Question to Jane Hutt 10 October 2017

2. Business Statement and Announcement

Mike HedgesBiography

The leader of the house is well aware of my interest in invest-to-save. In fact, she’s probably been missing my questions over the last 18 months or so. I would like to ask for a Government statement on the success of innovate-to-save, and how successful innovations are being promoted across Welsh Government and throughout the Welsh public sector.

14:24

Jane HuttBiography

Yes, Mike Hedges, I do miss the many questions I had on invest-to-save, now progressing to the innovate-to-save fund, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to respond this afternoon. In fact, the innovate-to-save fund is currently supporting eight projects through the research and development phase of the initiative, and this stage is aimed to test and refine ideas so that we can assess the suitability of each project for financial support.

10 October 2017 Questions to First Minister

10 October 2017

Questions to First Minister

The Advanced Manufacturing Sector

14:05

Mike HedgesBiography

5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the advanced manufacturing sector in Wales? (OAQ51139)

14:05

Carwyn JonesBiographyThe First Minister

Yes. The advanced manufacturing sector is vital to a growing and prosperous Welsh economy. I have a touch of the Theresa May lurgy this afternoon, I see. There’s nothing behind me that’ll fall off though, I trust. [Laughter.] The sector is typified by highly skilled, highly paid jobs and above average productivity, and we continue to support companies in the sector in Wales to sustain their current operations and exploit growth opportunities.

14:06

Mike HedgesBiography

Can I thank the First Minister for that response? I agree entirely that promoting advanced manufacturing is going to be incredibly important to the Welsh economy, and areas such as robotics and graphene can help grow the Welsh economy. Does the First Minister agree that there needs to be a further clarification of the definition of advanced manufacturing by the Welsh Government, to exclude things like 1970s technology for colour coating steel from being considered advanced manufacturing, despite the fact that both Bryngwyn and Tafarnaubach had closed previously?

14:06

Carwyn JonesBiographyThe First Minister

Well, colour coating steel is advanced manufacturing. If you look at Shotton, for example, it’s highly technical. Photovoltaic cells are involved in the production there. It’s not an easy definition to make, but from our perspective, we know the sector is defined by a range of standard industrial classification codes published by the Office for National Statistics. Those codes were agreed by the private-sector-led industry panel, which was established to advise both Ministers and officials, and the treatment and coating of metals, including colouring, is an activity included in the range of SIC codes that defines our advanced materials and manufacturing sector. So, it’s a definition that is based on consultation with industry according to a set series of codes.

Press release on Tourism Figures

Mike Hedges AM welcomes huge increase in visitor spending in Wales

Latest figures reveal that Wales continues to be a popular choice for day trippers during the peak summer months.

Mike said… ‘This is really good news for the Welsh Economy and the local Swansea Economy. Tourism is a vital component of the Local economy that it is vital that we nurture and promote it at every opportunity. I look forward to these figures improving in the years ahead.’

In the 12 months ending July 2017, there were 102 million tourism day visits to Wales, with an associated spend of £4,874 million. The number of visits has increased 11% compared to the 12 months ending July 2016, while the amount spent has increased 51%.
Wales' performance is particularly strong in the GB context: for GB as a whole, the number of visits has decreased by 1% compared to the 12 months ending July 2016, while the amount spent has increased 5%.

Mike Hedges AM welcomes £1.28 million invested to cut classroom bureaucracy

Mike Hedges AM welcomes £1.28 million invested to cut classroom bureaucracy

£1.28m of new investment to help reduce unnecessary workload for teachers has been announced by the Education Secretary Kirsty Williams today (Thurs 14th Sept).

Mike said….. ‘This is great news for schools, pupils and teachers. It underlines the commitment of the Welsh Government to improving schools and reducing the burden on the teaching profession. Less burden on teachers means they can concentrate on what they do best – teaching the children!’

The funding will support the creation of new school business managers in eleven local authority areas. 

The two year pilot will see groups of primary schools having a school business manager to provide dedicated support for head teachers and teachers so they can better focus on raising standards and the needs of pupils.

School business managers can help organise and run a range of non-teaching activity in a school, from finance, administration and procurement, freeing up head teachers and staff to focus on leadership and teaching.

