Browse content similar to 28/03/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good afternoon and welcome to the programme, our weekly coverage of | :00:19. | :00:25. | |
questions to the First Minister. Carwyn Jones expects questions and | :00:26. | :00:30. | |
public transport, jobs for Newport and the funding of social care. Away | :00:31. | :00:35. | |
from the chamber, you can follow Welsh politics and our Twitter feed. | :00:36. | :00:41. | |
Business in the Assembly has started so let's cross to questions from the | :00:42. | :00:46. | |
First Minister -- for the First Minister. | :00:47. | :00:52. | |
TRANSLATION: The first item on the agenda is questions to the First | :00:53. | :00:58. | |
Minister. Will the First Minister make a statement on public transport | :00:59. | :01:02. | |
provision in south-east Wales. The plan sets out the measures we are | :01:03. | :01:07. | |
taking to make sure the south-east is connected by effective, modern | :01:08. | :01:12. | |
and fully into -- fully integrated public transport. The decision and | :01:13. | :01:20. | |
the awarding of the new Welsh border franchise is critically important | :01:21. | :01:23. | |
for south-east Wales and for the Wales Metro. You mentioned at the | :01:24. | :01:30. | |
end of your answer the importance of integration. Will you update us on | :01:31. | :01:33. | |
the process of awarding the franchise, given that the metro map | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
includes bus and train routes? What are you doing to make sure that the | :01:39. | :01:46. | |
independency of those two is insured in the new franchise? The franchise | :01:47. | :01:59. | |
is going well but I wouldn't expect to cross railway services with bus | :02:00. | :02:07. | |
services. Next year the government and the Assembly will have the | :02:08. | :02:10. | |
opportunity to integrate bus and rail services given the fact that | :02:11. | :02:16. | |
control will rest in the same place. It has been five years since the | :02:17. | :02:27. | |
report making a case for a step change in public transport was | :02:28. | :02:35. | |
published. A colour matter and rail costs about the same as on a | :02:36. | :02:38. | |
motorway but carries eight to 20 more people, so I wonder what the | :02:39. | :02:44. | |
government has done to deal with the congestion we currently have on the | :02:45. | :02:54. | |
Mfor east of Cardiff. That road is affected by many problems. -- the | :02:55. | :03:05. | |
M4. The Metro will improve and upgrade the existing lines and the | :03:06. | :03:12. | |
next phases will include light rail but that is some years away. The | :03:13. | :03:18. | |
initial focus will be on heavy rail lines that exists but there are | :03:19. | :03:22. | |
significant opportunities for modal shift via the metro in years to | :03:23. | :03:32. | |
come. Last Thursday morning the leaders of Bridgend Council and | :03:33. | :03:37. | |
another council gave a statement on the advantage of the metro. They | :03:38. | :03:42. | |
argued that it needs to connect across the northern valleys and not | :03:43. | :03:47. | |
just strengthen links to and from Cardiff. Will the First Minister | :03:48. | :03:49. | |
agree and commit to ensuring this happens? The metro is not a greater | :03:50. | :03:56. | |
Cardiff transports six -- system. The fact that it will be based in | :03:57. | :04:05. | |
Pontypridd gives an example of our commitment to valleys communities. | :04:06. | :04:13. | |
Many people commute from one valley to another. The railway lines once | :04:14. | :04:19. | |
connected those areas but they are long gone so we need to look at how | :04:20. | :04:23. | |
we can upgrade bus services to provide those connections. In stand | :04:24. | :04:31. | |
up no-op on Saturday at the Welsh Labour conference. -- inland at no. | :04:32. | :04:43. | |
Every train on the Wales and border line will have a roll-out of free | :04:44. | :04:49. | |
Wi-Fi, starting with 50 of the busiest stations in Wales, and a 12 | :04:50. | :04:55. | |
month pilot a free weekend travel. Isn't this further evidence that the | :04:56. | :04:58. | |
Welsh Labour government is on the side of commuters and what further | :04:59. | :05:06. | |
action can improve public transport in my constituency and in Wales? I | :05:07. | :05:10. | |
thank her for grinding me of what I said at the weekend. It is a | :05:11. | :05:15. | |
commitment that we make to commuters, the fact that we are | :05:16. | :05:18. | |
upgrading the Metro, we are committed to the north-east Metro, | :05:19. | :05:22. | |
we are looking at upgrading trains, the fact that when powers come to us | :05:23. | :05:31. | |
we will look to upgrading the bus system, and we will do things to | :05:32. | :05:35. | |
make it easier and more comfortable to travel by rail and bus in the | :05:36. | :05:43. | |
future. TRANSLATION: What discussions has the Welsh government | :05:44. | :05:46. | |
held with Newsquest regarding public money used to establish the | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
company's sub editing Centre in Newport? We are in ongoing | :05:52. | :05:58. | |
discussions with Newsquest regarding its ongoing and planned | :05:59. | :06:00. | |
redundancies. Officials have received assurances and current | :06:01. | :06:07. | |
staffing levels and we will use this to determine whether the conditions | :06:08. | :06:11. | |
of the grant have been breached. Will you therefore confirm that you | :06:12. | :06:16. | |
will actually try to recoup every penny if the full terms and | :06:17. | :06:18. | |
conditions have been breached and will you reconsider the way you do | :06:19. | :06:26. | |
support the local press? This is an NUJ campaign in terms of local news | :06:27. | :06:29. | |
matters. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for the Welsh government | :06:30. | :06:33. | |
to establish an independent fund for Independent news so that all | :06:34. | :06:37. | |
companies could be brought into that to support Welsh and English | :06:38. | :06:43. | |
language journalism? It is right that we should pursue every penny. | :06:44. | :06:52. | |
If terms and conditions were breached. Secondly, with the fund, | :06:53. | :06:56. | |
we are going to establish an independent forum for the media to | :06:57. | :07:02. | |
