Freedom Central » Edwina Hart

‘Too many advisory panels dominated by men’

Eluned Parrott — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:03:17 +0000

Women represent less than one-in-four of the advisors to the Minister for Business on developing key economic sectors according to research from the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Just 22% of the members of the Sector Panels, charged with advising the Minister on helping develop the key economic sectors are women.

It is extremely disappointing that the membership of these panels is so dominated by men. Industry in Wales has historically favoured men but I had hoped that economic renewal would have been an opportunity to tackle the historic imbalance faced by women in key business sectors.

Having a fairer balance between men and women on these advisory panels would have helped make sure that the particular issues faced by women achieving success in the governments key industries would have been addressed.

There are no women on the panels advising the Minister on ICT, energy and environment and manufacturing. The panels for the construction, life sciences and financial services sectors also have just one women on them.

Some of these panels are dominated by men despite the fact that the industries they are supposed to represent have a strong female influence. For example, the are many examples of female success in life science research but there is only one woman on this panel. But successful women are also needed to advise the government on sectors that are traditionally male-dominated, such as construction and manufacturing, so that we can find out how they have overcome traditional stereotypes. By having the voices of women in these panels, we can ensure that women are given the opportunity to prosper in all areas of the Welsh economy in future.

I’m particularly worried that, because the terms of reference for these panels includes liaising with businesses, that we could see the institutionalisation of an old boy’s network.

I had hoped that this kind of male dominance was becoming a thing of the past. If our sector panels are not representative, however, then we risk enshrining it for our economy’s future. We need to listen to the voices of successful women so that we can ensure that woman can excel economically and boost the Welsh economy.

Being careful what you wish for

Peter Black — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:45:58 +0000

The Minister for Business, Enterprise, Techology and Skills has taken a bit of stick recently for her remarks in an Assembly Plenary session this week in which she said that she regrets the capitalist system:

“if you want to go to history lessons perhaps I need to go back to Karl Marx and Engels and we could have a discussion about those issues.”

Somebody elsewhere has already made the comparison between a Minister in charge of business who does not believe in capitalism with a previous Agriculture Minister who was vegetraian, so I do not need to go there.

However, there must be some embarrassment in Welsh Government circles this morning at the revelation that not only does Edwina Hart employ advisors who do believe in capitalism but most of them do not share her enthusiasm for Marx and Engles either.

In particular, the Western Mail reveals that the chairman of one of the Welsh Government’s sector panels wants to scrap the 50p tax rate:

Vinci chief operating officer David Joyce, who was appointed to chair the construction panel by Mrs Hart in September, was a signatory to a letter to the Daily Telegraph calling for the early end of the top tax rate and for greater investment in infrastructure.

The issue of scrapping the current top tax rate has been a political hot potato, with proponents claiming a cut would encourage entrepreneurism and investment, and opponents saying that it is wrong to cut taxes for the rich in a financial crisis.

In the letter 30 leading business figures said: “An early removal of the temporary 50% rate would attract wealth generators to the United Kingdom and support the entrepreneurs we need to help us grow the economy and provide jobs.

“We await the conclusions of the HMRC evaluation of the sums raised by the 50% rate; however, we are confident that the cost to the Treasury, if any, in the short term will not be material and that the advantages over the life of this Parliament in terms of generally increased economic activity will more than outweigh any direct costs.”

It is just as well that the Minister prefers to deal with independently-minded advisors, who have strong views.

Marx, Engels and Kant

Freedom Central — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:50:18 +0000

The BBC have jumped on the remarks of the Welsh Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Skills in yesterday’s Plenary when, despite beingr in charge of helping the private sector and boosting the Welsh economy, she said she “regrets” capitalism:

Labour Business and Enterprise Minister Edwina Hart suggested taking a history lesson from communist philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

It came on the day she recruited the director of employers’ group CBI Wales to work in her department.

She made her comments as AMs debated the Welsh government’s handling of the economy.

Plaid Cymru tabled a motion saying it “regrets” Labour’s “failure” to respond to the economic crisis, problems faced by the manufacturing sector and youth unemployment.

Mrs Hart told the Senedd on Wednesday: “Can I say that I was disappointed when I read the motion, but in view of the fact that it said ‘regret’ perhaps I should say ‘regret’ because in life we all regret many things.

