Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

This is a question I raised on Tuesday during business questions to Jane Hutt AM, regarding eating disorders:

Bethan Jenkins: As you know, it is Eating Disorders Awareness Week this week. This evening, a new charity, beat Cymru, will be launched in the Senedd. New research by Beaufort Research Ltd in Cardiff has recently been published. It contains shocking statistics, such as that one in five of the 1,000 people surveyed did not believe that an eating disorder was a mental illness. Many saw eating disorders as a lifestyle choice or a teenagers’ fad. Many of those views came from the elderly men who were interviewed, who saw it as a dieting problem gone wrong. In light of this research, will the Government commit to having an anti-stigma campaign in Wales with regard to mental illness? I know that Gofal Cymru supports that, but, in light of this new research in Wales, we need more education for people across the spectrum for them to be informed about how serious an illness an eating disorder is. I urge Members to attend the launch tonight.

Jane Hutt: The fact that our First Minister, Carwyn Jones, will attend the event, demonstrates the Government’s support, commitment and recognition. The Minister for Health and Social Services has also demonstrated her commitment by announcing last July new recurrent funding of £1 million to establish specialist tier 3 teams to improve diagnosis, care and support for people with eating disorders. A framework was issued to the service to inform the development of such teams. I was pleased to attend meetings of your cross-party group in my former capacity as Minister for Education Lifelong Learning and Skills to look at the broader issues. I am sure that you have served people well in raising awareness of this matter and I am sure that Assembly Members will attend the official launch if they can do so.

If you didn’t already know, I will tell you all that its eating disorders awareness week this week. I’ve written a blog for the feminist blog the f word about the launch of Beat Cymru, and the research they commissioned showing that many of the people surveyed in Wales thought that eating disorders were a lifestyle choice, and that 1 in 5 did not see it as a mental illness.

Here is the link to the article. I have just asked the business Minister if the Welsh Government will launch an anti stigma campaign following on from this shocking research, and I intend to follow this up with a letter to the Health Minister.

If you want to attend the launch of Beat Cymru, then please come to the Senedd at 6pm this evening.

WPS - didn’t get a chance to live blog at this year’s conference, I’m afraid to say. I sincerely meant to, but as usual, I was running around trying to be in 20 places at the same time. I had a good time, and gathered lots more work to get on with from the fringe meetings I was part of, especially the one on social workers. I think that everyone was in good humour at the conference, and there was a buzz about the place. It’s all go now though to the General election, and I hope to support the candidates in South Wales West as much as I can.

Bethan at the march in Port Talbot with Neath Port Talbot councillors Alun Llewelyn, Linet Purcell and, left, Rosalyn Davies

The protest in Port Talbot about plans to change the care home structure in the county, and against the potential 750 job cuts was really well attended by local people and Plaid councillors on Saturday morning. I managed to say a few words at the demo, specifically to clarify that the decision to create three super care homes in the area, which may be not-for-profit or a ‘business concern’ is a Labour cabinet decision, and not a council decision as was said at the beginning of the demo.

It’s fair to say that there’s a lot of opposition to the plans. I spoke at a public meeting last Friday in Glyn Neath about the potential closure of Trem y Glyn care home. Locals are passionate about the fact that it should remain open, especially given that the council has recently invested £0.4m on rewiring the place.

I’ve written to the council following the meeting with some key questions about the planned consultation on their ‘preferred option’ of three super care homes, and why David Lewis, the Cabinet member present there, said that even though this was a preferred option, that more care homes of a smaller size would not be ruled out. This runs contrary to what staff and family were told by the Director of Social Services at a previous meeting. It seems there is a lack of communication there somewhere…

Bethan with Plaid's Rosalyn and Linet on the steps of Neath Port Talbot council's offices

I won’t however hold out that I will be responded to in the very near future. It always takes some time for the Labour-controlled council to get back to me. No surprises there. But I don’t see what there is to gain by closing off information from some AMs. It is largely political, and partly due to the fact that councils keep the constituency AM informed rather than letting us all know what is happening in the borough.

