Miss Wagstaff Presents

Binning Bad News: Health Minister Edwina Hart 'withheld NHS report'

2010-09-21T21:37:00.003+01:00

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams produced the document in the Senedd

Health Minister Edwina Hart has been accused of withholding a consultants' report which criticises the Welsh Assembly government's NHS leadership.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams made the accusation in the Senedd, producing a McKinsey document.

Mrs Hart had previously said there was "no formal document for scrutiny".

The assembly government said Mrs Hart misled no-one, there was no McKinsey report, and the document was an example of "numerous inputs and analysis".

The consultants' conclusions were made public by Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams during First Minister's Questions.

She asked First Minister Carwyn Jones how he explained "the existence of this report, which I have here, commissioned by his health minister, written by McKinsey and company".

She said the report described the assembly government's strategic objectives as 'too numerous and are not prioritised so that none or the wrong objectives are implemented'."

Ms Williams said the health minister had previously stated there was no McKinsey report and accused her of having "misled" AMs and the people of Wales by not publishing the "damning" report.

Mr Jones asked Ms Williams to write to him if she had any complaint about earlier statements given by the health minister. 'Five-year plan'

In a later statement, a spokesman for the Welsh Assembly Government said: "The (health) minister has not misled anyone. There is no McKinsey report. "

Edwina Hart did not mislead anyone, says the assembly government

The spokesman said the document produced by Ms Williams was "one such example" of "numerous inputs and analysis" which formed part of a five-year plan for the NHS.

He added: "The minister has been transparent throughout the whole process."

The McKinsey document made public by the Welsh Liberal Democrats identified criticisms of the way strategies have been implemented in the Welsh health service.

It said: "Our discussions have highlighted several reasons why strategy implementations have fallen short in Wales."

It noted:

strategic objectives are too numerous and not prioritised, so none or the wrong ones are implemented
a gap between policy leads and operational delivery
strategic objectives are politically unviable
implementation lacks accountability
initiatives are financially unaffordable
lack of capability to deliver

The document also made a number of recommendations to make savings. These included:

prevent interventions of limited clinical value
transfer cost of non-essential items items to patients (e.g nicotine patches)
shut elective care over Christmas period
require non-clinical nursing staff to cover shifts
reduce staffing levels e.g overtime
freeze pay spend (in certain areas).

Analysis by Vaughan Roderick Welsh Affairs Editor

The row that's erupted over the McKinsey analysis of the Welsh health service is basically a battle of semantics.

For the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams, it was an open and shut case. The health minister had denied the existence of a report by the management consultants in two written answers to AMs earlier this year.

Her industrious staff then unearthed a 60-page document written by McKinsey, which she flourished theatrically in front of First Minister Carwyn Jones.

The assembly government's defence is clear and specific. It is not a report, merely a document which was part of a much wider five year framework for the NHS as a whole.

In a sense, you pays your money and you takes your choice.

But document or report, Mr Jones looked uncomfortable, and it's an early political hit for the Lib Dem leader on the first day of the new term.

Christmas arrives early with Gimmick Government

2010-03-24T15:31:00.013Z

Hundreds of 10 and 11-year-olds in some of Wales’ poorest areas will be first to benefit from a new scheme to provide free laptop computers to children, it was announced today.

The pilot project, which will cost £700,000 over the next two years, will initially see 1,200 school children in Communities First and Flying Start areas receiving the machines.

Conservatives have denounced the Assembly Government move as an expensive gimmick.

The scheme was a key pledge in the Labour-Plaid Cymru coalition One Wales pact, with Labour Education Minister Leighton Andrews saying computers are now as essential as books and pens.

Plaid made the provision of a laptop for all 11-year-olds a central plank of its 2007 Assembly manifesto in which the party claimed: “The laptop is today’s equivalent of the pencil.”

The Assembly Government will provide £300,000 in 2009-10 and £400,000 in 2010-11.
Laptops funded through the pilot will belong to the school or local education authority but it is expected children will have the opportunity to use these for learning at home or in community buildings such as public libraries.

Children who receive laptops – plus their parents or carers – will be asked to sign guidance on “safe and appropriate” use of the internet.

The Welsh Language Board has agreed to provide free software for installation on the laptops.

Mr Andrews, launching the scheme in Newport today, said:

The Welsh Assembly Government made a commitment through the One Wales [coalition pact] to pilot the provision of laptops for children.

Computers have become as essential a part of school life as books, pens and paper. Having access to computers provides clear educational benefits such as offering pupils more creative learning experiences and giving them the opportunity to do projects and research on the internet.

A priority is to ensure that children from Wales’ poorest neighbourhoods gain experience with computer technology.

Rhondda AM Mr Andrews said:

A key element of the laptop pilot is to support digital inclusion. Research has shown that if you live in more deprived areas, you are more likely to be digitally excluded.

This is why the pilot is being carried out in schools within Communities First and Flying Start areas. Schools should therefore have arrangements for ensuring that the children receiving laptops are those most likely to benefit.

The project’s proposals offer innovative ways of using laptops to encourage children to engage in learning. They should also help pupils to improve their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. I look forward to hearing the views of teachers, pupils and parents in the participating schools as the pilot progresses.

The Assembly Government will provide £25,000 of funding for staff training and evaluation.

Shadow Heritage Minister Paul Davies was not impressed:

This expensive and ill-advised scheme makes even less sense in this tough financial climate, particularly given that the gap in average spend per pupil between Wales and England has risen to £527.

This money could have been used elsewhere within the education system.

Yet again, the Welsh Assembly Government has failed to recognise the real priorities for education in Wales. Our schools need adequate funding not more gimmicks.

Philip Dixon, of education union ATL, gave an enthusiastic welcome to the announcement.

He said: “It’s an educational double-whammy. It’s improving children’s skills and tackling deprivation.

“They have to have those skills if they are going to survive in life and we know unfortunately in deprived areas the take-up of broadband and IT is much more limited.”

Plaid education spokeswoman Nerys Evans welcomed the funding:

In today’s world, many children are familiar with using the latest technology and new media. Integrating that into the way they learn from an early age is a natural step that can have a range of advantages for them.

Making this technology available in our schools is one way of ensuring that those who may not have the opportunity to use a computer at home do not lose out as a result. At a time when money is extremely tight, we have to look at using public funds in the most cost effective way. So looking at innovations such as the use of laptops in schools is an important step forward.

'Streamlining' reorganisation = reward for Assembly Government's Civil Servants

2010-03-24T14:37:00.006Z

Serious questions are being asked today about a shake-up of senior civil servants within the Assembly Government that has led to more of them earning above £120,000.

Seven “director general” posts were created last year in a streamlining move aimed at cutting overall costs. But critics are unconvinced that the new arrangements are appropriate.

Concerns have also been raised about “back-up” appointments that risk eating into savings made as a result of the reorganisation.

It is understood, for example, that when Andrew Davies was Finance Minister, he resisted a request from Emyr Roberts – Director General, Public Services and Local Government Delivery – to appoint a Director of Public Services Delivery at a pay grade immediately below his own. We have now confirmed such an appointment is being made.

Meanwhile, concerns have also been raised about the general competence of civil servants.

A well-placed source said: “I have real worries about whether many of the senior civil servants we have in Wales are up to coping with primary lawmaking powers.

“It has been difficult to persuade people to go on attachment to Whitehall departments to broaden their experience. Imagine the value of spending some time working in the Treasury, for example.”

Professor Brian Morgan, of the Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre at UWIC’s Cardiff School of Management, said: “It used to be the case that government departments had a permanent secretary with two deputy secretaries beneath them. that is obviously no longer enough for the Welsh Assembly Government.

“Now there are effectively seven deputy secretaries, all on salaries of over £120,000. In Whitehall terms, the Assembly is a small department and it makes no sense to have so many chiefs.”

Last November, the Permanent Secretary, Dame Gill Morgan, told the Institute of Welsh Affairs in an interview that she had reorganised management structure so senior civil servants working for the Assembly could communicate on equal terms with their counterparts in Whitehall departments.

Previously, there had been 16 executive members of a management board, although in addition to the Permanent Secretary only one had been designated a senior director.

Prof Morgan said: “This idea that you need to look people in the eye from a position of equal status and inflated salary is absolutely ridiculous. You gain respect by the strength of what you are saying and how you say it, not because of the status you hold. If you have to rely on some artificial status, it suggests you are not up to the job you are doing.

“The status argument can be taken further. If each director general is responsible on average for 20 senior civil servants, and they meet someone on the same pay grade in Whitehall who has 55 senior civil servants answerable to them, they are going to want more people in their empire.”
Prof Morgan said creating such a large number of directors general was a variation on Parkinson’s Law – a satirical creation which states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

“Having a top-heavy structure like this must have an impact on morale lower down,” he said.
Asked whether he thought senior civil servants in Wales were up to running an administration with primary lawmaking powers, Prof Morgan said: “It seems to me that civil servants who have come up through the Welsh Office have not had any experience anywhere else. Often they’ve relied on Buggins’ turn for promotion. I don’t want to state categorically that they’re not up to dealing with primary powers. We will have to see.”

Professor Kevin Morgan of Cardiff University, who chaired the Yes For Wales referendum campaign in 1997, said: “There is unprecedented pressure on the public purse, with what has been referred to as two Parliaments of pain ahead of us.

“The biggest challenge of all is how to achieve sustainability and fairness in the face of a decade of austerity.

“It is quite clear there is a need in Wales for us to fully acknowledge the extent to which we have screwed up in terms of costs and structures in the public sector.

“There is really deep disquiet about the scale of local government, with 22 councils, and how we then copied that with 22 local health boards. When that reorganisation took place, chief executives and finance directors were appointed, but when the number of health boards came back down to eight, they were allowed to keep their jobs.

“For ordinary people in Wales – and I count myself among them – what has happened beggars belief. We have to get things right in the public sector.”

On the question of whether senior civil servants are up to handling primary lawmaking powers, Prof Morgan said: “Hope springs eternal. It will certainly make more exacting demands on the current structure of the Assembly Government. I’m not sure people have really thought about this in the detail we should.

“Ultimately, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.”

A spokesman for the Permanent Secretary said: “The number of directors has decreased by over 25% since the restructuring of the senior Civil Service last year. This reduction has achieved savings of over £500,000 and reflects our commitment to a structured reduction in the number of senior civil servant posts over time.

“We do intend to appoint a Director for Public Service Improvement as part of a review of the Public Services and Performance department. This position will ensure we continue to deliver the Government’s ambitious public service improvement agenda, and is particularly important given the current financial pressures facing the public sector. The creation of this position will be accompanied by a reduction of seven senior Civil Service posts as part of the departmental review. This reduction represents a further net saving to the Assembly Government of just under £100,000.

“As a dynamic organisation, there will inevitably be further internal changes as we continue to reflect and deliver government commitments. Any appointment has to be justified by a comprehensive business case, and is fully considered by the independently chaired remuneration committee.

“Our skills strategy has been rated third of all UK government departments, and we are confident that we have the skills, capability and capacity to fully support ministers in delivering their commitments to the people of Wales.”

All it takes is a picket fence to hold up a not-so-rosy Government of Wales

2010-03-24T11:02:00.014Z

An assembly debate is due to go ahead in the Senedd building later - in the absence of both government parties and has left this photograph as a lasting image of Welsh Assembly Government, and sadly casts a shadow over Welsh politics and devolved government in the UK.

First Minister Carwyn Jones said Labour and Plaid members "would be very concerned" about crossing picket lines of striking PCS union members.

The decision not to attend has been criticised as "silly posturing".

The Tories called it "absurd" and will debate a motion with the Lib Dems that the assembly government's programme is not delivering for Wales.

All assembly government business was moved to Tuesday's plenary session.

Civil and public servants across Wales plan to walk out for a third day of strike action on Wednesday in an ongoing dispute over cuts to redundancy terms.

Labour and Plaid refused to cross the picket line:

The strike, called by the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), follows a two day strike earlier in March which led to a plenary meeting being postponed. It will again involve jobcentre staff, tax workers, courts staff, driving examiners and Welsh Assembly Government staff among others.

First Minister Mr Jones said:

The whole Labour group and indeed the Plaid Cymru group... would be very concerned about crossing a picket line.

Speaking as far as the Labour party is concerned, its something that is ingrained in party thinking, that you don't cross a picket line.

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said Plaid's AMs supported the right of the PCS union to withdraw labour during this dispute and would not be crossing their picket lines.

He said the Plaid group would write to Gordon Brown's UK government urging an immediate return to negotiations with the union.

'One Wales' debate

In the assembly government's absence Conservative and Liberal Democrats will debate a wide-ranging motion that the Labour-Plaid administration's 'One Wales' agreement "is not delivering for the people of Wales."

Welsh Conservative Leader Nick Bourne criticised the first minister's stance, accusing him of "silly posturing", and said for his group it would be "business as usual".

He's pushed himself into a ridiculous corner... it's absurd. It looks like he's afraid of coming in as first minister...

We weren't elected to start skulking around the Bay carrying out business from cafes. I think it's farcical but I think they're making themselves look silly and if they want to do that it's up to them.

Labour and Plaid members aren't expected to attend the Weds March 24th plenary session.
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams called for all Labour and Plaid members who refuse to cross a picket line to disclose whether they have asked the fees office to deduct sums from their pay as a result.

It is easy for Labour and Plaid Cymru AMs to cancel assembly business but people will rightly expect that as a matter of principle, if they refuse to cross the picket line to work, they should forgo part of their salary in proportion to the amount of time they spent not working, just like everyone else who was on strike.

Comment of the Week

2010-03-22T16:02:00.004Z

In response to Labour's dossier lifting the lid on Conservative MPs, Welsh Conservative Assembly leader Nick Bourne hits back at the claims:

We’ll take no lessons from Labour on devolution when one of their own candidates describes AMs as part-timers, their First Minister dithers over calling for a referendum, and their Welsh Secretary is lukewarm on holding a referendum in the
first place...

For the last 11 years Conservatives have worked hard to make devolution deliver for the people of Wales. Our criticisms in that time have not been about devolution or the Assembly. They’ve been about the failures of the Assembly Government, led by Labour and now supported by Plaid Cymru.

We have always said it should be the people of Wales who decide on the Assembly’s future powers.

Meanwhile Labour’s First Minister Carwyn Jones couldn’t make his mind up over calling for a referendum, spent the best part of a fortnight before requesting it despite a unanimous Assembly resolution, and Peter Hain left the request on his desk to gather dust because he doesn’t really believe in it. If Labour spent as much time on reducing national debt, cutting unemployment, and fixing our broken economy as they’ve done on compiling this dossier, then perhaps the country wouldn’t be in such a mess.

Mr Bourne’s comment about a Labour candidate describing AMs as part-timers refers to a statement made by Swansea West Labour candidate Geraint Davies in a leaflet distributed in the constituency where he hopes to succeed Alan Williams as MP.

Lining the pockets of lawyers... Only in Wales?

2010-03-12T11:22:00.010Z

The Welsh Assembly Government spent more than £3.8m on external legal advice in one year, according to figures revealed yesterday.

The biggest spending department on advice in 2008 was health and social services, which was responsible for £1,812,366, followed by economy and transport with £1,132,049.

Conservative Assembly leader Nick Bourne said he was “staggered” by the costs.

A further £319,086 was spent on hospitality – £210,844 by economy and transport.

In addition, furniture costs reached £690,497 – of which £685,636 was spent by central administration.

Mr Bourne said:

I am staggered that the Assembly Government has spent vast sums of taxpayers’ money on legal advice, hospitality and furniture.

It is particularly concerning that [the] Assembly Government incurred a total of £3,881,206 on external legal advice when they already have a sizeable team of legal advisers on the books.

With Wales in the grip of the recession and when people were expected to tighten their belts, it is also worrying that the Assembly Government seemed to think it appropriate to splash out hundreds of thousands of pounds on wining and dining.

Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said:

It is absolutely astounding that the Labour-Plaid government spent nearly £4m on external legal advice last year.

At the time, the Government’s chief legal adviser was Carwyn Jones, a fully-qualified barrister who is now the First Minister of Wales.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

This is an astonishing bill, particularly at a time when the public
finances are severely overstretched.

The [Assembly Government] already employs internal legal advisers, which
makes it even worse that they have duplicated that cost by bringing people in
from outside as well.

An Assembly Government spokesperson said:

Our internal legal service is primarily focused on advising ministers on
the discharge of their statutory functions and on the delivery – including
drafting – of the legislative programme.

External legal advice is used to support the Assembly Government in
non-core legal areas, including commercial, property, corporate finance and
employment law.

Clearly, as a sizeable landowner, or when engaged in commercial
negotiations, it is essential that we receive suitable legal support to ensure
the best outcome for the Welsh taxpayer.

