THE UK Youth Parliament members for Ceredigion have been taken on a tour of the House of Commons by the county’s MP.
On 13 June, Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron pupil Aled Lewis, who is the member of Youth Parliament for Ceredigion, and Ifan Meredith, a pupil at Ysgol Bro Pedr and chair of Ceredigion Youth Council, travelled to London to meet Ceredigion MP Ben Lake.
The visit included a tour around Westminster from Ben Lake, a question-and-answer session, meeting staff and other MPs, and an opportunity to sit in the viewing gallery and listen to debates that were happening in the chamber.
The opportunity enabled them to learn about the history of the Palace of Westminster, the work of UK Parliament and how the various working spaces visited are used. It was also aimed at imbuing the youngsters who visited with an understanding of how important is it to get young people involved and engaged with the democratic process.
Mr Lewis said: “I am grateful for such an amazing and inspiring opportunity to gain an insight into the work life of a Member of Parliament as well as to learn about the history of Westminster and to see a debate first hand.”
Mr Meredith said: “It was a pleasure to meet Ben Lake in Parliament whilst it was in session as well as travelling around buildings of political significance in Whitehall and Downing Street. I enjoyed seeing how parliamentary business works behind the scenes and MPs jobs outside the chamber.”