We move, therefore, to the next item on our agenda, which is the business statement and announcement, and I call on Jane Hutt.

I have two changes to report to this week’s business, Llywydd. Today’s oral statement on the small business research initiative has been postponed and, as no questions have been tabled for answer by the Assembly Commission this week, timings for tomorrow have been adjusted accordingly. Business for the next three weeks is as shown on the business statement and announcement, found among the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

Leader of the house, could we have two statements, please, or maybe even just a letter in the Library, in the first instance from the Minister for finance, explaining the new business rates scheme—the additional money that was put on the table? I appreciate that this was raised some two or three weeks ago, and, in our debate on the Wednesday, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government did indicate that he was hopeful of bringing forward the proposals by the early part of February. I’m conscious that we are now in the early part of February and, to my knowledge, no new information has come out as to how the additional £10 million that was highlighted before Christmas by the Welsh Government to be made available to local government for businesses caught by the revaluation would be administered and delivered to those businesses. So, in the absence of that information being out there, are you able to request from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government an update as to exactly where the Government is with its information so that local authorities and, indeed, businesses can understand how they will benefit from this additional money?

Secondly, whilst I welcome the move to put jobs around Wales, in particular the development bank that the Government has taken to north-east Wales and, obviously, the revenue authority up to Treforest, I am a little concerned at the disjoint in Government policy, and I’d be grateful if we could have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for the economy, because we do have a financial services hub enterprise zone here in Cardiff, and surely the Welsh Government should be promoting that, and yet when it has financial service sector jobs, it is not seeking to locate them within my own region of South Wales Central in the enterprise zone. Likewise, it is a fantastic job creation that Aston Martin has gone to St Athan, and we welcome that opportunity, but, under the Government’s economic strategy, that is supposed to be an aviation hub, and the automotive sector is supposed to be around the enterprise zone in Ebbw Vale. So, I’m conscious we’ve got a new Cabinet Secretary, I’m conscious the enterprise zones were brought forward by the previous Minister, but, in recent announcements that the Government has made, there does seem to be a dislocate between the policy of promoting enterprise zones and the actions of the Government. As I said, I welcome the Welsh Government’s opportunity to spread jobs around Wales; what I’m worried about is the dislocate between the policy initiatives and policy levers about promoting enterprise zones.

Thank you to Andrew R.T. Davies for those questions. On the first point, of course, as the Cabinet Secretary of Finance and Local Government has assured this Assembly and Members over the past few weeks, he and his officials are working hard to ensure that we can get that early notice. We’re just into February, as you say, and I know that they are seeking to announce the ways in which local businesses will be able to access what is going to be a very important additional tranche of money over and above the transitional funding that was announced, of course, last autumn. So, I can assure you that that is progressing.

On your second point, I’m a bit confused about your second point, because there is inevitably a Welsh Government policy to decentralise when and where possible not only jobs that we have any control with, but also to encourage in terms of the sectors. You mentioned the financial services sector, and I think it is very welcome that the development bank is being located in another part of Wales, linking very closely, of course, with all our financial services and businesses. But I would hope that you would appreciate that the huge prize that Wales won of getting Aston Martin to St Athan, to Wales, is what we should be welcoming. I’m very glad that the Member actually did make that point.

Leader of the house, can I thank you for your statement? Further to that, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure issued a written statement last Friday,

‘setting out a roadmap towards success, resilience and sustainability for the heritage of Wales’, it says here. Obviously, the recommendations of the review group that have been looking into the future of so-called Historic Wales have received a cautious welcome. It goes on about a strategic partnership that seems to justify the independence of places like National Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales. So, all that is to be welcomed in a written statement. At the end of the written statement, there’s mention of a new review into the strategy and operations of National Museum Wales—just an unexpected little tailpiece there. I was wondering, from that point of view, whether I could request an oral statement as regards the details of that review into National Museum Wales. Diolch yn fawr.

I very much welcome your recognition that the heritage services review in the written statement, Dai Lloyd, was based on that open review that committee and Members were able to contribute to, and all the partners who are affected by it, of course, have been engaged in developing those options. I’m sure the Cabinet Secretary will want to clarify in due course this review that he has commissioned in terms of the strategy and operations of the national museum.

Leader of the house, I’d just like to expand a little on the leader of the Conservatives’ point on enterprise zones. Clearly, enterprise zones were introduced in the fourth Assembly, and it is important that we understand the progress that is being made on enterprise zones. So, can you ask the Cabinet Secretary for infrastructure and economy to actually produce a progress update on enterprise zones and how effective they are, particularly the enterprise zone in my constituency in relation to Port Talbot? But, in relation to that, can you also ask him to comment upon the preparations being made for investment and inward growth, because I understand there is a shortage of buildings, of square footage, size and capacity to undertake some growth in those areas? So, what actions are the Welsh Government taking to ensure that there are buildings, structures and infrastructure in place to ensure that growth in those zones can take place and that businesses can either grow or come into those areas to ensure that our economies, particularly in Port Talbot, are able to take advantage of them?

