Carwyn Jones: Well, I believe that I answered that in the answer to the last question.
Carwyn Jones: We are taking a number of actions to improve all modes of transport provision in the north, and the planned metro north Wales project will bring further improvements.
Carwyn Jones: It’s difficult, of course, to draw an absolute line, given the nature of the Wales and borders franchise. What I would not agree with is one suggestion that did come from the Department for Transport that any service that terminated in England should be run from England. That would mean that literally no service running across anywhere in north Wales, except the Conwy valley line, would be...
Carwyn Jones: Well, we’re open to any suggestions. What’s important, of course, is that any medical school can give the full opportunity of training to a student—this is one issue, of course, that has been raised before: if this can be done in Bangor. It’s not entirely in our hands. The deanery, of course, will have a view on that, as would those responsible for medical training more widely. It’s...
Carwyn Jones: First of all, if there’s a crisis in Wales, there’s a crisis across the rest of Britain, because it’s no different here compared to elsewhere. It is difficult and challenging to attract GPs. We know that, which is why a campaign is being launched in October. It’s not simply about opportunity, not simply about flexibility; it’s also about providing, as the Member for Carmarthen West...
Carwyn Jones: I think it’s fair to make that point. I would wish to see more young people training in Wales. I have heard anecdotally of people who have been given an offer from a medical school in England but not received one from a medical school in Wales. That is a cause of concern. But, first of all, we must ensure that more and more young people wish to become doctors, and also ensure that there is...
Carwyn Jones: There are. I mean, I understand that two locum GPs have been recruited to replace the two salaried GPs in Kidwelly that handed in their notice, and that service has been resumed. What I notice in many younger GPs is that they’re not interested in buying into a practice. They want to be salaried; they want to have the flexibility. First of all, they haven’t got the money—raising the...
Carwyn Jones: Plans to recruit and train additional GPs and other primary healthcare professionals is a priority, and, of course, I’ve gone into it, in some length, in terms of what we’re planning to do across Wales in my answer to question 1.
Carwyn Jones: No, I don’t. I think there has to be a process of examination that is robust. Cardiff is a growing city; its population has expanded mightily over the last 30 years and how you deal with that demand is not simply a matter for Cardiff, it’s a matter for all the authorities around Cardiff, because we know that that demand will be there outside the city boundaries as well. But, we’re never...
Carwyn Jones: It’s true to say that demand has exceeded supply for many, many years, particularly affordable housing and, of course, that housing has to go where it’s needed—it can’t be put where the demand is low; it has to go where the demand is highest. They’re very difficult decisions for local authorities in terms of how they meet that demand locally in terms of housing and they’re...
Carwyn Jones: No, because I never make comments on LDPs or planning applications. That’s the whole point of being in Government. The reason why the story appeared in the paper in that way is because he put it there and phrased it that way. [Laughter.] That’s the reason for it and, you know, I give him his due: he is, you know, terrier-like; he’s still at it. But, I never make any comments on any LDP...
Carwyn Jones: I have never taken such a position.
Carwyn Jones: Well, first of all, of course, we have the existing rail network into Cardiff and that offers us the opportunity to examine how those networks can be made quicker in the future. But the point about the metro is that it’s extendable—it’s not about simply looking at the structure that we have at the moment. The metro in future will, I have no doubt, include new light rail lines and new...
Carwyn Jones: No. I mean, of course Newport and the Valleys are part of the region because it is an economic region. The reality is that 11 million people a year come through Cardiff Central station; they are commuters—many of them who come down from Valley communities. He is right to ask the question, of course: is this simply about bringing people from Valley communities to Cardiff? That’s half the...
Carwyn Jones: Absolutely; I mean, we want to see a model that invests, of course, in the network itself and a model that provides a good service to passengers at a fair price. And these are the issues that we will be exploring as the metro procurement process goes ahead.
Carwyn Jones: We have no plans to change the current proposals for the metro, and he will know, of course, that Monmouth is part of the metro in terms of its future development. What is correct, however, is that £125 million-worth of the funding for the metro is due to be met by European funding. Now, without that funding, clearly there will be a limit on how far and how fast the metro project can...
Carwyn Jones: The procurement for the operator and development partner for the Wales and borders franchise, which includes the metro, has started. Subject to a successful competition, the contract will be awarded at the end of next year.
Carwyn Jones: When I was at the plant it was made absolutely clear to me that tariffs were the issue. The plant is the most efficient engine plant that Ford has. The workforce there is excellent but they export every engine they make. It’s wholly export driven. Tariffs would mean a 5 per cent component tariff going to the assembly plant and possibly a 10 per cent tariff coming back in again to the UK....
Carwyn Jones: Yes, we did request a meeting but we were told that it was now a matter for Ford of Europe and the meeting should be with them. So, the request was made to have a meeting with them. In terms of the comment he made earlier on: it’s quite clear that he hasn’t read my speech, has he, in Chicago? Clearly, he’s just picked up on what—. When he said, ‘You gave the impression that you...
Carwyn Jones: What I didn’t say, of course, was that those in business were fat, lazy golfers, which is a theme of his party at the moment, the party of business. You couldn’t make it up, could you? That’s what one of the senior Brexiteers actually said. I wonder if he’s actually read my speech because I made it very, very clear that there were challenges as far as Brexit was concerned and I...
