Carwyn Jones: Monmouthshire is part of both projects, of course. Monmouthshire is an active part of the Cardiff capital region deal, and certainly the leader of Monmouthshire has been somebody who’s been very proactive in moving that deal forward, and also the metro. There are opportunities for Monmouthshire to benefit from the metro, particularly as we look to improved bus services and possibly light...
Carwyn Jones: Yes, absolutely. We already spend 6 per cent more per head on health and social services in Wales than is the case in England. We never saw the sense of taking money from social services in order to plug gaps in health funding, which is what England did. You can’t divorce one from the other, and we will continue to ensure that there is sufficient funding for both.
Carwyn Jones: I think that’s certainly worth exploring. The immediate objective is making sure that the current Superfast Cymru scheme is extended and completed in the middle of next year. Beyond that, of course, it’s right to say that we can’t sit back and say, ‘Well, that’s it. The technology will stay as it is for the next five years, 10 years or the next two years.’ So, yes, it is hugely...
Carwyn Jones: Our water strategy for Wales states our policy for Water services in Wales. The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs meets regularly with the Welsh water industry to discuss all aspects of water and sewage services.
Carwyn Jones: I would not support any change that would result in the loss of Welsh jobs. The Competition and Markets Authority have launched an investigation into the deal. Comments are invited by 1 December, so we will be looking to provide comments, as I’m sure other Members will as well.
Carwyn Jones: Well, in knowing that area quite well, I believe that this would probably be of benefit to the area itself. In the usual manner, of course, any scheme would have to request financial support and we would then, of course, have to consider whether that support would be forthcoming. Therefore, I would tell them to consider all types of financial support in order to ensure that the project can...
Carwyn Jones: Whilst decisions on branch closures are commercial matters for the banks, we recognise the negative impact that closures can have on local businesses. We welcome the recent review by Professor Griggs, which made recommendations to improve the way in which banks engage with communities.
Carwyn Jones: One of the things we’ve done, of course, is to ensure that funding is available to post offices, particularly in rural areas, so that they can ensure that the services currently provided by banks are maintained by them—for example, paying in cheques, withdrawing money, and so on. But, what I would tell the banks is that it’s very important to ensure that, where businesses do use the...
Carwyn Jones: Well, it comes down to ensuring that the post office is able to deliver the kind of banking services that businesses would expect. The nature of banking has changed over the years. Fewer and fewer people visit banks. What is absolutely crucial is that people have the facility to withdraw cash, that people have the facility to deposit cheques and cash into a financial institution and also, of...
Carwyn Jones: I understand that Newport, Fishguard and Milford Haven have plans to close branches. What’s vitally important is that those services that are available now through the banks are available in an alternative method, and that means working through the post office to ensure that those services are available there. That will ensure that the services are available for local people and will ensure...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. It enables Welsh Ministers to revoke a development plan, if requested to do so by a local authority.
Carwyn Jones: Well, those are matters for Cardiff council. Unfortunately, he didn’t listen to my answer. Last week, he said that the Assembly had the power to revoke local development plans. That is not true; it’s Welsh Ministers who have that power. In the original legislation, in 2004, the Assembly was mentioned, but, of course, those powers were transferred to the Executive after the Government of...
Carwyn Jones: Well, local authorities are responsible for that and there are tools available for them, of course. Section 106 enables them to look for community gain. They are able to see infrastructure develop, whether that’s buildings such as schools or roads, via section 106. The community infrastructure levy, of course—soon to be devolved—is another way in which benefit can be drawn to a local...
Carwyn Jones: Well, the PISA results have seen some improvements in some areas but disappointment in others. And, from our perspective, we want to see the journey continue, because, if you believe the PISA tests are important—and I do believe they are important—then you have to recognise that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development itself has said that we are doing the right things,...
Carwyn Jones: Look at the GCSE results and you will see that those results have improved greatly since 2010, an improvement of nearly 10 per cent in terms of those getting the right grades at GCSE. They are encouraging. We’ve seen improvement in maths performance, but disappointment with reading and with science. So, we are seeing the gap closing. We’re confident that that gap will continue to close in...
Carwyn Jones: I am confident that, when the next PISA results come, we will see more improvement. The reason why I say that is because I mention the GCSE and A-level results. We’re seeing the first of that improvement in maths. We’re seeing the gap closing in areas such as reading and in science. But it’s not good enough—not good enough. There’s still work to be done. We do know that, in other...
Carwyn Jones: Well, I’ve already given detailed answers to the leader of Plaid Cymru and accepted that there is no room for complacency and there is much room for improvement. But I have to say, when I went to school in the 1980s, the schools were awful. The buildings were awful. We had no library—it was falling apart. The buildings—if the windows were broken, they remained broken. The standard of...
Carwyn Jones: Let’s examine his party’s education policy, if indeed there is one. Hands up anybody who knows what the Tory education policy is, beyond cutting funding for schools. They stood on the basis of cutting education funding by 20 per cent. They’re still saying that schools funding should be cut. Now, we accept that there is work to do when it comes to improving education. What we will never...
Carwyn Jones: The clanging of an empty vessel, I have to say. But he asks the question about vision. Let me say to him, let me repeat to him what I said to the leader of Plaid Cymru, and it’s this: the OECD have said the last thing we should be doing is having a wholesale change in education policy. That’s exactly what they’ve said. They have said we are on the right track. What he is advocating is...
Carwyn Jones: As I say to the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, he cannot say on the one hand that the PISA tests are robust—and I agree with him on that—but on the other hand say that the OECD advice that we’ve had should be ignored, which is what he’s saying. [Interruption.] He is saying exactly that. The OECD have said that we are on the right track and we should continue on the track that...
