David Rees AM, Unit 6, Water Street Business Centre, Gwyn Terrace, Aberavon 01639 870779 Welsh Assembly AM Election Results re-nominated

Wales’s First Minister 2016

David Rees has been unanimously re-elected to Carwyn Jones AM has been re-nominated as First represent the people of Aberavon in the Welsh Minister after the deadlock of last week was broken

Assembly’s Fifth Term. We saw Assembly Members from , Welsh Tories and UKIP join together to stop the nomination of Carwyn Jones as our First Minister, which would He said: “I would like to thank everyone who have allowed him to form a Welsh Government that would have tackled the difficult supported me and helped me to return to the issues facing today - including the future of our Steel Industry. Now at last as Aberavon's AM and I would particularly Carwyn Jones has been able to form a Government and can get on with the work like to thank my Agent, John Cronin for his needed across Wales, and particularly in Port Talbot on addressing the challenges remarkable support. The people of Aberavon will facing our Steel Industry. always have a passionate champion in me who will speak up for them if decisions put their interests at Following his nomination as First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones has set out his risk. The priorities continue to be the future of our priorities for the first 100 days of the next Welsh Government and taking Wales steel works, our public services and our Forward the First Minister has announced his new Cabinet and Ministers. Titles communities have changed this term, from Ministers to Cabinet Members and from Deputy Ministers to Ministers.

Ken Skates Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Candidates David Rees Votes 10,578 50.7% Net Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport percentage change in seats −13.4 Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Plaid Cymru Candidates Bethan Jenkins Votes 4,176 20.0% Cabinet Secretary for Education Net percentage change in seats +5.2 Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs UKIP Wales Candidates Glenda Davies Votes 3,119 15.0% Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children

published by David Rees AM, Unit 6, Water Street Business Centre, Gwyn Terrace, Aberavon, Port Talbot SA12 6LG Net percentage change in seats +15.0

Jane Hutt Leader of the House and Chief Whip Welsh Conservative Candidates David Jenkins Votes 1,342 6.4% Net Minister for Skills and Science Printed and percentage change in seats −7.9 Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language Welsh Liberal Democrat Rebecca Evans Candidates Helen Ceri Clarke Votes 1,248 6.0% Minister for Social Services and Public Health Net percentage change in seats −0.8

£12.8M TO REGENERATE WELSH NHS SUCCESS OUTLINED

TOWN CENTRES AND Fewer people in Wales are dying and more are surviving conditions such as cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart disease thanks to action CREATE JOBS taken by the Welsh Government and NHS Wales to improve services, Welsh Labour’s then Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething said. The Welsh Labour Government is providing twelve regeneration projects The Deputy Minister said the Welsh NHS is helping people to live healthier lives with with a £12.8m funding boost, creating more than the development of new services and record levels of investment from the Welsh 400 new jobs, 50 traineeships and over 220 new homes. Government, and praised the quality of care being delivered by doctors, nurses and NHS staff across Wales. The Welsh Labour Government’s health strategy, Together Welsh Labour’s then Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, for Health, published in 2011, set a five-year vision for the Welsh NHS and its Lesley Griffiths, announced projects including the creation of 16 two- partners, including the creation of delivery plans for major health conditions. bedroom flats in Holyhead town centre, a new employment hub on the Kingsway in Swansea and a family entertainment zone on the Rhyl The delivery plans have been developed by clinicians, patients and advocates for waterfront are set to benefit from the significant Vibrant and Viable excellent care. They outline actions to improve services, with a particular focus on Places funding boost. prevention and early diagnosis, integrated and efficient care, better information and targeted research. In June 2015, the Welsh Labour Government announced that The additional funding brings the total investment in the Welsh £10m would be invested directly in the plans - £1m for each of the 10 plans – which Government’s flagship regeneration scheme to £118 million. A recent has been used to improve services for people in Wales. report found, between 2014 - 17, the programme will create more than 2,000 jobs, support 3,000 people into work and bring a further £300 million into Wales. It is also expected to provide 1,000 affordable homes and more than 2,300 homes in the private sector. This includes COUNCIL TAX IN WALES – £2.7 million to create 41 social housing apartments in the town and £356,000 to restore the former art deco Plaza Cinema. REMAINS LOWER THAN

ENGLAND NEW STANDARDS TO Council Tax in Wales remains lower than in England according DRIVE UP QUALITY OF BUS to new figures.

SERVICES IN WALES The latest official Welsh Government figures show that average Band D council

tax for Wales in 2016-17 will be £1,374, much lower than the average Band D in Welsh Labour’s then Transport Minister, , has England, which stands at £1,530 – despite the cuts imposed on Wales by the published new standards for local bus services across Wales Tory UK Government. to improve quality, accessibility and information for passengers. The average band D council tax rise in Wales is lower than the figure for England, excluding London, based on estimates published by CIPFA. Welsh tax payers will see an average Band D rise of £47 (3.5%); a smaller increase than was seen in 2015/16, when the average increase was £52 (4.1%).

