The next item, believe it or not, is the business statement and announcement, led by no other than the leader of the house, Julie James, wearing her other hat. Julie James.

Diolch, Llywydd. There are three changes to this week's business. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance will make a statement shortly on the JMC(EN) held last Thursday, and in order to accommodate this, I have postponed the statement updating the Assembly on the UK inquiry on infected blood until 13 March. Finally, the Business Committee has agreed to postpone tomorrow's short debate until next week. Business for the next three weeks is shown on the business statement and announcement, found amongst the meeting papers, which are available to Members electronically.

I have two things I'd like to raise with the leader of the house, if possible. Firstly, I had the pleasure of returning to my old school, Connah's Quay High School, to meet a group of students partaking in the F1 in Schools competition. The competition involves designing and manufacturing carbon dioxide-powered model racing cars using sophisticated computer-aided design software and computer-aided manufacturing techniques. I actually took part in this competition myself, and I'd like to wish all the students from Connah's Quay High School, and all others across the north Wales region, good luck for the regional finals.

Finally, last week I also spoke at the conference held by Deeside Business Forum on the importance of full-fibre digital connectivity. We are promoting north Wales as an especially attractive location for business growth and investment, and as part of our long-term vision to accredit it as the most digitally connected region in the United Kingdom, would it be possible to have a statement during Government time on what the Welsh Government is doing to ensure we implement gigabit-speed full-fibre broadband connectivity across the north Wales region?

The Member makes a very good point. Gigabit services are already widely available today across the UK, Wales and north Wales. Businesses that require gigabit speeds can access them, but of course, they come at a price. There is a real issue with the market price for gigabit services, but unfortunately the Welsh Government is not the controller of that. It's a matter for Ofcom to address those through the market regulation. We are participating in the full-fibre rounds that the UK Government is offering, and I will be able to say something more to the Assembly once we know where that particular competition is going.

In terms of domestic gigabit services, we are, as Jack Sargeant will know, looking at investing in fibre-to-the-premises technology throughout north Wales through the Superfast Cymru scheme and other schemes. And, of course, the successor scheme is currently out to procurement. Llywydd, I'll resist the temptation to go on at great length about that today, as I'm answering oral Assembly questions tomorrow, and I believe a number of those are in relation to broadband schemes.

With questions tomorrow, leader of the house, you're earning your crust this week, in fairness to you. Can I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance around the non-residential land transfer tax? I've had extensive correspondence over the half-term recess, and I know that the Cabinet Secretary has had similar correspondence from the sector in relation to the impact that the tax will have on the commercial attractiveness of Wales as a destination for capital. It is imperative that we do understand exactly how this tax will impact on Wales's ability to attract investment. As I understand it, the sector are pointing out that the evidence that the Government bases its commitment to introduce this tax on is Bangor University's assessment and there was little or no consultation with the sector to ascertain the impact of the tax on the sector. Seventy-nine per cent of inward investment on capital projects that the tax would effect, over the last 10 years, would fall into the increased taxation rate that the Welsh Government is setting. What we've seen in Scotland, with a lower level of tax, is greater inward investment and greater flows of capital into the commercial property market. So, I'd be most grateful if the Cabinet Secretary for Finance could bring forward a statement to outline exactly the levels of consultation that the Government undertook with the sector, importantly, over the impact of this new tax, and what response the Welsh Government has to the very detailed analysis that the sector has put together over the likely impact of being able to attract such valuable capital into Wales to develop new opportunities for properties the length and breadth of Wales.

Well, the Assembly has only just passed the tax regulations. We had a full and frank debate about it at the time. I think that it would be far too early for a statement to be brought forward on regulations that have only just been passed. I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will bring forward a statement once we've had a good period of time for the regulations to show what they do in Wales and we've got some empirical evidence on which to base that statement.

If I could raise two issues with the leader of the house. First of all, I see, from the business statement, that the continuity Bill is to be tabled next week. Now, the new title is very long-winded, but let's call it the continuity Bill, as Steffan Lewis has done in the past. Of course, there will be a statement shortly from the Cabinet Secretary—I understand that. I just wanted to ask you about the Assembly procedures of dealing with this Bill. I think we will, first of all, decide whether we accept it as an emergency Bill, and if we do, we will then adopt it in those terms.

So, can you tell us how long you expect this Bill to be discussed, and how long you expect it to take for a decision to be taken by the Assembly? And will there be any time during that process for committee scrutiny? It appears to me, although I understand that it's an emergency Bill, it has been in the pipeline since the summer, at least, and it would appear to me that we established a particular committee to look at issues around Brexit—not just Brexit, but mainly Brexit—chaired by Dai Rees. Surely, there should be time for this committee to have a look at the Bill and to provide some sort of feedback and to seek people's feedback on the Bill. So, I just wanted confirmation of procedure rather than policy. We'll have an opportunity to question the policy in due time.