In addition, we do not employ an in-house litigation team, and therefore
need to ensure effective legal representation on issues arising from our
responsibilities as a highways authority, or to assist in the legal affairs of
the NHS – for example, when dealing with clinical negligence cases.

We have very strict rules in place to ensure such expenditure is kept to a
minimum and only incurred where absolutely necessary and with proper authorisation.

COUGH!!!

A Sad Day for Devolution

2010-03-09T08:00:00.009Z

The plenary meeting of the national assembly has been called off as a strike by civil and public servants continues for a second day, which could be described as a simple case of one step forward and two steps back for devolution in Wales.

Is democracy this fragile?

Up to 20,000 workers in Wales are expected to take part in the second day of a UK-wide industrial action over changes to redundancy terms.

It has caused the assembly to postpone Tuesday's scheduled meeting of all members until Wednesday morning, which must surely put back other business that was due to be discussed.

The UK government insists the new rules are "fair" to both staff and taxpayers.
The 48-hour stoppage by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union is affecting job centres, courts and the Welsh Assembly Government.

An assembly spokesperson said plenary would be held throughout the day on Wednesday.

This will allow the planned business for the week, both government and opposition, to be completed.

In reality, Assembly business will be behind and members would've lost an entire day, and all thanks to the weak decision of certain political parties in the National Assembly. PCS members will understandably lose two days pay for striking, but will Assembly Members lose out on pay? You'll always find there's plenty of backbench constituency work to do on days like this... problem solved!

An Own Goal for Labour

2010-03-04T10:20:00.008Z

The Ashcroft saga looks like it will end up as an own goal for Labour.

There is nothing illegal about the whole story. Not only that, but Lord Ashcroft wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth (sorry, socialists), as everyone knows he's a self-made man, and one of the success stories of the old Grammar School System.

What will come as a great shock for Labour luvvies is that he also pays tax on his financial and private affairs in the UK, making him a UK taxpayer.

In a nutshell, despite the media spin and fake outrage from Labour Ministers and supporters, it seems that the trustworthy UK public have worked out that it's a simple smear campaign, orchestrated (if somewhat slightly out of tune) by Brown's backstairs department.

This is going to end up an own goal for Labour as it draws attention to Labour's Non-Dom supporters.

Since 2001, Ashcroft has given £5,160,915 to the Tories. Mittal, Cohen and Paul all Non-Doms have given Labour £6,734,250. Paul funded at least one of Brown's election campaigns. Between 2001 -2008 Lord Paul sat and attended the House of Lords 1047 times and claimed £281,263 in expenses. Please tell me if I'm wrong, but Lord Paul has left the Government over Expense issues. Over the same period 2001 - 2008 Lord Ashcroft attended the House 285 times and claimed no expenses.

I'm saying nothing more, but make your own mind up about a so-called scandal, and where it lies.

Rhodri Morgan uses the internet for the first time...

2010-03-04T10:11:00.003Z

Former Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan has been targeted by online fraudsters, MPs were told today.

Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said Mr Morgan, who stood down last year, was sent an email from a woman saying he was “exactly the kind of man she was looking for”.

During Commons question time, Mr Brennan – MP for Cardiff West – joked that the message had not come from Mr Morgan’s wife Julie, the MP for Cardiff North.

After setting out measures being taken to combat online fraud – particularly among vulnerable and older people – Mr Brennan revealed that 70-year-old Mr Morgan raised the alarm after receiving the email.

He said: “The former first minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan, has just taken up the internet and he recently in the office received an email which he showed to me from someone – from a woman – who said she was exactly the kind of man she was looking for.

“I did point out that it was not from the Hon Member for Cardiff North, his wife.”

P.S. More amusing news comes from Jonathan Morgan AM "Rhodri Morgan's mutterings from the back of the Senedd make him sound like Fr Jack, the old priest in BBC's Father Ted series!

Morgan's legacy leaves recurring hangovers

2010-01-25T10:37:00.008Z

Rhodri Morgan only left a short while ago, and now we find that civil service sleaze lingers on to affect Carwyn Jones' administration. WAG staffing has always managed to raise the odd eyebrow in the media, but when is someone going to take control of a problem that has been in the making since Rhodri's bonfire, nearly four years ago?

Welsh Assembly Government staff relocating to the Llandudno Junction base are to be given thousands of pounds of tax payers’ money in “disruption allowances”.

Staff who were employed by WAG on February 23 2005 and are in a post transferring to the new office will be eligible for the allowance, which ranges from £750 to £2,500.

Clwyd West MP David Jones has described the move as astonishing and is seeking an explanation from the Assembly.

The allowance is based on the distance of a WAG employee's current office from the new office in Llandudno Junction.

Six hundred staff are to be relocated to the new Assembly office, which is set to open this summer. They will be transferring from Colwyn Bay, St Asaph, Mold, Caernarfon and Cardiff.

Meanwhile, A source told the Western Mail: “All civil servants can claim this money, even if they live nearer the new office. For example, staff who work in St Asaph, but live in Colwyn Bay, Penrhyn Bay, Llandudno, Conwy or even Llandudno Junction itself, will be paid a £2,500 lump sum because they will no longer have to travel to St Asaph. It’s crazy.

“The other crazy thing is that the union has negotiated that it is 20 miles from St Asaph to Llandudno Junction. Why would they do this when it’s only 16 miles? The reason is that if the distance is only 16 miles, the civil servants will only get £1,500, but as they’ve agreed a figure of 20 miles it goes up to £2,500.”

The source added: “They’ve also agreed that Colwyn Bay is eight miles away from Llandudno Junction, so the staff there can claim extra allowances – it’s four miles at the most.

“This is public money. It may be within the rules – just like the MPs – but when we are coming out of the worst recession in living memory, with people who have lost their jobs being forced to travel miles extra for less pay and tough decisions having to be made in Wales due to the cut in funding from Whitehall, it’s sickening to think that hard working taxpayers are paying for this.”

A WAG spokeswoman explained: “The package for staff relocating to the new office in Llandudno Junction has been put together to recognise the impact the relocation will have on staff and their families.

“The allowance will vary depending on which office staff are currently based at.

“Allowances begin at £750 depending on the location of the office and up to £2,500 for offices further away in the North Wales region.”

The spokeswoman said the figure for the number of staff eligible for the allowance is not yet available.

An employee will need to pay the allowance back if they are no longer based at the new office within two years of it opening.

MP David Jones commented: “This is extraordinary news, and the Welsh Assembly Government has some serious explaining to do.

“In fact, some employees who presently work at St Asaph may even find it quicker and more convenient to commute to Llandudno Junction, yet they will still receive a minimum payment of £750.

“At such a difficult economic time, this is sending out the signal that WAG just doesn’t care about spending tax payers’ money prudently.

“Many people are feeling the pinch in the depths of this cold winter and will be rightly appalled.”
He added: “I will be contacting my colleagues in the Welsh Assembly and asking them to call WAG to account for this astonishing decision.”

Llandudno Junction councillor Mike Priestley was also shocked by the move.

He said: “If that’s their policy then it should be reviewed immediately.

“I can understand if employees are given a fuel allowance for the first few months if they have to travel longer distances, but giving out lump sums even if they live next door to the new office is ridiculous.

“The employees will leave the offices they are currently working in on a Friday and start at the Junction on the Monday. Where is the disruption in that?

“We are being told by the Government that we are all going to have to tighten our purse strings for the next decade.

“The Welsh Assembly should practice what it is preaching.”

Those 'big' ideas we had, have run out! Over to you...

2010-01-21T22:52:00.008Z

Is it time for a change of coalition in time to embrace a new UK government?

Is the former First Minister finally getting down to business?

2010-01-07T15:10:00.011Z

It appears that the man formerly known as First Minister - Rhodri Morgan - is on the look out for a Political Researcher.

If interested in assisting the FFM in the twilight of his Assembly career, the deadline is 20 January 2010.

Interestingly, to apply send your CV with a covering letter and an explanation as to why you are suited to this role to an 'Assembly assistant' or primarily to a Parliament based assistant.

Is Rhodri already set for the Lords, or does London still have a keen eye when it comes to overseeing his 'work'?

No administrators were culled during Welsh NHS restructuring

2009-12-12T11:12:00.004Z

A storm erupted last night after it emerged that not a single administrator’s job was lost when the NHS in Wales was reorganised in October.

Although the number of Local Health Boards shrank from 22 to seven and dozens of highly-paid top management posts disappeared, no-one has been invited to apply for voluntary redundancy
or otherwise been forced to take it.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister Andrew RT Davies said:

We were promised NHS restructuring would deflate Labour’s bloated health service bureaucracy and refocus delivery on to frontline patient care.

People pay tax and National Insurance to receive first-class healthcare, not to bankroll administrators and bureaucrats.

David Rosser, director of CBI Wales, said:

This is a situation that a lot of people in the private sector and a lot of taxpayers will be angry about.

Nobody likes to make people redundant, but sadly there are times when efficiency savings have to be made.

It is inconceivable that a reorganisation along these lines could take place in the private sector without a reduction in head count.

This does not augur well for the savings the Assembly Government will need to make in the coming years.

The Assembly Government said:

We expect to see a reduction in management costs over time but this was never the primary purpose of the reform programme. The main savings of the reforms will result from reducing the transactional costs associated with the internal market.

Plaid-led Assembly Commission?

2009-12-08T17:06:00.008Z

I would've thought that one Assembly Member of sixty, defecting from one political party to another would be newsworthy from a collective, objective, and transparent National Assembly for Wales. Obviously not!

And Then There Were Thirteen: Plaid AM defects to Conservatives

2009-12-08T15:58:00.017Z

Plaid Cymru AM Mohammad Asghar has crossed the floor to join the Conservatives in the Welsh assembly.

The defection was announced by Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne and Shadow Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan.

Mr Asghar, the assembly's only ethnic minority AM, said he felt "out of tune" with Plaid policies, in particular its desire for an independent Wales.

Plaid Cymru said his decision was a "shock" and called for him to be "honourable" and resign his seat.

It is the first time an AM has left one party to join another, although others have sat as independents after resigning or being expelled from their own parties.

Mr Asghar was elected as a regional AM for South Wales East in 2007.

Joined by the Conservative group at a news conference, he said he had "felt out of tune with the views and policies of Plaid Cymru" and "believed in the royal family and one United Kingdom".

"My politics are very much in line with wanting a stronger Wales within a successful United Kingdom," he said.

"I believe that the Welsh Conservative Party in the national assembly, led by Nick Bourne, reflects my beliefs.

"I am also attracted by the caring Conservatism and policies for change put forward by David Cameron and the Conservative Party at Westminster.

"I very much look forward to playing an important role in the shadow team in the national assembly and to helping to shape the policies for the Assembly elections in 2011," said Mr Asghar.

Asked why he had stood for Plaid Cymru when he was opposed to independence for Wales, he said his voice had been that of "a little parrot in a jungle", with little chance of changing Plaid's stance on the issue.

Mr Asghar was originally seen as a political tool by Plaid Cymru:

"We were very proud of the fact that in campaigning hard for Mohammad Asghar's election in 2007 that Plaid Cymru ensured the first ever assembly member from the black minority ethnic community."

... Now there appears to be sour grapes:

"It is has come as a shock that he has now decided that he shares the same values as those held by the Conservative and Unionist party." Plaid Cymru assembly group chair Dai Lloyd said it would be wrong for Mr Asghar to remain in the assembly as a Conservative. "We now call on Mohammad Asghar to take the honourable decision to resign his seat as a Plaid Cymru AM," Mr Lloyd said. "The people of the South Wales (East) region did not want a second Tory AM to represent the area - they elected a Plaid Cymru AM. "Mr Asghar does not have the political mandate to sit in the assembly as a Conservative member..."

Hat-tip to the Welsh Conservatives and Mr Asghar for pulling that one out of the hat, and on the day that Rhodri Morgan tenders his resignation as First Minister.

Thought of the Moment... Carwynista

2009-12-02T22:10:00.006Z

A Changing Wales, and at a Faster Pace?

Not only is Wikipedia showing that Welsh Labour leader and First Minister designate Carwyn Jones is a Rt Hon, and before even becoming First Minister, but I also discover that the Welsh media is abundant with absent script, short sentenced 'new' Welsh speaking AMs who have taken the opportunity to step out into the sunshine for the first time since Autumn has ended and Winter has begun.

Please form an orderly queue before a warm Winter chat and confirmation on the FM's balcony.

Looking back, what surprises me? A large and more than generous donation to the campaign. How desperate can one person be? Surprise? On second thought, no!

Blast from the Past: Wigley on Morgan

2009-12-02T17:07:00.010Z

Slow-retiring First Minister Rhodri Morgan made two big mistakes during his near decade in office, according to former Plaid Cymru president Dafydd Wigley.

In an article written for Ninnau, the North American Welsh newspaper that is largely complimentary about Mr Morgan, Mr Wigley singles out the scrapping of the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) and the first NHS reorganisation as serious errors.

Mr Wigley stated:

To my mind, one of the decisions taken by Rhodri Morgan back in 2004 undermined
the process of securing economic renewal. He decided, with support from all four
parties in the National Assembly, to axe the WDA. This body, at arm’s length from government, had been leading the work to secure economic development.

Since 1975, wrote Mr Wigley, the WDA had gained for itself a very significant international reputation and a brand image that was helpful for Wales.

Many of us feel that it was a disastrous decision to abolish the WDA and to integrate its work into the civil service of the National Assembly. There are no two ways about it: this decision was down to Rhodri Morgan himself. He had been highly critical of the WDA’s lack of answerability over a couple of decades. That decision, to my mind, was fundamentally flawed and Wales will continue to pay the price until some similar structure is recreated.

Writing about what he sees as the other major mistake during Mr Morgan’s period in office, Mr Wigley stated:

The other disastrous decision was to create 22 Local Health Boards in Wales, a bureaucratic nightmare in a country of only three million people.

It is good that the Labour-Plaid coalition government has recently seen the folly of that decision and has replaced those 22 boards with a slimmed-down seven region structure which came into force in October this year.

Writing about the challenges facing the new First Minister, Mr Wigley states:

The new First Minister will have his or her time cut out in living up to the popularity of Rhodri Morgan. There will be huge economic challenges arising from the recession. The Assembly, as with all UK public sector bodies, will face a financial squeeze.

There will be tensions if, as expected, the next UK Government at Westminster is Conservative, with a very different agenda to that of the Labour-Plaid coalition in Wales.

All this will inevitably lead to calls for an early referendum to give the Assembly full parliamentary powers.

We are entering a new era of uncharted waters.

The Greatest Show on Earth*

2009-12-01T08:32:00.008Z

The winner of the race to succeed Rhodri Morgan as leader of Labour in Wales and first minister in the Welsh assembly will be announced later.

The result will be announced at about 1730 GMT at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

Eligible to vote are Welsh Labour party members, affiliated groups such as trade unions, and its MPs, AMs and MEP.

The candidates are all AMs, with Carwyn Jones widely seen as the front runner, followed by Edwina Hart and Huw Lewis.

Whoever wins is due to be confirmed as first minister just over a week later.

The two-month election campaign began formally when Mr Morgan confirmed on 1 October that he was standing down, shortly after his 70th birthday.

Mr Morgan has held the top job in Wales since February 2000, and said it was the right time to go.

In Mr Morgan's current cabinet, Mr Jones is counsel general, or the assembly government's chief legal adviser, and leader of the house, who is in charge of getting government business through the assembly.

The vote is split equally three ways between:

• Party members
• Labour-affiliated trade unions and other organisations
• Elected AMs, MPs and the party's one MEP for Wales.

Members voted by ranking the candidates in order of preference on the ballot papers.
If one candidate has more than 50% of the vote after the first round of counting, the candidate with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated and their second preferences transferred to the remaining two to decide the winner.

* just watch Facebook profiles, groups, and blogs disappear overnight.

A sign of things to come...

2009-11-12T08:20:00.015Z

The friend or foe debate

2009-11-12T08:02:00.008Z

The final Labour party debate between the three candidates hoping to succeed Rhodri Morgan as leader in Wales will take place in Cardiff later.

The winner, announced in December, will also become Welsh First Minister.

Health Minister Edwina Hart, Counsel General Carwyn Jones and and AM Huw Lewis will argue their case before party members at Cardiff County Hall.

The three candidates can also be seen going head-to-head on Dragon's Eye on BBC One Wales tonight.

Voting by Welsh Labour members, local parties, affiliated groups, MPs, AMs and its MEP ends on 26 November.

The victor is due to be declared at around 1600 GMT on Tuesday, 1 December.

But the winner will have to wait around a week after that before her or she is confirmed as head of the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Labour hustings meeting, following four previous events in Rhyl, Narberth, Newport and Swansea, is not open to the wider public or media.

A television audience will also be able to see them taking part in the BBC Wales debate in front of a public audience later on Thursday night. The programme was recorded on Wednesday.

