And for the third time today—

8. Will the Minister make a statement on the establishment of corporate joint committees in Welsh local government? OQ57203

Thank you very much for the question. I welcome the progress in each of the regions, including in south-east Wales, in establishing their corporate joint committees. I am committed to working closely with local government to support the establishment of their CJCs and the transition from the current regional arrangements.

I feel the need to speak up for corporate joint committees given some of the issues that have raised in the Chamber this afternoon. I've been involved in working with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Stagecoach and Transport for Wales in order to try and secure improved bus links to the new Grange University Hospital near Cwmbran, and the route that is proposed, and hopefully we can get off the ground, will cover three county borough areas. It's my belief that a corporate joint committee approach involving that kind of transport provision would iron out some of the problems that have been encountered historically, and I feel CJCs have an important role to play in that case, with regard to delivering that. Will that be included in any provisions in the future bus Bill, and does the Minister agree that CJCs can provide that level of support?

That's a really good question, and it does give me the opportunity just to say that, obviously, CJCs will be responsible for developing regional transport plans, but these will obviously be considering issues relating to transport in and from each CJC area, and include policies for implementing the Wales transport strategy.

The point about buses is really important, because, obviously, the system for the planning and delivery of bus services needs to be efficient and effective, and we want all parts of the system to work together to achieve the type of bus service that we want. It's about one network, one timetable and one ticket. It seems simple, but, actually, it will require a lot of work. I think the fact that we could do some work on a regional basis will be really, really important. Obviously, there would need to be clarity over the roles and how local, regional and national authorities can integrate to ensure local accountability and a national perspective on the future of bus services, but I do want to reassure Hefin David that work is under way with local authorities to consider where those functions best sit to achieve this. Potentially there could be an important role for CJCs, given their transport function and the clear overview that they will have of the importance of networks within their areas. 

I thank the Minister.