The next item on our agenda is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the leader of the house, Julie James. 

Diolch, Llywydd. There are no changes to this week's business. Business for the next three weeks is shown on the business statement and announcement, found among the meeting papers that are available to Members electronically. 

Can I call for two statements, please, from the leader of the house? One on the process that is followed by Ministers in relation to planning inspectorate appeals: I've been contacted by many constituents in the Nantglyn area of Denbighshire, who are concerned about a decision to approve the Pant y Maen wind turbine farm in that locality by Welsh Ministers, against the advice of the planning inspectorate and against local democracy, which, of course, refused the application in the first place. There's been scant explanation, frankly, from Welsh Ministers as to why they allowed this particular development to get the green light, and I think that my constituents are owed an explanation as to precisely why the inspectors' recommendation to Ministers has not been taken forward, and I think shedding some light on this through a statement would be very helpful in supporting them to get a better understanding as to the rationale behind the decision. 

Can I also ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary responsible for food and drink on support for the pub industry? One of the—. Again, another concern that has been raised recently in my constituency surgeries is the method of calculation for business rates for public houses and how this is having a severe impact on the financial viability of some pubs across Wales, particularly because, of course, the business rates are based on projected profits and turnover rather than necessarily the ability of those businesses to pay, or, indeed, the square footage of the premises, which, of course, is the case for further business rates. And I wonder whether we can have some sort of statement on support for pubs to see what else might be available to support those businesses, many of which, of course, are in rural parts of Wales and are struggling to make ends meet. We've seen hundreds of pubs close in recent years around the country, and I do think that it's very important that we throw these pubs a lifeline in order that they can continue to thrive and be the centre of their local communities. Thank you. 

On the first point that Darren Millar raises, I don't think it's at all appropriate to have a statement about an individual planning issue, so I suggest very strongly that he writes and gets the answer that he seeks for his constituents direct from the Minister. 

On the second, I think that support for our traditional Welsh pubs is a very important issue. I was very pleased to see the revival of the cross-party group on support for the pub. I feel obliged to point out to our colleagues in UKIP that I myself have been seen in a pub recently, and not just in coffee shops, as he suggested some women Assembly Members ought to confine themselves to. So, I'd just like to make it plain that I have been known to be seen in a pub, which you'll be astonished by. I think it is a very important point and I'm certainly going to be discussing with my colleague, the Cabinet Secretary, about what we can say about continuing support for our public houses. 

Could I ask for a couple of things from the business manager? First of all, is it possible to have a statement or at least an indication of the timetable of an announcement regarding the ward 10 project in Withybush hospital? This is the project that a young girl called Elly has been fundraising for—Elly's flag appeal. I've done a 90-second statement on her appeal here, and I think a lot of Assembly Members will know about it. My understanding is that the business plan has been presented to Welsh Government by the health board about the refurbishment of this ward. Of course, there have been announcements since about possible consultation around Hywel Dda's services, and I'm very clear that I don't want this particular plan to get lost in that. A decision was expected some time in the new year, so it would be good to hear from the Welsh Government either a statement or an indication of when such an announcement could be made.

Secondly, can I ask for a debate around fracking? We've talked about the powers coming to this Assembly, and, in turn, to the Welsh Government, and the delay in those powers—that's something we'll disagree upon. But the issue of fracking has just come back to the fore because of the release of UK Government papers that suggest that, in fact, fracking is not the panacea for our energy ills that was foreseen. The development of fracking is not, in fact, even expected by the UK Government, which is officially in support of fracking, to develop at the pace that was expected or to fill the energy gap. That just allows us to reconsider how we use our natural resources, which are actually wind, Darren Millar, and other resources—how we best utilise them. And I think perhaps a debate on energy and fracking might be an opportunity for other Members to raise their own individual issues as well. But I think it is timely now that we have a proper look at this, because a number are asking for a real reassessment. Even those who may support the technology are rethinking whether the practicality and the cost of this is available.

And the final thing I'd like to ask about is a debate, if we may—we've talked about Brexit today, but I think we need to talk about Brexit and fishing in particular. Fishing is the one area where, as a great remainer, I would say that the European Union didn't always get it right, I have to say. So, I'm quite happy to have a debate around that, and particularly to think afresh about what can we do in Wales with an inshore fishing fleet and a very strong shellfish industry here—about 90 per cent of our fish catch is actually shellfish. The Public Policy Institute for Wales has produced a report on fishing and Brexit. I think that would be a good basis for a Government debate, in Government time, on fishing, and the possibilities and the ability to perhaps, in an environmentally sound way, but also in a way that supports our sea communities, to try and work new ways of supporting the fishing industry and seeing the development of that industry in a sustainable way. I think several Members would take an active interest in such a debate.

