DOING THE RIGHT THING!

POLICE WIDOWS PENSIONS EARLY DAY MOTION 828

'That this House recognises that police officers often place themselves in the way of harm to protect their communities, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice and leaving behind families and loved ones; believes that we have a moral and public duty to ensure all police widows and widowers are financially provided for for their lifetime; is deeply concerned that the Police Pension Regulations 1987 do not allow police widows or widowers the opportunity to marry or cohabit, without losing their right to a police widows' or widowers' pension for life; agrees with the Police Federation of England and Wales that it is morally and ethically wrong to make police widows and widowers and their dependants effectively choose between future financial security and the possibility of future personal happiness; welcomes the fact that the Police Pension Regulations 2006 allow new entrants or serving officers to transfer to a new scheme which permits their survivors to access benefits which are payable for life regardless of whether they remarry; regrets that nevertheless many police widows and widowers still remain disadvantaged by the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, and calls on the Government urgently to review the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 to ensure that the families of those who have served their community and been lost in the line of duty receive financial security regardless of their decision to remarry or cohabit.'

Session: 2014-15

Date tabled: 02.03.2015

Primary sponsor: Elfyn Llwyd MP

Sponsors: John McDonnell MP, Gordon Henderson MP, David Anderson MP,
Kelvin Hopkins MP, Kevin Barron MP

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You can sign the petition here...

ENGLAND AND WALES

Plaid Cymru, because of the Westminster Government’s announcement on English Votes for English Laws, has renewed the call for a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction and called time on the "old and outdated" 'England and Wales' unit. Plaid Cymru has long advocated the devolution of the criminal justice system to Wales and the creation of a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction, said that if MPs from England are to be granted a veto over some votes, then the constitutional boundaries between England and Wales must be far clearer. This would bring greater clarity as to what is 'England only’ and what isn't and would end the anomaly of Wales being the only country in the world with a legislature but no jurisdiction of its own.

Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Leader, Elfyn Llwyd MP, speaking in London, said:

"In principle, Plaid Cymru is supportive of English Votes for English Laws, but these reforms must not come about in isolation.

"We have long argued for all nations of the UK to be treated on the basis of equality - both in terms of funding and powers.

"If EVEL goes ahead it must go hand in hand with home rule all round and the Barnett formula must be replaced in order to address the chronic underfunding of Wales.

"The blurred constitutional boundaries between England and Wales must also be more clearly delineated. 

"The common sense approach to addressing this issue is the establishment of a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction - something which Plaid Cymru has advocated for many years.

"There is a growing legal body in Wales and increasing support among professionals for a Welsh jurisdiction. It is a complete anomaly that we have a full law-making institution yet lack the proper infrastructure for it to function as effectively as possible.

"As things stand, English Votes for English Laws will bring further complexity to Westminster's already multi-tiered system.

"Wales' democracy is maturing with the steady transfer of more powers from Westminster. It is high time the old and outdated 'England and Wales' unit was swept away and for our nation to be handed the proper tools to pass robust legislation and administer justice in a manner which serves the best interests of the Welsh people."

BETRAYING WALES OVER WELFARE

Plaid was right to criticise Labour MPs from Wales who collectively voted in favour of Chancellor Osborne’s welfare cap in the House of Commons. Plaid Cymru’s Jonathan Edwards, along with his Plaid Cymru colleagues Elfyn Llwyd and Hywel Williams were the only Welsh MP to oppose the cap, as Labour in Wales MP’s voted alongside Conservative and Liberal Democrat MP’s to betray some of our country’s most vulnerable people to literally limit the help available to the needy. This is a yet another classic example of Labour in Wales saying one thing and Labour in Westminster doing something different, so much for standing up for Wales!  

Plaid Cymru’s Jonathan Edwards MP  said:

“This was a significant vote which proved that Labour MPs from Wales make their decision based on orders from London, rather than on the needs of their constituents.

“It signals a betrayal of some of our nation’s most vulnerable people by a Labour party whose fork-tongued politicians say one thing in Wales and another in Westminster. The people of Wales deserve better than their spineless hypocrisy.

