Latest news with #JohnGriffiths
South Wales Argus
13 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
'Trade deals will bring significant benefits to Newport East'
During May, I visited Flannery Plant Hire on Traston Road, a family-run, nationwide company whose only Welsh base is here in Newport. They shared with me the work they do with young people, helping them gain the qualifications needed to work in the construction industry, operating plant machinery to support infrastructure and housing projects. I had the huge pleasure of meeting one of the young apprentices there, the brilliant Evie, who is a wonderful example of how industry can offer so much to young people starting out in the world of work. As you may have read, the UK Government in Westminster has, over the past few weeks, announced a number of trade deals which will bring significant benefits to Newport East. The UK/EU trade deal will save UK businesses millions, create jobs, and help reduce the cost of living for everyone, thanks to increased cooperation to bring down energy bills. As part of this deal, discussions are also underway to allow UK citizens to use e-gates at European airports once again, making travel to the EU quicker and more convenient. I've shared more detail on this, and on Flannery, on my website. Head to to read it in full. Along with John Griffiths MS, I recently visited the new Blue Cross rehoming and animal behaviour centre in Langstone. The work the team there do to care for animals in need of a new home and to support pet owners is phenomenal. As a charity, it takes a lot to keep them going, so if you're able, please consider donating to their animal food bank, which supports both the animals they care for and pet owners affected by the rising cost of pet food. You can drop off donations at the Blue Cross site in Langstone Business Park or at Pets at Home in Maesglas. Huge congratulations to the Urban Circle team on the opening of their new base at the Share Centre on Stow Hill. I popped in last week while workshops were running, and the whole place was buzzing. Find out more about what they're doing by visiting The issues you bring to me are the issues I raise in Parliament on your behalf, and I'm always keen to hear from as many residents as possible. My team and I hold regular resident advice surgeries across the city. In May, I met with residents in Underwood and Maindee, and during June I'll be holding a resident advice surgery in the Stow Hill ward. If there's something you'd like to raise with me or think I might be able to help with, get in touch with my office to book an appointment by calling 01633 841725. Recently, I launched a Newport East residents' survey to find out more about the things that matter to you. Leaflets with more information will be distributed to homes throughout Newport East over the coming weeks and months, but if you'd like to share your views in the meantime, the survey is live on my website. If you're able, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with me by scanning the QR code on this page. If you'd like to keep up with my work, you can also join my WhatsApp channel. Just search for Jessica Morden, Member of Parliament for Newport East under the Updates icon in your WhatsApp app. And, as always, if there's anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to get in touch. My office and I can assist with a wide range of issues, from passports and immigration to crime and policing, pensions, benefits, and much more. You can reach us by phone on 01633 841725 or by email at . Jessica Morden is MP for Newport East
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Politicians enjoy a taster session at local bowls club
Local politicians enjoyed a taster session at Newport Indoor Bowls Centre. John Griffiths MS and Jessica Morden MP were welcomed to the centre by Welsh representatives Gavin and Kelly. They were given a tour of the facilities and discussed the centre's ambitions with director Graeme Howard and his team. Mr Griffiths said: "I was pleased to visit the Newport Indoors Bowls centre as part of my ongoing Active Newport campaign. "A lot of the conversation we had was around the importance of strong partnerships – and it was great to hear about the work Graeme and his team are looking to do with others at the Glebelands to improve sporting provision in this part of Newport. "I haven't had a go at bowls for over thirty years so it was nice to also have a go at a sport which requires lots of skill." Ms Morden said: "It was a real pleasure to visit Newport Bowls Club and to hear directly from Graeme and the team about the club and the huge successes of some of the players who train there. "I look forward to joining the team again when they're hosting a tournament."
ABC News
25-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
What voluntary assisted dying options are available for those with dementia?
