Latest news with #WelshConservatives
South Wales Argus
4 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Welsh Conservatives criticise Labour's £44 million school grants
They argue that the allocation, which includes £8.7 million for maths, literacy, science and technology, and £12 million for music, highlights Labour's 'failure to prioritise core subjects'. Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for education, Natasha Asghar MS, said: "Labour's track record on education in Wales highlights their continued failure to make the right calls and these grants highlight their inability to prioritise core subject areas. "Labour's long-standing control over education has seen Wales consistently lag behind other parts of the UK in key metrics such as literacy, numeracy, and science. 'The Welsh Conservatives recognise the challenges that are facing education in Wales and would prioritise core subjects such as math, literacy and science, while recognising the importance of the arts to Wales, in order to offer pupils greater opportunities when leaving school.'
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Health
- South Wales Argus
More than 1,000 patients spent longer than 12 hours in A&E
The figures were released by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) and fall "well short" of the Welsh Government's target of zero. The latest statistics also revealed that seven per cent of patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E. A spokesperson for the health board said the area had some of the lowest percentage of patients with long waits to be seen in an Emergency Department across Wales. But the figures were criticised by Senedd member for Monmouth, Peter Fox. He said: "Once again, these statistics make for some very grim reading. "We continue to read of stories from patients who have poor experiences in our hospitals, and my inbox is full of the same. "I have always said, and will continue to advocate, that this is not the fault of our outstanding doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. "They go above and beyond to provide for our residents. They are being let down by those in charge. "The Welsh Labour Government must get a grip of their systemic failure." Last autumn Wales First Minister Eluned Morgan said she wanted the number of people waiting for more than two years from referral to treatment to be reduced to "around" 8,000 by the spring, and recent figures show that target was broadly met. The statistics also revealed that NHS waiting lists remained at 790,020 pathways across Wales, which is the equivalent of nearly one in four people in Wales. The number of patient pathways decreased from 793,900 in February to 790,020 in March. A pathway represents a wait for treatment, so one patient can be on more than one pathway, for example if they have been referred to different departments for different ailments. Though the 'two-year waits' across Wales have fallen, there remain 269 in the ABUHB area, compared to just 147 across the entirety of England, who have a population of over 57 million. Mr Fox has called on the Welsh Government to urgently address this systemic failure, and to provide the improved service the people of Wales deserve. He added: "Only the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to fix Wales. Labour has broken our Welsh NHS, we will fix it." Wales' health minister Jeremy Miles said: "The latest NHS performance figures show long waiting times are now at their lowest levels since April 2021 and the overall size of the waiting list has fallen for four months in a row. "There are now just under 8,400 people waiting more than two years "I would particularly like to praise Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda university health boards which have joined Powys Health Board in having no patients waiting more than a year for a first outpatient appointment or two years for treatment." A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: 'Our staff have worked very hard over recent years to reduce waiting times across all of our services. We continue to see incremental improvement in the number of patients waiting for care. Out of the 25 services we provide; 5 services have zero waits over 52 weeks and only 4 services have patients with waits over 104 weeks. 'The health board continues to report some of the lowest percentage of patients with long waits to be seen in an Emergency Department across Wales. We are actively continuing an improvement programme which includes recent investments in a new Transfer Lounge to support timelier care, an extended Emergency Department waiting room to improve patient experience and reduce waits due to increased assessment space, and additional consultant capacity to ensure rapid senior assessment and treatment. 'Patients on our waiting lists are not just numbers to us; every one of them is an individual whose life is being affected by having to wait. Our staff are continuing to do everything they can to reduce our waiting times and to prioritise the most clinically urgent cases. 'It's important to recognise that these challenges are not unique to any one Health Board; we are currently experiencing these issues right across NHS Wales and in other parts of the UK.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
‘No-show' First Minister ‘undermined' Senedd scrutiny
