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

Diolch, Llywydd. I have no changes to make to today’s agenda. Business for the next three weeks is as set out on the business statement and announcement found among the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

As we are about to enter discussions on the Minister’s Welsh language White Paper, there are still some outstanding matters regarding standards that need completing, and I’m wondering whether we could have an early statement, please, on the timetable for publication of the Welsh language standards in health services.

We do, of course, have a debate on the business statement coming up next week, and I’m sure that will include reference to the standards.

I want to ask for two Government statements. Firstly, as we know, not just in Cambridge and around major American universities, but in European cities such as Aarhus in Denmark and Mannheim in Germany, the university sector acts as an economic driver. Can I ask that the Welsh Government makes a statement on how it sees the university sector in Wales helping create wealth in Wales, either via science parks or promoting entrepreneurship?

The second statement I want to request—and it follows on from a question Dawn Bowden raised last week—is on the action being taken to monitor the progress made in cases of defective wall cavity insulation in Wales. I have had several complaints, as a constituency Member, about this. I know that other Members have, and I’m sure most Members who I’ve talked to—. Or I know most Members I’ve talked to have, and I can see no reason why almost all Members here will not have had those problems, and it does have a serious effect on those who are being affected by it. So, can I ask for a Government statement on the size of the problem and what they see as a way out of it? And I also know the problems that exist when the Government made the decision, instead of having one insurance company, they put it out to competition—a word that always makes me shiver—and the fact that it makes life very difficult, then, to find out who is responsible.

I thank Mike Hedges for those two questions. In terms of your first question, of course Wales’s universities are already, and indeed benefit from best practice such as the examples you give—Aarhus in Denmark and Mannheim in Germany. Of course, one of the ways that it does this is by fully engaging, as West Wales and the Valleys, with EU programmes like Manumix, and that encourages the sharing of best practice in the advanced manufacturing sector. But I would follow on from a question to, and a response by, the First Minister earlier on this afternoon, that, if the proposed tidal lagoon at Swansea is approved, which I know, across this Chamber, we all want and expect, it would present a golden opportunity for Swansea to seize national leadership on tidal lagoon research, technology, commercialisation, and supply chains, as Aarhus in Denmark has done with wind energy.

On your second question, it is important to report that the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs has agreed changes to the competent person scheme requirements to help ensure insulation is not installed to unsuitable properties from 1 October. For existing installations, officials will be meeting with the main guarantee provider, the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency, to discuss progress in resolving outstanding claims.

Can we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Transport on the obligations on local authorities to maintain safe highways and install traffic calming? Residents in the Pant Ddu Road area of Crumlin are working hard, and have been for many years, to secure traffic calming in their area. There’s been a doubling in the volume of traffic and the average speeds are now exceeding thresholds that I understand are needed for action in terms of the installation of traffic-calming measures. But it has been insinuated by the local authority that personal injury incidents or worse have to occur before criteria are met. So, can we have clarification on what the national guidance is for local authorities in terms of determining how an area can reach a criteria for traffic-calming measures before someone is hurt or worse?

Well, I’m sure many Members will agree with Steffan Lewis about these pressures that are being put on our local communities—particularly, of course, you refer to Crumlin in your area. The Cabinet Secretary, I’m sure, would want to clarify the lines of responsibility in terms of local authorities, also, the criteria in terms of our road safety grant schemes, which, of course, local authorities can apply for, and we allocate as a Welsh Government. So, I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary would be happy to clarify and share that with all Members.

Further to my cross-party statement, I wish to request a statement to this place on the status of music support services across Wales, the availability to Wales’s school pupils of affordable access to instrumental tuition and orchestral access, and the proposed benefit to Wales of a new national music performance strategy for Wales.

I think we’re very well aware of Rhianon Passmore’s support and advocacy for this, in terms of access and opportunities for music education in our schools, and I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary will be updating in due course.

Could I ask for two statements from the Government? First of all, I’m sure, like me, business manager, you were really excited to hear John McDonnell promise to bring back private finance initiative in house, bringing it back home. So, could we have a Government statement about bringing home Welsh PFI, the cost to the Welsh taxpayer of doing that, and the policy of Welsh Government to bring back PFI payments in house? Because you don’t need to wait to elect a UK Labour Government; you can do it now, here in Cardiff Bay, and you can do it tomorrow. The people, for example in Ceredigion, where we have the first PFI school in Wales built for Penweddig—. It’s a very good school, but it’s very expensive when it comes to certain maintenance aspects of the contract. I’m sure Ceredigion County Council would love to know how you’re going to buy that back and give them the money to improve the education service even better than it is currently in Ceredigion. So, please, a statement on your policy on PFI and when we can expect the Labour Party policy announced over the weekend to be enacted here in Wales.

