:00:00. > :00:00.of wind. Back to you, Huw. Many thanks
:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines:
:00:00. > :00:08.The Welsh Government could get control of ?3 billion
:00:09. > :00:10.of your money every year, as the Chancellor announces
:00:11. > :00:24.My right in front the Welsh Secretary and I also confirmed that
:00:25. > :00:28.we will legislate so that the devolution of income tax can take
:00:29. > :00:31.place without a referendum. I'm not surprised to see that
:00:32. > :00:35.announcement. It will need the support of the assembly as well to
:00:36. > :00:41.do that. We don't know what the timescale will be.
:00:42. > :00:44.It has been called a landmark day and pays the way for a staff control
:00:45. > :00:44.over some pay packets for the first time.
:00:45. > :00:47.Almost a quarter of a million families in Wales get tax credits.
:00:48. > :00:49.As the Chancellor drops plans to cut them,
:00:50. > :00:54.we'll hear from a single mum of three about what it means for her.
:00:55. > :01:02.That's brilliant news. It means that each week, I'll still get my money
:01:03. > :01:02.to keep going until the end of the month.
:01:03. > :01:05.Police try to identify a body found wrapped in plastic
:01:06. > :01:08.outside a block of flats. A murder investigation's underway.
:01:09. > :01:13.And, Gavin Williams collapsed and died after an army punishment
:01:14. > :01:16.exercise - an inquest hears concerns were raised about mistreatment
:01:17. > :01:38.The Chancellor, George Osborne, has outlined his spending plans
:01:39. > :01:42.Amongst his commitments was giving the National Assembly control
:01:43. > :01:44.over income tax - without the need for a referendum.
:01:45. > :01:47.There was also a reversal on cuts to tax credits, which would
:01:48. > :01:51.have affected almost a quarter of a million families in Wales.
:01:52. > :01:54.Over the next half an hour, we'll have reaction from Westminster.
:01:55. > :01:56.We'll be hearing what it means for businesses and
:01:57. > :02:00.for public services - and we'll hear from people in Swansea
:02:01. > :02:05.Bur first, let's join our Political Editor, Nick Servini,
:02:06. > :02:19.On the subject of income tax, I have spoken to a number of AMs today, and
:02:20. > :02:23.they all agree, it really changes the dynamic. The idea from the
:02:24. > :02:27.Tories is, if you make assembly members responsible for raising as
:02:28. > :02:31.well as spending money, it makes them more accountable, and
:02:32. > :02:36.ultimately able to make better decisions. But the fear from some is
:02:37. > :02:40.that it locks in Wales' economic deprivation, and the next time,
:02:41. > :02:45.politicians here go to Westminster asked for money, the Treasury will
:02:46. > :02:50.turn around and say, raise taxes and do it yourself.
:02:51. > :02:56.Is Wales happy with Mr Osborne's plans? The Conservative Welsh
:02:57. > :02:59.Secretary Stephen Crabb was happy as he headed in to see his boss in
:03:00. > :03:06.Downing Street this morning. But it is the Labour Welsh
:03:07. > :03:09.government, and until now, AMs have been responsible for spending our
:03:10. > :03:13.money. Now, the UK Government says they can be in charge of raising
:03:14. > :03:17.significant chunks as well. The Conservative idea is to make AMs
:03:18. > :03:20.more accountable. My right honourable friend the Welsh
:03:21. > :03:23.Secretary and I also confirmed that we will legislate so the devolution
:03:24. > :03:28.of income tax can take place without a referendum.
:03:29. > :03:32.The Welsh Black ran to reach almost ?15 billion by 2019-20, while the
:03:33. > :03:36.capital spending will rise by over ?900 million over five years.
:03:37. > :03:41.So how will it work? The assembly will have control of 10% of income
:03:42. > :03:44.tax and the basic, hire and additional tax bands, and the
:03:45. > :03:49.ability to vary them individually. This will raise around ?2 billion a
:03:50. > :03:56.year. A 1p rise in the basic rate would generate or lose ?180 million.
