01/12/2015 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today, our top story:

A BBC investigation exposes how students could get tuition fees

paid and student loans funded by the public purse

Let's face it, if this is going in in one organisation,

it could potentially be going on elsewhere as well.

Tonight calls for a review of how the Welsh Government may have been

scammed, we have an exclusive report.

We are all potential organ donors now.

Wales becomes the first nation in the UK to introduce

We hear from patients waiting for the call.

I had 16 seizures, myheart stopped twice and I was

I've been on dialysis now for three years.

Tonight all beds here at Wales' only dedicated transplant unit are full.

But with many others needing new organs waiting and hoping at home,

A U-turn tonight from health bosses in north Wales.

Plans to downgrade maternity services at Glan Clwyd Hospital

Mike Phillips, Wales' most capped scrum-half announces his retirement

And a brief respite from the wet weather tonight

but further risk of flooding through tomorrow and Thursday.

There are calls tonight for an urgent investigation into how

an undercover journalist was offered a student loan using faked

Darren Millar, who chairs the Assembly's Public

Accounts Committee, says the police and Auditor General

should look into evidence of a scam at the Cardiff campus of the West

It's been uncovered as part of a BBC Wales Week

Tim Rogers has this exclusive report.

So proud is the West London Vocational Training College

of what it has to offer in Cardiff that the principal and owner

What we discovered when we went undercover is a scam

in which students are getting lessons in how to cheat and lie

This is taxi driver and student recruiter, Kazi Shajahan, advising a

member of our team to fake a certificate to get on to an

The college gets ?6,000 per student in tuition fees for a level four

and five HND and that is public money from Student Finance Wales,

One man, who asked not to be identified, who went to enrol

as a student says Shajahan told him it was easy money and he wouldn't

have to do any work. He could pay someone else to do it.

At the beginning he said I don't have to do anything

because all the assignments, all the work is going to be...

The principle of the college is Manoj Kumar who calls himself Dr.

He claims to have a PhD from Cambridge University

but when we checked we found this was a lie.

In England, before private colleges are allowed

to access public money, they have to be inspected by regulators,

But the QAA doesn't have the power to inspect private colleges

Today, Darren Millar, the chairman of the Assembly's

Public Accounts Committee called for the system to be investigated

by the Auditor General and for the West London Vocational

Training College in Cardiff to be looked at by the police.

We need some swift response from the Welsh Government, we need

the Auditor General for Wales to consider the implications of this

for the wider FE sector because, let's face it, if this is going on

in one organisation it could potentially be going on elsewhere.

The college's owner says he denies knowing of any wrongdoing

in the recruitment of students to his college

and he says that Shajahan was never employed as a recruitment

director and the principal, Manoj Kumar,

has been removed from his position.

The Education Minister wasn't available for interview,

but this afternoon in the Assembly he was asked about this story.

We do not know as yet if there is any substance to these allegations.

It is for the BBC to make those allegations, as we believe they

will, and then to pass them to the police as they should.

I will say there would be no system of regulation,

or it would be very difficult to contrive of a system of regulation

that could be 100% proof against any planned or deliberate fraud.

Let's talk to our political editor Nick Servini.

We're talking about public money here. What is the Welsh Government

done about this? There are serious questions to answer. The first thing

we should say is the Welsh Government has referred the matter

to the police, they have suspended payments to the college. But the

problem here is the lack of checks and balances carried out. The

Education Minister said it is impossible to design a system that

is 100% full proof. Most people would understand by that a scenario

whereby you've got a reasonably solid set of systems in place by

past by a sophisticated operation. You will have got a flavour from

that piece there and if you watch the programme tonight, this was

anything but a sophisticated operation, a pretty upfront attempt

to come up with false qualification documentation to tap into Welsh

student finance. The Welsh Government is saying, to try to head

off accusations that this is the tip of the iceberg this is an isolated

case. Compare to the England where there are 200 private colleges,

there are very few in Wales and as a result with a degree of confidence

today, Huw Lewis was saying it is difficult to see how this could be

replicated. Inevitably, the question will be, could this happen for

example, in a university departments across Wales? Officials are saying

then a much more safeguards in place in an institution like that that

would make it very difficult. But inevitably, a case like this would

pose many questions and would hardly inspire a lot of confidence in the

system. Thank you very much. And you can see more on this story

in Week In Week Out tonight It's been described by the

Health Minister as a "revolution" A new law has come into force

which means all of us in Wales is now considered willing to donate

our organs after death unless we've Wales is the only nation in the UK

with a so called Last year, 173 transplant operations

were carried out on patients from Wales but more than 200 people here

are on a transplant waiting list. And many more people are

waiting to be put on the list. 14 people died last year

while waiting for a suitable organ. Our health correspondent Owain

Clarke is at the University Hospital Thank you. The transplant unit here

in Cardiff is never quiet. Surgeons here performed five transplants in

just one night. Because organs are often in short supply the last time

a transplant occurred here was last Thursday. But just in case one

becomes available, to surgeons will be on stand-by here tonight. Will

this new change in the law help solve the First Minister Carwyn

Jones described today as a chronic sort -- shortage of organs?

Being able to transplant organs from one person to another is one

of the most remarkable achievements of modern medicine.

Thousands are alive today who wouldn't be otherwise.

At Wales' biggest hospital, this teenager is getting a new

It is one of around 120 kidney and pancreas transplant operations

In a sense, the patient who end up here at the transplant unit

at the University Hospital of Wales are the lucky ones.

It means they have been found an organ.

It could have come from anywhere in the UK, it is suitable and

But at any one point, over 200 others are on waiting lists

There are concerns too often too many of them die

These are some of the engines we work on in college.

At 21 years old, it's no surprise that Sam wants to

live life at full throttle, but needing a kidney, feels

his illness is always holding him back.

When it failed in 2012, I had 16 seizures and my heart stopped twice

I've been on dialysis for three years.

The new system is only likely to result in 15 extra donors a year

And those won't necessarily stay in Wales.

They could be given to recipients elsewhere in the UK.

So far, almost ?5 million has been spent just letting people know

Supporters say, for someone in desperate need, just one extra

It is frustrating to see patients waiting for long periods of time and

more frustrating to see their health deteriorate during that period.

A number of patients, their health deteriorates so much that

I met Calvin Jones from Gors Las just hours after he received a new

You couldn't go to the bathroom, you couldn't shower yourself,

As soon as you went in, you couldn't do nothing.

I came out of there this morning at half past five. There we are.

The new law will bring into force a so-called soft opt out system

which means families will always be involved in discussions after death,

but what they won't be able to do is refuse a donation if it is clear

that is what their relative would have wanted, although in reality,

staff are unlikely to press ahead if it causes any distress.

We probably have these conversation with families,

Specially trained nurses like Angharad Griffiths continue to lead

Regardless of the legislation, our role is to talk to

the families about the choices their loved one may have made or may

not have made, and to work that through with the family.

We never want to put anybody at risk by enforcing organ donation

and part of our role is to make sure it is right

for them and they are comfortable with that before we proceed.

The law sets up the basic rules around something.

In the end, you have to rely on those people, those highly

trained people who are sensitive to the difficult set of circumstances.

You have to allow them to make a clinical judgment.

The law in the end cannot sit on the shoulder of the doctor or

the nurse, trying to make those decisions for them.

Back in 2008, a task force recommended against introducing

Back then it was argued resources would be better spent

on specialist staff and persuading people to opt in.

But it's clear that other parts of the UK will now be watching

In some countries, they introduced presumed consent and

I think it is great Wales are doing it,

let's see how well that impact on the numbers of donors.

Others argue for the law to really work, the Welsh

Government needs to make sure it spends enough on specialist beds.

Here in Cardiff, they have already opened this new unit.

Even if the effect of the new law is just to get more of us talking about

organo donation and our wishes, then supporters say it will be worth it.

And if it means the course Sam has been so desperately waiting for cams

quicker, it'll be hard to argue that it hasn't been worthwhile.

Talking to the staff here in this unit over the past few weeks

they tell me there's nothing more frustrating than simply not knowing

what somebody wishes are when it comes to organ donation.

Some argue if this law only has the effect of encouraging more people to

state clearly their wishes, then that in itself will be worth it.

Five years ago, Theresa and Alan Wilkin

She died from a brain haemorrhage at just 34.

The couple weren't sure about organ donation

but then they discovered Claire was on the organ donor register.

We'll be eternally grateful to Claire for making a decision for us.

Because if not, Alan and I are the type of people we

We would've been forever wondering whether we'd done the right thing,

It would've been with us for the rest of our lives.

