National Assembly for Wales
Video Biography – Text Version | Alun Cairns AM
My name is Alun Cairns. I'm the Conservative Assembly Member for South Wales West. That's the area that stretches from the Loughor Bridge in Gower right the way across to the Ogmore River near Bridgend and Ogmore Constituency.
My role in the Assembly is the Shadow Education Minister where it's my job to ensure that enough money is going to schools; that we're testing the Minister on whether she's introducing the right policies or not; offering a constructive opposition to get the best policies for school pupils thereafter. I'm also chairman of the Assembly's Finance Committee and in that respect we get a particularly focussed time when the budget is presented or the draft budget in November.
When the Minister presents the draft budget we then try and go through it line by line to ensure that there is enough money available in order to achieve the Government's promises. That's when we look at it basically in a non- party political way. It's to establish whether councils have got the capacity and the ability to deliver, say, social services care where hospitals will get enough money to deliver waiting list promises that the Government may have made and where of course we ensure that schools and universities and other areas of policy get what they've been promised or what they feel they deserve.
A positive tension is created and the ultimate goal is to get the best value for everyone living in Wales and the highest qualities of service.
Video Biography
