New investment in encouraging benefits take up is to be welcomed today by the Minster, Brian Gibbons AM, especially given that there is up to £100m in council benefits which go unclaimed in Wales in a year. There was a Conference to discuss the possibilities for implementation with key organisations that work in this field today in Llandrindod Wells, which is a positive sign that the One Wales Government is tackling this issue head on.
I'd like to take a tiny bit of praise for this being on the agenda at all, as I have raised it on numerous occassions with the Minister, mainly due to the work that I have been doing in talking to experts in the field about benefits take up. For example, Disability Living Allowance is an area where take up is low in Wales, and where it is often hard for people to find out if they can claim benefits at all.
Of course, we can do everything within our power possible here in Wales to encrouage take-up, but there needs also to be a steer from Westminster. There still isn't the prioritisation of the child poverty agenda that we so desperately need from London. There have been announcements about the new Child Poverty Unit in the DWP, the new workers contract that Gordon Brown launched last week at Labour's Welsh Conference, and Ed Ball's Children's Plan. All commendable in black and white, but they are yet to appear deliverable in practice. Again, we must work hand in hand with Wesminster, and not against them, to ensure that we can seek to take on one of the biggest challenges of our time.
On another subject- Y Byd- I understand that there will be an interesting piece on this on tonight's Dragon's Eye. I will try and reserve judgment until then. I tend to agree with Adam Price on this one, however. Plaid in Government has almost doubled investment in the Welsh medium press, and the possibility of developing a new Welsh Language daily is still open for debate in that the Government is currently tendering for contracts. I believe that a newspaper on the web is the best way forward at thist stage, but I know that others disagree with me.
I do despair, however of some figures in the Nationalist movement purposfully using their positions to create trouble on this issue. Lets put our heads together and get a successful outcome for the future of the Welsh Language Press instead of making public statements for the sake of making a point.
15 comments:
Like Rhodri Glyn last night, your personal opinion is not here nor there bacuse the true issue is this Bethan, Plaid have not delivered a promise. End of. Also, out of interest, if you are so dead against the of a Welsh newspaper being a printed one am i right in thinking that you, and Adam, go through your typical week without reading a single English newspaper as you have signed on toe the paid for online English papers? I think not.
Fel gyda Rhodri Glyn neithir, dydy dy farn bersonol di ddim yn berthnasol i'r ddadl yma oherwydd yr issue yw hyn - mae Plaid wedi meddu delivero addewid. Hefyd, allan o ddiddordeb, wyt ti (fel Adam) gan eich bod chi gymaint yn erbyn y syniad o gael Papur Cymraeg fel un printiedig yn mynd trwy eich wythnos arferol heb edrych ar bapur Saesneg gan eich bod chi wedi arwyddo fynny i'r paid-for online editions? Dwi ddim yn meddwl.
My recollection of events is that One Wales promised support for a daily Welsh language newspaper and the Heritage Minister offered a sum of money and invited bids. Y Byd didn't like the offer so it didn't bid. That's not the Assembly Government's fault.
Dotcommentator,
One Wales promised to establish a Welsh Language daily newspaper, as did the Plaid Cymru manifesto. Yet when the minister announced the funding, it was around a third of the minimum necessary to honour that promise. Therefore it is the Assembly Government's fault. By promising to do something in government, there is an implicit promise that you will provide an adequate level of funding for it. Not even Rupert Murdoch could run a daily newspaper for £200,000 a year.
Fel nodwyd gan Rhys Llwyd a Dyfrig, mae Plaid Cymru wedi torri addewid, ac mae hynny'n anfaddeuol.
Torrwyd addewid tebyg ar fater Coleg Ffederal Cymraeg. Pam ddylwn ni gredu unrhywrai o 'addewidion' eraill Plaid Cymru?
Pa fath o Ddeddf iaith cawn ni? A fydd yna refferendwm?
Trueni nad oes gan unrhyw Aelod Cynulliad Plaid Cymru yr asgwrn cefn i sefyll lan yn erbyn yr arweinyddiaeth sydd yn amlwg wedi gwneud cangymeriad. Roedd digon yn barod i ddatgan yn gyhoeddus eu gwrthwynebiad i'r Glymblaid Enfys, ond neb yn barod i ddatgan eu pryderon am y ffaith fod Plaid Cymru yn prysur torri addewidion sy'n bwysig iawn i nifer o aelodau a chefnogwyr traddodiadol.
Ar fater gwahanol, trist iawn yw gweld AC'au Plaid Cymru yn rhedeg gwefannau megis hon mwy neu lai yn uniaith Saesneg - hyd yn oed pan yn trafod Papur Dyddiol Cymraeg!!!
Heb olygu amharch, Bethan, ond rhag eich cywilydd yn bychanu a dilorni cyfran sylweddol iawn o'r aelodaeth gyffredin gyda sylwadau o'r fath.
Er mwyn "get a successful outcome for the future of the Welsh Language Press" byddid wedi cadw at yr addewid a wnaed i sefydlu papur cenedlaethol.
Nid mynd ati i greu trafferthion y mae'r rhai sy'n gofyn i addewid, sy'n gwbl glir, gael ei gwireddu.
Mawr obeithiaf bod y 15 ohonoch ym Mae Caerdydd yn sylwi'r dadrithio rydych chi'n ei greu ar lawr gwlad ar hyn o bryd, er nad ydw i'n dal fawr o obaith mai dyna'r achos.
21 diwrnod yn ol wnes i setio lan grwp ar bebo plaidcymruifanc. mae'r aelodaeth i;r grwp yn 21 diwrnod yn dros 450 O AELODAU!!!!!!!!. mae hwn yn nifer sylweddol!!!! mae'n ymateb arbennig!!!!!! mae'r grwp yn truo codi ymbyddiaeth am y plaid ac annibynniaeth gan cymryd gwybodaeth o wefannau arall ac gadael pobl ifanc cyrraedd yr gwybodaeth yn hawdd iawn. dwi wedi cael fy synnu bod cymru x ddim wedi amcani at llefoedd social network sites i edrych am pleidleiswyr ac gwleidyddion y dyfodol. Mae hwn yn siawns dda i;r plaid cael pleidleiswyr y dyfodol. does gan yr ceidwadwyr a llafur ddim grwp o gwbl ar bebo. a fel mae'r snp wedi wneud gallwn ni codi ymwybyddiaeth am annibynniaeth trwy cyrraedd pobl ifanc ar bebo.
Galla ti os gwelwch yn dda CYFRAnNU at yr wefan ac i'r blog NEU FORUM ar y grwp os gwelwch yn dda at plaidcymruifanc
http://bebo.com/plaidcymruifanc
Wedi ail ddarllen fy nghyfraniad dwi eisiau pwysleisio mai nid ymosodiad arna ti yn bersonol oedd y bwriad. Mae'r holl bwyntiau yn berthnasol i bob AC Plaid Cymru. Y grwp yn y Cynulliad, ac yn enwedig yr arweinyddiaeth, sydd wedi ein gadael ni lawr.
Mae'r ffaith fod pobl megis Cynog Dafis a Hywel Teifi Edwards wedi siarad mor gryf yn erbyn y penderfyniad yn dweud cyfrolau.
Spell it out now in detail please. Where do you stand NOW in detail on the funding issue of "Y BYD"? Cyfog Dafis is splitting blood!
Hello Betsan.
Just a comment on your initial posting regarding DLA benefits, which your correspondents choose to ignore in favour of discussing a Welsh language newspaper.
Despite Dr. Gibbons' and your presumed wish that a greater up-take of benefits in Wales should take place, there is a culture of claims denial within the DWP which has been introduced by its past Chief Medical Adviser, Prof. Mansel Aylward.
Prof. Aylward is the local agent of the American insurance company, UNUM, who have been described as "an outlaw company who have acted in an illegal fashion for years" and have operated "claims denial factories". This description was made in October 2005 by Mr. John Garamendi who, at the time, was Insurance Commissioner for California. Incidentally, Mr. Garamendi has since been elected as Lieutenant Governor of California and consequently, has credibilty which is beyond question.
This method of claims denial is based on the principle, imported from the USA, that the DWP's (or UNUM's) doctors are more qualified than any GPs, Consultants or other Health Care Professionals.
As a direct result of this, there are many legitimate claimants who have been denied benefits on the basis of these questionable methods.
I would cordially invite you and other readers to call in at my blog:
www.yourpaljohnny.blogspot.com
....for further interesting facts (with plenty of confirmation) regarding this controversial company's involvement in the DWP, the NHS and their agencies. Further links are provided.
I have posed an awkward question to all, especially politicians, regarding the Welsh Assembly's intimate association with this controversial company. Perhaps you would care to have a go at answering:
Q...."Please provide your observations on Assembly association with UNUM, who have been described as "an outlaw company who have operated in an illegal fashion for years".
This company's involvement in Governmental matters becomes all the more questionable when it is noted that Prof. Mansel Aylward, whose experience and knowledge of NHS matters is rather limited, has been 'selected' by Edwina Hart AM as the fit and proper person to reconfigure Health Service provision in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area, despite his questionable associates.
Further, Huw Lewis AM suggests that Prof. Aylward is the person of "integrity and stature" to reconfigure Health Service provision throughout Wales.
Please don't feel too put-out if you are unable to answer this question as I will just add you to the long list of Secretaries of State, Ministers, MP's, AMs and other politicos who have made a variety of excuses when confronted by this question.
