Senedd would get final say on assisted dying, health secretary says
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
23 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Campaigners and industry respond to ‘once-in-a-generation' water reform report
Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said public trust in water companies had been 'drained' by poor environmental performance and wider service failures. The much-anticipated final report from the Independent Water Commission, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, outlined 88 recommendations to the UK and Welsh governments to turn around the ailing industry. Mr Keil said: 'The commission has set out significant changes to the regulatory system. 'But water companies have always had the freedom to do what's right by their customers – and many have made bad choices.' Mr Keil said affordability must be a key focus of reform, with households already struggling following this year's sharp rise in water bills. 'More people are turning to CCW to complain about not being able to afford their bill,' he said. 'Over two in five households have told us they've cut spending on essentials like food to make ends meet. 'The case for a single social tariff for water has never been more urgent.' He welcomed recommendations to make the existing voluntary ombudsman scheme mandatory, saying: 'We're delighted the commission has recommended building on our work at a time when we're seeing more people turn to us for help.' But River Action chief executive James Wallace accused the commission of falling short, saying it had 'blinked' when faced with a chance to break with the past. 'This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset a broken and corrupted system,' he said. 'Instead, we've been handed vague policy nudges that leave the current failed privatised water company model intact.' Mr Wallace said nothing less than 'a credible plan to rescue Britain's rivers, lakes and seas' was needed, including a clear path to bring 'failing companies like Thames Water into public control'. He called on the Government to put Thames Water into special administration as a 'powerful statement of intent', warning: 'Our water is our life-blood and not for sale.' Water UK, the trade body for the water companies, welcomed the commission's findings, calling reform 'long overdue'. A spokesperson said: 'Everyone agrees the system has not been working. 'These recommendations should establish the foundations to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.' Richard Benwell, a member of the Independent Water Commission's expert advisory group and chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said a 'culture of rule-breaking and non-compliance' was harming rivers and wetlands, and called for a more powerful and independent environmental regulator. He welcomed the proposal for new regional water authorities but warned reforms would fall short without proper funding and a clear steer from Government. 'Reforming regulators without fixing resourcing and remit would be painting over cracks,' he said. Ali Morse, water policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said the report offered 'strong recommendations' for more integrated, regionally driven planning, but warned time was running out to act. 'The commission has set the framework – now the Government must act with purpose,' she said. Gary Carter, national officer at the GMB union, said the report confirmed what the union had argued for years – that water privatisation had been a 'disastrous failure'. He accused company bosses of profiting while the water infrastructure 'crumbles through lack of investment' and sewage pollutes rivers. 'It's a disgrace – and one Ofwat has overseen,' he said. 'Now is the time to fundamentally reform the water sector and renationalise this vital resource.'
Western Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Senedd cross-party support for backbench sign language bill
Mark Isherwood formally introduced his British Sign Language (BSL) bill in the Senedd on July 16, nearly seven years after calls were first made for legislation in Wales. Mr Isherwood, a disability rights campaigner for decades, explained the bill would introduce legal requirements to promote and facilitate the use of BSL in Wales. He warned: 'Too often, deaf people are unable to access vital public services because they cannot communicate in their first language. 'This denies them their rights and places them at a significant disadvantage – whether in health care, education, employment, transport or otherwise." He told the Senedd: 'BSL plays a crucial role in enabling communication and promoting inclusivity in everyday life – for many deaf individuals, BSL is their primary language. 'Deaf BSL signers in Wales cannot access services in their first language and this is unacceptable. As one individual undergoing major surgery shared 'throughout the whole time, I did not understand anything'.' He added: 'If passed, therefore, this will be the most progressive BSL law in the UK.' Jane Hutt welcomed and supported the bill on behalf of the Welsh Government, which recognised BSL as a language more than 20 years ago in 2004. Wales' social justice secretary, who has worked with Mr Isherwood on developing the proposed legislation, described the bill as a step towards lasting change. The backbench bill would be the first passed by the Senedd in a decade, with bills on mental health, food, education, autism and older people's rights rejected or withdrawn in that time. Concerns have been raised about the Senedd's capacity for legislation brought forward by backbench members who are not a part of the Welsh Government. The BSL bill, as an example, was accompanied by a 113-page explanation and impact assessment. If passed, it would be a first since Liberal Democrat Kirsty Williams introduced a bill on safe nurse staffing levels in 2014, which became law two years later. Labour's Jenny Rathbone chairs the Senedd's equality committee, which she said had 'cleared the decks' to focus on seeing the BSL bill become an Act by May 2026.
Western Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Call from Senedd members over final say on farming support
Samuel Kurtz, the Conservatives' shadow rural affairs secretary, led a debate on the protest-plagued proposals for the sustainable farming scheme (SFS) on July 16. He said: 'Today, we're simply asking that this Senedd be given the opportunity to vote: a final, binding vote on the sustainable farming scheme before it is implemented. We all remember last year's protests. We know the strength of feeling across the country. 'A scheme of this scale, affecting over 80% of Wales' land, must carry democratic legitimacy. Let us vote. Let the elected members of this chamber, from every corner of Wales and from every party, have their say.' The former journalist, who is from a farming family, warned of a 'cliff-edge' in the transition from the basic payment scheme (BPS), which is set to fall by 40 per cent, to the SFS. He said: "If you don't join the SFS, you forfeit your BPS. If you do join the SFS, you forfeit your BPS entitlements. There's no going back… for you and your business. Is it any wonder anxiety is soaring? Is it any surprise that our farmers' mental health is deteriorating?' Labour's Lesley Griffiths, a former rural affairs minister, was extremely disappointed to see Welsh ministers cut a target of 43,000 hectares of new woodland by more than 60 per cent, with plans for 10 per cent tree cover on every farm ditched. Peter Fox, a Tory council leader-turned Senedd member, said he was planning to retire as a farmer having 'just about had enough', with the new SFS 'still laden with bureaucracy'. 'Most farmers just want to farm,' he said. 'They want to produce food and they want to look after their farm… but the priority in this SFS is clearly no longer food production.' Labour's Lee Waters warned the debate around farming has been dragged into 'culture wars', with divisions heightened by political debate. Deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said Senedd members would get an opportunity to vote on regulations related to payment rates underpinning the scheme in the autumn. In the final vote before the Welsh Parliament breaks for summer recess, Senedd members voted narrowly, 22-20, against the opposition motion
