3. What proposals does the Welsh Government have for improving public transport in areas that will not be served by the south Wales metro? OAQ52472

The new contract for rail services does include a number of proposals for improvements to public transport in each region of Wales. They include proposals that will accelerate delivery of the north-east Wales metro and also funding to develop a south-west Wales metro as well.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. As you are aware, there are many valleys that are not going to be served by the south Wales metro, including the Afan valley. I've received a petition from residents in the Afan valley concerned about bus services in the Afan valley and the reduction in services. In fact, we have Abergwynfi and Blaengwynfi served every two hours, and so is Glyncorrwg, and you can't even get to Glyncorrwg by bus after 5.15 in the evening. Now, this is going to have an impact upon lives because this is an area where a large proportion of people don't own cars and rely upon public transport. What can the Welsh Government do to ensure that the valley gets equal treatment to the areas that are being served by the metro so that it can have services that will deliver for people there—getting to hospital, getting to appointments, getting to the services that they need to get to?

Well, I can give the Member two assurances. First of all, we are looking at potential legislation to start to regulate bus services again in Wales, because as I've said in this Chamber before, there are many Members in this Chamber who have had complaints brought to them about bus services that we can do nothing about, because the private companies, apart from the subsidised services, can do pretty much as they want. I had unhappy dealings with the transport commissioner, years ago, when that person was based in Birmingham, where not much was done. So, we will have greater control, and we can, obviously, look at sharing that control with local government over the next few years.

Secondly, to re-emphasise the point, the metro is not just about vehicles that run on rails—if I can put it that way—it's about buses as well. And it means, if we're going to have a properly integrated transport system, that the bus services link in, for example, with Port Talbot Parkway station, and that people see that they have a seamless integrated public transport system. Buses are very much a part of that, and buses in the Afan valley will be part of that as well.

Since 2010, spending on bus provision by the Welsh Government has fallen by 20 per cent and the number of registered bus services in Wales continues to fall. This is certainly having an effect right across Wales, but particularly in rural Wales, I'd suggest. So, can I ask, First Minister: what are you doing to solve this crisis in Wales? And do you agree with me that what passengers in Wales want is a cleaner, safer and more reliable, especially, bus network, which is valued and funded properly by the Welsh Government?

You privatised the buses. [Interruption.] Well, not him personally, but his party and said it would be marvellous and that there would be competition. Whereas, in fact, of course, most of what we have now is a private monopoly, and where, in reality, there's no competition at all. 

Secondly, I have to point out to him, when it comes to promises on transport, his own party has a poor record. Where, for example, is the electrification to Swansea that was promised by one Conservative Prime Minister and that promise was then reneged on by another Conservative Prime Minister?

He also fails, again, to point out the effect of austerity as if, since 2010, we have had a tranche of money provided for us every year to spend as we want and we are therefore swimming in notes. We are not. His party has made sure that public spending has been cut across the whole of the UK. But despite those challenges, we have maintained bus service support grant allocations to local authorities, at £25 million per year. It is for each local authority to determine which bus and community transport services to support using that grant. So, if there is a service that should be subsidised, then the first port of call for the Member is his own local authority.   

What assurances can the First Minister give that the new major critical care hospital, the Grange, near Cwmbran will be accessible by public transport for all parts of the Caerphilly constituency by the time the hospital opens?

It won't be a service that runs on the rails, if I can put it that way, on light rail or heavy rail, but via buses. It'll be hugely important—we understand the importance of this—that the hospital is served by an efficient and widespread bus network that does connect with wider rail services where people need that. So, yes, public transport and ease of public transport is a hugely important part of planning for the hospital.