John Griffiths suspects his mind is starting to fail. It is a horrifying prospect for the father-of-three, former Monash University engineering lecturer and CSIRO research scientist. The Melbourne man spends much of his time with his wife Rachel, who lives in residential aged care, reading her poems and short stories. "I've got nothing but praise for [her] carers. I think they're fantastic, professional and excellent," he said. While doctors say he is all clear at the moment, he will be assessed for dementia in the next year. If he does develop the condition, he would rather die than let it take hold. But his options are limited. Although voluntary assisted dying (VAD) will be legal in every Australian jurisdiction except the Northern Territory by the end of this year, it remains entirely off-limits for people with dementia. Instead, Mr Griffiths is considering a one-way ticket to Switzerland. The clock, however, is ticking. While the European nation is famous for the broad access it permits to end-of-life services, a person must still have "mental capacity". Mr Griffiths worries if he goes too early, he will needlessly shave years off his life, but if he leaves it too late, he may become ineligible. "This is now a terribly difficult thing I have to do, if I want to access (VAD)," he said. "I have to do it while I'm cognitively aware. He suspects other Australians will soon find themselves at a similar crossroads. Unlike most countries, Switzerland allows people to voluntarily end their lives, even if they are not sick nor a citizen. A report published by Australian charity Go Gentle this year cited data from one right-to-die association, claiming 38 Australians travelled to Switzerland to die between 1998 and 2021. Switzerland's right-to-die organisations charge a fee of between $20,000 and $30,000, excluding travel and accommodation, to procure the medication and handle the aftermath of the death, including cremation or transport of the body. Neuropsychologist Kylie Ladd, who has worked with dementia patients for 30 years and authored the Go Gentle report, said a person had to pass a series of interviews and be deemed to "have capacity" before they could proceed. Now that VAD is legal across much of the country, statistics on how many Australians are still going to Switzerland are hard to come by. Philip Nitschke, who has been the subject of long-running controversy, founded Exit International to advocate for end-of-life services around the world. He estimated about one to two Australians are continuing to travel abroad to end their lives each month. But even he, a vocal supporter of VAD, said dementia posed a particularly difficult problem. Dementia now ranks among the leading causes of death across many developed nations. With rates only set to increase, health departments all over the world are grappling with the question of VAD for those with the disorder. But relevant Australian peak bodies, including Dementia Australia, Council on the Ageing and Palliative Care Australia, said they were neutral on the subject. The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium allow VAD for dementia patients through an Advance Care Directive, a legal document setting out a person's healthcare wishes for when they can no longer make them. But uptake has been low. Dementia patients constituted only 3.7 per cent of all VAD deaths in the Netherlands in 2023. In Belgium only 0.95 per cent of VAD deaths were people with cognitive disorders, including many forms of dementia, between 2018 and 2021. In both cases, most patients had only early-stage dementia. Dr Ladd said many doctors and loved ones baulked at the idea of ending the life of a person "who doesn't know what's going on". She cited a Dutch study that found three in four relatives of nursing home residents with advanced dementia asked physicians not to act on their loved ones' request for VAD through Advance Care Directives. Another study found support for the idea dropped dramatically once survey participants were given specific scenarios and asked whether VAD should be administered. "Public acceptance … has been shown to decrease significantly when the situation moves from being a theoretical question to a lived reality," she wrote. There are also legal issues. In the Netherlands in 2016, a criminal investigation was launched into a physician who complied with an elderly dementia patient's Advance Care Directive, after it emerged the patient pulled away when given the fatal dose. Along with practical hurdles, Dr Ladd said Dutch ethicists were grappling with philosophical questions. They ask whether a person who draws up an Advance Care Directive is still the same person once dementia takes hold, and whether it is possible for a competent person to foresee what life with dementia would be like. If the answer to either question is "no", it may invalidate the document. "They're not just medical issues. They're not just legal issues," Dr Ladd said. Dr Nitschke believed while the Dutch should be commended for grappling with VAD for dementia patients, problems would always arise in "outsourcing death". He believed technology would provide a better option. "Instead of outsourcing your death to someone else, like the medical profession, you're taking responsibility for your own death," Dr Nitschke said. His approach has been disputed in the past. Last year, his organisation opened The Last Resort, designed to let people die for free using specially designed pods. But after one was used successfully, several staff were detained on suspicion of aiding and abetting suicide. They were eventually released. Dr Nitschke argued it was important to give people options, and noted a key benefit of the Dutch system was the peace of mind it offered, particularly after a dementia diagnosis. "That's by far the biggest benefit we're seeing in the Netherlands," he said. It would certainly be a comfort to Mr Griffiths. The Melbourne man said he did not know how Australian VAD laws should be written, or what he would do when "push comes to shove". But he said he would not make any decision about his own death until his wife had passed away. "I think it'd be a bit selfish to go before she does," he said. When the end is approaching, he said it would be a relief to know he could die on his own terms with dementia in Australia. "Very much so," he said. "Everyone says once you get the OK it gives you a lot of peace. "Whether or not you access it or not is not such a big drama.
