Swans Join the Premier League!

It’s turning out to be a very good month for soccer fans in this constituency - first the Neath Eagles get through to the Europa cup and now the Swans have hit the big time! After an tremendous 4-2 win over Reading yesterday, Swansea AFC are back in the top flight of UK football after a 30 year wait. They are also the first Welsh team to enter the modern Premier League.

Once again this is excellent news for Wales and the region. Carwyn is completely right in saying that this will raise the profile of Wales in the UK and abroad. The tens of thousands of fans that follow Chelsea, Arsenal and the other Premier League teams will now be regularly crossing the Severn Bridge. Very many heartfelt congratulations go to Brendan Rodgers and his whole team!

Gwenda

Cash Boost for Neath Food Fair

Neath Food and Drink Festival is to get a grant of £9,999 from the Welsh Government. This comes as part of a £350,000 package supporting food and drink festivals throughout Wales.

Gwenda said: “I thoroughly enjoyed visiting last year’s festival and am looking forward to returning for the third annual festival this October. I’m told that this year's fair will be even bigger and better.”

“I’m very happy that the Welsh Government has been able to provide financial support for this event. The crowds I saw at last year’s showed how many people it brings into the town.”

“Backing this sort of food fair makes real economic sense for Wales. Aside from the 1,125 people that are directly employed by them, food and drink festivals are an excellent way to market Welsh produce and encourage tourism.”

The third Neath Food and Drink Festival will take place on the 7th and 8th of October 2011.

Neath Eagles Flying High

Congratulations to the Neath Eagles Football Club! After their victory against Prestatyn on Saturday Neath FC have secured a place in the UEFA Europa League.

I think this result is a testament to the excellent leadership and new talent that Andy Dyer has brought to the Club. I’d very much like to thank Mr Dyer and the whole team for bringing European football to Neath. This is a brilliant boost for the town and I wish the Club every success in the Europa League.

Gwenda

New Welsh Government Announced

Gwenda Thomas was today appointed Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services in the Welsh Government.

Mrs Thomas said: “I feel deeply honoured that the First Minister has appointed me to this role. As Deputy Minister for Social Services in the last Welsh Government I was proud to take the lead on many necessary reforms to Social Services in Wales. I think what we have achieved so far in this area has been excellent but clearly much remains to be done. I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to finish the work we have begun.”

In the new Welsh Government line-up the position of Deputy Minister for Social Services has been merged with the Deputy Minister for Children, a position previously held by Huw Lewis AM.

Mrs Thomas said: “The combining of the Social Services portfolio with the responsibility for children makes a great deal of sense. Tackling child poverty requires the cooperation of all the major departments of state. Directly linking this field with Health and Social Services will make it that much easier to take the action that is needed.”

Light at the End of the Tunnel for Troubled Valleys Club

A £200,000 sports development for a Swansea Valley village, has moved a step closer after a meeting called by local AM Gwenda Thomas.

Local league side Ynysmeudwy AFC plans to develop a multi-purpose sports facility to provide both a training pitch for the club and a venue for community sports. The proposals have been stymied for some time by problems with planning permission, bio-diversity compliance and flood plain issues.

After the meeting, which brought together Council planning bosses, Environment Agency officers, Community Councillors and the club’s committee, new plans are being developed which will be put in for planning permission in the near future.

Gwenda said: “I’m really glad we appear to have got past the stalemate that had developed around the clubs plans. Ynysmeudwy AFC has a really hard working committee that has done wonders for their local community.”

Club Chair Huw Davies said: “This new development will provide a junior playing field as well giving local children a safe area to play and pursue all types of sport.”

Town councillor and committee member Brian Lewis said, “Due to the continued hard work and commitment of the coach Nigel Rees and Manager Kevin Williams, we now have a good chance of promotion in the Neath and District League from Division One to the Premier Division. Therefore having improved facilities and a real development action plan will make a huge difference to the club and the wider community.”

This development comes after a difficult year for village club in which their club house was burgled twice causing £1000s worth of damage.

Re-Appointments to the Food Standards Ageny's Welsh Food Advisory Committee

The Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas has today announced that Dr. Hugh Jones, Mrs Susan Jones and Mr Derek Morgan have been re-appointed to the Food Standards Agency’s Welsh Food Advisory Committee.

Their current terms of appointment end on 30 June 2011. They have agreed to serve a further term of three years, ending on 30 June 2014.

Gwenda Thomas said:"I am pleased that these members have agreed to continue their work Dr Jones, Mrs Jones and Mr Morgan each offer invaluable knowledge and experience to the work of this committee giving advice to the FSA on food matters relating to Wales."