:03:57. > :03:59.Changes on the higher rates would have a smaller impact on the public
:04:00. > :04:03.purse. You know where the Conservatives are
:04:04. > :04:06.going with this. They want to make this place more accountable. They
:04:07. > :04:09.want to stop it just becoming a place that spends money, and they
:04:10. > :04:13.think it will lead to better politics. Do you agree?
:04:14. > :04:18.I don't disagree. I think we are accountable and elected. But can you
:04:19. > :04:21.agree, for example, that community councils for example, should have an
:04:22. > :04:25.element of fundraising, councils should be able to raise the money.
:04:26. > :04:29.Westminster can, but the assembly can't. There are issues there.
:04:30. > :04:34.People will look at what different parties are proposing and take their
:04:35. > :04:42.decisions. Some taxes are already in the
:04:43. > :04:45.process of being devolved, nominally stamp duty, but they are already
:04:46. > :04:49.dwarfed in the receipt of income tax. The UK Government has also
:04:50. > :04:51.introduced a new guarantee or funding floor which had make sure
:04:52. > :04:54.public spending per head in Wales never falls below a certain level.
:04:55. > :04:59.The Welsh government says this needs to be looked at in more detail
:05:00. > :05:02.before arriving at any conclusion. We don't know exactly how and when
:05:03. > :05:08.the partial control income tax will be devolved, but work is already
:05:09. > :05:12.underway to develop a Welsh Treasury for some of the smaller taxes. But
:05:13. > :05:19.there could be a more immediate impact, as some of the parties here
:05:20. > :05:24.at the assembly make policies on income tax a big part of their
:05:25. > :05:28.campaign for the elections. What income tax powers will do is
:05:29. > :05:31.give the Welsh government to direct incentive to invest in job creation
:05:32. > :05:35.and economic development, because now, they will be able to realise
:05:36. > :05:38.the benefit of that. Our priority for any tax changes
:05:39. > :05:42.would be to benefit those on low incomes, rather than to prioritise
:05:43. > :05:46.those on high. In the here in our budget is, as a
:05:47. > :05:51.result of the Spending Review, the Welsh government settlement will
:05:52. > :05:55.increase by ?100 billion next year, but will be a reduction of nearly 4%
:05:56. > :05:59.4% over the next four years. Elsewhere, there was also a boost to
:06:00. > :06:02.the proposed city deal for infrastructure schemes in south-east
:06:03. > :06:04.Wales, with a commitment from the Chancellor to support the project.
:06:05. > :06:17.I think it is significant. Income tax is such a symbolic tax in
:06:18. > :06:22.financial terms, and it really poses questions for all the main parties,
:06:23. > :06:25.with a lot of politics around today from Labour's perspective. They say
:06:26. > :06:28.it is a bit of a smoke screen for the cuts coming down the line in
:06:29. > :06:32.terms of the budget settlement. There will also be called and
:06:33. > :06:36.concerns within Labour that this is the thin end of the wedge, and
:06:37. > :06:39.really harms the benefits of being part of the UK, which is the
:06:40. > :06:44.redistribution of wealth of places like the south-east of England into
:06:45. > :06:47.Wales. And also, from the Conservative perspective, there are
:06:48. > :06:51.not that many, or there are plenty of Tories that will have real
:06:52. > :06:55.concerns about giving partial control of salaries to Labour
:06:56. > :06:59.finance minister, particularly when there is a Conservative at
:07:00. > :07:03.Westminster. But if you want people to take note of this place as an
:07:04. > :07:07.institution, this is probably the best way of doing it, because there
:07:08. > :07:09.are few things in life people care more about than their pay packets.
