• “Urgent action needed to beat the clock in climate fight”- Welsh Lib Dems
• Jane Dodds MS calls for more mental health support for rural Wales
• “Now’s the time to capitalise on Green energy”- Welsh Lib Dems
• “It’s time to call an end to child poverty”- Welsh Lib Dems

“Urgent action needed to beat the clock in climate fight”- Welsh Lib Dems

Today, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on both the Welsh Labour Government and the UK Conservative government to get serious on tackling the climate crisis.

According to BBC analysis, the year 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest year on record. And last week, the Met Office reported that the UK experienced its second warmest year on record in 2023.

Commenting, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds said:

I was deeply concerned to hear that this past calendar year has been confirmed to be the hottest on record.

If the past few years of extreme weather and soaring temperatures have not been a wake-up call, then this one should surely send alarm bells ringing both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster.

We desperately need urgent action to help us beat the clock in this fight against climate change.

Make no mistake, there is no do over. We can either make peace with our failures or fight not just for our future, but for our children’s and their children’s futures.

So, I ask governments across the globe, not just here in the UK, what will it be?

How will you want to be remembered for what you did during the greatest crisis humanity has ever encountered?

Jane Dodds MS calls for more mental health support for rural Wales

Today in the Senedd, Jane Dodds MS has called on the Welsh Government to improve access to mental health support and substance support for people living in rural areas.

Commenting, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds said:

Commonly referred to as dual diagnosis, substance abuse and mental health problems can often come hand in hand with each other. Presenting a huge challenge to frontline mental health services already nearing breaking point.

A recent study from Swansea University found that 70% of young people in Wales with substance use records also had documentation of suffering from mental illness.

Those with co-occurring disorders can face difficulties when it comes to accessing services, particularly those living in rural areas where availability is sparse.

For instance, someone living in Ystradglynais needing addiction help must take a 50-mile round bus trip just to reach their nearest support facility in Brecon.

There are services willing to provide this much needed support, such as the Kaleidoscope plus group who are hoping to open a local base in Ystradglnais.

Groups like these are in dire need of more support from the Welsh Government, if we are to stem the tide of this crisis then we must act now and ensure that those most vulnerable are able to access support.

“Now’s the time to capitalise on Green energy”- Welsh Lib Dems

Today in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have urged the Welsh Labour government to accelerate the implementation of the Net Zero Skills Action Plan.

According to BBC analysis, the year 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest year on record. And last week, the Met Office reported that the UK experienced its second warmest year on record in 2023.

Commenting, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds said:

We here in Wales are blessed with a wealth of resources when it comes to renewable energy, and it’s high time we capitalise on this.

Over the past few months, there have been considerable progress made in achieving long term capacity for floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea.

However, such progress can only be capitalised on with a considerable workforce. With expert estimates stating that 10,000 new jobs are needed to manufacture just 1GW of floating offshore wind.

According to a report from RenewableUK Cymru, Wales simply does not have this workforce yet.

The key word in this of course being yet.

If the Welsh Government was to accelerate the Net Zero Skills Action Plan to prepare Wales for the opportunities ahead, then not only would we secure that workforce for the future but we would also ensure that our climate targets for 2035 are being met on time.

At a time when the fight against climate change is nearing its critical moment, we desperately need to ensure that we are at the forefront.

“It’s time to call an end to child poverty”- Welsh Lib Dems

Today in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for an end to child poverty in Wales.

According to a report from the Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee, titled “Calling time on child poverty: how Wales can do better”, 28% of children in Wales are living in poverty. That equates to eight children in a classroom of 30.

The same report recommended the creation of a Minister for Babies, Children and Young People.

The following countries have a similar Minister role to the one recommended by the committee:

• Rate of child poverty in Ireland is 15% (Minister for Children, Equality, Disability and Integration and Youth).

• Rate of child poverty in New Zealand is 12% (Minister for Children and the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence).

• Rate of child poverty in Australia is 16% (Minister for Families).

• Rate of child poverty in Finland is 13% (Minister for children, youth, and families).

The Welsh Lib Dems have also criticised the Welsh Labour government for lacking resolve in fighting to end child poverty.

Commenting, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

As the new year begins, It’s time we called an end to child poverty here in Wales.

Whilst working on the “Calling time on child poverty: how Wales can do better” we (Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee) heard from experts from across different sectors and the message we received was clear, the Welsh Government lacks the right vision needed to properly tackle this crisis.

Their response to our findings and recommendations has been nothing short of disappointing.

We recommended a Minister for Babies, Children and Young People, something which the Welsh Labour Government has dismissed.

New Zealand, Australia, Finland, and Ireland are all nations which have a similar Minister to what we in the committee recommended. And in all of these countries, child poverty is considerably lower than in Wales.

When I first came into politics, one of my main motivations was to eradicate the truly heartbreaking examples of child poverty that I saw when working in child protection. And I am determined now more than ever to continue that work.

We must act now, not tomorrow or the day after that, but now if we are being serious about eradicating child poverty here in Wales.

Every child living in poverty is a stain on the record of this Senedd, if we as elected officials and representatives of the people can’t come together and crack down on this issue, then I must ask why we’re all here in the first place?

No more empty words and unfulfilled promises, we need action.