Dragon's Eye Debates, chaired by Betsan Powys, is broadcast at 2245 BST on Thursday BBC One Wales.

Glasgow North East by-election

2009-11-12T07:41:00.001Z

The seat was vacated by former Commons Speaker Michael Martin, who resigned amid the Westminster expenses row.

Voters will go to the polls today to elect one of 13 candidates as an MP.

The parties have set a goal to knock on thousands of doors in the constituency, amid predictions turnout on polling day could be crucial to the final result.

Labour, which has been the main political force in the Glasgow North East area for 74 years, is defending a majority of some 10,000 votes from the 2005 General Election.

The party said the poll would be a "referendum on the treatment of Glasgow" by the SNP.
It said the Scottish government's budget for the coming year would see a cut in the city's housing budget, a low increase in the area's health board and a failure to build new schools in Glasgow.

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray, who was joined by candidate Willie Bain and actor Eddie Izzard on the campaign trail, said: "It is increasingly clear that the poll is now a referendum on the treatment of Glasgow. This issue has dominated the campaign because Glaswegians care passionately about the city."

Meanwhile, SNP candidate David Kerr insisted that, after 74 years of Labour taking the area for granted, it was time for change.

"Voters have seen the success of the last two years of SNP Government, and it's time to bring some of that success to Glasgow and to Westminster," said Mr Kerr.

He added: "Labour's campaign has been built on smears and scaremongering. They have nothing positive to say about their own record or ideas for this area."

The Liberal Democrats argue their policy of tax reforms is chiming with the voters who want action on the economy, while the Conservatives are hoping for a strong showing to boost their hopes of a UK election victory.

Tory candidate Ruth Davidson said: "The voters know that they face a stark choice - more of this tired and failing Labour government or hope and change from David Cameron's Conservatives. We want to get Glasgow working again."

Eileen Baxendale, the Liberal Democrat candidate, visited a car wash and valeting company in the constituency on the final day of polling.

Joined by Scottish party leader Tavish Scott, she said: "This is another example of a great, local, small business facing tough times as a direct result of Labour's recession - if people in Glasgow North East want to wash away years of neglect from the Labour party then they should vote for the Liberal Democrats."

EU [leaders] to decide top jobs next week

2009-11-11T19:30:00.003Z

The EU will hold a special summit on 19 November to decide the new top jobs of EU president and foreign policy chief.

"The extra informal summit... will take the form of a working dinner in Brussels," a spokesman for the Swedish EU presidency said.

The appointments will be made by the leaders of the 27 member states, by a qualified majority vote.

Belgium's Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, has emerged as a frontrunner for the post of EU president.

THE PRESIDENT'S ROLE

Chosen by 27 member states by qualified majority vote
Two-and-a-half-year term
Can be re-elected once
Chairs EU summits
Drives forward the work of EU Council of Ministers
Facilitates cohesion and consensus
Represents the EU on the world stage

Oh, and the other important new post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs, of which two have already ruled themselves out. Whoever gets that job will also become vice president of the European Commission.

The Voice of Unemployed Reasoning

2009-11-11T18:00:00.007Z

Unemployment in Wales has risen sharply in the three months between July and September, latest figures indicate.

The Welsh jobless total increased by 14,000, more than half the increase for the UK as a whole, to 125,000.

It was the second consecutive three month period when Wales lost more jobs than any other UK nation or region.

Over to the comforting bureaucratic soul of WAG:

The Welsh Assembly Government said the quarterly rise was "disappointing" but a spokesperson said it did not reflect the trend over the year.

Hutt hurts figures in Newport

2009-11-10T11:00:00.006Z

A city council has been rapped over the knuckles by the Assembly Government – for supporting too many deprived children.

Newport Council has been told that instead of helping 1,607 children from poorer parts of the city, it must spend more per child but help only 1,122 of them.

Education Minister Jane Hutt has ordered the city council to spend £2,100 on each child in the scheme rather than following its current policy of reducing the sum to £1,600 so it can help more children.

Flying Start provides support for children aged up to three and includes part-time childcare, extra levels of involvement from health visitors, parenting programmes and help with basic skills.

Newport City Council deputy leader Ed Townsend said: “This is a pilot scheme funded until 2011 so far and one of the purposes of a pilot is to test the systems to make sure they work.

“In Newport, we are making the systems work very well indeed and we want to help as many families as possible.

“We do not want to cut families out of Flying Start just because civil servants want the numbers to look the same all over Wales. Flying Start is an excellent scheme, welcomed by health and childcare professionals.

Foreign Office to cut 100 vital jobs

2009-11-09T08:51:00.007Z

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have been criticised for their proposal to cut the jobs of 100 British diplomats serving in some of the most sensitive parts of the world.

The FCO's plans will remove up to 134 UK civil servants serving as management officers in UK embassies around the globe and replace them with staff recruited locally. Management Officers are responsible for the oversight of embassy staffing, finances, property and security.

Localisation if staff is planned in approximately 50 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Russia, China and Nigeria, where the FCO plans to recruit staff to manage day-to-day running of UK embassies.

The current roles and duties include dealing with security risks and a threat of espionage and organised crime.

It appears that someone [Ministers] needs to be asking questions!

Remembrance

2009-11-08T08:18:00.001Z

Three leg race to replace a three legged duck

2009-10-30T09:00:00.010Z

Perhaps there are simply three legs to any race, even if three's a crowd:

Leg 1: Speculation surrounding who will put themselves forward for leadership.

Leg 2: Hopefuls dropping out and rallying round their favourite.

Leg 3: One contender entering contest to draw support from one camp in order for another contender to sail through and win.

Don't look at me. You were also thinking it!

Is Labour winning over the people of Blaenau Gwent?

2009-10-30T07:40:00.006Z

Blaenau Gwent awarded £35 million for learning

The Welsh Assembly Government has awarded Blaenau Gwent £35 million for new, 21st century learning, training and skills centres at The Works: Ebbw Vale.

The funding for the exciting Blaenau Gwent ‘Learning Works’ programme was announced by Education Minister Jane Hutt AM on Wednesday, 21 October 2009.

‘Learning Works’ includes proposals for:

new primary and secondary schools
a special school an integrated children’s centre
sports centre
performing arts centre and
an integrated ‘Learning Zone’ for 16 - 18 year olds.

Consultation on the proposals for the future of education starts in November 2009.

Coun Des Hillman, Leader of Blaenau Gwent Council, said:

This is great news. Our vision to transform education, learning, skills and training for children and young people in the Heads of the Valleys has the full support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

A first tranche of funding of £48 million for ‘Learning Works’ was approved in July 2009. This second tranche of £35 million is additional to this. It is also conditional on the consultations on the re-organisation of education in Blaenau Gwent.

WAG is bad for business

2009-10-28T19:00:00.002Z

Forty thousand businesses in Wales will be hit by higher rates next year, Welsh Conservatives have learned.

The Assembly Government's own figures suggest firms across the country will be hit with bigger bills from April, despite ministers claiming to help businesses during the recession.

Welsh Conservatives have also warned that a rise due to revaluation will come on top of a planned 1.5% rise in rates due to the Assembly Government's decision to phase in a 5% rise over three years.

Shadow Minister for the Economy David Melding AM described the Assembly Government's decision to lower the level at which business rates bills are calculated as "a smokescreen".

He repeated the party's call for the rates revaluation to be postponed until at least April 2011, and said ministers should consider Conservative plans to scrap or reduce the level of business rates for as many as 90,000 firms.

And he warned that the overall uncertainty about the impact of business rates next year was having a destabilising effect on the SME sector.

David Melding AM said:

By the Assembly Government's own admission 40,000 businesses will pay more in rates next year. Instead of helping small businesses during the recession Labour and Plaid Cymru ministers are making life more difficult for them.

The announcement to lower the level at which rates are calculated, while welcome, is nothing more than a smokescreen. If ministers really were on the side of Welsh businesses they would do everything in their power to postpone the rates revaluation planned for April and deliver a meaningful relief scheme to lift thousands out of rates altogether. They also need to end the uncertainty about the impact of revaluation and possible rates rise so businesses can plan for the future.

Businesses want real support from the Assembly Government at a time of economic difficult. I acknowledge and welcome the fact as many as 64,000 businesses could see a rates reduction next year. But for tens of thousands more their rates will rise.

For those businesses the increase will make life even harder as they struggle to cope with the impact of the recession. And for some it could determine whether or not they remain trading, lay off staff, or shut up shop altogether.

Hart attack: NHS 'spends £1bn of budget badly'

2009-10-23T00:11:00.008+01:00

A billion pounds of the annual Welsh health budget is not being spent properly, according to finance chiefs. Full story here.

Welsh assembly members have been told that some patients are taking up beds needlessly, while others needed to be in hospital but were not.

Paul Davies, of the All Wales Directors of NHS, said a fifth of the £5bn annual health budget was not used correctly, with "extremely costly" mistakes.

The Welsh Assembly Government has been asked to comment.

Mr Davies told the assembly finance committee:

Far too many patients end up in the wrong place, either being hospitalised when they shouldn't be, or they stay in hospital too long, or they stay in primary care, and they should be in hospital.

All these mistakes .... [are] extremely costly, very expensive.

We believe there is at least 20% that we are not doing appropriately within the total budget, that if we did then we would see that improvement come through.

There's £1bn that we're not utilising appropriately.

(One) Question Time

2009-10-22T11:51:00.007+01:00

Repulsed by Nick Griffin and all he and his party stands for... However, what I saw tonight was not Question Time.

Has this programme ever been so dominated by one issue - knocking one panelist? We shouldn't feel bad as Mr Griffin put himself up for ridicule and richly deserved it. Besides, there had to be some time spent on his party's policies but this programme was clearly a set-up and as a democrat I am slightly shocked. I have always enjoyed and respected Question Time, but tonight, the programme descended into a shin-kicking match (though it was a sometimes [read mainly] pleasant kicking match). Unfortunately, there were no questions, but only one question.

Everyone quite rightly ganged up on Griffin, and Griffin himself didn't rise to the challenge and thankfully turned out to be a poor orator with little grasp of the facts.

Let's hope his performance has only impressed the few, and that misguided voters of the past steer clear of voting for the BNP in the future.

You couldn't make it up: it burgers belief

2009-10-21T17:00:00.012+01:00

A man has spoken of his relief after a charge of criminal damage to two beef burgers was dropped by magistrates.

Stephen Morgan, of Loughor, Swansea, was first arrested for robbery after complaining about the late arrival of two burgers with a pizza order.

His solicitor said Mr Morgan faced 20 hours of police questioning which led to a charge of criminal damage and later claims of breach of the peace.

Security worker Mr Morgan, said: "I'm just glad sanity has prevailed."

His solicitor branded the episode "a waste of public money" after a brief hearing in court.

Series of Events

He ordered the beef burgers, worth £5, as part of a takeaway supper from a pizza outlet on 10 October.

When the order, from Pepino's Pizza parlour in nearby Gorseinon, arrived without the burgers, Mr Morgan complained.

He was told that the missing meal would be sent right over but when they failed to arrive he asked for a refund which he says the company agreed to.

However, the burgers arrived shortly after but Mr Morgan, who had already eaten, immediately rejected them.

Instead he insisted on £15 compensation for his trouble, which he was paid, and the burgers were discarded.

A four-man police team arrived several hours later and arrested him for robbery. He was then led from his home in handcuffs.

His solicitor, David Singh, said the case, which he said "must have cost a couple of thousand pounds at least" should never have come to court.

He said: "He was arrested by four policeman at home and then spent 20 hours in custody being questioned and giving statements.

"There was a brief hearing last week when the case was reviewed and that was re-reviewed at the weekend by lawyers before the case against him was dropped.

"It started off with him being arrested for robbery, from robbery he was charged with criminal damage then they tried to allege a breach of the peace, now it's zero.

Mr Singh said the company's compensation policy of giving the food for free meant the burgers by that time belonged to his client.

Mr Morgan said: "I have just started a security business training dogs for the police and the army out in Afghanistan.

"I have had a lot of backing and government contracts and if I had got a criminal record I would have lost my licence to operate.

"It's just a relief it is all over."

Nobody from Pepino's Pizza was available for comment.

But a spokesman for the company had previously told the South Wales Evening Post that customers who got the wrong food got their money back, and free food.

"We have a good reputation. Out of 2,000 people who eat here, 1,999 are happy," he added.

Rhodri Morgan's legacy: The failure of a government department

2009-10-14T19:44:00.018+01:00

While we hear news that the number of unemployed people in Wales has gone up by 24,000 - the largest rise of any part of the UK [There are now 130,000 jobless in Wales. The unemployment rate is 9.1%] and the only regions with a worse figure are the North-East of England and the West Midlands, the Welsh Assembly Government's business promotion arm is showing muscle fatigue of the worst kind.

International Business Wales (part of the Welsh Assembly Government) has been targeting the wrong companies in the wrong marketplace and must be overhauled, Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said yesterday.

Two major reports yesterday dealt a blow to IBW’s reputation as a champion of Welsh business overseas.

A study by independent inward investment expert Glenn Massey highlighted areas where it was delivering poor value for money and warned:

The IBW brand is not strong or well recognised.
Clearly, the performance of IBW and its predecessor over the past 10 years has at best been mixed.
Wales has spent more than £3m a year on overseas offices but out of the 12 UK regions came last in the rankings for safeguarding jobs.
In 2008-09, the number of new jobs created by foreign direct investment was the lowest ever recorded for Wales.

The report also reveals that the member of staff stationed in IBW’s Munich office cannot speak German.

A major concern it highlights is that IBW has no responsibility to encourage the 500-plus foreign-owned companies in Wales to reinvest in the nation.

Conservative Shadow Minister for the Economy David Melding AM said:

The report into the effectiveness of IBW is disturbing and raises serious questions about whether the organisation is delivering value for money. The Assembly Government needs to review its programmes regularly and not only in response to a crisis as it did in this case over expenses. It is clear we have underperformed on inward investment compared to other parts of the UK. We were once the market leader.

How many of the Assembly Government’s programmes are underperforming badly?
That is the question ministers must now answer.

Government civil servants pile on the expenses

2009-10-14T18:35:00.009+01:00

While MPs are experiencing a further grilling over expenses, we find ourselves revisiting a former blog post regarding another development over an old WAG civil servant expenses scandal.

An investigation by expert auditors KPMG found 11% of expenses – totalling more than £290,000 – by staff at International Business Wales staff may have been in breach of policy.

The experts uncovered unusual expenses at the body, which promotes Wales as a destination for businesses.

They included:

the purchase of a first class flight (£6,125.63);
a monthly mobile phone bill of £1,946.83;
the electricity bill for a residential address (£345.22);
AA membership (£203.54);
furniture items including vases, candles and towels (£380.06);
an item of “personal care” (£45.30).
This is in addition to £150 spent on football kits and £553.87 paid for children’s textbooks in the 12 months to March.
A further £3,394.44 was spent on overseas hospitality for a Wales vs South Africa rugby match.

The follow-up investigation into the 781 transactions where there may have been breaches of policy will report by Christmas.

It is not expected that the police will be called in, but disciplinary action is likely and staff may be asked to repay expenditure.

The expenses revelations came on the same day that a major report by independent inward investment expert Glenn Massey strongly criticised the performance of IBW and its forerunner, the Welsh Development Agency, describing its record as “at best mixed”.

Permanent Secretary Dame Gillian Morgan said the Assembly Government would work “urgently” to address the issues raised in the report.

She also acknowledged the expenses investigation had an impact on staff morale.

The KPMG investigation team were not able to decide whether a further 817 transactions – worth more than £280,000 – were within the rules, due to vague policy or a lack of documentation.

The Permanent Secretary pledged to address ambiguities in expenses policies. Dame Gillian said the international wing of the Assembly Government was the area where the opportunity for misuse of expenses was highest.

It’s our highest risk area because people are travelling overseas, they work independently, and therefore if you were going to have things going wrong it’s
the sort of part of the organisation you would expect to have the biggest issues.

In short, not only was Rhodri Morgan lied to, but it appears that Gillian Morgan is knee-deep in a public money expenses scandal brought on by unscrupulous civil servants. Her quote "Arguing that it did not point to chronic failure in the organisation...This is not a sick part of the system. There is some stuff that needs doing and there are some further questions to be asked but it was not a report that made me have all the flesh falling off my bones and whatever." is a perfect example of someone not willing to face facts.

But Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said fears about the expense claims of IBW staff were well-founded.

In July we asked whether the huge amount of money being spent on expensive flights, top-class hotels and fine-dining was delivering a return for Welsh taxpayers,” she said.

The performance report confirms IBW’s failure to deliver adequate investment but the separate expenses report makes for astounding reading.

This report on the expenses of civil servants in IBW has proved our fears that there was a runaway culture of spending in the IBW, which Government was failing to monitor.

What we found most worrying about the expenses review is the amount of claims that have been made by IBW civil servants that are not part of the work that they do in promoting Wales as a destination for business.

