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wales




The Government is pursuing a programme of renewal for Wales, based on increasing economic prosperity and the quality of life for all the people of Wales, promoting social inclusion and extending democratic accountability. We will make government more accountable and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people of Wales.





We are taking tough action to raise standards in our schools, to improve our environment and the quality of life in Wales, and improve our health and well-being by investing in modernisation of the health service. We will take full account of the specific needs of rural people as well as the rich culture and language that make Wales unique. All this will be underpinned by a strong economy creating prosperity throughout Wales.

The positive endorsement of our proposals for a National Assembly for Wales has been followed by steady progress through Parliament of the Bill to establish the Assembly. The first elections are scheduled for May 1999 and will at last bring Government closer to the people of Wales.


What we have done

Education

Pupils and students in Wales deserve an education system with high standards reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of Welsh communities. In our drive to improve standards in both the education and training system we have set clear targets for the future. On top of substantial support for higher and further education we have:

- Allocated an extra £50 million to schools, including £1.5 million for literacy and numeracy initiatives.

- Begun to bring school premises up to standard with an extra £67 million over the lifetime of this Parliament.

- Provided £3.7 million to cut infant class sizes to 30 pupils or under and £2.1 million to schools to buy books.

- Made available an extra £5 million for education and skills training.

- Announced over £700 million extra to modernise education over the next three years (indicative, subject to consultation).


Health

The NHS in Wales has been burdened by red tape, so we are ending the internal market and improving efficiency and the quality of care by reducing the number of NHS Trusts. We want to provide the people of Wales with programmes to promote and protect their health and reduce inequalities in health and access to services. We need to rebuild the NHS in Wales into an effective and efficient health service. We are doing this by:

- Providing an extra £60 million from our first Budget, plus a further £25 million, nearly all of which will help reduce waiting lists.

- Working to reduce the number of trusts, releasing up to £10 million each year to improve patient care.

- Producing a public health strategy: Better Health, Better Wales, to bring better health for all.

- Announced over £1 billion extra for a modern NHS over the next three years (again, subject to consultation).


Economy

We want all of Wales to be part of a strong and growing economy. We will continue to stimulate investment, building on the £643 million attracted to Wales in our first year. But we need to ensure the new jobs are spread throughout the country and that our indigenous companies are given the support they need to grow and prosper. In our drive to bring together all the energies devoted to increasing prosperity in Wales this year we have:

- Consulted on a draft economic strategy, which was followed by the publication of a new economic agenda for Wales.

- Started work on the establishment of a new economic agency combining the expertise and resources of the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales and the Land Authority for Wales.


Rural affairs

We are proud of the strong and vibrant rural communities in Wales. They share many of the concerns of people in our towns and cities, but we must also respond to their different priorities:

- We have provided over £12 million to help livestock farmers hit by the BSE crisis.

- We will establish a Rural Partnership to discuss issues critical to the countryside.

- We are working on an 'agri-environment' scheme to balance the needs of agriculture and the environment.

- Rural bus services will benefit from an additional £2.25 million a year.


What we will do next

By this time next year, Wales will have a new Assembly, giving democratic control within Wales over its budget of around £7 billion - which is set to rise by £2.2 billion following the Comprehensive Spending Review. We will issue a consultation paper in September to seek views on the allocation of these resources. Also, we will:

- Stimulate the Welsh economy to ensure that prosperity is spread more evenly throughout Wales, to continue to secure inward investment and make best use of it, to work in partnership with business to promote Welsh enterprise.

- Promote high-quality education and training, reflecting linguistic diversity in Wales.

- Improve and modernise the health service in Wales.

- Promote effective and sustainable farming throughout Wales with the careful protection of the countryside.


Other chapters ...

Key pledges
Ten-point contract
The Government's strategy - by the Prime Minister
Prosperity
Business
Education
Health
Crime
Welfare
Family life
Quality of life
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Modern government
Leadership abroad
Government Bills
Major policy statements
Key figures
Government spending