Nick Smith is the Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent, elected on 6th May 2010, with the largest swing to Labour in the UK. In parliament Nick is Parliamentary Private Secretary to Douglas Alexander, the Shadow Foreign Secretary. He is also a member of the influential Public Accounts Committee, responsible for scrutinising government spending for value for money. Before entering Parliament he was Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Campaign Manager with the NSPCC, and Organiser for the Welsh Labour Party. Nick was brought up in Blaenau Gwent, going to Tredegar Comprehensive School. His family worked in the mining and steel industries. Nick has an MSc from Birkbeck College, and now lives in Nantyglo in his constituency.

An “extraordinary failure”

As the Public Accounts Committee in Westminster condemns an “extraordinary failure” at the Ministry of Defence, one of the Committee members explains why public money has been spent so unwisely

Elderly must be treated with dignity and respect by NHS and Social Care

On the day the House of Commons debates the Funding of Social Care, a leading Welsh MP explains why this is a vital issue for older people in particular

End profit before people

Residential care is a service most of us will have to use at some point in our lives, either for ourselves or our loved ones – and that’s why it needs to work in the interests of all, not just the greedy few

The real Blaenau Gwent

As the Eisteddfod starts in Blaenau Gwent, the new MP reflects on the economic challenges facing an area that has paid a harsh price during industrialisation and post-industrialisation

Locked up and locked out

Given the high public interest in crime, reducing offending is one of the real challenges in Welsh public policy. A recent conference in Cardiff outlined some new ideas – and put the health and education support needs of offenders centre stage