Carwyn Jones: Well, the BMA of course is part of the work that we’re undertaking. They’re not outwith that. Of course, they represent their Members, I understand that, but we have been working with them to ensure that there is a reduction in the pressures on GPs. One example is the collaborative in mid Wales, which is working hard to ensure that services are available for people in mid Wales, and is...
Carwyn Jones: We have seen an increase in demand on primary care services. I will be launching a national and international marketing campaign to encourage more general practitioners to work in Wales. Over £42 million has been given to health boards to support the delivery of our plans.
Carwyn Jones: We have a tourism investment support scheme. It’s made offers of funding to 42 businesses in the north, totalling £7.8 million. It has created 361 jobs and safeguarded another 113. We have, as well, the tourism attractor destination programme, working on four business plans for the north. If you look at what we’ve spent over the years—you look at Colwyn Bay and the work that’s been...
Carwyn Jones: You have to have activities that are available throughout the year. Surf Snowdonia is one example of what we’ve supported, and Zip Word and Bounce Below—we’ve supported them. Of course, it’s important to say that tourism shouldn’t be completely seasonal, because of course it then creates a situation where people aren’t in employment throughout the year. So, by supporting such...
Carwyn Jones: We’re aware of it, but of course, our tourism statistics show that more people are visiting Wales. Particularly, more people are visiting Wales from abroad. That’s been quite significant over the past year. We market Wales on the basis of themed years, and so, this year is the Year of Adventure. We know that the sector is worth £481 million to the Welsh economy, and of course, the north...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. I can say that Visit Wales is currently developing proposals for new tourism routes across Wales, including a project to do more to promote culture and heritage attractions along the A55, in order, of course, for people to spend more time in that area. There are many of us in this Chamber who will have heard from people who’ve said, ‘Yes, I’ve travelled along the A55 on the way to...
Carwyn Jones: That will become apparent during the course of the draft budget statement. On the M4 relief road, that, of course, will be financed through borrowing and not through our own capital budgets. We are more than content with the figures we provided back in May and that they will help us to deliver the manifesto promises that we made. Indeed, that’s exactly what we did in 2011—we kept the...
Carwyn Jones: Our tourism strategy sets out our priorities in supporting the tourism industry, including capital and development funding, along with marketing and promotional activities.
Carwyn Jones: We don’t accept that those figures are correct. We are confident in the figures that we have; we believe that they are robust. They were figures that were provided to us as a result of work that we commissioned, and those figures we believe are correct in terms of the money that will be needed to implement the policy.
Carwyn Jones: There were some assumptions in that report about how we would implement the childcare policy, but the figures that we came out with were based on providing childcare for those who were working 16 hours a week or more, and they were figures that were provided to us by an independent survey, and not by ourselves—by an independent body.
Carwyn Jones: No, it should be far better. We have seen some improvements around Queen Street and the points of access into Queen Street station, but I know full well that the quality of the trains is poor. They lack air conditioning, they’re not pleasant trains to travel on, the frequency is not good, the capacity is not good, and people often have to suffer overcrowding to the extent where some trains...
Carwyn Jones: First of all, it’s absolutely right that we want to see better frequency by the services, a better quality of rolling stock on all the Valleys lines—none of those criteria are satisfied at the moment—and proper signalling, of course, on the lines to make sure that more trains can run on those lines and possibly more passing loops. The question as to whether the entire line should be...
Carwyn Jones: There are several issues that arise as a result of the franchise. First of all, at this moment in time the Welsh Government, unlike the Scottish Government, is prevented from running a franchise and having that franchise run by a public body or public agency for reasons that are not fathomable in logic, but that’s what the current Wales Bill actually says. We’ve made strong...
Carwyn Jones: In Haverfordwest on Thursday I was asked this question by members of the public and I understood their position. I understand the great pressure that autism places on families. I’ve dealt with autism through casework over many, many years and seen some very difficult cases indeed. What I asked them though was what a law would deliver for them, and they were unclear on that. Perhaps, it was...
Carwyn Jones: Well, there are two points there. First of all, there are more GPs now than there were a decade ago—that’s worth emphasising. And, also, we should be wary of referring people constantly or pushing people in the direction constantly of GPs. Through our Choose Well campaign, we are looking to advise people that, for many conditions, they should go to a pharmacist first, a practice nurse...
Carwyn Jones: Well, it’s not realistic to think that we will be able to train every doctor that practises in Wales. Five per cent of our medical staff are made up of doctors who trained elsewhere in the EU; a substantial number are made up of doctors who trained elsewhere. That is true of every health service, everywhere in the developed world. That said, we want to make sure that we train more...
Carwyn Jones: In relation to the second item, that is something that we do want to proceed with on a cross-party basis, I have to say, and I have said that in the past. In terms of autism, may I tell him what the two parties agree back in June? I’ll say it in English because it was agreed in English: agree we work together, through the liaison committee, to consider how best to deliver separate...
Carwyn Jones: It’s very difficult at this stage, of course, to examine what the situation might actually be, given the fact we await the judgment of the Supreme Court, potentially, in terms of the use of the royal prerogative, and the effect that would have, potentially, on repealing statute law, which is not what the prerogative is designed to do. Until we see the outcome of that process, and the...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. I announced the first annual legislative programme of this fifth Assembly on 28 June.
Carwyn Jones: Much of it depends on the legislation itself. What I can say to the Member is that the Minister has agreed that officials will meet with the National Autistic Society to discuss the society’s draft Bill. That meeting has been arranged for 14 November. I am confident, however, that we have the legislative and policy levers to continue to improve the lives of people with autism and their...
