. | |
do to ensure that the councils understand the crucially important | :02:21. | :02:24. | |
role they will play in supporting you in achieving your target? Local | :02:25. | :02:34. | |
authorities of course will be responsible for publishing their | :02:35. | :02:38. | |
strategic lands on supporting the Welsh language in the schools. They | :02:39. | :02:43. | |
have two present those to us in order for us to approve them. If | :02:44. | :02:47. | |
there is any scheme which is not adequate then the government will | :02:48. | :02:54. | |
not approve it. Would the First Minister acknowledge the importance | :02:55. | :03:01. | |
of the Urdd Eisteddfod for the Welsh language and would he congratulate | :03:02. | :03:08. | |
those people who organise and fund raise for the Bridgend if they step | :03:09. | :03:17. | |
for. The hard work of a number of volunteers to maintain the language | :03:18. | :03:23. | |
is important and in some of the communities where the Welsh language | :03:24. | :03:27. | |
is not the first language and I am sure you will be warmly welcoming | :03:28. | :03:36. | |
people to enjoy the dance to fundraisers well. I always receive a | :03:37. | :03:43. | |
warm welcome because at one time the village was in my constituency. As | :03:44. | :03:51. | |
one who has worked hard to raise funds for the ever faced ever they | :03:52. | :03:55. | |
have organised to quiz nights with my wife and I am very supportive and | :03:56. | :04:02. | |
of course I support everyone who supports the stairs of. To make sure | :04:03. | :04:08. | |
it is a success this year and to ensure there is more growth in the | :04:09. | :04:13. | |
numbers of people speaking and using the Welsh language. At a recent | :04:14. | :04:25. | |
meeting in Swansea council officials suggested their focus during this | :04:26. | :04:29. | |
cycle of wood beyond promoting the Welsh would and that is a step | :04:30. | :04:33. | |
forward but it doesn't respond to demand. I got the impression from | :04:34. | :04:37. | |
the cabinet member that she thought the current vocalised demand came | :04:38. | :04:44. | |
from a specific section of Swansea side the and I believe there should | :04:45. | :04:49. | |
be at least one person with good Welsh language gills in each flying | :04:50. | :04:52. | |
start scheme. Do you agree that early access to both of our | :04:53. | :04:56. | |
languages will enhance opportunities for children from more deprived | :04:57. | :05:02. | |
backgrounds? Yes of course. We must ensure there are more places | :05:03. | :05:07. | |
available in the nursery schools but we also must make sure that children | :05:08. | :05:15. | |
in the nursery schools are remaining in the Welsh stream when they go | :05:16. | :05:19. | |
into the primary schools and the secondary schools in order to ensure | :05:20. | :05:23. | |
they don't lose the language skills that they have gained as they go | :05:24. | :05:33. | |
through school. The Welsh language commissioner said that in order to | :05:34. | :05:37. | |
increase the number of Welsh speakers we need radical change to | :05:38. | :05:40. | |
our education system. She has suggested we should consider | :05:41. | :05:44. | |
teaching all primary schools through the medium of Welsh. It has been | :05:45. | :05:49. | |
compulsory for every school child in Wales to learn Welsh since 1999 yet | :05:50. | :05:54. | |
despite this the members of Welsh speakers has fallen. Polls suggest | :05:55. | :06:01. | |
the majority of people are opposed to compulsory teaching. Is it time | :06:02. | :06:07. | |
we accepted that may be the stick approach is not working and rather | :06:08. | :06:12. | |
than dictating everyone should learn Welsh, can we maybe instead be | :06:13. | :06:16. | |
making it easier for those who really want to learn? She was | :06:17. | :06:27. | |
suggesting that every primary school should be Welsh medium. There are | :06:28. | :06:33. | |
issues surrounding that, practical issues in terms of recruiting | :06:34. | :06:38. | |
teachers. I believe it is right our national languages should be | :06:39. | :06:41. | |
compulsory to the age of 16. There are issues about the way Welsh is | :06:42. | :06:46. | |
taught in English medium schools. I don't think we can say we have | :06:47. | :06:51. | |
created it confident Welsh speakers in owning this medium schools. | :06:52. | :06:55. | |
That's why a new curriculum will be important and we need to move away | :06:56. | :06:59. | |
from the idea that Welsh is solely academic area of study and moved | :07:00. | :07:05. | |
more towards it being a full facial skill. -- a vocational skill. I | :07:06. | :07:14. | |
think that would be a good way of improving the way that Welsh is | :07:15. | :07:23. | |
taught. Question two was removed. Julie Morgan. | :07:24. | :07:25. | |
What discussions has the First Minister had | :07:26. | :07:27. | |
with the Prime Minister about future regional policy? | :07:28. | :07:30. | |
I have raised the issue of replacement funding. We have been | :07:31. | :07:38. | |
very clear about our priorities including regional policy. When he | :07:39. | :07:49. | |
next meets the Prime Minister in the context of the Brexit negotiations | :07:50. | :07:54. | |
will he stress how vitally important regional economic strategy is to | :07:55. | :07:59. | |
Wales and Woody emphasised that replacement funding from the UK | :08:00. | :08:02. | |
Government must be at least equal in size to lost EU funding and it must | :08:03. | :08:08. | |
be under the Welsh Government's control. A promise was made by some | :08:09. | :08:12. | |
in the campaign last year that Wales would not lose a penny if Wales lost | :08:13. | :08:17. | |
the European Union. I expect that promise to be honoured. It is hugely | :08:18. | :08:27. | |
important that the economic losses we have developed here, the lowest | :08:28. | :08:36. | |
unemployment for many years, are fully within the control of the | :08:37. | :08:39. | |
Welsh Government to deliver those benefits. This morning I attended | :08:40. | :08:50. | |
the annual STW farmers breakfast hosted by Paul Davies. Farmers were | :08:51. | :08:57. | |
eager for clarity on the system of farm payments to be created in the | :08:58. | :09:02. | |
way of the UK leaving the EU. Can you update us on your government's | :09:03. | :09:05. | |
discussions with the UK Government on the best way to safeguard future | :09:06. | :09:08. | |
support for the Welsh farming industry? The FAW president | :09:09. | :09:14. | |
expressed his concern last week about the perfect storm. We have no | :09:15. | :09:26. | |
clarity beyond 2020. There are some who suggest the European market is | :09:27. | :09:30. | |
not important for farming. In the percent of our exports go to the | :09:31. | :09:33. | |
European market and it cannot be replaced easily as a market for our | :09:34. | :09:39. | |
goods so we must ensure that as the UK leaves the EU nothing interferes | :09:40. | :09:42. | |
with the ability of our farmers to sell on the same terms as they do | :09:43. | :09:51. | |
now to by far the biggest market. Pre-19 79 the UK regional policy had | :09:52. | :09:55. | |
three owners, grants through the regional premium but also fiscal | :09:56. | :10:00. | |
incentives through the selective employment tax and cheap loans. In | :10:01. | :10:07. | |
his discussions with the UK Government in the ministerial Forum | :10:08. | :10:12. | |
announced earlier this week will he ask that all of those will be | :10:13. | :10:17. | |
available to us to ensure that Wales can develop its competitive | :10:18. | :10:23. | |
advantage. We are in very new territory in terms of what will be | :10:24. | :10:26. | |
needed in the future to attract investment into Wales. For example, | :10:27. | :10:32. | |
there are issues like tax incentives which need to be further developed. | :10:33. | :10:44. | |
APD is a great driver for airports in Wales. They say it was a mistake | :10:45. | :10:54. | |
to devolve to Scotland so it doesn't come to us. As we look at the next | :10:55. | :11:02. | |
few years we need an infinitive of way rather than taking the view that | :11:03. | :11:08. | |
one size fits all. Would you welcome the fact the Prime Minister has | :11:09. | :11:14. | |
announced an industrial strategy. I am encouraged that one of the | :11:15. | :11:17. | |
sectors the UK Government intends to prioritise includes robotics and | :11:18. | :11:22. | |
automation. The Bank of England has estimated that a 15 million jobs | :11:23. | :11:27. | |
across the UK at risk from automation. And would he work with | :11:28. | :11:31. | |
employers in Wales to make sure the future proof their workforce to meet | :11:32. | :11:36. | |
this huge challenge. There are two issues. There is little in it that | :11:37. | :11:41. | |
can be disagreed with but it's a mishmash because some of these | :11:42. | :11:48. | |
things are not devolved. There needs to be greater clarity. There will be | :11:49. | :11:54. | |
a temptation to automate further which is why we need to focus | :11:55. | :11:58. | |
strongly on raising productivity across the UK to make sure employers | :11:59. | :12:04. | |
are not tempted to replace human beings with machines. That is | :12:05. | :12:10. | |
something we want to focus on strongly. Raising productivity | :12:11. | :12:13. | |
levels to at least the level of Germany to make sure our working | :12:14. | :12:21. | |
people are not that his disadvantage. Questions now from the | :12:22. | :12:32. | |
party leaders. Neil Hamilton. I am not going to ask a question about | :12:33. | :12:36. | |
the EU today because don't want to be typecast. I would like to ask | :12:37. | :12:43. | |
about the health service. In particular in relation to GPs. GP | :12:44. | :12:49. | |
numbers are static and there is rising demand for their services. In | :12:50. | :12:55. | |
2014 the latest figures we had the lowest number of GPs in Wales per | :12:56. | :13:00. | |
thousand people in the UK. 70% of GPs have sought guidance for | :13:01. | :13:06. | |
work-related stress in the last two years. 84% worry they may miss | :13:07. | :13:09. | |
something serious and it patient because of pressures. Does he accept | :13:10. | :13:26. | |
that as a growing crisis? If you look at social care we found the | :13:27. | :13:30. | |
social care 6% higher than Englanders which is why we have not | :13:31. | :13:35. | |
had the humanitarian crisis that England has had within its NHS. We | :13:36. | :13:41. | |
are also recruiting additional GPs. We have more GPs in Wales than ever | :13:42. | :13:45. | |
before. That is why we have the recruitment campaign that was | :13:46. | :13:50. | |
launched last year. I am leaves he is not asking me about Europe | :13:51. | :13:57. | |
because he did appear at a press conference yesterday and they do | :13:58. | :14:00. | |
thank him for the fact he is such a fan he cannot be away from me even | :14:01. | :14:07. | |
for a day! Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing but that is | :14:08. | :14:11. | |
not so in the case of First Minister. That is no answer to the | :14:12. | :14:22. | |
