We now move to the next item on the agenda, the business statement and announcement, and I call on Jane Hutt.

I’ve made three changes to this week’s business. The First Minister will make a statement on EU transition following this statement. This will be followed by the legislative statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government on the Land Transaction Tax and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Bill, and a statement following that by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure on major international sporting events. Business for the next three weeks is as shown on the business statement announcement found among the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

This is the second cyclical set of GCSE results that have been achieved since Schools Challenge Cymru was launched. I visited Pentrehafod School and Morriston Comprehensive School on GCSE results day to be told that Pentrehafod had achieved their best ever GCSE results, and that Morriston had increased their A* to C grades by 17 per cent. Can I ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education to make a statement on the success of Schools Challenge Cymru?

I’m sure the Cabinet Secretary will be very pleased to hear, and is very well aware of those very good results, particularly from those schools that have benefited from Schools Challenge Cymru in Swansea East, in your constituency, Mike Hedges. I know that the evaluation, of course, is being undertaken. It’s going to be concluded by next year and it’s going to be published in line with Government social research protocol, and also looking at GCSE results. And she will be, of course, reflecting on the evaluation and this summer’s GCSE outcomes across the board, and committed to building on and embedding lessons from the challenge to benefit all schools in Wales.

Can I welcome the Government’s business manager back from the recess that we’ve all had? I think most of us found it very busy indeed following the referendum result, and the need to talk with and deal with our constituents and businesses and people who are interested in knowing how we’re going to plot a way forward here in the Assembly. I was curiously struck by how rudderless a leadership I thought the Government had during that time, I have to say, but we have a statement today where we’ll be able to press the First Minister a little more about where they’re going to go in future. So, I’ll turn to ask the business manager for a couple of statements on something more immediate, because last night the House of Commons completed its work on the Wales Bill and sent it to another place. Now, the First Minister in July, to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, described this Bill as something that could never be a lasting settlement, nor provide the basis for a constitution for Wales. And I’m sure that the Government would agree with me that the Bill has not been changed in any significant way to doubt the First Minister’s words at that stage. And so we’ve lost an opportunity now to put an end to the constant tinkering with the devolution settlement, a lasting settlement for the people of Wales has been missed once again by Westminster and we have an entrenched, inferior settlement still. We had an opportunity to give the people of Wales their own parliament with the necessary tools to adequately tackle the major challenges facing our economy, NHS, education system and, of course, Brexit. Now, it wasn’t surprising to me that the Secretary of State for Wales for the Conservatives—someone who is supposed to represent Wales in Government—often voted against Wales’s interests, voting for Bristol Airport in favour of Cardiff Airport, for example, voting against Wales’s interest on natural resources, policing, airports, as I said, and financial responsibility. But, astonishingly, the Labour parliamentary party also voted against Wales’s interests. I think there’s still a parliamentary Labour party, at least for two weeks. And the principles that the First Minister fought for, such as air passenger duty, legal jurisdiction, devolution of policing and a legal basis for fair funding for Wales were either opposed, abstained upon or rejected by his own front bench, or supported at the very last minute. A united Labour Party could’ve got a far better deal for Wales out of this Wales Bill, and it’s a good job that it’s out of business and fast disappearing.

So, can we have a full statement and a debate on the approach that the Government will now take on trying to amend this Wales Bill in the Lords, if the Government intends to try and do that, or how it intends to implement the Bill, through this Assembly, and the implications for the Assembly of implementing this flawed Bill? Can that debate and statement also include how we can look and examine the related implications of the Boundary Commission review of constituencies? Surely, a cut in Welsh representation must be balanced by a transfer of those major policy areas to Wales, so that we have equal policy responsibilities to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Representation in those states was only cut as a result of the transfer of major responsibilities, which we have not yet had here in Wales. We are being denied the same responsibilities that have been transferred in those countries, and yet our representation is going to be cut by a quarter. I would imagine the Labour Party will be very interested in debating this particular aspect of the Wales Bill and the Boundary Commission implications.

As Assembly elections are going to be transferred under the Wales Bill, I would be particularly interested to know, through a statement from the Government, how the Welsh Government intends now to respond to a situation in which Westminster and Assembly boundaries and constituencies will not correspond. Does this mean a change in the way we elect Members? Does this mean an increase in Members, a decrease in Members? Does it mean a change in the way we have a voting system? A statement from the Government on its principles on this matter would be welcome as, obviously, the Government needs to build two-third support in this place in order to pass any such changes.

I think these are important matters that have come since we had the recess and I think an early statement and debate from the Government would be useful.

Well, I also welcome Plaid Cymru’s business manager back. Indeed, we’ve already engaged and you have raised many and very important points for this Assembly—indeed, very important points that the First Minister has been addressing over the summer months. I don’t know where you were, but I certainly was recognising that the First Minister was at the forefront, not just, of course, in terms of our constitutional position, but also in terms of the impact of Brexit and the way forward, meeting the Prime Minister, and also addressing many of the points that you have made. And, of course, we do have to recognise that the Wales Bill is still on its way. The First Minister made it very clear what his position was on the Wales Bill when we had the debate on the Queen’s Speech and the Secretary of State for Wales, indeed, came here in July.

I’m just interested, also in terms of Government activity over the summer, and Members will be aware, that, actually, since my last business statement, there’ve been 28 written statements about action the Government has been taking, and, of course, we’re very respectful of the fact that we don’t want to be seen to be taking action when we haven’t consulted or fully been scrutinised on the point throughout the recess time, but have been very clear that we have been an active, proactive Government, taking forward our responsibilities throughout the recess, and delivering on our responsibilities. So, these are matters, of course, that will all be addressed in due course.

Leader of the house, I’d be grateful if you could please ask the Minister for Skills and Science to bring forward a statement regarding broadband and the roll-out of the Superfast Cymru project. Now, I have received correspondence from a number of constituents over the summer concerned that they are unable to access an appropriate and sufficient broadband service, and in some cases, their broadband service has significantly deteriorated. While some parts of Wales have seen superfast broadband rolled out, there are still some communities, many of which are in Pembrokeshire, that do not enjoy even an adequate broadband service. Of course, it is essential that people have access to reliable broadband services.

Last year, the Minister said that the Government was making sure that rural communities were not being left behind, but from correspondence I’ve received recently, I’m afraid that’s not the case in Pembrokeshire. Therefore, can you please encourage the Minister for Skills and Science to bring forward a statement on this issue as soon as possible, so that people living in the communities that I represent can understand exactly what the Welsh Government is doing to support their ambition to have a decent broadband service, and how it’s going about monitoring the delivery of broadband services?

I thank Paul Davies for that question. The Minister for Skills and Science is regularly updating Members. In fact, I met the director of BT Cymru last week and was very pleased to hear of over 90 per cent reach in my constituency, the Vale of Glamorgan. But we have to recognise that, to date, the Welsh Government has spent £32 million on providing superfast broadband access to over 113,000 homes and businesses, importantly across the areas of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, through the Superfast Cymru project, with at least 93 per cent of the Haven enterprise zone covered, which I know you will welcome. It is important to recognise also that we have the Access Broadband Cymru scheme, the ultrafast connectivity voucher scheme, and that provides access to fast broadband to 167 premises in Pembrokeshire. I think it is also important to recognise that the UK Government announced late in 2014 that it reached a legally binding agreement with mobile network operators, investing a collective total of £5 billion on infrastructure improvements. So, clearly there is updating—. The Minister will also be not only be updating in terms of your own constituency but on an all-Wales basis in terms of superfast broadband, which is key to our infrastructure, clearly.

During the recess, I was very pleased to have a training session for myself and my staff on becoming dementia friends, which was led by the Alzheimer’s Society, and I think we all found it a very rewarding occasion. Obviously, how we can help people with dementia is one of the major challenges that we face, and it’s particularly important for social care. So, I wondered if, at some point, if it would be possible to have a debate about dementia and the way we support people living with it, so that they can retain as good a quality of life as long as is possible?

Julie Morgan raises a very important feature of Welsh life now. Wales is leading the way on dementia friends training, and many will be aware of the huge response at the weekend to the walk in Cardiff Bay, on Sunday. I think, just in terms of the launch of the dementia friends training, supported by Welsh Government funding, of course, we’ve got over 35,000 dementia friends, we have a number of dementia-friendly communities, and I’m sure they’re represented in all our constituencies. And those who are undertaking dementia-friendly training include businesses, as well as the public sector, and I know a number of Assembly Members and Welsh Government officials also have received dementia-friendly training. I’m sure this will be a matter for debate.

