Request for the First Minister to investigate breaches of the Ministerial Code by Ken Skates

copies   Mr James Hamilton ,Welsh MPs at Westminster,  Welsh Assembly Members, Ceredigion Council members, Aberystwyth Council members

Dear Carwyn Jones ,

Recent communications with North Wales Councils has revealed further breaches of the Ministerial Code by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure.    I am providing this email to Mr James Hamilton in view of the fact that the First Minister has still not investigated breaches of the Ministerial Code that I have brought to his attention previously on 06/11/2017 and 22/11/2017  .

I first wrote to yourself and Ken Skates on 09/10/2017 ,(with no other recipients), regarding breaches of the Welsh Government Ministerial Code .   The Ministerial Code requires an independent examination,  but the First Minister chose to allow Simon Jones, (Director for Transport within the Ministry of Ken Skates), to reply.to my complaint of breaches of the Welsh Government Ministerial Code by his own Minister    Simon Jones, who is not independent,  indicated in his reply on 22/10/2017  that all my future correspondence would not be acknowledged and would be filed  (see attached letter from Simon Jones).       .

Two weeks later, on 06/11/2017, I wrote to you giving very detailed evidence of  8 lies and 4 unprofessional actions from Mr David Hall.( the Trawscymru Network Manager).   I also complained that Ken Skates had on 15/08/2017 given an incorrect  written statement regarding the Trawscymru network “”The current network of seven TrawsCymru routes is based on the recommendations of the independent review carried out by Dr Winkler of the Bevan Foundation.””. This was incorrect, as the only recommendation by  Dr Winkler dealing with the Trawscymru network was regarding the T3 route,  which was a new route about to be introduced .   Dr Winkler said “”I recommend that further work be done in advance of the introduction of the proposed T3 service on the feasibility of its operation to Aberystwyth rather than Barmouth.””.

The detailed evidence that I put forward to you on 06/11/2017 was ignored and I did not receive an acknowledgement of receipt by the Welsh Government .   On Saturday 16/12/2017 I requested that  Elin Jones, (AM for Ceredigion and Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly ), ask the First Minister, on my behalf,  to reply to the complaints..  The First Minister immediately replied 3 working days later on 21/12/2017 .   The reply to my complaint of Breach of the Ministerial Code was short , did not reference the detailed evidence I had provided and used text taken from the earlier reply by Simon Jones , Director of Transport, (on 22/10/2017) to my first complaint of 09/10/2017  (see attached letter from Carwyn Jones).  On 23/12/2017  I complained about this inadequate reply  to Elin Jones AM for Ceredigion and Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly   .

Following the detailed complaints that I made on 06/11/2017, (which the First Minister has ignored),  I wrote to the First Minister  again on 22/11/2017.   This was regarding a letter, ( written on 14/11/2017), from Ken Skates to the Ceredigion Councillor responsible for Transport  Alun Williams, which is attached to this email (kskates14112017) ..This letter,  along with further recent revelations and events, indicates further breaches of the Ministerial Code by the Minister for Transport for the following reasons:-

(1) The letter of 14/11/2017 states that the Minister had “”asked officials to commission a “high level” review  of a Trawscymru route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth and that Ceredigion Council would be consulted “”.    This “high level” review  has not been carried out and Ceredigion Council have not been consulted.  The Bevan Foundation independent review recommended the T3 route ahould run from Wrexham to Aberystwyth instead of Barmouth .   The Minister has allowed the “high level” review  to be ignored and allowed (a) a new route in North Wales to be pursued (see 2 below) and (b) allowed changes to the T2 service which were carried out to improve the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth service (see 3 below) . A Trawscymru route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth has been ignored.

(2) Six days after the 14/11/2017 letter was written by the Minister, (on 20/11/2017) , the Minister’s official (the Trawscymru Network Manager) was presiding over a meeting with Wrexham Borough Council and other North Wales Councils to discuss a new Trawscymru route from Chirk to Bangor via Wrexham.    Ceredigion Council were not consulted and a Trawscymru route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth was not discussed.   This new route would cross the AM constituency of Ken Skates in South Clwyd between Chirk and Wrexham in a North East direction and may be part of the Minister’s plans for the £600 million North-East metro based around his area of influence around Wrexham , which he recently (on 28/12/2017) announced in the ‘Wrexham Leader’ to be the capital of North Wales . This new route would then turn through 300 degrees and go directly West to Bangor across an area already covered by efficient bus and rail services. The route West to Bangor would vist Llandudno and Conway, the home base of the Trawscymru Network Manager.  The choice of the Chirk/Bangor route, which is not mentioned in the Welsh Government Transport Strategy, in preference to a Wrexham to Aberystwyth route, (which was recommended by an independent review, which would provide a unique Trawscymru service through Mid Wales and which would lead to restoration of a connecting T2/T1 route from Bangor to Carmarthen), is a clear example of “self interest” on the part of the Minister and the Trawscymru Network Manager

