:00:06. > :00:13.Hello and welcome to Wales Today. Our 60 Assembly Members. But should
:00:13. > :00:19.we have more? The Presiding Officer thinks we need 80. With the extra
:00:19. > :00:29.burden of more law-making powers and fiscal responsibility, we need
:00:29. > :00:34.
:00:34. > :00:43.Kay Piontek had her arm broken, another victim of increasing dog
:00:43. > :00:47.attacks. Charities warn the law does not protect people properly.
:00:47. > :00:51.It is appalling the way dogs are being brought up. I think it is the
:00:51. > :00:59.owner mostly, not the dogs. Prince Charles makes a special
:00:59. > :01:01.visit to join in St David's Day celebrations. Wanting you, being
:01:01. > :01:04.afraid. Richard Burton finally gets his
:01:04. > :01:07.star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to Elizabeth Taylor. We are
:01:07. > :01:17.live in Los Angeles. It is all change at Cardiff City.
:01:17. > :01:20.The club confirms their Malaysian Good evening. The number of
:01:20. > :01:24.Assembly Members should rise from 60 to 80 because of their heavy
:01:24. > :01:27.workloads. That is the call from Presiding Officer Rosemay Butler.
:01:27. > :01:37.She says the increase in the Assembly's powers means there is
:01:37. > :01:38.
:01:38. > :01:42.more work to be done. These are the 60 people's we elected to take the
:01:42. > :01:46.big decisions of the way the country is run. Some now think
:01:46. > :01:54.their workload is getting too much. They want an extra 20 colleagues to
:01:54. > :02:00.lighten the load. I put in place systems which allow members enough
:02:00. > :02:06.time to scrutinise the law-making powers coming forward. But in
:02:06. > :02:11.future, they would be so much more of it, the sheer volume of work,
:02:11. > :02:15.the 60 members will not be able to cope with that. If we're going to
:02:15. > :02:20.have more members, they would they say it? There is more space than
:02:20. > :02:25.you would think. This war is not what it seems. It is easily
:02:25. > :02:28.collapsible. The whole chamber was designed to hold 80 assembly
:02:28. > :02:33.members all along. The Conservatives published their plans
:02:33. > :02:40.for the future of devolution today. The focus is on quality not
:02:40. > :02:50.quantity. This work will last 18 months. But the overall objective
:02:50. > :02:57.
:02:57. > :03:02.has to be improving the lives of people put up -- people. Northern
:03:02. > :03:07.Ireland has 108 members with a smaller population. What is being
:03:07. > :03:12.an assembly member involve? They get paid just over �53,000 a year.
:03:12. > :03:16.They spend on average 31 weeks of the year in Cardiff Bay. There are
:03:16. > :03:23.spaces to fill on 11 different committees. To voters want more
:03:23. > :03:30.assembly members? We went to one area that voted in favour of
:03:30. > :03:40.devolution and another that voted against. 60 are enough. The money
:03:40. > :03:40.
:03:40. > :03:46.can go to other things. It is silly, the money can go to other things.
:03:46. > :03:51.We need a more members to make Our democracy more accountable. The
:03:51. > :03:58.more assembly members we have the more effective they will be. It is
:03:58. > :04:08.all the money go? Devolution favours the South and neglects the
:04:08. > :04:08.
:04:08. > :04:12.north. The detriment is to all candidates. You could trim the
:04:12. > :04:16.number of councils in Wales and that could cover the additional
:04:16. > :04:21.costs of increasing the size of the Assembly to a sensible size which
:04:21. > :04:25.would be at least 80 members. is the politics, here is the mats.
