The following amendments have been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Paul Davies, and amendments 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth.

We move on to item 8 on the agenda, which is the debate on the Government’s priorities and the legislative programme. I call on the First Minister to move the motion. Carwyn Jones.

Motion NDM6107 Jane Hutt

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales, in accordance with Standing Order 11.21(ii):

Notes the Welsh Government’s priorities and legislative programme.

Motion moved.

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Well, we return to this issue as the Standing Orders demand that we have to, and so it’s another opportunity for Members to re-examine the priorities of this Government and the legislative programme. Today is an opportunity for us to debate the Welsh Government’s priorities and programme. For the first time we’re combining the debate on the legislative programme with a wider discussion about policy objectives, and this is a sign of how far we’ve come since gaining legislative powers, that now legislation is a core part of how we deliver our priorities.

The Presiding Officer took the Chair.

Now, as I said, Llywydd, when I published the programme for government, our priorities for this administration are clear. We want a stronger, fairer economy, improved and reformed public services and a united, connected and sustainable Wales. We’ve chosen those four areas in which we believe the Government can have the greatest impact and can play the strongest role in working towards the national goals. These priority areas—prosperous and secure, healthy and active, ambitious and learning, and united and connected—are the umbrella areas that will allow Government and its partners to work across traditional boundaries and deliver improvements for people in Wales. And everything that we do as a Government will be guided by those priorities.

As we look towards a prosperous and secure Wales we will be working hard to support job creation across Wales, equipping people with the skills that they need, but also helping them to live their lives securely. We’ve set out our headline plans for supporting businesses through tax cuts and a commitment to a prosperous agricultural industry. We’ll support people into jobs through 100,000 high-quality all-age apprenticeships and we’ll remove the barriers to work with the most generous package of childcare for working parents in any part of the UK—support that will not be restricted to term time.

Llywydd, I’ve also announced that we’ll bring forward legislation to abolish the right to buy. This legislation will help to protect the social housing stock, a stock we will increase as part of our commitment to deliver 20,000 affordable homes. We’ll also work towards long-term sustainable prosperity that also offers us a secure future, and that means progressing towards our goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

Llywydd, we are proud of our track record of increasing investment in the NHS and we’ll continue to work towards a healthy and active Wales. We know that the NHS cannot deliver our priorities alone and here, more than anything and anywhere else, we understand the importance of investing early to prevent problems later. We need to make sure, of course, that treatments are available, yes, but we will never lose sight of our long-term objective to reduce the need for treatments, enabling people to live healthy and fulfilled lives. That is, of course, a difficult balance to strike: spending to treat today whilst investing to prevent in the future. But I’m confident our priorities reflect that.

We will, on that basis, introduce the public health Bill to improve and protect the health and well-being of the population of Wales. We’ll prioritise mental health treatment, including a pilot social prescription scheme and increased access to talking therapies. We’ll also invest in a new generation of integrated health and social services centres alongside the transformation of our hospital estate, integrating services and building a model that better matches local needs and services.

Llywydd, we will work towards an ambitious and learning Wales that can support our aim of prosperity and security. We want to improve attainment across the board, but we also want to ensure that no-one’s success is predetermined by where they live, how much their parents earn, or whether they have additional learning needs. This means supporting our youngsters to start their journey early with our innovative Flying Start programme. It also means investing an extra £100 million to drive up school standards for all. It means extending the pupil deprivation grant to provide targeted additional support for schools, and our additional learning needs and education tribunal Bill will establish a system where learners are at the centre of everything, needs are identified early, addressed quickly, and all learners are supported to reach their full potential.

Llywydd, of course, neither ambition nor learning end when we leave school. We’re committed to enhancing both academic and vocational routes, including into and through further and higher education. The Government has accepted Sir Ian Diamond’s recommendations in principle and these will help to shape the package of student support that we deliver.

Last but not least, united and connected: this priority captures our ambition to grow together as a country, and to bind us together as a society where everyone is respected and valued—a Wales that has the confidence to take its place in the world. The UK withdrawal from the EU makes it more important than ever that we continue to punch above our weight and look beyond our borders. We’re working towards a Wales where communities prosper, are linked by excellent transport routes, and with every property in Wales benefitting from fast, reliable broadband.

Llywydd, earlier today we outlined our plans for the future of local government, which will continue to see them at the heart of their communities, but working together regionally in a way that makes sense to the people that they serve. And we’ll continue to promote the culture and identity of Wales by working towards 1 million people speaking Welsh by 2050.

Llywydd, we want a fair society and we will legislate to repeal aspects of the Trade Union Act 2016 that affect devolved public services. This year will also see us introduce two tax Bills, paving the way for us to raise our own taxes for the first time in 800 years. Llywydd, this is an ambitious set of priorities for Wales, a set of priorities that have already informed our legislative programme for this year and which will guide us as we deliver our programme for government.

At this point, if I could turn to the amendments that are tabled—not yet moved, of course—amendment 1 in the name of Paul Davies: we will not accept that amendment. We know that this is an ambitious legislative programme and that the people of Wales supported it. In terms of amendment 2, again, we do not believe that the programme for opposition is more ambitious—I’m sure that’s a great surprise to the Plaid Cymru benches. But, of course, there is commonality with Plaid Cymru in a number of areas and, as we move forward, we look to enhance that commonality. In terms of amendment 3, it is for this Assembly to measure how the Government performs, and that’s what it’s done over the past five years. It’s for the Assembly to hold the Government to account in terms of its progress. We will, then, oppose that amendment.

