Senedd today

I'm not taking part in any of the debates today at the Senedd, but I am listening in on the debate on co-payments in the NHS. There is a debate later by the lib dems on bus services in Wales, where no doubt they will add to their growing wish list of financial demands from the Welsh Assembly Government. A few months ago, the idea was floated that backbenchers should be able to table debates here at the Assembly. We are still waiting to find out whether there is scope to table time for backbench debates. It is frustrating sometimes that those within the ruling groups in the Assembly cannot be pro active in initiating debates on this level. I believe this would inject some energy in to debates in the Chamber, and ultimately add another layer of scrutiny of Government Ministers. Of course, we respond diligently and thoughtfully to all the opposition party debates, but I sincerely believe that there is a need to re- assess the way that debates are run here, or how time is used during the afternoon, mid-week sessions.

Another conversation that I had today with fellow AMs was about the potential for more academic discussion amongst AMs on policy and strategy. We all know about the House magazine which is produced at Westminster, but there is no Assembly equivalent. Of course, we could look at doing an online journal of sorts, and encourage critical debate amongst AMs and political thinkers alike on the web. Those of us who blog take part in such discussions on a daily basis, but I believe that we could look in to this idea again, as this may be another way of encouraging public interest and involvement in our National Assembly.

An update on the Royal visit tomorrow- supposedly the cleaners have been asked to polish the plants on show at the Assembly! What a joke. The place is smelling of paint, and flowers have been placed on display. Its interesting that so much effort is being made for one person, for one day. Why don't the public have this treatment when they come here every day? I asked for a debate on the future of the Monarchy during business questions yesterday, and Nick Bourne AM also agreed that such a debate should take place. Perhaps that could be a theme for a backbench debate for the future?

Migrant workers in Wales

Glyn Davies's blog on the Polish community in Wales makes some valid points about the current downward trend in those from Poland moving to the UK to find work. There are of course varying reasons for such actions, but the most predominant being that due to the economic downturn in the UK at the moment, living costs are soaring, and those who are moving here from the A8 countries are suddenly finding that the money they earn is being thrown into this area as opposed to providing them with the opportunities to send money home to their families. Poland and other such countries are also settling in to the EU system, which means that there are steady increases in salaries in their countries of residence, thus negating the need for them to move elsewhere to find jobs and support their loved ones.

Nevertheless, the reality at the moment is that there are thousands of people from such countries settling in Wales without sufficient support mechanisms around them in terms of understanding how to access advice on employment, benefits and such. They are also very vulnerable to unscrupulous employers who take advantage of the fact that they do not have sufficient skills in English or Welsh language, in communicating their situation to relevant authorities.

The Equal Opportunities committee at the National Assembly, of which I am a member is currently carrying out a review on migrant workers, and I have found the evidence sessions from those who are supporting Polish, Portuguese or other EU residents in Wales very interesting, and thought provoking. We are set to advise the Welsh Assembly Government on how to improve support for such communities, and how to ensure that they are fully accepted into Welsh society.

We have heard evidence of the lack of ESOL funding available that enables migrant workers to learn both English and Welsh when they arrive here, the need to create an Employment Commission on a UK level so that migrant workers' rights are protected and respected, and the need for more partnership work between the WAG, Local Authorities and organisations such as Careers Wales, Embassies and voluntary organisations.

There is much to be done in this area, especially with regards to transferring migrant workers skills in to applicable qualifications here in Wales, but I sincerely hope that, given that many of the powers rests with the UK Government on this issue, that we will be able to take our key recommendations to both the Welsh Assembly Government and the UK Parliament.

Eating Disorders- support for the cross party group.

This letter was in the Western Mail today from David Samuel. I was on the Richard Evans show with Ali Valenzuela, a girl from Swansea who suffered from the illness on Wednesday, and David phoned in to the show to say that he too had anorexia while a student in Cardiff. I was actually in school with David, and he has been very active with the BMA in Wales in raising important issues affecting student Doctors. I hope that everyone who is interested in this subject will take part in the debate, and also attend the launch of the eating disorders cross party group campaign on the 27th of February at the National Assembly for Wales.

Eating disorder need

SIR – I welcome the call by Bethan Jenkins to improve the services dedicated to treating eating disorders in Wales (Health Wales, January 21).

Despite over 50,000 people in Wales suffering from such disorders, the limited in-patient service offered in Wales is over-run and community services are limited and stretched to breaking point.

Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. It impacts on the patients’ physical and mental status, and also transforms their lives and that of their family and loved ones.

Unless patients are treated quickly then their obsession with food, exercise and their illogical desire to be thin turns into a live threatening, life-dominating condition.

As a medical student who has suffered from anorexia, I have seen the effects of this condition from both sides. I am only too aware of the dangers of the condition, as well as the illogical thoughts that possesses a sufferers’ mind.

At a time when preventing obesity seems high on the agenda in the UK, let us not forget those at the other end of the spectrum who are underweight, undernourished and suffering in silence as anorexia and bulimia torment and haunt their everyday lives. No family should have to travel over the border to receive treatment for what is an already immensely burdensome condition. I only hope WAG listen to Ms Jenkins’s call and also take note of the silent cries of many eating disorder sufferers across Wales. I only hope that as a practising doctor in six months time I will be able to offer help to my patients close to their homes to overcome their dying desire to diet.

DAVID GWYNFOR SAMUEL

Fifth year medical student, Cardiff University. Pant, Merthyr Tydfil

Could Plaid have a 'Baroness Lloyd' by January?

I took part in a radio discussion today with other Plaid members regarding the House of Lords, all with differing opinions. We can't, for now at least, go back on the decision, so I will of course step in line, and see what can be made of the situation.

Yes, Dafydd Wigley is the likely contender. I have heard Sian Lloyd's name bandied about a bit. I've even heard that she was the one to have started the rumours, but time will tell whether anything will actually materialise from this. For now there is plenty of work for party officials in preparing the timeline for hustings and so on. I can't wait. Jill Evans MEP made the point over the weekend that at least Plaid will be electing our Lords democratically within party structures. I'm not sure that this is much of a comfort to those of us who are opposed to the concept, but it is an argument for the way that we can try and do things differently to other maintstream parties. What's important in all of this is that we continue to campaign for the democratisation of the House of Lords, and that we don't fall in to a comfort zone when we 'elect' our first batch of Lords or Ladies.

I failed to mention last week that Dragon's Eye also carried a piece about Child Poverty, and Huw Lewis's concerns that the Government will not meet its targets. Leighton Andrews rightly pointed out that reaching the target may be challenging, and this due to the fact that Westminster still retains many of the powers with regards to the benefits system- which has an inevitable affect on this particular issue.

Of course, the Assembly will do as much as we can within our remit to reach the target of halving child poverty by 2010, but we must also relay our concerns to Westminster with regards the issues that we have no power over. I suspect that Huw Lewis is coming out with this now as he realises the depth of his responsibility in chairing the specialist working group on Child Poverty in Wales, and is perhaps cynically hinting that there is an issue with Government prioritisation due to his unhappiness with the Plaid/ Labour deal.

What I am certain of is that the Government must work alongside all groups with interest in this area to ensure that we implement ideas that will assist in easing the burden of poverty amongst children, and that WAG voices its opinions loud and clear to the Government at Westminster.

Guest Blogger # 2 Carl Harris NUS Wales

This week’s guest blogger is Carl Harris. He studied Theatre at Trinity College,Carmarthen where he was later elected as the Deputy President of the Students' Union for two successive years. He has been involved with the National Union of Students' for 3 years and now works as the Deputy President of the NUS Wales.

For anyone that has heard of, or been involved in the national union, you may have often heard the line “we are the largest democratic organisation in Wales, representing over 250,000 students in the FE and HE sector”. In fairness this is a fact. Another fact is that the majority of our members are in the Further Education sector. However what have we done to justify that we really are the collective voice of students?

Well apart from… leading the fight against top up fees in Wales; pressuring the Government to stop universities charging every student a £50 administration fee to process their fees; winning 100% exemption from council tax and pressuring the Assembly Government to introduce the Assembly Learning Grant…There is still plenty more to do.

