:00:00. > :00:00.That's all from the BBC News at Six - so it's goodbye from me -
:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines.
:00:07. > :00:09.Julie Bignall has battled depression for years and we've discovered
:00:10. > :00:25.some people are waiting up to four years for treatment.
:00:26. > :00:26.Also tonight, suspicious betting patterns uncovered
:00:27. > :00:30.The Football Association of Wales has launched an investigation.
:00:31. > :00:32.With the future of the steelworks hanging in the balance,
:00:33. > :00:34.the man leading Port Talbot's new Enterprise Zone says
:00:35. > :00:36.it's success depends on steel-making continuing.
:00:37. > :00:38.Why the leader of Ukip Wales is described as
:00:39. > :00:53.a 'third-rate general' by the wife of an Assembly election canditate.
:00:54. > :00:59.And Cardiff Bay plays host to a major flooding exercise. 250 members
:01:00. > :01:10.of our emergency services taking part.
:01:11. > :01:15.BBC Wales has discovered that some people are being asked to wait up
:01:16. > :01:18.to four years for specialist mental health treatment
:01:19. > :01:24.While most receive care much sooner and spending by the Welsh Government
:01:25. > :01:27.has increased in recent years, doctors have described
:01:28. > :01:33.All parties are promising to further increase funding for mental health
:01:34. > :01:48.A calming walk by the river near Blackwood. It is difficult to see
:01:49. > :01:54.now from the outside that Julie has tried to cope with depression for
:01:55. > :01:59.decades. I took an overdose. It was not the fact I wanted to die, I just
:02:00. > :02:04.did not want to be inside my head any more because I could not cope
:02:05. > :02:08.with what was going on in my mind. Their most dangerous experience
:02:09. > :02:12.triggered by a series of family bereavement. It took months for her
:02:13. > :02:20.to see a specialist. In total she spent years on waiting lists. The
:02:21. > :02:25.waiting time to see somebody really did not help what I was going
:02:26. > :02:31.through. Many people across Wales are treated for mental health issues
:02:32. > :02:33.within weeks but, unlike other illnesses, waiting times for these
:02:34. > :02:39.services are not published regularly. At the moment, in this
:02:40. > :02:49.health board area, for some patients some therapies have a four year wait
:02:50. > :02:55.because of problems. In others, some people are having to wait two years.
:02:56. > :03:02.In south Wales, some patients are waiting more than six months.
:03:03. > :03:08.Doctors have said time and time again that antidepressants or other
:03:09. > :03:14.medication are sometimes the only option when weights are that long.
:03:15. > :03:19.We need to see that continue to be pushed to get better services. It is
:03:20. > :03:23.unacceptable, it is not right for the patients of Wales. We need to
:03:24. > :03:29.see more investment and a commitment to solving this once and for all. A
:03:30. > :03:33.quarter to run by volunteers. For many another step towards going back
:03:34. > :03:38.to full-time employment after being unwell. The mental health charity
:03:39. > :03:41.that organises this says some services are improving but it is
:03:42. > :03:46.patchy and more has to be done to monitor very long waits for very
:03:47. > :03:49.specialist help. It is extremely frustrating when money is going into
:03:50. > :03:54.the service and you can't see the impact that is having. We need to
:03:55. > :03:57.see that data collection is transparent, accessible and
:03:58. > :04:01.consistent so that we can make sure any investment that is going is
:04:02. > :04:05.having the impact we want to see. So what are the politicians promising
:04:06. > :04:08.to do about this? The Welsh Liberal Democrats said they would give the
:04:09. > :04:11.same access to bike noses and treatment to mental health patients
:04:12. > :04:15.as patients with physical health problems. Ukip and the Welsh
:04:16. > :04:20.Conservatives have promised to spend more money on mental health services
:04:21. > :04:25.each year and introduce a 28 day referral to treatment time targets.