I weren't too sure before but when Claire had done that, it was easy.

They're proud their daughter has saved lives.

This anniversary, the 5th of November,

The comfort that we got from the fact that we know her heart

You know, you can't give a greater gift than that.

The transplant teams can face difficulties.

When families don't know their loved one's wishes it's hoped this

new system will take some of that uncertainty away.

If they haven't made any decision or any discussions about organ donation

the presumption will be that they don't have any objection.

If the family truly don't want it to happen, then it is

our responsibility to work closely with them to find out why.

But at the end of the day, if it's just not what they want as a family,

then we can't go ahead with the donation against a family's wishes.

The Church in Wales is encouraging people to actively opt in,

rather than do nothing and it be assumed they will donate.

I think the idea of giving someone a precious gift is something

so much better than others presuming that gift can be eradicated

There's huge support for increasing organ donation rates

but opinions are still mixed about how best to achieve that.

Lets discuss all of this now with one of the transplant surgeons here,

M Stevens. Thanks for joining me. It is hard to take emotion out of this.

There's tried to do that. It's cost ?5 million for the change, only a

couple of dozen organs extract becoming available. Is it worth it?

Of course it's worth it, there are 7000 people waiting on the

transplant list in the UK. One extra donor means potentially seven organs

to transplant. It is clearly worth it for those patients. If you're

interested in cost, it is cost-effective. One successful

kidney transplant six -- saves ?20,000 a year. These extra organs

won't necessarily stay in Wales. People might be scratching their

heads thinking what is the benefits to a Welsh pain -- patient? The

allocation system isn't owing to change. We transplant kidneys and

pancreas here in Wales, if you need a hard transplant of a long

transplant you have to go to England. Do some types of organs

stay local? Will increase in Bass local donors and therefore local

transplant. It isn't the law that is important but it is putting money

into new staff and making sure intensive care beds are there. We

know in Wales there have been missed opportunities and passed to donate

organs because no beds were available. Are you confident that

cash will come? That is a chronic shortage of intensive care beds in

Wales and the UK. What all this process has done is given as a

vehicle to have extra discussions with the politicians about these

kind of things. That has to be positive for us. Thank you so much

for discussing a momentous decision tonight. Whether you agree with it

or not, this is certainly a significant move and I can tell you

politicians in Northern Ireland and Scotland will be watching what

happens very closely. Much more to come

before seven o'clock: Wales' most capped scrum-half Mike

Phillips announces his retirement And more heavy rain

in the forecast over the coming days with further risk of flooding stay

tuned for a full forecast. We want to bring you some breaking

news. Plans to temporarily remove Doctor led maternity care from a

hospital in North Wales appear to have been abandoned. A document to

be presented to the Betsi Cadwaladr health board next week recommend

services at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan should remain as they

are. Our reporter is in the last half an hour, we've had a surprise

announcements from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

It looks as if nothing will change at any of the U-turn -- maternity

units. Up until now, the health board's referred Shoen had been to

downgrade the unit at bank lowered. It says it has come with a new

recommendation, nothing is to change, things should stay as they

are. The helpful stress is its decision is based on patient

safety, is top priority throughout has been the safety of mothers and

babies and this new plan has the backing of medical experts. Is

nothing to do with the huge protest that have been across North Wales in

the last few months well this has been debated. That said, the new

plan has been welcomed by campaigners, by protesters who

fought against the decision. One woman was in tears on hearing the

news. The health board will take his new proposal to a meeting next

Tuesday. That is when it'll a final decision. Thank you very much for

that. More than half of Welsh Labour MPs

are expected to vote 13 of the 25 Labour MPs have told

BBC Wales they will join their party leader, Jeremy Corbyn,

and Plaid Cymru's three MPs David Cameron's government has

published a motion to be voted on tomorrow

which says military action is needed as part of a "broader strategy"