The report shows that Government failed to implement effective policies, that policies on expenditure were not followed and that around 800 claims can still not be accounted for.

Together, the reports amount to a damning indictment of [Minister for Economy and Transport Ieuan Wyn Jones’] oversight of IBW.

We’re left wondering why this was allowed to happen for so long and what would have happened had we not raised our concerns earlier this year.

Two reports were commissioned into the assembly government-run International Business Wales (IBW) after a row over staff expenses which has led to further revelations.

Another AM understandably retires at next election

2009-10-14T18:00:00.004+01:00

Karen Sinclair AM, a former cabinet minister in the Welsh Assembly Government is to stand down at the next elections in 2011. She has served as Labour AM for Clwyd South for 10 years, and told her constituency party on Tuesday she would not be seeking re-election.

Last year, Ms Sinclair was diagnosed with the bone marrow cancer myeloma and has been undergoing treatment.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan said Ms Sinclair had always "put others first and not herself".
Ms Sinclair served as business manager in the cabinet between 2003 and 2005, and was chief whip.

She said it had been a "great honour" to represent the constituency, adding: "The recovery from my recent illness is going very well, but I felt the time was now right to announce I will step down and tell my local party I will not seek re-election in 2011.

Miss Wagstaff wishes you well in retirement.

Quote of the Week

2009-09-21T16:17:00.003+01:00

Expenses probe will cost £129,000

A review, by auditors KPMG, followed revelations in July that officials flew first class and charged nearly £750,000 to corporate credit cards in a year.

Mr Bourne said he was "astonished" Mr Morgan was spending a "six figure sum" to "review spending in one of his own government departments".

This is typical of the assembly government - mounting an expensive investigation into why one of its own departments is spending so much.

Sights you don't see in the Senedd

2009-09-02T22:30:00.010+01:00

Part 9:

A thorough debate, apparently!

"The contributions so far have been passionate, forceful from all sides."

"We're rarely treated to such cogent, purposeful, flowing debate here [Assembly]? Is it the arena, the issue they're debating, or those debating it?"

You have to admire Betsan. Remind me to order that drink for her next time.

Remembering Jane

2009-09-01T16:50:00.001+01:00

A blast from the past while I read my emails. It's good to return from a family holiday, having survived.

Thanks for the photo, Mr Anonymous.

Silly season comes home to leadership battle that hasn't begun

2009-08-18T23:30:00.007+01:00

It's what Rhodri Morgan would want and hope for, but only gives journalists something to print during quieter times. Jane Hutt seemingly lays out her stall, however, pundits know that she's nothing to sell, no cash in the till, and not as personable as other stall owners.

EDUCATION Minister Jane Hutt has laid out a vision of how Labour in Wales can fight inequality and win the trust of the electorate ahead of Westminster and Assembly elections.

In a move that will be widely interpreted as setting out her leadership ambitions, the Vale of Glamorgan AM has given a rare interview highlighting the pressing need to narrow the gap between the nation’s haves and have-nots.

Despite remaining tight-lipped about her intentions (good of the Western Mail to prise it out of her most inner thoughts), Ms Hutt is increasingly seen as a contender to succeed Rhodri Morgan as First Minister if, as expected, he announces his retirement in the autumn.

Expenses revisited: An eye for an eye

2009-08-18T21:02:00.007+01:00

Assembly insiders are all the rage these days...The chairman of a panel that recommended big cuts in AM allowances ran up expenses of nearly £80,000 while chairing the Welsh Development Agency.

Sir Roger Jones chaired the WDA, whose role was to create jobs by attracting inward investment, from January 2002 until it was merged with the Assembly Government at the end of March 2006.

Details of Sir Roger’s expenses while he was at the WDA show that his claims totalled £78,800 during his time chairing the board.

More than £30,000 was spent on overseas air and rail travel, more than £14,000 on hotel accommodation, more than £11,000 on hospitality both in the UK and overseas, and £6,000 on taxi fares.

An Assembly insider said: “This is extremely embarrassing for Sir Roger and comes just days after it was revealed he claimed thousands of pounds in pay and expenses while undertaking a review on the same subject.

“Sir Roger has spent tens of thousands of pounds since 2001 on hospitality, travel and subsistence while chair of the WDA, you have to question whether this was money well spent. The annual figures from the WDA accounts show that in several years he was claiming a bigger annual salary than an AM, for what was a part-time role.

“His previous comments on AMs behaving like children in a sweet shop seem particularly hypocritical now.”

Some AMs [mainly Labour] are unhappy, if that's the most polite of descriptions, and you don't need to hang around Cardiff Bay's No. 1 restaurant to find that one out. Whether you agree or not, one commenter seems to give us food for thought.

Yes, this does seem a great deal of money, but what we must remember is that this amount covers a four year period. So please don't throw out the baby with the bath water use some common sense. Think of his job, and the amount it cost each year, then make your decision on whether he is overpaid or not.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks

2009-08-17T22:00:00.005+01:00

Quote of the Week: Labour's All-women shortlist in the Vale of Glamorgan.

A female member of the Vale of Glamorgan Labour party wrote to the South Wales Echo saying:

“I know there is a silent majority of local Labour members who would oppose the imposition of a women-only shortlist for the selection of our candidate to replace John Smith. It is what I can only describe as bullying tactics from the National Executive which forced the local party to succumb to this policy.

“The polls indicate that the fight to return a Labour MP for the Vale of Glamorgan will be extremely difficult. Our chances of success would have been greater if we had the option of selecting a candidate from all our membership and not just from female members. Our candidate should be the best person, not just the best woman or best man.”

It seems you can't teach an old Labour dog new tricks.

Has the swine flu vaccination been adequately tested, or are we the guinea pigs?

2009-08-13T23:36:00.001+01:00

A swine flu vaccination campaign will be launched in the autumn, but only certain at risk groups, including pregnant women, will be given the jab.

Those with underlying health conditions up to the age of 65 have been identified as the first priority in the UK followed by pregnant women.

Health and social care workers will also get the jab, meaning about 14m people will be immunised by December.

The government has yet to decide whether everyone should be given it.
There are contracts in place for 132m doses of the jab - enough for the whole population as people will require two shots.

One question. Speaking as a pregnant woman, is there any chance that the vaccine will be fully tested by this date? Only a thought!

Sights you don't see in the Senedd

2009-08-12T11:11:00.007+01:00

Part 8:

A breakdown in communication between civil servants and the First Minister (on second thought..,)

"Because I holiday in my caravan in west Wales, I don't delegate authority to anyone else as I'm available to make any emergency decision as and when required." First Minister Rhodri Morgan

"Targeted for telling the truth"

2009-08-07T23:05:00.005+01:00

A blogger who was targeted in a co-ordinated attack against websites such as Facebook and Twitter has told the BBC he blames Russia for the assault.

The pro-Georgian blogger, known as Cyxymu, said he had been targeted for "telling the truth about the Russian-Georgian war" in his writings.

The attack caused a blackout of Twitter for about two hours on Thursday.
Despite the blogger's claims, security researchers say there is "no suggestion the attack was state-endorsed".

Google, Facebook and blogging platform Live Journal - all sites where Cyxymu had accounts - were also affected.

"I write the truth about the Russian-Georgian war and somebody did not like these truths - these people in Russia," the blogger told BBC News. "I don't know which people," he added.

The blogger, real name Georgy, has posted videos and blogs which criticise Russia over its conduct in the war over the South Ossetia region, which began one year ago.

"It's a big surprise to me that my blog has meant that 250m people have not been able to enter Facebook," he said.

Did anyone notice?

2009-08-07T16:45:00.011+01:00

His Lordship has been attempting to deflect attention away from the negative press on withdrawing the Assembly's first landmark decision on the Welsh language, by regurgitating his annual attempt at dissing the Conservative party when it comes to devolution.

Did anyone notice his constitutional mistake? Answers on a postcard, or simply in the comments section.

Meanwhile a Labour-Plaid Cymru led national discussion - A last public question time session on more possible powers for the Welsh assembly will be held later at the National Eisteddfod in Bala, Gwynedd.

The meeting will be the final public event held by the All Wales Convention to gauge views on whether there is an appetite for more powers.

The session follows 23 events across Wales attended by almost 2,000 people since they began a year ago.

A report on the consultation process will be presented to ministers.

We can't wait for the 'report'.

When Sugar doesn't taste so sweet

2009-08-06T08:45:00.009+01:00

Tim Montgomerie posts on a sour Sugar:

Alan Sugar is a prat. He's a dipstick. He's a wally. (As well as not having an enormous intellect).

Roger Alton, Matthew d’Ancona, Liz Anderson, Martin Bright, Jeremy Clarke, Nick Cohen, Nicholas Coleridge, Lloyd Evans, James Forsyth, Julia Hobsbawm, Rachel Johnson, Dylan Jones, Mary Killen, India Knight, Rod Liddle, John Micklethwait, Fraser Nelson, Matthew Parris, Stephen Pollard, Hugo Rifkind, Andrew Roberts, Alan Rusbridger, Sebastian Shakespeare, Paul Staines, Sarah Standing, Mary Wakefield and Toby Young have written this letter to The Spectator in protest at Lord Sugar's threat to sue The Daily Mail's Quentin Letts for calling him a ‘telly peer’ who ‘doesn’t seem to have an enormous intellect’.

One of the letter's signatories, Matthew Parris, has gone further still in today's Times:

"This is outrageous. What a prat. What a dipstick. What a wally. Alan Sugar is threatening to sue my former fellow-sketchwriter, Quentin Letts. A letter to The
Spectator this week, to which I have just added my name, protests that the libel
lawyers Herbert Smith have written to Mr Letts complaining that on LBC radio he
called their client a telly peer who doesn’t seem to have an enormous intellect; and that a writ will follow unless he pays Lord Sugar’s legal costs to date, donates an undisclosed sum to charity and gives a written undertaking never to criticise their client again. Find me a bucket, I feel sick. This from a delicate flower who has made his media career verbally humiliating people."

Matthew Parris at his best. Read his full column here.

Beginning of the end to freebie Welsh policies?

2009-08-05T18:30:00.003+01:00

Could this be the end of freebie policies as popularised by the Welsh Assembly Government?

Free bus travel for all pensioners in Wales should be scrapped because of the cost, an advisory group has urged.

The independent ministerial advisory group on transport wants the assembly government to begin an urgent review, arguing it is becoming unaffordable.

Instead, the group suggests a more targeted approach for certain areas or social groups to save £25m a year.

But ministers say there are "no plans whatsoever" to scrap the scheme and they wanted to reassure the public.

Appealing to the masses

2009-08-04T20:45:00.010+01:00

Just as one leader is about to make himself more appealing with the aid of voluntary work, another aims to make an appeal to the masses via a more direct appeal straight to the heart of party sympathisers (and mainly Welsh speaking).

N.B. No Labour AM has formally declared they intend to stand for the party's leadership. But Carwyn Jones, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney AM Huw Lewis and Gower AM and Health Minister Edwina Hart are all thought to be preparing campaigns.

Stay tuned but don't hold your breath over Summer.

Bonus* Bonanza Balls up

2009-08-04T18:56:00.016+01:00

Just when politicians are having to bite the bullet over expenses, it seems that the tide has not turned in other parts of the Assembly. It appears that others are slow to catch on when it comes to the general mood of the public.

The Welsh assembly official overseeing substantial cuts in AMs' expenses received at least £15,000 extra pay in the last year, it has emerged.

Chief executive Claire Clancy's salary rose from a salary range of up to £125,000 to at least £140,000.

The assembly said it reflected a bonus from a previous year and, as Ms Clancy and the directors had given up their bonuses, her pay would fall next year.

The pay of another senior official also rose by at least £15,000 in 2008-09.

Assembly members agreed last month to make substantial cuts in their expenses, including scrapping interest payments on mortgages for second homes and linking their salaries to changes in average earnings.

According to the assembly's annual report, in the last financial year Ms Clancy's salary was between £140,000 and £145,000, compared to £120,000 to £125,000 in 2007-08.

An assembly spokesman said the higher figure included a deferred final bonus payment from the previous year, under different rules.

The spokesman said:

Because the bonuses have now stopped, the figures published in the accounts for the current financial year (2009/10) will show...the chief executive's actual income dropping during 2009-10 compared to 2008-09, from the salary range £140,000-145,000 to £135,000-140,000.

The report says the second highest-ranking official, chief operating officer Dianne Bevan, enjoyed a salary rise of between £5,000 and £15,000.

She was paid within a scale of £115,000 to £120,000 in 2008-09 compared to £105,000 to £110,000 in the previous year.

Her salary next year is likely to stay the same under the new rules.

* not technically a bonus, but a welcome 'bonus' all the same.

Go East for Val-halla

2009-07-24T19:19:00.006+01:00

Not the major step-down that I was expecting before recess, however, the Assembly Member for Swansea East has announced she will not contest her seat in the 2011 Welsh Assembly election.

Labour's Val Lloyd told her constituency party of her decision to stand down after what will have been 10 years in the job.

She said she will continue to "give of my all" to her constituents for the next two years.

The First Minister said she helped bring in the smoking ban in Wales.

Alliance vs The Welsh Assembly Government

2009-07-23T13:01:00.005+01:00

Friends of the Earth may be happy with the recent update to Welsh Assembly Government transport policy, and business leaders angry at the recent announcement - worried about the economic impact of a decision to scrap the proposed M4 relief road. Meanwhile Ieuan Wyn Jones will enjoy the break of recess as he tries to juggle the two balls of his brief.

In another part of town, an alliance of Welsh organisations had already called on the Assembly Government to perform a U-turn on transport policy.

BayTrans
Bevan Foundation
British Heart Foundation Cymru
BMA Cymru
Bus Users UK Cymru
Campaign for National Parks
Confederation of Passenger Transport Cymru (CPT)
CTC Cymru
Energy Saving Trust
Passenger Focus
Physical Activity Network for Wales
Railfuture Wales
Severn Tunnel Action Group
Snowdonia Society
Sustrans Cymru
Traveline Cymru
Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA)
WWF Cymru
YHA Cymru

The long-awaited National Transport Plan is put out to consultation and an unprecedented coalition has come together to call for a shift away from road building to fund a bold package of measures to help tackle climate change.

For the first time public transport operators have joined passenger watchdogs, health groups and NGOs to press for greater priority to be given to a range of initiatives that promote green transport.

Lee Waters, Chair of Sustainable Transport Cymru:

We’re fed up of strategies promising greener transport when half the transport budget is tied up in road schemes. From past experience we know this will result in more people driving further and faster.

If we are serious about tackling climate change and creating a healthier Wales, we urgently need a bold shift in transport policy. Projects which cut car use should be given priority.

The Sustainable Transport Cymru coalition has agreed a list of measures which command widespread support to cut car use and reduce carbon emissions:

Measures to promote integrated transport, for example, multi-modal ticketing, bus / rail interchanges, Smart Cards and secure cycle parking.

A range of ‘Smarter Choices’ measures. For example, Travel planning, Car Clubs, Car sharing, Bus Real Time information systems, Park & Ride, showers and lockers in workplaces.

Traffic calming and speed restraint in residential areas to encourage walking and cycling

An extensive network of shared paths for walking and cycling (segregated from traffic)

Congestion charging allied with extra investment in public transport

Parking control (including low parking standards for new developments, charging, use of workplace parking levies, re-development of parking space for more productive uses);

An extension of safe routes to schools (for example, by using traffic-calming measures near schools and by creating or improving walking and cycle routes to schools).

Reallocation of road space towards sustainable modes of transport

An integrated marketing strategy to target information on those who are susceptible to change the way they travel;

Demand responsive services, including community transport, to tackle social exclusion in rural areas and other areas of transport poverty.

A wide reaching awareness raising campaign educating the public in the techniques involved in more efficient driving, for journeys where sustainable modes of transport are not an option.

These measures to reduce car dependency should be funded by a shift away from road building.

Sustainable Transport Cymru is an alliance of Welsh organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors. They support efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of travelling and to create an environment where people have access to essential local services without the need to use a car.

Stage Management: exit stage left (from London)

2009-07-23T08:00:00.004+01:00

Today, the Welsh Government (that will sour some faces in certain parts of Wales) comes to Wales.

Gordon Brown and his ministers are heading to Cardiff for the first meeting of a UK government cabinet in Wales, which has been likened to stage management by opposition parties. At the very least they've demonstrated to the Welsh Assembly Government how to make a big policy announcement.

Revolving Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said:

The Wales of the 21st Century has hi-tech industry, world class centres of innovation and a diverse talented workforce that is split almost 50-50 men and women.

Today will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase what Wales has to offer to the rest of the UK and the world.

This is the first time that the cabinet has met in Wales. I am sure that my colleagues will leave Wales today eager to spread the word about what a dynamic and innovative place Wales is.

