The House of Commons voted last week 498 to 114 to approve the Second Reading of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. It was with conflated feelings that many Labour MPs who campaigned to remain voted to allow the Government to trigger Article 50.

I support Islwyn Labour MP Chris Evans who voted in line with the majority of our constituents in Islwyn.

In the National Assembly for Wales we will be debating the Welsh Government’s White Paper entitled Brexit: Securing Wales’ Future? The Welsh Labour Government is committed to ensuring Wales remains an outward looking and engaged player on the European stage post-Brexit.

The First Minister has constantly stated Wales’ desire to work with partners in Wales, across the UK and across Europe to secure a prosperous future for Wales and a continued positive relationship with Europe. That must be our goal.

I met with the Operations Director from Arriva Trains Wales in the Senedd recently. I raised with him the continued overcrowding on peak time services on the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff services. In total, Arriva Trains Wales made £133,88 million in dividends for its parent company after taking over the franchise to run the Wales and Border Train services in December 2003.

It held £70 million in the bank at the time it filed its last accounts. I do not believe that a company with £70 million is incapable of increasing capacity on the line.

The existing franchise comes to an end in October 2018. That is an agonising twenty months away. My constituents are fearful that during the forthcoming Six Nations they will again be stuck on railway stations in Newbridge, Crosskeys, Risca & Pontymister as the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff service is already full to capacity at Ebbw Vale!

An interim solution to increase capacity on the line needs to be found before the new franchise is awarded. I know that the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Ken Skates is on the passengers’ side and expects more from Arriva. I am meeting shortly with the Managing Director of Arriva Trains Wales and I shall be writing to the UK Transport Minister Chris Grayling to ascertain what the UK Government is doing to source carriages that Arriva Trains Wales can lease from the UK rail network.

February sees the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) History month which I shall be supporting. The overall aim of LGBT History month is to promote equality and diversity for the benefit of the public.