I thank David Rees for that very pertinent question. Andrew R.T. Davies has left the Chamber, to hear the important news that the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure is going to be making a statement in due course on the enterprise zones programme. Of course, we can feed back to him your important points about the link to the sector and growth opportunities. He is completing a current review of programme governance, and so, as soon as that’s been completed, he will make a statement.

Cabinet Secretary, it is just one of those things that everybody is talking about—the enterprise zones. Just half an hour earlier, it was music to my ears when the Cabinet Secretary for the economy said—his own words—

‘all parts of Wales…share wealth creation.’

Wonderful job. Figures released in November 2015 also revealed the mixed results of enterprise zones in Wales, with over 1,000 jobs being created at Cardiff and Deeside zones between 2014 and March 2015, but just seven—seven—in Ebbw Vale and St Athan. Please could we have a statement updating the Assembly on job creation and existing enterprise zones and on the Welsh Government plans, if any, to expand the number of zones into other areas of Wales to support other sectors of the economy? As we know, Brexit has created a vacuum in different areas for development. Could we go for a fast track in certain areas to make sure that job creation and inward investment are taken care of and go on a fast track to grow our economy as soon as possible? Thank you.

I know the Member will have been very pleased to hear that I responded very positively to David Rees that the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure will be making a statement on the enterprise zones programme.

Can we have a statement from the Minister for Social Services and Public Health on retrospective claims for NHS continuing healthcare funding? A constituent of mine has been waiting for almost four years for a decision on her application, and I’m led to believe that almost 1,000 retrospective claims are currently being processed. Four years is absolutely unacceptable for a citizen of this country to be waiting on a decision on a retrospective claim, so can we have no more ducking and weaving and passing the buck from Welsh Government on issues in the health service in respect of continuing healthcare funding? Can we have a statement to clarify that position and to hear what action, if any, Welsh Government is taking to rectify this?

This is an important point and question, and it is something that, of course, the Minister for Social Services and Public Health has been working on, to ensure that those people who are affected get that early indication in terms of retrospective claims. I will ensure that there is an update on where the Minister is with the situation.

Yesterday was the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. I was very pleased to host a very well-attended conference here in the Senedd on this appalling subject. It was organised by BAWSO, but there were important delegates from NSPCC, Welsh Women’s Aid and from different parts of Wales as well as England. I think this is not just about the 30 million girls who are at risk worldwide of being mutilated before their fifteenth birthday, but it is about preventing this happening to the girls living in this country as well. According to Dr Chimba, who leads on female genital mutilation for BAWSO, there are some 2,000 women in Wales who are living with either full or partial removal of their genitalia. If it was men having their penises cut off, I’m sure we’d all be giving this a very high priority.

One of the issues that were raised at the conference was the absence of accurate data about Wales, because there was quite a lot of collated data about England and Wales. I understand that, this week, NHS England is going to be releasing the data that it has collated from different parts of the NHS, from nurses, midwives, GPs and anybody else who’s got accurate information on this. I just wondered whether you could give us an update on when this information may be available in Wales, because it’s really important in understanding what specialist service we ought to be commissioning in Wales, as opposed to sending people to other parts of England. Do we have the critical mass to justify such a specialist service?

Well, I think we’d all want to—in this Chamber—thank Jenny Rathbone for organising this very important event yesterday—a well-supported event in the Senedd, which many Assembly Members who were able to supported or came and showed their support. Just to briefly report progress and Welsh Government action, we’ve supported the development of health provision and co-ordinated training, which is critical, and this is where we can learn from our colleagues outside of Wales, but BAWSO is taking the lead in the training on female genital mutilation within all our health boards across the whole of Wales. It was initiated with the identification of FGM leads within each health board. We’ve got an all-Wales FGM health group that’s been established by Public Health Wales. It’s got a work plan and—in answer to your important question—it has commenced data collection on women and children affected by FGM across health boards, and it’s also devised and is implementing an all-Wales clinical identification and referral pathway, as well as the training.

We’ve also got, of course, the Healthy Child Wales programme. That’s got a universal health programme for all families with children up to the age of seven, and that also is identifying information contacts that can be made at health board level. As part of this programme, information will be recorded on children who may be affected by FGM. Welsh health boards began to implement this pathway from last October—on 1 October 2016—and have two years to fully implement the programme.