:04:26. > :04:29.Like Camry say the service is underfunded as it is at the moment
:04:30. > :04:34.and are pledging to spend ?68 million more by the year 2021 on
:04:35. > :04:38.mental health services. The Welsh Labour Party, who have been in
:04:39. > :04:42.charge of the service until recently, say they have already made
:04:43. > :04:45.significant progress in mental health services in Wales over the
:04:46. > :04:50.past few years and pledged to spend more money on it in the future and
:04:51. > :04:55.they have already introduced and 80% target time for people to get some
:04:56. > :04:59.kind of intervention with a mental health problem. Julie says her rich
:05:00. > :05:03.spirits has improved in recent years. She eventually saw a
:05:04. > :05:07.fantastic psychiatrist who gave her really good support, but she and
:05:08. > :05:10.others feel there is a steep hill to climb before mental health is on an
:05:11. > :05:12.even footing with other NHS services.
:05:13. > :05:16.The Football Association of Wales has launched an investigation
:05:17. > :05:17.after suspicious betting patterns were discovered
:05:18. > :05:33.All this came to light after Saturday's game. Will were already
:05:34. > :05:39.relegated, they had not won in 17 games, but they went on to beat Port
:05:40. > :05:43.Talbot. If you want to find grilled's previous victory, you have
:05:44. > :05:49.got to go all the way back to October. Bottom but one in the Welsh
:05:50. > :05:52.Premier League, 12 points behind Porto Hulbert. Tonight, in a
:05:53. > :05:56.statement, the FAW football Association of Wales say they are
:05:57. > :06:03.aware of the issue and they are working with this with the relevant
:06:04. > :06:07.authorities. Bought Tolbert say they will be discussing this matter with
:06:08. > :06:12.their players at training tonight. How damaging could this potentially
:06:13. > :06:17.be for the game? The integrity of any sport is paramount. It is worth
:06:18. > :06:20.pointing out that all Welsh Premier players much agreed to a contract
:06:21. > :06:25.before agencies in which includes a pledge not to bet on any games or
:06:26. > :06:31.competitions in which they appear. Let's pick out a team, TNS,
:06:32. > :06:34.completely unconnected with today's story, their players will not be
:06:35. > :06:38.allowed to bet on the Champions League this season because many
:06:39. > :06:41.months ago, at the start of the season, they were involved in the
:06:42. > :06:46.qualifying phrases of that competition. Let's talk about the
:06:47. > :06:57.money. The figures are quite staggering. Betting is big business
:06:58. > :06:59.and the league knows that every match attracts betting of around
:07:00. > :07:02.?575,000. That is an average figure on regulated markets. Over the
:07:03. > :07:06.course of the season, I make that ?110 million wagered on the Welsh
:07:07. > :07:10.Premiership. Tonight, the investigation is ongoing and we will
:07:11. > :07:12.keep you posted if we get anything more tonight.
:07:13. > :07:14.The boss of National Museum Wales says an ongoing dispute over
:07:15. > :07:17.weekend payments to staff is putting its finances at risk.
:07:18. > :07:20.David Anderson said discussions have taken place with staff affected
:07:21. > :07:23.by proposals to scrap extra pay on weekends and bank holidays
:07:24. > :07:26.after negotiations with PCS Union broke down.
:07:27. > :07:28.Staff who don't sign up to the new conditions could be
:07:29. > :07:36.dismissed and offered their jobs on new terms.
:07:37. > :07:39.We have got staff coming to us asking if they can sign up
:07:40. > :07:41.to the offer we are making and in the broader context
:07:42. > :07:44.of the museum's finances, every month that goes
:07:45. > :07:48.by without resolution costs us a further ?75,000 from our reserves.
:07:49. > :07:52.We simply can't afford to continue to have the dispute running
:07:53. > :07:55.and we now need to bring it to a conclusion.
:07:56. > :08:00.this puts the museum's finances at strategic risk.
:08:01. > :08:03.The man leading the newly created Port Talbot Waterfront
:08:04. > :08:08.Enterprise Zone has told BBC Wales its success depends on the future
:08:09. > :08:13.The enterprise zone was announced in March and has since been extended
:08:14. > :08:16.to include the steelworks following Tata's decision
:08:17. > :08:30.When Tata Steel announced it would be axing more than 700 jobs back in
:08:31. > :08:35.January, the Welsh government decided to establish an enterprise
:08:36. > :08:39.zone input Tolbert to support local businesses. A venture capitalist
:08:40. > :08:42.with a background in the metals industry has been tasked with
:08:43. > :08:47.leading the newly created enterprise zone. But he believes it can only
:08:48. > :08:51.succeed if steel-making operations continue year. The game has changed.
