National Assembly for Wales

Galw’r Aelodau i drefn.

Yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni y prynhawn yma yw’r cwestiynau i’r Prif Weinidog, a’r cwestiwn cyntaf, Jenny Rathbone.

We’re promoting sustainable transport by investing in our rail and bus services, by developing integrated public transport networks such as the metro in the north and south, ensuring active travel becomes more mainstream, and working with local partners to identify pinch-point areas and deliver infrastructure improvements to smooth traffic flow.

Thank you, First Minister. I just wanted to specifically focus on how we’re getting more people to bicycle, because I was very shocked when I had a delegation of year 12 students from St Teilo’s, all of whom are 16 or 17, and none of them were bicycling to school. One of them even said, ‘Oh, I live four miles away’, as if that was a long way to bicycle. If we look at the statistics, less than 3 per cent of children aged five to 16 go by bike, but 30 per cent, or more, go by car. If we can’t start with the current young generation, we’re never going to get the modal shift they’ve got in places like Holland, where 40 per cent go by bike, and, in one city in Denmark—the second city—80 per cent go by bicycle. So, what do you think the Government can do to really get that change in culture?

The Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013, of course, is the basis for doing this, recognising that cycling, while important for health, is a mode of transport, and it’s important, as is walking, of course. I’ve always thought that in trying to encourage people to get onto bikes, it’s important that they feel safe, and a lot of people won’t go on the roads and mix with cars. In the countries that the Member’s mentioned, in the Netherlands, for example, and in Denmark, there is segregation between bikes and cars, and that’s one of the ways in which people can be encouraged to use bikes more. There’s a lot of work to be done, particularly in our cities, to establish bike routes into the cities. We have some bike routes that tend to take people away into the countryside, but we’re not yet in a position, I believe, where we can say that we have a proper network of urban cycle routes that will encourage the more reluctant cyclists to actually use a bike rather than feel they’ve got to compete with cars on the roads. But the active travel Act has begun the process of changing attitudes and encouraging local authorities to put in place proper provision for bikes.

First Minister, a year ago, the Welsh Government’s position was that there were no immediate plans to use public funds for electric vehicle infrastructure. Now, since then, of course, the UK Government has stated its position to phase out diesel cars by 2040. Would you agree with me that it’s now essential that the Welsh Government does invest in electric vehicle charging points in town centres initially, and then further afield, to make that transition from diesel to electric cars a reality?

Well, we already do: for example, the on-street residential charge point scheme, which supports local authorities with 75 per cent of capital costs of procuring and installing residential charge points, and with an associated dedicated parking bay. It is a challenge now for all Governments to put in place the network of chargers that will be needed before 2040, and in particular ensuring standardisation as well of chargers. As somebody who drives a hybrid, there are several different sockets that are used, and it’s quite difficult to find the right charger. But I expect, over the next four or five years, particularly with intervention from Governments, including ourselves, building on what we’ve done already, we will see an expanding network of chargers, which will encourage more people then to look initially, I suspect, at hybrids, and then at fully electric vehicles.

Rwy’n cytuno’n llwyr â’r pwynt ynglŷn â cherbydau trydan, felly mi wnaf droi yn ôl at y beicio, a pha mor bwysig yw hi felly bod seiclo yn rhan nid yn unig o’r cynlluniau teithio actif, ond hefyd yn rhan o gynlluniau teithio awdurdodau lleol. Rydw i wedi gweld gormod o’r cynlluniau lleol yma sydd yn sôn am seiclo yng nghyd-destun hamdden a chwaraeon, ond sydd ddim yn rhoi seiclo yng nghanol y cynlluniau fel ffordd o deithio, ac mae sir Gaerfyrddin yn enghraifft o hynny. Felly, a fyddwch chi yn gwella ac yn pwyso ar awdurdodau lleol i wneud yn siŵr bod seiclo yn rhan ganolog o gynlluniau teithio lleol?

Mae e’n ganolog. Mae pob awdurdod lleol yn gorfod rhoi eu mapiau cyntaf i ni o’r llwybrau newydd y maen nhw’n mynd i’w datblygu yn eu hardaloedd. Maen nhw nawr yn gweithio ar fapiau rhwydwaith integredig, ac mae’n rhaid i nhw rhoi’r rheini i ni erbyn 3 Tachwedd 2017—eleni wrth gwrs—ac wedyn bydd modd mesur pa mor bell mae’r awdurdodau wedi mynd a faint fwy o gefnogaeth sydd eisiau ei rhoi iddynt er mwyn iddynt fynd yn y cyfeiriad iawn ar y cyflymder iawn.

Yes. We’ve been meeting with the Football Association of Wales about this potential bid. We already have an ambitious major events strategy and we’ll continue to meet with the key stakeholders to consider how we can take this forward.

Yes, thanks for the response. It’s usually potentially a good idea to make a bid for these large events due to the potential to generate revenue for local businesses, although there is also the possibility of disruption as well. So, there is a balance that we have to make. But we do have a problem at the moment with the state of Cardiff Central Square and also the possible lack of capacity of Cardiff Central railway station. So, are you confident that those issues will be resolved in time for those championships in the summer of 2020?

Yes. Central Square is being developed rapidly now. With regard to Cardiff Central station, that’s a matter for Network Rail. We have pushed Network Rail. I’ve done it in meetings with Network Rail and it’s being done in other ways to redevelop Cardiff Central. It’s at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds but, nevertheless, it’s a redevelopment that is needed. We know that, potentially, the passenger numbers at the station will increase three-fold over the next 30 years. With 11 million passengers a year going through the station, it’s by far the busiest in Wales and it’s growing. We’re almost at the point where trains are queuing to get into the station. So, we have impressed on Network Rail the need to invest in that station given the fact that for so many people it’s the gateway to Wales.

First Minister, I commend what your Government and the previous administration has done to attract high-level events and how you’ve worked with the respective sporting associations. I think that’s a key partnership, and these sorts of achievements produce a gift that keeps on delivering because the marketing value—. People still talk about the wonderful days when the FA Cup was in Cardiff. Many people would like it back, or at least the semi-finals, which, of course, are in Wembley still because of their particular business model. But it really is an exciting way to market Wales and there’ve been great, great benefits, and you should really learn the lessons about how much a Government can do to market the nation as a whole.

Very much so. We’ve learnt that over the years. Not long after I became First Minister, the Ryder Cup was held and that was a huge event: some 25,000 people there on the final day, millions watching around the world. And, of course, culminating with the Champions League final, which, ironically, was almost a consolation prize for us for not getting to be chosen as a venue for the 2020 championships. It’s a consolation prize we very much welcome, of course, in that regard. But what’s been key to this is the vision that was shown particularly in the 1990s to develop the Principality Stadium. It was controversial at the time, and he must remember that. But when we look back at the old stadium, it was basically a concrete bowl with toilets. That’s the way it was described. Now, of course, it’s a far more modern stadium we can attract these events. And it’s true to say that sport carries probably the greatest reach of all when it comes to promoting Wales, and we know, of course, with the Euros last year, that probably had the greatest effect in terms of signalling to people that Wales exists as a separate nation, and, of course, triggering more interest in Wales, therefore triggering more investment in time and more visitors.

To present a slightly contrary view, Llywydd, in evidence to the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee last week, the Wales Tourism Alliance said that whilst the focus will need to remain on major international events, they only tend to benefit a small number of locations, particularly Cardiff. The chief executive of the European Tourism Operators Alliance agreed and said there were lots of reasons for having a party, but economic benefit for the tourism industry is not necessarily one of them. What is the First Minister’s view and how can the Government take steps to ensure that large-scale international events don’t harm the Welsh tourism industry?

We can have both. One of the issues that we face with large-scale events is we have to ensure that people have places to stay outside Wales. The reality is the capacity isn’t there entirely in Wales to host people as they come to Wales. That will develop over time. It isn’t the case that it’s either spending money on major events or spending money on the rest of Wales. For example, we’ve supported tourism initiatives around Wales. We look at initiatives such as Surf Snowdonia in the north and the support we give to rural businesses around Wales. In some ways, a major event provides an immediate economic impact, but also, of course, it acts as a catalyst for developing interest in Wales and, therefore, for tourism around the whole of Wales. So, the immediate impact, it’s true to say, is more localised, but the longer term impact, in my view, is much broader, and that’s of course the way we’d want it to be.

Galwaf nawr ar arweinwyr y pleidiau i holi’r Prif Weinidog. Arweinydd yr wrthblaid, Andrew R.T. Davies.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last week, the Welsh Government presented its waiting list figures for the Welsh NHS, and the figures showed that, in Wales, one in seven people is on a waiting list, or 450,000 people. In England, that figure is one in 14. There are pressures across the United Kingdom when it comes to NHS services, and everyone acknowledges that. As we go into the busy winter months, and with the financial pressures that are on the Welsh NHS, with four of the seven health boards projecting a deficit in excess of £30 million, what help is your Government giving to health boards to address the spiralling numbers that are waiting on waiting lists here in Wales and, above all, the financial predicament that many LHBs face?

Well, first of all, I don’t accept the premise that the question is based on. If we look, for example, at referral-to-treatment times over 36 weeks, that’s improved by 35 per cent between March 2015 and March 2017. March 2017 was also the highest performance on the percentage of patients waiting over 26 weeks since March 2014. We know that diagnostic waiting times have improved by 58 per cent by March of this year. I don’t accept that somehow the situation is worse in every case in terms of Wales compared to England. He’s right to say that all health services face pressures.

He asks a fair question, which is: what preparations have been made for the winter? Every year, we make preparations for the winter. The pressures do come on. We’re not immune to the same pressures, as other countries in the UK, but we know that, over the past few years, the plans that we have made have been robust enough to deal with the pressures that come on during the winter, and I’m confident that we are in that same position again.

You’re quite right, First Minister; you and I could trade statistics, and the gallery upstairs and those watching on TV would just get bamboozled by those statistics, but the figures do show that, in Wales, for example, there’s been a 400 per cent increase in people waiting 12 months or more for a surgical procedure. In the best health board, Cwm Taf Local Health Board, no-one waits 12 months or more. In the worst, or one of the worst, Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board, which is under the direct control of your Government, there’s been a 1,250 per cent increase in people waiting 12 months or more. So, it is the role of Government to make sure that good practice is spread out in the NHS here in Wales. So, why is someone in Betsi waiting so much longer for a procedure than someone in Cwm Taf? We only have seven health boards; surely, that good practice should be spilling out into all the health boards so that people do not see these spiralling waiting times here in Wales.

Well, what I can say is we recently announced £50 million of performance moneys in order to continue—we are now trading statistics again, but I think we have to—in order to continue this improvement trend for waiting times. The health Secretary and I have been very clear on the need for further improvement in waiting times, and all health boards have committed to further improvements by the end of March 2018. There are plans in place for all organisations and monitoring arrangements to be in place to ensure the improvement is delivered, building on the progress over the last two years. Yes, there are inconsistencies. Yes, we want to make sure those inconsistencies are dealt with, which is why we’ve allocated this money and why, of course, health boards have made the commitment that they have.

I agree with you, First Minister; the NHS is about acronyms and, obviously, statistics. But, very often, we miss the actual patients who are waiting on the clinicians who are under pressure, and they just want a straight answer. When you do have so many health boards in Wales, as I said, four of them—. And it’s worth repeating the deficits or the projected deficits that they do have, such as Hywel Dda Local Health Board, £49 million, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board, £35 million, Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board, £31 million. A lot of people will say, ‘How can you manage those deficits whilst controlling and driving down the waiting times?’ Are you confident that, by the time we get to March, waiting times will be declining and the deficits will be in hand and wiped out, as the health Secretary has indicated? Or will you have to bail out the health boards that have these projected deficits?

No, we expect health boards to be able to manage with the resources that they have. Clearly, we could not be in a position where health boards knew that whatever they spent, they would be bailed out. That is an incentive for them not to be as rigorous in their financial management and their care for patients as they otherwise should be. So, they have been told that, by March of next year, we expect to see these improvements. If not, of course, they will need to explain why that is and explain why they have failed to meet the promises that they have given both to the Government and to the people of Wales.

Arweinydd grŵp UKIP, Neil Hamilton.

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Just before we rose for the summer recess, the Government pulled the rug out from underneath the Circuit of Wales project, which would have brought hundreds of millions of pounds of much-needed private investment into the northern Valleys. As a fig leaf, the First Minister and his Government then proposed that they should invest £100 million of public money in a speculative scheme to create a new industrial park in the Ebbw Vale area. Given that the Ebbw Vale enterprise zone has been in operation now for quite a number of years, and tens of millions of pounds have already been invested in jobs in that area, but only 320 new jobs have been created and 70 safeguarded, why does the First Minister think that his speculative proposal is going to be any more successful?

I talk to businesses, and one of the issues particularly that businesses have flagged up with us is the lack of suitable premises where they can go in order to set up manufacturing. One of the issues that we’re looking at is being able to provide them with the premises that they need, of the right size. We don’t do that in terms of building empty buildings for no reason. We’ve done that by consulting with businesses, and asking businesses what they want. That’s actually a very sound way of investing for the future rather than, as he calls it, being speculative. It’s far from speculative. This is based on the feedback that we’re getting from business.