The second statement I’d like to request from perhaps the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs is—. We heard the interchange between Leanne Wood, the leader of Plaid Cymru, and the First Minister on the extraction of Hinkley C construction mud and the placing of that mud in the Cardiff flats, as I understand it. There’s some controversy as to whether that is radioactive, whether it contains any substances we should be concerned about. Quite simply, a statement from the Government setting out the simple factual way that this application was gone through, who made the decision making, when it was made, and an assurance given that the conclusion of that statement was that no radioactive material is being deposited in Welsh waters—I think that would set everyone’s minds at rest.

Thank you, Simon Thomas.

Diolch yn fawr am y cwestiynau.

On your first question, I think Simon Thomas is very well aware of the Welsh Labour Government plans—taking the lead, I would say, as far as this policy issue is concerned, because successive Welsh Labour Governments have consistently avoided the pitfalls of PFI, as you are aware. As a result of our approach over the last 18 years, I would say, going back to when I was health Minister, liabilities relating to the traditional PFI schemes in Wales are much lower than in other parts of the UK. The annual cost per head of PFI schemes in Wales, around £200, is less than a fifth of the cost per head in the rest of the UK, which is more than £1,000 per person. Obviously, it is about value for money. It’s about the way we are developing. And, of course, we’ve had much scrutiny and engagement with finance committees, current and previous, in developing, for example, the mutual investment model, which the finance Secretary announced on 28 February. That is a new form of public-private partnership, ensuring the delivery of vital public services sooner than capital budgets otherwise permit, in an attempt to reverse UK Government policies of austerity, because, obviously, we need that infrastructure, and we need to be able to finance it.

On your second point, yes, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs will clarify the position to reassure Members in terms of lines of responsibility and the actual situation, not just a report that has come out overnight, which obviously raises matters of great concern to many of us in terms of our constituents and Wales as a whole.

Cabinet Secretary, can I ask for a debate in Government time on the impact of welfare reform on devolved services in Wales? It has been some time since we’ve debated this issue here. As you’re aware, universal credit had its full service roll-out in Torfaen in July—the second part of Wales to go live on the full service—and already the signs are deeply worrying. The six-week wait for people to have to receive their money—I know very few people who could manage without six weeks’ income—is already resulting in an increased use of the food bank locally, and there are very alarming signs about the level and quality of information being provided by things like the employment and support allowance helpline, the universal credit helpline and Jobcentre Plus. I think it would be very beneficial if we were able to debate these issues and to exert some influence on the UK Government for the impact this is having on our communities and our devolved services.

I’m sure that would be welcomed by Members across the Senedd, because you have the experience as the Member for Torfaen in terms of that pilot introduction of universal credit. I note that Welsh Women’s Aid raised this issue this week in terms of concern about what impact this could have, and we know in terms of domestic abuse and the stresses particularly facing women in that situation—. It is something that I feel we need to then consider ways in which we can update Members and debate these issues as well in terms of impacts.

Cabinet Secretary, could I ask the Minister to make a statement on the Rohingya Muslim refugees from old Burma, now Myanmar? The country has sent tens of thousands of people in an appalling and very desperate situation to neighbouring countries, Bangladesh and India. Only yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon had already approved £120,000 of initial aid to the Rohingya Muslims. These refugees—they are Muslims, Hindus and Christians. So, could you kindly make a statement on that issue? And, secondly, is there any possibility to help them out financially, morally, or to give medical aid to those areas, and for clean water to be given to those people from this side of the world? Thank you.

I think the situation of Myanmar refugees we’re very clearly aware of across this Chamber. Just in terms of our responsibilities, we have an asylum rights programme and we’re very much engaged with the Syrian refugees support as well. But, of course, not having devolved responsibilities for this we can obviously ask these questions of the UK Government, and be ready to provide support—and of course the close relationship that Wales has with Bangladesh as well in terms of these impacts.

Following on from Simon Thomas’s question, could we have a statement by the finance Secretary on the different types of innovative funding that are available for capital projects like the one that is going to be used in the new Velindre hospital in my constituency of Cardiff North? Because as Simon Thomas has said, there’s been a lot of publicity over the weekend about UK Labour’s plan to end PFI projects in England when we get into Government. And I would like to use the opportunity to commend her, as a member of previous Welsh Governments, in avoiding the worst excesses of PFI and leaving us in a much better position than the rest of the UK.

