Carwyn jones misleading plenary statements on 24/04/2018 regarding Trawscymru services and the workplace culture within the Welsh Government

: Fwd: Carwyn jones misleading

> plenary statements on

> 24/04/2018 regarding Trawscymru services and the workplace culture

> within the Welsh Government

>

> DEAR SIAN GWENLIAN,

>

> THANK YOU FOR RAISING THE SUBJECT OF THE T2/T1 NORTH/SOUTH ROUTE FROM

> BANGOR TO CARMARTHEN/CARDIFF IN THE WELSH ASSEMBLY ON 24/04/2018.

>

> UNFORTUNATELY YOU HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM ON THIS ISSUE AS YOU NOT ONLY

> HAVE TO INFLUENCE THE WELSH LABOUR GOVERNMENT BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO

> CONVINCE YOUR OWN PLAID CYMRU PARTY TO TAKE ACTION.

>

> PLAID CYMRU HAVE NOT SUPPORTED RESTORING CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN T2/T1

> SERVICES IN ABERYSTWYTH, AND HAVE IGNORED THE WELSH GOVERNMENT

> TRANSPORT STRATEGY AND THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BEVAN FOUNDATION

> REPORT IN JUST THE SAME WAY AS THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT.

>

> THE ONLY TWO PERSONS WITHIN PLAID TO HAVE MADE ANY EFFORT AT ALL WERE

> BEN LAKE, MP FOR CEREDIGION,  WHO WROTE A LETTER TO KEN SKATES AND

> THEN GAVE UP AND ALUN WILLIAMS , CEREDIGION COUNCILLOR RESPONSIBLE FOR

> TRANSPORT,  WHO ALSO WROTE A LETTER TO KEN SKATES AND THEN GAVE UP.

>

> ELIN JONES,AM FOR CEREDIGION,  WHO IN HER POSITION AS LLWYD SHOULD

> HAVE BEEN HOLDING THE WELSH GOVERNMENT TO ACCOUNT,  HAS MADE NOT ONE

> SINGLE STATEMENT ON THE ISSUE OF T2/T1 CONNECTIVITY OVER A PERIOD OF 2

> YEARS.  INSTEAD SHE HAS BEEN BUSY, AS YOU POINTED OUT IN THE ASSEMBLY

> ON 24/04/2018 , WITH OBTAINING £400,000 FOR A MORE COMFORTABLE BUS ON

> THE T1C (ABERYSTWYTH TO CARDIFF ROUTE) .  A REQUEST I MADE FOR ELIN

> JONES TO RAISE THE TRAWSCYMRU ISSUES AT THE PLAID CYMRU SPRING

> CONFERENCE FELL ON DEAF EARS AND THERE HAS BEEN NO COMMUNICATION ON

> THESE ISSUES FROM THE PLAID CYMRU PARTY.

>

> CEREDIGION COUNCIL, WHO ARE LED BY A PLAID COUNCILLOR (ELLEN AP

> GWYNNE) AND IS DOMINATED BY PLAID COUNCILLORS,  HAVE REFUSED TO

> COMPLAIN TO THE WELSH GOVERNMENT REGARDING CHANGES TO THE T2 TIMETABLE

> ON 15/01/2018 WHICH WERE DETRIMENTAL TO T2/T1 CONNECTIVITY IN

> ABERYSTWYTH . THEY HAVE ALSO BIZARRELY REFUSED TO PURSUE A REVIEW OF A

> T3 ROUTE FROM WREXHAM TO ABERYSTWYTH INSTEAD OF BARMOUTH , (WHICH WAS

> COMMISSIONED BY KEN SKATES IN NOVEMBER 2017 AND WHICH AT A STROKE

> WOULD LEAD TO RESTORATION OF CONNECTIVITY ON THE NORTH/SOUTH T2/T1

> BANGOR TO CARMARTHEN ROUTE BY THE 15 MINUTES STOPS IN DOLGELLAU TO

> WAIT FOR THE T3 FROM WREXHAM BEING TRANSFERRED BACK TO ABERYSTWYTH TO

> RESTORE CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE T2 AND T1).