Shadow Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan said:

The prime minister has barely visited Wales since he took office - and since Conservatives beat Labour in Wales at last month's European elections we're surprised he wants to come at all.

This is a shallow attempt to pretend that Wales matters to him. If Gordon Brown thinks (the) visit will persuade people to forget that Labour is to blame for the difficulties facing Wales today then he will be very disappointed.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams described the event as stage managed and said:

...it would not replace real engagement with Welsh communities and meaningful reform of our damaged democracy.

Rhodri Morgan Appreciation Society revisited

2009-07-20T20:23:00.003+01:00

From time to time I keep my eye on Rhodri's fans on Facebook. You may remember my report back in August 2008:

Back in September 2007 a Facebooker set-up the group 'Rhodri Morgan Appreciation Society'. The group had 20 members when the above snapshot was taken in January 2008.

"This group is for people who think that Rhodri Morgan has been a great leader of the Welsh Labour Party and a Brilliant First Minister of Wales. Rhodri Morgan has lead Wales a progressive direction over his years as First Minister. With good socialist policies like free prescriptions, or his support for the Welsh Language, Rhodri Morgan has done a lot to improve Wales, and help the worst off in Wales."
Still at 20 members at today's date, it seems that not many Facebookers agree with the above statement. Glad to see that Alun Davies AM and Joyce Watson AM are members. Are the other Labour AMs trying to tell us something?

On the plus side for our great leader, only 4 Facebookers belong to Rhodri's other group, 'Is it just just me or does Rhodri Morgan need a new suit?'

"A group totally dedicated to the fact old Rhodri has looked shabby in his
suit for years. Surely its high time the old man of welsh politics bought a new
suit?"

In Rhodri's final (depending on expected and unexpected circumstances) year, the membership has risen to 32, and 6 respectively. Makes you wonder why more Labour AM Facebookers haven't joined up with the growing number of fans.

Who'll be the first to set up the Carwyn Jones or Huw Lewis Appreciation Society?

Edwina Hart giving an interview (tick). Edwina Hart for First Minister (?)

2009-07-16T23:05:00.004+01:00

Those of you that were watching BBC Wales' Dragon's Eye politics programme this evening experienced a rare treat - Edwina Hart, Assembly Member for Gower, and Minister for Health in Rhodri Morgan's Labour-led One Wales Government, giving an interview.

Edwina is a politician that likes, you could even say loves, getting stuck into any portfolio she's given, and with mixed success. It's hardly a Wales-wide secret that she loathes giving interviews. You could even say that she avoids them like the plague, or even an awkward announcement on health policy in South Wales. Sadly, she doesn't even prefer standing at the 'ministerial bench', and prefers to sit and read aloud notes during a plenary session.

Could it be that she's actually seriously considering standing for the Labour leadership?

Is Edwina pondering?

That time of year - Top 10 Political Blogs

2009-07-16T10:12:00.005+01:00

Email your ten favourite blogs (ranked from 1-10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2009-10, which will be published in September. This year the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList and LibDemVoice as well as this blog.

The rules are simple.

1. You must vote for your ten favourite blogs and ranks them from 1 (your favourite) to 10 (your tenth favourite).

2. Your votes must be ranked from 1 to 10. Any votes which do not have rankings will not be counted.

3. You MUST include ten blogs. If you include fewer than ten your vote will not count.

4. Email your vote to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

5. Only vote once.

6. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents are eligible or based on UK politics are eligible.

7. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name

8. All votes must be received by midnight on 31 July 2009. Any votes received after that date will not count.

If you have your own blog, please do encourage your readers to take part. Last year, more than 80 blogs did so. We hope this year it will be far more than that. BUT, DO NOT list ten blogs you think your readers should vote for. Any duplicate voting of this nature will be disallowed. If you do not wish for your blog to be voted for please email katy.scholes@totalpolitics.com. Here's the code to add to your blog sidebar or blogpost to feature the grahic above with an automatic clickthru to the instruction page...

The results of the poll will be published in the forthcoming book the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING IN THE UK which will be published in mid September in association with APCO Worldwide.

So, go to it. Email your Top Ten Favourite Blogs totoptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

Civil servants 'lie' to Rhodri Morgan in expenses row

2009-07-15T19:55:00.004+01:00

Following on from three earlier posts on developments in the civil service expenses scandal - It gets worse - Wales' First Minister, who also happens to be Minister responsible for staffing and civil service matters - has apologised after it emerged civil servants had taken first class flights despite his denial that this had ever taken place.

Rhodri Morgan had said the Liberal Democrat claim civil servants led "first class" and "jet set" lifestyles was "repugnant" and an "outright lie".

Mr Morgan was defending civil servants who promote Welsh business abroad after details of their spending emerged.

He has now written to Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams to apologise.

On Monday, the Liberal Democrats, whose Freedom of Information request uncovered the figures, had accused the staff of International Business Wales (IBW) of enjoying lavish living at taxpayers' expense.

Ms Williams said: "Whilst we're in the middle of a recession it's disgusting to know that public officials are flying first class, staying in the most expensive hotels, eating in the best restaurants - all at the swipe of the Welsh credit card."

In an angry response the following morning, Mr Morgan told reporters: "I do find it repugnant that an allegation has been made that civil servants are using first class travel.
Mr Morgan went on to call the allegation "an outright lie".

But on Wednesday he wrote to Kirsty Williams saying he apologised for misleading her and the wider public.

He wrote:

...I stated on the clear and explicit advice from the relevant senior officials that no officials from IBW had flown first class. Today I have learned this is not the case.... I apologise for having misled you and the wider public. I need hardly say how disturbed I am by the latest information now to hand... I am instructing the permanent secretary to undertake an immediate and thorough investigation and audit of the IBW's expenditure and audit systems... This review will be led from outside the assembly government.

First class fib

He was speaking after evidence emerged that at least two IBW employees from the New York office took first class internal flights in the United States.

Leaked travel documents show Geraint Jones, head of the New York office, flew first class on Virgin America from New York to Los Angeles and back in February 2009.

An IBW corporate credit card was debited £1,302.99 four days before he departed.
The same card was debited £1,475.92 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Los Angeles a couple of days later.

In November 2008, Christopher Williams, IBW's Vice President for ICT took three first class internal flights with Virgin America.

It is understood assembly government officials in Cardiff sought a written guarantee from IBW on Tuesday morning that no first class flights had ever been booked, before Mr Morgan launched his attack on the Liberal Democrats on camera.
'Strong and personal'

Ms Williams had been furious about the First Minister's attack on her, which she said was "strong and personal".

Kirsty Williams and others welcome the investigation.

Whatever next? This man placed in charge of the review?

Finally, in Wales... thanks again to a Freedom of Information request

2009-07-14T21:25:00.007+01:00

As if by strange coincidence the expenses system for Welsh civil servants is to be reviewed to ensure it provides value for money. What good timing after a recent freedom of information request that uncovered their credit card spending.

The assembly government's top civil servant will lead the examination.

A spokesperson for Permanent Secretary Dame Gillian Morgan said the expenses of politicians and civil servants were "clearly a matter of public interest".

It was earlier revealed officials promoting Welsh business abroad claimed £750,000 on 35 corporate credit cards over the last year.

Dame Gillian's spokesperson added: "Any claim incurred on behalf of the assembly government must comply with strict authorisation and audit requirements.

"The First Minister and Deputy First Minister have discussed this matter and have asked the permanent secretary to examine the expenses system for civil servants working for the Welsh assembly government to ensure its appropriateness and to ensure transparency and continued value for money."

The quarterly expenses of the permanent secretary and director generals [what about the other hundred odd senior civil servants?] will be published soon and then be published regularly.

An independent panel has already proposed drastic reductions in the expenses Welsh assembly members can claim.

This blog has been concerned about the spending of civil servants for some time:

Civil servants take 10 'freebies' each February 2009
Welsh Assembly Government: Money for old rope February 2009
Are the Senior Civil Service in Wales earning their salaries? October 2008
Two years since Rhodri's ‘bonfire’ - Was it all worth it? August 2008
Wales' biggest winners: Criticism of bonuses awarded to top civil servants in Wales July 2008
Balancing the books on public finances in Wales July 2008
Civil Service v Politicians: That old question of pay July 2008

Come in card number XXX [take your pick], your time is up

2009-07-14T19:55:00.011+01:00

The civil service spending scandal contd.

As this news resulted from a Liberal Democrat freedom of information request, Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats had lot to say on the matter (slowing down a little, Western Mail - move your ar*e):

I am extremely concerned by the information I have seen. Every taxpayer in Wales deserves an explanation from the Labour-Plaid Government. While we’re in the middle of a recession, it’s disgusting to know that public officials are flying first class, staying in the most expensive hotels, eating in the best restaurants – all at the swipe of the Welsh credit card.

Of course we should sell Wales overseas, of course that costs money, but these figures suggest a runaway culture of credit card spending.

Ms Williams added:

One credit card holder spent nearly £70,000 in a year on air travel alone. Welsh taxpayers have paid the very luxurious Oberoi Hotel group in India £6,590 this year alone. Staff at the New York office spent £3,537.79 at Macy’s department store and £6,036 at Ikea. The Sydney office spent £5,722 on taxis.

At the same time we can see somebody claiming for 89p spent at McDonald’s in Swansea, and claims for coffees at Starbucks cafes all over the world. Every Welsh taxpayer deserves to see this document, just as they should see politicians’ expenses. It’s a lack of transparency that leads to the sorts of activity these worldwide credit card bills reveal.

Ms Williams called on the Assembly Government to explain why taxpayers’ money was being spent in this way.

The Minister for Economy and Transport has some serious questions to answer: What, if any, procedures are in place to monitor and police spending? What kind of guidance allows civil servants to take first class flights and live this superstar lifestyle? How can we be sure that all of this activity directly generates investment into Wales? Quite frankly, what on earth is going on and what will be done about this?

The spending details revealed included:

“Card Holder 181” (Hong Kong) spent nearly £22,000 in 12 months on luxurious hotels all around the word including cities like Tokyo, Sydney, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Cardiff, staying in hotels like the Hilton, the Oberoi, Westin, Grand Hyatt and the Ritz Carlton. The card holder also spent nearly £70,000 in 12 months on flights.

“Card Holder 708” (New York) spent £9,071.13 in various stores including Ikea, The Land of Nod (children’s bedroom furniture), Macy’s and West Elm (affordable modern furniture). They
are all soft furnishing stores. Card holders at the New York office, based in the Chrysler Building, spent over £3,500 at an Irish pub and Restaurant (‘Clancy’s’) just a few streets from the office building itself.

“Card Holder 314” (New York) spent £2,500 in the teen section of the famous Pottery Barn department store. PBteen is described as “a new catalogue in the Pottery Barn family.” The brand offers products in five key categories: furniture, rugs, lighting, bedding and accessories. PBteen includes hip, exclusively designed lifestyle collections bedrooms, study and lounge areas.

“Card Holder 450” (New York) spent £7,092.73 on air travel, £1,042.33 on taxis, £3,912.07 on hotels across the United States, £2,056.60 on food in restaurants across the US including high-end NewYork eateries. One example involved a bill of £599.42 in Margarita Murphy’s. The same card holder spent £347.11 at Duane Reade, a chain of drug and convenience stores in NewYork. In total, this card holder spent £17,265.71 over 12 months.

“Card Holder 459” (Dubai) spent £26,179.99 with Horizon Tours LLC, a tour operator, as well as £5,786.87 on hotels.

A spokesman for the Assembly’s top civil servant, Permanent Secretary Dame Gillian Morgan, said: “Any claim incurred on behalf of the Assembly Government must fully comply with strict authorisation and audit requirements.

Given the global nature of their role, International Business Wales (IBW) staff based overseas need to travel to pursue every viable business opportunity. Over the past few years, the number of offices in America and South East Asia has been reduced, and officials now cover a number of countries from their base. While this has led to a significant reduction in the cost of offices, it has inevitably led to an increase in travel associated costs.

However, we are clearly aware of the need to restrict any expenditure to ensure absolute value for money, and overall travel and subsistence costs for IBW are over 30% below the level incurred by the former WDA.

IBW exists to attract job-creating investment from around the world to Wales. It also supports Welsh companies in winning overseas business. Just this year alone, IBW has organised 37 trade missions for Welsh companies, including the recent successful trade mission to Washington DC which was attended by 80 companies from Wales.”

As we have proved with the recent first Ashes Test in Wales, it is essential that we seize every opportunity to raise our profile and generate business opportunities for Wales – particularly during the current global recession

Without demonstrating what may or may not have been achieved for money spent... cost... £750k.

Laying claim to the recent success in staging the first Ashes Test in Wales... cost... priceless cheek.

Blaming the level of credit card bills on a 'necessary expenditure' without evidence of any real benefit, and backing it up with 'it's lower than what the WDA would've spent' ...cost... PRICELESS AND SPEECHLESS.

The Government that likes to say YES...YES...YES*

2009-07-14T08:36:00.007+01:00

Civil servants promoting Welsh business abroad charged nearly £750,000 to 35 assembly government credit cards in the past year, it has emerged.

Tens of thousands of pounds were spent on flights and visits to top hotels by International Business Wales (IBW).

The Liberal Democrats said every Welsh taxpayer "deserves an explanation".
The assembly government said officials had to pursue "every viable business opportunity" and were now covering a number of countries from fewer offices.

But the Liberal Democrats, who obtained the figures from a freedom of information (FOI) request, said it suggested a "runaway culture of spending".

The assembly government said every claim had to "fully comply with strict authorisation and audit requirements".

The details, from 35 different corporate credit card accounts for the year June 2008 to end of May 2009, were revealed in response to the FOI request.

The cards were used by civil servants working for International Business Wales (IBW), which has offices in major cities including New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Paris.

IBW's role is to attract inward investment to Wales, and to create opportunities for Welsh businesses overseas, by leading trade delegations and creating links between senior decision makers and business people from Wales.

The money spent included:

More than £24,000 with the Cathay Pacific airline on one credit card account.

The most expensive individual purchase was £6,606 from a staff member in Hong Kong, again paid to Cathay Pacific.

The cheapest was 89p, by a member of staff from the New York office, which is listed as being paid to the McDonald's restaurant in Swansea.

Over the 12 months, more than £36,000 was spent with Virgin Atlantic airlines, with another £25,000 on other Virgin flights.

There were nearly £250 worth of purchases at various Starbucks coffee houses around the world.

Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, should allow his department to look into 0% balance transfer deals which could help out during this recession. There are a lot of offers on the table at the moment.

* with credit and acknowledgement going to a certain banking institution from the 1980's.

We've dined at this restaurant before

2009-07-12T21:58:00.002+01:00

The BBC report that TV chefs have a rival in the shape of the Welsh Assembly Government.

A new recipe booklet promising "mouth-watering dishes" has been produced by ministers to promote Welsh seafood. It also offers advice on choosing fish and sustainable local sources.

Rural Minister Elin Jones, launching it at the Cardigan Bay Seafood Festival in Aberaeron, said she believed Welsh produce is among the best in the world. We have, however, been here before. Strict vegans will have to wait until next year for the third installment of the complete cook book.

The assembly government said the promotion of Welsh fish and seafood was a key part of its strategy to support the "development of viable and sustainable fisheries".

Ms Jones said the assembly government "is committed to working closely with major retailers to offer consumers a range of choices in sustainably produced and harvested fish and shellfish".

Another AM stepping down

2009-07-11T07:58:00.003+01:00

She may not have held the world in her arms. or even Wales for that matter, but she was a fiercely loyal Labour backbencher. The BBC reports that yet another member of the Welsh Assembly has announced that she will not be standing at the 2011 election.

Irene James, the Labour AM for Islwyn since 2003, told her constituency party on Friday night that she will not be seeking re-election.

Mrs James said: "The time has come to make more time in my life for family and friends."

Former Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy paid tribute, saying the AM would be "sorely missed in Welsh politics".

In her statement Mrs James, who is in her late fifties, said she had worked for jobs in Islwyn, for investment in education and in health.

"It has been a pleasure to work with our Welsh Labour First Minister Rhodri Morgan and our great team of representatives in Welsh Labour. I remain fully in support of our work and will give my all until the election arrives in 2011.

Price: Over-patriotic or playing to the Plaid pack

2009-07-09T00:15:00.002+01:00

Here we go again! The Welsh MP for Welsh Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, in Welsh Carmarthenshire, in Welsh Wales - Adam Price -demonstrates that this alone will not be his only poor lack of judgement during his time as an MP.

Just what is it with Price and the Welsh identity?

Mr Price's latest outburst is against the Welsh National Opera company, which has an international reputation built up from years of consistent high achievement in its productions. But why does he attempt to hit yet another high note when it comes down to deciding what's good for Wales and what isn't?

