Tuesday 15th September 2015
In response to the Minister for Public Services Statement on Public Services Staff:
Janet Finch-Saunders – Senedd.tv Fideo Video
I would like to thank the Minister for his statement here today. However, I would like to raise a few points. You mentioned the reforms to local government. I would just like to remind you that those reforms—particularly your imposed map for local authority mergers—have not been agreed by any democratic mandate. Currently, I must advise you that our local authorities—many of their staff and members—remain very concerned amid the chaos that you yourself have created in this regard.
There are a number of questions I would like to ask regarding the Public Services Staff Commission. How will the commission be accountable, and to whom? How will the Welsh Government ensure transparency and political neutrality between the commission, public service workers and the Welsh Government? How will you clarify how the commission will be promoted to local staff, who are currently very concerned about their own employment?
We welcome your comments on zero-hours contracts, Minister, amid the hypocrisy of your own Government, when we know the First Minister’s own local authority—a Labour-run council—has many zero-hour arrangements in place. The Welsh Conservatives are committed to tackling exploitative zero-hours contracts. However, we do hope that the commission will recognise that there are people for whom more flexible working patterns are beneficial. We hope that the commission will ensure that moves are not made to threaten those actually benefitting from these contracts.
You also mentioned the Trade Union Bill, which will balance the ability to strike with the right of millions to go about their daily lives without disruption at short notice and to vital public services. Now, tomorrow, the Welsh Conservative debate will be looking at your Government's record on public services. Do you not agree that ensuring a real and proper democratic mandate from union members for strike action will go some way to help protect service provision for the people of Wales?
Welsh Conservatives have long called for Wales to become the first living wage nation, and the Chancellor’s initiative to implement a national living wage back in July is a clear message that this UK Government recognises hard work. The UK Government have implemented a clear strategy to move the UK towards a high-wage, low-tax economy, bold in backing the aspirations of working people, and many hard-working people right across Wales will now see their pay rise to £7.20 an hour this coming April, increasing to £9 by 2020. We welcome this wholeheartedly on behalf of the people of Wales.
Wednesday 16th September 2015
Spokespersons’ Questions to the Minister for Public Services
Janet Finch-Saunders Senedd.tvFideo Video
Minister, the Wales Audit Office report today on the financial management of town and community councils, while showing some improvement, also highlighted serious concerns over a core group of councils with more than one year of accounts unaudited by the statutory deadline for publication of audited accounts. What are you doing to ensure that all town and community councils provide a full level of public accountability?
Leighton Andrews
I think town and community councils are well aware of their responsibilities, but we are currently working with One Voice Wales to look at the future of town and community councils and to see how we can support their development in respect of provision of services and their role in the new context that we plan following our programme of local government reform.
Janet Finch-Saunders
Thank you, Minister. However, it is a real concern that this report also lists a worrying number of councils receiving repeated qualified audit opinions for at least two of the last three years—45 such councils. In 14 cases, Minister, councils have received the same qualifications for three years running. Minister, whilst you are passing the buck to the town councils themselves, you are the Minister for local government, so it’s your responsibility. What is your response to this scandal, and how will you be working to ensure that we see significant improvement next year from these councils in particular?
Leighton Andrews
Llywydd, I generally believe in the principle of name and shame where people are failing to carry out their statutory responsibilities, and I think that publicity in this regard is a key element, and I welcome the work that the Wales Audit Office has undertaken. However, neither I nor the Welsh Government run these town and community councils, nor should we; these should be run by local people and held accountable by local people.
Janet Finch-Saunders
Minister, we’ve already had one failed review of community councils and one promised but not happening review of community councils. If auditors deem it necessary to exercise their powers of reporting, or to make statutory recommendations, the WAO highlights that there will be significant additional costs for that council in terms of additional audit fees. What guarantees can you make, Minister, here in this Chamber, that community taxpayers will not have to pay for the shortcomings of their town and community councils but, more importantly, the shortcomings of a Welsh Labour Government?