In terms of amendment 4, the programme for government is intended to deliver. Of course, the elephant in the room is what’s happening with Brexit, but the reality is that nobody, at this stage, can predict with any great accuracy what will happen, but we will know more as soon as the UK Government makes up its mind in terms of which direction it wants to take. We will not accept that amendment.

In terms of amendment 5, we will not accept that amendment, because the detail will emerge, of course, over the course of the programme for government, but we have very much pointed the direction in which we want to travel.

We will accept amendment 6. It’s absolutely important, of course, that there is sufficient time for scrutiny, and that is something that we are content to support. Llywydd, this is an ambitious programme for the people of Wales, a programme that they voted for in May and they will expect us to deliver, and it’s with pride that I move it, therefore, in front of the Assembly.

I have selected the six amendments to the motion, and I call on Andrew R.T. Davies to move amendment 1 tabled in the name of Paul Davies.

Amendment 1—Paul Davies

Add as new point at end of motion:

Believes that the Programme for Government and the legislative programme do not inspire the necessary confidence or detail required to improve the life chances of people and communities across Wales.

Amendment 1 moved.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. It’s a pleasure to stand and respond to the First Minister in moving the debate. I formally move amendment 1 in the name of Paul Davies on the order paper today. It was only six days ago that we ourselves moved a motion about the programme for government, and obviously we spent some considerable time looking at that. The Government could only put up one backbencher to support their programme for government during that debate, so I hope they do a better job this afternoon, to be honest with you.

There are some pertinent questions I do think need to be put to the First Minister during this debate that might well then start to inspire confidence. Some of those questions were explored at length in our debate last week, straight after a bovine TB debate moved by backbenchers in this Chamber. It is worth noting that, in the programme for government, there is no indication as to exactly how the Government will progress its strategy on bovine TB. I appreciate the Cabinet Secretary will be bringing a statement forward, but as I understand it, the programme for government is there for members of the public, Members of this institution, vested-interest charities and anyone with an interest in the way Government delivers services to be able to benchmark its progress, or not, as the case may be.

I don’t dispute what the First Minister said, that obviously the people of Wales endorsed his party to be the largest party returned here after the May election, and that’s why it’s important that the programme for government can be a document where we can measure the commitments that you have made and, in particular, understand how you are going to deliver those commitments. My colleague David Melding has touched on the housing numbers that you do have within the programme for government, and exactly how those commitments will be delivered, given the 20,000 affordable houses that you’ve touched on in this. What is that doing, then, to move to the 12,000 or 12,500 units that need to be built on an annualised basis to create a sustainable house-building programme to actually meet the demand and need of the people of Wales? Again, if you look in the programme for government, there is no way of being able to make out how the Government is going to take that particular policy issue forward. So, I hope that the First Minister, in his response to us today, will give us some confidence, because that’s what our amendment is talking about: it’s talking about giving us confidence to understand exactly how the programme for government will be taken forward.

We don’t, as I say, dispute the right of the largest party to form that Government; we don’t dispute the right of that party to put the programme for government forward, but I have yet to find one single third party organisation that has actually commented in a favourable way on this programme for government in the particular sector that you will be actually working in. Only today, for example, Nick Ramsay from Monmouthshire was making the point in the business statement about the critical care centre in Cwmbran. I can well remember when this particular project was first mentioned when I came into the Assembly, back in 2007, but it has been on the starting blocks far longer than that, and there is still doubt about exactly how that particular part of the health infrastructure will be delivered for south-east Wales. Excuse the pun, but it’s a critical part of the health infrastructure for south-east Wales. So, again, given that it is so topical and it should sit within the programme for government as to how that will be delivered for south-east Wales, perhaps the First Minister will use his time in responding to the debate today to actually give us some certainty that that project will come through and actually, by 2021, that project might well be either well on its way to being finished, or actually finished. Can you give us a date? Five years?

It is important to remember, on the education targets that are contained within the programme for government, that students going into year 7 today, or this term, at the start of the academic year, will be sitting their O-Levels, GCSEs, call them what you will, in 2021. So, their entire education in secondary education will be governed by the Government that sits on these benches, and it is really important that we can have the confidence that the aspirations of the Cabinet Secretary for Education—and, indeed, the entire Government—to make those improvements in education will actually be delivered in this fifth Assembly, because some Members have been here before in the fourth and third Assemblies. And it’s not that anyone on the opposition benches wants to wish you ill on education, because, actually, we want to wish you well on education, but we do want those delivered, because children only get one turn around the block, and it is their life chances that are taken away from them if we don’t deliver, or, should I say, if your Government doesn’t deliver on education.