consider the challenges over the ensuring years and see which way we | :07:03. | :07:09. | |
have strong and robust local media. -- in assuming years. The staff at | :07:10. | :07:17. | |
Newsquest are very worried. Along with the trade union I have spoken | :07:18. | :07:21. | |
to staff, who estimate there will be less than ten fewer full-time roles | :07:22. | :07:27. | |
at the end of the process and that full-time high skilled jobs will be | :07:28. | :07:33. | |
replaced by more part-time administrative roles. Newsquest say | :07:34. | :07:38. | |
they employ approximately 60 staff in Newport and support editorial and | :07:39. | :07:41. | |
publishing teams across the organisation. Does the Welsh | :07:42. | :07:46. | |
government know how the figure of 60 staff equates to full-time roles in | :07:47. | :07:50. | |
Newport and what assurances have you received to ensure that Newsquest | :07:51. | :07:53. | |
continues to meet their obligations to their staff and the government? | :07:54. | :07:59. | |
We are aware of 14 planned redundancies. In 2015 we provide | :08:00. | :08:09. | |
money to Newsquest towards the creation and safeguarding of jobs. | :08:10. | :08:13. | |
That award was conditional on the jobs being replaced in May 20 20. | :08:14. | :08:18. | |
The operation has exceeded that target for job creation so far but | :08:19. | :08:24. | |
it is important that they honour that, if they don't we will pull the | :08:25. | :08:29. | |
money back. I asked the same question last week regarding the sub | :08:30. | :08:36. | |
editing Centre in Newport. You confirms that the grant of the money | :08:37. | :08:44. | |
in May 2015 was in -- on condition of jobs being in place until May of | :08:45. | :08:51. | |
2020. It now appears that the staff in Newport were placed at risk of | :08:52. | :08:59. | |
redundancy. Can I ask whether the Welsh government was aware of these | :09:00. | :09:05. | |
redundancies and if so what representations were made to the | :09:06. | :09:09. | |
company at that time to remind them of the condition attached to the | :09:10. | :09:12. | |
award of grant funding from this Assembly? As I said, the conditions | :09:13. | :09:18. | |
of the grant have been met thus far but they have to be met until May of | :09:19. | :09:24. | |
2020 otherwise we will seek to recoup the money. As far as | :09:25. | :09:29. | |
officials are concerned, there have been discussions for some time with | :09:30. | :09:33. | |
Newsquest. As customary in these situations we look to see what help | :09:34. | :09:38. | |
we can offer but let it be very clear that if the conditions of the | :09:39. | :09:42. | |
grant are not met then we will take action to recoup the money. I know | :09:43. | :09:48. | |
that many of the journalists working at the sub editing in Newport were | :09:49. | :09:54. | |
from Cardiff, having already been made redundant by Trinity Mirror, | :09:55. | :09:59. | |
which has also seen wave after wave of job losses. What more can the | :10:00. | :10:03. | |
Welsh government do to stop large private companies which run local | :10:04. | :10:10. | |
news titles decimating the industry further and does he know of any | :10:11. | :10:15. | |
funding available for journalists who may want to set up local news | :10:16. | :10:24. | |
websites? Officials have provided information on services available to | :10:25. | :10:30. | |
redundant workers. Business Wales is available in order to look at the | :10:31. | :10:37. | |
kind of financial help that has been mentioned, but there is no doubt | :10:38. | :10:43. | |
that many of us fear that we will see a steady diminishing of local | :10:44. | :10:46. | |
and national news coverage across Wales, which is why the independent | :10:47. | :10:51. | |
media Forum is being set up and one of their objectives will be to look | :10:52. | :10:55. | |
at ways of making sure that people are properly informed and not | :10:56. | :11:06. | |
misled. Tomorrow the UK Government will trigger Article 50, beginning | :11:07. | :11:12. | |
the process by which the UK, or at least some parts of it, will leave | :11:13. | :11:18. | |
the European Union. You have previously said that you expect to | :11:19. | :11:23. | |
be consulted prior to Article 50 night and being made. Can you tell | :11:24. | :11:27. | |
us what consultation has taken place and what you expect to see in the | :11:28. | :11:33. | |
Article 50 letter? We discussed this at length last week when I met with | :11:34. | :11:37. | |
the Prime Minister and David Davis. It was unclear then on the part of | :11:38. | :11:41. | |
the UK Government whether it would be a short or a longer letter out | :11:42. | :11:50. | |
loud in -- outlining the entire case but it seems to me that what will | :11:51. | :11:54. | |
happen is that the letter will simply be sent explaining what the | :11:55. | :11:57. | |
UK is planning to do. I don't expect there to be anything in the letter | :11:58. | :12:04. | |
referring to devolution. Thank you. That doesn't fill me with great | :12:05. | :12:07. | |
confidence that you don't know exactly what will be in the letter. | :12:08. | :12:12. | |
The think tank there must yesterday set out that Wales could be hardest | :12:13. | :12:18. | |
hit by the economic impact of Brexit and we face as you know a high risk | :12:19. | :12:25. | |
from any loss of exports and that is why continued participation in the | :12:26. | :12:28. | |
single market is so important. We also face a high risk from any loss | :12:29. | :12:33. | |
of EU funding. In terms of EU nationals, demos describes the | :12:34. | :12:39. | |
situation as low risk to Wales due to the relatively small numbers of | :12:40. | :12:43. | |
people here but we do know that those EU citizens who are here are | :12:44. | :12:48. | |
important to our public services and in particular the NHS. Those Demel | :12:49. | :12:59. | |
's findings explain exactly why... -- those Demos findings. What is | :13:00. | :13:11. | |
your assessment of a hard Brexit? The only issue different from | :13:12. | :13:15. | |
statements I have made in the past, the language that membership is | :13:16. | :13:22. | |
different from participation. What is clear to me is that last week the | :13:23. | :13:26. | |
UK Government itself didn't know exactly what the Article 50 letter | :13:27. | :13:33. | |
would look like. I advised the Prime Minister and I thought the shorter | :13:34. | :13:35. | |
