15/03/2016 BBC Wales Today

Our top stories: More than a billion pounds to spend on improving

transport and developing the economy of South East Wales.

The deal is signed to set up a Cardiff Capital Region.

We are talking about a region which is half the population of Wales as a

whole so it's going to make a massive difference to a large them

of people. A double boost for the Cardiff

economy. This car loan company is more

than doubling its staff, Luke Grender, a rapist from Newport,

will spend three years in a young offenders' institution

after his previous sentence Heart patient Gareth Lewis Jones

might still be alive had he not Four changes to the team

and a new captain for Thomas Francis won't

be involved though. He's banned for eight weeks

after this clash More than a billion pounds to spend

on transport and developing The deal to set up

a Cardiff Capital Region, stretching from Monmouthshire

to Bridgend and to Merthyr Tydfil, The majority of the money will go

on a metro system, connecting The funding is coming

from the Treasury, Welsh Government They say improved transport

will make it easier for people to get into work and

help businesses grow. Our economics correspondent,

Sarah Dickins, reports. Two governments, for ministers and

ten council leaders smile for the cameras as the Cardiff City deal is

signed. There has been determination to get this partnership formed to

deliver the metro, skills and jobs. I am confident the dynamism of this

deal will drive things forward, bring in additional investment and

make a difference to the whole region. The region is half the

population of Wales as a whole so it's going to make a massive

difference to a large number of people. If you look at transport we

know from a lot of people the real issues about accessing jobs,

affordability, getting to work quickly, that is what the transport

scheme is designed to address. Not all the money is new. ?125 million

of UK Government cash had already been pledged for the ledge the

valleys. As the Metro develops it goes under the city deal pot

bringing it to ?1.2 billion of 20 years. ?734 million for the Metro

and electrification of the Valley lines at ?495 million for other

projects. The area is not getting the money handed on a plate. The

cash from the UK Government will come in instalments and to get that

it has to prove it is making a difference but the whole economy has

got what power behind it and more money is going back to the UK

Treasury and taxes and that there are fewer people of the work.

Involvement of the private sector is vital. There is talk of 25,000 jobs.

We have heard about new jobs in Cardiff today. Those jobs will come

from the private sector so does it make sense to have the private

sector there from day one? Cardiff University software Academy is

training students for a new colony. The deal plans to develop a new

generation of businesses and cyber security firms. The deal covers

councils from Chepstow to Maesteg but will some communities away from

the M4 be left behind? A number of people living in the valleys cannot

expect a larger Cardiff to fulfil their employment requirements. If

this doesn't create locations for employment across South Wales it

won't work. One of the driving forces behind the deal is adamant

that valleys communities will benefit. Cardiff as a capital city

is the fastest-growing capital city in the UK over the next ten years so

we have to make sure those opportunities which come to Cardiff

are filtered up into the valleys. The detail of whether stations will

be opened has not been decided that the plan is for work to begin within

a year. George Osborne's expected to say

more about the City Deal when he delivers his Budget to MPs

in Westminster tomorrow. Let's talk to our Parliamentary

Correspondent, David Cornock. Let's look at the politics for a

start. You have got two governments have different political

persuasions, ten councils, all working together. That hasn't always

been the case over the last few years. So that is a political

development. When you look at the scale from Maesteg in the West

through the Chepstow in the east and taking in the heads of the valleys,

it is a very big deal. Also per head in terms of spend it is the biggest

city deal yet. This is George Osborne's referred method of dealing

with urban regeneration and economic development and the Chancellor

believes this could be as transformational for Cardiff as the

redevelopment of the docks were 25 years ago. If this works, you got

Swansea waiting in the wings hoping for its own deal. What else can we

expect in the budget tomorrow? George Osborne will deliver his

eighth budget and MPs will be looking out for a number of things.

There has been talk about the Severn bridge tolls being kept sooner than

expect it. I think we might get the name of the person who's going to

review the Swansea tidal lagoon project and there has been a lot of

talk about air passenger duty being devolved to Wales. The rumours have

been stronger in Wales than in Westminster. This budget affects all

of us, our taxes, benefits, pensions, even the price you pay at

the pub. Stay tuned tomorrow. A double boost for the South East

Wales economy tonight, A car loan company is more

than doubling its staff, creating 580 new jobs,

as it moves its headquarters MotoNovo's expansion has been backed

by a grant of ?3 million Here's our business

correspondent, Brian Meechan. The company provides finance to

people buying cars and motorbikes through dealerships. This company

has seen its business grow despite the recession and economic downturn.