“Plaid Cymru was the only party from Wales to unanimously vote against this ill-judged and immoral policy – Welsh voters will no doubt bear this in mind at the ballot box.

“With the economy being so unpredictable, it makes no sense whatsoever to put a cap on welfare spending with no idea of how many people will need support should unemployment rise drastically and public services face further cuts.

“We in Plaid Cymru have proposed far better ways of bringing down the welfare bill than making the vulnerable pay for the failure of the banks. A living wage, rent caps, and scrapping mandatory zero-hour contracts are just some policies that would put an end to the “working poor” label once and for all.

“It is now clearer than ever before than when it comes to protecting the interests of the Welsh people, Plaid Cymru is the only party to be trusted.”

NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS DAY

Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd MP has used National Stalking Awareness Day (18th April) to highlight the importance of acting on commitments made in light of the new stalking law in order to ensure its effective enforcement. The theme for the day this year is ‘Know the Law, Use the Law’. Mr Llwyd, chaired the Independent Parliamentary Inquiry into Stalking Law Reform which resulted in a new law on stalking being introduced in November 2012, he stressed the need for scrutiny to make sure that the inquiry's recommendation that training be made mandatory for all criminal justice professionals on how to recognise and treat stalking cases is properly implemented. National Stalking Awareness Day is not only a time to remember those whose lives have been ruined or taken away from them because of this terrible crime, but also to raise awareness of practical steps which can be taken to secure justice for the victims.

Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd MP said:

"This is the first National Stalking Awareness Day since the new stalking law became operational last November, and it presents an excellent opportunity to remind people of what the new legislation means.

"The Independent Parliamentary Inquiry put support for the victims of stalking at the heart of future legislation.  We wanted to give victims a voice in the justice system.

"This entailed mapping out detailed recommendations such as training for criminal justice professionals on how to recognise and treat stalking behaviour - we cannot allow any more victims to be secondarily victimised by shoddy treatment from the justice system.

"We must also introduce treatment programmes for perpetrators, much as is common for sex offenders, in order to tackle the psychological problems which underpin their behaviour.  Stalking, like rape, is characteristic of obsessive behaviour, and will not go away untreated.

“I have written to the Home Secretary requesting an update on the implementation of the new law, including the training of professionals and improving victims’ advocacy, and I look forward to reading her response.

"If we want to see this improvement in victims' advocacy and more perpetrators being held to account, police forces across England and Wales must introduce training - this can mean murder prevention; it is not an optional extra."

SHOULD WALES MAKE IT'S OWN LAWS?

Plaid Cymru MP, Elfyn Llwyd, discusses the future of Welsh devolution on the Westminster Hour (10.03.2013)

THE JOYS OF WAITING TO GET STUNG!

Once again from one end of Wales to the other, in urban in rural communities we are bracing ourselves for yet another increase in petrol prices as fuel campaigners have warned us about the possible 4p per litre rise in petrol prices. The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has called for a “full review" of the wholesale fuel market. Motoring organisations and small business organisations have backed the call for a review and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is due to report on whether reductions in the price of crude oil are being passed on to drivers.

Over the last few months we have lived though a relative lull if not a slight drop in petrol prices. Ironically the relatively recent arctic weather resulted in a drop in the demand for fuel across northern Europe and oil refinery bosses began moaning about their glut of petrol capacity". Wholesale costs have however risen by 5p per litre in the four weeks since Christmas. Oil prices reached $147 a barrel before the recession in 2008, but dropped to around $100 a barrel (March 2011), the barrel price currently stands at around $113 (25th January 2013).

Plaid Cymru has long favoured the introduction of a fuel duty stabilizer mechanism to regulate tax on fuel in order to mitigate the effects of high prices at the pumps, and for a fuel duty regulator to cap the price of petrol at the pump when it rises too quickly. Wholesale oil prices will inevitably rise over the next few years as the world economy re-builds itself in the face of an increasing demand for oil and all of us will pay for higher fuel prices directly or indirectly.

