Kirsty Williams AM

Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales, has welcomed today's commitment from the Heritage Minister, Huw Lewis, that he will support calls to improve the provision of Welsh language and Wales-related television programming in North Wales. Currently, many areas of North Wales cannot receive Welsh programming through BBC Wales, ITV Wales and S4C. The situation has been exacerbated as a result of transmitter changes in England after Wales' digital switchover.

The Medical Director of NHS Wales, Dr. Chris Jones, today admitted in the National Assembly's Health Committee that one of the reasons for low recruitment levels to the Welsh NHS was down to poor services.

Responding to questions on low junior doctor recruitment levels prompted by Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, the NHS Medical Director said that "some of our services are intrinsically unattractive"

Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Local Government, Peter Black, has welcomed the decision by the Welsh Government that it is no longer planning to legislate to force local councils to collaborate.

The Minister's announced in July 2011 set out the Welsh Government's intention to bring forward a Local Government (Collaborative Measures) Bill, giving Ministers the power to merge local councils. The Minister has now told Plenary that as a result of the Welsh Local Government Compact committing local authorities to further collaboration, and because of their progress that has been achieved already, he is "minded that there is no immediate need for further legislation in the area of collaboration."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to work with the Coalition in Westminster to ensure that comparable school expenditure statistics can once again be made available.

Last week, it was announced that the 'Local Authority Budgeted Expenditure on Schools 2011-12: Wales and England Comparison' was to be discontinued because of changes in education policy in England meant it was not possible to produce comparable figures.

Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children and Young People in the National Assembly, has called on the Welsh Government to make sure that adequate resources are available to meet the demands of planned expansion of the Flying Start scheme.

Flying Start is a Welsh Government scheme aimed at providing additional support to families with children under the age of four who live in deprived areas of Wales.