:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines -
:00:00. > :00:08.Abuse that spanned decades at children's homes in north Wales.
:00:09. > :00:10.The latest review finds no evidence that establishment
:00:11. > :00:16.And a bill that could have seen a partial ban on e-cigarettes.
:00:17. > :00:35.The First Minister says Plaid Cymru voting against it was "childish."
:00:36. > :00:39.Three years ago, a top judge was tasked with looking again
:00:40. > :00:41.at the Waterhouse Inquiry into historical child abuse
:00:42. > :00:45.in North Wales following fresh allegations.
:00:46. > :00:48.Today, that review, the Macur Review, was published,
:00:49. > :00:50.and found no evidence that politicians or national
:00:51. > :00:57.It said there was no reason to doubt the inquiry's conclusions.
:00:58. > :01:04.The Welsh Secretary told the Commons that the long-awaited review
:01:05. > :01:07.into the Waterhouse Inquiry found it had fulfilled its remit
:01:08. > :01:11.into exploring a tragic period of Welsh history.
:01:12. > :01:14.We are talking about dark and shameful events that are a stain
:01:15. > :01:19.These were children in the care of the state because
:01:20. > :01:22.they were vulnerable, and the state let them down.
:01:23. > :01:24.Lady Justice Macur's main finding is that,
:01:25. > :01:27.and I quote, "I have found no reason to undermine the conclusions
:01:28. > :01:33.of Waterhouse in respect of the nature and the scale of abuse."
:01:34. > :01:36.Lady Justice Macur was asked to carry out her review
:01:37. > :01:40.She even heard evidence in Wrexham to discover what,
:01:41. > :01:44.if anything, was missed by Sir Ronald Waterhouse's inquiry.
:01:45. > :01:46.Started in 1997, it contained 700 allegations of abuse
:01:47. > :01:52.One of its recommendations was the creation of a Children's
:01:53. > :01:58.Today I'm thinking of the victims of those North Wales scandals
:01:59. > :02:01.who need to be heard and who need to have justice, but
:02:02. > :02:05.We need to make sure they are kept safe, and if they are victims,
:02:06. > :02:08.that they are able to come forward and we respond to them properly
:02:09. > :02:13.The Waterhouse Report also found that a paedophile ring existed
:02:14. > :02:16.in Wrexham and Chester, but it said the inquiry had had seen
:02:17. > :02:19.no evidence that prominent public figures were involved.
:02:20. > :02:23.However, fresh claims resurfaced in 2012 when Steven Meesham,
:02:24. > :02:26.a survivor of abuse, gave a Newsnight interview which led
:02:27. > :02:29.wrongly to the naming of former senior Tory Lord McAlpine
:02:30. > :02:32.as an offender, something that was later retracted.
:02:33. > :02:34.Today, Mr Meesham says the Macur Report should have
:02:35. > :02:44.To say the Waterhouse Inquiry wasn't too narrow
:02:45. > :02:47.To say the Waterhouse Inquiry wasn't too narrow is an outrageous thing.
:02:48. > :02:49.It only investigated abuse within homes in Clwyd and Gwynedd,
:02:50. > :02:52.it didn't go as far as Liverpool, Manchester, south Wales,
:02:53. > :02:55.and bearing mind people like myself who were abused in those places -
:02:56. > :02:59.They should have been allowed to investigate that.
:03:00. > :03:01.Lady Justice Macur highlighted concerns about the way relevant
:03:02. > :03:03.documents were stored and in some cases destroyed, though
:03:04. > :03:05.that was an innocent mistake by Welsh Government
:03:06. > :03:09.But for many who endured abuse at children's homes in North Wales,
:03:10. > :03:13.this review isn't the conclusion they hoped for.
:03:14. > :03:16.The First Minister, Carwyn Jones, says he has never seen anything
:03:17. > :03:19.as childish as the behaviour of Plaid Cymru after it helped
:03:20. > :03:23.defeat a proposed ban on e-cigarettes in public places.