question I posed. Things are worsening lint than they are in | :14:23. | :14:27. | |
Wales. It is true there is a pincer movement here of increasing demand | :14:28. | :14:34. | |
on GPs and with GP numbers not keeping pace with those rising | :14:35. | :14:38. | |
demands. The NHS funding on GPs in Wales is down since 2004 from 10% of | :14:39. | :14:45. | |
the total to 7/2%. Throw College of General protection -- petitioners | :14:46. | :14:50. | |
say more GPs spending could save the NHS ?90 million EU if we repro size | :14:51. | :14:57. | |
GPs within the Welsh Government's NHS budget. Is that something the | :14:58. | :15:00. | |
First Minister is prepared to consider? A ?43 million primary care | :15:01. | :15:08. | |
fund is supporting that with the emphasis on new and improved ways of | :15:09. | :15:15. | |
developing the services of nurses and pharmacists and physiotherapist | :15:16. | :15:18. | |
and social workers to walk along side GPs. The answer lies not just | :15:19. | :15:23. | |
increasing number of GPs but ensuring that sufficient | :15:24. | :15:26. | |
professionals available in particular setting. We see that for | :15:27. | :15:36. | |
example in Prestatyn. They are to know that in some areas of Wales | :15:37. | :15:42. | |
patient pressure in terms of numbers on doctor 's surgery sessions is no | :15:43. | :15:49. | |
excessive. Canny givers any idea what he thinks the maximum number of | :15:50. | :15:53. | |
patients GP can reasonably deal with and our working day, and | :15:54. | :15:56. | |
particularly in relation to home visits for patients that are | :15:57. | :16:00. | |
housebound, the royal college of GPs tell me that certain instances | :16:01. | :16:05. | |
people have to wake up to 20 hours visit which is clearly unacceptable. | :16:06. | :16:10. | |
Some doctors deal with 120 patients per session instead of 50 or 60. | :16:11. | :16:14. | |
Exactly how many does it think is reasonable for doctors to see in the | :16:15. | :16:22. | |
session and how do they expect the Welsh government to meet the six | :16:23. | :16:25. | |
hour target which is currently being breached left right and centre | :16:26. | :16:28. | |
throughout the country? It depends of the patients who come through | :16:29. | :16:31. | |
this such a particular date. Some are seen in five minutes and for | :16:32. | :16:35. | |
other people takes longer. It depends on the nature of the patient | :16:36. | :16:38. | |
and GPs will have a good idea of it is the committees are working on the | :16:39. | :16:41. | |
nature of the patient and GPs will have a good idea that it is the work | :16:42. | :16:46. | |
the last thing we want to do is to point more and more people towards | :16:47. | :16:52. | |
GPs. We say to people could see a pharmacist first automating us on a | :16:53. | :16:56. | |
GP practice nurse and only then is the GPs only to go and see. There | :16:57. | :17:04. | |
are issues where some offer broader services in longer hours than | :17:05. | :17:07. | |
others. That is why it is important to work with the royal college and | :17:08. | :17:11. | |
others to make sure we see greater consistency in terms of delivery in | :17:12. | :17:18. | |
the future. First Minister I'm not going to ask about article 50 White | :17:19. | :17:23. | |
Paper that we jointly launched yesterday because there are | :17:24. | :17:26. | |
statements of both those matters coming in later. I would like to ask | :17:27. | :17:30. | |
you about matters relating to public services for which you are | :17:31. | :17:34. | |
responsible. Do you accept that many real commuters on the Valley lines | :17:35. | :17:40. | |
in particular face at touch and go situation when it comes to getting | :17:41. | :17:47. | |
to work on time? We are not responsible for the rail services. | :17:48. | :17:51. | |
We will be from next year and we welcome that. We want to make sure | :17:52. | :17:55. | |
the Wales and Borders franchise provides people with decent rolling | :17:56. | :17:58. | |
stock and more frequent trains and decent fears to pay. Those will be a | :17:59. | :18:03. | |
guiding principles as we look to let the franchise for next year on | :18:04. | :18:08. | |
board. So did nothing to do with the government? It is a touch and go | :18:09. | :18:11. | |
situation for many workers and IV is a regular delays as does everyone | :18:12. | :18:15. | |
else who uses the service. We never know when there will be delays and | :18:16. | :18:19. | |
cancellations and was a delay later my train coming to work this | :18:20. | :18:26. | |
morning. It is a daily occurrence. People feel they are not getting | :18:27. | :18:29. | |
value for money and more importantly that those trains cannot be relied | :18:30. | :18:34. | |
upon. For years our reader has try to make the service work by pushing | :18:35. | :18:41. | |
the current trains to the max. -- Arriva. These trains are very old. | :18:42. | :18:49. | |
It looks as if the services are breaking point. If it does make you | :18:50. | :18:53. | |
will have to do something. Is it acceptable to you that the | :18:54. | :18:55. | |
overcrowding situation and decide the Wales is the fastest-growing in | :18:56. | :19:06. | |
the UK of London? I am glad that the growth is increasing. The whole | :19:07. | :19:09. | |
point of the Metro was to make sure that we're better rolling stock and | :19:10. | :19:13. | |
don't have 40-year-old stock refurbished on the Valley lines with | :19:14. | :19:16. | |
no air conditioning. We don't have a situation with the track operates as | :19:17. | :19:20. | |
a stock operators blame each other for delays. We want is even next | :19:21. | :19:27. | |
