: 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
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