The second thing I'd like to ask for is a statement from the Government on the situation of banking in Wales, and particularly banking in rural Wales. This is an issue that's been raised on a number of occasions by Members from all parties in this place, but I'm raising it today as I would like the Welsh Government to look at a Bill being brought forward by my colleague Ben Lake today in the House of Commons. It's a 10-minute rule Bill, which will put in place three important principles, which will be very useful for us to look at in terms of rural banking

The first is looking at how we can change the protocol on access to banking in terms of distance rather than time to access. When you think of rural areas, the distances can be quite short, but the time that it takes to access those services can be much longer, particularly if you are reliant on public transport.

The second principle is that the banking regulators should look at the possibility that different banks could share premises, share equipment and even share staff, if required, of course. We will need a change of regulation to allow that, but you could see how that could be beneficial to many rural towns, and you will be aware that this has happened in the context of mobile telecommunications. So, it is something that we should be open to.

The third principle is the one looking at enhancing the services provided by the Post Office. Often, they can provide excellent services but it's not always appropriate for business banking, particularly businesses that still deal with cash, for example.

So, those three principles in the Bill are worthy of consideration by the Government, and I would like the opportunity to discuss them, and perhaps also to hear from the Government what their view is about this Bill, or anything similar that may improve the situation of banking in Wales.

Those are two very interesting points. The first one on the procedure on the continuity Bill, which I'm also going to call it, because the title is indeed very long and complicated, is that we will be looking to table a motion next week, to get the Assembly to agree that it should be treated as an emergency Bill, and that will also have a debate on the scheduling of that Bill, rather than the merits of it. And, then once the Assembly has agreed the scheduling, then obviously the scheduling goes forward. So, next week, there'll be an opportunity to debate the merits of the various sorts of ways that you can deal with the emergency Bill, and, obviously, in the motion to treat the Bill as an emergency Bill, we will be putting forward the Government's reasons for wanting to do so and the various things. So, I won't reiterate them here, as we're scheduling it for next week, but the Member's quite right: we need to sort out both the Assembly accepting that it should be treated as an emergency Bill, and then what the scheduling of that Bill should be. So, that's a matter for next week.

I wasn't aware of the Ben Lake Bill on banking. That's very interesting. I will make sure that the Cabinet Secretary becomes aware of it. We've had many debates in this Chamber about access to banking and I share all of the concerns that the Member raised. I have to say I don't think it's just rural. My own very urban constituency has all of those problems, including time taken to get to banks, and businesses banking with cash and so on, so I'd be very happy to talk to the Cabinet Secretary about what we might do to look at that Bill and any of the things we might be able to take forward here in the Assembly. 

Last week, I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of university professors and lecturers who are on strike at Cardiff University, which really closed down the university for the last two days of last week. And it's unsurprising really, given that the university's superannuation scheme has been torn up and teaching staff are expecting to see the biggest pay cut they've ever had in their history, because instead of having a pension scheme based on what they pay in, and therefore what they get out, when they retire, they've been told that their pension will be reliant on the vagaries of the stock market. So, it's unsurprising that university staff across 64 universities in the UK are really concerned about this latest watering down of their terms and conditions and the casualisation of much of the workforce in our universities.

Given the importance of universities for the future economy of Wales, our future leaders, our future inventors, our future entrepreneurs, is it possible to ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Education about what, if anything, the Welsh Government can do to ensure that Universities UK gets back around the negotiating table with the unions, given that if the strike goes on for beyond this four weeks, it could actually have an impact on students' ability to sit their exams, so it's extremely serious?

Yes, that's a very serious and important point. We'd very much like to see the university employers and unions negotiating a settlement to this dispute if at all possible. The Welsh Government has made it clear that if needed we're prepared to facilitate that process in Wales, and whatever it takes. The Cabinet Secretary for Education is meeting union leaders and representatives of Universities Wales this week, and I'm sure she'll provide an update during her Assembly questions next week on how that goes.

Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies responsible for all employment matters, and unfortunately, as such, neither the Welsh Ministers nor the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales can play any formal role in what are UK-wide negotiations. But we're continuing to monitor the situation, and any future negotiations that may occur, both on the staff and on the students, and we're very concerned to limit the impacts that affect the reputation or future sustainability of the sector in Wales. The greatest concerns is, of course, the impact on students, but the staff are also a concern for us. So, our fervent hope is that they can get back around the negotiating table as soon as possible and bring a very damaging dispute to an end. 

Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on financial support for apprentices in Wales? The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee has reported that there is substantial evidence that financial barriers are discouraging, and in some cases are preventing young people from taking up apprenticeships across Wales. The committee has called for the Welsh Government to establish a universal grant to cover living costs for apprentices, and a hardship fund for those on the lowest pay levels, or to provide concessionary bus or rail cards. Could we please have a statement on this important issue?

The Member's quite right—apprenticeships in Wales are a very important issue. But I have to point out at this point that one of the biggest issues is the minimum wage regulations that the UK Government impose on apprenticeships, which are very low indeed, and which are a matter of some concern. We are looking to see what we can do to support vocational forms of education through grant schemes, and others, and I'm sure in due course the Minister will bring a paper forward on what can be further done. But there is a big problem around expecting that apprentices are able to live at home with family and don't need to earn even the minimum wage, which we need to address in the UK as a whole in order to be able to maintain our apprenticeships system, even remotely in the situation it is in at the moment.

Leader of the house, can I thank you for your statement in the first instance? And by means of whetting your appetite for tomorrow's questions, can I ask for a progress report on the new roll-out scheme for superfast broadband? I've been consulted in the last couple of weeks by constituents in Llangynwyd, Maesteg, who are stuck with slow broadband. This is affecting their business, their online advertising, payments for goods and service transactions, meaning they are losing customers as the internet drops. So, can I press the leader of the house, with one of her several hats on today, to provide more detail on the process by which different areas will be selected for the new roll-out scheme? And, in particular, when will the superfast broadband get to Llangynwyd? Thank you.

Yes, the Member's quite right, I am answering a series of questions tomorrow—I believe he might be one of them—on this very point. And as soon as we have got full details of the Superfast 2 scheme, I will be announcing it. But just to reiterate my previous point, it will not be a one-size-fits-all, and we are looking to modify it across Wales to suit particular communities. If the Member wants to invite me to a particular community to hear their concerns, and to see whether there's a viable community scheme there, I'd be more than happy to do that.

Leader of the house, can I first of all agree with the comments from Jenny Rathbone? As a member of the University and College union, I totally agree with the statement she made and the comments she expressed. It's critical that we address this matter.

Can I ask for two statements from the Welsh Government? The first one's an easy one. The former Cabinet Secretary for communities and regeneration actually instigated an investigation into NSA Afan back at the beginning of last year. I know that process has not been completed, but it would be good to have an update from the current Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services as to what progress has been made in that inquiry and as to what lessons can be learned from it, because it's important how it now delivers to the communities in Aberafan, because that organisation has been delivering many, many services to many of our vulnerable individuals in that community.

And the second one: can I ask from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport for a statement on steel? We've heard from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, obviously, on the work done on the procurement aspect, but we are now two years down the road since the disastrous comments we had that threatened the steel industry in Wales, yet there are still concerns over the future. There's a joint venture scheme—I had the privilege of being able to talk to the chief executive of Tata Steel UK this morning, to discuss some of those aspects, but it's now important that we discuss the Welsh Government's ability to actually continue supporting the steel industry here in Wales. It was agreed, as part of the deal with Plaid Cymru, about £30 million towards Tata. What progress has been made in delivering that commitment? The £60 million has been identified—£30 million loan, £30 million grant. Where are we with that? It's now, I think, important to understand where the Welsh Government is in working forward with the steel industry to ensure we continue to have a thriving steel industry in Wales.

David Rees makes two very important points, as always. I believe the NSA matter is still a matter for the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, and he's indicating his willingness to keep you informed as the matter progresses.

In terms of steel, of course that's an issue that affects almost every community in Wales, and continues to do so. It's a very important point. I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will be looking to update the whole Assembly as to where we are with the steel industry in Wales, as part of his ongoing plans to keep the Assembly informed, and I'll make sure—. Well, he's here, and he's nodding happily at me, so I'm sure that he'll be doing that in due course.

In November, the Minister for Children and Social Care announced the setting up of a ministerial advisory group to steer delivery of cross-Government support for carers, with a supporting sum of about £95,000 for the project that would deliver a sort of national approach, if you like. That was three months ago, and I'm wondering if I could ask for an update on that, particularly covering the areas of how the group will be chosen, and when they will begin work.

The Cabinet Secretary is indicating he's happy to write to you and keep you informed. 

Okay. Lovely, thank you. 

Further to the comments made previously about the industrial action by the University and College Union regarding the universities' superannuation scheme, which, as we've heard, will leave lecturers' pensions to the whims of the stock market, but according to First Actuarial as well will leave the average lecturer with £200,000 less in pension income, can I say that Plaid Cymru supports the UCU strikes and we certainly support their calls on Universities UK to come up with a better offer? I'm not content with just asking the Government to make a statement. Can I ask: will this Welsh Labour-led Government unequivocally support the UCU strike so that we can all pull together in putting pressure on Universities UK to come up with a better and a fairer deal on their pensions? 

