Public service entitlements are crucial to the people of Wales

By Lesley Griffiths AM

When Assembly Members were asked by the Western Mail what the Assembly’s greatest achievements were in its first 10 years, free bus passes came top of the list. It is a policy that has transformed the way pensioners travel and has provided a real boost to public transport companies and the Welsh economy. And as Labour Leader Rhodri Morgan has made it clear, while Labour is in charge the free bus scheme is guaranteed to continue.

Free bus passes have given older people independence while supporting a public service that is used by everybody. Despite its popularity, the Welsh Conservative Party has continued to undermine this scheme, dismissing it as a free gimmick. Conservative Transport spokesman, David Melding, recently declared he would like to see the scheme applied at off-peak times only.

Similarly, universal free prescriptions, free school breakfasts, free swimming for the young and elderly, and any other scheme that involves helping different strata of Welsh society, have been subject to a predictably callous diatribe by senior Tories.

Cheap phrases such as “freebies” and “giveaways” have been thrown around the Senedd chamber by the opposition over the past year. But despite their best efforts, those reactionary opinions do not reflect the mainstream view in Welsh society. When it comes down to it, the Tories never change – always on the side of the haves, always keen to take things away from those who have least.

Mr Melding’s comments regarding free bus passes were dismissed by National Old Age Pensioners Association of Wales Assistant Secretary Emlyn Lloyd who claimed “the provision of bus passes is seen by many of our European members as an essential element in improving the welfare and mobility of elderly people.”

Earlier this year, the Welsh Tory Group firmed up its opposition to universal free prescriptions by making it official policy. This has been rejected out-of-hand by the medical profession. Speaking to the Western Mail last month, Dr Richard Lewis, Welsh Secretary of the British Medical Association, rightly pointed out that under the old system, many people, particularly from those who found themselves just above the exemption threshold, were not collecting their prescriptions because of financial hardship. He added that creating a list of exemptions was “unworkable and unfair.”

Dr Lewis is right. Contrary to Tory propaganda, this debate is not about bonjela and paracetemol. It is about real people suffering from chronic conditions like high blood pressure and being unfairly made to pay for medication, as they were under the old system.

That cannot be allowed to happen again. Our agenda to eradicate social exclusion and root out poverty once and for all in Wales will remain our priority in Welsh Labour. As Gordon Brown outlined in the UK Government’s plan for Building Britain’s Future, public service entitlements should be guaranteed to parents, patients and communities.

Since the Assembly’s inception, Labour-led Governments have introduced important new entitlements which are making a real difference to people’s lives:

Free school breakfasts make sure children start their day with a nourishing meal and are ready for a day’s learning. No child should be expected to learn in schools when they are hungry. Experience has also shown that successful breakfast schemes in schools have led to positive changes in the attitudes of pupils. These in turn have led to, for example, improved attendance, improved behaviour and sustained concentration.

Free swimming promotes good health amongst the young and older people and makes facilities accessible to these groups. It also spreads our message of social justice as many parents will take their children swimming who normally might not be able to afford it.

School uniforms grants make sure pupils are dressed equally whatever the income of a family. Thousands of pupils have taken up their right to uniform grants, which now boasts an uptake of 99.6%. How can that that policy not be worthwhile?

The Tories would happily see an end to these policies. And the fact that they would ditch the entitlements which are making the biggest difference to the most vulnerable speaks volumes about their priorities as a party.

In the same way that we have helped the vulnerable, we are also helping those businesses that are struggling during the global economic downturn. The ProAct scheme provides training for employees who are on short time working, and helps keep skilled staff that may otherwise be made redundant.

The Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government is delivering – for businesses, for workers, and all the people of Wales. Yes, these policies cost money – but is always money spent for a purpose, helping keep people fit and healthy, helping our economy to cope with the recession. We make no apology for that. It is money spent for the good of the people of Wales.

These policies are bold and progressive. We in Labour are proud of them and will fight the Tories tooth and nail to keep them.