Following the resignation of The Rt. Hon Peter Hain MP as Secretary of State for Wales and for Work and Pensions earlier today, Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has issued the following statement:
“I’m saddened that Peter Hain has resigned from the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Wales and for Work and Pensions.
“His record in government is something he can be truly proud of. He played an important role in restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland during his time there as Secretary of State. In his role as Secretary of State for Wales, he steered the Government of Wales Act 2006 through Parliament, which is now enabling the Welsh Assembly Government to make a positive and lasting difference to the lives of the people of Wales.
“We have served the people of Neath together as Member of Parliament and Assembly Member since 1999, and I know that the people of Neath consider Peter to be a very hard working MP.
Thursday 24 January 2008
STATEMENT BY GWENDA THOMAS AM FOR NEATH ON THE RESIGNATION OF PETER HAIN MP
Press Release: Over £4million helping hand for children and families in Wales
Organisations representing the needs of children and families up and down the country will benefit from funding of over £4 million in the next three years, Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, announced today (Thursday, 24 January).
A total of 17 organisations, each providing services for children, young people and their families working within the health and social services sector, will be allocated £1,475,723 for 2008-09; £1,393,582 for 2009-10 and £1,272,478 for 2010-11 from the Children and Families Organisation Grant (CFOG).
A competitive bidding round for the CFOG – a grant providing core funding for voluntary organisations working on a pan-Wales level to develop child and family support - was held between August and October 2007 with 40 applications received in total.
Organisations that were successful for the first time in bidding for the grants were Adoption UK, RNIB Cymru, The Lucy Faithfull Foundation (Stop It Now) and Autism Cymru.
Founded in 2001, Autism Cymru aims to make a real difference to the provision and delivery of services for people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in Wales.
Its primary task has been to influence and help develop a strategic vision for autism in Wales and has worked closely with the Welsh Assembly Government in the development of the consultation document on the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan for Wales.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Gwenda Thomas said:
"The Welsh Assembly Government is totally committed to ensuring that our children have every opportunity to develop and grow in a happy, healthy and supportive environment.
"The organisations that have successfully applied for the Children and Families Organisation Grant play a crucial role in supporting children and their families that need extra support.
"This is yet another example of how we are working across the Welsh Assembly Government to improve the life chances of children in Wales and contributing to the fight against child poverty.
Last week, a total of £10.4 million was allocated from the CFOG to organisations that fall within the Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills portfolio.
Wednesday 23 January 2008
Press Release: NEATH AM BACKS AMBITIOUS BUDGET FOR WALES
SCHOOLS and hospitals in the Neath constituency will be among the first to benefit from the Welsh Assembly Government’s spending plans for the next three years.
Neath Labour AM Gwenda Thomas has welcomed the Assembly Government’s budget – announced by Welsh Labour Finance Minister Andrew Davies – which will see investment in Welsh public services increase by an extra £3.64 billion by 2011, taking Assembly Government spending to more than £16 billion by 2010-11. This is £2 billion more than this year, and more than double the £7 billion budget when the National Assembly was established in 1999.
This programme is built on our core objectives of improving the health of the people of Wales, increasing prosperity, tackling poverty, meeting housing need, improving public services, increasing employment and enhancing skills, and regenerating disadvantaged communities.
Local schools are set to benefit from their share of an extra £32 million to deliver better early years education and to cut class sizes.
Welsh Labour’s key budget commitments also include:
- Over £1.2bn extra for health services;
- An extra £77m for early years education;
- £25m for more and better modern apprenticeships;
- Extra help for pensioners with paying council tax;
- £120m for childcare;
- £93m for improved recycling services;
- £30m extra investment for affordable housing;
- £278m to help small businesses grow
Gwenda Thomas said:
‘’This budget delivers real value for the Welsh pound. Money is going where it is needed the most.
‘’I am also pleased to see that priority is being given to increasing the availability of affordable housing, help for small businesses, help for pensioners, better recycling services, more childcare places and modern apprenticeships.
"As the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, i'm also pleased that we are further investing in our health and social services, with the health and social care budget being £5.6bn for 2008-09, increasing to over £6bn by 2010-11.
‘’The extra £32m for early years education – on top of the £45m announced in November – proves our firm commitment to cutting class sizes for our youngest children. Welsh Labour believes that investing in our children at the earliest opportunity delivers the best education results for our schools and ensures a strong future for our communities.’’
Press Release: AM WELCOMES FUNDING TO KEEP NEATH TIDY
- Welsh Labour announces local clean up fund
COMMUNITY projects are celebrating winning extra funds to give the Upper Amman Valley an early spring clean thanks to the Welsh Assembly Government.
Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has welcomed Welsh Labour Environment Minister Jane Davidson’s announcement that £26,500 has been awarded for Keep Wales Tidy for environmental clean up projects in the Upper Amman Valley.
Funding will support a project which aims to develop a set of resources and approaches that will help groups and organisations across Wales to tackle local problems. One of the Pilot areas will be the Upper Amman Valley – which suffer from high Local Environmental Quality problems including litter, dog fouling and fly tipping. Action will involve high profile campaigns, production of campaign materials and tools and materials.
GWENDA THOMAS AM said:
‘’During the Assembly election last May, Welsh Labour promised action for a cleaner and greener Neath. We are now acting on that promise.
‘‘Local people I talk to are very concerned about the litter and graffiti on their streets and in our community and they want to play their part in improving their environment. I am delighted with this boost from the Assembly Government for these local community projects.
‘’Welsh Labour is also planning tough action on recycling, litter, dog fouling, graffiti and fly-tipping by seeking new powers for the Assembly Government over environmental protection.
‘’And thanks to record investment in recycling Wales smashed last year’s target to recycle more than 25% of our waste and is on course to make sure 40% of waste is recycled by 2010.’’
‘’Cleaning up our environment will go a long way to improve people’s quality of life and make our community a safer, cleaner and a greener place to live.
Monday 21 January 2008
Western Mail Article: Moving into care ... how to get it right
Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas explains what support is available for people moving into a care home.
MAKING the decision to leave your own home and move into a care home is a big event for all concerned.
The first port of call with any decision along these lines would be to social services.
If social services thinks you may need its help, it will arrange for an assessment of your needs to be carried out.
This assessment will look at your health and social care needs and is known as a “unified assessment”.
If it is agreed that you require care, the next step is to consider what help you need to meet your care needs and to agree this with you – the care plan.
It could be decided that you, or your family member, can stay at home with slight alterations made to the house, or that you need help with your personal care needs.
As well as services delivered to the home, you may want to think about other housing options. For example, you could consider moving to a smaller house that would be easier to look after, or moving nearer to relatives, or to a bungalow or house with different facilities.
It is a good idea to investigate these options at the earliest opportunity. Social Services will be able to tell you about the services in your area and help you to explore which are the right choices for your situation.
For those that have recently received hospital treatment the doctor will decide if you are ready to leave.
If you are likely to have difficulties coping at home, your doctor will usually suggest a unified assessment of your needs.
It may be that – after a time for recuperation and with the right support – you will be able to go back to live in your own home. Depending on local arrangements, social services may be able to arrange for you to have six weeks’ free home care to enable this.
Or the NHS and social services can arrange for you to go into a care home or somewhere similar for a while to help regain your independence.
This type of help is known as intermediate care and in Wales it should be provided free of charge for up to six weeks.
Even if you don’t qualify for intermediate care and are not sure whether you wish to move permanently into a care home, you can ask for a trial run and live there temporarily for a while.
If your assessment concludes that your needs are primarily for health care, you may qualify for continuing NHS health care. The NHS can arrange for this care to be provided in hospital, in a care home with nursing which has the facilities you need, or sometimes in your own home.
If the NHS is arranging your care, it will meet all the care costs.
If you decide, having discussed the matter with your doctor, social services and family members, that a move into a care home is the best option, you need to start looking for the home that will suit your requirements best.
Sadly, nobody can tell you which would be the best home for you. But social services can help you decide which will suit your care needs best. You can even ask them to arrange everything for you, if you prefer.
You are free to choose a care home of your choice provided the arrangements can be agreed.
What is certain is that making the decision of moving into a care home can – if taken on your own – be a rather complex and stressful decision.
However, by making the decision in partnership with family members, your doctor and social services you can get as much information made available as possible to help you make the best decision for you and your family.
Given the importance of making the right choice the Welsh Assembly Government will be issuing an information guide to help you through this process.
Thinking About A Care Home – A Guide to What You Need to Know is currently being produced and will be available at the end of February.
Tuesday 15 January 2008
Newspaper Coverage: Neath AM calls for wind farm benefit rethink
From the Neath Port Talbot Guardian
"NEATH AM Gwenda Thomas has criticised the way a £32,000 windfall from an energy giant has been distributed.
nPower Renewables own and operate the 16-turbine Ffynnon Oer wind farm on land between Glyncorrwg and Resolven.
As part of the deal to build the wind farm, the company agreed to set up the Fynnon Oer Community Fund, which will donate £32,000 a year to local communities for 25 years.
At present, £22,000 of this cash is handed over to the Afan Valley Forum, which spend the money on projects in Glyncorrwg, Cymmer and Croeserw.
The remaining £10,000 is distributed by Resolven Community Council.
