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Last Updated: Tuesday, 9 March, 2004, 17:28 GMT

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Wales: First Minister's Questions (09/03/04)

Picture of Rhodri Morgan at First Minister's Questions

Rhodri keeps the Assembly members in their place

Accusations were slung and put-downs were a-plenty in a noisy FMQ's this week.

Last week's attack against the First Minister for 'cronyism' over blocking an appointment of the assembly's top legal expert took a new twist.

Mike German, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group, said it was inappropriate for the former Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine to throw his weight behind one candidate - Malcolm Bishop - by providing a reference.

Rhodri Morgan said the former Lord Chancellor had every right as a citizen to be a referee, but the application didn't get that far anyway.

Ieuan Wyn Jones admitted to resurrecting a "dead horse" as he took on the First Minister over the number of quangos in Wales.

Put-down of the week
Rhodri Morgan to Alun Cairns (Conservative) - on proposed cuts at Swansea University: "You obviously didn't do Mathemattics at Swansea as you can't tell the difference between adding up and taking away. You can't call a plus a minus, Alun."
"As an opposition politician, you made your reputation as a hammer of quangos. Now First Minister, you are the king of quangos," he said as he urged Mr Morgan to rekindle the bonfire of unelected bodies.

There were more calls for a public holiday in Wales, for once not on St. David's Day, but on International Women's Day.

The Welsh Assembly is the only elected body in the world to have an even male-female balance.

Questions

Dai Lloyd (Plaid Cymru, South Wales West) said the proposed phasing out of Departments at the University of Wales was a result of the Labour Government's policies on higher education.
The First Minister said that higher education institutions are autonomous and the proposals are part of an internal restructuring. He said it had nothing to do with the Assembly Government, but for the Vice-Chancellor.

Val Lloyd (Labour, Swansea) asked if the First Minister would agree that quality of education must be maintained and the restructuring must not lead to a reduction in teaching quality.
The First Minister said he didn't want to say whether the changes are right or wrong as it is up to the University to agree to changes.

Alun Cairns (Conservative, South Wales West) said the proposed cuts are a result of the cuts in funding the First Minister has presided over.
The First Minister said it was obvious that Alun Cairns hadn't studied Maths at Swansea as he didn't understand the difference between adding up and taking away. You can't call a plus a minus, he said.

Janet Davies (Plaid Cymru, South Wales West) asked the First Minister to make a statement on the Grants for Education Support and Training funds.
The First Minister said the grant was being replaced on 1 April with the Better Schools Fund supporting initiatives to raising standards of attainment.

Mark Isherwood (Conservative, North Wales) said the Education Minister is giving money with one hand and taking it away in the other. He said Headteachers are leaving the profession and urged the First Minister to intervene to establish 'stability and common sense.'
The First Minister attacked Mr Isherwood for 'synthetic indignation' and recommended he take a tablet and lie down in a darkened room. He said Wales' education results are up, and in some cases best in the UK. He urged Mr Isherwood to get his researcher to ask a better question next time.

Peter Black (LibDem, South Wales West) asked how the Government was combating binge drinking especially among young people.
The First Minister said 22 community safety strategies were being developed at local level, and discussions were ongoing with the police regarding the new licensing laws. He said they need to develop a culture of sensible drinking, similar to the culture in Italy where the country drinks more but over a longer period of time.

Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru, South Wales Central) suggested that youth centres open at weekends and during school holidays to prevent young people experimenting with alcohol.
The First Minister said more money was being made available to support the training of youth workers in Wales to allow more youth clubs to be open for longer.

Nick Bourne (Welsh Conservative Leader) asked what the First Minister is doing to address the waiting list figures in Wales.
The First Minister accepted that waiting lists was a major problem but that it is being addressed. He said the figures for orthopaedics have come down from over 2000 waiting for treatment to less than 20 in the last two years.

Nick Bourne asked why only half of the 30 promised intensive care beds have been delivered.
The First Minister said that a �10 million state-of-the-art cutting-edge intensive care unit and A&E department was being built in Morristown.

Mick Bates (Liberal Democrat, Montgomeryshire) asked how the First Minister is promoting GM free foods.
The First Minister said he wants Wales to have lean, clean, green agriculture production. He said there will be opportunities to question the Minister responsible later, which follows Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett's statement to the House of Commons.

John Griffiths (Labour, Newport East) asked what relations were like between Wales and those states joining the EU this year
The First Minister welcomed the opportunity of developing close relationships with new countries. He has already signed a memorandum of understanding with areas in Poland which has a similar coal-industry past.

Mike German (Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group) asked whether Former Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine had any involvement in the appointment of Wales' top legal adviser.
The First Minister said that Lord Irvine is an independent private citizen and was allowed to be a reference for one of the candidates. But he said the question is irrelevant as the application never got that far.

David Davies (Conservative, Monmouth) asked what he was doing to ensure Ministers monitor the way money is spent by the Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies.
The First Minister said there are a number of measures in place such as the requirement to act on management statements, financial memoranda and corporate business plans. He said there are regular monitoring meetings between ministers and the civil service.

David Davies said that the cutting of funds to ELWa has led to sixth form colleges closing down.
The First Minister said setting up ELWa received cross-party support to manage post-16 education. He said there are no policies to close sixth form colleges. But handing over management to ELWa could result in a whole variety of outcomes, including closure or opening.

Iuean Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru Group Leader) asked why more Quangos have been established in Wales under the First Minister. He asked the First Minister to justify his reputation as a 'hammer of quangos' when in reality he is 'a king of quangos.'
The First Minister said Wales has many more functions now than ever before. And they have actually merged many quangos into just a couple, such as ELWa was a merger of 6 or seven quangos into . He accused the Opposition leader of 'flogging a dead horse.'

Ieuan Wyn Jones said he was resurrecting it. He said 5 billion pounds of public money was being spent by unelected, unaccountable quangos, appointed by the Health Minister.
The First Minister said that only the Chair is appointed by the Health Minister, the rest of the board members were appointed locally.

Jeff Cuthbert (Labour, Caerphilly) asked what the implication for Wales was on the recent report on Asthma by the Global Initiative for Asthma and whether there are plans to inform people when they're exposed to passive smoking.
The First Minister said he needed to find out why Wales had higher levels of asthma than in other countries first and said they are consulting on the current proposals to give employees the right to work in a smoke-free atmosphere.

Mike German (Leader, Welsh Liberal Democrat Group) asked for a statement on drug testing in schools.
The First Minister said he will work closely with charities and allow schools to develop their own policy on substance misuse. He said there were no plans to develop drug-testing in Wales' schools.

Ann Jones (Labour, Vale of Clwyd) asked the First Minister about opportunities for women in Wales and called for a public holiday to mark International Women's Day.
The First Minister said he would welcome a public holiday to encourage female participation in the work force in a way that is not traditional in Wales.

You can see full coverage from the week in the Welsh Assembly, every Saturday starting with First Minister's Questions from 1500 GMT on BBC Parliament.