“I regret about the capitalist system, if you want to go to history lessons perhaps I need to go back to Karl Marx and Engels and we could have a discussion about those issues.”

Earlier in the day, she sat next to First Minister Carwyn Jones when they met business and union leaders at a Council for Economic Renewal in Cardiff.

Mrs Hart told AMs there had been a positive response to the Welsh government’s proposals.

Before the meeting the Welsh government announced CBI Wales director David Rosser had been seconded to Mrs Hart’s department for business, enterprise, technology and science.

He will work for six months as director of innovation and anchor companies.
Responding to the comments, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Minister, Eluned Parrott said:

“It is very worrying that someone responsible for a capitalist economic system in Wales regrets its very existence. Clearly, she has been reading too much of the Morning Star and not enough of the Financial Times.

“With comments like this, is this Business Minister really up to promoting Welsh businesses and attracting foreign investment to Wales?”

‘No show’ Business Minister sending out wrong message about Welsh economy

Eluned Parrott — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:37:58 +0000

A group of MPs from the Welsh Affairs Select Committee will today come to Wales to take evidence from Assembly Members about the decline of inward investment to Wales and its effect on the Welsh economy.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and a backbench Labour Assembly Member will give evidence to the Select committee, however the Business and Economy Minister will be absent.

I find it utterly deplorable that the Business Minister refuses to attend to give evidence on something vitally important to the Welsh economy. The Select Committee has travelled across Wales taking evidence and accommodating busy schedules. The list of experts who have given evidence so far is notable, from successful business leaders, renowned academics and representatives of foreign investment in Wales.

However, the most striking absence from this list is the Business Minister herself. The Minister does have past form is refusing to attend this Select Committee, so her refusal this time must not have come as a surprise to them, even after the committee said that they would travel to Cardiff.

I appreciate that she has only been in post for the past few months but she has been making collective decisions about the direction of our economy in the Cabinet since the Assembly was established back in 1999.

Inward investment into Wales has declined in the past twenty years and it must be addressed. Wales’ relatively poor infrastructure and relatively low skills base are a visible source of competitive disadvantage which must be overcome. As well as this, the UK and Welsh governments need to identify Wales’ key selling points, and use them to improve the impression of Wales abroad, showing investors that Wales is a nation in which investment will be rewarded.

My fear is that when the Welsh Business Minister fails to show her commitment to this important agenda, it sends out the signal that Wales is closed for business.

Organ Donation Opt Out Bill will be a Welsh Lib Dem priority for next Assembly term

Veronica German — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:48:31 +0000

Yesterday the Health Minister announced that her attempt to secure the necessary powers to change the law on organ donation in Wales has been withdrawn.

She told the Assembly that the referendum result has paved the way for a future Assembly Government to introduce an Assembly Bill, with appropriate legislative scrutiny taking place here in the Assembly and that the LCO was thereforer no longer necessary.

It is my view that this is an entirely logical step. However an Organ Donation Opt-Out Bill should be a priority in the next Assembly term. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are fully committed to introducing a bill that would give hope to many people waiting on transplant lists so that they can live a healthy and normal life.

Health Minister must sort out failing Accident and Emergency system

Veronica German — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:15:02 +0000

Figures released by the Welsh Government have revealed that an unacceptable 3,208 patients waited more than eight hours in Welsh Accident and Emergency departments during December 2010, up more than double the number last December.

The figures also reveal that 11,318 of those patients had to wait more than four hours in Accident and Emergency. This latest information demonstrates that there are serious problems within the Accident and Emergency departments in the Welsh NHS.

Labour-Plaid Government set targets were not achieved at the all-Wales level and no NHS Trust met either the four hour or the eight hour target.

These new statistics clearly show that the Labour-Plaid Health Minister does not have a handle on our Accident and Emergency departments. On Monday, we exposed the scandal of the 80,000 hours that ambulances had to wait outside Accident and Emergency departments and now we can see why they waste so much time –the Accident and Emergency departments are not coping. It is unacceptable that people have had to wait more than eight hours to be seen and treated.

