Senedd Watch - October 2013

• The National Assembly passed the Active Travel Bill on October 1^st. The Active Travel Act 2013 will place statutory duties on local authorities to plan, map and improve integrated cycling and pedestrian networks. Chair of the Assembly's Petitions Committee, William Powell AM (Lib Dem, Mid & West Wales), said it highlighted the success of the petitions system, as the law started life as a Sustrans Cymru petition in 2007.
• Chair of the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee, Darren Millar AM (Con, Clwyd West), referred a Life Sciences Fund investment to the Wales Audit Office after the chair, Sir Christopher Evans, was revealed to have had an interest in a company which received funding. In a separate matter, a member of the public referred the appointment of former Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones as head of the Menai Science Park to the Wales Audit Office. It was soon confirmed that there was no breach of rules regarding former ministerial appointments.
• Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Davies (Con, South Wales Central), told ITV Wales that consideration should be given to replacing the Welsh Office with a Department of the Nations, saying it would prevent Wales being “marginalised” at UK level. He also suggested the Assembly should have shorter recesses and sit in plenary three times a week.
• In his annual report, NHS Wales chief executive David Sissling said the health service had made a number of improvements despite criticism and pressures, including from the Welsh Government, who BBC Wales believed raised serious concerns about every local health board bar Powys in August 2013.
• Estyn expressed concerns about standards at the South East Wales Centre for Teacher Education and Training, in particular literacy and numeracy training and guidance. Plaid Cymru education spokesperson, Simon Thomas AM (Plaid, Mid & West Wales), said more support was needed for teachers when they leave university, and Wales needed to learn best practice from England and Scotland.
• Opposition politicians said the Welsh economy was in desperate need for growth after tax figures from HMRC showed Wales generated 3.1% of the UK's tax take despite having a population share of 4.9%. The Welsh Government said the figures were “distorted and incomplete” and Welsh tax-take kept pace with UK growth.
• Estyn's report into mathematics teaching at GCSE level concluded that performances were “disappointing”, with an 11% gap between Wales and England with regard pupils achieving at least a C grade. The Welsh Government said the report highlighted both areas of success and areas where improvements were required.
• Finance Minister Jane Hutt (Lab, Vale of Glamorgan) unveiled the draft budget for 2014-15, which included a significant increase in NHS spending over three years, but significant cuts to local government and further education. A £100million agreement was reached between Labour, Plaid Cymru and Welsh Libs Dems which included funds for supported housing, health technologies and deprived pupils. The minister also announced a £617.5million capital spending package over the next three years.
• In response to the draft budget, Cardiff Council's Cllr. Russell Goodway warned some local authorities “could go bust” as a result of absorbing extra cuts on top of existing spending restraint. The Welsh Local Government Association were also critical, saying the Welsh NHS was “squeezing out” other budgets.
• Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM (Plaid, Carms. E & Dinefwr) issued a statement calling for Carmarthenshire Council to be placed in special measures, after a Plaid Cymru councillor was prevented from drawing attention to Wales Audit Office concerns about unlawful payments during the council's monthly meeting.
• Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood told her party's annual conference that Wales remained at the bottom of too many league tables, promising strong leadership. She outlined policy proposals such as a 20p levy on soft drinks to pay for 1,000 additional doctors, cutting or scrapping business rates for small businesses and creating a not-for-profit energy company to sell directly to Welsh businesses and households.
• Bethan Jenkins AM (Plaid, South Wales West) was granted leave to introduce a backbench Financial Education and Inclusion Bill, which aims to improve financial education in schools and beyond, and increase local authority powers to both deal with payday lending and promote financial inclusion.
• Minister for Housing and Regeneration, Carl Sargeant (Lab, Alyn & Deeside) announced that the Regeneration Investment Fund for Wales (RIFW) would be suspended, and placed under direct Welsh Government control, following an ongoing Wales Audit Office and Serious Fraud Office investigation into land sales in 2012.
• The Assembly's Public Accounts Committee found a Monmouthshire-based drainage board – responsible for ensuring the Gwent Levels don't flood - had potentially put lives at risk through poor management, and also that members took trips abroad without any business case. Natural Resources and Food Minister, Alun Davies (Lab, Blaenau Gwent) said he was considering merging drainage boards into Natural Resources Wales.
• The First Minister criticised Network Rail for not consulting the Welsh Government over their scheduling of major works to the Severn Tunnel, which coincided with the opening ceremony of the Rugby League World Cup and the Womex music festival – both held in Cardiff. Network Rail said the work was “vital”.
• The First Minister defended Hywel Dda LHB's decision to postpone non-urgent surgery in order to increase winter capacity, while trade unions and opposition AMs criticised the decision. Doctors also claimed NHS staff would be deterred from whistle blowing about poor care as the result of new Welsh NHS policy guidelines published in July.
• Business & Enterprise Minister, Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower), announced the creation of a group to deliver a metro system in south east Wales following the publication of an executive report. The scheme, if completed in full, would cost £1.9billion between now and 2030.
• The Welsh Government introduced the Control of Horses Bill, which aims to tackle illegal fly-grazing and abandonment of horses. There was, however, criticism of a decision to bypass the first committee stage from three Assembly committees.
• The National Assembly agreed unanimously that a decision to create a Welsh national cricket team should be left to cricket authorities following a petition to, and report from, the Assembly's Petitions Committee. Both Glamorgan County Cricket Club and Cricket Wales reject the proposal.
• There was confusion over Barnett consequentials resulting from the High Speed 2 (HS2) project in England, with Finance Minister Jane Hutt telling the Assembly's Finance Committee in a letter that £35million was added to the Welsh budget as a result project spending. The UK Government denied this, saying HS2 is a “vital UK project” and outside of the bounds of the Barnett formula, but later backtracked, accepting the Welsh Government's view.
• The Environment & Sustainability Committee criticised Natural Resources and Food Minister, Alun Davies, after accounting errors left £342million of farming subsidies off his department's draft budget sheets. He was also criticised for giving “evasive and contradictory” answers to the committee. The Welsh Government rejected both the criticism itself and its tone, saying it was “simply flawed and inaccurate.”
• Health Minister Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West) pledged to launch a neglect review into the circumstances surrounding the death of an 82 year old woman in 2012 after two years of on-off treatment at Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot Hospital. Relatives said her treatment was “appalling”, and she was left dehydrated.
• The Western Mail reported that in a leaked letter to Labour party colleagues, Blaenau Gwent council leader, Hedley McCarthy, savaged the Welsh Government's handling of local government services - in particular placing local authorities into special measures - and questioned current reviews into, and possible expense of, local government reorganisation.

Projects announced in October include : A scheme to guarantee a post-16 education or training place for all young people in Wales out of work by 2015, confirmation of £44million rail improvements in north east Wales that includes redoubling of track between Wrexham and Chester, two new business rate relief schemes to run until 2015 and 2016, a £268million package over several years towards housing for vulnerable people, details of a commemoration of the First World War in 2014 and a new delivery plan for neurological conditions.