£350m Assembly boost to Welsh economy

Welsh Labour’s Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, Andrew Davies has announced a £350 million package to boost the Welsh economy via innovative, cross-cutting and strategic capital projects.

The Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF) represents a step change in the Welsh Assembly Government’s approach to planning and delivering capital investment strategically.

Full list of SCIF projects:
Regeneration - projects helping to create a positive future for disadvantaged communities, with SCIF contributions up to:

o       £42m to deliver an estimated further 500 affordable homes across Wales;
o       £12m to transform the Heads of the Valleys into a low-carbon region, through supporting the development, manufacture and installation of low carbon technologies and measures;

o       £10m support for the local authority South East Wales Shared Services project.  This exercise will develop shared HR, payroll and training services.  The invest to save project will release substantial resources for re-investment in front line services.

o       £2m for a new all-Wales cultural heritage initiative, providing work in heritage building conservation and stimulating cultural tourism.

Positive lifestyles - projects helping to improve the health of people across Wales, with SCIF contributions up to:

o       £70m towards a major investment to enhance hospital services in Swansea;
o       £16m towards a new programme to improve primary healthcare across Wales; and
o       £8m towards the construction of a new health and wellbeing centre in Merthyr Tydfil.

Climate change - projects helping to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases and safeguard our country and planet for future generations, with SCIF contributions up to:

o       £4m for a pan-Wales network of anaerobic digestion waste treatment plants;
o       £26m for an all-Wales low carbon building project to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy in homes and businesses; and

o       in addition, wood energy schemes will be incorporated, wherever appropriate, in the projects in this first tranche.

Sustainable transport - projects helping to improve our transport networks to improve access to employment, leisure and key public services in a sustainable way with SCIF contributions up to:

o       £27m for major investment in rail infrastructure;
o       £20m for improvements on West Wales rail lines;
o       £9m towards the pre-construction development costs of dualling the Heads of the Valleys road.

Resilience - projects aimed at ensuring Wales is prepared for new, 21^st century challenges, with SCIF contributions up to:

o       £59m to the the all-Wales pandemic flu preparedness project, which will develop a strategic national asset to help Wales in the event of a flu pandemic;

o       £3m towards creating hazard area response teams, enhancing the capability of the ambulance service to respond to significant emergencies such as chemical or biological incidents; and

o       £8m for accelerating improvements to flood / coastal defences across Wales.

Skills development and the knowledge economy - projects helping people and businesses to thrive through improving skills and our knowledge base. SCIF will help to initiate a new long-term 21^st century schools capital programme, which will underpin a transformation of the learning environment for children across Wales.

Within this schools capital programme, three exemplar projects in Wrexham, Newport and Blaenavon will receive early funding, with contributions from SCIF of up to £5m, £15m and £4m respectively.

Full list of TMF match funding projects:

o       £10m to the Wales Council for Voluntary Action for two projects that will help people to move from economic inactivity into employment;

o       £5m to support community groups, voluntary sector organisations and social enterprises address digital exclusion;

o       £4.2m to Chwarae Teg in support of a project that will help address gender inequality in the workplace across Wales;

o       £2.6m to the Wales Co-operative Centre in support of a project that will help to create more sustainable social enterprises across Wales;

o       £1.1m to the Furnace Farm Centre for Food Excellence in the Conwy Valley, to develop a facility to showcase Welsh food; and

o       £0.6m to the Nant Gwrtheyrn Welsh Language Centre in Gwynedd in support of a project to upgrade the residential learning facilities.

More details on all projects will be announced by Ministers in due course.

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New transport system for Wales

A plan to create better transport links across Wales, through road and rail, has been mapped out by the Labour-led Assembly Government.

For the first time the Assembly Government has produced a rail forward programme, making greater use of the powers provided by the Railways Act of 2005. Until recently, rail infrastructure projects were delivered through local authorities using Transport Grant arrangements. But with the move to Regional Transport Plans, rail projects will now be delivered according to the priorities of the Assembly Government.

For example, next month will see the start of the Holyhead to Cardiff Express to improve north-south links. Other commitments include extra carriages and services on the Valleys lines, and the addition of an Ebbw Vale to Newport service as a priority. Up to £47 million has also been secured today through the Strategic Capital Investment fund for the proposed rail infrastructure improvements between Wrexham-Chester and Gowerton-Lougher.

The existing trunk road forward programme has also been re-focused to reflect the goals of the Assembly Government to connect all parts of the nation. 

The high ranking and programmed schemes which are ready to start before 2011 include vital improvements to the strategic A470 and A487 roads in areas such as Gwynedd, Aberconwy and Powys and the A40 in Pembrokshire.   There are further crucial North-South improvements scheduled to start from April 2011 with the aim of completing the current programme by around 2020 dependant on finance and statutory consent procedures.

The statement also includes a commitment to complete the Heads of the Valleys as planned by 2020, also subject to finance and statutory consent procedures. 

 this brief is a summary of the full document

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First policy agenda in Wales for disabled children and young people launched

Providing equality of opportunity and the best possible chances in life for disabled children and young people was the message today from First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Children’s Minister Jane Hutt, as they launched the Welsh Assembly Government’s first policy agenda for disabled young people in Wales.

The Welsh Assembly Government has seven core aims for all children and young people. They apply equally to those who are disabled and our policy agenda sets out these core aims and highlights what we are already doing for disabled young people and how their opportunities will be enhanced further in the future.

The seven core aims for children are:

• have a flying start in life and the best possible basis for their future growth and development.
• have access to a comprehensive range of education, training and learning opportunities, including acquisition of essential personal and social skills.
• enjoy the best possible physical and mental, social and emotional health, including freedom from abuse, victimisation and exploitation
• have access to play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities
• are listened to, treated with respect, and are able to have their race and cultural identity recognised
• have a safe home and a community that supports physical and emotional wellbeing
• are not disadvantaged by child poverty.

this briefing is asummary of the document

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Plans announced to create Europe’s largest low carbon zone

Plans for an ambitious multi-million pound programme to improve energy efficiency in homes across the Heads of the Valleys and develop Europe’s first low carbon zone were announced today.

The HoV Low Carbon programme is designed to tackle child poverty and fuel poverty – both commitments in the One Wales programme – and will introduce energy reduction measures that have never been undertaken on this large scale in the UK before.

Welsh Labour’s Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Leighton Andrews, said it was anticipated that the fifteen year initiative would ultimately attract tens of millions of pounds of investment.

It is designed to not only tackle fuel poverty but create a new industry base in the region linked to job creation, skills development and the development of local businesses in the sector. Mr Andrews said he would be announcing details of the first round of investment and the first low carbon town in the New Year.

The Low Carbon programme will result in:

• 40,000 microgeneration units or their equivalent installed;
• 65,000 homes assessed for energy efficiency;
• 39,000 energy reduction measures implemented;
• The largest concentration of microgeneration in the EU;
• Reduced domestic energy bills of at least £1.7m;
• Reduced emissions of at least 139,200 tonnes CO² a year

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More support for nurses’ career development

A plan to provide more support to nurses to help develop their careers within the NHS has been unveiled by Welsh Labour’s Health Minister Edwina Hart.

The plan, developed by the Welsh Assembly Government, will help NHS managers and nurse leaders support nurses with their future career development.

It outlines what is expected from nurses in the diversity of roles in which they practise, from newly qualified to leaders of the profession. It also explains what support should be available from the NHS to enable nurses to gain further experience and achieve their goals whether it is to expand their knowledge and skills within a role or to go up the career ladder.

The development of the Post Registration Career Framework comes from the publication of Designed to Realise Our Potential in June which set out the vision for the nursing and midwifery profession in Wales. Recent work in Scotland to define advanced nursing practice has also been reflected in the proposals.

Plans for nursing career structures have traditionally been developed on a UK-wide basis. However, the Department of Health considered the future of nursing as part of Lord Darzi’s review on the direction of the NHS in England. This, therefore, provided an opportunity for the Assembly Government to look at the needs of nursing in Wales, taking into account expanding the role of ward sisters and charge nurses to improve care for patients and hospital cleanliness.

The document is out to three-month consultation and all responses should be sent to the Welsh Assembly Government by 27 February 2009. It can be found be clicking here.