to tackle militant extremists. Police searching for a woman

from the Brecon area say a body has A major Search

and Rescue operation was launched last night, after witnesses said

they saw the 51-year-old The Welsh Government says it's

suspended its badger vaccination programme due to

a global shortage of TB vaccines. The Government began

its ?4.6 million trail to immunise badgers in north Pembrokeshire

in 2012 in order to reduce TB Plaid Cymru said it made a

"complete mockery" of the trial, whilst the Conservatives have

called it a "fiasco". Let's get tonight's sport now,

here's Tomos. Wales' most capped scrum-half,

Mike Phillips, has announced his The 33-year-old was a key member

of the teams that won the Six Nations title in 2013 and the

two Grand Slams in 2008 and 2012. Speaking exclusively to BBC Wales,

he said it was a privilege to A charge down Philips! It is a site

we won't see again on the international stage. After 99 caps

for Wales and the liars, Mike Phillips says it is time to start a

new chapter in his life. -- the Lions. Playing for Wales has been a

massive part of my adult life since I was 22. When I was young that is

all I wanted to do. It has been a dream and I've got some very special

memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. Mike Phillips often

produced big performances, he played in every game for the Grand Slam

winning sides in 2008 and 2012. He was part of the team that came so

close to reaching the World Cup final in 2011. It all started 12

years ago, the boy from West Wales crossed the line on his debut

against Romania. His first of nine international tries. While he

impressed on the field his career off it wasn't without controversy.

He was suspended by his country after a late-night brawl and by his

former club you for turning up to work drunk. Those who worked with

him and played against him say he is a complex character. He is ultra

competitive, whatever is in his way is in his way and he would do

anything he can to get it out of the way. He is very respectful yet the

perception will be isn't. You have to be very per second -- careful of

perception because sometimes it isn't reality. Today's announcements

won't be a surprise for many. He choice in the World Cup. His warm up

match in August was his last four Wales. He leaves the international

stage as one of Wales 's greatest ever scrum-half.

There's more from Mike Phillips on life on and off the pitch in a

special programme next Monday at 9.00pm here on BBC One Wales.

The Wales captain and Cardiff Blues flanker, Sam Warburton, will miss

the Christmas derbies and the next two rounds of European games.

He's out for at least a month with an ankle injury he suffered

In their Euro 2017 qualifier, Wales' women were denied victory in Israel.

After falling behind, Manchester City striker

Natasha Harding scored two second-half goals to put Wales ahead

All this week we're looking at the nominees for this year's BBC Cymru

Wales Sports Personality of the Year Award, which will be announced next

Tonight, it's Gareth Bale and Dan Biggar.

To club success you can now add national success to Gareth Bale's

Much to everybody's delight, the Real Madrid star shook off

injuries and opponents alike to help fire Wales into the Uefa finals

2015 has proven to be another milestone year for football

2015 was always going to be a tough tear for Welsh international rugby

but cometh the year, cometh Dan Biggar.

No challenge seemed to tough for Dan, Wales' Mr Reliable.

While others fell all around him, he remained focused and one

of the pivots of the Wales team that reached the last

eight of the Rugby World Cup and finished strongly

in the Six Nations, lighting up his team-mates and the nation.

To vote for your favourite sports personality dial:

Calls cost 10p plus your network access charge.

Or to vote by text simply text the surname of your choice to:

Texts will be charged at your standard network message rate.

Voting will close on Saturday the 5th of December at 6pm.

Please do not vote after this time as your vote will not count

For full terms and conditions visit bbc.co.uk/sportwales.

The winner will be announced at the Wales Sport Award on Monday

Time for the weather forecast now. How is it looking?

It is looking very quiet that all changed tomorrow. Tonight, pretty

cloudy across Wales. In the early hours of tomorrow morning, a mild

night, the temperatures should remain in double figures. Tomorrow,

with God as cold weather friends which is going to sink South and

East was. -- eastwards. There is a yellow warning before the rain with

the ground already saturated and the river level is pretty high we could

see the risk of flooding tomorrow and into Thursday. First thing

tomorrow, a dry start for the south and east of that friend making its

way in. Just hanging around into tomorrow night. Temperatures 12-13 C

which is mad for December. It should be around six sources. Blustery

winds as we go into tomorrow afternoon and that rain band

mingling into tomorrow night. 60 to 80 millimetres of rain. The

potential for problems. Temperatures, pretty mad in the

south, 12 Celsius. Further north end of the clearest skies, down to about

four. That friend waving back-up up as you go into Thursday. Thursday

morning, we will see Anglesey dry this pretty quickly that rain band

will push back up again, bringing heavy downpours. Friday is looking

much more promising. That's Wales Today,

thank you for watching. From all of us on the programme,

good evening.