Thursday, April 19, 2007
2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
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Forward Mike German
A fair future. A green future. it is the very core of my party’s values.
Equal opportunities to learn, to get a job, to stay healthy.
Wales leading the world in tackling climate change. Using our natural resources to make the green switch for this and future generations.
>I think that this is the first time in a manifesto that someone has mentioned making Wales a world leader.
But we need a new, fresh government to make the Assembly work for the people.
>I believe that too, now convince me that it’s you!
I want to raise the standard across the country. Giving teachers more freedom and time with pupils by reducing class sizes.
>Good start, but what about building new classrooms to house smaller classes, and money to, well make it all happen. You got my attention though.
Enabling health professionals to put patients first, free from meddling government and back-to-front reorganisation.
>Again good.
Freeing police officers from the burdens of paperwork and freeing our streets from crime.
>Will the Assembly have powers over policing?
Over the last four years this Assembly Government has let Wales down.
>Over the last 8 years to be fair.
Contrast that with this manifesto: full of new ideas, innovative ways to use our new powers, policies to tackle poverty, social exclusion and injustice.
>I’ll be the judge of that please!
We are the party that delivers in devolution. We made the difference after the Assembly’s unstable, directionless first year.
>Was anything achieved during the first assembly?
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As the original party of Wales we are fully committed to Welsh solutions to Welsh needs.
>The liberal democrats are the original party of Wales?
A proud nation should be taking its own decisions here in Wales, and working with our closest neighbours to our mutual benefit out in the wider world.
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That means quality healthcare closer to the home and services that work together to deliver healthcare when it’s needed. Back to front re-organisation and micro-management of the NHS has resulted in millions of pounds being wasted and local needs being ignored.
>Blaming the micro-management for the woes of the NHS does that imply that you want to remove the PCT and other management layers (like LHB) from the NHS and create a single authority for the entire country?
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Health hubs, walk-in centres and the investment needed in the
>What are Health hubs? Why do we need walk in centres why can’t you just invest in GPs surgeries?
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Health Hubs. These will encompass a whole range of patient services in the community, including direct health services such as GPs, physiotherapists, pharmacies as well as wellbeing services such as housing and social services, or CABs.
we aim to develop the role of community hospitals in providing diagnostic, recuperative and rehabilitation care.
>Well community hospitals have always provided recuperative and rehabilitation care haven’t they? So what exactly is diagnostic care? They are not going to have accident and emergency departments in every community hospital so what is left referral to locally based consultants? Or simply are they going to draw blood locally at these hospitals, I want more information, but on the surface its an amicable aim.
Where it is necessary and appropriate to re-organise hospital services, first set out in detail the alternative primary and community provision to replace them, and ensure that the funding is available to provide these services.
>So they are not guaranteeing to keep hospitals open.
Protect services in rural areas, where closures would lead to excessive and potentially dangerous travelling times.
Instead,we will encourage greater collaboration and co-operation to make the NHS work for patients.We will require Local Health Boards (LHBs) to work together on secondary commissioning and will encourage the merging of LHBs where they wish to.
>So they are going to keep PCT and LHBs, so micro-management is bad but you are not going to move towards macro-management.
Introduce a shared budget between NHS and Social Services to deal with delayed transfers of care.
Develop the use of new-technology, such as access to telemedicine, SMS and e-mail notifications and on-line information services, in the NHS.
>For what affect? What do telemedicine, what is telemedicine for a start?
We will encourage more GPs to become specialist GPs equipped to diagnose and treat more patients and increase and promote the use of extended prescribing so that appropriately trained nurses and pharmacists are able to prescribe a wide range of drugs.
>I DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF PHARMACISTS PRESCRIBING DRUGS, although highly qualified nurses will really help speed up healthcare in the NHS. I am admitted to hospital fairly frequently (normally once a year) and the amount of time that is wasted looking for a doctor to write up drugs especially at night is amazing. As for encouraging more GPs to become specialists GPs – they already opt out of out-of-hours services what makes you think that they are going to voluntarily take on more responsibilities or are you going to offer to improve their very cushy £100,000 a year salary?
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Introduce nurse-led walk-in centres, working alongside larger A&E Departments and GP out-of-hours services
Review hospital charges for services such as parking, telephone and television. We will make it easier for patients who have to attend hospital regularly to access schemes that assist with parking and travel costs, with free parking for those who have to attend regularly.
>Good.
Wales needs a modern ambulance service working in partnership with other health and emergency services and using the professional skills of its personnel to the full.
>A lot of this manifesto is based upon improving cooperation, it seems very simplistic, overly so, one wonders if it was this simply why hasn’t it been done already.
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Provide the investment required over the next decade to resource a fit-for-purpose ambulance service. We are keen to examine the potential for greater resource sharing and co-operation within the NHS and with other blue-light services and aim to roll-out in-cab technology such as route navigation that allows pre-arrival information about patients to be transmitted to hospital.
Give paramedics the power to triage patients, so that those who do not need A&E services are directed to the most appropriate source of treatment
Large parts of Wales have become ‘dental deserts’ leaving thousands of residents without regular dental care.
increasing the use of mobile dentists to serve the most rural areas and more salaried dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
capital grants for dentists wishing to set up practices in rural areas.
dental health and prevention at primary school level and at playgroups and nurseries,
Give every child aged 4-5 years a toothbrush and toothpaste and include oral healthcare with early years’ education.
We will examine piloting a scheme providing a weekly fluoride rinse to school children, based on the Canadian model.
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Provide bursaries to newly qualified health professionals to work in areas where there is a shortage of such skills. In return, we will impose a limited contractual commitment to the NHS in Wales.
>How limited?
Employ more physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech & language therapists and will integrate them fully into health teams dealing with patients suffering from stroke and other chronic conditions.
>Seem to be employing a lot of extra staff, how are you going to pay for it?
Adopt a zero-tolerance approach to aggression or violence against NHS staff, requiring all LHBs and Trusts to have robust procedures in place to deal with those who intimidate staff and to support staff after such incidents.
>Overdue, but I would like it to go further and make new laws with punitive sentencing for attacking all emergency services’ staff.
Introduce a guaranteed standard of service that would include what can be expected at hospital and patient access to information.
>Again you are putting procedures in place that will facilitate compensation payouts thereby taking money away from front line services.
Develop targeted health MOTs with appropriate screening tests based on age, family and other risk factors.
>FINALLY some one has said this, it’s a good idea, the earlier conditions are detected the cheaper the treatments are (in general) and the more successful the treatment too. But I think they should be more expansive, i.e., everyone should have an MOT at 3-5 years intervals.
Extend and promote the use of nurses and pharmacists in testing, screening and monitoring for a range of conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol testing.
>This level of health care is appropriate for pharmacists, but I wouldn’t like the role to develop into anything more substantive.
Instigate a review of all targets, with the intention of reducing the number, so that local health services can truly put the patient first and ensure that clinical priorities are not distorted.
Tackle the low provision of stroke units and care in Wales.We will encourage stroke to be treated as a medical emergency, increase availability of testing and screening for related conditions to improve prevention
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Take forward the recommendations of the Assembly health committee’s review of cancer services, in order to produce a holistic Cancer Plan for Wales.
Examine the potential for speeding-up the drug approval process in Wales, including further developing the links with the Scottish drugs approval process.
>Providing that this doesn’t remove the necessary effectiveness tests, and safety tests etc… this isn’t a bad idea, but what is it about the Scottish drugs approval process that is seen to be something to link too? Additionally, this testing procedures must be placed outside of the influence of marketing campaigns and other campaigns, like those which happen with herceptin.
developing a full support package when a new-born child is identified as having hearing loss and teachers of the deaf to provide support to the youngest children.
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We are committed to a comprehensive range of policies to promote healthy living.
Seek the powers to legislate on mental health so that we enshrine guiding principles that put human rights at the forefront of the legislation, as has been done in Scotland.
Encourage healthy eating by supporting the sourcing and promotion of local healthy food, as detailed in our agriculture policies. This includes local food strategies, more public procurement of food from Wales and seeking to extend eligibility for the healthy start scheme.
>Spending Welsh money on Welsh goods is always a good idea.
new regulations on nutritional standards for school meals and ensuring stricter control on the marketing of food and drinks in schools,
Raise the nutritional standards for hospital food, encouraging local procurement, and encourage the use of assistants to help elderly and disabled hospital patients at meal-times,
>Better food will help improve rehabilitation times etc… so it’s a good idea, but again more staff and no indication of where the money is coming from – although they are adamant that all their promises are costed. Thinking about it though, it doesn’t cost anything to encourage the use of … as that can be done in a speech or a letter to hospitals but since there is no commitment to provide assistants there is no cost involved.
Use the ban on smoking in public places as an opportunity to increase the availability of schemes for smoking cessation
>Logical
Work to reduce alcohol and drug dependency,
Continue to raise public awareness on the dangers of STIs and protection measures against spreading infections,
>I suppose that means greater sex education in school. But it doesn’t say explicitly.
legislating to establish specific rights to Welsh service from public bodies.
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For Welsh Liberal Democrats it’s by giving everyone the opportunity to access quality education that we can raise the standard across our communities. Creating the best learning environment, starting with our youngest children, is where it all starts.
The conditions in which our children learn, in which they get to school and what they eat when they’re there are all crucial to delivering the best learning experience possible.
>A holistic approach is good.
Learning starts at home and continues in school but it must be life-long if we are to reap the full potential of education.
>Well I’m a graduate and I can’t for love-nor-money get a job so what is the point of life-long education? I feel that I would have been better leaving school at 16 and working my way up in some firm.
Nothing does more to free people from ignorance, poverty and conformity.
>So the Welsh are ignorant are they? Not the best way to make friends, I hope I know what you mean, but you could have phrased that a lot better.
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We support the Flying Start initiative as a means of incorporating health, care and education for our youngest children and families and will provide increased investment for it so that there is a greater supply of childcare centres and professionals.
Develop, seeking extra powers, financial incentives for businesses that develop childcare facilities
Support active and informal learning as the best means of improving child development at early years in primary school.
>Active and informal learning, by this I assume that you mean learn as you play.
Guarantee average primary class sizes of fewer than 25, and we will work to 25 as the maximum class size for all primary classes by the end of the Assembly term.
>Good, but I get the feeling that the low birth rate will do this for you.
Support teachers locating to areas of need through our proposal to introduce a key-workers housing scheme based on the homebuy scheme.
Promote a clustering approach in primary schools centred on the appropriate local secondary school, improved co-working between schools and with colleges such as loose federations co-ordinating time-tables and ICT networking.
>Clustering approach? How will co-ordinating time-tables help?
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recognising the need to ensure that our children have world-class ICT skills.
>While remembering that exams are still going to be on paper with a pen, so children must retain this ability.
Work with the Electoral Commission to provide more core materials to increase the learning of political literacy and citizenship in schools.
>Citizenship – I’m still not convinced that you can teach citizenship.
examine the potential for further development along the lines of the International Baccalaureate, ensuring access to vocational and academic study.
>International Baccalaureate, less of a commitment to it that Plaid. But since liberal democrats attacked continual reforms of the health service as being detrimental – how then can you say sweeping reforms of the educational system will be good?
examine how we can move to a less-prescriptive curriculum over time, focusing on core skills whilst allowing students every opportunity to reach their potential and equip them for future employment and enable them to become rounded citizens.
>Less-prescriptive curriculum I’m not sure about this idea, there needs to be a benchmark that schools can be measured against.
Develop schools as hubs for the whole community ensuring that pupils, families, local sports and culture groups get access to facilities throughout the week.
>With a nice fee going to the school, maximum utilisation of resources is a good idea, no point it sitting their unused.
Our aim is that children get at least a third of their nutritional needs from school lunches.
>I’m appalled that this isn’t already instigated! If schools provide 1 meal (out of a normal 3) then that should provide 1/3 of the nutritional needs the rest is to be met by the remaining meals.
Develop twinning programmes between local sports clubs and local schools
>And introduce children to a wider spectrum of sports – which can’t be provided in schools.
Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours.
>Ah, back to the days of star jumps and stretches. Seriously though, school sport has been neglected and it could help combat obesity and poor health etc…
Invest in science at all levels of education, starting at school and building up to world-class research-led university departments,
>Going to be a lot of money convincing universities to re-introduce these subjects (e.g. Swansea University and chemistry)
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Fix crumbling classrooms across Wales by ensuring, in partnership with local authorities, that the funding provided for school building work is fully used for that purpose.
>Is a lot of money diverted away from this use?
Encourage the use of Positive Behaviour Plans as a measure to tackle the root cause of bullying. Agreed between schools, pupils and parents these plans help ensure that all parties are involved in addressing bad behaviour.