:03:24. > :03:26.Plaid withdrew its support when a Labour minister described
:03:27. > :03:30.a previous deal between the two parties as a "cheap date."
:03:31. > :03:32.The parties have been accused of playing political games
:03:33. > :03:38.Our political editor, Nick Servini, has the latest.
:03:39. > :03:44.Labour called it theatre and disagreement in the chamber.
:03:45. > :03:45.Plaid called it belittling and sexist.
:03:46. > :03:48.Whatever your view, yesterday's exchange certainly had consequences,
:03:49. > :03:54.as the Public Health Bill fell at the final hurdle.
:03:55. > :03:58.I thought at the time they were rather cheap date.
:03:59. > :04:01.Today, Labour went on the attack, claiming that years of work had been
:04:02. > :04:04.wasted as a result of an overreaction which,
:04:05. > :04:08.they said, showed that Plaid were unfit to govern.
:04:09. > :04:16.You couldn't describe Plaid Cymru's behaviour yesterday as a mature
:04:17. > :04:17.response from mature, responsible politicians prepared
:04:18. > :04:20.to make difficult choices on the half of the people of Wales.
:04:21. > :04:23.to make difficult choices on behalf of the people of Wales.
:04:24. > :04:25.The former Plaid leader, Lord Elis-Thomas, who missed events
:04:26. > :04:28.yesterday because of a vote in the House of Lords,
:04:29. > :04:29.said he felt betrayed by his party's opposition.
:04:30. > :04:31.But overall, Plaid said that they were united
:04:32. > :04:35.There was an assumption by Labour that they could depend
:04:36. > :04:42.It was an arrogant assumption in relating to a very controversial,
:04:43. > :04:47.and in my view, bad piece of legislation, and that is why
:04:48. > :04:51.Labour themselves jeopardised this Bill.
:04:52. > :04:53.Labour and Plaid have been coalition partners in the past.
:04:54. > :04:56.Many people believe some kind of future deal between the two
:04:57. > :05:01.could be on the cards after the Assembly election.
:05:02. > :05:03.But this has been a notch above the usual political
:05:04. > :05:06.knock-about, and the question is how realistic that could be after such
:05:07. > :05:12.Ironing out the details of the Public Health
:05:13. > :05:17.The proposal to ban the use of e-cigarettes in some public
:05:18. > :05:23.But it would also have created a compulsory licensing system
:05:24. > :05:26.for tattooists and acupuncturists, and require councils to provide
:05:27. > :05:34.Doctors and nursing unions like the BMA and the Royal College
:05:35. > :05:37.of Nursing called on all the parties not to play games with the health
:05:38. > :05:42.Their disappointment that time had run out for the Bill was shared
:05:43. > :05:47.by the owner of this tattoo parlour, who supported greater regulation.
:05:48. > :05:52.At the moment, tattooing is on a registration system,
:05:53. > :05:54.and basically anybody can get registered, I mean, you could get
:05:55. > :06:01.There is no minimum standard, no training standard,
:06:02. > :06:03.and what we were hoping for was a slightly tighter licensing
:06:04. > :06:07.system which would have maybe had a minimum standard,
:06:08. > :06:12.and possibly hygiene training before you are allowed to be licensed.
:06:13. > :06:15.But a number of cancer charities had opposed the plans to ban the use
:06:16. > :06:20.of e-cigarettes because they felt it helps discourage smoking.
:06:21. > :06:23.For them, last night's defeat was welcome.
:06:24. > :06:27.One of the things that we've quite actively spoken out against has been
:06:28. > :06:30.the restrictions placed on electronic cigarettes.
:06:31. > :06:33.We would be really keen to see marketing restrictions on the age
:06:34. > :06:36.of sale of electronic cigarettes, but we were really quite concerned
:06:37. > :06:41.that the impact that putting electronic cigarette users out
:06:42. > :06:45.with smokers could have in certain situations.
