Here's a list of the latest press releases made this week from the Assembly

Funding for historic Welsh sites kick-starts Cadw’s 25th anniversary year

Cadw’s 25th anniversary has got off to a great start with the recent announcement of £2 million of Assembly Government investment in a Welsh Cultural Heritage Initiative.

The Welsh Cultural Heritage Initiative is targeted at particular sites of iconic significance to Welsh culture, heritage and nationhood. The programme of works will enhance physical and intellectual access to ten sites in Wales.  

Discussions are ongoing with private owners of many of the sites however the following key sites have been confirmed:

• Glyndyfrdwy
• Sycharth
• Nevern Castle
• Deganwy Castle
• Cefn Caer, Pennal
• Strata Florida
• Abaty Cwmhir
• Abergwyngregyn

Further sites will also be revealed in due course.

The works will ensure the sites are conserved, made safe and are both physically and intellectually accessible. It is hoped these sites will be better able to contribute to local community and national aspirations to regenerate communities, maximise cultural and heritage tourism, community identity and lifelong learning.

Cadw is the Assembly Government’s Historic Environment in Wales and its anniversary year is set to include a series of exciting new developments and announcements concerning the Historic Environment in Wales. For more information about the work of Cadw, please click here.  

Think green after the Twelfth Night of Christmas asks Environment Minister

Welsh Labour’s Environment Minister Jane Davidson today called on people across Wales to think green after the Twelfth Night of Christmas by recycling whatever they can.

From 2nd to the 31st January 2009 The Woodland Trust will be collecting cards at WH Smith, Tesco, TK Maxx and Marks and Spencer across Wales for recycling. Normal recycling facilities can also be used to recycle newspapers, magazines and TV guides. The collecting of cards generates income for the Woodland Trust via recycling credits – income paid by local authorities for waste that does not have to be disposed of in landfill sites.

Over one billion Christmas cards will be sent in the UK this year and if everyone recycled just one card it would help the Woodland Trust plant 15,000 trees. Last year the scheme collected 4 million cards from Wales alone. Laid end to end, these would stretch from Cardiff to Holyhead and back.

To learn more about the Woodland Trust scheme, please click here.

Health Minister approves plan to buy equipment decontamination unit

A plan to buy a unit housing a North Wales hospital decontamination and sterilisation unit for equipment has been approved by Welsh Labour’s Health Minister Edwina Hart.

The unit to be purchased is currently leased by North Wales NHS Trust. This year, the five-year lease agreement was due to be renegotiated and previously, it was increased by 50 per cent at each review. An increase of 30 per cent is expected this year.

Based on professional advice and taking into account the associated costs with moving the unit, it was decided to consider purchasing the unit if the opportunity arose. The £2.7million Welsh Assembly Government investment will provide further opportunities to expand the facility in future. Mrs Hart said that this, therefore, offers good value for money, and ensures money is well spent especially given the finite resources available to the NHS.

The unit, which opened in 1992, was the first in North Wales to be accredited. In fact, the unit has just had is accreditation renewed for a further three years following an external audit. The unit provides all departments and wards with equipment and materials needed to carry out clean and sterile procedures on patients. The unit also provides a sterilisation and decontamination service for the community nurses in North East Wales and also for the Spire Hospital, situated close to the Maelor site.

Help for local government to pay their bills

Welsh Labour’s Local Government Minister Dr Brian Gibbons has made arrangements for Councils in Wales to receive important grant payments from the Assembly Government around 5 days earlier for the rest of this financial year.

The Welsh Assembly Government provides over £240 million each month in revenue support for unitary and police authorities in Wales. Paying the grant five days earlier each month will allow the authorities the opportunity to generate additional interest to offset the additional costs they face by reducing their invoice payment target to ten days from thirty currently.

The decision will also help local authorities increase the number of payments they make to suppliers within 10 days. Encouraging faster supplier payments across the public sector is an important part of the Welsh Assembly Government response to the current economic climate.

Prior to determining the payment dates for 2009-10, the Minister said that consideration will be given to the scale of benefit to local authorities and improvements in the time taken by authorities to pay invoices.

Early plans for the roll out of individual health record approved

Plans to roll-out a system that will enable clinicians in hospital emergency departments and out-of-hours GPs to have access to important patient information to help with diagnosis and treatment have been approved by Welsh Labour’s Health Minister Edwina Hart today.

The £4.7million Assembly Government-funded scheme allows doctors, nurses and pharmacists to view, with the patient’s permission, a copy of the information on their medical record, held by their GP. The extension of the Individual Health Record follows a successful pilot with the GPs out-of-hours service and medical admissions unit in Gwent.

Initially, the information will be shared between local GP surgeries and local unscheduled care providers. This Individual Health Record includes details of the patient’s current medication and conditions, major health conditions, allergies, immunisations or vaccinations as well as blood pressure and test results. This will mean, for example, that if a patient had an accident, a clinician could have access to their information, with the patient’s consent, at the touch of a button.

An evaluation of the pilot found that clinicians using this information find the Individual Health Record invaluable in helping them make an informed decision on how to treat their patient. This is particularly helpful for older patients and those with long-term conditions.

Informing Healthcare will now prepare a final business case for the roll out for the Health Minister’s consideration.

Funding boost for loan scheme welcomed

Plans for a major expansion of the Career Development Loan scheme have been warmly welcomed by Jane Hutt, Welsh Labour’s Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills.

Adults looking to advance their careers through learning can currently obtain bank loans on special terms under which the Government pays the interest whilst studying.  Funding can be used for all sorts of part-time, full-time and distance learning courses and living expenses for those not in full-time work.

Under proposed changes announced today, the number of loans available will double to more than 30,000 loans a year and the maximum loan value will increase by 25 per cent to £10,000.  The loans will also be more flexible and can now be used to cover up to 100 per cent of fee costs for everyone.  The Government is also looking to offer safeguards to support people if they default on the loans.

These changes are part of a White Paper which has been produced as a response to concerns over levels of social mobility in the UK.  Career Development Loans offer a means for adults to advance their careers and pay off the loan out of increased earnings.

Changes to the scheme in Wales will require the consent of Welsh Assembly Government Ministers in another example of Labour working together in the Assembly and at Westminster.

The White Paper can be found be clicking here.

 ---------------------------------------- Groundbreaking tender exercise to help provide employment for disabled workers