:08:52. > :08:59.When this was envisaged, the horror of today had not been perceived.
:09:00. > :09:04.Really, this is something that we will use if we get the first
:09:05. > :09:09.problem-solving. If we get the steelworks back on its feet, this
:09:10. > :09:15.will be great. The enterprise zone is made up of four areas, including
:09:16. > :09:18.the Baglan energy Park. The purpose of an enterprise zone is to offer
:09:19. > :09:24.financial incentives to local companies such as tax concessions
:09:25. > :09:28.and discounts on business rates. Here, the focus is on small to
:09:29. > :09:31.medium-sized enterprises and attracting further local investment.
:09:32. > :09:36.These specific innovation Centre is developing technology to in --
:09:37. > :09:40.enable buildings to store their own solar energy. One of its main
:09:41. > :09:45.partners is Tartar, which provides the steel for its products,
:09:46. > :09:51.including this solar panel. This field is made in Port Talbot. It is
:09:52. > :09:56.painted in Shotton steelworks with a specific kind of pain made in North
:09:57. > :10:00.Wales. Ensuring the supply chain in remains local is key to their
:10:01. > :10:03.operation. We are all about collaboration, between industry and
:10:04. > :10:07.academic partners. Any environment which makes it more conducive for
:10:08. > :10:13.businesses to come and set up in south Wales and work with us is a
:10:14. > :10:16.positive thing to do. Uncertainty over the Port Talbot steelworks
:10:17. > :10:18.remains but many are confident it is a town that will continue to have a
:10:19. > :10:20.bright future in manufacturing. Meanwhile, Tata has denied reports
:10:21. > :10:22.that it's setting a deadline of the end of May for bids
:10:23. > :10:25.to buy its UK operations, including in Port Talbot, Llanelli,
:10:26. > :10:28.Newport and Shotton. The company says the process
:10:29. > :10:30.of finding bidders can't run forever, but it's committed
:10:31. > :10:33.to being a responsible seller. With the UK Government announcing
:10:34. > :10:36.this week it will consider co-investing with a private
:10:37. > :10:39.sector partner to help save the Port Talbot steelworks,
:10:40. > :10:42.our business correspondent Brian Meechan looks now
:10:43. > :10:59.at the options available This is a town in Italy with a
:11:00. > :11:04.steelworks that the local community depends on. Its similarities with
:11:05. > :11:09.Port Talbot don't end there. With a population of 35,000, they are
:11:10. > :11:13.roughly the same size. The steelworks was saved from closure of
:11:14. > :11:16.four years ago by state intervention, although the European
:11:17. > :11:20.Union is currently investigating the Italian government for its financial
:11:21. > :11:24.support for the steel industry. The UK Government is trying to find a
:11:25. > :11:30.way to help her without breaching those European state aid rules. The
:11:31. > :11:35.UK Government says it is willing to, what it calls, co-invest in Tartar,
:11:36. > :11:39.including at the Port Talbot site. But the only potential buyer to go
:11:40. > :11:43.public at the moment, liberty steel, does not see a long-term future for
:11:44. > :11:50.making steel from scratch in blast furnaces like these ones. The iron
:11:51. > :11:55.and steel industry is now publicly owned. The steel industry was
:11:56. > :11:59.nationalised in 1951, the year that the steelworks in Port Talbot
:12:00. > :12:03.opened. Privatisation followed but the UK Government is not see
:12:04. > :12:08.nationalisation as the answer now. That was the answer when Northern
:12:09. > :12:12.Rock got into trouble in 2007. During the economic crisis that
:12:13. > :12:16.followed, ministers spent billions on wrestling banks, including some
:12:17. > :12:20.of the biggest names on the high Street, by taking shares. For the
:12:21. > :12:24.banks, it has taken a decade to get the money back. With steel, unless
:12:25. > :12:27.we see significant changes to the way we do business in the UK, I
:12:28. > :12:32.can't see the money ever coming back. For some, it would be better