So, the amendment is merely seeking to give that confidence to the people of Wales and to us as politicians who will scrutinise you. It doesn’t take away the legitimacy that you do have to put the programme for government. But to table a 15-page document for five years’ worth of work is quite a damning indictment of a lack of ideas. Only last week, First Minister, you chaired your own committee—the external advisory committee for advising you on European matters—and I do point to page 14 of your own document where it does say, ‘We will work to ensure that membership of our democratic bodies better reflect the whole of society and improve equal representation on elected bodies and public sector boards.’ There was no black or ethnic minority candidate on that committee. There was only 28 per cent female representation, and there were precious few geographical representatives from north wales and other parts of Wales sitting on that committee. So, on that very basic point—on that very basic point—that you could have implemented, you couldn’t deliver that. How are you going to be able to deliver some of the more knotty issues that have existed in health, existed in education and existed in the economy? That’s why we need to be given the confidence that this programme for government will be different from previous programmes for government, and will deliver for the people of Wales.

I call on Leanne Wood to move the amendments tabled in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Amendment 2—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Add as new point at end of motion:

Believes that Plaid Cymru's Programme for Opposition sets out a more ambitious and comprehensive agenda for Wales during the fifth Assembly.

Amendment 3—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Add as new point at end of motion:

Regrets the lack of performance measures contained in the Programme for Government that would allow both the National Assembly and Welsh citizens to evaluate the Welsh Government's progress on priorities.

Amendment 4—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Add as new point at end of motion:

Regrets that the Programme for Government makes no reference to the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, and the Welsh Government's failure to outline measures it intends to introduce in order to address the consequences of this decision for Wales.

Amendment 5—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Add as new point at end of motion:

Regrets the lack of detail contained in the Programme for Government regarding the measures the Welsh Government will introduce in order to achieve the priorities outlined within it.

Amendment 6—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Add as new point at end of motion

Calls on the Welsh Government to plan its legislative programme to ensure that enough time is made available for the scrutiny of bills by the National Assembly.

Amendments 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 moved.

Diolch, Lywydd. I move the amendments in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth.

In this critical period, it is essential that the Labour Government presents an innovative and forward-looking programme that demonstrates confidence to people in Wales. The programme for government that was produced last month I’m afraid doesn’t meet that criteria. Before outlining Plaid Cymru’s positive agenda, I want to make one point about the Labour Government’s programme.

We in Plaid Cymru agreed with the First Minister that his programme for government should be delayed to take account of the implications of the referendum vote. It was a surprise and a disappointment, therefore, to see that the delayed programme, when published, didn’t make any reference to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. And we don’t have to be able to predict what will happen to have a plan. This is a light programme—it’s short in length and it falls short in terms of our expectations. Wales needs big, bold ideas now, not minimalism. In past Welsh Government programmes, we’ve been bombarded by statistics and indicators. Those indicators have disappeared instead of being finessed, and in that sense, Plaid Cymru sees this as the Government going backwards.

Plaid Cymru, as the party of Wales, has a duty, we feel, to try to improve this situation and bring about our own priorities instead. As noted by amendment 2 in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru has produced the first ever programme of opposition. So, rather than complaining from the sidelines, we will try to use this situation to get as many of our policy proposals implemented as we possibly can.

Sitting above our full policy programme, we have three key aims. First, we must protect Wales from any fallout from Brexit. That must be at the heart of the Government’s work. Secondly, we must continue with the nation-building agenda. A more confident, more empowered and more distinct Wales will remain at the forefront of all policies that Plaid Cymru puts forward in this minority Government situation. Thirdly, we advocate an all-Wales approach to Government spending. Investment and opportunity must be spread as evenly as possible right throughout the country. This is one Wales, and too many are feeling ignored and left behind. Whether imbalances within Wales are a matter of fact or a matter of perception, they must be addressed.

Welsh governments, regardless of their political colour, must be more committed than ever, to ensure that services are not centralised away from hard-to-reach areas. Pledges like the metro-style system for the north and the electric rail proposals for the Valleys must be followed through after being announced.

Llywydd, the Government’s legislation is likely to require Plaid Cymru’s support to pass. All of the measures appear to be consistent with Plaid Cymru policy and I look forward in particular to the taxation legislation and the trade union Bill, which are both areas that Plaid Cymru wants to see progress on. Whilst we welcome progress on legislation, we do remain disappointed by the Government’s programme, which, in its current form, does not deliver the ambition that this country now needs.

I very much welcome the Government’s commitment to develop innovative solutions to the challenges we face. The challenges we face are many and varied, not least those caused by the decision to leave the European Union. I’m also glad that the Government is open to new ideas and will be happy to listen to people from across our communities. The programme for government makes relevant reference to the importance of the future generations Act, and there are a couple of points that I wish to see some more detail on in relation to that.

One is in relation to our carbon targets, because the only target that is absolutely firm and in the legislation is the 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, which I don’t think is a sustainable position. Even the youngest Member of the Assembly, which I think is Steffan Lewis, will be considering his retirement options by 2050, whereas most of us will be long gone, pushing up daisies and certainly not in a position to be holding the Government, at that point, to account on this really important issue. So, I really do want to press the Government on some interim targets, and it seems appropriate that they should be 2021, because that is the full extent of our mandate. Therefore, we need to be able to measure how well we are doing on this.