>

> I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR ENDEAVORS

>

> Yours Sincerely

>

> Dr John McTighe

>

>> —-Original message—-

>> From : john.mct@btinternet.com

>> Date : 08/05/2018 – 09:42 (GMTST)

>> To : carwyn.jones@gov.wales

>> Cc : steve.adams@tivysideadvertiser.co.uk, wales@labour.org.uk,

>> lee.day@westerntelegraph.co.uk, haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk,

>> leader@labour.org.uk, xray@bbc.co.uk, info@thebangoraye.com,

>> dla@swguardian.co.uk, newsdesk@gwent-wales.co.uk,

>> editorial@newstatesman.co.uk, kelly.mcfadden@gwent-wales.co.uk,

>> letters@gwent-wales.co.uk, editor@northwaleschronicle.co.uk,

>> victoria.winckler@bevanfoundation.org, newsdesk@walesonline.co.uk,

>> dave.parkinson@newsquest.co.uk, edit@cambrian-news.co.uk,

>> reporter@abertimes.co.uk, welshnews@dailypost.co.uk,

>> editor@westwaleschronicle.co.uk, editorial@passengertransport.co.uk,

>> correspondence.ken.skates@gov.wales, postnews@mediawales.co.uk

>> Subject : Carwyn jones misleading plenary statements on 24/04/2018

>> regarding Trawscymru services and the workplace culture within the

>> Welsh Government

>>

>> copies   Welsh MPs at Westminster,  Welsh Assembly Members and

>> Ceredigion Council members

>>

>> DEAR FIRST MINISTER ,

>>

>> I would like to point out several misleading statements made by

>> yourself during the plenary of 24/04/2018 on the subject of (1)

>> Trawscymru services and (2) the workplace culture within the Welsh

>> Government .

>>

>> (1) TRAWSCYMRU SERVICES

>>

>> IN RELATION TO QUESTION  OAQ52055 “”WILL THE FIRST MINISTER MAKE A

>> STATEMENT ON THE WELSH GOVERNMENT’S INTENTION TO FURTHER EXPAND THE

>> TRAWSCYMRU COACH SERVICE?”” MADE  BY SIAN GWENLIAN WHO WENT ON TO SAY

>> “  SO, WILL THE GOVERNMENT COMMIT TO LOOKING TO ENHANCE AND EXPAND

>> THIS SERVICE AND OFFER COACH SERVICES THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO

>> PEOPLE IN MY CONSTITUENCY WHO WOULD WISH TO TRAVEL ON A COMFORTABLE

>> COACH TO THE CAPITAL CITY””

>>

>> The First Minister, in his reply, failed to mention that the

>> Trawscymru T1C coach from Aberystwyth to Cardiff ,which was the

>> subject of Sian Gwenlian’s question,  cannot be used by the

>> constituents of Sian Gwenlian,  because the Trawscymru T2 from

>> Dolgellau arrives in Aberystwyth at 9.30 at the same time as the T1C

>> to Cardiff departs at 9.30.. (NB This may sound familiar to the last

>> T2/T1 service of the day where the T2  arrived from Bangor at 18.40

>> in Aberystwyth and the T1 to Carmarthen departed at 18.40 and that

>> problem was unsurmountable as on 15/01/2018 Trawscymru changed the

>> T2 arrival time in Aberystwyth to 18.50).      The First Minister

>> also failed to mention that the T1C coach has no Northbound service

>> from Cardiff to Aberystwyth..  Passengers who wish to travel from

>> Cardiff to Bangor have to either a) wait to catch the return T1C from

>> Cardiff to Aberystwyth at 16.45 and then break their journey

>> overnight in Aberystwyth to travel onward to Bangor the following day

>> using the T2 or b) use 4 buses , the X10 (Cardiff to Swansea), T1S or

>> X11 (Swansea to Carmarthen), T1 (Carmarthen to Aberystwyth), and T2

>> from Aberystwyth to Bangor.

