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Newsletter March 2012

Posted by Margot James, MP for Stourbridge, at 16:25, Fri 2 March 2012:

Dear Subscriber,

Employers have, since I can remember, complained about the schools not equipping young people for the workplace. At a meeting with local Colleges that take students from the age of sixteen I was concerned to hear about the investment they have to make in teaching literacy and numeracy. It is well known that some young people are leaving school unable to read and write. But what was particularly surprising was that the young people attending these remedial courses had passed GCSEs in English and Maths with a grade C and in some cases a grade B.

When ministers and other experts tell us that exam standards have fallen significantly over the last decade and more they are certainly not making it up. There is a review of the National Curriculum and the exam system which will result in less coursework, fewer resits, a greater emphasis on the final exam and most important of all the quality of teaching. In primary schools I have visited recently there has been more teaching of literacy using phonics. I have no doubt these changes will all improve standards.

--Parliamentary Activity and letters to Ministers--

Benefits: I spoke in the House to defend the Government’s benefits cap policy. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120201/debtext/120201-0002.htm#12020160005344

Health: I asked the minister to ensure that private income is used by NHS hospitals to improve services for NHS patients. http://www.margotjames.com/21022012_private_health_care

Trade: I met with Lord Green, Trade Minister, to discuss a series of seminars for businesses.

Foreign Affairs: I paid tribute to Marie Colvin, the incredible Sunday Times war correspondent who was tragically killed in Homs and called for a debate in Parliament on the terrible situation in Syria. http://www.margotjames.com/23022012_syria

Policing: I raised my concerns over new guidance which prevents the police from checking prospective council tenants. http://www.margotjames.com/06022012_police_tenant_checks

Economy: I spoke about access to finance for businesses. http://www.margotjames.com/node/1208

Prisons: I asked ministers to ensure that the new body responsible for drug rehabilitation in prisons has a focus on reducing reoffending rates. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120201/text/120201w0002.htm#12020185003310 I wrote to the following ministers; Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, regarding support for victims of violent or sexual abuse.

George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, on behalf of a constituent who must buy insurance to cover the potential costs of an archaic tax.

Theresa Villiers, Transport Minister, to raise a constituent’s concerns about regulation of travel agents.

Lord Green, Trade Minister, on behalf of a local company who needed help securing an export guarantee.

Grant Shapps, Minister for Housing, regarding police checks on prospectivelocal authority tenants.

Norman Baker, Transport Minister, regarding new rules on advertising traffic orders.

Lord Hill, Education Minister, to raise my constituent’s concerns over an Ofsted consultation.

Maria Miller, Minister for Disabled People, to ask her to intervene on behalf of a constituent who is facing delays in a benefits decision.

--Meetings and Briefings--

Age UK and the Local Government Association (LGA) held a seminar on social care that I chaired. I also hosted and spoke at a reception in Parliament for Carers UK. The LGA launched a campaign to encourage more people to become local councillors: I hosted their launch reception in Parliament and I spoke at an event in the West Midlands for women and people from ethnic minorities interested in becoming councillors.

I had a meeting with the Attorney General inspired by a woman who came to my surgery. I reported on evidence I have which casts doubt on the way medical records are disclosed to the defence in crimes of rape and sexual assault. The Attorney General will investigate.

I attended a very good meeting of the All Party Group on Metal Theft, chaired by my Dudley colleague Chris Kelly MP.

I shared my experience as a mentor for young people in business at a meeting with Virgin to discuss their Youth Investment Scheme. The Business Innovations & Skills select committee, on which I sit, started an inquiry into apprenticeships, completed an inquiry in to insolvency and got in to a debate over the candidate to head up the Office for Fair Access (to our top universities), Professor Ebdon.

I was busy with my work promoting exports as follows:

Meeting the Federation of Small Business, the EEF Manufacturers Association, and the British Chambers of Commerce to get their support for our campaign to help medium sized companies to export.

Supporting the minister in a debate on trade and exports. Meeting the Chief Executive of UK Export Finance.

Helping my MP colleagues to set up trade meetings for businesses in their constituencies.

--Media--

I was a guest on Andrew Marr’s ‘Start the Week’ on Radio 4 discussing the future of Conservatism. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01bldpl/Start_the_Week_Conservatism_Peter_Hitchens_Margot_James_Douglas_Murray_and_Thomas_Frank/

Also on Radio 4 I took part in a discussion about medicine shortages on ‘You and Yours’. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b9h77#p00nq559

I went on Sunday Politics West Midlands to talk about the Health and Care bill and also talked to Radio WM about the new report in to improving care of older people in hospitals. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01cbmxt/Sunday_Politics_West_Midlands_26_02_2012/ --Out and About in Stourbridge--

Along with many others: constituents, friends, and most of all her wonderful family, I was very saddened by the death of Cllr. Margaret Cowell who carried on with her work in spite of illness and was an inspiration to us all. We will all miss Margaret very much indeed.

I met the CEO of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and the regional director of UK Trade & Investment.

I attended a meeting of the Stourbridge Conservative Association Executive and have been out campaigning with our local councillors who are standing for election in May.

Dudley South Conservatives held a very good dinner with guest Jeremy Hunt, Cabinet Minister for Culture, Media and Sport.

I visited Redhill School for a meeting with the Head Teacher following the very successful Ofsted visit which raised the status of the school to ‘Outstanding’.

I held two advice surgeries.

--It wasn’t all work--

Parliament was in recess for a week so that gave me a chance to see a couple of exhibitions. I went to the Royal Gallery at Buckingham Palace for the first time to see “Heart of the Great Unknown,” an exhibition of photography from Scott’s expedition to the Antarctic. I joined colleagues from Parliament on a visit to see the incredible exhibition of work by David Hockney at the Royal Academy. If you love the English Countryside this is really wonderful, and if you can’t get to the exhibition Andrew Marr presented an excellent programme on the work in conversation with David Hockney on February 17th(BBC2) that you can catch on ‘Watch again’.

Back to politics I attended a very interesting lecture given by Alistair Darling courtesy of the Speaker. And there was a dinner for Conservative MPs at which one of the more brilliant members elected in 2010, Jacob Rees-Mogg, gave a memorable and very funny speech.

It was my great niece Poppy’s first real birthday at the age of four... she was a leap year baby. She came to stay for a weekend with her little sister and parents Rupert and Laura which was very enjoyable.

Jay brought her parents to lunch at the House of Commons which was lovely. I was also delighted to attend a dinner for Gail Steele’s 60th birthday at the River Cafe, the restaurant where Jamie Oliver started his career.

Best wishes

Margot

www.margotjames.com