AM Welcomes Plan

CARL SARGEANT AM WELCOMES PLAN TO ADDRESS SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND BEHAVIOUR
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is welcoming a new action plan to promote positive behaviour and improve school attendance. The plan, entitled “Behaving and Attending,” comes in response to the National Behaviour and Attendance Review which was published in May 2008 by an Independent Review Group.The plan will shape the direction and pace of Assembly Government Policy setting out short, medium and long-term actions which aim to create a culture of early intervention, effective support and ways to embed and disseminate good practice to promote positive behaviour and attendance in schools across Wales.Mr Sargeant said: “The Assembly Government is committed to ensuring that all children have the best possible start in life, and that they are able to reach their full potential.“The Behaviour and Attendance plan stresses the important role that schools and local authorities have in identifying behaviour and attendance issues. Early intervention is essential to make sure that quality support is available to avoid disengagement and loss of self esteem.“Parents also have an integral part to play in supporting and encouraging their children. As part of the action plan we want schools to continue to strengthen links with families to ensure that the necessary support is available should a child have behavioural or academic problems or difficulty in school with bullying for example.”

National Minimum Wage Anniversary

CARL SARGEANT AM MARKS MINIMUM WAGE ANNIVERSARY
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is delighted to mark the 10 year anniversary of the national minimum wage.
Labour party politicians and members are today celebrating one of Labour's proudest achievements in government.
Mr Sargeant said: “I am proud to be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the national minimum wage.
“The minimum wage has raised the living standards of the lowest paid in Alyn and Deeside and is an important part of our drive to close the gap between men and women’s pay.
"Fighting for the rights of working men and women will always remain at the forefront of the Labour Party's agenda.
"I will continue to support the national minimum wage and everything it has helped achieve since its introduction.”

AM Welcomes Local School

CARL SARGEANT AM WELCOMES ST JOHN THE BAPTIST SCHOOL TO ASSEMBLY

Thirty seven pupils and their teachers from St John the Baptist Primary School in Penymynydd have today visited their Assembly Member Carl Sargeant at the National Assembly for Wales.
The pupils met with Mr Sargeant in the Assembly Chamber’s public gallery, where Mr Sargeant talked to the pupils about the his work at the Assembly and about the environmental aspects of the Assembly chamber, including its geothermal heating system.
Mr Sargeant said: “I really enjoyed meeting the pupils of St John the Baptist Primary School and their teachers. Welcoming local groups from Alyn and Deeside to the Assembly is one of the most special parts of my job.
“It is great to see such an enthusiastic group of young people. The pupils asked some really interesting questions.
“I hope the children enjoyed their visit as much as I did.”
The children were also treated to a full and interactive guided tour of the Assembly building and the Pierhead building which houses a museum about the Assembly.

CARL SARGEANT AM – AIRBUS JOBS REACTION
Responding to Monday’s statement from Airbus UK at Broughton Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, expressed his disappointment that jobs will be lost.Mr Sargeant said: “I am very disappointed to hear that Airbus will be cutting the workforce at the plant. “The driver behind the move is a reduction in the Hawker programme, so the threat to jobs is localised to that particular line of production, which at least is of some reassurance to the wider workforce at Airbus in Broughton.“I have been in contact with both the Unite the Union and with Airbus and I know that the company will work to avoid compulsory redundancies and will look instead to voluntary redundancies wherever possible.“The company is still progressing with its plans to take on apprentices this year, so I am still confident that the company has a buoyant future here in Alyn and Deeside.“I am keeping in contact with the plant at this time and have also written to the Minister for the Economy asking what support the Assembly Government will be offering those people affected by today’s announcement in Alyn and Deeside.”

AM Backs Initiative

CARL SARGEANT AM BACKS EARTH HOUR
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is asking constituents to join him in backing Earth Hour 2009.Taking place on March 28th, the initiative is organised by the WWF and encourages people to switch off their lights for one hour. Mr Sargeant explains: “Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for an hour in an attempt to save energy and cut carbon emissions. Just two years on, 82 nations have now voiced their support for Earth Hour which will take place at 20:30 local time. The goal for this year is to have one billion people across the globe participating.“WWF's Earth Hour is being hailed as the biggest ever global movement. More than 2,140 towns, cities and municipalities have already pledged to participate. Cities from Las Vegas to Sydney, from Cape Town to Beijing will go dark for an hour.“Earth Hour has really struck a chord with people – it is a simple way in which people can send a clear message that they want action on climate change. I urge constituents in Alyn and Deeside to engage with this important symbolic global call to action.”

AM Welcomes Funding

CARL SARGEANT AM WELCOMES FUNDING FOR VULNERABLE OLDER PEOPLE
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, has welcomed a £6.6m Wales wide package to help older people to remain in their own homes.£4.5m of the funding has been awarded to Care & Repair Cymru and to the individual Care & Repair agencies across Wales as a contribution to their operational costs. The service offers support to older people to help them to carry out home improvements to meet their needs. This includes home renovation and adaptations, managing building work and advice on reputable contractors.The Rapid Response Adaptations Programme (RRAP), in which Care and Repair also plays a pivotal role, has been awarded £2.1m. This will be used for minor but often urgent improvements that are needed to allow people to return home after being discharged from hospital or to prevent future admissions.Improvements may include:• Small ramps, home access and door entry • Community safety alarms • Internal or external hand rails or hand grips • Access to toilet facilities • Levelling paths • Safety at home e.g. floor/stair/wall safety Mr Sargeant said: “The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to enabling people to live safely and independently for as long as possible – this is key to our ten year strategy for social services in Wales, called Fullfilled Lives: Supportive Communities.
“Care & Repair Agencies across Wales do invaluable work in helping older people remain in their own homes, living independently in safe, warm and secure accommodation.“The kind of relatively small repairs and adaptations that Care & Repair are able to facilitate – such as installing hand rails or leveling paths, for example – can make all the difference to an older person’s quality of life.”

AM To Visit Loacl School

CARL SARGEANT AM TO VISIT SOUTHDOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, will be visiting Southdown Primary School tomorrow (Friday 20th March 2009) at 12.30pm to view the School’s plans for a Safe Routes to Schools Scheme following a major funding boost last week.
Southdown Primary School made a successful bid for £160,000 of Assembly Government funding for a Safe Routes to Schools scheme. The funding was announced last week as part of a £95million grants package in Wales to improve roads, encourage walking and cycling, and develop sustainable transport. Every local authority in Wales has received some of the £8.134 million awarded for Safe Routes in Communities projects.
Mr Sargeant said: “I congratulate Southdown Primary School on taking the initiative and applying for Assembly funding to make getting to school safer for pupils.
“The Safe Routes to Schools scheme was launched in 1999 to reduce the number of children traveling to school by car and to encourage them to choose fun and healthy methods of getting to school instead.
“The Safe Routes to School initiative can fund a wide variety of capital works such as crossings and traffic calming measures, improved school entrances, construction of cycle and footpaths, secure cycle facilities (including stands and CCTV), lockers and changing facilities, so I look forward to seeing what the school has planned.”

AM Welcomes Investment

CARL SARGEANT AM WELCOMES TRANPORT INVESTMENT
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside has welcomed a major cash boost to improve local transport.The Assembly Government has announced grants of more than £95million to improve roads, encourage walking and cycling, and develop sustainable transport. Every local authority in Wales has received some of the £8.134 million awarded for Safe Routes in Communities projects.Mr Sargeant said: “This announcement is another major boost towards building a local transport system which can meet the demands of the 21st century.“It is excellent news for local commuters, passengers and motorists in Flintshire, and it shows that the Welsh Assembly Government is investing in giving local people more choice over how they get about.”

Have Your Say

CARL SARGEANT AM HIGHLIGHTS CONSULTATION ON COMMUNITY NURSING
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is inviting constituents to have their say on a new consultation on a plan to strengthen community health services to support the care of individuals in, or close to, their own homes.The main recommendation of the Community Nursing Strategy is to introduce new locality based nursing teams that address the needs of patients across the spectrum from ill-health prevention to the management of complex needs.Features of the proposed model include:• Every patient to have an identified case manager who will be responsible for care co-ordination. • An increased number of independent, non-medical prescribers in the community workforce. • The provision of out-patient nurse led clinics held in community settings where specialist nurses can see patients, have access to rapid diagnostics and referral rights and are independent prescribers. • An increase in the number of nurses trained in psychological and social therapies as well as improved access to these services across Wales. The proposed strategy which includes 43 recommendations in total has been devised based on a report of the Community Nursing Strategy Working Group which was chaired by the Royal College of Nursing and involved a range of stakeholders. Mr Sargeant said: “Community nurses have a wide role to play, from helping people prevent ill health through promoting and assisting with healthy living, right through to the provision of end of life care. “The work of community nurses is also incredibly valuable because they can help minimise the impact of chronic conditions on secondary care and care homes by increasing self-management of conditions and helping patients maintain as much independence as possible.“The Assembly Government’s Community Nursing Strategy for Wales explores how our vision for the successful delivery of primary care in the community can be achieved. The strategy relates to all nurses, midwifes and specialist community public health nurses who work in a community setting including those who work in mental health and learning disability.”The consultation will last 16 weeks. To find out more and to have your say, visit: www.wales.gov.uk