Leighton Andrews
Well, the shortcomings you’re talking about are the shortcomings of the specific town and community councils, and it falls to the voters in those areas to take the necessary steps. I am pleased that the Wales Audit Office is carrying out its appropriate function, and, as I say, if people are not carrying out the duties which they have in town and community councils, then I think public exposure is the right way forward.
OAQ to the Minister for Finance and Government Business
Janet Finch-Saunders Senedd.tvFideo Video
14. Will the Minister make a statement on ensuring value for money across the Welsh Government’s budget? OAQ(4)0598(FIN)
Jane Hutt
Securing value for money is critical as we prepare for further budget cuts by the UK Government.
Janet Finch-Saunders
Minister, since 2013 the Welsh Government has funded four feasibility studies relating to potential active travel routes at a total cost of over £197,000; and in Conwy another one is proposed at £68,000, despite two rejected bids for scheme development. At an average cost of over £50,000 for each study, does the Minister actually consider this to be value for money for our taxpayers?
Jane Hutt
Well, I’m sure you recognise we do have to undertake feasibility studies before we make our investment. Clearly, we have to use that evidence to make sure that we make the best use of our resources and that we adopt the most cost-effective approaches to delivery.
Welsh Conservatives Debate on Business:
Janet Finch-Saunders Senedd.tvFideo Video
I’m really pleased to be able to make a contribution to yet another call to this Welsh Government to support our businesses across Wales. We’re calling on Welsh Government today to reprioritise its support for small and medium-sized enterprises, the lifeblood of our economy, and to commit to backing them fully and effectively.
In 2014, SMEs created 25,500 jobs in the private sector. We all know they are key to job creation in Wales and they provide support and employment in local communities across Wales. Just look at the recent success in my own constituency of Surf Snowdonia—new jobs, new employment. We welcome the new jobs announced yesterday by the Target Group, yet month after month we still see devastating job losses, often from companies that have received significant amounts of Welsh Government funding. We also see a shocking lack of due diligence from this Welsh Labour Government, who do not hold information on the very businesses that they have provided funding—taxpayers’ money—to. The damning report of the Auditor General for Wales into the regeneration investment fund for Wales, established to restore jobs and prosperity to Wales’s deprived communities, estimated a loss of £15 million to the public purse. This is a clear example of the Welsh Government’s failure to spend taxpayers’ money effectively in support of our Welsh businesses.
Today, we are asking how we can ensure that such a catastrophe doesn’t happen again. Furthermore, the Federation of Small Businesses has highlighted the struggles of businesses in Wales when it comes to finance. The feasibility study for a development bank for Wales concluded that helping new businesses and microbusinesses to access funding and support is vital. All too often, we hear of small SMEs struggling to navigate the complex and overly bureaucratic funding and grant structures of the Welsh Government. Finance Wales has repeatedly been a cause for concern and has been reluctant to respond to the changing environment for SMEs since the financial crisis of 2008. Yet, despite being declared unfit for purpose, Finance Wales continues to this very day, with many issues remaining unaddressed. Now, I really have concerns here about the Welsh Government’s commitment to helping Welsh SMEs access finance.
What has happened to the recommendations put forward in the development bank Wales study? The National Federation of Retail Newsagents has said that small business rate relief has been crucial in helping independent retailers remain in business. Going forward, however, the Welsh Retail Consortium has stated that the business rates system is woefully out of date and that this disincentivises investment in property. Wales has the highest high street vacancy rate in the UK. We need a full business rate review so that we can buck the depressing trend of almost one Welsh high street shop closing down every two days. Business rate relief is one of the strongest tools that you have in your possession, Minister, and, obviously, it’s at the disposal of the Welsh Government per se; they should support you in your role to ensure that our businesses get this vital support. Abolishing business rates for all businesses with a rateable value of under £12,000 would really enable them to grow and expand, and we as Welsh Conservatives have been calling for this for years.
