Helen Mary Jones

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For Helen Jones, Member of the British Parliament, please see Helen Jones.

Helen Mary Jones is a member of the National Assembly for Wales. She was born in Colchester, Essex, in 1960, and educated at Colchester County High School for Girls, Llanfair Caereinon High School in Powys and the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. She has taught in the special education field and has held various positions in youth, community and social work.

She is unusual in being an English-born person who is prominent in Plaid Cymru - The Party For Wales. Her political interests include environmental issues, social justice, equal opportunities, children's rights and employment.

She unsuccessfully contested the 1992 general election in Islwyn against the then leader of the Labour Party, Neil Kinnock, and the 1997 general election in Montgomeryshire. In 1999 she was elected to the new National Assembly for Wales for the constituency of Llanelli. Prior to being elected as AM for Llanelli she was Senior Development Manager with the Equal Opportunities Commission in Wales.

She was Shadow Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, and a member of the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee, the Equality of Opportunity Committee, the South West Wales Regional Committee and also a member of the Voluntary Sector Partnership during the first term of the National Assembly.

In the 2003 elections to the National Assembly she lost her constituency seat in Llanelli by just 21 votes, but was nevertheless elected for the Mid and West Wales "top-up" region. She is currently the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Planning and Countryside.

National Assembly for Wales
Preceded by (new post)	Assembly Member for Llanelli 1999-2003	Succeeded by Catherine Thomas
Preceded by N/A	Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales 2003 – present	Incumbent