WALES' First Minister Eluned Morgan undermined a Senedd inquiry on international relations by declining to give evidence in person, a committee warned. Delyth Jewell, who chairs the culture and international relations committee, expressed concern about a continued lack of detailed evidence from the Welsh Government. She said: 'It is regrettable that the First Minister's decision not to attend our committee in person to give oral evidence, coupled with this lack of essential detail in written evidence, has undermined our ability to carry out meaningful scrutiny. 'That is something I hope very much will change in the future.' Baroness Morgan, whose responsibilities include international relations, instead provided the inquiry with written evidence 'which fell below the standard we expect'. Leading a debate on an annual report about international relations, Ms Jewell said the First Minister reneged on commitments made to the committee by her predecessors. Baroness Morgan signalled a shift last year, publishing a 'delivery plan' with 15 aims rather than following through on a refresh of the international strategy, which contains 270 actions. 'Important commitments made to our committee in terms of involvement have been rolled back,' said Ms Jewell, who criticised a mismatch between the delivery plan and strategy. South Wales East MS Delyth Jewell Warning of a lack of openness, the Plaid Cymru politician said: 'This lack of coherence undermines, again, accountability and makes effective scrutiny all the more difficult.' The Welsh Government accepted six of the committee's eight recommendations. Ms Jewell pointed out that while ministers accepted the first recommendation – which called for regular progress updates – 'the accompanying narrative contradicts that'. Gareth Davies argued that international relations are reserved to Westminster. The Conservative questioned the return Welsh taxpayers receive for the Welsh Government's 20 overseas offices which cost £4.6m in 2024. Conservative MS Gareth Davies Mr Davies told the Senedd: 'I fear that that answer would be, 'very little'. And that is why the Welsh Conservatives support shutting down overseas offices and redirecting the money back to frontline services, where it is needed most. 'This network is expensive and, in far too many cases, it appears to be duplicating work already being done by UK embassies and trade commissioners.' But he backed the committee's calls for St David's Day to become a bank holiday – with discussions between Welsh and UK Labour ministers said to be ongoing. Heledd Fychan was disappointed that Baroness Morgan was not in the chamber to respond to the debate on May 21: 'Not having the First Minister here today, given that we knew that this debate was happening, is very frustrating.' Labour's Alun Davies accused the Conservatives of a lack of understanding about the importance of the Welsh Government's 'essential' overseas office network. Labour MS Alun Davies He said: 'They're seeking out new opportunities to bring work and jobs to this country, to increase the profile of Wales in these places. It's the work that we need done if Wales is to be taken seriously as a global nation.' His colleague Mick Antoniw, the Welsh Government's former chief legal adviser, similarly criticised 'contradictions and confusion' from the Conservative benches. 'International relations are not reserved,' he said. 'International relations are about supporting Welsh interests in devolved areas.' 'Crucial' Jane Hutt, secretary for social justice, trefnydd and chief whip Responding for the Welsh Government, Jane Hutt told the chamber that the First Minister will meet the committee in June as part of a new inquiry into international relations. The minister said: 'Scrutiny is crucially important, and it will happen not just at that committee meeting but here today as we receive your report. 'But it will be an opportunity for the First Minister to discuss the work we are doing to enhance our global relationships and how we seek to achieve our goals.' Ms Hutt described the international strategy, which was first published five years ago, as a bold statement of intent to raise Wales' profile and grow the economy. She agreed with Mr Antoniw: 'We need a wider international debate and I am sure the First Minister will be reflecting on that.'
Rhyl Journal
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
North Wales MS issues his thoughts ahead of Senedd elections
MS for North Wales We're now just under a year away from the next Senedd elections, and 7th May 2026 is rapidly approaching. It feels like a lifetime ago that the last set of elections took place in 2021, which was during the COVID pandemic. The 2026 election will take place under a new electoral system with thirty-six additional Senedd Members – something that I, along with my Welsh Conservative colleagues, have strongly opposed. It will be a chance for you to give your verdict on the performance of the Welsh Government, which has been run by Labour in one form or another since the advent of devolution in 1999. Each party will approach these elections in different ways, and put forward different policy platforms. Welsh Conservatives have already started this process and we recently announced that a Welsh Conservative Government would cut the basic rate of income tax by 1 pence, which equates to a tax cut for 1.7 million people the length and breadth of Wales. That would save the average Welsh family £450 per year, putting more money back in your pocket. I firmly believe that you know how to spend your money best, not the Government. We will fund this through efficiency savings whilst protecting key areas such as health, education and farming. The Welsh Labour Government has wasted hundreds of millions on pet projects such as their default 20mph speed limit and numerous overseas offices, all while our public services suffer. Not only that, but under the UK Labour Government led by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, the tax burden is set to hit an all-time high with taxpayers paying more and more for less. Welsh taxpayers are being clobbered at both ends of the M4 by Labour-run Governments in Westminster and Cardiff Bay. That must come to an end. As our party's spokesman on Finance matters, I am clear that a Welsh Conservative Government will root out waste, drive out inefficiency, and deliver better value for money. There needs to be a serious change in the way that the Welsh Government operates after more than a quarter-century of one-party rule in Cardiff, and I am confident that the Welsh Conservatives can bring the change that Wales is crying out for. As ever, if you'd like to get in touch then you can email me at
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starmer migration plan will damage Wales, FM fears
