The next item on our agenda is the business statement and announcement. I call on Jane Hutt.

Llywydd, I have several changes to report to this week’s business. Immediately after this business statement, the Counsel General will make a statement on this morning’s Supreme Court judgement on article 50, after which the First Minister will make a statement on ‘Securing Wales’ Future’ and the transition from the European Union to a new relationship with Europe. In order to accommodate this, I have postponed the debate on the equality annual report until next week, and the oral statement on safer communities until 7 February. Business for the next three weeks is as shown on the business statement announcement, found among the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

Diolch, Lywydd. Minister, can I call for two statements please? The first is from the Cabinet Secretary for health and social services in relation to the use of consultants by the national health service. The Cabinet Secretary will be aware that, over the weekend, concerns were raised in the media regarding expenditure of over £1.5 million by the Betsi Cadwaladr university health board over the past three years. Of course, a great period of that time it has spent in special measures and under Welsh Government control. In fact, this was an issue over which concerns were raised by the auditor general during a structural assessment in 2015, with a recommendation to actually reduce its over-reliance on external consultants, which appears not to have been delivered upon. I think taxpayers in north Wales, and indeed elsewhere across the country where external consultants are being used, want to know what value that is adding to the national health service.

Can I also ask for a statement on problem gambling from an appropriate Cabinet Minister? You’ll be aware that I’ve been concerned, along with other Members of this Chamber, about problem gambling and the prevalence of problem gambling in Wales. Will you join me in congratulating Beat the Odds, which has been organised by Living Room Cardiff, who are encouraging people to take a flutter-free February in order to address problem gambling concerns, and to stem the tide of it? Can I put on record how much I agree with Jo Stevens, for a change, in the contributions that she has been making in the Houses of Parliament this week in relation to the need to devolve further powers over gambling to this National Assembly in order that we can deal with this issue in the future?

Well, Darren Millar, of course, in order to deliver in terms of pressures, particularly at this point of the year, in our health services, then, at times, health boards do have to make use of consultants to ensure that we are responding and providing the best service to our patients.

On your second point, yes, we all welcome initiatives such as the one that Jo Stevens drew attention to in her constituency in Cardiff Central. But, of course, problem gambling is a serious social issue that the Welsh Government is taking responsibility for, within the powers and remit that we have got, particularly in terms of supporting those initiatives that can make a real difference and address that need.

There are two matters I’d like to raise with the leader of the house. Firstly, can we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for the economy on what the Government is doing to intervene when local community assets and landmarks are at risk? In my region, the iconic Market Hall cinema in Brynmawr has been closed since November because of asbestos problems, and there’s a growing concern in the community that it may not be a temporary closure. So, I’d be interested in a statement from the Cabinet Secretary to see what action the Government is taking to intervene to protect and defend community assets.

Can we also have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for the economy on what the Government is doing to tackle unfair bus fares? There is rightly a lot of concern about rail fares and the inflation of rail fares, but it’s been brought to my attention that a weekly bus ticket in Merthyr costs £10 and the equivalent ticket issued by the same company in Ebbw Vale is £25. This seems an unjust discrepancy, and I think it warrants a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for the economy to this Assembly.

I think, Steffan Lewis, your point on the threat to—well, indeed, it was closed, unfortunately—that community asset, that cinema in your region, is very important. The ownership of that cinema, I’m not aware—I’m sure the Cabinet Secretary will be and, indeed, the local authority, I’m sure, will be aware of this. This is something where, if it’s in the private sector, it’s more difficult, but clearly it is a community asset that is very important to your constituents.

On your second point, I think it’s very important that the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure held the first ever bus summit yesterday. I’m sure that many of these issues came forward in terms of ticketing, particularly the disparities and contrasts that you identify in terms of levels of fares. Where we have and where we will have more power, of course, in relation to this and regulation will be very important.

We regularly have debates in this Chamber on health. I would like to ask the Government to hold a debate or make a statement on the effect of lifestyle on health and how to improve health outcomes by lifestyle choices, promoting things such as healthy eating, smoking cessation and exercise, especially in some of our poorest communities.

I think we’ve had a lot of useful debates recently, Mike Hedges, particularly looking at the, as you say—. This is something where we’re looking across mental health, obesity, and physical activity. I think the chief medical officer’s report was very important. Healthy living has to be a Welsh Government priority. You’ve always drawn our attention to this in terms of wanting a health service, not an illness service, in terms of lack of opportunity to prevent ill health, but we’re increasingly working in a joined-up way across Government on these issues, and it is about changing health outcomes.

Could I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary on the local government settlement for Newport, please? A public consultation on Newport City Council’s budget proposals following a poor 0.1 per cent increase in funding from Welsh Government has recently closed. Concerns have been expressed to me about the effect of the proposed cuts in spending, particularly on education and children’s services. Proposals include withdrawing funding for support centres in Newport’s eight secondary schools, cutting jobs in the council’s team supporting vulnerable children and families and cuts to age-weighted pupil funding. Could I ask for a statement on why Newport City Council has received such a poor deal from the Welsh Government, please? Thank you.

Well, of course, I’m sure you would join me, Mohammad Asghar, in decrying the continued anti-austerity policies of the UK Government, which result in tough, tough budget decisions that we have to make. Of course, that does have an impact on our local authorities as well. You draw attention to some of those impacts and the difficulties in terms of priorities. I know that you will also recognise, in terms of our allocation to local authorities this year, the support that we are giving, and also the importance, for example, of the funding that we’re providing to pilot lunch and fun clubs, which, of course, is going to be very important in terms of school holiday enrichment for our children and young people.

I know that the leader of the house and all Members are aware that Friday is Holocaust Memorial Day, when we acknowledge all those who were killed or suffered in the Nazi concentration camps. Romany Gypsies were the second largest group of people killed on racial grounds in the Holocaust, and their deaths were largely ignored until the 1980s. So, on Thursday—a day Members are here in the Assembly—the cross-party Gypsy, Roma and Traveller group are organising a vigil on the steps of the Senedd to commemorate all those who suffered in the Holocaust. Would the Cabinet Secretary urge Members to attend this vigil and to encourage the Government Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers to come along as well? In future years, might it be possible to have a statement around the time of Holocaust Memorial Day?

I thank Julie Morgan for drawing that to our attention this afternoon across the whole of the Chamber. I’m sure that there will be support, as there was last year, when you organised this event—a very moving and important memorial vigil—on the steps of the Senedd, and the fact that it’s paying particular tribute to the Gypsy and Roma victims of the Holocaust. I think this is something where that particular group is often forgotten when these dark events are remembered. In this particular Holocaust vigil, we will remember them. I think also—I met many signing the Holocaust memorial book that the Holocaust Educational Trust has brought to the Senedd. I think it’s going to be available again tomorrow. It’s certainly been available for us all to sign today. There are very powerful images, again—and the work that young people have undertaken in this field. I know that there will be young people as well joining us at that vigil on Thursday. I also would hope then that we could table a statement or debate next year to make sure that we do remember this together, as we all want to stand together in remembering those who faced this most horrendous persecution. Holocaust Memorial Day provides us that opportunity.

I appreciate that we’ve had a written statement on NSA Afan in my region, but I would like to ask for an oral statement on how exactly the Welsh Government is conducting its inquiry into allegations of financial irregularities at NSA Afan. Not one substantive allegation has been put to them, according to NSA Afan and what they’ve told me, but let me make it absolutely clear that I’m not wishing to discuss the ins and outs of this investigation, but merely the way it’s been carried out. The Welsh Government is obliged to audit those organisations in receipt of Communities First, and this it did with NSA Afan during the years of the incidences of the theft now alleged against the former financial officer that was supposed to have taken place. Each time, the Welsh Government gave NSA Afan a clean bill of health. So, I’m trying to understand, if that audit process took place, and if governance issues were not outlined as severely as they are now, how the Welsh Government can effectively investigate itself when many of the people who may be in the Minister’s department are carrying out those investigations—and they would have been involved in financial setups with NSA Afan. I’m also concerned to learn that a written assurance of funding for services provided during December was made by the director for communities and tackling poverty, who wrote, and I quote:

‘We wish to point out that the contractual relationship between us is unaffected’.

