E-mail from David Lidington
Posted by David Lidington, MP for Aylesbury, at 14:20, Fri 3 November 2006:
Welcome to my update on my work as an MP
This month has been dominated by health cuts in Bucks. On Wednesday 18 October, I spoke in a Parliamentary debate on the NHS in Bucks. I drew on my recent meetings with local managers and doctors to ask Ministers why we receive so much less money than the rest of the country, forcing local trusts to withdraw core services that are provided automatically in other counties. You can read the whole debate at http://www.davidlidington.co.uk/issueshow.asp?ref=19.
As well as my meetings with local doctors, I have held a series of meetings with the local and national leadership of the Royal College of Nursing to hear about the effects the cuts will have the nursing profession.
The Bucks Herald has given me their 2,000-signature petition to save health services, which I plan to present to Parliament as soon as possible.
I was also delighted to open the community health fair at Aylesbury’s Multicultural Centre on 27 October.
The other important issue that has reared its head recently is the future of the Post Office network. Tony Blair has failed to guarantee the future of rural Post Office branches and sub-postmasters from Wendover and Prestwood visited me in Westminster to oppose any closures. The cross-party Trade and Industry Committee published a report on 30 October criticising the Government and highlighting the importance of Post Office branches to local communities and I have assured local residents and postmasters that I will oppose any attempts to close more branches in my constituency.
In Northern Ireland, the talks in Scotland produced the St Andrews Agreement, which is an important step forward in attempts to revive the Northern Ireland Assembly. The DUP and Sinn Fein now have to decide whether to sign up to it.
During my visit to Belfast with David Cameron last week, we saw the police’s training centre at Garnerfield and Mr Cameron then spoke at a lunch organised by the Institute of Directors. We also met the sisters of Robert McCartney, a Catholic who is believed to have been murdered by members of the IRA last January.
For more information on my work as an MP, please visit www.davidlidington.co.uk. If you would like to tell me what you think about local issues, please feel free to complete the short polls at www.telldavid.com.
Please do use the HearFromYourMP website to post your comments on my work or thoughts, as I am always grateful for feedback from local residents.
David Lidington
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