When all else fails, and the terms of agreed behaviour plans are consistently broken, we guarantee that head teachers will have local education authority support for ‘managed transfer’ to other schools or special units for pupils whose behaviour remains unacceptable.
>Sounds tougher.
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Develop a public education campaign to promote positive parenting and ensure that parents can access parental support when they need it.
Continue to advocate the introduction of a schools counselling service, promoting self-referral.
>Again, “continue to advocate…) you’ll be in government, surely you will have the power to implement a school counselling service, not just lobby for one – I’m beginning to think that this is setting out its principles as an opposition party rather than a programme for government.
Ensure that our children get to school in the safest possible way. We will take forward measures to ensure that there are seat-belts on all school buses, seek the powers to abolish the three-for-two rule and improve supervision on school buses.
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Promote the library network and encourage the use of library facilities as learning centres.
Enhance the role of museums and the cultural sector more widely in promoting learning opportunities for young people and adults.
Extend the full duty of care to the age of 21 for looked-after young people, regardless of whether they continue in education, and we aim to ensure that young people from looked-after backgrounds who do go into further education are given further assistance up until the age of 25 and through to the completion of the course.
>My parents would have put me into care if they thought that the state would pay for my education.
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Maintaining research excellence in Wales is crucial to supporting innovation in the economy and equipping skilled and knowledgeable graduates.
>I have come to believe that the Welsh economy is over supplied with Welsh graduates, in addition to me (and most of my friends) not finding a job – in fact the only graduate that I know is in employment got the job through a friend of a friend – the lower graduate salaries in Wales indicates that there is an abundance of graduates and therefore driving down their market value. What are you going to do to encourage more graduate jobs.
Work with organisations such as Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin to ensure greater early years Welsh medium provision as part of our increased investment in that sector.
We will explore ways to establish Welsh medium schools more easily, including the potential of setting a duty on local authorities to assess the demand for Welsh-medium education and further promote or plan for it in future school organisational plans.
Improve Welsh 2nd language learning
>Please teach me Welsh – I went to school in England, where Wales is only mentioned in derogatory songs – I want to learn.
>Considering it said life long learning there wasn’t very much about adult classes etc… in their manifesto.
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At one time Wales was at the forefront of the industrial revolution, now we have the opportunity to lead the green revolution.
We want to see 100% of our electricity coming from renewable sources by 2050 – creating new jobs, exporting technology and a secure source of energy.
We want all new buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2015,
public buildings having to generate more of their own energy and our homes being properly insulated meaning cheaper bills for everyone.
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Prioritise the provision of Safe Routes to School through continued support, ensuring that walking to school is promoted as a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to the car.
>Good,
In contrast to the current opt-in system, undertake to ensure all schools participate in paper collection and recycling schemes in their areas.
>I’m surprised that this isn’t mandatory, normalizing recycling for young people so that it permeates our society.
Make Wales a world leader in environmental research and teaching
>Yes, I’m glad they have realised that there is an opportunity to put Wales at the forefront of the new technology making them a world leader, creating high quality jobs and investment.
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Reject new nuclear power in Wales.
We will ask for the power to decide on energy developments over 50MW to be devolved to Wales.
Deliver a fully resourced communication campaign about climate change,
Lobby the UK government for a minimum price guarantee for all householders and businesses that export excess renewable energy to the National Grid.
>Could provide a massive incentive for householders to invest in micro-generation.
Revise the planning policy on out-of-town centre supermarkets so that their retail impact on town centres is fully
considered and environmental assessments are undertaken as a matter of course.
>Good, out-of-town retail outlets do damage the high-street, and they do necessitate cars in main. However, I think that the damage has been done. Green fields have already been concreted over it will simply be damage limitation.
Seek to amend planning rules so that it is less easy to get retrospective permission, for example by penalising such applications.
>It would be my preference that punitive monetary fees be applied to stop supermarkets (running into tens-of-millions, if not hundreds to prevent supermarkets and big chains thinking that they can ride rough shot over elected officials. Additionally, large chains that consistently break rules should be forced to employ conformity adjudicators that are responsible to the local planning authority and who has to supervise the construction in addition to the project management team. Furthermore, if that is not strong enough for you. You could compel the company to demolish the store, while continuing to pay the staff they have employed their wages, and force them to rebuild it to the agreed and approved specifications.
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Support research into, and generation of tidal power.
>Which will be highly affective if it’s underwater thanks to the ice caps melting
Our aim is that lagoon pools and wave machine projects will be up and running by the end of this Assembly, and powering Wales’s future. The economic benefits of this will be huge and allow us to be a technology exporter.
>Excellent.
Seek the powers to amend building regulations to ensure new developments in Wales are built to the highest possible environmental standards. This means that once we have the powers we can take forward proposals for all new-builds to have energy efficiency measures as standard such as proper insulation, smart meters and combined heat and power units as part of a sustainable buildings code.
>Again good.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy as a key part of the Sustainable Energy Network.
>That could work, providing that climate connect has a prominent public profile.
developing a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping and abandoned cars,
Ensure that significant planning decisions made by local authorities are assessed on their contribution to climate change.
Reform planning guidance so that there is a presumption of a minimum 500 metre residential buffer zone on opencast developments.
>Probably would be important to me if there was a mine close by.
Develop the National Waste Strategy, ensuring co-operation between local authorities on waste minimisation and serious innovative work on developing energy from waste, for example developing town and community heating systems.
>Does that mean incineration? How do you reconcile that with the amiable carbon reduction.
Aim for 60% of all household waste to be recycled by the end of the Assembly term.
>In my opinion, black bag – straight to landfill waste – should be collected fortnightly. While recyclable waste; tins, plastic, glass, paper, foodstuffs etc… be collected every week. And an increase in the publicity or capacity of large item collections, with the coinciding facilities to sell them in order to encourage re-usage.
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Our aim is that all new housing build, in the private and social sector, is carbon neutral by 2015.
>Why so un-ambitious? Why not carbon neutral and must produce 25% or 50% of expected energy demand for the size of house.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy.
>Your repeating yourself!
Get rid of the need for planning permission for installing small-scale home-based renewable micro-generation devices or combined heat and power units.
>Could cause lots of fractious neighbours – I want more details and what exactly is small-scale?
Maintain the most restrictive policy possible under EU law on GM crop development.
>What about Second-generation GM which could produce cheep medicines – surely it would be beneficial as new energy technologies in delivering high quality jobs in Wales.
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>Huge picture, not much writing. This manifesto isn’t half dragging on, it is repetitive in places, plus its 100% longer than other manifesto – this could have been far more punchier and affective than it is and far more accessible – I like going through these things and I’m getting fed up!
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Demand the powers over offshore oil and gas licensing and offshore planning, including planning for offshore renewable energy projects, and the development of Welsh Marine Protected Areas that are adaptable to changes in the conservation interest, particularly with regard to climate change.
Encourage the use of publicly owned buildings, monuments and sites in the historic environment, including those owned by Cadw, as venues for cultural events and festivals.
>That could be cool, providing money to keep these buildings, creating community events, etc…
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Public fears about crime and anti-social behaviour remain very high. Even in low crime areas people have grown more fearful of crime and for their safety.
Our policies aren’t about tough talk; they’re about delivering practical, realistic and commonsense action to make our streets safer.
>OK, amaze me.
our wish for a Welsh Parliament with comparable powers to the Scottish Parliament
>Hurrah PARLIAMENT FOR WALES, politicians with enough power to make a difference.
Oppose the expensive and illiberal ID cards scheme that already costs almost £100,000 a day. That money should instead be spent on putting more police on the beat in Wales and across Britain.
>YES
funding for an extra 500 police community support officers across Wales
We also support a reduction in the burden of paperwork that keeps police officers off patrol, by encouraging greater use of the latest IT systems and communications technology, and by using civilian auxiliary staff in the police station.
>So is there going to be more money for civilian auxiliary staff?
Tackle anti-social behaviour through Acceptable Behaviour Contracts agreed between the individual, their family, the police, local authority and housing association, specifying behaviour they will not engage in.
>And housing association, so all anti-social behaviour is committed by those people who don’t own their home! Seems a bit of a generalisation.
Improve the provision of all youth services by putting them on a statutory basis.
We will
encourage measures such as confiscation of motor vehicles from persistent joy-riders,
>Do they joy-ride in their own cars? I thought that the majority of joy-riders used stolen vehicles.
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Support the development of community justice panels to give local people a say in the punishment
>Not exactly objective and impartial, more like a show trial!
Encourage the establishment of one-stop local non-emergency helplines such as the successful ‘101’ service in Cardiff which allows people to report problems that affect the place in which they live.
>Overdue.
Continue to support the national helpline for victims of domestic abuse and ensure that the funding is there for it to remain a bilingual 24-hour service, 365 days a year
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>I’m fed up!
Focus on crime prevention and appropriate community sentences.
Support measures to make sentences mean what they say and improve public confidence in the system. The most serious offenders should serve life imprisonment, where the judge considered the offender should never be released.
Support measures to improve the compensation paid to victims, including contributions funded from a common fund paid into from prisoners’ earnings,
>Prisoners’ have earnings?
Tackling substance misuse will reduce crime, promote opportunity and create safer communities.
Establish a National Treatment Taskforce, linking universities in Wales with NHS and voluntary sector providers in the drug field.
Highlight the dangers of excessive drinking, through public awareness promotions and targeted campaigns, and make sure that support is there before the abuse leads to crime and violence.We will discourage irresponsible drink promotions that promote binge drinking, which often lead to violence and anti-social behaviour and we support proof-of-age schemes such as Challenge 21 and ‘Prove it’ cards in order to tackle under-age drinking.
We will ensure that big late night venues contribute to the extra cost of late night policing.
>Excellent, it might make them stop selling alcohol to people who are drunk!
Encourage the recruitment of more Welsh speaking police officers and police community support officers, especially in Language Action Areas.
>Welsh language action areas?
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Wales was once at the forefront of a changing economic landscape. As one of the first nations to industrialise,we were the engine room for development across the world.Welsh Liberal Democrats believe that Wales can lead the way again. The green switch we want to see for Wales will offer opportunities for all, will allow us to be a leading exporter and will ensure that we harness our natural resources to make our economy thrive.
>Repartition.
The building blocks for a more confident and prosperous Wales, free from poverty, is a more educated workforce and a transport system that puts the needs of passengers first.
A Wales where everyone values the ambition and determination needed to build business. We will work towards a Wales that is a beacon for enterprise and leads the world in developing ideas, brands and entrepreneurs.
>Admirable aim.
Support the development of techniums, including in rural areas, that would be magnets for innovation, business set-ups and growth companies.
>You just said that you wanted to restrict out of town shopping centres and now you want to develop out of town business centres!
Make the Assembly Government and National Assembly world-leaders in making it easier for small businesses to apply for public contracts.
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Develop economic opportunity areas which could re-generate towns that have lost industry and promote sectorbased company clusters.
Use European funding to deliver our policy objectives of improved lifelong learning opportunities and better conditions for innovative, job-creating business growth.
Take Wales to the centre of the European debate on the use of corporation tax in member regions and states to stimulate investment.We will push the case for the powers to vary corporation tax or to keep it a specified level for a set-time, targeting a region if necessary.
We want to maximise the potential for new ventures to be the iconic, new-technology, job-creating Welsh brands of the future.
Support a sustainable future for the manufacturing industry in Wales,
Develop a Welsh brand that is confident, enterprising and innovative.
>Yes
Promote modern language learning at school and life-long learning level, enhancing our ability to compete in the international market.
>How are you going to do this?
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We believe that improving the skills levels of the Welsh workforce is essential if Wales is to become a more prosperous economy.
>In addition to creating highly skilled jobs in Wales so graduates didn’t have to look for work in England.
Support innovative ways of making learning and training opportunities more accessible to the workforce and wider community. For example we are keen to see more learning and training centres at office blocks, industrial parks and other major employment sites linked to the wider education sector, as well as libraries and other publicly owned facilities that can support workforce development.
Promote schemes, run through colleges, schools and business forums which encourage and promote business skills amongst young people.
Encourage buddy schemes for higher education students to allow them to get practical experience and increase links between business and education.
>Could be very useful.
Support Menter a Busnes to encourage entrepreneurship in Welsh-speaking communities.
>Support a what? Mentor a business perhaps. Spelling mistakes in election manifestos is abhorrent. Perhaps we could start mentoring political parties (p.s. I’m waiting for someone to jump on my spelling and grammar mistakes and suggest mentor a blogger)
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The key element of our approach to transport policies is providing individuals with the freedom and opportunity to travel.
effective transport connections are vital to our economic development,
Cycling and walking have proven health benefits and also cut carbon emissions – but many people wish government would make it easier.