The FSB estimates that, if every SME in Wales could employ one additional member of staff, then every person in Wales who wanted a job could have one. As the recent Bevan Foundation report recognised, growing the Welsh economy will require a radical change in thinking and approach by the Welsh Government, who will need to be pro-business in both perception and reality. The efficiency of Welsh Government support for SMEs needs drastic improvement. Labour have short-sighted policies that fail to stimulate economic growth. We need a Government in Wales who will create an environment here that enables us to prosper both economically and socially, and, as the last 16 years have proven, the Welsh Labour Government are simply not the ones to do it. Roll on 6 May.
Welsh Conservatives Debate on Public Services:
Janet Finch-Saunders Senedd.tvFideo Video
Time and time again we are let down by the Welsh Government’s lamentable and persistent failure to meet crucial targets and monitor commitments on our key public services. The people of Wales deserve progress and performance, and a Welsh Government that they can truly hold to account. In health, despite ambitions to make GPs more accessible by opening on Saturday mornings, the Welsh Government doesn’t even collect data to monitor any progress against this target. Their commitment to support carers through full implementation of the Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010 will be repealed next year as it is replaced with provisions under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, even in the face of real concerns being raised by the Wales Carers Alliance. Furthermore, the recent report into continence support by Shine Cymru has highlighted the lack of timely access to high-quality assessment, care, treatment and support in Wales, and is calling for the improved inspection and audit of services, to be open, transparent and accountable.
Whilst we welcome investment in ambulance services, this has to be set against the appalling background of response time targets not being met for over 20 months. Furthermore, the consistent failure of the Welsh Government to meet targets over urgent cancer treatment and accident and emergency waiting times is inexcusable. Changing how targets are measured and moving the goalposts to neaten up the figures means nothing, and certainly doesn’t bring any confidence in this Government by our residents.
Welsh Labour Government failings affect our people at their most vulnerable, on key service provision. Full transparency is essential for the Welsh public to hold this Labour Government to account over failures. The Welsh Conservatives support the British Medical Association’s calls for an independent, comprehensive review into the Welsh NHS. Yes, there is a cost, but what cost now to those who have let down and failed by a Welsh health system under this Labour Government? Any identification of potential shortcomings and bad practice, once addressed, would be invaluable to our pressured health workers and our worried patients.
On education, as Angela Burns has fabulously and most—well, you just put it forward so well, you know, about education. We are regrettably lagging behind. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s damning report criticised the Welsh Labour Government’s lack of a long-term vision, whilst the most recent PISA results were the lowest in the UK for the third time in a row. Serious concerns have been voiced by leading academics that poor PISA results in 2016 would be disastrous for our attempts to secure our industrial future, and I have to say, I was here, present, for the education Minister yesterday, and for the length of time he spoke, he certainly didn’t convince me that we’re making any progress in this regard. We, as Welsh Conservatives, want to give our children the best possible start in life, yet Estyn reports that standards in primary schools have declined, with 40 per cent having poor numeracy standards. I know you don’t like this, but these are facts. Worse still is that the figure for secondary schools is 50 per cent. Despite complaints from students, parents, teachers and headteachers about the Welsh Government’s handling of the Welsh language GCSE fiasco, and the head of the WJEC recommending a delay in the roll-out of the new Welsh GCSEs, the Minister carries on regardless. In fact, the Cabinet now is likened in parts of Wales to the ‘carry on’ team. This short-sighted, inflexible approach shows no concern whatsoever for hard-working students who deserve full openness, transparency, and, above all, accountability from their Government.
The people of Wales deserve better from their Welsh Labour Government. This Government now holds quite well—. The one thing you do well, actually: you do hold the record for actually managing the decline of public services in Wales over the 16 years that you’ve been in charge. As I said before, roll on 6 May; the people have a chance then to actually get business back to normal, with good services, efficient services—but not under this Labour Government, I’m afraid.