Monthly Archive
Plaid welcome Swansea schools investment
Swansea is set to benefit from a £3.9m funding boost to improve the standard and safety of the city’s school buildings.
The Welsh Assembly Government is providing the funding as part of its ‘School Building improvement Grant’ (SBIG) and ‘Sprinklers in Schools Grant’ Schemes.
The Grant schemes are to be discussed by Swansea Council’s Cabinet on Thursday.
Schools in receipt of WAG SBIG or Sprinkler Grants include Birchgrove Primary, YGG Pontybrenin, YGG Tirdeunaw, Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr, Olchfa Comprehensive, St. Helens Primary, Llanrhidian Primary, Pentrechwyth Primary and Pontarddulais Primary.
Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd today welcomed the investment:
“This significant pot of funding is very important in trying to improve the standard of school buildings within the city and county of Swansea.
“Ensuring that our children are educated in schools that are fit for purpose is something that we should all be aiming for. It is simply not fair that some students continue to spend most of their week in buildings that are crumbling.
“It is clear that the One Wales Government sees the education of our children as a key priority. This extra funding of course is over and above the annual funding that the Council receives to run local services, and it is to be warmly welcomed.”
Plaid Councillor Darren Price added:
“Swansea Council has a historical backlog in terms of school capital maintenance due to the decades of under-investment by successive Labour controlled Councils. I am very pleased to see this investment coming to Swansea which will go a long way to improving educational and safety standards in a number of our schools.”
Dai Lloyd AM urges people in South West Wales to contact helpline for advice and help on energy bills
Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd is urging people across South West Wales who are concerned about managing their energy bills to contact the national Home Heat Helpline to get help and advice well ahead of winter returning later this year.
Dr Lloyd stressed how important it is for anyone across his region struggling with energy bills - or simply wishing to make their home more energy efficient - to get in touch with the helpline (0800 33 66 99) and take action now when the weather is milder. The national helpline has received over 100,000 calls since it launched in 2005.
Fuel poverty* disproportionately affects older people, single parents and those living with disabilities. One call to the Home Heat Helpline can provide access to a range of services including:
The Priority Service Register which provides extra services for people who are elderly or disabled including bills in large text or Braille, security passwords and an annual gas safety check
Grants for free home insulation
Flexible payment options for customers in fuel debt
Benefits entitlement checks
The Home Heat Helpline has received support from Help the Aged/Age Concern Cymru; Care and Repair Cymru; Consumer Focus Cymru and NEA Cymru. The stepped-up service also allows worried householders or their relatives, friends and carers to make their enquiry over the internet at www.homeheathelpline.org.uk
Lending his support to the Home Heat Helpline service Dai Lloyd said:
“I want to ensure people across South West Wales who may be worried about their fuel bills - particularly as the recession continues to squeeze household budgets – that there is help and advice available. What’s more, it’s better to find out what’s out there and make sure it’s well in place before the cold weather returns next winter.
“To do so, they simply have to call the Home Heat Helpline (0800 33 66 99) for themselves, or on behalf of someone else who may be in fuel poverty. There will be advisors on standby who can help organise new tariffs, insulation grants and advice and support on how to keep warm and save money on their bills.”
Youth Offending comes under Assembly Scrutiny
Youth Offenders from across South Wales will today (Tuesday, August 11) receive a visit from National Assembly Members.
The Assembly’s Communities and Culture Committee is currently carrying out a Youth Justice Inquiry, looking specifically at the experiences of Welsh children within prisons and how effective support services are in ensuring that re-offending is minimised.
Plaid’s Social Justice Spokesman Dr. Dai Lloyd AM sits on the Communities and Culture Committee, members of which will today visit Parc Prison, Bridgend as part of their continuing investigation.
Dr. Lloyd stated:
“This inquiry is important on a number of fronts. The committee is scrutinising the delivery of the Welsh Assembly Government’s policies in relation to children and young people in the secure estate.
“It is important that these different cross-border agencies work effectively to try and ensure that when the young offender leaves prison or a secure unit that they are prepared to live a life free of crime.
“We are looking to identify areas where there are particular problems, for example whereby some support services such as Health and Education are devolved to the National Assembly while the powers on youth justice itself remain in Westminster. Many Welsh youth offenders of course reside in English prisons and this has the potential to further complicate matters.”
Dr. Lloyd added:
“The One Wales Agreement has set out to consider the evidence for the devolution of the criminal justice system, and the committee is looking at the youth justice element as part of this review.
“The Committee is also reviewing the use of custody and exploring alternative measures to detention for children in conflict with the law.
“What we want to ensure is that young offenders are not simply locked up for the sake of it, but that they leave prison or a secure unit having received the support from various agencies.
“At the completion of our inquiry we will be looking to make recommendations to the Welsh Assembly Government and others, possibly the UK Government, as necessary.
“What we need to ensure is that we develop a youth justice system in Wales which serves the people of Wales, taking best practice from across the world, making our system fit for the 21st century.”
Plaid AM support for junior doctors
Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd has called on NHS Trusts to improve support for junior doctors by backing BMA Cymru Wales’ new campaign.
