Senedd Watch - December 2016

• A BBC Wales investigation found local health board spending on non-permanent and agency staff rose from £64million in 2013-14 to £137million in 2015-16 – an increase of 114%. BMA Cymru said the use of locums stemmed from “bad workforce practices and poor planning”. The Welsh Government recognised challenges in medical recruitment but the problems “weren't unique to Wales”.
• The Wales Refugee Council criticised “sub-standard” accommodation provided to Wales' 2,500 asylum seekers. Clearsprings Ready Homes - which provide all asylum accommodation in Wales – has a £119million contract with the UK Home Office to supply the homes and refused to comment.
• A Wales Audit Office report into the National Library of Wales criticised a lack of transparency between staff and management. The library's income fell 17% over the last several years, with the use of reserves to prop up finances dubbed “unsustainable”. President of the library, Rhodri Glyn-Thomas, said the institution was “broadly on the right path”.
• The Family Fund charity warned that 4,000 families with disabled children could miss out on grants after Welsh Government cuts. Funding for similar schemes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland has been protected. The Welsh Government said it was the result of a merger of four different Third Sector grant schemes, with a decision to limit funding for any individual scheme to £1.5million a year.
• There was also criticism of the Welsh Government's decision to transfer responsibility for Independent Living Grants, which subsidises home care for the disabled, to local authorities. There were fears budget pressures will force local authorities to cut the £27million scheme.
• The Public Services Ombudsman upheld a complaint against Bridgend Council that a foster child's savings were “maladministered”. The person received only £270 when leaving care, and the Ombudsman ordered the council to repay £3,310. The report was submitted to the Welsh Government as it raised issues about savings of looked-after children.
• Wales continued to place bottom of the UK Home Nations in the latest round of OECD PISA tests, despite a 10 point improvement in mathematics. Education Secretary, Kirsty Williams (Lib Dem, Brecon & Radnor), admitted the results were disappointing but said, “The easy thing to do would be rip up the plan and start again. But we owe it to our pupils, parents and the (teaching) profession to do what is right."
• A deal between Tata Steel and trade unions to secure the medium-term future of their steel plants in the UK was agreed in principle on December 7^th. The deal – subject to a ballot of union members – includes commitments: to keep two blast furnaces operational at Port Talbot, a provisional 10-year £1billion investment programme, avoiding compulsory redundancies for five years and a consultation on replacing the current pension with a "defined contribution" scheme.
• The First Minister welcomed the announcement, describing it as a "massive shot in the arm for the industry". The Welsh Government pledged to provide £4million in developing skills and training for Tata employees, with a wider package of support subject to further negotiation.
• Plaid Cymru economy spokesperson, Adam Price AM (Plaid, Carms. E & Dinefwr), believed the workforce's confidence in Tata's management had been "dented" through the year-long crisis. He also said the deal's ties to renegotiation of pensions sets "a very, very dangerous precedent".
• The Llywydd, Elin Jones (Plaid, Ceredigion), launched a consultation on a name change for the National Assembly. The options include: Welsh Parliament, Senedd and Parliament of Wales. The power to change the name will come with the Wales Bill and is expected to cost between £40,000 and £150,000. However, the public consultation was criticised for not enabling ethnic minority respondents to describe their nationality as Welsh – blamed on the use of 2011 Census data.
• A leaked letter revealed Network Rail estimate it would take 28 years for Welsh railways to be brought up to the required standard due to lack of investment. Economy & Infrastructure Secretary, Ken Skates (Lab, Clwyd South), accused the company of not doing enough to clear tracks of leaves, which has increased in the number of trains taken out of service, leading to overcrowding and reduced punctuality.
• A Health Committee inquiry into NHS winter preparedness found only 46% of NHS staff were vaccinated against flu. The report also called for integration between health and social care and a review of home care. Committee Chair, Dai Lloyd AM (Plaid, South Wales West) said, "It is clear from the evidence....that the many pressures facing the NHS....are not restricted to a particular period or season but are....all year round”.
• The Communities & Local Government Committee inquiry into the effectiveness of the Domestic Violence Act 2015 recommended relationship education be included in the new National Curriculum and that proper resources were provided to groups supporting victims under the Act.
• Minister for Lifelong Learning, Alun Davies (Lab, Blaenau Gwent), introduced the Additional Learning Needs Bill on December 13^th. The Bill proposes every child with additional needs be provided with an individual plan, places a duty on local authorities to promote independent advocacy services and creates an Education Tribunal of Wales.
• The Assembly's Petitions Committee agreed to raise the signature threshold before they would consider a petition from 10 signatures to 50. It follows a report during the Fourth Assembly which said the move would discourage “nonsensical” petitions.
• Communities Secretary, Carl Sargeant (Lab, Alyn & Deeside), admitted that the Welsh Government's long-standing goal to end child poverty by 2020 will not be achieved, saying the Assembly didn't have the welfare powers needed to make a difference. He told the Assembly a new “whole-government approach” was required.
• Environment & Rural Affairs Secretary, Lesley Griffiths (Lab, Wrexham), said renewable energy progress in Wales was being frustrated by a “clear lack of policy” by the UK Government and a lack of clarity for the industry. Control over energy projects of up to 350MW are to be devolved in the Wales Bill, but the Secretary called for the power to offer financial incentives to be devolved too.
• Bethan Jenkins AM (Plaid, South Wales West) called for the introduction of a register for people convicted of animal abuse. She cited evidence that animal abuse was a sign of, or concurrent with, domestic violence and difficultues in tracking people who have been banned from keeping animals.
• Gross Value added (GVA) figures for 2015 revealed Wales saw the sharpest rise in GVA of the UK Home Nations (+2.8%) to £55.7billion, and that GVA-per-capita stood at £18,002 (71.3% of the UK average). However, this remained the lowest GVA-per-capita of the UK's 12 nations and regions.
• Plaid Cymru said the economy of some parts of Wales was “in freefall” and called for an emergency economic summit after Wales' wealthier areas – like Cardiff – remained below the UK average in GVA-per-capita. Adam Price AM said, “There seems to be a contagion in economic decline”.
• In their inquiry report on youth work and youth services, the Children & Young People's Committee believed the Welsh Government will find it difficult to deliver “universal” youth services. They recommended a refreshed national strategy and greater involvement by young people in developing services.
• A deal on a new fiscal framework for Wales was agreed on December 19^th. The agreement will double Welsh capital borrowing powers from £500million to £1billion and partially devolve of income tax varying powers in 2019 - with an appropriate adjustment to the Welsh budget.
• Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM (Ind, Dwyfor Meirionnydd) pledged to support the Welsh Government for the remainder of the Fifth Assembly, effectively giving Labour a working majority. It followed speculation he had been offered a cabinet position, resulting in Plaid Cymru threatening to withdraw from compact agreements.
• Freedom of Information data revealed NHS staff in Wales were subject to 18,000 assaults over the last five years. The Royal College of Nursing said, “It may not necessarily mean its getting worse....it may be the reporting is better, staff are being supported more to report these issues and address them.”
• The Welsh Government pledged to oppose moves to categorise housing associations as public sector bodies, following concerns that a public sector designation would restrict their ability to access private finance to build homes.

Projects announced in December include: An extra £30million towards a target of providing 20,000 affordable homes by 2021; an £11million naval reserve training facility in Cardiff Docks; plans to launch a Development Bank of Wales in the first half of 2017; a codification project to consolidate Welsh legislation; an additional £10million to help firms cope with changes to business rates; £16million towards hospital diagnostic equipment and a final go ahead for construction of a Llandeilo bypass, starting in 2019.