speech on sport

I attended an all boys secondary school in what is now a community first area where winter was football and rugby with the summer cricket and athletics.

It appears that as the breadth of opportunity to engage in different sports has increased participation levels have decreased.

It was a time when teenage obesity was caused by health problems as opposed to today where teenage obesity is causing health problems.

I want to discuss I detail five recommendations

The first is recommendation 5

Community sport and child poverty strategy.

Firstly can I commend Swansea Council for the number of multi game areas, football goalposts, basketball hoops, keep fit equipment  and skateboard areas made available.

The Council’s commitment to providing sports facilities for young people is an example to other local authorities across Wales.

I was fortunate enough to attend the launch of street sport in Blaenymaes last month.

For children living in community first areas the need is for sporting activities that are cost free.

I now want to discuss recommendation 8 on identifying ways to encourage girls to take part in sport.

It has been shown that the drop out rate from sport of teenage girls is much greater than boys.

I think that research is essential to find out why many teenage girls want to stop being involved in sporting activity and what can be done to encourage greater involvement in exercise.

My own expectation is that dance, Zumba and keep fit carried out in the school gym would interest more girls than outdoor activities.

We do however need to ask teenage girls in a way that will get the real reasons for lack of activity and what they would take part in.

Recommendation 9 asks for an assessment of the reduction in local government budgets on sport and leisure services and access.

As local government budgets are reduced and the increase in the cost of elderly care and children’s services continues then the pressure on non statutory services such as sport and leisure has increased.

Increasing the cost of sports facilities acts as barrier to children and younger people who are less well off and once activity stops it is very difficult to get people to start up again

I will reiterate a view I have previously expressed in that cutting back on leisure facilities and increasing their cost will lead to much higher costs for the health service in the future.

Recommendation 10 looks for opportunities to increase access to leisure facilities across Wales.

This gives me an opportunity to link two areas that I regularly raise: 3 and 4g pitches and invest to save.

I would urge the government to engage in discussions with local authorities regarding accessing invest to save to increase the number of 3 and 4 g pitches which reduce maintenance cost and are available for continual use.

The final recommendation I want to discuss is the review of free swimming.

I believe that a review of where take up is low is needed and whether it is caused by the opportunity to swim in the sea, cost of getting to the venues or whether there are other reasons.

I welcome the government’s positive response to the recommendation and I hope that we can increase activity and participation because if we do not both the economy and the health budget will suffer.

 

 

 

importance of pubs

The Public Houses and the chapels were the backbone of Welsh communities until the 1980s.

Since then we have seen the large scale closure of both.

In Morriston, where I live, in the last 5 years 6 pubs and 2 clubs have closed.

For TV fans programmes such as Coronation Street with the rovers return and Eastenders with the Queen Vic still use the pub as the focus for the commmunity

What we have seen in recent years is two different things happening

Firstly we have seen the growth of large pub chains and secondly we have seen the sale of cheap alcohol in supermarkets and other shops.

There have been two types of pub chain  the large pub companies who rent out pubs to licensees and the large managed pubs often in city centre locations where the serving of food is often more important than the serving of drink.

I am surprised the Conservatives have raised this as a debate today because the cause of the problem goes back to the time when we had the last majority Tory government.

For decades breweries had owned pubs and it was in their interest to sell their beer through their pubs.

Then one of the Friedman free market disciples decided that was bad for competition.

So the large breweries had to decide to be either brewers or pub owners. They all decided to remain brewers and the pubs were sold off to pub companies such as Punch Taverns, the 'pubco' that owns about one in eight British pubs and Enterprise Inns.

The breweries no longer had an economic reason to sell most of their beer through pubs.

In terms of distribution it became much easier to sell cans through supermarkets than barrels via pubs.

To quote CAMRA

“Around a third of pubs in the UK are owned by Pub Companies – large property companies who lease pubs out to tenants to run as their own business. These pubs are contractually obliged to buy their beer only from the Pubco; preventing pub licensees buying on the open market. This is known as the beer tie.

Why is this the case? The Pubco model.

Pubcos make huge excess profits by using the beer tie to force licensees and ultimately the consumer to pay high prices. Licensees can pay up to 50% more for beer than a free-of-tie publican. Alongside this pubco licensees often find themselves paying above market value rents and have no independent adjudicator to settle disputes.”

So publicans ended up tied to a supplier and paying more than some supermarkets and cash and carriers are selling drinks for but without the large breweries having any incentive to sell via them as opposed to supermarkets.

I am a regular visitor to pubs and clubs and first met my wife and my two best friends in Morriston pubs.

