The next item of business is the business statement and announcement, and I call on Jane Hutt.

Diolch, Lywydd. I’ve two changes to make to today’s agenda. The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure will make a statement on the M4 immediately after the business statement, and the statement on the national infrastructure commission for Wales has been postponed until 18 October.

Business for the next three weeks is as shown on the business statement and announcement, found among the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

I just wanted to ask for a statement from the Welsh Government regarding the employment of Kris Wade, sentenced to life for murder last week—he worked for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board—and particularly whether, in light of subsequent revelations about Mr Wade’s time at the LHB, the Welsh Government could consider escalating its current status from targeted interventions to special measures. If there wasn’t an air of complacency amongst management when dealing with allegations made against Mr Wade, then there were was certainly sluggishness. Mr Wade remained suspended from October 2012 until his dismissal earlier this year, and it has to be asked: why did it take a very serious incident for ABMU to finally act? These are very serious issues that are a matter for the Welsh Government, as the overseer of ABMU, as well as the LHB itself. So, I would ask for a statement in Government time on this particular issue.

The other question I’d like to ask for a statement on is that you will have seen that Neath Port Talbot council is currently consulting on its budget, but what interests me most there is that they are potentially going to slash £50,000 from their special educational needs budget, affecting two specialist education facilities and up to 11 school-based units in the county borough. This has, sadly, obviously provoked anger amongst parents, some of whom have likened competing for placements to ‘The Hunger Games’, as it pits friends and families against one another. They say there will be worse to come, and another parent pointed out that this is an investment and it should be retained.

I was wondering if we could have a statement in relation to the fact that there will be a new Bill coming before the Assembly on special educational needs by the Welsh Government. While that is to be commended, how can we see that go forward positively when special educational needs may be cut, not just at Neath Port Talbot council, but across the board, when those budgets come through from local government, to see how they then will be able to cope with the cuts coming through from Westminster? I know it’s a very difficult time, but I think it’s something that, when those types of educational schemes are being cut, then we really do need to wake up and to respond to those accordingly.

Well, Bethan Jenkins raises two matters, the first of which is a matter for ABM university health board, and of course it would be inappropriate to comment on that matter, which is for them to deal with. You’ve raised it today, so it has had that airing, but it is a matter for the health board to deal with and resolve.

Your second matter is of course specifically a matter for the local authority, but I do think you are absolutely right on the opportunities that we’ve got now with the forthcoming ALN Bill. There was a great deal of consultation and discussion in the previous and fourth Assembly, leading up to this ALN Bill, and I know that the Minister, and indeed the committee, are looking forward to having the opportunity to scrutinise, to take forward what will be another piece of pioneering legislation, specifically focusing on those needs in terms of professional education.

Leader of the house, can I ask for two statements, please, including one from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport on the availability of nursing care home beds in Wales? There’s a particular issue in my own constituency at the moment, where an elderly mentally infirm nursing care home, Plas Isaf in Rhos on Sea, is in the process of closing, which is of course causing great disruption for the 21 residents in that home, many of whom have called that place home for a number of year now, and of course a great deal of disruption for staff. The care home group that actually owns this property have closed other homes in the area in the past few years and there’s becoming quite an acute shortage of elderly mentally infirm beds, in particular in the north Wales area. I wonder whether the Minister may be able to make a statement on what the Welsh Government is doing in order to encourage the nursing home sector to invest in more of these sorts of beds in the future or perhaps to work with the NHS to develop other models of care. I would welcome a statement on that.

Can I secondly call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure on the review that he announced into the north-south air link last week? I was very pleased to hear about that review. The Cabinet Secretary will be aware that I’ve had some concerns about the value-for-money aspects in respect of that particular air link for a number of years now, and it may well be that that money is better invested in either the road or rail infrastructure network or, indeed, in an air link to another location that serves the people of north Wales. I wonder whether we could have a statement on that just so that we can explore some of these issues and that AMs can have their say. Thank you.

Thank you. The Member for north Wales does raise a very important issue in relation to nursing homes in the care sector and, of course, as he says, these are homes often in the independent private sector. I’m interested to see the views of Care Forum Wales and Mario Kreft, who you will know well, in terms of the importance of the care sector, and also recognising that our inspectors and the people who receive care tell us, in terms of the quality of care that is provided, that it is excellent and that we are also investing more in both health and social care. Nursing care, of course, is of critical importance, as you say, but that is a matter also in terms of commissioners and the opportunities of working collaboratively between health and social care.