:12:33. > :12:36.to let that are to take responsibility for the closure of
:12:37. > :12:44.the site and their costs. But what other options are there? A worker
:12:45. > :12:50.buyout? That led to the reopening of Tower colliery in 1995. Mine is used
:12:51. > :12:54.their redundancy money to buy the site. Although it was on a much
:12:55. > :12:58.smaller scale, they ran the new company but did not take any
:12:59. > :13:02.responsibility for the old one's pension scheme or the environmental
:13:03. > :13:06.liabilities. The most important challenge of all was that everyone
:13:07. > :13:12.on that side understands their own shareholders. The rest of the time,
:13:13. > :13:18.whether it is management, the chairman, workers on the line, for
:13:19. > :13:22.360 days of the year, they are employees and workers. Whatever
:13:23. > :13:26.happens with the steelworks, it is clear the UK Government is going to
:13:27. > :13:27.face substantial costs. It also seems ministers are very keen to see
:13:28. > :13:33.a few more options on the table. Jessie Howells wants to study
:13:34. > :13:36.for a Masters degree. But unlike in England, she can't get
:13:37. > :13:39.a government-backed loan. Jessie's been in touch as part
:13:40. > :13:41.of My Manifesto 2016. And a major training exercise
:13:42. > :13:43.to ensure emergency services The wife of one of Ukip's leading
:13:44. > :13:49.candidates in the Assembly election has described the leader
:13:50. > :13:52.of the party in Wales, Nathan Gill, as "a third-rate general"
:13:53. > :13:57.after he said he would probably not have chosen her husband
:13:58. > :14:00.as a candidate. Christine Hamilton was responding
:14:01. > :14:02.to comments about her husband, former Conservative MP
:14:03. > :14:05.Neil Hamilton, and fellow candidate Mark Reckless, that were made
:14:06. > :14:08.by Nathan Gill in last night's BBC Would I have allowed
:14:09. > :14:14.people to come in over our hard-working
:14:15. > :14:18.Welsh membership? Our political editor
:14:19. > :14:24.Nick Servini is here. Nick, the in-fighting shows
:14:25. > :14:37.no signs of stopping. Of all the problems they have had,
:14:38. > :14:42.this is the one, the selection of Mark Reckless and Neil Hamilton to
:14:43. > :14:46.form a Conservative MPs, very high profile individuals, and their
:14:47. > :14:50.selection and the accusations they were parachuted in above the
:14:51. > :14:54.interests of local Ukip members is the one problem that won't go away.
:14:55. > :15:00.We are left with Alnwick stories situation even by Ukip standards.
:15:01. > :15:06.Last night, their leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, saying he did not agree
:15:07. > :15:09.with the selection of their two most high-profile candidates. Is this
:15:10. > :15:15.likely to affect them in the election? We always end up talking
:15:16. > :15:18.about conventional wisdom. The conventional wisdom is that people
:15:19. > :15:23.hate voting for parties that are split down the middle. But until
:15:24. > :15:27.this point, it is not appear that it is affecting Ukip's chances. A poll
:15:28. > :15:33.earlier this week suggested they could be in line for up to 8am is
:15:34. > :15:36.after the election. The one thing we can say is that compared to the
:15:37. > :15:42.other parties, they do have more protection over stories about
:15:43. > :15:44.infighting because, generally with Ukip, people are voting for the
:15:45. > :15:46.brand rather than the individuals. And the latest Ask the Leader
:15:47. > :15:49.programme follows Wales Today. Tonight, from Aberystwyth,
:15:50. > :15:54.it's the turn of Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh
:15:55. > :15:56.Liberal Democrats. There are concerns Welsh students
:15:57. > :15:59.who want to study for postgraduate degrees are being held back
:16:00. > :16:02.by a lack of funding options. In England, students will be able
:16:03. > :16:05.to benefit from low interest government-backed
:16:06. > :16:08.loans from September. Jessie Howells lives near Cwmbran
:16:09. > :16:10.and says a Masters degree She got in touch to tell