:04:25. > :04:31.Somebody has worked out the best number of politicians for a country
:04:31. > :04:36.to have. It is the key group of the population. For Wales, that works
:04:36. > :04:40.out at 144. But everyone thinks the sums add up. But in Cardiff Bay,
:04:40. > :04:42.there is a growing feeling that this is a puzzle which needs an
:04:42. > :04:50.answer. Our Political Editor Betsan Powys
:04:50. > :04:54.joins us now from Plaid Cymru's conference in Beaumaris. As you can
:04:54. > :05:01.see, the stage is empty as is the hall. The politicians have gone
:05:01. > :05:08.home for the day. But earlier, Rosemary Butler's call for a new
:05:09. > :05:15.devolution settlement for scrapping the Assembly term and favouring the
:05:15. > :05:19.term parliament instead was discussed here on the stage. Leanne
:05:19. > :05:26.Wood said it is an interesting idea but if the logic says the workload
:05:26. > :05:34.has come from Westminster to Cardiff Bay dent jobs should to and
:05:34. > :05:42.that means there should be fewer Members of Parliament. But they
:05:42. > :05:47.both know it is not a new argument. It has been made before. What they
:05:47. > :05:54.know is that outside halls such as this one, how much appetite is
:05:54. > :05:57.there are really for creating more politicians, even if you say he
:05:57. > :06:03.would have fewer politicians in some places and you would have more
:06:03. > :06:06.in others, they know the appetite for that is a difficult time to
:06:07. > :06:13.sell that I go mad. It is significant that the presiding
:06:13. > :06:16.officer of the National Assembly has made that argument. Others will
:06:17. > :06:21.make it over the coming days. But I am not sure they are holding their
:06:21. > :06:27.breath thinking it is likely to happen any time soon. One final
:06:27. > :06:31.point, one delegate here said you had the First Minister calling for
:06:31. > :06:36.the devolution of policing and the Rosemary Butler calling for a new
:06:36. > :06:40.devolution settlement. And on the first day of the conference you
:06:40. > :06:46.have Plaid Cymru discussing the economy. He must be wondering who
:06:46. > :06:54.has stolen whose clothes. What was said today, he can hear more about
:06:54. > :06:57.70 jobs have been created at Toyota's Engine Plant on Deeside.
:06:57. > :07:00.The company says it is in order to meet increased demand and it has
:07:00. > :07:10.already started recruiting new staff to help with its increased
:07:10. > :07:10.
:07:11. > :07:16.workload. This is excellent news. It is a well established
:07:16. > :07:23.manufacturer here and it is now taking on 70 new jobs. It is great
:07:23. > :07:27.news for the workforce in this region. What we have seen today is
:07:27. > :07:30.testament to a company which is looking forward and part of the
:07:30. > :07:33.community. Dairy farmers who supply milk to
:07:33. > :07:36.the Saputo cheese factory in Carmarthenshire will have their
:07:36. > :07:39.supply contracts honoured for another 12 months. That's despite
:07:39. > :07:42.the proposed closure of the Newcastle Emlyn plant. 40 farmers
:07:42. > :07:45.who met with representatives of the Canadian-owned firm this afternoon
:07:45. > :07:50.were also told that at least eight parties were interested in buying
:07:50. > :07:53.the factory. Newport City Council has become the
:07:53. > :07:58.latest council to withdraw meat supplied by a company based in the
:07:58. > :08:01.city. It has confirmed that it has withdrawn mince beef products
:08:01. > :08:04.supplied by Welsh Bros to its care homes as a precaution. So far nine
:08:04. > :08:07.Welsh authorities and two schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf have withdrawn
:08:07. > :08:10.products produced by the company. Meanwhile the parent company of
:08:10. > :08:17.Creative Foods in Flint has confirmed horse DNA has been found
:08:17. > :08:20.in a lasagne product they make. In the next hour, Richard Burton
:08:21. > :08:26.will get a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in Los Angeles, nearly
:08:26. > :08:29.30 years after his death. It will be next to Elizabeth Taylor's and
:08:29. > :08:34.will mark the 50th anniversary of the film Cleopatra, in which the
:08:34. > :08:36.pair starred and fell in love. In a moment we'll be live in LA for all
:08:36. > :08:46.the latest but first here's our arts and media correspondent Huw
:08:46. > :08:49.
:08:49. > :08:59.Thomas. I went to be free of you, of wanting you, being afraid.
:08:59. > :08:59.