If we are to get Wales moving forward, first we have to get Wales moving.
>Hopefully, that also includes getting the trains moving as the current disruption between Swansea and Cardiff is not helping people use public transport.
An efficient and extensive public transport system is essential to changing travelling habits and tackling climate change, yet bus and rail services in Wales are too often patchy, uncomfortable and unreliable.
Encourage better integration of bus and rail services,
>Again promote / encourage etc… no real commitment to providing! You should give the councils the power to set routs and demand a minimum level of service. Couple profitable and unprofitable routes in a single contractual bundle so companies can’t cherry pick good routes and force councils to pay subsidies to encourage companies to take up these unprofitable routes.
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Develop an extended community rail strategy which helps extend business and tourism links into smaller communities and more remote areas, examining the re-opening of disused local lines, connections with the network and improved facilities at small stations.
>Develop strategies, examining the possibility – I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU WILL DO NOT WHAT YOU WILL CONSIDER DOING!
Protect and promote the rail links between the regions of Wales
Support better quality rolling stock for the rail network in Wales.
Press for safe and friendly train and bus stations.
>Friendly train and bus stations, I am not often insulted by station buildings.
We support park and ride schemes, such as those in Swansea and Cardiff,
>So you provide finance for them to be implemented in which towns? Again it is non-committal language.
Require all major land use developments to publish and implement a ‘travel plan’ as a condition of planning permission.
>EXCELLENT IDEA
Monitor plans to introduce congestion charging and road user pricing schemes in parts of Wales, supporting them as a means of road traffic reduction if the provision of public transport improves and increases as we propose.
>Well its positive that they will only support it if there is a viable public transport alternative. But again monitor plans …
Promote the use of bio-fuels and their availability at petrol stations across Wales, working with supermarkets and developing supply routes and support for producers through our Green Jobs Strategy.
>Any grants to convert cars to bio-fuels?
Support the transfer of freight from road onto rail and sea, promoting greater use of our network of ports that can facilitate rail-connection for further transportation.
>EXCELLENT
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Encourage local authorities to include proposals in their transport and development policies for increased cycle infrastructure and the development of safer residential and school areas.
Require that all new, non-motorway, roads of more than 1km funded by the Assembly Government contain a planning measure to increase local cycle provision.
>Good idea
Work to ensure that the rail system is cyclist-friendly by promoting cycle spaces on trains and at stations.
>By promoting …they will only be introduced in thirty years or so when new stock is introduced. But the aim is amicable.
Promote Safe Routes to School to reduce the reliance on cars for the ‘school-run’ and increase the number of children walking and cycling to schools, including encouraging ‘walking-buses’.
>I’m sure that I have read that before in this manifesto.
Scrap government subsidy for the proposed North-South air link and instead divert that money towards sustainable and more environmentally-friendly forms of public transport.
Work to make the link between Cardiff city centre and Cardiff International Airport an exemplar of our commitment to sustainable development by using a regular high-speed rail-link and an environmentally friendly hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell bus.
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Everyone has the right to housing adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family. The lack of affordable housing affects all parts of the country and has led to an explosion
in homelessness in recent years.
Domestic properties contribute a large proportion of Wales’s carbon emissions
more energy efficient homes and making it easier for families to go green.
All new housing to be carbonneutral
Increase the housing budget by at least £150 million over the next term, which will enable the Assembly Government, local authorities, housing associations, developers and community bodies to deliver the action that is needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis.
Encourage councils to devolve responsibility where appropriate, and after a ballot, by passing control of social housing to community based housing associations and tenants’ co-operatives.
Promote schemes, run between local authorities, housing associations, developers and education providers that offer practical training and skills development for tenants and the wider community.
>Promote. Why not establish, or roll-out schemes etc…
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Examine the case for following the example of Scotland and establish a Private Renting Housing panel to adjudicate where a tenant considers the landlord is failing to meet the standard of repair required.
>Surely you should have examined this prior to writing this manifesto and tell us if you would do it if your elected!
We would ensure sufficient funding is available at national level and set targets for the reduction of homelessness.
>Finally, they would ensure! The Liberal Democrats have finally told us what they would do in action rather than just look at or consider.
Page 38
Encourage the promotion of leasing deals
>They are getting worse, encourage the promotion.
Promote regional projects to ensure that each area is able to provide adequate facilities to shelter, house and support people who have been accepted as homeless.
Develop a joint statement of practice for the recovery of rent arrears by social landlords.
Promote and simplify the successful Homebuy scheme.
Give local authorities the power to suspend the Right-to-buy. We would expect this to happen initially in areas where the affordable housing crisis is at its worst, and for a specified period of time.
Page 39
Work with local planning authorities to identify sites for affordable housing within their Local Development frameworks and improve the supply of land by picking out suitable sites for affordable housing owned by the Assembly Government across the country.
Develop an affordable threshold on new developments. This means that projects over a certain size would trigger a planning condition forcing developers to provide a specified proportion of affordable homes for low-cost renting or low-cost ownership.
>I thought that this was already in place. This is easy to get around mind just make it so that you apply for planning permission in two phases, maybe with a couple of years apart. So if this comes to pass I foresee many roads in housing estates leading to fields ready for future developments. Or cul-de-sacs with no house at the bottom of the road, or an oddly placed round-a-bout ready for another exit.
Examine the need and powers available to establish a Welsh version of Scotland’s Ownership Options which enables disabled people in unsuitable housing to access home ownership through the use of the benefit Income Support Mortgage Interest relief (ISMI).
Page 40
For Welsh Liberal Democrats social justice means improving community safety, tackling poverty and combating social exclusion for all people, in all areas of Wales. We aim to increase the numbers of social enterprises in Wales, giving more freedom to community organisations and increasing lifelong learning opportunities that give individuals, families and communities the tools they need.
Ensuring equality of opportunity is essential in building stronger communities and social cohesion.We are committed to initiatives and policies that promote equal citizenship, accessibility to services, equal learning opportunities and equal access to employment opportunities. The commitment to equality of opportunity is intrinsic to our approach to public policy, and building a fairer, better-educated, inclusive and prosperous Wales.
Work with local authorities to ensure that there is access to free-to-use ATMs, especially in deprived communities.
Develop school-based courses that make young people better informed about financial issues such as credit cards, mortgage rates, credit unions and the causes of debt.
>Good basic financial skills in a must.
Support the establishment of community banks, credit unions and LETS schemes, in particular the potential of post offices to be hubs for credit union transactions and activities.
Page 41
Post Offices provide a valuable and essential service to communities across Wales. Government moves, both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster, to undermine the network are moves that undermine community life. We are committed to a Post Office network that is thriving and provides a diverse range of services.
Re-introduce the Post Office Development Fund abolished by Labour,
Continue to oppose the abolition of the Post Office Account Card
Work with the UK government to promote the case to maintain the obligation on Royal Mail to provide universal sameprice delivery of letters throughout Wales, and the UK.
>Hear-hear, but if you want to keep the universal service, you have to stop other companies cherry-picking the profitable business and leaving the royal mail with all the unprofitable sectors.
Work with the UK Government to investigate providing more services at Post Office counters, and build on the successful Police and Post Office Partnership pilot in mid Wales.
A nation where true equality of opportunity exists is a nation free from prejudice and poverty and is a nation whose people can fulfil their full potential.
Encourage a concerted effort across the private and public sector in Wales to ensure that each citizen has a right to enforce their rights when things go wrong at work or when individuals’ legal rights and entitlements are not met.
Improve the data on school pupils, including minority groups and their performance, so that effective measures can be taken to close the gaps in achievement.
>So instead of school league tables we are going to have pupil league tables!
Ensure that the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights in Wales takes account of the devolved context in which it will operate.
Promote the need to get more women and people from the BME community into public life.
>BME is what exactly? Black middle easten? Black or mixed ethnicity? You can’t just use these acronyms without disclosing what they refer too.
Page 42
Encourage health authorities to reach out to lesbian, gay and bisexual populations to reassure them that they can and should disclose sexual orientation when it’s relevant to their care.
We will promote a Wales-wide initiative to support and welcome migrant workers and encourage integration with the local community, based on the successful model of the ‘One Wrexham’ initiative introduced by the Welsh Liberal Democrat-led council in Wrexham.
>Wasn’t there racial rioting in Wrexham? Again what is the one Wrexham initiative? What does it entail, language training, cultural exchanges. What?
Work to introduce a Digital Resource for Books to be provided by the Welsh Books Council.
Guarantee that ID cards will not be needed to access Welsh public services. We will ensure that people continue to receive health treatment based on their needs, not on whether they have a piece of plastic in their wallets or purses.
Work to remove arbitrary age limits on volunteering, and work towards extending age discrimination legislation to cover all volunteers and unpaid workers.
>Are you going to remove arbitrary age limits on voting too?
Lobby for Children’s and Older Peoples’ Commissioners to have powers to represent on non-devolved issues so that we reduce the confusion for children and older people regarding which commissioners deal with which issues.
>I’m still discussed that there is an older peoples commissioner. As I see it the justification for a children’s’ commissioner is the fact that they don’t have any democratic representation, now why should people who vote get an additional representation in the form of a commissioner.
Page 43
Get the powers to give 16 year olds the vote
>Hurrah, surly this will help voter turnout if people are still in school and taught about politics and the importance of voting.
Page 44
Introduce a ‘Community Right to Buy’ which would enable community organizations to register an interest in land or buildings that were designed for public use so that if the property comes up for sale they have first refusal, subject to a community ballot.
Communities should be places in which people are able to work, live and play. Effective functioning communities need places in which residents can meet, access information and work together.
>So you are going to legislate that more green areas are created among new housing developments.
Page 45
Introduce the changes of the voting system for local government as recommended by the Sunderland Commission – delivering fair votes for communities by introducing the STV system for local government elections.
>Interesting.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
>HURRAH, reducing the age for voting.
Make progress towards replacing the unfair council tax with a local tax based on the individual’s ability to pay, campaigning at a UK level and examining ways of delivering this in Wales.
>So another tax on wage earners, so unemployed and the lazy can just opt out, not really encouraging people to work is it!
Page 46
Develop and expand Language Action Areas, to help reverse the trend towards de-population and ensure the welcome and integration of individuals moving into Welsh-speaking communities.
Page 47
For the Welsh Liberal Democrats, social justice does not end at the heads of the valleys. Our rural communities are facing up to the challenges of globalisation, social exclusion and changing needs. A vital cog in keeping the wheels of rural Wales turning is making sure that our farmers and consumers get an honest and fair deal.
Ensuring that over half of publicly procured food is sourced from Wales by 2015
>I’m sure that I have read this before, why oh why would you repeat things over and over again you loose so much of the impact.
Page 48
The promotion of produce from Wales involves developing external markets, developing innovative processing and product bases, strengthening public procurement actions, and encouraging more local consumption of local produce.
Encourage diversification, quality branded local produce and healthy competition in order to develop an enterprising and economically viable farming industry.
It would examine and report on the supermarket code of practice and whether it needs to be strengthened and further regulated, the future of the dairy industry, the processing and development sectors, the public procurement process for Welsh produce, the supply chain from farm to fork and the price we pay in markets and shops.
Further develop the marketing and support for Welsh branded produce with its reputation for quality, promoting an identifiable brand and support for a reinvigorated Farming Connect that promotes knowledge transfer.
Promote greater links between the tourism industry and farms, improving communication between the two industries and in particular developing ‘food tourism’.
>Has Wales got the culinary reputation needed for such a feat?
Over recent years the capacity of the Welsh countryside to recover from the Foot and Mouth outbreak and BSE has been fantastic. But we must work harder to ensure that the preventative measures are in place to ensure, as far as possible, that we can avoid such diseases again and be ready to deal with them should the need arise.
Develop a national strategy, co-ordinating the agricultural industry, the veterinary and emergency services, to respond to, and tackle animal diseases.
Aim to eradicate TB in Wales by intensifying the testing programme.
>This is reputation again.
Continue to make the case for tight controls on the import of foreign and illegal meat in order to prevent diseases arriving here and infecting indigenous livestock and produce.
>Good.
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Use the Assembly’s new powers on animal welfare for the benefit of domestic and captive wild animals.We will examine support for outlawing all animals other than horses and dogs in circuses, improve licensing for events where animals are put on display, outlaw harmful and cruel aids such as electric shock training collars for race dogs and strengthen regulation of the greyhound industry such as veterinary presence at tracks and a proper licensing system for race dogs.
Seek derogation from the EU regulations which prohibit the burying of fallen stock on farmers’ land and allow some on-site burial.
