A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that although provision of work-based learning was 'broadly sufficient' in Wales, pockets of poorly delivered services needed to be eliminated in order for vulnerable young people to benefit from it as a route into employment.
Source: Work Based Learning Provision for Vulnerable Young People, Petitions Committee/National Assembly for Wales
Links: Report | WAG press release
Date: 2010-Dec
The Welsh Assembly Government published its draft Budget proposals for 2011-12. Overall public funding for Wales would fall by £860 million, and by £1.8 billion by 2014-15. Revenue spending on health and social services would be cut by 6.3 per cent in real terms. Spending on children, education, and skills would drop by 5.9 per cent in real terms; spending on local government and social justice by 7.1 per cent; and spending on sustainability and housing by 9.6 per cent.
Source: Draft Budget Proposals 2011-12, Welsh Assembly Government
Links: Report | WAG press release | BMA press release | CHC press release | NASUWT press release | NCMA press release | NHS Wales press release | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report | BBC report | Guardian report | Community Care report | Museums Journal report
Date: 2010-Nov
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that the Welsh Assembly Government needed to demonstrate clearer leadership in tackling the issue of young people not in education, employment, or training.
Source: Young People Not in Education, Employment or Training, Enterprise and Learning Committee/National Assembly for Wales
Links: Report | NAW press release | BBC report
Date: 2010-Oct
An article examined 'statistically significant' differences between public service outcomes in England, Scotland, and Wales. Differences were attributable, at least in part, to policy divergence in the three countries since devolution in 1999 – with implications for assessments of the impacts of devolution and public service reform strategies.
Source: Rhys Andrews and Steve Martin, 'Regional variations in public service outcomes: the impact of policy divergence in England, Scotland and Wales', Regional Studies, Volume 44 Number 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Oct
An audit report said that the public sector in Wales needed to work in radically different ways in response to the economic downturn, and to sustain and improve the quality of services and their impact. Over three years from April 2011, there could be a total cut in funding for Welsh public services of around £1.5 billion.
Source: A Picture of Public Services: Financial challenges facing public services and lessons learnt from our work, Wales Audit Office
Links: Report | WAO press release
Date: 2010-May
The Welsh nationalist party (Plaid Cymru) published its general election manifesto for 2010. It said that the abolition of child poverty should be made a priority, and called for increases in the old age pension. Public spending on education and health services would be maintained.
Source: Think Different. Think Plaid, Plaid Cymru
Links: Manifesto | NASUWT press release | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report | Telegraph report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2010-Apr
An audit report said that public services in Wales would experience 'considerable pain' as they attempted to reduce spending, and that they needed to ensure that their response was strategic, systemic, and based on sound analysis.
Source: A Picture of Public Services: Financial challenges facing public services and lessons learnt from our work, Wales Audit Office
Links: Report | WAO press release
Date: 2010-Mar
A report examined systems thinking in the public sector in Wales. It highlighted examples of the unintended consequences of managing by targets, which led to a poorer service to local residents and unnecessary extra work for local authorities.
Source: Keivan Zokaei et al., Lean and Systems Thinking in the Public Sector in Wales, Wales Audit Office
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs said that many of the problems previously identified in the provision of cross-border public services for Wales had been resolved – although a number of outstanding issues remained.
Source: Cross-Border Provision of Public Services for Wales: Follow-Up, Tenth Report (Session 2009-10), HC 26, House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee/TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar