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Why won't Brian Gibbons meet CymruX?

Cymru X's new Executive Committee wrote to Brian Gibbons AM, Labour Health Minister in October 2005 requesting a meeting about the high rates of sexually transmitted diseases in Wales, but Brian Gibbons has failed to answer after 8 months! This is totally unacceptable given how important the issue of safe sex is to young people.Why won't Brian Gibbons answer a Youth Movement who is campaigning on this important issue?

the letter.............. 

18 October 2005 Dear Minister, As Officers of the newly elected Executive of Cymru X Young Plaid Cymru Ifanc we are writing to you to highlight our concern about the latest figures we have seen from Rhondda Cynon Taff local health board, which show that sexually transmitted infections are rising dramatically in the Valleys. As young people, this issue is of utmost importance to us, and we are set to launch a campaign to ensure that sexual health services are better funded, and are prioritised by the Labour Government at the National Assembly.

 Local GUM (Genito-Urinary Medicine) clinics covering RCT, Merthyr and Bridgend have reported an 800% increase in diagnosis of sexually transmitted disease between 1998 and 2002, compared to an 87% rise across Wales. Chlamydia has increased by 70% compared to an all Wales average of 53% and local studies say that approximately ten to twelve per cent of young people attending local family planning clinics are infected with Chlamydia.  

The figures also reveal that Rhondda Cynon Taff has the highest rate of teenage conceptions in Wales at 63.1 per 1000 under 18 year olds compared to the Welsh average of 45.7 per 1000. We have been told that the referral rate for terminations has increased by 22% between 2003 and 2004 and that approximately one fifth of those presenting themselves at clinics have had one previous termination. 

The Welsh Assembly Government has a target of getting an initial appointment at a GUM within 48 hours, but demand locally well exceeds capacity. Approximately half will not be offered an appointment and for those who get an appointment waiting times are typically several weeks unless identified as an emergency -   there are no open access GUM clinics locally. 

As a group, we have contacted many Local Health Boards and providers of Sexual Health Services in Wales who maintain that services will not be developed due to lack of funding. Regardless of the hard work that is done on a local level, many  workers feel disillusioned as they have seen little support in the promotion of Sexual Health Services in Wales. In 1997, the Labour Government at Westminster in fact de- prioritised Sexual Health Services, and we believe that this has played a large part in the severe rise in sexual diseases in many parts of Wales.  

In accordance to this, Students Unions are suffering due to lack of funding within their Welfare departments. This means that they are struggling to provide free contraception for students and free pregnancy tests. This is unacceptable and we believe that you, as the Health Minister at the Welsh Assembly should be pushing to provide more funding for such essential services. This is not the sole responsibility of the Local Health Boards, but it is the Labour Government’s responsibility first and foremost to tackle these issues, and we want to see changes now. 

We would like you to outline any plans you have to tackle this situation in Wales, and would like to request a meeting with yourself as a group to discuss this matter in greater detail. 

Yours,   

Cymru X Young Plaid Cymru Executive Committee

If you want to support Cymru X please do so by writing a letter to Brian Gibbons, asking why he has not met with Cymru X to discuss the issue of the rise in sexually transmitted diseases amongst young people. Write to Brian Gibbons AM, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, CF99 1NA or email brian.gibbons@wales.gov.uk