Well, there are of course no firm offers to take space in the area that the First Minister is talking about. My colleagues and I had the advantage on Friday of visiting St Athan and seeing what’s happening at the Aston Martin construction that’s going on there, which is a Welsh Government success story—I fully acknowledge that and congratulate the First Minister. But, of course, St Athan is a very different kettle of fish from Ebbw Vale in terms of its potential attractiveness to investors, without improving the infrastructure still further in the northern Valleys. The whole point of the Circuit of Wales project and the job spin-offs that would come from it is not so much the racetrack itself, but the way in which the circuit would have put it on the map, in a sense, and would have attracted further automotive businesses around it. Given that, as a result of the collapse of that offer, the Welsh Government is trying now to fill a vacuum, I really can’t see why he has turned down the offer of hundreds of millions of pounds of private investment where the Government’s only liability was highly contingent on the total failure of the project, and the assets that would have been created fetching nothing.

No, we’ve explored this before. I’ve explained to him the issue of what counts as on the books and off the books. What he describes is speculative. Every business venture is speculative to some extent. But in some ways, in the questions he asks, he answered his first question, and that is: one of the reasons why St Athan proved attractive to Aston Martin is because there was a building there that fitted their spec. It was what they wanted. The site was right. Many businesses have said to us in conversations I’ve had, ‘Look, one of the issues we face in Wales is we want to go somewhere like Ebbw Vale, but where do we go? The buildings aren’t there. The premises we need aren’t there.’ That’s why part of the investment we’re putting into Ebbw Vale, into the Heads of the Valleys, is to make sure that the right premises are there so businesses can move in, rather than an obstacle being in place that won’t be removed without Government investment. Yes, is that speculative? Well, in the sense that all business is speculative, but it’s based, to my mind, on much sounder ground than the circuit was.

But of course the Circuit of Wales was more than just speculative because there was a fully worked out business case, which I understand was not undermined by the Welsh Government. The objection of the Welsh Government’s support for the project was based upon internal accounting conventions, in its opinion, in any event, set by Her Majesty’s Treasury. So, the Circuit of Wales project itself will rise or fall upon its own economic merits. No doubt the First Minister will have seen on WalesOnline today that the promoters of the project have now come up with another proposal that perhaps they could access funding for under the city deal. So, I’m anxious not to engage in any kind of inter-party fisticuffs today that might discourage the Welsh Government from helping the project, even at this late stage, to become viable. I wonder if the First Minister can, in the most general terms, give his support to making further efforts to look at whether the Circuit of Wales could actually be made into a reality.

We’ve never rejected the circuit as an idea. It was simply the financial arrangements surrounding it. If the circuit is able to come up with a different proposal, then, of course, that’s something that we would look at. We don’t have an objection in principle, but we have to make sure that any project takes into account the interests of Welsh taxpayers and is able to demonstrate very strongly that the jobs that are promised are in fact deliverable. If there is something else that comes forward, then of course we’d look at that to see whether the circumstances have changed.

Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, can you imagine a country where megaprisons are placed in the middle of so-called enterprise zones? Or can you imagine a country that ends up being described as a Botany Bay of the twenty-first century and as a penal colony? Well, those were the words of Frances Crook, the respected chief executive of the Howard League.

First Minister, Wales must be the only country in the world where prisons are highlighted as tools for economic development, rather than as part of a country’s criminal justice system. Do you expect other prisons to close if the Port Talbot prison goes ahead? And can you confirm whether there will be a net jobs gain or do you think there’ll be a loss?

These are matters for the Ministry of Justice to answer. We’re not responsible for prison policy. But she asked a question about prisons. I have a prison in my constituency. It was very controversial when it was built. I was the ward councillor when it was built at the time. Now, no-one takes any notice of it. It employs many people, there’s a housing estate being built not far from the walls of the prison. But, nevertheless, it is important that people’s concerns are addressed, because I remember at the time people’s concerns. It is important that the MOJ carries out a full consultation with people in the area. That is their responsibility. Our responsibility lies with the issue of the land. Bluntly, we’ll look to get the best deal possible for the Welsh taxpayer for the land, regardless, of course, of how that land is disposed of. We are, on the issue of the prison, not actively promoting a prison. We want to get the best financial outcome for the Welsh taxpayer.

I’m glad you raised the question of the land, First Minister, because there’s a vision for a Swansea metro that has the potential to transform the city and its hinterland, and it’s the most attractive vision for our second city that we’ve seen in years. But the land earmarked for the Baglan prison appears to sit on the blueprint. Plaid Cymru’s view of that prison is well known, and there are Members of your own party who are in agreement with us that this is not the right site. Is it not the case that you will be selling off land that would otherwise be part of a future Swansea metro? Will you acknowledge that you are in a position to stop this project by refusing to sell this land? And if you do accept that, will you now refuse to sell that land?

Well, we would not do anything that would jeopardise the future of the Swansea metro, that’s true, but there are broader issues here that do have to be addressed. The prisons are crumbling, there’s no question about that. As somebody who was familiar with the system at one time with my job, our prisons are long overdue being replaced—we know that some of them are Victorian. We export prisoners. Women prisoners cannot serve their sentences in Wales. There’s no category A prison in Wales. We still have too many prisoners who are unable to serve their time close to their communities, and that’s important from their perspective in terms of their rehabilitation. What I don’t know is whether she takes the view that there shouldn’t be a prison at all, or whether it should move on to another site. If it is the case that she would want it moved to another site, we’d be open to suggestions as to where that should be.

You could argue there should be multiple sites, First Minister. All of the problems that you have just outlined will not be solved by building this megaprison so close to another new prison. Your economic policy is leading us to a situation where our national interests are not being upheld. Devolution and self-government are supposed to allow us to look after our own needs, to be an equal partner with our neighbours and not a servant. These superprisons are designed for the criminal justice needs not of our country, but of the country next door. And it’s not me saying that, it’s coming from the top English and UK voices on prison reform. Why are you setting up a commission on justice if not to deal with questions like this?

And it’s not just about prisons, First Minister, it’s this mantra of jobs at any cost that has led you to accepting the disposal of mud from a nuclear site in Welsh waters. What on earth is Wales doing taking waste from another country that could be radioactive? I don’t know why you granted that licence in the first place. I’d like to know whether you have any regrets about granting that licence. Will you agree to revoke it if it transpires that there is even the smallest risk to people’s health?

Well, she’s telling half the story. First of all, she knows full well that licensing is not done by Ministers; it’s done by an outside body—that’s the whole point—so that the politics is taken out of it. What I’ve seen so far is one person has said there may be an issue here. Well, of course, that issue needs to be addressed, but we’ve got be careful here because the waste from Wylfa goes to England, and if it wasn’t for Sellafield’s reprocessing plant it would shut immediately.

She has views on nuclear power that perhaps I wouldn’t share, but it’s too crude simply to say, ‘Well, this is nuclear waste being exported from England to Wales.’ We export a lot more out towards Sellafield. So, I don’t accept that this is an import-export issue. Where we have nuclear power, it’s important that there are adequate disposal facilities, but simply to present it in terms of an England-Wales battle ignores the fact we have our own nuclear power station, and we don’t have our own disposal facilities; we rely on England to deal with the waste that comes from Wylfa.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi cymorth mewn sawl ffordd i Fwrdd Iechyd Lleol Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr i recriwtio a hyfforddi staff. Mae hyn yn cynnwys buddsoddi mwy nag erioed mewn llefydd hyfforddi staff nyrsio a gweithwyr proffesiynol iechyd. Wrth gwrs, bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod am y datganiad a gafodd ei wneud cyn yr haf ynglŷn â’r ffordd rydym ni’n moyn sicrhau bod mwy o hyfforddi ar gael yn y gogledd er mwyn sicrhau bod mwy o gyfle i bobl ddod i’r gogledd i hyfforddi fel rhan o rwydwaith hyfforddi Cymru eang.

Yn ôl ffigurau a gyhoeddwyd gan Gonffederasiwn GIG Cymru ym mis Mai eleni, roedd 141 o swyddi meddygol bwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr yn wag. Mae hyn yn cynrychioli 37 y cant o’r holl swyddi meddygol sy’n wag yn y gwasanaeth iechyd yng Nghymru, ac mi gawsom ni ddadl yn fan hyn wythnos diwethaf wrth drafod yr adroddiad gan y Pwyllgor Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol ar recriwtio meddygol. Ond er yr holl dystiolaeth gan y pwyllgor, y proffesiwn a’r sector yn ehangach am yr angen i symud tuag at sefydlu ysgol feddygol yng ngogledd Cymru, mae’r Llywodraeth yn dal i wrthod ar sail datganiadau annelwig ynglŷn â chost a chymhlethdod y broses. Mae’r honiad bod sefydlu ysgol feddygol yn y gogledd yn rhy gostus yn nonsens llwyr o ystyried yr holl filiynau mae Betsi Cadwaladr yn ei wario ar ‘locums’—bron i £80 miliwn dros y tair blynedd diwethaf. Brif Weinidog, faint yn fwy o gleifion yn y gogledd ydych chi yn fodlon eu gweld ar restrau aros cyn i chi wrando ar yr arbenigwyr a thalu sylw i’r dystiolaeth?

Wel, nid wyf wedi gweld y dystiolaeth gan arbenigwyr sy’n dweud y dylem ni gael ysgol feddygol annibynnol yn y gogledd. Mae’n rhaid i mi ddweud hynny—[Torri ar draws.]

Cariwch ymlaen, Brif Weinidog.

Yn ail, beth rydym ni’n moyn sicrhau yw bod y gogledd yn cysylltu gyda’r de er mwyn creu system hyfforddi sydd ar draws Cymru yn gyfan gwbl. Beth sy’n cyfrif, wrth gwrs, yw’r ffaith bod y rheini sydd eisiau cael eu hyfforddi yn gweld bod y safon yn ddigon uchel. Rydym ni’n moyn sicrhau bod y safon yn gymwys ar draws Cymru, a dyna’n gwmws beth rydym ni’n mynd i’w wneud. Rydym ni’n gwybod ynglŷn â hyfforddi meddygon teulu, er enghraifft, yn y gogledd-ddwyrain a’r gogledd-orllewin, fod pob lle wedi cael ei lanw erbyn hyn ynglŷn â llefydd hyfforddi. Nid yw hynny’n iawn ynglŷn â chanol y gogledd, ond rydym wedi gweld bod mwy o bobl yn dod i’r gogledd i hyfforddi, ac rydym ni’n moyn sicrhau ein bod yn symud at ddatblygu system addysg feddygol yn y gogledd dros y blynyddoedd er mwyn sicrhau bod y gogledd yn cael ei ystyried fel rhywle lle mae hyfforddi yn gallu cymryd lle yn y ffordd fwyaf cyfan posibl, a dyna’n gwmws beth yw nod y Llywodraeth. Nid wyf yn credu ein bod yn llawer ymhell o’n gilydd ynglŷn â beth rydym ni’n moyn wneud.

I’m really pleased that Sian Gwenllian has actually raised this again, and I would urge all north Wales AMs to make similar calls and to hold you to account, First Minister. This has been going on for years. Sian is quite right to mention there are 141 long-term vacancies. We have hospital wards in north Wales that have closed down for several months. We’ve met with the British Medical Association, we’ve met with other medical professionals, and there is a distinct need—it’s been proven—for a training centre somewhere in north Wales. The fact is, and the statistics prove this, that those who train in Cardiff move over into England. We cannot recruit. The Betsi board cannot recruit. Now, this is a board that’s in special measures. It’s got Welsh Government intervention, and yet it is failing at every level in terms of staff recruitment, in terms of keeping wards open. When are you, and when is your Cabinet Secretary, who consistently sits here during health questions shaking his head—? Well, I’m sorry, but you and the Cabinet Secretary—. We’re here to scrutinise you, and you are failing the patients of north Wales, you’re failing the health board, and you’re failing the actual staff who work there. We are in crisis in north Wales. We need a training centre in Bangor. The costs, as Sian has pointed out quite well, are there to be—. We cannot keep taking locum staff—

Can you bring this to a question?

Yes, okay, thank you. We want a long-term solution. You’re the one who has the levers to do this; please, can we have a training school in Bangor?

Well, I agree with her when she says she wants more training opportunities in the north. There’s no distance between us on that; it’s how it’s delivered. She’s asking, ‘Can it be an independent medical school?’ Well, we know that that’s not what is recommended. We know it would be difficult because big medical schools are in big cities with big hospitals, which have a far greater spread of specialities. What can be done, however, is to make sure that Bangor is tied in—the whole of the north is tied in—more completely with Cardiff and Swansea, and that we move to put in place a system of development over the next few years in order to provide better opportunities in the north. That’s the way to do it. It’s important to be able to link Bangor with the bigger hospitals to provide the training opportunities in the most comprehensive way. I think everybody in the medical profession understands that. I get the point that we need to provide more training opportunities in the north. I don’t dispute what the Member for Arfon has said. It’s a question now of not, ‘Do we do it?’ but ‘What is the most effective way of doing it?’, and we believe we’ve outlined that.