:08:59. > :09:04.Caesar would put permitted. -- would not permit it. On the set of
:09:04. > :09:07.Cleopatra, they fell in love. The beginning of an intense and
:09:07. > :09:15.tempestuous relationship. They were one of the world's most famous
:09:15. > :09:19.couples. Hollywood is now giving Richard Burton a start. At the
:09:19. > :09:27.ceremony this evening, it will be placed alongside the star of
:09:27. > :09:30.Elizabeth Taylor. Guests from Wales will be among those looking on. The
:09:30. > :09:35.campaign for a star was backed by the Royal Welsh College of Music
:09:35. > :09:38.and drama which had its own special guest today. The Prince of Wales
:09:38. > :09:43.and the Duchess of Cornwall launched an appeal to try to
:09:43. > :09:51.nurture the next generation of actors through scholarships for the
:09:51. > :09:56.best young talent. While students performed for the royal couple,
:09:56. > :10:02.others will be displaying their talents in Los Angeles this evening
:10:02. > :10:06.in tribute to the actor who became a star. Our third year acting
:10:06. > :10:11.company is known as the Richard Burton acting company. They take a
:10:11. > :10:19.lot of pride in that. A lot of our students raised money for the start
:10:19. > :10:29.and some of them are out there today. Twice married, they left
:10:29. > :10:29.
:10:29. > :10:32.Suede from the inseparable to the Let's cross live now to LA, where
:10:32. > :10:42.we can speak to our correspondent Peter Bowes. What are we expecting
:10:42. > :10:47.to happen when the star's unveiled? It is a tribute that has been a
:10:48. > :10:54.long time in coming. Richard Burton's daughters and the actor
:10:54. > :10:58.Michael Sheen will also be there. West dignitaries will be on hand to
:10:58. > :11:04.join in this tribute. It will be a relatively short ceremony. The star
:11:04. > :11:08.will be unveiled by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. After just a
:11:08. > :11:15.few short hours, the Celts will disappear and the tourists will get
:11:15. > :11:20.a chance to see this start at long last. This is Hollywood's number
:11:20. > :11:27.one tourist attraction. Many people will walk past this star and have
:11:27. > :11:30.their own fond memories of Richard Burton. His star will be next to
:11:30. > :11:38.Elizabeth Taylor. Does that mean he is taking the place of someone
:11:38. > :11:48.else? No, they can move these stars around quite easily. He does not
:11:48. > :11:49.
:11:49. > :11:56.take the start of someone else. They tend to add a couple of stars
:11:56. > :12:01.every month. It is a very long road. He mentioned that thousands of
:12:01. > :12:11.people visit this attraction, but what does it mean to have a start
:12:11. > :12:12.
:12:12. > :12:19.there. -- There? He was nominated for an Oscar many times. But as an
:12:19. > :12:23.accolade for Hollywood, it is way up there. Many people come to walk
:12:23. > :12:29.past these stars and pay their own tribute. His place in history is
:12:29. > :12:33.already set in stone. Now we have a physical tribute as well in the
:12:33. > :12:36.centre of Hollywood. Still to come. The number of people
:12:36. > :12:39.hospitalized after dog attacks hits a 14-year high. Now a consultation
:12:39. > :12:44.on how to tackle out of control pets.
:12:44. > :12:54.It is St David's Day and also the first day of spring. Join me for a
:12:54. > :12:55.
:12:55. > :12:58.Investing in people will improve the economy. That was the message
:12:58. > :13:02.from Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood as she addressed delegates at her
:13:02. > :13:04.party's conference on Anglesey. She says poor decisions by the UK
:13:04. > :13:14.Government and inaction by Welsh ministers has left Wales lagging
:13:14. > :13:16.
:13:16. > :13:20.behind economically. The temperature may be cold but the
:13:20. > :13:29.welcome was warm for the leader as she arrived at the conference.