We hear of terrible stories of people having to wait on trolleys in corridors and ambulances and having to wait more than eight hours to be treated. The Health Minister knows that this is going on but we see that nothing is being done to address these problems. The NHS in Wales gets proportionally more money than the NHS in England however we have a poorer health service.

There is a systemic failure in the way the NHS in Wales deals with emergency and unscheduled care. It is not the fault of the hard working paramedics, it is not the fault of the dedicated medical staff at our Accident and Emergency hospitals, but it is the fault of the Labour-Plaid Health Minister and her poor management and running of the whole system.

While these statistics do not paint the whole picture about what goes in Accident and Emergency given that cases are dealt with according to their medical priority, and rightly so, we can see that the NHS in Wales is being let down by this Labour-Plaid Government”

Statistics can be found here

Unacceptable number of people waiting over 36 weeks for treatment

Veronica German — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:23:18 +0000

Welsh Government figures released yesterday show that for the fourth month in a row, the amount of people waiting longer than 36 weeks for treatment has gone up, from 333 to 1,774, an increase of 500% from May to September.

Government statistics for the month of September released yesterday, also show that the number of people waiting longer than the government target of 26 weeks has gone up by over 2000 from 11,227 people in August to 13,536 in September.

Cardiac treatment waiting times are also up with 72 people waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment compared to no one waiting for treatment in April.

It is unacceptable that 13,536 people are waiting more than 7 months for treatment in the Welsh NHS, longer than the Labour-Plaid Government set targets. What gives more cause for concern is the number of people waiting over 10 months to begin their treatment. This figure has shot up from May to September with 1,774 people waiting for an unacceptably long time. What is happening to our health service?

The Health Minister clearly doesn’t have a grip on waiting times as cardiac referral times are especially worrying with 72 patients waiting more that 36 weeks to start their treatment. Waiting more that 10 months for cardiac treatment is horrendously long and for many patients could mean the difference between life and death.

The people of Wales are not getting the health service that they deserve and the Labour-Plaid government is failing the people of this country. Unsafe hospital buildings, inadequate cancer care, worse ambulance response times than England and Scotland, massive waste and inefficiency and now longer waiting times are just the some of the problems facing the service. It’s time the Health Minister got a grip of a worrying situation.

On the first week back – the report that was not

Veronica German — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 06:30:24 +0000

The first week back of term at the Welsh Assembly has been an eventful one especially for health. It’s been difficult to avoid discussion of the McKinsey ‘report’.

Last year the Health Minister commissioned management company McKinsey and Company to examine the Welsh NHS and make recommendations based on their findings. The main remit of the report was to look ahead to the next five years and suggests ways to improve the finances of the Welsh NHS.

Unlike the English report, the Welsh Assembly Government commissioned McKinsey in such a way that its findings would not have to be published and made available to the public. The Government have referred to it as a commission and called it a ‘process’ serving to inform the Welsh Assembly Government’s decision making, rather than culminating in a final report.

This meant that the general public, as well as professionals working in the health sector, were unable to view and scrutinise the documents that these decisions were based upon.

In Wales, McKinsey’s findings were set out in a document named Delivering a Five-Year Service, Workforce and Financial Strategic Framework for NHS Wales. This document sets out the Government’s strategy for the Welsh NHS for the next 5 years.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats along with other bodies have been asking to see the McKinsey document for some time and now that it has been revealed, I can see why the government was so keen to keep it under wraps.

It lists numerous shortcomings in the Welsh NHS. It states that ‘strategic objectives are too numerous and not prioritised, so none or the wrong ones are implemented’. It points out a ‘gap between policy leads and operational delivery’. Possibly most damming of all the document states that initiatives, set out by the Government, are ‘financially unaffordable’. With a copy of the report now placed in the public domain, questions to the Health Minister were dominated by ‘McKinsey’.

Assembly debates this week have pushed into harsh light the lack of transparency in our government. Documents of this nature need to be in the public domain so that they may be publically scrutinised. Only then can the recommendations be discussed by those who are affected by them and those who have to implement them.

These views are shared by Andrew Dearden of BMA Wales. He has contributed to the document but hasn’t even seen it himself. He told BBC Radio Wales: ‘In our view, as the BMA Wales, we have asked for copies of the document, we have asked to review it because we were actually asked to give evidence, so if it was full of positive comments, I suspect it would have been made public.’