Biographies:

Mr Derek Morgan
Derek is an upland beef and sheep farmer responsible for the day to day running of an upland family farm in the upper Wye Valley; rearing Welsh mountain sheep and pedigree Welsh black cattle. He is Chairman of the Farmers Union of Wales hill farming committee, representing the union on a wide range of stakeholder groups with particular emphasis on issues relating to animal health and welfare, animal traceability, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy’s and food chain information.

Derek is a member and chairman of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Upland Forum advising on issues relating to upland affairs. He was one of the first Technology Interactive Resource Demonstration farm participants. Derek is a Welsh sheep strategy scholar visiting New Zealand in 1999 travelling both islands investigating research programs on a number of farms.

Founder member, director, and present chairman of the Welsh Sheepdog Society, set up in 1997, to save the indigenous Welsh sheepdog. Also a member of the Welsh Assembly Government hyatid project board.

Mrs Sue Jones
In 1983 Sue Jones created Llanboidy Cheesemakers, one of the most successful SME specialist Cheesemakers in Wales, and had a direct involvement with all aspects of the production of milk and the manufacture and marketing of the farmhouse cheeses
She is a director of the cooperative Cheeses from Wales, a member (and past committee member) of the UK Specialist Cheesemakers Association and was awarded an MBE in 2005 for her services to the Welsh Cheese Industry.

A retired dairy farmer; a former President of the Red Poll Cattle Society and a past Chair of the local Narbeth branch of the National Farming Union. Sue has also been a member of the Welsh Assembly Governments’ Dairy Strategy Group since its inception and sits on National Farmers Union Cymru sub group for Food and Marketing. She is also a member of the Women’s farming Union.

Sue was elected an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Society (Wales) several years ago and in 2009 was made a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS)
Sue believes in keeping her feet firmly on the ground with regard to the market place and consumers needs and has a keen interest in promoting the regional identity, safety and quality of Welsh food. During her working life she has had close involvement with the introduction and implementation of food safety legislation.

Dr. Hugh Jones
Hugh Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Genetics and Molecular Biology in the College of Medicine – Institute of Life Science at Swansea University. After going to school in Neath, he read for a Biochemistry degree at the University of Cambridge and followed this with a Ph.D. and a research fellowship. He then moved to Imperial College, London for further post-doctoral work in protein engineering before returning to South Wales to take up an academic position at Swansea University. His research interests are mainly in protein molecular biology; particularly carbohydrate-binding proteins and involve recombinant DNA techniques. He has applied some of this work to glucose biosensors and diabetes diagnostics.

Hugh teaches protein structure/function, genetic manipulation and basic microbiology to students of Genetics, Biochemistry and Biological Sciences degrees. He is a member of the Society for General Microbiology, the Biochemical Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Hugh has been involved with promoting the public understanding of science in Wales including helping to organise the Science and Technology exhibition for the visit of the National Eisteddfod to Swansea. As a former School Governor and parent of three children at school and university, he is continually being reminded of the importance of food safety.

• The Welsh Food Advisory Committee was established under the provision of the Food Standards Act 1999, section 5(1). The Welsh Food Advisory Committee is responsible for providing advice and information to the Food Standards Agency about matters concerning its functions including particular matters affecting or otherwise relating to Wales.
  
• The Food Standards Act provides for membership of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee is to consist of a chairman and such other members as may be appointed by the Welsh Assembly Government. A list of current members is attached. Members of the Committee are paid £5,319 per annum reflecting a time commitment of 4 days per month.
  
• Although appointments to the Welsh Food Advisory Committee do not come within the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s remit these re-appointment have been made following a process that takes into account the Commissioner’s Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies as best practice.
  

Further information can be found here

Gwenda Thomas AM welcomes the funding for “Communities against Drugs”

On hearing that the “Communities against Drugs” project had been awarded £66,385 of funding under the Labour –led Welsh Assembly Government Communities First’s programme’s Outcome Fund, Gwenda Thomas AM, Assembly Member for Neath said “I am pleased that the Welsh Assembly Government’s Outcome Fund has been able to fund this valuable project - a large part of which will take place in my constituency”

She continued “I would like to praise the work that the Melincryddan Community Conference and the Neath East Communities First Partnership have undertaken with other local agencies, in the local area, such as the Police, Schools, Housing Associations and community groups in putting together this successful funding application and the partnership working that will continue throughout the life of the project. The residents in the eight project areas will have a dedicated confidential hotline to inform on suspicious behaviour regarding drug dealing and substance misuse empowering them to do something to challenge the concerns in their community”

Gwenda added “I also welcome the support that the project will offer to users who wish to end their drug dependency as with the right support people can reduce the harm they cause themselves, their families and their communities.”

Charles Henrywood, Chair of Melincryddan Community Conference and a member of the Neath East Communities First Partnership said “I’m delighted we have obtained this funding. It’s taken a long time and a lot of hard work by many people to have reached this stage but I’m confident that the project will achieve its aims, to the benefit of many individuals and their communities. My sincere thanks to all my project partners and to Gwenda Thomas for the support and encouragement they have given me over the past two years.