Anyway, this issue will not go away and I’ll be involved in whichever way I can be alongside Plaid councillors and activists in the area.

I don’t think I’ll have time to blog tomorrow in between meetings etc, but I just wanted to do a quick blog about Plaid conference.

I’m looking forward to the two day event, and to the workshops and discussions that we will have as a party. It will help us develop policy and thinking for the future I am sure.

I am chairing a discussion on international issues, hosting a fringe meeting for the British Association of Social Workers of which I am a patron, and a fringe meeting on social media with the BBC.

The Conference will concentrate on the General election, without a doubt, and I am sure our candidates will be enthusiastic about the months ahead. If you want to attend the conference, go to Plaid’s website for more details. Of course, no conference would be the same without speeches, and I’m sure I’ll find some time to live blog them for you!

I won’t be at Conference on Saturday morning however, as Unison in Neath Port Talbot has called a rally in Port Talbot about the proposed job cuts by the Council. It starts at 10am from the railway station, and again, feel free to attend if you are local, and want to support front line public sector staff.

Another plug for Waleshome briefly here today.

Go there to read my article on the UK Border Agency office whistle blower that I have written for today’s society page on the website. Join the debate!

Over on the blog Wales home, David Melding the Tory AM with a regular column on the website, suggests that City Hall should be a royal residency in Wales. He says in the article that republicans like me are not his audience, but he has initiated a debate, I’ll give him that.

His idea is absurd, but then you would expect me to say that. Who is he targeting then, and for what purpose? It doesn’t seem to me that it is well thought out, or that the discussing is relevant. Anyhow, this is a quote that I gave to the Western Mail for a story in today’s paper. Thank you to the campaign group Republic for its tourism stats!

”As a Welsh republican, I can only say that I totally disagree with any suggestion that City Hall should be turned in to a royal palace. The monarchy is outdated, and opinion polls show that support for the royal family is low amongst our young people. As far as I am aware, there is no vacancy for a royal residency at City Hall. Where is the for sale sign?

City Hall is used on a regular basis for weddings, cultural events, council meetings, charity events and so forth. If a debate about its future is at the heart of the discussion here, then let’s ask the people of Cardiff, and the wider Welsh population if they have any creative ideas as to how to best develop City Hall.

This is a time of economic downturn, and proposing to create another residency for a family that already gets its fair share of public finances is absurd. Cardiff needs City Hall to encourage economic regeneration.

The suggestion that the monarchy promotes tourism is untrue. There is not a single shred of evidence to back it up. Of the top 20 tourist attractions in the UK only one royal residence makes it: Windsor Castle at number 17 (beaten comfortably by Windsor Legoland, in at number 7)

We have much more important issues to be debating at the moment than to provide more for the super rich. The Tories in Wales in the guise of David Melding are showing their true colours in this regard. I will be fighting to end child poverty and to encourage business development here in Wales, not on discussing an outdated and irrelevant royal family.’

I WAS present at the launch of Families need Fathers Swansea last night.

The organisation supports parents in helping to do the best for their child or children. It often supports non-resident parents in gaining access to their children via the family court system, as well as providing advice. It also campaigns on policy and legislative issues here in Wales, and is now extending that work to Swansea and other local areas.

I met with fathers at the meeting who are going through a very difficult time in seeking to gain access to their children, and are fighting against a system which seems to be set up to see them fail. Going through a long period of seeking access through court, to be told that the only access you can have with your child is to send them birthday and Christmas cards must be heartbreaking for any parent.

I can’t imagine the pain such parents must be going through. Nothing is black and white, yet from my short involvement with the organisation, it seems that the odds are stacked against the non-resident parent, who is more often than not the father.

There’s much that can be done to improve the lives of children, and to ensure that they have the love and care of both parents, extended family, and step parents here in Wales, and I will be very much involved in this process.

In the meantime, here is a link to the new group in Swansea, and a link to the National organisation.