>Never going to be allowed!
Most people nowadays are convinced of the need to eat and live healthier. But without our agricultural industry growing that fresh, healthy food and playing their part in protecting the environment we will not be able to fight obesity and illhealth.
Support organic farming, helping to meet the demand for organic produce.
>Organic food is not healthier than other types of food!
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Encourage local sourcing of food for the healthier and more nutritious school meals that our new regulations will introduce.
Progress the all-Wales coastal path project. We are aware that implementation will require agreements, co-operation and determination on the part of many organisations, public and private, across the country. In government we will play a leading role in taking this project forward.
Restore the Tir Mynydd budget for the next year to the level it was before cuts were made in the last Assembly budget
Ensure Wales’s new legislative status gives us greater leverage on European Union decision-making affecting our farming industry by strengthening our presence at European Agriculture Council meetings, and the discussions which lead up to them.
Make it easier for small enterprises to apply for public contracts, meaning that there is more support for farmers and producers in their bids to supply schools, hospitals and other public services. Our target is that at least half of publicly procured food which is available in our country to be sourced from Wales by 2015.
>It’s de ja vu all over again.
Fully review how current flood defence and risk management regulations and advice from the government is working, paying particular attention to the accuracy of advice maps and the need for them to be updated more regularly, the need to reduce current and future risk by restricting developments and increasing public awareness of how to deal with flooding.
>Restricting building on flood plans is sensible if we are expecting sea levels to rise. But that would mean stopping development in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, LLanelli etc…
Page 51
Community based cultural initiatives, such as radio stations, reflects and promotes what
is best about the Welsh passion for social enterprise and cultural chances for all.
Implement the recommendations of the Welsh Arts Review, chaired by Elan Closs Stephens, making the arts and culture a cross-cutting theme across government at all levels.
Prioritise the development of a joint strategy with the education ministry to define cultural entitlements for young people, to extend the role of the arts in the school curriculum and to reverse the decline in cultural provision and participation, and introducing a new Arts Development Fund for schools.
Develop a ‘duty of care’ towards cultural provision as a legal responsibility of local authorities, as is the case in Scotland, to ensure that cultural opportunities are available to all in our communities.
Require local authorities to take cultural factors and needs into account when planning local transport, housing and education schemes.
Investigate the potential for a privately funded scheme, similar to the Arts Council’s highly successful Collectorplan art purchase scheme, to encourage the purchase of musical instruments by young people, schools and community groups.
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Work with the Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies (ASPBs), broadcasters and local authorities to make more effective use of the Eisteddfod and the network of festivals, creating local business communities around them.
By illuminating our past, museums and galleries can provide educational, tourism and cultural opportunities for the future. They are a resource for reflecting our identity and history as a nation, but also as tools for enhancing our collective knowledge.
>Good.
Page 53
Develop a modern and ambitious programme of exhibitions in Wales, in return for loans of world-class collections from Wales going to other places in order to enhance Wales’s profile.
>Good idea.
Demand the powers to make St David’s Day a public bank holiday so that we can celebrate our national day and make it a global festival of all things Welsh and a showcase for investment and tourism.
>HURRAH!
Wales’s two main languages are a rich part of our heritage. We must treasure and nurture them – side by side. Our modern revival of the Welsh language in the face of global Anglo-Americanisation is the envy of many European nations and regions. It is a core part of who we are, and of our reputation for cultural excellence.
The Welsh language is a treasure that we can all be proud of, it enriches Welsh life and makes Wales special.We will support, facilitate and promote the use of the Welsh Language across all aspects of Welsh life and government.
Legislate to enshrine the right to service in Welsh. By establishing specific rights it would be clear to individuals what they can expect in relation to a Welsh service from public bodies and those that have migrated from the public sector since the current Language Act was passed.
>Interesting, goes some way to meet demands of language campaigners but how much of an affect will it really have.
Make Welsh and English the official languages of Wales.
>Good.
Ensure that the plans for Language Action Areas will include encouragement of intergenerational transmission of Welsh and promotion as a community language; encourage co-operation between local bodies and organisations to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh in communities; promote the full community use of Welsh in all tiers of education from nurseries to adult education.
Broadcasting and new technologies have made the world smaller – and allowed smaller countries to make a mark on the world. New developments offer a golden opportunity for individuals, communities and the nation as a whole to exploit our talents and create social, cultural and economic prosperity.
>Ambitious and positive about small nations – IN YOUR FACE PETER HAIN!
Press for the infrastructure to be in place to ensure that all of Wales can have access to Welsh digital channels by the time of switchover.
>Absolutely necessary!
Page 54
Examine the opportunities created by digital switchover and greater spectrum availability for more community and regional television stations, including increased Welsh language provision.
>An original promise.
Build on the good work and reputation of Dr Who and other recent productions, seeking to ensure that all public service broadcasters continue to increase their levels of commissioning and production from Wales-based producers.
>Again in response to Peter Hain who said “If was were independent then Dr Who would not have been filmed in Cardiff”
Support the principle of a daily Welsh language newspaper and examine all possible roles that we can play in further supporting its establishment. For example, the potential for public sector recruitment advertising, the development of a greater on-line presence and the role of the Welsh Language Board.
>Again support the principle, I would love to have a paper on a par with ‘the broadsheets’ and of the same intellectual standard based in Wales with predominantly Welsh news, rather that have to read London based papers which are obviously propagating English culture.
Develop a twinning programme between local sports clubs and local schools. This will create new coaching opportunities as well as better use of facilities. We will encourage our highest-profile clubs to lead on this and provide models of best practice.
>Excellent – but again this is mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
Page 55
Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours. We also expect schools to promote accessible opportunities for pupils to participate in sport after-hours.
>This is also mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
Increase investment in top-quality coaching for children. Working with local authorities, the Sports Council and governing bodies, this extra money will develop a network of local coaches to co-ordinate training opportunities for schools, colleges and community groups.
>Excellent ideas again
Seek to increase access to sporting activities in or on rivers and lakes. We will examine the need for statutory rights of access for everyone as is the case in Scotland.
>Good policy if the examination decides that it is feasible etc…
Re-double our efforts to attract major sporting events, as English football finals leave the Millennium Stadium. We will develop a new Events Strategy that will examine our potential to host, for example, European club football finals, a stage of the Tour de France and major Women’s events.
>It always strikes me as odd that tour de France goes outside that countries borders. But why don’t you want to create a tour de Wales? We have plenty of scenery which could magnificently host it!
Oppose any international threats to Wales’ss status as a national football team in its own right.
>WALES’SS, are we a serpent nation, I’ve said it before but spelling mistakes in election manifestos’ is not good.
Page 56
Develop partnerships with our HE/FE institutions, the Sports Council and our professional rugby and football clubs to improve regional access to top-class training and coaching opportunities for athletes with the potential to reach the top.
>A sporting nation is an excellent aim and fits perfectly into the Welsh culture.
Encourage the presence of elite Welsh teams at the top level of UK and European sport. For example a Super League franchise in Wales, the continuing existence of a Welsh team in the Netball Super League and women and men’s domestic and national cricket teams at the highest level possible.
>That was a gapping omission of the recent cricket world cup, there was a Scottish team, an Irish team and obviously an English team – why wasn’t there a Welsh team?
Use our big towns and cities as gateways to their wider region. They are tourist attractions in themselves but by promoting effective regional tourism partnerships that utilise regional capitals such as Cardiff and Swansea, we will see a multiplier tourist effect across the country.
Encourage local authorities to work together on marketing and promotion, helping define the Welsh tourist experience. For example, heads of the valleys authorities providing a “walking in the footsteps of the industrial revolution” combined experience.
Encourage a more joined-up approach between the National Museums and Library and tourism. This means not just getting people visiting museums but promoting and encouraging visits to the areas represented in the collections and exhibitions.
Encourage the National Eisteddfod to do more to attract non-Welsh speaking visitors. We expect to see greater use of multi-lingual stewards and designated tours of the Maes available in many languages.
>The Eisteddfod is the Bulwark of Welsh language Welsh culture the more languages that you permit into the maes the more diluted its ethos is surely!
Promote Wales as the home of the summer season of festivals and events.
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The Welsh Liberal Democrats will stretch the Assembly’s new powers to the maximum. However the new procedures mean that before we can introduce any new laws we’ll have to get permission from the Secretary of State in London, through what will be called ‘Orders in Council’. This leaves Wales with a second-class Assembly whilst in Scotland they already have a proper parliament that does what is best for Scotland without having to first ask London for permission on what it can and cannot do.
>The current de-volution (I still hate that term de-evolution: it sounds like we become less human by having a government of the same national identity as ourselves) is flawed and dreadfully botched. I think that the majority of people in Wales will support a Parliament with powers to affect a real difference.
We will be ambitious when we demand an ‘Order in Council’, we have a lot to do for Wales and we need all the tools to do the job well.
We still want to see a proper parliament for Wales, and the Welsh Liberal Democrats remain committed to that goal. Wales can only have the full range of tools to do the job when it has a full Parliament with real powers. Allowing a Welsh Parliament to
>HEAR-HEAR, Plaid and Liberal democrats have one thing in common at least.
In government, require each minister, soon after taking office, to set out how their department would promote the Welsh economy by tackling economic inactivity, make the green switch and mainstream the Welsh language.
Develop and press for more Wales-specific statistics and research, so as to better inform policy and funding for Assembly Government initiatives.
>It always amuses me that so many people say that Wales is being subsidies by England, the fact is no one can tell if anyone is being subsidies by anyone else since corporation tax is not collected by region. And the fact that Wales pays its fair share for military installations that are based in southern England, and the nuclear deterrent that is based in Scotland means that it is highly likely that Wales isn’t getting out of the UK and equal amount to what it is putting in. Coupled with the fact that Westminster is currently paying back to Wales European subsidies that were earmarked for Wales that were diverted to England it does indeed look like Wales is being subsidised.
Press for a new funding formula that takes account of Wales’s needs and scrap the out-moded ‘Barnett Formula’ which fails Wales.Wales should have the power, as they do in Northern Ireland, to borrow funds to pay for specific needs and projects.
Give a Welsh Parliament the power to vary income taxes to suit our own circumstances, as they have in Scotland, subject to the support of the people of Wales in a referendum.
Page 58
Review the tendering and negotiations process concerning public finance initiatives (PFI) and public private partnerships. In some instances PFI has allowed private sector knowledge and best practice into public sector provision. It is not the best option in many cases, despite UK Government instructions to that effect. We would like to see a level playing field for all providers – traditional public sector, private sector and public benefit organisations.
>I would like to see PFI banned it is a huge waste of tax payers money. Gordon Brown prefers it because it keeps debts for hospitals and schools off the books, so he can be seen as a prudent chancellor! It is the most expensive perception management exercise in this countries history (is suspect).
Establish a Welsh version of the ‘Queen’s Speech’ to open the Senedd’s term each year with the Government outlining its programme for the year ahead, listing new legislation, new measures and what further transfer of functions it wants.
>Wales is a principality, so that would be a prince’s speech. I think that Welsh democracy can do without such formalities. The Senedd is a glorious building but it does not lend itself well to occasions of pomp and circumstance.
Transform the Assembly Government’s annual report into an independent annual report of facts and figures comparing the Assembly Government’s programme and targets with its delivery and outcomes.
>Devoid of spin doctors, would be a more objective document that would permit a greater transparency of the effectiveness and the achievements of the government.
We support the campaign to designate an internet Top Level Domain to Wales and will
examine the case for the Assembly Government to use a Wales-specific address.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
Wales has much to offer the world. The Welsh Assembly Government needs to be outward looking as well as inward looking, working with others to promote democracy and social and environmental justice across the globe.
Make a full contribution to promoting sustainable development, human rights and democracy in the world, working with and through the European Union, central government departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, and non-governmental organisations such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Cymru-Lesotho link, Oxfam and others.
Page 59
A £50m package to improve the dental health of Wales – Introducing more dental therapists and salaried dentists, toothpaste and tooth brushes for school children and support for dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
£46m to improve the quality of our children’s learning environment – With smaller class sizes and more nutritious school meals.
And £150m to really tackle the issue of affordable housing in Wales – Not tampering with the costs from the side lines but dealing with the problem at source with a radical overhaul of the Social Housing Grant and the rules governing Housing Associations.
>That’s more punchy why do we have to wait till the last page for that!
COMING NEXT: LABOUR
¶ 6:27 PM Forward Mike German
A fair future. A green future. it is the very core of my party’s values.
Equal opportunities to learn, to get a job, to stay healthy.
Wales leading the world in tackling climate change. Using our natural resources to make the green switch for this and future generations.
>I think that this is the first time in a manifesto that someone has mentioned making Wales a world leader.
But we need a new, fresh government to make the Assembly work for the people.
>I believe that too, now convince me that it’s you!
I want to raise the standard across the country. Giving teachers more freedom and time with pupils by reducing class sizes.
>Good start, but what about building new classrooms to house smaller classes, and money to, well make it all happen. You got my attention though.
Enabling health professionals to put patients first, free from meddling government and back-to-front reorganisation.
>Again good.
Freeing police officers from the burdens of paperwork and freeing our streets from crime.
>Will the Assembly have powers over policing?
Over the last four years this Assembly Government has let Wales down.
>Over the last 8 years to be fair.
Contrast that with this manifesto: full of new ideas, innovative ways to use our new powers, policies to tackle poverty, social exclusion and injustice.
>I’ll be the judge of that please!
We are the party that delivers in devolution. We made the difference after the Assembly’s unstable, directionless first year.
>Was anything achieved during the first assembly?
Page 5
As the original party of Wales we are fully committed to Welsh solutions to Welsh needs.
>The liberal democrats are the original party of Wales?
A proud nation should be taking its own decisions here in Wales, and working with our closest neighbours to our mutual benefit out in the wider world.
Page 6
That means quality healthcare closer to the home and services that work together to deliver healthcare when it’s needed. Back to front re-organisation and micro-management of the NHS has resulted in millions of pounds being wasted and local needs being ignored.
>Blaming the micro-management for the woes of the NHS does that imply that you want to remove the PCT and other management layers (like LHB) from the NHS and create a single authority for the entire country?
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Prevention is as important as cure and we will prioritise the delivery of measures that promote healthy living, across all aspects of life in Wales.
Health hubs, walk-in centres and the investment needed in the
>What are Health hubs? Why do we need walk in centres why can’t you just invest in GPs surgeries?
Page 7
Health Hubs. These will encompass a whole range of patient services in the community, including direct health services such as GPs, physiotherapists, pharmacies as well as wellbeing services such as housing and social services, or CABs.
we aim to develop the role of community hospitals in providing diagnostic, recuperative and rehabilitation care.
>Well community hospitals have always provided recuperative and rehabilitation care haven’t they? So what exactly is diagnostic care? They are not going to have accident and emergency departments in every community hospital so what is left referral to locally based consultants? Or simply are they going to draw blood locally at these hospitals, I want more information, but on the surface its an amicable aim.
Where it is necessary and appropriate to re-organise hospital services, first set out in detail the alternative primary and community provision to replace them, and ensure that the funding is available to provide these services.
>So they are not guaranteeing to keep hospitals open.
Protect services in rural areas, where closures would lead to excessive and potentially dangerous travelling times.
Instead,we will encourage greater collaboration and co-operation to make the NHS work for patients.We will require Local Health Boards (LHBs) to work together on secondary commissioning and will encourage the merging of LHBs where they wish to.
>So they are going to keep PCT and LHBs, so micro-management is bad but you are not going to move towards macro-management.
Introduce a shared budget between NHS and Social Services to deal with delayed transfers of care.
Develop the use of new-technology, such as access to telemedicine, SMS and e-mail notifications and on-line information services, in the NHS.
>For what affect? What do telemedicine, what is telemedicine for a start?
We will encourage more GPs to become specialist GPs equipped to diagnose and treat more patients and increase and promote the use of extended prescribing so that appropriately trained nurses and pharmacists are able to prescribe a wide range of drugs.
>I DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF PHARMACISTS PRESCRIBING DRUGS, although highly qualified nurses will really help speed up healthcare in the NHS. I am admitted to hospital fairly frequently (normally once a year) and the amount of time that is wasted looking for a doctor to write up drugs especially at night is amazing. As for encouraging more GPs to become specialists GPs – they already opt out of out-of-hours services what makes you think that they are going to voluntarily take on more responsibilities or are you going to offer to improve their very cushy £100,000 a year salary?
Page 8
Introduce nurse-led walk-in centres, working alongside larger A&E Departments and GP out-of-hours services
Review hospital charges for services such as parking, telephone and television. We will make it easier for patients who have to attend hospital regularly to access schemes that assist with parking and travel costs, with free parking for those who have to attend regularly.
>Good.
Wales needs a modern ambulance service working in partnership with other health and emergency services and using the professional skills of its personnel to the full.
>A lot of this manifesto is based upon improving cooperation, it seems very simplistic, overly so, one wonders if it was this simply why hasn’t it been done already.
Page 9
Provide the investment required over the next decade to resource a fit-for-purpose ambulance service. We are keen to examine the potential for greater resource sharing and co-operation within the NHS and with other blue-light services and aim to roll-out in-cab technology such as route navigation that allows pre-arrival information about patients to be transmitted to hospital.
Give paramedics the power to triage patients, so that those who do not need A&E services are directed to the most appropriate source of treatment
Large parts of Wales have become ‘dental deserts’ leaving thousands of residents without regular dental care.
increasing the use of mobile dentists to serve the most rural areas and more salaried dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
capital grants for dentists wishing to set up practices in rural areas.
dental health and prevention at primary school level and at playgroups and nurseries,
Give every child aged 4-5 years a toothbrush and toothpaste and include oral healthcare with early years’ education.
We will examine piloting a scheme providing a weekly fluoride rinse to school children, based on the Canadian model.
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Provide bursaries to newly qualified health professionals to work in areas where there is a shortage of such skills. In return, we will impose a limited contractual commitment to the NHS in Wales.
>How limited?
Employ more physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech & language therapists and will integrate them fully into health teams dealing with patients suffering from stroke and other chronic conditions.
>Seem to be employing a lot of extra staff, how are you going to pay for it?
Adopt a zero-tolerance approach to aggression or violence against NHS staff, requiring all LHBs and Trusts to have robust procedures in place to deal with those who intimidate staff and to support staff after such incidents.
>Overdue, but I would like it to go further and make new laws with punitive sentencing for attacking all emergency services’ staff.
Introduce a guaranteed standard of service that would include what can be expected at hospital and patient access to information.
>Again you are putting procedures in place that will facilitate compensation payouts thereby taking money away from front line services.
Develop targeted health MOTs with appropriate screening tests based on age, family and other risk factors.
>FINALLY some one has said this, it’s a good idea, the earlier conditions are detected the cheaper the treatments are (in general) and the more successful the treatment too. But I think they should be more expansive, i.e., everyone should have an MOT at 3-5 years intervals.
Extend and promote the use of nurses and pharmacists in testing, screening and monitoring for a range of conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol testing.
>This level of health care is appropriate for pharmacists, but I wouldn’t like the role to develop into anything more substantive.
Instigate a review of all targets, with the intention of reducing the number, so that local health services can truly put the patient first and ensure that clinical priorities are not distorted.
Tackle the low provision of stroke units and care in Wales.We will encourage stroke to be treated as a medical emergency, increase availability of testing and screening for related conditions to improve prevention
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Take forward the recommendations of the Assembly health committee’s review of cancer services, in order to produce a holistic Cancer Plan for Wales.
Examine the potential for speeding-up the drug approval process in Wales, including further developing the links with the Scottish drugs approval process.
>Providing that this doesn’t remove the necessary effectiveness tests, and safety tests etc… this isn’t a bad idea, but what is it about the Scottish drugs approval process that is seen to be something to link too? Additionally, this testing procedures must be placed outside of the influence of marketing campaigns and other campaigns, like those which happen with herceptin.
developing a full support package when a new-born child is identified as having hearing loss and teachers of the deaf to provide support to the youngest children.
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We are committed to a comprehensive range of policies to promote healthy living.
Seek the powers to legislate on mental health so that we enshrine guiding principles that put human rights at the forefront of the legislation, as has been done in Scotland.
Encourage healthy eating by supporting the sourcing and promotion of local healthy food, as detailed in our agriculture policies. This includes local food strategies, more public procurement of food from Wales and seeking to extend eligibility for the healthy start scheme.
>Spending Welsh money on Welsh goods is always a good idea.
new regulations on nutritional standards for school meals and ensuring stricter control on the marketing of food and drinks in schools,
Raise the nutritional standards for hospital food, encouraging local procurement, and encourage the use of assistants to help elderly and disabled hospital patients at meal-times,
>Better food will help improve rehabilitation times etc… so it’s a good idea, but again more staff and no indication of where the money is coming from – although they are adamant that all their promises are costed. Thinking about it though, it doesn’t cost anything to encourage the use of … as that can be done in a speech or a letter to hospitals but since there is no commitment to provide assistants there is no cost involved.
Use the ban on smoking in public places as an opportunity to increase the availability of schemes for smoking cessation
>Logical
Work to reduce alcohol and drug dependency,
Continue to raise public awareness on the dangers of STIs and protection measures against spreading infections,
>I suppose that means greater sex education in school. But it doesn’t say explicitly.
legislating to establish specific rights to Welsh service from public bodies.
Page 13
For Welsh Liberal Democrats it’s by giving everyone the opportunity to access quality education that we can raise the standard across our communities. Creating the best learning environment, starting with our youngest children, is where it all starts.
The conditions in which our children learn, in which they get to school and what they eat when they’re there are all crucial to delivering the best learning experience possible.
>A holistic approach is good.
Learning starts at home and continues in school but it must be life-long if we are to reap the full potential of education.
>Well I’m a graduate and I can’t for love-nor-money get a job so what is the point of life-long education? I feel that I would have been better leaving school at 16 and working my way up in some firm.
Nothing does more to free people from ignorance, poverty and conformity.
>So the Welsh are ignorant are they? Not the best way to make friends, I hope I know what you mean, but you could have phrased that a lot better.
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We support the Flying Start initiative as a means of incorporating health, care and education for our youngest children and families and will provide increased investment for it so that there is a greater supply of childcare centres and professionals.
Develop, seeking extra powers, financial incentives for businesses that develop childcare facilities
Support active and informal learning as the best means of improving child development at early years in primary school.
>Active and informal learning, by this I assume that you mean learn as you play.
Guarantee average primary class sizes of fewer than 25, and we will work to 25 as the maximum class size for all primary classes by the end of the Assembly term.
>Good, but I get the feeling that the low birth rate will do this for you.
Support teachers locating to areas of need through our proposal to introduce a key-workers housing scheme based on the homebuy scheme.
Promote a clustering approach in primary schools centred on the appropriate local secondary school, improved co-working between schools and with colleges such as loose federations co-ordinating time-tables and ICT networking.
>Clustering approach? How will co-ordinating time-tables help?
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recognising the need to ensure that our children have world-class ICT skills.
>While remembering that exams are still going to be on paper with a pen, so children must retain this ability.
Work with the Electoral Commission to provide more core materials to increase the learning of political literacy and citizenship in schools.
>Citizenship – I’m still not convinced that you can teach citizenship.
examine the potential for further development along the lines of the International Baccalaureate, ensuring access to vocational and academic study.
>International Baccalaureate, less of a commitment to it that Plaid. But since liberal democrats attacked continual reforms of the health service as being detrimental – how then can you say sweeping reforms of the educational system will be good?
examine how we can move to a less-prescriptive curriculum over time, focusing on core skills whilst allowing students every opportunity to reach their potential and equip them for future employment and enable them to become rounded citizens.
>Less-prescriptive curriculum I’m not sure about this idea, there needs to be a benchmark that schools can be measured against.
Develop schools as hubs for the whole community ensuring that pupils, families, local sports and culture groups get access to facilities throughout the week.
>With a nice fee going to the school, maximum utilisation of resources is a good idea, no point it sitting their unused.
Our aim is that children get at least a third of their nutritional needs from school lunches.
>I’m appalled that this isn’t already instigated! If schools provide 1 meal (out of a normal 3) then that should provide 1/3 of the nutritional needs the rest is to be met by the remaining meals.
Develop twinning programmes between local sports clubs and local schools
>And introduce children to a wider spectrum of sports – which can’t be provided in schools.
Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours.
>Ah, back to the days of star jumps and stretches. Seriously though, school sport has been neglected and it could help combat obesity and poor health etc…
Invest in science at all levels of education, starting at school and building up to world-class research-led university departments,
>Going to be a lot of money convincing universities to re-introduce these subjects (e.g. Swansea University and chemistry)
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Fix crumbling classrooms across Wales by ensuring, in partnership with local authorities, that the funding provided for school building work is fully used for that purpose.
>Is a lot of money diverted away from this use?
Encourage the use of Positive Behaviour Plans as a measure to tackle the root cause of bullying. Agreed between schools, pupils and parents these plans help ensure that all parties are involved in addressing bad behaviour.
When all else fails, and the terms of agreed behaviour plans are consistently broken, we guarantee that head teachers will have local education authority support for ‘managed transfer’ to other schools or special units for pupils whose behaviour remains unacceptable.
>Sounds tougher.
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Develop a public education campaign to promote positive parenting and ensure that parents can access parental support when they need it.
Continue to advocate the introduction of a schools counselling service, promoting self-referral.
>Again, “continue to advocate…) you’ll be in government, surely you will have the power to implement a school counselling service, not just lobby for one – I’m beginning to think that this is setting out its principles as an opposition party rather than a programme for government.
Ensure that our children get to school in the safest possible way. We will take forward measures to ensure that there are seat-belts on all school buses, seek the powers to abolish the three-for-two rule and improve supervision on school buses.
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Promote the library network and encourage the use of library facilities as learning centres.
Enhance the role of museums and the cultural sector more widely in promoting learning opportunities for young people and adults.
Extend the full duty of care to the age of 21 for looked-after young people, regardless of whether they continue in education, and we aim to ensure that young people from looked-after backgrounds who do go into further education are given further assistance up until the age of 25 and through to the completion of the course.
>My parents would have put me into care if they thought that the state would pay for my education.
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Maintaining research excellence in Wales is crucial to supporting innovation in the economy and equipping skilled and knowledgeable graduates.
>I have come to believe that the Welsh economy is over supplied with Welsh graduates, in addition to me (and most of my friends) not finding a job – in fact the only graduate that I know is in employment got the job through a friend of a friend – the lower graduate salaries in Wales indicates that there is an abundance of graduates and therefore driving down their market value. What are you going to do to encourage more graduate jobs.
Work with organisations such as Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin to ensure greater early years Welsh medium provision as part of our increased investment in that sector.
We will explore ways to establish Welsh medium schools more easily, including the potential of setting a duty on local authorities to assess the demand for Welsh-medium education and further promote or plan for it in future school organisational plans.
Improve Welsh 2nd language learning
>Please teach me Welsh – I went to school in England, where Wales is only mentioned in derogatory songs – I want to learn.
>Considering it said life long learning there wasn’t very much about adult classes etc… in their manifesto.
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At one time Wales was at the forefront of the industrial revolution, now we have the opportunity to lead the green revolution.
We want to see 100% of our electricity coming from renewable sources by 2050 – creating new jobs, exporting technology and a secure source of energy.
We want all new buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2015,
public buildings having to generate more of their own energy and our homes being properly insulated meaning cheaper bills for everyone.
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Prioritise the provision of Safe Routes to School through continued support, ensuring that walking to school is promoted as a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to the car.
>Good,
In contrast to the current opt-in system, undertake to ensure all schools participate in paper collection and recycling schemes in their areas.
>I’m surprised that this isn’t mandatory, normalizing recycling for young people so that it permeates our society.
Make Wales a world leader in environmental research and teaching
>Yes, I’m glad they have realised that there is an opportunity to put Wales at the forefront of the new technology making them a world leader, creating high quality jobs and investment.
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Reject new nuclear power in Wales.
We will ask for the power to decide on energy developments over 50MW to be devolved to Wales.
Deliver a fully resourced communication campaign about climate change,
Lobby the UK government for a minimum price guarantee for all householders and businesses that export excess renewable energy to the National Grid.
>Could provide a massive incentive for householders to invest in micro-generation.
Revise the planning policy on out-of-town centre supermarkets so that their retail impact on town centres is fully
considered and environmental assessments are undertaken as a matter of course.
>Good, out-of-town retail outlets do damage the high-street, and they do necessitate cars in main. However, I think that the damage has been done. Green fields have already been concreted over it will simply be damage limitation.
Seek to amend planning rules so that it is less easy to get retrospective permission, for example by penalising such applications.
>It would be my preference that punitive monetary fees be applied to stop supermarkets (running into tens-of-millions, if not hundreds to prevent supermarkets and big chains thinking that they can ride rough shot over elected officials. Additionally, large chains that consistently break rules should be forced to employ conformity adjudicators that are responsible to the local planning authority and who has to supervise the construction in addition to the project management team. Furthermore, if that is not strong enough for you. You could compel the company to demolish the store, while continuing to pay the staff they have employed their wages, and force them to rebuild it to the agreed and approved specifications.
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Support research into, and generation of tidal power.
>Which will be highly affective if it’s underwater thanks to the ice caps melting
Our aim is that lagoon pools and wave machine projects will be up and running by the end of this Assembly, and powering Wales’s future. The economic benefits of this will be huge and allow us to be a technology exporter.
>Excellent.
Seek the powers to amend building regulations to ensure new developments in Wales are built to the highest possible environmental standards. This means that once we have the powers we can take forward proposals for all new-builds to have energy efficiency measures as standard such as proper insulation, smart meters and combined heat and power units as part of a sustainable buildings code.
>Again good.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy as a key part of the Sustainable Energy Network.
>That could work, providing that climate connect has a prominent public profile.
developing a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping and abandoned cars,
Ensure that significant planning decisions made by local authorities are assessed on their contribution to climate change.
Reform planning guidance so that there is a presumption of a minimum 500 metre residential buffer zone on opencast developments.
>Probably would be important to me if there was a mine close by.
Develop the National Waste Strategy, ensuring co-operation between local authorities on waste minimisation and serious innovative work on developing energy from waste, for example developing town and community heating systems.
>Does that mean incineration? How do you reconcile that with the amiable carbon reduction.
Aim for 60% of all household waste to be recycled by the end of the Assembly term.
>In my opinion, black bag – straight to landfill waste – should be collected fortnightly. While recyclable waste; tins, plastic, glass, paper, foodstuffs etc… be collected every week. And an increase in the publicity or capacity of large item collections, with the coinciding facilities to sell them in order to encourage re-usage.
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Our aim is that all new housing build, in the private and social sector, is carbon neutral by 2015.
>Why so un-ambitious? Why not carbon neutral and must produce 25% or 50% of expected energy demand for the size of house.
Establish “Climate Connect” to provide a one-stop shop for advice, grants and loans for households and communities to generate their own renewable energy.
>Your repeating yourself!
Get rid of the need for planning permission for installing small-scale home-based renewable micro-generation devices or combined heat and power units.
>Could cause lots of fractious neighbours – I want more details and what exactly is small-scale?
Maintain the most restrictive policy possible under EU law on GM crop development.
>What about Second-generation GM which could produce cheep medicines – surely it would be beneficial as new energy technologies in delivering high quality jobs in Wales.
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>Huge picture, not much writing. This manifesto isn’t half dragging on, it is repetitive in places, plus its 100% longer than other manifesto – this could have been far more punchier and affective than it is and far more accessible – I like going through these things and I’m getting fed up!
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Demand the powers over offshore oil and gas licensing and offshore planning, including planning for offshore renewable energy projects, and the development of Welsh Marine Protected Areas that are adaptable to changes in the conservation interest, particularly with regard to climate change.
Encourage the use of publicly owned buildings, monuments and sites in the historic environment, including those owned by Cadw, as venues for cultural events and festivals.
>That could be cool, providing money to keep these buildings, creating community events, etc…
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Public fears about crime and anti-social behaviour remain very high. Even in low crime areas people have grown more fearful of crime and for their safety.
Our policies aren’t about tough talk; they’re about delivering practical, realistic and commonsense action to make our streets safer.
>OK, amaze me.
our wish for a Welsh Parliament with comparable powers to the Scottish Parliament
>Hurrah PARLIAMENT FOR WALES, politicians with enough power to make a difference.
Oppose the expensive and illiberal ID cards scheme that already costs almost £100,000 a day. That money should instead be spent on putting more police on the beat in Wales and across Britain.
>YES
funding for an extra 500 police community support officers across Wales
We also support a reduction in the burden of paperwork that keeps police officers off patrol, by encouraging greater use of the latest IT systems and communications technology, and by using civilian auxiliary staff in the police station.
>So is there going to be more money for civilian auxiliary staff?
Tackle anti-social behaviour through Acceptable Behaviour Contracts agreed between the individual, their family, the police, local authority and housing association, specifying behaviour they will not engage in.
>And housing association, so all anti-social behaviour is committed by those people who don’t own their home! Seems a bit of a generalisation.
Improve the provision of all youth services by putting them on a statutory basis.
We will
encourage measures such as confiscation of motor vehicles from persistent joy-riders,
>Do they joy-ride in their own cars? I thought that the majority of joy-riders used stolen vehicles.
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Support the development of community justice panels to give local people a say in the punishment
>Not exactly objective and impartial, more like a show trial!
Encourage the establishment of one-stop local non-emergency helplines such as the successful ‘101’ service in Cardiff which allows people to report problems that affect the place in which they live.
>Overdue.
Continue to support the national helpline for victims of domestic abuse and ensure that the funding is there for it to remain a bilingual 24-hour service, 365 days a year
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>I’m fed up!
Focus on crime prevention and appropriate community sentences.
Support measures to make sentences mean what they say and improve public confidence in the system. The most serious offenders should serve life imprisonment, where the judge considered the offender should never be released.
Support measures to improve the compensation paid to victims, including contributions funded from a common fund paid into from prisoners’ earnings,
>Prisoners’ have earnings?
Tackling substance misuse will reduce crime, promote opportunity and create safer communities.
Establish a National Treatment Taskforce, linking universities in Wales with NHS and voluntary sector providers in the drug field.
Highlight the dangers of excessive drinking, through public awareness promotions and targeted campaigns, and make sure that support is there before the abuse leads to crime and violence.We will discourage irresponsible drink promotions that promote binge drinking, which often lead to violence and anti-social behaviour and we support proof-of-age schemes such as Challenge 21 and ‘Prove it’ cards in order to tackle under-age drinking.
We will ensure that big late night venues contribute to the extra cost of late night policing.
>Excellent, it might make them stop selling alcohol to people who are drunk!
Encourage the recruitment of more Welsh speaking police officers and police community support officers, especially in Language Action Areas.
>Welsh language action areas?
Page 30
Wales was once at the forefront of a changing economic landscape. As one of the first nations to industrialise,we were the engine room for development across the world.Welsh Liberal Democrats believe that Wales can lead the way again. The green switch we want to see for Wales will offer opportunities for all, will allow us to be a leading exporter and will ensure that we harness our natural resources to make our economy thrive.
>Repartition.
The building blocks for a more confident and prosperous Wales, free from poverty, is a more educated workforce and a transport system that puts the needs of passengers first.
A Wales where everyone values the ambition and determination needed to build business. We will work towards a Wales that is a beacon for enterprise and leads the world in developing ideas, brands and entrepreneurs.
>Admirable aim.
Support the development of techniums, including in rural areas, that would be magnets for innovation, business set-ups and growth companies.
>You just said that you wanted to restrict out of town shopping centres and now you want to develop out of town business centres!
Make the Assembly Government and National Assembly world-leaders in making it easier for small businesses to apply for public contracts.
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Develop economic opportunity areas which could re-generate towns that have lost industry and promote sectorbased company clusters.
Use European funding to deliver our policy objectives of improved lifelong learning opportunities and better conditions for innovative, job-creating business growth.
Take Wales to the centre of the European debate on the use of corporation tax in member regions and states to stimulate investment.We will push the case for the powers to vary corporation tax or to keep it a specified level for a set-time, targeting a region if necessary.
We want to maximise the potential for new ventures to be the iconic, new-technology, job-creating Welsh brands of the future.
Support a sustainable future for the manufacturing industry in Wales,
Develop a Welsh brand that is confident, enterprising and innovative.
>Yes
Promote modern language learning at school and life-long learning level, enhancing our ability to compete in the international market.
>How are you going to do this?
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We believe that improving the skills levels of the Welsh workforce is essential if Wales is to become a more prosperous economy.
>In addition to creating highly skilled jobs in Wales so graduates didn’t have to look for work in England.
Support innovative ways of making learning and training opportunities more accessible to the workforce and wider community. For example we are keen to see more learning and training centres at office blocks, industrial parks and other major employment sites linked to the wider education sector, as well as libraries and other publicly owned facilities that can support workforce development.
Promote schemes, run through colleges, schools and business forums which encourage and promote business skills amongst young people.
Encourage buddy schemes for higher education students to allow them to get practical experience and increase links between business and education.
>Could be very useful.
Support Menter a Busnes to encourage entrepreneurship in Welsh-speaking communities.
>Support a what? Mentor a business perhaps. Spelling mistakes in election manifestos is abhorrent. Perhaps we could start mentoring political parties (p.s. I’m waiting for someone to jump on my spelling and grammar mistakes and suggest mentor a blogger)
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The key element of our approach to transport policies is providing individuals with the freedom and opportunity to travel.
effective transport connections are vital to our economic development,
Cycling and walking have proven health benefits and also cut carbon emissions – but many people wish government would make it easier.
