August
Glyn Davies
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01/08/06 'GP's RIGHT TO BE OUTRAGED ABOUT NEW REFERRAL SYSTEM IN POWYS' SAYS TORY AM Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is supporting Powys local GP's in their outrage about the new arrangements for treating patients needing acute and elective treatment at hospitals over the border in England. Following disagreement over payments for treatment last year, the Robert Jones and Agnes Hall Orthopaedic Hospital Trust and the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust have refused to agree a contract for treatment of Powys patients. Both Trusts, together with DGH based in Hereford have told Powys LHB to decide the rate at which patients are sent for treatment - but only up to the level of funds that Powys LHB has available. Supporting GPs and commenting on the developing crisis in healthcare in Powys, Glyn Davies said: "The financial crisis facing Powys Local Health Board is hitting our health service. It is only now that people living in Powys are learning the full consequences of what is happening. Hospitals in England have had enough of being short-changed and have decided to reduce the number of patients they treat. Powys GP's are incensed by what has happened - and they are right to be so. The leaders of Powys LHB should be just as outraged with the Assembly Government - and they should let the public know that they are outraged. Their job is to fight for a budget which does not mean Powys patients are discriminated against. I believe that the Chair and Chief Executive of Powys Local Health Board have put their jobs on the line. The have gambled that Dr Gibbons, the Assembly Government Minister, will bail them out at the last minute. I desperately hope that they are right - but I fear that they are wrong. The Assembly Government has already spent its money on a huge costly bureaucracy and on free prescriptions for all. There are many other calls on the budget and Messrs Mann and Williams must tell the Minister that Powys cannot just be left to suffer with a deteriorating health service. The refusal by the hospitals which have served Powys for many decades, in Gobowen, Shrewsbury and Hereford, to agree a contract with Powys Local Health Board and that administrators working for the LHB will in future decide who will be sent for treatment is deeply offensive to GP's. We will see waiting lists rise - and I believe that it is only a matter of time before the Chair, Mr Chris Mann and the Chief Executive , Mr Andy Williams are forced to tell us that they are considering closure of local hospitals as well as overseeing longer waiting lists."
02/08/06 'WALES SHOULD ACCEPT NUCLEAR WASTE IF IT IS BEST FOR BRITAIN' SAYS TORY AM Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is calling on parliamentarians across Britain to agree that radioactive nuclear waste should be buried in the best possible location, irrespective of national boundaries. His comment follows last weeks publication by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) that UK radioactive waste should eventually be buried in deep underground bunkers - and that only a proportion of the UK is geologically suitable. He was also concerned to read comments attributed to the head of CoRWM suggesting that he believed there may have to be separate disposal sites in England, Scotland and Wales - as a consequence of devolution. Responding to these comments Glyn Davies, who is Chair of the National Assembly's Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee, said: "It would be financial madness to treat England, Scotland and Wales as separate countries when considering the disposal of radioactive nuclear waste. The UK's dangerous radioactive waste should be buried in the safest possible, available, geological location, wherever in the UK that might happen to be. I am deeply concerned that devolution should be cited as a reason to create separate solutions for each country in the UK. The uncertainty about what to do about nuclear waste is already bad enough - without increasing the problem. Nuclear waste should not be buried if there is the slightest risk involved - and if there is no risk it doesn't matter where it goes. A far bigger problem is where the temporary secure storage is going to be located during the 40 years it is expected that it will take to find a disposal site. Last weeks Final Report from the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), making recommendations to the separate Parliaments of the UK, did not move us very far towards a radioactive waste disposal policy. But it is becoming clear that the cost is going to run into many billions of pounds. It would be wasteful in the extreme to allow devolution to multiply the costs by arranging for each country in the UK to have to dispose of its own waste. This sort of policy suggestion turns people against devolution."
02/08/06 'ASSEMBLY MINISTER BEHAVING AS IF WALES IS ONE-PARTY DICTATORSHIP' SAYS TORY AM Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is accusing Alan Pugh, Minister in Labour's Assembly Cabinet of issuing sinister threats against the media and behaving as if Wales is a One Party Dictatorship. The Minister has warned Trinity Newspapers that the Assembly Government may withdraw £3 million pounds worth of advertising revenue from the company's newspapers. Mr Pugh's comments follow his recent sacking as a columnist in the Western mail, one of Trinity Newspapers' titles. Commenting on Mr Pugh's threat to withdraw Assembly Government advertising spend, Glyn Davies said: "The Minister is clearly trying to 'soften up' Welsh newspapers in readiness for next years Assembly Elections. Over recent months he has received a bit of a mauling in the press and obviously hopes the threat of losing 3 million pounds of Assembly Government advertising revenue will bring Welsh newspapers into line. Trying to control and manipulate the press has always been one of the first principles on which one party dictatorships are founded - and this how Labour in the National Assembly is beginning to behave. Since devolution the Assembly Government has massively increased the number of 'spin doctors' and this year the First Minister has circulated his Annual Report as if it were an election leaflet. And now Alan Pugh has given Welsh newspapers a 3 million pound shot across the bows that they had better behave - or else. I do not expect this sinister threat to have the slightest impact on the media and I hope the people of Wales will see just what sort of trickery that the current Labour Assembly Government is up to."