Plaid Cymru MP Elfyn Llwyd said:

 "Since the beginning of the recession, fuel prices have been one of the main sources of rising inflation yet the Chancellor has failed to tackle this problem, instead choosing to introduce tax-cuts for the rich and slash payments for the elderly.

 “Speculation that prices are set to rise by 4p a litre during the coming days is extremely worrying, particularly given the soaring costs of other essentials such as food and utilities.

"I am particularly concerned for rural communities in constituencies such as my own that are bearing the brunt of Government inaction on this issue. They are forced to spend significantly more on fuel than those in urban areas, and figures from the Office for National Statistics also show that poorer families spend more on their income on petrol than richer families.

 "Plaid Cymru have been pushing for a genuine fuel duty stabiliser for the past decade. It is hugely disappointing to see that neither the Labour nor Conservative governments in London have agreed to this common sense idea. This must change without delay."

STALKING LAW WILL SAVE LIVES

The successful efforts of an independent inquiry, chaired by Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd MP, were rewarded on Sunday when laws making stalking a criminal offence were brought in. The UK government has introduced two offences of stalking and stalking involving a fear of violence. A parliamentary inquiry which found the previous laws on harassment and stalking were "not fit for purpose". The inquiry found that about 120,000 victims, mostly women, were stalked every year.

The inquiry, which was launched almost twelve months ago, was unprecedented in its nature due to the involvement of members of all parties, Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, external experts, and stalking victims and their relatives. This is the first time in the history of Parliament that an independent inquiry has succeeded in implementing new legislation and Mr Llwyd hopes it will serve as a blueprint for future use in campaigns where the focus is people, not party policy.

Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd MP, who spoke ahead of a press conference marking the implementation of the laws said:

“We are very pleased that these laws will be implemented on Sunday creating two offences of stalking.

“One of these is punishable by up to six months imprisonment, the other by up to five years.

“These are of course welcome but, one of the things which gave rise to our inquiry which led to this change in the law is the fact that the Protection From Harassment Act 1997 did not concentrate on conduct amounting to stalking.

“Furthermore, we do need to ensure that there is a culture change among police officers, prosecutors, probation officers, social services, and the judiciary. These are serious offences and no longer can we tolerate palming people off by saying they are mere ‘domestics’.

“In addition to this, there will be a need to ensure that forensic psychologists are available to treat these individuals because in the vast majority of cases it is possible to get them to desist from this behaviour.

“This is vital because otherwise we are merely looking at a revolving door syndrome of going to prison, coming out, and going back in again.

“I am privileged to have led a team of dedicated parliamentarians whose hard work and commitment to this subject led to this remarkable result.

“At the end of the day the introduction of these offences will improve the lives of thousands of people each year and they will save the lives of many too.”

HONOURING THE MILITARY COVENANT

Homes fit for Heroes! Post war house building

Sadly it won't come as much of a surprise to even the most impartial observers that UK Government's have a tendency to treat former (and serving) service personnel badly. On occasion you may well be driven to wonder if anything has changed since 1918; once again our service personnel are serving in a distant land and their families live quietly at home in sub-standard accommodation.

Back in 1918 the solders that served through the First World War (some of my relatives amongst them) were promised 'Homes fit for heroes'. Oddly enough the last but one Conservative / Liberal Coalition found that honouring promises to live heroes cost too much (what price the sacrifice made at the front?) once the war was over it turned out that dead heroes were cheaper to honour than live ones - thus fell the Geddes Axe.

In the last one hundred years the only honourable exception to this roll of shame was the 1945 Labour Government which made significant efforts to help the veterans with access to education, jobs and decent housing, The other post war governments have quietly and consistently betrayed the military covenant and any promises to our service personnel (and former service personnel) have not been honoured.

Last week we observed another Remembrance Sunday, this one some 94 years after 1918 and we have a UK Westminster Government that is not honouring the military covenant. In 2012 we still find ourselves in a situation where soldiers families are living in sub-standard accommodation and our veterans get shoddy treatment for services rendered after completion of their service.

Last week Plaid Cymru MP Elfyn Llwyd used a Parliamentary debate to stress the importance of the Military Covenant, expressing concern that it is not being enforced as robustly as possible in all areas. He warned that many veterans face isolation and suffering as a result.

