The following amendments have been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Darren Millar.

That brings us to the debate on the 'Prosperity for All' annual report and the legislative programme. I call on the First Minister, Carwyn Jones. 

Motion NDM6827 Julie James

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales, in accordance with Standing Order 11.21(ii):

1. Notes the update on the Welsh Government’s priorities as set out in the Prosperity for All Annual Report.

2. Notes the Legislative Programme.

Motion moved.

Thank you, Llywydd. Over the past decade, I have been presenting regular reports on the notable success of this Government in terms of improving prosperity for all. We have never been fearful, of course, of taking the route right for Wales, even if that route is different from the one taken by others, or, indeed, if we are the first to walk that particular route.

Since the Assembly became a full legislature, we've introduced 34 Bills that have become Acts and 18 Government-proposed Measures. We've used these powers to develop a framework for growth and to deliver improvements for the people of Wales. We've led the way in the UK with legislation to introduce the first deemed consent system for organ donation. We're using legislation to protect and promote health, introducing the ban, of course, on smoking in public places in 2007, and most recently to establish a minimum price for alcohol. In the coming year, we'll be bringing forward legislation to establish a duty of quality for the Welsh NHS and a duty of candour for health and social care.

Llywydd, our violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence legislation was the first of its kind in the UK and will improve how we respond to and tackle these issues. We've also taken the lead in protecting children's rights in the landmark Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, and we'll continue to act to protect children and children's rights with the introduction of a Bill to remove the defence of reasonable punishment prohibiting the use of physical punishment.

Llywydd, we passed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which is not only internationally acclaimed, but also provides the basis on which we can invest in the long-term interests of Wales. Of course, none of this is a solo endeavour, and I want to pay testament today to the hard work and scrutiny of the Assembly and its committees. Scrutiny is not always comfortable, but without a doubt, it has made our legislation stronger and better.

Llywydd, April of this year marked the introduction of the first Welsh taxes for almost 800 years—land transaction tax and landfill disposals tax. The ability to raise taxes gives us new levers to deliver our ambitions for Wales and will strive to deliver an approach to Welsh taxation that is transparent and fair and that meets the needs of the people, businesses and communities of Wales. Our focus on delivering improvements for the people of Wales continues. Our economy has improved over the last 20 years, with the unemployment rate for the three months from May to July 2018 standing at 3.8 per cent compared to 7 per cent in 1999.

We've seen long-term and sustained improvement in educational attainment. The percentage of pupils leaving primary school with at least the expected level in maths, science and either English or Welsh has significantly increased and it stands at 90 per cent. For the first time in a decade, the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training fell below 10 per cent. Our approach is paying dividends.

Llywydd, we've also taken a more integrated view of a sustainable health service. We not only recognise but act on the fact that there is more to health and well-being than treating illness. We've maintained our investment in social care and taken steps to influence the wider factors that affect health and well-being. Spending on health and social care per head is higher in Wales than in England and has been increasing at a faster rate too.

Llywydd, last September, we published the first cross-cutting national strategy for Wales, 'Prosperity for All: the national strategy'. This sets out our ambitious programme for government and our priorities for delivering for the people of Wales. It drew on the opportunities of the well-being of future generations Act to think about how we deliver for Wales and how we can better work with all of our partners, using every lever available to us. The strategy set a long-term aim for a Wales that is prosperous and secure, healthy and active, ambitious and learning, and united and connected. It set out the actions that we will take during this Assembly term. From the outset, we identified five priority areas where we could make the greatest contribution to long-term prosperity and well-being. They reflect the times in people's lives when they may be most in need of support and when the right help can have a dramatic effect on their lives. These are: early years, housing, social care, mental health and employability and skills.

As we assessed our progress, it was clear that we were delivering the actions to help reduce emissions, however, if we want to meet our ambitions, then we need to increase our focus across the whole of Government. The benefits of reducing emissions are great and contribute to many of our priorities, such as improving health and well-being and, of course, the opening up of new economic opportunities. And so, we've decided to make decarbonisation the sixth priority area. 

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

Dirprwy Lywydd, we are committed to delivering tangible improvements for the people of Wales now, but also by laying the foundations for the future. I published an annual report last Tuesday setting out the progress we've made in delivering commitments towards our long-term objectives. We have wholly delivered, for example, two major commitments. First of all, the £80 million new treatment fund, ensuring everyone in Wales can have the same fast access to new drugs and treatments. And also our high-street rates relief scheme, which has delivered tax cuts for small businesses right across Wales.

And we are on track with our other major commitments: 16,000 people have started in our flagship all-age apprenticeship programme in the last academic year alone. We've already increased to £40,000 the amount of money people can keep before they have to fund the full cost of their residential care. We've extended the number of places where working parents can access 30 hours of free childcare for their three and four-year-olds, with more than half of local authorities now covered by our pilots, and the Childcare Funding (Wales) Bill currently before the Assembly will support delivery of our childcare offer. We've continued as well to prioritise school spending, and we're on track to invest £100 million on improving our schools' performance, alongside planned reforms to the curriculum.

Dirprwy Lywydd, this year saw the introduction of a new economic contract, a crucial element of our plans for a prosperous and secure Wales. We're streamlining funding for businesses and investing in their future. In return, we expect them to play their full part in spreading prosperity, adopting the best employment practices, investing in their staff, and planning for a sustainable future, because we want to support high-quality, well-paid jobs. The employability action plan sets out, for example, how we will invest in people, how we will help people to access jobs, and how we equip them with the skills to progress. We're reforming how we fund post-16 education so that it's more responsive to the needs of the economy and reflects regional priorities. 

We're committed to a modern and sustainable health service, 70 years after its establishment. We know that people's expectations and needs of the NHS have changed. In 'A Healthier Wales', we've set out how we will further integrate social care and health, putting a preventative approach at the heart of our services, and we're backing this up with a £1 million transformation fund. We're investing in measures to help people stay healthy and active through our £5 million healthy and active fund, and our clean air Wales programme reflects a cross-Government approach, alongside a new £20 million air quality fund, which will help to improve air quality.

Llywydd, we've continued to invest in school improvements and in a modern education estate through our £1.4 billion twenty-first century schools programme. This year, we completed the one-hundredth project. An investment in school buildings goes hand in hand with our investment in the teaching profession, through the National Academy for Educational Leadership and our changes to the curriculum. Working hand in hand with teachers, we're developing an education system that will meet the nation's needs. A lifelong engagement with learning should be available to everyone, and we're investing to close the attainment gap through an expanded pupil deprivation package—the most generous in the UK—and that's helped to remove financial barriers, and it provides support for part-time and postgraduate students, opening up new opportunities.

We're connecting communities to one another, investing in infrastructure projects the length and breadth of Wales. This year saw Transport for Wales award the £5 billion Wales and borders rail service contract, driving improvements in rail services and paving the way for the south Wales metro. And the Superfast Cymru project has been completed, and has provided 733,000 premises across Wales with access to fast fibre broadband.

Over the past year, we have laid the foundations to reach our target of 1 million Welsh speakers—Cymraeg 2050. I hope to be around to see the realisation of that target, although not particularly in this job. We've awarded £4.2 million to organisations across Wales to promote Welsh as a living vibrant language.

Llywydd, we know that strong local government is essential to the effective delivery of good-quality integrated public services, and a Bill on local government will be introduced in the coming year to deliver a major package of reforms, aimed at reforming and strengthening local authority democracy, accountability and performance.

Dirprwy Lywydd, we have delivered all of these improvements despite a decade of cuts inflicted by the UK Government, but we've not allowed this to be the defining feature of this Government, because we know that austerity continues to affect the lives of people in Wales, and they need our support more than ever. We are now preparing ourselves for the reality of a future outside the EU. Whatever the form of Brexit, there will be disruption, and we must continue to plan for all possible outcomes. This work inevitably impacts on our legislative programme, and across the business of Government, but our priority continues to be to fight for the best outcome for Wales, because Wales remains a great place to invest and work in—a message that is at the heart of the economic action plan.

So, Dirprwy Lywydd, this Government is delivering for all parts of Wales, driving forward our challenging agenda. We are delivering improvements that directly impact on people's lives, and laying the firm foundations for the benefit of future generations.

