The next item, therefore, is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the leader of the house to make the statement. Julie James.

Diolch, Llywydd. There are several changes to this week's business. Later today, the Minister for environment will make a statement on the flood impact of storm Callum; I will make a statement on 'Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living'; and the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care will make a statement on National Adoption Week. These replace statements on a broadband update—which I will deliver next week—and the findings of the independent accelerated programme for amber review, which has been postponed until 6 November. Additionally, the statement on the update on year 2 of the innovative housing programme has been reduced to 30 minutes. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out in the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting paper available to Members electronically.

Leader of the house, can I call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Education on the process by which she determines school closure proposals that have been referred to her by various organisations that are able to do that? She will be aware that there is an outstanding school closure proposal that has been on the Cabinet Secretary's desk—or, certainly, a desk in the Welsh Government—for the past 31 months. It's now five years that there has been uncertainty around this particular school closure proposal for Ysgol Llanbedr in my own constituency in Denbighshire. The first application was forwarded to Ministers and the application was rejected. A second application was then made by Denbighshire to close the school, and it was referred by the Church in Wales back in 2015, and the uncertainty is hanging around this school. Yet in spite of that, the numbers at the school are buoyant, it's entered into a federation arrangement with another local school, and appears to be going from strength to strength and having a great deal of success. But I'm sure that you would agree with me that such uncertainty for such a long time is completely unacceptable, and that this now needs to be determined as a matter of urgency. So, I would appreciate a statement just clarifying the process, and the appropriate timescales, from the Cabinet Secretary for Education.

Can I also call for a statement on access to modern medicines? I met this morning with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust regarding access to some of the more modern medicines, including Orkambi, which has been proven to be significantly effective in alleviating the symptoms and slowing down the progress of cystic fibrosis in as many as 47 per cent of cases. This could benefit around 200 people who are suffering from cystic fibrosis here in Wales, and yet at the moment this drug isn't available, in spite of it being available in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Greece, the United States and Sweden. Clearly this is a modern drug, it's expensive, and I know that we have to safeguard the public purse, but it is making a difference for those people who have access to it, and I think it would be helpful if we could have an update from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on this particular situation, and in particular to give us some light on whether there have been any discussions with Vertex, the manufacturer of this particular drug, the Welsh Government and NHS Wales in terms of making some sort of access available for patients. So, I'd be grateful if I could have those two statements, please.

The second one is already the subject of a question for one of your Conservative colleagues at questions tomorrow, so I'm sure there'll be an opportunity to discuss it with the Cabinet Secretary there. On the school closure issue that you mentioned, the Cabinet Secretary is indicating that she's happy to write to you about it.

Leader of the house, back in May I raised under the business statement the fact that I had received representations from trainee doctors in Wales in the field of histopathology who, for some time now, have faced a pay gap of some £40,000 over the course of their training when compared to their English counterparts. The Welsh Government is aware of the pay gap due to correspondence between myself and the Cabinet Secretary for health on this matter. Indeed, I first raised the matter in a written question back in November 2016, yet two years on the gap persists.

As I've stated previously, pay, among other factors, is clearly important to trainee doctors when deciding on where to train and study. Doctors who decide to train in Wales deserve parity with their counterparts across the border. Trainees have told me that they feel that, by deciding to work in Wales, they are being financially punished for the decision. The situation is not fair, it does nothing for morale and in the long run it undermines the Welsh Government's own attempts to attract doctors to train and work in NHS Wales.

In answering our written question from myself in July of this year, the Cabinet Secretary referred to discussions with BMA Cymru and the Wales Deanery, and that he expected a report on this issue to be ready in September. Could I therefore ask the Cabinet Secretary to bring forward a statement, be it oral or written, setting out clearly the Welsh Government's position on closing this pay gap in histopathology training between Wales and England with a view to bringing this inequity to an end as soon as possible?

The Cabinet Secretary's indicating to me that he's very happy to bring forward a statement on that matter.

Thank you. I wanted to raise the continuing issue of the Windrush scandal. As the leader of the house is probably aware, since the Windrush scandal became public earlier this year, two taskforces have been launched by the Home Office to engage with people affected by the scandal and to help them resolve their status. However, I understand that, despite visiting 52 places in the UK, the taskforce is now finally coming to Wales and, I understand, only after Hilary Brown, the lawyer who has fought many of these immigration cases, protested, and it will only come to two places, Cardiff and Newport. A second compensation taskforce is only coming for one day, so I think there is a great deal of anger, really, that Welsh victims of Windrush are being discarded and treated as a second afterthought. Of course, it does affect us here in the Assembly because it links to some of the services that we provide in this Assembly.

