Bethan Jenkins AC/AM South Wales West

Plaid Cymru Spokesperson on Child Poverty, Bethan Jenkins AM, has today criticised the UK Government’s Pre-Budget Report and claims the Government has missed yet another opportunity to reach it’s own Child Poverty targets.

The UK Government has promised to halve Child Poverty by 2010 and abolish Child Poverty by 2020. But Ms Jenkins has joined charities in concluding that the target could be missed by decades.

Speaking from the Senedd today, Ms Jenkins said:

“The incomes of poorest the 10 per cent have fallen by over 2 per cent in the last year and recent research shows that Child Poverty has actually risen for the first time in seven years – 100,000 children are estimated to have fallen into poverty last years.

“Charities hoped Alastair Darling would provide a £1 billion of funding to target financial help to low-income families in order to keep on course to halve Child Poverty by 2010. At this rate, that target won’t be met until 2024. This pre-Budget Report is yet another missed opportunity.

“The package announced in the Pre-Budget Report amounts to a meagre extra 48p a week for a child living in poverty.

“I support calls by Save the Children for real investment in maintenance and child tax credits as well as targeted assistance through seasonal grants to help families during periods of high costs such as help with winter fuel costs and support during summer holidays where no free school meals are available.

“The Chancellor has abandoned the most vulnerable in our communities. He can find cash to bail out the banks but helping the most vulnerable in society through the current economic crisis appears not to be high on his priority list.”

Plaid Cymru Spokesperson on Child Poverty, Bethan Jenkins AM, has today criticised the UK Government’s Pre-Budget Report and claims the Government has missed yet another opportunity to reach it’s own Child Poverty targets.

The UK Government has promised to halve Child Poverty by 2010 and abolish Child Poverty by 2020. But Ms Jenkins has joined charities in concluding that the target could be missed by decades.

Speaking from the Senedd today, Ms Jenkins said:

“The incomes of the poorest 10 per cent have fallen by over 2 per cent in the last year and recent research shows that Child Poverty has actually risen for the first time in seven years – 100,000 children are estimated to have fallen into poverty last years.

“Charities hoped Alastair Darling would provide a £1 billion of funding to target financial help to low-income families in order to keep on course to halve Child Poverty by 2010. At this rate, that target won’t be met until 2024. This pre-Budget Report is yet another missed opportunity.

“The package announced in the Pre-Budget Report amounts to a meagre extra 48p a week for a child living in poverty.

“I support calls by Save the Children for real investment in maintenance and child tax credits as well as targeted assistance through seasonal grants to help families during periods of high costs such as help with winter fuel costs and support during summer holidays where no free school meals are available.

“The Chancellor has abandoned the most vulnerable in our communities. He can find cash to bail out the banks but helping the most vulnerable in society through the current economic crisis appears not to be high on his priority list.”

ENDS

25/11/08

Before I was elected as an Assembly Member, I played a key role in the student movement in Wales in campaigning against the introduction of top-up fees for Welsh domiciled students. I am proud that the campaign was successful and that the second National Assembly defeated the Government of the day and ruled out top up fees in Wales. The decision was one of the highlights of the post devolution era. It proved that we could do things differently in Wales based on our collective values rather than the market led obsession of Westminster.

I fear that the recommendations of this statement, due to its Anglo-centric paradigm, could undermine this progress in Wales, as it could set a precedent that all future changes in England must result in similar changes in Wales. This has consequences if uncapped top up fees for the top 15 English universities are introduced following the review of the current system in England which will start next year. Will institutions like Cardiff, as part of the Russell group of Universities, insist on charging 5k, 10k, or 15k uncapped fees? Does anyone seriously believe that top up fees will be capped at the current level? The reality is that the acceptance of the key proposal to introduce top up fees could leave Welsh universities and students open to market forces – whereby educational advancement for many may well be determined by ability to pay and not academic ability.

This statement also appears to indicate confusion in the direction of the Welsh Assembly Government. On the one hand universality is promoted in policy areas such as free prescriptions and bus passes for the elderly, yet in the Higher Education sector the government is proposing to end the universality of the current fee grant system, concluding that a larger percentage of Welsh domiciled students will have to pay higher fees after 2011 based on means testing.

I hope that I will be able to work with colleagues in the party in responding to the Government’s consultation which will be announced shortly. I will be especially interested in looking at the idea of a debt write off for students, but as I have not seen the full details of the proposal yet, I will take part in discussion on this via the party’s main response mechanism to the Minister’s consultation. I will seek to ensure that we will not support any proposal that undermines our core principles.

On the 18th of November I attended a Flood Awareness event at the National Assembly for Wales.

Following more frequent flooding incidents, the three Fire and Rescue Services in Wales held a reception at the National Assembly for Wales to highlight their increasing rescue work and to raise awareness of their capabilities in the event of emergencies in and around water. The Minister for Environment and Sustainability was the keynote speaker.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service staff, supported by Mid & West and South Wales Fire and Rescue Services also gave a short presentation. There was also a practical demonstration of equipment and techniques used in fast water rescues, high volume pumping and the deployment of water rescue stretchers.

Here is a photo of me with two South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Staff at the event and a member of staff from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, Bethan Jenkins, has today 18/11/08 reacted angrily to news that popular football console game ‘FIFA 09’ does not include Wales as one of the teams listed.

Players of the game can choose to play as any of the other Home Nations but if a player chooses Wales, they are told that the selection is currently unavailable.

Speaking from the Senedd today, Ms Jenkins said:

“As people are getting their Christmas shopping done, many will find FIFA 09 an ideal gift for friends and relatives but there may be a lot of disappointed football fans on Christmas Day when they realise they can’t choose Wales as the nation they want to play for.”

“This is an unacceptable attitude from EA Sports. They cannot possibly justify including Northern Ireland, Scotland and England and leaving Wales out. They must rectify this or Welsh shoppers have every right to turn their back on all EA Sports products until they recognise Wales.”

Plaid Cymru spokesperson on Child Poverty, Bethan Jenkins AM, has today 17/11/08 visited the offices of Action for Children in Swansea.

Action for Children (formerly NCH), is a charity committed to helping the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK break through injustice, deprivation and inequality, so they can achieve their full potential. Action for Children is the leading UK provider of family and community centres, children’s services in rural areas, services for disabled children and their families, and services for young people leaving care.

Speaking from Swansea today, Ms Jenkins said:

“Action for Children play an invaluable role in empowering disadvantaged young people and their families. Visiting them in Swansea has enabled me to see at first hand how they are helping young people and children, providing support and opportunities.

“As Plaid’s spokesperson on Child Poverty, I was pleased to have the opportunity to talk to professionals on the front line about how government policy is effecting their work and also to re-iterate my calls on the UK Government to honour its own child poverty targets by investing the necessary resources. We cannot allow the Government to fail vulnerable children by not investing the estimated £3 billion extra required to reach child poverty targets.”

Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, Bethan Jenkins, has today 17/11/08 called on the public not to demonise young people, following research published by charity Barnardos showing more than half of the population believe UK children are “feral”.

Half of the 2,021 adults interviewed by YouGov for the research also felt children should be regarded as “dangerous”.

Speaking from Neath today, Ms Jenkins who is the Assembly’s youngest member said:

“Society must stop demonising young people. I am extremely concerned by the findings of this research and call on everyone to question their perceptions of young people.

“The truth is that we have record numbers of young people going to university, record numbers of young people achieving academically in schools and in relation to crime young people are more likely to by the victims of crime than other age groups.

“We must challenge the false perceptions that exist and celebrate the contribution of young people to our society.”

Following reports in this morning’s press that an increasing number of people are injecting themselves with an unlicensed tanning drug, Plaid AM for South Wales West, Bethan Jenkins, has urged people not to use the drug until more research is done.

Melanotan is still undergoing clinical trials but is sold illegally online and in salons and gyms, Newsbeat reports. It is a synthetic hormone which stimulates the body’s production of melanin, a substance that gives the skin its colour. Experts are worried that the long-term effects are not yet known.

Speaking from Neath today, Ms Jenkins said:

“According to the government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Melanotan has not yet been tested for its effectiveness or its safety. A major concern is that the manner in which this drug is administered through injections means that it is bypassing the body’s first level of defence.

“Until proper research is carried out, I would urge people not to use what remains after all, an illegal drug.”

Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, Bethan Jenkins, today 14/11/08 visited Penclawdd Primary School to meet with staff and pupils and to take part in their Children in Need events.

Speaking from Penclawdd Primary School, Ms Jenkins said:

“I was delighted to meet with staff and pupils at Penclawdd today to see the wonderful work being undertaken for Children in Need. It was great fun making an image of Pudsey Bear out of the children and the children and staff should be very proud of their efforts to raise money for what is a very worthy cause.”

ENDS

Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, Bethan Jenkins, launch the party’s new campaign Warming Wales: On Your Side this Winter. Plaid are calling for Gordon Brown to take immediate action on this issue so that Welsh households will be able to adequately heat their homes this winter. Many people in the Rhondda are currently struggling to make ends meet, and face the tough decision of either paying for heating or feeding their families this winter.

Plaid Cymru have launched a website – http://www.warmingwales.plaidcymru.org – to highlight the campaign. The website contains facts, ideas and useful contact numbers as well as a petition so that people can express their support for the campaign.

Speaking today, Ms Jenkins said:

“”The average Welsh family is paying a staggering £517 more for gas and £236 more for electricity than they were five years ago. Because of this, households are now facing some tough decisions this winter – either to go into debt or cut back significantly on other expenditures, such as food, in order to be able to heat their homes properly.

“Plaid Cymru wants Gordon Brown to take immediate action to help these families who are struggling. He needs to take on the energy companies, and impose a windfall tax on them. Similarly, he needs to put a stop to them charging higher rates on prepaid meter customers, compared to direct debit customers.”

ENDS