I have selected the amendment to the motion, and I call on Paul Davies to move the amendment, tabled in the name of Darren Millar.

Amendment 1—Darren Millar

Add as new point at end of motion:

Regrets that the Welsh Government’s Prosperity for All annual report and its legislative programme do not address some of the long-standing issues facing the people of Wales.

Amendment 1 moved.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to move the amendment tabled in the name of Darren Millar.

It remains the view of Members on this side of the Chamber that the Welsh Government has had sufficient time to introduce a programme that enhances the lives of the people of Wales, but, sadly, the Welsh Government's legislative programme simply hasn't done enough to address some of the long-standing issues facing the people of Wales. It's also deeply concerning that the Welsh Government has refused to do more to support legislative campaigns from outside its own camp in this Assembly. Indeed, I know from my own personal experience just how tribal and difficult it can be to get support for primary legislation, even when that legislation can make a real difference to people's lives in Wales. Therefore, I hope that, in responding to this debate, the First Minister will reflect on the Welsh Government's approach to legislative proposals, and why, particularly in this Assembly, the Government has been reluctant to support calls made from outside of its own Government.

Now, the First Minister has made it clear that the Welsh Government is committed to bringing forward legislation to impose a duty of quality for the NHS in Wales, and a duty of candour for health and social care. Indeed, the ongoing events at Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board have shown that accountability is seriously failing in our health service. And the recent announcement to downgrade hospitals in west Wales without guaranteeing funding for a hospital specifically demonstrates the lack of transparency and accountability of some health boards, and that desperately needs to be addressed. It's absolutely crucial that any legislation coming forward strengthens the patient's voice for the future. So, perhaps, in responding to this debate, the First Minister could tell us a little more about the timescales that his Government are currently looking at in terms of delivering this legislation, and how this legislation will impact any of the decisions made by health boards recently that have clearly gone against the will of the people that they actually represent.

Now, the 'Prosperity for All' annual report indicates that a local government Bill will be introduced that will include the reform of local authority electoral arrangements and changes to the governance and performance arrangements for local government, amongst other proposals. The Welsh Government has made it clear that at the heart of this Bill is the issue of one of empowerment of local councils. And he knows the views of Members on this side of the Chamber, that creating bigger authorities does not mean that they will be better authorities. Given that the Cabinet Secretary has confirmed that he will be jointly developing solutions with local authorities, I hope that we can now forget the supersized structure that keeps being threatened every few years.

Now, the 'Prosperity for All' document notes that the Welsh Government has 'delivered sustained improvements in educational attainment', which I believe is completely at odds with the most recent A* to C GCSE results in Wales, which we know are the lowest since 2005. Estyn has identified that educational attainment gaps have not narrowed for pupils in receipt of free school meals, and we also know that Estyn has found shortcomings in a third of primary schools, and three out of five secondary schools, in the way that they ensure pupils use and develop numeracy skills. So, perhaps the First Minister could tell us where sustained improvements have taken place in educational attainment, because this simply doesn't appear to be the case.

Dirprwy Lywydd, there is also a significant disconnect between the objectives of 'Prosperity for All', the Welsh Government's legislative programme, and the draft budget for 2019-20. The idea of delivering more integration, more preventative services, and delivering public services fit for the future, is significantly undermined by further cuts to the local authority spending, real-term cuts to capital budgets in health, and further amalgamation of key budget lines, which further hinders transparency in spending. Sadly, we're still no further forward in understanding how the Welsh Government is tackling the lack of accuracy and reliability of estimated costs provided by the Welsh Government in the regulatory impact assessments accompanying legislation. So, again, some further guidance on this issue would also be welcome.