So, I don't know whether the leader of the house has been able to raise this with Home Office officials, or whether she will raise it with Home Office officials. Perhaps we could have a statement from the Government about what is happening with the victims of Windrush here in Wales.

Yes, as it happens, I had the opportunity to meet with the UK Government Minister for Immigration, Caroline Nokes, only yesterday, and this was on the agenda for discussion. She confirmed that the taskforce is coming to Wales, and we had some discussion about what the situation was here in Wales. Only 62 people from Wales, she has confirmed back to me, have accessed the helpline, and whilst we don't know the true scale of the affected community, I personally think, from conversations in the community—and I know Julie Morgan has had similar conversations—that that's only a small fraction of those who are actually affected.

I had quite a robust discussion with the Minister and with my counterpart from Scotland about the situation, and about what information people are expected to produce and how reasonable that is, and what they were testing that against in terms of transparency and reasonableness and all those sorts of things. She assured me that the taskforce was very interested in supporting individuals throughout the whole process, and we had an exchange of views around the fact that the community needed to be thoroughly reassured that the process was there, both to protect their interests and to compensate them for any difficulties that they might have encountered. So, the Minister did assure me of those things, and I look forward to seeing how the taskforce progresses. 

Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on the availability of microprocessor knees on the NHS in Wales? Microprocessor knees, or MPKs, are designed for people who have an amputation above the knee and thus lack the knee joint and lower leg. I was contacted recently by a constituent who had his right leg amputated up to the hip after the lorry he was driving overturned in high winds on the Severn bridge. MPKs have been available on the NHS in England since 2016 and are also provided to eligible amputees in Northern Ireland and Scotland. However, my constituent has been told by his amputation clinic that they are not available in Wales. Leader of the house, can I ask the Cabinet Secretary for his statement on why the life-changing benefits of MPKs are not available to amputees in Wales, please?

I understand that you are already in correspondence with the health Secretary on this matter, and that he's already answered your query.

It has been announced that the public front desk at Caerphilly police station will once again close, meaning that, effectively, Caerphilly town will be left without a police station. That's just a little over a year after it was reopened. The cost of purchasing and refurbishing the station has amounted to £315,000 of public money. And whilst, of course, I accept that policing isn't a devolved matter to the Welsh Government, the Welsh Government does fund police community support officers—nearly 150 in the Gwent force area alone. So, can we have a statement from Welsh Government expressing a view, and even a concern, on the effective loss of a station in a major town, but, crucially, the fact that it will be more difficult for people in Caerphilly to access services that are partly funded by the Welsh Government itself?

I wasn't aware of that. I don't know if he's written to my Cabinet Secretary colleague for local government and public services. If he hasn't, I'd suggest he does so, and I can assist with getting a response to that. 

With regard to the Barry incinerator, has the Minister reached a decision as to whether an EIA—an environmental impact assessment—will be required to accompany the most recent planning application for a water tower and car park? And is the Minister aware that the Barry Docks Incinerator Action Group is of the opinion that the entire project required an EIA to accompany the planning application in 2015?

The Minister for Environment has not yet made the decision about the need for an environmental impact assessment to accompany the planning application currently before the Vale of Glamorgan Council, relating to the water tank and to car parking. I do expect, though, that when the Minister issues a decision letter, that it will address the issue of an EIA in respect of the application for outline planning permission in 2015.

Could I call for two statements? The first one is on post-polio syndrome ahead of Post-polio Syndrome Day next Monday, 22 October. It was launched in 2013 to raise awareness of post-polio syndrome amongst the general public, and the date chosen, 22 October, to be close to the official World Polio Day, marked on 24 October, by Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.

People in remote regions with the syndrome can be particularly hard to reach. There have been outreach initiates in Scotland and south-west England and, clearly, there will be people with the syndrome in remote parts of Wales, who are also living isolated lives, who need to be reached. This is recognised as a neurological condition. Up to 80 per cent of those who've had polio will go on to develop the syndrome after several years, with increasing weakness, fatigue, pain, swallowing problems, cold intolerance and much else. There's no specific cure, but properly managed, it can be stabilised, progress slowed, cost on the NHS reduced and the quality of life of the individuals affected improved. In a survey by YouGov a couple of years ago, 86 per cent of people recognised Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy, but only 7 per cent recognised the syndrome. The British Polio Fellowship is calling on parliamentarians across the UK to help develop that awareness across the population, but also in Wales, particularly in the context of the needs of the population affected. I call for a statement on that.