BMA Cymru Wales has launched the Option 7 Campaign, aimed at improving the lives of junior doctors in Wales. It has devised the Option 7 campaign - named after the option on a BMA phone line that juniors can select, to discuss bullying and harassment in confidence.
BMA Cymru Wales has become increasingly concerned about the working conditions of junior doctors and the impact that this could have both on careers and patient safety.
Dr. Dai Lloyd stated:
“To hear of junior doctors reporting a lack of training opportunities, unsafe staffing levels, bullying and insufficient locum cover is very worrying indeed.
“As a former junior doctor I know full well of the work required to get through those early years. Junior doctors often have to deal with a high pressure work place involving very many traumatic situations. Huge commitment on the part of junior doctors should be enhanced and supported by senior clinical and managerial staff.
“The job is difficult and challenging enough on its own account without the problems that some junior doctors have had.
“Junior doctors are often afraid to raise any concerns themselves with senior management for fear of repercussions.
“The BMAs campaign in this regard is opportune and timely and I hope to see improvements. I would encourage juniors to contact the BMA Cymru Wales hotline on 0300 123 123 3 and select option seven to report any incidents.
“There have been reports of junior doctors moving out of Wales due to problems in the area of training and support. The NHS in Wales is utterly and totally reliant on its workforce. Without staff the NHS just cannot function and this is why it is imperative that this worrying situation is addressed.”
Diwedd/ Ends
The on-going campaign will involve BMA Welsh secretary Dr Richard Lewis and BMA Welsh council chairman Dr Andrew Dearden meeting with the Chairs and Chief Executives of the new NHS health boards in Wales to draw up an action plan together, with the involvement of the Wales Deanery, to include;
What exactly will be done to address the issues
Who will take responsibility for making sure action is taken
Setting deadlines for action and resolving problems raised in these meetings
Dr Lewis and Dr Dearden will also be meeting as many junior doctors as possible during the campaign.
ATMs cashing in on the vulnerable
ATMs that charge people to withdraw their money are cashing in on some of the most vulnerable people in Swansea, says Plaid AM Dai Lloyd.
Dr Dai Lloyd who is Plaid Cymru’s Social Justice spokesperson has said that it is high time that charges on ATMs were regulated at a government level.
The Plaid AM for South Wales West has been alarmed by recent rapid price increases on charging ATMs which he says are particularly disgraceful under the current economic conditions.
A number of ATMs in Swansea’s Communities First Areas - such as Blaenymaes, Mount Pleasant and Bonymaen charge locals for withdrawing money, while other parts of the city go uncharged.
The Plaid AM for South Wales West is calling on the London Labour Government to regulate ATM proliferation and charges in order to ensure a fair deal for Welsh communities, particularly for those on low incomes who are hit hardest by these charges. He has also committed to investigate what can be done at an Assembly and local level to protect Welsh communities from unfair charges.
Plaid AM Dai Lloyd said:
“The amounts that are being charged to use these ATMs are ridiculous. We have seen rapid increases in prices recently. Some are now charging as much as £2.50 for every withdrawal - for anybody withdrawing £10 that’s an extra 25% - a cost which many users can ill afford. To make matters worse it would appear that more deprived wards with no free cash withdrawal options are being targeted by these companies. This is disgraceful and unscrupulous behaviour by these ATM companies.
“Very often people living in these communities do not have the luxury of being able to travel to withdraw cash. Their options have been further limited by the London Labour Post Office closure programme. Even in those communities that are lucky enough to still have a post office, the days of withdrawing benefits and pensions directly and over the counter are long gone.
“It is high time that action is taken to protect our communities. It is wrong that companies should profit most from those who can afford it least. I am calling on the London Labour government to take immediate action to regulate the proliferation and charges of these ATMs. I will also be looking at what we can do on a Welsh level to protect our communities from unfair charges.”
Playday highlights need for space to play
All children have the right to enough space to play. That was the message from Plaid Cymru AM Dai Lloyd on this year’s ‘Playday’ (Wednesday 05 August).
This year’s Playday, the annual day to celebrate the right of children to play, aims to highlight the fact that all children need the space and time to play. The campaign is calling for policy makers and planners to support the right of children to play.
Dr Dai Lloyd AM is currently seeking to introduce new legislation to the Assembly which would place a duty on local authorities to consult communities before selling any playing fields for development. The Plaid AM has been fighting a long running battle to save Welsh playing fields which he sees as a vital community asset.
Plaid AM Dai Lloyd said:
“The right to play is hugely important to children in many different ways. Physical activity and interaction helps children to develop well in terms of health and well being and also socially. It is vitally important that children have enough space to play in their communities. Children need playing field space where they can kick a football around and get together without causing what could be perceived as a nuisance elsewhere.
“I welcome the emphasis that this year’s ‘Playday’ campaign is placing on the need for space to play. Playday’s statistics show that parents feel that there aren’t enough safe places for children to play currently, which makes it even more important that we save the playing spaces that we do have. I am very hopeful that my proposed legislation will continue to a successful conclusion and will enable us to save plenty of space to play.”
ENDS
Further information on ‘playday’ can be found at - http://www.playday.org.uk/
