Carwyn Jones: That is right. We, of course, as a Government have told the grid that it's extremely important to consider a third crossing—a third bridge over the Menai strait—in order to ensure that the cables can go on that bridge. There is a formal agreement between ourselves and the grid to consider these cables, and I would imagine that it would be a totally sensible thing to do if there is any...
Carwyn Jones: The Welsh Government is a statutory body for nationally significant infrastructure projects in Wales. As part of the processes, we have responded to the pre-application consultation and we are currently considering the evidence presented for the development consent order application.
Carwyn Jones: I am fully aware, as I stand here every week, that there is a level of accountability to Ministers in terms of questions that need to be answered. Preparations for the winter have been taking place throughout Wales and across organisational boundaries since last winter. There was a review of what happened last year: five key priorities have been collected and identified for delivery to...
Carwyn Jones: The health board continues to report the best performance in Wales against unscheduled care targets, which should support resilience as we enter the difficult winter period. We have received its integrated winter delivery plan and provided tailored feedback to inform further enhancement of its plan.
Carwyn Jones: Well, the difficulty is this, isn't it: there's no deal on the table as yet. So, you'd be asking people to take a decision without knowing what the full consequences will be. I think they need to be fully informed—they weren't two years ago—of what the consequences would be. It would take just as long to organise a referendum. To my mind, a general election would give an opportunity for...
Carwyn Jones: Well, I'm not taking any advice from UKIP. Their current policy is a second referendum on devolution anyway without actually realising the irony in their comments. If people find themselves in a situation where a 'no deal' Brexit is all that is on the table, when nobody mentioned a 'no deal' Brexit two years ago, is it actually honest to say to people, 'Tough luck. Two years ago, you had your...
Carwyn Jones: Could I remind the Member that he sits on the benches of a party that, for eight years, demanded a second referendum on devolution. The 1997 referendum was not accepted by the Conservative Party, and in 2005 they ran on a manifesto promise of a second referendum, so the double standards here are absolutely breathtaking. Let me move on to the point that he makes. How do you resolve the issue?...
Carwyn Jones: Well, if the Prime Minister is unable to secure agreement on the final terms of the UK’s exit from the EU, to my mind, there should be a general election. If there's no general election or if a general election throws up an inconclusive result, how else can the issue be resolved other than through a second referendum?
Carwyn Jones: Well, tackling drug misuse is a complex issue. We've always seen it in terms of health rather than in terms of it being a crime. The suppliers and the dealers are criminals; the users are victims and they are people who need help through the health system rather than through the criminal justice system. We have, of course, the substance misuse strategy and the plans that are associated with...
Carwyn Jones: That's not a particularly new scheme. Schemes of that sort have been around for many, many years in terms of looking to deal with people for whom prison is not the appropriate response when they find themselves in the criminal justice system. Now, I don't know who funds those schemes, whether they are funded by the Ministry of Justice—and justice, of course, is not as yet devolved. But,...
Carwyn Jones: Of course, policing is a non-devolved service; mental health provision is devolved. It's right to say in 2017 police powers were extended in order to assist people with mental health issues, and there is a great deal of collaborative working with the commissioners, with the police forces and also with the mental health crisis care concordat assurance group, and the regional mental health and...
Carwyn Jones: We do recognise that offenders have a higher prevalence of mental health issues than the general population, and we do work with a range of partners, including Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and police forces in Wales, to provide mental health support for people in the criminal justice system.
Carwyn Jones: I can confirm that, last year, I agreed to continue the programme until 2020. The armistice was not the end, of course. We know that the Paris peace conference came and then the Treaty of Versailles, which led to the second world war, but there's a limit to how far we can go in terms of dealing with the legacy of the first world war. It's significant to Wales, of course, because there were...
Carwyn Jones: I've not seen evidence of it, but I'm open, of course, to any evidence that the commissioner would want to produce in the course of this week to see whether there is evidence of a need to strengthen the commitment that we've already made, and I look forward to that conversation.
Carwyn Jones: As we near the end of the first world war centenary, the focus of commemoration will inevitably be the armistice. We will join the other UK nations in marking the centenary with a national service of thanksgiving on 11 November. That service will be held at Llandaff cathedral.
Carwyn Jones: Yes, I can give that assurance. We always look to learn from others, but there are sometimes unexpected consequences with full incorporation in areas where some legal problems can be created. That has to be balanced, of course, against the rights of the child and the convention itself, but I will discuss it—I'm sure she'll discuss it with me—in the course of this week to see if there's...
Carwyn Jones: Specific funding has been targeted for north Wales, and, in particular, Wrexham, to help to tackle the issue of increased rough sleeping in the area. We do expect to receive a proposal to deliver an innovative partnership approach that will include both statutory and third sector partners. So, the money is there, it's a question of getting the right project in place in order to assist those...
Carwyn Jones: Children’s rights are already enshrined in Welsh law. Ministers have a legal duty to have due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child when exercising any of their functions. All Ministers meet regularly with the children’s commissioner. Indeed, I am meeting with the commissioner next week to discuss her latest annual report.
Carwyn Jones: Well, there has been a response, of course, to the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee's report into rough-sleeping. We've set out our detailed reply to the 29 recommendations that were contained there. It's got to be said that welfare reform and the austerity agenda continue to create further pressure on households and their access to affordable accommodation. Nevertheless,...
Carwyn Jones: Welsh Government funding has helped to prevent homelessness for nearly 18,000 households across Wales since our progressive legislation was introduced. That does include over 3,000 from north Wales. In addition, over £5.1 million has been provided to the north Wales authorities to support implementation of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 since April 2015.