If we are to get Wales moving forward, first we have to get Wales moving.
>Hopefully, that also includes getting the trains moving as the current disruption between Swansea and Cardiff is not helping people use public transport.
An efficient and extensive public transport system is essential to changing travelling habits and tackling climate change, yet bus and rail services in Wales are too often patchy, uncomfortable and unreliable.
Encourage better integration of bus and rail services,
>Again promote / encourage etc… no real commitment to providing! You should give the councils the power to set routs and demand a minimum level of service. Couple profitable and unprofitable routes in a single contractual bundle so companies can’t cherry pick good routes and force councils to pay subsidies to encourage companies to take up these unprofitable routes.
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Develop an extended community rail strategy which helps extend business and tourism links into smaller communities and more remote areas, examining the re-opening of disused local lines, connections with the network and improved facilities at small stations.
>Develop strategies, examining the possibility – I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU WILL DO NOT WHAT YOU WILL CONSIDER DOING!
Protect and promote the rail links between the regions of Wales
Support better quality rolling stock for the rail network in Wales.
Press for safe and friendly train and bus stations.
>Friendly train and bus stations, I am not often insulted by station buildings.
We support park and ride schemes, such as those in Swansea and Cardiff,
>So you provide finance for them to be implemented in which towns? Again it is non-committal language.
Require all major land use developments to publish and implement a ‘travel plan’ as a condition of planning permission.
>EXCELLENT IDEA
Monitor plans to introduce congestion charging and road user pricing schemes in parts of Wales, supporting them as a means of road traffic reduction if the provision of public transport improves and increases as we propose.
>Well its positive that they will only support it if there is a viable public transport alternative. But again monitor plans …
Promote the use of bio-fuels and their availability at petrol stations across Wales, working with supermarkets and developing supply routes and support for producers through our Green Jobs Strategy.
>Any grants to convert cars to bio-fuels?
Support the transfer of freight from road onto rail and sea, promoting greater use of our network of ports that can facilitate rail-connection for further transportation.
>EXCELLENT
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Encourage local authorities to include proposals in their transport and development policies for increased cycle infrastructure and the development of safer residential and school areas.
Require that all new, non-motorway, roads of more than 1km funded by the Assembly Government contain a planning measure to increase local cycle provision.
>Good idea
Work to ensure that the rail system is cyclist-friendly by promoting cycle spaces on trains and at stations.
>By promoting …they will only be introduced in thirty years or so when new stock is introduced. But the aim is amicable.
Promote Safe Routes to School to reduce the reliance on cars for the ‘school-run’ and increase the number of children walking and cycling to schools, including encouraging ‘walking-buses’.
>I’m sure that I have read that before in this manifesto.
Scrap government subsidy for the proposed North-South air link and instead divert that money towards sustainable and more environmentally-friendly forms of public transport.
Work to make the link between Cardiff city centre and Cardiff International Airport an exemplar of our commitment to sustainable development by using a regular high-speed rail-link and an environmentally friendly hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell bus.
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Everyone has the right to housing adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family. The lack of affordable housing affects all parts of the country and has led to an explosion
in homelessness in recent years.
Domestic properties contribute a large proportion of Wales’s carbon emissions
more energy efficient homes and making it easier for families to go green.
All new housing to be carbonneutral
Increase the housing budget by at least £150 million over the next term, which will enable the Assembly Government, local authorities, housing associations, developers and community bodies to deliver the action that is needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis.
Encourage councils to devolve responsibility where appropriate, and after a ballot, by passing control of social housing to community based housing associations and tenants’ co-operatives.
Promote schemes, run between local authorities, housing associations, developers and education providers that offer practical training and skills development for tenants and the wider community.
>Promote. Why not establish, or roll-out schemes etc…
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Examine the case for following the example of Scotland and establish a Private Renting Housing panel to adjudicate where a tenant considers the landlord is failing to meet the standard of repair required.
>Surely you should have examined this prior to writing this manifesto and tell us if you would do it if your elected!
We would ensure sufficient funding is available at national level and set targets for the reduction of homelessness.
>Finally, they would ensure! The Liberal Democrats have finally told us what they would do in action rather than just look at or consider.
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Encourage the promotion of leasing deals
>They are getting worse, encourage the promotion.
Promote regional projects to ensure that each area is able to provide adequate facilities to shelter, house and support people who have been accepted as homeless.
Develop a joint statement of practice for the recovery of rent arrears by social landlords.
Promote and simplify the successful Homebuy scheme.
Give local authorities the power to suspend the Right-to-buy. We would expect this to happen initially in areas where the affordable housing crisis is at its worst, and for a specified period of time.
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Work with local planning authorities to identify sites for affordable housing within their Local Development frameworks and improve the supply of land by picking out suitable sites for affordable housing owned by the Assembly Government across the country.
Develop an affordable threshold on new developments. This means that projects over a certain size would trigger a planning condition forcing developers to provide a specified proportion of affordable homes for low-cost renting or low-cost ownership.
>I thought that this was already in place. This is easy to get around mind just make it so that you apply for planning permission in two phases, maybe with a couple of years apart. So if this comes to pass I foresee many roads in housing estates leading to fields ready for future developments. Or cul-de-sacs with no house at the bottom of the road, or an oddly placed round-a-bout ready for another exit.
Examine the need and powers available to establish a Welsh version of Scotland’s Ownership Options which enables disabled people in unsuitable housing to access home ownership through the use of the benefit Income Support Mortgage Interest relief (ISMI).
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For Welsh Liberal Democrats social justice means improving community safety, tackling poverty and combating social exclusion for all people, in all areas of Wales. We aim to increase the numbers of social enterprises in Wales, giving more freedom to community organisations and increasing lifelong learning opportunities that give individuals, families and communities the tools they need.
Ensuring equality of opportunity is essential in building stronger communities and social cohesion.We are committed to initiatives and policies that promote equal citizenship, accessibility to services, equal learning opportunities and equal access to employment opportunities. The commitment to equality of opportunity is intrinsic to our approach to public policy, and building a fairer, better-educated, inclusive and prosperous Wales.
Work with local authorities to ensure that there is access to free-to-use ATMs, especially in deprived communities.
Develop school-based courses that make young people better informed about financial issues such as credit cards, mortgage rates, credit unions and the causes of debt.
>Good basic financial skills in a must.
Support the establishment of community banks, credit unions and LETS schemes, in particular the potential of post offices to be hubs for credit union transactions and activities.
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Post Offices provide a valuable and essential service to communities across Wales. Government moves, both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster, to undermine the network are moves that undermine community life. We are committed to a Post Office network that is thriving and provides a diverse range of services.
Re-introduce the Post Office Development Fund abolished by Labour,
Continue to oppose the abolition of the Post Office Account Card
Work with the UK government to promote the case to maintain the obligation on Royal Mail to provide universal sameprice delivery of letters throughout Wales, and the UK.
>Hear-hear, but if you want to keep the universal service, you have to stop other companies cherry-picking the profitable business and leaving the royal mail with all the unprofitable sectors.
Work with the UK Government to investigate providing more services at Post Office counters, and build on the successful Police and Post Office Partnership pilot in mid Wales.
A nation where true equality of opportunity exists is a nation free from prejudice and poverty and is a nation whose people can fulfil their full potential.
Encourage a concerted effort across the private and public sector in Wales to ensure that each citizen has a right to enforce their rights when things go wrong at work or when individuals’ legal rights and entitlements are not met.
Improve the data on school pupils, including minority groups and their performance, so that effective measures can be taken to close the gaps in achievement.
>So instead of school league tables we are going to have pupil league tables!
Ensure that the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights in Wales takes account of the devolved context in which it will operate.
Promote the need to get more women and people from the BME community into public life.
>BME is what exactly? Black middle easten? Black or mixed ethnicity? You can’t just use these acronyms without disclosing what they refer too.
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Encourage health authorities to reach out to lesbian, gay and bisexual populations to reassure them that they can and should disclose sexual orientation when it’s relevant to their care.
We will promote a Wales-wide initiative to support and welcome migrant workers and encourage integration with the local community, based on the successful model of the ‘One Wrexham’ initiative introduced by the Welsh Liberal Democrat-led council in Wrexham.
>Wasn’t there racial rioting in Wrexham? Again what is the one Wrexham initiative? What does it entail, language training, cultural exchanges. What?
Work to introduce a Digital Resource for Books to be provided by the Welsh Books Council.
Guarantee that ID cards will not be needed to access Welsh public services. We will ensure that people continue to receive health treatment based on their needs, not on whether they have a piece of plastic in their wallets or purses.
Work to remove arbitrary age limits on volunteering, and work towards extending age discrimination legislation to cover all volunteers and unpaid workers.
>Are you going to remove arbitrary age limits on voting too?
Lobby for Children’s and Older Peoples’ Commissioners to have powers to represent on non-devolved issues so that we reduce the confusion for children and older people regarding which commissioners deal with which issues.
>I’m still discussed that there is an older peoples commissioner. As I see it the justification for a children’s’ commissioner is the fact that they don’t have any democratic representation, now why should people who vote get an additional representation in the form of a commissioner.
Page 43
Get the powers to give 16 year olds the vote
>Hurrah, surly this will help voter turnout if people are still in school and taught about politics and the importance of voting.
Page 44
Introduce a ‘Community Right to Buy’ which would enable community organizations to register an interest in land or buildings that were designed for public use so that if the property comes up for sale they have first refusal, subject to a community ballot.
Communities should be places in which people are able to work, live and play. Effective functioning communities need places in which residents can meet, access information and work together.
>So you are going to legislate that more green areas are created among new housing developments.
Page 45
Introduce the changes of the voting system for local government as recommended by the Sunderland Commission – delivering fair votes for communities by introducing the STV system for local government elections.
>Interesting.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
>HURRAH, reducing the age for voting.
Make progress towards replacing the unfair council tax with a local tax based on the individual’s ability to pay, campaigning at a UK level and examining ways of delivering this in Wales.
>So another tax on wage earners, so unemployed and the lazy can just opt out, not really encouraging people to work is it!
Page 46
Develop and expand Language Action Areas, to help reverse the trend towards de-population and ensure the welcome and integration of individuals moving into Welsh-speaking communities.
Page 47
For the Welsh Liberal Democrats, social justice does not end at the heads of the valleys. Our rural communities are facing up to the challenges of globalisation, social exclusion and changing needs. A vital cog in keeping the wheels of rural Wales turning is making sure that our farmers and consumers get an honest and fair deal.
Ensuring that over half of publicly procured food is sourced from Wales by 2015
>I’m sure that I have read this before, why oh why would you repeat things over and over again you loose so much of the impact.
Page 48
The promotion of produce from Wales involves developing external markets, developing innovative processing and product bases, strengthening public procurement actions, and encouraging more local consumption of local produce.
Encourage diversification, quality branded local produce and healthy competition in order to develop an enterprising and economically viable farming industry.
It would examine and report on the supermarket code of practice and whether it needs to be strengthened and further regulated, the future of the dairy industry, the processing and development sectors, the public procurement process for Welsh produce, the supply chain from farm to fork and the price we pay in markets and shops.
Further develop the marketing and support for Welsh branded produce with its reputation for quality, promoting an identifiable brand and support for a reinvigorated Farming Connect that promotes knowledge transfer.
Promote greater links between the tourism industry and farms, improving communication between the two industries and in particular developing ‘food tourism’.
>Has Wales got the culinary reputation needed for such a feat?
Over recent years the capacity of the Welsh countryside to recover from the Foot and Mouth outbreak and BSE has been fantastic. But we must work harder to ensure that the preventative measures are in place to ensure, as far as possible, that we can avoid such diseases again and be ready to deal with them should the need arise.
Develop a national strategy, co-ordinating the agricultural industry, the veterinary and emergency services, to respond to, and tackle animal diseases.
Aim to eradicate TB in Wales by intensifying the testing programme.
>This is reputation again.
Continue to make the case for tight controls on the import of foreign and illegal meat in order to prevent diseases arriving here and infecting indigenous livestock and produce.
>Good.
Page 49
Use the Assembly’s new powers on animal welfare for the benefit of domestic and captive wild animals.We will examine support for outlawing all animals other than horses and dogs in circuses, improve licensing for events where animals are put on display, outlaw harmful and cruel aids such as electric shock training collars for race dogs and strengthen regulation of the greyhound industry such as veterinary presence at tracks and a proper licensing system for race dogs.
Seek derogation from the EU regulations which prohibit the burying of fallen stock on farmers’ land and allow some on-site burial.