NUS Wales is here to promote, defend and extend the rights of students in Wales, and this year is no exception. Our priority campaigns focus on Education in the Further and Higher sector, the Welfare of students, and solidarity with our international counterparts.

On Higher Education - we will be campaigning to keep the cap on tuition fees in Wales and will be holding a demonstration outside the Welsh Assembly to highlight the amount of debt students in Wales are in after graduation. We want the WAG to recognise the amount of money that students put into the economy and to also recognise that students deserve free public transport in Wales – especially with the no doubt, soon to be rising cost of fees.

On Further Education – we have used the opportunity to input into the Webb Review and call for 1% of all FE college funding to go to Student Unions within that college. We believe it is fundamental that students have a voice over their education and can participate in decisions that affect them. Sufficient funding enables Unions to represent their students efficiently both internally and externally.

On Welfare – we are working with a number of external organisations to ensure that students have appropriate information and support in the areas of housing, health including sexual health, finance and employment rights. We begin our campaign in the New Year for Carbon Monoxide testers to be mandatory in all student houses/HMO’s.


There are many strands to all of our campaigns, and the above are just a few examples of what we are working on. I welcome any comments on what I’ve listed and hope they can cause some debate. If not, I am sure we’ve got plenty of other information that can cause a bit of controversy. Be sure to look out for our campaigns!

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Y blogiwr gwadd ar fy mlog yr wythnos ‘ma yw Carl Harris. Fe wnaeth Carl astudio Theatr yng Ngholeg y Drindon, Caerfyrddin, lle ddaeth yn Ddirprwy Lywydd yn yr Undeb am dwy mlynedd yn olynol. Mae ef wedi bod yn rhan o UCMC am dair mlynedd, ac nawr fe yw Dirprwy Lywydd UCMC.


I’r rheiny ohonoch sydd wedi clywed am, neu wedi bod yn rhan o’r undeb cenedlaethol, mae’n bur debyg y byddwch yn gyfarwydd â’r dataganiad “ni yw’r mudiad democrataiddd mwyaf yng Nghymru, yn cynrychioli dros 250,000 o fyfyrwyr yn y sector AB ac AU”. Mae hyn yn ffaith. Mae hefyd yn ffaith fod y mwyafrif o’n haelodau yn y sector Addysg Bellach. Serch hynny, beth ydym ni wedi ei wneud i gyfiawnhau’r honiad mai ni yw llais cyfunol myfyrwyr?

Ar wahan i… arwain y frwydr yn erbyn ffioedd cyflenwi yng Nghymru; gosod pwysau ar y Llywodraeth i atal prifysgolion rhag codi ffi weinyddol ar brosesu eu ffioedd; sicrhau eithriad 100% rhag treth y cyngor, a dwyn pwysau ar Lywodraeth y Cynulliad i gyflwyno Grant Dysgu’r Cynulliad…. Mae dal i fod digonedd i’w wneud.

Mae UCMC yma i hyrwyddo, amdiffyn ac ymestyn hawliau myfyrwyr yng Nghymru, ac nid yw eleni yn wahanol yn hyn o beth. Mae ein prif ymgyrchoedd yn canolbwyntio ar Addysg yn y sector Bellach ac Uwch, a sefyll yn gadarn gyda’n cyfeillion rhyngwladol.

Addysg Uwch – byddwn yn ymgyrchu i gadw’r cap ar ffioedd dysgu yng Nghymru a byddwn yn cynnal gwrthdystiad tu allan i’r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol er mwyn dwyn sylw at lefel dyledion myfyrwyr yng Nghymru pan fyddant yn graddio. ‘Rydym eisiau i Lywodraeth y Cynulliad sylweddoli faint o arian mae myfyrwyr yn ei gyfrannu at yr economi a hefyd cydnabod fod myfyrwyr yn haeddu teithio am ddim ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yng Nghymru – yn arbennig o gofio y bydd ffioedd yn sicr o gynyddu cyn bo hir.