My understanding is that, of the targets we set in 2010, the 3 per cent annual emission reductions since 2011 year on year are being met in areas of devolved competence, and that, of course, includes the amount of electricity that is being consumed across Wales by our homes and businesses. It would be good to know that we are indeed meeting that particular target, but how confident are we that we are going to meet the second target that was in the 2010 document, which is the 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gasses in all sectors by 2020 from the 1990 levels? My understanding is that we are falling well short of that target and that our emissions actually rose between 2011 and 2013—and this is largely, as I understand it, because of a shift from gas to coal in generating electricity because of changes in world fuel prices. That just underlines the importance of us seizing the opportunities to tap into our abundant renewable energy resources to safeguard us against those changes in world prices.

I think those are things that I would like to see much more detail on in ensuring that we can hold the Government to account. I think that Brexit obviously produces huge challenges for us in the way we are going to develop a prosperous future for Welsh agriculture. As the First Minister said in the Senedd earlier today, we have absolutely no guarantee that the farm payments we currently enjoy are going to be passported through from the Treasury after 2020. As, on average, farm businesses rely on those basic farm payments for 80 per cent of their income, the future could indeed be extremely grim for our agricultural sector.

Now, the hard line Brexiteers, headed by the former UKIP leader, say we don’t need to worry about that because we can just import food from abroad. My view is that that is absolutely a very cavalier approach, and the uncertainties of the world we live in and the speed of climate change means that sources of food we currently import may dry up, literally.

The latest DEFRA figures indicate that the UK imports approximately 40 per cent of the food we consume. I don’t think that that is a sustainable position. Ninety-five per cent of our fruit comes from abroad and half our vegetables are imported. We could, instead, be maximising the low-carbon opportunities to promote better food security in Wales, and help many of our monoculture meat producers to diversify, as we have no guarantee that the excellent beef and lamb exported today can continue if we find tariffs imposed as a result of a hard Brexit.

Technological advances in hydroponics make it perfectly possible to be growing fruit and vegetables in all parts of Wales, using half the water required by traditional horticulture and halving the growing time. So, I’d really like to see more emphasis on that in the programme for government, because I think it’s a particularly important thing, not only for carbon emissions but also from a public health perspective. I’d like to see a national conversation on food, because it’s very much a cultural, as well as an economic and health agenda.

In responding to the programme for government and the legislative programme, I do think that I must emphasise how dissatisfied I am at present with the Government’s response to the situation that’s arisen from the decision on Brexit. I think this is a real challenge, not only for the Labour Party but for the whole of the Senedd, and it’s a real challenge to the devolution process. Because unless we manage this in a way that appears to be robust to the public and shows that the interests of Wales are put first, before the interests of any party represented in this Senedd, then I do think that people will lose faith in what we can achieve as a Senedd and what we can achieve as a Government.

The fact that the Government, as Leanne Wood said, after some delays over the summer months in publishing its programme for government in order to deal with the fact that we are to withdraw from the European Union, then produces a document that is so flimsy is very disappointing indeed. It’s clear that the Government wants to avoid any attempt, as in the previous one, one has to be honest, to put any specific targets that can be used politically against them. They may be doing that because they feel uncertainties as a result of the decision on Brexit, but I do think it is disappointing, however, that the impact of that isn’t fully reflected in this document. There are a number of things that we would like to see the Government responding far more positively to, as Leanne Wood said in proceeding.

Rwyf eisiau gofyn ychydig o gwestiynau allweddol hefyd ynghylch yr ychydig ffeithiau a'r ffigurau sydd yn y rhaglen lywodraethu hon a beth y maent yn ei olygu mewn gwirionedd. Mae ymrwymiad i fuddsoddiad o £100 miliwn i wella safonau ysgol, ond nid yw'n glir a yw hyn yn £100 miliwn ychwanegol, neu yn cynnwys y grant amddifadedd disgyblion sy’n cynyddu yn barod, ac a yw'r gost o leihau maint dosbarthiadau babanod, sydd hefyd yn ymrwymiad, wedi cael ei ystyried.

Rydym yn dal i ddisgwyl gweld mwy o fanylion am gynigion y Llywodraeth ei hun ar gyfer comisiwn seilwaith cenedlaethol ar gyfer Cymru. Lansiodd Plaid Cymru ein cynigion ddoe. Ac rwy’n meddwl bod pobl Cymru—. Os nad ydym yn mynd i gael Awdurdod Datblygu Cymru ar gyfer yr unfed ganrif ar hugain—nid yw’n ymddangos bod hynny’n cael ei ffafrio gan y Llywodraeth hon, ond rwy’n meddwl bod pobl Cymru, serch hynny, yn disgwyl ffyrdd newydd ac arloesol o gefnogi busnes er mwyn ateb heriau Brexit a'r heriau sy'n ein hwynebu.

Rwy'n credu ei bod yn rhaglen lywodraethu denau iawn ar gyfer yr amgylchedd. Byddwn yn cytuno â’r hyn a ddywedodd Jenny Rathbone, ac rwy’n meddwl bod colli golwg ar darged 2020, er ein bod yn mynd i’w fethu beth bynnag, yn golygu ein bod wedi colli golwg ar alinio Llywodraeth â'r Ddeddf amgylchedd a Deddf cenedlaethau'r dyfodol i wir wasgu ar ein hallyriadau nwyon tŷ gwydr, a gweithio o ddifrif i wella gwasanaethau bioamrywiaeth ac ecosystemau lleol hefyd. Mae cyfle, wrth gwrs, gyda'r penderfyniad i dynnu'n ôl o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd, i alinio ein cynlluniau amaeth ac amaeth-amgylchedd at ei gilydd, i gael gwared ar rai gwahaniaethau ffug sy’n dod i'r amlwg yn anochel pan fyddwch yn ymdrin â model 28 gwlad, ac i gael rhywbeth sydd wedi ei deilwra’n fwy ar gyfer Cymru. Ond er mwyn cael hynny, mae'n rhaid i ni fod yn gwbl sicr ein bod yn cael dau beth gan Lywodraeth San Steffan. Y cyntaf yw bod unrhyw ddeddfwriaeth amgylcheddol a physgodfeydd yn cael ei throsglwyddo yn y Ddeddf ddiddymu fawr, nad yw'n ymddangos ei bod yn diddymu unrhyw beth ar hyn o bryd—ond mae'n cael ei throsglwyddo i Gymru, lle y bo'n briodol, ac nid ydym yn gweld unrhyw gipio tir gan Lywodraeth San Steffan ar hynny. Yr ail elfen, rwy’n credu i ni ei drafod yn gynharach heddiw, yw nad ydym yn gweld unrhyw gipio ariannol ar yr arian y mae Cymru wedi’i haeddu ac y dylai Cymru ei gael o ganlyniad i ddychwelyd cyfraniad Llywodraeth y DU i'r Undeb Ewropeaidd. Oherwydd, fel y gwyddom, mae ein sector ffermio, sef y sector sy'n amddiffyn ein hamgylchedd, ac sy’n gwario yn ein heconomïau lleol, yn gyfrifol am rywbeth fel bron i 10 y cant o wariant PAC y Deyrnas Unedig. Byddai fformiwla Barnett sy'n cyfateb o gwmpas 5 y cant a byddem ar ein colled yn aruthrol.

Ar ôl dweud ein bod yn cefnogi'r rhaglen ddeddfwriaethol, rwy'n credu bod dau neu dri pheth sydd ar goll yma. Mae gan Blaid Cymru ddiddordeb mawr mewn defnyddio'r pwerau newydd yr ydym yn eu cael yn Neddf Cymru i wneud llawer mwy o ran lleihau gwastraff: gwaharddiad ar styrofoam, er enghraifft, fel y mae’r Ffrancwyr yn ei wneud; gwaharddiad ar ffyrc plastig; treth ar gwpanau coffi. Ni waeth beth, gallwn edrych arno yn awr—mae gennym bolisïau arloesol. Mae gen i ddiddordeb arbennig mewn sicrhau ein bod o leiaf yn treialu yn y Cynulliad nesaf gynllun blaendal dychwelyd i Gymru, ac rwyf wir am i ni gyrraedd sefyllfa lle, yn hytrach na’r holl gŵynion, os mynnwch, sydd gennym weithiau am wastraff domestig, ein bod yn troi at y rhai sy'n rhoi gwastraff i ni yn ein system—y rhai sy'n gwerthu bwyd i ni a'r cynhyrchion sydd wir ei angen arnom. Ni ddylai fod yn wir yn y tymor hir, na ddylai, eich bod chi’n gallu prynu unrhyw eitem o siop yng Nghymru sydd wedi'i lapio mewn rhywbeth na ellir ei ailgylchu yng Nghymru? Yn syml, ni ddylai hynny ddigwydd—gydag un neu ddau eithriad eithafol o bosibl. Felly, rwy’n meddwl bod gwir angen i ni gau’r cylch.

Y ddwy Ddeddf arall, os gallaf sôn amdanynt yn fyr, y byddai gennym ddiddordeb mewn eu cyflwyno: un yw Deddf awtistiaeth, a byddwn yn amlwg yn cefnogi’r Bil anghenion dysgu ychwanegol wrth iddo fynd ymlaen, ond rydym yn edrych ar Ddeddf awtistiaeth ehangach yn ystod cyfnod y Cynulliad hwn hefyd. A’r un olaf, y mae’n rhaid iddi ddigwydd wrth gwrs mewn ffordd drawsbleidiol a seneddol, ond sy’n bendant ar yr agenda i Blaid Cymru, yw Bil i ymdrin â chosb resymol, fel y’i gelwir—mae’n well gen i ddweud trin plant yn gyfartal gerbron y gyfraith, ac yn sicr byddwn yn dwyn y Llywodraeth i gyfrif i sicrhau bod y Cynulliad yn cael cyfle i bleidleisio ar gynnig o'r fath yn ystod y pedair blynedd nesaf.

The programme for government opens by addressing the needs of a prosperous and secure Wales. The central challenge of the next five years for this Government is the task of creating a new economic policy that works for Wales in the new world in which we find ourselves. We are trying to navigate our way at the moment through uncharted waters. We don’t know yet, any of us, what Brexit will mean for trade, for immigration, for jobs. And the kind of relationship we have with the EU will obviously be influenced by a set of highly complex negotiations, and, needless to say, getting the right outcome for Wales is vital.

But there’s more at stake even than the precise settlement that Wales achieves as a result of those discussions. The fundamental challenge for us now is to make globalisation work for the communities who have felt so let down by its effects. And the answer to that can’t be to close our doors and hope that the challenges we face, globalised markets, the effects of technology and the movement of people around the world somehow pass us by, because they will not. So, I’m pleased to see, in the programme for government and in the statements of the Cabinet Secretary for the economy and the First Minister, a clear commitment to attracting more investment to Wales, and to opening up export markets for Welsh companies. We need also to build the resilience of our domestic economy, to put in place, insofar as any Government can, the conditions that enable our small companies to become robust, medium-sized companies, to help them develop local supply chains and to support their local labour market.

So, again, I welcome the commitments in the programme for government for the business accelerator scheme and the Wales development bank. I welcome the commitment to using procurement policy to support community benefits. But I’d ask the Government also not to lose sight of the growth of self-employment and microbusiness, which will be an increasing feature of our economy, even beyond what it is today, and to put in place the policy interventions we need to support those as well.

I welcome the recognition I’ve heard from the Government, from the skills Minister and others that we must build on the success we’ve achieved in getting people into jobs, with a focus now on supporting progression within the workplace. Getting a job should be the start. We want to make sure that those in employment can progress, acquire more skills and earn more. And I’m pleased to see the continued focus of policy on bringing into work those in our communities who are furthest from the workplace. We’ve had a great deal of success with our employment support policies, but it’s right that we keep challenging ourselves to ensure that the support we provide meets the changing needs of our economy and workforce.

We need to think broadly about what a good job looks like. A good job is one that supports people to live and work in their community, if that’s what they want, to care for their families and to be fully engaged members of a resilient community. Those are also vital aspects of the good society. So, I welcome the Government’s commitment to supporting projects delivered at a community level, projects to promote skills development, job creation, entrepreneurship, community energy, rural transport and broadband access. And let’s not forget that our partners in the voluntary sector can be allies for creating the kind of resilient, revitalised communities we want. So, that will involve challenge and commitment on both sides.

One of the great challenges we face today is how to redesign the support we give to disadvantaged communities when we no longer have access to structural funds. It’s very early days at this stage, of course, but we will need a system of support that is flexible, not rigid, that’s part of a Wales-wide strategy with clear priorities but tailored intelligently to local needs as well.

So, finally, I welcome the Government acknowledgement in the programme for government that our ambitions will be shaped by the challenges we face. It lists ongoing austerity, UK withdrawal from the EU, globalisation, technological innovation, climate change and an ageing population—all true, and I would add to that challenge the challenge of engaging the public in what we do and how we do it. That is no small challenge, but we are a small nation and it should be how we approach all our work. So, I’m pleased that initiatives such as the Valleys taskforce have put at their core the aim of engaging communities in their work in a very fundamental way. I hope that that can become the principle for how we deliver the programme for government across the board.

For me, the most important part of this document is actually on the last page, and the paragraph ‘Driving Forward Delivery’. Now, I know that other Members have, over the last few weeks, criticised the length of this document, but, to be honest, I’d rather see a few targets being met than a lot of targets being missed. So, delivery is key here—[Interruption.] Bless you. [Laughter.]

We know now that the delivery unit has bitten the dust, or, at least, has metamorphosed into a new shadowy form of which we are not yet aware. I don’t particularly mind that—we criticised it enough—but we do, of course, need to see new mechanisms in place to ensure that delivery does happen. And, of course, we need a relentless focus on driving improvement in public services. You would’ve hoped that that would have been there anyway and would be obvious, but then things aren’t always as obvious as people might think. But I think that, certainly, that focus on driving improvement is key.

I think the concern that we have here is that we’ve obviously been waiting for a long time in a number of areas for delivery to kick in. We haven’t been holding our breath, certainly not on this side of the Chamber. Let me be clear, there are proposals in here, First Minister, that have very real potential: a development bank, on whatever form of that you decide—a development bank certainly has a lot of potential, even more important with the results of the referendum that other Members have mentioned and the need to support infrastructure and the economy; improvement in public sector procurement—well, that’s not anything that you would argue with: we’ve all held debates over the last few months where we’ve spoken about the need for improving procurement across Wales; and, of course, the development of the metro, and, yes, the development of the north Wales metro is certainly an ambition. But I think we need to focus resources at the moment and our minds to getting the south Wales metro off the ground and not allowing that to go backwards.

So, there are a number of things where you will get cross-party support, but the question is: can the public be confident that, over the next five years, they will actually see delivery and, when the Welsh Government does report on all this at the end of the fifth Assembly, that the ambitions of this document, if one can call them that, have been realised? I think the jury is out on that at the moment.

If I can turn to the other part of this debate, the legislative programme, combined for the first time with the programme for government—you’ve saved UKIP at least one debate to boycott. [Laughter.] You identified in your statement on 27 September the issue of taxation as being key, and you are right to do so. Specifically, you mentioned in the statement land transaction tax and landfill disposals tax and this is indeed very new ground for this institution. These are areas that the Finance Committee in particular is looking at at the moment, and other committees will be. So, this is obviously work in progress, but it is clear for all of us to see that it is vital that we get this right. This is new territory: the first time that Wales has raised its own taxes in 800 years—I think that was the figure mentioned by the First Minister. The public are only just becoming aware of this development and it’s something that they will want to have confidence in as the process goes on.