Of course, this isn’t just about a document. This is about people and a service that we all rely on every day. It seems to me that frontline staff have been completely ignored. The document even says that frontline staff ‘do not own’ strategies set out by the government. It is essential that they have a say in a service that they have to implement.

I intend to press the government on this issue. By asking questions and continuing to talk to frontline staff I will attempt to get to the root of the substantial problems the NHS in Wales is facing.
The McKinsey document has unveiled the need for serious change in the Welsh NHS. This document will have come at a substantial cost to the government. Its criticisms were substantial and worthy of public debate. Equally they are worthy of a substantive government response. So far the Health Minister is refusing to answer detailed questions about the McKinsey report. It is incumbent on her to do so.

Sadly though, I fear that ultimately it is not the Government who will pay the price, it is the people of Wales who will bear the real cost of the government’s ineptitude.

Another Ambulance Service controversy

Freedom Central — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 08:44:39 +0000

This morning’s Wales on Sunday reports that expensive new ambulances are sitting idle because they have not yet been fitted with their flashing blue lights.

They say that 4×4 vehicles were bought after last year’s bitter winter saw traditional ambulances struggle to make it through snow to patients needing emergency treatment:

But, despite being paid for and delivered, the 12 Land Rover Discoveries have yet to be brought to “blue light specification” – meaning they have not been fitted with blue lights, radios or emergency equipment.

Ambulance chiefs promised improvements to the service after last winter’s cold weather led to a drop in response times, despite the number of emergencies falling from a record 30,178 in December to 27,478 in January.

One paramedic, who did not wish to be named, said keeping the new ambulances off the road was putting patients’ lives at risk as the current fleet could not keep up with demand.

He even claimed the ambulances were bought nearly a year ago – before the cold weather struck.

He told Wales on Sunday: “They bought LandRover Discoveries back in November last year and they are still not on the road.

“They say they can’t afford to bring them to ‘blue light specification’.

“There have also been a load of Ford Focus cars sitting in the ambulance station for months that we can’t use.

“In the meantime we are struggling with really old vehicles – we are running out, and it is putting people’s lives at risk.”

The whistleblower, who works as a first responder, added: “You come into work and you can’t do anything because your vehicle is parked up in the garage with the bonnet up because it is broken – again. The day-to-day running costs of the old vehicles we have must be far more than the cost of converting the new ones.

“It is absolutely absurd – why the hell did they go and buy so many if they were worried about the cost? They were happy to buy them, but now they are saying they can’t afford to move the radio systems from the old vehicles to the new ones. It is frightening – morale is through the floor with this.”

More questions for the beleagured health minister next week.

Minister accused of trying to talk down report

Freedom Central — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:07:19 +0000

The Western Mail reports on the continuing row over the McKinsey report saying that Welsh Liberal Democrats have accused the health minister of trying to underplay its importance.

Edwina Hart referred to the McKinsey document as “some little discussion paper” as she answered questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, but the Welsh Liberal Democrats said the conclusions of the external management consultancy were more significant and had been used as the basis of a report by NHS Wales chief executive Paul Williams about how the health boards can weather the coming financial storm.

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Veronica German said the McKinsey document, dated November 2009 and called Ensuring Financial Stability and Developing a Five-Year Strategic Framework, was “heavily influential” in Mr Williams’ June 2010 report called Delivering a Five-Year Service, Workforce and Financial Strategic Framework for the NHS.

Mrs German said: “The McKinsey report is not ‘some little discussion paper’ as the Health Minister states.

“The work carried out by McKinsey is essentially the Health Minister’s plans for the next five years.

“We have two documents which are very similar that relate to the next five years of the NHS in Wales. One was written by McKinsey and the other was essentially rehashed by the Health Minister’s officials to take out the unpleasant parts of the commissioned report.

“If the McKinsey report was full of positive comment about the Health Minister and the NHS in Wales, there is no doubt this report from McKinsey would have been published in full.”

“The work McKinsey provides does not come cheap and to call it ‘some little discussion paper’ shows that either the Health Minister does not have a handle on our NHS and is not taking leadership of our failing health service, or that she deliberately played down its importance.”