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Category: Speeches

  • Gavin Newlands – 2023 Parliamentary Question on Exports from Devolved Nations to the EU

    Gavin Newlands – 2023 Parliamentary Question on Exports from Devolved Nations to the EU

    The parliamentary question asked by Gavin Newlands, the SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

    Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)

    What steps her Department is taking to help increase exports from the devolved nations to the EU.

    The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Nigel Huddleston)

    We are supporting businesses in all parts of the United Kingdom through our export support service, including our innovative Export Academy, which helps build market export capability among small and medium-sized enterprises across the UK. We have also established trade and investment offices in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, increasing the visibility of the Department’s services in the nations, and channelling the benefits of our new export and investment strategies to the entire UK. I am sure the hon. Member is aware of those benefits in his own constituency, with businesses such as Lynkeos Technology winning a £100,000 contract last year in Germany with the assistance of the Department.

    Gavin Newlands

    I like the hon. Member, but that answer was nonsense, quite frankly. The Institute of Directors found in a recent survey that almost half—47%—of businesses are still finding trade after Brexit a challenge, with just a third envisaging any opportunities at all from Brexit. That report also found that 45% of SMEs are exporting less to the European Union post Brexit, with Scottish exports having already slumped by £2.2 billion because of Brexit. Does the Minister agree that Brexit is an act of state-sanctioned economic vandalism?

    Nigel Huddleston

    I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman is saying this is nonsense. I am sure that those businesses in his constituency and across Scotland who get support from the Department do not share that attitude. As well as focusing on the EU, which is and will continue to be an important trading partner of the UK, we are looking to the entire world, hence focusing on so many other countries. I hope he will be a little more “glass half full” in the future.

    David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) (Con)

    Is the Minister aware that the Scottish Government are planning to bring forward draconian restrictions on the advertising of whisky and other drinks in Scotland? Not only will that cost jobs in Scotland but it will make it much more difficult for the industry to export to the EU and elsewhere.

    Nigel Huddleston

    My right hon. Friend makes an important point. Such measures could have a considerable negative impact on so many Scottish businesses. That is precisely why we are seeking opportunities to support them, for example with trade deals, and trying to ensure that we reduce tariffs and are able to export more overseas. While we are backing our businesses right across the UK, I hope that in future we can get support from the Opposition, who might at some point come and join us and support one of the trade deals we are negotiating.

    Mr Speaker

    I call the SNP spokesperson.

    Richard Thomson (Gordon) (SNP)

    Unfortunately for the Minister, and unfortunately for Scotland, the latest data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs shows that between July and September last year, exports from Scotland to the European Union slumped by 5%. Will the Minister explain for an expectant nation exactly how that is in any way strengthening the case for the Union?

    Nigel Huddleston

    The hon. Gentleman will be well aware that, as we recover from a global pandemic, certain sectors and certain industries are suffering more than others. That is precisely why we have an export strategy and why the Secretary of State has articulated a five-point strategy for growth. We will continue to work positively with all sectors to grow our export opportunities. UK exports to the EU for the 12-month period to September 2022 were up by 25% in current prices.

    Richard Thomson

    It is not just the SNP who are saying what a disaster Brexit has been. With the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies saying that Brexit is clearly an “economic own goal”, and even a former Brexit Secretary saying that there have been no economic benefits from Brexit, is it not surely time for voters in Scotland to be given the choice between continued British economic decline or a prosperous, independent European future?

    Nigel Huddleston

    I know the hon. Member and some people are tempted to continue to fight the battles of the past, but this Government will be laser-focused on the future and future opportunities. We have the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership and so many other opportunities around the world, and I think it would be good for all of us in this place to talk the British economy up, rather than talk it down.

  • Jessica Morden – 2023 Parliamentary Question on Public Procurement of UK-Made Steel

    Jessica Morden – 2023 Parliamentary Question on Public Procurement of UK-Made Steel

    The parliamentary question asked by Jessica Morden, the Labour MP for Newport East, in the House of Commons on 2 February 2023.

    Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab)

    What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote the use of UK-made steel in public procurement.

    The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Alex Burghart)

    The Government are ensuring a competitive future for the UK steel industry, and the reported value of UK-produced steel procured by the Government was up last year by £160 million, from £108 million to £268 million.

    Jessica Morden

    In last week’s Westminster Hall debate, the steel Minister, the hon. Member for Wealden (Ms Ghani), said

    “there is huge scope for more procurement to take place in the UK.”—[Official Report, 25 January 2023; Vol. 726, c. 331WH.]