Leader of the house, it’s now been two weeks since the Welsh Government gave the Circuit of Wales company—. I think it was a two-week deadline, funnily enough, to provide assurances of their financial backers so that the project can move forward. I said in my debate last week on the Cardiff city region that I thought that this was a positive development for all the parties involved—a potentially transformative project for the Cardiff capital city region—but we do now need clarity on whether it can proceed. Can I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure at the earliest opportunity, so that we can sort this out once and for all and move forward, or not move forward as the case may be? At least then we’ll all know in the city region area exactly what we’re dealing with with this project.

Well, what is important is that we have reached that deadline. So, of course, the Cabinet Secretary will be informing Members of the outcome of the situation.

Will the Cabinet Secretary for health make a statement on the Government policy towards surrogacy? Because many women in Wales unable to carry children as a result of cancer, for example, are being denied funding for IVF treatment unless a surrogate has already been identified. I think this whole area needs a lot of clarification, and we would be very grateful if the issue of funding for IVF and surrogates can be looked at as a matter of urgency.

I thank the Member for that question. Indeed, this is a question that the Cabinet Secretary will follow up, but it’s also very important that if you have people who are affected in this way that you also make representations on their behalf.

Today is Safer Internet Day. As the chair of the cross-party group on preventing child sexual abuse, I have been encouraged to see the work of the NSPCC, Stop it Now! Cymru and the Survivors Trust. They are doing incredible work to safeguard children and prevent sexual exploitation from taking place. A report commissioned by the UK Safer Internet Centre found that seven in 10 children and young people have seen unsuitable images online. Today, the NSPCC has produced videos for its Share Aware campaign, to highlight to parents and children the dangers of sharing information online. My colleague Lynne Neagle hosted an event today in the Pierhead, where the Cabinet Secretary for Education gave a keynote speech. Will the leader of the house join me in commending initiatives like these, which raise awareness of online abuse and exploitation on Safer Internet Day, and assure me and others in this Chamber that the Welsh Government will continue to do all it can on this?

I thank Jayne Bryant for that question, and I would like to thank her for chairing a cross-party group on preventing child sexual abuse. That provides an opportunity for Members across the Assembly to come together and take action and get the evidence in terms of the situation that you describe, which was very well highlighted today, I know, at the event that Kirsty Williams spoke at. I also draw Members’ attention to the written statement that Kirsty Williams made today on Safer Internet Day. I will also just say that we are the lead organisation for online safety in Wales—the Welsh Government—and we are committed to promoting the safe and positive use of technology to our children, young people, parents and teachers.

May I ask for a Government statement on its policy of devolving jobs to different parts of Wales? We heard, of course, the questions earlier on the decision on the Welsh Revenue Authority. We’ve also heard references this afternoon to the possibility that the Welsh development bank jobs will be located perhaps in north Wales or other parts of Wales. The Secretary for the economy even suggested that there was a possible intention to relocate or create a presence for Cadw in other parts of Wales, too. The impression one gets—or, the question I want to ask is: is there is a pan-governmental strategy? Is there something co-ordinated and deliberate? Because it appears to be quite ad hoc, with departments working in their own silos. I think a statement would be an opportunity for the Government to set out their stall in terms of this agenda and how they intend to achieve it. It would also be an opportunity, of course, to discuss the criteria referred to by the Member for Arfon earlier, because if those are the criteria used on each occasion, then there is a question as to whether we will ever see some of these posts relocated to an area such as north Wales. And most importantly, of course, having such a statement would provide greater clarity for everyone in terms of how all parts of Wales can be confident that this is a Government for the whole of Wales.

This clearly has to have a cross-Government approach. As I said earlier, in response to the question from Andrew R.T. Davies, where we have direct control, in terms of our decision making as to the location of a new body, new functions—. Of course, in terms of the Welsh Revenue Authority, it is not just a new body; there are new functions. There are new skills as well, in terms of the tax powers that we are taking on that have now been devolved to Wales. So, it is a matter of ensuring that we do have the capacity and the skills to develop, and that has a bearing in terms of location. Yes, back in October—. I have already mentioned the fact that the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure did set out his wish that the headquarters, for example, for the development bank for Wales could be established in north Wales. So, where there is an opportunity and there aren’t some of those issues that have been mentioned already in terms of our ability to influence location, we would want to ensure that there was a decentralised presence across Wales. In terms of private sector investment and inward investment, that, of course, has another bearing—the points that have been made about the sectors and the enterprise zones in Wales. Their particular sector focus has a bearing on the private sector location of business and new opportunities. Clearly, this is a cross-Government strategy in terms of the location and the relocation of businesses and services throughout Wales.

I thank the Minister.