HC Deb 31 January 2001 vol 362 cc241-2W
19. Mr. Alan W. Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the level of social exclusion in Wales. [146540]

Mr. Hanson

The National Assembly for Wales published a reported entitled "Mapping social exclusion in Wales", 1999 Edition. The report contains 50 indicators related to aspects of social exclusion and maps their concentration across Wales. Copies of the report are available in the Library of the House.

In December, the National Assembly published a consultation paper entitled "Regenerating Our Most Disadvantaged Communities, Communities First". Copies of the consultation paper will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as possible.

In addition, the Welsh Affairs Committee published a report on social exclusion in Wales on 15 January. The report acknowledged that social exclusion affects people of many different kinds and that it is not unique to Wales; it is a fact of life across the United Kingdom.

This Government are committed to tackling social exclusion and I welcome the high priority that the National Assembly places on bridging the gap between the most deprived communities in Wales and the more affluent ones.