:13:29. > :13:34.Earlier in the day, she visited a chef's Academy. It gives young
:13:34. > :13:39.people an opportunity to learn the trade. It also operates as a fully
:13:39. > :13:47.functioning restaurant. Many see the progress that has made with the
:13:47. > :13:52.first group, they're almost a couple of years into it. It makes a
:13:52. > :14:01.difference to their personalities and their ability to have a career
:14:01. > :14:09.is now fantastic. The message of support in business, creating jobs
:14:09. > :14:17.rang through her address. Many will leave school not being able to read
:14:17. > :14:22.or write to the expectations of their age. We can do so much better
:14:22. > :14:27.than this. Where is the sense of urgency that we need in Welsh
:14:27. > :14:31.politics? This is not just a message to delegate. It is also to
:14:31. > :14:37.voters ahead of the council elections on Anglesey in May which
:14:37. > :14:42.were postponed last year. People are looking for a new direction, a
:14:42. > :14:46.new start. New leadership. I am determined that they will find it
:14:46. > :14:55.here in the only party that this country of ours can rightly call
:14:55. > :14:59.its own, the party of Wales. This conference is not about unveiling
:14:59. > :15:03.new policies. It is about the party saying it has the answers to the
:15:03. > :15:09.big economic questions facing the country. It will take that message
:15:10. > :15:13.out ahead of the council elections in May and across the whole of
:15:13. > :15:17.Wales in the months and years ahead. The number of people hospitalised
:15:17. > :15:20.after being attacked by dogs is at a 14-year high in Wales according
:15:20. > :15:23.to figures seen by BBC Wales. More than 400 people were treated at
:15:23. > :15:33.hospitals last year. A consultation on Welsh Government legislation to
:15:33. > :15:36.
:15:36. > :15:42.tackle out-of-control dogs ends today. Kay Piontek was out walking
:15:42. > :15:46.her three dogs on this land in Newport when they were attacked.
:15:46. > :15:52.Her arm was broken in a couple of places and one of her dogs was
:15:52. > :16:00.killed. The owner was convicted and one of his dogs was destroyed.
:16:00. > :16:07.Become around every Saturday and lay flowers. Another dog died a few
:16:07. > :16:15.months later because of the stress. He did not get over it. This one is
:16:15. > :16:21.OK, he has scars. Apart from being nervous, if we stay away from here
:16:21. > :16:29.he is fine. Figures show just over 400 people were hospitalised last
:16:29. > :16:33.year because of Dogs. But the figures for the number of children
:16:33. > :16:42.under the age of 14 being attacked have exactly doubled over that
:16:42. > :16:49.period. Animal welfare officers say bad behaviour in Docks is also --
:16:49. > :16:52.often a consequence of owners mistreating them. The Welsh
:16:52. > :16:57.government wants to bring in new laws to force owners to keep
:16:57. > :17:04.tighter control of their animals. A public consultation ends today. It
:17:05. > :17:13.also wants to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act so that it covers a tax on
:17:13. > :17:16.private property as well as in public spaces. Kay Piontek will
:17:16. > :17:21.have to live with the physical and mental effects of the attack for
:17:21. > :17:25.the rest of her life. If you had to make the choice,
:17:25. > :17:29.which council services would you be prepared to cut? It is a dilemma
:17:29. > :17:32.that has dominated agendas at council meetings across Wales. The
:17:32. > :17:37.most controversial decisions have already hit the headlines. It is
:17:37. > :17:45.crunch time for everyone next week. What is the picture so far and what
:17:45. > :17:49.is in store? Here is our Economics Every year councils have to make
:17:49. > :17:53.difficult decisions to balance the books. Do they put up council tax,
:17:53. > :17:57.make cuts or charge for some of the services they run? This year they
:17:57. > :18:03.have faced the biggest challenge for decades. Everyone has less to
:18:03. > :18:05.spend and it is a domino effect. Because of the UK Government's cuts,
:18:05. > :18:11.the Welsh Government gets less and that means there's less to give to
:18:11. > :18:14.our councils. It is affecting what we get and what we can expect from
:18:14. > :18:17.our local authorities, from how often bins are emptied and the
:18:17. > :18:20.availability of public toilets, leisure centres and libraries.
