CHANGES TO GCSE PERFORMANCE MEASURING SYSTEM ANNOUNCED Changes are to be made to the system used to measure a school’s performance when it comes to 15 to 16 year olds following feedback from teachers and others in the sector, Education Secretary will announce recently. The new Capped Points Score system (Capped 9) focuses on Year 11 pupil’s results from nine of the qualifications available in . These are used to measure the performance of a school’s Key Stage 4 (GCSE and vocational equivalent) performance.

PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS AND ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES Tackling the needless and preventable problem of homelessness is a key priority for Communities and Children Secretary . Addressing Shelter Cymru’s annual conference in his first speech since responsibility for Housing was returned to him, Carl Sargeant said he is determined to do everything in his power to address the problem.

WALES IS STILL A GREAT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS SAYS ECONOMY SECRETARY

Economy Secretary, has pledged that post- referendum, Wales will remain a great place to do business. Speaking ahead of his key note address at the Institute of Welsh Affairs – Doing Business in Wales event, the Economy Secretary emphasised Wales will continue to be an open, responsive and business friendly country.

“RACISM HAS ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE IN WALES” SAYS FIRST MINISTER Wales has a proud history of welcoming people from all over the world and this will not change following the EU referendum result; was the message from the when he met with people from ethnic minority communities.

EMERGENCY AMBULANCE RESPONSIVENESS CONTINUES TO IMPROVE Performance against new targets for emergency ambulance call-outs continues to rise in Wales. The Welsh Ambulance Service responded to 75.5% of calls for people with an immediately life-threatening illness or injury, known as red calls, within eight minutes in May, significantly exceeding the target of 65%. This compared to 71.1% in the previous month.

HIGH LEVELS OF PATIENT SATISFACTION IN WELSH NHS Overall patient satisfaction with NHS remains extremely high according to the results of a major annual survey published recently. The Fundamentals of Care survey has been used to gather patients’ views on their experience of receiving care.

FIRST MINISTER UNVEILS FIRST YEAR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES A new law to remove the UK Government’s “harmful reforms” to the rights of workers in Wales’s devolved public services is to be introduced by the during the first year of the fifth Assembly, First Minister, Carwyn Jones announced recently.

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PHYSIOTHERAPISTS CRUCIAL IN KEEPING NHS ON ITS FEET Cabinet Secretary for Health has recently thanked physiotherapists in Wales for their hard work in helping and supporting people with long-term conditions and multiple chronic conditions. Speaking at the first Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Welsh Board conference, Vaughan Gething said: “Healthcare therapy professions make a significant contribution to our NHS here in Wales.

LEGISLATION TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY IN SOCIAL CARE UNVEILED New proposals to increase transparency in the social care sector so that people can make informed decisions about the care they, or their loved ones, receive have been announced. Under the plans, providers of regulated services in Wales, including care homes, will have to prepare and publish an annual return, setting out the type and quality of the services they offer.

MICK ANTONIW APPOINTED COUNSEL GENERAL FOR WALES Her Majesty the Queen has approved the appointment of AM as the Welsh Government’s chief legal adviser. This follows the recommendation from the First Minister Carwyn Jones and approval from the National Assembly of Wales on Tuesday 21 June.

CONSIDER A CAREER IN THE NHS Speaking at a major conference in Cardiff, Cabinet Secretary for Health Vaughan Gething has raised awareness of the excellent employment opportunities and careers that exist within NHS Wales. The Widening Access Conference aimed to identify ways of encouraging individuals to consider a career in the NHS, and to highlight opportunities for career development for existing staff.

FREE ENTRY TO AS WALES MAKES HISTORY AT THE EUROS Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, Ken Skates is delighted to confirm the Welsh Government is opening the doors, free of charge, to all of its directly-managed Cadw sites on Sunday 26 June to mark Wales’ historic achievement at reaching the Final 16 in the European 2016 Football Championship.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT WELSH ENTERPRISE ZONES PROMOTED AT Investment opportunities and the unique business benefits available at the eight Enterprise Zones in Wales will be promoted to a global audience this week at the International Festival for Business in Liverpool.

COMMITMENT TO TACKLING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Communities and Children Secretary Carl Sargeant today reiterated his commitment to tackling Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence. In 2012, Mr Sargeant introduced the White Paper that led to the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Act passed by the Assembly in 2015.

DECLINE IN SIGHT IMPAIRMENTS, NEW FIGURES SHOW New statistics out today on eye care show that the number of people newly certified with impaired vision in Wales has decreased over the last three years. Cabinet Secretary for Health Vaughan Gething said: “It’s reassuring to see that the number of people with a new sight impairment in Wales has decreased by 15 per cent. An ageing population with complex health needs means that figure was predicted to rise.

For more information on any of the above news articles please visit www.wales.gov.uk/newsroom or contact

Constituency Office Manager, Lisa Donovan on 01639 870779 / [email protected]

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