the better would be best for Wales. We will see what the letter actually | :13:36. | :13:41. | |
looks like. In terms of EU citizens, there are still EU citizens who are | :13:42. | :13:48. | |
a concern -- who are concerned that they might be deep ported. It is not | :13:49. | :13:55. | |
a fear that is grounded in fact. -- might be deported. They saw what has | :13:56. | :13:58. | |
happened in the United States and they extrapolated those fears to | :13:59. | :14:06. | |
hear. It is critical to me that as soon as possible the issue of EU | :14:07. | :14:10. | |
citizens living across the European Union and UK citizens living in | :14:11. | :14:16. | |
other countries of the EU is resolved quickly to remove that | :14:17. | :14:20. | |
uncertainty. On the economy she and I are in the same place, access to | :14:21. | :14:26. | |
the single market, no imposition of tariffs, the ability to have full | :14:27. | :14:28. | |
access to the single market is crucial for economy like ours where | :14:29. | :14:36. | |
67% of exports go to the EU. I have no confidence in the UK Government's | :14:37. | :14:42. | |
ability to reflect our specific Welsh national interest and there | :14:43. | :14:45. | |
isn't any information you have given us this afternoon to give us any | :14:46. | :14:50. | |
more confidence. Wales can't afford to pay a high price for a hard | :14:51. | :14:55. | |
Brexit and we know we will have to defend our interests due to the | :14:56. | :14:59. | |
Article 15 negotiations but we also need to think about how we move the | :15:00. | :15:03. | |
debate forward to deal with the powers we need to mitigate those | :15:04. | :15:07. | |
economic risks. -- Article 50. We want to keep the value of current EU | :15:08. | :15:14. | |
funding in any replacement scheme but Plaid Cymru believes we need | :15:15. | :15:18. | |
more power in Wales to decide how that money is spent. We should be | :15:19. | :15:21. | |
able to use replacement funding to make Wales more attractive to | :15:22. | :15:26. | |
business and Plaid Cymru wants to see Wales in power so we can adapt | :15:27. | :15:31. | |
to the challenge of Brexit. We need much wider tax powers than those on | :15:32. | :15:37. | |
offer already. I have set out my demands to the UK Government on this | :15:38. | :15:43. | |
today. What Plaid Cymru sees as being in Wales's best interest. Can | :15:44. | :15:48. | |
you tell us what you intend to do as a Welsh government to get our | :15:49. | :15:54. | |
country into a position where it can survive an extreme Tory Brexit? | :15:55. | :16:00. | |
I am not as optimistic, probably the wrong word, that there will be any | :16:01. | :16:11. | |
money post 2020. All money to replace structural funds and I'm | :16:12. | :16:14. | |
increasingly convinced there would be money to replace farming | :16:15. | :16:18. | |
subsidies. We are hearing common agricultural policy is a problem. | :16:19. | :16:22. | |
That means farming subsidies could disappear. That is my greatest fear. | :16:23. | :16:27. | |
We know what that would mean for the economy overall in Wales. But she | :16:28. | :16:30. | |
will know in many occasions I have said that this process will only | :16:31. | :16:35. | |
work if all four nations agreed to the final settlement. I don't | :16:36. | :16:40. | |
believe it in any way possible to have a final settlement by March | :16:41. | :16:45. | |
2019, because it would have to be to make goodbye autumn next year. -- | :16:46. | :16:53. | |
committed by autumn next year. They have to be agreed by the four | :16:54. | :16:59. | |
nations, and the UK Government. I think it's workable then, but my | :17:00. | :17:03. | |
greatest fear is this is not well understood. On Thursday, we will see | :17:04. | :17:08. | |
the white paper on the so-called great repeal bill. If it focuses | :17:09. | :17:14. | |
solely on preserving the existing European law, that sensible. But if | :17:15. | :17:18. | |
it strays into the territory of suggesting something like EU powers | :17:19. | :17:24. | |
coming back into Whitehall on a temporary basis then they'll be a | :17:25. | :17:26. | |
discussion about where they go, that would not be acceptable. Temporary | :17:27. | :17:33. | |
should mean temporary. We will see if the UK Government is serious | :17:34. | :17:36. | |
about working sure that the UK can work as a partnership. Leader of the | :17:37. | :17:43. | |
Welsh Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies. Yesterday we learned that | :17:44. | :17:49. | |
for health boards in Wales have a chronic deficit. The Welsh | :17:50. | :17:53. | |
Government have drawn a line in the sand and said they will not be | :17:54. | :17:57. | |
bailed out. The Health Secretary did say that no services will be lost | :17:58. | :18:02. | |
anywhere in Wales, because of a lack of money. Can you confirm that is | :18:03. | :18:07. | |
the case and that is was government policy? Yes. The health boards are | :18:08. | :18:10. | |
being told that they must keep within budget. They were told at the | :18:11. | :18:14. | |
beginning they must not harm services. We will look again at them | :18:15. | :18:19. | |
accounts in June and if further action needs to be taken, if they're | :18:20. | :18:24. | |
unable to deliver, then I shall look into it. It is in special measures | :18:25. | :18:36. | |
run by the Welsh Government, but you can must see if people rely on the | :18:37. | :18:42. | |
services. -- put money into services people rely on. When one of the | :18:43. | :18:47. | |
fourth health boards is projected to have a worse deficit next year, ?52 | :18:48. | :18:54. | |
million as opposed to ?39 million. This a break even position last | :18:55. | :18:58. | |
year, that statement does not work. It's unbelievable, First Minister. | :18:59. | :19:03. | |
How are you going to be able to maintain services when four of the | :19:04. | :19:10. | |
six health boards have such a chronic deficit? And ultimately, | :19:11. | :19:12. | |
waiting times are constantly going up? 47. But he asked the question, | :19:13. | :19:22. | |
what will happen if they don't come within budget -- for all seven. If | :19:23. | :19:31. | |
they do not come into budget without harming services, we have to look | :19:32. | :19:34. | |
into the governance of that board. We will not start, the shy away of | :19:35. | :19:41. | |