Mr Llwyd, who has campaigned extensively for veterans' rights and chairs the Veterans in the Criminal Justice System Parliamentary Group fears that a postcode lottery is at work in which some veterans requiring post-service support are discriminated against purely as a result of where they live or how long ago they served.

He added that, although the majority of armed forces personnel adjust to civilian life normally after discharge, it is vital that those who do require care receive the utmost support in accordance with the Military Covenant, highlighting its importance as something which must be put into practice rather than merely exist in principle.

Speaking after the debate, Mr Llwyd said:

"While it is hugely encouraging that the Covenant has now been enshrined in law, it is vital that it forms the basis of robust action, rather than merely empty words.

"If this is not achieved - as I fear is happening in some cases at present - there is a real danger that some veterans face discrimination as a result of where they live or how long ago they served. This postcode lottery is wholly unacceptable and does a great disservice to those who have sacrificed so much for their countries.

"While the majority of armed forces personnel adjust to civilian life after discharge, unless the Covenant is practiced properly then those veterans who do need help face a whole range of problems such as isolation, lack of welfare support, mental health issues and in some cases, alcohol problems.

"The mere fact that a debate was held on this topic today clearly indicates that concerns exist over the Military Covenant's shortcomings.

"What we need is more resources to deal with mental health problems, greater recognition of the welfare needs of veterans, and urgent action to address the dependency on alcohol and other substances which many armed forces personnel develop.
  "These individuals have shown great commitment and sacrifice throughout their time in service and while recent years have seen positive developments in the field of veteran care, much more must be done in order to prevent more men and women falling into a downward spiral of suffering."

DEVOLUTION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Elfyn Llwyd MP, is spot on with his call for the devolution of the criminal justice system to Wales. David Cameron’s recent cabinet reshuffle amongst other things signals a marked move to the right with all that entails. What with the court closures programme, cuts in the number of Police Officers and Civilian Support Staff due to public sector budget cuts, Criminal Justice in Wales under the Con Dems will neither be safe, fair or robust until full responsibility for it lies in the hands of Welsh people.

Elfyn Llwyd MP, Plaid Cymru Parliamentary leader said:

"Plaid Cymru have always maintained that policing powers should lie in the hands of the Welsh government and the recent appointment of Chris Grayling as Justice Secretary reinforces this view.

“At least under his predecessor Ken Clarke, rehabilitation and reduction of prisoner numbers were given genuine focus.

“Now we are left with a Secretary who will speed up the privatisation of the prison estate and youth justice – a catastrophe waiting to happen, if the mess that surrounded G4S before the Olympics was anything to go by.

“However, in contrast to London’s regressive approach, the campaign to devolve justice powers to Wales is gathering momentum.

“In the last few months alone I have given evidence to the Welsh Government’s Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee inquiry into the establishment of a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction, and spoke on the same topic during a meeting of the Welsh Lawyers’ Association.

“A separate Welsh jurisdiction would have a distinct body of law supported by its own court structure and legal institutions. It would also include the devolved youth justice system – ridding us of unnecessary bureaucracy.

"Overall, devolving policing powers would increase the accountability of the Welsh government while strengthening the democratic process through allowing those who govern Wales to make the decisions which directly impact its people.”

UNDER PRESSURE?

Under pressure?

The Chancellor's announcement that the proposed fuel duty rise of 3 pence (which was set to be introduced in August) but has now been scrapped should be welcomed for what it is - a U-Turn. George Osborne's decision comes after a long campaign jointly led by Plaid Cymru and the SNP which put sustained pressure on the government to act over the issue which proved to be another 'elephant in the room' as far as the latest Budget was concerned.

Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Leader Elfyn Llwyd MP said:

"I am very pleased that the Chancellor has finally seen sense and scrapped this damaging proposal which would have put even more strain on businesses and ordinary people's pockets during a time of financial crisis.

"This was the elephant in the room as far as the Budget was concerned, with the Chancellor repeatedly ignoring the fact that soaring fuel prices were the main drivers of rising inflation.

