23 January 2017

* Lucas demands that the Prime Minister comes to the House of Commons to give details on missile test

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party co-leader and Chair of Parliamentary CND, is calling for ‘full disclosure’ of the details of testing ‘failure’ of a Trident missile.

Lucas – whose party opposes the renewal of the Trident – is demanding that the Prime Minister herself comes to the House of Commons today to give MPs further details of what happened in the missile test.

She said:

“These hugely expensive missile test rarely happen, so any single failure must be taken extremely seriously. Being in charge of our nuclear arsenal is one of the most crucial jobs of the Prime Minister, which is why Theresa May herself should come to the House of Commons today to give MPs details of what happened last June. Nothing short of full disclosure on this matter is acceptable.

“A missile veering off course is deeply concerning. Imagine such a failure occurring in a ‘real world’ situation – it could lead to the slaughter of millions of people in an ally’s country. How can the Government possibly make an argument for a deterrent when the only recent test shows that the weapon cannot be relied upon?

“Replacing Trident is neither necessary nor sensible. Missile test failures only add to the overwhelming amount of evidence against Trident renewal. Rather than pouring billions into this cold war relic we should be providing our troops with the equipment they need to keep safe – and investing in real security measures for a country under strain like a fully-functioning NHS and a world-class social care system.”

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23 Jan 2017

Hospitals across Scotland are coughing up more than £1500 per shift for agency nurses to cover staffing rotas.

Three health boards have confirmed they paid more than that amount as managers struggle to find nurses to fill gaps across the country.

NHS Lanarkshire confirmed the highest amount it paid was £1565 for a single shift in 2015/16, closely followed by NHS Lothian, which paid £1528 to an agency the previous year.

In NHS Ayrshire and Arran, bosses estimated the highest single payment for a shift – defined as more than eight hours but less than 14 – was between £1300 and £1600.

And in NHS Tayside, an agency was paid £1251 for a single shift last year.

Most health boards refused to release the data, which had been requested through Freedom of Information by the Scottish Conservatives.

The Scottish Government has been repeatedly criticised for its increasing use of bank and agency nurses, as well as high levels of vacancies, with hundreds of roles lying empty for months at a time.

Last year, NHS boards spent £158 million paying for bank and agency nurses to cover shifts.

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Donald Cameron said:

“It is staggering that hard-pressed health boards could find themselves paying this much to an agency for a nursing shift.

“Not only is it an astonishing waste of taxpayers’ money, but it’s a slap in the face to staff nurses who can only dream of such remuneration.

“Bank and agency nurses play an important role when it comes to helping plug gaps in the NHS.

“But demands of more than £1500 for a single shift are an abuse, and one health boards should not bow to.

“The SNP’s woeful lack of workforce planning and failure to train enough nurses has created a situation where hospitals are too dependent on bank and agency staff.

“The result of that is health boards paying through the nose, when an adequately resourced rota could have done the job at a fraction of the price.

“Following these revelations, ministers should examine these instances of extremely high payments to agencies, and act to ensure they don’t occur again.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

Below is a summary of the health boards who responded to the following question by the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information. For a copy of the responses, contact the Scottish Conservative press office.

Could the health board provide the largest amount paid for an agency nurse for one shift between 2013/14 and 2015/16:

NHS Ayrshire and Arran – £1300-1600 per shift
NHS Borders – £93.45 an hour
NHS Lanarkshire – £1565 per shift
NHS Lothian – £1528 per shift
NHS Tayside – £1251 per shift

The Scottish Conservatives have previously raised concern about the spend on bank and agency nurses:
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2016/06/8689/

The White Paper is not just a shopping list of demands from Wales, but a pragmatic starting point for negotiations that can deliver for all parts of the United Kingdom.

The paper, developed jointly by the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, balances concerns over immigration with the economic reality that makes participation in the single market central to Wales’ future prosperity.

The paper sets out 6 key areas:

• The importance of continued participation in the Single Market to support businesses, and secure jobs and the future prosperity of Wales
• A balanced approach to immigration linking migration to jobs and good properly-enforced employment practice which protects all workers whatever their country of origin
• On finance and investment, the need for the UK Government to make good on promises made during the referendum campaign that Wales would not lose funding as a result of the UK leaving the EU
• A fundamentally different constitutional relationship between the devolved governments and the UK Government – based on mutual respect, reaching agreement through consent
• Maintaining the social and environmental protections and values that we prize in Wales, in particular workers’ rights, once these are no longer guaranteed through the UK’s membership of the EU
• Proper consideration of transitional arrangements to ensure the UK does not fall off a cliff edge in its economic and wider relationship with the EU if longer-term arrangements have not been agreed at the point of exit.

First Minister, Carwyn Jones said:

“The White Paper provides a comprehensive and credible plan for the negotiations with our partners in Europe on the UK’s exit from the European Union, based on solid evidence. It places Wales’ priorities centre stage, but is designed to work for the UK as a whole. And it is based on dialogue and agreement between ourselves and Plaid Cymru, ensuring it will command strong support in the Assembly.

“It balances the message which the Welsh people gave us that we should leave the European Union with the economic reality that makes participation in the single market so important for the future prosperity of Wales, and indeed the UK as a whole.

“The decision is made that the UK will leave the European Union. The challenge we all face now is ensuring that we secure the best possible deal for Wales and the UK. Together, the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, intend to rise to that challenge”

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood said:

“In engaging with this process, Plaid Cymru has prioritised the Welsh economy. We have done this because two thirds of all of our exports go to the European Single Market.

“How we withdraw from the European Union is too important to be left to one party to decide. The consequences following on from the terms under which we leave, what ever they end up being, stand to be far-reaching and long-standing.

“Plaid Cymru has worked constructively with the Welsh Government to write the White Paper and in doing so we have strengthened the Welsh negotiation position.

“I now would urge the UK Government to take these proposals seriously.”