>>

>> Passengers leaving Bangor at 7.05 to travel to Cardiff by bus will

>> take 8 hours 50 minutes to reach Cardiff,  if they are lucky.   If a

>> 5 minute delayed departure is  applied to the T2 in Dolgellau to wait

>> for a late T3 from Wrexham , (which is highly likely at that time of

>> day) ,the connection to the T1 to Carmarthen in Aberystwyth will be

>> missed and the journey to Cardiff will take 12 hours 5

>> minutes.   A journey in the opposite direction from Cardiff to

>> Bangor starting at 11.15 via the X10, X11,T1 and T2 services will

>> take 10 hiurs 15 minutes arriving in Bangor at 21.30 with waits of 20

>> minutes in Swansea, 30 minutes in Carmarthen and 36 minutes in

>> Aberystwyth. There is no connectivity in Aberystwyth on the strategic

>> T2/T1 route North to South route and it is not acceptable that a

>> journey between North and South Wales involves 4 buses and can take

>> between 10 and 12 hours.

>>

>> The First Minister also said _that “”Even in the days of the

>> TrawsCambria, Cardiff to Aberystwyth and then on to Bangor existed,

>> after an hour’s wait in Aberystwyth for those who then went on to

>> Bangor””_.

>>

>> This statement is misleading in that the First Minister infers

>> that:-

>>

>> a) a ”Cardiff to Aberystwyth and on to Bangor service” exists now

>> when it does not (The T1C coach goes from Aberystwyth to Cardiff in

>> the morning and back to Aberystwyth in the evening. There is no

>> Cardiff to Aberystwyth service. )

>>

>> b)  that an hours wait in Aberystwyth for the T2  was true 10 years

>> ago in the days of TrawsCambria,  but that is not the situation now,

>> when in fact the situation in Aberystwyth now  is worse than 10 years

>> ago.  Now passengers on  the T1 from Carmarthen  to Aberystwyth have

>> to wait between 46 minutes and 1 hour 46 minutes for the next T2 in

>> Aberystwyth  .. Ken Skates has refused to answer the question

>> _“”Could the Minister give the reason why there are no Northbound T1

>> services connecting to the T2 in Aberystwyth and why T1 passengers

>> have to wait in Aberystwyth for between 46 minutes and 1 hour 46

>> minutes  for the next T2 ?””_ on the grounds that the question is

>> ”vexatious”.  Since the Minister for Transport will not answer that

>> question I shall provide the answer for him  .

>> _THE REASON THAT THE T! AND T2  DO NOT CONNECT IN ABERYSTWYTH  IS

>> BECAUSE THE 15 MINUTES OF CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE T2 AND T1 IN

>> ABERYSTWYTH HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO DOLGELLAU WHEN THE

>> T3 WREXHAM TO BARMOUTH  SERVICE WAS INTRODUCED._   The 15 minutes of

>> connectivity was transferred  despite the Welsh Government Transport

>> strategy to improve the T2/T1 route and the conclusion and

>> recommendation of the Bevan Foundation Review of Trawscymru, which

>> recommended that the T3 route should run from Wrexham to Aberystwyth

>> instead of to Barmouth

>>

>> The First Minister also said _“”We continue to enhance existing

>> TrawsCymru services and introduce new routes where there are clear

>> strategic benefits from offering new long-distance bus and coach

>> services.  We are at present looking at new routes, namely Bangor to

>> Chirk and Oswestry, and also from Wrexham to Newtown.””    THIS

>> STATEMENT IS MISLEADING BECAUSE ON 14/11/2018 KEN SKATES COMMISSIONED

>> A “HIGH LEVEL REVIEW” OF A T3 ROUTE FROM WREXHAM TO ABERYSTWYTH AS

>> RECOMMENDED BY THE BEVAN FOUNDATION REVIEW WHICH WAS PUBLISHED

>> BEFORE THE T3 WREXHAM TO BARMOUTH ROUTE WAS INTRODUCED.