>Never going to be allowed!
Most people nowadays are convinced of the need to eat and live healthier. But without our agricultural industry growing that fresh, healthy food and playing their part in protecting the environment we will not be able to fight obesity and illhealth.
Support organic farming, helping to meet the demand for organic produce.
>Organic food is not healthier than other types of food!
Page 50
Encourage local sourcing of food for the healthier and more nutritious school meals that our new regulations will introduce.
Progress the all-Wales coastal path project. We are aware that implementation will require agreements, co-operation and determination on the part of many organisations, public and private, across the country. In government we will play a leading role in taking this project forward.
Restore the Tir Mynydd budget for the next year to the level it was before cuts were made in the last Assembly budget
Ensure Wales’s new legislative status gives us greater leverage on European Union decision-making affecting our farming industry by strengthening our presence at European Agriculture Council meetings, and the discussions which lead up to them.
Make it easier for small enterprises to apply for public contracts, meaning that there is more support for farmers and producers in their bids to supply schools, hospitals and other public services. Our target is that at least half of publicly procured food which is available in our country to be sourced from Wales by 2015.
>It’s de ja vu all over again.
Fully review how current flood defence and risk management regulations and advice from the government is working, paying particular attention to the accuracy of advice maps and the need for them to be updated more regularly, the need to reduce current and future risk by restricting developments and increasing public awareness of how to deal with flooding.
>Restricting building on flood plans is sensible if we are expecting sea levels to rise. But that would mean stopping development in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, LLanelli etc…
Page 51
Community based cultural initiatives, such as radio stations, reflects and promotes what
is best about the Welsh passion for social enterprise and cultural chances for all.
Implement the recommendations of the Welsh Arts Review, chaired by Elan Closs Stephens, making the arts and culture a cross-cutting theme across government at all levels.
Prioritise the development of a joint strategy with the education ministry to define cultural entitlements for young people, to extend the role of the arts in the school curriculum and to reverse the decline in cultural provision and participation, and introducing a new Arts Development Fund for schools.
Develop a ‘duty of care’ towards cultural provision as a legal responsibility of local authorities, as is the case in Scotland, to ensure that cultural opportunities are available to all in our communities.
Require local authorities to take cultural factors and needs into account when planning local transport, housing and education schemes.
Investigate the potential for a privately funded scheme, similar to the Arts Council’s highly successful Collectorplan art purchase scheme, to encourage the purchase of musical instruments by young people, schools and community groups.
Page 52
Work with the Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies (ASPBs), broadcasters and local authorities to make more effective use of the Eisteddfod and the network of festivals, creating local business communities around them.
By illuminating our past, museums and galleries can provide educational, tourism and cultural opportunities for the future. They are a resource for reflecting our identity and history as a nation, but also as tools for enhancing our collective knowledge.
>Good.
Page 53
Develop a modern and ambitious programme of exhibitions in Wales, in return for loans of world-class collections from Wales going to other places in order to enhance Wales’s profile.
>Good idea.
Demand the powers to make St David’s Day a public bank holiday so that we can celebrate our national day and make it a global festival of all things Welsh and a showcase for investment and tourism.
>HURRAH!
Wales’s two main languages are a rich part of our heritage. We must treasure and nurture them – side by side. Our modern revival of the Welsh language in the face of global Anglo-Americanisation is the envy of many European nations and regions. It is a core part of who we are, and of our reputation for cultural excellence.
The Welsh language is a treasure that we can all be proud of, it enriches Welsh life and makes Wales special.We will support, facilitate and promote the use of the Welsh Language across all aspects of Welsh life and government.
Legislate to enshrine the right to service in Welsh. By establishing specific rights it would be clear to individuals what they can expect in relation to a Welsh service from public bodies and those that have migrated from the public sector since the current Language Act was passed.
>Interesting, goes some way to meet demands of language campaigners but how much of an affect will it really have.
Make Welsh and English the official languages of Wales.
>Good.
Ensure that the plans for Language Action Areas will include encouragement of intergenerational transmission of Welsh and promotion as a community language; encourage co-operation between local bodies and organisations to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh in communities; promote the full community use of Welsh in all tiers of education from nurseries to adult education.
Broadcasting and new technologies have made the world smaller – and allowed smaller countries to make a mark on the world. New developments offer a golden opportunity for individuals, communities and the nation as a whole to exploit our talents and create social, cultural and economic prosperity.
>Ambitious and positive about small nations – IN YOUR FACE PETER HAIN!
Press for the infrastructure to be in place to ensure that all of Wales can have access to Welsh digital channels by the time of switchover.
>Absolutely necessary!
Page 54
Examine the opportunities created by digital switchover and greater spectrum availability for more community and regional television stations, including increased Welsh language provision.
>An original promise.
Build on the good work and reputation of Dr Who and other recent productions, seeking to ensure that all public service broadcasters continue to increase their levels of commissioning and production from Wales-based producers.
>Again in response to Peter Hain who said “If was were independent then Dr Who would not have been filmed in Cardiff”
Support the principle of a daily Welsh language newspaper and examine all possible roles that we can play in further supporting its establishment. For example, the potential for public sector recruitment advertising, the development of a greater on-line presence and the role of the Welsh Language Board.
>Again support the principle, I would love to have a paper on a par with ‘the broadsheets’ and of the same intellectual standard based in Wales with predominantly Welsh news, rather that have to read London based papers which are obviously propagating English culture.
Develop a twinning programme between local sports clubs and local schools. This will create new coaching opportunities as well as better use of facilities. We will encourage our highest-profile clubs to lead on this and provide models of best practice.
>Excellent – but again this is mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
Page 55
Develop a requirement for primary schools initially, and then secondary schools, to provide at least two hours of curricular physical education per week within school hours. We also expect schools to promote accessible opportunities for pupils to participate in sport after-hours.
>This is also mentioned earlier in the manifesto.
Increase investment in top-quality coaching for children. Working with local authorities, the Sports Council and governing bodies, this extra money will develop a network of local coaches to co-ordinate training opportunities for schools, colleges and community groups.
>Excellent ideas again
Seek to increase access to sporting activities in or on rivers and lakes. We will examine the need for statutory rights of access for everyone as is the case in Scotland.
>Good policy if the examination decides that it is feasible etc…
Re-double our efforts to attract major sporting events, as English football finals leave the Millennium Stadium. We will develop a new Events Strategy that will examine our potential to host, for example, European club football finals, a stage of the Tour de France and major Women’s events.
>It always strikes me as odd that tour de France goes outside that countries borders. But why don’t you want to create a tour de Wales? We have plenty of scenery which could magnificently host it!
Oppose any international threats to Wales’ss status as a national football team in its own right.
>WALES’SS, are we a serpent nation, I’ve said it before but spelling mistakes in election manifestos’ is not good.
Page 56
Develop partnerships with our HE/FE institutions, the Sports Council and our professional rugby and football clubs to improve regional access to top-class training and coaching opportunities for athletes with the potential to reach the top.
>A sporting nation is an excellent aim and fits perfectly into the Welsh culture.
Encourage the presence of elite Welsh teams at the top level of UK and European sport. For example a Super League franchise in Wales, the continuing existence of a Welsh team in the Netball Super League and women and men’s domestic and national cricket teams at the highest level possible.
>That was a gapping omission of the recent cricket world cup, there was a Scottish team, an Irish team and obviously an English team – why wasn’t there a Welsh team?
Use our big towns and cities as gateways to their wider region. They are tourist attractions in themselves but by promoting effective regional tourism partnerships that utilise regional capitals such as Cardiff and Swansea, we will see a multiplier tourist effect across the country.
Encourage local authorities to work together on marketing and promotion, helping define the Welsh tourist experience. For example, heads of the valleys authorities providing a “walking in the footsteps of the industrial revolution” combined experience.
Encourage a more joined-up approach between the National Museums and Library and tourism. This means not just getting people visiting museums but promoting and encouraging visits to the areas represented in the collections and exhibitions.
Encourage the National Eisteddfod to do more to attract non-Welsh speaking visitors. We expect to see greater use of multi-lingual stewards and designated tours of the Maes available in many languages.
>The Eisteddfod is the Bulwark of Welsh language Welsh culture the more languages that you permit into the maes the more diluted its ethos is surely!
Promote Wales as the home of the summer season of festivals and events.
Page 57
The Welsh Liberal Democrats will stretch the Assembly’s new powers to the maximum. However the new procedures mean that before we can introduce any new laws we’ll have to get permission from the Secretary of State in London, through what will be called ‘Orders in Council’. This leaves Wales with a second-class Assembly whilst in Scotland they already have a proper parliament that does what is best for Scotland without having to first ask London for permission on what it can and cannot do.
>The current de-volution (I still hate that term de-evolution: it sounds like we become less human by having a government of the same national identity as ourselves) is flawed and dreadfully botched. I think that the majority of people in Wales will support a Parliament with powers to affect a real difference.
We will be ambitious when we demand an ‘Order in Council’, we have a lot to do for Wales and we need all the tools to do the job well.
We still want to see a proper parliament for Wales, and the Welsh Liberal Democrats remain committed to that goal. Wales can only have the full range of tools to do the job when it has a full Parliament with real powers. Allowing a Welsh Parliament to
>HEAR-HEAR, Plaid and Liberal democrats have one thing in common at least.
In government, require each minister, soon after taking office, to set out how their department would promote the Welsh economy by tackling economic inactivity, make the green switch and mainstream the Welsh language.
Develop and press for more Wales-specific statistics and research, so as to better inform policy and funding for Assembly Government initiatives.
>It always amuses me that so many people say that Wales is being subsidies by England, the fact is no one can tell if anyone is being subsidies by anyone else since corporation tax is not collected by region. And the fact that Wales pays its fair share for military installations that are based in southern England, and the nuclear deterrent that is based in Scotland means that it is highly likely that Wales isn’t getting out of the UK and equal amount to what it is putting in. Coupled with the fact that Westminster is currently paying back to Wales European subsidies that were earmarked for Wales that were diverted to England it does indeed look like Wales is being subsidised.
Press for a new funding formula that takes account of Wales’s needs and scrap the out-moded ‘Barnett Formula’ which fails Wales.Wales should have the power, as they do in Northern Ireland, to borrow funds to pay for specific needs and projects.
Give a Welsh Parliament the power to vary income taxes to suit our own circumstances, as they have in Scotland, subject to the support of the people of Wales in a referendum.
Page 58
Review the tendering and negotiations process concerning public finance initiatives (PFI) and public private partnerships. In some instances PFI has allowed private sector knowledge and best practice into public sector provision. It is not the best option in many cases, despite UK Government instructions to that effect. We would like to see a level playing field for all providers – traditional public sector, private sector and public benefit organisations.
>I would like to see PFI banned it is a huge waste of tax payers money. Gordon Brown prefers it because it keeps debts for hospitals and schools off the books, so he can be seen as a prudent chancellor! It is the most expensive perception management exercise in this countries history (is suspect).
Establish a Welsh version of the ‘Queen’s Speech’ to open the Senedd’s term each year with the Government outlining its programme for the year ahead, listing new legislation, new measures and what further transfer of functions it wants.
>Wales is a principality, so that would be a prince’s speech. I think that Welsh democracy can do without such formalities. The Senedd is a glorious building but it does not lend itself well to occasions of pomp and circumstance.
Transform the Assembly Government’s annual report into an independent annual report of facts and figures comparing the Assembly Government’s programme and targets with its delivery and outcomes.
>Devoid of spin doctors, would be a more objective document that would permit a greater transparency of the effectiveness and the achievements of the government.
We support the campaign to designate an internet Top Level Domain to Wales and will
examine the case for the Assembly Government to use a Wales-specific address.
Make the case for the voting age for Assembly and Local Government elections to be reduced to 16 and push for the powers to do so.
Wales has much to offer the world. The Welsh Assembly Government needs to be outward looking as well as inward looking, working with others to promote democracy and social and environmental justice across the globe.
Make a full contribution to promoting sustainable development, human rights and democracy in the world, working with and through the European Union, central government departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, and non-governmental organisations such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Cymru-Lesotho link, Oxfam and others.
Page 59
A £50m package to improve the dental health of Wales – Introducing more dental therapists and salaried dentists, toothpaste and tooth brushes for school children and support for dentists to serve areas of particular shortage.
£46m to improve the quality of our children’s learning environment – With smaller class sizes and more nutritious school meals.
And £150m to really tackle the issue of affordable housing in Wales – Not tampering with the costs from the side lines but dealing with the problem at source with a radical overhaul of the Social Housing Grant and the rules governing Housing Associations.
>That’s more punchy why do we have to wait till the last page for that!
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