Well, thank you for those three important issues. The Cabinet Secretary for Health was listening very carefully to what you had to say about the ward 10 debate, and I think he took your point on board about it not being lost in the general thing. So, I think he'll be taking that on board when he reports back to the Assembly in due course.

In terms of fracking, I share the Member's assessment that fracking is not the panacea for all ills. This Government has made it quite clear that we are very concerned about the fracking direction of travel—is that the right way of putting it—that's pertained elsewhere in the UK. And I was very relieved to see that the UK Government had come to what I would consider to be some part of its senses in taking energy policy in a slightly different direction. My colleague, the Cabinet Secretary, has recently announced a consultation on 'Planning Policy Wales' in general, and I know that she will be bringing back a series of updates to this Assembly when the consultation is finished, and so on. And I'll make sure that she takes into account the energy issues that are inherent in that review, as the Member suggested, because I do think it's a very important issue.

In terms of the Brexit and fishing debate, I don't know if he can remember, but I cast my mind back to my time, in the fourth Assembly, on the environment committee—I think he and I were on the same trip looking at the fishing industry. And I was very impressed, even all the way back then, before we even knew about any kind of Brexit, at how fragile the inshore fishing fleet was, and actually how sustainable it is and how important it is to Wales that we do maintain it. There was a very interesting point on the radio this morning about some of the fishermen, and the plight of the—the issue with the quotas, and so on. So, again, I'll make sure—we have a large number of arrangements, Llywydd, for reporting Brexit issues back to the Chamber already, so I don't think introducing another is appropriate, but I will make sure that fishing features as one of the reports in the future.

Can I request two Government statements, the first a Government statement on financial transaction capital, including rules for its spending and for its paying back? There is public confusion over the use of this money, and a statement will clarify how it can be used and, more importantly, where it cannot be used, because there seems to be a general belief that it is just the same as other capital and can be used for building schools and building hospitals, when that is certainly not the case.

Secondly, a Government statement on support for British sign language and promoting training in its use and Government support for increasing its use by the deaf and non-deaf communities—as you probably remember, you and I were at a meeting, along with Rebecca Evans, with Deffo!, an organisation in Swansea that represents people in the deaf community who use sign language, and they did raise a number of points about making it—it's the third language of Wales—more accessible and providing more support for it and treating it as a much more serious and important language than it currently is.

Yes, thank you for those. It's a very, very important point. I'll do those in reverse, if the Member doesn't mind. On British sign language, we were at a very important meeting, the three of us, and I was very impressed by the strength of feeling there about the lack of opportunity and straight discrimination that some families were facing in their attempts to get proper access to British sign language—for example, in doctors' appointments and so on, and also just general access to education. So, I'm going to be taking that forward with my colleague, the Cabinet Secretary for Education. We are currently looking at a whole series of issues around adult learning, for example, and the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill and so on. So, I will certainly be taking that forward. But I will also undertake to bring a statement back in my own portfolio under my equalities hat, saying, across the Government as a whole, what we're doing for BSL and what we can do to improve it. So, I'll certainly be very happy to say that I'll do that.

The Member also asked a very important—and, I hasten to say, a very technical—question about financial transactions capital, which, Llywydd, you'll be amazed to discover I don't consider myself to be any kind of expert in. I know that my Cabinet colleague has expressed his disappointment that our capital spending has been fettered in this way, but the Welsh Government has, I know, made good use of the financial transactions capital despite the restrictions. I know that he, though, has expressed forcibly to the UK Government that we don't see why we should be fettered in this way, and I'm sure he will be taking the opportunity to do so as those discussions continue into the future.

Could I call for single statement, please, on services for people in Wales with dystonia, a neurological condition that can affect any part of the body? Responding to the health Secretary's statement last September here on the Welsh Government's neurological conditions delivery plan, I noted that the number of people living with the condition had doubled in Wales to 5,000 since the plan started in 2014, and, despite that growth in demand, especially for Botox injections, there'd been no plan to make the treatment of dystonia sustainable in Wales. The health Secretary responded by saying he recognised the real concerns and he'd arranged for contact to take place with Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board. Well, this weekend, we saw BBC Wales coverage of dystonia patients in Cardiff being distressed over cancelled Botox clinics, and the founder of Dystonia Cymru, Graham Findlay, saying a perfect storm is brewing over mass cancellation of appointments.

