POLITICS: MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT AT WESTMINSTER

Current Member of Parliament for Rhondda at Westminster is Mr Chris Bryant.
Mr Bryant MP can be contacted at the House of Commons on telephone number 0207-219-8153, or via his Rhondda office on 01443-687-697.

LATEST NEWS: MP WELCOMES RHONDDA POLICE COMMUNITY SAFETY OFFICERS

BRYANT CAMPAIGNS FOR BETTER RHONDDA RAIL
BRYANT WELCOMES REVIEW OF MURDER LAWS
BRYANT CALLS FOR A FREE CHRISTMAS DELIVERY TO OUR TROOPS IN IRAQ
BRYANT WELCOMES MINER'S COMPENSATION PAYMENTS
BRYANT GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
SURGERY TIMETABLE
RHONDDA PENSIONERS COULD BENEFIT
CALLS FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY OF CREDIT CARDS
RHONDDA ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR INQUIRY

SURGERY TIMETABLE
Friday 19 November, 3pm
5 Cemetery Road, Porth

Saturday 27 November, 10am
Noddfa Day Centre

Friday 3 December, 3pm
5 Cemetery Road, Porth

Friday 10 December, 2pm
Penygraig Labour Club

Saturday 4 December, 10am
Noddfa Day Centre, Treorchy

Friday 17 December, By appointments only
5 Cemetery Road, Porth.

Chris Bryant MP may need, due to unforeseen parliamentary business, to rearrange Surgeries at short notice.

CHRIS BRYANT GOES BACK TO SCHOOL... Top

Chris Bryant, Labour MP for the Rhondda, met with schoolchildren on Friday from the Ton Pentre Junior School and Treorchy Comprehensive as part of the national MPs 'Back to School Day' campaign. Chris and the schoolchildren discussed the importance of education for people across the world. The UK Government is committed to a target of every child receiving primary education by 2015.

Chris says: "It can never be right that around the world, more than 100 million children of primary school age have never been to school. Nelson Mandela was right to say that education is the single most important weapon we can use to change the world. Our government has a serious commitment to improve education in developing countries, and next year we will spend over £250 million on this effort. These are vital issues, and here we have a great opportunity for schoolchildren in the Rhondda to have their say. I regularly visit schools across the constituency and I enjoyed talking to the pupils about how we can give other children the opportunities we take for granted here."

Wales Office Minister Don Touhig added: "I am very pleased that the total paid out to ex-miners and their families in the UK has topped £2 billion. This includes more than £400m for Welsh miners and their dependants in what is the biggest compensation scheme of its kind ever."

Mr Touhig, who chairs the Welsh group monitoring the claims, added: "I would like to pay tribute to the monitoring group and all those who have worked so hard to make progress. Many thousands of new claims were lodged to meet last month's deadline for the respiratory disease compensation scheme. We must now carry on working together to make sure these are dealt with as soon as possible and that the ex-miners and their families get the justice they deserve."

RHONDDA PENSIONERS COULD BENEFIT (Issued March 22, 2004) ... Top
Rhondda pensioners are benefiting from the Government's new benefits for pensioners. 5,525 Rhondda pensioners in 4,519 households have received an average of £40.17 extra a week thanks to the Minimum Income Guarantee and the Pension Credit. The pension credit alone is giving many pensioners an additional £12.90 a week, tackling pensioner poverty and trying to reward those who have set a little bit aside rather than penalise them.

Chris Bryant said, 'This is a big change. In 1997 Income Support paid to the poorest pensioners was only £68.80 a week - just £6.35 a week more than the basic pension. This has increased by 50%, to a guaranteed £102.10 a week for single pensioners and £155.80 for couples. We really are trying to abolish pensioner poverty. But I worry that too many pensioners in the Rhondda are still not claiming what they are entitled to. Please, if you know anyone who hasn't checked recently, get them to ring the Pension Service freephone on 0800-99-1234. It may be worth £40 a week.'