So what are the solutions

Camra calls for

a rebalance to the current unfair relationship between the giant property companies (pubcos) and their licensees. This rebalance must include an option for lessees to become free of tie, accompanied by an open market rent review, so that they can buy beer on the open market. This could potentially save each pub business tens of thousands of pounds every year.

Those who choose to remain tied should be given the opportunity to buy one real ale as a guest beer outside of any beer tie.

CAMRA is also calling for an independent adjudicator to be established which would have the power to carry out investigations and impose financial penalties; protecting thousands of licensees struggling to make a fair and sustainable living.

The "beer tie" is not in itself harmful and has been used for over a century by brewers to guarantee a market for the beer that they brew and works well for the small brewers who still own pubs.

Also we need a minimum alcohol price in order to deal with the huge price discrepancy between pubs and supermarkets and other shops selling alcohol.

Pubs are part of our heritage, provide opportunities to meet new people in a convivial and neutral setting.

Wales would be a lot poorer without them.

 

public toilets - meeting of cpg on ageing

AMs discuss public toilet access for older people in Wales

‘Lack of public toilets leaves older people feeling isolated’ – Mike Hedges AM

WELSH GOVERNMENT Members will be discussing the problem of older people accessing public toilets across Wales this Wednesday (7 May).

The Cross Party Group on Older People and Ageing is meeting just after midday (12.15pm) in conference room 24 at Tŷ Hywel in Cardiff Bay.

Commenting on the ‘Public toilets and new Public Health Bill’ debate, Mike Hedges AM, Chair of the Cross Party Group on Older People and Ageing, says:

“The new Public Health Bill clearly outlines a number of practical actions to address specific public health concerns. This includes improving access to toilets for public use.

“It’s my belief that in any civilized society older people should have easy access to public toilets in their community – this includes the number of toilets available and how accessible they are.  

“A lack of public toilets leaves older people feeling isolated as they choose to stay at home, rather than meeting with friends and family out in their community. 

“This week’s Cross Party Group meeting will give us the chance to discuss how we support older people in ensuring they have access to the right public services.

Graeme Francis, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Age Cymru, which support the Cross Party Group on Older People, comments:

“Public toilets are a lifeline for older people, providing them with freedom, independence and the confidence they need to lead fulfilling and active lives.

“Yet despite this, public toilets are disappearing from our communities at an alarming rate and assertive action is needed to halt this decline.

 “The Cross Party Group on Older People and Ageing will be exploring how we can do more in Wales to ensure that public toilets are kept accessible for older people”

Speaking at the meeting is John Vincent from the Welsh Senate of Older People who will be speaking about the ‘P is for People’ campaign.

He will give a presentation outlining the steps needed to ensure that public toilets are kept accessible to older people across Wales.

Members of the group will also have the opportunity to ask the guest speakers questions.

speech on silk part 2

Firstly can I congratulate Paul Silk and his colleagues for the clarity and consistency of this report. Unlike some other commission reports I have read the conclusions and recommendations arise from the report and discussion rather than it  appearing to be the other way around.

I believe the most important recommendation is that we move to a reserved powers model. Whilst this does not solve all the problems, Wayne David MP at a discussion held in the House of Commons identified the problem experience regarding Antarctica expeditions including Scottish citizens. If that was the only problems faced with the current model in Wales. I am sure most people would be pleased.

What we have seen in Wales but not in Scotland and Northern Ireland is the referring of legislation to court by the Westminster government including the By laws bill that was unanimously passed here and was in the eyes of most people non contentious.

This emphasis on clarity is all the more prescient when one considers the now almost routine referrals of Welsh Bills to the Supreme Court. Since 2011, Bills affecting fields as diverse as Agricultural Payments, local government by-laws and asbestos compensation have been referred to the Supreme Court, a process which has only highlighted the confusion over the boundaries of the Welsh devolution settlement

Just to reiterate something I have said several times before the reserved powers model is not about additional powers it is about clarity over the devolution settlement.

Wales has a conferred powers devolution model. This makes the Welsh settlement different from Scotland, Northern Ireland and other major European countries which enjoy the reserved powers model.

Welsh devolution urgently needs changing to the reserved powers model which gives greater clarity over what is and is not devolved. It is a telling point that this is the method used not just in Northern Ireland and Scotland, but across mainland Europe.

However, the main lesson from continental Europe’s experience of devolution is that while there are many different ways of creating a devolved structure, all have the reserved powers model in common.

This leads to the big question of what powers should be reserved.

