The Mysteries Surrounding Tregaron’s Hospital (or non-Hospital) and Help for Pensioners with their Council Taxes
In successive question times to the First Minister today and last week, I have asked questions that the First Minister has not had the answer to.
Last week I asked him whether the view of Elin Jones, the Minister for Agriculture, that Tregaron was to get a hospital, or of Edwina Hart the Health Minister that it would merely be getting appropriate facilities and would not be getting a hospital, was correct. I had previously asked the same question to the Health Minister and had been promised a response. I still haven’t had the response although Edwina Hart is generally open and helpful.
This week I ask and what form of assistance pensioners could expect given that only £4m was set aside in the Assembly budget to help pensioner council tax payers meet their bills. Those bills, of course, will be at a much higher level this year because of the appalling settlement from the Welsh Assembly Government.
The First Minister was floundering. He did not know and the Local Government Minister would have to write to me about that.
I find it amazing that the First Minister had not got at least some broad idea of what assistance is to be provided. This is a massive issue for pensioners throughout Wales given the very, very low settlement that councils have just received from the Welsh Assembly Government.
I await responses from the Minister for Health on Tregaron, and the Local Government Minister on help for pensioners, with bated breath.