that. Much like we went shy of dealing with Betsi Cadwaladr. I use | :19:42. | :19:46. | |
four of six because Powys health board does not have a General | :19:47. | :19:51. | |
Hospital in its area. The high-end of acute services, is in the | :19:52. | :19:56. | |
district General hospitals and closing to be the health boards that | :19:57. | :20:00. | |
deal clearly have a big deficit problem. As refused avatar way | :20:01. | :20:11. | |
health board -- Abertawe, we talk about government away judgments, and | :20:12. | :20:15. | |
the ballot sheet. I can hear from a position, I need to look across the | :20:16. | :20:18. | |
border, the deficit position of Welsh NHS is double what the English | :20:19. | :20:29. | |
NHS is facing. I don't discount the issues across the whole of the NHS | :20:30. | :20:37. | |
in the United Kingdom. Is not unreasonable people in those health | :20:38. | :20:41. | |
board areas trying to reconcile the statement that there will be no loss | :20:42. | :20:45. | |
of services, there will be no increase in waiting times, when | :20:46. | :20:48. | |
you've got to put such downward pressure on the budget without | :20:49. | :20:53. | |
additional money going in. So I do ask you again, what specific | :20:54. | :20:57. | |
measures to you believe that he will be able to take, you've identified | :20:58. | :21:00. | |
gene being a particular point, and government arrangements, to address | :21:01. | :21:07. | |
the thoughtful tonne shortfall. I'm not trying to belittle that point | :21:08. | :21:13. | |
but I'm trying to make a point that constituents and users of these | :21:14. | :21:18. | |
services are not unreasonably concerned because obviously, there | :21:19. | :21:21. | |
is a huge issue about how these deficits will be brought back into | :21:22. | :21:27. | |
control. Powys is a health board, and it buys in most of its services. | :21:28. | :21:31. | |
One can argue it's more difficult for powers because so few services | :21:32. | :21:37. | |
are provided in Powys because of its rural status. The message we have | :21:38. | :21:44. | |
given to them is you must manage this, you must make sure that you | :21:45. | :21:48. | |
cut in areas that are not providing services to the public, you do not | :21:49. | :21:53. | |
look at services provided the public and you come within budget. It is | :21:54. | :22:00. | |
their responsibility, that is why we have health board and they will have | :22:01. | :22:06. | |
to answer for their actions in a few months' time. We will look at the | :22:07. | :22:11. | |
national situation. TRANSLATION: On behalf of the Ukip | :22:12. | :22:19. | |
leader group. Diolch. My group leader asks me to pass on his | :22:20. | :22:23. | |
apologies as he is at a family funeral today. May I commend the | :22:24. | :22:29. | |
First Minister on his government's 13th of March response to the UK | :22:30. | :22:34. | |
Government's consultation paper. On the future of the Severn told. It is | :22:35. | :22:43. | |
well argued and reflects the view of this assembly on my motion to | :22:44. | :22:48. | |
support tolls on the bridge were following their return to the public | :22:49. | :22:51. | |
sector. One would hope there would be a greater degree of engagement | :22:52. | :22:54. | |
between the Welsh Government and the UK Government that merely filing her | :22:55. | :23:02. | |
consultation response, the silk commission propose close | :23:03. | :23:04. | |
coordination between the two governments on the future of the | :23:05. | :23:08. | |
Severn crossing. The Saint Davids Day agreement, whether UK Government | :23:09. | :23:14. | |
worked with the Welsh Government to determine its long future. And their | :23:15. | :23:19. | |
investment strategies says the Department for Transport will work | :23:20. | :23:22. | |
with the Welsh Assembly government to examine the future of the | :23:23. | :23:25. | |
crossings in more detail. Can the First Minister tell us how that | :23:26. | :23:31. | |
engagement is going? Officials are in discussions. Our position is that | :23:32. | :23:34. | |
we should take over the running of those bridges. And take control of | :23:35. | :23:39. | |
the tolls before we do that we would have do you have a robust | :23:40. | :23:43. | |
understanding of what the condition and cost of those two bridges are. | :23:44. | :23:47. | |
The figures we have vary wildly. They need to be nailed down, almost | :23:48. | :23:55. | |
literally. We understand what they are, and we should control the | :23:56. | :23:59. | |
tolls. I don't understand the resistance of the UK Government in | :24:00. | :24:04. | |
this. I don't understand why they feel that the bridge is, at the end | :24:05. | :24:08. | |
of the day, the main entrance to Wales should not be controlled from | :24:09. | :24:14. | |
Wales. I agree with the First Minister and wish him and his | :24:15. | :24:17. | |
officials well in pushing that position. The UK Government, I | :24:18. | :24:25. | |
believe, has three very serious legal risks if it seeks to continue | :24:26. | :24:30. | |
changing the agreement. One could be fatal to a plan. First the agreement | :24:31. | :24:39. | |
says Tolson sees it is fixed sum is raised. That would happen around the | :24:40. | :24:45. | |
end of next year. Second, we have under schedule five of the | :24:46. | :24:48. | |
government of Wales act, a list of devolved matters including 10.1, the | :24:49. | :24:54. | |
making operation and enforcement of schemes for imposing charges in | :24:55. | :24:57. | |
respect of the use of Welsh trunk roads. That, I believe, has led the | :24:58. | :25:02. | |
UK Government to propose turning over the English half of the bridge, | :25:03. | :25:07. | |
because that supersedes the charging authority. They would need to | :25:08. | :25:11. | |
enforce that all essentially at a plaza in Wales, counter to the | :25:12. | :25:17. | |
government of Wales act. Thirdly, they have a further problem is that | :25:18. | :25:20. | |
the transport act 2000, which they are now planning to use, says that a | :25:21. | :25:27. | |
trunk road charging scheme could only be made in respect of a road if | :25:28. | :25:32. | |
the road is carried by a bridge through a tunnel. It doesn't provide | :25:33. | :25:37. | |
charging for part of a road carried by a bridge. And the use of the full | :25:38. | :25:42. | |
