Mike Hedges AM welcomes news that Wales takes the next step to end the physical punishment of children

Mike Hedges AM welcomes news that Wales takes the next step to end the physical punishment of children

Wales will today take the next step towards protecting children’s’ rights by introducing legislation to end the physical punishment of children.

Swansea East AM said… ‘I welcome the publication of this Bill. It shows Wales’s commitment to supporting the rights of children as contained within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must put our principles into Practice not just speak nice words. I look forward to supporting the Bill.

Anyone who visits supermarkets, schools and leisure facilities cannot have failed to notice how parents tend not to hit their children. As someone who regularly visits secondary schools I have noticed how calm and non-violent they have become since corporal punishment was outlawed.

Unfortunately some do still hit their children including the radio Wales interviewee who said if you hit them over their nappie it will not hurt them much.'

The Welsh Government has today (25 March) introduced the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill to the National Assembly. 

If the Bill is passed by the National Assembly for Wales, parents and other adults acting in a parental capacity will no longer be able to physically punish children – children will have the same protection from physical punishment as adults.

The Bill will do this by abolishing the common law defence of reasonable punishment so that any adult acting in a parental capacity cannot use it as a defence if accused of assault or battery against a child – meaning they can no longer legally physically punish a child. 

This builds on the Welsh Government’s commitment to children’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services Julie Morgan said:

We are sending a clear message that the physical punishment of children is not acceptable in Wales.

What may have been deemed as appropriate in the past is no longer acceptable. Our children must feel safe and be treated with dignity.

The legislation will be accompanied by an awareness-raising campaign and support for parents. It aims to help eliminate the use and tolerance of physical punishment of children in Wales.

Research published last year suggests attitudes to the physical punishment of children are changing. It found 81% of parents of young children in Wales disagreed that “it is sometimes necessary to smack a naughty child” – a significant increase from 71% in 2015. 

The Parental Attitudes Towards Managing Young Children's Behaviour 2017 survey also found only 11% of parents with young children reported they had smacked their children in the last six months as a way of managing their behaviour, half that in 2015 at 22%.

Mike Hedges AM welcomes Welsh Government Commitment to the Swansea Bay City Deal.

Mike Hedges AM welcomes Welsh Government Commitment to the Swansea Bay City Deal.

Speaking after Questions to the Minister on Wednesday, Mike Hedges AM said…  ‘there has been a lot of negative publicity recently regarding the City Deal and individual projects within it, Particularly the Carmarthenshire based projects. I therefore welcome the restated commitments made by the Welsh Government today. This is a once in a generation chance to transform the regional economy of South West Wales and we have to grasp it with both hands. I welcome the news that the Welsh Government still sees this as a locally led project for it is vital that local authorities, local business and partners such as the Universities work together in partnership with the Welsh Government but it is vital that it is locally led.

I look forward to seeing the Swansea Bay City Deal move forward and transform the lives of the Citizens of South West Wales.’

Mike Hedges AM - Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I won't repeat anything that Dai Lloyd or Suzy Davies have said, but can I say that we've oft spoken as one on this for the whole period of time? There are not many other issues that you can say that about. But we really have stood together, because we realise how really important this is to the economy of the Swansea bay city region. Will the Welsh Government continue to provide all the support necessary to the Swansea bay city region? And does the Minister accept that to increase the GVA in Wales we need to develop more high-paid highly skilled employment, which is what the Swansea bay city deal is about? It's about getting jobs that pay at a higher level to get our GVA up. 227

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Lee Waters - Yes, indeed. In terms of providing all support necessary, we really want this to succeed. The UK Government want this to succeed. Members here want it to succeed. The local authorities want it to succeed. In some ways, it's not been necessarily set up to succeed in the structures that we've put in place, in the insistence of the five-case business model, which the local authorities have struggled to respond to—that level of scrutiny and rigour. I think the important thing now—. And I stress, in all the reports, it's stressed that there is criticism of all sides here.228

We had a very good meeting with the local authority leaders on Friday, in which I emphasised—and there was unanimity on—that there's no profit in pointing fingers here. Clearly, if we want this to succeed we need to press on, learn the lessons, reset. That is certainly the spirit in which the Welsh Government—and, in all the conversations I've had with the Secretary of State for Wales, the UK Government too—are entering into this endeavour. But, ultimately, this is a local-led project. So, in terms of all support necessary, we will give it every support we can, but also, in the spirit of partnership, that leadership has got to come from the local area, and not from us. But we must see it within the spirit of developing regional economic plans and work together on them as equals and, as I say, move away from the policeman to the partner model. 

