Defending Disability Benefits - the Record

I raised my concerns about UK government plans to scrap Attendance Allowance with the First Minister yesterday:

Leanne Wood: Social care is an important public service, and last week I met the Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, to discuss the implications of the UK Government Green Paper 'Shaping the future of care together’. She told me that she hoped the devolved administrations would work together to provide a joint response, expressing their concerns about the green paper. It argues for integrating some disability benefits, such as the Attendance Allowance, into the care and support system, which is a clear indication of an intention to scrap the Attendance Allowance, and potentially other benefits, such as Disability Living Allowance. The proposal threatens the incomes of thousands of older people in Rhondda Cynon Taf, for example, who currently receive the Attendance Allowance. Will you outline the Welsh Government’s concerns about the Green Paper and explain the points that you intend to put to the UK Government on this matter?

The First Minister: There is a slightly ragged edge of devolved and non-devolved responsibility in this area, and that has been true for a long time. Just when we think that an area of policy is clear, and it is not our responsibility, we tend to find that a corner of it is our responsibility. Therefore, when changes are made in Westminster legislation relating to some care allowances, it changes that ragged edge, and we then have to be careful that if we acquire a new responsibility, it comes with new money attached so that we can fulfil that responsibility. Secondly, so far as the patient, or the frail person, is concerned, they should not, ideally, notice any difference. In other words, this should not be something that they have to panic about, being concerned that they will fall between two stools and be left uncovered. If there is such a switch of Government responsibility for the funding, the patient should not necessarily notice this because the service should continue as before—that is the key.

I am not clear on the details of the meeting that you had with Gwenda Thomas, so I might ask her to cover what I have said in a follow-up letter. However, I believe that this is a field where that kind of ragged edge is not new—it has always been there in one or two corners of that area between welfare benefits and benefits that are provided by the health service, or which we fund and are provided by local government.

If you share my concerns, respond to the UK government's Green Paper consultation which runs until 13th November 2009.

You can respond by post to: Green Paper Team, Room 149, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS or email: careandsupport@dh.gsi.gov.uk

Visit the Benefits and Work website for more information.

Flash Mobbing on the Climate Crisis

The world is sleepwalking into a crisis of epic and historical proportions, and unless we wake the world leaders up we will all face a living nightmare. That’s why I took part in a flash mob demonstration in Cardiff today, along with thousands of people around the world.

A flash mob is similar to a demonstration but slightly different: it's where a group of people arrange in advance to suddenly converge somewhere at a set time, perform a specified action before dispersing again. I hope it's raised some attention in Wales and around the world about the urgency of climate change.

In Cardiff everyone set clock alarms off, wore blue and twirled umbrellas in the air (see the video).

New drug treatment centre for the valleys?

Good news this week from the diamorphine-on-prescription trials which have been running in England.

In One Wales, there is a committment which reads:

"We will, in relation to substance misuse, further integrate the principles of harm-reduction models by considering, if the evidence supports it, adoption of the pilot programmes currently underway in England."

In 2007, I did some research which showed much higher levels of referrals for heroin treatment programmes in former coalfield areas. I hope this research will show that there is a strong case for a pilot to be set up somewhere in the valleys.

Plaid conference highlights

I returned yesterday, not-so-fresh, on a packed train from Llandudno. The Plaid annual conference is great for catching up with old friends and making new ones – with late night conversations often finishing just a few hours before the 'official' debates on the conference floor.

On Thursday, I chaired a discussion called "Is going green a luxury Wales can't afford?" where there was general agreement that we cannot continue to consume as we are and that we should now be looking beyond material wealth as a measure of a prosperous society. We passed motions calling for a maximum wage, against cuts to front-line local authority services, for a campaign to defend disability benefits as well as opposing the privatisation of the Royal Mail and the Royal Mint.

With the possible exceptions of the hilarious entertainment provided by Plaid youth section CymruX's 'Have I Got News for Plaid', George Monbiot's speech at the conference dinner and the demolition of Welsh Conservatism by Adam Price, my personal conference highlight was the UNDEB fringe meeting, ’Unions after the Union’. Our guest speakers were England football fan and author Mark Perryman, and Professor Gregor Gall from Edinburgh, expert in industrial relations, author and editorial board member of the Scottish Socialist review, Celyn's sister magazine. It was sponsored by the Public and Commercial Services Union Cymru, and UNISON Cymru. This union sponsorship was a first for UNDEB, and a first for Plaid.

Both speakers put forward strong but challenging arguments. Gregor outlined the reasons as to why the independence movement in Scotland has gained strength. He argued that self government would provide an opportunity to improve the lives of working Scots, and that the numbers of people who are pro-independence is now on the rise. He smashed the argument that independence would mean a break in solidarity between workers who are currently in Britain-wide unions by pointing to the situation in Ireland.

Mark put forward a clear and undisputable case for a multi-cultural, democratic and non-imperialist English nationalism to counteract the rapid rise in support for the far right in England - a force, he argued, which is less dominant and relatively easier to defeat in Wales and Scotland. He spoke of the effect of prejudice-based humour such as that of Jeremy Clarkson, Anne Robinson and Gary Bushell, who portray anti-Welsh and Scot sentiment on our TV screens. His work through the England Football Supporters group involves attempting to redefine the St George Cross as a symbol which represents a civic pride in a multi-racial country, as opposed to a badge of racism and hooliganism. Together with Billy Bragg he argues that England and Britain are not one entity, that Union Jacks should not be flown at England games and that 'God Save the Queen' should be replaced by a new anthem for England. They stand for an independent England with good relationships with its neighbours. He argued that the battle for English identity is currently being won by right-wing and far right bigots and that the situation simply had to be contested. This is not an academic question - turning the debate around is a huge task. The outcomes of failing to do so are frightening.

We had a good discussion as to what could be done to work across borders to stop the vile hate-based and nonsensical politics of parties like the BNP, who are rising on a wave of race-based English identity. Plans for more work together have been hatched.

The feedback from the 50 or so attendees couldn't have been more positive. Most said it got them thinking. You can't ask for more than that.

Think Different. Think Plaid.

Defending Attendance Allowance

Plaid conference has voted against the UK government's plans to cut the incomes of some of the most vulnerable. I moved this motion, which was passed by conference:

"Conference supports the retention of Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance as benefits which allow disabled persons to retain financial independence and notes with concern proposals contained in the UK Government's recent Green Paper "Shaping the Future of Care Together", to abolish Attendance Allowance."

Off to Llandudno - Cynhadledd 09 / PlaidConf 09

Immigration rules hit NHS

Welsh NHS Trusts are facing problems recruiting doctors because of new immigration rules.

There are up to 25 per cent vacancies in some key specialities with some Trusts having an over-reliance on locum or agency doctors. Nearly 200 vacancies have been identified at just four of the NHS Trusts in Wales.

I wrote to the Minister after some hospital services were temporarily withdrawn last Christmas. The responses I've had back show that the trusts rely heavily on medical staff from outside the EU - in Gwent its 43%. It's ironic that reactionary calls to curb immigration have led to a situation where we could end up losing valuable NHS services.

Over the long term, a strategy is required to ensure that the NHS is not so reliant on expertise from overseas. Many of our doctors come from developing countries – countries which need doctors in many ways more than we do. But in the short-term, the rules should be relaxed to enable more trained doctors from overseas to work in the NHS.

You can read more online here, here and here.