Addysg Bellach – ‘rydym wedi defnyddio’r cyfle i gyfrannu at Adolygiad Webb ac wedi galw am 1% o gyllid pob coleg AB i fynd i Undeb y Myfyrwyr yn y coleg hwnnw. Credwn ei bod yn hanfodol bwysig i fyfyrwyr gael llais yn eu haddysg ac y gallant gyfranogi mewn penderfyniadau sy’n effeithio arnynt hwy. Mae cyllido digonol yn galluogi Undebau i gynrychioli eu myfyrwyr yn effeithiol, yn fewnol ac yn allanol.

Lles – ‘rydym yn gweithio gyda nifer o fudiadau allanol er mwyn sicrhau fod myfyrwyr yn cael gwybodaeth a chefnogaeth briodol ym meysydd llety, iechyd, gan gynnwys iechyd rhywiol, trin arian a hawliau cyflogaeth. Byddwn yn dechrau ein hymgyrch yn y Flwyddyn Newydd dros wneud offer canfod carbon monocsid yn orfodol ym mhob llety myfyrwyr a thai aml-ddeiliaid.


Mae yna sawl rhan i’n hymgyrchoedd; dim ond enghreifftiau o’r hyn ‘rydym yn gweithio arnynt yw’r uchod. Buaswn yn croesawu unrhyw sylwadau ar yr hyn ‘rwyf wedi eu rhestru, a gobeithio y gallant ysgogi rhywfaint o drafodaeth. Os na allant, mae’n sicr fod gennym ddigonedd o wybodaeth ddadleuol ar eich cyfer. Gwyliwch allan am ein hymgyrchoedd!

You can contact Carl by emailing carl.harris@nus-wales.org.uk

Medrwch cysylltu a Carl drwy ebostio carl.harris@nus-wales.org.uk

CSR and Child Poverty

I have just asked the Minister about the effect of the Pre - Budget Report and the Comprehensive Spending Review on our efforts to end Child Poverty in Wales. Save the Children have said that the changes to Child Tax Credits announced by the Chancellor yesterday equates to a miserly 48p rise per week for each child living in poverty, and that at this rate it will take decades to meet the 2020 pledge.

Considering how essential the benefits system and fiscal power in general is to tackling child poverty, it is obvious that policies pursued in Westminster will make it difficult to address the problem in Wales. Now I appreciate that the previous WAG Administration has set its own criteria in relation to child poverty, but the reality is unless we increase wealth levels in our poorest communities, via redistribution, it is arguable whether we are going to make any real meaningful progress.

If child poverty was such a priority for Labour at Westminster you would think that instead of trying to shoot the Tory fox by raising the threshold of inheritance tax, they would have made more progress on increasing the wealth levels of children living in poverty. When it comes to priorities for Labour in London it is clear that middle England comes first, not those who desperately need help.

Blairism, Brownism. Is there a difference?

Bob Hart, Edwina Hart's husband has now entered the anti- Blair camp in the run up to the National Assembly elections in May. He has hit out against criticisms of the hypocritical nature of Labour AM's who supported the PCS Civil service strike. He laments that AM's 'do not share the free market zeal of disdain for working people which characterises Blairism', and that there are no plans for job cuts by the Government in Wales.

Bob Hart's attack on Blairism( what about Brownism?) may be justified, but as Jeff Evans of PCS emphasises in today's Western Mail, the fact of the matter is that job cuts in Wales are inevitable. The strategy is, after all, a Westminster based strategy. The reality is that Labour in Cardiff Bay cannot merely opt out of the implementation of this policy without taking the fight, with more strength, to their colleagues in Westminster.

In fairness, there may be a divergence of policy opinion between London and Cardiff, but if this is so, then Labour AM's should not only take part in Civil Service strikes across Wales, but they should put much more pressure on their fellow Party Members in London to put a stop to this privatisation agenda. The very fact that they have so far failed to do this shows that Labour AM's are still bound by New Labour's centralisation agenda. Until there is a change in attitude amongst Labour AM's- until there is an obvious readiness to stand up to Blair and Brown alike, this latest attempt to shrug off the Blair affect on Wales is just another sign of panic from Labour AM's.

The angry reaction by the public to Labour in Wales's double standards in supporting the strike, but failing to stop the job cuts shows that Labour will not succeed in pulling the wool over their eyes. When jobs are slashed, they will know that it was their own 'socialist' Labour Party that took such a decision, and nobody else.