:18:20. > :18:27.Every council is reaching D-day and in some places there have been
:18:27. > :18:31.protests. 18 out of the 22 have decided what's changing. A snapshot
:18:31. > :18:34.for you. In Anglesey for example, there's a funding gap of nearly
:18:34. > :18:43.�3.5 million so the council is proposing a 5% increase in council
:18:43. > :18:46.tax. An extra �45 a year for an average house. At the other end of
:18:46. > :18:50.the country, Cardiff isn't putting up council tax but it will be
:18:50. > :18:54.cutting services to make up a significant hole in the budget. By
:18:54. > :19:02.the end of next week we'll have a full picture right across Wales and
:19:02. > :19:04.we'll be examining how that is Onto sport and the day after our
:19:04. > :19:09.exclusive interview with Cardiff's billionaire owner, there's a change
:19:09. > :19:12.at the top of the club. Ashleigh's got the details.
:19:12. > :19:15.Thanks Lucy. Cardiff City's Chairman Dato Tien Chen Ghee has
:19:15. > :19:21.resigned as a director of the club after almost four years on the
:19:21. > :19:24.board. The Malaysian businessman, who's known as TG, is stepping down
:19:24. > :19:27.to concentrate on his business interests in the Far East. There's
:19:27. > :19:36.no word yet from the club's billionaire owner Vincent Tan on
:19:36. > :19:41.who will replace him. He was the man who first brought money from
:19:41. > :19:45.Malaysia to Cardiff City. He was introduced to the club by Peter
:19:45. > :19:51.Ridsdale. He later succeeded him as chairman of the board. Today, it
:19:51. > :19:55.has emerged that he has resigned as director. In a statement, the club
:19:55. > :20:03.said he has stepped down to concentrate on career and business
:20:04. > :20:08.pursuits. His most significant act was to persuade him more wealthy
:20:08. > :20:12.businessman to invest millions to save the club from going bust. The
:20:12. > :20:21.owner remains a controversial figure with fans after deciding to
:20:21. > :20:26.change the colour of the kit to read. He defended the move had
:20:26. > :20:31.refused to rule out further changes to the brand. He later insisted the
:20:31. > :20:36.name would stay the same. It has prompted another passionate debate
:20:36. > :20:45.reflected in this morning's Press as to how much change would be
:20:45. > :20:53.acceptable? Whatever he says he goes and does. This season, he said
:20:53. > :20:57.he would put money behind the table and he has done. These were the day
:20:57. > :21:02.was on the street around the stadium this afternoon. His heart
:21:02. > :21:07.scenes in it. So many football clubs have gone to foreign owners
:21:07. > :21:12.and it has not done them any harm. I would rather be in the Third or
:21:12. > :21:18.Fourth Division and still be playing in blue. I think it should
:21:18. > :21:24.be locally owned. The majority of fans were reluctant to the change
:21:24. > :21:32.in colour. How far that a basement would go, I think people would have
:21:32. > :21:38.different tipping point. The name is one. Cardiff now stand on the
:21:38. > :21:41.brink of promotion to the Premier League. They hope fans were now
:21:41. > :21:44.pull together to support the final push for promotion.
:21:44. > :21:47.That push continues tomorrow as Cardiff travel to Middlesbrough. In
:21:47. > :21:50.the Premier League, Swansea City will hope there is no hangover from
:21:50. > :21:52.their Capital One Cup victory as they host Newcastle. In the
:21:52. > :21:56.Conference, Newport are away at Hyde while leaders Wrexham face
:21:56. > :21:59.Alfreton. It looks as if Ryan Giggs will be
:21:59. > :22:02.playing in the Premier League as a 40-year-old. The former Wales
:22:02. > :22:07.captain has signed a new one-year contract with Manchester United at
:22:07. > :22:10.the age of 39, taking him to his 23rd season in the first team. If
:22:10. > :22:19.he takes the field against Norwich tomorrow, he will reach the
:22:19. > :22:24.landmark of 1000 matches in senior football. His form has never
:22:24. > :22:30.changed. He still retains that wonderful youthfulness in the way
:22:30. > :22:38.he plays. He still has good balance and still has that change of pace.
:22:38. > :22:41.He still get sued the goal. -- gets you the goal.