Leader of the house, it’s great news that the electrification of the Great Western main line has reached the Severn tunnel, but it clearly will cause short-term disruption, inevitably, of services over the next six weeks or so. I know that this isn’t a devolved issue, being Network Rail and UK Government-related, but there will be a knock-on effect on other services and the local economy of south-east Wales over the short term before we see the benefits of electrification down the line. Can we hear from the Welsh Government as to how you are liaising with Network Rail to ensure that this process does run as smoothly as possible, so that we can all get through this period as quickly as possible and as conveniently as possible, and then enjoy the benefits of an electrified rail service from London to Wales?

Thank you, Nick Ramsay. In fact, the Cabinet Secretary did meet with Network Rail yesterday. I’ve been very impressed how we’ve all been informed, notified and updated, as Assembly Members about the development, because, of course, it is going to lead to that all-important electrification. But we can assure you that the Cabinet Secretary has met with them and will update all Members on development.

I would call for a single statement on the north Wales growth deal. Shortly before recess, your colleague to your right, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, replied to me in the Chamber that

‘We very much hope that the growth deal bid will be submitted in full as a proposal to the Chancellor of the Exchequer by the end of this month.’

That is, July. In response to the UK Government announcement in March—it was opening the door to a growth deal for north Wales, and it would be looking to the next Welsh Government to devolve powers to the region as part of any future deal—you’ll be aware that a growth vision report, signed by all six north Wales council leaders, its university leaders, its college leaders and its business leaders, has been submitted to both the UK and the Welsh Governments, beginning with a single, joined-up vision for economic and employment growth for north Wales. They say in their accompanying letter they are keen to pursue the invitation of the UK Government for north Wales to open discussions over a growth bid for the region, and the formal presentation of the vision is the first major step towards making a growth bid, which, again, needs clarification, given the Minister’s referral to a bid by the end of July, before the end of Plenary. This report says that devolving powers over employment, taxes, skills and transport to north Wales would boost the economy, jobs and productivity, create at least 120,000 jobs, and boost the value of the local economy from £12.8 billion to £20 billion by 2035. This is big, and north Wales needs to hear from the Welsh Government how it proposes to respond and take this forward. Thank you.

Well, of course, the Member for the North Wales region is quite right about how important this bid is for north Wales and the fact that it has got all six authorities and that it has also got the support of vice-chancellors, FE, the police and all the authorities that make a difference to the well-being and economic development of north Wales. The Cabinet Secretary is closely engaged with this, of course. We await the new Chancellor’s response to, indeed, the Northern Powerhouse and how those developments are going to be taken forward by the UK Government, but we think it’s an opportunity for us to say today, ‘We urge the UK Government to approve the north Wales growth deal.’

Leader of the house, could we have a statement from the Minister for transport on progress regarding the improvements to Five Mile Lane in the Vale of Glamorgan? From previous answers I’ve had back, there was an indication that the start date would be the end of this month, September 2016. I’ve put some WAQs in through the summer months to try and clarify land acquisition and cost to date, and the answer I had back was that I needed to speak to the Vale of Glamorgan Council because Welsh Government didn’t have a clue. Now, that doesn’t seem to be a very sensible position for the Welsh Government to find itself in when they’ve made £26 million-worth of Welsh Government money available—that a Member of this institution, just seeking clarification on the expenditure and the start time, is referred to the local authority, when you have such a big financial stake in it. So, I would ask that a statement does come forward. I commend the Government for actually making these improvements, but, again, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for a Member to seek clarity over the start date and over how the money is being spent on acquiring land and securing the route that the new road will take.

If I could also just make the point to the leader of the house that the answers that do come back from Welsh Government do leave a lot to be desired. It does come to a point when Members of this institution—and I’ve had to do this on several occasions now—have to use the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to seek the answers rather than actually use the normal channels that should be available to a Member. I would ask you to use your good offices, as leader of the house, to try and work for greater clarity and better answers from the Cabinet Secretaries around the Cabinet table, so that Members do not have to refer to the Freedom of Information Act when seeking perfectly justifiable answers on behalf of their constituents.

