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First major vaccination programme milestone achieved, says Welsh Government
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FIRST MINISTER Mark Drakeford today praised the thousands of NHS staff and volunteers vaccinating people for their phenomenal effort as the first milestone in Wales’ vaccination programme was reached.
As the final appointments are arranged for the weekend, Wales will achieve the milestone of offering everyone in the first four priority groups a vaccination.
Arrangements are in place to make sure no one is left behind – if someone missed an appointment because they were ill or maybe they changed their mind about having the vaccine, a new appointment will be made for them.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Vaccination is the number one priority for the Welsh Government and for the NHS in Wales.
“To have achieved this first milestone and offered vaccination to everyone in the first four priority groups – those who are most vulnerable to coronavirus – is a truly phenomenal effort. I want to thank everyone who has been working around the clock to reach this point.
“Of course, the hard work has only just begun – there are many, many more people to vaccinate yet and a lot of second doses still to give.”
The NHS has confirmed everyone in the first four priority groups has been contacted to be offered a vaccination appointment.
If health boards have been unable to contact someone on the list, or if an appointment has been missed, systems are in place to go back and check and re-arrange a new appointment for anyone who wants to be vaccinated.
The latest available figures show 684,097 people have received their first dose of the vaccine.
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Hailing success: First Minister, Mark Drakeford (Pic WAG)
Health Minister Vaughan Gething added: “Every vaccine given to someone in Wales is a small victory against the virus and we are already looking ahead to meeting our next milestone.
“The first milestone in our Vaccination Strategy set out that everyone in first four priority groups will have been offered their first dose appointment by mid-February.
“Not everyone in these groups will have attended their appointment yet, some will not have responded and some will have chosen not to have the vaccine.
“We would ask individuals to keep their appointments as allocated where possible.
“If people cannot attend their appointment for a genuine reason we ask them to let the health board know via the contact details provided in their invitation. The appointment can then be rearranged for a more convenient time or location.
“Once you have been vaccinated, you should continue to follow the guidance of staying at home, staying two metres apart, washing your hands and wearing a face covering to protect those around you.”
Commenting on the news Wales will achieve the milestone of offering everyone in the first four priority groups a vaccination by the end of this weekend, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies MS said: “This is a true British and Welsh success story and I would like to thank everyone involved, especially our incredibly hard-working vaccination teams and armed forces who have gone above and beyond delivering the rollout programme.
“The UK Government’s bold decision to opt out of the disastrous EU scheme has now been fully vindicated and ensured Wales has had the vaccines available to meet this target and protect the most vulnerable in our society.
“There is still a long road ahead of us with second doses still to be administered to those most at risk and over three quarters of the population requiring their first jab, but this is a significant milestone we can all celebrate as we look to recover from the pandemic and rebuild Wales.
The Wales vaccination programme in numbers;
- 13,988 care home residents have been reported to have had their first dose of the vaccine, as well as 33,832 care home staff.
- 160,106 over-80s have been reported to have had their first dose.
- 117,181 healthcare workers have been reported to have had their first dose.
- 248,827 aged 70-79 have been reported to have had their first dose.
News
Welsh Lib Dems urge First Minister to return dodgy donation
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THIS week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have urged the First Minister to return the £200,000 donation he received from a company linked to environmental crimes.
Speaking to the Senedd on Wednesday, party leader Jane Dodds MS urged FM Vaughan Gething to return money donated to his campaign by Dauson Environmental, a refuse and recycling business owned by David John Neal.
Mr Neal received a 3-month suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegally dumping waste at a conservation site on the Gwent levels.
His companies Atlantic Recycling and Neal Soil Suppliers were also prosecuted and given fines and costs of £202,000.
Then in 2017, Mr Neal was given another suspended sentence of 18 weeks, with fines and costs of £230,000 after failing to remove the waste.
The Welsh Lib Dems have called on the FM to return the donation, as part of wider calls for a shift away from the influence of “big money” in Welsh politics.
Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:
“This entire episode has casted a dark shadow upon Welsh democracy and has rightfully led to many questioning the integrity of Vaughan Gething’s leadership campaign and the way our democracy works here in Wales.
Unfortunately for many of us this is hardly surprising, as our political system has been broken for quite some time now.
A system that empowers the elite donor class whilst simultaneously shutting out the voice of the voter is a perversion of democracy itself.
This is why our wider goal must be to remove the influence of ‘big money’ from Welsh politics once and for all.
We cannot have another government that prioritises the interests of its financial benefactors over those of the Welsh people.
We need to take a firm stance in rooting out the influence of cash in Welsh politics, for the sake of our communities we must start prioritising their interests and needs instead of having more self-serving politicians.”
News
Council seeking legal advice to address Withyhedge enforcement
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PEMBROKESHIRE County Council says it has sought legal advice and is contemplating legal proceedings against Withyhedge Landfill operators RML, in regards to the ongoing odour issues at the site.
The Council intends to ask the Court for an injunction requiring RML to abate the public nuisance odour arising from the landfill. Failure to comply with the injunction would be contempt of court, which carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment and unlimited fine.
Following significant work undertaken by RML the Authority is disappointed that the problem has not been resolved and residents continue to be impacted by the odour.
Working in collaboration with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Public Health Wales (PHW), we fully appreciate that the communities affected cannot tolerate this any longer.
NRW announced that the first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action on 18th April.
This will be closely monitored by NRW to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May.
It was deemed appropriate to wait until the operator had carried out mitigation to comply with the enforcement requirements by NRW prior to considering this additional action.
To that end, on 26th April 2024, the Council served RML with a letter of claim and invited them to give legally binding undertakings to abate the odour nuisance or face legal proceedings. The Council also asked for disclosure of documents relevant to the proceedings, including records of waste brought in or removed from the landfill.
The Council has given RML until 14th May 2024 to respond to its letter of claim. This aligns with the current deadline set by NRW under its enforcement notice.
Pembrokeshire County Council Chief Executive Will Bramble welcomed the move. He said: “We are extremely disappointed that RML has not delivered the necessary action to stop the completely unacceptable smells from the site.
“We fully support the additional enforcement action being taken by NRW and continue to work closely with them to do all in our power to correct the situation.
“Our intention to ask the Court for an injunction requiring RML to stop the odour nuisance arising from the landfill, is another part of our collaborative approach. The smell from Withyhedge is having a major impact on residents and visitors. This situation has gone on too long and it is unacceptable.”
News
Beautiful, funny and lovely: Family pay tribute to Sian Batchelor
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THE family of a woman has paid tribute to a “beautiful, funny, lovely person.”
Sian Batchelor, aged 32, was found on a beach near Pennar, Pembroke Dock on Tuesday evening, April 30th, 2024.
Her family has issued a statement to say: ‘We are devastated by our loss. Sian was a beautiful, funny, loving person. We will treasure the good times we had with her.
“We would now like time to grieve and would ask to be given privacy in which to do so.”
The circumstances surrounding Sian’s death are being investigated and police would like to hear from anyone with information, sightings of Sian or contact from Sian, between Thursday April 25 to Tuesday April 30.
Police can be contacted either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.
Quote reference: DP-20240430-284
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