Readers of Cwmbran Life were asked to come up with questions for candidates standing for Torfaen. Around 40 questions were submitted on the Facebook page.
You can see all the questions in their original format here. Ten questions were shared with the candidates and here are the answers from Boydd Hackley-Green, candidate for Plaid Cymru/Party of Wales
1. Before you tell me what you intend to do, please tell me what or how you have already, individually accomplished something positive for the people?
Whist here in Wales I have served as deputy chair of governors at Ysgol Bryn Onnen, as well as the lead governor working to prevent the open cast at the Varteg, plus supported Varteg and Grandiffaith Voice. I have also provided credible opposition to the ruling Labour Party in my local community as well as on a national level. I am very much a “quiet work behind the scenes” person, you may not know me but I am part of the community, leading events, campaigns, and discussions.
2. What would you do in Parliament to help people struggling to find employment and working families who can’t afford expensive childcare?
I would work to implement an additional year of school for our youngest children, with qualified educational staff providing classes for 3-4 year olds, coupling this with the continued support of working family’s through the child tax credits. In addition to this I would ensure both parents are able to work with flexible employers, enabling parental leave regardless of gender.
3. The NHS waiting lists in Wales are a disgrace compared to England. People waiting nearly 18 months to have cataract surgery. What are you going to do to protect our NHS and improve waiting times?
Health care affects us all, old and the young. That’s why I want the best care to meet everybody’s needs. My ambition is for a genuinely world class health service. To achieve this we need to train and recruit more doctors, nurses and other heath care workers and to invest more in our hospitals and ambulances. We will achieve this by keeping the NHS a 100% public body. My rock solid guarantee to you is that I will NEVER support any move to privatise any part of this envy of the world.
4. We only see you out and about at election time. You should be talking to people day in day out to see what problems they face in daily life. What have you been doing since the last election to help people?
This is the question I dislike the most, I’m really very poor at self promotion so I’m just going to close my eyes list them and leave it for you to decide if you feel I’ve done enough!
– Worked with Varteg community to repeal the opencast.
-Served on the governors at Ysgol Bryn Onnen.
-Served on Talywain Comunity focus group.
-Severed and help set up Varteg and Garndiffaith Voice.
-Held Labour to account locally.
-Worked to improve the provision of welsh medium education locally.
Oh and grew a very doggy moustache for movember!
5. Would you support the legalisation of assisted dying for people who are terminally ill or are permanently and incurably suffering, in order to protect their right to autonomy and self-determination?
This I firmly believe is far bigger than party politics and a question that every single person would answer differently, so I will give you my personal view, I have a living will, which clearly sets out what happens in each of the described situations (and a few others). So I believe that the living will should be a binding document that should be respected, as any will would be, so far as setting rules that are open to interpretation to our already over worked NHS staff, no I would not support that.
6. If you could change only one thing as the MP for Torfaen, what would it be?
Only one thing! I will achieve many if you give me your trust! But the one thing I would do FIRST is end the bedroom tax.
7. I’m a young, first time voter who’s unsure who to vote for. With this election so wide open why should I vote for you?
I firmly believe that you hold our future and not to invest in our greatest asset is plain mad. I would ensure that I would be working to make a stronger wales and securing a stronger future for you. A living wage, investment in our public services, creating more local jobs, better transport links to ensure you can get to work/education.
8. With a chronic shortage of affordable housing in Torfaen and nationally, what hope can you give to the next generation that they will ever be able to set up a home for their family?
I want to see more housing being available to bring down the cost of rents and house prices in the medium term. This must be based on communities current and future need. New housing must be designed around where people want to live in supporting the sustainability of existing communities. I would support the homebuy scheme, higher council tax on second homes, scrap the bedroom tax, plus lobby to bring home the 70m of council tax paid to London and have these funds devolved to wakes to support our aspirations and not those of Westminster.
9. Local Government funding has been cut beyond recognition over the past few years.What will you do to protect local services in local government?
Quite simply I want further devolution. Parity with Scotland is what the people of Wales deserve, lets put Wales first. Further more ending the “austerity project” it’s not worked and must end, only Plaid with do this.
10. Why are you willing to spend £100bn on a weapon system that kills indiscriminately rather than on education, social welfare and the NHS? Scrap trident and you won’t need to make any cuts. In fact you could make an improvement.
Ah phew, an easier one, I would scrap trident. End of. The money’s saved would be used to ensure we end austerity, and bring funding back to our services, we need strong conventional weapons as well as trained soldiers, thus creating jobs and careers for our young people.
Contact Boydd Hackley-Green- [email protected]
Click here to see the full list of candidates standing for the Torfaen seat.