I think that Andrew R.T. Davies is quite well aware of the fact that it is the Vale of Glamorgan Council that is responsible for managing the Five Mile Lane project. And I’m glad, again, that we have the opportunity to welcome the fact that the Welsh Government is investing in the all-important development of Five Mile Lane—a crucial artery, as we know, in the constituency. I do wonder, question and urge the Member to raise this with the Vale of Glamorgan Council. I’m sure they will want to meet with you to tell them their project plans, because they are responsible. Of course, any evidence you do wish to raise with me of questions asked to Government, I am very happy to hear from you, but it is a question now of making sure that you understand who is responsible for what in terms of managing projects strategically, as we are, ensuring that the money is available for them.

Leader of the house, can I call for two statements, please—one from the Cabinet Secretary for Education in relation to recognition of the Welsh baccalaureate qualification by universities across the UK? I’ve had a number of constituent cases this year where certain universities, and even departments within universities, are rejecting the baccalaureate as a qualification that is acceptable to them for learners to enrol upon their chosen courses. This is a concern that needs to be addressed, and I know that we’ve got a new baccalaureate that will be emerging in terms of those pupils who are currently taking it at the moment, but it’s really important that the Welsh baccalaureate is a qualification that universities have confidence in, and that pupils and learners can have confidence in as well. So, I would appreciate a statement on that.

Can I also ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs on waste collection in Wales? The leader of the house will be aware that in Conwy they are rolling out four-weekly general refuse collections with effect from this month, which is going to lead to absolute chaos in my constituency, which, of course, is a very important honeypot from the tourism point of view in terms of the income for the economy there. Many people are concerned about the provisions for pet waste, saying that they are inadequate. Many people are concerned also about the vulnerability of older people who might use clinical or incontinence products and will be identified by the new waste receptacles that are being introduced across the county to 10,000 households. Can I ask and urge the Cabinet Secretary to intervene in the situation and give some direction to Conwy as a local authority, so that they can adopt a more sensible approach to the pilot and ensure that there is adequate provision, from a public health point of view, for the workforce who will be collecting this waste and for people with pets, and particularly for older, vulnerable adults, to ensure that they are protected and that there is no adverse consequence for local residents and businesses as a result of these changes?

Thank you for those two questions, Darren Millar. On your first question I think it would perhaps be more helpful if you wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for education and skills to name those universities because, certainly, we are not aware that this would be the case. But if you have evidence, then of course the Cabinet Secretary would want to hear about them and put the record straight. It’s very surprising that that would be the case. In fact, of course, we congratulate once again not only our students in terms of what they attained in their GCSE results but, of course, so many who have now started university, and the Welsh bac enabled them, across the UK, to get into university and, of course, into further education, apprenticeships and jobs, which are crucial in terms of opportunities for our young people.

I think that your second point—waste collection—is the responsibility of local government. Yes, of course, it’s being closely monitored in terms of the pilot, and that will be assessed by the Cabinet Secretary, but any teething problems, of course, and issues that you raise—. I certainly would raise them with my local authority, and I’m sure that you will too.

And finally, Angela Burns.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Leader of the house, as you may well know, today is world sepsis day. I declare that this is a subject very close to my heart, and I want to ensure that this often unrecognised illness gains greater public understanding. This illness strikes quickly and kills a third of its targets. It maims another third in some way and leaves them with problems of various sorts, and yet if detected quickly enough and treated appropriately, people survive and survive well. The problem is that sepsis dons various disguises, but there are common signs. These are not recognised by the public, often not recognised by GPs, and even, as I know from personal experience, not recognised by staff in A&Es. I was wondering, leader of the house, if you could ask the Cabinet Secretary to provide a brief statement to the Chamber to outline his plans to help raise public and medical awareness of this condition, especially through the first contacts of GPs and A&Es, because there are clear early warning signs of this devastating illness. Detected early, people live; detected too late, people die.

The Member does raise an important point. It is about public awareness. I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary will consider the best way in which to take that forward, of course with Public Health Wales being the key guide and evidence provider.