:16:11. > :16:16.us her story as part of My Manifesto 2016 -
:16:17. > :16:18.our project to find out what you want from
:16:19. > :16:21.the Welsh Government Rachel Treadaway-Williams
:16:22. > :16:26.went to meet her. If you were in charge
:16:27. > :16:30.of Wales, what would you do? Here is what Jessie Howells
:16:31. > :16:33.from Croesyceiliog would change. If I was First Minister,
:16:34. > :16:40.I would match Westminster and support Welsh students
:16:41. > :16:43.through their Masters degree. Jessie is 21, has a first-class
:16:44. > :16:45.degree and a clutch But she's struggled to find
:16:46. > :16:50.a graduate level job. It has been very difficult
:16:51. > :16:51.to find anything. I have been considering going back
:16:52. > :16:54.to uni, perhaps getting my Masters Or perhaps converting my
:16:55. > :16:59.degree to a law degree. I think there is definitely more
:17:00. > :17:02.jobs out there for someone Three times a week Jessie catches
:17:03. > :17:08.the train to Cardiff to do the same part-time job in a shoe shop
:17:09. > :17:11.that she did throughout University. She funded her first degree
:17:12. > :17:15.through a combination of part-time work, a student loan,
:17:16. > :17:19.and a higher level means-tested maintenance grant, but that same
:17:20. > :17:23.level of help is not available in Wales for graduates who wish
:17:24. > :17:27.to add to their qualifications. Westminster announced
:17:28. > :17:29.it was going to start I thought, fantastic,
:17:30. > :17:36.finally there is a loan to help me get through my postgraduate studies,
:17:37. > :17:39.but then there was the fine print saying it was only
:17:40. > :17:41.for English students, they were not funding
:17:42. > :17:44.anyone who was Welsh. From September, students in England
:17:45. > :17:47.will be able to get a low interest They will only start paying it back
:17:48. > :17:54.once they earn enough. Students in Northern Ireland
:17:55. > :17:57.get some support too. In Wales, the government
:17:58. > :17:59.says it is currently canvassing public opinion
:18:00. > :18:02.on postgraduate funding options. But the lack of support here has led
:18:03. > :18:06.some to worry about a so-called brain drain from Wales,
:18:07. > :18:09.where super bright but cash poor graduates will be lost to research
:18:10. > :18:14.and the academic world. How do you feel about the idea
:18:15. > :18:18.that there could be a Jessie Howells over in England sitting pretty,
:18:19. > :18:23.waiting for her postgraduate loan It is a massive barrier for a Welsh
:18:24. > :18:31.student which is not there for English students,
:18:32. > :18:34.to allow us to go off and continue our studies and further
:18:35. > :18:39.our knowledge and ourselves. Well, if you want to be part
:18:40. > :18:42.of My Manifesto 2016, tell us what you'd do
:18:43. > :18:44.if you were First Minister. You can get in touch on email -
:18:45. > :18:47.wales.today@bbc.co.uk. You can also write to us
:18:48. > :18:53.at BBC Wales Today, Broadcasting House,
:18:54. > :18:56.Cardiff, CF5 2YQ. We'll be passing on your ideas
:18:57. > :18:59.to whoever's in charge of the Welsh Government
:19:00. > :19:02.from May 6th. They've committed to trebling free
:19:03. > :19:10.child care provision to 30 hours a week for three to four-year-olds
:19:11. > :19:14.if they come to power. Carwyn Jones, Welsh Labour leader,
:19:15. > :19:17.was in Pembroke Dock launching a new national strategy to tackle
:19:18. > :19:21.loneliness and isolation. The party says it's becoming a major
:19:22. > :19:25.public health issue. Super-fast broadband
:19:26. > :19:29.for every Welsh household That was the promise being made
:19:30. > :19:35.today by Plaid Cymru. And the Lib Dems say that households
:19:36. > :19:40.improving their energy efficiency would get a ?100 a year tax cut
:19:41. > :19:45.for a decade. Emergency services joined forces
:19:46. > :19:48.to ensure they're prepared The fire service, police, lifeboat,
:19:49. > :19:54.ambulance crews and mountain rescue Exercise Polygon took place
:19:55. > :19:59.at various locations across South East Wales,
