Latest news with #VaughanGething
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former workers sue chicken plant over Covid outbreak
Former workers at a poultry factory who claim they caught coronavirus in a mass outbreak at the plant can continue legal action against their former employers. Public Health Wales said there were over 200 confirmed Covid-19 cases linked to the 2 Sisters plant in Llangefni, on Anglesey, in June 2020. The group are suing 2 Sisters Food Group, alleging they contracted Covid-19 as a result of a breach of duty, breach of contract and negligence. Their case was thrown out last year but they have now won a High Court appeal, allowing the case to continue. Lawyers for 2 Sisters previously argued the claimants could not prove how they caught the virus and if it was connected to the factory. 200 Covid-19 cases at Welsh meat plant outbreak End of an era as 700 jobs go at chicken factory The 2 Sisters factory closed down permanently in March 2023, with the loss of over 700 jobs, after the company said the site was old and needed too much investment to bring it up to standard. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, its site was one of several food processing factories in Wales that experienced outbreaks of Covid-19. At the time, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said officials were looking at the level of risk in the food industry. Mark Edwards, Glynne Roberts, Nia Williams and Brian Perry worked on the chicken production line and claim they worked "shoulder to shoulder" and all fell ill with the virus that month. As part of their claim, they say Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at work regulations had not been properly followed. The company accepts the staff worked in close proximity with each other, but denies they were "shoulder to shoulder". The firm said it implemented enhanced hygiene measures at the factory which was temporarily closed on 18 June 2020. At the start of their legal action, the former employees had not obtained expert medical evidence to support the claim. Their lawyers said occupational health experts and virologists would be asked to give their opinion before the case went to trial. They also said the company should disclose evidence about the outbreak before they could ask for expert opinion to back up the claim. Lawyers for 2 Sisters argued the claimants could not prove when or how they had caught the virus and if it had any connection to the factory. In January 2024 they asked for the case to be struck out at the county court in Caernarfon on the basis that Mr Edwards and the others could not prove the cause of their illness and that their claim was doomed to fail. In July, Judge Wendy Owen ruled there was no real prospect of the claim succeeding without medical evidence and no other compelling reason why the case should go to trial. The judge said the issue of causation and medical opinion was a crucial element which should have already been investigated before proceedings were commenced, and gave a summary judgement against the former workers. But permission to appeal the case was granted in December 2024 and a hearing before a High Court judge in Cardiff was held in April. In a judgement handed down at the end of May, High Court judge Sir Peter Lane said the summary judgment process was "somewhat draconian in nature" and courts should avoid conducting what has come to be described as a "mini trial" of a case. Sir Peter said Judge Owen "fell into error" in effectively conducting a "mini trial" without the benefit of the evidence that would have been available had the case been allowed to proceed to trial. He found that in a claim where the costs of an expert are likely to be significant, when set against the likely value of the claims, it is "plainly proportionate" for the former workers to have proceeded with the claim in this way. Allowing the appeal, he said the claimants may face "an uphill task" but Judge Owen could not be satisfied the claimants had no real prospect of succeeding. The date for the next hearing is yet to be decided. Long NHS waits to end by 2026, says health board Couple take legal action over newborn baby's death Young people with long Covid 'battle' for NHS care
Wales Online
13-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Value of £4.25m farm bought by Welsh Government 'uncertain' as ospreys return
Value of £4.25m farm bought by Welsh Government 'uncertain' as ospreys return An egg has been laid after the pair of birds returned for their second spell at the Powys farm A three-year-old osprey at Gilestone Farm in Powys (Image: Welsh Government ) The value of a farm bought by the Welsh Government for £4.25m is now "uncertain" after a pair of ospreys returned for their second spell there - and laid an egg. The Welsh Government bought Gilestone Farm in Powys in 2022 as part of a deal with the Green Man Festival for it to be a base for its operations but not move the main festival. But in 2023 a pair of ospreys - a protected species - were seen there - the first time they have been observed so far south in Wales in around 200 years. A 750-metre restriction zone around their nest was set up to protect the birds. It has now been confirmed the birds have returned and laid an egg. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The Welsh Government bought Gilestone Farm for £4.25m saying it wanted to "support the growth of the creative sector in a stronger Mid Wales economy". In March 2025, it was valued at £3.75m. In terms of its future value, it was reported that "the presence of ospreys on the site inevitably brings some uncertainty to the process". In January 2024, the Welsh Government said it would not go ahead with plans to allow Green Man to use the the farm. Then economy minister Vaughan Gething said that the plans were incompatible with the needs of a pair of protected Ospreys which nested at the site for the first time last year. You can read that here. Article continues below The Welsh Government's economy director general, Andrew Slade has now given an update in a letter published ahead of a meeting of the Senedd's public accounts committee. Mr Slade said the farm was valued at £3.75m in March, adding "the presence of the ospreys on the site inevitably brings some uncertainty". Mr Slade said the property continues to be leased on commercial terms via a farm business tenancy until November, with officials considering options beyond that. Mr Slade wrote: "Members of the committee will appreciate the significance of the nesting ospreys at the site and I can confirm the ospreys have recently returned and within days of their arrival have laid an egg. The birds' welfare, and the protection of the nest, continue to be critical factors when considering future options for the site.' Mr Slade promised to write to the committee again when he can provide an update on firm proposals for the site, which is thought to generate about £32,000 a year in tenancy income. A 2023 Audit Wales review found ministers acted with "avoidable haste" as an underspend fuelled a rush to make a decision on the £4.25m purchase before the financial year's end. The public accounts committee is finalising its report on the saga following a nearly three-year inquiry into the decision made by then-economy minister Vaughan Gething. In a statement on the future of Gilestone Farm in January 2024, Mr Gething was confident a way forward for the site would be agreed by that spring. Article continues below Mr Gething had denied that money had been "wasted", you can read that here.