Rŷm ni’n disgwyl i fwrdd Hywel Dda ddatblygu ei gynlluniau gweithlu fel eu bod yn cyfateb i anghenion y boblogaeth leol, nawr ac yn y dyfodol.

Diolch, Prif Weinidog. A gaf i, jest yn gyntaf, gofnodi fy niolchiadau i staff ysbyty Bronglais a fu’n gofalu am fy mab yn ystod y pythefnos diwethaf yn yr adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys? Felly, rwy’n ddiolchgar ac yn gwerthfawrogi’r gwaith y mae’r staff yn ei wneud ym mwrdd iechyd Hywel Dda. Ond, mae’n rhaid cydnabod—ac mae’r Gweinidog wedi cydnabod hyn wrthyf mewn ateb i gwestiwn dros yr haf—fod yna ddiffyg mewn rhai meysydd, a’r gwasanaeth pediatrig yn benodol yw hynny. Mae Dr Vas Falcao, sydd newydd ymddeol y flwyddyn ddiwethaf o ysbyty Llwynhelyg wedi dweud bod y gwasanaeth pediatrig yn y gorllewin ar fin methu—dyna ei eiriau—oherwydd y diffyg recriwtio. Mae gennym ni chwe swydd wag ar gyfer ymgynghorwyr pediatrig ar hyn o bryd ar gyfer ysbyty Llwynhelyg, ac nid yw’r ymgyrch recriwtio y llynedd gan ysbyty Bronglais wedi recriwtio un ymgynghorydd newydd. Felly, mae’n rhaid gofyn: a wnewch chi gymryd camau pendant a phenodol i sicrhau recriwtio gwell i staff yn y gorllewin?

Wel, a gaf i ddweud yn gyntaf fy mod yn gobeithio bod y sefyllfa deuluol wedi gwella? Rwy’n flin i glywed—flin yn ystyr y de, nid y gogledd—i glywed am beth a ddigwyddodd yn y fan yna. Mae’n wir i ddweud bod yna’n dal i fod heriau yn y gorllewin. Rwy’n gwybod bod y sefyllfa yn Llwynhelyg yn rhywbeth dros dro, nid rhywbeth parhaol—a gaf i ddweud hynny—ac rwy’n gwybod bod y bwrdd iechyd yn gweithio’n galed er mwyn recriwtio’r bobl sydd eu heisiau arnyn nhw. Beth sydd ddim yn mynd i ddigwydd yw nad ydym yn mynd i fynd yn ôl i’r hen fodel a oedd yno. Nid felly ddywedodd y coleg brenhinol. Efallai bod un unigolyn wedi dweud hynny, ond nid felly oedd barn y coleg brenhinol. Ond, wrth gwrs, rwy’n gwybod bod y bwrdd yn gweithio’n galed drwy’r ymgyrch recriwtio sydd gennym ni er mwyn sicrhau bod y sefyllfa dros dro yn Llwynhelyg yn newid, er mwyn bod y system gofal yn dod yn ôl i beth oedd yno o’r blaen, sef 12 awr y dydd.

Prif Weinidog, yn ôl bwrdd iechyd prifysgol Hywel Dda, maent wedi wynebu mwy o broblemau recriwtio yn ysbyty Llwynhelyg dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf oherwydd, medden nhw, lleoliad yr ysbyty. Dyna pam y mae’r bwrdd yn dweud ei fod wedi gorfod newid oriau gwasanaethau pediatrig, er enghraifft. Mae’r etholwyr yr wyf yn eu cynrychioli eisiau gweld gwasanaethau pediatrig llawn-amser yn cael eu hailgyflwyno yn yr ysbyty. Felly, a allwch chi gadarnhau bod eich Llywodraeth chi’n cytuno â’r nod hwnnw, a hefyd, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni un peth y mae eich Llywodraeth chi wedi’i wneud yn wahanol o’i gymharu â’r chwe mis diwethaf i ddelio â’r problemau recriwtio?

Wel, mae’n fater, wrth gwrs, i’r bwrdd iechyd, ond mae yna ddyletswydd arnyn nhw i recriwtio ac maent yn dal i wneud hynny. A yw’n gofyn a ddylai pethau fynd yn ôl i beth yr oedden nhw? Na, achos nid felly y mae’r adroddiad yn ei ddweud; nid wyf yn credu y byddai’r gwasanaethau’n dod yn well o gwbl ynglŷn â hynny. Mae e’n wir i ddweud, dros y blynyddoedd, fod problemau wedi bod ynglŷn â recriwtio mewn ysbytai—rŷm ni’n mynd yn ôl degawdau nawr—y mwyaf i’r gorllewin rŷch chi’n mynd, y mwyaf o ysbytai addysgol rŷch chi’n mynd hefyd. Dyna pam mae’n hollbwysig, wrth gwrs, i sicrhau bod arbenigwyr, pan maen nhw’n mynd i ysbytai yn y gorllewin, yn teimlo fel rhan o rwydwaith sydd yn fwy er mwyn bod y gefnogaeth broffesiynol ganddyn nhw. Dyna beth sy’n digwydd, wrth gwrs, drwy’r cysylltiadau sydd ganddyn nhw gyda Treforys yn y gorllewin, ac yn y gogledd, wrth gwrs, gyda rhai o ysbytai Lerpwl. Ond, a gaf i ddweud wrtho unwaith eto fod y sefyllfa ar hyn o bryd yn Llwynhelyg yn rhywbeth dros dro ac nid yn rhywbeth sydd i fod yn barhaol?

First Minister, I took the opportunity during the summer recess to meet with staff and also the chief executive of Hywel Dda health board. I particularly focused on the issue of the paediatric ambulatory care unit in Withybush and all the headline stories that we have heard. What I was told quite clearly is that they recognise that they have recruitment problems and that those recruitment problems are not unique just to them, nor to Wales, nor to the rest of the UK. What they did tell me was that they’re looking at those challenges in a positive way, so that they can deliver an alternative model to the one that is currently provided on a temporary basis. So, could I ask, First Minister, what discussions the Welsh Government has had, and will have in the future, with the health board about what those strategies might be able to deliver and how effective we could expect them to be?

I understand that on 21 September, a few days ago, a new consultant paediatrician was recruited to Withybush. Also, there have been the appointments of two locums and two substantive consultant posts across their paediatric services. The health board inform us that they’re also in discussions with two further candidates for a community paediatric and a consultant paediatric post. That is encouraging and, of course, in doing that, we want to make sure that there is more to come.

Well, I’m glad that the Member has asked the question, because we’re transforming the skills journey through the creation of apprenticeship pathways to deliver on our commitment of 100,000 apprenticeship places for those of all ages, in line with the Welsh Government’s priorities and in line with the promises that we made last year.

Thank you for that. When, earlier this year, I raised in the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee concern expressed by the four Welsh police forces that they couldn’t access the apprenticeship levy and the £2 million that they were paying into it, the skills Minister replied that the Welsh Government would instead strike up a grant or contract arrangements, in dialogue with the College of Policing, and that they had meetings in the diary with the police and crime commissioners. I was then told subsequently, in March, that those meetings had, at that stage, been cancelled and not rescheduled. How do you respond to the concern expressed in August by the four police and crime commissioners and chief constables in Wales that this could result in 45 fewer officers in north Wales and potential recruits choosing to sign up to work for English forces instead, and calling for urgent action from the Welsh Government because the situation is putting them at a distinct disadvantage, and finally pointing out that although in England the money that forces pay into the levy goes to the English police college, in Wales it goes to the Welsh Government and, therefore, this lies in your hands?

Well, we could’ve done this if policing was devolved, but his party has sat there consistently in this Chamber and demanded that policing should not be devolved. We are not going to fund services that should be funded by a non-devolved body. This is a tax that was imposed by his party: a tax on business. We have received a share of that and we will use that money to pay for apprenticeships, but we cannot, in good faith, pay towards apprenticeship schemes that sit in non-devolved areas. That, surely, is the responsibility of the UK Government, as they keep on telling us.

I’m sure the First Minister would agree with me that some of the most inspiring visits that we have as Assembly Members in our own constituencies are to employers, big and small, who take on apprenticeships on a regular basis, whether those are what we might call entry-level apprenticeships, higher apprenticeships or even degree apprenticeships as well—they’re graduate apprenticeships. Companies like Sony, who are actually now setting the standard in terms of apprenticeship development within the workforce. Companies in your own constituency, First Minister, such as Ford in Bridgend, who, over many, many years, have developed people in electromechanical engineering apprenticeships, in business management apprenticeships, and so much more.

There is a great deal to be done, but much that is being achieved, but would he agree with me that one of the most significant ways that we can increase the pipeline of apprenticeships is by investing in heavy, big infrastructure? And whilst we may have missed the opportunity with the investment of electrification all the way down to Swansea, there is a way to make up some of the ground, and that is for the UK Government to give the go-ahead on the tidal lagoon in Swansea, because that will develop civil engineering apprenticeships, project management apprenticeships, business management apprenticeships, and many, many more. That, on its own, would have a significant effect on apprenticeships right across the region.

Well, I very much agree with what the Member has said. Some may have noticed that I gave a speech on the weekend when I called on the UK Government to deliver the tidal lagoon. The response from the UK Government was that I should focus on public services in Wales and not mention the lagoon. Now, that causes me a great deal of trepidation because normally the response is, ‘We are still considering it.’ That suggests to me that they’re going to axe the lagoon, and that is something that is a great concern to me and, I’m sure, Members of this Chamber, indeed, outside of my own party.

This is a project that will deliver clean, green energy, not just for Wales but into the National Grid. It would deliver 1,000 jobs in manufacturing and maintenance, particularly in the area of Port Talbot, and we’ve had prevarication after prevarication after prevarication. Even an independent review, which I suspect was set up to say, ‘Don’t go ahead with it’ and then came up with the suggestion that we should go ahead with it, has reported that this project should happen. A billion pounds was put on the table for Northern Ireland—£1 billion for Northern Ireland; a coach and horses driven through the Barnett formula. We’ve heard that that’s sacrosanct; that was ignored, as far as Northern Ireland was concerned. Where is the tidal lagoon? The people of Wales deserve an answer, they deserve those jobs and they deserve the consideration of the UK Government.

I missed the question; there was a bit of yapping on my left, but I have the question—.

It’s on the order paper.

A gaf i ymddiheuro? Wel, yn y cyfarfodydd bwrdd iechyd ym mis Medi, mae’r byrddau iechyd wrthi’n ystyried argymhellion ynglŷn â sefydlu rhwydwaith trawma mawr ar gyfer de Cymru, gorllewin Cymru a de Powys, ac mae hyn yn cynnwys derbyn yn ffurfiol adroddiad y panel o arbenigwyr annibynnol ar weithredu rhwydwaith trawma mawr a chanolfan trawma mawr.

Diolch yn fawr am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Yn naturiol, mae’r argymhelliad i sefydlu’r brif ganolfan trawma yn Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru yng Nghaerdydd yn esiampl arall o wasanaeth sy’n cael ei ganoli yng Nghaerdydd ar draul Ysbyty Treforys yn Abertawe, ac mae hyn yn dilyn colli gwasanaethau eraill fel niwrolawdriniaeth rai blynyddoedd yn ôl—niwrolawdriniaeth i blant a niwrolawdriniaeth i oedolion wedi mynd o Abertawe i Gaerdydd. Yn wir, collodd Treforys yr uned niwrolawdriniaeth i blant er bod yr unig niwrolawfeddyg i blant ar y pryd trwy Gymru gyfan yn Nhreforys, ond nid oedd hynny’n ddigon i gadw’r uned yn Nhreforys; aeth hi i Gaerdydd.

Yn naturiol, felly, mae yna bryder yn ne-orllewin Cymru fod gwasanaethau arbenigol yn cael eu colli ac nad yw Ysbyty Treforys yn ymddangos yn ddigon amlwg yng nghynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae colli neu wanhau gwasanaethau yn tanseilio statws yr ysbyty fel canolfan ranbarthol o arbenigedd, a hefyd amcanion y fargen ddinesig yn Abertawe sy’n edrych i ddatblygu swyddi ymchwil a iechyd o ansawdd uchel. Hefyd, mae uned losgiadau Treforys—yr unig un yng Nghymru, sydd hefyd yn gwasanaethu gorllewin Lloegr—mae presenoldeb yr uned losgiadau yna yn hanfodol bwysig i unrhyw brif ganolfan drawma. Felly, yn dilyn hynny i gyd, a wnewch chi, fel Llywodraeth, ymrwymo i gyflwyno gweledigaeth fanwl ar gyfer safle Treforys sy’n adeiladu ar ei gryfderau amlwg?