:07:10. > :07:11.Thank you for the update. The Chancellor also announced
:07:12. > :07:14.a number of changes to the welfare system today which will affect
:07:15. > :07:16.people right across the country. The biggest announcement was
:07:17. > :07:19.his U-turn on tax credits where Mr Osborne stated
:07:20. > :07:21.they would no longer be cut. Yesterday we went to Swansea to find
:07:22. > :07:24.out how any changes could affect people living there and
:07:25. > :07:27.we've been back there to find out how today's announcements
:07:28. > :07:29.on tax credits, housing benefits and the
:07:30. > :07:39.state pension have been received. Yesterday, we met 26-year-old Emily
:07:40. > :07:43.from Swansea, a single mother of three young children. Emily has a
:07:44. > :07:47.part-time job, but due to the low income, Shiels gets working in child
:07:48. > :07:51.tax credits, as well as housing benefit. Today, she watched
:07:52. > :07:55.anxiously as the Chancellor unveiled the government's spending plans.
:07:56. > :07:59.With tax credits no longer facing the chop, it means Amelie will still
:08:00. > :08:06.get around ?200 a week in working in child tax credits.
:08:07. > :08:10.This is also good news for the 238,000 families in Wales who also
:08:11. > :08:14.received tax credits. That is brilliant news. It means
:08:15. > :08:19.that each week, I will still get my money to keep going until the end of
:08:20. > :08:23.the month. The worrying thing is then, where are the other cuts
:08:24. > :08:27.coming from? Is my housing benefit still all right? It was confirmed
:08:28. > :08:32.today that child tax credits will be limited to two children for any new
:08:33. > :08:35.claimants from 2017. Across the bay in Port Talbot, there
:08:36. > :08:39.were concerns about changes to housing benefit. These flats are
:08:40. > :08:43.accommodation for vulnerable 16 to 25-year-olds. They are a step
:08:44. > :08:46.towards independent living fund to a local charity who provide support
:08:47. > :08:51.for those who live here are concerned about the impact of a
:08:52. > :08:56.housing tenants. The impact on our young people
:08:57. > :09:01.moving on is with average rents for a one-bedroom flat being around ?70
:09:02. > :09:05.a week, and the local housing allowance being around ?50 a week,
:09:06. > :09:09.that means there is going to be a ?20 a week shortfall that they will
:09:10. > :09:11.have to find from their already limited budgets that they have to
:09:12. > :09:14.live on. Of course, there was something
:09:15. > :09:20.today's Spending Review for everyone, so what about the older
:09:21. > :09:26.generation? At this Bowls club, every millimetre makes the
:09:27. > :09:29.difference. But what about the extra ?3.35 a week state pension that has
:09:30. > :09:33.been promised? How much to that matter to this lot?
:09:34. > :09:42.The cost of care homes is really way beyond inflation, and I don't think
:09:43. > :09:48.that he is going to satisfy many pensioners with a ?3.55 rise.
:09:49. > :09:54.Any increase in income is good. It remains to be seen then which method
:09:55. > :09:59.he takes them to get it back off you. For now, we have an idea how
:10:00. > :10:02.this Spending Review will affect our purses and wallets, but of course,
:10:03. > :10:04.we must take a closer look between the lines to see how these changes
:10:05. > :10:05.play out in the long term. Our economics correspondent
:10:06. > :10:14.Sarah Dickins Is it good news for people in tax
:10:15. > :10:17.credits? Well, for many thousands of families who had been worried about
:10:18. > :10:20.tax credits, obviously, today is good news.
