Well, Llywydd, I'm afraid nothing that we've just heard bears examination. The problems experienced in local authorities in Wales are not the result of decisions made in this National Assembly. They are the result of a year-on-year-on-year reduction in our budgets that are made by his Government, by the deliberate decisions that his Government makes, and it's no surprise to anybody to see those decisions creating the difficulties that they do for public services here in Wales. 

Merthyr borough council received amongst the largest uplifts in funding of any council in Wales last year. This Government is responding to the advice that that council has received from the Wales Audit Office. It is very serious advice, Llywydd. It points to that council's real difficulties in managing the services for which it has responsibility. We will use the powers we have in order to give them further assistance. But nobody should be in any doubt about the scale and the depth of the difficulties that that council faces.