It provided car loans at the time when traditional banks were

withdrawing credit. Financial and professional services companies like

this have been targeted by the Welsh Government as key areas for growth.

It has been operating for 40 years in Cardiff but it has gone through

changes of name and ownership. It was voted the sixth best UK company

to work for in a recent survey. It is going to be a big change for a

lot of people. A lot of people here live in the valleys but everyone has

been positive because of the way the companies dealing with it. It's

going to be more difficult but it is a great company to be in. The

economy minister was given at tour of the new headquarters. The Welsh

Government provided a ?3 million grant to the company. MotoNovo says

a ?100 million project could have gone elsewhere. Critics argue Mr 's

should be out of the Grants business providing loans instead of needed.

Can they criticise the rest of the UK? No. Some companies need some

help and assistance with the property infrastructure. They need

help with training. There is nothing wrong with that if I can get 1000

employees here in a few years' time. The umbrella group for the industry

says 30,000 people now work on it. They forecast growth of 30% over the

next three years with the creation of 10,000 new jobs. In terms of

salary opportunities it's going to be from entry level is at 15 to

?20,000 to the packages you would expect that the most senior levels

which will be six figures. Cheaper office space than London make

Cardiff attractive so too does education. The first thing that

inward investors want to know about is the quality of the people we have

in Wales and we can pay well if not better than any other region of the

UK. We have got three magnificent universities with a great supply

line of 70,000 students. The company plans to continue building is

business but also intends to move into personal loans, insurance and

lending to small firms. An example then avow Cardiff's financial sector

is on the up. A rapist from Newport will spend

three years in a young offenders' institution after his previous

sentence was ruled unduly lenient. Luke Grender was spared jail

because of the effect that the murder of his pregnant

sister had had on him. Nicky did render, pregnant and two

weeks away from her due date. Raped, murdered, her home set on fire. The

Newport suburb left in disbelief. Her brother, Luke Grender, was 13 at

the time. A few years later he raped a 12-year-old girl three times. In

January this year, Luke Grender appeared here in the dock at Newport

Crown Court crying as a judge told him he would be speared a prison

sentence for his crime. Experts said he was left a psychological mess

after what happened to his sister. The judge said there were

exceptional circumstances and he believed it was the reality that a

two-year community sentence would give him more help and would better

protect the public more quickly than sending him to jail. But today the

Court of Appeal cited the violence he used against somebody he knew was

underage. It ruled the previous suspended sentence was unduly

lenient. He was sentenced to three years in a young offenders

institution starting tomorrow. He will be able to access the necessary

support and have increased monitoring. Tonight the survivors

trust, a charity for the Thames, has welcomed the increased sentence but

warns it still would reflect the lifetime impact Luke Grender has had

on his victim. A coroner has called on the Ministry

of Defence to improve safety following a helicopter

crash in Afghanistan, which killed two Welshmen alongside

three other servicemen. Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas,

from Brecon, and Captain Thomas Clarke, from the Vale of Glamorgan,

died during training when an Army Air Corps

Lynx crashed in 2014. The MoD says it will study

the coroner's findings carefully. A heart patient from the Afan Valley

might still be alive today had he not faced unacceptable

waiting times, according to the Public Services

Ombudsman for Wales. 57-year-old Gareth Lewis Jones died

in 2013, weeks before cardiac surgery that could

have saved his life. Sadie Jones has been fighting

for three years for an apology Her brother, Gareth,

who had a heart defect, died in 2013 weeks before he was due

to have heart surgery. He had waited 11 months to be put

on the waiting list and that is why Sadie complained about his treatment

to the Public Services Ombudsman for Nothing is going to compensate

for the fact that He was only 57 and I feel that

because he had coped with the difficulties he had

all his life and got on with life and worked for as long as he could,

I feel he deserved to have that treatment and the chance

of a longer life. The Ombudsman investigated the case

and found a lack of urgency about getting treatment for patients

with Gareth's condition. In his report, Nick Bennett also

said the health board should have been prompted to act

after several near misses. The ombudsman says the time

Gareth Lewis Jones spent waiting for surgery was unacceptable

and that his death was avoidable. The Welsh Government's guidance

for treatment targets of 26 weeks was missed and this patient had

to wait almost twice as long, 50 weeks, and unfortunately died

just before he was due Also, there is evidence

that the health failed to provide adequate information

about the symptoms, the worrying symptoms associated

with this disease. This is the hospital

where Gareth Lewis Jones died. The health board which runs it says

they have apologised to his family but insist several significant

changes have been made. They now employ specialist cardiac

nurses who monitor and track and keep patients informed of

the progress during their time here. But they do concede that more can be

done and they have asked for extra funding to ensure that no more

patients like Gareth die Apart from organ donation