It's also important that the Welsh Government ascertains exactly how any costs identified in the regulatory impact assessments will be funded, and perhaps there's room for more clarity to be provided by the Welsh Government to committees as legislation moves through the legislative process. Each year, the Assembly passes more and more legislation, and I believe we're at a point where we need to perhaps be more reflective of the legislation previously passed, by giving enough focus on post-legislative scrutiny. And I'd be interested in the First Minister's general view on how legislation from here has been revisited and scrutinised in subsequent years to ensure its effectiveness, and whether he believes there's room for improvement in this particular area. The Government's 'Prosperity for All' document comes with little insight, detail or direction on how any of its objectives will be driven forward, and it's also crucial that any legislation that comes as a result of the 'Prosperity for All' document is meaningful, has a real impact and delivers value for money for the Welsh taxpayer. We, on this side of the Chamber, will continue to constructively engage in the legislative and post-legislative process where we can to see real improvements for the people of Wales. Thank you. 

Prosperity is an important word. We all want a prosperous Wales—prospering economically and socially. We can talk about prosperity in public services, in health and education. I want a Wales that is prospering as a real nation to take its place among the nations of the world. Certainly, we can't take that word 'prosperity' for granted and underplay its importance. But I’m afraid I don’t see that the 'Prosperity for All' programme put forward by the Government faces the scale of the challenges facing Wales, and it certainly doesn’t show the ambition to respond to those challenges.

Let's be honest, progress has been limited in the almost 20 years since the inception of devolution. I can give you numerous examples: Welsh gross value added is down, lower than it was at the beginning of devolution; we are losing our young people, their skills and knowledge. In the summer of 2017, a report by the Resolution Foundation showed that Wales had seen a net loss of over 20,000 graduates between 2013 and 2016. On the environment, the Welsh Government will not reach its target to reduce carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2020. The latest figures show that emissions in Wales three years ago were only 19 per cent lower than they were in 1990. Across the UK, emissions have reduced by 27 per cent over the same period.

If we look at the First Minister’s legislative statement in July of last year, it’s more notable for what isn't included than what is: no clean air Act for Wales to tackle the public health crisis of air pollution, which is causing 2,000 early deaths every year in Wales, and no legislation to establish an energy company that could push renewable projects and even the Swansea bay tidal lagoon.

The legislative programme made reference to the First Minister’s legacy, talking about the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the active travel legislation. What’s the purpose of legislation if it doesn’t lead to a change in the way that things are done and to improvements in people’s lives? Almost five years since the passing of the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013, active travel rates are still the same and fewer children are walking or cycling to school. Expenditure of some £10 per head per year is far less than the £17 to £20 per head that was recommended by the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee.

Where's the progress in terms of tackling climate change, air pollution and plastic waste? Rather than waiting for the Conservative Government of the UK to take this issue seriously, Plaid Cymru would take the reins ourselves and introduce a clean air Act for Wales. We would aim to scrap the sale of petrol- and diesel-only cars by 2030, as a number of other nations are doing, which is a far more ambitious target than has been set by the UK Government. We would introduce a deposit-return scheme and a levy on single-use plastics to deal with excessive plastic waste. In the words of the Marine Conservation Society:

'if we don't change things, by 2050 we could have more plastic than fish (by weight) in the sea'. 

In terms of improving educational outcomes and giving children from all backgrounds the best start in life, the Government's free childcare offer will actually increase the gap in school readiness between children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and the most prosperous. Families earning up to £200,000 per year will benefit from free childcare for every child between three and four years old, but the parents of children who are seeking work or are in education or training won't benefit from this offer. An inclusive offer, as Plaid Cymru has suggested, would enable parents to return to the workplace, as well as giving the best possible start to every child. 

I will conclude with Brexit and the impact on agriculture. We are still waiting for the Welsh Government to introduce legislation to safeguard our environment, farms and fisheries rather than choosing to give powers back to London. And, rather than following the Michael Gove route, a Plaid Cymru Government would maintain the basic farm payment to farmers, because we believe that that direct payment is needed by farmers in Wales. We must realise and understand the needs of Welsh farmers and not look at what is happening over the border. The Welsh Government's plans as noted in 'Brexit and our land' include scrapping payments gradually from 2020, and, as the FUW says, that will mean the greatest change since the second world war in agriculture in Wales.

To conclude, Llywydd, securing prosperity for Wales is something that should be driving all of us. I'm afraid that we are still waiting for the Labour Government and the Liberal Democrats here to deliver a programme that can provide real hope for our communities.  