Could it be that I have uncovered something that they would prefer to remain hidden?
Your pal.
johnny.
Hedd- mae dy bwyntiau yn glir. Rwyn deall dy fod ti ag eraill nawr yn ysgrifennu at Rhodri Glyn Thomas yn pwysleisio eich pwyntiau. Rwy'n deall yr hyn yr wyt yn dweud, ond rwyf eto yn pwysleisio nad ydym wedi cyrraedd diwedd y daith ar hwn eto. Mae angen mwy o drafodaeth ar y peth, ac asesu'r ffordd gorau ymlaen.
Hedd- your points are clear, and I understand that you have taken your concers to Rhodri Glyn Thomas. I still believe that there is a long way to go in this debate, and we now need to assess the best action to take.
Rhys- dydw i ddim yn erbyn cael papur newydd dyddiol i'r gymraeg, ond mae angen i ni edrych ar y opsiynau i weld beth sydd yn bosib. Does dim pwynt dechrau papur newydd heb y gwaith ymchwil ar bwy fydd yn ei ddefnyddio, a sicrhau bod digon o danysgrifwyr. Rwy'n cydnabod pwysigrwydd y pwnc, ac yn hapus i gwrdd a phobl yn y sector i drafod hwn yn bellach. Mae fy nrws i yn agored o hyd.
Rhys- I am not against the idea of having a welsh language daily at all, only that we need to do enough research to ensure that it is viable, and that it has a strong readership. I understand your interest in this subject and would be happy to meet with campaigners to discuss it further. My door is always open to discuss these issues, as you surely know.
Diolch am gael drws agored Bethan. Ond mae dy sylwad di yn dweud fod angen neud ymchwil yn dangos nad wyt ti wedi dy brifieo ar y pwnc yma cyn lleisio dy farn. Mae ymchwil trwyadl eisoes ar gael i mewn i'r farchnad - wyt ti wedi ei ddarllen? Mae ymchwil yn dangos fod yna botensial o 45,000 o households Cymraeg ABC1 byddai yn medru prynnu'r BYD ag ystyried hynny dydy dechrau gyda cylchrediad o 5,000 ddim mor uchelgeisio a hynny wedi'r cyfan. Gwnaed yr ymchwil gyda llaw gan Beuafort Research ac nid gan Y BYD eu hunain. Mae'r cynllun Busnes hefyd yn water tight a dibynnu ei fod yn cael cefnogaeth o leiaf £600,000 gan y Llywodraeth sef rhywbeth tebyg i'r norm Ewropeaidd i bapur lleiafrifol. Roedd y gwaith yma i gyd ar gael i'r Blaid ddarllen cyn iddyn nhw roi yr addewid yn y maniffesto - ond na, yr headline yn hytrach na'r nutts and bolts oedd o ddiddordeb nol yn yr haf wrth geisio ein argyhoeddi fod mynd gyda Llafur yn well nag arwain Llywodraeth.
Thanks for the open door invitation Bethan. But your comments noting that more research needs doing on the concept of a Welsh daily indicate that you have not been fully briefed on the issue which you have raised your voice about. Substantial and in-depth research into the market has already been undertaken - have you read it? Research shows, if memory serves me correctly, that there are 45,000 welsh speaking ABC1 households out there as potential buyers of Y BYD; considering this aiming for an initial circulation of 5,000 is not that unrealistic. By the way the research was undertaken by Beuafort Research and not by Y BYD itself. The Business plan is also water tight so long as it would receive government backing of at least £600,000 which is close to the European norm for similar minority language daily papers. All this research work was available to Plaid and Labour as they worked on the 'headlines' that would lure people like me to support the coalition - but i guess back then you were not that bothered in the nuts and bolts of it all. It's a pity.
johnny-would you like to email these details so that I can look in to them. Its hard to reply on a comment secion of a blog. thanks
bethan
Rhys- you obviously are aware of the arguments and I don't dispute that, but i have commented on information that I have read, and that I have been given. If you dispute this then please, as I said, arrange to meet with me or another Plaid AM and we can discuss it further in detail.
Rhys- rwyt yn amlwg yn deall y dadleuon i'r dim, a dydw i ddim yn dadlau yn erbyn hyn. Rwyf ond yn gwneud sylwadau ar beth rwy'n gwbod, ac wedi selio ar ffeithiau. Os wyt ti'n dadlau yn erbyn hynny, yna, fel dwedais i or blaen, rwy'n hapus i drafod hwn gyda ti mewn cyfarfod.
Bethan, BETHAN. Please accept my abject and unreserved apologies for referring to you as Betsan in my original comment.
Your pal.
johnny.
Says he, shuffling off backwards and genuflecting for all he's worth.
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