Andrew RT Davies: The reason for this debate today is actually to pinpoint why this document lacks so much confidence. When you do talk—and it is fair to say, since its introduction, I have had the good opportunity to speak to many businesses and many organisations the length and breadth of Wales. They too lack the confidence that this document should have ingrained in them that the Welsh Government will be...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Hefin, I'm grateful for that. Can you not see the fundamental flaw in this document, that, if you read it, there is no road map to say where we will be at the end of this process? In my opening remarks, I talked of where are we going to be on wages, where are we going to be on GVA—there are no parameters to what we're working to, so how can you say that this document can command...
Andrew RT Davies: I thank the Cabinet Secretary. The document, as I said to Hefin David in my intervention to him, doesn't offer any scope to understand where wages will be in the future here in Wales, and does not offer us any scope to understand how these policies will drive GVA, which—I made the point—has only gone up 0.5 per cent over the last 20 years. How can anyone have confidence when you're not...
Andrew RT Davies: What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had with cabinet colleagues about managing departmental budgets?
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last Friday, the Permanent Secretary released her report into the leak inquiry that you commissioned from her around the Cabinet reshuffle that took place in November of last year. The report indicated that there had been no unauthorised leaking. Are you confident that there was no authorised leaking, and will you—will you—make that report...
Andrew RT Davies: I would agree with you, First Minister. I want to create an environment that encourages as many people as possible to engage with the various inquiries that are looking into the events surrounding the Cabinet reshuffle of last November. And certainly it wouldn't be my intention to out anyone, because that would be against the principles of any inquiry or investigation. But it's not...
Andrew RT Davies: No-one's asking for names, First Minister, and there are plenty of processes that you can point to where people's identity is protected. I did point to Twitter, but I point you to social media as well. I've given you the examples here. That's the language from professional people that was being used around the time of the Cabinet reshuffle, and they were using it two or three days prior to...
Andrew RT Davies: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Welsh Government engagement with local education authorities in Wales?
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last week, I asked you about the Permanent Secretary's inquiry into media speculation around the reshuffle. When I got back to my office last week, I had a written Assembly question come back from you acknowledging that you do, on certain occasions, use a private e-mail address to deal with diary issues and clearing urgent press lines. I'd be...
Andrew RT Davies: Well, I'd be grateful if you could be explicit by confirming that your personal e-mail accounts were made available to the Permanent Secretary's inquiry, so that they could've been assessed by the person she appointed who, I believe, was the Welsh Government's head of security, I think, who undertook the inquiry. Can you confirm that access was given to that individual to your personal...
Andrew RT Davies: I have to say, First Minister, I'm deducing that the person who headed up the inquiry did not have access to your e-mails that you acknowledge that you do use for clearing urgent press lines. Now, people would assume that any activity around a Cabinet reshuffle most probably would be urgent press activity, and it's not unreasonable to assume that, if there's an inquiry into leaks from...
Andrew RT Davies: So, you haven't made it available.
Andrew RT Davies: Could I have a statement or clarification on two issues, please, leader of the house? The first is in relation to termination of pregnancy provision for women from Northern Ireland and the consultation that has been brought forward by the Government. I make no observations about the substance of the consultation, but I have had heavy representations over the weekend about the length of the...
Andrew RT Davies: Bit of an anticlimax there, Presiding Officer. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. It's a real pleasure to take part in this debate. [Interruption.] I will not take the conversation any further. It's a real pleasure to take part in this debate, and I have to say, as the lead spokesperson for Plaid Cymru said, that debate after debate on this subject has been held in the 11 years that I...
Andrew RT Davies: Yes.
Andrew RT Davies: Well, that's where I was going to take my argument, because the Cabinet Secretary is clearly in possession of information, and the evidence he's given to the economy and transportation committee is that costs would have to rise significantly before the question mark was put in on this project. Well, we've had a figure of under £1 billion from the First Minister some two years ago. We've got...
Andrew RT Davies: Actually, the roads were closed today because the bridge had not finished its maintenance work overnight—that was the long and short of it. I do take the point, but that's a reason more to have a debate here, so that we can all participate in that debate and that substantive decision on whether to press the button for this project to go ahead or not.
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. With your permission, could I extend a welcome to the new Member for Alyn and Deeside on behalf of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly, and wish him well in his political career? First Minister, last week Hywel Dda came forward with a projected deficit at the end of the financial year of some £70 million. This builds on two previous deficits of...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, my question was: what's gone wrong? This is a health board that was put into—I think the words are—'targeted intervention' some 18 months ago, along with three other health boards, and obviously the special measures health board of Betsi up in the north. So, four of our health boards are under some form of Government intervention. This escalation in the deficit up to £70...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, you talk about Members looking at changes. One of your own Ministers has said that she would vote against any changes that would come forward from the consultation. So, from within your Government people are casting aspersions about the consultation process. I have put to you twice now the escalation in the deficit situation that Hywel Dda faces: £70 million, £148 million of...
