As Chair of the Assembly Cross Party Group on Hospices and Palliative Care, I had a constructive meeting with Hospice UK, the Chair of Hospices Cymru and the Chief Executive of St David’s Hospice, Llandudno, and the Chief Executive of St Kentigern Hospice, St Asaph, to discuss our forward work plan.
As President of the North Wales Association for Multicultural Integration (NWAMI), working to build community cohesion and a tolerant society through cultural engagement, I had a useful meeting with NWAMI’s Chair and Founder Member, Dr Sibani Roy, and Vice-President, Clive Wolfendale, to discuss NWAMI’s plans for the future.
- also met North Wales based charity CAIS for an update on their services helping people who are having problems with addictions, mental health, personal development and employment.
Having accepted an invitation to become a ‘SCAMbassador’, I am pleased to join the National Trading Standards Scams Team (Wales), the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and others in WASP (Wales Against Scams Partnership) as part of a network to protect everyone from scams and the damage they cause, working to educate and support those who may be vulnerable to scams.
12 month figures from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Welsh Conservatives have revealed that, amongst 34 Welsh Public Bodies, Flintshire County Council has the worst record (at 42%) for responding to FOI requests with full disclosure, and that less than half of FOI requests submitted to the Welsh Government resulted in full disclosure. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board also has the worst record for responding to FOI requests within the 20-day statutory deadline, set out in the FOI Act 2000, at just 68% compared to 84% across the Welsh public sector. Good governance is based upon public transparency and accountability. Without this, people will suspect that, at best, a public body is failing to confront its problems, and that, at worst, it has something to cover up. After nearly two decades of Labour rule, the Welsh Government needs to instigate the fundamental change required to foster the kind of open government people want and deserve.
- Labour responsible for employability in Wales, it is deeply concerning that although the latest official figures show UK employment rising to a 42 year high, employment in Wales has dipped.
If you need my help, please email [email protected] or ring 0300 200 7217.