BBC News Online: UK: Wales

MPs probe poverty in Wales

Villagers at Llanelly Hill in Monmouthshire say they will tell the MPs they need more public transport - though an action group has successfully tackled many of the problems already.

Llanelly Hill is typical of many former mining villages in Wales which suffer from isolation and a dwindling population.

With a population of about 600, the village high on a hillside overlooks Brynmawr on one side and Abergavenny on the other - and with only one bus a day, getting to either town is difficult for those who do not drive.
An action group has succeeded in attracting European and council funds to renovate the village hall.

Last year the post office housed in a revamped cargo container was re-opened.

The MPs have already been to north Wales and will visit another south Wales village - Blaenllechau - on the trip.

However, Assembly First Secretary Rhodri Morgan has already urged other politicians to drop social exclusion as a description.

He said that what they should be tackling was "poverty, pure and simple".