Thank you, Julie Morgan, for enabling me to follow on and enhance the response that I gave to Simon Thomas earlier on. As I said to Simon Thomas, and to Members, particularly on the Finance Committee, of which you were a member in the last session, we spent a lot of time looking at ways, particularly when austerity was kicking in, in which we could, for example, assist local authorities with their borrowing powers. That led to the local government borrowing initiative, which resulted in Welsh Government assisting local authorities on an all-Wales highways environment programme, which actually addressed many of the issues that Steffan Lewis raised earlier on in terms of environmental improvements, but equally supporting, assisting—I have to use my words carefully—registered social landlords in terms of their borrowing powers, but looking at new ways in which we could assist infrastructure developments, not only the twenty-first schools capital programme. Again, this Welsh Labour Government is very proud that we moved into developing a capital programme in partnership with local authorities, in addition to our traditional public capital hospital building programme. But, of course, in terms of Velindre, we then looked at this new mutual investment model. I’ve already touched on that. It has to be a well-designed, well-planned and well-managed partnership that we have to lever in that funding to deliver this pioneering new cancer centre, which you have been very engaged in as the Member for Cardiff North, because we need to provide that new infrastructure for our first-class cancer services. And I know that the finance Secretary will want to update us—and, indeed, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport—on how that is progressing in terms of delivering the new Velindre hospital centre.

I’m looking for a statement on Hinkley Point as well, leader of the Chamber, because last week I asked the Cabinet Secretary for the environment about the dredging of potentially radioactive mud from just outside the Hinkley Point nuclear reactor. She said that she was unable to comment on a specific determination process for granting the licence. Quite frankly, this is unacceptable, and I’m really not sure what to make of what the First Minister said earlier, to be frank. An environmental impact assessment has not been carried out. It’s quite simple. People know about this now and they’re outraged. This plan of yours has been called the twenty-first century toxic Tryweryn. Now, Wales is not a dumping ground. So, what is your Labour Government going to do to reassure people that there is no risk whatsoever from this material? And will you suspend the licence until a core sample has been undertaken, and not just the surface, but under the surface? I’m sure you’ll agree that the Welsh people have a right to know exactly what is about to be dumped on them.

I did respond to Simon Thomas’s question earlier on, to say that the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs will clarify our position in relation to this question.

Could I first of all begin by echoing Mike Hedges’s call for either a statement, or actually a debate, I think, on the issue of cavity wall insulation? When it’s done well, it can really transform homes for the better. When it’s done poorly—and I suspect probably every Assembly Member in this place will now have instances of poor installation—it is a disaster. I have one constituent from a family of no great means but their only investment is their home. Their home was great, they’d invested a lot of money into it, until they were advised on a Government-backed scheme to actually invest in cavity wall insulation. It has destroyed their house and it has destroyed their family around it and it’s terrible to behold. And it’s not the only one. In a statement by the Cabinet Secretary, which we welcomed, back in June or July, she mentioned that 2,000 claims had been made under the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency’s advice, against 300,000—that’s one in 150. If there were one in 150 cars breaking down, or one in 150 cans of beans rife with mould that you picked up from a supermarket, there’d be an outcry. So, I think we do need this. I’d welcome the opportunity to have a full debate to see how widespread this issue really is—and the simple fact that CIGA are not paying the amount of compensation that goes anywhere near the repair of homes.

Could I also ask for the opportunity for a statement or a debate on the issue of the growing treatments of Botox and other such treatments that sometimes are being carried out in training courses by unqualified, unregistered, unregulated practitioners? And I say this because a GP in my constituency, out of interest, went to attend one of these, and it was in the kitchen of the individual who was carrying out the training while the dog was running around with no proper medical knowledge whatsoever, and they were offering certificates in how to inject Botox into people’s faces.

But, finally, could I ask the simplest one of all? Could I ask the Minister for a statement—and it’s very parochial—on the 17:19 service from Cardiff Central to Maesteg? It is regularly late by over half an hour. Last night, it was late by over 36 minutes leaving. It was the pattern for the rest of the night. It is the service that always falls to bits. Could we have a statement on what the heck is happening there?

Thank you, Huw Irranca-Davies. It’s important that we have that second question in terms of cavity wall insulation so that I can, again, assure Members that the competent person schemes were introduced into the building regulations in 2010 and included the insertion of insulation into cavity walls. These schemes allow installers to install insulation and to self-certify the work complies with the building regulations. The Cabinet Secretary has recently approved proposals to strengthen the requirements we place on competent person schemes to help ensure that only suitable properties are insulated. The new proposals include greater surveillance by the competent person scheme operators, as I’ve said, of their installers to help identify bad practice and non-compliant work, and these are going to be introduced from 1 October.

On your second point, which is very worrying—and you’ve drawn this to our attention today—in terms of what is described as unregulated facial procedures, following Royal Assent in July—this July, 2017—the Welsh Government is now developing the regulations for the new special procedures licensing system, which requires engagement with a wide range of professional practitioner groups to get the right support, guidance and enforcement procedures in place to enable high levels of compliance. We will give local authorities time to bed in these new special procedures in terms of that licensing system before we add any new ones, but over 2,000 practitioners and 900 premises in Wales will need to be reassessed under the requirements of the new licensing system.