The Welsh Labour Government has also maintained its support to over 300,000 households who need assistance in meeting their council tax bills. Of these approximately 200,000 pay no council tax at all.

The Voluntary Welsh Bus Quality Standard sets out some core requirements bus operators will need to meet in order to receive the Welsh Labour Government’s Bus Services Support Grant. The standard also incudes some enhanced requirements that are designed to encourage and reward operators to further improve the quality of local bus services.

The Welsh Labour Government has already revamped the Traws Cymru @DavidReesAM long distance bus service and the new Voluntary Welsh Bus Quality Standard will improve standards on local services.

By March 2017, bus operators will be required to meet the core standards http://www.david-rees.com on young persons’ discounted fares, information, accessibility and cleanliness in order to receive Welsh Government grant funding.

These standards have been developed by the Bus Policy Advisory Group https://www.facebook.com/DavidReesAMAberavon and are based on the quality standard introduced in south east Wales earlier this year.

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Watch and listen WELSH LABOUR GOVERNMENT INVESTS £10.3M IN 94 NEW AMBULANCES

The Welsh Ambulance Service will receive 94 new vehicles thanks to a £10.3m investment

from the Welsh Labour Government, Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

The investment will allow the service to purchase: • 35 new emergency ambulances. • 13 rapid response vehicles/emergency patient vehicles. Watch the National Assembly for Wales on the web. • 10 patient care services vehicles, capable of carrying stretchers. You can watch committee meetings and Plenary live • 32 patient care services vehicles, capable of carrying wheelchairs. in Senedd TV at http://www.senedd.tv, or watch • Four specialist vehicles. explainer videos and more on our Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Assembly The Welsh Ambulance Service currently has 706 vehicles in its fleet, which cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles across Wales.

Petitions Welsh Labour’s then Minister for Finance and Government Business allocated £10m for the Welsh Ambulance Service as part of the Welsh Labour Government’s Budget for 2016-17.Since 2011, the Welsh Labour Government has invested almost £45m in new ambulance vehicles for the Welsh Ambulance Service.

NEW HOSPITAL TEAMS TO

SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH

MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS

A petition is a way of asking the National Assembly New dedicated teams of staff to provide hands-on support for people with to consider any issue, problem or proposal that the mental health needs will be set up in Welsh hospitals, Welsh Labour’s then Assembly has the power to do something about. Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

The Assembly’s rules mean that any petition that the

Presiding Officer decides is admissible must be As part of £30m for mental health and older people in 2016-17, the Welsh Labour considered by the Assembly. The Assembly has set up a Government will invest £2.3m to create new teams who will provide extra support,

Petitions Committee to consider admissible petitions especially in the evening and at night, for people with mental health needs, including and to decide what action should be taken. dementia. An extra £1.5m is being made available to local primary care mental health support services to further support the Mental Health (Wales) Measure. This will provide If you need any assistance with the e-petitions system more capacity to respond to people’s mental health needs locally. £1.15m is being or require any further information about the petitions allocated for psychological therapies for inpatient older person and adult mental health process, please feel free to email us: services. This will support the additional investment of £1.9m in adult psychological therapy [email protected] or contact Lisa (01639 provision which was announced earlier this year. The Minister also announced: 870779)

 £1m non-recurrent funding to reduce waiting times for local memory clinics and initial assessment for dementia Consultations  £325,000 for transitional/recovery support workers, who will be based in early intervention psychosis teams to promote active recovery for young people who have developed severe mental illnesses – evidence suggests this greatly improves long-term outcomes  £329,000 of non-recurrent funding to promote and protect the rights of people without capacity  £100,000 for a dementia campaign focusing on health promotion and prevention

To view a list of the issues that the Assembly The £30m for mental health and older people for 2016-17 is in addition to the £15m- committees are currently consulting on please go to: plus of recurrent funding announced by the Welsh Labour Government in June 2015. www.assembly.wales/en/bushome/Pages/consultation

ETHICAL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES MUST

BE AT THE CENTRE OF PUBLIC PROJECTS

Ethical employment practices must be at the centre of all publicly funded construction and infrastructure projects in Wales, Welsh Labour’s then Finance and Government Business Minister Jane Hutt has said.

The Minister has set out the next steps to be taken to promote the further deployment of the Employment Practices on Publicly Funded Projects Procurement Advice Note (PAN).The Procurement Advice Note helps deal with issues of false self employment and the increased use of umbrella payment schemes operating unfair methods of calculating pay and affecting workers rights on construction sites.. A Code of Practice on Ethical Employment in Supply Chains will now be developed as an additional mechanism for tackling the issues of false self-employment and unfair umbrella schemes. Public sector bodies in Wales, Welsh businesses and suppliers to the Welsh public sector will be expected to sign up to the Code. The Welsh Labour Government was the first Government in the UK to take action against Blacklisting, issuing guidance in 2013 to help stamp out this unacceptable practice. In March 2015, the Welsh Government issued a PAN on Employment practices on publicly funded projects to improve the way our workers are treated – fairly and with respect.

