Senedd Watch - January 2013

• Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards accused the Welsh Government of “shedding crocodile tears” after Severn Bridge car tolls rose to £6.20 on January 1^st. A Freedom of Information request showed the Welsh Government lobbied in favour of a change to the toll formula which caused the rise.
• In a related development, transport expert Prof. Stuart Cole argued that high Severn Bridge tolls were “no deterrent to tourism or inward investment” and argued in favour of using bridge tolls as a revenue raiser for transport schemes.
• A “smart card” system for public transport fares across Wales has been delayed for five years, however they will come into use on buses in 2014, with a trial beginning in north Wales this month. The Welsh Government said renegotiation of the all-Wales rail franchise in 2018 is the reason for the delay.
• University applications from Welsh students fell by 11.7% compared to 2012 according to UCAS statistics - the sharpest drop of the Home Nations. Only Northern Ireland saw a rise. Wales also lagged behind on the award of top degrees (firsts and 2.1s), but outperformed the rest of the UK in terms of graduates employed after six months, which stood at 91%.
• Swansea City's promotion to the English Premier League is worth £58million to the local economy, and created/safeguarded around 400 jobs according to a Cardiff University report. Business Minister Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower) welcomed the report's findings, saying Swansea City's promotion “provided....rich opportunities to promote....economic development and tourism.”
• Edwina Hart launched a network of “one stop shops” for micro and small business advice, which will operate from 11 sites. She said the “Business Wales service will compliment....support available through our Business Information Helpline and Business Wales website.”
• Shadow Education Minister, Angela Burns (Con, Carms W & S. Pembs.), criticised some Welsh universities for offering places with low grade requirements at A-Level and GCSE. She said it,“sends out a message that (Welsh universities) have bargain-basement entry requirements and don't appreciate the value of academic rigour.”
• Network Rail unveiled their strategic plan until 2019, setting provisional dates of 2018 for south Wales mainline electrification and 2020-2024 for Valley Lines electrification. Around £1billion has been committed towards both projects.
• Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood, called for the devolution of probation services following the UK Government's announcement that probation services for low-risk offenders could be outsourced to the private sector in EnglandandWales.
• The Welsh Conservatives criticised the Welsh Government's decision to seek to purchase Cardiff Airport. Byron Davies AM (Con, South Wales West) said it was a “financial liability we don't need in this day and age.” Edwina Hart said negotiations were confidential and she “wouldn't provide a running commentary” on them. On January 30^th, the First Minister told the Assembly's Business and Enterprise Committee that a deal was “close”.
• A petition was handed in to the Assembly, with more than 22,000 signatures, calling for business rate relief for charity shops to be maintained. The Welsh Government said they were “sensitive to many viewpoints.”
• Education Minister Leighton Andrews (Lab, Rhondda) launched a Masters in Educational Practice (MEP) module, which is intended to “drive up standards in schools” by supporting newly-qualified teachers via ongoing professional development.
• The chair of the National Clinical Forum explained his modifications to a Betsi Cadwaladr Local Health Board report, which originally called hospital reorganisations in north Wales “unsustainable”. He admitted that his chances appeared to be “totally bizarre”, but believed the board responsible “didn't understand the proposals”.
• The Welsh Conservatives criticised the Welsh Government for cutting funds for promoting Wales abroad for tourism. Suzy Davies AM (Con, South Wales West) said Labour had made “a massive own goal in failing to market Wales to our closest neighbours.” The Welsh Government said they were focusing on UK tourists, who account for 80% of tourist expenditure.
• There were calls for “strong political leadership” over NHS reforms from Community Health Councils (CHCs). Disagreements on reforms between Local Health Boards and CHCs can be referred to Health Minister Lesley Griffiths (Lab, Wrexham), who has been criticised for her attitude to CHCs in the past.
• A campaign was launched to cut down on waste of prescription medicines, which is claimed costs the Welsh NHS £21.6million over the last year.
• Leighton Andrews was warned by Welsh exam board, the WJEC, that he could be damaging the exams system through his reforms. Qualifications Wales was created in 2012 as a new body for exam regulation and awards. The Welsh Government said the WJEC were “in denial.” The Welsh Government also confirmed that GCSE's and A-Levels would be maintained in Wales, despite reforms in England that would see them replaced.
• The Assembly passed the School Standards and Organisation Bill on January 15^th. Amendments mean that local authorities would decide school closures and mergers, instead of proposed determination panels.
• Minister for Housing, Heritage and Regeneration, Huw Lewis (Lab, Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney) described UK Government welfare reforms as a “social atrocity”. He was accused by a Liberal Democrat MP of the “lowest form of politics”. Plaid MP Jonathan Edwards supported the statement in principle, but said all but 10 Labour MPs abstained during the second reading of the Welfare Reform Bill which instituted the changes.
• The Welsh Government launched a review of bank lending to small and medium sized enterprises, including the difficulties SMEs may face and alternative models of finance. The review will be led by Prof. Dylan Jones-Evans.