legislation, what else has the Welsh Government achieved over

the last five years? And a pep talk from former Wales

captain Ryan Giggs ahead of Wales' first major football championships

in nearly six decades. A woman from Abergele wants the UK

Government to allow her elderly mother to come and live

with her here in Wales. Abeer Jones, who's originally

from Syria, has lived in Wales for 10 years and says she fears

for her mother's safety This is the reality of home on the

front line. Films by the women who live here they have survived the

blast from a mortar round. But they know that tomorrow the bombs might

fall again. This is how each day begins for this woman who lives with

her daughter in Syria's largest city. It is very cold and I am very

worried about my mother because it is very cold here and we don't have

electricity. Peace talks are under way but fighting continues in

Aleppo. The family are desperate to get the mother who was badly injured

last year out of Syria and to safety here in Wales. She has been refused

the Visa to live with her daughter, Abeer Jones in Abergele and she has

started a petition calling on the Home Office to change its mind. I

don't want anything from the government. I have been here ten

years and have not claimed a penny. I will give my mother my bed. But

she is not the only Syrian in Wales trying to help family members trap

in the conflict. This woman settled in Cardiff last year after being

smuggled into the UK while she was five months pregnant. Her son was

born in Wales and she has been given refugee status which means she can

live here for five years. This was the moment when she was reunited

with her husband who she had to leave behind in Jordan. It's the

first time he has seen their baby son. They now have visas which allow

them to work and they say they want to give that to the country that

took them in. I want to be a good woman and my husband wants to be a

good man. We will work and make everything good for this country.

Amnesty International is calling on the UK Government to relax

immigration rules so that people fleeing war zones can enter the

country more easily. If they have relatives here who can financially

support them. The choice not for Europe and for this country is not

too we want to see more refugees, the question is do we want to see

refugees in an audit, planned and managed away or do we prefer to see

refugees in a chaotic and uncoordinated way? A Home Office

spokesman said all these applications are considered on their

individual merits and pointed to a scheme bringing in 20,000 of the

most foldable Syrian refugees over five years. 1000 of whom are due to

come to Wales. With peace talks starting there may yet be hoped to

Syria but for those caught in the crossfire daily life has yet to get

any easier. More on this story in

Week In Week Out tonight at 10.40pm Tomorrow, the Assembly meets

for the last time before So what's been achieved

in the last five years? The Welsh Government says new powers

have been used to make pioneering changes to the law

on organ donation. But critics say they've

ducked some big decisions. Made using powers granted by voters

at a referendum in 2011. You are having a party

with 20 friends this Emily had a life-saving

liver transplant. Now she is looking forward

to her sixth birthday. Her parents hope one of the laws

passed in Cardiff Bay could help The law that says everyone

is now an organ donor, For us, I think it

has been fantastic. I think the main thing really

is to get people talking. Beforehand, people didn't think

about organ donation, So certainly with the promotion

the Welsh Assembly have been doing for the last two to three years it

has made people far more aware. The organ donation legislation had

cross-party support, but not everything has been

so ambitious says a lobbyist who directed the campaign

for lawmaking powers. They have handled it pretty shrewdly

overall in terms of getting Whether it is the most dynamic

business that could have been But actually there is something

to be said for a government that has managed to get this

programme through. The Labour Government hasn't had

a majority in this chamber but has a divided opposition made

life easier for them? You could say it is also shows

what a success this legislative term has been for the Welsh Government

because we have got through policies into legislation with financial

backing at a time of austerity when our budgets are being cut

and our partners' budgets I think this is the mark

of a huge achievement. There has been legislation telling

councils to open more cycle paths. Businesses now have to display

food hygiene scores. And there have been laws meant

to crack down on rogue landlords. An end of term review

from the opposition. Basically, they have put off

all the tough decisions and there haven't been that many

really tough decisions in the Assembly chamber put forward

by the Government for the opposition Tomorrow, a vote on legislation that

stops e-cigarette users Part of the Government's 26th

and final bill before May's election, when voters decide

whether to hand the batton Rugby and football for you now.

Tomos has tonight's top stories. There are four changes to the Wales

side to face Italy on Saturday. But Prop Thomas Francis won't be

involved because he's A disciplinary panel ruled he should

have been sent off for making contact with the eyes

of England's Dan Cole. Dan Lydiate will captain the side

in place of the injured Scrum-half Rhys Webb will start

for the first time since September. Thomas Francis was in training

today, appearing in front of a disciplinary panel the proper has

received an eight-week ban. Guilty of making contact with the eyes of

Dan Cole. Before the hearing's had come the Wales head coach had this

to say. When you see it in slow motion, everything looks different.

