April 2009
I believe one of my most important duties as a Member of Parliament is to speak up for and pay tribute to all of my constituents who give their lives to ensure our safety, at home and abroad. Recently, one such constituent, literally, gave his life: Corporal Dean John of Port Talbot was killed serving in Afghanistan. Dean, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, served with the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, known as the Welsh Cavalry.
I was able to pay tribute to Dean on the floor of the House of Commons during Prime Minster’s Question Time. I felt it was also important for me to meet recently in Parliament representatives of the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) which is part of the Ministry of Defence.
The SPVA provides professional ‘through life’ support services direct to 900,000 serving and ex-serving personnel. It also provides support for 4.8 million other veterans, widows, widowers and dependents. Information can be obtained for free help and advice on 0800 169 2277 or http://www.veterans-uk.info.
Nearer home, I paid tribute to our local fire-fighters for taking control of the major fire on the Baglan Industrial Park. When I visited the scene of the fire I was able to thank Mr Steve Gamble, Crew Manager of the Port Talbot White Watch and asked him to convey my thanks to all his colleagues on behalf of the thousands of residents who live in the immediate neighbourhood.
Later the same day I visited Superintendent Julian Williams to thank him for the vital back-up provided by the South Wales Police.
I shall be meeting very soon Chief Fire Officer Richard Smith of the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority to discuss the safety arrangements for all our industrial enterprises across the constituency, particularly those near to major centres of population.
The armed services, the fire and rescue authority and the police are all committed professionals to whom we all owe a great debt. And this equally applies to our dedicated local teaching profession. I was privileged to see an example of this when I witnessed an outstanding and enthusiastic performance of the musical ‘We Will Rock You’ at Dyffryn School.
Councillor John Rogers often tells me we have the best schools and the best teachers in Wales – and I agree with him. Miss Caroline Michael and Mr Stephen Dunn led a team of teaching staff to produce remarkable performances by their pupils, many of whom will I am sure reach the West End.
I am sure too that Sandfields’ performance of ‘Disco Inferno’ which I am about to see will be equally impressive.
In April we shall be celebrating the tenth birthday of the Labour Government’s introduction of the National Minimum Wage. More than a million workers have benefited, two thirds of them women. I am supporting the campaign to defend it and to improve it by for example ending age discrimination, including apprentices, increasing it and enforcing it properly.
Many national organisations with local branches are supporting this campaign, including the National Union of Students, the YWCA and Unison; I am proud to support them and I hope you will too.