Julie Morgan.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, for calling me to speak in this very important debate, which looks at how we're faring in Wales and looks at the legislative programme. I'd like to congratulate the Government on the progress that has been made. I'd like to focus on a couple of issues.

Housing is one of the biggest issues I deal with in my constituency office, and I'm sure that is true of many of the Assembly Members here. Having a secure home is one of the fundamental building blocks in society and I know that the Welsh Government has done a lot of work in this area. I particularly welcome the fact that we have ended the right to buy this year—in January this year—which will keep the much-depleted stock of council housing for those who need it most. I think that was a very bold, progressive measure for the Government to take, and I hope that it will result in more of the stock remaining now in local authorities' hands.

I also welcome the efforts to prevent homelessness, and I note that the annual report says that more than 16,000 households in Wales have successfully been prevented from becoming homeless. I know this legislation has been much admired in other parts of the UK and has been adopted in some, because putting a duty on local authorities to prevent people becoming homeless, I think is obviously the key—to get in there before it becomes too late.

One cause of homelessness is the insecurity of tenure for tenants in the private rented sector, and I know that the Government is discussing getting rid of section 21, the so-called no-fault evictions clause. I think it's very important that the Government does press ahead with this because rented accommodation was where we used to expect students and maybe young people in their first jobs to live, but now it has in many cases become the place for families with children and for older people and disabled people to live. In fact, there are 460,000 people in Wales living in the private rental sector, and obviously I think that we as a Government must make sure that they should not be in constant fear of being evicted without good reason. There's also evidence that section 21 disproportionately impacts on women, who are more likely to have dependent children and who will be experiencing in some cases poor housing conditions, and also fear revenge eviction if they complain. I know that the Government has tackled that particular issue.

So, I hope, as I say, that the Government will press ahead to get rid of no-fault evictions, because as things stand at the moment families can be evicted after six months, with a consequent disruption to family life and children's schooling. I also welcome the target to provide 20,000 more affordable homes over this Assembly term, and I'm very pleased that Cardiff council is building the first council houses in a generation to help tackle the waiting list in Cardiff, which is nearly 8,000 people.

However, I do think it's very important that we make sure that these new houses are built sustainably. SPECIFIC, which is based at Swansea University, came—I think it was last week—to the Assembly to tell us about the provision of active buildings, which use solar energy that is integrated into the building and storage technologies to provide heat, power and transport at the point of use. So we do now have the technology to build energy positive buildings, and I believe that all buildings built in Wales that are publicly funded should be active buildings. So, it's huge progress that these technologies have been developed here, and I do believe that we should ensure that all public buildings should be active buildings.

I'd, finally, like to turn to children's rights and I welcome the progress on children's rights that's been made in Wales. I think Wales has led the way, really, on children's rights, appointing the first children's commissioner in the UK, having school councils in school, passing the rights of children and young persons Measure, which means that we should be considering children in all the legislation that we plan. And I'd also like to welcome the progress that is due to be made on the issue of the legislation to prohibit the use of physical punishment of children. As the First Minister knows, this is something I've campaigned on for many years, but I'm very pleased that this Assembly, this Government, is now planning to actually bring this to fruition.

Well, it would be surprising if any Government didn't have anything to boast about as a result of 12 years of activity, and I acknowledge that there's been progress on numerous fronts in the course of the last year. Obviously, we all welcome such things as the new treatment fund, the tax cuts that have taken place for small businesses and so on, which are laid out in the foreword to this document, which has a charming photograph of an unhirsute First Minister.

And I certainly would be churlish not to commend the leader of the house for her efforts in relation to the extending of broadband coverage and so on in Wales. Whatever remains yet to be done, significant progress has been made in the last 12 months.

But beyond that, I said last year that 'Prosperity for All' reminded me of a hymn that I used to sing as a boy at Sunday school, 'Tell me the old, old story,' but this year I think we've moved on, and now it's 'There is a green hill far away'. Adam Price, last year, in his speech on 'Prosperity for All' said that it was 'Taking Wales Forward' on steroids—it had gone up from 15 pages to 27. And, indeed, this year's document—the report has gone up to 32. So, given what Rhun ap Iorwerth said about the Government's failure to meet its recycling target, I suppose when these documents come to be shredded, this may well assist them in that aim.