Mae Treforys yn hollbwysig ynglŷn â gwasanaethau iechyd fel ysbyty mawr sydd yn gwasanaethau sut gymaint o bobl. Ond, mae’n sôn am y ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwneud hyn. Nid barn Llywodraeth Cymru yw hwn. Pan fydd gennych chi sefyllfa fel hyn, lle mae yna bobl yn gryf o blaid un safle neu’r llall, yr unig ffordd y gallwch chi ddelio ag e yw sefydlu panel annibynnol. Dyna’n gwmws sydd wedi digwydd. Mae’r panel hwnnw wedi rhoi ei argymhellion mas i’r maes cyhoeddus. Rydym ni’n gwybod beth ŷn nhw, mae’n fater nawr i’r byrddau iechyd weithio gyda’i gilydd er mwyn sicrhau bod canolfan yn dod. Rydym ni’n gwybod ei bod hi’n amhosibl cael dwy—rydym ni’n gwybod hynny—dwy ganolfan, ond, wrth gwrs, mae’n hollbwysig nawr fod yr argymhellion yn cael eu hystyried ac, wrth gwrs, fod penderfyniad yn dod. Ond, ynglŷn â Llywodraeth Cymru, nid oes gyda ni farn, achos y ffaith bod yna banel wedi rhoi’r argymhellion ac mae nawr yn nwylo’r bwrdd iechyd. Os nad oes unrhyw fath o gytuno ynglŷn â byrddau iechyd, wedyn, wrth gwrs, byddai fe’n dod i Weinidogion Cymru ac wedi hynny, wrth gwrs, byddai’n rhaid ystyried pob ffaith ynglŷn â ble dylai’r safle fod.

Well, it’s three years since the expert panel was set up to consider the location of the new unit, and, in that time, neither Cardiff nor Bristol have got any closer to Aberystwyth or Haverfordwest, let alone places in my region. The head of the independent panel, as we heard, is now speaking of moving the burns unit from Morriston to Cardiff and that, for me, raises questions about quite how these recommendations are being made in the first place. Morriston is just about to receive £2 million towards investment in response to cardiac emergency times, for which we are grateful, but it’s obviously a material consideration in that decision, the length of time it takes ambulances to travel. I accept that care in transit is a material issue, but, if it’s being taken into consideration for deciding where emergency cardiac services are to be improved, why isn’t it such a material consideration in where trauma services are to be improved? I appreciate it’s not your opinion, but it will form the Cabinet Secretary’s decision. I’m hoping to hear that transit time will be something that is taken more seriously than it currently seems to be.

Well, it might. It depends, of course, if the health boards agree or not. If they don’t, then of course it will come to the Cabinet Secretary for decision. Wherever you place the trauma centre, there will be people who are more than an hour away from it. It’s inevitable; the geography dictates that. Of course, we have air ambulances that are able to assist in terms of bringing people to hospitals more quickly. But the independent panel has made its recommendations; they’re out in the open now. It’s now for the health boards to decide amongst themselves what the most effective way should be of establishing a major trauma centre—not just a centre, but a trauma network as well. It can’t all be about one centre, important though that centre is, wherever it goes; it has to be about establishing a proper, responsive network to trauma that can feed into that trauma centre in the most appropriate time.

Finally, David Rees.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, I can join with the concerns of my colleagues regarding the major trauma centre being located in Cardiff and the possible losses of services at Morriston. We know that, when services move, others tend to follow them. Now, in this case, there is no service move because it’s a new service, but what I want is guarantees that services at Morriston stay in Morriston, because they’ve built up a reputation, they’ve built up a service delivery for local people, and I don’t want to see that damaged in any way whatsoever. It’s important that Morriston stays, not just a leader of that network, but that the services it has stay.

Morriston is bound to be an important district general hospital. It provides many specialised services for the hospitals further west in order for those hospitals to be able to provide the services for their people. I know that—. I’ve been told by consultants who work in Morriston that they often work in the hospitals further west as well. So, there’s no question of Morriston losing its status as one of our most important DGHs. Wherever the trauma centre goes, and that is something for the health boards to decide, it’s important, as I said, that that network is in place. At the end of the day, this is about providing more specialised and better care for people who are deeply in need of that care. We don’t have a trauma centre; we need one. It is based in the south, that’s true, but we need to have one trauma centre wherever that goes. But, certainly, as far as Morriston is concerned, it remains a big hospital serving an important city and will continue to provide specialised services, not just for Swansea, but for further west as well.

Diolch i’r Prif Weinidog.

Yr eitem nesaf yw’r datganiad a’r cyhoeddiad busnes, ac rydw i’n galw ar Jane Hutt, arweinydd y tŷ. Jane Hutt.

Diolch, Llywydd. I have no changes to make to today’s agenda. Business for the next three weeks is as set out on the business statement and announcement found among the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

As we are about to enter discussions on the Minister’s Welsh language White Paper, there are still some outstanding matters regarding standards that need completing, and I’m wondering whether we could have an early statement, please, on the timetable for publication of the Welsh language standards in health services.

We do, of course, have a debate on the business statement coming up next week, and I’m sure that will include reference to the standards.

I want to ask for two Government statements. Firstly, as we know, not just in Cambridge and around major American universities, but in European cities such as Aarhus in Denmark and Mannheim in Germany, the university sector acts as an economic driver. Can I ask that the Welsh Government makes a statement on how it sees the university sector in Wales helping create wealth in Wales, either via science parks or promoting entrepreneurship?

The second statement I want to request—and it follows on from a question Dawn Bowden raised last week—is on the action being taken to monitor the progress made in cases of defective wall cavity insulation in Wales. I have had several complaints, as a constituency Member, about this. I know that other Members have, and I’m sure most Members who I’ve talked to—. Or I know most Members I’ve talked to have, and I can see no reason why almost all Members here will not have had those problems, and it does have a serious effect on those who are being affected by it. So, can I ask for a Government statement on the size of the problem and what they see as a way out of it? And I also know the problems that exist when the Government made the decision, instead of having one insurance company, they put it out to competition—a word that always makes me shiver—and the fact that it makes life very difficult, then, to find out who is responsible.

I thank Mike Hedges for those two questions. In terms of your first question, of course Wales’s universities are already, and indeed benefit from best practice such as the examples you give—Aarhus in Denmark and Mannheim in Germany. Of course, one of the ways that it does this is by fully engaging, as West Wales and the Valleys, with EU programmes like Manumix, and that encourages the sharing of best practice in the advanced manufacturing sector. But I would follow on from a question to, and a response by, the First Minister earlier on this afternoon, that, if the proposed tidal lagoon at Swansea is approved, which I know, across this Chamber, we all want and expect, it would present a golden opportunity for Swansea to seize national leadership on tidal lagoon research, technology, commercialisation, and supply chains, as Aarhus in Denmark has done with wind energy.

On your second question, it is important to report that the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs has agreed changes to the competent person scheme requirements to help ensure insulation is not installed to unsuitable properties from 1 October. For existing installations, officials will be meeting with the main guarantee provider, the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency, to discuss progress in resolving outstanding claims.

Can we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Transport on the obligations on local authorities to maintain safe highways and install traffic calming? Residents in the Pant Ddu Road area of Crumlin are working hard, and have been for many years, to secure traffic calming in their area. There’s been a doubling in the volume of traffic and the average speeds are now exceeding thresholds that I understand are needed for action in terms of the installation of traffic-calming measures. But it has been insinuated by the local authority that personal injury incidents or worse have to occur before criteria are met. So, can we have clarification on what the national guidance is for local authorities in terms of determining how an area can reach a criteria for traffic-calming measures before someone is hurt or worse?

Well, I’m sure many Members will agree with Steffan Lewis about these pressures that are being put on our local communities—particularly, of course, you refer to Crumlin in your area. The Cabinet Secretary, I’m sure, would want to clarify the lines of responsibility in terms of local authorities, also, the criteria in terms of our road safety grant schemes, which, of course, local authorities can apply for, and we allocate as a Welsh Government. So, I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary would be happy to clarify and share that with all Members.

Further to my cross-party statement, I wish to request a statement to this place on the status of music support services across Wales, the availability to Wales’s school pupils of affordable access to instrumental tuition and orchestral access, and the proposed benefit to Wales of a new national music performance strategy for Wales.

I think we’re very well aware of Rhianon Passmore’s support and advocacy for this, in terms of access and opportunities for music education in our schools, and I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary will be updating in due course.

Could I ask for two statements from the Government? First of all, I’m sure, like me, business manager, you were really excited to hear John McDonnell promise to bring back private finance initiative in house, bringing it back home. So, could we have a Government statement about bringing home Welsh PFI, the cost to the Welsh taxpayer of doing that, and the policy of Welsh Government to bring back PFI payments in house? Because you don’t need to wait to elect a UK Labour Government; you can do it now, here in Cardiff Bay, and you can do it tomorrow. The people, for example in Ceredigion, where we have the first PFI school in Wales built for Penweddig—. It’s a very good school, but it’s very expensive when it comes to certain maintenance aspects of the contract. I’m sure Ceredigion County Council would love to know how you’re going to buy that back and give them the money to improve the education service even better than it is currently in Ceredigion. So, please, a statement on your policy on PFI and when we can expect the Labour Party policy announced over the weekend to be enacted here in Wales.

The second statement I’d like to request from perhaps the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs is—. We heard the interchange between Leanne Wood, the leader of Plaid Cymru, and the First Minister on the extraction of Hinkley C construction mud and the placing of that mud in the Cardiff flats, as I understand it. There’s some controversy as to whether that is radioactive, whether it contains any substances we should be concerned about. Quite simply, a statement from the Government setting out the simple factual way that this application was gone through, who made the decision making, when it was made, and an assurance given that the conclusion of that statement was that no radioactive material is being deposited in Welsh waters—I think that would set everyone’s minds at rest.

Thank you, Simon Thomas.

Diolch yn fawr am y cwestiynau.

On your first question, I think Simon Thomas is very well aware of the Welsh Labour Government plans—taking the lead, I would say, as far as this policy issue is concerned, because successive Welsh Labour Governments have consistently avoided the pitfalls of PFI, as you are aware. As a result of our approach over the last 18 years, I would say, going back to when I was health Minister, liabilities relating to the traditional PFI schemes in Wales are much lower than in other parts of the UK. The annual cost per head of PFI schemes in Wales, around £200, is less than a fifth of the cost per head in the rest of the UK, which is more than £1,000 per person. Obviously, it is about value for money. It’s about the way we are developing. And, of course, we’ve had much scrutiny and engagement with finance committees, current and previous, in developing, for example, the mutual investment model, which the finance Secretary announced on 28 February. That is a new form of public-private partnership, ensuring the delivery of vital public services sooner than capital budgets otherwise permit, in an attempt to reverse UK Government policies of austerity, because, obviously, we need that infrastructure, and we need to be able to finance it.

On your second point, yes, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs will clarify the position to reassure Members in terms of lines of responsibility and the actual situation, not just a report that has come out overnight, which obviously raises matters of great concern to many of us in terms of our constituents and Wales as a whole.

Cabinet Secretary, can I ask for a debate in Government time on the impact of welfare reform on devolved services in Wales? It has been some time since we’ve debated this issue here. As you’re aware, universal credit had its full service roll-out in Torfaen in July—the second part of Wales to go live on the full service—and already the signs are deeply worrying. The six-week wait for people to have to receive their money—I know very few people who could manage without six weeks’ income—is already resulting in an increased use of the food bank locally, and there are very alarming signs about the level and quality of information being provided by things like the employment and support allowance helpline, the universal credit helpline and Jobcentre Plus. I think it would be very beneficial if we were able to debate these issues and to exert some influence on the UK Government for the impact this is having on our communities and our devolved services.

I’m sure that would be welcomed by Members across the Senedd, because you have the experience as the Member for Torfaen in terms of that pilot introduction of universal credit. I note that Welsh Women’s Aid raised this issue this week in terms of concern about what impact this could have, and we know in terms of domestic abuse and the stresses particularly facing women in that situation—. It is something that I feel we need to then consider ways in which we can update Members and debate these issues as well in terms of impacts.

Cabinet Secretary, could I ask the Minister to make a statement on the Rohingya Muslim refugees from old Burma, now Myanmar? The country has sent tens of thousands of people in an appalling and very desperate situation to neighbouring countries, Bangladesh and India. Only yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon had already approved £120,000 of initial aid to the Rohingya Muslims. These refugees—they are Muslims, Hindus and Christians. So, could you kindly make a statement on that issue? And, secondly, is there any possibility to help them out financially, morally, or to give medical aid to those areas, and for clean water to be given to those people from this side of the world? Thank you.

I think the situation of Myanmar refugees we’re very clearly aware of across this Chamber. Just in terms of our responsibilities, we have an asylum rights programme and we’re very much engaged with the Syrian refugees support as well. But, of course, not having devolved responsibilities for this we can obviously ask these questions of the UK Government, and be ready to provide support—and of course the close relationship that Wales has with Bangladesh as well in terms of these impacts.

Following on from Simon Thomas’s question, could we have a statement by the finance Secretary on the different types of innovative funding that are available for capital projects like the one that is going to be used in the new Velindre hospital in my constituency of Cardiff North? Because as Simon Thomas has said, there’s been a lot of publicity over the weekend about UK Labour’s plan to end PFI projects in England when we get into Government. And I would like to use the opportunity to commend her, as a member of previous Welsh Governments, in avoiding the worst excesses of PFI and leaving us in a much better position than the rest of the UK.