In May a programme of training and awareness events will start for public sector clients and business to support the adoption of the PAN. £31M EU BOOST £29M FOR TRANSPORT FOR WORLD CLASS SCHEMES TO BOOST THE COMPUTER SCIENCE ECONOMY, ROAD SAFETY HUB IN SWANSEA

Welsh Labour’s First Minister, Carwyn Jones, has announced a AND ACTIVE TRAVEL £31m EU-backed investment for a world class computer science

Welsh Labour’s then Transport Minister, Edwina Hart, has facility at Swansea University. announced nearly £29m funding for transport schemes across Wales to improve safety, create economic growth The Computational Foundry, based at the Swansea Bay Campus, will be backed and promote active travel. with £17m from the European Regional Development Fund and will drive research into computer science and make Wales a global destination for The grants have been awarded through four different funds, from computer scientists and industrial partners. Building work is due to begin in which local authorities can bid for money to support their projects: November.

• A total of 38 schemes across 22 local authorities and the development of active travel maps will be funded by MORE NHS EYE £17.6m from the Local Transport Fund. • A total of nearly £5.02m has been allocated to 30 schemes CARE TO BE across 20 local authorities through the Safe Routes in Communities fund for walking and cycling routes. PROVIDED LOCALLY • Nearly £3.94million will be distributed in grants from the Road Safety Capital fund to 43 schemes across 17 local From this month, people who have had cataract operations and authorities. those with suspected glaucoma will receive follow-up treatment • All 22 local authorities in Wales receive a share of £1,936,741 from the Road Safety Revenue fund for road and checks at their local optometrists instead of in hospital, the safety training programmes such as Kerbcraft, PassPlus Welsh Labour Government has announced. Cymru, National Standard Cycle Training and motorcyclist training. The move will ensure that people are seen more quickly, closer to their homes and help to ensure that hospital-based ophthalmologists are free to manage

Included in Neath Port Talbot is: those patients with the most complex conditions.

Local Transport Fund The changes to Eye Health Examination Wales are part of the Welsh Labour £1.12m towards the Port Talbot integrated transport hub next to Government’s plans to reform Wales’ ophthalmic services to ensure the vast Parkway Railway Station. The project includes sheltered bus stops, majority of NHS care is planned and provided in local communities, preventing real time information display, taxi ranks and cycle facilities. the need for people to travel long distances for routine care.

£946,000 to improve the bus corridors between Neath and Swansea and Neath and Port Talbot Parkway Station. Optometrists in Wales are extending the NHS services they offer in primary care as part of the Welsh Labour Government’s Together for Health Eye Care Road Safety Capital grants Delivery Plan 2013 - 18, which aims to prevent avoidable sight loss, improve eye £96,000 for road safety improvements between B4282 Bryn – A4107 health, and improve the experiences of patients. Neath Port Talbot county boundary. As well as cataract surgery follow-up appointments and glaucoma checks, Road Safety Education and Training community-based optometrists will also provide care for people with ocular £77,816 hypertension.

WELSH AMBULANCE SERVICE ACCESS TO CULTURE AT

ON TARGET AGAIN DURING YOUR FINGERTIPS WITH BUSIEST MONTH ON RECORD NEW DIGITAL LIBRARY The Welsh Ambulance Service responded to nearly half of all calls to people with an immediately life-threatening illness or SERVICE injury within just six minutes in February 2016, new figures show. A new digital library

The performance comes despite February being the joint busiest month service has been launched since monthly reporting began 10 years ago. Emergency and urgent by the Welsh Government healthcare services across Wales have experienced exceptionally high allowing people to download e-books, e-magazine, levels of demand during both January and February. February was also e-audiobooks and much more wherever and whenever they want. the fifth month in a row that the Welsh Ambulance Service has exceeded the target of responding to 65% of life-threatening emergency calls – A wide range of digital resources are available via the ‘My Digital Library’ which known as red calls – within eight minutes. The target has been achieved is located on the Welsh Libraries website and can be accessed for free by every month since the service started a year-long pilot to test a new anyone who is a member of their local library service and has a library card. clinical response model in October 2015, which is designed to ensure patients get the right type pf emergency response for their needs. The digital service has been developed with the National Library of Wales and local authorities. It also grants access to the National Library of Wales’ digital services, including online newspapers, journals and reference material, which can be accessed remotely by anyone who is a National Library of Wales member.

In additional to the digital books and magazines, the digital library service also The figures for February show 65.8% of emergency responses to red calls has an all-Wales catalogue search, so you can look for a book in any library in arrived within eight minutes and almost 71.3% of calls receiving a Wales, as well as join your local library online if you are not already a member. response in nine minutes.