Julie Morgan MP

Daily Bulletin: Friday 30 March

Today, Julie is in the constituency.

Home Office reorganisation

Tony Blair has unveiled a number of changes to the way the criminal justice system is run. In a written ministerial statement, he has revealed that a new Ministry of Justice will be established. It will help to bring together management of the criminal justice system, meaning that once a suspect has been charged their journey through the courts, and if necessary prison and probation, can be managed seamlessly.

The National Offender Management Service, including the Prison and Probation Services, will move from the Home Office to the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 9 May, to form the new Ministry. You can read the full statement here.

Meanwhile, the Home Office will retain its other existing responsibilities, for policing, anti-social behaviour, overall crime reduction, in addition to its responsibilities for security and counter terrorism. There will be a strengthening of the role of the Home Secretary and the capabilities of his Department in facing the terrorist threat.

A new committee on security and terrorism is to be set up, and an Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism will be established within the Home Office.

The PM said: "Our counter-terrorism capabilities are among the best in the world. However, the continuing and growing threat from terrorism means that the Government must develop and improve its counter-terrorism and security capabilities, and its governance."

Plans to target offenders and extend reform to the criminal justice system were among a raft of measures unveiled by the PM in the second policy review paper this week.

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So proud of our Assembly achievements

This column appears in the Cardiff Post today.

It'll be election time again in just over a month's time. On Thursday, May 3, Wales will go to the polls again to elect members for the National Assembly for Wales.

In an age of cynicism about politics in both the media and, if we are to believe the reports, the general public at large, it's worth reflecting, I think, on all the good things that the National Assembly for Wales has done. Of course, as a Labour MP, I am very proud that such positive things have been achieved under Labour leadership.

Let's start with all the things that have become free over the last few years, thanks to the Welsh Assembly. Free prescriptions for everybody from April onwards; free bus travel for the disabled and over 60s; free school milk for five- to seven-year-olds; free nursing care in Welsh nursing homes; free breakfasts for primary schoolchildren; free swimming for pensioners and free swimming for schoolchildren during the school holidays in local council pools; free access to national museums in Wales.

I think these measures are tremendous steps forward — they benefit and open up opportunities for many people and are to be applauded.

In terms of public health, I am also very impressed with the great strides that have been taken by the Welsh Assembly. On April 2, I will wholeheartedly welcome the ban on smoking in all public places in Wales. In the NHS too, there is much to salute — health expenditure has nearly doubled since 1999, investment in new buildings and equipment is being trebled, seven new hospitals have been built or are on the way, there are over 8,000 more nurses and over 500 more consultants and waiting times are down.

Of course, there are some problems that are still outstanding, but I think if you ask most people, they cannot speak highly enough of the care they received in the NHS.

I could talk about how the Welsh Assembly has had a positive effect in many other areas. In education, for example, there are 1,700 more teachers and 5,700 more teaching assistants than in 1998, class sizes have been cut, standards have risen in all age groups and there are no top-up fees for Welsh students studying in Wales. Police-wise, working with the UK Government, we have record police numbers — 1,000 more offices in Wales since 1997 and this year, we should have a total of 700 Community Support Officers. 130,000 more people are in work in Wales than at the time of devolution. There has been £93 million in extra funding to boost recycling, investment in arts, culture and sport has grown to more than £150 million for the first time ... I could go on.

Reading the headlines, you may be forgiven for thinking that the Welsh Assembly has done very little. But this would be a mistake. Its work often gets overlooked and it is not given credit for positive things it has achieved — people think that they have "just happened".

Daily Bulletin: Thursday 29 March

Today, Julie is in London. The business will include oral questions to Chancellor Gordon Brown. The main business will be a motion on the Easter recess adjournment.

Iran

At PMQs yesterday, the Prime Minister condemned as “completely unacceptable, wrong and illegal” the detention of 15 British service personnel by Iran. He said it was time to increase the diplomatic and international pressure on Iran to release the UK service personnel, after the Ministry of Defence released map co-ordinates showing they were clearly in Iraqi waters when they were detained.

The PM said: “Our thoughts are with our servicemen and the servicewoman and their families and their safe return is our paramount concern. Those personnel were patrolling in Iraqi waters under a United Nations mandate. Their boarding and checking of the Indian merchant vessel was routine.

“There was no justification whatever for their detention. It was completely unacceptable, wrong and illegal. It is now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure in order to make sure the Iranian government understands their total isolation on this issue.”

Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Charles Style, said at a briefing: “HMS Cornwall with her boarding party was about her legitimate business, in Iraqi territorial waters under a UN Security Council resolution and with the explicit approval of the Iraqi government.”

He added: “The action by Iranian forces in arresting and detaining our people is unjustified and wrong. As such it is a matter of deep concern to us and the families of the people who have been taken. We continue not only to call for their safe, but for their safe and speedy return, and we continue to seek immediate consular access to them as a prelude to their release.”

Assembly elections

Labour in Wales have produced what Plaid Cymru has failed to — a properly costed analysis of nationalist spending commitments.

The nationalists have said their spending plans would cost £500 million a year. But in figures released today, Labour calculates the true figure of only two of Plaid Cymru's headline commitments at £854 million.

Labour will release full details of Plaid Cymru's spending black hole later in the Assembly campaign.

Labour Finance Minister and AM for Cardiff North Sue Essex said: "If Plaid Cymru won control of the National Assembly, it would lead to catastrophe for Welsh public services. This is the shambles of the nationalists, a party that would gut our public services to pay for their poorly thought out policy promises.”

Have we missed a story? Want to discuss these issues? Leave a comment below.

Daily Bulletin: Wednesday 28 March

Today, Julie is in London. The business will include oral questions to International Development Secretary Hilary Benn and Prime Minister Tony Blair. The main business will be motions relating to a Communications Allowance fund for MPs, as well as other House of Commons motions.

Policy review — crime, security and justice

Plans to target offenders and extend public services reform to the criminal justice system are among a raft of measures unveiled by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary today in the Policy Review paper "Building on Progress: Security, Crime and Justice".

Speaking at a major conference on public service delivery, new effective prevention measures were announced which would target the 100,000 criminals who commit half of all crime.

Under the plans, judges would be allowed to issue a prolific offender licence to limit what an offender can do, once released from prison. If broken, the offender could be arrested pending a court hearing where a Judge would be able to give punishments up to three years in jail.

Tony Blair said: "These measures are the best way to tackle the hard core of criminals. These people have serious problems and targeting the offender means taking those problems seriously. And we have proof that it works."

Other measures include ways to reduce red tape and give the police more control over their budgets.

Labour’s Home Secretary John Reid said: “Security, crime and justice are the issues that most concern the public. It is important we continue to build on past successes in this area with new ideas that will lead to a safer society.

"Crime is down by 35% since 1997 but there is no room for complacency. We know that criminals will continue to find new ways of breaking our laws and attempting to avoid justice, we need to be one step ahead ensuring that the most serious and persistent offenders are dealt with swiftly and efficiently."

Fear of violent crime is down 8% since the Tory years; the risk of being a victim of crime is down 12%; police numbers are up 11% and there are 10,906 new police Community Support Officers.

You can download the "Building on Progress" document here.

Britain destroys its chemical weapons of mass destruction

Britain has successfully destroyed its holdings of old chemical weapons, Labour’s Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram announced yesterday at the Imperial War Museum London.

To demonstrate that these weapons have been consigned to history, Ingram presented a commemorative chemical weapon shell from the Second World War to the Museum which will be included in its permanent collection.

The event means Britain has met its obligation under the Chemical Weapons Convention to destroy its holdings of old, unusable weapons by April 2007. In total, 3,812 old chemical weapons have been safely destroyed at a cost of £10 million. If further small quantities of such weapons are unearthed in the future, they too will be destroyed.

Britain gave up its offensive chemical weapons capability in the 1950s.

Adam Ingram said: "Today marks another landmark for our efforts to rid the world of these terrible weapons. We have met our obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and destroyed our old chemical weapons holdings ahead of schedule.”

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Daily Bulletin: Tuesday 27 March

Today, Julie is in London. The business will include questions to the Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander and Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly. The main business will be the emergency legislation on Northern Ireland, as well as the conclusion of the Budget debate.

Historic day in Northern Ireland

Devolved government is to return to Northern Ireland following an historic meeting between the leaders of the DUP and Sinn Fein.

Tony Blair hailed yesterday's DUP/Sinn Fein talks as an important day for the people and the history of our islands. He described the meeting between the Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams as “a remarkable coming together of people”.

Ian Paisley said: "Our goal has been to see devolution returned in a context where it can make a real, meaningful improvement in the lives of all the people of this part of the United Kingdom.

"On Saturday, the DUP executive overwhelmingly endorsed a motion committing our party to support and participate fully in government in May of this year — this is a binding resolution."

Gerry Adams said: "I believe the agreement reached between Sinn Fein and the DUP — including the unequivocal commitment made by their party executive and reiterated today — to the restoration of political institutions on 8 May marks the beginning of a new era of politics on this island," he said.

“The basis of the agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP follows Ian Paisley's unequivocal and welcome commitment to support and participate fully in the political institutions on 8 May."

Tony Blair said: “This is a very important day for the people of Northern Ireland, but also for the people and the history of these islands.

“In a sense, everything we have done over the last ten years has been a preparation for this moment, because the people of Northern Ireland have spoken through the election. They have said we want peace and power-sharing and the political leadership has then come in behind that and said we will deliver what people want.”

He went on: “What it does mean is people can come together, respecting each other's point of view and share power and make sure politics is only expressed through peaceful and democratic means.

“And in that it will give the people of Northern Ireland the future they want and give heart to all of us who have wanted this process over the past few years. Now at last we have a date certain for the devolution of power and a remarkable coming together of people who have, for very obvious reasons, been strongly opposed in the past.”

Blair condemns seizure of Navy personnel by Iran

Tony Blair has called the seizure of British sailors by Iran "unjustified and wrong," and rejects the claim that they strayed into Iranian waters.

Speaking to journalists in Berlin, he said he hoped the Iranian Government understood the "fundamental" nature of the issue.

"There is no doubt at all that these people were taken from a boat in Iraqi waters. It is simply not true that they went into Iranian territorial waters, and I hope the Iranian government understands how fundamental an issue this is for us.

"We have certainly sent the message back to them very clearly indeed. They should not be under any doubt at all about how seriously we regard this act, which is unjustified and wrong."

He said Britain hopes the situation can be resolved over the next few days, "but the quicker it is resolved, the easier it will be for all of us".

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Daily Bulletin: Monday 26 March

Today, Julie is in the constituency. The business in the House of Commons will include oral questions to Defence Secretary Des Browne. The main business will be the continuation of the Budget debate.

Human trafficking

The Home Office published the UK Human Trafficking Action Plan today as John Reid signed the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings. He did so on William Wilberforce's historic desk.

The action plan pulls together the work currently underway to tackle trafficking across Government and outlines new measures to help protect the victims of trafficking through improved support services, victim detection and increased awareness campaigns, while increasing enforcement activity and knowledge of the crime.

The purpose of the review is: 

• To identify what is known about trafficking to the UK for the purposes of labour exploitation
• To make recommendations, where appropriate, as to how to address any knowledge gaps

There is a lack of information on the scale of the problem, victim and perpetrator profiles, the long-term impacts and needs of victims and impacts of EU accession. The review also highlights the need for special consideration of children in terms of support and protection.
 
Labour has set up the UK Human Trafficking Centre which brings together the police, the CPS, SOCA and other agencies, to tackle human trafficking and to become a centre point for developing police expertise and co-ordination. The Centre is funded via SOCA and Reflex (which tackles organised immigration crime) with cash directed to UK police forces (£5.7m).

Gay rights

Tony Blair made a speech last week to Stonewall on his pride that Labour had introduced the right of gay people to have civil partnerships. He said the moves had had a civilising effect on our society.

He said: "By taking a stand on this issue and by removing a piece of prejudice and discrimination, and by enabling people to stand proud as what they are, it has had an impact that I think is far more profound on the way the country thinks about itself."

He praised Stonewall for its "fundamental" role in campaigning for gay rights, saying: "What actually matters enormously is that the people from the outside of politics that you are trying to do it with have a sufficient intelligence and sensitivity and what I call, which is really how I define the Stonewall campaigning, I define it as a polite determination."

The fact that all major political parties are now in favour of equality is a "fantastic thing", he said. 

"That is a sign of how much things have changed and actually we shouldn't be worried about that, whatever political party we are in, we should be actually glad of it, because it is a great achievement for our country."

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Tories accused of trivialising slavery

Anti-slavery activists and Welsh born descendents of African slaves expressed their outrage and shock today that Cardiff North Tory Assembly candidate Jonathan Morgan used the commemoration of the abolition of slavery campaign in a cheap political shot at Julie Morgan MP.

Jonathan Morgan, who is also a South Wales Central regional AM, criticised Julie Morgan MP in Monday’s Western Mail for advertising a volunteer part-time internship position in her constituency office after holding a public meeting on the slave trade.

Julie said: "This is a clear case of double standards. I find it incredible that Jonathan Morgan should criticise me for offering an internship when there is an intern from a North American student internship programme working for his colleague, fellow Tory AM, Alun Cairns.

"Will he publicly condemn his Assembly colleague? Or will he condemn Sir Malcolm Rifkin MP who is advertising the same position but with only 'some' expenses paid? Both of whom according to Jonathan Morgan's unprecedented attack on me must also be guilty of hypocrisy if they also condemn the slave trade. This is absurd."

The Cardiff North MP shared the outrage of the Welsh descendants of the African slave trade, adding: "We are all used to Tory mud-slinging and employing double standards, but what is most breathtaking about this deeply flawed and ill-thought attack is the comparison Jonathan Morgan attempts to make between the suffering of the slave trade and an unpaid part-time student internship.

"To compare a volunteer student's valuable work experience to the suffering of millions of Africans, forced into slavery during the slave trade, is despicable and the Welsh African community deserve an apology immediately.

"It was not long ago that David Cameron apologised on behalf of the Conservative party for their role in supporting the apartheid regime in South Africa for all those years, and only two weeks ago Patrick Mercer MP was forced from the Tory frontbench for trivialising racism in the army.

"I will take no lessons from the Tories on race relations."

Uzo Iwobi, chair of African Community Centre Wales, who spoke at the event, said: "Welsh-African descendants of the slave trade are campaigning tirelessly to commemorate the landmark decision of the British government to outlaw slavery in 1807 — but to have this historical injustice trivialised in this manner is deeply hurtful and I think he should apologise."

Glenys Kinnock MEP said: “Slavery still continues in many forms across the world. I find it astonishing that any political party would seek to use this very real and serious human rights issue for political gain in order to tarnish an MP with an exemplary record on advocating human rights worldwide.

"It is both outrageous and offensive to attack Julie Morgan in this way. She is one of the most honourable, caring and hard working MPs I have ever known."

Meanwhile, Julie's senior caseworker has responded in detail to Jonathan Morgan's ill-advised attack. Read his letter to the Western Mail here.

Daily Bulletin: Friday 23 March

Today, Julie is in Cardiff. The House of Commons will consider Private Members Bills.

Surgery

Julie will hold her next constituency surgery tomorrow from 10.15am to 11.15am at the constituency office — 17 Plasnewydd, Whitchurch. No appointment is necessary.

Headlines

Pakistan's cricket coach Bob Woolmer was strangled, say police; the current drug classification system is "not fit for purpose", scientists say; and anti-terrorism police have arrested three men in connection with the 7 July London bombings.

Politics

The Falklands War was "right", says Tony Blair; freed victims of human trafficking will be able to stay in the UK for at least 30 days, ministers say; and the Government is proud of its achievements on gay rights.

Weak daffodil Ieuan

Labour has slammed Plaid Cymru as it was revealed the nationalists have notched up over 400 votes with the Tories in the Welsh Assembly.

A document published by Labour in Wales reveals that since May 2005, Plaid Cymru has voted 407 times with the Tories. Labour condemned the "grubby backroom deal" between the parties and said it was time the nationalists owned up to their plan for a coalition with the Tories after the Assembly election.

In "The Life of Ieuan", Labour details nationalist and Tory deals made, amongst other things, to:

• Block record investment in public services in Assembly budgets
• Play games with tough new laws to combat crime and anti-social behaviour in two Queen's Speech debates
• Oppose record investment in the NHS capital investment programme
• Oppose the abolition of the quangos — initially supported by Plaid Cymru
• Hold up the governance of Wales by repeatedly opposing the Assembly's business

Labour Environment, Countryside and Planning Minister Carwyn Jones said: "This is the record that Plaid Cymru wants to hide from the people of Wales. It is the day-to-day disgrace of the nationalists working hand in hand with the Tories in the Assembly against the Labour Assembly Government. They have attempted to hinder progress and played silly political games with real issues.

"When the people of Wales see the voting record of Plaid Cymru they will be horrified. This record of shame proves that Ieuan Wyn Jones is not fit to lead our nation. He is not the next First Minister of Wales, he's a weak daffodil Tory."

Coalfield communities

More than 16,000 jobs have been created in former coalfield areas over the last ten years and 4,500 football pitches' worth of previously derelict contaminated land has been put back into use, new research shows.