But the reality of the background to this document, of course, is that Wales is still at the bottom of the heap in the income tables of the regions of England and the nations of the United Kingdom. Although economic growth has been better in the last 12 months than it has been in recent years, and we are closing the gap on the north-east, which is next to the bottom on the table, the progress is painfully slow. Gross value added per head in Wales is still stuck at £19,140 a year, and whereas, 20 years ago, Northern Ireland was lower than Wales, now it is significantly above. So, we've had 20 years of Labour Government in Wales and we've actually gone backwards.

Now, I acknowledge at once, of course, that, despite devolution, there are many of the levers of economic change that are not within the power and control of the Welsh Government, and those remain with the United Kingdom, not least business taxes, which, unlike some in my party, I'm anxious to see devolved to Wales, so that we can change the economic climate in a significant way that will, if used imaginatively, open the way to the attraction of more industries to Wales, making it easier to do business within Wales and to produce in Wales.

That, of course, is not fully available to the Welsh Government at the moment, but the mood of pessimism that the Welsh Government continually pours out, particularly in relation to Brexit, is certainly not calculated to inspire confidence in investors, although we have had success stories, of course, like Aston Martin. I think the Qatar Airways decision to come to Cardiff is going to be a potentially massive boost to Wales, and I acknowledge the role that the First Minister played in that respect as well.

But, nevertheless, it's, in general, I think, a story not so much of success but of failure. If we look at the Barclays entrepreneurial index, Wales has the second lowest number of high-growth companies in the UK at 77. The number of private equity-backed companies in Wales has increased from 40 in last year's research to 50, but that's small progress indeed. The number of companies receiving venture capital funding has increased from 23 last year to 32, but the value of this investment hasn't increased—it's stable year on year at only £9 million. So, there's a lot more that's yet to be done. So, the Government sets the tone, more than anything else at the moment, and I think the tone that is being set is not one that is calculated to attract business to Wales. 

I just want to say one more thing in the short time available to me. The Government has added decarbonisation to its list of desirable objectives, but what's happening in China and India is the opposite. They are putting development before decarbonisation and they are not accepting any limits on carbon emissions because they put economic growth at the top of the table. Wales is the poor relation within the United Kingdom. We should, I think, take the same attitude towards this as the countries that, admittedly, are way down the income scale in world terms, but have made massive progress in recent years in improving the material lives of their people.

Wales is responsible for 0.06 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. Rhun ap Iorwerth was talking about an Act to improve air quality. I'm totally in favour of that, but carbon dioxide is not a pollutant like sulphur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide. So, I think what we need to do, instead of piling costs upon industry that are unnecessary, and exporting jobs as a result and exporting industry, we should put economic growth at the top of our agenda—[Interruption.] I have read the Stern report, but we can't go into that now. The Stern report is political propaganda by somebody who's not a climate scientist. So, what we need to do is to put what matters to ordinary people first, and in Wales, at the bottom of the income scale, we need to improve their standard of living.

I just wanted to take part in this debate to reflect on some of the challenges that are ahead. I have to say I did regret the rather self-congratulatory tone of the First Minister in his opening speech and I don't think it reflected many of the challenges that are still ahead. We know, for example, that the performance of our education system is lagging behind other parts of the UK. That's, of course, partly due to the significant spending gap per pupil between England and Wales, which we've debated and discussed many times. It doesn't matter which organisation you look to, everyone says that there's a funding gap and the outcomes are actually worse. 

We also, of course, don't have a service pupil premium for those children whose parents are in the armed forces here in Wales, which they do in other parts of the UK, and, as a result of that, there are challenges that service children have to face as a result of the difficulty, sometimes, of being posted to different places in the UK with their parents, which has an impact and we can't overcome that. 

Now, there has been some progress. This party has welcomed elements of the future generations Act, and I want to pay tribute, of course, as we have in the past, to the work of the former Cabinet Secretary Carl Sargeant in terms of his work on that front. We also, of course, welcome the childcare funding Bill that is currently making its way through the National Assembly. That's not to say that we won't be tabling some amendments to improve it, but we welcome what it's trying to achieve in terms of encouraging people back into work through the provision of free childcare. 