:10:21. > :10:23.They will be pleased that they will not have the money they have to
:10:24. > :10:27.spend each week squeezed, but we really have to remember this is a
:10:28. > :10:30.delay. They will not be called Working Tax Credits, but this
:10:31. > :10:33.element will go into the Universal Credit which is being rolled out for
:10:34. > :10:37.new claimants across Wales and the UK at the moment, and that will be
:10:38. > :10:41.fully rolled out at some point in 2016, though it has been delayed
:10:42. > :10:44.before. So there will still be cuts to welfare. George Osborne made it
:10:45. > :10:48.clear very many times in his speech that those welfare cuts, ?12
:10:49. > :10:52.billion, are still happening, he is just doing it differently. So it is
:10:53. > :10:56.a delay for those families. Income tax. Will be changes help the
:10:57. > :11:00.economy? Scotland has had the chance to
:11:01. > :11:05.varying tax for many years, and has not used it, probably for political
:11:06. > :11:09.reasons. Here in Wales, we have only 4000 people who are paying the
:11:10. > :11:14.highest rate of tax, which is 45%. Most people pay basic tax, and when
:11:15. > :11:20.you are looking in that area, if they put up tax by 1p in the pound,
:11:21. > :11:25.that would only generate ?180 million from 2012 figures. Really,
:11:26. > :11:28.at the moment, I think it is unlikely that any political party
:11:29. > :11:32.would put up with that pain for that small benefit, relatively.
:11:33. > :11:36.Looking to the future, will there be held for a city deal here?
:11:37. > :11:40.He mentioned that and said he supported the idea, but the Treasury
:11:41. > :11:43.needs more details from the ten local authorities in Wales before
:11:44. > :11:48.they will give ?500 million, which is what they have been asked for.
:11:49. > :11:52.Interestingly, in the last two hours, we have had this major report
:11:53. > :11:56.into rail development in the next few years, and that says the
:11:57. > :12:02.electrification of the Cardiff will happen by 2019-20, but it will be
:12:03. > :12:06.delayed for Swansea until possibly 2024. Political reaction is only
:12:07. > :12:10.just coming in now, but Peter Black for the Liberal Democrats has
:12:11. > :12:13.already said that is very bad news for the Swansea economy, and the big
:12:14. > :12:19.question is, what that would mean for the city regions' favourite
:12:20. > :12:21.plan, the Metro, because that goes west of Cardiff thank you.
:12:22. > :12:23.There were some major changes for Welsh businesses
:12:24. > :12:31.Our correspondent Brian Meechan is in Barry for us tonight. Brian.
:12:32. > :12:39.One of the big stories tonight for businesses and workers is this new
:12:40. > :12:43.apprenticeship levy that has been set at 0.5% for the big employers
:12:44. > :12:47.across the whole of the UK. When the Chancellor first said he would have
:12:48. > :12:49.this apprenticeship levy, the Welsh government was furious, because it
:12:50. > :12:54.had already been putting plans in place to have its own set of
:12:55. > :12:57.apprenticeship schemes, because apprenticeships and traineeships are
:12:58. > :13:02.devolved in Wales, and there had been no consultation. Let's talk to
:13:03. > :13:07.one business affected by this. Dave Walters from Harris Pine. You aren't
:13:08. > :13:13.engineering company down here near Cowbridge. How worried are you about
:13:14. > :13:19.the of this levy? We significantly investing our people, and we a
:13:20. > :13:21.significant pool of apprentices here in the workplace.
:13:22. > :13:25.That will not stop is investing in and training the people we have, but
:13:26. > :13:29.it will be at significant cost, and we do now will benefit from that
:13:30. > :13:33.cost, because as you say, the powers devolved Wales, and we might have to
:13:34. > :13:36.possibly pay into the scheme twice without knowing how we will
:13:37. > :13:40.benefit. It has not been made clear in the discussions how will operate.
:13:41. > :13:45.It was a surprise to everyone when this levy was announced?
:13:46. > :13:49.Absolutely. As you say, the central government has stolen a march a
:13:50. > :13:52.little bit on the Welsh government, and wherever you are from, you still
:13:53. > :13:56.have to pay in, irrespective of whether you have apprentices or not.