South Wales Guardian
11-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
'Slow progress' on Gypsy sites criticised by Senedd members
John Griffiths raised concerns about the poor condition of council-run sites in Wales after hearing evidence of disrepair, pollution and rat infestations destroying people's lives. The Labour politician, who chairs the Senedd's housing and local government committee, led a debate on a report following two inquiries into the provision of sites. Mr Griffiths said it too often seems the needs of Gypsies and Travellers are not prioritised. 'Some described being treated as outcasts and second-class citizens,' he warned. 'Nobody should be made to feel this way; we urgently need to see improvement. 'At heart, this is a matter of human rights…. These communities are entitled to an alternative way of life, aren't they?' Conservative Laura Anne Jones was similarly concerned by slow progress on new sites, with a 'shockingly' low number of applications from councils for grants. Her Plaid Cymru counterpart Siân Gwenllian said: 'This is a very concerning situation. Although the Welsh Government has accepted the 21 recommendations from the 2022 report – very, very little true progress has been made.' Jane Hutt said the Welsh Government shares the committee's ambition to deliver the best outcomes for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in Wales. She told the Senedd more than £2m was allocated to 14 councils for site improvements in 2024/25, with grant funding made available for buying land in 2025/26. Ms Hutt vowed to take action if councils fail to meet their duties on housing needs, warning: 'I will use my powers to enforce action against them if a resolution cannot be found.' The minister highlighted an ongoing consultation on non-statutory guidance for councils about managing Gypsy and Traveller sites, which was last refreshed a decade ago. Closing the debate on May 7, Mr Griffiths said: 'We don't have to look very far from here to see the reality of some, at least, local authority sites in totally inappropriate places, juxtaposed to busy roads, to industrial development, to waste disposal sites. 'To see families living in that way in this new millennium is hugely disappointing, so there's still a lot of work to be done here in Wales.'
Western Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
'Slow progress' on Gypsy sites criticised by Senedd members
John Griffiths raised concerns about the poor condition of council-run sites in Wales after hearing evidence of disrepair, pollution and rat infestations destroying people's lives. The Labour politician, who chairs the Senedd's housing and local government committee, led a debate on a report following two inquiries into the provision of sites. Mr Griffiths said it too often seems the needs of Gypsies and Travellers are not prioritised. 'Some described being treated as outcasts and second-class citizens,' he warned. 'Nobody should be made to feel this way; we urgently need to see improvement. 'At heart, this is a matter of human rights…. These communities are entitled to an alternative way of life, aren't they?' Conservative Laura Anne Jones was similarly concerned by slow progress on new sites, with a 'shockingly' low number of applications from councils for grants. Her Plaid Cymru counterpart Siân Gwenllian said: 'This is a very concerning situation. Although the Welsh Government has accepted the 21 recommendations from the 2022 report – very, very little true progress has been made.' Jane Hutt said the Welsh Government shares the committee's ambition to deliver the best outcomes for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in Wales. She told the Senedd more than £2m was allocated to 14 councils for site improvements in 2024/25, with grant funding made available for buying land in 2025/26. Ms Hutt vowed to take action if councils fail to meet their duties on housing needs, warning: 'I will use my powers to enforce action against them if a resolution cannot be found.' The minister highlighted an ongoing consultation on non-statutory guidance for councils about managing Gypsy and Traveller sites, which was last refreshed a decade ago. Closing the debate on May 7, Mr Griffiths said: 'We don't have to look very far from here to see the reality of some, at least, local authority sites in totally inappropriate places, juxtaposed to busy roads, to industrial development, to waste disposal sites. 'To see families living in that way in this new millennium is hugely disappointing, so there's still a lot of work to be done here in Wales.'