    Will the Cabinet Office commit to publishing up-to-date data on the Government’s record in using UK steel, because it has not been good enough so far, and to adopting ambitious targets across Departments on the use of domestic steel in public projects?

    Alex Burghart

    I am pleased to tell the hon. Lady right now that 67% of the steel required for High Speed 2 is UK-produced, 94% of the steel used to maintain our rail track is produced in the UK and 90% of the steel used to build schools is produced in the UK. I understand there will be an urgent question after Question Time, which will give her the opportunity to ask a Minister from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about this.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2023 Speech on the Arctic Policy Framework (Lord Goldsmith)

    Zac Goldsmith – 2023 Speech on the Arctic Policy Framework (Lord Goldsmith)

    The speech made by Zac Goldsmith, Lord Goldsmith, on 9 February 2023.

    Good morning and thank for joining us for the launch of ‘Looking North’ – the UK Government’s new Arctic Policy Framework.

    We have drafted it through engagement with our Arctic partners, for which I offer our sincere thanks.

    Thanks also to colleagues across Government from other Departments for their valued contributions.

    Throughout this document we reaffirm our commitment to the Arctic region.

    Of course, the UK is not an Arctic state, but the Arctic is absolutely critical to our interests, because our climate, weather and biodiversity are all inextricably linked.

    The UK Government produced its first Arctic Policy Framework in 2013. And in that, we affirmed ‘Respect, Cooperation and Appropriate Leadership’ as the guiding principles of the approach that the UK takes in the region. And those principles absolutely remain true today.

    In ‘Looking North’, we have adapted our approach in response to the evolving influences on the Arctic.

    The region is at the mercy of ever shifting forces, increasingly buffeted by climate, environmental and also geopolitical headwinds.

    So I am going to briefly talk you through some of the key security, environmental and economic challenges, and how the UK is addressing them through our expertise and partnerships.

    Security

    First of all, security. While it remains our strategic aspiration for the Arctic to be an area of high cooperation and low tension, clearly that vision is at risk.

    Melting sea ice has provided greater accessibility to a wider range of players. And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has undermined the stability of its entire neighbourhood.

    The UK Government is committed to working to ensure that the Arctic remains secure and peaceful.

    We have strong relationships with almost every one of the Arctic states.

    And through NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the Northern Group, and through the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable, we have intensified work with our partners to preserve stability and security across the region.

    Last year we publicly set out the UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North, in a paper of the same name.

    And we set out our readiness to protect, and where appropriate, assert our rights, against those who wish to challenge the international order, threaten the stability of the region, or restrict freedom of navigation.

    We are the nearest neighbour to the Arctic, and so regional security is central to our own security as well.

    Climate Change and the Environment

    Secondly, climate change.

    Without doubt, climate change poses the clearest and most significant existential threat to the Arctic as we currently know it.

    In 2021, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme reported that Arctic temperatures are increasing three times faster than the global average.

    A new study last year raised this to four times faster than the global average.

    And we know that warming temperatures have profound implications for the people who live in the Arctic, for biodiversity, and for the whole world.

    Climate change is devastating Arctic ecosystems and communities. Sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet are rapidly melting. Permafrost is thawing.

    And nature is already showing signs of struggling to adapt. Migratory patterns are already shifting.

    And changes to the Arctic will have profound consequences for the UK, for example increasing the frequency of extreme weather, flooding and denigration of our shared and valued biodiversity.

    The UK government has made tackling climate change a key priority. That was reflected in the Integrated Review; it will be reflected in the shake-up of the Integrated Review; it’s been reflected in the International Development Strategy.

    And in Glasgow the year before last, COP26 was a collective acknowledgement of the work required globally to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

    We are delivering our pledge to provide up to £11.6bn of International Climate Finance over 5 years, and we are working with partner countries to help them reduce emissions, protect their nature without which we don’t have any prospect of tackling climate change, and helping them to adapt to the unfortunate, inevitable changes associated with climate change.

    So addressing the biodiversity crisis remains a priority issue for me, but also for the wider UK Government.

    The UK played a leading role shaping the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December. We wanted a ‘Paris moment’ for nature, and it is.

    The agreement contains an ambitious package of global goals and targets, and a central mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, to put the natural world on a path to recovery by the end of this decade.

    We have consistently fought for better international regulations to protect the ocean, and we will continue to do so.

    And to support the protection of fragile marine ecosystems, we will seek to join the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement as soon as we possibly can.

    People and Prosperity

    Of course – Fishing is extremely important to the Arctic economy, and a reminder that the region is, first and foremost, a home to nearly 4 million people.

