GAZETTE, APRIL 28: Candidates for the North Wiltshire constituency had the chance to give their views on a number of world issues as SARAH SINGLETON reports.

Global warming, world poverty and human rights were the hot topics at a public meeting with North Wiltshire's five parliamentary candidates in Chippenham on Sunday.

Around 130 people gathered at the meeting organised by Chippenham Churches Together and chaired by the Rev Simon Tatton-Brown.

James Gray, Conservative, joined independent candidate Philip Allnatt, Liberal Democrat Paul Fox, Labour's David Nash and Neil Dowdney for UKIP.

Dorothy Burbidge asked candidates what they would do about the problem of massive climate change brought about by global warming.

Mr Nash said the Labour government had done even better than the targets set out by the international Kyoto agreement on tackling climate change and said it had set a target of a 20 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2010.

He said: "We need to work hard to find ways to curb carbon emissions. The key thing is to talk to the US to get them back on board."

James Gray said the two great challenges ahead of the world are the environment and tackling third world poverty.

He said: "We have got to get the global environment right," he said. "Kyoto is very important. We need to get the US president on board and it is a shame the Government has not done that yet."

Mr Dowdney, UKIP, said Britain had to set a good example on reducing carbon emissions and individuals should help make their homes more energy efficient.

Paul Fox said he believed the prospect of global climate change was even more important than international terrorism and stressed the need for the US to sign up to Kyoto, along with China, Brazil and India. Locally he called for more recycling and better public transport. Philip Allnatt set out a radical programme in which he would make Britain energy self sufficient over a ten-year programme. He said new homes in Cocklebury Road to be environmentally friendly.

A member of the audience then challenged the candidates to pledge to spend as much money on fighting the war against poverty as the Labour Government had spent on the war in Iraq.

Mr Gray said he agreed with the thrust of the question and called for an increase in aid and fairer, freer trade.

Mr Fox said he didn't support the war in Iraq and said his party was committed to increasing aid to 0.7 per cent of GDP by 2011 at the latest, and he wanted to see poorer countries given greater power to compete with multinational corporations in world trade.

Mr Dowdney said EU trade tariffs were damaging poor countries to protect farmers in Europe. Philip Allnatt suggested the production of medicines should be nationalised and not patented, so cheap medicines would be made available to poor people all over the world.

Mr Nash highlighted the positive steps Gordon Brown had taken to lighten debt on some of the world's poorest countries.

Dr Alan Tucker of North Wiltshire Amnesty International asked the candidates if in the battle against international terrorism they supported the use of information that might have been extracted under torture. All the candidates voiced their opposition to this.

Hardenhuish student Gareth Spencer asked about university tuition fees and said many young people were afraid to apply for university courses because they feared incurring huge debts.

All the candidates, with the exception of Labour's David Nash, said they would abolish top-up fees and look for other ways of funding university education.

Mr Nash said universities needed more money. He said there were grants to help students from poorer families.

Other questions included Britain's duty to protect asylum seekers, whether Parliament could be wound down to give more power to regional assemblies, whether Turkey should be allowed to join the EU, and what each candidate would like churches in Chippenham to pray for.

The candidates agreed they would like churches to pray for everyone to vote on polling day and for the winner to make the best decisions as a member of parliament.

Mr Gray also made a personal and heartfelt plea for prayers for his wife Sarah, who he said had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The Rev Tatton-Brown said: "The candidates spoke positively and not negatively and with no waffling."