 

 

 

 

This is a question that I asked during Business questions a few weeks ago in the Senedd. I hope to chase it up, as it is quite worrying if a company has been set up to take advantage of vulnerable people.

Bethan Jenkins:  My…concern relates to benefit entitlements. Cymorth Cymru has sent an e-mail to its stakeholders about a certain company that seems to have been set up without a proper address. It has a website called benefitanswers.co.uk. It has been seeking to represent people who are filling out their disability living allowance forms, and, in doing so, it claims as much as £1,500 from those stakeholders or clients that we acknowledge as being among the poorest in society. I seek a statement from the Government on regulation for companies that provide support for those who receive benefits, because this company appears to be quite questionable, as it only has a website and no address to which it can be tracked down.

Jane Hutt:… I am concerned about any kind of misleading and fraudulent information and advice with regard to benefit entitlement. I will bring this matter to the attention not only of our Minister for social justice, but UK Government Ministers.

I HAVE just been informed that the Auditor General for Wales has resigned. A press statement went out this afternoon. The Public Accounts Committee (formerly the Audit committee) does not know the reasons why he has resigned.

Here is a statement issued by the Assembly:

“The Assembly has today (3rd February 2010) forwarded to Her Majesty the Queen the resignation of the current Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman.

“When accepted, the resignation will take place with immediate effect.

“The Assembly will then need to take steps to nominate a successor, for formal appointment by Her Majesty.

“Jeremy Colman was originally appointed as Auditor General for Wales in 2005, for a 5-year term, but that term was extended in May 2009 for a further three years.

“Since the process of selecting a permanent replacement for Jeremy Colman will take several months, the Assembly is likely, in the meantime, to make an interim appointment.

“The Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has responsibility for overseeing the selection process and the Chair of the Committee, Jonathan Morgan AM, has today briefed the members of the Committee on the procedure which now needs to be followed.

“Appointment of an Auditor General for Wales also involves the Welsh Local Government Association, which must be consulted on any proposed appointment.”

Update- the Western Mail reports today that porn was found on the Auditor General’s laptop and that he resigned after this. He still hasn’t made a public comment.

IT’S a truly historical announcement for Wales. Today, the First Minister and Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, Deputy First Minister for Wales, have announced a date for the trigger vote for the referendum.

It will take place next week, on the 9th of February. The Government will then write to the Secretary of State for Wales, and the process will start to take shape regarding the wording of the referendum, and its timing.

Ieuan said this at the press conference this morning-

“I think we can now say with confidence that the institution which was set up following the referendum in 1997 has earned its place in the hearts of the daily lives of the people of Wales and people now see the Assembly as an institution – a credible institution – that should be making decisions about their daily lives increasingly.”The motion will reads as follow.

The motion reads as follows-

‘ To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

resolves, in accordance with section 104(1) of the Government of Wales Act 2006, that a recommendation should be made to her Majesty in Council to make an Order in Council under section 103(1) of the Act.’

I hear that the Tories and the Lib dems want a date to be specified at this juncture, but I am led to believe that the question and the date will be set at a later stage in the process.

 This trigger vote  does exactly what it says do on the tin: trigger the vote. Details can be and must be discussed later on, but it is the principle of voting in favour of having the referendum that is the all important factor now. We need two thirds of all AMs to ensure that this passes due to the fact that it is a constitutional motion, and I hope AMs from all parties will support it. After all, we have already had a vote in the Assembly previously, where all parties voted in support of a referendum. This is about the future of our nation. Playing games with this serves nobody well.

Once this vote has taken place, it will give us the green light to start setting up a strong and vibrant Yes campaign. Before a general election, going hard publicly will not suit parties who will be at logger heads, but it doesn’t stop us preparing the key messages. After all, we have a piece of work to do in encouraging the Welsh public to vote yes in this referendum. Anoraks discussing it in the Assembly can only go so far!

But at the end of the day, I am truly delighted that this date has now been determined, and that the coalition parties are working together successfully on this.  Let’s see how the vote goes next week…