Starting with the obvious ones such as defence, foreign policy, criminal law, citizenship, currency and money, the unity of the custom and trading area, benefits including the state pension, and overseas aid.

This leads on to the question of pay rates and policing

We have agreed we do not want regional pay so devolving teachers pay will lead to one of two outcomes

1)          Just follow the English pay rates

2)          Have variable pay so that 2 teachers living in Wrexham will be paid different rates if one works in Wrexham and the other in Chester

I do not believe either is the right solution and I am someone who believes in a National pay scheme

On Policing devolution of most policing is the preferred model across Europe and the USA but with national security, Terrorism and cross border issues dealt with centrally

In conclusion

I welcome the Silk commission part 2 report and hope that the reserved powers model can be implemented as soon as is practicable but the next stage is to organize the further devolution of appropriate powers possibly following the northern Ireland model where they have been agreed to be devolved but get devolved when the northern Ireland assembly votes by 2/3 or more to do so.

 

 

scottish independence

This is purely a matter for those living in Scotland but we know a number of things from the  previous splittng of countries including the amicable split of Czecoslovakia and the less amicable split of Sudan

1) Each country has its own currency
2) Each country has its own central bank
3) Each country has its own defence force
4)Each countries defence force stays within its own boundaries (Crimea has shown what can happen when a major defence force is in a different Country)
5) Each country can agree the share of the national debt or as in the case of Sudan go to arbitration
6) Each country becomes reponsible for its own tax rates, benefit rates including pensions
7) Each country will issue its own passport
8) The Country breaking away will have to renegotiate, if it wants to, all treaties and membership of all organisations as it is  a new country
9) Each country will have its own embassies
10) Free movement will depend on both being EU members

Does anyone outside the SNP believe that either Italy or Spain would not object to Scotland joining the EU to deter separatists in the Venice region and Catalonia

knotweed speech

To my constituents, the term ‘non-native invasive species’ means only one thing: Japanese knotweed, or, as it is known locally, Sally rhubarb, due to a similarity in shape and colour to rhubarb, though unfortunately not in height. I heard the Minister at the weekend describe how, when he was growing up in Tredegar, he thought all rivers were multi-coloured; when I grew up in Plasmarl in the Swansea East constituency, I thought that everywhere was covered in knotweed.		Senedd.tv FideoVideo
	Japanese knotweed is a plant native to Japan, Taiwan and northern China. It was first introduced to the UK in the early 1800s as an ornamental plant, unfortunately. The plant can grow in excess of 3m in height and is commonly seen on river banks, alongside train lines and on waste ground. In Swansea, we have at least five train lines running through the constituency: the London main line, the Swansea to Fishguard line, the Port Talbot to Felindre and Trostre line, the Swansea Valley to the docks line and the LMS line. With the exception of the LMS line, all of these lines run along steep banks. Knotweed was used to protect the banks from collapse and to protect the railway line in its journey along the Valley floor. Unfortunately, it has not stayed there; due to a whole range of things happening, it has spread throughout the whole of the constituency.
	Each year, public authorities in the UK spend about £1.6 billion in treating and removing Japanese knotweed. A recent estimate put the cost to the British economy at £165 million. In the UK, Japanese knotweed has no natural predators or controls. Consequently, it has been able to colonise areas throughout the country with, I believe, the exception of only the Orkney isles. The plant is extremely invasive and thrives on disturbance. The tiniest piece of stem can regrow, and can be spread both by natural means and by human activity—often on the soles of shoes, or attached to coats or jackets. It threatens the survival of native plant species and insects and native animal species.
	Other problems include the accumulation of litter among the stems; riverside erosion when knotweed dies back; and damage to buildings, pavements and car parks. Knotweed is able to grow through both asphalt and concrete. Concreting over will not solve the problem.
	There are few lenders who will finance the purchase of property if knotweed is present in the garden, in a neighbouring property or, more likely, in the area, often on land of unknown ownership. This is causing difficulty for those looking to sell and get a mortgage. The presence of knotweed devalues a property massively and causes huge problems to the people concerned.
	Linking to yesterday’s debate on the housing Bill, there are now a number of reluctant landlords unable to sell their houses due to knotweed, often on adjoining land that has no known owner. They are unable to sell their property so they become landlords and rent out their property because it is the only thing that they can do with it.
	There are two main types of treatment for knotweed: physical control and chemical methods. In July 2009 the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a plan to release a native—I hope I get this right—psyllid bug aphalara itadori into the wild. It is a natural enemy of the knotweed. It is the first time that biocontrols have been used in the European Union to fight a weed. Initially it would be deployed at a limited number of test sites before wider release in England and Wales. The Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International is currently halfway through a study and has reported that the insect is coping well in the UK.
	The sites, I understand, are meant to be secret, but there is a general belief locally that one of them is in Swansea East. Recent estimates put Swansea alone at having 62,000 tonnes of knotweed, equivalent to the weight of 400 blue whales. The overall infestation has been estimated to cost about £9.5 million in chemical treatment, and will take approximately 50 years to eradicate using conventional methods and current treatment rates, and that is without taking into consideration its spread to new areas. Over the past 10 years, Swansea council alone has spent over £200,000 on controlling knotweed.
	I end with three questions to the Minister. If Natural Resources Wales becomes the lead organisation for addressing invasive, non-native species, does it mean that extra funding will be given to its annual budget to deal with this substantial knotweed problem? Will areas with a high concentration of knotweed, like Swansea, have additional support? Finally, although studies are ongoing, can the Welsh Government give any positive, meaningful news on combating knotweed using biologically controlled test sites in Wales using the Aphalara itadori insect native to Japan? In many respects, knotweed is one of the biggest issues in the whole of my constituency, dwarfing a range of other issues that people treat as the big issues of the day.