    It is a region of vibrant and diverse communities, cultures, languages and traditions.

    The UK Government recognises the diversity of Arctic Indigenous communities, and respects their rights, their views, their interests, their culture and their traditions.

    We have invested £7.6m in a multi-partner research programme to address the impact of environmental change in Inuit Nunangat – their traditional homelands in Canada, putting Indigenous communities at the heart of Arctic science.

    Of course changes in the Arctic do also open up new commercial avenues. And the people of the Arctic should benefit from those opportunities.

    The UK has a lot of expertise to offer, including professional maritime and financial services.

    We have a clear vision for a prosperous Arctic, where economic development is achieved in a way that is safe, responsible and sustainable, and that does not damage the Arctic’s natural and fragile, unique environment.

    Extractive industries in particular, as well as the increasing opportunity for navigation within the Arctic Ocean, must be carefully managed to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems. We’re going to have to think very hard, collectively, not just in the UK but with our friends and allies around the world, about whether or not we want to see deep sea mining in the Arctic Ocean.

    The UK Government is committed to working with partners to ensure that effective governance, and environmental protections, are in place to regulate ships operating in Arctic waters.

    We also participate in the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative, and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights in the Extractive Industries, which apply to mines in the Arctic just as they apply to everywhere else.

    And we will continue to encourage all countries to adopt the highest possible standards of environmental and social governance.

    Partnering and Collaborating

    The challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic can only be managed through effective international cooperation.

    The UK Government, and our science and research sector, has strong relationships with Arctic partners, and we will strengthen those ties.

    UK Science has played a key role in building our understanding of the Arctic.

    In terms of published research, UK-based scientists are ranked first among non-Arctic states in the number of published articles.

    And since 2012, UK researchers have received over £56 million in Arctic science funding, on top of investments in their infrastructure and other assets.

    The Government’s Science and Innovation Network has played an important role facilitating collaborative international Arctic research, and empowering Indigenous researchers to play a full part.

    The Arctic Council remains the preeminent intergovernmental forum for cooperation in the Arctic. The UK has been an observer to the Council since its first meeting, and has contributed significant expertise to its work.

    We fully supported last year’s decision to pause the work of the Arctic Council following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. And we have been grateful to continue contributing to Council projects, where it has been appropriate.

    We look forward to engaging with the incoming Norwegian chair, and will seek further opportunities for UK experts to be a part of the Council’s work.

    Conclusion

    So to conclude: ‘Looking North’ sets out the UK’s approach to being a trusted and active partner on the Arctic.

    We have an enduring interest in the region, and a lot to offer in terms of expertise.

    We have a vision of a cleaner, greener, more secure, safe and prosperous Arctic.

    And we will continue to collaborate with our Arctic partners to realise that vision.

    Thank you so much.

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2023 Speech to the European Parliament

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2023 Speech to the European Parliament

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, to the European Parliament on 9 February 2023.

    Dear Mrs. President, dear Roberta!

    I thank you for these powerful words and I thank you for your personal attention, an extremely important attention for Ukraine. I thank you for your integrity and energy, two qualities that we see invariably in the current struggle for Europe and whose combination is always a prerequisite for progress. Europe is fortunate that in this hall, in the largest parliament in Europe, the European Parliament, principled and energetic people are an absolute majority. I thank you.

    Dear representatives of Europe!

    Dear leaders of Europe!

    All of us, Europeans, each and every one of the hundreds of millions of people on our continent, combine these two statuses – representatives of Europe and leaders of Europe. This combination reflects what our Europe, a modern Europe, a peaceful Europe, gives to the world. European way of life. European path of life. European manner of life. European rules of life.

    When everyone matters. When the law rules.

    When states strive to be social and societies strive to be open. When diversity is a value and the values of the different are united by fair equality.

    When the borders are inviolable, but their crossing is not felt.

    When people believe in tomorrow and are willing to take to the streets to fight for their tomorrow. When there is only one single barrier between the president and the protesters, and that is fair elections.

    This is our Europe. These are our rules. This is our way of life.

    And for Ukraine, it’s a way home.

    Now I am here to protect the way home for our people. All Ukrainian men, all Ukrainian women. Of different ages and different political beliefs, different social status, different views on religion, with different personal stories, but common European history with all of you.

    There is an attempt to destroy the Ukrainian European way of life by all-out war. But what for?

    For the destruction of the European way of life as such after the Ukrainian European way of life is destroyed.

    For each of all twenty-seven elements of the European way of life. The twenty-seven countries of the European Union.