phrase passes through a tunnel implies by analogy going from one | :25:43. | :25:48. | |
side of the river to the other. So if all those reasons, can the First | :25:49. | :25:51. | |
Minister consider what more he or his government might do to emphasise | :25:52. | :25:56. | |
the UK Government at the very least legal risks they run if they do seek | :25:57. | :26:00. | |
to impose charges in future without an agreement. The member has raised | :26:01. | :26:04. | |
these issues before. We looked at them. It appears because of the | :26:05. | :26:10. | |
nature of the governments of the Severn Bridge, they are reserved, it | :26:11. | :26:16. | |
does not mean it will be raised further, I will do that work to him. | :26:17. | :26:22. | |
The tolls on the old bridge on the other side and the tolls on the | :26:23. | :26:25. | |
Newbridge are on the wild side. We prefer it if there no tools at all | :26:26. | :26:32. | |
on either side. And we can maintain the bridges. The legal | :26:33. | :26:39. | |
correspondence has changed. The focus was the UK Government could do | :26:40. | :26:43. | |
it because the charging authority because the UK Government isn't | :26:44. | :26:46. | |
seeking to enforce our side of the road. There are difficulties in | :26:47. | :26:51. | |
doing that and later act, there are three different arguments. Anyone of | :26:52. | :26:55. | |
what would be fatal to the UK Government's position. They will | :26:56. | :26:58. | |
either use the current toll passed despite our government saying it's | :26:59. | :27:03. | |
our right to force it in Wales, all looking in to investigate free flow | :27:04. | :27:08. | |
charged, a lot of capital without legal certainty that someone goes | :27:09. | :27:17. | |
and doesn't pay. They chase them for the debt and go to court, and unless | :27:18. | :27:20. | |
they know with certainty that that causes going to say yes, that is a | :27:21. | :27:23. | |
valid charge, it is very difficult for them to a invest in that scheme. | :27:24. | :27:26. | |
The frustration I have there is a fixed sum of the UK Government, that | :27:27. | :27:29. | |
which would be raised within a year or so. Continued polling. -- | :27:30. | :27:40. | |
tolling. Much of that is the operation of the tolls itself that | :27:41. | :27:43. | |
we are looking at a sum of around half that. Walter is not an ideal | :27:44. | :27:49. | |
scenario, with the First Minister consider that it might be better | :27:50. | :27:53. | |
than nothing if tolling could continue for just a gear and then we | :27:54. | :27:58. | |
could make a modest contribution perhaps two or 3 million to the | :27:59. | :28:02. | |
telling cost, does he think that the BA deal worth having to get rid of | :28:03. | :28:07. | |
those tolls, and will he work with parties across the chamber to agree | :28:08. | :28:14. | |
with that? We wouldn't do anything that is not devolved. It it's not | :28:15. | :28:18. | |
devolved, it's a matter for the UK get government to deal with. It | :28:19. | :28:23. | |
strikes me that, he suggested a way forward, but the easy way in my mind | :28:24. | :28:29. | |
is to have no tolls at all. In intermittent periods, to have | :28:30. | :28:35. | |
electronic tolling, that is investment, and the issue for us | :28:36. | :28:39. | |
that the faster the traffic goes to the bridges, the faster it adds to | :28:40. | :28:45. | |
congestion at those terminals. That is a fact we are aware of. He will | :28:46. | :28:49. | |
note the proposals the government have made in terms of that. To me, | :28:50. | :28:55. | |
this is a simple issue that doesn't need to be made complex. We'd have | :28:56. | :28:59. | |
an understanding of what the condition of the two bridges | :29:00. | :29:05. | |
actually is. We don't know that. I've seen figures well beyond the | :29:06. | :29:09. | |
figure he suggested in terms of maintenance and upkeep. That needs | :29:10. | :29:13. | |
to be robust, first of all. Then we'll have a understanding of what | :29:14. | :29:17. | |
it is. For us the government, we would like to the tolls, and we need | :29:18. | :29:23. | |
to understand what we are taking. Question three. Will the First | :29:24. | :29:32. | |
Minister make a statement on Welsh Government decisions for social | :29:33. | :29:37. | |
care? We have made a decision on ?55 million on social services for 27 to | :29:38. | :29:41. | |
18. That includes the 20 million for social care yesterday. We have also | :29:42. | :29:49. | |
provided for social care. I'm sure everyone will welcome the 2 billion | :29:50. | :29:53. | |
announcement for social care in England. That gives the Welsh | :29:54. | :29:59. | |
Government an opportunity to add to its own money that you mentioned | :30:00. | :30:04. | |
today. There is money now available for social care, which will all be | :30:05. | :30:09. | |
grateful for. What will you say to Bridgend County Borough Council | :30:10. | :30:13. | |
which has taken ?2.2 million of social care money out of next year's | :30:14. | :30:17. | |
budget. We need a Labour government in London. That will provide the | :30:18. | :30:23. | |
funding for social care. And sure that will happen many times over the | :30:24. | :30:29. | |
Lynne Neagle. Thank you the meeting me last month to talk about the | :30:30. | :30:41. | |
family fund money in the social services fund and its effect on | :30:42. | :30:43. | |
disabled children and their families. | :30:44. | :30:51. | |
Given your assurances to me in that meeting and that these are some of | :30:52. | :30:58. | |
our lowest income families who in my experience have to fight everything | :30:59. | :31:02. | |
in their lives, will you look at allocating some of this additional | :31:03. | :31:07. | |
money to disabled children and their families? She has been passionate in | :31:08. | :31:10. | |
her advocacy for this cause, she has asked me to see whether money has | :31:11. | :31:16. | |
been made available, I will look at that for her. Not all of the money | :31:17. | :31:23. | |
has been allocated, we have to look at what will happen in the financial | :31:24. | :31:26. | |
year beyond this year and the one he and that but I will look at that for | :31:27. | :31:37. | |
her. -- and the one beyond that. TRANSLATION: The efficiency and what | :31:38. | :31:42. | |