:06:46. > :06:48.And today, no word from Leighton Andrews on his use
:06:49. > :06:54.The only sense we got on that came from Carwyn Jones, who said that
:06:55. > :06:57.if the Public Services Minister had his time again, he would have
:06:58. > :07:05.The lawyers of a former Gwynedd lifeguard, jailed for 50 years
:07:06. > :07:07.in the United States for raping a 10-year-old girl,
:07:08. > :07:13.22-year-old Gareth Vincent Hall from Talysarn was jailed
:07:14. > :07:16.after admitting four counts of rape, two of serious sexual offences,
:07:17. > :07:18.and one of online sexual corruption of a child.
:07:19. > :07:21.His lawyers now have three months to review the case
:07:22. > :07:25.The former managing director of a bus company in Gwynedd has told
:07:26. > :07:28.a jury he had no knowledge of the fraudulent claiming of more
:07:29. > :07:35.John Hume told Caernarfon Crown Court he didn't know
:07:36. > :07:38.the Padarn Bus Limited claimed to carry more concessionary
:07:39. > :07:52."It's time for a change" - the message from the Welsh
:07:53. > :08:01.Gwent Police are investigating the death of two pensioners at a House
:08:02. > :08:04.in Torfaen. Their bodies were discovered just before lunchtime and
:08:05. > :08:06.the deaths are being treated as unexplained.
:08:07. > :08:09."It's time for a change" - the message from the Welsh
:08:10. > :08:11.Conservatives as they launched their campaign for the Assembly
:08:12. > :08:15.The Tories say they're the only party that offers a real alternative
:08:16. > :08:19.to what they say has been "17 years of Labour failure in running Wales."
:08:20. > :08:20.Our political reporter, James Williams, has more.
:08:21. > :08:23.Kick-off for the Welsh Conservatives.
:08:24. > :08:26.With just under two months to go until the Assembly election,
:08:27. > :08:30.this is the team they hope will be running Wales.
:08:31. > :08:32.After 17 years of bad results in Government,
:08:33. > :08:35.it's time to relegate Labour to the backbenches, they say.
:08:36. > :08:38.According to the party's leader, the Conservatives
:08:39. > :08:43.We've crafted out policy positions that are unique
:08:44. > :08:54.to the Welsh Conservatives such as potentially the health Budget,
:08:55. > :09:03.to the Welsh Conservatives such as potentiallypretecting the health
:09:04. > :09:06.to the Welsh Conservatives such as protecting the health budget,
:09:07. > :09:07.such as driving forward excellence in education,
:09:08. > :09:10.such as guaranteeing quality jobs with decent take-home pay,
:09:11. > :09:12.dignity and security in old age, and 30 hours of free childcare,
:09:13. > :09:15.and it is only the Welsh Conservatives that can give that
:09:16. > :09:18.Labour's failure in running Wales was a prominent narrative
:09:19. > :09:20.in the Tories election campaign last year.
:09:21. > :09:23.It led to their best general election results in Wales for more
:09:24. > :09:26.A useful springboard, they say, for the Assembly vote.
:09:27. > :09:28.It demonstrates to people that actually, Conservatives can
:09:29. > :09:31.We of course won more votes across Wales that the general
:09:32. > :09:34.We of course won more votes across Wales at the general
:09:35. > :09:36.election than elected Carwyn Jones at the last Assembly
:09:37. > :09:40.Technically, if we got all of those Conservative voters out for this
:09:41. > :09:42.election, we could win an outright majority.
:09:43. > :09:44.At an Assembly level, the Conservatives have
:09:45. > :09:47.increased their number of seats in Cardiff Bay in every single
:09:48. > :09:49.election since the start of devolution in 1999,
:09:50. > :09:53.But becoming a party of Government will be a much harder challenge.
:09:54. > :09:55.One issue that potentially might make things more difficult
:09:56. > :09:57.for the Conservatives this year is the referendum,
:09:58. > :10:01.and we are seeing very public splits in the Conservative Party on the EU
:10:02. > :10:03.referendum, and we don't yet know how that's going to impact
:10:04. > :10:05.on the Conservative Party's support here in Wales.
:10:06. > :10:07.It's quite possible that it could actually hurt them.