But Ms Thomas says the neighbouring Pelenna ward, which includes Tonmawr and Pontrhydyfen, should also qualify for a grant.
Ms Thomas criticised the way the area had been excluded from the scheme when it had, she said, been “significantly affected” by the development.
She went on to question whether the company had considered the distribution of the Ffynnon Oer fund cash in a clear and objective way.
In a letter to nPower’s community benefits officer she wrote: “I think it is important that if communities are to support the imposition of wind farms in their vicinity then these communities must be convinced that there will be a fair distribution of the benefits involved and not an arbitrary distribution by the company.”
From the South Wales Evening Post
A Row has blown up over the sharing out of a cash windfall in the Neath and Afan valleys.
Energy giant nPower Renewables owns the 16-turbine wind farm at Ffynnon Oer, between Glyncorrwg and Resolven.
It has set up a fund which will invest £32,000 every year for a quarter of a century in local regeneration and community projects.
The Afan Valley Forum will oversee £22,000 a year for the benefit of Glyncorrwg, Cymmer and Croeserw, while Resolven Community Council will distribute £10,000 around the village.But Neath AM Gwenda Thomas said the Pelenna ward should also qualify for a share of the available cash.
"This community is, in my view, significantly affected by the wind turbine development," said Mrs Thomas.
"The Pelenna ward has been affected as much as other communities that have been selected to benefit from the trust fund, and yet it has been excluded."
Mrs Thomas has now written to nPower Renewables calling for Pelenna to be included.
She wrote: "If communities are to support the imposition of wind farms in their vicinity, then these communities must be convinced there will be a fair distribution of the benefits involved and not an arbitrary decision by the company."
Monday 7 January 2008
Press Release: New Commissioner for Older People in Wales Announced
Wales' First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, and the Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas have today named Ruth Marks as the new Commissioner for Older People in Wales.
"Ruth is currently the Director of RNIB Cymru – a role that she has held since 2005 - and prior to this she was Chief Executive of Chwarae Teg. She was awarded the MBE in 2007 for services to Welfare to Work.
"The Commissioner will be a champion and a voice for older people, in the same way that the Children’s Commissioner has been for children and young people. As with the Children’s Commissioner, the Commissioner for Older People is independent, and her role will be to ensure that the interests of older people in Wales, who are aged 60 or more, are safeguarded, voiced and promoted.
"We are extremely proud that Wales is once again leading the way and setting an example for others to follow. Wales was the first country in the UK to appoint a Children's Commissioner to give children and young people a stronger voice and now we are the first to have a Commissioner to champion the interests of older people.
"Wales is widely recognised as a world-leader in giving older people a greater say in developing the services that affect them. This unique Commissioner will further consolidate Wales' reputation for innovation and partnership working in older people’s policy.
The Welsh Assembly Government press release announcing the appointment can be seen if you click here
Cymraeg yn Gyntaf
Gwenda Thomas AC yn cyflwyno tystysgrif i Wyn Davies, Rheolwr y Co-operative Pontardawe ar ran Menter Iaith CNPT am hybu'r Gymraeg yn y gweithle Thursday 3 January 2008
Neath Guardian Column: Assembly Diary - 3 January 2008
As well as being Neath’s Assembly Member and the Deputy Minister for Social Services, I also have the privilege of being the Welsh Assembly Government’s champion for carers'.
During my time as a county councillor, I was the first female chair of the social services committee at West Glamorgan Council and then at Neath Port Talbot Council, until my election as AM for Neath in 1999. I had a lot to do with carers in these roles.
Having cared for my mother for nine years until she died aged 86 in 1999, I was able to share my experiences with colleagues in local government. While I was looking after my mother, I became very aware of what it means to be a carer. My mother became more dependent as she became older, and my family was very grateful for the support of home carers.
A Welsh carer’s strategy action plan was published in March 2007. Since my appointment, I have been continuing to implement that action plan. This year, we will be reviewing our action plan in light of the UK-wide review of the 1999 national carer’s strategy, which we also want to feed in to and then bring in legislation on carers' rights. The latter will have respite care as a top priority.
I am very keen to further strengthen the rights of carers, taking into consideration their dignity and how their lives are affected when they become carers. Many give up full-time work and there is often a gap between the allowance they receive for being a carer and what they were earning before. It's now time to look at the financial implications of caring as well as the social and health implications.
The First Minister will appoint Wales’ first commissioner for older people in the next few weeks. In my role as carers' champion, I will work very closely with the new commissioner to ensure that carers get the respect and recognition that they deserve.
If you wish to contact me, please contact my constituency office in Pontardawe on 01792 869993 or e-mail gwenda.thomas@wales.gov.uk. You can also keep up-to-date with my activities as your AM by logging on to http://www.gwendathomas.com/