A further six sites, from Kent to Tyneside, for regeneration, with additional new funding of £20m were also announced at the 6th National Coalfield Conference in Rotherham.

The research report confirms ten years of work and £374m of government investment via the National Coalfield Programme (NCP) and the Coalfield Regeneration Trust (CRT) who have turned round some of the most deprived areas of the country. Government investment has also pulled in private sector investment of £682.4m.

Labour’s Housing Minister, Yvette Cooper said: "The transformation of many of our coalfield areas has been dramatic. When the pits were closed many coalfield communities saw soaring unemployment and their communities were devastated.

"However, we still have work to do. Today six more sites, from Kent to Tyneside, will now become part of our regeneration programme, and a further £20m is going directly to the communities who need it most. And we will continue to support the coalfield communities to support themselves as they go forward in their new endeavours."

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Daily Bulletin: Thursday 22 March

Today, Julie is in the constituency. The business in the Commons will include oral questions to Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling. The main business will be the continuation of the Budget debate, opened today by Environment Secretary David Miliband.

Headlines

Talks with North Korea about its nuclear programme are close to collapse; a Shia militia leader once deemed a security threat meets Iraq's Prime Minister; and the EU is due to vote on 'open skies' reforms.

Politics

Gordon Brown defends his Budget; new gay equality laws are a "major step forward", says Ruth Kelly; and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell warns that new laws are a possibility if the TV quiz phone-in scandals are not adequately resolved.

A Budget for families and pensioners

This Budget sets out increases in spending on public services; increases education spending to its highest ever levels; reforms the tax system to reward work, support families with children, and takes 600,000 pensioners out of income tax.

Key announcements:

• Further support for families, by increasing the child element of the Child Tax Credit by £150 a year, over and above the commitment to increase it in line with earnings to the end of this Parliament. This raises the child element to £2,080 a year lifting 200,000 children out of poverty;
• Increasing the threshold for the Working Tax Credit by £1,200 to £6,420 to improve work incentives;
• So almost £2 billion extra is being invested in tax credits in this Budget;
• Child Benefit will rise in three stages to £20 per week increasing faster than inflation. Child Benefit which was £575 a year in 1997 will by 2010 be over £1,000;
• Education spending will rise to £90 billion by 2010-11 the highest ever level, increasing UK education spending from 4.7 per cent of GDP in 1997 to 5.6 per cent by 2010-11;
• An increase in pensioner tax allowances taking 600,000 pensioners out of paying income tax;
• The basic rate of income tax cut from 22 pence to 20 pence from April 2008 with the 10 pence starting rate removed;
• Simplifying the tax system by aligning the upper earnings limit for national insurance with the higher rate threshold and over indexing both to avoid people losing out
• The headline corporate tax rate will be cut from 30 per cent to 28 per cent from April 2008 together with other significant reforms to the corporate tax system;
• Measures to encourage energy efficiency and tackle climate change including an increase in fuel duty rates from 1 October 2007; and increasing Vehicle Excise Duty on the most polluting cars, while cutting it for the less polluting;
• Extending the Financial Assistance scheme from its present budget of £2 billion to a total of £8 billion so that every one of the 125,000 workers will now receive help. Reporting later this year we will investigate, in full, the assets within the affected schemes and how we can use them further to support affected pensions.
• An updated economic forecast, which shows that the UK economy is stable and growing, and that the Government is meeting its strict fiscal rules for sound public finances over the economic cycle.

You can read the full text of the Budget speech here.

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Budget 2007

Gordon Brown has delivered his 11th Budget. Here are the headlines:

• Further support for families, by increasing the child element of the Child Tax Credit by £150 a year
• Increasing the threshold for the Working Families Tax Credit by £1,200 to £6,420 to improve work incentives
• Child benefit rising in three stages to £20 per week— by 2010 this will mean over £1,000 a year
• Education spending will rise to £90 billion by 2010-11 — the highest ever level
• An increase in pensioner tax allowances, taking 600,000 pensioners out of paying income tax
• Basic rate of income tax cut by 2p from April 2008
• Corporation tax cut by 2p from April 2008

Most important for me, though, was the news that increased resources will be put into the Financial Assistance Scheme, with the budget increasing from £2 billion to £8 billion. This means that everyone should receive at least some help. Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton will be announcing further details shortly — I will keep constituents updated . . .