:20:00. > :20:02.including Cardiff Bay, from where our environment
:20:03. > :20:17.correspondent, Steffan Messenger, This was the largest multi-agency
:20:18. > :20:21.exercise of its kind to be held in Wales this year. The idea was to
:20:22. > :20:28.test the response of our emergency services to serious flooding. The
:20:29. > :20:30.kind we have seen all too often across the UK in recent years. It
:20:31. > :20:34.took place in the baby find me and several other locations across
:20:35. > :20:37.south-east Wales. When floodwaters rise, it can happen
:20:38. > :20:43.quickly, sometimes taking us by surprise. The course of the
:20:44. > :20:46.International Whitewater Centre in Cardiff Bay was used to simulate
:20:47. > :20:52.these sorts of scenarios emergency teams could face when fast flowing
:20:53. > :20:57.water puts lives at risk. We have seen these flooding events more and
:20:58. > :21:02.more often. It is almost an annual event across the UK. Our teams are
:21:03. > :21:08.often called all around the UK. We have been to Cumbria, Berkshire,
:21:09. > :21:12.Surrey, Somerset. Casualties clinging to fences and trapped in
:21:13. > :21:17.homes were rescued while out in the bay itself dive teams scoured the
:21:18. > :21:21.sea for more. Exercise polygon, months in the planning, brought a
:21:22. > :21:25.host of different agencies together to reverse their response to a major
:21:26. > :21:29.crisis. It is all being towards unaided from this car park in
:21:30. > :21:37.Cardiff Bay. 15 different organisations involved. 250 members
:21:38. > :21:45.of our emergency services taking part today. And further afield, a
:21:46. > :21:51.range of different scenarios were played out. We have a rescue being
:21:52. > :21:55.carried out on the bridge with two casualties clinging onto the bridge
:21:56. > :21:59.and that will have to be carried out by boat teams. And then we have a
:22:00. > :22:03.surge which is going to be carried out by the coastguard. We are
:22:04. > :22:07.working together, liaising together, and it is so good to carry out an
:22:08. > :22:11.exercise like this to test our capabilities. It is a while since
:22:12. > :22:15.south-east Wales has faced major flooding. This was the scene in
:22:16. > :22:23.Cardiff after the river bank burst its bank in 1979. More recently it
:22:24. > :22:28.is made and North Wales which has been the brunt of the bad weather.
:22:29. > :22:33.Hundreds of homes and businesses were affected in 2012. The
:22:34. > :22:35.opportunity to practice their response in a controlled environment
:22:36. > :22:40.will have been invaluable for when the next floodgates.
:22:41. > :22:44.Plenty of sunshine in Cardiff Bay. It is time for the weather.
:22:45. > :22:53.Mist and fog in the Bristol Channel cleared, leaving blue sky over
:22:54. > :22:58.While in Cardiff the temperature reached 16 Celsius.
:22:59. > :23:00.But it will be a different story over the weekend.
:23:01. > :23:04.This evening, some dry weather but scattered showers
:23:05. > :23:08.and patchy rain will drift northwards overnight.
:23:09. > :23:11.The odd mist or fog patch and milder than last night with more cloud.
:23:12. > :23:14.Here's the picture for 8:00am in the morning.
:23:15. > :23:20.The north cloudier with a scattering of showers.
:23:21. > :23:24.During the day, a few more showers will break out.
:23:25. > :23:26.If you catch one it could be heavy with thunder.
:23:27. > :23:30.But the showers hit and miss so some places will enjoy a dry afternoon.
:23:31. > :23:33.And in the sunnier spots it will feel warm.
:23:34. > :23:40.The wind light but gusty around the showers.
:23:41. > :23:43.Tomorrow evening, showers will slowly die away.
:23:44. > :23:52.And then after midnight some rain will spread
:23:53. > :23:58.On Friday, a few places dry but generally cloudy with showers
:23:59. > :24:13.Over the weekend it's going to turn colder everywhere.
:24:14. > :24:16.Rain on Saturday with snow on high ground.
:24:17. > :24:22.Followed by much drier, brighter weather.
:24:23. > :24:25.Ask the Leader is next on BBC One Wales.