    We will not allow that.

    This total war that has been unleashed by Russia is not just about territory in one part of Europe or another.

    Its threat is not only in the fact that there is a dictator with huge stockpiles of Soviet weapons and weapons inflow from other dictatorships, in particular the Iranian regime.

    In order to be able to wage this war, the Kremlin has been consistently destroying, step by step, year after year, what we see as the basis of our Europe.

    The sacred value of human life has been completely destroyed in Russia as well. No one matters to the authorities there, except those inside the Kremlin walls, their relatives and their wallets. For them, for the Kremlin, all others, all one hundred and forty million citizens are just bodies capable of carrying weapons – carrying weapons to Ukraine, carrying weapons on the battlefield, keeping others in line or being in line themselves.

    The rule of violence and obedience are the rules there instead of law.

    The Russian regime not only hates everything, any sociality and any diversity, but also deliberately invests in xenophobia and tries to make all the inhuman things that happened in the 1930s and 1940s part of the norm on our continent.

    But will it last forever? This is a question for all of us. The answer is no! No!

    Europe! We are defending ourselves against the most anti-European force in the modern world. We are defending ourselves. We, Ukrainians, are on the battlefield with you.

    I thank you for the fact that we are defending ourselves together!

    And we must defend ourselves!

    And this is important not only for European countries. Not only for the communities of Europe.

    No matter who we are, we always fight against contempt. Wherever we live, we always rely on good faith. Whatever we dream of for our children, for our grandchildren, the unconditional background for these dreams is peace – peace and security.

    Will all of this be possible if we do not defeat the anti-European force that seeks to steal Europe from us, from all of us? No. It is only our victory that will guarantee all of this – each of our common European values. Our imperative victory!

    Dear representatives of Europe! Dear leaders of Europe! Dear ladies and gentlemen of the parliament!

    Dear employees of the European Parliament and other European institutions!

    Dear journalists! Dear security officials, military! Police officers, rescuers!

    Dear municipal employees! Diplomats! Teachers! Professors! Scientists! Dear doctors, drivers and port workers! Farmers!

    Dear industrialists and workers of industrial enterprises! Owners of small and large businesses, banks!

    Dear power engineers and railway workers!

    Dear students, pupils! Trade union activists, representatives of non-governmental organizations!

    Dear directors and artists! Lawyers, judges, environmentalists, human rights activists!

    The fate of Europe has never depended on politicians alone. There should be no such illusion now as well.

    Each and every one of you is important. Each and every one of you is strong. Each and every one of you can influence our common result. Our common victory.

    This applause is definitely not for me. This applause is for gratitude – I want to thank everyone in Europe, in hundreds of cities and towns, who supported Ukraine in this historic struggle. Thank you!

    I want to thank you – everyone who has helped our people, our ordinary people, our displaced persons. Those who called on their leaders to increase support for the protection of these ordinary people. Who took to the streets, who asked questions, who spread the truth about Russian aggression. Who refrained from the temptations of Russian disinformation and who stand with us in the fight for life. In the fight for Europe. I thank you!

    I thank everyone who is helping Ukraine with vital supplies. Weapons and ammunition. Energy equipment and fuel. Thousands of things that are essential to survive this all-out war.

    I thank you, dear ladies and gentlemen of the parliament, and you personally, Roberta, for consistently defending the European way of life with your decisions. For consistently defending the Ukrainian European way of life.

    You have made bold decisions and strengthened the European ambition to be the home of justice and freedom.

    I recall the first days of the full-scale invasion, when Russia’s ambition to break us and the whole of Europe was still audacious. When Russian aggression was just beginning to break its teeth on our defense.

    Already then, on March 1, on the sixth day of the full-scale war, the European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting not just our country, but the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union for our country.

    It was a vision that motivated us to be resilient and stay on our path. Thank you.

    Today, at a meeting of the European Council, I will have the opportunity to personally thank the heads of state and government of Europe, whose decisions over the past year have allowed our continent to do what the previous wave of leaders thought impossible.

    Europe is finally freeing itself from destructive dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

    Europe is cleaning itself of the corrupt influence of Russian oligarchic business.

    Europe is defending itself against the infiltration of agents of the Russian special services, who have even considered Europe as a place to hunt for opponents of the Russian dictatorship already.

    For the first time in its history, the European Union is providing military assistance of such magnitude. And for the first time in history, I believe, it is preparing a positive assessment of internal reforms in a European country that is defending itself in this all-out war and at the same time – while fighting – modernizing its institutions.

    We are getting closer to the European Union.