The programme for government doesn’t say much about the way that new taxes can be used to stimulate the economy. I’m sure that’s the idea of them. Simon Thomas mentioned this in his comments earlier. So, it’s one thing to have the devolution of taxation, but we do need to have a bit more meat on the bones as to how that taxation is going to be used to stimulate the economy. There is, I think, a little bit in the programme about the use of, at least I assume it is, business rates and having a fairer taxation regime for companies, but it isn’t clear. So, we do look forward to greater clarity on that.

This is a debate that joins the programme of government and that legislative statement, First Minister. I must say, whilst that’s a noble aim, it doesn’t seem to me that these two are working completely together at the moment. We often talk about the need to relate outcomes with the energy we’re putting in at the start, and I think there are still some gaps as to how the legislative programme of the Government will fit in with what the programme of government states and those outcomes that you’ve stated. So, I think that it’s work in progress, First Minister. In conclusion, some good ideas, not enough as far as we are concerned, but let’s make sure that those that are in there do happen and that we see the economic and public service improvements by the end of 20 years—in two years—of devolution that we would all want to see.

First Minister, I think you’ve been quite clear that amongst the priorities for Welsh Government and, indeed, legislative priorities is the effective implementation of Acts passed in the last Assembly, as well as taking forward new legislation in this Assembly term. I think, in many people’s views, one of the real headlines of legislation in the last Assembly was the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and there’s a great deal of expectation for that legislation—rightly so, I think—because we all agree, or virtually all of us agree, that it could and should be transformative in terms of thinking around sustainable development and ensuring that public bodies make decisions in line with those principles and transform the delivery of public services in Wales.

So, there is a great deal of interest in the Act and how the Act will be taken forward. I think, obviously, all of us have to be a little bit patient to see how that unfolds, but not too patient, perhaps. Some of the interest amongst outside bodies at the moment is around the requirements of the Act in terms of Welsh Government and when Welsh Government will meet the requirements of it under the legislation, in terms of publishing the well-being objectives and the statement explaining their relationship to the goals, and, indeed, how the programme for government, the budget, the four strategies to take forward the programme for government that you announced recently, First Minister, together with those well-being objectives and statements, how all of those link up together, so that everybody in Wales and beyond will be able to be absolutely clear as to how Welsh Government will meet the legislation’s requirements of it, and in a timely fashion. So, I’d be grateful for clarification around that, First Minister.

The other legislation I’d like to mention is the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013, which again I think was rightly high profile in terms of the Acts passed in the last Assembly term. It’s very important for health, for the environment, for integrated transport, the economy and, indeed, general quality of life. So, how local authorities take forward their duties in terms of the existing routes maps and the integrated routes maps, the promotion of active travel, continuous improvement, and how Welsh Government investment helps to create the infrastructure and those much better cycle routes that really will drive a modal shift in people’s behaviour, I think, are absolutely crucial. So, if you could say a little, First Minister, in response, in terms of the Welsh Government’s approach to ensuring that that active travel Act is effectively implemented, I think, again, there would be a great deal of interest beyond this Chamber in that.

I call on the First Minister to reply to the debate.

Diolch, Lywydd. Can I thank Members for the way in which the debate progressed today? There were lots of questions, of course, many of which will be answered during the course of this Government’s term of office.

Could I start with the issue of Brexit? The reality of the situation is that nobody knows what the model might look like; it’s difficult to plan without knowing what the criteria might be. For me, it’s absolutely crucial that there are no tariffs involved in terms of trade between the UK and the EU. If there are tariffs, then the situation is very difficult; there’s no getting away from it, and it’s not in Wales’s interest for that to happen. Without tariffs, I believe that we can continue to maintain our position and say that Wales is a place to invest in because it provides a gateway to the European market. The reality is that Scotland is in no different a position—it hasn’t gone any further than we have—but there is merit however, I believe, in us, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man—because it’s losing its customs union with the EU—looking to find common ground and using that common ground to develop a position to take with the UK Government, as the UK Government looks at Brexit. I see no difficulty in doing that in principle.

I can say that I do welcome something that the UK Government has done today, which is to provide more clarity in terms of European funding. The Chancellor announced yesterday that European-funded projects signed after the autumn statement, but before the UK leaves the EU, will continue to be funded—a step further than was the case before. And we’ve had confirmation today that there is no question of the UK Government having any control over European funding in Wales, in keeping with the devolution settlement, and I quote:

‘It will be for the Welsh Government to decide the conditions used to assess projects within your devolved competence.’

So, I’m glad that the UK Government has moved away from any suggestion that it should control European funding in Wales, and I’m sure that the leader of the Conservatives will take note of that, because I know his position has been very different to the one I’ve just outlined from the Treasury. I look forward to what he says in the next 24 hours on that.

He mentions bovine TB. That will be an issue that we will continue to address. We know that that is a priority for farmers in Wales, and we know that the number of animals being tested has gone up. As a result, more TB is being found, but the disease certainly is not as prevalent as once it was.

In terms of affordable housing, there will be a mixture of ways in which affordable housing is achieved. Some will be through social housing—that’s true—but there will be those who want to buy a house and there are various different models that can be used for that. We know that, in some parts of rural Wales, the fact that every house is on the open market is not of benefit to local people, and that is something that we need to address.

The SCCC has been raised. The Minister will look to address that over the course of the next few weeks, at least taking a decision by the end of this calendar year.

In terms of education targets, we see—

Will you take an intervention on that?

Yes.

I’m grateful to you for giving clarity that the Secretary will make a statement and hopefully give clarity on the issue of the critical care centre by the end of this year. But, would it be your hope that that critical care centre will at least be in construction phase by 2021, the end of your mandate, or can you see real issues progressing on that particular issue?

The business case is still being assessed, but we do understand that there is a need to modernise and upgrade facilities in Gwent, in the Aneurin Bevan area. That’s something that the Minister is fully aware of, but we need to make sure that the project is, of course, robust from a financial perspective, that it can move forward, and ensure that the circumstances exist where that can happen. That’s the objective.

In terms of education, we’re seeing more and more improvements in GCSEs. He mentioned O-levels; I’m surprised he can remember them—I do, I know that. We’re happy with the way that GCSE results are improving across Wales; we expect that to continue. He mentions detail; if you want detail, look at our manifesto. There you’ll see the suggestions that we put before the people of Wales, and we will keep to them.

In terms of what was said by two Plaid Cymru speakers—time is short I can see, Presiding Officer. Well, we know that it’s hugely important: she and I are on exactly the same page and we don’t want to see powers filched away from this place and taken to Westminster. We’re not seeing that now with European funding and I welcome that, and I look forward to working with the leader of the opposition on legislative proposals. We are fully aware, given the arithmetic of this place, that any proposals have to be capable of support across the Chamber, and we look forward to working with her on that.

In terms of some of the issues that Simon Thomas raised, there are two issues there to be addressed very quickly. In terms of a national infrastructure commission, he will know that I am quango averse. It is especially difficult, I think, to spend tens of millions on quangos when that money could be better used elsewhere. That needs to be examined very, very carefully. Also, of course, I saw the proposals today that were put forward—I read them with interest—from Adam Price, but it would mean a revenue commitment of £700 million a year from the Assembly’s revenue budget, which is a not insubstantial sum if those proposals were taken forward.

On waste, this is the real problem. Waste arisings can be dealt with because they’re in Wales, but in terms of packaging, of course, how do you monitor that? You can do it in shops. It’s much more difficult if you’re doing it as people buy things from abroad. So, I agree with him that minimising waste as it arrives in Wales is a hugely important issue, but dealing with it has been trickier. Of course, once it’s already here it is dealt with, and we’ve seen our recycling figures improve. I heard what he said about the autism Act and moving forward in terms of reasonable chastisement.

If I can turn to what my colleague Jenny Rathbone said. Emissions reductions are important to us. I’ve already mentioned the target by 2050. I do hope to be here. Not in this job—you heard it here first—but certainly alive in 2050. So, I suppose, at that point, I will be asked my view on it, no doubt, if I’m able to give such a view. In terms of food, Britain will never be self-sufficient in food. The war taught us that. Fifty-four per cent of the food that we consume is produced in the UK. Because of our topography and where we lie on the globe, it’s not possible to produce many vegetables and fruit without actually some quite energy-intensive methods of doing so. It’s true that Iceland produces tomatoes—it has geothermal energy. If we were to go down the same line, a lot of energy would be consumed in terms of producing those fruits and vegetables. So, we have to look at how that stands in terms of the need to reduce emissions globally.

Very, very quickly, because I can see that the time is running out. I heard what Nick Ramsay had to say. I have to say that there are challenges, of course, in getting robust taxation legislation that is also fair in place. We’re up for that task. It is a great shame that air passenger duty hasn’t been devolved. I still can’t work out why the Secretary of State for Wales sees it fit to defend the interests of airports outside Wales and not an airport in his own constituency, which is the great irony. No reason has been given as to why APD shouldn’t be devolved, other than the fact that it was given to Scotland, that was a mistake and so Wales shouldn’t have it. That is the level of debate that we have had in that regard.

Finally, my friend and colleague John Griffiths. It’s absolutely true; we are moving forward this autumn with the development of the goals further in terms of putting more flesh on the bones—we understand that. The active travel Act is absolutely important. As someone who was on national route 4 on Sunday, on my own bike, I know how important it is to make sure that cycling is seen more and more as a mode of transport as well as a form of healthy recreation. That means that our local authorities, in getting to grips with the active travel Act, have to ensure that more and more safe cycle rules are made available so that people can travel to work. We know that for many, many occasional cyclists they don’t want to mix with cars on the roads, and they need to have the facilities to be segregated from cars and then travel to work safely.

I’m over seven minutes, Llywydd. I hope I’ve dealt with most of the issues that have been raised. Of course, I fully understand that, with the programme now having been put before the Assembly, it is up to us as a Government to deliver it.

The proposal is to agree amendment 1. Does any Member object? Amendment 1 is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36. [Interruption.]

O, ni chlywais. Cafodd ei glywed, do? Do. Cafodd ei glywed gan bobl eraill, nid gennyf fi. Felly, rwy’n ystyried ei fod wedi ei glywed.

I will defer voting under this item until voting time. We now move on to voting time. Unless three Members wish for the bell to be rung, I will proceed directly to voting time.