Wales' first minister says she is worried Sir Keir Starmer's migration plans will damage the country. Speaking to a BBC podcast, Eluned Morgan said she was concerned about "both" the prime minister's policy and the language he used to announce it. Morgan criticised Sir Keir ahead of a meeting with him in London on Friday, telling Political Thinking with Nick Robinson she had a "list" of issues with the UK government. The Welsh Labour leader also called for winter fuel payments for all but the richest of pensioners, and said she would "stick" to the left of UK Labour as the party fights to stay in power in Wales. The Welsh Conservatives said Morgan was "fabricating rows" with Labour in Westminster while Plaid Cymru accused her of waging a "phoney air war". Senedd election could be seismic, expert says Welsh Labour 'has world's longest winning streak' Morgan has become more publicly critical of the UK Labour government in recent weeks, making complaints over devolution, benefits cuts and other issues. In an ITV Wales interview on Thursday evening she called for Sir Keir to "start coughing up" for Wales. The strategy comes as Welsh Labour prepares for the next Senedd election in May 2026, with recent opinion polls suggesting the party has a fight on its hands. Labour has been the largest party in the Senedd at every election since devolution began in 1999, leading every Welsh government that has been formed. It has also been the biggest party in Wales in every Westminster election since 1922. Sir Keir has said the UK risked becoming an "island of strangers" without stricter controls on migration. He plans to ban recruitment of care workers from overseas and tighten access to skilled worker visas. Morgan has previously said proposals from Sir Keir could pose "challenges" for social care services if they could no longer recruit overseas workers. Asked if she was worried about the prime minister's language and whether his policy would be made in a way that will "damage Wales", Morgan told the podcast: "I think both, actually. I don't think I'd use that language. "I'm very keen on making sure that people feel comfortable in a cohesive community and that they feel welcome." Downing Street has previously said Sir Keir stands by his words and "the argument he was making was that migrants make a massive contribution to our country, but migration needs to be controlled". Morgan added: "I think it probably is worth emphasising that in Wales about 7% of the population are immigrants, which is much, much smaller than other parts of the country." But she said "more or less" 50% of doctors and dentists in west Wales "are people who've been trained abroad". She added: "The care services are something I'm particularly concerned about. "Even things like getting people to work in pubs and things in the summer in our tourism sector, it's a challenge." Asked if it was something she would raise with Sir Keir, she added: "I've got a list. He knows my list, OK?" Morgan said her administration had "massively gained as a result of the UK Labour government, we have had the biggest uplift in our budget since the Senedd was established". But she said she was putting Wales "first". "I'm doing what it says on my Labour membership card. It says: 'country first'. "My country is not quite the same country that Keir perhaps had in mind when he was writing that membership card." She said Nigel Farage's Reform was a "challenge" for Labour "but we've also got a threat from Plaid Cymru, and I think we've got to take that seriously". Morgan said it could not be taken for granted "that Labour will always be in power in Wales". "I'm going to be true to my values. My values are not that I am going to tack to the right to take on Reform. "I'm going to stick to the red Welsh way, which is more to the left than perhaps the centre of gravity in UK Labour at the moment." Morgan welcomed the UK government's U-turn over winter fuel allowances for pensioners. Sir Keir has announced plans to ease cuts but it remains unclear how many will regain their entitlement for the payments, or when the changes will take effect. The first minister said: "I'm not sure if millionaires should be getting a winter fuel allowance. So let's just make sure that they don't get it." She added she wanted "the majority of pensioners" to get the benefit. Meanwhile, Morgan said she would be relaxed if richer people in London were taxed more and people in Wales could get more from the government. "I recognise that there's an opportunity there, but that is a tough decision for the chancellor." Darren Millar, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, said people across Wales "are rightly concerned about immigration, so they will be unimpressed by the first minister's comments", and accused her of "fabricating rows" with Labour in Westminster. He said she should be "standing up for people here in Wales by telling the prime minister to take tougher action to get immigration down by introducing a cap on numbers, and deporting all foreign criminals, including those who arrive here illegally". A Plaid Cymru spokesperson also hit out at the first minister, pointing to a previous story where she had rejected "divisive language" on immigration, but where a spokesperson later said she was not talking about Sir Keir. He said: "The people of Wales will not be fooled. This is nothing more than a phoney air war and a cynical attempt to conceal the fact that Labour's first minister and prime minister are joined at the hip." Morgan and Sir Keir are taking part in the Council of Nations and Regions on Friday. Downing Street said the prime minister would tell the leaders of the UK's devolved governments and English mayors that trade deals with India, US and the EU will deliver economic growth that will improve people's lives. "These trade deals deliver long-term security for people in Wales," Sir Keir said. The UK government has been asked to comment. Political Thinking with Nick Robinson: Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds, or watch on BBC iPlayer live at 12:30 BST on Friday. Starmer announces U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts First minister accused of lacking say on EU deal Morgan right to push our government - UK minister