NEATH SAYS YES, WALES SAYS YES

73% Yes in Neath Port Talbot.

Gwenda Thomas AM said: “I am overjoyed by this result! This is a fabulous vote of confidence in the Welsh Assembly.”

“I am especially thrilled to see such a huge majority for Yes in the Neath Port Talbot. At 73 % we appear to be once again one of the highest Yes votes in Wales. I would like to thank the voters of Neath personally for this heartwarming result!”
“The people of Wales have recognized the real, tangible benefits that the Welsh Assembly has brought. This result, however, is not the end of the story; it is just the beginning.”

“Wales faces challenges ahead, both those caused by the global recession and those thrust on us by the Westminster Coalition. With the legislative powers now granted us by the people of Wales we can roll up our sleeves and get down to work.”

“The Welsh Assembly was born in 1997. We crawled; we walked; now we are ready to run!”

Rob James, ‘Yes for Wales’ Campaign Coordinator for Neath, said “The people of Neath Port Talbot came out, and in their majority, used their democratic voice to show support in current and future politician’s ability to create laws that will benefit Wales for the foreseeable future.

“I would like to sincerely thank all the volunteers that played an active role in this cross-party campaign and managed to get an overwhelming yes vote.”

Pontardawe: Car Parking Charges and Town Centre Regeneration

Before Christmas I received many representations from traders in Pontardawe expressing concerns regarding the proposed introduction of parking charges in the town. There was great concern that this change could have serious consequences for the economy of the local area. It was also felt that the time allowed for consultation on these plans was insufficient for a full and proper consideration of the issues.

I believed at the time, and continue to do so, that changes in parking arrangements can have substantial effects on the viability of any town centre, all the more so in the case of a relatively small town such as Pontardawe. A decision on this subject should only be taken after robust consultation. For this reason I contacted Steve Phillips, the Chief Executive of Neath Port Talbot Council, and strongly suggested that he consider extending the consultation period to allow the public more time to feedback their analysis of the proposals. I am happy that Mr Phillips agreed to this proposal, and that the consultation produced a large number of public responses.

Alongside specific fears about the changes in parking arrangements, many of you expressed more general concerns about the future of the Pontardawe economy. I am writing to you, now, with good news that I hope will reassure you that both the Welsh Assembly Government and the Council remain committed to regeneration of the Pontardawe region.

Following final approval last Thursday by Neath Port Talbot Council three projects, with a total project value of £ 2.4 m, and partly funded by £600,000 from the Welsh Assembly’s Western Valleys Strategy, will begin over the next six weeks.

Substantial improvements to Herbert Street will create a new public square, as well as installing new paving, lighting and disabled parking. Environmental improvements will continue on the former Motorworld site, creating an attractive gateway to Pontardawe town centre. Finally work will begin on the Cwm Du Glen bridge, providing a fitting landmark for the local area.

In combination these projects, as well as bringing a substantial injection of money into the local economy , will improve the amenities of the town in such a way as to enhance Pontardawe’s place as a shopping and leisure destination. This will in turn provide a much needed boost for local businessmen and women.

I am very glad to be able to report that the Council has recognised that, whilst regeneration work on this scale is being undertaken, it does not make sense to continue an assessment of the possible effects of the introduction of car parking charges. The Council has therefore decided to defer any consideration of car parking charges until after regeneration. A review of parking policies will then be undertaken only when the regeneration projects are completed and their full effect can be assessed.

Gwenda

BANWEN & ONLLWYN SURGERY

Gwenda Thomas AM will be holding a surgery at
The Dove Workshop, Banwen on Thursday 24th February from 5 pm - 6 pm.

Mrs. Thomas will be delighted to meet with any constituents who would like to raise any issues with her.

Statement on TRW

As the Assembly Member for Neath, I had an opportunity yesterday (16.2.2011) to ask the Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM a question during the Plenary Session regarding TRW in Resolven.

Gwenda Thomas: "I am speaking in my capacity as the Assembly Member for Neath.
Ieuan, I would like to add my voice to the many who have paid tribute to the workforce, recent and past, of TRW. Despite the best efforts of the Welsh Assembly Government, recently and over a long period of time, the best efforts of the union and, most importantly, as you have said, the best efforts of the workforce of TRW, TRW has turned its back on Resolven, but not immediately. As Bethan said, a peaceful demonstration started at 7.30 a.m. this morning outside the factory. I understand that it arose as a result of the company’s inability to negotiate fair terms for the existing workforce to continue there for a month. I also understand, from talks with the union, that the company in Germany is not ready yet to take the transferred work from Resolven. The belief remains that there is no business plan or case for the closure of this factory and that this internal and political decision by the company to close TRW has been taken at the expense of the skilled and committed Welsh workers there. May I therefore refer to my most recent letter to you, dated 30 November, and ask you to confirm that the Welsh Assembly Government continues to offer maximum support to the employees in Resolven who have lost their jobs? Could you, perhaps, seek clarification regarding the situation that arose this morning?

The Deputy First Minister: "I will certainly seek clarification regarding the situation that arose this morning. I can also say publicly that I wrote to the vice-president of the European steering operations of TRW on 27 June last year, offering support in recognition of the difficulties that the company was facing. We offered a range of assistance for training and development, including both ProAct and Skills Growth Wales, and for environmental improvement activities and capital investment. That offer was made to the company. I also know that the local authority offered an immediate cut in business rates and, as I have indicated in an earlier reply, the workforce itself was prepared to take a substantial cut in wages. That was a very generous offer to the company and we are all disappointed that it has decided to walk away from the site. I will do what I can to get further information from it, but under these circumstances it was disappointing that the company turned down the offer made".

Since then I understand that the agency workers have been withdrawn.

Major Reforms to Social Services in Wales Unveiled

Radical new plans to put social services on a sustainable footing were announced today by the Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas.

Sustainable Social Services for Wales – A Framework for Action sets out the Assembly Government’s plans to renew social services and social care for the next decade. Around 150,000 people receive some form of social care in Wales every year and more will become dependent on such services, or have a relative that relies on them.
The plans include:

• introducing portable assessments so that if a person moves location they do not have to have their needs reassessed;
  
• establishing a national outline contract for care homes to improve consistency of services; and,
  
• establishing a National Adoption Agency to improve rates of successful adoptions.

Gwenda said: “This is a visionary statement on the future of our social services for the next decade. We have used this opportunity to think carefully about the small number of big changes that we need to focus on to make a positive impact and renew social services in Wales.”

"The key to achieving the Assembly Governments vision will be to ensure that services are centred around the citizen. Users and their carers will have a much stronger voice and greater control over services. Services will be built around people – not around organisations."

“Social services must become sustainable but sustainability means much more than funding. It will require more fundamental changes than simply becoming smarter at what we already do. We need to focus on what is really important and ensure that we are all working to the same ends by securing more efficient and effective ways to deliver services through greater collaboration and integration. This paper gives us the means to do that.”

First Minister Carwyn Jones said: “High quality responsive citizen centred social services are essential to a successful Wales. I expect services to be built round people not organisations. This framework gives us that opportunity.”

A National Social Services Partnership Forum will be established to drive the changes.

Other commitments include:

• ensuring that social workers and social care workers are at the heart of services. This will ensure that the workforce is more confident and is supported in applying its own professional judgement;
  
• cutting complexity, by reducing the number of Local Safeguarding Children Boards and cutting back on the detailed guidance sent out by government;
  
• better integrating services by rolling out Integrated Family Support Teams and re-ablement services across Wales; and,
  
• changing the approach to target setting and the type of guidance issued, with providers and commissioners of services becoming accountable for quality and safety to allow for a better focused and streamlined regulation and inspection.

£2 Million Announced for Autism Services in Wales

Welsh Labour’s Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, has announced a funding package of £2million to support children and adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for 2011-12.

This funding will continue to secure Wales’ place as a world leader in ASD work and will maintain the momentum initiated by the ASD Strategic Action Plan for Wales. Since the Action Plan was launched, much has been achieved in raising the awareness of this condition and in improving the lives of both children and adults with ASD.

However, the Assembly Government believes that more needs to be done and this funding will allow new and innovative projects to be established across Wales. These include:

• Develop a pre/post diagnostic service for children with ASD
  
• Develop an adult diagnostic and counselling service.
  
• Support a series of new regional projects to offer practical help to individuals and families across Wales
  
• Develop regional monitoring and support for adults with Aspergers Syndrome
  
• Set up an ASD Learning and Improvement Network and an ASD e-learning resource

Breakdown of ASD funding for 2011-12

ASD co-ordination, regional child-focussed projects and guidance on Unified Assessment Process: £1,540,000

Development of pre/post diagnosis services for children and adults: £466,000

Improvement of employment prospects of adults with ASD: £2,076,000

£453,476 FUNDING FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

Three Welsh organisations are to receive a total of £453,476 funding to help them deliver the Social Enterprise Action Plan for Wales, thanks to the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Labour’s Social Justice Minister Carl Sargeant has announced that the Wales Co-operative Centre will receive £175,000; the Development Trusts Association Wales, £172,713; and Social Firms Wales, £105,763 for 2011 / 12. The funding will be used to provide specialist advice to the Welsh Assembly Government, support both new and existing social enterprises towards sustainability, and to help raise awareness of the sector.

Gwenda Thomas AM said: 'Some organisations in my constituency have been helped by the Wales Co-operative Centre, such as DANSA Community Transport Scheme located in the Dulais Valley and Neath Port Talbot Credit Union. The work done by these groups has been invaluable, and this is why the funding given to these organisations is so vital as it helps to reduce social inequality ’.

Notes

The Social Enterprise Action Plan published in 2009 sets out how the Welsh Assembly Government will work with partner organisations to promote social enterprises in Wales to create a thriving sector that will support community and economic regeneration and create local jobs. The plan contains 20 key actions to help the sector expand, to grow existing ventures and help new social enterprises to become established. The Action Plan is an update and refresh of the three-year Social Enterprise Strategy published in 2005.

£900,000 to Help Young People Into Work

The Labour-led Welsh Government has launched a £900,000 pilot scheme to help young people aged 16 to 17 into employment. This programme will offer 180 employment opportunities in Communities First areas in parts of South and West Wales, for a six month period.

Gwenda Thomas said: "There are several Communities First areas in disadvantaged areas of Neath. This scheme will be an excellent for opportunity for young people to be helped into work. This is part of the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy to reduce social inequalities in these areas."

"Taking that first step onto the employment ladder is extremely difficult for many young people. We all know how tricky it can be to get that first job with no previous work experience. By giving them a chance at proper paying work this scheme will give a boost to the future career prospects for dozens of young people in Neath."

This new project is a component of the Intermediate Labour Market Programme (ILM), which, itself, is part of the Welsh Assembly Government's Youth Engagement and Employment Action Plan.

Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and European Social Fund, the ILM is provided through the Welsh Council for Voluntary Action and already operates across North Wales. It will now contract organisations in South and West Wales who are able to support and develop young people who are not in employment education or training.

The scheme provides structured, relevant and supported employment to those furthest from the labour market in order to give participants new skills, increased confidence and work experience.

Participating organisations will deliver the structured and relevant supported employment with a view to developing:

• Participant confidence and motivation for work.
  
• Generic behaviours and skills required by employers.
  
• A reference which can be used to assist employment applications.
  
• An interest in life long learning including the development of basic skills.
  
• People who are workless to actively seek employment.

The outcome for all participants will be progression into either sustained employment or further learning at a higher level.

Deadline for Referendum Voting Registration Approaches

The deadline to be included on the Electoral Register for the Welsh Assembly Referendum is 5pm on Wednesday 16 February. If you aren't already registered go to this website. It will take you through the steps required and generate a form that you can print off and send to your local Electoral Registration Officer. For residents of Neath the address is:

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Electoral Registration Officer
Civic Centre
Port Talbot
SA13 1PJ

If you know anyone who isn't on the Electoral Register please encourage them to sign up. Remember, along with British nationals, Commonwealth, Irish, and European Union Citizens who are resident in Wales also have voting rights in referendum.

Gwenda Thomas AM Backs Sewerage Proposals

Gwenda Thomas AM has backed proposals that would make it the responsibility of water and sewerage companies to maintain private sewers and drains – and not householders in the Neath Constituency.

Welsh Labour’s Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, put forward the proposal as part of her published water policy statement.

Mrs. Thomas said: “This is fantastic news for householders across - Neath / Swansea Valley / Amman Valley - who often don’t even realise they might bear responsibility for private sewers and drains.

“This can be very expensive if you are unfortunate enough to be liable for any damage and these changes will alleviate that burden.”

Welsh Labour’s Jane Davidson said: “We are taking action to bring greater clarity and fairness to the management of sewerage and drainage systems in Wales.

“The intention is that from October 2011 responsibility for private sewers and lateral drains will lie with water and sewerage companies rather than with individual householders.”

The Assembly Government is currently drafting the necessary regulations to make this change happen. The transfer is still subject to National Assembly for Wales’ approval but is on course to take place in October 2011.

The revised Water Policy Statement is available at
here

A Vision for World Class Maternity Services in Wales

New plans to encourage pregnant women in Wales to follow healthier lifestyles were announced today as part of a new strategy from the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government to improve maternity services.

Wales has the highest rates in the UK of expectant mothers who smoke or are obese.

The draft strategy says that healthy lifestyle options which positively impact on a woman and her family’s health will be actively promoted by all health professionals caring for expectant mothers. Health services, social services and voluntary organisations will play a more prominent role as well as the traditional midwife, the strategy says.

Gwenda said: ‘This draft strategy will lay out new policies to improve the health of expectant mothers and their families. I would urge all individuals and organisations with an interest in child and family health to respond to this consultation, as there is nothing more important than making children’s health better’.

The proposed measures, which are part of a new draft strategy being published today for consultation by the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government, are designed to deliver high quality, safe and sustainable maternity services. The draft strategy sets out plans to ensure that maternity services in Wales will:

• aim to be among the best anywhere in the world;
  
• place the needs of the mother and family at the centre of maternity care, including offering support for all new families;
  
• provide a range of high quality choices of care, from midwife to consultant-led services, in a range of settings that include home, hospital, or midwife-led birth centres;
  
• employ a highly trained workforce which is empowered to deliver; and,
  
• encourage a learning environment that supports research and development and use of the best evidence, with constant monitoring for quality and safety of provision.
  