My final call is for a statement on modern slavery. Last Saturday, I attended the north Wales modern slavery forum, ahead of modern slavery week this week, and Anti-slavery Day across the UK on 18 October. It was organised by a third sector organisation, Haven of Light, but we had representatives from public, private, business sectors, we had the Wales anti-slavery co-ordinator, Jeff Cuthbert as the anti-slavery lead for the police and crime commissioners, and many more. We heard that, now, the biggest affected population are actually Britons who are trafficking victims. We heard that modern slavery was alive in business, agriculture, hospitality, crime and sexual exploitation across north Wales, and Wales's rural communities, towns and every single county, and much more besides. Clearly, this is topical because of the week, but clearly it's also an ongoing issue, where the number of people reported last year of being trafficked increased by 56 per cent, and the first six months of this year showed a multiple again of figures being reported, just in Wales.

On modern slavery, I am very pleased to say that we're the first nation, of course, to have appointed the modern slavery champion and co-ordinator, and he's been working very hard across Wales to raise awareness and to ensure that people recognise it when they see it. We're very pleased indeed with the number of reports coming forward, which we see as recognition rather than an indication of increasing numbers, and it's obvious that the reporting is getting better with that awareness. And he's been working very hard indeed on that.

I'm very happy to bring forward a statement about how we're getting on, but I don't think it will be in the next few weeks, because there are a number of things that he's doing that I would like to report on. But, Llywydd, I'm very happy to schedule in a statement in due course, when we've got to the end of that particular programme of events. I think the Member makes a very good point about the awareness raising around that, and how important it is. And I was very pleased to be able to raise the issue with Caroline Nokes MP, when I met with her yesterday, in the context of very vulnerable people who have come to the end of the asylum and refugee system, who then disappear into the black market. We had a very constructive conversation about what we can do, in combination with the two Governments, to make sure that very vulnerable people don't become the victims of modern slavery, in an unintended consequence of two particular policies coming together. So, I was very pleased with that discussion.

In terms of the post-polio syndrome, the Member does always a very good job of highlighting the efforts that he makes to sponsor such events around Wales. I think you did an excellent job today of doing that. I for one will look forward to attending his event.

I was wondering if we could please have a debate regarding general traffic and pollution control measures on major roads here in Wales? This is in the context of the fact that, last night, I arranged a packed public meeting about the proposed closure of junction 41 westbound. Now, this will affect the people of Port Talbot detrimentally. But there are other roads in Wales where I think that we need to be talking about pollution levels, and how we can better engage the public in these types of consultations. For example, we've got the report out at the moment on the changes proposed for the M4 near Port Talbot, but it's quite a long and hefty report, and it's quite detailed, and it's quite hard to read on occasion. And I think that—. When the consultation ends on 2 November, how are we going to get people engaged and enthused on trying to alleviate some of these problems, if we don't have enough time, or enough respect, potentially, from Welsh Government, to come out and talk to the community about that? Now, we fought this campaign already in 2013-14. We stopped the closure from happening; now, it's reared its head yet again, so the public are rightly annoyed at this proposal. So, I'm keen to try and engage them in a positive way, to look at alternatives to the closure, to look at environmentally friendly alternatives to the closure, so that we can be informed in the debate, as opposed to being bystanders to a decision that has already been made.

Actually, that's not quite the case. Of course, the consultation is out at the moment, and we certainly do recognise the support felt locally to keep open junction 41 of the M4. We do have a legal duty to present options as part of the consultation process, which is under way as we speak. The consultation is the next stage in the process, and in seeking views on proposed measures, we're considering how to lower harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide along five locations in Wales, one of which, as the Member rightly points out, is the Port Talbot flyover section and junction 41. We've got to consider the measures against the set criteria and objectives, and take into consideration that exposure to heightened air pollution does pose a threat to life. And our primary concern cannot be the road user alone, but also the people who live and work near the roads under scrutiny. And although it certainly isn't one of the preferred measures, it can't be ruled out at this stage. It is part of the consultation, and we do recommend that views are provided as part of the consultation on the proposed measures. The consultation, Llywydd, for the information of all Members who are interested and for members of the public, is open until 2 November 2018. 

Leader of the house, last week it was World Homeless Day, an international day to raise awareness and encourage local communities to help those who are homeless, rough-sleeping or vulnerably housed. I was very pleased, last week, to join colleague and friend Bethan Sayed AM in selling The Big Issue in Cardiff city centre, something that my dad and Bethan did last year. I was able to sell five magazines, which I think was quite good going—[Interruption.]—and even Bethan beat her record as well. So, well done to her. 