year a metro system that is extended in the feature and offers a far | :19:28. | :19:30. | |
better service than has been available so far. She will have seen | :19:31. | :19:33. | |
the comments from economy Secretary in terms of its views on the profits | :19:34. | :19:40. | |
that Arriva have made despite the below par services on offer so far. | :19:41. | :19:46. | |
We can't afford to wait for the Metro and it could be years that we | :19:47. | :19:52. | |
see it coming on stream. My predecessor was a strong critic of | :19:53. | :19:56. | |
the current rail franchise contract for Wales. He said that the way to | :19:57. | :20:01. | |
be drawn up by an agency of the UK Government had led to a decade of | :20:02. | :20:06. | |
overcrowding and that verdict still stands today. Last Friday the Welsh | :20:07. | :20:10. | |
affairs select committee said that new trains would be needed and they | :20:11. | :20:18. | |
described the 2003 contract as a huge mistake. Commuters are not | :20:19. | :20:22. | |
prepared to put up with another probably negotiated franchise. Your | :20:23. | :20:25. | |
government will be responsible for the less franchise and we already | :20:26. | :20:27. | |
know the planning for that is under way. To date you have they get to | :20:28. | :20:33. | |
make clear to this assembly what Rolling stock will be provided and | :20:34. | :20:36. | |
I'm talking quantity as well as quantity. We have not been told | :20:37. | :20:42. | |
whether there will be new trains carriages if they have been ordered | :20:43. | :20:46. | |
yet. If there will be new trains of second hand when Ferdinand. Will you | :20:47. | :20:50. | |
tell us today what trains are going to be available for the next | :20:51. | :20:55. | |
franchise and will you give a cast iron guarantee that the mistakes of | :20:56. | :21:01. | |
the past contract would be repeated? We have no intention of repeating | :21:02. | :21:05. | |
the mistakes of the UK Government in the God of the last contract. She | :21:06. | :21:12. | |
rightly refers to what Mr Jones said when he was in charge of transport. | :21:13. | :21:16. | |
There was nothing he could do because it was not devolved and his | :21:17. | :21:21. | |
frustration was shared by me. Better trains and more frequent trains and | :21:22. | :21:24. | |
more modern mauling style. One problem though is its almost | :21:25. | :21:27. | |
impossible to procure these of trains and it seems ancient | :21:28. | :21:32. | |
technology so we have to make sure we see electrification and we have | :21:33. | :21:36. | |
to see the commitment from the UK Government that they will electrify | :21:37. | :21:41. | |
from Cardiff to Swansea. And the North Wales mainlines. In terms of | :21:42. | :21:46. | |
what the trains will look like in the future at very least they will | :21:47. | :21:52. | |
be this electric. We have to make sure that less of a geisha is taken | :21:53. | :21:56. | |
through. The whole point is you have the negotiation on the franchise and | :21:57. | :22:03. | |
is part of the franchise negotiation you specify what stock the operator | :22:04. | :22:09. | |
has to use. She asked if the service will run better. The answer I give | :22:10. | :22:16. | |
is yes. I am sure she will hold me to account. When you come third in | :22:17. | :22:25. | |
the leaders to ask questions you normally assume the topic of the day | :22:26. | :22:30. | |
will be asked by the other two. I would like to ask you on the | :22:31. | :22:35. | |
inspection report that has been brought forward today. You not | :22:36. | :22:44. | |
unreasonably said that she would make education your priority and | :22:45. | :22:47. | |
just before Christmas that we saw the result is that there was no | :22:48. | :22:53. | |
progress at all. Today they Iestyn inspection reports she was a damning | :22:54. | :22:57. | |
failure of leadership and particularly in excellence of | :22:58. | :22:59. | |
teaching in the secondary sector will if you choose a secondary | :23:00. | :23:03. | |
school in Wales who have less than 50% chance of going to a school that | :23:04. | :23:07. | |
is excellent soba chicks in practice. The event that is | :23:08. | :23:10. | |
acceptable after nearly seven years of being First Minister? There are | :23:11. | :23:15. | |
two things to bear in mind. Teachers pay and conditions have not been | :23:16. | :23:19. | |
divulged yet. There will be next year. That gives us a chance to put | :23:20. | :23:22. | |
in place a proper training package of pay and conditions that will | :23:23. | :23:25. | |
attract good teachers to Wales and improve the training of teachers in | :23:26. | :23:29. | |
Wales. Scotland have done it and that is the reason why we should not | :23:30. | :23:32. | |
be will to do that. Secondly the report makes the point that not | :23:33. | :23:38. | |
enough is done to stretch those at the top end of the academic leaks. | :23:39. | :23:48. | |
-- leagues. One of the reason that the Pisa report were disappointing | :23:49. | :23:51. | |
is that we don't do well at the top end. That bought a set of features | :23:52. | :23:57. | |
we need to do more to make sure that those were the high achievers | :23:58. | :24:00. | |
academically at least more to do even better. I'm glad that the | :24:01. | :24:06. | |
report has actually shown that to make sure that teachers and | :24:07. | :24:09. | |
politicians understand that is what needs to be done. In your answer | :24:10. | :24:14. | |
here. About pay and conditions in Scotland and the Scotland results in | :24:15. | :24:19. | |
