Carwyn Jones: I’m not going to argue with a doctor; he is right in saying, of course, that there is a duty on us all to ensure that we don’t over-request. There is a tendency for people to think, if you’re ill, there’s a pill to cure all ills. That’s not the case, of course, and it’s important that people realise that in some cases they don’t need an antibiotic. Certainly, antibiotics...
Carwyn Jones: The Member’s right to point out a significant issue in the Cardiff east cluster. I can say that the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group has published further detailed information in relation to the prescribing of medicines for respiratory illnesses to support clusters in identifying and addressing variation in prescribing behaviours. We are a long way away from the days when antibiotics were...
Carwyn Jones: Yes, absolutely. We have worked with the UK Government and with the 10 local authorities involved to make sure that the city deal came to fruition. It’s right to say that it’s dependent, of course, on funding from various different sources. We know the metro, for example, is dependent on £125 million of funding from European sources, and if that was lost, it would endanger the viability...
Carwyn Jones: It is a threat, as we know. Overprescribing of, and resistance to, antibiotics is a global problem that requires global solutions. Nevertheless, we do have a delivery plan in Wales—a blueprint for specific actions that will have the biggest impact in slowing the spread of resistance. There are 12 specific actions in that plan. They’re all designed, of course, to make sure that we...
Carwyn Jones: Yes, we will. It’s early days yet, of course, because this is the preparatory work that’s being done, but we would expect RCT to make a formal submission over the course of the next few years. We know that Aberdare is close geographically to the A470 and the A465, but we know that the roads are not good in terms of people coming in to Aberdare, and it’s important to have a fast route...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. The national transport finance plan sets out investment for transport and infrastructure in all parts of Wales. By now, the Cynon Valley link is identified as Rhondda Cynon Taf’s No. 1 priority scheme for 2015-20, and we have allocated money to the council to develop the Cynon Gateway South scheme.
Carwyn Jones: Well, these are issues, of course, that we’ve been investigating, particularly with regard to a key worker. When somebody is diagnosed with cancer it’s an immense blow, and an immense struggle. I’ve seen it, as have a number of others—I’m sure all Members have within this Chamber. Early detection is important. That’s why we know, of course, that the number of referrals has...
Carwyn Jones: Ah, the tablet tax makes its reappearance. No, we have no plans to start charging people for prescriptions, any more than we have plans to start charging people for GP appointments. I don’t anticipate anybody crossing the border, because the cancer drugs fund in England has gone. It collapsed under the weight of its own pressure. So, what we’ve put in place is a sensible, affordable fund...
Carwyn Jones: Yes, I can absolutely give that commitment. It will house a number of new treatments as well—the stereotactic radiotherapy, for example, will be housed there, and that will give new opportunities to so many people who are living with cancer to be able to have their lives extended, or better. We intend for Velindre to be a state-of-the-art cancer facility for the people of Wales.
Carwyn Jones: We must ensure that diagnosis takes place as soon as possible. But with some cancer patients, it’s not as easy to get an early diagnosis. With the majority, that’s fine. But also, people want to move forward to receive treatment. Our figures on treatment are good and are improving, and we must ensure that that’s our ultimate aim. But of course, it’s important to have new resources...
Carwyn Jones: Cancer is a top priority for us. The £200 million business case for transforming cancer services across south-east Wales is being progressed, and, of course, the outline business case for a new cancer hospital in Velindre—of course, in the Member’s constituency—is due to be submitted by the end of this year.
Carwyn Jones: We've already examined the options for a third crossing on the Menai, and that’s something that we want to take forward. We've examined whether it's possible, for example, to extend—or widen, rather—the Britannia bridge. That's tricky, but, nevertheless, this is work in progress. We know how important it is—I mean, the A55 is not a dual carriageway across its entire length, because of...
Carwyn Jones: Well, given the fact that it was already there in the first place, positively. He will know, the Member, that we have put in place plans for the north-east of Wales—that’s not to exclude the north-west; we know how important the north-west is—because, at one point, the Northern Powerhouse, as it's called, in the north-west of England, was being presented as a competitor. Now, we see a...
Carwyn Jones: Well, this has already happened. A nuclear programme board has already been established under the auspices of Welsh Government, and the aim of that board is to secure the maximum economic benefit for the island, and also to Wales as a whole. That board has a number of work streams that they’re considering at present, considering things such as skills, business development, marketing,...
Carwyn Jones: The Welsh Government is fully committed to this significantly important project. We expect that this year, 2016, will be a significant year for this £12 billion project, not least marked by Horizon’s announcement last week of a new delivery team for Wylfa Newydd.
Carwyn Jones: Absolutely; I can give that guarantee. One of the elements of the package we’ve offered is a €2 million sum for skills and training. Of course, we’ve worked very closely with the industry in years gone by to make sure that we’re able to assist them with bespoke training packages. We see, of course, the result in the highly specialised work that’s carried out in the Member’s...
Carwyn Jones: Well, the difficult part of the steel industry at the moment is the steel-making end in Port Talbot. The rolling mills at Trostre, Llanwern and Shotton are all in a good financial position. That said, I do know that the loss at Port Talbot has already been cut by two thirds. It’s still losing money, but there’s been a significant turnaround in a very short space of time. But it’s hugely...
Carwyn Jones: Well, we have the £60 million already on the table; half of which is a commercial loan, the other half of which is in the form of grant money. We are still looking at whether there is more we could do on business rates. It is right to say that the initial advice was that we could offer €200,000 over three years. We are examining that once again to see whether there is a way that we can...
Carwyn Jones: Absolutely. The industry is interlinked, because, having been to Trostre and Llanwern and also to Shotton—at Shotton, particularly, they were saying to me, ‘Well, we do make money, but the reality is we rely on Port Talbot for steel. It would take us six months, roughly, to source steel from somewhere else. In the meantime, there is no guarantee that we’ll be able to keep our...
Carwyn Jones: Well, we already have. Certainly, I made strong representations to the UK Government that they should be seen as one of the preferred bidders. I’m encouraged by the fact that they seem to be talking to one of the other bidders, namely Liberty Steel. I think that’s a good blend. I think the management buy-out option contains a lot of technical expertise, but has not yet raised the money....