housing bill

	As most people are aware, there has been a substantial growth in private rented properties across Wales. As the number of council houses and flats are reduced, the private rented sector has filled some of the gap. There is currently a voluntary landlord accreditation scheme run by Cardiff Council on behalf of the 22 local authorities, and a key element of the new legislation is to establish a comprehensive online database of all private landlords and letting management agents in the private rented sector. After a private landlord or agent registers, they will then have to become accredited following attendance of an approved training scheme. Agents will have to join an approved body, and at least two thirds of their staff must be trained. We have some people who are bad landlords by default. They do not mean to be bad landlords; they just do not know enough to not be, and I think that this is an opportunity to solve that problem. It should improve standards in the private rented sector and provide more information on a landlord to local authorities.
	In Swansea, many landlords live far away from Swansea and have bought houses as investments. I do not think that it is asking too much for houses to be checked for gas, carbon monoxide, fire and electrical safety prior to being rented out. We need to raise the awareness of landlords and tenants of their respective rights and responsibilities. The Bill also sets out to allow councils to charge a higher rate of council tax on empty properties and allows housing associations to give assured tenancies and deals with the abolition of the housing revenue account subsidy, so a portion of the rent paid by council tenants will no longer be returned to the Treasury. The Bill seeks to prevent people from becoming homeless and builds on the work currently being done by local authorities on homelessness prevention, where Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council was identified as an example of best practice. The legislation aims to ensure greater emphasis on preventing homelessness, extending the help available and improving the services to those not considered to be in priority need, and to improve the ability of local authorities to offer secure accommodation via the private rented sector, which is becoming more and more important as the amount of council housing continues to reduce.
	The two major changes are that, from 2019, a local authority will be expected to secure accommodation for households with children even if they have been found to be intentionally homeless, but only for the first time in the past five years.
	In the committee, the most contentious part of the proposed legislation was the removal of the automatic right of all former prisoners to be given housing priority. If the legislation is successful, they will be assessed in the same way as all other applicants. This is a policy that I believe is fair and just. I do not believe that, just because someone is an ex-prisoner, they should have greater rights than anyone else. Everyone’s housing requirements should be assessed on their needs equally, and not on anything else. I also correct the false rumours circulating that applicants who are subject to immigration control are not eligible for assistance under the Housing Act 1996. The intended effect is that fewer households will suffer homelessness, that there will be better prevention work and increased help for those who currently receive limited assistance, and, more importantly, choices for those facing homelessness. Unless there is an increase in the quantity of rental accommodation, then all that is happening is a different way of sharing out rental accommodation. The third major part of the legislation proposes to place a new statutory duty on local authorities to provide new Gypsy and Traveller sites where need has been identified. As we know in Swansea, if official sites are not provided, unofficial sites will be created. The legislation aims to improve the standard of accommodation and to reduce illegal sites and unauthorised encampments. The fourth major part of the legislation sets standards for rent and service charges for local authority housing, ensuring that they are clearly and separately identified. The legislation intends to further facilitate the development of co-operative housing by allowing fully mutual housing co-operatives to grant assured tenancies, protecting the interests of lenders. Housing co-operatives, which, in some European countries, comprise up to 20% of all housing, provide around 1.1% in Britain. The housing co-operative model also provides a substantial amount of accommodation in north America. With a shortage of housing in Wales, I do not believe that we can allow this potential for providing accommodation not to be used. So, I hope that everybody will support this this afternoon.