:13:57. > :14:00.But we don't now how in Wales we will benefit. That is significant to
:14:01. > :14:05.us, and the potential cost. Tell me what else you thought about
:14:06. > :14:08.the Spending Review today. It is interesting, because that only
:14:09. > :14:11.gives you one side of the equation. Lots of spending initiatives were
:14:12. > :14:14.announced today. They have scrapped the abolition of tax credits, and it
:14:15. > :14:18.is hard to see how that will balance the books without knowing the other
:14:19. > :14:21.side of the equation. There were some interesting introductions of
:14:22. > :14:25.spend on capital, roads and at the structure, which is good for us,
:14:26. > :14:26.because we have significant freight travelling around the UK and out of
:14:27. > :14:32.it. Thank you very much. Some of the
:14:33. > :14:35.news tonight, the big energy intensive industries have been
:14:36. > :14:39.lobbying for a number of years for support from the UK Government to
:14:40. > :14:44.get rid of some of these Green taxes they have to pay. That was announced
:14:45. > :14:49.today, but it must be said, while it has been welcomed by the industry,
:14:50. > :14:52.companies like Tata steel are in a difficult position, because it is
:14:53. > :14:55.not just about creating a level playing field any more, but about
:14:56. > :14:59.taking on the Chinese steel issue. So they will also be hit by this
:15:00. > :15:00.apprenticeship levy, another problem for them.
:15:01. > :15:01.Thank you. Meanwhile, the Chancellor's
:15:02. > :15:03.spending review also sees a 26% cut in the funding S4C receives
:15:04. > :15:05.from the UK Government. This will be reduced from ?6.7
:15:06. > :15:11.million to ?5 million by 2019-20. S4C receives around
:15:12. > :15:14.8% of its funding from the Department for
:15:15. > :15:19.Culture, Media and Sport. Let's get the reaction now
:15:20. > :15:21.from Westminster. Our Parliamentary Correspondent
:15:22. > :15:30.David Cornock is there. David.
:15:31. > :15:34.Good evening from Westminster, where MPs are still die Justin Rose
:15:35. > :15:37.figures the Chancellor came up with today. The Welsh government now
:15:38. > :15:41.knows it will have a little less spending power over the next four
:15:42. > :15:44.years, but it will have some protection, in that the government
:15:45. > :15:49.is introducing a spending formula that will actually guarantee that
:15:50. > :15:56.public spending in Wales, in devolved areas, will remain 15%
:15:57. > :15:59.higher than in England in similar areas. The Shadow Welsh Secretary
:16:00. > :16:05.told me that that was what Labour had called for.
:16:06. > :16:10.Wales is like some of the less well off regions of England, like the
:16:11. > :16:14.Northeast, for example, in terms of demographics, population, need, and
:16:15. > :16:19.so forth. And so it is absolutely essential that we do have what is
:16:20. > :16:24.called a funding floor, but the real problem is that when spending is
:16:25. > :16:29.very low, that will make very little difference, and actual money that
:16:30. > :16:32.matters is money we actually get for Wales.
:16:33. > :16:34.From the Shadow Welsh Secretary to the Secretary of State for Wales
:16:35. > :16:38.himself. Stephen Crabb, let's start of spending guarantee. The point was
:16:39. > :16:42.made there that when spending is going down, it is meaningless. It is
:16:43. > :16:47.academic, because spending in Wales relative to England will not fall.
:16:48. > :16:51.This is an meaningless at all. A lot of people have spent years saying
:16:52. > :16:54.there is a problem the way the Barnett Formula operates for Wales
:16:55. > :16:59.and how it allocates funds to Wales. Labour Party's Andy Burnham said
:17:00. > :17:03.when he was Chief Secretary he knew there was a problem but could not do
:17:04. > :17:07.anything about it. We have taken a historic step of saying, yes, this
:17:08. > :17:10.is a problem, and will fix it. That is why the Chancellor announced the
:17:11. > :17:14.date we will always guarantee in this spending review period that
:17:15. > :17:18.Wales will get 115% of the equivalent spending in England, a
:17:19. > :17:23.big step forward for Wales. Let's look at what he said about
:17:24. > :17:27.income tax, and the decision to scrap the referendum in Wales there
:17:28. > :17:32.has to be held, or had to be held, before there would be income tax
:17:33. > :17:35.powers devolved to Wales. The people of Scotland were asked that
:17:36. > :17:39.question. Why aren't the people of Wales going to be asked it?