When you play it in real-time the contact with the eyes is a third of

a second. So that's it. The fallout from Twickenham goes on. Joe Marla's

hearing the striking Rob Evans is scheduled for tomorrow with no

comment expected from the six Nations regarding his gypsy taunt to

Samlee before then. Dan Lydiate is preparing to Captain Wales for the

first time in the six Nations. It is a massive honour for myself and my

family. I am looking forward to leading the boys out. I would not

ask somebody to do something I wouldn't do myself. I would throw

myself in front of the bus. The front row remains unchanged. Locke

Alun Wyn Jones might need up to six weeks rest to recover from a

lingering foot injury so Luke Charteris steps up from the bench.

In the back row Justin Tipuric gets the nod as Sam Warburton is rested.

He won't be rushed through the concussion photocalls following

Saturday's injury. Rhys Webb will start his first game for Wales in

six months, dropping Gareth Davies to the bench. Dan Biggar and the

centres hold onto their shirts but because of a heel injury Alex

Cuthbert is out. Hallam Amos gets an opportunity to impress. Every game

is massive for Wales and I can't wait to get that out there. It has

been a long six Nations. I have been back and forth with the Dragons but

I can't wait to get out there. Following a dismal first-half

performance at Twickenham Sun might have expected more changes for the

final game against Italy but the head coach says it's a chance for

some players to redeem themselves. Welsh fans expect a win on Saturday.

The Welsh squad needs one before the daunting three test summer tour

against world champions New Zealand in June.

Football and former captain Ryan Giggs says Wales are a team

every nation will hope to avoid at this summer's

Giggs, who won 64 caps, says England will be favourites

when they play Wales in Group B but with Slovakia and Russia also

in their group, Giggs says Chris Coleman's men

They surprised many in qualifying, now Ryan Giggs believes Wales

will be a success at their first major finals in almost six decades.

Giggs, who scored 12 goals for Wales, believes the current crop

of players are a closer-knit group than their English counterparts.

I think Wales are probably more settled.

They have got a lot of players, seven or eight, who have come

through the under 21 system together, through the

Of course England will be favourites with the players they have got

Wales are a proper team, they play as a team and obviously

with the added bonus of having Gareth Bale in the team.

Wales have just three friendlies to fine tune their team

Next Thursday Northern Ireland will be the opponents

Then it is a trip to Kiev to face Ukraine on Easter Monday.

Wales' final friendly will be against Sweden at the start of June,

just six days before Wales' opening Euro 2016 game against Slovakia.

Ryan Giggs is in no doubt a lot will depend on the opening games

in Group B for Wales and for England.

If they both win the first game they can be pretty relaxed,

as much as you can be relaxed in an England Wales game.

But if they win that first game, I think they are more

If they lose or if they don't get a good result, the pressure is on.

Chris Coleman will name his squad for the forthcoming friendlies this

Friday, but it looks likely Newcastle's Paul Dummett

and Leicester City's Andy King won't be available because of injury.

We'll be speaking to Chris Coleman about his preparations this Friday.

Back to tonight and the weather forecast with Derek.

There is more dry weather to come this week.

Some sunshine but cloudy at times and not completely dry.

More cloud around today compared to yesterday

This picture was taken by one of our weather watchers in Blaenau

The satellite picture shows a bank of cloud

That's all tied to a warm front and it's heading our way.

Most places dry but a little drizzle in Powys late in the night.

Tomorrow's chart shows high pressure over Scotland but there

This weak cold front will bring cloud and it

So here's the picture for 8.00am in the morning.

A little sunshine in western Gwynedd.

So cloudy for a while tomorrow but during the afternoon it

The cloud clearing to blue sky and sunshine.

Temperatures a little lower than today.

11C in the south west with a chilly breeze.

In Torfaen tomorrow, a cloudy morning.

Dry and brightening-up in the afternoon.

And brightening-up in Bala with a sunny end to the day.

Tomorrow night will start clear but cloud will spread from the east

A few spots of drizzle but otherwise dry.

And most places should brighten-up with some sunshine.

I'll have an update for you here at 8.00pm

and again after the BBC news at 10.00pm.

From all of us on the programme, good evening.

On Easter week 1916, a band of Irish rebels seized control of Dublin.

For six days they held out against the might of the British Empire.