BRYANT CALLS FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY OF CREDIT CARDS .... Top
(Issued March 11, 2004)

Chris Bryant today welcomed a report by MPs on mis-selling by banks and financial services which calls for tighter regulation to protect customers and consumers. Chris Bryant said: "Lending money is one of the biggest businesses in the UK. Interest rates are low at the moment and there is a real temptation to run up unaffordable debts. Of course we are all accountable for our own financial mistakes. But the industry has been downright irresponsible with vast salary hikes for senior managers based on mis-selling endowment mortgages and other financial services. In particular I believe there should be tighter restrictions on credit card companies. All their adverts and direct marketing should be responsible and it should avoid enticing people into debts they cannot afford. There should be a limit on the number of credit cards companies can give one person. There should be an end to the unsolicited increases in credit limits that some companies go in for. And the practice of sending cheques which people can cash, without any prior credit check, should be stopped. It is all too easy for a family that is strapped for cash to get into worse and worse debt - and the banks almost encourage it. Of course it would be better if the financial services industry regulated itself better, but if they won't, parliament should."

ARTICLE .... Top
(Issued March 9, 2004)

There were two anniversaries this week: it is 20 years since the miners' strike began and it was international women's day. For many people these would seem totally unconnected, but the struggle for miners and mining communities and the campaign for equality for women are part of the same battle for justice.

It is good to see miners now receiving compensation - literally millions of pounds have been paid out for vibration white finger, pneumoconiosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

But many women still get far from their just deserts. Women are more likely than men to be unemployed. Many are forced to work part-time. They are paid less than men (£8.75 per hour compared with £11.13 for men). They are less likely to be promoted as managers or senior managers (10% of all women in employment, compared with 18% of all men in employment). And only 9% of the UK's top company board members are women.

The government has tried to tackle the problem. It introduced the national minimum wage, which has benefited 1.5 million people, mostly women. It has brought in equal pay policies across the civil service and encouraged employers to do the same. The pay gap is lowly narrowing.

It has also tried to help new mums, increasing maternity pay to £100 a week last April and extending paid maternity leave from 18 to 26 weeks plus a further six months of unpaid leave. It introduced pay and leave for adoptive parents and paternity leave (at £100 per week). And Sure Start, the Working Families Tax Credit, the new deal for single mums and the child trusts are all helping ordinary mothers make a decent home.

It's not just about money, though. 65,000 women spend a night in a women's refuge every year and at least two women are killed by a partner or former partner every week. So the government is also reforming the law on domestic violence.

For some people this sounds like political correctness. To my mind justice and equality for women is every bit as important as justice for former miners.

RHONDDA ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR INQUIRY ... Top
(Issued February 12, 2004)

The Rhondda Anti-Social Behaviour Inquiry will be holding two public meetings to discuss anti-social behaviour in the Rhondda , on Tuesday 17 February and Wednesday 18 February. Members of the local community are invited to raise their concerns on anti-social behaviour as part of the first stage of gathering evidence for the Inquiry that has been initiated by Rhondda MP, Chris Bryant.

"Crime levels are much lower in the Rhondda than in many other areas of the country, but low-level repetitive anti-social behaviour is the bane of many people's lives. The solution to the problem may be complex, but politicians, professionals and the wider community have to work together if we are to crack down on the problem effectively. No amount of speeches in Westminster will make any difference. That is why I have set up a special Rhondda Anti-Social Behaviour Inquiry. A panel of 11 independently minded local people will consult widely on the problem through these two special public meetings and a series of evidence sessions. The panel will then aim to draw up a series of recommendations for tackling local anti-social behaviour by the end of April." (Chris Bryant MP)

The public meetings will be held on Tuesday 17 February at 7pm at the Rhondda Fach Sports Centre, Tylorstown, and on Wednesday 18 February at 7pm at Bodringallt Primary School , Ystrad. All members of the local community are welcome to attend.