02/08/06 TORY AM TOASTS PARTY STALWARTS IN BRECON AND RADNOR Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is celebrating the 90th birthdays of the Hon Gwenllian Philipps and Mervyn Jenkins OBE JP who have given a lifetime's support to the Conservative Party in Brecon and Radnor. He attended a celebratory function today at Peterstone Court near Brecon where both nonagenarians were recognised for their commitment to the party. Commenting on the celebration Glyn Davies, who attended the function so the he could personally thank and congratulate both of them, said: "Any voluntary organisation depends on committed individuals who are willing to go the extra mile for the cause. Both the Hon Gwenllian Philipps and Mervyn Jenkins OBE JP have travelled many extra miles for the Conservative Party in Brecon and Radnor during the last 90 years and I was determined to thank and congratulate them for their wonderful support. At present the Conservative Party is making a concerted effort to attract new supporters, particularly amongst the younger generation. But we must never forget the support and dedication some of our long standing members have given us. They have remained solid supporters throughout the dark days when support was so crucial to our survival as a leading political force. So it's than you Miss Philipps and thank you Mervyn for all your support, congratulations on your 90th birthdays and we look forward to enjoying your company for the next decade as well."
03/08/06 LOCAL COUNCILS MUST SPEND LESS - NOT TAX TOURISM SAYS TORY AM Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is joining the Conservative Party campaign to oppose the idea of a new local tax on hotels, hostels and bed & breakfast establishments. The idea of a new tourism tax has been suggested by Sir Michael Lyons, who is preparing a comprehensive report on the future funding of local councils for the Westminster Government. He is also calling for a realistic assessment of what should be the role of local councils. Over recent years Glyn Davies has been a fierce opponent to the unsustainable increases there have been in the level of Council Tax and has consistently called for a reduction in local government spending rather than finding new ways to tax local people and local businesses. Commenting on Sir Michael Lyons suggestions of a new 'visitor's tax' to fund local government Glyn Davies, who is a former member of the Wales Tourist Board and a former leader of a local council, said: "Opposing a new iniquitous 'tourism tax' on hotels and 'Bed and Breakfasts' is the right approach but is not an adequate policy on its own. We must also acknowledge that if Local Government carries on increasing its level of spending, the money to pay for it has to come from somewhere. Money does not appear out of thin air - it comes out of someone's wallet. If we are opposed to yet more forms of tax (which I am) the only logical policy position is to restrict increases in what Local Government spends. Our local councils are already spending too much money. It is time for local politicians to be forced to make the hard choices about priorities and for the Assembly Government to stop piling new unfunded responsibilities onto Local Government. If Sir Michael Lyons proposes a new tax on every holiday taken in Britain or proposes putting the level of business rates at the mercy of local town halls, Conservatives will oppose these extra taxes. We are already overtaxed by the Chancellor and I cannot support any new extra local taxes unless there is a counter balancing reduction in the tax burden elsewhere. If this proposed new levy is put on every visitor stay in Britain it will give a huge boost to the foreign holidays industry, damaging the economy of tourist areas in Wales This new tourism tax would also be very damaging to the environment. We should be encouraging people to reduce what is called their 'carbon footprint' by reducing their use of air travel. A tourism tax would give great impetus to carbon emissions and accelerate climate change - the opposite of what Government claims is its policy."