(3) Three weeks after the 14/11/2017 letter was written by the Minister to Ceredigion Council , (on 07/12/2017) , the Minister’s official (the Trawscymru Network Manager) organised discussions on changes to the T2 Bangor to Aberystwyth Service which were introduced on 08/01/2018.   Ceredigion Council have said on 22/02/2018 that “the timetable was not subject to Ceredigion County Council’s agreement“.   The objective of the changes was to improve connectivity in Dolgellau of the T3 from Wrexham to Barmouth with the T2 services going North and South .The “high level” review of the Wrexham to Aberystwyth route was ignored and the bulk of passengers having any benefit from these T2 changes were the AM constituents of Ken Skates , the Transport Minister (the T3 route from Wrexham to Dolgellau is 48 miles, 30 miles of which is through the AM constituency of South Clwyd).    The wait time in Dolgellau of T2 services, (to allow connection with the T3 from Wrexham), were increased by 5 minutes to 15 minutes.  The changes to the T2 service were detrimental in 4 instances to connectivity with other Trawscymru Services in Aberystwyth. and reversed 2 improvements to connectivity made in 2016 by the Welsh Traffic Commissioner and the previous Transport Minister Edwina Hart , (the 2 improvements followed my complaints made on 06/01/2016).  The recent T2  changes of 08/01/2018 also addressed the third complaint made by me on 06/01/2016 in a strange way.   The last T2 of the day from Bangor arrived at 18.40 in Aberystwyth and connected intermittently with the 18.40 T1 departure to Carmarthen.  The Trawscymru Network Manager had refused over a period of 2 years to make this last T2 service of the day a connecting service to the last T1.to Carmarthen.  On 08/01/2018 the Trawscymru Network Manager changed the T2 arrival time in Aberystwyth to 18.50 so that it could no longer connect with the last 18.40 T1 departure to Carmarthen.   The Trawscymru Network Manager changed the arrival time in Aberystwyth to 18.50 by introducing an unnecessary stop in Machynleth (15 miles from Aberystwyth) for 5 minutes and put in an unnecessary 5 minute diversion on the edge of Aberystwyth. through an outlying village and through an Aberystwyth housing estate.  The Trawscymru Network Manager on 08/01/2018 has  ensured that connectivity of Trawscymru services in Aberystwyth is now worse than when I first complained  on 06/01/2016.  The Trawscymru Network Manager did not enjoy being proved a liar (evidence supplied to the First Minister on 06/11/2017) and has made sure that, by whatever method,  Trawscymru connectivity in Aberystwyth will be minimised.

The Minister for Transport has allowed his official , the Trawscymru Network Manager, to ignore a  review , that the Minister requested,  of a Trawscymru route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth for a second time. This means that the one recommendation of the independent Bevan Foundation review of Trawscymru regarding the Trawscymru Network has been ignored yet again and the Minister will retain the T3 route from Wrexham to Barmouth(non strategic location) which benefits the Minister’s own constituents in South Clwyd   The Minister has also allowed  the Trawscymru Network Manager to explore a new route in North Wales from Chirk(non strategic location)  to Bangor, which benefits the Minister’s own constituents in South Clwyd . The Minister has also allowed the Trawscymru Network Manager to make changes on 08/01/2018 to the T2 service, which benefits the Minister’s own constituents in South Clwyd,  to the serious detriment of all passengers in Gwyned, Powys, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire on the 133 mile T2/T1 route between Bangor and Carmarthen.. The Welsh Government publicity on Trawscymru services now quote only the T5 service (in Aberaeron) and the T3 service (in Dolgellau) as having connecting services. There is now no connectivity in Aberystwyth on the T2/T1 Bangor to Carmarthen strategic route, despite the fact that the T2/T1 route is quoted in the Welsh Government Transport Strategy (Page 48) as requiring improved reliability and journey times.

Ken Skates had broken the Ministerial Code in respect of:-

1) Holders of public office should be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Ken Skates has failed to address the behaviour of the Trawscymru Network Manager, despite my repeated complaints,( over a period of 18 months),  to the Minister.  Details of 8 lies and and 4 unprofessional actions were included in my letter to the First Minister of 06/11/2017.

(2) Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination.

(3) Ministers must keep separate their roles as Minister and Assembly Member

Ken Skates has not investigated the Bevan Foundation report  recommendation that the T3 service should operate from Wrexham  to Aberystwyth rather than Barmouth.   Ken Skates has not investigated this in order to retain the Wrexham to Barmouth route for the benefit of  his own AM constituents in South Clwyd.    Ken Skates has allowed investigation of a new Trawscymru route between Chirk and Bangor for the benefit of  his own AM constituents in South Clwyd.   Ken Skates has allowed changes to the T2 service on 08/01/2018 for the benefit of  his own AM constituents in South Clwyd and these changes to the T2 service have been hugely detrimental to passengers along the 133 miles of the T2/T1 Bangor to Carmarthen route. .

(4)  It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to the Assembly, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.or bias. wherever it occurs.

The Minister made the incorrect statement on 15/08/2017 and has not subsequently corrected  the statement after he was informed on 30/08/2017.. This has been covered in detail in my letter to the First Minister of 06/11/2017.

It is also important that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to County Councillors and the Minister has not done this in his letter of 14/11/2017 to Councillor Alun Williams and I covered this in my letter to yourself and Ken Skates on 22/11/2017.

(5)  Ministers should be as open as possible with the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest

Ken Skates has authorised his Director of Transport, Simon Jones, to refuse to answer questions on the T2 changes of 08/01/2018, the T3 route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth and the proposed new Trawscymru route in North Wales.   On 16/02/2018 I received information from a North Wales Council on a proposed new Trawscymru route in North Wales.   On 18/02/2018  I wrote to Ken Skates asking questions regarding a proposed new Trawscymru route in North Wales .  One day later , on 19/02/2018,Simon Jones replied to state the Welsh Government will not enter into any further correspondence on the T2 changes of 08/01/2018,  the T3 route from Wrexham to Aberystwyth and the proposed  new Trawscymru route in North Wales.

I would therefore request that the First Minister investigates the above breaches of the Ministerial Code in addition to those outlined to you on 06/11/2017 and 22/11/2017

Yours Sincerely

Dr John McTighe