    Ukraine will be a member of the European Union!

    A victorious Ukraine! A member of the European Union – a victorious European Union!

    Dear friends!

    Perhaps some of you have not experienced the full power of the European way of life before. But now, together, Ukraine and the EU countries have made our power evident.

    Why is this possible? Because we combine integrity and energy. We are all equal in representing Europe, and we are diligent as each of us is a leader of Europe in our own particular life.

    We do not rely on words – we act. We do not cower before the enemy – we stand. We do not waste time – we change ourselves and we implement changes.

    Europe will always remain free. As long as we are together and as long as we care about our Europe!

    Care about the European way of life.

    I thank you all! I invite you all to Ukraine!

    Glory to all Ukrainian men and Ukrainian women who are in combat! 

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Lee Waters – 2023 Statement on Rural Transport in Wales

    Lee Waters – 2023 Statement on Rural Transport in Wales

    The statement made by Lee Waters, the Welsh Deputy Minister for Climate Change, on 8 February 2023.

    Wales’ rural communities make up around a third of our population, and are spread across all parts of the country. Providing access to sustainable, safe and reliable public transport is vital not only to achieving our climate change goals but to help people access the services, employment, cultural and education opportunities to enable them to thrive.

    I was pleased to be able to host a series of round tables with local authority leaders and transport experts from across Wales at the end of last year to discuss our plans in more detail, and would like to thank them for helping to shape our approach.

    We recognise that the transport needs of communities in rural Wales will be different to those in more urban areas, and it is important to work with those communities to plan the types of public transport services they will need. It can’t be a ‘one size fits all’ solution; each community has its own requirements and challenges that will impact what works best for the people that live, work and visit them.

    I was heartened to see the focus on rural transport in the North Wales Transport Commission, who identified the need to prioritise schemes that demonstrate better handling of key rural-to-rural connections. It recommends that new and more sustainable travel options such as car clubs, car sharing, cargo cycles, e-scooters and e-cycles. It also suggested effective workplace travel planning should be considered, an essential step in enabling people to think and act differently about the way they travel.

    Llwybr Newydd – the Wales Transport Strategy – sets out our approach to developing a series of pathways centred on topics which are of strategic importance. They cut across different modes and sectors and are designed to pull together our commitments and plans on these topics in a way that allows people to easily track the progress both we as Welsh Government are making along with our local, regional and national delivery partners.

    It is vital that we seek to find sustainable public transport models which are both tailored to the needs of rural communities, but also interface with more urban transport networks so that people can travel from urban to rural areas and vice versa with as little friction as possible.

    Our Rural Pathway takes a hub-and-spoke approach. It will help those in the most isolated communities better access their local village or town. From there they will have a wider range of public transport and active travel choices to travel locally or to connect them to their nearest transport interchange for longer journeys.

    The development and delivery of our rural pathway is already underway. We will be submitting a proposal shortly to the UK Government’s Union Connectivity Fund to develop plans to increase capacity along the Cambrian and Heart of Wales rail lines, and in doing so increase cross-border connectivity.

    Working with Sustrans, our e-move pilot has shown the potential of free medium-term e-bike and e-cargo bike loans to support local communities. We will continue to develop out long-term approach to support people to take advantage of e-bikes for local journeys across Wales, including support for them to purchase them.

    The new Sherpa service in Snowdonia, which sees electric busses minimising the use of cars within the National Park, is already providing new opportunities for local residents and visitors to see Snowdonia in a new and greener way. It is an approach which we will take and look to roll out in other areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks across Wales.

    Buses are the backbone of our public transport service. They carry three times as many passengers as trains, getting people across Wales to work and school, allowing us to meet family and friends, and offering a key lifeline for people in Wales who do not have access to a car. Our Bus Reform legislation will enable us to deliver a bus system which is governed and designed to serve the public interest, not just those routes which are commercially viable.

    As well as new technologies, new service models will play an important part in allowing people to access public transport in a way and at a time that best suits their needs. Our Fflecsi pilots have shown that demand-responsive travel can provide a more flexible and adaptable service, with particular success in rural communities. We will examine the findings of this pilot carefully and embed them into our rural pathway framework for regions across Wales to exploit.

    Electric car clubs also offer a new way of looking at car usage; both for those who want to use their car less, or may only use it some of the time, and for people who may struggle to afford the high cost of running a car. We are working in partnership with Powys County Council, Transport for Wales, and a range of partners to look at how we can increase provision of community-based car clubs.

    Community transport is an important part of our transport system in Wales, supporting vulnerable people to access essential services. We will, through Transport for Wales, work with our Community Transport partners to look at ways we can best support both the people who use this vital service and those who give their time to run it.

    We understand the importance of the strategic road network for rural Wales. Our roads are important assets and must be maintained. They also play a vital part in enabling modal shift to active travel and public transport. We will shortly publish the report from the independent roads review plus our position on the future of road investment to ensure that projects we fund are aligned to the delivery of our transport strategy ambitions and priorities.

    Our delivery pathways also provide a framework to support the development of Regional Transport Plans, which will be developed for North, West, Mid and South East Wales by the regional Corporate Joint Committees (CJCs). It will allow each region to easily identify the different range of interventions they could make, and how they can implement them in a way that is consistent with Llwybr Newydd. These will be live frameworks, being updated as we test and develop new and innovative services and infrastructure solutions.

    We are literally taking a Llwybr Newydd – a new path. The Wales Transport Strategy sets out a new way of thinking that places people and climate change at the front and centre of our transport system. This is something that we have to do; if we are going to protect the lives of our children, we need to achieve net zero by 2050. And in order to do that, we need to both change the way we travel, and rewire the system so it supports us to do this. Our rural pathway is one of many steps on the journey to achieve this.

  • Jane Hutt – 2023 Statement on HMP Eastwood Park and Report on an Unannounced Inspection

    Jane Hutt – 2023 Statement on HMP Eastwood Park and Report on an Unannounced Inspection

    The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice, on 8 February 2023.

    Members will be aware of the report published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons following its unannounced inspection of HMP/YOI Eastwood Park, Gloucestershire.

    Whilst the prison service is the responsibility of the UK Government the findings are of great concern, especially as many Welsh women in custody are held at Eastwood Park.

    I have requested a meeting with the Chief Inspector and HMPPS to discuss the report as a matter of urgency. The report makes for harrowing reading and identifies substantive gaps in care, and a lack of support for distressed and vulnerable women. It is vitally important Welsh women in custody are held in safe and secure facilities, which are fit for purpose.

    Following publication of the report, HM Prison and Probation Service have informed us about some of the action taken since the inspection that was carried out in October. This includes refurbishing the houseblock where many of the most shocking issues were found. In response to staffing resources additional staff have been appointed, comprising of experienced prison officers from other local prisons. A dedicated Safety Taskforce Group, to improve the outcomes for women in the prison’s care, has also been established along with newly designed care plans identifying the key needs of the individual and offering bespoke care.

    I am aware of the continuous journey the prison is undertaking to improve the care for women in its custody. The Counsel General and I visited HMP Eastwood Park on the 19 January and had concerns following feedback raised, including lack of access to education. I am aware that the Equality and Social Justice committee has raised shortage of staff and similar concerns through its Senedd inquiry on the experiences of women in the criminal justice system. We will continue to seek regular updates on action to address the identified issues and

    The findings underline the importance of diverting women away from custody wherever possible. The Women’s Justice Blueprint, which was developed jointly by the Welsh Government, HMPPS and Policing in Wales, supports initiatives such as the Women’s Pathfinder diversion scheme and engagement work with magistrates to help ensure women are not faced with unnecessary and hugely disruptive prison sentences for minor offences.

    In my recent visit I saw first-hand the value of some of the Blueprint initiatives referenced positively in the HMIP report, including the Visiting Mum Scheme, which helps children to visit parents in custody, and the important role played by the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor for Welsh women at Eastwood Park.

    There is much more to be done to improve outcomes for women in contact with the justice system. As justice remains at present a reserved matter, we will continue in our commitment to reducing crime and reoffending to create a better Wales for all under the current system, alongside work to progress the case for the devolution of justice in Wales.

  • Jane Hutt – 2023 Statement on the Turkish and Syrian Earthquake

    Jane Hutt – 2023 Statement on the Turkish and Syrian Earthquake

    The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice, on 7 February 2023.

    In the early hours of 6 February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria. This was followed by another earthquake soon afterwards and over 60 aftershocks.

    The scale of destruction is vast and details are still emerging but it is clear that a great many have lost their lives, are injured and have been displaced.

    I have today sent a message of sympathy and support to the Turkish Ambassador and extend my thoughts in particular to all of those affected including Syrian and Turkish people living in Wales who have families and friends in the earthquake zone.

    Our thoughts too are with the brave search and rescue teams and people from across Wales who are already offering all manner of support. The emergency response is expected to include water and sanitation, shelter and food support as well as longer-term rehabilitation and reconstruction.

  • Eluned Morgan – 2023 Statement on Ministerial Priorities for the NHS in Wales

    Eluned Morgan – 2023 Statement on Ministerial Priorities for the NHS in Wales

    The statement made by Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, on 7 February 2023.

    The increased emergency pressures on the NHS, which have been so evident over the winter months, have been compounded by a number of factors, including concurrent surges in a range of respiratory viruses, including Covid-19, flu and scarlet fever.

    But external factors, such as the ongoing consequences of Brexit, the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine, are all also impacting our health and care services.

    I have recently spoken about the need for clear priorities – this statement highlights the priorities I have set for the health service in Wales. They will help address the immediate pressures and help to build a sustainable health and care service over the next year.

    It is important people play their part in helping the NHS by looking after their own health and wellbeing and taking steps to stay well. I want to continue this conversation with the public so together we can create a healthier population, reduce pressure on acute NHS services and improve outcomes in the longer term.

    The current environment means the priorities need to be targeted to the challenges we face. The NHS Planning Framework 2023-26 sets out the broad requirements that will underpin NHS plans going forward – this includes the importance of quality, safety, prevention and good health outcomes at the heart of the NHS in Wales.

    We must continue to focus on population health and prevention as the route to better health and wellbeing and to sustainability in the longer term. Reducing inequity and improving the quality, safety and experience of those in need of health services must always be a driving force in service planning and delivery. Delivering efficiently, effectively, and optimising service delivery is how the improvements must be embedded in the DNA of the NHS in Wales.

    It is crucial the NHS focuses on these priorities so resources and capacity can be used to make a real difference to people throughout Wales.

    Members will be very well aware that frailty is driving demand for healthcare, particularly urgent emergency care, and social care.  Once clinical interventions are complete, people should be able to return to the community, and services must be available in an integrated way to facilitate that.  That’s why in this calendar year I am prioritising work to increase the number of healthy days at home for people experiencing frailty.

    This must be an equal partnership between the NHS and social care organisations, and be really focussed on people receiving a consistent standard of community care across Wales.  The approach, backed up by improved data collection will provide a better basis for focused support.  In developing a plan for this work with organisations and other key partners, the aim is to have regions and localities working towards the national service specification and workforce model well ahead of next Winter, and for there to be means in place for identifying relative impact.

    Priorities

    • A closer relationship between the NHS and local government to tackle delayed transfers of care, and an effort to move further and to deliver an integrated community care service for Wales is essential. Work is ongoing across health and social care to introduce the Pathways of Care Reporting framework for delayed transfers of care in 2023. Health boards will be expected to use this to monitor the progress of safe and timely discharges of patients.  All organisations must deliver care closer to home. The focus should be on doing the right things to support people, to ensure they receive the care they need at home.
    • Improving access to general practice, dentistry, optometry and pharmacy This will include independent prescribing and increasing self-referral to a wider range of community-based allied health professionals, including rehabilitation, mental health and audiology.
    • Urgent and emergency care must focus on the effective management of people with urgent care needs in the community 24/7, and help more people to safely access alternatives to hospital-based care, for example through robust, seven-day same-day emergency care services and integrated health and social care community response models. Health boards must work with partners to significantly reduce the time patients spend waiting in ambulances outside emergency departments.
    • Planned care and recovery is being led by the National Recovery Programme, which will set specific requirements for health boards. Meeting these requirements must be a priority. Regional diagnostic centres and treatment centres should be at the forefront of organisations’ plans. This must include actions to move services, workforce and funding from hospitals into the community so people need to go to hospital when it is right for them. Organisations must demonstrate how they will deliver a significant increase in the numbers of patients who undertake pre-habilitation. Diagnostics services improvements must result in a reduction in numbers of people waiting for diagnostic tests to pre-pandemic levels as a minimum, including for mental health diagnosis.
    • Cancer services must enact the quality statement on cancer and ensure there is a reduction in the backlog of patients waiting too long on the cancer pathway. Achieving the required standards must be a priority for health boards.
    • Mental health and child and adolescent mental health services there must be improvements across all age services and equity and parity between physical and mental health services. Health boards must plan to expand tier 0/1 support to provide easy access to population level support for lower-level mental health issues, improve services across CAMHS, adults and older adult services and implement 111 press 2 for urgent mental health support. Reconfiguring eating disorder services to target earlier intervention and ensure a maximum of a four-week wait for routine access to eating disorder services is required. Improving memory assessment services to obtain a timely diagnosis and treatment should also be included. Improved access to full range of all age mental health and wellbeing services, particularly for children and young people, boosting prevention support for adults and children and de-medicalise the approach to mental health services where appropriate.

    Core Supporting Functions

    Digital, innovation, technology and transformation must underpin the delivery of optimum care and services for patients, alongside workforce, wellbeing and robust financial management.

    It is important the NHS focuses on ways to deploy the existing and future workforce to best effect. This includes enhanced use of multidisciplinary teamworking, role redesign, developing new roles, and advanced practice models, enabling people to develop their careers and work at the top of their license.

    The economic and financial outlook is extremely challenging. The value of the overall Welsh Government budget has fallen in real terms by £3bn over the current spending review period. A renewed focus on cost reduction and value improvement in the NHS is therefore critical to ensure the ongoing sustainability of services.

    Robust financial planning, fully integrated with service and workforce planning, is essential, as is tight financial governance and financial management. Capital plans must be prioritised and aligned to decarbonisation targets.

    The role of NHS organisations as anchor institutions provides a driver to implement care and services in a way that supports individuals and communities as part of normal business. This will include the approach to the foundational economy and how the NHS can respond to the cost-of-living crisis for both patients and staff.

    The net zero target for the public sector in 2030, decarbonisation action plans and social value, as part of contributing to achieving the aims of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, remain as commitments and opportunities to build in actions and benefits as part of service planning and should be taken.

    All NHS organisations must submit board-approved plans providing firm commitments about how these priorities will be delivered by 31 March 2023.

    This is a challenging period in which to plan and deliver health services but I am confident the NHS will continue build on the progress and learning from the pandemic and the ongoing pressures to deliver the sustainable services we all want.

  • Eluned Morgan – 2023 Statement on NHS Pay Update in Wales

    Eluned Morgan – 2023 Statement on NHS Pay Update in Wales

    The statement made by Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, on 3 February 2023.

    Following continued discussions over the last week, we are pleased to announce that an enhanced pay offer has been made to our health trade unions. On this basis, we are hopeful that the planned industrial action over Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th February will be postponed, allowing trade unions to discuss the proposals further with their members. Individual trade unions will confirm their intentions regarding next week’s action, prior to further talks with their members.

    This revised pay offer comprises an additional 3%, of which 1.5% is consolidated so will be in pay packets year-on-year, on top of the Pay Review Body recommendations, which have already been implemented in full. This offer will be backdated to April 2022. Included in this revised package are a number of non-pay commitments to enhance staff well-being, on which negotiations will continue next week.

    Whilst there is currently no improved pay offer on the table for NHS staff in England, it was also agreed that any resulting Barnett consequential following any improved offer to staff in England would result in a further pay offer to staff in Wales.

    We would like to thank those that have participated in the negotiations for their positive engagement and goodwill. We are awaiting a formal response from each of the individual trade unions.

  • Julie James – 2023 Statement on the National Empty Homes Grant Scheme

    Julie James – 2023 Statement on the National Empty Homes Grant Scheme

    The statement made by Julie James, the Welsh Minister for Climate Change, on 30 January 2023.

    Today I am happy to announce that I have allocated £50million over the next 2 years to bring more empty properties across Wales back into use through a national empty homes grant scheme.

    The latest statistics for 2023/24 which were released on the 19th January show that there are 22,457 long-term empty properties in Wales. Long term empty properties are a wasted housing resource and can become a blight on our communities.

    I am implementing this grant as an additional incentive to further reduce the number of empty properties and therefore increase housing supply.

    The new scheme has been developed with the local authorities and builds on the success of our existing property loans and the previous Valleys Taskforce Empty Homes Grant. A grant of up to £25,000 will be available for home owners or prospective home owners to remove significant hazards from their properties to make them safe to live in and to improve their energy efficiency. In order to qualify for the grant, the property must have been registered as empty with the local authority for a minimum of 12 months prior to commencement of the works. Once the works have been completed, the successful applicant must then live in that property as their main and only residence for a minimum of 5 years.

    Aside from owner occupiers, Registered Social Landlords, local authorities and community housing groups will also be able to access the funding for empty properties they are acquiring to bring back into use as affordable housing. This is therefore an additional measure we are taking to take forward the commitment in the Welsh Government’s Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru to bring a higher proportion of existing homes, and especially empty homes, into common ownership at local level.

    The scheme will be administered by Rhondda Cynon Taff Council on our behalf. A list of the participating local authorities can be found on our webpage and more local authorities will be added once they sign up to the scheme.

    Each participating local authority will have a notional allocation each year and will be responsible for undertaking the surveys of the properties to identify and recommend the qualifying works for grant funding.