04/08/06 'CALAMITY MINISTER'S THREAT TO WELSH NEWSPAPERS COULD LEAD TO JOB CUTS' SAYS TORY AM Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales believes the recent threats made by the Assembly Minister with responsibility for the media, Alun Pugh could lead to job losses at newspapers owned by Trinity Mirror which include the Western Mail and Daily Post. The media group has decided to conduct a review of all its businesses, its operating model and structure which is to be completed before the end of the year. Trinity Mirror yesterday announced lower profits and announced the review at the same time 'in light of increasing challenges to its industry'. This occurred the day after Alun Pugh was widely reported as threatening Trinity Mirror with the removal of £3 million of advertising revenue placed annually by the Assembly Government. Alun Pugh was recently sacked as a columnist on the Western Mail following previously ill-judged remarks. Commenting on the impact Alun Pugh's remarks may have had on Trinity Mirror's future investment and operating strategy, Glyn Davies said: "Alun Pugh has really put his foot in his mouth this time, with his ill judged threats to Trinity Mirror about the withdrawal of Assembly Government 'spend' on job advertising which currently runs at about £3 million each year. As Trinity Mirror carries out an immediate review of its 'business, operating models and structure' the words of Alun Pugh will inevitably be factored into the company's forward planning. If this review leads to any job losses in Wales I hope the Assembly Minister responsible for media matters will take his share of the responsibility. After being so unceremoniously sacked by the Western Mail a few weeks ago as a columnist, Alun Pugh may have decided that he could take a little personal revenge on Trinity Mirror - as well as 'softening up' the media before next May's Assembly Elections. But in the style that we have come to associate with the Minister, his action threatens to turn into a calamity. What a calamity it will be if his loose words lead to job losses before the end of the year."
04/08/06 GLYN DAVIES CALLS FOR FULL PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM LOCAL HEALTH BOARD ON IMPACT OF FINANCIAL CRISIS ON ACCESS TO ENGLISH HOSPITALS Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has written to Chris Mann, Chair of Powys Local Health Board and suggested that he call an urgent open meeting and press conference to outline, in clear unambiguous language, what are the consequences of new arrangements with English Hospitals for treating patients who live in Powys. This follows several approaches to him from several constituents who are deeply concerned by what is happening and by the lack of any meaningful information about what is happening. In his letter to the Chair of the Powys LHB Glyn Davies is asking: "What on earth is happening to our NHS in Powys? Why have the Trusts who run Hospital in Gobowen, Shrewsbury and Hereford refused to agree contracts with Powys while they are perfectly happy to agree contracts with other LHBs in Wales? Why are Powys GP's so justifiably outraged by requests to disclose confidential information about their patients to 'administrators' working for Powys LHB as well as to the clinical professionals in the hospitals - as they have always done in the past? Why was Mrs Wallis of Llanfyllin told yesterday by her consultant at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, following a period of lengthy consultation which had taken place at the hospital that she may need surgery but that it should be arranged at a different hospital in Wales - but that she can be treated at Gobowen if Mr and Mrs Wallis, both 80 years old, were to sell their house in Llanfyllin and move to England? Why are people in Powys, who for years have raised money for the Gobowen Hospital League of Friends, asking why they should bother any more - and are they right to be asking?" Commenting on the latest position Glyn Davies said: "The people of Powys need answers, deserve answers and demand answers. The Chair of the Powys LHB owes it to the people of Powys to tell them what is happening - and not by means of some vague press statement from a public relations department which results in more questions than answers. Vulnerable people are being dealt with in an utterly disgraceful way and we want to know what the people charged with running our health service are doing about it and are going to do about it."
07/08/06 GLYN DAVIES WILL BACK THE FIGHT TO SAVE COMMUNITY HOSPITALS IN POWYS Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has pledged to support local campaigns to save Community Hospitals that Powys Local Health Board has earmarked for closure. Following last weeks Powys LHB meeting, an emergency meeting was held at Llanidloes Hospital on Friday at which a Local Action Group was established to organise a campaign to save the Llanidloes Memorial Hospital. The two other Community Hospitals destined to close are in Knighton and Builth Wells. Commenting on Powys LHB's closure plans Glyn Davies said: "The people of Powys put a high value on their community hospitals. They do not want their community hospitals to close and they are weighed down with sadness and anger that Powys Local Health Board has earmarked the three Powys towns of Llanidloes, Knighton and Builth Wells to lose their much-loved Community Hospitals. While the Powys LHB has been promising major investment in the Llanidloes Hospital over the last year, I have been predicting that the LHB would be more likely to close it than invest in it - and sadly it seems that my worst fears are coming to pass. I will give whatever support I can to the local campaigns to save them. The NHS is Powys is falling apart before our eyes. Access to 'our' major hospitals over the border in England is being reduced under a shroud of confusion. Patients no longer have any idea what is happening to them and have lost all confidence in the Powys LHB. And now three of our towns at Llanidloes, Knighton and Builth Wells are to lose their Community Hospitals. It is clear that there is something radically wrong with the NHS in Powys and it is time for the leadership of the Powys Local Health Board to take personal charge of communicating the true state of 'their' NHS to the people of Powys. I have written to Brian Gibbons, Assembly Government Minister for Health this morning to outline my deep concern about what is happening and asking him to intervene on behalf of the people of Powys. "
