I hosted and spoke at the Assembly event ‘Celebrating the Launch of the first National Veterans Awards for Wales’, celebrating Armed Forces Veterans who have made the transition from the Military to civilian life and gone above and beyond to excel in their relevant fields.
Speaking at NEA Cymru’s Fuel Poverty Conference, I said that with almost 300,000 households in Wales living in fuel poverty, excess winter deaths in Wales rising to 3,400 last year, and Wales having a higher index than all English regions, it is clear that the Welsh Government Strategy has not worked and that a new Fuel Poverty Strategy with ambitious objectives is now vital.
Taking part in the Debate on Prisons and Prisoners, I called for proposals by the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru to extend existing prisoner voting rights in Assembly and Local elections to be scrapped.
Speaking in the Debate on Substance Misuse, I quoted official ONS figures showing that deaths related to drug misuse in Wales rose 32% during the Welsh Government’s ten year Substance Misuse Strategy launched in 2008 and that alcohol specific deaths in Wales were up 8% annually, and criticised the Welsh Government’s failure to address the need for ‘Tier 4’ residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Wales.
Speaking in the Debate on Wales’ ‘Police Settlement for 2019/20’, I noted that all Police Forces in Wales will receive a real terms increase, that the 38 pence per week Council Tax Police precept increase in North Wales is the second lowest in Wales, and that the Welsh Government was denying Welsh Police Forces access to £2 million annually for training.
I challenged the First Minister to ensure that funding reaches small charities that make a real difference.
Speaking in the Debate on the Welsh Independent Living Grant, I condemned Welsh Government plans to scrap this as “a betrayal of the rights of disabled people” and called for all severely disabled former Independent Living Fund recipients to have their funding restored without further assessment.
I also questioned the Brexit Minister over Holyhead Port and the Transport Minister over the Caernarfon to Bontnewydd Bypass.
I met Macmillan Cancer Support and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in the Assembly to hear about their 'Transforming Cancer Services Together programme'.
North Wales engagements included the Installation of Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s new Chancellor, Colin Jackson CBE, and a visit to the FDF CIL (formerly the Flintshire Disability Forum) in Mold Town Hall.
If you need my help, please email [email protected] or call 0300 200 7219.