Betty Williams

Labour Party | Conwy

Parliamentary Report For Week Ending 21 March 2009

21 March 2009

The Customer Service Director of Jobcentre Plus, Wales and her team met us at Westminster to brief us on developments in Wales. We discussed their response to the Economic Downturn, their work with the Welsh Assembly Government and their working relationships with Members of Parliament. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wayne David MP arranged the meeting.

An Anglesey Day was held at the House of Commons. The event was to showcase the economic, social and cultural life on the island. Several companies, local government representatives and schoolchildren took part.

For many years, I have been involved with the RNIB's campaign for justice concerning Disability Living Allowance. This week, during the debate on the Welfare Reform Bill, the Secretary of State accepted our arguments about giving blind people the higher rate of the Allowance. This is excellent news and is long overdue. I had supported two Amendments to the Bill. The Amendments will bring about the necessary changes to the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

The following day, I was particularly pleased with the Government's response on another issue concerning people with eyesight problems. At Westminster Hall, I attended a debate about TV digital switchover and audio description (AD). My Labour colleague, the Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, initiated the debate.

AD is like a narrator telling a story, an additional commentary describing body language, expressions and movements that someone with sight loss would not be able to see. This makes the story clear through sound. The RNIB have led a campaign calling for an increase in the amount of AD from 10% to 20% in programmes on television. The Government has now agreed to the 20% target. Excellent news.

Five years ago, the Government set the percentage of programming that broadcasters have to audio describe at 10%. This is enshrined in the Communications Act 2003. The target was set after consultations with Ofcom who were then unconvinced that awareness and take-up of AD warranted a more challenging target. At that time, broadcasters agreed with Ofcom.

In 2008, the RNIB carried out a research about awareness of AD compared to two years previously. The results were revealing. Those of us who support the RNIB's campaign have used those results to persuade Government that a change is necessary.

Most broadcasters however deserve credit and praise for doing more than they are required to do by law. AD can make an enormous difference to people's lives. We are therefore asking broadcasters not to wait for Ofcom's recommendations but to make a commitment now to audio describe at least 20% of their output as soon as possible. Sky has promised to move to a 20% target voluntarily.

Reunite International is a charity helping families suffering from child abduction. I met their representatives at Westminster this week to discuss their recently published ‘Guide for Members of Parliament'. The pamphlet describes international parental child abduction, the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abductions, the Revised Brussels II Regulation and the situation concerning non-convention countries. The guest speakers were Gillian Merron MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Professor William Duncan, Permanent Bureau, Hague Secretariat on Private International Law.

I am a member of the Fibromyalgia All-Party Parliamentary Group. We met this week to discuss this debilitating health condition and heard from sufferers about their concerns. We need to change attitudes so that fibromyalgia is recognised, and is better dealt with by health professionals so that diagnosis and treatment can be improved. It is clear that further research is needed and properly funded.

The Department for Work and Pensions arranged an event to welcome back the Special Olympics Great Britain athletes from the 2009 Idaho World Winter Games.

Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) is a major provider of sporting opportunities for people with a learning disability and provides equality for all athletes regardless of ability or degree of disability. SOGB's programmes, across 135 clubs, currently provide sporting opportunities to over 8000 children and adults, but in reality there are a further 1.2 million people across Great Britain with a learning disability who currently may not have the opportunity to take part in sport at any level. SOGB are committed to increasing opportunities through the provision of new clubs and training more volunteers, to ensure that every person with a learning disability who wishes to take part in sport has the life changing opportunity.

I joined fellow parliamentarians on Tuesday to celebrate St Patrick's Day.