:22:41. > :22:44.Rugby. There's no Six Nations this weekend, so we're back to the Pro12
:22:44. > :22:47.tonight. Three Welsh regions are in action later. The Dragons host
:22:47. > :22:50.Leinster and Cardiff Blues are away to Glasgow. But tonight's Scrum V
:22:50. > :22:59.will be at Parc y Scarlets where they take on Edinburgh. That is
:22:59. > :23:08.live on BBC2 Wales at 7pm. The weather has not been too bad for St
:23:08. > :23:13.David's Day. This daffodil was made by a group of children in
:23:13. > :23:21.Porthmadog. They meet every Tuesday night and innate is especially for
:23:21. > :23:24.St David's Day and for charity. It Cloudy for most of Wales today but
:23:24. > :23:27.at least it was mostly dry. The best of the sunshine in northwest
:23:27. > :23:30.Gwynedd and on Anglesey. Over the weekend, plenty more dry weather
:23:30. > :23:34.thanks to high pressure. I can promise some sunshine but also some
:23:34. > :23:39.cloud, frost and fog patches. Tonight, dry. Areas of cloud but
:23:39. > :23:43.breaks as well. Mist and fog patches forming and a patchy frost,
:23:43. > :23:49.especially in the north and west. Temperatures close to freezing or
:23:49. > :23:52.below. Tomorrow's chart shows high pressure over the UK. The Atlantic
:23:52. > :24:01.lows which normally bring us rain diverted towards Iceland and
:24:01. > :24:08.Scandinavia. Some rain in Spain and Portugal as well. So tomorrow
:24:08. > :24:17.morning dry. Parts of the south and east grey and cloudy. Elsewhere a
:24:18. > :24:22.few mist and fog patches otherwise clear with frost and sunshine.
:24:22. > :24:28.During the day, any mist and fog will slowly lift. Some lovely
:24:28. > :24:33.sunshine but not everywhere. Some cloud as well. Top temperatures 6
:24:33. > :24:40.to 8 Celsius. Not that high but at least the wind will be light and in
:24:40. > :24:50.the sunshine feel quite pleasant. Tomorrow night the odd spot of
:24:50. > :25:00.drizzle in the north otherwise dry. Fairly cloudy. Misty in places too
:25:00. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:13.with patchy fog and where the cloud clears a frost is likely. Sunday
:25:13. > :25:18.dry. Mist and fog will slowly lift. The cloud breaking in places with
:25:18. > :25:23.some sunshine. Temperatures a shade higher. 7 to 9 Celsius with light
:25:23. > :25:26.to moderate winds. Next week, a change on the way. Dry on Monday
:25:26. > :25:31.and into Tuesday but pressure will fall with some rain later in the
:25:31. > :25:41.week. The wind turning into the south so becoming milder.
:25:41. > :25:44.
:25:44. > :25:49.Temperatures rising into the low teens. Our picture tonight is from
:25:49. > :25:52.Mal Gittens. A wonderful display of daffodils. Thanks Mal. I'm sure
:25:52. > :26:02.you're not the only one looking forward to spring. It's been a long
:26:02. > :26:03.
:26:03. > :26:07.winter but there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is coming up
:26:07. > :26:12.to 7 o'clock. The main news again. David Cameron has insisted the
:26:12. > :26:18.Conservatives can win the next general election despite coming
:26:18. > :26:23.third behind the Liberal Democrats in the Eastleigh by-election. The
:26:23. > :26:27.number of assembly members should rise from 60 to 80 because of the
:26:27. > :26:34.increase in the Assembly's powers. That is the call from the presiding
:26:34. > :26:39.officer. She says 20 more members would help the heavy workload.
:26:40. > :26:47.the moment it is fine. I have put in place a system for proper
:26:47. > :26:57.scrutiny. But in future, they will be so much more of it, the sheer
:26:57. > :26:59.
:27:00. > :27:03.volume of work will mean 60 members And a reminder if you've got a
:27:03. > :27:06.story you think we should cover let us know. We'd love to hear from you.
:27:06. > :27:08.Email us at wales.today@bbc.co.uk or call our audience line on 03703
:27:09. > :27:12.500 700. That is Wales Today. From all of us