Senedd Watch - December 2013

Owen : As you can see, I've done some minor redecorating.

I realise that (for those of you reading this on a computer monitor) the Twitter box is annoying. I'll keep an eye out for a "slide out" like the Facebook tab. I've changed the social media buttons to make it easier to share or follow. I won't force anyone to do that, obviously. Labels have been moved from the sidebar to the bottom of the page.

As you'll also see, I've given my links an overhaul. Some sites I wanted to add (various AMs/MEPs etc., Bridgend Council) lacked the RSS feed necessary to update properly on Blogger. A few of the current links have problems updating too, so they're subject to change.

• Health Minister Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West) launched a Welsh Government public awareness campaign, highlighting changes to organ donation rules as a result of the Human Transplantation Act 2013, which comes into force in December 2015.
• Julie Morgan AM (Lab, Cardiff North) told The Western Mail that consideration needed to be given to increase the number of AMs from 60 to 80, claiming there were too few backbench AMs to properly scrutinise the government.
• PISA 2012 results showed marginal declines in Welsh results since 2009 (except reading), with Wales placing behind the other Home Nations. The First Minister said performances were “not good enough”, but improvement measures would “take time....to bear fruit.” Education Minister, Huw Lewis (Lab, Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney), later apologised for the Welsh Government overseeing a decline, saying everyone involved in education “needs to get it right”.
• On December 3^rd, The National Assembly unanimously passed :
• the NHS Finance Bill. The NHS Finance Act will grant local health boards the freedom to plan budgets over three years instead of annually.
• the Further and Higher Education (Governance and Information) Bill, which makes changes to further education college governance arrangements and how student loan data is supplied to the Welsh Government. Amendments will ensure the effectiveness of some aspects of the law are reviewed in 2016.
• A Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee inquiry recommended local government collaboration required “strong ministerial direction” to speed up the process, alongside further cost-benefit analyses to determine the true value of collaboration.
• UK Chancellor, George Osbourne, announced Wales will receive an extra £100million over the next two years in his Autumn Statement, reiterating his commitment to a “sustained economic recovery” in Wales. Finance Minister, Jane Hutt (Lab, Vale of Glamorgan), said it will do little to “change the challenging public finance outlook”.
• A relief fund was set up after coastal flooding in north Wales inundated homes in the Rhyl area and other parts of the UK over December 4-5. Natural Resources & Food Minister, Alun Davies (Lab, Blaenau Gwent), praised the efforts of the emergency service and Denbighshire Council, saying both primary and secondary flood defences were breached. Other Atlantic storms affected Wales over the Christmas and New Year period, resulting in at least two deaths.
• Political figures paid tribute to former South African President and world statesman, Nelson Mandela, who died on December 5^th aged 95. Llywydd Rosemary Butler (Lab, Newport West) described him as a “great human being”, while the First Minister said Mandela was “one of the greatest figures of modern times”. Former anti-apartheid campaigner and Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain MP, said Mandela was a “bright beacon of liberty and justice”.
• A Campaign for Better Transport report found that Welsh railways were underused and had lower passenger satisfaction rates compared to other parts of the UK. The campaigners believed devolution of the railways could provide better services, “with devolved management of services in Scotland delivering significantly better results.” The Assembly's Business & Enterprise Committee report into the future of the Wales & Borders franchise later recommended the devolution of franchise awarding powers to Wales, alongside a draft charter for the new franchise, which would take effect from 2018.
• A BBC investigation into ambulance transfers at A&E departments showed Welsh patients faced the longest waits in the UK, with one extreme example of 6hr22mins. The Welsh Government described the figures as “unacceptable” but said most patients were transferred within 20 minutes (on average). Also, the Wales Ambulance Service missed its response targets, after marginally exceeding them in November.
• Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood, warned that food poverty “is the next health emergency” after British Medical Journal figures showed the use of food banks had tripled in Wales between 2012 and 2013. In an Assembly debate, she called for the Welsh Government's anti-poverty strategy to address both malnutrition and other consequences of UK Government welfare reforms.
• The Assembly's Public Accounts Committee report into governance at Betsi Cadwaladr local health board said failings must “serve as a lesson” to the Welsh NHS. It recommended management performances be better monitored and training improved for board members. It followed damning evaluations from the Wales Audit Office and Health Inspectorate Wales earlier in 2013.