the Pisa rankings collapsed and that is no example to follow, I would | :24:20. | :24:22. | |
suggest to you. You have had an initiative after initiative censure | :24:23. | :24:28. | |
tenure at First Minister and is as Labour have been running education | :24:29. | :24:31. | |
since 1999 we have our teacher workload initiatives and their | :24:32. | :24:34. | |
original consortium that have come in for special interest him today. | :24:35. | :24:42. | |
-- special criticism. The secretary of the annuity has said that there | :24:43. | :24:49. | |
are significant barriers to improving best practices. Do you | :24:50. | :24:52. | |
recognise those significant practices? -- barriers? We have had | :24:53. | :25:01. | |
initiative after initiative under your leadership and yet we're still | :25:02. | :25:06. | |
getting Iestyn reports. You're failing. To be lectured by somebody | :25:07. | :25:14. | |
who stood for election on the basis of cutting education spending by 12% | :25:15. | :25:20. | |
is unbelievable. To be lectured by somebody is failing to build schools | :25:21. | :25:25. | |
in England. While we are building schools in Wales. To be lectured by | :25:26. | :25:27. | |
somebody who was the beanbag grammar schools? Grammar schools means | :25:28. | :25:34. | |
chucking most children onto a scrappy. Of course there are issues | :25:35. | :25:41. | |
in education system. -- scrapheap. GCSE he results are improving and | :25:42. | :25:44. | |
A-level results are improving. We are seeing more schools coming out | :25:45. | :25:49. | |
in the category of underperforming. The good practices been pointed as | :25:50. | :25:54. | |
well. It is shown are particularly places that need to be focused on | :25:55. | :25:57. | |
and they are being focused on but we know that a school zone in the right | :25:58. | :26:00. | |
direction proper funding and not being starved of funding by his | :26:01. | :26:08. | |
party elsewhere in Britain. You always know when you strike never | :26:09. | :26:11. | |
the First Minister and it brings up statistics at Stanton no scrutiny at | :26:12. | :26:14. | |
all and we're talking about the here and now and the Iestyn that was | :26:15. | :26:21. | |
delivered today that is a damning indictment and yours they would ship | :26:22. | :26:27. | |
here in Wales. -- on your stewardship here in Wales. 50% of | :26:28. | :26:31. | |
teachers in Cardiff have left their post in the last three years. | :26:32. | :26:35. | |
Initiative after initiative that I have highlighted and you're failing | :26:36. | :26:41. | |
to drive up standards here in Wales. Kids get one chance to go to school. | :26:42. | :26:47. | |
You set education at the priority and you have failed to deliver. It | :26:48. | :26:51. | |
is about time you accepted some accountability for this and instead | :26:52. | :26:55. | |
of rehearsing their arguments of yesterday started mapping out a | :26:56. | :26:58. | |
vision for tomorrow and the success that we all want to see in our | :26:59. | :27:02. | |
education system here in Wales. There is I believe they can say as | :27:03. | :27:06. | |
Donald Trump 's press secretary for the leader of the best Conservative | :27:07. | :27:10. | |
Party by his presentation of all kinds of fact. It is indisputable | :27:11. | :27:19. | |
that the GSE -- GS CE results have improved. It is indisputable that | :27:20. | :27:24. | |
this party wanted cut education spending by 12% and they boasted | :27:25. | :27:31. | |
about it. They produced an mini manifesto that included that figure. | :27:32. | :27:33. | |
The reality is that his party have not come anywhere near in education | :27:34. | :27:36. | |
wells and it would have destroyed it. They would not have built | :27:37. | :27:39. | |
schools that would have kept children being taught in schools | :27:40. | :27:43. | |
that were falling apart. Education is moving in the right direction | :27:44. | :27:45. | |
with improvement across the board and that is exactly where we will | :27:46. | :27:50. | |
take education the future. Not backwards to the days when education | :27:51. | :27:54. | |
was underfunded by the Conservative Party, a party that surely does not | :27:55. | :27:58. | |
care about education for all and does not care about the | :27:59. | :28:02. | |
opportunities that are available for youngsters in Wales. That is what we | :28:03. | :28:06. | |
stand for and it will never understand what it means to get a | :28:07. | :28:09. | |
good education and good opportunities because they had never | :28:10. | :28:11. | |
had to fight for it themselves. Will the First Minister outline | :28:12. | :28:18. | |
the Welsh Government's plan for winter preparedness | :28:19. | :28:21. | |
in the Welsh NHS? We continue to support health and | :28:22. | :28:28. | |
social care organisations through our monthly seasonal planning | :28:29. | :28:37. | |
meetings. In 2015 the National Institute for clinical accidents | :28:38. | :28:41. | |
published as clinical health guidance on tackling excess winter | :28:42. | :28:51. | |
deaths. It outlined a number of recommendations about how health and | :28:52. | :28:53. | |
social care practitioners could reduce the risk of health problems | :28:54. | :29:01. | |
and therefore pressures in the Welsh NHS. Given the plight country have | :29:02. | :29:13. | |
said last September that -- Plaid Cymru. It is as an problem, how will | :29:14. | :29:21. | |
you respond? There are schemes that help many people particularly older | :29:22. | :29:27. | |
people to get homes that are warmer to ensure that they can heat their | :29:28. | :29:32. | |