But what this party will always stand against is a smacking ban, a smacking ban that is not popular in the country at large, that no-one has been clamouring on the doorsteps to ask us to put through in terms of legislation. We've got many bigger things to do in terms of the challenges that our country has to face. So, I urge you, First Minister, to consider the growing evidence that there is out there about opposition to this sort of approach here in Wales.

A ComRes poll back in 2017 suggested that 76 per cent of people in Wales do not think that parental smacking of children should be a criminal offence. Yet, that's precisely, effectively what is going to happen as a result of the legislation that you are bringing forward. Seventy per cent of those questioned were concerned that a smacking ban might flood police and social workers with relatively trivial cases, which would mean that they would struggle to stop the serious abusers of children. Seventy-seven per cent think that it should be the role of parents and guardians to decide whether or not to smack their children, not the state. Sixty-eight per cent of those surveyed said that it's sometimes necessary to smack a naughty child. And, 85 per cent, of course, of adults across the country were smacked by their parents or guardians as a form of discipline. 

The current law is working. It safeguards against abuse, and the defence of reasonable chastisement isn't one that is being used in the courts system. The Crown Prosecution Service said that across England and Wales between 2009-17, there were just three cases reported to them where the defence of reasonable chastisement was actually used. All of those cases—all three of them—emanated from England, there wasn't a single one in Wales, and it suggests to me that the system is therefore proportionate and it is working. 

Now, as far as I'm concerned, there are many more important things that you ought to be focusing on in terms of opportunities for children and young people, in particular, the disgraceful state, I have to say, of the Welsh education system after being run by your party for the best part of 20 years. That's what you need to be getting to grips with, not legislating for something that most parents don't want you to legislate on, and that most members of the public don't want you to legislate on either. It will result in many decent, loving parents being criminalised by a system, and the system being absorbed all the time in focusing their energy on trivial things when the serious abuse that does take place in this country needs to be the focus of social workers, and needs to be the focus of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.  

Thank you. Can I now call the First Minister to reply to the debate—Carwyn Jones? 

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and can I thank Members for their contributions? 

I listened, first, to what the leader of the opposition had to say, and he went through issues where he had criticisms of what the Government has done, and that, of course, is his right as leader of the opposition. But not once did I hear any suggestion of what a Conservative Assembly administration would do. There's no alternative programme for government, there's no, 'You're doing this, but we would do this'. There's no suggestion of—[Interruption.] Yes, of course I will. 

We set out a legislative programme in our manifesto before the last Assembly elections, and in addition to that, of course, my colleague Paul Davies, the leader of the opposition, is bringing forward legislation on autism that your party is opposing. 

Indeed, in our manifesto we had a commitment to removing the defence of reasonable chastisement, which we intend to keep to. But no indication of what a programme for government of a Conservative administration in the Assembly would look like, which is disappointing. 

In terms of legislation outside this Chamber, there's no tribalism involved—we don't see it in that way—but there is a serious issue in terms of capacity, if I'm honest with you. We have a heavy legislative programme. We have Brexit, which will cause us more difficulty in terms of capacity, and it can be difficult to offer support to Bills from outside the Government programme because of that capacity. These are busy times, and it can be difficult to do that. So, there's no question of tribalism here; it's a question of ensuring that we can get our own business through first, which, as a Government, I believe we are entitled to do, and then we'll have to see if there's any spare capacity, taking into account Brexit, to see what can be done for legislation outside Government. So, it's not a political decision, necessarily—it's more to do with what we think we can do without jeopardising our own programme. 

When it comes to health, well, in terms of the Bill itself, there's a White Paper the Member will know has been published. As he will know, we are putting more resources into health, again, as we've done year after year, because we know that health is an area that people will judge us on when it comes to how we perform as a Government. 

He talks of empowerment of local councils. His view is there is no need to restructure local government. There is a need, definitely, to ensure local government works together because he cannot, surely, suggest that the structure of local government in Wales has been marvellous for years. We had six local authorities in special measures for education, we had one local authority that had completely collapsed to the extent that we had to take it over, and his own local authority had real problems in terms of the then chief executive and in terms of its delivery. What I have noticed is that the education consortia have done wonders in terms of ensuring better results in schools, in terms of provision of courses across regions, and that is one of the areas where local authorities have to work together in the future.