AM Welcomes Data

CARL SARGEANT AM WELCOMES DATA SHOWING £4.4BN SPEND ON CHILDREN IN WALES
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is welcoming new statistics which show that in 2006-07 the Welsh Assembly Government allocated an estimated £4.4 billion of its budget to children in Wales, equating to 28 per cent of its total expenditure. This is the first time comprehensive statistics of this kind have been released in the United Kingdom and are a key requirement of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The data will help inform and develop government policy in the future.The statistics show that expenditure per child rose from £5,600 in 2005-06 to £5,900 in 2006-07. This is projected to rise to £7,100 by 2010-11 with the proportion of the Assembly Government’s budget being allocated to children projected to remain around 28 per cent.Mr Sargeant said: “The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to eradicating child poverty in Wales by 2020, and we are investing significantly in Wales’ children in order to achieve this. “The statistics show that we are working to give all children in Wales the best possible start in life, and that we recognise that this must be done by putting the needs of children at the heart of policy making and delivery right across the government portfolios, from health to transport.”

“HELP CELEBRATE THE FIRST ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS DAY,” SAYS CARL SARGEANT AM
Local Labour AM, Carl Sargeant has today called on local communities, organisations and businesses across the Alyn and Deeside Constituency to help celebrate the 1st Armed Forces and Veterans day on 27th June 2009.
The Labour Government has announced that the 27th June 2009 will see the UK celebrate the first day dedicated to our Armed Forces personnel: past, present and future.
Welcoming the day, Mr Sargeant said: “Our Armed Forces personnel, both past and present, make personal sacrifices to defend the UK and its interests and contribute to international peace keeping operations; they deserve our support and recognition and I am glad we now have a day to formally thank our service men & women; past, present and future.”
If a local community group, organisation or business is planning or thinking of planning any events to help celebrate The Armed Forces and Veterans Day they can apply for a grant to help the celebrations. Event organisers have until the 31st of March to apply for a grant. Further information, contact details and updates can be found on the Armed Forces Day website at www.armedforcesday.org.uk

AM Welcomes Figures

“MORE FRONTLINE NHS STAFF THAN EVER,” SAYS CARL SARGEANT AM
Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is welcoming new figures published today which show that there are more frontline staff working for the NHS in Wales than in previous years. The 2008 NHS Staff Census, which was taken at 30th September last year, shows that 71,467 whole-time equivalent staff were directly employed by the NHS in Wales, an increase of nearly 1% from 2007. 12 years ago this figure was just over 53,500.The figures show that:• There were 5,571 medical and dental staff, an increase of 1 per cent over the previous year and an increase of 51 per cent over the past decade • There were 1,893 hospital medical consultants, an increase of 4% over the previous year and an increase of 70 per cent over the past decade • There were 21,426 qualified nursing staff which is an 29 per cent increase over the last decade • The number of managerial posts decreased by 2 per cent to 2,745 over the year; and, • Scientific, therapeutic and technical staff increased by 188 to 10,842 over the year. Other figures also released today show that there has been a 43% decrease in the number of posts vacant for 3 months or longer. In particular, there has been a significant decrease in the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visitor roles vacant for 3 months or longer. In September 2008 there were 35 vacant posts compared to 102 vacant posts 6 months previously.Mr Sargeant said: “The Assembly Government is committed to improving our National Health Service for both staff and patients. We have invested heavily in the NHS infrastructure and have taken steps to improve working conditions for staff.“There are now more doctors and nurses working in the NHS than ever before. Just last month we announced an increase in the number of healthcare training courses to be funded in the next academic year to help meet reduce NHS waiting times and improve access to healthcare, so we are continuing to build on successes and invest in more staff.”

World Record Breaker

“GO BANANAS FOR FAIRTRADE,” SAYS CARL SARGEANT AM
Hundreds of thousands of people in Great Britain and Ireland will ‘Go Bananas!’ from noon on Friday 6 March to noon Saturday 7 March by eating one Fairtrade banana each as part of a world record attempt. Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, is asking constituents in Alyn and Deeside to join in the attempt to break the world record for the greatest number of people eating a Fairtrade banana in a 24-hour period. Mr Sargeant said: “More than 200,000 people are already signed up to take part, with 20,000 of the participants being from Wales. Wales was recently the first country to be given Fairtrade Nation status, so it would be great to see as many people from Wales as possible pledging to join the world-record breaking attempt.“This event is a fun way to get across a very serious message – that by making Fairtrade choices when we shop we can support small farmers and workers in developing countries who rely on the Fairtrade price to earn a sustainable living and improve their communities.“One in four bananas in the UK are now Fairtrade. Fairtrade banana sales grew by 27% in 2008 as estimated retail sales reached £185 million. One aim of the Fairtrade Foundation’s five-year strategy is to double the number of Fairtrade bananas in the UK by 2012, thus helping more banana farmers and workers to benefit from the Fairtrade system.”To find out more about the campaign, to pledge to take part, or to find out about themed events going on across the country, visit: www.fairtrade.org. uk/gobananas