homes and have boiler systems and heating systems of the more | :29:33. | :29:34. | |
efficient than what they once had and let's keep the might of hospital | :29:35. | :29:38. | |
because they are in homes that are under heated. We believe we are a | :29:39. | :29:41. | |
good reckoned that intends the money we have allocated any previous years | :29:42. | :29:46. | |
to help so many people in Wales live in warmth and able to afford their | :29:47. | :29:49. | |
heating bills and that is something I am proud of. | :29:50. | :30:08. | |
On average around 3000 patients waiting longer than 12 hours month | :30:09. | :30:16. | |
after month. Isn't that evidence of a systemic problem with the delivery | :30:17. | :30:21. | |
of emergency care in Wales with excellent staff being asked to | :30:22. | :30:24. | |
deliver the impossible rather than something that can be blamed on poor | :30:25. | :30:31. | |
weather? What happens in the winter, even though numbers in AMD dropped | :30:32. | :30:35. | |
the conditions tend to be longer term. In the summer they tend to the | :30:36. | :30:42. | |
injuries that don't need as much time in AMD. The issues we face are | :30:43. | :30:48. | |
these. We need to make sure that social care spending is kept tight. | :30:49. | :30:56. | |
It is true to say the demand is higher and they pay tribute to those | :30:57. | :31:01. | |
who work in the services. But every consultant will tell you that there | :31:02. | :31:07. | |
are too many people going to AMD who don't need to be there. What we say | :31:08. | :31:11. | |
to people is go and see the pharmacy or the GPs, all these are | :31:12. | :31:24. | |
alternatives. If people are not urgent cases they do wait longer in | :31:25. | :31:29. | |
a and B. The urgent cases get treated first. People need to make | :31:30. | :31:34. | |
their own choices and we will continue to make sure we fund our | :31:35. | :31:36. | |
hospitals to meet demand. What steps is the Welsh Government | :31:37. | :31:44. | |
taking regarding Aberthaw power station following the decision | :31:45. | :31:46. | |
of the European Court Natural Resources Wales is the | :31:47. | :31:58. | |
environmental regulator responsible for modifying Aberthaw's perk turn | :31:59. | :32:05. | |
it so that it gives judgment. We as a governor -- government continue to | :32:06. | :32:12. | |
closely monitor the progress towards delivering compliance. The court | :32:13. | :32:21. | |
case was last September and the member state which is the UK | :32:22. | :32:24. | |
Government was found guilty of allowing illegal levels of pollution | :32:25. | :32:29. | |
from Aberthaw Power Station. Since then there has only been one on | :32:30. | :32:35. | |
written letter to the company that has been responded to. He has been | :32:36. | :32:42. | |
no change to the permit and Public Health Wales confirmed to me last | :32:43. | :32:48. | |
week that 1150 early death is take place annually in Wales because of | :32:49. | :32:57. | |
nitrogen dioxide pollution. Why are we allowing such a situation where | :32:58. | :33:05. | |
there is this coming from a power station months after the court | :33:06. | :33:07. | |
decided this needed to be tackled? This is a matter for Natural | :33:08. | :33:12. | |
Resources Wales but I will say that the omission of nitro oxide, those | :33:13. | :33:18. | |
emissions have been reduced to a level from Aberthaw itself to a | :33:19. | :33:23. | |
level which isn't far from the acceptable level which is close to | :33:24. | :33:30. | |
what the court said. Although it is a matter for Natural Resources Wales | :33:31. | :33:36. | |
it does look as if the emissions have been reduced and now it's a | :33:37. | :33:42. | |
matter of seeing whether it's possible to permit the place to | :33:43. | :33:48. | |
proceed. I was interested by that answer because I've not seen the | :33:49. | :33:51. | |
data and I thought some level investment would be required to | :33:52. | :33:54. | |
reduce these emissions which were over twice the agreed European | :33:55. | :34:01. | |
limit. If you could put that information in the library we would | :34:02. | :34:07. | |
be very grateful. You do have to act quickly so that the public can be | :34:08. | :34:11. | |
assured they will be protected. The emissions go over Cardiff, | :34:12. | :34:26. | |
Bristol and parts of the West Country and it is a serious matter. | :34:27. | :34:30. | |
The information we have is that emissions have reduced from the | :34:31. | :34:36. | |
plant itself. On the 6th of January the centre of their intention to | :34:37. | :34:40. | |
begin the process of modifying the permit. Plans of a deadline is the | :34:41. | :34:52. | |
17th of February. RW we have invested in the plan to reduce | :34:53. | :34:57. | |
emissions but it must be brought within the limit in order for them | :34:58. | :35:00. | |
to be able to achieve a permit in future. | :35:01. | :35:05. | |
Will the First Minister make a statement on the National Grid's | :35:06. | :35:07. | |
We have consistently pressed the National Grid to ensure its | :35:08. | :35:19. | |
proposals for the new line across Anglesey are fit for purpose and | :35:20. | :35:22. | |
sensitive to the environment through which it will pass. Last Wednesday | :35:23. | :35:30. | |
the National Assembly for Wales made a clear statement that it is our | :35:31. | :35:39. | |
wish in this place for the National Grid to seek alternative methods of | :35:40. | :35:42. | |
making new electricity connections in Wales rather than putting in | :35:43. | :35:47. | |