we can achieve from social service funding depends on the NHS and what | :31:43. | :31:48. | |
happens in it. I think it is the fault of the government for not | :31:49. | :31:58. | |
supporting the NHS which is responsible for this overflow. Does | :31:59. | :32:05. | |
he agree with my concern that forcing them to balance their books | :32:06. | :32:10. | |
overnight would inevitably lead to more pressure on the social sector? | :32:11. | :32:16. | |
The health board had three-year is to consider their budget, that is | :32:17. | :32:20. | |
why the law changed in this place because they would then have to | :32:21. | :32:23. | |
consider their budgets over a period of a year and now they have | :32:24. | :32:28. | |
three-year is and it is easier for them to balance their books in that | :32:29. | :32:31. | |
regard so we do expect them, as they have been given that freedom, to | :32:32. | :32:35. | |
ensure they are responsible and can remain within their budgets. Both | :32:36. | :32:44. | |
Conservative and Labour governments in Westminster and successive | :32:45. | :32:48. | |
Labour, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dem coalition is here in Wales have | :32:49. | :32:52. | |
failed to allow for sufficient funding for social care. As a result | :32:53. | :32:57. | |
of decades of underfunding we are approaching a crisis point in social | :32:58. | :33:04. | |
care and despite the fact that our population is ageing fast neither | :33:05. | :33:08. | |
you nor the Tories seem to have any plans to address chronic long-term | :33:09. | :33:12. | |
shortages. Your government has announced additional funding for | :33:13. | :33:16. | |
social care but this simply replaces lost funding. It does nothing to | :33:17. | :33:21. | |
address future demand. How does your government plan to address the | :33:22. | :33:26. | |
long-term funding shortfall and make sure that future social care needs | :33:27. | :33:32. | |
are met? If she looks at the social services in Wales act she will see | :33:33. | :33:37. | |
that we are committed to investing in the system, we know that spending | :33:38. | :33:44. | |
on social services per head in Wales is 6% higher than in England. We | :33:45. | :33:51. | |
have put in the investment. On top of that it is important to remember | :33:52. | :33:57. | |
the ?60 million intermediate care fund. Delayed care in February was | :33:58. | :34:20. | |
22% down on the previous year. How is the Welsh government working to | :34:21. | :34:25. | |
ensure that emotional resilience is improved in children and young | :34:26. | :34:30. | |
people? We are working to improve the well-being of children and young | :34:31. | :34:33. | |
people and helping them to improving emotional resilience. You will be | :34:34. | :34:40. | |
aware of my recent short debate on ensuring that resilience is | :34:41. | :34:46. | |
developed long before young people need specialist help. This is linked | :34:47. | :34:55. | |
to ongoing work on the government is doing. As you have highlighted, the | :34:56. | :34:59. | |
Cabinet Secretary for health is responsible for the... It raises | :35:00. | :35:13. | |
questions for me as to how this work is being taken forward in a joined | :35:14. | :35:16. | |
up way across government. Will you personally look at this issue and | :35:17. | :35:24. | |
commit to ensuring that the work to deliver on Together For Children And | :35:25. | :35:29. | |
Young People is taken forward with urgency across government? | :35:30. | :35:34. | |
Discussions have been held between the Cabinet Secretary is for | :35:35. | :35:39. | |
education and health on how the joint work can be improved. This is | :35:40. | :35:42. | |
not the sole responsibility of one minister, I understand that. We know | :35:43. | :35:49. | |
that in working on an across portfolio basis we can get the best | :35:50. | :35:54. | |
results. We recognise that health education of much linked and | :35:55. | :35:59. | |
officials have been instructed to work together to consider different | :36:00. | :36:02. | |
approaches to support the mental health and well-being of our | :36:03. | :36:08. | |
children and young people. One thing which can be done is to develop more | :36:09. | :36:13. | |
mindfulness practice in schools. The Cabinet Secretary for education | :36:14. | :36:20. | |
visited a school in Colwyn Bay late last year when she met some of the | :36:21. | :36:24. | |
children and staff that had been practising mindfulness and they | :36:25. | :36:30. | |
spoke passionately about the impact it had in helping them to deal with | :36:31. | :36:33. | |
what can be difficult situations whether in school or at home. I | :36:34. | :36:39. | |
wonder what the Welsh government is doing to look at mindfulness and | :36:40. | :36:42. | |
whether this can be introduced more widely into the education sector. It | :36:43. | :36:46. | |
is something we are considering actively as something we discussed | :36:47. | :36:49. | |
at length before the election last year. There is no greater advocate | :36:50. | :36:57. | |
for mindfulness than the Cabinet Secretary for economy. I wasn't sure | :36:58. | :37:01. | |
what it was but I am fully informed now. It is hugely important that we | :37:02. | :37:06. | |
consider new to help young people to deal with pressures that didn't | :37:07. | :37:09. | |
exist when I was that age, the pressures of social media. When you | :37:10. | :37:13. | |
went home, that was it, you wide followed around online with the | :37:14. | :37:19. | |
bullying that that can sometimes lead to and the pressure to conform. | :37:20. | :37:23. | |
-- you were not followed. New approaches need to be used to deal | :37:24. | :37:33. | |
with new problems. TRANSLATION: Will he outlined the Welsh government's | :37:34. | :37:37. | |
transport priorities for Pembrokeshire in the next 12 months? | :37:38. | :37:44. | |
The National Trust or finance plan published in July 2015 sets out the | :37:45. | :37:49. | |
investment on transport and infrastructure in all parts of Wales | :37:50. | :37:56. | |
the 2015-2016. The National Trust or finance plan the Welsh government | :37:57. | :37:59. | |
highlights only one project the Pembrokeshire in the next 12 months, | :38:00. | :38:10. | |
the proposal to turn the Aseven 477 into a trunk road. Will you agree | :38:11. | :38:19. | |
with me that in light of these important economic development is it | :38:20. | :38:22. | |