The draft strategy, and details of how to respond to the consultation can be found here

Children's Rights Measure Moves Forward in Wales

The rights of children in Wales took another step forward recently when the National Assembly for Wales approved the Labour-led Assembly Government’s Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure.

The purpose of the Measure is to place a duty on Assembly Government Ministers to have due regard in taking strategic decisions to the rights and obligations in respect of children that are enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Gwenda Thomas AM said: ‘This is excellent news for children’s rights. The Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government pioneered the existing rights-based approach for children and young people in Wales, and this, together with their position in Welsh society, will be strengthened.’

For further details about the measure, please click here.

Financial Inclusion: An Extra Grant of £150,000 has been given to continue funding the Wales Financial Inclusion Champions.

The Financial Inclusion Champions provide advice and support to organisations that help people in Wales who are experiencing financial difficulty. Help with accessing financial services such as transactional bank accounts and direct debit payments can make a big difference to managing personal finances and preventing people getting into debt.

The Champions also work with the All-Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit to tackle the problem of loan sharks and illegal money lending. They raise awareness of the dangers of loan sharks and provide advice and support to victims. The champions also work to ensure people are aware of other sources of affordable lending, such as credit unions.

The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to helping people manage their money, regardless of their income, social status or ability. In July 2009 the Assembly Government launched Wales’ first Financial Inclusion Strategy, ‘Taking Everyone into Account’. The Strategy seeks to improve access to debt and money advice, affordable credit and savings options, as well as promoting financial capability.

In addition, the Assembly Government has introduced a number of schemes to help people manage their money. For example, the Assembly Government has:

• Provided £3 million to increase Council Tax and Housing Benefit take up, widening the focus to families with children, as well as pensioners.
  
• Incorporated financial education into the core curriculum in Welsh schools. Students from the age of seven can now learn how to manage their money in both the maths and PSE curriculum.
  
• Recently provided £3.4 million of joint Assembly Government/European funding to help deliver the One Wales commitment to continue credit union development. Such funding has helped achieve all-Wales credit union coverage and has seen credit union membership rise to 50,000.
  
• Introduced a £36.5 million Mortgage Repossession Scheme enabling housing associations to buy the homes of people who are facing repossession due to mortgage arrears.
  
• Provided £747,000 to introduce Citizens Advice Cymru’s advice line to provide greater access to important benefits and debt advice
  
• Provided an extra £500,000 to raise awareness of benefits for the families of disabled children.
  

Gwenda said: ‘This funding for the Welsh Champions team is excellent news. It is very important that people are given the support and advice they need to help manage their money and get out of debt’.

‘The Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy makes a tremendous difference in supporting people who are having financial difficulties and give advice to prevent such difficulties occurring again. However, although a lot has been done, more is necessary.

‘Although we have come a long way there is still a lot to be done. Helping people gain the skills and confidence to manage their money is particularly important in these difficult economic conditions.

‘Everybody in Wales should have access to affordable financial products, and the confidence and capability to use them. People should be able to plan for their futures with a reasonable degree of security, possess the knowledge to avoid getting into financial difficulties, and know where to find help if necessary.'

Continuing the Fight Against Child Sexual Exploitation

Earlier this month, as Deputy Social Services Minister, I published new guidance to safeguard children and young people from being exploited in Wales. The Guidance on the Safeguarding of Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation has been published to aid teachers, health professionals, social workers, the police and other key practitioners in Wales to tackle sexual exploitation.

The guidance aims to help practitioners identify children at risk, equip them to protect these vulnerable children to take action against the perpetrators. The sexual exploitation of children and young people is completely unacceptable and I am determined to do all I can to help eradicate it.

Children are robbed of their childhood and this form of abuse can have a serious long-term impact on every aspect of their and their family's lives. This document will steer a multi-agency approach to identify and offer protection and long-term support to children and young people who are at a risk, or have been a victim of sexual exploitation.

Bernardo’s Cymru assisted in producing the guidance and will be delivering training events throughout the year. Keith Towler, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, stated: ‘Child sexual exploitation is a hidden for of abuse and so being able to recognise the signs and symptoms is essential. I hope practitioners will embrace this new guidance.’

Gwenda

AM’s concerns for exploitation of elderly ex miners

Gwenda Thomas AM today issued a warning to all ex miners living within her constituency after she made investigations on behalf of an elderly miner who had been presented with a £4000 bill for solicitor’s fees.

The gentleman had been contacted by telephone and then visited by the solicitor’s representative claiming that they had been given his information by the NUM. He was then persuaded to seek compensation for deafness even though he had already successfully claimed over 10 years ago. His original claim negated any further compensation which has led to the presentation of this extortionate bill for administration costs and medicals.

Mrs. Thomas has warned Wayne Thomas the Area Secretary for the National Union of Mineworkers, who are now using this information and will be instructing their volunteers to display posters warning ex miners of this practice.

Wayne Thomas stated, ‘Unfortunately there are many firms of solicitors contacting ex miners throughout the UK insinuating that their approach has been endorsed by the NUM, simply to give them credibility. They are trawling mining communities in South Wales, telling people who have had previous settlements for hearing loss, that they can claim again from British Coal, which they cannot.’

Gwenda Thomas AM has also learned that when the miners are told that they cannot claim further, they are then targeted again by an offer of assistance to claim for Industrial Disablement Benefit through the DWP.

‘This is a dreadful form of abuse of the vulnerable and elderly,’ expressed Mrs. Thomas. ‘There are no charges for anyone applying for this benefit and for unscrupulous people to try and profit from this is appalling and discredits those solicitors who have worked hard for our miners in the past. ‘

Mrs. Thomas then urged anyone who believes that they have been targeted in this way to contact either her self or the NUM directly, who will be able to advise them of the best course of action.

‘Do not agree to, or sign, any agreement until you have sort advice,’ emphasised Mrs. Thomas, ‘and do not pay anyone to help you apply for Industrial Disablement Benefit. My advice is to contact the Welfare Rights Unit at Neath Civic Centre who are qualified to give you free assistance.’

Landfill fund awards £50,000 to Cwmgors Community Centre

In the latest round of funding applications, Landfill Community Fund distributor, WREN awarded over £50,000 to Cwmgors Community Centre on behalf of WRG who run the Pwllfawatkin Landfill site near Pontardawe.

The project will improve the existing community centre by extending the usable space, and using partitioning to make better use of existing meeting rooms. This is to allow maximum use of the centre for a full range of users and for different activities to be staged at the same time within building.

Gwenda said: ‘It is particularly pleasing that a project in a community such as Cwmgors near to the landfill site is able to be supported. WREN would like to see more applications from an area of a 10 mile radius from the WRG Pwllfawatkin site, and I would urge community groups and community councils to contact them with their project ideas to determine if they are eligible for WREN funding'.

Organisations and community groups requiring funding for beneficial projects should visit their website or contact WREN on 01953 717165

For more information contact Meleri Jones on 07720 169 721 or email
meleri.jones@wren.org.uk

The Landfill Communities Fund (previously known as the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme) gives landfill operators the opportunity to divert 6.7% of their annual Landfill Tax bill into the communities and environments around landfill sites. To date the LCF has funded over 24,000 projects with half a billion pounds in funding.

Resources: www.ltcs.org.uk www.entrust.org.uk
WREN is the UK's largest distributive environmental body and has funded over 3500 projects across much of the UK with over £85 million since 1998. With a Head Office in Norfolk WREN distributes the Landfill Communities Funds to community and environmental projects within ten miles of landfill sites owned by Waste Recycling Group Ltd.

Projects applying for funding from WREN are assessed by an individual panel of locally based experts for their suitability, sustainability and community benefit.

Resource: www.wren.org.uk

Waste Recycling Group Limited is one of the UK's leading waste management services companies and handles in excess of 15 million tonnes of household, commercial and industrial waste each year. Around 50% of Waste Recycling Group's business is accounted for by waste management contracts with more than 40 local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales.

The Company operates facilities for the reception, recycling and disposal of waste, including a network of waste transfer and recycling centres and a regional network of operating landfill sites, and manages nearly 70 civic amenity sites on behalf of local authorities for use by the general public.

Welsh Recycling Rate Reaches 45%

Wales recycled or composted 45 per cent of its municipal waste between July and September 2010, according to figures released today. The statistical release Municipal Waste Management, July – September 2010 shows that the municipal recycling rate in Wales increased by 4 percentage points on the same period in 2009 with Neath Port Talbot playing its part.

The amount of municipal waste Wales produced decreased from 432,000 thousand tonnes in July – September 2009 to 409,000 thousand tonnes in July – September 2010. The amount of household waste produced per person decreased from 77 kg to 68 kg.

These figures continue the upward trend in recycling in Wales over the past decade. While recycling and composting are traditionally higher during the summer months and decrease in the winter, 45 per cent is the highest quarterly Welsh recycling rate to date.

Gwenda Thomas AM said, ‘These figures illustrate that Wales leads the way in handling waste. Councils, such as Neath Port Talbot, do excellent work, and they must be encouraged to continue working closely together with other local authorities so that they can all feel the economic, social and environmental benefits of high recycling’.

