Wales Carwyn Jones News

The First Minister says the Welsh Government's working relationship with the UK Government is 'professional, business-like, constructive, numerous, complex and sometimes frustrating.' Carwyn Jones' comments follow further evidence given to the Silk Committee which is looking into further devolution.

The evidence sets out the view from Cardiff on how the two governments work together. It says there are 'many good examples of effective joint working' but complains about UK Government communications.

UK Government communications can be a major issue and there are occasions when the UK Government makes announcements that relate primarily to England, but have significant implications for Wales, without prior consultation.

There's also concern about delays caused to Welsh Government legislation as a result of 'the complexities around the boundaries of the devolution settlement' and a charge that the implications for Wales of changes at a UK level aren't always factored in.

The implications for the devolved administrations of some very significant UK Government reforms are not always factored in to UK Government planning at a sufficiently strategic level and some changes are imposing very significant unfunded costs on the Welsh Government, to the detriment of devolved services.

• Politics
• Welsh Government
• UK Government

First Minister Carwyn Jones has repeated his warning that next month's supplementary budget will include further spending cuts. During his monthly press conference he said 'we cannot exclude in-year budget cuts this year.'

He also said that his cabinet had agreed to protect health, schools, universal benefits and job creation but that ministers are reconsidering everything else the Welsh Government spends money:

• Politics
• Welsh Government
• Carwyn Jones

The First Minister says he'll visit Flanders later this year to see for himself the condition of memorials to Welsh soldiers killed during the First World War and whether or not they need improving. He was speaking as the UK Government announced how it plans to commemorate the war's centenary.

He said a programme of events here in Wales is still being developed, but that it would be 'complementary' to that which happens in England. However he wouldn't say whether or not children from every Welsh school would visit WWI battlefield sites as is happening in England.

• Politics
• First World War
• First Minister

First Minister Carwyn Jones will hold his monthly press conference at the Welsh Government's headquarters in Cardiff. He's likely to face questions about controversial plans for the future of hospital services in the South and last week's climbdown on council Chief Executives' pay.

• Politics
• Carwyn Jones

Plaid Cymru has echoed the other opposition parties' criticism of the Welsh Government's Programme of Government progress report:

This is another disappointing statement from the government which fails to give us any real information. The aspects of Government performance presented in the report have been cherry-picked, and other aspects, such as the council tax benefit fiasco, have been left out of the document. Unfortunately, this is just another example of the Welsh Government failing to act.

• Politics
• Plaid Cymru
• Welsh Government

The First Minister has admitted there may be 'some merit' in the claim that his government was slow to introduce legislation after it was elected in May 2011. Carwyn Jones made his admission during a debate on the second annual Programme of Government progress report.

• Politics
• Welsh Government
• Labour

First Minister Carwyn Jones has defended his government's record. He was responding to criticism from opposition parties after the publication of the second progress report on his programme of Government.

• Politics
• Welsh Government
• Labour

Now that the Welsh Government's annual progress report has been published the response from the opposition parties in the Assembly hasn't been any more welcoming. You can see all the report's information and any progress made by clicking here. Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies said:

This annual report is nothing more than a fig leaf to cover the monumental failure of a tired and lazy Welsh Labour Government, which under Carwyn Jones, has run out of steam.

This document glosses over appalling waiting times in the NHS due to Labour’s record-breaking health cuts, fails to report on the progress of Enterprise Zones to secure economic growth and ignores the recent PISA tests which will lay bare performance in literacy and numeracy.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader was just as critical:

As I rightly suspected, the Welsh Labour Government published pages and pages of self congratulatory bumf with little meaning or use to Assembly Members or the people of Wales.

The actions they describe as key to delivering their promises vary from merely attending meetings and launching consultations to congratulating themselves on introducing legislation to the chamber. It is a less than useful analysis of the state of the government’s programme of action and the state of Wales in general.

• Politics
• Welsh Conservatives
• Welsh Liberal Democrats

First Minister Carwyn Jones says he will write to the Prime Minister following Mark Bridger's conviction for the murder of April Jones, asking for action to counter the availability of images of child sex abuse on the internet.

We were all deeply shocked the events surrounding the tragic murder of April Jones. There are some who take the view that the internet should be as unfettered as possible. I do not take that view when it comes to - among other things - child pornography.

Mr Jones was replying to Montgomeryshire AM Russell George. His constituency includes Machynlleth where Mark Bridger abducted April Jones. Hundreds of indecent images were found on the murderer's computer.

Mr George called on the First Minister to support efforts to get internet search companies to adopt a zero-tolerance to such images. He also said that Mark Bridger's conviction and sentencing gave the 'tear in the community fabric' of Machynlleth the chance to heal.

• Politics
• April Jones
• Carwyn Jones

Welsh Conservatives have updated their own alternative programme for government, saying that if they'd won the election in May 2011, a Conservative Welsh Government would have delivered the following:

• Ring-fenced the health budget to safeguard NHS services
• Abolished business rates for small businesses
• Directly funded schools to deliver more money to the classroom
• Introduced an Armed Forces Card to recognise the sacrifices of our troops

• Set up a Cancer Drugs Fund to end the postcode lottery
• Introduced a Welsh Language Charter Mark to reward excellence in Welsh language provision

Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies said

In contrast to Carwyn Jones’ lazy Labour Government, Welsh Conservatives went into the last election with a clear vision and package of measures to improve our public services and get our economy moving.

“We remain the only party committed to ringfencing the health budget and would have protected the NHS from Labour’s £800million cuts, which are now threatening to downgrade A&E services.

He admitted that his party's alternative plan would have meant cuts in other areas and that schemes such as free breakfasts and prescriptions were likely to have ended or been reduced. But he insisted his alternative list shows 'what a difference a Conservative Welsh Government would have made.'

• Politics
• Welsh Conservatives
• Andrew RT Davies