00:00We all know that the cost of living crisis is hitting all of us, some more than others,
00:06but across the country, people in Wales are struggling more now than they have in years.
00:10Tory leader Darren Miller says that something needs to be done to fix the economy in Wales
00:14as a whole, but is concerned the Labour Party in Westminster and Cardiff Bay aren't giving
00:19the right solutions.
00:20First Minister, economic figures released today show that the Welsh economy is really
00:25struggling. Unemployment is up by a third in Wales since the UK Labour government was
00:30elected back in July 2024. There are 12,000 fewer jobs and pay packets here are still the
00:38lowest in Britain. It's very clear that the national insurance hikes, along with the anti-farming,
00:44anti-business agenda and environment across the UK is now taking its toll. What action are
00:52you and is your government going to take to boost the Welsh economy?
00:57Well, thanks very much. Let's just be clear that there are a lot of people suffering today.
01:04They are struggling with the cost of living crisis and the way to get out of that is to
01:08make sure we can provide them with quality jobs. And I am pleased to see that the unemployment
01:14rate in Wales was lower in March compared to the UK average and that we in the Welsh Government
01:22have supported 43,000 jobs across Wales this Senedd terms. The figures that you quote today,
01:32even the ONS have rejected those figures.
01:36Housing has been an issue for some time too. It's harder now to buy your first home than ever
01:41before, so there's pressure on the Welsh Government to help prospective homebuyers get on the property
01:46ladder.
01:46The demand for housing and the lack of supply on Labour's watch has led to higher property
01:52prices and the collapse in the housing market has been absolutely catastrophic for people,
01:58especially those who aspire to own their own home. Do you accept that those figures are appalling,
02:05that successive Welsh Labour governments have been missing their own housing targets and have
02:10left too many people without the realistic chance of having their keys to their very own front door?
02:17Well housing is critical when it comes to people being able to feel comfortable, to have a base
02:25from which they can participate in communities and societies. But on top of that is a good mechanism
02:33for economic growth. And that is why, where we have the absolute control over this, we are very proud
02:40of the fact that we have the highest annual delivery rates since 2008. So we've had 9,000 new social homes.
02:50When we're talking about the private sector, since 2021, up to 16,000 private sector homes have been built.
02:58We're all done.
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