• Abertawe Bro Morgannwg LHB warned patients to avoid Morriston Hospital's A&E department unless it's “a real emergency” following a serious treatment backlog. A Morriston-based doctor told the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee, coincidentally, that he'd treated patients in the hospital car park and that all non-cancer operations had been cancelled.
• The Welsh budget for 2014-15 was approved by the Assembly on December 10^th by 26 votes to 12 (with 16 abstentions) following a £100million agreement between Welsh Labour, Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru in October 2013.
• The Assembly passed the Control of Horses Bill unanimously on December 10^th. The Control of Horses Act will strengthen powers local authorities have to deal with abandoned horses, setting out conditions for seizure and possible destruction.
• Latest economic figures showed Welsh gross value added (GVA) grew faster than the UK average in 2012 (+1.6% vs +1%) but Wales remained the lowest-ranking region or nation of the UK, with a GVA of £15,404. The Gwent valleys showed the fastest growth, while there was an economic contraction in south west Wales, as well as Newport & Monmouthshire.
• Counsel General, Theodore Huckle QC, referred Mick Antoniw's (Lab, Pontypridd) Asbestos Disease Bill – passed in November 2013 - to the Supreme Court to “clearly resolve” any issue over the Assembly's competence in the area following complaints from the insurance industry.
• 2013's school banding figures showed 20 secondary schools were in the highest Band 1 - a fall of 8 on 2011. Teaching unions criticised the use of banding, while the Education Minister rejected criticism that the system was “too volatile”.
• Tributes were paid to Conservative peer and former Welsh Office minister, Wyn Roberts, who died aged 83. Having played a key role in developing and passing the Welsh Language Act 1993 during his time in office, he was described as a “guardian angel for the Welsh language” by S4C Authority chair, Huw Jones.
• Experts believed Carmarthenshire Council could have broken EU rules by granting more than £20million in aid to the Llanelli Scarlets rugby club following their move to Parc y Scarlets. The council said they received “independent legal advice” which said state aid rules did not apply, though they refused to clarify further. In an unrelated development, it was revealed the EU Commission are investigating a deal which allows Ospreys and Swansea City to share the Liberty Stadium.
• The Assembly's Finance Committee inquiry into enterprise zones said it was “too soon to make any firm conclusions”, but recommended the Welsh Government make more information available, make businesses aware of rates relief schemes and consider the use of enhanced capital allowances.
• Unemployment in Wales fell by 7,000 in the three months to October 2013 to stand at 7.4% - the same as the UK average – its lowest level since April 2009. Employment levels had also reached record highs. The Welsh Secretary said it was “being driven by the private sector”.
• The UK Government unveiled the draft Wales Bill, which will devolve landfill tax, stamp duty and borrowing powers. Provisions for a referendum on variable income tax rates were included. The draft Bill also prevents MPs sitting as AMs at the same time and removes the ban on standing in constituencies and regions during Assembly elections.
• Natural Resources & Food Minister, Alun Davies, called for the National Farmers Union Cymru (NFU) and Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) to unite, telling BBC Radio Cymru that having two unions was “nonsense”, saying he often had similar conversations with both.
• The Health Minister ordered a report into the future of hospital services in the Hywel Dda Local Health Board area following a meeting with Elin Jones AM (Plaid, Ceredigion) and senior clinicians, who wanted the minister to take challenges facing a rural, sparsely-populated area into consideration.
• There were calls to relax restrictions on hunting in Wales to allow dogs to flush out foxes after a series of fox attacks on sheep. Animal welfare campaigners criticised it, saying it was repealing the ban on hunting with dogs - via the Hunting Act 2004 - “through the back door”.
• Llywydd Rosemary Butler was awarded a damehood in the New Year's Honours List “for services to women and democracy”. She said she was “stunned and humbled” at the honour, and that she would continue to encourage more women into public life. Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Government, Derek Jones, was also awarded a knighthood.

Projects announced in December include : the establishment of a special group to discuss improvements to Cambrian Line rail services, the launch of an independent review following the Operation Jasmine investigation into abuse at six care homes in south Wales, a drive to create 1,000 jobs in the creative industries through apprenticeships, £24million of upgrades at five railway stations across Wales and a £10million loan to Cardiff Airport to improve facilities.