Martyn Jones

MARTYN JONES MP RAISES £172 FOR MACMILLAN CANCER RELIEF FUND

Clwyd South MP, Martyn Jones MP recently raised £172 for the MacMillan Cancer Relief Fund by hosting one of hundreds of the "World's Biggest Coffee Morning" events held throughout the UK.
The money was raised at a coffee morning held at Martyn's Johnstown Constituency Office on Friday 24th September 2004.

It was the third consecutive year that Martyn has hosted the event."

Dormant accounts - a blank cheque for banks and building societies!

MARTYN JONES MP is currently campaigning to persuade the Government to actover the issue of dormant accounts. He believes that charities and communitygroups throughout the UK should benefit from a multi-billion pound'windfall' from money currently residing in dormant accounts and intestateestates that cannot be traced to their rightful owners.

Currently, banks, building societies, credit unions and the Post Office areentitled to make use of funds contained within such accounts for their ownbenefit.

Martyn Jones MP believes the time has come for this practice to end.

A dormant bank account is defined as an account where no transactions -withdrawals or deposits - have taken place for at least a year.

Estimates on the amount of money currently residing in dormant accounts inthe UK, range from £2 billion to £20 billion pounds.

Martyn Jones believes the Government should follow the example of othercountries - most notably Ireland - in taking a radical new approach towardsdormant accounts, by seizing the money and appointing an independent Boardof Trustees to distribute the money to local community and charitablegroups.

Martyn Jones' work on dormant accounts in Parliament to date has been:

* A Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate (14th November 2001)

Click here for text of Martyn Jones MP's Adjournment Debate

* A series of Written Parliamentary Questions to HM Treasury(January 2003)

In a recent letter to Martyn Jones, HM Treasury estimate that between £2billion and £4 billion reside in dormant accounts in banks alone.

Martyn believes this is a gross underestimate.

In the same letter HM Treasury's admitted that there was no standarddefinition of a dormant account in the UK. In other words, banks, buildingsocieties, credit unions and the Post Office can do what they like withdormant money, as there is no definition in place!

Martyn he wants the Government to introduce legislation similar to thatrecently enacted in Ireland, by which money is transferred from dormantaccounts and intestate estates an independently managed dormant accountsfund for use by good causes. Irish law stipulates that if owners of accountsthat have been dormant for 15 years or more do not come forward to reclaimtheir moneys, the balance of those accounts will be transferred directly tothe dormant accounts fund, which is managed by a Government-appointed boardof trustees who distribute the money to local community and charitablegroups and societal initiatives.

Commenting on his campaign, MARTYN JONES MP said:

"I believe the time has now come for the Government to look closely at thevast amounts of money that are lying in dormant accounts. It is scandalousthat high-street banks and building societies can use this money as if itbelonged to them. If the account is dormant - and has remained so for someconsiderable period of time - then that money should be used for charitableor community use."

If you are trying to trace an old building societies account, the Building Societies Association dormant account scheme may be able to help you. To find out more about the scheme, visit the following link:http://www.bsa.org.uk/SearchableInfo/Publications/DormantAccount.pdf

Llangollen to become first Eurozone in the UK!

The Clwyd South town of LLANGOLLEN is set to make history this summer bybecoming the first town in the United Kingdom to declare itself a Eurozonewhen it makes the Euro a valid currency in shops, pubs and restaurants.

The temporary Eurozone will come into operation to coincide with the 56thInternational Musical Eisteddfod which will take place in Llangollen betweenTuesday 9th July and Sunday 14th July 2002.

The Eurozone idea is the 'brainchild' of local MP, MARTYN JONES.

Llangollen is situated on the banks of the River Dee in North Wales. EveryJuly since 1947, the small market town welcomes the world when it hosts thefamous International Musical Eisteddfod.The festival attracts over 6,500 competitors representing some 47 countrieswith an enthusiastic audience of nearly 100,000 attending performancesthroughout the week-long event.

When visitors and competitors from current Eurozone countries descend on thetown during Eisteddfod week, the Euro will be openly accepted as payment andcurrency in all participating shops, restaurants and pubs in the town.

The Llangollen Eurozone enjoys the support of the Llangollen Chamber ofTrade, Llangollen Tourism Association, Denbighshire County Council and theorganisers of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Commenting on his Eurozone idea, MARTYN JONES MP said:

"Since the Euro was introduced in the rest of Europe at the start of theyear, it became obvious to me that Llangollen could benefit greatly fromsimply throwing its doors open to the new currency during Eisteddfod week.

"The Llangollen Eurozone will make life considerably easier for visitors asthey will not have to face the inconvenience of changing currency when theyarrive in the town.

"I am delighted at the response of local partners in the town - theEisteddfod organisers, the trade and tourist organisations, DenbighshireCounty Council and the high street banks have all worked swiftly to bringthe Eurozone into fruition.

"We want the message to go out across Europe - the Llangollen Eurozone isready for business!"

The Llangollen International Eisteddfod website can be found at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

The Campaign to save Wrexham Lager - the latest!

The Campaign to preserve Wrexham Lager centres around Carlsberg-Tetley'sdecision to close the Wrexham Lager Beer Company in April 2000. Since thenthe lager has been brewed in Blackburn and latterly in Leeds.

Wrexham Lager Beer Company is the oldest lager brewery in the United Kingdomand has enjoyed a proud brewing tradition since 1882.

Following protracted negotiations, it was announced on 20th February 2002,that Carlsberg-Tetley and Martyn Jones MP had reached agreement with overthe future of Wrexham Lager.

When brewing ends in the 2005, Carlsberg-Tetley will sell the brand intoTrust under the care of Martyn Jones, for a nominal sum, in order to sustainthe brand's future.

In making the announcement, Carlsberg-Tetley Chief Executive, Colin Povey,said:

"All credit should go to Martyn Jones for his determination to keep theWrexham lager project alive. I wish him success in his search for newbackers, to help develop a viable business plan."

Martyn Jones MP added:

"I welcome Carlsberg-Tetley's commitment towards ensuring that thiscornerstone of Britain's lager brewing heritage can survive."

"This agreement will provide Wrexham Lager with vital breathing space, as itoffers the brand the possibility of continuing into the future under newownership."

"I will be actively seeking a new brewer - preferably with local connections- to offer Wrexham Lager the possibility of a new beginning."

Wednesday 20th February 2002