Welsh Cancer Drugs Funds

5^th September 2011  

William Graham (Conservative AM for South Wales East) speaking in Plenary debate calling upon the Welsh Government to establish a Cancer Drugs Fund: 

 William highlighted that the Health budget in Wales is being cut by 5.8% over the next 3 years. NHS funding per head in England will grow £1,926 per head in 2009-10 to £2,035 in 2012-13; in this time funding in Wales will fall from £2,075 to around £2,002 per year. 

 “It has been verified that each year £1 billion of the Welsh NHS budget is not utilised effectively as a result of ‘extremely costly’ mistakes; more than £50 million of medicines are returned to pharmacies unused, and must be incinerated. This is money which is literally going up in smoke that could otherwise be used to provide life-prolonging treatments”. 

 I acknowledge the MacMillan Cancer Support claim that the present system is ill-equipped to deal with the growing number of people needing help; services are not keeping up with the changing nature of cancer and their on going needs.” 

 “Cancer treatments are changing. Increasingly the focus is upon recovery and cure”. A Welsh Cancer Drugs Fund would direct treatment to the most effective drug for each individual patient’s requirements”.

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Disable Access in South Wales Region

  21 September 2011  

Disable access in Newport, Chepstow, Abergavenny & Pontypool. 

William Graham (Conservative AM for South Wales East) speaking in the Assembly debate on the accessibility of the transport network for disabled people called for “access to be an integral design feature of our transport network”. 

“There are 30 railway stations in South Wales East;  

•24 of these are unmanned

•13 are accessed by ramps with a gradient steeper than 1:12

• Only 3 have accessible lavatory facilities.

I appreciate that many access issues arise from the age of our stations; however, form August 2007 until September 2010 wheelchair access to the Assembly Government funded Platform 4 at Newport Station was via a taxi arranged by station staff”. 

“It is an alarming statistic that 23% of disabled people have had to turn down a job due to a lack of accessible transport”.  

“Public transport is only truly ‘public’ if it is available to everyone”. 

“If information about accessibility is not readily available, then accessible services become inaccessible”.

William Graham (Opposition Chief Whip and Conservative AM for South Wales East) questions the Assembly Heritage Minister on maximising the potential of the recent discoveries at Caerleon

28^th September 2011 

 

William highlighted the range of recent discoveries at Caerleon; notably the port and harbour wall. 

 

“These along with the amphitheatre, barracks and baths have uplifted Caerleon status as a major site of for the study of all aspects of Roman history”. 

 

“I was pleased that the Minister recognised this and confirmed Assembly support for any campaign for Caerleon to be awarded World Heritage Status”. 

 

“It is vital that we maximise the fullest potential of Caerleon for academic study and attracting tourists; along with economic and social investment”.