Thank you, Julie Morgan, for enabling me to follow on and enhance the response that I gave to Simon Thomas earlier on. As I said to Simon Thomas, and to Members, particularly on the Finance Committee, of which you were a member in the last session, we spent a lot of time looking at ways, particularly when austerity was kicking in, in which we could, for example, assist local authorities with their borrowing powers. That led to the local government borrowing initiative, which resulted in Welsh Government assisting local authorities on an all-Wales highways environment programme, which actually addressed many of the issues that Steffan Lewis raised earlier on in terms of environmental improvements, but equally supporting, assisting—I have to use my words carefully—registered social landlords in terms of their borrowing powers, but looking at new ways in which we could assist infrastructure developments, not only the twenty-first schools capital programme. Again, this Welsh Labour Government is very proud that we moved into developing a capital programme in partnership with local authorities, in addition to our traditional public capital hospital building programme. But, of course, in terms of Velindre, we then looked at this new mutual investment model. I’ve already touched on that. It has to be a well-designed, well-planned and well-managed partnership that we have to lever in that funding to deliver this pioneering new cancer centre, which you have been very engaged in as the Member for Cardiff North, because we need to provide that new infrastructure for our first-class cancer services. And I know that the finance Secretary will want to update us—and, indeed, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport—on how that is progressing in terms of delivering the new Velindre hospital centre.

I’m looking for a statement on Hinkley Point as well, leader of the Chamber, because last week I asked the Cabinet Secretary for the environment about the dredging of potentially radioactive mud from just outside the Hinkley Point nuclear reactor. She said that she was unable to comment on a specific determination process for granting the licence. Quite frankly, this is unacceptable, and I’m really not sure what to make of what the First Minister said earlier, to be frank. An environmental impact assessment has not been carried out. It’s quite simple. People know about this now and they’re outraged. This plan of yours has been called the twenty-first century toxic Tryweryn. Now, Wales is not a dumping ground. So, what is your Labour Government going to do to reassure people that there is no risk whatsoever from this material? And will you suspend the licence until a core sample has been undertaken, and not just the surface, but under the surface? I’m sure you’ll agree that the Welsh people have a right to know exactly what is about to be dumped on them.

I did respond to Simon Thomas’s question earlier on, to say that the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs will clarify our position in relation to this question.

Could I first of all begin by echoing Mike Hedges’s call for either a statement, or actually a debate, I think, on the issue of cavity wall insulation? When it’s done well, it can really transform homes for the better. When it’s done poorly—and I suspect probably every Assembly Member in this place will now have instances of poor installation—it is a disaster. I have one constituent from a family of no great means but their only investment is their home. Their home was great, they’d invested a lot of money into it, until they were advised on a Government-backed scheme to actually invest in cavity wall insulation. It has destroyed their house and it has destroyed their family around it and it’s terrible to behold. And it’s not the only one. In a statement by the Cabinet Secretary, which we welcomed, back in June or July, she mentioned that 2,000 claims had been made under the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency’s advice, against 300,000—that’s one in 150. If there were one in 150 cars breaking down, or one in 150 cans of beans rife with mould that you picked up from a supermarket, there’d be an outcry. So, I think we do need this. I’d welcome the opportunity to have a full debate to see how widespread this issue really is—and the simple fact that CIGA are not paying the amount of compensation that goes anywhere near the repair of homes.

Could I also ask for the opportunity for a statement or a debate on the issue of the growing treatments of Botox and other such treatments that sometimes are being carried out in training courses by unqualified, unregistered, unregulated practitioners? And I say this because a GP in my constituency, out of interest, went to attend one of these, and it was in the kitchen of the individual who was carrying out the training while the dog was running around with no proper medical knowledge whatsoever, and they were offering certificates in how to inject Botox into people’s faces.

But, finally, could I ask the simplest one of all? Could I ask the Minister for a statement—and it’s very parochial—on the 17:19 service from Cardiff Central to Maesteg? It is regularly late by over half an hour. Last night, it was late by over 36 minutes leaving. It was the pattern for the rest of the night. It is the service that always falls to bits. Could we have a statement on what the heck is happening there?

Thank you, Huw Irranca-Davies. It’s important that we have that second question in terms of cavity wall insulation so that I can, again, assure Members that the competent person schemes were introduced into the building regulations in 2010 and included the insertion of insulation into cavity walls. These schemes allow installers to install insulation and to self-certify the work complies with the building regulations. The Cabinet Secretary has recently approved proposals to strengthen the requirements we place on competent person schemes to help ensure that only suitable properties are insulated. The new proposals include greater surveillance by the competent person scheme operators, as I’ve said, of their installers to help identify bad practice and non-compliant work, and these are going to be introduced from 1 October.

On your second point, which is very worrying—and you’ve drawn this to our attention today—in terms of what is described as unregulated facial procedures, following Royal Assent in July—this July, 2017—the Welsh Government is now developing the regulations for the new special procedures licensing system, which requires engagement with a wide range of professional practitioner groups to get the right support, guidance and enforcement procedures in place to enable high levels of compliance. We will give local authorities time to bed in these new special procedures in terms of that licensing system before we add any new ones, but over 2,000 practitioners and 900 premises in Wales will need to be reassessed under the requirements of the new licensing system.

You have got the Cabinet Secretary responsible for transport sitting next to me here today in terms of the lateness of the 17:19 from Cardiff to Maesteg, and he says he will ensure that this won’t happen. He is going to meet Arriva in the next month, and he’ll raise it with them, because we take customer satisfaction very seriously, particularly in relation to commuter services at that time of day for those travelling west out of Cardiff.

Following on from questions asked earlier about the impact of major events in Wales, we have a Welsh football team to be proud of, we have Welsh football supporters to be proud of, and we have a Welsh football association to be proud of, and its great credit to them all that Wales has been asked to put in a bid to potentially hold Euro 2020 games. Now, could we have a statement on what specifically Welsh Government will do to try to ensure that the Welsh FA is in pole position if the opportunity does arise to host games for Euro 2020?

I know that the Cabinet Secretary will want to update Members on this very important opportunity in terms of the 2020 games and in terms of building on our experience, which was shared earlier on this afternoon, I think it would be appropriate to move to reassure and update Members accordingly.

Leader of the house, last night, I actually attended the fantastic performance by National Theatre Wales, which reflected on the crisis and the challenges faced by steelworkers in the time since January 2016 when there was a threat of 750 job losses and then possible closures. Now, I recommend to any Member who’s available to actually see it, and I know that some Members have already seen it. It brings home to us that the challenges they faced and the families faced were difficult at that time and are still difficult. Now, I know the Welsh Government at that point actually created an enterprise zone in Port Talbot to look at the diversification of the economy and to use the advanced manufacturing skills that were there to attract manufacturing businesses into the area. We’ve yet to have an oral statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to talk about the progress on that enterprise zone as to what is being done to attract those manufacturing businesses into the area so that we can use the skills that are abundant in the area and that are there, all ready for people to come in. It’s situated fantastically for that, but we need to see what’s happening with those jobs.

Thank you, David Rees. The National Theatre Wales production—I think it’s called ‘We’re Still Here’—

‘We’re Still Here’.

I’m looking forward to seeing this play myself later in the week. I think you have to go to the station, then you’re taken to the destination for this. National Theatre Wales, I think, we would all recognise is a very, very important institution that we support. But you raised important questions about progress on the enterprise zone, and, of course, in the context of the developing situation, I know that the Cabinet Secretary will want to respond in due course. Also, just to recognise the work that you were doing, David Rees, in terms of bringing these issues to attention, and the briefing later on today for all in terms of progress in terms of Tata Steel.

I was wondering if we could have a statement on local government procurement criteria and strategy. I’m asking because I’ve had contact from a furniture company in Port Talbot that bid for contracts with Bridgend County Borough Council. They’ve put furniture in quite a lot of schools across Wales, but they weren’t even allowed to put in a bid to Bridgend County Borough Council, because they said they didn’t have the experience or criteria to be able to do so. Therefore, that contract went to a company in Yorkshire. We took evidence on the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee last week from Mark Drakeford about community benefits, about trying to keep contracts in Wales where possible, and I’m not very happy to hear, for a company that I deem to be specialists, of that work going out of Wales. So, could we have a new statement issued on that community procurement? Do local authorities have a structure that they can follow, or does it change by local authority to local authority, which obviously puts those putting a bid in in a very difficult position?

In response to the Member, I know this will be a matter for Neath Port Talbot council, but, obviously, working in terms of the twenty-first century schools programme with other authorities in many instances. There is, of course, a new code of practice on ethical procurement in Wales, and community benefits are at the forefront and, indeed, ensuring that we have access for local supply chains wherever possible. So I’m sure this is a matter that the Cabinet Secretary would be able to clarify.

I’ve been inspired by Huw Irranca-Davies’s request for something to be done about late trains to ask you, leader of the house, if we could have an update from the Cabinet Secretary on where we are with the awarding of the new Wales and borders franchise, currently of course with Arriva. I think it would be really helpful if we specifically had some information on where we are with the commissioning of new rolling stock. I think, in the past when I’ve raised this with the Minister, and possibly with the First Minister as well, it’s been suggested that the commissioning of new rolling stock would be primarily left until after the first phase of awarding of the franchise. Clearly, that leaves it very late, and I know that we would all want, and the public would want, the new franchise to hit the ground running so that when the company, whether it’s the existing company or whether it’s a new company, takes over the running of that franchise, we really can get off to a fresh start, and passengers and the public can have access to first-class trains and first-class rolling stock at the earliest opportunity.

Thank you to Nick Ramsay for that question. The Cabinet Secretary is making a statement later this week, updating on the franchise and, of course, he will answer those questions, particularly in relation to rolling stock.

Diolch i arweinydd y tŷ.

Yr eitem nesaf yw’r datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg ar ‘Addysg yng Nghymru: Cenhadaeth ein cenedl—Cynllun Gweithredu 2017-21’. Rydw i’n galw ar yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet i wneud ei datganiad. Kirsty Williams.

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I am pleased today to publish the Government’s action plan for education in Wales: our national mission. The global experts on education performance, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, recognised earlier this year that Government and the sector are working closely together with a commitment to improvement

‘visible at all levels of the education system’.

This action plan sets out the next stage in our reform journey, including development and delivery of a transformational new curriculum. At its heart is a focus on raising standards for all, reducing the attainment gap, and an education system that is a source of national pride and public confidence. This Government is committed to a Wales where every child can make the most of their potential and is equipped to deal with the changing world. Last week, the First Minister set out the priorities for this Government in our national strategy ‘Prosperity for All’ and the focus on building a Wales that is both ambitious and learning. We are at a crucial point in delivering on those ambitions. The OECD’s advice to us was unambiguous: hold our nerve, stay the course, but do more to communicate, clarify and ensure coherence in our programme, bring a focus to leadership and deliver a much-needed new curriculum in a timely manner. This action plan responds to those recommendations. It also builds on conversations and meetings I and officials have had right across our nation.

We are building on strong foundations set out in previous plans and programmes. But we can be even better, setting high expectations of our young people and teachers. We are clear about the way forward. Since the OECD’s report, I have reflected on its recommendations. I have spoken to hundreds within the education workforce and listened to the challenge and advice from the scrutiny committees here at the Assembly. The OECD said,

‘To support the realisation of its education objectives and ultimately its vision of the Welsh learner, Wales should continue its curriculum reform…to ensure that its reform journey is comprehensive and effective.’

The timeline for delivery of our new curriculum, which is at the core of a transformed education system, is set out clearly within the action plan. Instead of a big-bang introduction overnight one September, it will be rolled out starting with primary schools and year 7s. International evidence is clear on this. We will also provide the right preparation time for schools and teachers—not time to stand still, but time to provide feedback, further engage with the new curriculum and be fully prepared for the new approach.

Work on content and the areas of learning and experience continues at pace. The new curriculum and assessment arrangements will be available for schools to feed back, test and refine in Easter 2019. Following that period, all schools will have access to the final curriculum from 2020, allowing them to get fully ready and prepared for statutory roll-out in September 2022. It will then be introduced from nursery to year 7 in 2022, rolling into year 8 for 2023, year 9 in 2024, and so on as the cohort moves through. Together, we will deliver on our new curriculum, taking the time to get it absolutely right, but building in that extra time through roll-out and an extra year does not mean slowing down. It means we will deliver on those connected priorities within the action plan that are essential to maintaining high standards and setting even higher ambitions.

First: ensuring a high-quality education profession—supporting teachers to be lifelong professional learners through new standards, a national approach to professional development and reformed initial teacher education.

Second: identifying and inspiring leaders to raise standards—tackling a historic lack of emphasis on leadership through establishing a national leadership academy, enhanced leadership development, reducing bureaucracy through business managers, improved communication from all levels, and new standards and a revised headship qualification.

Third: inclusive schools dedicated to excellence, equity and well-being—a culture of respect and challenge, ensuring that all are ready to learn through expanding the PDG, enhanced summer learning programmes, dedicated ‘more able’ provision, and innovative ways to identify and measure well-being alongside attainment.

And fourth: improved robust assessment, evaluation and accountability within a self-improving system—being consistent and clear about the things we wish to value and measure through a new annual national education report and report card, through formative assessment and a new assessment and evaluation framework that focuses on improvement at all levels. Our national mission sets out clear timelines, policies and actions across each one of these areas.