Mr Price doesn't seem to be suitably impressed with its reputation for excellence, high artistic standards (considering the funding), or even the use of superb professional home-grown Welsh talent in Dennis O'Neill, Eric Roberts, Rebecca Evans, Laura Parfitt, Wynne Evans, and Bryn Terfel, to name but a few. He prefers to criticise the Welsh National Opera company for not producing enough Welsh opera. Just where does this small minded obsession come from? Mr Price claims to be a music lover but his actions show that he only wishes to see his type of real Welshness and Welsh identity in most aspects of Welsh life.

Now I'm definately not anti-Welsh, especially as I have roots in these parts ever since coal was merely plant remains (not as much as some though), but even I can fully understand that the Welsh National Opera is a world renown opera company because of its wide repertoire of international works, perfect casting and amazing production crew - both the Welsh and the non-Welsh variety.

Broaden your horizon Mr Price. Just as you saw fit to step outside Wales in your youth and continue to do so as an MP, transform this into your constricting view on the Welsh identity. If you do happen to feel the need to spew out your authority on the Welsh identity and Welshness, use your Welsh-built website in order to nitpick at what's truly Welsh and what isn't (surely a possible name of a future pamphlet of his), and stop filling up the newspapers with stories that knock Wales' achievements. Join national debates that your constituents and the general public are talking about, rather than trying to make up your own.

Wales doesn't stand out on the world stage in many walks of life. Cherish those areas where we do.

Welsh National Opera needs to do much more to prove its Welsh credentials, according to an MP.

Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price says despite the company’s strong reputation for artistic excellence, it doesn’t do nearly enough to encourage Welsh composers.

Mr Price, a music enthusiast who represents Carmarthen East & Dinefwr, said: “To what extent is WNO representative of Wales and Welsh culture? In the whole of its existence, it has not had a musical director who was Welsh.

“I am not so parochial as to suggest that its musical director should always be Welsh – like the coach of the Welsh rugby team you expect to see people from outside Wales doing the job – but as a nation we are not exactly renowned for our lack of musical ability.

“You would think that at some stage in the last half century a Welsh musical director would have had a look in now and then.”

Pointing out that WNO was the only body that received funding from both the Arts Council of Wales and Arts Council England, Mr Price said: “That explains why it spends so much of its time touring England, which is fair enough. But perhaps it would be more accurately called the English and Welsh National Opera, which happens to have its home in Cardiff. One of the problems is that it has been many years since it commissioned an original opera from a Welsh composer. In the Seventies, it commissioned an opera from Alun Hoddinott, arguably the greatest Welsh composer of the 20th century. But although it has since commissioned the occasional choral piece, it is a long time since there was a major commission of a new opera from a Welsh composer.”

In 2004 Hoddinott, who died last year at the age of 78, told the Western Mail: “Their [WNO] performance standards are first class and technically they are excellent. But I wish they would pay more attention to Welsh music.

“Their record in the production of Welsh opera is abysmal. Scottish Opera puts on a couple of works by Scottish composers every year.

“WNO has put on perhaps four or five Welsh operas over 20 years. And the record of the WNO’s orchestra as far as Welsh music is concerned is also bad. I have not seen one work by a Welsh composer in any of its concert programmes. Full stop.

“They just seem to have an anti-Welsh music bias. I am sad that they do not do something for Welsh composers, especially young ones.”

Mr Price said: “It seems clear that for commercial reasons the company chooses to concentrate on performing productions of well-known operas. Is that what we want from our national opera company? Some would say yes, but others, myself included, would like to see more original work commissioned from Welsh composers. Otherwise, doubts will continue about whether we are getting our bang for the buck put into WNO from public funds in Wales.”

WNO chief executive and artistic director John Fisher said: “Welsh National Opera prides itself on being not only a world-class flagship for Wales and Welsh culture, but also one of the world’s major international opera companies. We work with outstanding Welsh creative talent every day of the week, in Wales, England and overseas – and we’re proud to do it.”

WNO was founded in Cardiff in 1946. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main scale operas. In Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Llandudno, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Southampton and Swansea, it regularly performs to more than 150,000 people in total.

In 2004, WNO acquired its first permanent home with the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

WNO boasts it is Europe’s busiest touring opera company and the largest provider of touring opera in the UK.

The company’s most recent published accounts, covering the 17 months to September 2007, show it had an income of £20.1m, of which £8.7m came from Arts Council England, £6.3m from Arts Council of Wales and the remainder from box office receipts and other sources.

Gun to the head blows "bits and pieces"

2009-07-08T17:29:00.008+01:00

Following on from Monday, the Presiding Officer Dafydd Elis-Thomas has said the Assembly Commission had agreed to all the report's proposals.

The commission, which includes representatives from all four parties, took the decision on behalf of AMs.

Sir Roger Jones's report, Getting it Right for Wales, followed a 10-month investigation of the pay and expenses of AMs.

The report's implementation will mean

After the next assembly election in 2011, AMs will no longer be able to claim mortgage interest on second homes.
Some 25 of them will, however, be able to rent accommodation within five miles of the assembly in Cardiff Bay, half the number of AMs currently entitled to a second home allowance.
AMs will not be able to employ family members in future but any existing arrangements will continue.
The current link between AMs' pay and MPs' salaries will also be broken.
AMs' salaries will be increased in line with inflation next year and in future be linked to changes in average earnings in Wales.
The current "daily allowance" of £30.65 for members on assembly business to spend on meals will also be scrapped "as soon as possible".

Lord Elis-Thomas said work would begin "immediately" on implementing the changes.

That these changes have been endorsed during the year in which we mark the tenth anniversary of devolution is a testament to the assembly's maturity and is a signal that the assembly is committed to operating in ways that are right for Wales.

[The report] addresses the contentious issues of remuneration and financial support - issues which have been such a stumbling block to people truly engaging in the democratic process.

But of equal importance, it places a strong emphasis on ensuring the capacity of the assembly and Members to undertake our work - to represent the interests of Wales and its people, make laws for Wales and hold the Welsh government to account.

Earlier, Conservative AM and commission member William Graham told the BBC Wales am.pm that the plans "were agreed with ease" at a meeting on Tuesday evening.

Labour commissioner Lorraine Barrett said there were "bits and pieces" in the report that not all AMs would like, but "you can't unpick it".

Holtham tells them what they want to hear...*

2009-07-07T17:57:00.006+01:00

A commission considering the way the assembly government is funded says Wales is losing out by £300m a year.

The commission chair, economist Gerald Holtham, warned the underfunding could reach £8.5bn over the next decade, or £2,900 for everyone living in Wales.

The report, for Welsh ministers, concludes that a new funding formula is needed to reflect the actual cost of providing services for Wales.

A further report on taxation and borrowing powers will follow next year.

The commission was established as part of the coalition deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru after the assembly election two years ago.

Mr Holtham said the Barnett formula, drawn up by the Labour government in the late 1970s, was "arbitrary" and in "urgent need of reform".

When the UK government increases funding for departments such as health and education in England, the formula is used to decide how much money the devolved governments in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast receive.

The needs-based system the commission favours would take into account factors such as the age of the population and levels of poverty.

Mr Holtham admitted the commission did not suggest any "magic bullet" to replace the Barnett system.

He indicated the commission's second report, due around the middle of 2010, would include research on what should be included in a new needs based formula.

*... and what the rest of us already expected.

The Commission will be:

Looking at the pros and cons of the present formula-based approach to the distribution of public expenditure resources to the Welsh Assembly Government; and identifying possible alternative funding mechanisms including the scope for the Welsh Assembly Government to have tax varying powers as well as greater powers to borrow.

Timetable

The Commission began work in autumn 2008 and reported to the Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on the first part of its remit in July 2009.

The Commission is due to report to the Assembly Government on the second part of its work in summer 2010.

Will it be panel beating of a different kind?

2009-07-06T09:00:00.003+01:00

An independent panel investigating pay and expenses among members of the Welsh assembly is about to report back.

The findings will come after almost a year of investigation and following recent controversies over expenses.

Panel members have held more than 20 meetings - including two in public - and compared procedures at other parliamentary bodies.

The panel say the aim is to reward AMs fairly for their work, but with the emphasis on transparency.

"We have adopted a number of principles to guide us in our work. One of these is that our recommendations must be based on evidence," said Sir Roger Jones, who chairs the panel.

"We want to get this right - to ensure not only that any new system of pay and allowances is fair, transparent, and recognises and rewards AMs' skills, but also that it provides value for money."
The panel was established in August last year to "look at all aspects of financial support available to AMs."

The independent review panel includes chair Sir Roger Jones, pro-chancellor at Swansea University, Jackie Nickson, a senior human resources manager, Nigel Rudd, the former chief executive of the East Midlands Regional Assembly, and Dafydd Wigley, the former Plaid Cymru president.

To be put on a pedestal

2009-07-06T08:57:00.005+01:00

The One and Other project will see a different person standing on the 'fourth plinth' every hour for 24 hours a day over the next 100 days.

Housewife Rachel Wardell, 35, will take her place as the first "living statue" when the event kicks off in a few minutes at 0900 BST.

More than 14,500 people from across Britain have so far applied to take part in the event.
Ms Wardell will be followed at 1000 BST by Jason Clark, a 41-year-old nurse from Brighton.

Other people to take to the plinth on the first day include Jill Gatcum, 51, a consultant from London, Suren Seneviratne, a 22-year-old Sri Lankan student and artist, and Ishvinder Singh Matharu, a 31-year-old optometrist from Chigwell in Essex.

Heather Pringle will be celebrating her 20th birthday on the plinth
The oldest among July's 615 participants is pensioner Gwynneth Pedler, 83, from Oxford, who plans to signal with semaphore flags.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time

2009-07-01T19:03:00.000+01:00

While some dead wood, for which the Assembly has found little use, will be cast adrift at the next Assembly in 2011, Labour has wasted little time in fighting wood rot.

As part of its slow rejuvenation, Welsh Labour have chosen an impressive figure as candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth at the next Assembly election.

Vaughan Gething, a Cardiff solicitor, was Wales TUC's first black president and at 34 was also the youngest. Vaughan Gething lives in Cardiff, is a member of the GMB and a partner at Thompsons Solicitors.

Wales prepared for 'swine flu'?

2009-07-01T00:20:00.011+01:00

The BBC has reported that there are NINE more cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Wales, taking the total to 26.

Among the latest cases is a 25-year-old local man who works at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Health officials said this case is not connected to that of another hospital employee confirmed at the weekend, but was travel related.

The man is no longer at work and there is no further risk to patients or staff at the hospital, they said.

Everyone who has been confirmed with swine flu in this latest batch - involving people in their early twenties from Cardiff, Swansea and Caerphilly - have been offered antiviral medicine and are recovering well.

So far 201 people have been investigated for swine flu in Wales and only one person has been taken to hospital. Sixteen cases are still under investigation.

New cases:

A 21-year-old man from Cardiff who is a direct contact of a confirmed case in Leicester.
A 19-year-old woman from Swansea who is a direct contact of a confirmed case in Exeter.
A 20-year-old woman from Swansea who is a direct contact of a confirmed case in Exeter.
A 20-year-old woman from Cardiff who is a direct contact of a confirmed case in Exeter.
A 19-year-old woman from Cardiff who is a direct contact of a confirmed case in Exeter.
A 19-year-old woman from Cardiff who is a direct contact of a confirmed case in Warwick.
A 19-year-old woman from Bridgend County Borough who is a direct contact of a confirmed case in Exeter.
A 22-year-old woman from Caerphilly who is a contact of a confirmed case in Oxford.

All are recovering.

While Dr Roland Salmon from the National Public Health Service for Wales added: "Because this particular type of swine flu is new, people have little or no immunity to it. For this reason, we know it will spread across the country eventually."

... the Welsh Assembly Government's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jewell has said the authorities were prepared for the virus outbreak and have "robust procedures" in place. "While we are prepared for this, we are not complacent and people must be vigilant."

How can you prepare for something that is new, particularly as each outbreak may be different in terms of strain, and each person will respond to the virus in a different way to another? It seems that Dr Jewell has been in management posts for longer than he cares to remember.

NHS Direct can be contacted on 0845 46 47.

Lembit too cool for school?

2009-06-30T23:10:00.011+01:00

Lembit is attempting to distract me from watching a programme!

'A Prince for Wales?' on BBC One Wales to be precise. Huw Edwards is asking the great and the good of Welsh life, as well as the ordinary people, about a prince for Wales.

Lembit's new glasses are distracting me beyond belief!

Anti-Conservative Emails

2009-06-30T22:01:00.002+01:00

Sustainable transport charity the Campaign for Better Transport is to strengthen its volunteer induction procedures after a temporary member of staff sent out an email to supporters asking for evidence that the Conservative Party was "hostile to good public transport".

Harry Phibbs, a Conservative councillor on Hammersmith & Fulham Council, said he had complained to the Charity Commission. He wrote on the ConservativeHome blog: "Here is a charity behaving in the most blatantly partisan manner."

The CBT's trustees had been asked to read the regulator's campaigning guidance and send "a clarification with regard to meaning" to the recipients of the email.

Stephen Joseph, Executive Director of CBT, said the email had not been seen by any of the charity's staff before it was sent and did not reflect the intentions of CBT. He said its campaigning followed commission guidelines and a clarification email had already been sent. "We have strengthened our volunteer-induction procedures and are confirming this to the commission," he added.

All or Nothing

2009-06-29T09:00:00.005+01:00

Lord Elis-Thomas told BBC Wales' The Politics Show that the Welsh Assembly had purchased computer software from the Scottish Parliament which enables expenses to be published online.

He said the expenses for the last financial year would be published at 0900 BST on Monday and that later this year all claims would be published on a monthly basis.

When asked about what information had been redacted, Lord Elis-Thomas said that individual receipts wouldn't be available online on Monday.

The new log of AMs' expenses can be viewed at http://www.assemblywales.org/allowances from 0900 BST on Monday.

The full list of what AMs have claimed

Waiting lists and bureaucracy

2009-06-25T08:42:00.000+01:00

While the Assembly Government continues to wrestle with the Wales Office over housing and its many issues, it falls to a local government - Cardiff Council - to take a more common sense approach to housing issues in the capital city.

A single application process for waiting lists has been developed by the council, in partnership with eight housing associations. Just one form now needs to be filled out by anyone looking for housing in the city. This is then entered into a single database which is used by both the council and all housing associations involved. The new common waiting list is administered by the council on behalf of itself and the housing associations and currently has in excess of 6,000 applicants. In total the new waiting list, which covers social landlords, has over 22,000 properties.

Executive Member for Housing Councillor Judith Woodman said, "This has been a long process and has been developed in partnership with all local Housing Associations. It has created a service which makes sense to everyone and probably none more so than those applying for social housing. "I believe the new common waiting list brings common sense to a system so many of our citizens rely on."

Comment Nominations

2009-06-25T08:41:00.005+01:00

Taking place in October, The Comment Awards are the first to celebrate comment in all its forms - both print and online from the Commentariat across both newspapers and the blogosphere.

There are 12 award categories, and you can make nominations for as many or as few award categories as you wish by clicking the nominate button on the homepage. Each nomination must be supported by a minimum of 3 or a maximum of 5 articles.

Bronzed down the bay

2009-06-25T08:40:00.000+01:00

Just as you thought the headline meant that it was time for a touch of Summer sun and recess, the bronzing refers to Cardiff's new statue in honour of one of its most famous sons.

A seven-foot bronze sculpture of Cardiff-born composer Ivor Novello will be unveiled in the city on Saturday. Novello (real name David Ivor Davies) who died aged 58 in 1951, was famous as composer, singer and actor and one of the most popular musical stars of the 20th century.

The statue shows Novello at work and will be sited near the Wales Millennium Centre where his musical comedy Glamorous Nights was staged as a tribute to him in 2005. It is the work of Peter Nicholas, who was educated at Ebbw Vale County Grammer School and studied at Cardiff Art School and the Royal College of Art, London.

The celebration will begin inside the Centre on the Glanfa Stage at 10.30am where, after a brief performance by singer Beverley Humphries featuring Novello's music, and short speeches, the audience will move outside for the unveiling ceremony at 11am.

A Welshman's home is his castle, and a last chance for Dr Gibbons to prove some worth

2009-06-24T23:05:00.001+01:00

"et domus sua cuique est tutissimum refugium"

The Western Mail reports that a 76-YEAR-OLD man has been on hunger strike at the doors of the National Assembly for 15 days and vows to remain until he wins an inquiry into his planning dispute.

This is the latest protest by Iorwerth Jones, from Llandovery, who was found not guilty of causing £30,000 of damage to council offices in Llandeilo during a rooftop protest in 2007.

He has been locked in conflict with the council since 1979 when a lorry park was sited near the home he was building. This has been replaced with a pet food factory and he claims his house has been devalued.

Carmarthenshire County Council said it was “beyond belief” last year when a jury at Swansea Crown Court found him not guilty of breaking roof tiles with a hammer.