‘Moreover, momentum must not be lost if the goal of recycling 70 per cent of our waste by 2025 and being zero waste by 2050 is to be achieved. Services - such as weekly food waste collections – must be developed to reach this target, and councils, communities, businesses and every home needs to play its part to deliver this target’.

Notes:

Wales is the first country in the UK to adopt statutory recycling targets for municipal waste. The Waste (Wales) Measure – which introduces statutory targets - received Royal Approval in December 2010. The first statutory target will be 52 per cent for 2012 – 2013, rising gradually to 70 per cent by 2025.

Wales is also:

• The only country in the UK where every local authority offers a separate food or food/green waste collection
  
• The first to introduce the Landfill Allowances scheme. Every local authority in Wales has met every target since
  
• The first to introduce carrier bag charges, in October 2011
  
• The first to set out exactly what we will do to reach 70 per cent recycling by 2025
  

The statistical release Municipal Waste Management, July – September 2010 can be found at here under Latest Information.
The Waste (Wales) Measure can be found at on the Welsh Government website

Tourism Survey Shows that Wales Exceeds Expectations

Results released show that Wales’ tourism industry held up well to the challenges of 2010 with the publication of the UK Tourism Survey Results from January to September 2010.

Gwenda Thomas AM said: ‘Tourism plays a major part in the Welsh economy, and these figures indicate how robust the industry is. Wales is a fantastic place to visit, and there are many attractions in my own constituency, such as waterfalls, historical sites including Aberdulais Falls, Neath Abbey, and the canals, all set in countryside of outstanding natural beauty. These results show how attractive the country is to visitors’.

The new figures, which include the peak summer months, show that between January and September 2010, UK residents made 7.28 million visits involving at least one night’s overnight stay to Wales. This is 1% down in comparison with the same period in 2009 (7.36 million). However in the period January-September 2010 the total number of staying visits by UK residents to the UK as a whole fell by 4% compared with the same period in 2009.

The total number of nights spent in Wales by UK domestic visitors on these trips was 28.89 million, 1% up on the corresponding period in 2009. In January-September 2010, the total volume of nights spent by UK residents to the UK as a whole fell by 7% compared with 2009.

From January-September 2010 visitors to Wales spent £1,237 million, compared with £1,207 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of 3%. In the first nine months of 2010 total expenditure by UK residents on trips to the UK as a whole fell by 6% in comparison with the January-September period in 2009.

In Wales, short holidays (1-3 nights) have shown the biggest growth: 10% up in terms of trips, 8% up in terms of nights and 23% up in terms of expenditure in comparison with 2009.

Launch of the BIG Innovation programme

The Big Lottery Fund’s BIG Innovation programme has been launched. The Big Lottery Fund is making £5 million available to support completely new ideas or approaches that haven’t been tried anywhere else in the UK. BIG is committed to bringing about real improvements to communities most in need but recognises that existing ways of meeting need do not always work and that some needs are new with no ways of addressing them.

Over the next three years, Big Lottery Fund will make grants of between £20,000 and £1 million to fund projects to tackle social inequalities.

Gwenda said: ‘I would urge people and organisations to apply to the Big Lottery Fund for funds to tackle emerging and existing social problems that exist in their local communities’.

The closing date for applications under round one of the programme is 2.00pm on 21st February 2011.

For further information about the BIG Innovation programme please visit our website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.

John Warman, Lib Dem Councillor, Joins Welsh Labour

I was delighted today to welcome John Warman into the Welsh Labour Party. John has been the Councillor for the Cimla since 1972 and was at one time a parliamentary candidate for the Lib Dems. The decision to cross the floor of the council chamber cannot have been an easy one and I admire John’s courage and commitment to his principles.

John tells me that he reached a point, after the party leadership broke their pledge on student tuition fees, when he realised he could not continue as a Lib Dem Councillor. As he said today “I cannot abide hypocrisy in politics, and what Clegg and others have done in Government is unforgivable.”

I suspect there will be many other principled Lib Dems in Wales who have had similar feelings since the Coalition came together. I urge them to look carefully at the Coalition’s current policies, to compare these policies with those outlined in the Welsh Labour Manifesto, and to decide for themselves which most closely match their political ideals.

Gwenda

Pontardawe Parking Consultation Extended

Gwenda Thomas today welcomed the decision by Neath Port Talbot Council to extend the consultation on the introduction of car parking charges in Pontardawe.

Mrs Thomas said: “After receiving many representations from concerned residents I contacted the Chief Executive’s office before Christmas to request an extension to consultation period. I am extremely glad that Steve Philips has recognised that a three week period over the Christmas holidays was not sufficient for a meaningful consultation.”

The consultation period will now run until the 14th of January.

Mrs Thomas said: “I would now encourage all residents and shoppers from Pontardawe to respond to the Council’s proposal. This is controversial proposal and could have important consequences for Pontardawe town centre.”