:10:08. > :10:12."Our focus will aim firmly on the Assembly election
:10:13. > :10:15.until the vote on May the fifth," say the Welsh Conservatives.
:10:16. > :10:17.But for their team-mates in Westminster, domestic
:10:18. > :10:23.competitions are likely to play second fiddle to Europe.
:10:24. > :10:26.Rugby's world governing body has asked Six Nations organisers
:10:27. > :10:30.to explain the decision not to punish England prop Joe Marler
:10:31. > :10:33.for calling Wales' Samson Lee "gypsy boy."
:10:34. > :10:36.The Welsh Rugby Union say they're "surprised" at the decision.
:10:37. > :10:39.The comment was made during the defeat by England at Twickenham.
:10:40. > :10:41.Lee, who's from the Traveller community, said he accepted
:10:42. > :10:50.Well, I can't speak for myself, I speak for the organisation,
:10:51. > :10:54.that we don't condone any sort of discrimination,
:10:55. > :10:57.whether it be race, religion, whatever, sexuality etc, so...
:10:58. > :11:00.As an organisation, I think we probably slightly disagree
:11:01. > :11:07.with it, but the decision's been made.
:11:08. > :11:10.Football, and Swansea City head coach Francesco Guidolin has
:11:11. > :11:14.dismissed speculation linking him with the Italian national job.
:11:15. > :11:17.He revealed he came close to getting the position before Antonio Contay
:11:18. > :11:22.Contay will leave this summer, but Guidolin says his only focus
:11:23. > :11:27.is keeping the Swans in the Premier League.
:11:28. > :11:30.Well, the weather's staying pretty dry over the next few days.
:11:31. > :11:33.Here's Derek now, with all the details.
:11:34. > :11:37.we enjoyed lots of spring sunshine today, and so far this month we have
:11:38. > :11:40.only had about 15 millimetres or two inches of rain and there is plenty
:11:41. > :11:45.And that goes for tomorrow, another dry day in prospect.
:11:46. > :11:48.More sunshine but some cloud on the way as well.
:11:49. > :11:51.The sky is clear tonight, so that means dipping temperatures.
:11:52. > :11:57.Cold night with a widespread frost, a few mist and fog patches
:11:58. > :12:01.Temperatures in some rural spots could fall as low as minus three.
:12:02. > :12:04.So a cold start to tomorrow, but we have high pressure in charge,
:12:05. > :12:06.which will things mostly dry and settled.
:12:07. > :12:09.Some fog patches in the morning will gradually lift.
:12:10. > :12:12.Sunny for most of us, and dry, maybe some cloud,
:12:13. > :12:14.though, towards the border over Welshpool and Monmouth.
:12:15. > :12:16.Across the rest of the UK, central and eastern areas much
:12:17. > :12:22.The odd spot of drizzle, otherwise dry.
:12:23. > :12:24.The best of the sunshine in the west, feeling chilly
:12:25. > :12:28.and the cloud, only six Celsius in Norwich, warmer in the sunshine -
:12:29. > :12:35.In Wales tomorrow afternoon, most places fine and sunny,
:12:36. > :12:40.Parts of the north-east, parts of Powys and the south-east,
:12:41. > :12:43.clouding over, and chilly under the cloud, seven in Monmouth,
:12:44. > :12:48.warmer in the sunshine, 12 in Aberystwyth.
:12:49. > :12:51.Friday night, cloud will become more extensive, some mist and hill fog,
:12:52. > :12:55.the odd spot of drizzle, with temperatures staying
:12:56. > :12:59.Saturday, a lot of cloud, still the chance of the odd spot
:13:00. > :13:06.Dry for most of us, and hopefully it will brighten up in places
:13:07. > :13:12.So another dry day to come tomorrow, sunshine for most of us.
:13:13. > :13:14.The weekend, cloudier but mostly dry and settled,
:13:15. > :13:16.and there is more dry weather to come next week.
:13:17. > :13:28.We'll be back in Breakfast from 6:25 tomorrow morning.
:13:29. > :13:33.But that's Wales Today - from all of us here, good night.