is time for governments to cooperate to turn the A40 into a dual | :38:23. | :38:29. | |
carriageway to make the most of these proposals in West Wales? First | :38:30. | :38:37. | |
of all it is true to say that the project mentioned is crucially | :38:38. | :38:40. | |
important. It is possible to consider the city deal to take new | :38:41. | :38:48. | |
projects in terms of transport into account. We can certainly consider | :38:49. | :38:53. | |
that. Thirdly, in taking over the franchise next year, it will be very | :38:54. | :39:00. | |
important to ensure that the rail service is also improved in | :39:01. | :39:04. | |
Pembrokeshire and to link Pembrokeshire with the rest of Wales | :39:05. | :39:11. | |
and the rest of the UK. Ports are in important part of transport in | :39:12. | :39:14. | |
Pembrokeshire and particularly the link between Wales and Ireland. With | :39:15. | :39:19. | |
Brexit happening this week I am concerned that we will see less | :39:20. | :39:24. | |
transport in terms of goods carried between Britain and Ireland and also | :39:25. | :39:30. | |
in terms of passengers, with lots of talk about developing more direct | :39:31. | :39:36. | |
links between France and the Republic of Ireland in order to | :39:37. | :39:42. | |
avoid Britain once we have left the EU. That will undermine Pembroke | :39:43. | :39:51. | |
Dock so what steps are you taking to ensure that we keep transport | :39:52. | :39:58. | |
between the ports of Pembrokeshire? I have raised this number of times | :39:59. | :40:01. | |
with the Westminster government and with the Irish government and I | :40:02. | :40:04. | |
discussed it with the Taoiseach when he was here on the tenth March. My | :40:05. | :40:10. | |
concern is that if it is easier to go through Northern Ireland that is | :40:11. | :40:14. | |
where goods will go. If there is more paperwork that has to be filled | :40:15. | :40:19. | |
in going through Holyhead, Pembroke Dock and Fishguard, if there is any | :40:20. | :40:26. | |
official order in Wales but nothing of that kind in Northern Ireland | :40:27. | :40:29. | |
then goods will go through Liverpool and the links that have -- the ports | :40:30. | :40:33. | |
that have links with Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland | :40:34. | :40:38. | |
understands this will have an impact on Dublin and other ports. It is | :40:39. | :40:42. | |
crucially important that the arrangements in border crossing are | :40:43. | :40:45. | |
the same between Wales and the Republic of Ireland as between the | :40:46. | :40:49. | |
Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Will he provide an update | :40:50. | :40:56. | |
on the new treatment... All health boards have received updates on | :40:57. | :41:02. | |
their funding and the Cabinet Secretary will update before the | :41:03. | :41:12. | |
summary says. -- summer recess. This demonstrates the Welsh government's | :41:13. | :41:17. | |
commitment to delivering on the 2016 election pledge and I understand | :41:18. | :41:22. | |
that new fund will Expedia eight -- will expedite access to new | :41:23. | :41:34. | |
medicines for a host of illnesses, no doubt helping countless | :41:35. | :41:37. | |
individuals with life-threatening else's right here in Wales. -- | :41:38. | :41:45. | |
illnesses. I understand that it is extremely early days but can I | :41:46. | :41:48. | |
request that we receive regular updates on progress within the | :41:49. | :41:54. | |
access to the new treatment fund and any figures that could be attached | :41:55. | :42:04. | |
to that? I am sure that can be done. In January 2015 medicines | :42:05. | :42:06. | |
recommended by NICE have been made available to patients and in the | :42:07. | :42:11. | |
first two months this has already made a palpable Air France. -- | :42:12. | :42:19. | |
difference. Can you give us an overview of what monitoring is in | :42:20. | :42:22. | |
place to ensure the funds that have gone to the health boards for this | :42:23. | :42:26. | |
very where -- worthy initiative are being spent on just this initiative? | :42:27. | :42:31. | |
There is full monitoring on that and we will see the results of that | :42:32. | :42:37. | |
through the process is already made available. What discussions he has | :42:38. | :42:45. | |
the Welsh government had with Cardiff Council regarding the | :42:46. | :42:48. | |
provision of a new bus station in the city? This is ultimately a | :42:49. | :42:54. | |
matter for Cardiff Council. I met with the counsellor and we discussed | :42:55. | :42:59. | |
the latest updates on that the element. -- that development. I | :43:00. | :43:06. | |
understand it is a matter principally for the council but the | :43:07. | :43:11. | |
bus station is an issue of growing concern to South Wales residents. | :43:12. | :43:16. | |
There have been fears that the facility may be too small and fears | :43:17. | :43:20. | |
over the funding now as well. We don't yet know if there will be | :43:21. | :43:24. | |
coach bays at the new station, none of which really helps with the | :43:25. | :43:30. | |
government providing day-to-day integrated transport. As Cardiff is | :43:31. | :43:33. | |
such an important hub for the region, can the Welsh government | :43:34. | :43:37. | |
make any intervention to make sure that passengers do end up with a | :43:38. | :43:41. | |
first-class facility rather than a botched job? There was a time when | :43:42. | :43:45. | |
Cardiff Council doubted whether there needed to be a bus stop at | :43:46. | :43:52. | |
all. -- bus station. It is hugely important to have an interchange and | :43:53. | :43:56. | |
a hub. The need for a new station is clear to me, it needs to be fit for | :43:57. | :44:02. | |
purpose, future proof, successfully integrated. The project has been led | :44:03. | :44:11. | |
by a company that has monthly meetings with key stakeholders | :44:12. | :44:15. | |
including us. I understand that planning permission has been | :44:16. | :44:19. | |
approved but the start date has been delayed as discussions take place on | :44:20. | :44:24. | |
what the station should look like. There is agreement that the station | :44:25. | :44:29. | |
should be fit for purpose as the main interchange of a capital city. | :44:30. | :44:32. | |
Following the triggering of Article 50 this week, what discussions does | :44:33. | :44:38. | |