:17:40. > :17:43.The people of Scotland were asked that question almost 20 years ago,
:17:44. > :17:47.and in recent months and years, the whole debate about devolution has
:17:48. > :17:49.moved en massively, not just for Scotland, Northern Ireland and
:17:50. > :17:52.Wales, but also the English cities and regions, and so it is a real
:17:53. > :17:59.danger that Wales is at risk of being caught in the slow lane of
:18:00. > :18:02.devolution. We believe as a government that in the 21st-century,
:18:03. > :18:05.to harness all the opportunities for economic growth and rebalance the
:18:06. > :18:07.economy away from London and the south-east, you must devolve real
:18:08. > :18:13.powers downwards, which is why we've taken this decision. Let's allow the
:18:14. > :18:18.Welsh government to get on and use these fundraising powers.
:18:19. > :18:20.When will it happen? When the Welsh government, and Welsh Labour in
:18:21. > :18:24.particular, come to a place where they say, yes, we're willing to be a
:18:25. > :18:28.responsible, accountable Welsh government.
:18:29. > :18:29.At the moment, they exist as a big spending department with less
:18:30. > :18:34.responsibility for raising money than your local parish council. That
:18:35. > :18:37.is an absurdity in the age when the Welsh Assembly says it wants to be a
:18:38. > :18:41.parliament. So we are addressing that, asking the government to step
:18:42. > :18:45.up, be responsible and accountable, and use these levers as an example
:18:46. > :18:50.to grow the Welsh economy. -- an opportunity to grow the economy. We
:18:51. > :18:53.languish at the bottom of the UK's economic league table. I don't want
:18:54. > :18:56.that to continue. Will you use those levers to cut
:18:57. > :19:00.income tax rates? Whatever levers we can use to get
:19:01. > :19:04.more entrepreneurs, business people and to Wales, that must be a good
:19:05. > :19:07.thing, to create jobs. At the moment, we are stuck at the bottom,
:19:08. > :19:11.and we must change that. Thank you very much indeed. From a
:19:12. > :19:12.cold Westminster, back to you in the warm in Cardiff.
:19:13. > :19:13.Thank you. And you can find more information
:19:14. > :19:16.on George Osborne's Spending Review and what it means for you
:19:17. > :19:19.on the BBC News website. Police are continuing to investigate
:19:20. > :19:25.the murder of a man, whose body was found wrapped in plastic,
:19:26. > :19:28.in the grounds of a block of flats. An investigation was launched
:19:29. > :19:30.yesterday, after human remains were found behind flats in the village
:19:31. > :19:34.of Beddau, near Pontypridd. A police cordon remains
:19:35. > :19:40.in place today at the Trem-Y-Cwm House flats in Beddau,
:19:41. > :19:45.as the murder enquiry continues. Police were called here at
:19:46. > :19:49.around one o'clock yesterday afternoon, after human remains were
:19:50. > :19:53.found within the grounds. They say a man's body was found
:19:54. > :19:56.above ground outside the flats, People living here have been
:19:57. > :20:10.shocked by the discovery. I came home from work last night on
:20:11. > :20:15.the bus, and I saw all the police and everything. I just thought it
:20:16. > :20:20.was a normal traffic accident, but I just can't believe it, because it is
:20:21. > :20:25.really, really quiet around here. It is lovely, you know? All the old age
:20:26. > :20:28.pensioners live here. You rarely see anything.
:20:29. > :20:31.It is a shot in the area. It is a quiet area, not too much going on.
:20:32. > :20:36.But yes, quite a shock. It is usually very quiet. Lots of
:20:37. > :20:39.schools out. Shocking news, yes, shocking.
:20:40. > :20:41.A floodlight was set up last night as scenes
:20:42. > :20:43.of crime officers continued their forensic search into the night.