BRYANT CALLS FOR A FREE CHRISTMAS DELIVERY TO OUR TROOPS IN IRAQ .... Top
(Issued November 1, 2004)

Chris Bryant, Member of Parliament for the Rhondda, has urged the government to re-introduce a free parcel service to British forces serving in Iraq for Christmas.

Chris today signed Early Day Motion 1805 which calls upon the government to re-introduce the service in the run-up to the festive period. Chris Bryant says: “There are many Rhondda men and women on active service in Iraq and the least we owe them is a decent Christmas. They have done a superb, courageous job in a tough, hostile environment. Their families miss them and a free postal service for parcels in the run-up to Christmas would make a small but important difference. I very much hope the Ministry of Defence take up this suggestion.”

BRYANT WELCOMES REVIEW OF MURDER LAWS .... Top
(Issued November 1, 2004)

Chris Bryant, Member of Parliament for the Rhondda, has today welcomed the Home Secretary’s announcement that there is to be a review of the existing murder laws in England and Wales.

Rt. Hon. David Blunkett MP confirmed the review would be taken in light of recommendations from a recent Law Society report. The terms of reference for the review have not yet been determined, but Mr Blunkett welcomed contributions from all parties in the House of Commons.

Chris Bryant says: “This is an emotive subject, with the Rhondda experiencing four murders in the past two years. I welcome the Home Secretary’s announcement for a review of the existing murder laws and look forward to reading its contents. Many people have raised the need for the right punishment to fit the crime and, I feel, precise definitions are outdated. The law governing murder needs tidying up, and this is a step in the right direction.”

BRYANT CAMPAIGNS FOR BETTER RHONDDA RAIL .... Top
(Issued November 1, 2004)

Chris Bryant, the Member of Parliament for the Rhondda, has pushed Arriva Trains Wales to improve services for the Rhondda at a special meeting with Peter Strachan, Managing Director of the Wales Division.

Chris urged Arriva to improve the reliability of the Valley Line service to Treherbert and to clean up the track side rubbish. He also raised the possibility of a new late night service form Cardiff to Treherbert that would follow shows at the new Millennium Centre at Cardiff Bay.

Chris says: “Too many trains have been stopped mid-journey at Pontypridd or Porth with people being dumped out on the platform. Also the rubbish along the track makes Rhondda look like a tip. Arriva have guaranteed me that new arrangements have been put in place which will mean fewer trains should be cancelled in future.”

Chris has also written to Andrew Davies AM, Minister for Economic Development and Transport, at the Welsh Assembly to urge the Assembly government to stump up the cash for better rail services for the Rhondda.

MP WELCOMES RHONDDA POLICE COMMUNITY SAFETY OFFICERS .... Top
(Issued November 10, 2004)

Chris Bryant, Member of Parliament for the Rhondda, has welcomed the Home Office’s plans for an increase in police community safety officers, and has called for more to come to the Rhondda. In Parliament on Tuesday, Bryant responded to the Home Secretary, David Blunkett’s statement on the future of the police service in England and Wales. He greeted the Rhondda’s five police community safety officers, whilst welcoming the additional officers that the Government are introducing over the next few years.

Chris Bryant did however call for constituencies like the Rhondda to get its fair share of support officers, and not for city centres to swallow a disproportionate number.

"I am glad the Government is going to increase the numbers of police community safety officers, with £50 million of new money delivering 2,000 new officers in the short term. They play an important part in Labour’s fight against crime, and will benefit the Rhondda enormously in combating anti-social behaviour. I am also delighted that the Government is committed to increasing the number from 4,000 to 25,000 over the coming years. When you add that to the record number of 140,000 police officers and 67,000 support staff, it's clear Labour takes crime and antisocial behaviour seriously. It is important though that the new officers don’t just go to city centres. The Rhondda needs more of these officers and I will press the Government to make sure that constituencies such as ours get them. We have five now - but a fair share of the 25,000 planned would be 38 locally.”