Regional planning is another. My colleague here, Hefin David, has made this point many, many times. You cannot, if you're a planning authority, just simply plan for within your own area; you have to work with other local authorities in order to ensure that there is a proper regional plan to deal with housing need.

And, of course, we know that we have provided more support for local government than would be the case in England; that's not to say they've got more money—we know there have been cuts in local government—but it's been far worse in England, with even talk now of the revenue support grant disappearing in England. That is a recipe for rich areas to get richer and for poor areas to get poorer. So, we will work with our local government colleagues to help them through the difficult times that they've had—there's no question about that—and there are difficult times, certainly, ahead.

When it comes to GCSE results, I'd remind you that we introduced this year a more difficult and more rigorous process when it came to GCSEs, making sure that young people tried the exam at the time that was right for them, not right for the school. We made sure that more and more pupils, for example, are taking double science GCSE rather than the BTEC, and all this, we thought, would have a significant effect on results that would push results downwards this year, but that's not what's happened. So, even though more rigour has been introduced to the system, we have seen results, at the very least, stay steady. 

In terms of post-legislative scrutiny, in some ways that's a matter for the Assembly and its committees, but as a Government, of course, we understand the need to review legislation and, of course, we work with the Law Commission to take forward that process to see how we can further improve Welsh law in the future. 

Am I over time, Dirprwy Lywydd? 

You did take an intervention. I shall be generous. 

Very quickly.

With regard to Rhun ap Iorwerth, at least I knew what some of the ideas were that came from Plaid Cymru, in terms of the way ahead, as they saw it. I don’t think that an energy company can solve every problem. With the clean air Act, well, legislation is one thing, but what’s vital is that we act and that’s what we’re doing as a Government.

In terms of the childcare plan, the aim of that is to help working people—that’s what it is. I was in the Rhondda a fortnight ago, and people told me, 'Well, we thought it was only for people with benefits, but I’m only working 18 hours a week and I can’t believe I’ve got free childcare.' So, those people do see great benefit in that scheme.

Very quickly, in terms of what Julie Morgan said, I take the point about the no-fault evictions, that's something to look at. On reasonable punishment of children, well, yes, we'll take that forward. Darren Millar said that the defence hadn't been used in Wales in the last year. Well, what's the point of it then if it's never been used? It will not criminalise parents. Yes, it will create a situation where somebody could potentially be convicted of an offence, but that's the very last resort. I know that the Minister is working with the police, with the Child Prosecution Service and other agencies to make sure that the first port of call is not prosecution. It doesn't happen with other offences of this type, so why should it be for this one? The intention is not to criminalise people at the drop of a hat, it's to help people at the beginning, and if things are not resolved, then ultimately there is the possibility of prosecution. That certainly isn't the way the police or the CPS or indeed ourselves would see it. 

I think I've covered—. Just one thing Neil Hamilton said about China. The Chinese people are not stupid and nor is their Government. They've a real problem with pollution, which is why they're investing so much in renewables. They are under pressure from their own people because of the horrific air quality that they have in some parts of China, and they are very much aware of the work that they need to do in order to clean up their own act. That's something the Chinese are moving forward with and are developing the technology to do even as Britain has gone backwards in terms of developing that technology. Carbon dioxide: it's poisonous, it's a greenhouse gas, that's established. The vast weight of evidence says that, but unfortunately he relies on one or two people who disagree. I know from my previous experience in my previous job, you'll always find one person who is an expert who will have a different view to everybody else. You have to look at the weight of evidence. The weight of evidence is clear: climate change is happening, human beings are affecting it, and it's something we need to do something about across the world. I'm sorry I've rushed, but my time is up. Forgive me, Dirprwy Lywydd.  

Thank you very much. The proposal is to agree amendment 1. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Thank you. You need to be a bit faster than that, I'm afraid. [Laughter.] Therefore we defer voting under this item until voting time. 

Voting deferred until voting time.