The project is part of a range of Welsh Government actions to help address teachers’ concerns over their workload, including a new guide launched today on how teachers can reduce unnecessary activity, with advice on planning lessons, marking and assessing and collecting data.

Mike Hedges AM Shows support patients with IPF

Next week marks Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) week. IPF is a chronic and progressive lung disease, causes scarring of the lungs, hindering a person’s ability to breathe.

Around 32,000 people in the UK live with IPF. Around 2,100 people live with IPF in Wales.

IPF patients can expect to survive an average of three years from diagnosis, and only one in five will survive for more than five years. It is estimated that around 5,000 people per year will die of this disease that equates to around 1 in every 100 deaths a year and the number is increasing.

Mike Hedges AM Said… ‘I have met a number of people who have this debilitating and ultimately fatal condition; it really does have a massive impact on the sufferers. I think that it is vital that awareness of this condition is raised among the population. I am happy to support the British  Lung Foundation #IPF week. I will be attending the event at the Assembly next week and writing to the Minister.’

What can you do to show support?

1. Support the British Lung Foundation’s (BLF) campaign to raise awareness about IPF, a progressive respiratory condition that is diagnosed in about 6,000 people every year, by tweeting #IPFWeek
2. Join us at 11:20 on Wednesday 20^th September outside the front of the Senedd to get your photograph taken where we will be joined by patients, Health Care Professionals and staff as part of our work to raise awareness of IPF.
3. Write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport to ask him to ensure that pulmonary rehabilitation is a priority in the refreshed Respiratory Health Delivery Plan, providing exercise and education to people to manage COPD and IPF.
4. Write to your health board to ask what changes the respiratory health delivery plan has made to their local services and what plans they have to invest in pulmonary rehabilitation.

Mike Hedges AM welcomes news that Childcare Pilot projects underway

PRESS RELEASE

Mike said.. ‘This investment by the Welsh Government is to be welcomed. Early years work with young children is vital to ensuring a strong start in life. This commitment from the Welsh Government shows it understands the importance of the Early Years. The Swansea Pilot Project in Morriston will make a significant contribution to the life of the young people in this area. I look forward to visiting the project in the coming months to see the work undertaken’

Testing of the Welsh Labour Government’s Childcare Offer has begun in seven pilot areas across Wales.

Five pilot projects are underway in parts of Swansea, Flintshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly, while a sixth will be joint project in Gwynedd and Anglesey. They will test all aspects of the new Childcare Offer for Wales to ensure it will be accessible to parents and sustainable in the long-term once rolled out.

The offer will provide 30 hours a week of government funded early education and childcare for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds in Wales, for up to 48 weeks of the year. The current free early education provided by Foundation Phase will form part of this offer.
 

Mike Hedges AM welcomes news that Families in Wales encouraged to “have the chat” about organ donation wishes

Mike Hedges AM welcomes news that Families in Wales encouraged to “have the chat” about organ donation wishes

Mike Hedges AM said…. ‘Organ donation can make a very big contribution to transforming people’s lives; it can be a very brave decision following the death of a loved one, and this decision is made easier if there has been a discussion beforehand, so a person’s views are known. I would urge families to discuss organ donations with loved ones so that people’s views are known and understood, and can be respected in the event of their death.’

The Welsh Labour Government is emphasising the importance of talking to family and friends about organ donation in an effort to increase the number of people who register their decision either on the organ donor register or just by making sure family are aware of their wishes.

In 2016-17 data published by NHS Blood and Transplant showed there were 21 cases where families either overrode their relatives’ decisions to donate organs, or didn’t support the deemed consent.

With an average of 3.3 organs retrieved per donor in the UK in 2016-17, this could have resulted in as many as 69 additional transplants.

On 1 December 2015, Wales was the first country in the UK to move to a soft opt-out, system of consent to organ donation. This means that unless a person has not registered a decision to become an organ donor (opted in) or a decision not to become an organ donor (opted out), they will be considered as having no objection to being an organ donor – this is known as deemed consent.

As a result of the change an increase in donations is expected over a period of time. Over the last year, there has been a decrease of 18.5% in patients who died whilst on the waiting list for their transplant.