In conclusion, Deputy Presiding Officer, schools are having to prepare our young people for jobs that have not yet been created and challenges that we are yet to encounter. This will require a renewed commitment to improving both the skills and knowledge of our young people as we raise standards in a transformational curriculum. Our national mission is ambitious, innovative and confident as we work to deliver a reformed and successful education system. Taken together, our reforms will meet these challenges and deliver on the high expectations that I’m sure we all share in this Chamber for our children and young people.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for the statement that you’ve presented this afternoon. I think I said on your appointment as Cabinet Secretary I wished you well. You have a very important job. Children go through our education system, or students go through our education system once. They get one chance at it and it is vital they have the best environment possible to learn and thrive in that environment. But the statement today does cause some concern, and if I can start with the statement that the First Minister gave last week, ‘Prosperity for All: the national strategy’, where, in the education section of that strategy, which I presume underpins this, he acknowledges that there is still

‘too much variation in the attainment of school leavers, which means without the right skills some risk being left behind and wasting their potential.’

I’d be very grateful to understand exactly what you’ve identified as being the fault, as to why there is so much variation within the education system within Wales and why, sadly, so many people do end up being left behind, and how your strategy will change the direction of education so that it’s not just another education strategy that a Welsh Government is putting forward and that, in three, four, five years’ time, we are having the same conversation, because I think it is important to understand the key direction of where the education system here in Wales is going.

You start also by identifying the OECD and the PISA targets and it is on the record, obviously, as being not your target: the 500 for reading, writing and the sciences—and arithmetic obviously as well. This now forms part of the policy paper that you’ve launched, saying that it is a Welsh Government target to be hitting the 500 mark when the next OECD figures come through in 2021. So, I’d be grateful as to why you don’t see those figures as being your target, yet the document identifies them quite clearly as being a central pillar of driving standards up here in Wales. I’d also like to understand from the Cabinet Secretary, in particular around the reforms that were brought forward under Qualified for Life, which was the Government’s policy document 2014 to 2020, how, again, this document differs from that document, because if I’m correct, we’re still in 2017, and that document was setting the tone to take us through to 2020? Obviously, one of the key pillars of that document was the Schools Challenge Cymru programme, which was set to drive standards up in many of our schools, and from the assessments that have been made— certainly in its initial two years—they were having very promising results and successes with this scheme, and, obviously, it was terminated last year by your good self. Again, as I said, I, and I’m sure the teaching profession and parents would like to know exactly how much legs your policy document, if you like, has—which you brought forward today. Will they see the full term of the agenda that you’re setting out, or will it be another revision in two or three years’ time?

The curriculum that you’ve identified and the changes to the curriculum are welcome, and something from this side of the house that we’ve been calling for, given the increasing body of evidence that clearly shows that there did need to be a pause and almost a reflection on its implementation, and I commend you for doing that. But I would ask you: what assessment have you made of the capacity of schools to deal with, potentially, two curriculums being delivered within the school setting? We constantly have debates, we have discussions, as to the capacity of teachers and schools to develop a coherent learning environment and strategy, and, at the end of this process, they will, at a certain point, be delivering two curriculums within the school environment.

Teacher recruitment is a vital area, and we understand the problems there, but in your statement you touched on the historical lack of focus on leadership. Again, I would be really keen to understand what backs up that analysis of the historical lack of focus on leadership, given, obviously, that we’ve had a party within this Chamber who have run education for 17 to 18 years now, and I presume that’s an observation you are making about various policies that have come forward before to address the leadership crisis—which I think is a fair comment to make—when we do know that many deputy headteachers do not step up and take on a headship because they do not feel that they’re supported to do that, and there are very many good deputy heads who would make excellent headteachers, but, without that progression within the education system and without that support, we’re going to continue having that leadership crisis.

And one final point, if I may, Deputy Presiding Officer with your permission, on HE in particular: it is vital that from our schools students progress into the HE environment. Some of the numbers that have come out around HE recently clearly show that, sadly, the numbers are not going in the right direction and are actually falling backwards for participation in HE from some of our most deprived communities. The Seren network was established and regional hubs were created in order to assist Wales’s brightest pupils to access higher education. I would be grateful to understand how, with the reforms that you’ve launched today in our education system, we will reinvigorate the ambition to go forward into HE, and ultimately experience the wider world of education, whether that be here in Wales or anywhere else in the United Kingdom.

Thank you very much, Andrew, for the comprehensive list of questions. The strategy that was announced by the First Minister is the overarching plan for the Government. This document that is launched today adds the meat on the bones that you were asking for just last week, about how the ambitions that are in ‘Prosperity for All’ will actually be delivered. And I make no bones about it: there is too much variation within our education system. There is too much variation in schools. We see that as something that needs to be tackled. We see within a single school a department that is performing really well and a department that is performing less well. We also see variations between individual schools in the same local education authority; sometimes only a matter of miles apart, the results can be very different, and we have to iron that out.

Now, there are a number of ways in which this strategy seeks to raise standards across our entire system. Of course, the most important factor is the quality of teaching. That is the biggest thing that we can do to improve the educational attainment of our children, that is to ensure that the quality of teaching across all of our schools is consistently high. That’s why there is so much emphasis in this document about how we can raise the quality of teaching, whether that be reforming our initial teacher education system, whether that’s a new national approach to continuous professional learning, new teaching standards that are currently being adopted for both classroom teachers and headteachers. Our system cannot be better than the teachers who deliver it, and that’s why this is at the core of our programme.

You talked about the issue around schools challenge. You’ll know that that was a time-limited programme, limited to only 40 schools. There are lots of schools across Wales that need help and support to develop them. Some of those schools did very well under Schools Challenge Cymru, but I’m afraid to say, in some cases, despite the additional resource, that did not translate into better results for students and, indeed, one schools challenge school just before the summer holidays was put under special measures by Estyn. So, we need an approach to school improvement, delivered by our regional consortia, for all schools in Wales—right the way across our country, rather than just limited to 40 handpicked institutions.

You raise the issue of PISA. There is nothing inconsistent in this document and the statements that I and the First Minister gave in answers to questions on 20 and 21 June earlier this year. What’s absolutely clear is that, for the 2021 PISA assessment that will be administered by a different administration in a new Government, whose results will be published by a different administration, that remains the long-term goal. What I am focused on is making improvement in the tests that will be taken next year, because I haven’t changed my mind: our performance in PISA is not what we would want it to be and we need to see improvement, not in 2021—we need to see improvement before that.

Now, Andrew, you do raise a very legitimate point about the issue of roll-out within the secondary sector, and whether having to teach two curricula in the school will be challenging. It’s normal practice for teachers to translate curriculum requirements into schemes of work for each year group in their school; no teacher teaches the same lesson to each and every year group. So, this phased roll-out in secondary schools allows the teaching profession the time to develop their new schemes of work year on year. Now, our teachers and those who represent them understand this, and they are very supportive of this approach. And international best practice would tell you that a phased roll-out gives us the best chance for success. The last time we had a major change to the curriculum, of course, was back in 1988, which was done very much top down and done overnight. And I’m afraid if you speak to people who were involved in the delivery of that reform, they’ll say that it caused significant chaos. But I’m very glad that I will have the opportunity later this week to talk to Lord Baker, and I will reflect on his experience of how he felt that that top-down, overnight big bang actually worked out.

Leadership, I think, has been an area where we have not had sufficient focus. The reasons for that, you know, I’m not clear on and I’m not sighted on, but what I am clear on is that, if we are to see the improvements that we need, we have to have a focus on leadership, and that’s why we are introducing our new leadership academy. We’ll be reforming the qualification for our headteachers, with new leadership standards and more support for existing headteachers and those who aspire to headship, and as we see the leadership academy develop and bed in, I’d hope to see that focus on leadership go down the whole school system to focus on leaders of individual subjects or individual year groups—leadership in our regional consortia, leadership in local education authorities. This is a national mission. We’ve all got to challenge ourselves and ask: ‘What are we going to bring to the table to see this national mission realised?’ And there’s a place for all of us in that, including Members here in the Chamber whose scrutiny and challenge in the committee has been a very important part of my deliberations when looking to set up the timetable for the curriculum.

With regard to HE, can I just say that HE isn’t the be-all and end-all? It’s the right thing for some people, but this idea that everybody has to do HE and that, if you don’t, then somehow you are a failure—I think we need to move away from that. We have to look at education in the right setting, for the right people at the right time in their lives, and that might mean going on to training when you’re in the world of work 10 years after you’ve left school. It may be a higher level apprenticeship. It may be a degree-related apprenticeship. There are many ways in which you can fulfil your potential. HE is an important part of that, yes, for a certain cohort of our population.

A gaf i ddiolch i’r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet am ei datganiad a chroesawu rhan helaeth o gynnwys y datganiad ac, yn wir, y cynllun gweithredu. Nid wyf yn meddwl y byddai neb yn anghytuno ag uchelgais hirdymor y Llywodraeth yma—yn syml iawn, sicrhau bod pob plentyn ifanc yn cyflawni ei botensial. Mae hynny’n rhywbeth yr wyf yn gwybod y byddai pawb yn awyddus i’w weld. Ond yr hyn sydd gennym ni yn y cynllun gweithredu yma yw lot o stwff lefel uchel. Mae’n debyg y bydd y manylion ynglŷn â sut yn union y bydd rhai o’r agweddau hyn yn cael eu gweithredu yn dod yn gliriach, a dyna lle, efallai, y bydd llawer o’r glo mân.

Nawr, un o’r ffactorau mwyaf arwyddocaol, rwy’n credu, yn y datganiad yma yw'r newid yn yr amseru o safbwynt cyflwyno’r cwricwlwm. Mae’n amlwg bod nifer wedi nodi hynny. Rydw i, fel y mae’r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn gwybod, wedi bod yn codi hyn yn gyson gyda hi—yn ôl ym mis Tachwedd y llynedd, yn ôl ym mis Mawrth a mis Mai yn y pwyllgor, a fan hyn yn y Siambr. Bob tro, rydych chi wedi dweud eich bod yn hyderus bod yr amserlen wreiddiol yn addas, ar y pryd. Felly, rwy’n croesawu’r ffaith ei bod wedi newid, a byddwn yn lico gofyn—flwyddyn ar ôl i fi a nifer yn y sector fod yn gofyn am hyn i ddigwydd—pam eich bod chi’n teimlo mai nawr yw’r amser i wneud hynny, ac efallai ddim wedi gwneud hynny yn gynt yn ystod y broses.

Liciwn i wybod hefyd beth fyddwch chi’n ei ddefnyddio i fesur llwyddiant rhai o’r diwygiadau a fydd yn cael eu cyflwyno. Mae yna gyfeiriad wedi bod at ddefnyddio targedau PISA fel un ffon fesur. Pan waredodd y Llywodraeth flaenorol, wrth gwrs, eu targedau PISA, fe ddisgrifioch chi hynny fel tlodi uchelgais llwyr. Ond y targedau is yna a fabwysiadwyd sydd yn ymddangos yn y cynllun gweithredu yma.

And, of course, when I pressed you in the committee on the PISA targets, you made it perfectly clear that the PISA target isn’t your target. Well, it’s in the action plan, so do we therefore conclude that it isn’t your action plan? I think we need clarity as to whether the First Minister has overruled you on PISA or whether you’ve actually changed your mind and are now happy to accept the targets that you previously described as demonstrating an absolute poverty of ambition.

Now, the reference to an overarching workforce development plan from autumn 2018 of course is welcome. You mentioned, in that context, work to improve the quality of the supply workforce. Maybe you could elaborate a little bit on what you have in mind there, and does that include changing the model of supply delivery in Wales, which I know many have raised with you concerns about and worries that there are many flaws in the way that that is currently operating. You say that you’ll agree a long-term model of assessment and evaluation of schools—where does that, potentially, leave school categorisation? Will you be moving away from what some people see as contentious traffic light systems? I think there’s been a suggestion that that might happen and it would be good to have clarity as to whether those are here to stay, or whether you see those as being potentially under review in the medium term.

There’s not much reference to resources and resourcing some of these proposed actions in the plan, so I think it would be true to say that schools will be looking for assurance from you that they will have the tools and the resources required to achieve and deliver the proposed curriculum changes and, of course, the broader changes that are being mooted.

Mae yna gyfeiriad hefyd yn y cynllun gweithredu ac yn eich datganiad chi at ddefnyddio’r pwerau newydd sydd yn dod i’r lle hwn, wrth gwrs, ar dâl ac amodau gwaith i athrawon. Efallai y gallwch chi roi ychydig o awgrym i ni ac ymhelaethu, efallai, ar y math o newidiadau y byddwch chi’n eu hystyried. Rŷch chi eisoes wedi awgrymu y byddwch chi’n barod i edrych ar yr amodau gwaith fel rhywbeth sydd angen, efallai, ei adolygu.

Ac wrth gyflwyno’r cwricwlwm newydd, wrth gwrs, mae angen inni wneud yn siŵr y bydd yna adnoddau dysgu addas ar gael ar gyfer darparu’r cwricwlwm newydd. Rŷm ni’n gwybod am y trafferthion sydd wedi bod o safbwynt adnoddau cyfrwng Cymraeg yn y gorffennol, a byddwn yn hoffi clywed sicrwydd gennych chi heddiw na fydd y cwricwlwm newydd yn cael ei gyflwyno oni bai fod yr holl adnoddau angenrheidiol ar gael yn y Gymraeg ac yn y Saesneg, lle bo hynny’n angenrheidiol.

Yn olaf, a gaf i groesawu hefyd y cyfeiriadau at waith ieuenctid o fewn y cynllun gweithredu? Mae’n bwysig ein bod ni’n gweld gwaith ieuenctid fel rhan o’r cynnig addysg sydd gennym ni yng Nghymru. Mae cydnabyddiaeth bod darparu gwasanaeth ieuenctid cryf yn ganolog wrth inni ystyried dyfodol y sector addysg yn un sy’n galonogol iawn i fi, a’r gydnabyddiaeth, wrth gwrs, fod addysg anffurfiol â rôl gwbl, gwbl greiddiol wrth gefnogi addysg ffurfiol hefyd.

Thank you, Llyr, for that set of questions. Could I say that what we have got in the document, I believe, is a very clear set of actions associated with whom we expect to deliver them, whether that be central Government, whether that be tier 2 of our system, the regional consortia, the LEAs and other partners such as Estyn and the Education Workforce Council and schools themselves? And those are outlined in timelines, associated with each of the four enabling objectives that we have within the document.

On the issue around the roll-out of the curriculum, what I have said, each time I’ve been asked about this, is that, yes, I believe that we can meet the original suggested timetable in Graham Donaldson’s work, but I’ve also gone on to say that I will always keep that under review, and if I feel that it is necessary to amend the suggested timetable for roll-out to ensure that our curriculum transformation is successful, then I’d be willing to do that. There was simply a lack of clarity as to how roll-out would happen. The document—. And previously, there was no plan for roll-out. And this is one of the things that schools have asked for: ‘Can we have clarity about actually how this will be rolled out?’ And I’m providing that clarity that we have not had before and I’ve also listened very carefully to the work of the committee and to professionals the length and breadth of Wales about how much time we need to ensure that our profession will be ready to take on these changes. And, again, that is absolutely crucial and it’s right that we signal this change and provide that clarity now, as we launch our new national strategy, and, as I said, to give clarity to the profession who’ve been asking how it will actually happen.

You raised the very important issue of supply teaching. It’s important that not just the individual people who find themselves working in the supply sector—. It’s not to diminish their contribution, but, actually, overreliance on supply, we know, has an impact on standards. It’s inevitable. So, this is a source of concern to me. You’ll be aware that the previous Minister set up a task and finish group to report on how we could take this forward and didn’t really come up with any overall solution of how to address this agenda, but there were important things that it suggested and, for instance, that we’ve taken forward. So, supply teachers’ access to Hwb: the very professionals who probably need access to that resource more than any other professionals were denied from getting that because we were not giving them a log-on and a password to be able to get onto that system. That has now been addressed.

But looking to the longer term and different ways in which we could organise the supply sector, I, like you, am very aware that there’s been much interest shown in the Northern Ireland model. Now, there are pros and cons to the Northern Ireland model, but I have officials in Northern Ireland this very week—this very week—looking to see whether the Northern Ireland model is one that could be easily transferred to Wales, but we have to recognise that some of this can’t be done until the powers of teachers’ pay and conditions are devolved to us. So, there is some constraint around that, but we are actively looking at different models to be able to address some of the longer term structural problems around how supply teaching is organised at present.

The Member may be interested in some of the local authorities that are looking to work together to have a supply teacher hub model, where a supply teacher will be made available to a cluster of schools and will be working for that particular cluster of schools. There have been a number of local authorities that have come forward and have shown active interest in being part of that pilot. So, there’s lots going on in the issue of supply teaching.

With regard to terms and conditions, it’s really important to reassure people, because some unions have been more enthusiastic than others about the devolution of pay and conditions, to reiterate the promise that no teacher will be worse off as a result of this system, and we do want it to align ourselves with our ambitions within this document, which is all about raising standards and closing that attainment gap.

Resourcing for all of this, of course, sits alongside the usual budgetary processes that we have in Government, at a time when UK austerity continues to be really challenging, and we will do our very best to ensure that our schools have the resources that they need, recognising, of course, that school funding comes in two tranches—yes, via the education department for things like the pupil development grant, but also via local government, via the revenue support grant—and we have to be mindful of that approach to how money actually gets into our schools.

As you know, I have a particular passion for ensuring that we have equity in our system. It’s in this document: an equity for all our students, and that includes those students that pursue their education through the medium of Welsh. It is not fair that students do not have timely access to Welsh-medium resources. The Member will be aware that I held a summit on this earlier in the year—I’m sorry that you were not able to attend that summit—and I continue to have discussions with the Welsh Books Council, with the university press, publishers and the WJEC about how we can improve on this situation. It will be crucial in developing the new curriculum, because if big publishing houses are not interested in working with us now, they’re certainly not going to suddenly wake up and decide they want to resource a brand-new curriculum. So, we have to look to ourselves, not to others, to find creative solutions to that problem. But we have to have an equitable system for all of our children.

Youth work: absolutely crucial. This document tries to make those linkages between what happens in schools, what happens in communities, what happens in the home and how that relates to attainment, and having the opportunity for engagement in non-formal education activities, whether that’s your local youth club, whether that’s your local young farmers’ club—whatever it may be that is in your locality. Access to that for young people is vitally, vitally important if we are to address not only attainment, but also to address issues around well-being, because that’s the service, in many ways, that we can use to address issues around well-being.

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement and welcome the plan that she’s published today? We know, of course, that there are challenges, but I think that it is a very welcome plan and that it is very useful to have everything in one document, in one place, with the timescales attached. I also welcome the announcement that you’ve made about the curriculum and the phased approach. I think the most important thing when doing something as ambitious as this is that we get it right for learners, and I’m grateful that you have listened and have responded in that way. As you know, it is an area that the committee has looked at and is continuing to look at. One of the issues that was raised is that the schools that aren’t pioneer schools did not feel sufficiently in the loop and sufficiently involved in the process. So, I would like to ask what your plans are, going forward, to make sure that that changes and that we are all on the same journey in Wales.

I was also really pleased to see the very strong focus in this document on the need to improve teacher education and professional development. As you’re aware, that’s also an issue that the committee is looking at. One of the concerns that I’ve had is that embarking on something as ambitious as curriculum reform can act as a distraction for some from the absolutely fundamental need to ensure that we have the best quality teaching possible. As you’re aware, this is an issue that Estyn has raised regularly as one of the weakest areas of our system. So, I’d like to ask how you intend to ensure, going forward, that we are all fully focused on that in particular in the profession.

But I do want to give a very warm welcome today to the focus in the plan on well-being. As you’re aware, this is something that I feel very strongly about. The committee is embarking on a new inquiry into the emotional and mental health of children and young people, and we see the role of the schools as absolutely fundamental in that. As you’re aware, there is an enormous amount of good practice out there in individual schools. You announced the pilot yesterday with the health Secretary. But I would like to ask, in terms of early intervention and that universal support for children and young people, how you intend to ensure that that good practice is rolled out as far as possible across Wales, but more importantly how you intend to ensure that schools are accountable for delivering on the well-being agenda.

Just to close by saying that, like Llyr, I really welcome the emphasis on youth work. It’s great to see it mainstreamed in a document like that and to see the role that it plays fully recognised. Thank you.

Thank you, Lynne. The whole purpose of the document is to respond to the OECD’s criticism about a previous lack of communication from the centre, and we have to listen to that and hold ourselves accountable for clarity around that communication and a coherence about all the strands of reform that are going on at the moment. There’s lots of reform, and sometimes people ask the question, ‘Well, why and for what purpose?’ If we want the profession to engage in this, we have to be very clear ourselves, and that’s what the plan is dedicated to doing.

Quality teaching is absolutely at the heart of the plan, and we are embarking, as you will know, on a range of programmes, but just to highlight the national approach to professional learning and what does that actually mean. So, we’re working with the regional education consortia on this, and there are broadly three main areas that we are focusing on. The first is helping all teachers to understand fully and prepare for the new curriculum and new teaching approaches. That’s regardless of whether you’re in a pioneer school or not, because we need all our teachers to understand the basics of this new approach to the curriculum. That’s already under way, and our new professional teaching standards are a key to achieving this, because they create that entitlement for teachers to say, ‘I have a right to this continual professional learning throughout my career.’

There are more specific skills that all teachers, again, will need and those relate to assessment, curriculum design and the cross-curricular responsibilities that they will have for delivering this new curriculum. Some of that work is under way at present, but we need to develop that further as we go forward. That’s one of the reasons why we need to adjust the timetable for the curriculum: to ensure that that kind of professional learning offer is available consistently, right the way across Wales. Of course, then, there will be specific support needs arising out of the individual areas of learning and experience that are subject specific or AoLE specific. So, there are three strands to the professional learning offer that we will have available.

Like you, Lynne, I have a personal commitment to the issue of well-being. What we know is that we can’t expect children to make the most of their educational opportunities if they’re dealing with other things in their life. I can’t take away bereavement. I can’t take away that some children’s parents will split up. I can’t take away that there will be other traumas in that child’s life. But what we can do is help those children have the resilience that they need, so that when life throws the inevitably tough times at them, and there will be tough times for them, they will have within them the resources that they can call on to manage those situations appropriately and respond to and not be worn down by them. That’s for all our children. We shouldn’t fall into the trap of saying there’s only a specific type of child who suffers from that, because these are universal truths. That’s why we are working across Government. The new project that was announced yesterday will take place in your constituency of Torfaen, and Blaenau Gwent and south Powys. Wrexham and Denbighshire and Ceredigion will all take part in that project, and we’re looking to see that learning—. We’re trying to learn from that so that we can ensure that there’s a consistent roll-out across the country. Crucially, of course, the new curriculum includes the AoLE of health and well-being, so this will be an integral part of what we do in our schools and it will have equal status to the other AoLEs within the curriculum. That’s one of the exciting prospects, I think, about why we’re taking this forward.

Estyn. Well, of course, we’ve announced—. I’m very supportive of the review that they themselves have announced, because unless we get Estyn and inspection aligned to our new curriculum, again, schools will just revert to type and do what they think Estyn needs of them. So, we need to ensure our Estyn inspection regime is aligned to our new curriculum, so that there is not an inconsistency and a confusion for schools, and the review will report next year.

Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I do welcome your announcement that the new curriculum will be phased in, but I do so with a little bit of caution. On the one hand, a phased roll-out makes sense, for instance, it enables teething troubles to be resolved and it gives more time for teachers, as you’ve said, to adapt; however, it’s surely going to involve at least some teaching staff having to teach to two different curricula, and the potential for additional stress and confusion for teachers, pupils and parents concerns me. Have you consulted teachers about this potential challenge and how it will be addressed? What support, help and advice are you going to offer teachers and school leaders to ease the transition?

No matter how good the new curriculum may be, the standard of teaching is key. That’s something you’ve already mentioned today: the standard of teaching. So, I would like you to explain how the new teacher standards regime will ensure that the new curriculum will be taught as effectively and as well as can be achieved. How will the new standards support and promote the new curriculum and ensure that any teaching staff who are not performing to the correct standard are helped to achieve it, and if they can’t, are helped to an alternative path?

Comment has been made by teaching unions that teachers won’t be ready to teach the new curriculum, and I think your planned roll-out is at least partly in response to that. But how are you going to make sure that, even with the additional time, those teachers will be ready and confident to deliver the new curriculum in accordance with your timetable?

Lastly, you refer to the education report and report card. I would like you to give a little bit more detail about this. Would you explain how it will work and what the objectives will be? You’ve also said that you want to have improved robust assessment and accountability. I just ask: assessment and accountability of whom, and how do you envisage this working in practice? Thank you.

Can I thank Michelle for her questions? Key to the first set of questions is the issue around professional learning and, as I’ve outlined to previous speakers, there is a comprehensive timeline associated with what we expect to deliver for a national professional learning model, as well as improved initial teacher education. The new teaching and leadership standards are an important part of this, because they quite clearly set out the expectation that we expect teachers to be lifelong learners themselves. They should be the best student in the classroom. I’ve got no time for somebody who claims that they are the finished article. There is always an opportunity to continue to learn more and to reflect that back in your practice within the classroom.

But let’s not be—. Let’s not mix up teaching standards with issues around professional competency. They are two very, very different things, and there are two very distinct processes for dealing with that. Let’s not get hung up that these professional standards are about dealing with issues around professional competency. There is more that we need to do. There is more that we need to do to support staff who are struggling and to ensure they have the opportunity to address difficulties in their performance, and there is more that we need to do to support schools as employers and LEAs if they find themselves in a situation where, despite all best efforts, somebody should not really remain in the classroom, but that is different from the professional teaching standards and the expectations that are set out.

