Senedd Watch - April 2013

• Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister Huw Lewis (Lab, Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney) attacked the UK Government's welfare changes, which came into force on April 1^st. He said they would have a “devastating impact” and that they made “the poor pay the most” for the fallout from the banking crisis.
• Natural Resources Wales – the merger of the Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and Countryside Council for Wales – came into being on April 1^st. Chief executive Emyr Roberts promised to “make the environment do more for the people, economy & wildlife of Wales.”
• The Welsh Government reacted strongly to claims that a proposed M4 relief road around Newport could be tolled. The costs of the project will be underwritten by the UK Treasury, however the Welsh Government described the plans as “unworkable”, and that there should be “no tolls” if built.
• Former Heritage Minister, Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM (Plaid, Carmarthen East & Dinefwr), announced he would stand down at the 2016 Welsh General Election. He's represented the constituency since the Assembly was established in 1999.
• The leader of the British Medical Association's junior doctors Welsh committee expressed serious concerns that Welsh A&E units were “at breaking point” with poor standards of care, under-staffing and overcrowding. The Welsh Government said they were disappointed by the claims but said “inadequate....care is never acceptable.”
• Regular vaccination clinics were held at hospitals across south west Wales due to an ongoing measles epidemic in the Swansea area. On April 10^th, an American-based measles expert called for the vaccinations to be made mandatory. On April 23^rd, the First Minister encouraged parents to vaccinate their children. On April 30th, the number of recorded cases passed the 1,000 mark.
• Welsh politicians acknowledged former Conservative UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died on April 8^th aged 87. First Minister Carwyn Jones said she was a “major force in British life”, while Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Davies AM (Con, South Wales Central), said she was a “one of a kind – a truly great leader and magnificent prime minister.” Llywydd Rosemary Butler (Lab, Newport West) offered condolences to the Thatcher family on behalf of the Senedd.
• The Welsh Government rejected calls from farmers for emergency financial assistance to help those affected by cold weather over March and April. Food & Natural Resources Minister Alun Davies (Lab, Blaenau Gwent) relaxed European regulations for burying animals, but said short-term subsidies needed to be “fair and affordable”. £500,000 was later made available to farming charities. The Senedd approved a motion on April 24^th, calling for a hardship fund to be set up.
• A report by centre-right think tank, Gorwel - on behalf of the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales – recommended changes to the Welsh planning system to prioritise economic development, temporary relaxation in planning rules and businesses becoming a formal consultee in planning applications.
• Figures obtained by BBC Wales showed ambulances had been waiting for a combined total of 55,000 hours (6 years) outside Welsh A&E departments in the six months to February 2013. The Welsh Government said delays were “unacceptable” but sometimes inevitable, though they aimed for a 30 minute turnaround. On April 29^th, a major review of Welsh ambulance services was published, making three main key recommendations on the future running of the Wales Ambulance Trust.
• The National Assembly agreed to the general principles of the Human Transplantation Bill - introducing presumed consent for organ donation - which passed Stage One of the legislative process by 41 votes to 9 (with 5 abstentions). Health Minister Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West) said amendments would be included to ensure families' wishes are respected, including a clear right to object.
• Bethan Jenkins AM (Plaid, South Wales West) chaired the first meeting of the Assembly's cross-party group in support of Visteon pensioners, attended by 15AMs. Those affected lost pension entitlements when Visteon – once with a major factory in Swansea, and who split from parent company Ford in 2000 - entered administration in 2009.
• Unemployment in Wales fell by 3,000 in the three months to February 2013 (8.2%), while it rose by 70,000 across the UK as a whole (7.9%).
• Housing & Regeneration Minister Carl Sargeant (Lab, Alyn & Deeside) cancelled a mortgage assistance scheme – NewBuy – after the housing industry withdrew support, backing a similar UK Government initiative “Help to Buy” instead. Welsh Lib Dems reacted angrily, as NewBuy formed part of a budget agreement in 2011-12. Peter Black AM (Lib Dem, South Wales West) said the decision “left first time buyers with no way to get on the property ladder.”
• Paul Murphy MP – appointed Oxbridge ambassador by the Welsh Government – said teachers in Wales “lacked ambition” to encourage their best pupils to apply to Oxford and Cambridge universities. Around 80 comprehensive school pupils from Wales were accepted to the universities in 2012. Shadow Education Minister, Angela Burns (Con, Carms W & S. Pembs) questioned whether Welsh pupils were being pushed enough to excel.
