This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-21901720

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Welsh Labour conference: No U-turn over NHS reforms Welsh Labour conference: No U-turn over NHS reforms
(35 minutes later)
The Welsh government will not back down over controversial plans to reform the NHS, Carwyn Jones has told the Welsh Labour conference. The biggest threat to the NHS in Wales is doing nothing, the first minister has told the Welsh Labour conference.
The first minister told a gathering of the party faithful in Llandudno there will be no change of course. Carwyn Jones told a gathering of the party faithful in Llandudno that the Welsh government would not back down over controversial reform plans.
He defended his party's record on health and education in a speech which was also highly personal in parts.
Proposals to close some smaller hospitals and move services from others have sparked protests around Wales.Proposals to close some smaller hospitals and move services from others have sparked protests around Wales.
Mr Jones appointed Mark Drakeford as his new health minister last week.Mr Jones appointed Mark Drakeford as his new health minister last week.
The first minister said there will be no change of policy, and "difficult decisions" will have to be made. But Mr Jones told the conference: "There is no bigger threat to the National Health Service in Wales than saying 'there's no need for change'."
He also told delegates Labour is in its strongest position since devolution, but the party still needs to change. He admitted that health reform was never easy but insisted that the reconfiguration plans were necessary to ensure that the Welsh NHS had a "safe and sustainable future".
"Now is the time for us to look to the future," Mr Jones said. The Welsh government has faced particularly strong criticism for its plans to move neonatal intensive care for babies from north Wales over the border to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.
But a planned protest against the health plans on Saturday was called off due to the snow.
Mr Jones also said that Labour was the "devolution party of Wales" which could "navigate a middle way between nationalism and a Tory government that is hell-bent on dragging power away from the people".
He told delegates Labour was in its strongest position since devolution, but the party still needed to change.
"Renewal should always be about the confidence to change and adapt when you are at your strongest," he said."Renewal should always be about the confidence to change and adapt when you are at your strongest," he said.
"Now is the time to plan for the future, for our party and our country." Mr Jones also recounted the experiences which led him to became a Labour politician, in a highly personal part of the speech.
The first minister also claimed that the Welsh government is "standing up for Wales". 'Some failings'
He said his party offered a "genuine alternative" to the coalition government in Westminster. He spoke about how two of his great-grandfathers had moved to find a better life and how another started work at the age of 12 in a colliery - and that these events had helped shape his "social conscience".
He added that Labour officials in power in Wales, both in local authorities and the government, were not afraid to "take difficult decisions". Speaking of his own experiences with the NHS, he said the service had been there for his grandmother and his uncle who suffered from ill-health, as well as for his wife who suffered from leukaemia.
UK Labour leader Ed Miliband will address the spring conference on Sunday. He also said he had spent weeks in an incubator as a baby.
Mr Jones made delivery the watchword of his term in office and told the conference that his government is succeeding in securing people jobs. The first minister admitted there had been "some failings" with regard to education in Wales in the past, but insisted that Labour ministers had "rolled up their sleeves".
Jobs Growth Wales is the government's flagship scheme and aims to give unemployed and job ready 16-24-year-olds an opportunity, by offering them a six-month contract with an employer which is paid for by the government. Education Minister Leighton Andrews is expected to address the conference later on Saturday.
The first minister claimed the programme has been "eight times more successful" than the coalition government's corresponding scheme. Mr Jones also outlined the need for his party to reach out beyond its core vote.
Vision He attacked the UK coalition government on numerous occasions but also took the opportunity to take a swipe at Plaid Cymru, which he claimed was only "interested in protest and gesture politics, not serious government".
He said figures show that those who sign up to his scheme are eight times more likely to find employment than those who sign up to the UK government's work programme. Speaking about the future direction of devolution, he said that he wanted to develop a devolution settlement that would stand the test of time.
Mr Jones has been Welsh Labour leader since the leadership election in 2009, after the resignation of Rhodri Morgan who held the position for nearly a decade.Mr Jones has been Welsh Labour leader since the leadership election in 2009, after the resignation of Rhodri Morgan who held the position for nearly a decade.
He led his party to a victory of sorts in the 2011 assembly election, winning 30 of the 60 available seats, then deciding to govern alone as a minority government. UK Labour leader Ed Miliband will address the spring conference on Sunday.
The latest unemployment figures showed a rise of 7,000 claiming out of work benefits in the three months leading up to January, although the total number is lower than it was this time last year. New Welsh Health Minister Mark Drakeford is also set to speak on Saturday, as is shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith.
The Welsh government and the Westminster coalition continuously blame each other for the poor performance of the Welsh economy.
Shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith is the other senior Labour figure on Saturday's agenda.
The Pontypridd MP will explain how Labour's "one nation" slogan applies to Wales.
New Welsh Health Minister Mark Drakeford is also set to speak on Saturday.
Campaigners opposed to Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board's reorganisation plans called off a planned protest at the event.