AUGUST 2009 UPDATE

The summer recess from Senedd proceedings in Cardiff Bay provides the opportunity to take stock of the issues that have affected South Wales East over the recent months. Stretching from Newport to Abergavenny and from Caerphilly to Chepstow, the region is the area in which peoples’ disappointment is most acute at the announcement that plans for an M4 relief road promised by the Welsh Government in 2005 are to be scrapped. Constituents will follow this issue closely, for it is clear the current situation cannot continue – especially when one considers the past delays in dualling the Heads of the Valleys road. In spite of spending £40million on trunk roads and motorway in the region for 2008/09, roads remain congested and prone to serious jams. The issue is one of many that entered my inbox and postbag from Abergavenny constituents, with concerns about the delivery of health care in town featuring prominently.

In the light of the Welsh Government’s uncertainty surrounding the centrepiece of the Gwent Clinical Futures Programme, the £300mn Specialist and Critical Care Centre in Torfaen that would have seen bed numbers at Nevill Hall Hospital reduced, I have continued to urge the Health Minister to invest in facilities at Nevill Hall and address the problems that arise through delivering health care in buildings that are unfit for purpose. Proposals that will broaden services, such as building a new neo natal unit, must be considered to build on the excellent services the NHS already provides the community. Similarly, the Welsh Government must continue to deliver improved ambulance response times in Monmouthshire. Having campaigned on this issue since being elected as an AM, it is encouraging that Opposition pressure has resulted in action. Statistics for the county for May 2009 show 56% of ambulances arrive at the incident scene within 8 minutes. Having been 30% last December this is a considerable improvement for a region that has been blighted by poor responses since the Assembly’s inception. I hope for similar positive results from my pressing the Assembly Education Minister to define an all Wales policy to address empty school places and their impact upon local communities. The closure of the Hill Education Centre as a result of the severe cuts that were imposed upon Coleg Gwent was a tremendous let down to people looking to improve their skills for the post recession job market and will not be forgotten by those affected. Looking further afield I was delighted to highlight in the Chamber the work of the Southern Ethiopia Gwent Health Link. Based at Nevill Hall the partnership has assisted with providing training and medical equipment to medical professionals working in hugely demanding environments. I hope you enjoy what remains of the summer and take advantage of the opportunity to visit the excellent Abergavenny Food Festival on the weekend of 19/20^th September which showcases the best of locally produced food and cuisine.