:20:44. > :20:45.House to house enquiries were also carried out,
:20:46. > :20:49.Detectives are asking the public for help. They're appealing
:20:50. > :20:53.for anyone to get in touch, who has concerns for the welfare
:20:54. > :20:56.of a male friend, relative or neighbour, who they've not seen or
:20:57. > :21:03.Forensic examinations are continuing on the body,
:21:04. > :21:07.and a post-mortem examination is being carried out today.
:21:08. > :21:09.Police say a priority is to identify the person
:21:10. > :21:16.They want to speak to anyone who may have information which could
:21:17. > :21:23.Ambulances in Wales have met their target
:21:24. > :21:26.for responding to the most life-threatening emergencies
:21:27. > :21:28.after changes to the way calls are classed.
:21:29. > :21:32.Nearly 69% of "code red" calls were responded to within eight minutes
:21:33. > :21:38.last month, exceeding the 65% target which has been repeatedly missed.
:21:39. > :21:42.Around 5% of all 999 calls were subject to the target last month,
:21:43. > :21:48.compared to 40% before the year-long trial began.
:21:49. > :21:51.Plans to ban people from sleeping rough in Newport city centre
:21:52. > :21:55.City councillors voted to bring in a special order to tackle
:21:56. > :21:59.But a restriction on rough sleeping was dropped,
:22:00. > :22:01.and a blanket ban on begging was amended.
:22:02. > :22:05.Campaigners have welcomed the rethink.
:22:06. > :22:12.An 18-year-old man from Llanelli, who became the fifth person to be
:22:13. > :22:14.arrested in connection with an alleged data theft from TalkTalk,
:22:15. > :22:17.The man was arrested on suspicion of blackmail.
:22:18. > :22:20.The telecoms company website was hit by a hacking attack last month.
:22:21. > :22:22.Police have arrested and bailed four others, as part
:22:23. > :22:31.This includes teenagers from Northern Ireland, London and
:22:32. > :22:33.Norwich. An inquest has heard how
:22:34. > :22:35.concerns were raised about "mistreatment" before
:22:36. > :22:37.the death of a soldier in 2006. 22-year-old Gavin Williams,
:22:38. > :22:39.from Henoged near Caerphilly, collapsed after being ordered to
:22:40. > :22:41.carry out intensive exercise known as "beasting" as punishment for
:22:42. > :22:44.disobedience and drunken incidents. Paul Heaney reports from
:22:45. > :22:59.Salisbury Coroner's Court. When three men were cleared of
:23:00. > :23:02.manslaughter charges in relation to Gavin's death more than seven years
:23:03. > :23:07.ago, they always maintained that those higher up in the Army knew the
:23:08. > :23:10.kind of physical punishment, so-called beasting, that were
:23:11. > :23:14.sometimes used to establish discipline. We heard from the
:23:15. > :23:19.Sergeant Major, the regimental Sergeant Major, in charge when Gavin
:23:20. > :23:22.died today. He repeatedly denied knowing anything about beasting at
:23:23. > :23:28.the time, and was at a loss to explain why some of his sergeants
:23:29. > :23:32.were still relying on it. We also heard from another officer, who said
:23:33. > :23:36.he had raised concerns about mistreatment of two of his soldiers
:23:37. > :23:40.a month before Gavin died. The Sergeant that handed out that kind
:23:41. > :23:43.of physical punishment, he said, was the same one that ordered Gavin to
:23:44. > :23:48.do the beasting that led to his collapse. Gavin died in hospital
:23:49. > :23:51.from heart failure, and ecstasy was found in his blood. But his family
:23:52. > :23:56.have always maintained that bullying and humiliation was part of the
:23:57. > :24:00.story of how he died. That came out in court today, and although one
:24:01. > :24:03.officer admitted it was something he had seen once before, another denied
:24:04. > :24:08.knowing anything of the sort at the time. The inquest continues.