End quote. However, when NSA Afan met with your officials yesterday, they were told that this wouldn’t be honoured and this leaves the organisation now in a position where it cannot pay the salaries, so they tell me.

I’d like to have an oral statement here in the Chamber because I think this warrants an oral statement considering the problems that some Communities First schemes have had in the past. We don’t want to have another potential problem in this area when the Minister is minded to discontinue Communities First, and I think it would be sensible for the Government to have that conversation in the open.

Well, I think you will be aware, of course, as you said, of the written statement that the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children issued this afternoon in respect of the termination of Welsh Government funding to NSA Afan and also that written statement on the action that’s been taken to safeguard the delivery of services, which you raise. Of course, Bethan Jenkins, the Cabinet Secretary did answer your urgent question last week.

I think the Cabinet Secretary will want to come back and clarify the outcome of this, but, as you’re aware, there are discussions ongoing, not only with the local authority on safeguarding the services but also discussions with the police. So, at this point in time, it’s limited what can be said beyond what’s in the written statement and beyond the answer to your question last week. But the Cabinet Secretary will certainly be ensuring that the full outcome of this can be shared when appropriate.

Could I ask whether time can be found for a statement on any discussions with UK Ministers on the number of properties being excluded from flood insurance in Wales, following the move to the Flood Re agreement with insurers? I ask this because following the recent flash flooding in Ogmore, I started to find that properties within 200m of a river were often being excluded from flood insurance. You can get house insurance, contents insurance but nothing to do with flood, even if the river is way away from you—200m—. If it’s 199m, or if it’s 50m below you and has never caused flooding you can still be excluded.

The reason I ask this was our excellent research unit here in the Assembly—I commissioned them to find out how many properties in my constituency were within 200m—triangulated this from three publicly available sources, and out of 33,880 homes in total in my constituency, the amazing number of 21,158 are within 200m of a river. This sounds like a remarkable cop-out for the future of this insurance industry, which advertises on the Flood Re site as, and I quote, ‘affordable premiums and excesses’ to all. Well, surely, perhaps as well as a statement we should be asking Paul Lewis of BBC’s ‘Money Box’ or MoneySavingExpert.com’s Martin Lewis to investigate whether the insurance industry is giving value for money to our constituents.

I thank the Member for drawing that to our attention this afternoon in the business statement. The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs is away. You’ve, of course, raised this with her and she’s aware of the case and has also written to both the Association of British Insurers and the British Insurance Brokers’ Association. It is a private dispute, obviously, at this stage between the homeowner and the homeowner’s insurer, but I think the ombudsman, I understand, has been notified.

You draw attention to this and I think we have to be very clear in terms of flood insurance. It should be available to all homeowners, regardless of how close they live to a river, and the Flood Re subsidy system does enable high-risk homes—and many of us represent constituents and communities in that category—to obtain insurance at affordable premiums in such instances, and it is actually operating with over 90 per cent of the market offering it for homes at high flood risk. But it is critically important that we get the message over to the insurance industry and to those who are affected that living within 200m of a river shouldn’t preclude you from obtaining flood insurance. We need to take note of the incident and the case that you’ve raised today.

Cabinet Secretary, I am proud to be a member of a party and an institution that has led the way on the importance of the representation of women in political life, but as always we can always do more, and it’s important that we continue to do so, to ensure that voices of over half of the population are not only heard, but are actively and fully represented in our democracy. Therefore, can I ask if time can be given for a debate to mark International Women’s Day, on International Women’s Day itself, on Wednesday, 8 March?

Hannah Blythyn, thank you very much for raising this issue. The fact that we do—. The Welsh Government has marked, year on year, International Women’s Day. I believe, in terms of Government day—. Well, Wednesday is the eighth, isn’t it, and Government day is on the seventh? Certainly, this Welsh Government would want to mark International Women’s Day, and I thank Hannah Blythyn for raising that today, as the Chair of our Labour group in the Assembly.

Thank you, Minister.