On your second point, of course, it is right that the Cabinet Secretary has instigated a review of the north-south airline, which was commissioned on 14 September, and the Cabinet Secretary will consider the findings and make a statement when the review is completed.

I wanted to ask for a statement on an issue that’s already been referred to this afternoon—the decision by ONS to reclassify social landlords as public sector bodies. The decision could have a very serious implication on house building in Wales, but I’m also very worried that any measures that the Welsh Government might take to mitigate that may lead to a deregulation of the housing association sector, which would be of great concern to tenants.

The First Minister did respond to a question from Simon Thomas, and there was a further question from Russell George. I think the important thing to repeat from his response is that we are looking for a legislative solution to the issue of reclassification. Housing associations—again, it’s important to put this on the record—can be confident it will be resolved. They will be able to continue to borrow from the private sector in order to help us achieve our target of 20,000 affordable homes in this Assembly term.

We’ve had numerous suggestions for the useful things this Assembly could debate. I’m wondering why the Assembly is going to be debating for the third time today the Government’s legislative programme. We had a statement on the legislative programme on 18 May, another one on 28 June and another one on 28 September. You know, stale food tastes no better when it’s warmed up for the third time. Our party thinks that this is actually an abuse of the Assembly, when we could be doing much more useful things. So my party today will not be participating in the debate in protest because it’s merely a repetition of everything that we have said before. I regret that the Government is doing this and I hope that, in future, we won’t be invited to waste our time in this way.

Well, I don’t think we in this Chamber—I’m certain I speak for many of us here, as well as the public outside—will have much of a problem that UKIP isn’t taking part in the debate this afternoon. You are losing as a result of this; you are losing a really important parliamentary opportunity. I think the more experienced or, perhaps, mature parties in this Chamber will be taking advantage and would want us, and expect us, to promote a debate on not only our programme for government, but our legislative priorities. I know you’re very keen on Standing Orders, certainly your Members are, and I would like to draw you attention to 11.21(i) and (ii):

‘Time must be made available in each Assembly year for debates on the following items of business: (i) the UK Government’s legislative programme (in accordance with section 33 of the Act)’.

You didn’t object to that; and

‘(ii) the policy objectives and legislative programme of the government’.

Now that is in our Standing Orders, and I’m very proud that we are now promoting a debate this afternoon in this Chamber.

The business Minister is perfectly correct in her interpretation of the Standing Orders, and this is a requirement of Government, to table a debate on the programme for government. This will be the first opportunity this Assembly has to vote on the programme for government, and it is certainly not an abuse of the time of this National Assembly to debate this this afternoon. Mark Isherwood.

I would like to raise two points. First, to endorse Bethan Jenkins’s call regarding the Kris Wade case, particularly given that the murder and conviction followed reports by people with learning difficulties when in care that they had been sexually abused. I would argue, and I hope you would agree, that any inquiry needs to go beyond the health board, beyond the local authority, and raise questions directly with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service over the degree to which credibility was given to the witnesses when interviewed, the degree to which the interviewers had disability awareness training, and the degree to which they even understood the basics of the social model of disability, where people are disabled by the barriers put in their way. Now, we can’t say or comment, obviously, on what they might have said and how that might have been interpreted, because we don’t have that evidence, but it does raise serious questions that do fall within the concerns and remit of the Welsh Government, at least as a facilitator, if not a participant in the inquiry that will go forward.

Secondly, and finally, could I call for an oral statement on the International Day of Older Persons? We had a written statement on the International Day of Older Persons last Friday, which was full of self-evident truths, such as that many older people want to keep working and that older people want to be safe, but very little specific action by the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government has said:

‘We have committed to developing a nationwide and cross-government strategy to address loneliness and isolation…We also know the importance of befriending schemes.’