You have got the Cabinet Secretary responsible for transport sitting next to me here today in terms of the lateness of the 17:19 from Cardiff to Maesteg, and he says he will ensure that this won’t happen. He is going to meet Arriva in the next month, and he’ll raise it with them, because we take customer satisfaction very seriously, particularly in relation to commuter services at that time of day for those travelling west out of Cardiff.

Following on from questions asked earlier about the impact of major events in Wales, we have a Welsh football team to be proud of, we have Welsh football supporters to be proud of, and we have a Welsh football association to be proud of, and its great credit to them all that Wales has been asked to put in a bid to potentially hold Euro 2020 games. Now, could we have a statement on what specifically Welsh Government will do to try to ensure that the Welsh FA is in pole position if the opportunity does arise to host games for Euro 2020?

I know that the Cabinet Secretary will want to update Members on this very important opportunity in terms of the 2020 games and in terms of building on our experience, which was shared earlier on this afternoon, I think it would be appropriate to move to reassure and update Members accordingly.

Leader of the house, last night, I actually attended the fantastic performance by National Theatre Wales, which reflected on the crisis and the challenges faced by steelworkers in the time since January 2016 when there was a threat of 750 job losses and then possible closures. Now, I recommend to any Member who’s available to actually see it, and I know that some Members have already seen it. It brings home to us that the challenges they faced and the families faced were difficult at that time and are still difficult. Now, I know the Welsh Government at that point actually created an enterprise zone in Port Talbot to look at the diversification of the economy and to use the advanced manufacturing skills that were there to attract manufacturing businesses into the area. We’ve yet to have an oral statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to talk about the progress on that enterprise zone as to what is being done to attract those manufacturing businesses into the area so that we can use the skills that are abundant in the area and that are there, all ready for people to come in. It’s situated fantastically for that, but we need to see what’s happening with those jobs.

Thank you, David Rees. The National Theatre Wales production—I think it’s called ‘We’re Still Here’—

‘We’re Still Here’.

I’m looking forward to seeing this play myself later in the week. I think you have to go to the station, then you’re taken to the destination for this. National Theatre Wales, I think, we would all recognise is a very, very important institution that we support. But you raised important questions about progress on the enterprise zone, and, of course, in the context of the developing situation, I know that the Cabinet Secretary will want to respond in due course. Also, just to recognise the work that you were doing, David Rees, in terms of bringing these issues to attention, and the briefing later on today for all in terms of progress in terms of Tata Steel.

I was wondering if we could have a statement on local government procurement criteria and strategy. I’m asking because I’ve had contact from a furniture company in Port Talbot that bid for contracts with Bridgend County Borough Council. They’ve put furniture in quite a lot of schools across Wales, but they weren’t even allowed to put in a bid to Bridgend County Borough Council, because they said they didn’t have the experience or criteria to be able to do so. Therefore, that contract went to a company in Yorkshire. We took evidence on the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee last week from Mark Drakeford about community benefits, about trying to keep contracts in Wales where possible, and I’m not very happy to hear, for a company that I deem to be specialists, of that work going out of Wales. So, could we have a new statement issued on that community procurement? Do local authorities have a structure that they can follow, or does it change by local authority to local authority, which obviously puts those putting a bid in in a very difficult position?

In response to the Member, I know this will be a matter for Neath Port Talbot council, but, obviously, working in terms of the twenty-first century schools programme with other authorities in many instances. There is, of course, a new code of practice on ethical procurement in Wales, and community benefits are at the forefront and, indeed, ensuring that we have access for local supply chains wherever possible. So I’m sure this is a matter that the Cabinet Secretary would be able to clarify.

I’ve been inspired by Huw Irranca-Davies’s request for something to be done about late trains to ask you, leader of the house, if we could have an update from the Cabinet Secretary on where we are with the awarding of the new Wales and borders franchise, currently of course with Arriva. I think it would be really helpful if we specifically had some information on where we are with the commissioning of new rolling stock. I think, in the past when I’ve raised this with the Minister, and possibly with the First Minister as well, it’s been suggested that the commissioning of new rolling stock would be primarily left until after the first phase of awarding of the franchise. Clearly, that leaves it very late, and I know that we would all want, and the public would want, the new franchise to hit the ground running so that when the company, whether it’s the existing company or whether it’s a new company, takes over the running of that franchise, we really can get off to a fresh start, and passengers and the public can have access to first-class trains and first-class rolling stock at the earliest opportunity.

Thank you to Nick Ramsay for that question. The Cabinet Secretary is making a statement later this week, updating on the franchise and, of course, he will answer those questions, particularly in relation to rolling stock.

Thank you, leader of the house.