We also saw coverage by BBC Wales of Ann Pierce-Jones from Gwynedd saying very much the same in terms of north Wales. When I represented her last year, she raised with me concerns regarding services for people who suffer with cervical dystonia, or torticollis, in north Wales and said it's clear patients, including herself, are not receiving regular treatment and a standard of care to enable them to potentially have a better quality of life, and the lack of support and regular treatment affected her life in a really negative—and need I say painful—manner. Given that the health Secretary made the response last September but these concerns are being raised this weekend on BBC Wales, I would more than welcome—I would urge—the Welsh Government to respond to the concerns being expressed by people with dystonia in north and south Wales and provide a statement accordingly.

Thank you for raising that very important point. The Cabinet Secretary is indicating to me that he'll write to Members, setting out what our policy on treating dystonia actually is, and the Member, I'm sure, will be taking it up further from there.

Leader of the house, I'd like to follow up on a response that you gave me last week in talking about the traffic flow and safety problems on the M4 around Swansea. Now, in the last week alone, another five accidents occurred on this section of the M4, with four individuals being hospitalised and one having to be cut out of his car by the emergency services. Last week, you responded by saying that the Cabinet Secretary was looking at a variety of options and that he would update the Chamber on the issue. Following the increasing number of accidents, it’s obvious that we need to take action more quickly. So, please can you give me confirmation of when exactly we’ll have an opportunity to debate this in the Chamber? Thank you. 

I share Dai Lloyd's concern about that stretch of the M4. I drive there very frequently myself, and there are clearly issues. As I said to the Chamber when he raised it last week—it's no less important this time—I will be making sure that the Cabinet Secretary does update the Chamber. I'm afraid I don't have an exact answer, but I will be impressing upon him the urgency of the situation.

Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on the Welsh Government decision to reject EMIS, the clinical system that provides integrated healthcare and is used by half of Welsh GP surgeries? Concerns have been raised with me that the practices have not been consulted or given a reason for this decision, other than that EMIS 'failed to reach standards'. That is the quote. Forcing GP surgeries to change their clinical system will cause considerable disruption and add to the already immense pressure they are experiencing at the moment in Wales. Could we have a statement on this issue that addresses the concerns of GP surgeries in Wales, please?

Thank you for raising that. The Cabinet Secretary has addressed this a number of times already in the Chamber. I'm sure, if the Member has very specific issues he wants to raise about it, he can raise them individually. I've also, with my digital portfolio, had a long conversation with him about the best way forward for this, and I'm in fact attending a meeting later this week about it. But if you have very specific issues, I suggest you raise them individually. 

There were two issues I wanted to raise with the leader of the house. First of all, it's once again the public inquiry into contaminated blood, and I think that the appointment of Mr Justice Langstaff has been welcomed by the families affected and by other Members of the community. I'm very pleased that the Westminster Government has really responded to the calls of the haemophilia society in Wales and to us Members that we have a full public inquiry headed by a senior judge. So, that's great progress, but, obviously, it's taken a long time to get here. But the next question, really, is how will the voices of people from Wales be heard during the process of this inquiry, and I wondered if it would be possible to have an update about anything that the Government can do to ensure that this will happen.

And the second one is about the introduction of universal credit and the problems that this is going to have for tenants in particular. I've only recently become aware that the new system will mean that an arrears payment rate could be fixed at 20 per cent of the claimant's total personal allowance, without any consultation at all with the tenants. So, I wondered if it would be possible to have a debate about this with the housing Minister to see if we could address this particular issue.

On the first one, I think we all very much welcome the moving forward of the inquiry, and I want to pay tribute to Julie Morgan for her tireless campaigning in this regard for her constituents, and we're all very relieved that a senior judge has been appointed and that the inquiry is going to go forward. The Cabinet Secretary is indicating to me—. He's reminding, me, in fact, of something I ought to know, which is that he's making a statement on this the week we're back after the half term recess, so it's very imminent.

In terms of universal credit, I think there are a large number of issues about the universal credit roll-out that are alarming. I myself met with a jobcentre in Swansea last Friday and was really alarmed at some of the stories I was hearing. So, I think it's a little bit of a wider issue. I think we'll have a discussion with Cabinet colleagues about bringing a debate forward on that, because I think there is a much wider issue than just the housing issue, but the Member was right to raise it.

Thank you, leader of the house.