He beat me. [Laughter.]

The experience showed me the importance of stopping and having a conversation, because that really can help someone, not just buying the magazine itself. I've said many times before that even a smile on the street can save a life. So, this week I'm also looking forward to joining a constituent of mine, Adam Dandy, of SHARE shop, on the streets for an evening on Thursday in order to raise awareness and sleeping out.

I think it's always important to look at the best practice when it comes to ending the epidemic of homelessness, because 300,000 people are homeless across the UK—that's one in every 200 homeless—and there has been an increase of 169 per cent since 2009. Now, to our shame, an average of three people in the UK die on the streets of the UK every single week. If we contrast that to Finland, leader of the house, where they adopted a housing first model in 2008—since then, they've seen a decrease of 18 per cent in homelessness, thanks to this initiative. I perhaps wonder if the Government would be able to bring forward a statement on this type of model, the housing first approach, and whether that might work here in Wales, and if so, when we will see it. Thank you. 

Yes, well, Jack Sargeant, did very well by selling that many. I have to say, that beats my own record as well. But it does give you a really good insight, doesn't it, into actually what it's like to stand there as a street seller and to have people just ignore you as if you're not there? I think I can't emphasise enough, in conjunction with himself and with Bethan, who I know has long taken part in these as well, how much difference it can make to actually talk to somebody and say, if you can't buy one, why you can't buy one and all the rest of it. I buy my Big Issue always off the same person, so I always have to explain to others that I feel that I want to give my custom to the woman I've been supporting for some little while.

But I would also like to draw Members' attention to the fact that there are apps available in most council areas in Wales now—StreetLink or street sleep apps; you can Google them—and they give you information about what you can do if you see somebody who's very vulnerable, who you think needs to be assisted by homeless options or housing options, or whatever it is your local council—. And I do recommend that people get hold of these, because they can be very helpful and also tell you the best thing to be able to do if you don't want to give money—to buy food or clothing or whatever, or something that the person might be able to use immediately just to tide them over, and then also to signpost them right. So, I do commend all of those things.

Also, Llywydd, I'm going to indulge myself, if you'll permit me, by saying I'm delighted that the homelessness football is coming to Wales as well—street football—and I'm really delighted about that. I very much support that initiative in my own constituency and I know that Wales will be very proud to host it here. 

Leader of the house, winter is approaching and as sure as night follows day, the A4042—I'll watch my turn of phrase in future—a key north-south strategic route through my constituency, has once again been closed at Llanellen, due to flooding—a common problem. Could I ask for an update from the Welsh Government as to where we are with improving this stretch of road? I know there have been discussions in the past between Welsh Government and local landowners in terms of providing a solution to this road. It has once again caused massive problems for commuters and local people alike, and with the fast-developing critical care centre at Llanfrechfa Grange in Cwmbran, it's going to become even more important that this road is fully open all the time, so that ambulances, which previously had been taking people to Nevill Hall Hospital, can now get to the specialist critical care centre at Llanfrechfa. So, it's becoming a more important route, not less, and local people are looking to the Welsh Government to provide a solution, both in the short term and the longer term, so that local people don't have the sort of disruption they've had over the last few years.

Flooding, of course, has been a serious issue across Wales for roads and for other areas. The Minister is actually about to make a statement on the outcome of the flooding, including the review about the efficacy of the measures in place and what can be done about it. So, I'm sure the Member will have most of the questions he raised there answered. 

May I ask for two statements from the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, please? The first relating to the UK Government’s announcement today that they are to hold an independent review on how agricultural funding will be distributed among the nations within the UK post Brexit, because it is crucial that this is done properly in terms of the interests of the agricultural sector in Wales, where, of course, we represent 4.7 per cent of the population but receive 9.4 per cent of the CAP funding coming to the UK. That, of course, reflects the rural nature of Wales and the importance of agriculture to the Welsh economy.

There’s been some discussion on the importance of Barnett and not using Barnett as the foundation for this, and we’ve heard some positive noises in that regard, but there was a significant sentence in some of the reports, stating:

'the Barnett formula alone will not be used as a basis for distributing funds to farmers after 2022.'

Does that suggest that, perhaps, Barnett will be part of the equation? And if it is, then, clearly, that could cause major problems for us here in Wales. So, I would like to know, for example, what the Welsh Government’s input was to the remit of the review that’s been put in place, what involvement will the Welsh Government have in choosing the Welsh representative on the panel, and, of course, what will the model that the was Government would wish to promote be as part of that review?

May I also ask for an oral statement? We’ve heard in an announcement today from the Cabinet Secretary the name of the interim chair of Natural Resources Wales. From that written statement, which was relatively brief, there is one sentence mentioning the background of this individual, mainly in the health sector. It appears that the individual has no experience of the environmental and agricultural sectors, which, of course, are the main focus of NRW, or any experience of working in Wales or any knowledge of the structures. That’s one thing, but more seriously, I have to say that in looking at the individual’s background it appears that in 2006 he left Liverpool council under a cloud with accusations that he had passed sensitive documents on to Government. In the same year, 22 MPs wrote an open letter saying that they couldn’t work with him following his appointment as chief executive of the regional health board. In 2010, he was appointed chief executive of Alder Hey hospital, encouraging the gentleman who was going to rebuild the hospital to resign in protest. And the person who is now commissioner for Merseyside police describes him as, and I quote,

'A man in whom I have no confidence and for whom I have no respect'. 

Now, I think we should at least have a full oral statement in this Parliament rather than one brief sentence in a written statement, so that we can understand why the Cabinet Secretary and the Welsh Government have confidence in this individual, when it’s clear that so many other people don’t share that confidence.

On the land consultation, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, in an open letter in September, provided clarity on the proposals for reform that, which are set out in the 'Brexit and our land' consultation. The proposals are exactly those proposals. The consultation closes on 30 October. We are receiving responses at quite a rate. It's too early to offer an analysis of the responses we've seen so far. I don't believe we've had any input into the UK Government consultation announced to that question. Obviously, once the consultation closes, there will be an analysis of the results from the consultation on the proposals. 

On the NRW interim chair, there has been a written statement. The Member has a number of ways that he can ask questions on a written statement; I suggest that those are utilised. 

Leader of the house, could I join in the calls that have come from the Plaid Cymru benches in relation to a Cabinet statement from the Cabinet Secretary for rural affairs in relation to the nominee she's likely to put forward, if indeed she will put a nominee forward, to the review group that Michael Gove has set up to look into funding options around the whole of the UK? It was welcome news last week that any future funding will not be Barnettised and there will be a greater redistribution of the money should the need require. But the review group obviously will give the recommendations into the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set-up and also Treasury, so it would be good to understand how Welsh Government will engage with that review, and, indeed, they have been asked to put a nominee forward for that. So, the understanding of who that nominee might be is critically important in influencing, obviously, the outcome of the review.

Secondly, in your role as leader of the house, could I enquire of you how the M4 relief road announcement proposal might be taken forward? The First Minister has indicated that he will take that decision—the current First Minister, I might add. As the clock is now ticking and there are only seven weeks left before the current First Minister does stand down, I did put this question to the Cabinet Secretary in the short debate last week, and I was unable to elicit much of a response. But this is Government business. You are the leader of the house, who tables Government business, so I'd be grateful to understand whether you have an understanding of when that announcement might come from the First Minister, and, indeed, how it might be tabled, because I think that it is critical that that announcement is delivered on the floor of the Senedd rather than through the press. Can you give us that assurance that that'll be the case and that that's the timeline that the Government is working to? As I said, we know what the timeline has to be—it has to be within seven weeks—so, hopefully, you can give us some clarity on that.

Could I also seek a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport in relation to the procurement of the new trains that were announced in July 2017—five new class 769 trains were announced as being acquired for the Welsh rail network. We welcome the announcements around the positive investment in the train service here in Wales, but this announcement made in July 2017 for these trains to arrive on the Welsh network by May 2018 has not happened to date. Those trains have not arrived on the Welsh network, yet we are now some six months past the delivery date. It is important that people have confidence that the new announcements that are coming forward will be delivered upon. If you look at this announcement, which was made, as I said, in July 2017, to date those trains have not arrived on the rail network here in Wales, despite them being made available, or supposed to be made available, by May 2018. Can we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary as to when this rolling stock will be available for the Welsh rail network, in particular as we go into the peak winter months now, when we know there are challenges from the elements on the network. More rolling stock would alleviate some of the pressures that the travelling public have.

Thanks. On that last one, I'll get the Cabinet Secretary to write to the Member, setting out where we are with that timescale.FootnoteLink

On the M4 timescale, the current schedule for Government business shows that there's a debate scheduled for the week commencing 4 December, I think it is—the penultimate week of the winter term, anyway, is the week that's currently scheduled for the M4 debate, with the timetable going backwards from there.

I think the two other things the Member asked I'd largely answered in response to Llyr.

Information further to Plenary

Thank you, leader of the house.