North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has today criticised the Welsh Government for not listening to the hundreds of thousands of fuel poor pensioners in Wales who will be adversely affected by the Labour UK Government’s cuts in Winter Fuel Payments.
He also called on the Welsh Government to press the UK Government for consequentials from HS2 for Wales and to proceed with the electrification of the North Wales main rail line.
In this afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood stated that there was much in the motion put forward by Plaid Cymru to commend it, including its call on the Welsh Government to set a timetable for reducing NHS waiting lists and to publish a delivery plan based on the 'people’s priorities’.
However, he said given that Plaid Cymru “has propped up most Labour Welsh Governments since 1999, voted for many of their draconian policies- such as 20mph, and also continually calls for further powers for a Government that fails to best utilise the powers it already has, this motion seems somewhat hypocritical at best!”
Speaking in the debate, he said:
“Clearly it is regrettable that after 25 years in government, this Labour Welsh Government could not identify the priorities of the people of Wales without conducting the 'listening exercise' initiated by the First Minister; and that any milestones, targets and delivery dates are absent from her statement of priorities.
“It is also absolutely right to call on the Welsh Government to set a timetable for reducing NHS waiting lists; publish a delivery plan based on the 'people’s priorities', including, but not limited to, milestones, targets, and delivery dates; and introduce an updated Programme for Government and Legislative Programme.”
He also said that the motion is right “to highlight the mammoth waiting lists in NHS Wales: Last week, waiting time figures in Wales showed another increase in people waiting on NHS waiting lists.
“Nearly 800,000 procedures are now on those waiting lists and in excess of 600,000 people in Wales are waiting to have one or two of those procedures.
“Two-year waits have increased again for the third consecutive month to 23,418 in Wales, compared with only 120 in England with twenty times the population.
“The then Health Minister, now First Minister, promised to eliminate these waits by March 2023, but failed to meet this target.
“The number waiting over a year for any appointment is now 160,000.
“Given that Wales has a population of just over three million people, this reflects very badly on the Welsh Government’s stewardship.
“These waiting lists are likely to get worse this Winter because the Welsh Government is not listening to the hundreds of thousands of fuel poor pensioners in Wales who will be adversely affected by the Labour UK Government’s cuts in Winter Fuel Payments.”
He added:
“The Welsh Government could use their claimed intergovernmental channels to press the UK Government for consequentials from HS2 for Wales and to proceed with the electrification of the North Wales main rail line. I move amendment 3 accordingly, although having been a Member here last time there were Labour Governments in both London and Cardiff, I do not hold my hopes high.”
“This Labour Welsh Government boasts about it policies and legislation, whilst failing to monitor and evaluate their implementation.
They claim to care, whilst presiding over a Public Sector in Wales which is free to bully, blame, threaten and punish both vulnerable people and principled staff whistleblowers who dare to raise problems or expose maladministration.”