07/08/06
TORY AM BACKS WESTMINSTER CALLS TO TAX AIRCRAFT FUEL Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is supporting calls by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee to increase the duty on air travel. The Committee has published a series of recommendations which aim to 'tax travel harder' and shift the 'balance of affordability' to trains, buses and lower carbon vehicles. Glyn does not support all the recommendations but is enthusiastic about the plan to discourage air travel. Commenting on the Committees Report Glyn Davies, who is also Chair of the National Assembly's Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee, said: "There is a moral duty on each of us to 'do our bit' to reduce the impact of climate change and a moral duty on Government to do its bit as well - even if it will inevitably be unpopular. The fastest growing polluter of our planet is air travel and it is ridiculous that the tax regime should encourage more and more flying. In general, the British Government should be discouraging air travel whenever possible - by supporting home based tourism and discouraging the escalating level of overseas travel. Placing the duty on air travel is an ideal policy where a cross party consensus could be effective. People enjoy cheap air travel - but it places to high a cost on the environment." 07/08/06 TORY AM CONDEMNS ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT COMMITTEES PROPOSALS FOR MAJOR INCREASES IN THE COST OF ROAD FUEL AS A 'TAX ON THE COUNTRYSIDE' Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has condemned recommendations by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee to reintroduce the fuel tax escalator, which increased the cost of fuel above inflation to deter road usage. The 'escalator' was abandoned six years ago following a popular uprising against the Governments strategy of hugely increasing the burden of tax on motorists. Glyn Davies is supporting some of the recommendations but not all them. Commenting on the Committees recommendations Glyn Davies, who is also Chair of the National Assembly's Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee, said: "Just piling extra tax on the motorist is a totally misguided policy - which has more to do with raising money for the Government to spend rather than changing peoples driving habits. It is a deeply unfair 'tax on the countryside' which would have a deeply damaging impact on inflation as well as shifting the 'balance of affordability' from home based tourism to foreign travel and its consequent greater environmental damage. I personally accept the principle of Variable Vehicle Excise Duty and would support a major transfer of the tax burden from high polluting vehicles to fuel efficient vehicles if some form of 'essential user concession' is incorporated. Climate change is the greatest threat facing the planet and Government has a moral duty to change policy to reduce it. We all have a part to play but it is not acceptable for the countryside to carry a disproportionate percentage of the burden."
09/08/06 'CONFUSION REIGNS IN POWYS ORTHOPAEDIC SERVICES' SAYS TORY AM Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has described the future arrangements for dealing with patients in need of orthopaedic treatment in Powys as 'in a state of total confusion'. Over recent months Glyn Davies has been seeking clarity about the access to treatment available to Powys patients and yesterday met the leaders of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hall Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen to discuss the present position. He was shocked to find the Chair of the Hospital Trust as worried as he is about the future of Powys patients which have always been regarded as 'their' people. Commenting following his meeting with the Chair of the Hospital Trust Glyn Davies said: "I am deeply concerned about what is a truly shambolic situation which surrounds the present and future of orthopaedic services in Powys. If such a situation existed in Cardiff, both the Assembly Government and the Welsh media would be fulminating with outrage. Patients from Powys needing orthopaedic treatment are right to be deeply concerned about their treatment. There is a desperate need to sort this problem out because vulnerable people are not being treated with decency or reasonable care. The Powys Local Health Board and the Hospital cannot agree about last years payments for services - and for the first time ever the Hospital Trust has decided to take a Local Health Board to arbitration. Even worse, they cannot agree a contract for the current year either (already 5 months gone) and have taken the LHB to arbitration again - and all this against the background of a five million pound blank hole in the Powys LHB Budget. The financial position of the Powys Local Health Board must be in a desperate position. There is even greater confusion about what services the Orthopaedic Hospital are contracted to provide for the remainder of this year. The Hospital reckons it would cost 4.8 million pounds to cover the year to next April but the Powys LHB has agreed to pay only 2.1 million pounds, significantly less than last year - and almost the entire amount has already been committed. It is obvious that not nearly as many Powys patients will be going to 'our' Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen in the future - but we have been given no idea where they will be going. With very good reason, Powys patients are deeply concerned about what is going to happen to them and whether they will not be treated anything like as quickly as they have the right to expect. The future of orthopaedics in Powys is in turmoil - while those of us who represent the people are being told that we might hear something about the LHB's plans sometime in September. This situation is utterly shameful and it is hurting the people I represent and it makes me very angry indeed. It is time for the Assembly Government Minister, Brian Gibbons to step in and sort the situation out. It is a total shambles and it is not good enough."