MIKE HEDGES AM ASKS FIRST MINISTER TO SUPPORT COUNCIL HOUSE BUILDING

MIKE HEDGES AM ASKS FIRST MINISTER TO SUPPORT COUNCIL HOUSE BUILDING

Speaking after First Minister’s Questions, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges said… I have long been an enthusiast for Council Housing and it is wonderful that Swansea Council are now building council houses again; the new energy efficient houses show the way how all houses should be built in the future. The homes as power generators scheme in the Swansea City Deal will bring further savings for householders. The new and innovative designs in housing are coming in the public housing sector.

Now is the time to build more council homes and I asked the First Minister how the Welsh Government can aid Council Housing. I welcome the lifting of the borrowing cap later this week. I think that building up the skills base within the construction sector is an idea which will have many positive spin offs, and I will await the outcome of the Affordable Housing Review in April; I expect that it will come forward with several proposals which I will actively support.’

·         Mike Hedges AM

·         7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policy on council housing? OAQ53589

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• First Minister of Wales
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·         Our policy is to support local authorities to build council housing at significantly increased scale and within the shortest achievable timescale.90

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·         Mike Hedges AM - Can I again stress the importance of building council houses to deal with the housing crisis facing Wales? Will the First Minister join me in sending congratulations to Swansea on their new council homes new being occupied and also those under construction? But, what more can the Welsh Government do to overcome the constraints on councils building council dwellings in large numbers, which is what you said in your first answer?91

• Mark Drakeford AM 14:26:12
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·         Thank you very much for that. I'd certainly agree on congratulating Swansea on the work that they are doing, particularly the innovative housing methods and doing all of this at the same time, I know, as having to concentrate on reaching the Welsh quality housing standards, which the council is very close now to completing. I think that there are three different things that we can do to speed up and increase the number of houses being built by local authorities in Wales.92

·         The Member, I know, will be pleased to know that the borrowing cap will be formally lifted on Welsh local authorities on Friday of this week, when the necessary legislation that we have to complete will be brought to fruition. So, funding will be, for some local authorities, certainly, more plentifully available than would otherwise be the case.93

·         Secondly, there is the whole business of skills, knowledge and capacity. We will have to do more, and the sector will have to do more, working with housing associations and others, to make sure that local authorities have the ability, beyond money, to take on this additionally important role that we want to see them discharge.94

·         Thirdly, we will need to look to see what we can do at the Welsh Government level. My colleague Rebecca Evans instituted a review of our affordable housing strategy. That will report at the end of April. Two of the 10 workstreams in that review are specifically involved in looking at ways in which we can get local authorities in Wales building more council housing and building them more quickly.

Mike Hedges AM welcomes £10m Welsh Government funding to improve health outcomes

£10 million Welsh Government funding to reduce waiting times for cancer treatment, deliver earlier diagnosis and modernise treatment has today been announced by the Health Minister Vaughan Gething.

Speaking from his Swansea Constituency, Mike Hedges AM said…..   ‘This is good news for people in my constituency and right across Wales. Medical experts have long called for a single pathway for cancer patients and Wales is going to be the first part of the UK to introduce such a pathway. The additional funding for endoscopy and radiology services will also make a very big contribution to the health of our fellow citizens. Prevention and early interventions are crucial to tackling many illnesses and the remaining funds will be devoted to this crucial area of work. This new Health Investment will save the lives of many people’

The main focus is to improve the quality of care, to reduce variation and to improve patient outcomes. Investment will be directed towards services which will bring the most wide-ranging benefits to the most people.

As previously announced last year, £3 million will be invested to deliver the single cancer pathway. Wales is the first UK nation to take this step. The single cancer pathway aims to reduce the time that patients have to wait to receive cancer diagnostic tests and for their treatment to start. Once the new pathway is in place, a patient’s waiting time will begin from the point of a suspicion of cancer rather than the point of diagnosis.