:24:09. > :24:13.Back to our top story tonight. The Chancellor George Osborne has
:24:14. > :24:18.outlined his spending plans for the next five years. Amongst his
:24:19. > :24:20.commitments was giving the National Assembly control over income tax
:24:21. > :24:27.without the need for a referendum. He also reversed his plans to cut
:24:28. > :24:31.tax credits. Our political editor is in the Senedd. A final thought.
:24:32. > :24:35.Could the announcements today change things significantly in Cardiff
:24:36. > :24:40.Bay? In the short term across Wales, I think look no further than
:24:41. > :24:43.that decision on tax credits. Over 200,000 families will see an
:24:44. > :24:48.immediate impact over the course of the next few months because of that.
:24:49. > :24:53.In the medium to longer term, that decision on income tax and evolving
:24:54. > :24:57.it is significant. It tries to deal with this anomaly that this
:24:58. > :25:02.institution spends ?15 billion, but has very limited powers when it
:25:03. > :25:06.comes to raising revenue. The hurdles keep on being removed for
:25:07. > :25:11.these powers to come down the track. The big hurdle, of course, was a
:25:12. > :25:15.referendum. I have to say, there was no appetite from the parties to hold
:25:16. > :25:21.that referendum. Carwyn Jones in the chamber said they did not think he
:25:22. > :25:24.could win it. There were many who agreed. That tells you in a way
:25:25. > :25:29.about the attitude of the public, and the job that AMs now have if
:25:30. > :25:31.they get these powers to build confidence in such an important part
:25:32. > :25:33.of public life. Thank you, Nick.
:25:34. > :25:37.Sue's here - a real mixed bag at the moment?
:25:38. > :25:40.Tomorrow's bright and blustery with a few scattered showers.
:25:41. > :25:42.Tonight, any showers will clear, generally turning drier overnight.
:25:43. > :25:48.Some cloud around, blustery, but not too cold at 7-9C.
:25:49. > :25:51.So, bright and breezy to start Thursday.
:25:52. > :25:54.The best of any sunny spells in the east, but cloud will thicken.
:25:55. > :25:59.Patchy rain pushing in to the north and west later.
:26:00. > :26:02.The winds veer more south-westerly introducing milder air,
:26:03. > :26:06.so temperatures back in double figures at 11C in
:26:07. > :26:11.Staying largely cloudy tomorrow night.
:26:12. > :26:13.Some patchy mist and drizzle, and very mild
:26:14. > :26:21.But with that milder Atlantic influence, it's also very
:26:22. > :26:25.changeable, with another front arriving from the west on Friday.
:26:26. > :26:28.Friday might start dry in the east, but with more rain pushing in across
:26:29. > :26:32.the Irish sea, south-westerly winds picking up by the afternoon too,
:26:33. > :26:38.Very wet and windy by Friday afternoon.
:26:39. > :26:41.Behind that cold front, drier and colder for a time
:26:42. > :26:47.Remaining windy, with a risk of wintry showers on high ground.
:26:48. > :26:50.So again, Saturday might starts dry in
:26:51. > :26:54.the east, but further rain arriving from the west through Saturday,
:26:55. > :26:58.and feeling colder in those strong to gale force south-westerly winds.
:26:59. > :27:02.That same waving weather front could bring thicker cloud
:27:03. > :27:06.and some rain again early Sunday, but once that clears,
:27:07. > :27:10.turning drier through Sunday, brighter but feeling chillier.
:27:11. > :27:13.So, very mixed weather this week - changeable, briefly returning to
:27:14. > :27:20.But remaining unsettled into next week, with heavy rain
:27:21. > :27:25.Finally, today's picture is from Derren Jones.
:27:26. > :27:39.in Llanberis, with clouds approaching.
:27:40. > :27:42.I'll have a quick update for you at 8 and a full round-up
:27:43. > :27:44.after the BBC news at ten. That's Wales Today.
:27:45. > :27:46.From everyone on the programme, good evening.
:27:47. > :27:52.ends with a riot! ..with a riot, yeah.