10/08/06 GLYN DAVIES WELCOMES PROMISE OF CLEAR DECISION ON FUTURE OF POWYS COMMUNITY HOSPITALS ON 27 SEPTEMBER Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has welcomed an announcement from the Chair of Powys Local Health Board that he will clarify the uncertainty regarding Powys Community Hospitals, including those at Llanidloes, Knighton and Builth Wells on September 27th. The announcement was included in a letter to Glyn Davies from Chris Mann, the Chair following his representations on behalf of constituents concerned about the future of these local hospitals. In welcoming the announcement Glyn Davies said: "I am not at all surprised that alarm bells should have started to ring out loudly about the future of Community Hospitals in Powys at last weeks Local Health Board meeting. The Chief Executive's Report was very clear about the threat to Community Hospitals - even if the specific hospitals were not actually named in the report which he presented to the meeting. The Chief Executive made absolutely clear in his report, which was accepted, that the LHB's strategic plans depend on the 'release of resources currently committed to local Community Hospital services' and the shift of resources 'from the existing pattern of Community Hospitals to a new model based on 3 Powys Assessment and Treatment Units'. It could not be made more clear. The Local Health Board is also proposing that Powys County Council join with the LHB to form a Joint Implementation Board - and I hope the Council agrees to this proposal. I very much hope that County Councillors representing the areas served by the threatened hospitals are included as members of this Implementation Board. Many constituents are contacting me to express their worries about the potential closure of their 'local' hospital. The uncertainty should be ended as soon as possible and I welcome the LHB Chairs' commitment to clarify the future of these local Community Hospitals at the Powys LHB board meeting on September 27th."
10/08/06 TORY AM SUPPORTS 'INDEPENDENT AGENCY' TO RESOLVE ORTHOPAEDICS ROW IN POWYS Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is backing a suggestion made by the Robert Jones and Agnes Hall Hospital Trust that an 'Independent Agency' should be appointed to resolve disagreements about funding and access to treatment arrangements which it has with Powys Local Health Board. Over recent weeks, Glyn Davies has described the position in relation to the provision of orthopaedic services to Powys patients as 'in a state of total confusion' and 'in turmoil' Glyn Davies met with leaders of the Orthopaedic Hospital Trust last week to discuss ways of resolving the problems and the idea of an 'Independent Agency' was discussed. Commenting on the proposal to appoint and 'Independent Agency' to help resolve the deeply worrying position in Powys, Glyn Davies said: "The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital NHS Trust board is as concerned as I am about the uncertainty that faces Powys patients needing orthopaedic treatment. At present the specialist Orthopaedic Hospital is transferring its Powys inpatient and outpatient waiting lists to the Powys LHB - but with no real idea where these people are going to be treated. What happens to these patients is a matter of deep concern to the Hospital - because there is inevitably a sense of continuing responsibility for people who have, in many cases been patients with the Hospital for many years. The current confusion is a result of disagreement about payment for services, which in the short term will be resolved within the cumbersome and divisive official arbitration process - which the Hospital has instigated for the first time ever against any Local Health Board. But we need there to be a more sensible long term arrangement, outside of the arbitration process, to resolve these financial issues. We need an informal arbitration system which takes more regard for the interests of the patient The Hospital has very sensibly suggested that the Assembly Government's Delivery Support Unit could be asked to review the position and produce a long term joint plan to determine how to provide services to Powys patients over the next few years - or any other suitable 'Independent Agency' that the Health Board suggest. This looks like a very sensible proposal to me and I hope that Powys Local Health Board agree to it. I will be encouraging the Board to look seriously at this proposal - in the interest of Powys patients."