Yes, I think a lot of us have a lot of sympathy with the UCU employees. I understand that the talks broke down on the casting vote of the chair. So, it was hardly a good discussion even at that point. I think we take the firm view that we need to get them back into the negotiating arrangements, to get the vice-chancellors to come to that table with an open mind and to get the very best deal for UCU colleagues that can be got, because it's quite clear that they are the absolute pivot of the world-class universities that we have in Wales and throughout the UK and they clearly ought to be remunerated accordingly.  

Could I ask for a statement on the rising levels of congestion and pollution on the A470, particularly in the Taff Ely area? You'll be aware of the recent reports that actually identify the A470 as the most congested road in Wales, with a travel time of seven miles per hour at peak traffic times. Also, in conjunction with the level of pollution, of course, you'll be aware of the recent judgment that relates to the UK but also has an impact in Wales. And this is a matter that clearly relates also to the issue of the importance of the metro in getting vehicles off our roads but also perhaps in balancing the debate on the importance of dealing with traffic issues and the promotion of the metro as a priority. 

The Member makes an important point. Air quality is a very important matter throughout Wales. We've recently announced the clean air plan for Wales and that will include a clean air zone framework to ensure the consistent and effective implementation of clean air zones by local authorities, improvements to local authority reporting and the establishment of a national air quality assessment monitoring centre for Wales. Air quality is a lot more than just traffic pollution. There are lots of other pollutants in our atmosphere that the clean air plan for Wales will be taking into account and that, of course, includes whole new sections on builds and transport modal shifts and a number of other issues, which the Member highlights and which will be very important as we go forward. 

I'm looking for a statement from the Government on St David's Day, which is coming up this Thursday, and what I think should be happening is that all Assembly employees and all Government employees should be given the day off. I'm giving my staff the day off, so I'm just wondering what the Government makes of that and whether you will make an effort next year. 

Well, I don't think we have any plans at all to make St David's Day a national public holiday, but the First Minister, when he returns from his St David's Day travels, I'm sure will be updating the Assembly on what he's managed to achieve over this St David's Day week. 

Leader of the house, you'll be aware that we're at the start of Fairtrade Fortnight and will you join me in congratulating all those who won awards at the Wales for Africa ceremony recently at the National Museum, including Barry Town Council fair trade group and also the Dinas Powys fair trade group? They were highly commended, the Dinas Powys group, in both the communications and shoestring budget categories, and in fact, in their statement they said that they were able to link up with different parts of their community, always looking at ways to engage with people on fair trade issues and increasing the number of fair trade products in local shops. So, that was my first question.

My second question is: can I also welcome the dignity and respect statement, which was issued by the Llywydd, by all the leaders and Jayne Bryant, as Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee, on 16 February? I'm glad that there'll be engagement with stakeholders. Can you clarify who they will be and how that engagement will take place, and also update us on when we're likely to have a cross-party motion and vote on the statement here in the Senedd?

Yes, taking those in reverse order—both very important points—I believe that the Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee is going to be making a statement next week in the Assembly that will take us forward, and then we can see what needs to be done as a result of her statement, which will take us all up to where we are in terms of that agenda. I'm very much looking forward to hearing what she's got to say on that point.

In terms of fair trade, I'm happy to say that I had a birthday recently, which some of you may not know, on account of my youthful looks, and I received a large number of fair-trade items, which I was delighted by, one of which was a goat, which I believe resides somewhere in Africa, and which I am to receive updates on. So, I was very delighted with that. It's a hugely important agenda, actually, for Wales, and the import of fair-trade goods is one of the main issues for us as we support developing nations across the world by what we are able to use in terms of consumer power. So, I very much support that agenda and I very much welcome the initiative.

And finally, David Melding.

Diolch, Llywydd. Leader of the house, can I ask for a statement on the progress that is being made with the cladding safety tests in high residential buildings in Wales? You may know that, last week, a report to the south Wales fire and rescue authority stated that a hotel and a block of flats in Cardiff had not met, I quote, 'combustibility requirements'. This now brings the total of failed cladding test buildings to 12 since the fatal fire at Grenfell. I'm particularly concerned about the assessment of risk in the private sector, and I think a statement is appropriate because this is a difficult area for the Government, I realise, in terms of your reach in that area. But I do think we should have a statement of progress.

Yes, the Minister's here listening to your very important point, and she's indicating that she's happy to make a statement updating us as to where we are with that important agenda.

Thank you, leader of the house.