He met Jane Davidson, Assembly Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, last week but was not satisfied with her response.

Mr Jones said: “I had an hour with her. It seems she is trying to push it aside.”
“I want an inquiry. I want the truth to come out. As long as she keeps on saying she is not going to do anything I’ll be here.”

A spokesman for the minister said: “Ms Davidson met Mr Jones with his constituency AM Mr Rhodri Glyn Thomas and Welsh Assembly Government officials out of concern for his health. During the meeting Ms Davidson listened to Mr Jones’s issues but made it clear that her statutory role in the planning process meant she could not intervene in an individual planning issue.

“Ms Davidson’s private office staff continue to discuss Mr Jones’ health and welfare with officials from the National Assembly for Wales (very noble but impractical - why not send in the resident GP), who are responsible for the T Hywel building where Mr Jones is protesting.”

The Assembly Government argues no evidence so far suggests the local planning authority acted in such a way to justify an inquiry.

The Assembly Government can hold a public inquiry into a planning issue if it believes the original decision was “grossly wrong” and the public interest is at stake.

Mr Jones’s case has been referred to the local government ombudsman on four separate occasions but a basis for an investigation has never been found. However, Mr Jones is adamant he suffered an injustice.

Chris Burns, assistant chief executive of Carmarthenshire County Council, said: “All his complaints have been dealt with in the proper manner and in line with the appropriate rules and regulations.

“The council’s offer to purchase his property was flatly rejected by Mr Jones.”

Let's hope that his health doesn't take a turn for the worse and that he's given a proper meal in the heavily subsidised staff restaurant. One thing's for sure, he's in the wrong place for snacks.

Rhodri Morgan's urges hit American shore

2009-06-24T09:55:00.009+01:00

Welsh culture (and our First Minister) will make a huge splash in Washington DC for ten days starting today.

And 80 trade ambassadors will be there to drum up businesses for Wales. The nation will be taking centre stage as the featured country at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in the US capitol. Sights and sounds of Wales will join African American oratory and Latin American music programmes as the main themes of this year’s festival.Wales will put on an exciting programme of activities to an expected million visitors, including concerts by Last Choir Standing winners Only Men Aloud and harpist Catrin Finch.

More than 150 poets, singers, musicians and craftsmen will be showcasing their crafts at a site portraying many aspects of Welsh cultural life, landscape and environment. An installation by Angharad Pearce Jones runs the length of the central festival walkway, and takes some of the more common textures and aesthetics of Wales to Washington - including dry stone walls, kissing gates and rugby posts. Visitors will also be able to sample food from Wales.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan, who will be representing Wales at the festival’s opening ceremony on Wednesday, said:

No longer will Wales be Europe’s best kept secret. With so many ‘experts’ from Wales showcasing their talents at one of the world’s biggest cultural festival events, we have a unique opportunity to raise our profile in Washington and right across North America.

Visitors to the festival will be able to learn more about our traditional and contemporary cultures and we hope that inspires them to visit, study or invest here. To coincide with the festival, we are also taking the biggest trade mission to leave Wales over to the United States. Around 80 companies will be participating in the event with the aim of making contacts with American companies and winning new business.

Let's hope he leaves his urges at home.

Expulsion and Combustion

2009-06-23T22:57:00.001+01:00

The UK has ordered the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats in a tit-for-tat action after Tehran also ordered two UK diplomats to leave the country.

If you're going to put on a silly protest and burn the Union flag, at least have the decency to make the flag yourself, and not leave that job up to your children.

Sights you don't see in the Senedd

2009-06-23T10:00:00.009+01:00

Seeing as Wagstaff has returned to regular posting. Here's my offering in the series.

Part 7:

A mass cull, or discovering the correct procedure for falling on your own sword.

Slow Rejuvenation for Welsh Labour?

2009-06-22T09:38:00.010+01:00

With the recent announcement of Local Government and Social Justice Minister Dr Brian Gibbons standing down as an assembly member at the next election, is Welsh Labour looking for new blood to rejuvenate its fortunes?

To date, Cardiff West; Cardiff South and Penarth; Pontypridd; and Aberavon will all be 'fresh' Assembly Members from 2011.

The First Minister has said he is likely to step down around the time of his 70th birthday in September, however, he has been urged to stay on for the sake of the Labour party (apparently he's popular, and a man of the people - suppose it depends what people you ask). He is likely to not seek re-election in 2011 in order to join his wife in retirement from main political activity.

Rhodri Morgan (to retire and join his wife at home)

Lorraine Barrett (to become a humanist celebrant)

Jane Davidson (to move onto a new challenge for the rest of her working life)

Brian Gibbons (to return to GP practice)

To be continued...

Up in arms over selective refurbishment of office nests

2009-06-18T12:13:00.014+01:00

Following on from past topics that seem to have gone by the wayside news comes to me that the Cathays Park refurbishment of the Welsh Assembly Government's civil service hub is stirring up a bit of resentment among the rank and file of its inhabitants.

The trade union has described the recent headlines as sensationalised and focusing on the £42million (excluding VAT)* rather than the need to take health and safety into consideration. Opposition party leaders described the announcement at the time as "... the Assembly Government feathering its own nest" and "... absolutely shocking that the Labour-Plaid government can justify spending this amount of money on refurbishing their offices."

New developments show the outrage of selected individuals that have had to put up with leaking roofs and uncomfortable working conditions for over 12 months, while discovering that a secondee to the Assembly had requested and been granted permission to refurbish their office on the same floor at a cost of nearly £5,000. Union sources are saying that they were initially told that the request had been justified on health and safety grounds, however, when they asked for copies of correspondence relating to the request - none was forthcoming from management.

* this figure doesn't include the running cost of refurbishment that has taken place on selected floors over the last four years.

Domestic violence affecting work

2009-06-17T10:31:00.004+01:00

Recent research is raising awareness after showing that between 10% and 12% of women experience domestic violence on an annual basis according to the British Crime Survey and despite significant under-reporting, one incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute.

It will come as no surprise that the experience of domestic violence can lead to an increase in absenteeism, poor timekeeping, and a fall in performance at work which lead to official warnings.

According to Women's Aid research, among employed women who had experienced domestic violence in the past year, 21% took time off work and 2% lost their jobs.

Second chance saloon for taking the Mick out of Opik

2009-06-16T10:08:00.005+01:00

Gossip follows the recent news that Liberal Democrat Mick Bates has announced that he will not stand at the next Welsh Assembly elections in 2011, making some think that Lembit Opik may have a second chance at retaining his 'Montgomeryshire home' if beaten into second, or even third place in the much awaited UK general election.

That aside, Mr Bates, the AM for Montgomeryshire, had a majority of just under 2,000 votes at the last assembly election, and is chiefly known for two moments of madness in the Assembly:

Appearing in a Santa suit in the former chamber to raise cash for charity; and

Raising a middle finger to the laughter of other AMs.

Sex discrimination at the Home Office

2009-06-16T09:13:00.006+01:00

The Home Office has recently been found guilty of sex discrimination at an Employment Tribunal.

The discrimination was in the way it treated a woman who had time off while pregnant. The case centred around a maternity pay policy introduced by the department in 2007 which altered the criteria for qualification.

The Civil Servant in question had to take unpaid special leave in August 2006 and, after the birth of her baby, the department wrote to her to say that she would not qualify for contractual maternity pay.

The Employment Tribunal found that the policy discriminated against women because they were more likely than men to take unpaid leave. The judge decreed that the department had failed to consider the diversity related impact of the policy and condemned the timing of the letter to the employee as "extraordinary insensitive".

She was awarded compensation for loss of earnings and injury to feelings. The tribunal also imposed the maximum uplift of 50% on the department for failing to address her initial grievance.

Enjoying what Europe has to offer

2009-06-15T10:35:00.002+01:00

When the European election turned politics upside down in the UK - even here in Wales - trust me to be enjoying a break in a beautiful country that hopes to be a member of the European Union one day.

Caption: All thanks to reform and postal voting.

Taking democracy to the people

2009-05-12T19:35:00.002+01:00

What do you do if you're of the opinion that Welsh people have learned nothing in 10 years of devolution? The answer is just a long bus ride away.

"It's a great idea, and another way for us to take democracy to the people," said Lord Elis-Thomas.

John Smith MP, the Vale of Glamorgan, and the Gurkhas

2009-05-11T09:00:00.043+01:00

Apparently this week's Glamorgan Gem local newspaper has published a photograph of John Smith MP and a few other MPs with Gurkhas. Nice photograph, and not the one above!

However, checking Hansard and the Public Whip you will discover that he voted WITH the Government, against the Gurkha settlement rights [Although this extremely rare Government defeat in an opposition day motion is not binding (has no legal force) a Government minister made a statement later in the day to bring "forward the date for the determination of the outstanding applications to the end of May].

Such double standards seems to be fitting for these troublesome times. We need to remind ourselves of this at election time.

The Brigade of Gurkhas

The history of the service of the Brigade of Gurkhas to the British Crown goes back as far as 1815. Since then the Brigade has conducted itself with distinction during numerous conflicts worldwide. Prior to 1997 the Brigade's focus was in the Far East but following the handover of Hong Kong it moved to the UK which is now its base. The Brigade still maintains a battalion in Brunei and plays a full part in the British Army's operational deployments worldwide - currently, in particular, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans.

The majority of MPs voted in favour of the motion:
This House

regrets the Government's recent statement outlining the eligibility criteria for Gurkhas to reside in the United Kingdom;

recognises the contribution the Gurkhas have made to the safety and freedom of the United Kingdom for the past 200 years;

notes that more Gurkhas have laid down their lives for the United Kingdom than are estimated to want to live here;

believes that Gurkhas who retired before 1997 should be treated fairly and in the same way as those who have retired since;

is concerned that the Government's new guidelines will permit only a small minority of Gurkhas and their families to settle whilst preventing the vast majority;

further believes that people who are prepared to fight and die for the United Kingdom should be entitled to live in the country; and

calls upon the Government to withdraw its new guidelines immediately and bring forward revised proposals that extend an equal right of residence to all Gurkhas.

In case you were wondering if any other Welsh MPs votes against the Gurkha settlement rights motion, simply read...

Nick Ainger (Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire) Labour
Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) Labour (minister)

Chris Bryant (Rhondda) Labour (minister)
Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) Labour

Wayne David (Caerphilly) Labour (minister)
Hywel Francis (Aberavon) Labour

Nia Griffith (Llanelli) Labour (PPS)
Peter Hain (Neath) Labour (former minister)

David Hanson (Delyn) Labour (minister)

Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney) Labour

Kim Howells (Pontypridd) Labour (former minister)

Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) Labour (minister)

Ian Lucas (Wrexham) Labour (minister)

Alun Michael (Cardiff South & Penarth) Labour (former minister)

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) Labour

Jessica Morden (Newport East) Labour (PPS)

Paul Murphy (Torfaen) Labour (minister)

Albert Owen (Ynys Môn) Labour

Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) Labour

Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside) Labour (minister)

Don Touhig (Islwyn) labour

Alan Williams (Swansea West) Labour

Martin Caton (Gower) Labour - absent
Paul Flynn (Newport West) Labour - absent

Siân James (Swansea East) Labour (PPS) absent

Martyn Jones (Clwyd South) Labour - absent

Betty Williams (Conwy) Labour - absent

Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire) Liberal Democrats - absent

Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire) Liberal Democrats (front bench) absent

In-tray Gossip

2009-04-29T08:55:00.022+01:00

If I had been neglecting my partner and son over the last several weeks, I would have been keeping an eye on my in-tray instead of neglecting the sometimes overloaded thing.

I've heard a rumour that senior civil servants working close to Ministers in Cardiff Bay were allegedly given box tickets to Welsh home matches during this year's 6 Nations championship. At least 2 of them attended the Wales v England match this year courtesy of their ministerial masters. As my source has said, "Not a bad perk of the job".

Alegedly the Union are up-in-arms over this and believe that any spare tickets at the disposal of the Welsh Assembly Government should be raffled out among all staff of the Assembly Government, and not kept by those regarded as being down the bay. I wonder what Wales' Number 1 rugby fan thinks of this staff freebie?

On another matter our old friend Christopher Glamorganshire has reappeared. The latest rumour is that the Welsh Assembly Government is allegedly chasing him for legal costs circa £28k for being too ill to turn up to an employment tribunal. Rumour has it that the case is ongoing and will conclude in the next month or two. Betsan always seems to have the scoop on this, so I'm hoping she'll keep us posted.

I'll be dipping in and out of blogging from time to time, and won't be a complete stranger to blogging or my in-tray.

Blow the whistle and they don't come running

2009-04-29T08:24:00.019+01:00

The Western Mail's latest leaky story concerns CLAIMS made by an Assembly Government civil servant raise serious concerns about the running of the Department responsible for the Welsh economy, according to the Conservatives.

In a letter to the Western Mail, the whistle-blower lists a series of alleged shortcomings, claiming they illustrate how the Department for Economy and Transport is letting Wales down, and which include:

Recent Ministerial refusal to meaningfully engage with the UK Government on stimulating bank lending to Wales’s businesses in favour of WAG lending of public money direct to business;

hundreds of millions of pounds of European aid being diverted from the private sector into the continuation of longstanding, re-branded public sector schemes with poor track records;

the much-trumpeted Single Investment Fund and WAG’s SME (small and medium enterprises) relationship manager support is only reaching a minuscule number of Welsh businesses;

millions of pounds of funding intended for SMEs not being used and handed back;

an expensive IT project to develop a customer relationship management system not delivering;

major problems with the public transport concessionary fares scheme;

ministers’ decision to reject connecting with the highly praised Business Link and Direct Gov websites, helping millions of individuals and businesses elsewhere in the UK, on the grounds that they are “too English” and would make the millions of pounds invested in WAG’s site look embarrassing;

expensive staff events continuing at some of Wales’ best hotels regardless of the recession; and
the department’s staff having the least faith in senior management, according to staff survey results.

Shadow Minister for the Economy David Melding said:

Businesses and workers across Wales are looking for leadership and support as the recession tightens its grip. They need to have confidence that after five economic summits and countless policy announcements the Assembly Government is delivering on its promises.

These claims, however, suggest the Assembly Government is failing to match words with delivery. They also highlight poor morale among staff at the heart of the Assembly Government and underline the concerns we have raised about ministers’ failure to implement a proper package to help businesses survive the recession. They also raise questions about the performance of [Plaid Cymru leader] Ieuan Wyn Jones as the Minister responsible.

The Assembly Government needs to satisfy the public it is doing all it can to help businesses and workers overcome the growing economic difficulties – not just in terms of words, but also by providing tangible evidence of delivery on the ground.

An Assembly Government spokesman would not respond on a point-by-point basis to the allegations, but said:

This is merely a list of unsubstantiated and spurious claims [that we wouldn't like to talk about] from an anonymous individual [coward] claiming to work for the Department for Economy and Transport [contradiction in terms]. If a member of the Department has any legitimate concerns [and are not bothered about advancement] then they are encouraged to raise them through the proper channels. *

* Correct course of action: Express concern to senior manager - senior manager rejects your concern and explains that you don't have sufficient experience in such matters - senior manager reports to colleagues - discussion takes place behind closed doors while alarm bells are silenced, hoping that no one else will stir up a fuss - problem solved.

Up a network ladder and down a slippery Facebook snake

2009-04-28T22:50:00.003+01:00

During my prolonged absence from blogging - from reading blogs, writing blogs, talking about blogs and sometimes even dreaming about blogs or bloggers - I continued to play about with my second attempt at Farcebook membership.

Sadly (boo, hiss!), my second attempt ended up in the same black hole as my first attempt, but without all the fuss.

Hey! Ho! There's still a Blog Network to join. Perhaps I should revert to my maiden name for my third and final attempt, and slip below the radar.

Hearing on pay equality in the Department for Transport

2009-04-28T21:16:00.007+01:00

Preperations are made for a tribunal hearing on pay equality in the Department for Transport (DfT).

The case involves Executive Officers (EO) in the Driver and vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) who are seeking equal pay with driving examiners from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).

For information, EOs are paid up to £5k less than examiners, even though they do work of equal value. The hearing is expected to be over a few weeks with an estimate end date of 22 May 2009.

The DfT's Defence:

... is one of arguing that the DVLA and DSA are seperate organisations whose pay is determined from different sources.

The other side:

This ignores the fact that both agencies are based within the DfT which is overseen by the Treasury which controls Civil Service pay. Unions have argues that if this defence is succesful, it will be used across the civil service to block equal pay claims.

Having Scope and doing little about it

2009-02-23T07:45:00.014Z

Scope is a leading UK disability organisation with more than 50 years experience in providing support to disabled people to increase their employment opportunities. The Welsh Assembly Government is a devolved government with nearly 10 years experience of falling short as an employer in the area of equal opportunities.