A further £3m will support diagnosis services including endoscopy and radiology as well as innovative new procedures like gene and cell therapies.

There will also be a focus on rehabilitation services which will receive £3m in funding. This will be used to assess how key services are currently delivered. It will focus on community based prevention and early intervention which will help avoid inappropriate hospital admissions.

The remaining million £1m will be split between supporting 1,000 Lives improvement and the development of value based health care.

MIKE HEDGES AM ASKS WELSH GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT DAWNUS WORKERS AFFECTED BY COLLAPSE OF COMPANY.

MIKE HEDGES AM ASKS WELSH GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT DAWNUS WORKERS AFFECTED BY COLLAPSE OF COMPANY.

Swansea East AM has spoken to Welsh Government Minister Ken Skates this morning to ask for assistance for employees facing redundancy after the construction giant Dawnus went into administration.

Speaking from the Assembly, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges  Said …. ‘This is bad news for the company and my constituents who work there. It is the second large employer in the Enterprise Park to announce closure and redundancy in recent months and losing two big companies is quite a blow to the local economy; these types of closures also have knock on effects to local suppliers and sub-contractors. I have spoken to Ken Skates, Minister for the Economy and Infrastructure and asked that the same support be available for Dawnus workers as has been made available for Virgin Media employees. I have also spoken to Cllr Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea Council and we are agreed that support should be provided to the employees at the firm who now face uncertain times.’

MIKE HEDGES AM JOINS HEALTH PROFFESIONALS IN SUPPORTING NATIONAL NO SMOKING DAY.

MIKE HEDGES AM JOINS HEALTH PROFFESIONALS IN SUPPORTING NATIONAL NO SMOKING DAY.

March 14^th 2019 is National No Smoking day

Mike Hedges AM said… with around 34% of people in Swansea East smoking, it is good to remember what a smoker could buy with their money if they gave up their 10 cigarette a day habit. Of course, the main benefit to giving up smoking is Health related but there is also a financial benefit too. I hope that Swansea can maintain its progress to being a Healthy City with a smoking population of less than 25%. National No Smoking day is a day to focus on giving up for health and financial reasons. There are many places you can get support to give up smoking – you can start by chatting to your GP or Pharmacist.

If a smoker gave up their 10-a-day cigarette habit* they would save:

• £3.48 a day
• £24.32 a week
• £105.70 a month
• £1268.38 a year

Source: Stop Smoking Wales

Mike Hedges AM welcomes £2m funding announced to improve the lives of people with a learning disability in Wales

Mike Hedges AM welcomes £2m funding announced to improve the lives of people with a learning disability in Wales

The Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething today announced £2m in Welsh Government funding to improve NHS services for people with learning disabilities.

Speaking from his constituency in Swansea East, Mike Hedges AM said… ‘This is good news for people in Wales with a learning disability, and their families and carers. I recently attended the Petition Committee at the Assembly which dealt with the petition from the Paul Ridd foundation regarding the lack of training for medical staff. Through this I am aware of the issues faced by people with Learning Difficulties accessing main stream Healthcare. I hope that this new investment will go some way to reducing the Health Inequalities faced by people with Learning Difficulties and reduce the chances of other people enduring the difficulties Mr Ridd and his family faced.’

This new investment is part of Learning Disability: Improving Lives Programme, which aims to improve the way services are delivered to people with a learning disability in Wales. The programme of work covers housing, health, education, transport and social care services.

The £2m announced today will be used to achieve improvements related to the health actions in the programme, over the next three years, including:

·         reduce the inappropriate use of medication and restraint through increasing the use of a range of evidence based interventions such as positive behavioural support

·         improve the take up and quality of annual health checks offered by GPs to people with a learning disability

·         improve the capability and capacity of acute hospital care to make reasonable adjustments enabling people with a learning disability to access mainstream services

·         to ensure that people with complex needs have timely and easy access to learning disability specialist services including trauma/crisis, the full range of accommodation including secure provision and out of hours access

·         implement the specialist and mainstream school nursing framework – a set of evidence based standards for nursing in schools.

Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, said: 

“In our ‘Prosperity for All’ strategy we have committed to improving the overall health and well-being of all individuals in Wales. 

“This new investment will support improvements in health services for people with a learning disability to reduce health inequalities and to help improve people’s health and quality of life.”

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