• In related development, Plaid Cymru called for the creation of a state-backed “Bank of Wales”, which would provide funding to SMEs, based on German regional Landesbanken model. The Welsh Conservatives also proposed a similar scheme, but one that would allow SMEs to borrow public money via existing high street banks and post offices.
• An education expert criticised Welsh Government progress on truancy rates as “painfully slow”. Prof. Ken Reid told the Assembly's Children & Young People Committee that promises made as a result of a 2008 report remained unfulfilled. The Welsh Government pointed to improvements in attendance rates in the last year.
• The Welsh Government found £22million necessary to prevent 230,000 households in Wales paying council tax for the first time following changes to council tax benefits. Communities and Local Government Minister, Carl Sargeant (Lab, Alyn & Deeside), said the Welsh Government was “protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.” Opposition leaders welcomed the move, but described the handling as a “u-turn” and “shambolic”. Fresh council tax benefit regulations were approved on 22^nd January following provisional regulations passed at the end of 2012.
• Health Minister Lesley Griffiths announced the Welsh Government is to invest up to £82million in providing training to healthcare professionals. She said “high quality healthcare education is critical to support the delivery of health services in Wales.” The funding will help health authorities determine staff levels to maintain services beyond 2016.
• Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Davies (Con, South Wales Central) proposed a motion for debate - signed by cross-party AMs - calling for the Welsh Government to lobby in favour of the introduction of “safe standing areas” in Premier League and Football League grounds.
• Diabetes UK Cymru warned the disease could “overwhelm” the Welsh NHS, following a 9.4% increase in the numbers being treated in the last two years. The Welsh Government said diabetes treatment rates in Wales were comparable with “the best in Europe” and that a new diabetes delivery plan was in development.
• Chair of the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee, Darren Millar AM (Con, Clwyd West), called for the Wales Audit Office to investigate a £2million heritage centre in Gwynedd following a BBC Wales investigation which showed the centre, and its land, was transferred to private landowners following its failure.
• The Assembly unanimously passed the Food Hygiene Ratings Bill on January 22^nd. Once granted royal assent, the Food Hygiene Ratings Act will make the display of food hygiene ratings compulsory. Regulations relating to the new law will be debated later this year.
• Suicides in Wales rose by 30% in the last two years according to the Office of National Statistics, with the suicide rate amongst middle aged men the highest since 1981. The Samaritans said that the difference may be due to changes in how deaths are recorded.
• Unemployment in Wales fell by 1,000 in the three months to November 2012. There was a 37,000 fall across the UK as a whole.
• Prime Minister David Cameron promised an “in out” referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union should the Conservatives win the 2015 UK General Election. First Minister Carwyn Jones said it would create “years of instability”, while Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans pointed to the benefits of Wales within the EU.
• First Minister Carwyn Jones gave a speech to Irish business leaders in Dublin, stressing the importance of Welsh-Irish trade – worth up to £1.5billion per year. He also wants to encourage more Irish businesses to invest in Wales “under the banner of the EU single market.”
• Lesley Griffiths told the Assembly's Health Committee that the Human Transplantation Bill, which will create and “opt-out” organ donation system in Wales, will not include limb or face transplants.
• Cardiff Airport saw a 16% drop in passenger numbers (-200,000) between 2011 and 2012 according to the Civil Aviation Authority, but with a small rally in December 2012. The Football Association of Wales also claimed the current state of Cardiff Airport was hindering a potential bid to host Euro 2020 games.
• School inspectorate Estyn's annual report called for more help for more-able pupils. It also said fewer schools achieved “good” or “excellent” ratings compared with the previous year. The NUT also threatened industrial action over proposed literacy and numeracy assessments proposed by the Welsh Government.
• The Welsh Government introduced the Social Services and Wellbeing Bill, which take carer's needs into consideration alongside those being cared for, create a national adoption service, grant social workers a power of entry with a court order and new eligibility criteria for social services.
• UK Government plans to reduce the number of MPs in Wales from 40 to 30 were defeated in Westminster on January 29^th. The plans will be postponed until at least 2018.
• The Welsh Ambulance Service missed its response targets, with only 56.1% of life-threatening emergencies responded to within 8 minutes in December 2012, compared to a Welsh Government target of 65%. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams, said that the Ambulance Trust had to “work with increasingly strained resources.”
• Research suggests onshore wind energy could create up to 2,000 jobs and generate up to £2.3billion for the Welsh economy if a 2,000 megawatt target is met by 2025. Campaigners point to differences is renewables energy policy between Scotland and Wales – where the Scottish Government have been more proactive.
• Five Welsh local authorities were in the top 10 areas where the lowest proportion of people felt their health was “good” in EnglandandWales according to the latest census data. Health had only improved in three local authorities – Cardiff, Wrexham and Swansea.

Projects announced in January include : the shortlisting of north Wales for a “super prison”, £1.5million towards nine regeneration projects in the “Western Valleys” across 2012-13 and 2013-14, a £39million investment in faster broadband connections for schools, £5million towards flood protection to protect up to 1,000 homes, a new £25million bus funding scheme that will replace three existing service grants and £1.25million towards “improving public engagement” in local government.