the First Minister intent to have with the UK Government and the | :44:39. | :44:41. | |
establishment of a UK single market? The answer is on the many. I have | :44:42. | :44:47. | |
had discussions already, we continue to hold them. -- the answer is, | :44:48. | :44:55. | |
many. I think we should continue with an internal single market | :44:56. | :45:01. | |
within the UK, there should be a rules -based system, those rules | :45:02. | :45:06. | |
should be agreed by all four governments and there should be an | :45:07. | :45:10. | |
independent adjudicator, a trade court if you like, to police those | :45:11. | :45:15. | |
rules. If all of those requirements are satisfied the single market | :45:16. | :45:17. | |
could be robust. Other people have referred to the | :45:18. | :45:34. | |
Dem 's report saying... We have seen by the recent accidents by Tories | :45:35. | :45:37. | |
are made that the party has broken promises. David Davies, has said, he | :45:38. | :45:45. | |
wants to see the same benefits we have with the single market and | :45:46. | :45:50. | |
Customs union to be maintained after we leave the EU. How realistic is | :45:51. | :45:54. | |
the First Minister think that is? In the light of the fact that the Prime | :45:55. | :45:59. | |
Minister of Malta has said that of necessity, our relationship needs to | :46:00. | :46:04. | |
be inferior to that we currently enjoy? It's possible to do it by | :46:05. | :46:13. | |
four example remaining in the EU. They don't want to pay into a budget | :46:14. | :46:18. | |
pot, but if you want to be in a club you have to pay the fee. I think the | :46:19. | :46:29. | |
UK will be offered a model that I don't think the UK will be offered a | :46:30. | :46:33. | |
specific model. I don't believe there is a majority of people in | :46:34. | :46:37. | |
this majority who want to see a Brexit that is so hard that tariffs | :46:38. | :46:41. | |
will be put impose, there will be unnecessary restrictions of new, | :46:42. | :46:52. | |
movements. What we don't know is that what they believe the terms | :46:53. | :46:56. | |
would be. To my mind, it is perfectly possible to leave the EU | :46:57. | :47:00. | |
and yet still have full access to the single market. Question nine, | :47:01. | :47:03. | |
David Melding. What is the Welsh Government doing | :47:04. | :47:07. | |
to actively promote female mentorship programmes | :47:08. | :47:09. | |
in the workplace? We provide a programme to maximise | :47:10. | :47:19. | |
the contribution women make to the economy. I think we all remember | :47:20. | :47:22. | |
with deep affection, Dame Rosemary Butler, our former Bravo try | :47:23. | :47:30. | |
Presiding Officer, and herb programme to fix her programme to | :47:31. | :47:39. | |
increase women in public life. It was increasing ambition in women who | :47:40. | :47:44. | |
already have the talent to perform outstandingly in the workplace. | :47:45. | :47:48. | |
Quality is an important part of this. The exact equality. There are | :47:49. | :47:57. | |
other tools at our disposal as well, it was commissioned by the Chief | :47:58. | :48:03. | |
scientific adviser, dealing with the long-term problems of women in | :48:04. | :48:10. | |
science, and the Minister Julie James accepted the statement in | :48:11. | :48:14. | |
January. Those are two examples among many of the work being done to | :48:15. | :48:21. | |
achieve two, the true equality in our society. Finally, question ten. | :48:22. | :48:30. | |
Will the First Minister consider reopening | :48:31. | :48:31. | |
inpatient perinatal mental health facilities? | :48:32. | :48:33. | |
That is a decision for the health boards and committees. We are | :48:34. | :48:43. | |
investing money for community specialist perinatal mental health | :48:44. | :48:47. | |
service. I hope he has the opportunity to hear from mothers in | :48:48. | :48:50. | |
Wales who have had the courage to speak out about their individual | :48:51. | :48:55. | |
experience at Charlotte Harding from Cardiff whose husband took two years | :48:56. | :49:01. | |
off from work to care for her and her two boys after developing | :49:02. | :49:05. | |
postpartum psychosis. The own criteria in this country is based | :49:06. | :49:11. | |
on... They are failing the government's own criteria. It costs | :49:12. | :49:16. | |
more to send Welsh mothers to inpatient centres in England than it | :49:17. | :49:19. | |
would have two keep the facilities open in Wales and we know the | :49:20. | :49:23. | |
provision is patchy. Politics aside, can I plead with the First Minister | :49:24. | :49:28. | |
to put as a matter of urgency this issue to the top of the agenda, so | :49:29. | :49:31. | |
mothers in Wales do not face the joys of being separated from a | :49:32. | :49:33. | |
newborn baby or their families or or not have the mental health | :49:34. | :49:44. | |
facilities in their own country. In the last few years less than five | :49:45. | :49:48. | |
women have been admitted to inpatient in Wales. The problem then | :49:49. | :49:56. | |
of course is you cannot run a specialist unit on those numbers. No | :49:57. | :50:02. | |
accredited body will allow this. It can't be a specialist unit with | :50:03. | :50:06. | |
those numbers. I agree with him about the condition and not | :50:07. | :50:09. | |
separating mothers and babies which is why we go the extra funding into | :50:10. | :50:19. | |
community-based Perak perinatal funding. Focusing on the individual | :50:20. | :50:22. | |
rather than the hospital, making sure they have community care, | :50:23. | :50:29. | |
rather than using a badly used service and a problem of it | :50:30. | :50:38. | |
continuing to be a unit. That was First Minister's Questions this | :50:39. | :50:41. | |
afternoon. For more coverage, go online to BBC world's Senedd page. | :50:42. | :50:51. | |
-- BBC Wales's Senedd web page. You can watch more at 6:30pm on BBC | :50:52. | :50:57. | |
Wales. And at 9pm on S foresee. First Minister's Questions is back | :50:58. | :50:58. | |
next week. Thank you for watching. I think I've died and gone to | :50:59. | :51:06. | |
heaven. Saluti. Chin-chin. So, can anybody speak Italian? | :51:07. | :51:54. | |
No. Non parlo italiano. Can ten Brits looking for | :51:55. | :52:07. | |
a new life start again? | :52:08. | :52:11. |