Sky News
04-03-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Budget 2025: Welsh government plans approved - but what do they mean for Wales?
The Welsh government's budget has been approved by Senedd members in a vote on Tuesday. Every year, the government sets out its spending plans for Wales in funds devolved from the UK government, which then have to be agreed by a majority of members. Labour has exactly half the number of seats in the chamber, 30 out of 60, since the last election in 2021. After the election, Labour had entered into a co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru which involved the Welsh nationalist party supporting the government on a number of key policies. But the deal came to an abrupt end last year due to concerns about a controversial £200k donation to then first minister Vaughan Gething and government delays to policies such as council tax reform. So without their coalition partners, Labour were looking to borrow a vote to get them over the line. The final budget vote passed on Tuesday, 29 votes to 28, after the Labour government struck a deal with the Welsh parliament's sole Liberal Democrat member, Jane Dodds, who agreed to abstain. In exchange for her abstention, the Welsh government announced a number of investments, including a £1 bus ticket pilot scheme for under 21s. The agreement also includes a commitment to ban greyhound racing in Wales. 'Demanding better' The £26bn budget has allocated funding for areas such as health, housing and education for the next financial year, taking Wales into 2026 when voters will next go to the polls to vote for their representatives in the Senedd. Welsh finance secretary Mark Drakeford said: "Passing this budget is a significant moment for Wales - it unlocks a real uplift in funding for the services that matter most to people, after some very tough years. "We have secured a financial package that will strengthen our NHS, reduce waiting times, support schools and help communities across Wales thrive, making a real difference to people's lives." Welsh Lib Dem leader Ms Dodds said she agreed with "those who are demanding better from their government", but said she was not prepared to see Wales's public services "lose £5bn worth of funding" if the budget vote failed. The Welsh Conservatives ' shadow finance secretary Sam Rowlands said his party "would instead focus on putting money back into Welsh people's pockets", including the creation of a Welsh Winter Fuel Allowance. Plaid Cymru's finance spokesperson Heledd Fychan said Wales needed "fresh thinking" and that her party had "long-term solutions to improve [the] NHS" and "grow [the] economy". At the next election, the number of Senedd members will increase from 60 to 90, with a more proportional voting system adopted. And with just over a year to go, politicians of every party will be keener than ever to make their case for Wales.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK's longest serving female minister leaves Senedd
The UK's longest serving female minister is leaving the Welsh Parliament next year. Social Justice Secretary Jane Hutt, 75, has enjoyed an almost unbroken cabinet run in various roles, since powers were devolved from Westminster to Wales in 1999. The Labour Vale of Glamorgan Senedd member has announced she will stand down from Cardiff Bay at the May 2026 election. She previously led the health and education ministries and served under six first ministers. In a statement, Hutt said it was a difficult decision to make but she would be working as hard as ever over the next 16 months, "standing up for the Vale, for Wales and for the social justice principles and values that brought me into politics". Labour Welsh minister's fuel payment cut warning Ex-minister quits ahead of Wales' 2026 election Quarter of Labour Senedd members stepping down Hutt thanked the people of the Vale of Glamorgan for their "wonderful support, friendship and opportunities" over the last 25 years as their elected Welsh Parliament member. She said it had been an honour and privilege to represent and serve her constituents in every part of the Vale of Glamorgan. "I have also been very fortunate to be given the opportunity to serve in the Welsh Government over this period helping to shape and support policies and laws to meet the needs of Wales," she added. Hutt's departure means that more than a third of the Labour Senedd group, 11 out of the 30 members, are quitting the parliament next year. She became Welsh health minister in 1999, when Alun Michael led the first devolved government in Cardiff. Tony Blair was two years into his spell as UK prime minister, Bill Clinton was US President and Boris Yeltsin was leading Russia. What was then called the Millennium Stadium was about to open in the Welsh capital. Hutt's current full title is Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd [government business manager] and Chief Whip. Her responsibilities include co-ordinating measures to increase prosperity and tackle poverty, managing Welsh government business in the Senedd and maintaining Labour members discipline in the chamber so that business gets through. The next Senedd poll is predicted to be potentially tough for Labour, under a new voting system that will reflect more how people vote. The Welsh Parliament will also expand from 60 to 96 members in May 2026. The other Labour members leaving the Senedd include former first ministers Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething. Ex-minister Antoniw to leave Senedd next year Minister to quit ahead of Wales' 2026 election Vaughan Gething says he will leave Welsh Parliament