I’m glad that Michelle has brought up the issue of the report card and the national annual report, because nobody else has picked up on that, and it is an important new innovation. We’ve looked at international best practice, and it’s all very well holding individual schools to account via a school categorisation model; this is about holding the Welsh Government to account. This is about sitting down on an annual basis to judge where we are as a nation in terms of our education system—yes, in terms of attainment, but also looking at the wider determinants that we’re talking about in this document. And it’s about that self-reflection as a Government on where we are. If Michelle would like to look at international examples of best practice, I would alert her to the system in Ontario for instance, which we’ve been learning a lot about. So, this is about holding us to account, not just holding teachers to account, or schools to account, or the consortia to account, but holding this Government to account for its performance on a national basis, and I’m really pleased that you picked up on that.

Thank you. I have five more speakers. We’ve had one from each of the four parties, so, if the five speakers can just ask a question, I am prepared to extend the session. If I find that you don’t, then I will cut the session down. Jenny Rathbone.

Thank you for your statement and your deliberative approach to rolling this forward and making a success of it. My question is on objective 3. Some things can’t wait, so will you look at the research published in the British Medical Journal by Professor Allyson Pollock on the importance of children not getting collision in contact sports, and banning rugby tackles in schools? She was right on PFI, so we need to ensure that we are taking notice of this research, as this being a major contributor to concussion in young people.

Thank you, Jenny, for that. I am aware that my predecessor, Huw Lewis, met with campaigners on this particular issue and statements were issued at that time. I am also aware that my colleague Rebecca Evans is actively pursuing this case and we’ll be working across Government to look at evidence and to look at ways forward.

The Children, Young People and Education Committee took evidence from Mick Waters last week, and I welcome what you said about separating competence and the new standards. But I do have a little bit of concern about the language used in some of the standards. It’s quite complex and takes some time to interpret. Mick Waters said that they held long conversations when the working group were developing their descriptors and that they need to be—could they be so precise that they can’t be misinterpreted, in which case they’re at risk of becoming trite, or whether they become complex and sometimes difficult to make sense of initially. And the feedback from teachers was that they appreciated the complex descriptors. Now, I’m concerned by that because some of the descriptors I had trouble interpreting myself, given some of the complexity and the language. What role will the Education Workforce Council play in, where there may be those difficulties, helping refine them?

I’ve also noted that the professional learning passport is mentioned several times in the descriptors, in the standards. For example, it states that the professional learning passport is used to support reflective practice and record an active commitment to continued professional learning. We know that the professional learning passport hasn’t had a wide uptake, despite the £300,000-worth of funding from the Welsh Government. So, how will the professional learning passport be further embedded to enable the descriptors and the new standards to be used effectively? I feel that the EWC has an important role to play here and would like to see an enhanced reflective role for the EWC in the development of the professional standards.

Thank you very much, Hefin. Can I assure you that the teaching standards were developed by the professionals for the professionals, and, indeed, they also trialled in schools before they were formally adopted? It is a source of concern to me that the professional learning passport has not been as well used as I would like it to. I think it has real potential, and we need to reflect on how we can make it as easy for professionals to use as possible and as relevant for them to use as possible—not having to go home and spend hours and hours and hours doing extra work, but, actually, how they can use that interactively as they go about their daily work, sharing that with other professionals in their schools, and, of course, information technology is a great way in which we can address some of that. The EWC initially had a role to play in the initial work on teaching standards carried out by the previous administration. The EWC is a new organisation. They’ve done a tremendously good job in registering all the different professions that we now ask them to register. They’ve got an important new role in validating initial teacher education courses and we will constantly reflect as to other roles that the EWC could perform on our behalf.

I’ll declare an interest as a former teacher. I know what you said about professional standards, and there’s a lot of talk about generic standards and raising standards, and lots of slogans, lots of buzz words. But I’m concerned about the detail, really. So, I wonder if you’ll allow me to give you a little test, Cabinet Secretary. Can you outline the contents of the new teaching qualification for teaching assistants—what it involves and how many hours that it actually takes, because the teaching assistants who I speak to are just not very impressed?

Well, I’m sorry to hear that. In Wales, we’ve traditionally used teaching assistants to a great deal of effect. It’s really interesting, when I visit other countries, like Finland, and, most recently, southern Irish schools, that teaching assistants do not play a part in the education system at all, or to a very, very, very, very small degree. Usually, the only adult in the room is the qualified teacher. Now, I think teaching assistants have an important part to play, especially in our foundation phase, and, if there are questions about the quality of the professional learning opportunities that our teaching assistants have, I do meet regularly with Unison to talk about these and I’m happy to take them up.

But what is it?

It was a question. Rhianon Passmore.

Thank you. First of all, I would like to welcome the action plan as a positive and transformational step forward for Wales, and my question really is based around the fact that we do have the best ever GCSE results for Wales. Are we complacent in that journey in moving forward? Do you feel that attainment gap that we are now closing is closing fast enough? And are you very confident that the way forward for us is to continue with the OECD’s commentary around the fact that this transformational curriculum is the right way forward for Wales? Thank you.

Could I say I’m absolutely not complacent at all? Is the attainment gap closing fast enough? No, it’s not. I’m particularly concerned about the fact that our children on free school meals continue not to reach the same attainment levels as their richer counterparts. But I’m also equally concerned about how few children in some local authorities who are on school action plus reach the level 2+ threshold. In some local authorities it’s a real, real cause for concern. I’m also concerned, for instance, about children who do not receive their education in a traditional school, whether that be in a pupil referral unit or in education otherwise than at school. So, there are many, many levels to this issue around the attainment gap. It’s not just about free school meals. It is about additional learning needs and it is about EOTAS, and this action plan sets out what we intend to do with all aspects of that.

Thank you. And, finally, Huw Irranca-Davies.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Croesawaf y datganiad heddiw, ond a allaf ofyn i’r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet esbonio sut y bydd y cyhoeddiad heddiw yn helpu addysg yn yr iaith Gymraeg yn enwedig? Rwy’n falch o gael dwy ysgol Gymraeg ardderchog yn fy etholaeth i. Mae ysgol Llangynwyd yn gwasanaethu’r gorllewin, ac mae Llanhari yn gwasanaethu’r dwyrain, ond bydd y ddwy yn ei chael hi’n anodd i ddod o hyd i ddigon o athrawon ffiseg a chemeg a mathemateg ac ati. Gyda’r galw cynyddol am addysg i’r lefel uchaf yn y Gymraeg ym mhob pwnc, sut ydym ni yn sicrhau ein bod yn gwella safonau addysgol ar gyfer pob plentyn a pherson ifanc, yn enwedig ym mamiaith Cymru?

I’m really sorry, Deputy Presiding Officer, I’m not sure whether I got all of that. But what I will say is: Huw, you’re absolutely right. If we’re to have an equitable education system we need to ensure that children have equal chances, whether they are in English-medium, Welsh-medium, or bilingual provision. And, that’s, again, one of the reasons to make a decision about slowing the curriculum introduction down slightly, so that we can address the needs specifically in the Welsh-medium sector. There are a number of programmes in which we can do that. So, that’s alternative routes into teaching for more mature students. It’s developing maybe people who are working in a learning support capacity at the moment. It’s about increasing our secondment schemes, so people who have language capabilities can have a break from school to go and develop them further.

It’s even about innovative technological advances. So, officials have been up recently to look at the delivery of Gaelic education in the Outer Hebrides. My goodness me, if we think we’ve got challenges in rural Wales, go to the Outer Hebrides and look to see how you provide a bilingual education system in the Outer Hebrides. One of the ways in which they’ve supported Gaelic—[Interruption.] One of the ways in which they’ve supported Gaelic—[Interruption.] As I was just saying, my officials were there just over the summer. One of the ways they’ve supported that is by the e-school, and that has been absolutely fantastic in terms of attainment for those children. So, they’ve got university professors teaching science via Gaelic over an internet link. They’ve got a philosophy professor at a university teaching philosophy via Gaelic over a link. Actually, what this is doing is enabling more children and parents to make that positive choice about learning through Gaelic, and then that, in itself, drives then more demand to be able to demonstrate to people, ‘You have a real professional opportunity and a lifelong career should you move into this sector’. So, we’re actively looking at whether those technological solutions that are being used innovatively in other parts of the world—whether we can adopt some of that best practice here in Wales to address those situations.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.

Item 4 on the agenda this afternoon is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure on transport proposals for Deeside, and I call on Ken Skates to introduce the statement.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome this opportunity today to update Members regarding a number of transport developments in Deeside. It goes without saying that, as a Government, we are absolutely determined to spread prosperity and support economic development across all parts of Wales.

In March this year I launched my transport vision for north Wales and the north-east Wales metro. This vision is to create a quality integrated transport system across the region that maximises the economic opportunities by connecting people, communities, and businesses to jobs, facilities, and services. Improving connectivity goes beyond the regional border, which is why I’ve set up a transport steering group that brings together key partners from north Wales, Merseyside, and Cheshire to deliver my vision. The steering group will co-ordinate the development of a work programme for the north-east Wales metro as well as taking forward investments in other parts of the region. Over recent months it has worked with local authorities, business sectors, and bus and rail operators to develop a package of transport investments for delivery over the coming months.

The main focus has been on creating integrated transport hubs at key employment sites across north Wales and the wider Mersey Dee area. In north Wales these hubs are centred in the Bangor, Abergele, Rhyl, St Asaph, Wrexham, and Deeside areas. It is my intention over the coming weeks to announce a programme of metro initiatives in the Wrexham hub area, but today my focus is on Deeside.

My statement today will announce my decision about the preferred option for the Deeside corridor scheme, as well as outlining wider initiatives being taken forward in the Deeside area. I’ll be making further statements over the coming weeks and months to explain my proposals for the other hubs.

Transport integration is about joining up all transport modes, and the package of measures we are planning for Deeside delivers on all modes and improves infrastructure and services. Importantly, the improvements support the Deeside plan published earlier this year by Flintshire County Council. I would like to congratulate the authority on their plan, which identifies the transport interventions necessary to deliver opportunities for economic growth. The package of measures we are taking forward goes a long way towards meeting the aspirations within the Deeside plan.

Firstly, I am pleased to announce that, after taking into account the technical, social, economic, and environmental aspects of the Deeside corridor scheme, plus the outcome of the public consultation we held, I have decided to adopt the red route as the preferred option. This option, which includes increased capacity on the existing A548 and a new road between the A55 and A548, I believe, will address the transport problems we had previously identified in the A55/A494/A548 Deeside corridor improvement key stage 2 study. The proposed route will help address the chronic congestion the area suffers, it will improve journey times for both businesses and commuting traffic, and it will also strengthen the social and economic links between north Wales, Deeside industrial estate, Chester and beyond. Villages such as Oakenholt and Northop Hall will see the benefits from reduced through traffic on the A548 and B5125.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I will be publishing a TR111 plan in order protect the route under the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995. This means that the local planning authority will refer to the Welsh Government all future planning applications that are near the preferred route. The next steps will be to investigate further and develop a preliminary design. In particular, we will be looking at the environmental and engineering issues in more detail, taking account of the comments made during the consultation and looking at a junction strategy and options for side roads and accesses. The design will also take into consideration the demands that may arise from advances in technology such as connected and autonomous vehicles. It is critical that what we deliver with our investment today is fit for the future.

Following preliminary design, we will publish draft Orders under the Highways Act 1980 and the Acquisition of Land Act 1981. The draft Orders comprise the powers to establish a line, modify the side roads, purchase land and put in place any other rights we need to deliver the scheme. We will also be progressing the delivery of the A494 River Dee improvement scheme. This scheme will investigate options that will resolve the existing traffic bottleneck at this location of the network and overcome the serviceability issues with the existing bridge.

Our development work to improve connectivity by rail is also moving to the next stage. We are currently discussing with Network Rail the commissioning of further work on a new Deeside Parkway and co-locating Shotton higher and Shotton lower. The latter will enable a seamless interchange for passengers wanting to change between the Wrexham and Bidston line and the north Wales main coast line. As for Deeside Parkway, this offers an exciting opportunity to improve access to the business park, the introduction of park-and-ride provision, and facilities for road freight traffic. We will be working closely with Flintshire County Council to deliver these proposals further.

I have provided the local authority with funding to improve access to Deeside by sustainable modes. Over £1 million has been allocated to improve bus services and to encourage walking and cycling. Part of this money will be spent on developing bus interchanges, bus priority measures on the B5129 Shotton corridor and bus infrastructure on Deeside industrial park. The remainder of the grant will support the introduction of active travel routes within the Deeside industrial park. This will result in a complete network of dedicated cycleways on all access routes within Deeside industrial park, with seamless links to rail and bus hubs. Secure cycle parking will be built into the design of the transport hubs. The cycling and walking provisions in the Deeside industrial park will be used as the exemplar to guide the development of other key employment hubs across the region.

We are also working with local authorities in the Mersey-Dee area, and with bus operators, to develop a bus quality partnership scheme aimed at improving the travel experience and increasing passenger numbers. We’ve already invested £5.5 million in the Northern Gateway site to facilitate commercial development. Further investment of £4.7 million has been committed to continue with building additional road infrastructure, to open land for development and attract further businesses to locate at the site. This infrastructure will improve transport connectivity to and within the site.

All the initiatives I have described will go a long way to address the barriers to accessing jobs in the Deeside hub. They will also form one of the building blocks that will deliver a north-east Wales metro vision of a well-connected and high-quality integrated transport system.