11/08/06 GLYN DAVIES WELCOMES DECISION OF POWYS HEALTH BOARD BOSSES TO MAKE THEIR CASE FOR CLOSING COMMUNITY HOSPITALS PUBLIC Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has welcomed the decision by the Chair and Chief Executive of Powys Local Health Board to make public the reasons why they are intent on closing Community Hospitals in Powys. For some time, Glyn Davies has been calling on Chris Mann and Andy Williams to explain their reasoning for closing these much-loved and valued institutions to the people of Powys. However, the 'Briefing Paper' published on Thursday of this week has not named the Community Hospitals that are earmarked for closure, a fact that Glyn Davies describes as 'regrettable and unnecessarily secretive'. At present and for reasons clear only to themselves, it seems that the Local Health Board intends to keep the names of the threatened Community Hospitals secret until the next board meeting on 27th September. Commenting on yesterday's publication of the 'Briefing Paper' Glyn Davies said: "I welcome the decision of the Chair, Chris Mann, and the Chief Executive, Andy Williams, of Powys Local Health Board to put their arguments for closing Community Hospitals before the public. Closing Community Hospitals, which are such a longstanding and much-loved feature of the small towns of Powys, is a highly charged and emotive issue - a situation made worse by secrecy. They might as well have named the hospitals earmarked for closure rather than keep them secret until 27th September - a decision which makes the LHB seem less than transparent in its dealings with the public. It is clear from the Chief Executive's Paper that he sees Community Hospitals as unjustifiably 'tying up' around 8 million pounds every year - 8 million that should be made available for other health services. He also asserts that there is an annual heavy cross subsidy to Community Hospitals at a cost to other forms of care. His strategy is to 'shift resources' form the existing pattern of Community Hospital Services to a new model based on new Assessment and Treatment Units - in plain language the Chair and Chief Executive are telling us very clearly that they intend to close our Community Hospitals. And yet he will not name them! I personally find his figures very hard to understand and I hope that the threatened hospitals are able to employ some forensic expertise that subject the Health Board's figures to genuine scrutiny. The people of Powys are facing a Local Health Board armed with a strong resolve to close our Community Hospitals and it will take an equally strong resolve by local communities to stop them."
17/08/06 NUCLEAR SCEPTIC AM SUPPORTS DTI COMMITTEE'S SUPPORT FOR NUCLEAR POWER RESEARCH Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has welcomed the pragmatic and realistic report from the Trade and Industry Committee of MP's about the importance of investing in research into the viability of nuclear power. As the debate about developing new nuclear power generating capacity has progressed over recent months Glyn Davies, who is Chair of the National Assembly's Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee, has called for more research into how radioactive waste should be disposed of. He has warned that no nuclear power generation should be commissioned until decisions are taken about how to deal with radioactive waste. The Government's advisory committee on nuclear waste disposal has presented to the National Assembly's Committee on two occasions over recent months as it prepared its Final Report which was delivered to the Governments of the UK last month. Following several years work, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), recommended to the Government that radioactive waste should be buried deep in the earth - but that it may take up to 40 years to find a suitable site. This uncertainty about the way ahead is the present position. Last month the Westminster Government published it's Energy Review, which was widely reported as giving the 'green light' to new power stations. However, the Government's insistence that the private sector should carry the risks associated with new generation, makes it very unlikely that it will go ahead without more certainty about what to do about waste. Commenting on the DTI Committee's recommendations, that the UK should remain at the cutting edge of research into the viability of nuclear power, Glyn Davies said: "Because of the threat to our planet arising from climate change we cannot afford to turn our back completely on nuclear power which has the potential to facilitate reductions in carbon emission. However, there must be a clear strategy about how we deal with nuclear waste. Going ahead with development of new nuclear power stations before we know how we are going to manage radioactive waste is knowingly creating a terrible legacy for the next generation. There must be more research and more firm conclusions. We know that currently, the bill for clean up costs in the UK are around a staggering 70 billion pounds - and we all expect that figure to rise. This massive figure would be acceptable if the way forward was clear - but it is not clear. The Government still has no idea what to do about radioactive waste. The Trade and Industry Committee is right to conclude that the UK cannot afford to turn its back completely on nuclear power - and it follows that there must be serious and continuing research into its safety and security."
18/08/06 TORY AM SAYS THAT CAMERON'S 'BUILT TO LAST' POLICIES WILL APPEAL TO PLAID CYMRU VOTERS Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is asking all Plaid Cymru voters to look carefully at the policy agenda of David Cameron's Conservative Party. In particular, he believes that the 'Built to Last' document, published this week, will offer a particular appeal to Plaid Cymru voters. Commenting on the 'Built to Last' Policy Statement issued this week Glyn Davies said: "I have always been disappointed by the low level of support that has been given to the Conservative Party in the Welsh speaking Heartlands of Wales - and I have always winced with sadness when I have heard my party so unfairly referred to as an 'English' party. Suddenly I feel confident that our new leader, David Cameron, is creating a political party than can win back all the 'naturally conservative' supporters that have been voting for Plaid Cymru over recent years. Our 'Built to Last' policy approach will strike a cord with Welsh people who want a Government which sets out to connect with every sector of society, which puts economic stability before tax cuts, which gives responsibility back to health and education professionals, which gives local Government more freedom and responsibility and makes a genuine commitment to making a success of devolution in Wales. Our policy statement makes it crystal clear that Welsh Conservative policy will be formed in Wales and adapted for Welsh circumstances - and may well be different from policy in England. In the National Assembly, I have always had a great respect for some of the Plaid Cymru members and in the countryside of Wales I feel a personal 'special relationship' with those who are most fervently 'Welsh'. I have always wanted a right-of-centre party that combined radicalism with responsibility and which would appeal to 'Welsh' Wales. Now we have a new Conservative Party which is truly fit for the purpose of breaking the Labour hegemony in Wales by appealing to all the 'conservative' people who have not supported us in the past."