• The First Minister announced a “wide-ranging” review into public service delivery, which could see reductions in the number of local authorities, or merged local authority services. The review will be led by former Welsh NHS chief, Paul Williams.
• Electoral Reform Society Wales said a “lack of clarity” over Welsh law-making powers meant AMs could be reluctant to propose legislation. It follows a Twitter row over a proposed law from Simon Thomas AM (Plaid, Mid & West Wales) to change the local government voting system, which received implicit approval from Assembly lawyers, but ambiguity rests over whether it's a devolved power.
• The First Minister officially opened the Football Association of Wales' new £5million training base – Parc y Ddraig – in Newport, alongside UEFA President Michel Platini. The centre will provide state-of-the-art training facilities for men's and women's national sides and age groups. However, Platini said Wales would need infrastructure improvements before being awarded a Champions League Final.
• The Welsh Liberal Democrats held their spring conference in Cardiff. Leader Kirsty Williams said her party was at a “turning point”, but that the Eastbourne by-election result proved they could “win under tough circumstances.” Danny Alexander MP suggested the Silk Commission recommendations could be enacted in full, while UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said there needed to be a “proper debate” on devolution.
• Business Minister Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower) welcomed a combined £24million investment – including £12million from the Welsh Government - at the Ford engine plant in Bridgend to develop a new low-emission engine. She said it would, “help safeguard and create high quality engineering and production jobs in Wales.”
• Alun Ffred Jones AM (Plaid, Arfon) warned that underemployment had risen by 58% since the 2008 recession, with an estimated 134,000 people in Wales underemployed in part-time jobs or jobs that don't match their skill set. He called on the Welsh Government to use future tax-varying powers wisely, and adopt new procurement policies to create up to 50,000 jobs.
• Eluned Parrott AM (Lib Dem, South Wales Central) accused the Welsh Government of “treating the concept of open government with contempt” after the BBC failed in a Freedom of Information request to see correspondence between Terry Matthews and the First Minister. The Welsh Government claimed it would “harm the Welsh economy” by impairing the working relationship between government and business.
• The First Minister announced an independent review will be carried out into neo-natal services in North Wales following an extensive and long-running row over plans to move services to the Wirral. The review will report back in September 2013.
• Network Rail were criticised for only spending £15million of their £2billion routes and stations budget in Wales – 0.7% of the total budget. Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM said there was “historic under-investment in the rail network in Wales.”
• Children's Commissioner Keith Towler warned that the proposed Social Services and Well-being Bill would infringe children's rights, as child welfare wouldn't be “paramount”. Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas (Lab, Neath), said that he misunderstood the Bill's intentions, and that she received legal advice that the Bill wouldn't impact children's rights.
• Alun Davies AM announced the Welsh Government will introduce regulations for the compulsory micro-chipping of dogs “by 2015”. Dogs Trust estimated there were over 10,000 stray dogs in Wales in 2012, and it's hoped the regulations will cut down on strays.
• The Welsh Conservatives held their spring conference in Swansea. Party leader, Andrew Davies AM, said the devolution argument had been settled and that the clock “cannot be turned back”. He also accused the Welsh Government of being “lazy”. Welsh Secretary David Jones criticised Welsh Government building regulations as “driving construction work to England” and also of creating “Soviet-style” enterprise zones.
• The Public Audit Bill received Royal Assent on April 29^th. The Public Audit Act 2013 will strengthen and improve the governance arrangements of the Wales Audit Office (WAO). Finance Minister, Jane Hutt (Lab, Vale of Glamorgan), said the law will help “restore public confidence” in the WAO, after concerns about its practises down the years.
• The First Minister wrote to the UK Chancellor, asking for tax-varying powers outlined in the first part of the Silk Commission to be implemented soon, as it would show the Scottish people that there was an alternative to independence.

Projects announced in April include : A £2million investment to modernise six public libraries, a 1,000 “village” development in northern Cardiff, the launch of the newly-merged University of South Wales, a £500,000 revamp to Cardiff Airport arrivals and a £4.8million support services centre at Morriston Hospital in Swansea.