"Rising fuel costs impact the daily lives of the majority of ordinary people, particularly in rural areas such as my Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency where efficient transport is essential.

"This latest in a string of government u-turns will offer people some relief as they struggle to make ends meet - at least until the end of the year as the Chancellor has noted.

"However, it is a shame that it took until this morning for the Labour Party to declare its support for this hugely important campaign. Had they acted sooner, a full cross-party campaign may have pressured the Chancellor into changing his mind months ago.

"Sadly, Labour's lethargy and the Coalition's complacency has yet again left many people suffering unnecessarily.

"Plaid Cymru alongside the SNP have been calling for a genuine fuel duty stabiliser for nearly a decade and that is yet to be achieved, but at least this further damage has been avoided.

"We can only hope that in future, campaigns which put people before politics will be met with greater enthusiasm from all parties."

MOVING WALES FORWARD?

In true Westminster tradition, unless you actually knew what the bill contained, something you won’t necessarily get from its name, you might have been at loss about the significance of the Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill. While this bill is part of a fairly dull and unambitious mid term programme of legislation, much of which is, at first glace, irrelevant to Wales, as with many things, the devil is in the detail, as noted by Devolution Matters.

The Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill, which was an idea originally suggested by Plaid Cymru back in 2004, with its provision for an ombudsman, should benefit the thousands of people working within the agricultural sector. While this is an excellent if fairly belated idea, the ombudsman will only work if the Bill ensures that said Ombudsman has some real powers over the milk industry.

Plaid Cymru's parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd MP has responded to the Queen's Speech by expressing disappointment at the lack of ideas to boost the Welsh economy, despite the inclusion of some welcome legislation such as a Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill and a Green Investment Bank Bill.

Speaking shortly after the State Opening of Parliament, Mr Llwyd said:

"While the Queen's Speech contained some measures that Plaid Cymru welcome, it is disappointing to see that Wales has yet again been largely overlooked.

"The Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill, an idea first suggested by Plaid Cymru back in 2004, will benefit the thousands of people working within the agricultural sector, but it's vital that this ombudsman has real teeth, including powers over the milk industry, in order to deliver positive change.

"The Green Investment Bank is also good news, but if it is to transform the green economy, it will require significant financial backing, not just fine words. The same is true of banking reform proposals which should take place as soon as possible.

"There were, however, some very concerning suggestions in the Queen's Speech, and we are very worried in particular about the Public Sector Pensions Reform Bill and proposals to reduce employee's rights at work.
"It is also very disappointing not to see any proposals relating to matters that would truly transform Wales' economy, environment and transport infrastructure.

"These include the devolution of consent over energy generating powers, a JobCentrePlus for Wales, the creation of a Welsh legal jurisdiction, and a bill to electrify the railways in Wales - all progressive proposals that would move Wales forward and ensure that our nation isn't left lagging behind the rest of the UK."

The Con Dem Government’s Draft Water Bill which aims to allow every business and public sector body in England and Wales to switch their water and sewerage supplier, yet makes no provision to bring in water meters for households. Both the RSPB and WWF-UK are reportedly disappointed that measures to reduce waste by domestic users were missing. I mention water meters because they would save most members of the public money, but, of course such a course of action would impinge on company profits and shareholder dividends (at least in England).

Water in Wales is likely to remain an understandably touchy subject for the foreseeable future, one no doubt that Labour in Wales whole heartily wish would go away. It is worth noting that the Government of Wales Act (passed by a Labour Government) specifically excludes the National Assembly from making any laws relating to water supply. One very firm bottom line has to be that our water resources should belong to the Welsh people, not to Private corporations or to the UK Government.

TIME FOR ACTION ON FUEL AND ENERGY

The Con Dem Westminster government (in its recent budget) has failed to deal with the problem of soaring fuel prices something that it hitting all of us, but, has added impact on families and businesses in our rural areas. Plaid has again called for a fair fuel regulator which would cut fuel duty when prices spike unexpectedly by freezing the price at the pump. This week's Finance Bill includes no provision for tackling the cost of fuel, which is one of the main drivers of rising inflation. The Bill faced its second reading on Monday. Plaid Cymru and the SNP tabled a motion of opposition on the basis that the Finance Bill fails to address a crucial issue which is damaging economic growth. Fuel aside, this Westminster Government, which once claimed that it was ‘the Greenest Government ever’, has promised much but has delivered little, failing to tackle our over reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation by developing renewable energy.

Plaid Cymru’s Elfyn Llwyd MP said:

"The issue of fuel prices really is the elephant in the room as far as the Budget is concerned.

"Fuel prices are one of the main sources of rising inflation yet the Chancellor has failed to tackle this problem, instead choosing to introduce tax-cuts for the rich and slash payments for the elderly.

"The Coalition has yet again shown itself to be completely out of touch with ordinary people and failed to act on an issue which affects the vast majority of the UK population.

"Rising fuel prices are a great problem for families and businesses in my constituency.

"It seems that they keep going up, whatever the government claims they have done - and so does the fuel duty that they collect.

"Motorists in rural areas spend significantly more on fuel than those in urban areas. Figures from the Office for national Statistics also show that poorer families spend more of their income on petrol than richer families, so there is an earning effect as well through soaring fuel prices.

"After 7 years of Plaid pushing for a genuine fuel duty stabiliser, it is hugely disappointing to see that neither the Labour nor Conservative governments in London have agreed to this common sense idea.

"Looking at the long term, I would also urge the Government to urgently address the lack of investment in renewable energy that we are seeing at present.

"We have to be moving away from our reliance on fossil fuels and moving towards a greener economy.

"Sadly, the Coalition's betrayal of its promise to be "the greenest Government ever" is making this extremely difficult.

"Plaid has consistently maintained that the future of energy generation lies with renewables and we will continue to campaign hard on this issue, regardless of the London parties' inaction."

ACTION THIS DAY

David Cameron's public commitment to enshrining the military covenant in law is welcome, but, based upon the past record of various Conservative and New Labour Governments towards treating our service personnel and their families, before, during and after their service, I and no doubt more than a few others will believe his party's commitment when I actually see it happen and the bill becomes law.

Let's not forget that successive Conservative and Labour governments have treated our servicemen and their families with contempt, no wonder some people believe that it no longer matters which of the two larger party's is in government, as our servicemen will be treated with contempt. in recent years our service personnel have literally been forced to buy their own kit and treated to a total lack of interest.

Elfyn Llwyd MP

Yet time and time again it is our servicemen that will be called on to step in to pull the fat from the fire whether it is dealing with the consequences of strikes, disasters, the saving lives at sea, foot and mouth and almost everything else as an when necessary. Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MP has repeatedly challenged the UK Government over its commitment to the military covenant, arguing that veterans have been completely left off the Armed Forces Bill currently passing through the Commons.

It's worth remembering that it was a Conservative Government that chose to privatise military housing. This crazy decision was a combination of ideological driven idiocy and exceptionally poor financial management /judgement as a result of dodgy decisions made during the dying days of John Major's Conservative Government came back to haunt Gordon Brown's New Labour Government during its dying days.

New Labour Ministers were blamed for allowing thousands of soldiers' homes to fall into ruin and disrepair after they were sold to the private sector in a £1.6 billion deal. Some 57,600 homes from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) were sold to City Financiers and then rent them back to troops for a profit.

The terms of the deal, made in 1996 meant that the MoD remained responsible for the properties' upkeep and claimed that the extra cash from the deal would provide badly needed funds to help refurbish them. However, the truth was a tad different, as it emerged that the Westminster Government diverted most of the money elsewhere.

The deal resulted in the payment of a tidy £1.67 billion to the Treasury for the homes, a profit share of £156m on the sale of surplus properties, yet many are dilapidated and unfit to live in. New figures reveal that the MoD has spent as little as £4.4m a year on maintenance and refurbishment. The Sunday Times revealed details of just how little the government has spent on the properties in 2010 reporting that General Sir David Richards, the head of the army, was concerned that many troops felt undervalued because of cuts to housing and shortages in other areas.

