“Public service delivery will continue to be a priority to ensure money gets to frontline services”, said First Minister Carwyn Jones today as he looked back on his first 100 days in office.

Carwyn Jones said:

    “The past 100 days, in which a great deal has been achieved and accomplished by the Government, have flown by.  It took time to get used to the new job – at first when anyone said “First Minister”, I would turn round and look for Rhodri but I am enjoying the role and look forward to building on what I have learnt so far.”

Some highlights include:

    * Representing Wales at the Climate Change summit in Copenhagen, an opportunity to reaffirm the Assembly Government’s commitment to tackling climate change
    * Assembly Members backing plans for a referendum on further powers
    * Chairing the first ever Public Services Summit, to ensure greater collaboration between public service partners
    * The appointment of Wales’ first Chief Scientific Adviser – Professor John Harries from Imperial College London

    * Meeting the new European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, who has responsibility for managing European funding programmes

The First Minister continued:

    “While it is useful to reflect, it is more important to look ahead.  My priorities for the future include making sure that Wales is well-positioned to benefit from the opportunities of the changed post-recession economy.  Science and innovation will be vital elements in the programme of economic renewal which will guide our approach to economic policy over the next few years.

    “I will also continue to focus on public service delivery to ensure money gets to frontline services.  There is huge potential for efficiency and innovation across the whole of the public sector, where every 1% efficiency gain in Wales’ public sector procurement budget could save us up to £50 million a year.  Frontline services need that money – and one of my priorities is to make sure they get it.

    “Moving forward with the referendum process will also remain one of my future priorities.  Also, in the autumn, we’ll be welcoming the world to Wales for the Ryder Cup.  This will be a great opportunity to showcase our beautiful landscape and culture to thousands of visitors who will be visiting Wales for the first time for this major competition.”

The First Minister will mark his 100 days in office with a keynote speech to a Bevan Foundation conference in Cardiff on the theme of “One Wales, One Year to go”, where he will tell the audience that the policies in the One Wales agreement have made a real and significant difference to the people of Wales and that more than 80% of the commitments have already been delivered or are being maintained.  He will also be in Newport to launch a Rathbone Cymru project to help young people manage their finances and understand the consequences of debt.