18/08/06 TORY AM WELCOMES NEW CONSERVATIVE PARTY POLICY DRIVE TO CREATE THOUSANDS OF NEW HOUSHOLDERS Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has welcomed the new impetus given to the creation of new policies to encourage home ownership by David Cameron. The Leader of the Conservative Party has launched a 10 point plan to extend home ownership in England which he believes will give a new impetus to the ambition of young people in Wales to own their own property. Although housing is a devolved function, Glyn Davies believes that the drive to encourage home ownership has been stifled in Wales over recent years - and hopes that David Cameron's high profile support for home ownership in England will create a new enthusiasm for helping young people acquire their first home in Wales. Commenting on the difficulty facing young people in Wales who want to buy their first home Glyn Davies, who is a former Chair of both a Local Housing Authority and a tenant-run housing association, said: "Difficulty faced by young people in reaching the first rung on the housing ladder is one of the most pressing social problems in Wales. There is a desperate need for more housing, a more sensible planning system and a change in the attitude towards helping tenants become house owners. If we are to open up the home ownership option for young people in Wales we need greater public investment in rented housing backed up by schemes to help the tenants then buy their new homes. We also need to extend part ownership opportunities for young people. And finally, we must have a more flexible planning system which allows local people to build their own homes on sites which currently lie outside of development zone boundaries. Housing and planning policy across Britain is often completely illogical and undermines social cohesion and causes great frustration and unnecessary despair to thousands of young people desperate to become home owners. Through massively extending the whole housing market and increasing opportunities for home ownership throughout England, we would create a revolution in demand for existing and new housing and planning policy in Wales."
21/08/06 ASSEMBLY MEMBER DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED BY DECISION TO WITHDRAW APPROVAL FOR NEW BOWEL CANCER DRUGS Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales has expressed his deep disappointment following today's announcement by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence that two new drugs, effective in the treatment of advanced bowel cancer are not being recommended for approval by the NHS on grounds of cost. Two months ago the Welsh Assembly Government approved the new drugs, known as Erbitux and Avastin for use in Wales, following approval by The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group earlier this year, but today NICE has announced its decision to overrule the recommendation. The drugs are already widely available across Europe. Commenting on today's announcement Glyn Davies, who is a recovered bowel cancer sufferer, said: "Today's decision not to approve these new drugs for the treatment of advanced bowel cancer is deeply disappointing. I had been hoping that the approval already given for the use of both Erbitux and Avastin in Wales would have been confirmed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) - but it seems that cost considerations alone have led to the recommendation that approval be withdrawn. This decision is a bitter blow against patients suffering from bowel cancer and dispiriting for the oncologists who are treating them. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. Over 35,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year and it kills 16,000 of them. These new drugs would extend the lives of sufferers who cannot be cured and 'shrinks' tumours to enable surgery to be carried out. However, matters relating to the human colon and rectum are not very 'fashionable' and do not receive the degree of public sympathy which they should. Sufferers tend to ignore symptoms of the disease because of personal embarrassment and even hide themselves away after diagnosis of the disease. There is absolutely no doubt that thousands of people are dying of bowel cancer every year because of reluctance to take action soon enough - and now they will be dying sooner because they cannot afford to buy drugs that are widely available across Europe. Bowel cancer sufferers are not being treated fairly and I have written to Health Minister, Brian Gibbons pressing him to challenge today's decision. Erbitux and Avastin have the capacity to bring a longer life to many thousands of bowel cancer sufferers and everyone concerned with promoting awareness of the disease and the development of new treatments will share my deep disappointment at today's brutal decision by NICE."