By the mid-1990s, military housing around the country was in need of tens of millions of pounds worth of repairs. John Major's Conservative administration agreed to sell off the Military housing stock to the highest bidder, partly to raise funds for a refurbishment programme. The deal was put together in November 1996 with the government being paid for the homes, which would then be rented to troops and their families at below market rates.

Surplus properties would be sold off with a percentage of the profits going to the Treasury. The consortium that acquired the military housing stock made more than £479m in profits from its investment vehicle (Annington Homes) and became one of the UK's largest owners of private residential property.Now this was all fine in theory, as the soldiers and their families should have benefited from the deal with hundreds of millions of pounds pouring into the Treasury.

The Sunday Times revealed that New Labour ministers ensured that only a fraction of that sums raised be spent on the housing stock that had generated the windfall. Annual expenditure revealed in a parliamentary answer) on maintenance and upgrade was revealed to have ranged from £4.4m to £13.9m between 2003 and 2008. New Labour Ministers got very defensive and insisted that they will produce extra funds to help improve the quality of the homes and pointed out that more than £27m was spent in the financial year 09/10.

So what we ended up with was an unholy mess which was a direct result of decisions made by the previous Conservative Government and by successive New Labour Governments that resulted in army families living in substandard military accommodation while some of whose loved ones served overseas - so much for the military covenant. The poor maintenance record pre-dated privatisation of the military housing stock was a reality well prior to 1996.

The Conservative Government in 1996/97 effectively washed its hands of a long standing problem, by selling off the military housing stock to the highest bidder in what can best be described a questionable deal which shifted responsibility onto someone else so that ministers who could not be held accountable and subsequent New Labour Governments failed miserably, to ensure that repair, updates and maintenance was being carried out.

A bad situation was then made worse by successive New Labour government's which failed to carry out basic repair and maintenance, they slashed the defence budget from which money for the maintenance of MOD property is provided. One wonders on what the £1.67 billion received was spent on and whether the then Chancellor Gordon Brown was ever aware of what was going on?

The current Con Dem government has spent most of the last year since it's emergence burying its head in the sand and perhaps hoping that the problem will go away - well it won't and it needs fixing, so get it done and no more weasel words.

THE MILITARY COVENANT

Elfyn Llwyd MP

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MP has challenged the UK Government over its commitment to the military covenant, arguing that veterans have been completely left off the Armed Forces Bill currently passing through the Commons.

Mr Llwyd has also slammed the UK Government for excluding him from the key Standing Committee Stage of the Bill in which amendments are argued and considered.

This is the first Bill this Parliament that a member of the minority parties has been excluded from such a crucial point. This was done by cutting the size of the Bill Committee to 14 members. At all other times, Bill Committees have ranged from 16 plus one minority member to 21 and one minority member.

Mr Llwyd will be tabling a series of amendments to the Armed Forces Bill, to ensure the military covenant is implemented, and to place a legal duty on the Secretary of State to act to provide progress - and not simply place a report before Parliament which would not enforce a duty on the Secretary to do anything.

The foremost campaigner on veterans’ affairs in the UK Parliament, Mr Llwyd is Chair of the Justice Unions’ Parliamentary Group and a member of the Howard League for Penal Reform’s inquiry into Veterans in Prison. The inquiry team recently travelled to the States to learn more about their groundbreaking work in veterans’ aftercare.

In December 2010, Mr Llwyd also scooped the Welsh Campaigner of the Year award for his work on veterans’ welfare.

Mr Llwyd said: “There is a mandatory duty on the government to implement the military covenant. The last Labour government failed pitifully in this respect and we are still seeing increasing numbers of veterans in prison – maybe as high as at one in nine of the prison population.

“This was an opportunity to put veterans’ welfare at the heart of the Bill – one that has been badly missed. Last year, figures showed there were twice as many veterans in prison than British troops are in Afghanistan.

“I fear that this government is about to continue in this failure to our troops.

“It is disgusting that I have been excluded from the Committee stage of the Bill. It is evident in Westminster that I have a long standing interested in the field of veterans and this smacks of ‘stitch-up’ – in the same way as this toothless Clause is stitching up veterans.