place new pylons for any new developments here. That is | :35:48. | :35:52. | |
particularly pertinent to us on Anglesey where we face seeing a new | :35:53. | :35:57. | |
line of pylons being erected over the next few years. In light of the | :35:58. | :36:03. | |
fact this assembly has demonstrated its democratic will week ago, will | :36:04. | :36:11. | |
the First Minister give a commitment to contact the National Grid again | :36:12. | :36:16. | |
to put pressure on it to convince it that it should listen to the | :36:17. | :36:21. | |
Democratic voice of our National Assembly and reconsider their | :36:22. | :36:26. | |
proposals? After all every voice representing Anglesey apart from one | :36:27. | :36:33. | |
Ukip regional member and I include myself, the MP, parish councils, | :36:34. | :36:40. | |
town councils and the county council, have all expressed our | :36:41. | :36:45. | |
opposition and we would want the support of the First Minister to | :36:46. | :36:51. | |
urge them to listen. Of course the assembly's position is close to the | :36:52. | :36:56. | |
government's standpoint and we wish to see the cables being underground. | :36:57. | :37:00. | |
That is our standpoint and I am happy again to tell the National | :37:01. | :37:05. | |
Grid that is the view of the Parliament of Wales and therefore is | :37:06. | :37:09. | |
the view they should take into consideration. When I discussed this | :37:10. | :37:17. | |
with National Grid they told me they get paid for what they do whether | :37:18. | :37:21. | |
pylons go all the ground or underground but Ofgem require best | :37:22. | :37:25. | |
value for the customer and this will be paid through custom energy bills. | :37:26. | :37:31. | |
Given the best value means quality value as well as price what dialogue | :37:32. | :37:38. | |
will your government have with Ofgem given the concern raised by the | :37:39. | :37:41. | |
councils across Anglesey that the pylon option has been chosen on the | :37:42. | :37:47. | |
basis of cost alone? The rules are put in place by the UK Government | :37:48. | :37:52. | |
not by us. He asks would we reinforce our position and we will | :37:53. | :38:01. | |
continue to do that. We know the environmental sensitivity and it's | :38:02. | :38:06. | |
right to say the price is not the sole determinant of whether a | :38:07. | :38:11. | |
contract is awarded not or whether work is carried out the knot. We | :38:12. | :38:16. | |
share his view it is important to look at a wide range of factors when | :38:17. | :38:25. | |
we look at the overall cost. It is why we take the view they preferred | :38:26. | :38:28. | |
position should be underground. What discussions has | :38:29. | :38:33. | |
the Welsh Government had with the UK Government to impro | :38:34. | :38:36. | |
ve current rail We are having a rebel dialogue with | :38:37. | :38:50. | |
the UK Government on these matters. They are leading the procurement of | :38:51. | :38:53. | |
the next franchise which will improve services. Tonight on BBC | :38:54. | :38:58. | |
Wales Nick Savini goes behind the scenes of Arriva trains Wales as it | :38:59. | :39:02. | |
investigates the worst overcrowding on commuter trains for years. My | :39:03. | :39:06. | |
constituency continually raise with me overcrowding on trains but the | :39:07. | :39:12. | |
focus of Arriva trains Wales has made a profit of -- it also had ?70 | :39:13. | :39:24. | |
million in the bank at the time it filed its last accounts. The | :39:25. | :39:29. | |
existing franchise comes to an end in October 2018 20 months away. My | :39:30. | :39:36. | |
constituents are fearful that during the forthcoming Six Nations they | :39:37. | :39:39. | |
will again be stuck on Willie stations in Newbridge, Crosskeys as | :39:40. | :39:45. | |
the Ebbw Vale the Cardiff service is already at capacity. As | :39:46. | :39:52. | |
electrification is today -- delete can we call on the UK Government to | :39:53. | :39:57. | |
do its job and act as: Arriva trains Wales to find a solution before the | :39:58. | :40:02. | |
new franchises awarded and can he outlined what investigations have | :40:03. | :40:13. | |
taken place into the capacity issue? We work with Arriva trains Wales but | :40:14. | :40:22. | |
in terms of having levers that won't arrive till next year. In the past | :40:23. | :40:32. | |
Arriva trains Wales has obtained locomotives to pull trains and those | :40:33. | :40:39. | |
trains were popular with commuters. There is no reason in my mind why | :40:40. | :40:45. | |
they can seek to do that again. What my colleague has outlined his the | :40:46. | :40:51. | |
balmy situation where we pay a subsidy to rail operators to provide | :40:52. | :40:54. | |
substandard service while they make enormous profit and this was the | :40:55. | :41:00. | |
wonder of privatisation back in the 1990s. We should be able to look at | :41:01. | :41:06. | |
having a public sector not-for-profit agency running the | :41:07. | :41:09. | |
railway lines for the benefit of the people of Wales and not by paying a | :41:10. | :41:13. | |
subsidy in order to be shaved -- the shareholders. The House of Commons | :41:14. | :41:20. | |
Welsh affairs committee has recently said there is an urgent need for new | :41:21. | :41:35. | |
trains. It went on to say that Sam Rowlands stock was over 40 years | :41:36. | :41:43. | |
old. Would the Wales and broader franchise coming up to the first Mr | :41:44. | :41:48. | |
say what discussions has the Welsh Government has with regard with | :41:49. | :41:55. | |
