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News From Your Local MP

Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 10:54, Fri 3 September 2010:

WELCOME!

Here’s the latest edition of my regular newsletter. If you would prefer not to receive it in future, please respond to this email and I’ll remove you from my mailing list.

GCSE AND A-LEVEL RESULTS

I was pleased to learn of the improved GCSE and A-level results achieved by pupils across Bristol this year. Citywide, the A-level pass rate was up to 98%, and 73.3% of pupils taking GCSEs gained 5 or more at A*-C grade. I’m delighted that the hard work of our young people and teachers is paying off with these fantastic results. The previous Labour Government significantly increased investment in our education system, including new secondary school buildings, and these results are a great indication of the improvements that have been made.

TOUR OF SOUTH BRISTOL HOSPITAL BUILDING

I recently visited the site of the new South Bristol Hospital for a tour of the new buildings. I was very impressed with the progress that has been made with the building work so far this year. The hospital is really taking shape now – there’s lots of activity on site and Carillion, the construction firm managing the project, are intent on meeting their deadlines which should see the hospital opening in Spring 2012. I was delighted to learn that so many local firms are involved with the structural work, meaning lots of jobs for our community. It’s great that the project is proving so beneficial to our local economy here in Bristol. From a sustainability point of view I was very interested to find out that 85% of the waste from the building work is being recycled.

CHILD TRUST FUND

Regular readers of my newsletter may remember how concerned I was when the Coalition Government announced it was axing the Child Trust Fund. The fund, established by the Labour Government in 2002, gave a guaranteed payment of £250 to all children at birth, with a further payment on a child’s seventh birthday, and additional payments for children from poorer households and disabled children. The accounts, which could also be topped up by contributions from parents and relatives, could then be accessed on the child’s 18th birthday. When I heard that the Child Trust Fund was being abolished I wrote to raise my concerns with Treasury Ministers. I have recently received a very disappointing reply from the Treasury. Unfortunately it seems the Government is not prepared to reconsider this policy and instead is pressing ahead with its plans to end the Child Trust Fund by January next year. We all recognise the need to reduce public spending but this is a poor decision that will adversely affect young people, especially those from lower income families who are less likely to have an alternative savings account in place.

VISITING BRISTOL LINk

Along with Kerry McCarthy, MP for Bristol East, I was pleased to meet with representatives of Bristol Local Involvement Network (LINk). LINks have been set up all over the country to make sure that local people can have a say about how health services are run in their area. We had a wide ranging discussion focussed on the Government’s proposed reforms to the NHS. I believe that these reforms are costly, unwanted and unnecessary, and I will be passing on the comments that I received to the Health Minister.

THE PARK - 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

On Wednesday I went along to the 10 year anniversary of The Park Centre which is located on Daventry Road in Knowle. For those of you who don’t know, The Park is a local opportunity centre offering a range of activities and facilities for local residents, including a wide range of learning, business and leisure services and excellent sports facilities, as well as providing valuable office space for a variety of local organisations. I was very pleased to join with local residents and staff members to help celebrate The Park’s successes over the past ten years. More information about The Park is available on their website: www.theparkknowle.co.uk

ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any queries about these issues, or have a question you would like to ask about anything else, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Just email primarolod@parliament.uk, phone 0117 909 0063 or write to me at PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH.