Time and time again we are let down by the Welsh Government’s lamentable and persistent failure to meet crucial targets and monitor commitments on our key public services. The people of Wales deserve progress and performance, and a Welsh Government that they can truly hold to account. In health, despite ambitions to make GPs more accessible by opening on Saturday mornings, the Welsh Government doesn’t even collect data to monitor any progress against this target. Their commitment to support carers through full implementation of the Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010 will be repealed next year as it is replaced with provisions under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, even in the face of real concerns being raised by the Wales Carers Alliance. Furthermore, the recent report into continence support by Shine Cymru has highlighted the lack of timely access to high-quality assessment, care, treatment and support in Wales, and is calling for the improved inspection and audit of services, to be open, transparent and accountable. Whilst we welcome investment in ambulance services, this has to be set against the appalling background of response time targets not being met for over 20 months. Furthermore, the consistent failure of the Welsh Government to meet targets over urgent cancer treatment and accident and emergency waiting times is inexcusable. Changing how targets are measured and moving the goalposts to neaten up the figures means nothing, and certainly doesn’t bring any confidence in this Government by our residents. Welsh Labour Government failings affect our people at their most vulnerable, on key service provision. Full transparency is essential for the Welsh public to hold this Labour Government to account over failures. The Welsh Conservatives support the British Medical Association’s calls for an independent, comprehensive review into the Welsh NHS. Yes, there is a cost, but what cost now to those who have let down and failed by a Welsh health system under this Labour Government? Any identification of potential shortcomings and bad practice, once addressed, would be invaluable to our pressured health workers and our worried patients. On education, as Angela Burns has fabulously and most—well, you just put it forward so well, you know, about education. We are regrettably lagging behind. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s damning report criticised the Welsh Labour Government’s lack of a long-term vision, whilst the most recent PISA results were the lowest in the UK for the third time in a row. Serious concerns have been voiced by leading academics that poor PISA results in 2016 would be disastrous for our attempts to secure our industrial future, and I have to say, I was here, present, for the education Minister yesterday, and for the length of time he spoke, he certainly didn’t convince me that we’re making any progress in this regard. We, as Welsh Conservatives, want to give our children the best possible start in life, yet Estyn reports that standards in primary schools have declined, with 40 per cent having poor numeracy standards. I know you don’t like this, but these are facts. Worse still is that the figure for secondary schools is 50 per cent. Despite complaints from students, parents, teachers and headteachers about the Welsh Government’s handling of the Welsh language GCSE fiasco, and the head of the WJEC recommending a delay in the roll-out of the new Welsh GCSEs, the Minister carries on regardless. In fact, the Cabinet now is likened in parts of Wales to the ‘carry on’ team. This short-sighted, inflexible approach shows no concern whatsoever for hard-working students who deserve full openness, transparency, and, above all, accountability from their Government. The people of Wales deserve better from their Welsh Labour Government. This Government now holds quite well—. The one thing you do well, actually: you do hold the record for actually managing the decline of public services in Wales over the 16 years that you’ve been in charge. As I said before, roll on 6 May; the people have a chance then to actually get business back to normal, with good services, efficient services—but not under this Labour Government, I’m afraid. Leighton Andrews
The Minister for Public ServicesDeputy Presiding Officer, I was heartened by the Conservative contributions today. If this is as good as it gets for them ahead of the Assembly elections, talking Wales down with no vision of their own, they can look forward to another stupendous defeat next May. Unsurprisingly, we will be opposing the motion. If there is one thing the Welsh Conservatives have proved over the past five years, it is that they cannot be trusted with public services. They’ve inflicted swingeing cuts across public services in England and similarly draconian reductions to the Welsh Government’s budget. They’ve privatised, outsourced and undermined vital public services at every turn. And they have treated the public sector workforce with disdain, developing confrontational relationships with trade unions, resulting in ongoing strikes, for example in the fire service. This is exemplified by the recently-introduced Trade Union Bill—a Bill that will lead to even more confrontational relationships between employers and workers and, ultimately, undermine rather than support public services and the economy. In contrast, the Welsh Government values and supports our public services and we are delivering. Here’s the programme for government—the 547 separate commitments covering the devolved public services, meticulously reported on. You can’t get more transparent than that. And what do those data say? Ninety-five per cent of our commitments have been delivered or are on track to be delivered. Our key pledges: delivered. Five hundred PCSOs keeping our streets safer: delivered. Welsh students don’t pay higher fees wherever they study: delivered. More spending on our schools: delivered. Twelve thousand Jobs Growth Wales placements: delivered. Flying Start provision doubled: delivered. Extra spending: delivered. Our house building targets: delivered and exceeded. The percentage of students getting five good GCSEs, including English or Welsh and maths: up to a record level. Attendance: up. And where is improvement most marked? In our most challenged schools where we are investing. The Tories would be spending what little money they would invest in education on free schools and selective grammar schools. Instead, we’ve made our improvements without free schools and without academies. In health, we hear from the Tories about waiting times. Under the Tories’ watch in England, the waiting list is bigger than the entire population of Wales. The last time they ran the health service in Wales, you could wait years for an operation. Now, the median waiting time is a matter of weeks and £6.7 billion pounds is being spent on health and social services in Wales—more than ever before. But it isn’t just about what we’re putting into the NHS, it’s about what we’re getting out of it: better survival rates; over 90 per cent of people treated saying they’re happy with the service; cancer waiting times better than in England and ambulance response times vastly improved in my own area since the turn of this year, thanks to co-ordinated action by the Wales ambulance trust and the local health board. And what of the economy? Wales has actually recovered more strongly from the recession than most other parts of the UK. Not my words—the words of Conservative Dylan Jones-Evans. The percentage of new business births in the Welsh economy growing by 41 per cent during the period 2012 to 2013—the highest of any region of the UK. Not my words—the words of Conservative Dylan Jones-Evans. Welsh businesses spent £369 million on research and development in 2013—a rise of 37 per cent on the previous year and the largest increase of any UK region. Not my words— 16:48 Y Dirprwy Lywydd / The Deputy Presiding Officer
Order. Minister, please. You’re half way through your speech and I’ve been very patient, but we’ve had constant sledging from the Conservative front bench. The Australians are about to go home and some of you will be sent home if you don’t be quiet and listen to the rest of this speech. Minister. 16:48 Leighton Andrews
I’ll repeat that one, Deputy Presiding Officer. Welsh businesses spent £369 million on research and development in 2013—a rise of 37 per cent on the previous year and the largest increase of any UK region. Not my words—the words of former Welsh Conservative candidate Dylan Jones-Evans. Meanwhile, of course, inward investment is at a record high. The Tories run down our health service in Wales, but what’s happening in England? On Sunday, ‘The Independent’ newspaper revealed that the south Kent commissioning group is contracting with hospitals in Calais and the north of France to send NHS patients for treatment for hip and knee operations, urology, gynaecology and ear, nose and throat services. 16:49 Angela Burns
Would you take an intervention, Minister? 16:49 Leighton Andrews
No. If we practiced politics as crudely as the Conservatives do, we would say that the line on life and death in the NHS doesn’t follow Offa’s Dyke; it runs through the English channel. What’s the Conservative policy on the national health service? I’ll tell you in three words: allez à Calais. So, let’s get real. This isn’t a debate about transparency, this is the Tories talking Wales down. Have the Tories practiced transparency in Government? No. Eric Pickles abolished the audit commission and got rid of national indicator sets for local government in England—meaningful comparisons of local government performance, over time or with other nations, are now virtually impossible. In contrast, we have commissioned the Public Policy Institute for Wales to examine how best to compare local government performance across the countries that make up the United Kingdom. It isn’t just in local government. For the Conservatives to lecture anyone on transparency, data and missed targets is hypocrisy of the highest order. The Tories didn’t want to tackle poverty, so they redefined it, airbrushing hundreds of thousands of children in need of support out of the statistics. Most shameful of all, a statistic that had to be dragged out of the Department for Work and Pensions over the summer: 90 people a month dying after being found fit for work under the new guidelines. A statistic the UK Government jumped through hoops to avoid releasing. Of course it’s important that we compare how well our public services are performing with other parts of the UK and internationally. We will, therefore, be supporting the Plaid Cymru amendment. The reality is that, as policies diverge, and with the issues we’ve already highlighted in England, it is becoming increasingly difficult to compare performance with other parts of the UK. We need to collect and publish data that reflect the situation here in Wales, and we continue to do so. Where it is appropriate, statisticians will seek to collect evidence in a manner that is consistent with the rest of the UK. But there is only so much we can do to influence how other parts of the UK collect, hold and publish their own data. We therefore need to consider what more can be done to ensure that data are collected and published in a way that ensures performance can be compared. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 became law on 29 April. This piece of legislation is central to our Government’s legislative programme and provides a new framework for performance management in public services. It’ll be one of a few laws of its kind anywhere in the world and, as the United Nations has said, ‘what Wales is doing today the world will do tomorrow. Action, more than words, is the hope for our current and future generations.’ We are proud of our record. We will defend our record. We will stand on our record and we will win on our record.
The Minister for Public ServicesDeputy Presiding Officer, I was heartened by the Conservative contributions today. If this is as good as it gets for them ahead of the Assembly elections, talking Wales down with no vision of their own, they can look forward to another stupendous defeat next May. Unsurprisingly, we will be opposing the motion. If there is one thing the Welsh Conservatives have proved over the past five years, it is that they cannot be trusted with public services. They’ve inflicted swingeing cuts across public services in England and similarly draconian reductions to the Welsh Government’s budget. They’ve privatised, outsourced and undermined vital public services at every turn. And they have treated the public sector workforce with disdain, developing confrontational relationships with trade unions, resulting in ongoing strikes, for example in the fire service. This is exemplified by the recently-introduced Trade Union Bill—a Bill that will lead to even more confrontational relationships between employers and workers and, ultimately, undermine rather than support public services and the economy. In contrast, the Welsh Government values and supports our public services and we are delivering. Here’s the programme for government—the 547 separate commitments covering the devolved public services, meticulously reported on. You can’t get more transparent than that. And what do those data say? Ninety-five per cent of our commitments have been delivered or are on track to be delivered. Our key pledges: delivered. Five hundred PCSOs keeping our streets safer: delivered. Welsh students don’t pay higher fees wherever they study: delivered. More spending on our schools: delivered. Twelve thousand Jobs Growth Wales placements: delivered. Flying Start provision doubled: delivered. Extra spending: delivered. Our house building targets: delivered and exceeded. The percentage of students getting five good GCSEs, including English or Welsh and maths: up to a record level. Attendance: up. And where is improvement most marked? In our most challenged schools where we are investing. The Tories would be spending what little money they would invest in education on free schools and selective grammar schools. Instead, we’ve made our improvements without free schools and without academies. In health, we hear from the Tories about waiting times. Under the Tories’ watch in England, the waiting list is bigger than the entire population of Wales. The last time they ran the health service in Wales, you could wait years for an operation. Now, the median waiting time is a matter of weeks and £6.7 billion pounds is being spent on health and social services in Wales—more than ever before. But it isn’t just about what we’re putting into the NHS, it’s about what we’re getting out of it: better survival rates; over 90 per cent of people treated saying they’re happy with the service; cancer waiting times better than in England and ambulance response times vastly improved in my own area since the turn of this year, thanks to co-ordinated action by the Wales ambulance trust and the local health board. And what of the economy? Wales has actually recovered more strongly from the recession than most other parts of the UK. Not my words—the words of Conservative Dylan Jones-Evans. The percentage of new business births in the Welsh economy growing by 41 per cent during the period 2012 to 2013—the highest of any region of the UK. Not my words—the words of Conservative Dylan Jones-Evans. Welsh businesses spent £369 million on research and development in 2013—a rise of 37 per cent on the previous year and the largest increase of any UK region. Not my words— 16:48 Y Dirprwy Lywydd / The Deputy Presiding Officer
Order. Minister, please. You’re half way through your speech and I’ve been very patient, but we’ve had constant sledging from the Conservative front bench. The Australians are about to go home and some of you will be sent home if you don’t be quiet and listen to the rest of this speech. Minister. 16:48 Leighton Andrews
I’ll repeat that one, Deputy Presiding Officer. Welsh businesses spent £369 million on research and development in 2013—a rise of 37 per cent on the previous year and the largest increase of any UK region. Not my words—the words of former Welsh Conservative candidate Dylan Jones-Evans. Meanwhile, of course, inward investment is at a record high. The Tories run down our health service in Wales, but what’s happening in England? On Sunday, ‘The Independent’ newspaper revealed that the south Kent commissioning group is contracting with hospitals in Calais and the north of France to send NHS patients for treatment for hip and knee operations, urology, gynaecology and ear, nose and throat services. 16:49 Angela Burns
Would you take an intervention, Minister? 16:49 Leighton Andrews
No. If we practiced politics as crudely as the Conservatives do, we would say that the line on life and death in the NHS doesn’t follow Offa’s Dyke; it runs through the English channel. What’s the Conservative policy on the national health service? I’ll tell you in three words: allez à Calais. So, let’s get real. This isn’t a debate about transparency, this is the Tories talking Wales down. Have the Tories practiced transparency in Government? No. Eric Pickles abolished the audit commission and got rid of national indicator sets for local government in England—meaningful comparisons of local government performance, over time or with other nations, are now virtually impossible. In contrast, we have commissioned the Public Policy Institute for Wales to examine how best to compare local government performance across the countries that make up the United Kingdom. It isn’t just in local government. For the Conservatives to lecture anyone on transparency, data and missed targets is hypocrisy of the highest order. The Tories didn’t want to tackle poverty, so they redefined it, airbrushing hundreds of thousands of children in need of support out of the statistics. Most shameful of all, a statistic that had to be dragged out of the Department for Work and Pensions over the summer: 90 people a month dying after being found fit for work under the new guidelines. A statistic the UK Government jumped through hoops to avoid releasing. Of course it’s important that we compare how well our public services are performing with other parts of the UK and internationally. We will, therefore, be supporting the Plaid Cymru amendment. The reality is that, as policies diverge, and with the issues we’ve already highlighted in England, it is becoming increasingly difficult to compare performance with other parts of the UK. We need to collect and publish data that reflect the situation here in Wales, and we continue to do so. Where it is appropriate, statisticians will seek to collect evidence in a manner that is consistent with the rest of the UK. But there is only so much we can do to influence how other parts of the UK collect, hold and publish their own data. We therefore need to consider what more can be done to ensure that data are collected and published in a way that ensures performance can be compared. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 became law on 29 April. This piece of legislation is central to our Government’s legislative programme and provides a new framework for performance management in public services. It’ll be one of a few laws of its kind anywhere in the world and, as the United Nations has said, ‘what Wales is doing today the world will do tomorrow. Action, more than words, is the hope for our current and future generations.’ We are proud of our record. We will defend our record. We will stand on our record and we will win on our record.