>> _Unless the First Minister has made a mistake and “Wrexham to

>> Newtown” should read “Wrexham to Aberystwyth” , the “high level”

>> review of a Wrexham to Aberystwyth route has still not been

>> carried out 5 years after the recommendation was made    Ken Skates

>> refuses to answer questions on the T3 Wrexham to Aberystwyth route as

>> his Director for Transport (Simon Jones) has said the questions were

>> ”vexatious.  One  “enhancement” of services , referred to by the

>> First Minister,  was on 15/01/2018  to increase the number of

>> T3 Wrexham to Barmouth services to 8 per day on this non strategic ,

>> short distance (58 miles) route and at the same time the stop time

>> for the T2 strategic service (Bangor to Aberystwyth)  in Dolgellau

>> was increased from 5 minutes to 10 minutes to wait for the non

>> strategic T3 from Wrexham.   The “enhancement” of the T3 Wrexham

>> to Barmouth service on 15/01/2018 therefore gave a pointer to the

>> fact that the Transport Minister had no intention whatsoever of

>> conducting a “high level” review of a Wrexham to Aberystwyth

>> route.    Wrexham to Newtown is a reasonable route as it could link

>> with the T4 from Newtown to Cardiff,  but Wrexham to Newtown is not a

>> long distance route (43 miles via the constituency of South Clwyd)

>> whereas Wrexham to Aberystwyth is a long distance route of 82 miles

>> which would link to 2 services in Aberysatwyth (T1 to Carmarthen and

>> T5 to Cardigan). The logic of Ken Skates may be that he can have a

>> more frequent servive with more buses per day available to his

>> constituents in South Clwyd if he misses out Newtown to Aberystwyth

>> as part of the route.  The First Minister  also  failed to mention

>> that  the Bangor to Chirk and Oswestry route goes via Wrexham, which

>> means it therefore crosses the Transport Minister’s constituency of

>> South Clwyd.  This route is bizarre in that Chirk and Oswestry are

>> not strategic locations, there are also already train links from

>> Chirk to Wrexham, the route runs North East from Oswestry to Wrexham

>> and then makes an acute turn Westward to go across North Wales where

>> there is already good bus and rail transport links  .

>>

>> So the First Minister in his statements in the plenary of 24/04/2018

>> infers that he is happy with the fact that the strategic North-South

>> T2/T1 route between Bangor and Carmartnen (133 miles) has been

>> destroyed for the benefit of one group of passengers from Wrexham and

>> South Clwyd on the T3 route from Wrexham to Dolgellau (48 miles).

>> The First Minister infers he considers that the T2/T1 route is non

>> strategic and therefore does not require connectivity in

>> Aberystwyth,   The T3 Wrexham to Barmouth route is considered to be

>> a highly strategic route and this route has been “enhanced” on

>> 15/01/2018 with extra services (now 8 services per day) , while at

>> the same time on 15/01/2018 T2 services on the T2/T1 route (which the

>> Welsh Government consider to be non strategic)  can be held back by

>> an extra 5 minutes for the benefit of passengers from Wrexham and

>> South Clwyd.  The Welsh Government consider a recommended T3 route

>> from Wrexham to Aberystwyth is not a strategic route and the Welsh

>> Government are therefore refusing to conduct a “high level”

>> review into a recommended Wrexham to Aberystwyth route for the second

>> time in 5 years . The existing T3 Wrexham to Barmouth route is so

>> strategic that it requires 8 services per day, whilst  the Cardiff to

>> Aberystwyth route is so unimportant that there are no services

>> whatsoever,  although there was a Cardiff to Aberystwyth service 10

>> years ago in the days of Trawscambria .. Finally the First Minister

>> infers that he is happy with a proposed Trawscymru route which

>> includes a diversion from Chirk to Wrexham across the constituency of

>> South Clwyd (which already has a rail route) and then on from Wrexham

>> to Bangor (which already has good bus and rail services in place).

