South Wales mining tragedy
I can only begin by sending deepest condolences to the families of four miners: Charles Breslin, Phillip Hill, Garry Jenkins and David Powell, who lost their lives at the Gleision Colliery. I come from a mining family and I know the tightknit nature of their communities. This is a tragedy, not just for the families, but for all those connected with the mine and the whole Swansea Valley.
Throughout this difficult time, Peter Hain MP, shadow secretary of state for Wales, has been a fantastic representative for his constituency. At the frontline he was able to communicate with the outside world, freeing experts to focus on the rescue effort. Behind the scenes he shared the community’s pain, and set up an Appeal Fund to help them recover. We will need to establish the cause of this disaster, but for now our thoughts should be with those who’ve lost their loved ones.
Addressing attainment
Ways to improve education standards in Wales continue to be hotly debated. International tables last December showed Wales falling further behind since the 2006 tests. Out of 67 countries taking part Wales was ranked 38th for reading, 40th for maths and 30th for science. Wales government education minister Leighton Andrews wants Wales in the top 20. I support this bold ambition.
The August GCSE and A level results did not deliver the improvements wanted though the Welsh Baccalaureate looks promising. Schools have now been given provisional scores for a new banding system. But a school’s band will not just be based on exam results but also pupil attendance and social deprivation.
We need to focus on higher performance, so I hope that banding will help our schools to improve performance quickly. Everyone working in our schools should give the policy a chance. We need to have the highest expectations for our young people and ensure they get the qualifications they’ll need to get a job.
Supporting economic growth
I’m very pleased that the Welsh government plans five enterprise zones in Wales including Ebbw Vale in my constituency. Others will be in Cardiff, Anglesey, Deeside and St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, where the Westminster government hasn’t delivered on Labour’s plans for an armed forces training centre.
The enterprise zones will each target a different sector, building on local strengths. So in Ebbw Vale, an automotive sector zone will be the priority. Our local workforce has the industrial and manufacturing skills needed.
Wales’ first minister Carwyn Jones was right to say that enterprise zones are not a panacea, but they could be an effective way of getting new investment in areas in urgent need of regeneration.
I was very concerned that if Wales did not move quickly to establish enterprise zones the competitive advantages of Bristol, the Black Country and Merseyside – already been granted EZ status – would seriously disadvantage areas like Blaenau Gwent and north-east Wales.
Local business told me they wanted enterprise zones. Plus they wanted flexibility about how the support (£10 million for Wales) should be delivered, eg by rates relief, tax breaks etc. – which the business minister, Edwina Hart has brought forward. I’m meeting her this week to see how we can get the Ebbw Vale zone up and running.
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Nick Smith is MP for Blaenau Gwent
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