But that’s déjà vu all over again. Every Welsh Government since I came here 13 years ago has said exactly the same thing, but what’s missing from here, anywhere, is reference to the importance of independent living and co-producing with older people to ensure that early intervention and prevention drives their well-being. I’ll just conclude by referring to the older person’s day event I attended last Friday, which was to publicise the services available to our older people in order to promote independent living. So, rather than creating a Welsh Government strategy, how will the Welsh Government engage with the co-production network for Wales, the Supporting People providers in Wales, the Welsh Reablement Alliance, and all those other brilliant organisations already working on the ground but needing the Welsh Government to engage with them as equal partners, to take this agenda forward?

I think my response earlier on to Bethan Jenkins is sufficient in relation to the first point in terms of ABM university health board.

On your second point, I also attended a very important event in my constituency of the over-50s strategy, which has developed from our very pioneering older people’s strategy here in the Assembly. It’s very important that there is continuity, Mark Isherwood, in terms of the Government’s perspective in terms of intervention and engagement. But, of course, we take on board the point, as was very much shown in the event I attended, that it is older people—the over-50s—that are now emerging, in terms of strategic objectives, and who are actually taking the lead in terms of policy for older people. That, of course, is the essence of co-production.

In light of comments on the weekend by the UK Government Secretary of State for Transport that pressing for fulfilment of promises made in relation to the electrification of the main line to Swansea was jumping the gun, will the Government bring forward a statement indicating what representations will be made to the UK Government so that the residents of the Swansea bay area and west of Cardiff aren’t let down by the UK Conservative Government again?

Certainly, I think we’re all very disappointed that electrification between Cardiff and Swansea won’t be completed by 2018 as we were originally promised and as was originally planned, but the Cabinet Secretary is indeed meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport, and it’s very helpful to have your intervention today on the business statement, Jeremy Miles, because I’m sure there is a strength of feeling across this Chamber that we need confirmation of electrification through to Swansea, and that it needs to be completed early in the 2019-24 funding period.

Leader of the house, it must be getting on for around 10 years now since I first attended Gwent Clinical Futures meetings regarding the construction of a specialist and critical care centre at Llanfrechfa Grange in Cwmbran. Here we are 10 years down the line and, aside from some preparatory work, we still don’t have that building with us in any real sense. There’s been renewed confusion over this over the last few days, with some concerns that there is further delay to this project. I wonder if we could have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health at the earliest opportunity to try and clear up this confusion so we can have a proper timescale for the construction of this facility.

I’m sure, Nick Ramsay, you would recognise how open the Cabinet Secretary has been in updating and clarifying progress on the SCCC business case. It has been a matter of updating on progress. Recent discussions at the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee confirmed the fact that advice is due this month, in October 2016, and, again, promising to update Assembly Members accordingly at that point. So, again, that will be forthcoming.

Finally, David Rees.

Diolch, Lywydd. Last week, we held the first meeting of the cross-party group on steel, and I very much appreciate the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure attending that and providing an update. During recent months, steelworkers have been working hard to increase production levels and hit their targets. To the public, it appears that the issues around steel have dissipated; they have not. There are still deep concerns over the future of steel, and uncertainty and challenges ahead. Could we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary to the Assembly on the current position in relation to the Welsh Government’s actions on steel, and perhaps on the discussions he’s been having with the UK Government as well?

On a second point, could I also support the issues that Bethan Jenkins raised on special education issues? I understand the answer you gave to her and I appreciate that it’s a decision for Neath Port Talbot council and that the ALN Bill will be coming, but it is important to understand the Welsh Government’s position in helping the most vulnerable children in our society who are facing some challenges now, and whether the Bill may actually require authorities to place more support in those areas where we are seeing at the moment some cuts.

David Rees, you have always consistently brought forward an update from your perspective in terms of steel in your constituency, Tata and the people you represent, and I’m grateful for that again today. Of course, actually, cross-party groups are very helpful, aren’t they; they’re a forum where everybody can meet together and where Ministers and Cabinet Secretaries make themselves available, and I think that that update was very well-received. I’m sure the Cabinet Secretary will want to put that into a written statement or perhaps in a letter to Members, as it was shared with a cross-party group.

I think your points, again, about special education needs, and the fact that we are taking forward the ALN Bill, all strengthen the fact that this is going to be a huge opportunity, which, of course, will be subject to further consultation and scrutiny as it’s taken through this Assembly.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary.