Tag: Welsh Conservatives

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 7 December 2022.

The Welsh Conservatives are calling for a nationwide review of children social services as Wales is the only UK nation not undertaking one.

The call comes after months of Mark Drakeford blocking such a review despite this and Wales having the UK’s highest rate of looked-after children.

The Party will make the call in a Senedd debate today and follows an investigation into Bridgend Council’s handling of the murder of Logan Mwangi who is regarded to have been failed by the Council.

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Social Services Minister Gareth Davies MS said:

“The horrible murder of Logan has brought to the fore a part of our public services that ministers too often neglect to talk about which is why the Welsh Conservatives have again brought forward our call today for the Wales-wide review of children services the Labour Government still blocks.

“The report into Logan’s death showed we were right to be concerned and highlight the dangers of a growing dependency on agency social workers, a multimillion pound industry that can lead to child safety being put at risk.

“Given what came out in the report on the handling of Logan’s case in Bridgend and the fact that Wales has the highest rate of looked-after children in the UK, we should certainly end Wales’ role as the only part of the UK not undergoing a review of children social services.

“If we do not have this review, people will ask why Labour are blocking it. Or is this just like with the Wales-specific Covid inquiry they’ve killed? They don’t want an investigation because they are worried about what it will find.”

In England, after the deaths of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, a review was initiated into system-wide child protection practices. The Northern Irish Executive commissioned an independent review into children’s services in February 2022. The Scottish Government undertakes periodic reviews.

Welsh Conservative research found that Bridgend Council spent £1,147,354 on agency social workers in the year Logan was murdered, a ten-fold increase compared with 2020/21.

Overdependence on agency social care workers was identified as a factor in Star Hobson’s death. According to a Welsh Conservative Freedom of Information requests, 376 agency social workers were employed by Welsh councils last year at a cost of nearly £20.m, up from 365 for £18.5m in 2020/21 and 279 for £16.2m the year before.

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 6 December 2022.

The BBC high street comparison tool, using Ordnance Survey data, reveals a stark contrast between Cardiff, the rest of Wales and Great Britain. With the overall picture showing Cardiff as a city in decline.

A Labour Cardiff Council Cabinet Member has criticised the delay to Cardiff Parkway Station plans, stating that this “does nothing to enhance Cardiff or Wales’ reputation with the business community.”

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Economy Minister, Paul Davies MS said:

“It is concerning to see Labour-run Cardiff in such a state of decline. The Welsh Conservatives have long been calling on the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay to reform the tax on jobs that is business rates. It is often the number one issue for high street business owners.

“We are also keen to see the acceleration of plans to open a Cardiff Parkway railway station, sadly on hold at present. Labour councillors in Cardiff have even criticised this Welsh Government’s handling of the project.

“Labour have control of the economic levers at both Senedd and council level, yet they pass the buck and under-deliver at every opportunity. They need to get a grip with this deteriorating situation.”

In Cardiff Council last week, Cllr Russell Goodway, the Labour Cabinet Member for Investment & Development and Councillor for Ely (in Mark Drakeford’s Cardiff West constituency), said:

“What I am seriously disappointed with, and this isn’t the first time its happened, is the delay in the Welsh government making a decision as to whether they are going to call in an application, they took far too long in deciding not to call in the arena project, they’ve taken far too long, months and months and months, to decide they want to determine this application.

“I’m, afraid that delay does nothing to enhance Cardiff or Wales’ reputation with the business community outside of this country and I know it is having a detrimental effect for investors from London and elsewhere cause they think it’s just too hard to do business in Wales.”

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 6 December 2022.

The Labour Government’s promised bus reforms are a false flag for dealing with the issues that face the industry, the Welsh Conservatives have said today.

Deputy Minister Lee Waters made a statement in the Senedd today stressing the benefits of the franchising model he intends to introduce for buses in Wales.

However, Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Minister Natasha Asghar MS said far more detail was needed to ensure the success of any reform, such as ensuring hospitals are served by bus routes as a priority and that remote and rural routes are served frequently.

She added afterwards that:

“The Deputy Minister is right to emphasise the ambition to simplify and streamline bus services in Wales so it is easier and cheaper for passengers to get around their communities, and would love to see a system that delivers just that.

“However, if it is being sold as a silver bullet for the problems facing the bus industry, the franchising model is just a false flag because it does not in itself solve issues like the financial viability of routes for providers and making those routes work for residents.

“I also find it bizarre that the increase in people owning a car is somehow being used by the Deputy Minister as a reason for why the current system has failed when it is clearly down to cars becoming more affordable over the last 30 years – but would you expect anything different from the man who has made motorists his number one enemy?

“You cannot get by with just warm words about how good bus services is good for the climate and social mobility – we need action that leads to better results which is why we need far more detail than the vague outlines and over-confidence provided by the Deputy Minister.”

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 6 December 2022.

The First Minister tried to bat away accusations of a staffing crisis today despite being confronted by testimony from doctors and failures to meet safe staffing requirements.

In FMQs, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS highlighted figures uncovered by the Party that revealed every single A&E department in Wales was inadequately staffed.

It follows news from this morning of the British Medical Association Cymru saying the wolf is at the door of the NHS in Wales, where health has been the responsibility of Labour for 25 years.

Commenting afterwards, Leader of the Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS said:

“The First Minister’s responses today were totally tone deaf to the testimony we heard from doctors on the front line and the figures that show understaffing in every single Welsh A&E department, nevermind the ones he wasn’t confronted with like the extra 1,200 nurse vacancies built up over the last year.

“He may claim there are more staff than ever before in NHS Wales, but that is completely meaningless when you’re stuck waiting in A&E for a whole day or lying on a stretcher in a corridor or on a treatment waiting list for two years in pain because there’s no staff to see you.

“When you consider the state of hospitals, is it any wonder nurses are striking when their working conditions are like this or that patients are paying to go private abroad when they have to experience record long delays for treatment?

“Labour need to get a grip on the NHS and focus on the people’s priorities rather than waste time with pet projects like calamitous constitutional commissions and toxic tourism taxes.”

According to Freedom of Information requests made to Wales’ health boards, all its major hospitals are falling well short of the recommended ‘baseline’ for staffing levels in emergency departments.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) sets a ‘baseline’ for the number of WTE (working-time equivalent) consultants which should be employed in the department to guarantee safe cover. At present no hospital is close to meeting this baseline in Wales, placing patients in potential danger.

The most understaffed A&E units were in Aberystwyth’s Bronglais Hospital (13%), the Central Valleys’ Royal Glamorgan Hospital (26%), and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd near Rhyl (32%).

BMA Cymru chairwoman Dr Iona Collins has described the “heartbreak” of seeing patients being treated in corridors and 14-hour ambulance wait times become “the norm”, adding staff morale is at “rock bottom”, with many thinking about leaving the profession.

Mark Drakeford said that more people were employed in the Welsh NHS than ever before. But this has not prevented a significant number of NHS vacancies, including the number of nurse vacancies expanding by 1,200 in just the last year, a major source of anger for soon-to-strike nurses.

In spite of all this, Wales has the longest treatment waiting lists and worst A&E waits in Britain, and recently recorded its slowest ambulance response times on record.

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 6 December 2022.

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 5 December 2022.

Gordon Brown has published his Commission on the UK’s Future report that as part of its 40-point plan, the recommendation of further devolution to The Welsh Parliament.

Commenting on the report, Shadow Minister for the Constitution, Darren Millar MS said:

“There is no great public appetite in Wales for further powers to be devolved to the Senedd. 

“Wales already has the powers it needs to deliver a better economy, better schools and better hospitals, but sadly the Labour Party has spectacularly failed to use them to achieve those aims.

“Instead of its obsession with constitutional tinkering, the Labour Party should be using the existing powers it has to improve the lives of the people of Wales.”

Gordon Brown’s report recommends:

• Enhanced protection: Welsh devolution should be constitutionally protected by strengthening the Sewel Convention and protecting it from amendment through the new second chamber.
• Enhanced role for Members of the Senedd: the Welsh Senedd’s members should, if desired, enjoy the same privileges and protections as Members of Parliament in relation to statements made in their proceedings.
• Enhanced powers: new powers should be made available to the Senedd and Welsh Governments, including embarking upon new powers over youth justice and the probation service.
• Enhanced access to economic resources for Wales: the British Regional Investment Bank should maximise support for innovation and investment in Wales, in conjunction with the Welsh Development Bank and the European Investment Bank.

Additionally, the report states that: “there is no constitutional reason why matters which are devolved in Scotland, including the new powers we propose above, could not also be devolved in Wales.”

Crucially, this could involve the devolution of international deal-making powers, allowing for deviation in Welsh trade policy from the rest of the UK, which the Welsh Conservatives strongly oppose.

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 5 December 2022.

The manufacturer of Transport for Wales’ inoperative new borderlands trains has gone into administration before the trains have even entered service.

Vivarail’s refurbished tube trains were scheduled to enter service back in 2019, yet they were only delivered to TFW in 2020 and are yet to enter service on the Wrexham to Bidston line for which they were purchased.

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Minister Natasha Asghar MS said:

“With no new trains and no doubling of services, this upgrade is now three years late while promises to communities on the borderlands line have been broken.

“These trains should have begun service first in 2019, but delay after delay means the trains are yet to utilised. Now, this farce by Transport for Wales has outlived the company that manufactured the trains.

“The Labour Government must now give concreate dates for when these trains will enter service and assurances that Vivarail’s administration will not lead to any further delays to their deployment which could see these trains delayed by four years.”

The people of North Wales are yet to reap any benefits of these new trains as a slew of issues has affected these trains since they began testing on the borderlands line. These “technical issues” include the trains catching fire in July 2021 right next to a person’s garden.

It seems even more unlikely that the many issues that have faced the trains will be ironed out quickly as the manufacturer has gone into administration.

There is speculation that TFW will instead use some of its new Class 197s on the borderlands line, trains were ordered for use on other routes. This is only necessary because of now consistent failure of Class 230s since 2019.

Failure to use the Class 230s will be a tremendous waste of taxpayer’s money and also mean that there will be shortage of Class 197s that were ordered for services elsewhere in Wales reducing services and capacity across the nation.

For the communities of Gwersyllt, Cefn-y-bedd, Caergwrle, Hope, Penyffordd, Buckle and Hawarden this line is there only rail link and they have been led to believe they will see improvements for years.

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 2 December 2022.

The Welsh Conservatives are questioning why the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay invited the Chinese Ambassador to the Senedd earlier this year despite the many accusations levelled against the country, ranging from human rights abuses to foreign aggression.

According to a written question from Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS, Zheng Zeguang visited the Senedd estate on the invitation of Mark Drakeford’s government on 6th July earlier this year. The Senedd Commission said it had no involvement in the visit.

In September 2021, three month after assuming the posts he was banned from the British Parliament while Chinese sanctions on MPs remain.

Following a report in November that a BBC journalist was arrested and beaten while covering Chinese state actors attacking protestors fed up with a fruitless zero-Covid policy, the ambassador said it was a “groundless accusation” and that the British journalist “misbehaved”.

Commenting, Andrew RT Davies MS said:

“Why the Labour Government thought it appropriate to invite the Ambassador of China to the Welsh parliamentary, especially without the Senedd’s involvement, is beyond me.

“You could pick up the paper any day of the week and see that China should be kept at a firm arms-length given the way it treats its own citizens as well as its aggressive stance on foreign relations, nevermind the question marks that still linger over the origins of coronavirus, which has killed 11,000 people in Wales so far.

“It is also telling that when pushed for details on what the Ambassador discussed with Labour ministers, we get mentions of sports, culture, and academia, but nothing about human rights, a mistake Mark Drakeford is seemingly repeating with Qatar.

“I would urge the Labour Government to think more carefully about the ambassadors it treats with in Cardiff Bay, especially given the lack of need for them to engage due to foreign policy being a matter reserved for the UK Government.”

A separate query from Davies found that the minutes of the meeting won’t be released, with Economy Minister Vaughan Gething saying:

“This was a positive meeting in which opportunities to enhance academic and trade links were discussed, as well as participation in sports, the Welsh cultural offer and the impact of Covid-19. Due to diplomatic sensitivities, there are no plans to publish any further details.”

The Prime Minister recently called China a “systemic challenge to our values and interests” – the country is threatening to invade Taiwan by force, has been known to engage in industrial espionage, is running facilities that have been compared to “concentration camps” to commit “genocide” against Uyghur Muslims, and its Road and Belt initiative has been compared to debt-trap diplomacy.

This is an addition to general human rights abuses, its breaking of the “One Country, Two Systems” model in Hong Kong, and has failed to join the West in condemning Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine.

The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 1 December 2022.

The UK Labour Party has changed its stance on Right-to-Buy which puts it at odds with the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay who banned the practice in 2019.

An iNews interview with Lisa Nandy MP stated: “Under former leader Jeremy Corbyn, Labour had pledged to end the Right to Buy scheme. But, under Sir Keir Starmer’s stewardship, that’s no longer the case. Labour supports the principle of council and social tenants being able to buy the homes they’ve lived in for years and considers it a sustainable policy if the homes are replaced like-for-like.”

This is in sharp contrast to the position of Mark Drakeford and his party in Wales where Labour – with Plaid Cymru support – who passed a bill in 2018 outlawing the practice nearly four years ago.

Commenting, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, the Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister responsible for housing, said:

“It is good to see the UK Labour Party repent for trying to stop social housing tenants trying to buy their own home, but maybe they should have a word with the socialist-in-chief in Cardiff Bay.

“The Labour Government banned the right-to-buy in Wales – with help from their nationalist sidekicks – because they despise aspiration and blamed the ambition of those who wanted to buy their own property for their own housing policy failures.

“Just like they are doing with second homes and holiday properties, Labour and Plaid got rid of right-to-buy because it is easier for them to demonise those who have worked hard to get their property than hit their housebuilding targets.

“If Keir Starmer wants to show people how he would help the whole of the UK, he could start by standing up to the First Minister and telling him to scrap this ridiculous law that bans aspiration.”

The press release issued by Welsh Conservatives on 1 December 2022.