>>

>> (2) The workplace culture within the Welsh Government

>>

>> Question  OAQ52056 was made by Bethan Sayed regarding workplace

>> culture within the Welsh Government. The First Minister said that

>> _“”of course, as far as Welsh Government staff are concerned, that is

>> a matter for the Permanent Secretary””. The First Minister went on to

>> say “”I entirely agree that we should be open and professional, and

>> that’s what we strive to do. It’s not something I’ve been directly

>> involved with, as he can appreciate,””_

>>

>> These statements are totally misleading in that I have made

>> complaints about Welsh Government staff and those complaints were not

>> dealt with by the Permanent Secretary and the First Minister WAS

>> directly involved .  I have made numerous complaints, starting

>> initially with complaints to the Cabinet Secretary For Economy and

>> Infrastructure (Ken Skates),  regarding behaviour of his officials

>> (lies, altering the text of Freedom of Information Requests and

>> ignoring questions in Freedom of Information Requests).   Ken Skates

>> did not deal with these complaints and even passed complaints down to

>> the same officials, who were the subject of the complaints, for them

>> to deal with as a Freedom of Information Request..  Complaints of a

>> breach of Ministerial Conduct by Ken Skates were then referred to the

>> First Minister, who chose to not involve the Permanent Secretary and

>> chose instead to obtain a response from one of Ken Skates own

>> officials (Simon Jones  – Director for Transport within the

>> Department for Economy and Infrastructure).  A complaint against a

>> Minister should not be dealt with by an official from the

>> Minister’s own Department.   No investigation of the complaints

>> was made despite detailed evidence being supplied to the First

>> Minister..

>>

>> In relation to the statement _“”I entirely agree that we should

>> be open and professional””_   the behaviour of Simon Jones

>> (Director for Transport) completely contradicts that statement.

>> Simon Jones on 19/02/2018 issued an edict that all my Information

>> requests on the subject of  “A T3 route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth”,

>> “ The T2 Bangor to Aberystwyth timetable changes of 15/01/2018” and

>> “A new Trawscymru route from Chirk to Bangor” were ”vexatious” and

>> would not be answered.

>>

>> The workplace culture within the Welsh Government is one of

>> aggressive secretiveness , deceitfulness, dishonesty, self interest

>> (the obsession with Wrexham to Barmouth being a strategic route and

>> providing Trawscymru services through South Clwyd is baffling), and

>> lack of discipline.  The Minister for Transport is more than happy

>> for his officials to behave in an unproffessional way and is

>> incapable of enforcing any level of discipline within his own

>> Department. The First Minister has condoned this attitude and Welsh

>> Government responses have been handed over to an official from the

>> Minister’s own Department (Simon Jones  – Director for Transport)

>>

>> In the case of Trawscymru services the Minister for Transport is

>> allowing benefits to be provided for his own constituents at the

>> expense of passengers throughout the rest of Wales.  Using his

>> Government position to benefit his own constituents, failing to

>> confront the poor behaviour of his officials, making incorrect

>> statements to the Welsh Assembly regarding the Trawscymru network and

>> making an incorrect statement to a Ceredigion Councillor (regarding

>> Commissioning of a review of a Trawscymru Wrexham to Aberystwyth

>> route) are all actions that have been taken by Ken Skates and all

>> these actions breach the Welsh Government Ministerial Code.

>>

>> _Finally I would like to say that I am pleased to see that you have

>> done the right thing by announcing your imminent departure from the

>> Labour leadership 4 days after James Hamilton published his report

>> on 17/04/2018.   I have read James Hamilton’s report and I am sure

>> James Hamilton will have advised you on the right direction to go in

>> .   I would request that before you go you also do the right thing

>> and have an “open and professional discussion”  with the Transport

>> minister, Ken Skates, on the subject of the Trawscymru Network and

>> whether Ken Skates support for Trawscymu routes through his

>> constituency of South Clwyd is healthy for other passengers using the

>> network throughout the rest of Wales . _

>>

>> Yours Sincerely

>>

>> Dr John McTighe