“The amendments that I will be proposing already have cross party support.

“I will be ensuring that veterans are put at the heart of the Bill – and through voting with or against these, the UK Government will have to show whether they are serious about implementing the military covenant.

“I recently travelled to the States to learn about their experiences of veterans support and I believe they are already streets ahead of us in this field. The inquiry will be reporting back on its overall findings in the coming months and I dearly hope the UK Government takes them on board.

“Although I was against the military incursion into Iraq and Afghanistan and voted against them it is politicians who place these brave troops in harm's way. We owe them a duty to ensure their wellbeing upon their return home.

“Anything else is a breach of the military covenant.”

CUT PRICE JUSTICE?

The closure of Chepstow County and Magistrates Court (not to mention Abertillery Magistrates Court) in April and Pontypool County Court (in July) may not seem to have much impact on the surface, but these cuts make a complete mockery of the whole notion of local justice. This has nothing to do with making the delivery of justice more efficient, the Ministry of Justice's real motivation has always been to cut costs, make no bones about it this cost cutting agenda is being driven by the Con Dem Government in Westminster.

This is merely it part of the price that we are all paying (and are going to carry on paying) for the bailing out the banks. I have no doubt that there are real opportunities to cut costs, save money and make the system more efficient, but these closures will only make it more difficult for people to access justice. The UK Government should have (but did not) reconsider its decision, because the majority of the proposed closures in Wales will have a significant impact, not just on jobs and services but on the efficient functioning of the criminal justice system.

The closures will have a knock on effect as there will be increase in travelling expenses and also higher costs will be incurred by delays in hearing cases. Cut price justice indeed - one more sound argument in support the need
to devolve control of Criminal Justice to Wales.

CONDEM COURT CUTS - WHAT PRICE JUSTICE?

While I am pleased that Abergavenny is retaining it's Magistrates Court, I am very disappointed that Abertillery and Chepstow will lose their Magistrates' Court's and disappointed that both Chepstow and Pontypool are both going to lose their County Court's. These ConDem cuts will not just hit rural areas but all of Wales to varrying degrees. Wales is going to lose a quarter of it's courts, these cuts make a complete mockery of the whole notion of local justice.

The Ministry of Justice's (MOJ) real motivation has always bee to cut costs, make no bones about it this cost cutting efficiency agenda is being is being driven by the Con Dem Government in London - and it part of the price that we are all paying (and going to pay) for the bailing out the banks. While there are no doubt real opportunities to cut costs, save money and make the system more efficient, there is a danger of real damage being done to peoples access to justice.

Plaid Cymru in the National Assembly and in Westminster has opposed these cuts which threatened to close 18 law courts in Wales. The UK Government should have reconsidered its decision, because the majority of the proposed closures in Wales will have a significant impact, not just on jobs and services but on the efficient functioning of the criminal justice system. The closures will have a knock on effect as there will be increase in travelling expenses and also higher costs will be incurred by delays in hearing cases. So much for easy access to Justice - one more sound argument in support the need to devolve control of Criminal Justice to Wales.

Plaid's Mr Elfyn Llwyd, MP, a member of the Commons’ Justice Committee, said:

“Under these plans, Wales is going to lose a quarter of all our country's courts. This makes a complete mockery of the whole notion of local justice. What makes it even more disgusting is that the figures that were used by the department to justify this are a completely fairytale as I found out in answer to my parliamentary questions. The MOJ inflated the maintenance bill backlog for the courts in Wales by well over 100 per cent. Initially they quoted £3.2million in June and then after questioning lowered it to £1.15million last month. Is this figure accurate? Llandovery is listed as due to close – despite the fact that the court has already been closed for years. It goes to show how clueless the department is. The Lord Chief Justice said last month that “little, if any, slack left” in the Welsh justice system if these closures went ahead. The additional travel time to locations further away will prove especially costly and time-consuming at a time when families are already facing tightened budgets. This will make life very difficult for people who use the courts – be it defendants, lawyers, justices of the peace, police or probation officers."