The development of the Leadership Recruitment Programme by Scope promotes awareness of staff diversity and the contribution disabled people can make to the workplace. It also aims to ensure that disabled people of graduate calibre achieve equality and are valued in society, rather than being overlooked.

Last month the programme marked a year since ending its first 12-month trial of running in the Welsh Assembly Government, who was one of many high-profile employers taking part.

Not a bad ongoing gesture from an organisation that seems to fail in this area, and needs to show a vast improvement when it comes to equal opportunities.

8 things women want to know*

2009-02-20T08:00:00.004Z

Ever since Freud, men have been guessing about what women want. Famous for our verbal skills, women are still not about to tell you what's really on our minds. But believe it or not, we women don't have you men completely figured out yet, either. We spend a lot of time thinking about what goes on inside that non-communicative head of yours. So what do we want to know? When your girlfriend gets that dreamy look in her eye, she may be thinking:

"Why can't I drive?"
Every guy insists on taking the wheel, as if merely sitting on the passenger side might somehow sap his testosterone. Riding shotgun used to be a macho position in stagecoach days. Now all it's good for is asking directions.

"Why won't you go to the doctor?"
Most men would rather suffer at home, wracked by fever, puking their brains out, than go to the doctors. His refusal to admit any kind of vulnerability leaves it up to her to fret over that suspicious mole on the back of his leg.

"Where do you keep all the stuff we lug in our purses?"
I don't know any man who carries a handkerchief these days. But how can your pockets hold your notes, change, credit cards, photo ID, checkbook, pills, PDA, mobile, breath mints, lip gloss, tissues, a comb and condoms? Maybe that's why combat trousers are so popular.

"Do men ever really talk about the important things with their friends?"
So much of male friendship is about what you do together. When it comes time for emotional support, are you able to share that intimacy? It doesn't seem as if men work at their friendships as much as, or in the same way, women do.

"How come you can't smell your dirty underwear?"
When you put on the socks stuffed in your running shoes, doesn't it occur to you that they are the same socks you ran a 10K race in two days ago? Draping your briefs over the back of a chair is more of a territorial display than a cleansing rite.

"Why don't you call when you say you will?"
If your date was so unforgettable, why say you'll call? Are you so chicken that you can't let her down to her face? If you truly mean to call, and postpone it, is it out of shear incompetence, or are you playing a mind game? This leads to the corollary question..."What will you really think of me if I call you?" Is a woman who makes the first move, or second, or third, considered desperate or daring? Is she charmingly bold or offensively brazen?

And of course, the million pound question:

"When you say you love me, do you really mean it, or are you just trying to get into my pants?"

[*According to Marcy Barack]

Bonuses not just for banks

2009-02-18T08:30:00.000Z

The following is an anonymous question from a civil servant requesting legal advice from a well-known trade union. I only wish I was making it up, or that it was sent with lashings of irony. Let's hope that the recent talk of cuts creates a dent in the bonuses of Assembly fat cats.

Q I am used to receiving an end of year bonus but I didn't get one this time. Am I entitled to it?

A You are only entitled to a bonus if it is specified in your contract. If you have been receiving a bonus for many years, it may be possible to argue that it has become custom and practice and therefore an unwritten part of your contract, in which case a non-payment could amount to an unlawful deduction of wages. But you would need to have all the facts about why it has not been paid before raising the issue with your manager. Discuss the situation with your PCS rep before doing anything further.

[Source: PCS Union]

Unions achieving very little for staff in lower grades

2009-02-16T08:06:00.016Z

Are Trade Unions worth joining in 2009? Do members actually see a benefit, or is it just piece of mind; the thought and probable safety you may feel in being part of a crowd; being a member of a 'safety net' organisation that is bigger than one person - just in case?

Subscriptions to the average trade union is as follows:

Gross salary/Monthly subscription
£10,000 / £5
£12,000 / £6
£14,000 / £7
£18,000 / £9
£20,000 / 10

Case Study from the point of view of a junior civil servant

After 23 years in teaching, followed by 11 years in the private sector, in 2001 I joined the Ministry of Defence.

Being over 60 I have no intention of seeking promotion, and the small pay rise that would go with it, as I simply don't want the hassle.

Although it was my decision to join the civil service I am continually shocked at how low our pay is. After seven years I take home just £1,032 a month.

I don't begrudge those who are higher paid. But I do think that to pay thousands of us so badly is a national disgrace. I am fortunate being in a 'double income - no kids' household. How on earty parents with young families survive I do not know. [name and address supplied]

[In comparison, MOD salaries are higher than that of those working for the Welsh Assembly Government]

Civil servants take 10 'freebies' each

2009-02-12T09:20:00.002Z

The Daily Telegraph reports that figures to be disclosed today will show that supposedly impartial mandarins, many in charge of departments with large Whitehall budgets, have repeatedly been entertained by firms.

The Daily Telegraph has been told that around 180 civil servants will be named in a list published today. It will detail approximately 1,800 items in total that have been declared by Whitehall employees - an average of 10 trips for each official.

The hospitality mainly covers lunches, dinners and receptions. However, there is also more lavish entertainment including high-profile international rugby matches and other sporting events.

Invites to other exclusive occasions, like the opera and the Chelsea Flower Show, that make up the circuit of hospitality events, was also accepted.

Among those who have been offering the "freebies" were banks, financial consultancies and news organisations.

It comes as ministers seek to clamp down on civil servants who accept hospitality from lobbyists and companies seeking to influence legislation. The recent "Lords for hire" scandal has heightened the need for tighter control among those in Whitehall and Westminster.

In view of Wales being firmly part of the UK and its public servants largely forming part of the UK public sector/civil service, I wonder if any of the 'Cathays Park hundreds' would like to come clean as they form part of the Home Civil Service?

Welsh Assembly Government: Money for old rope

2009-02-11T09:55:00.012Z

Couldn't help but post on news that has proved me, and many others right when posting back in October 2008.

The new civil service layer of Director General civil servants have now been appointed in the Welsh Assembly Government. As previously mentioned, this is part of the new Permanent Secretary's [Gillian Morgan] managment structure, which does have some merits and has seen some backing of those higher up and lower down in the Cathays Park food chain.

But of these new posts that bring an ample award of around £130,000 a year, three have rather strangely (hint of sarcasm identified) gone to internal candidates, some of who it has to be said are not exactly showered in management praise and glory. For some unknown reason a £55,000 + recruitment exercise has ended up employing three people already employed internally at the next grade down in the senior civil service [Head of Department].

One appointment does disturb me slightly.

Civil Servants are not perfect, but to appoint a man who has masterminded and single-handedly steered the staff of the Welsh Assembly Government towards a largely disappointing performance management system; the ASPB merger which led to unequal status among civil servants of the same grade; not to mention equal opportunities and other fiascos (take your pick), is largely a disgraceful act.

It is generally agreed among staff that Human Resources policy has been a disaster and particularly since 2006 - in short, a disaster since appointment. If this was a newspaper headline it would read, "Overall Head of Recruitment Gets Recruited". Surprise!

If it wasn't for my planned family holiday, this unwelcome news of neo-nepotism would have me sick to my Welsh core.

The Welsh Assembly Government has announced the appointment of new Director Generals and a Non Executive Director to its new senior management board - known as the Strategic Delivery and Performance Board.

Clive Bates (aged 47) is currently Head of the United Nations Environment Programme in Sudan and has been appointed Director General for Sustainable Futures.

Christine Daws is being promoted from her current post as Director of Finance to the Welsh Assembly Government to the new Finance Director General position.

Emyr Roberts will take up the post of Director General for Public Services and Local Government Delivery. He is currently Director of the Department for Social Justice and Local Government and has extensive experience which includes a period as Chief Executive of the Welsh European Funding Office.

Bernard Galton has been appointed as Director General for People, Places and Corporate Services following five years as Director of HR at the Welsh Assembly Government and a long career as an HR professional, primarily within the Ministry of Defence.

James Turner will replace Sir Adrian Webb as a Non Executive Director. Mr Turner has had an international business career and joined the Welsh Development Agency in the mid 1990’s as International Managing Director. Ten years ago, he established his own consultancy business undertaking board-level interim assignments and in this capacity was interim Chief Executive at the Arts Council of Wales during 2007. An experienced Non Executive Director, James Turner has served on the boards of a number of private companies and public sector organisations.
The appointments follow a tough recruitment process involving external assessors and complete the new, smaller and more focused Strategic Delivery and Performance Board which Permanent Secretary Dame Gillian Morgan announced in October 2008.

Gill Morgan said:
I’m really pleased to have completed recruitment to this new, smaller Board with the appointment of very high calibre people. I believe a smaller senior team will help us reduce complexity in the organisation and make it easier for us to join up across portfolios. Now more than ever we need to be able to support Ministers in tackling the things that make the most difference to the people of Wales.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan said:
My warmest congratulations to Emyr and Bernard. Their appointments complete a line-up of strong management serving the Welsh Assembly Government through the challenging times we face.

The new Board will be in place by the beginning of April. Chaired by the Permanent Secretary, the Board will include six Director Generals (DGs), together with the Chief Executive of the NHS.

The changes will be accomplished within existing resources and there will be no additional cost to the organisation's running cost budget.

A possible return to blogging and keyword activity fun

2009-02-02T14:56:00.001Z

All bloggers need to take a break from time to time. Have you noticed? I've enjoyed mine and will continue to do so until I feel the compulsive urge to get back into the swing of things and post on a regular basis again.

All main contributors haven't posted for a while by mutual agreement. This has left some thinking that the blog is dead to the world, including the shy and retiring Assembly types (Lol... not dead, but resting). However, there has been a lot of interest lately in one particular post thanks to a link from Betsan Powys of the BBC.

Like Betsan, I was disappointed to hear that Christopher Glamorgan had pulled out of the tribunal against the Welsh Ministers/Welsh Assembly Government. I'm sure he had his reasons, but I can't help thinking that we've missed something special and even I was hoping to attend the hearing as a member of the public. Christopher has yet to answer my email and concern for his case, but I'll keep you posted when I return. Remember Christopher, the offer still stands and I'm sure that Matt Wardman also supports my view on this.

I got slightly bored of blogging and if I'm honest, of Welsh politics, although ongoing fiascos and the reckless should inspire posting if I had the time. Family has always been important, and also making a success of business. After all, as a self-employed person no one else is going to support me - right??

Following the large number of hits to the one post, it got me curious about blog stats, so I decided to take a look for myself. Most interest on the Christopher Glamorgan post came from the Assembly itself which was to be expected, and from local government. A look at 'visitor paths' also made me realise how widely read Betsan's blog is in the UK, which was surprising considering the topic of Welsh politics. This must be testament to the blog being hosted by the BBC and Betsan's writing style.

Another blog stat that caught my attention was that of 'keyword activity' and the interesting, sometimes strange, and frankly bizarre search terms used. One slightly controversial search term was 'Tomos Livingstone bias' and made by someone in the office of HSO Trinity Mirror Group.

These are some of the Internet search terms used (in no particular order) which ended up with the inquiring minds clicking on a link to this blog. Some are obvious. Some are amusing. Others are simply mind boggling.

Miss Wagstaff
Cardiff political issues
Pippa Wagstaff
One Wales Government
Gareth Hall Welsh Assembly Government
Leadership of Welsh political party
Mike German Jane Hutt affair
Biggest wastes of public money
Chocolate cheese Switzerland
Jolly roger
Office relationships
Welsh Labour communications officer
Jonathan Evans Julie Morgan
Cornock Steve Morgan campaign
Welsh Assembly Llandudno jobs
Swiss known for
Welsh civil servant
Paul Murphy sentenced Pontypridd
32% of welsh women prefer to do after 18:00
Mistress Services Wales
Ellis, luke amss carwyn jones
Ellis, luke (amss carwyn jones)
Carwyn jones luke ellis
Carwyn jones luke ellis
Petite welsh woman 60
Matt Withers surfing
Civil service dress code uk foreign office
Cocks that don't fit
Top ten reasons to limit debate with a troll
Martyn Williams Miss Wagstaff
Welsh Labour Europe nonentity
Jane Wagstaff porn
Jane Hutt quote
Tomos Livingstone bias
Alun Davies AM blog
Human Resources email Welsh Assembly
Rhodri Morgan dress sense
Sacked civil servant
Facebook farce blog
Failing Welsh civil service

All I can say is keep blogging. At best, we all find it fun and informative, at its very worst... you can guess the rest.

Move the goalposts and score an own goal

2008-12-19T12:45:00.005Z

As mentioned in my previous post. We're in need of a good story that not only demonstrates the inconsistency of those running the WAG machine, but also an example of the civil service not getting their own way and yet again promoting one of their own numbers from within.

The Western Mail reports the appointment of a freemason as the head of the NHS in Wales was attacked last night as inconsistent.

Paul Williams left his post as chief executive of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust at the end of last month on a two-year secondment during which he will be in charge of the Welsh health service. He is currently working a handover period with Ann Lloyd, his predecessor, who is retiring.

But a civil servant who contacted the Western Mail contrasted the appointment of Mr Williams with an earlier decision to block the appointment of Gerard Elias QC as the Welsh Assembly’s counsel general – partly because he was a freemason.

In 2004, Mr Elias, one of the best-known barristers in Wales, was personally vetoed by First Minister Rhodri Morgan after he was recommended for the post of top legal adviser at the Assembly by Civil Service Commissioners.

Mr Morgan’s refusal to appoint Mr Elias – and the revelation that he had unsuccessfully sought approval from the commissioners to appoint the candidate who came second, a former Labour parliamentary candidate – created a political storm at the time.

The Western Mail received a typewritten letter saying:

I am afraid this note has to be anonymous as I am a civil servant.
You might find it useful to ask the Welsh Assembly Government why it saw fit to debar Gerard Elias from the counsel general post on the basis of his rather inactive freemasonry but now sees no problem in appointing Paul Williams, a very senior and active freemason, to the post of head of NHS Wales.
No doubt the excuse will be that the counsel general offers advice on legal issues but there is no more sensitive post than head of NHS Wales.
I am not a freemason but I have no quarrel with that organisation. I have no axe to grind for or against Mr Elias, unknown to me, or Mr Williams, known to me but not well-known.
My beef is really with the inconsistency and – let’s face it the dishonesty – around decisions like this which devalue the whole Assembly position.

An Assembly Government spokeswoman said:

We appoint on merit and the best person for the job based on skills and experience. We do not have a policy of excluding individuals based on membership of the freemasons.
Candidates are not obliged to declare membership of the freemasons. The issue of Paul Williams’ membership of freemasons is viewed as a private matter.

I couldn't help but contact one anonymous insider that contacted me a while back on another issue. I was told that "one senior civil servant didn't get what they wanted for Christmas" which I think amusingly falls foul of the tradition of Secret Santa.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[Pippa Wagstaff is currently on a blogging break and hopes to return in the New Year]

Dead tree press can't see the wood for the trees

2008-12-19T12:11:00.009Z

At this time of the year we're in need of a good story that not only demonstrates the inconsistency of those running the WAG machine, but also an example of the civil service not getting their own way and promoting one of their own numbers from within.

This story also makes a refreshing change from the media ignoring what other AMs have claimed in expenses. Instead, they choose to turn the rack on the Conservative leader Nick Bourne over a piddling iPod in a desperate attempt to make the story run and run until his resignation as group leader. Hoping then to happily turn the story into a column stocking filler by running another series of leadership election stories that saves them from having to examine and attack the policies and politics of the Welsh Assembly Government.

More effort should be placed on looking into the National Assembly rules and regulations on expenses that allows what may seem by the general public to be inappropriate claims being made by elected politicians. We need to remember that no politician has broken the rules of the Assembly as laid down by Assembly Commission staff.

Have the Western Mail also gone soft on the Assembly Government since coalition? Fear appears to have set in when it comes to taking on the Labour establishment and particularly since forming a coalition with Plaid Cymru. This needs to change.

The Western Mail's latest column filler - iPodGate - should go a long way to guarantee Nick Bourne's short term survival as leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly. Welsh politics and political parties are not led by small Welsh media outlets, and no one is going to have the stomach to oust a leader just because a campaign is being run by a Welsh newspaper.

The Welsh Conservative party and group in the Assembly shouldn't follow the Western Mail's lead. It wouldn't be good for party politics in Wales whatever party you support.

Anyway. Enough of my rant before Christmas and back to the other Welsh politics story in the Western Mail that isn't classed as 'iPodGate' or 'a soapbox for Adam Price MP'.

This story of Christmas cheer can be read in the next blog.

Welsh Political Awards and National Assembly bias

2008-12-10T15:40:00.013Z

Strange that there are 3 non-government Assembly Members among the winners of ITV's Welsh Political Awards, and the website of the National Assembly for Wales only manages to announce Dafydd Elis-Thomas as a winner.

Just who clears press releases from the National Assembly these days? Seems clear to me who runs the show at the Senedd.