24/08/06 MID AND WEST WALES TORY AM ACCUSES POWYS COUNCIL OF UNDERMINING ITS LOCAL ECONOMY Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales is accusing Powys County Council of undermining the private sector by its decision to take 10 school transport contracts from private contractors and carry out the work itself. From 6th September the Council will use its own fleet of buses to provide school transport giving private contractors who had won contracts by tender just 28 days notice of termination. The reason for this decision was that Powys Council, for some inexplicable reason, purchased a fleet of buses which have been costing a fortune to run and which are standing idle. Commenting on the Council's action Glyn Davies, who has been approached by aggrieved private bus operators, said: "Powys County Council is treating private bus operators in a seriously 'shoddy' way - undermining the trust and confidence that the private sector should have in its local Council. The Council is behaving with a total disregard for the impact on small businesses which are trying to survive within the County of its sudden decision to tear up 10 school transport contracts so that it can take over the business itself. The Council is showing that it has no interest whatsoever in developing private enterprise within its area. The reality is that the Powys Council wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds on a fleet of buses for which it had no practical purpose - and in order to cover up its embarrassment has simple cherry picked the 10 school transport routes which appear to be the easiest to manage and given the private bus companies who had won the contracts by tender the sack with just 28 days notice. This is 'shabby' behaviour of a seriously high order from a body which we should reasonably expect a higher standard. One of the main objectives of a local authority in a low population area should be to encourage the development of an active private sector - and we often hear 'honeyed words' about promoting entrepreneurship and the local economy from the Council's officers. How can any small private bus operator ever trust this Council again or invest in new buses when they might find any contract they win being torn up and thrown in their faces because the council has made a total 'Horlicks' of its own management. This decision has undermined the private sector in Mid Wales and badly damaged the reputation of the Powys Council."
29/08/06 TORY AM PRESSES ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT OVER MIDDLETOWN BYPASS Glyn Davies, Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales, has written again to Andrew Davies, Assembly Government Minister with responsibility for Transport, pressing for a decision on the future of the proposed new road from Welshpool to the English Border. The Minister announced in 2004 that a new road is to be built to replace this dangerous and inadequate length of the A458 and a formal Public Consultation took place during the summer of 2004. The Minister has previously announced that the preferred route would be either the ‘amended yellow route’ or the ‘amended blue route’ and his decision had been expected many months ago. However, in previous correspondence with Glyn Davies, the Minister has conceded that there are funding issues to be agreed with the Midlands Highway Agency because a small but expensive part of the scheme lies over the border in England. Commenting on the current unsatisfactory position, Glyn Davies, who has been a campaigner for the construction of this new length of road for over 20 years, said: “Mid Wales needs a new length of highway from Welshpool to the English Border – increasing safety on a dangerous road, bringing relief to residents in the Trewern/Middletown area and opening up the economy of Central Wales. We have known for decades that improvement to this road is a key project in the development of rural Wales. The Assembly Government has made several promises to deliver this new road but has dithered and shamefully has not even been prepared to tell us where it is to be built. Property owners cannot make decisions and potential house buyers cannot know what they are buying. The Minister has yet again let Mid Wales down badly with his total inability to make up his mind. As far as the Assembly Government is concerned Mid Wales might as well be Outer Mongolia. During the 8 months left before the Assembly election, I encourage the residents of Middletown and those who want to see economic prosperity in Mid Wales to ask every Assembly candidate for a commitment to support the building of this new road. Mid Wales has lost out since the National Assembly was created and I hope the voters will turn to politicians who will give Mid Wales a fairer deal.” 29/08/06 NEW ASSEMBLY BUILDING’S FIERCEST CRITIC BACKS IT FOR TOP ARCHITECTURAL PRIZE Glyn Davies, Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales, is backing the new Assembly Building for the Royal Institute of British Architects prestigious Stirling Prize. The £20,000 prize is the top architectural award for a building which has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the last year. The new Assembly Building, which is known as the Sennedd cost £67 million to build and was fiercely opposed by a group of Assembly members led by Glyn Davies who believed that the money would be better spent on public services. However, the project was approved by a large majority and the Sennedd was officially opened by the Queen on March 1st this year. Commenting on the inclusion of the Sennedd in the shortlist for the Stirling Prize Glyn Davies said: “The new Assembly Building is an architectural masterpiece of which Lord Richard Rogers should beextremely proud. I cannot imagine a building more influential on British architecture. Although I still believe that the £67 million would have been better spent on our public services, I readily accept that the end product is an absolute gem of a building. It is a real pleasure to work in the Sennedd and almost everyone I have shown around is stunned by its sheer class. The £67 million has been spent and as every farmer knows, it is no use crying over spilt milk. Every one of us who cares about value for money must try to squeeze every last drop of value out of the £67 million that has been spent. I was the project’s fiercest critic but I lost the argument and the money has gone for ever – and now I want to become one of the Sennedd’s greatest champions. I am deeply proud to be one of the 60 people elected to serve in this new Sennedd - and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be able to say one day that this new building, through inspiration, political achievement and international recognition, might have grown to be worthwhile after all.”
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