providing a modern rail service for passengers in south-east Wales. | :41:56. | :42:01. | |
These are all part of the franchise negotiations. The Metro will improve | :42:02. | :42:10. | |
journey times and facilities. For the first time it will be the people | :42:11. | :42:13. | |
of Wales who are able to determine what their train service is actually | :42:14. | :42:21. | |
look like. We have this bizarre situation where at one point it was | :42:22. | :42:25. | |
said the wheels and Borders franchise would only cover trains | :42:26. | :42:28. | |
which began or two needed their journeys in Wales. I am glad that | :42:29. | :42:39. | |
situation seems to have been solved by the UK Government but they are | :42:40. | :42:42. | |
determined to provide a better level of service. I declare an interest | :42:43. | :42:52. | |
that my sister works for Network Rail. I've had correspondence from | :42:53. | :43:00. | |
people who have traded with transport links. | :43:01. | :43:11. | |
Can he update us on plans to open a new station in Abertillery but what | :43:12. | :43:20. | |
steps will the government have with the local authority to provide | :43:21. | :43:24. | |
adequate bus links before new Metro comes on stream. The member has made | :43:25. | :43:30. | |
himself the font or the recipient of all rail related complaints in the | :43:31. | :43:36. | |
SMB. Abertillery is included in the Metro plans as an area of expansion. | :43:37. | :43:45. | |
The railway tracks were last used when the mine was in place and third | :43:46. | :43:49. | |
years ago. It is a community that needs to be linked. Where there are | :43:50. | :43:58. | |
no existing heavy railway lines we want to make sure that communities | :43:59. | :44:01. | |
that lost their relaxed some years ago to regain them as part of the | :44:02. | :44:03. | |
Metro plans. What percentage of the budget is | :44:04. | :44:12. | |
allocated to the prevention of fraud? For the purpose of | :44:13. | :44:24. | |
identifying fraud if not possible to say what percentage of the spenders | :44:25. | :44:28. | |
but those who encounter the fraud unit. Don't you think it's ironic | :44:29. | :44:38. | |
that your leader was talking about a rigged system this month because in | :44:39. | :44:42. | |
Wales its labour that has rigged the system. | :44:43. | :45:06. | |
There was a massive grant for Cook. The company providing the guaranteed | :45:07. | :45:14. | |
give a massive donation to Labour Party. And yet your party at when | :45:15. | :45:19. | |
people out of the homes of the canopy bedroom tax. Are you happy | :45:20. | :45:24. | |
with all this? Are you happy, First Minister, with all this? The member | :45:25. | :45:31. | |
is probably wiser not repeating those allegations outside the | :45:32. | :45:34. | |
chamber. He has an unhappy history of libel trials. That was a stream | :45:35. | :45:38. | |
of consciousness as far as I can tell. In terms of appointment is | :45:39. | :45:41. | |
done openly. He is criticised appointment of the ombudsman. The | :45:42. | :45:52. | |
ombudsman was appointed whether -- whether Plaid Cymru member. There | :45:53. | :45:58. | |
have been cases where we investigated fraud which is | :45:59. | :46:02. | |
inevitable with a large organisation. Those investigations | :46:03. | :46:06. | |
are undertaken grabbers who is the subject of the investigation. If he | :46:07. | :46:10. | |
is suggesting that the worst government adviser been involved in | :46:11. | :46:13. | |
fraud which is the tone of his allegation he needs to make his | :46:14. | :46:15. | |
allegations known to the relevant authorities or make his allegations | :46:16. | :46:20. | |
backed up with evidence. NA allocation of Welsh grants to | :46:21. | :46:38. | |
organisations that are relevant checks and use of taxpayers money. | :46:39. | :46:45. | |
There have been allegations of various scandals and I'm aware of | :46:46. | :46:50. | |
?900,000 in North Wales were to directors bus company face criminal | :46:51. | :47:00. | |
action. And I do know of ten to 12 cases under investigation and how | :47:01. | :47:04. | |
the money has been used. There is finding that they are this | :47:05. | :47:10. | |
government. How can I reassure my constituents in Aberconwy that in | :47:11. | :47:14. | |
all matters you to take these things seriously. And that all transaction | :47:15. | :47:21. | |
between businesses and organisations they can fill confident you will | :47:22. | :47:26. | |
always maintain strict financial property at the heart of Welsh | :47:27. | :47:29. | |
government funding and these of our taxpayers money? That is a perfectly | :47:30. | :47:34. | |
fair question. We have a counter fraud unit headed by a retired | :47:35. | :47:38. | |
police officer with experience of leading economic crime and proceeds | :47:39. | :47:43. | |
of crime recovery units. He's also a member of the organising committee | :47:44. | :47:49. | |
of the worst fraud Forum. It is also supported by administration staff. | :47:50. | :47:52. | |
It is not a big unit but it does play a leadership role and draws on | :47:53. | :47:56. | |
considerable support. Is it possible to prevent all crime? No, clearly. | :47:57. | :48:04. | |
What is important is that crime is detected an investigative prosecuted | :48:05. | :48:07. | |
and the fact with happiness is the use of investigation is a sign, I | :48:08. | :48:12. | |
hope, that the member can see that we do take all allegations. That was | :48:13. | :48:23. | |
First Minister's Questions. If you want one of the National Service | :48:24. | :48:27. | |
coverage go live to | :48:28. | :48:28. |