Queen's Speech
Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 09:37, Mon 15 December 2008:
Welcome!
Here’s the latest edition of my regular newsletter.
QUEEN'S SPEECH
I recently attended the Queen’s Speech, which marks the start of the Parliamentary Year. The Government set out proposals on how to tackle the current economic situation, as well as a range of other legislation. Plans outlined in the Queen’s Speech include:
• Support for home-owners to stay in their homes during the economic slow-down. There’s more on this issue later in my newsletter.
• A Health Bill, to ensure patients are provided with better information, backed by the NHS’s first constitution.
• Legislation to help us meet our target to eliminate child poverty in Britain by 2020.
• An easier way to save, through Saving Gateway Accounts. These new accounts will be run by organisations like the post office, credit unions, banks and building societies – and the Government will contribute up to £300 to help kick-start a saving habit.
• Proposals to reform the welfare system, with more support to get back to work, and the end of people being ‘written off.’
You can find more information on the Queen’s Speech, with a summary of each bill, at my website: www.bristolsouthlabourparty.org.uk.
CHILD PROTECTION
Keeping vulnerable children safe is one of Bristol City Council’s most essential duties. We all need to learn lessons from the Baby P case, and I know from the amount of post I have received how concerned people in Bristol South were about the tragic and appalling events in Haringey. I was very concerned to learn recently that two of Bristol City Council’s Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) have been judged as inadequate by Ofsted. SCRs take place where children and young people are seriously hurt or killed. I have raised this issue urgently with the Director of Children and Young People’s Services at Bristol City Council. I am pleased that all political parties on the city council have pledged to co-operate on an issue which completely transcends traditional party divides. CONGRATULATIONS TO ILMINSTER AVENUE PRIMARY SCHOOL!
Well done to everyone at Ilminster Avenue Primary School, which has been removed from special measures by OFSTED. This shows that the school has made a marked improvement, and no longer requires intense monitoring and inspection from OFSTED, although the school will, of course, be given assistance to improve further. Congratulations to Headteacher Margaret Powell, along with all of the teachers, staff, governors, parents and pupils who have made these improvements possible.
HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS
The Government has announced a new Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme which will help people stay in their home if they suffer a significant and temporary loss of income as a result of the economic downturn. The new scheme will help to ensure that no ordinary borrower who faces a temporary shortfall in income through no fault of their own and who shows their bank a willingness to pay what they can, need face or fear the repossession of their family home. The Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme will enable households to defer a proportion of the interest payments on their mortgage for up to two years. The deferred payment will be rolled up and added to the principle, with the borrower paying this off when their financial circumstances improve, maintaining an affordable monthly payment by extending the term of the mortgage. The Government is currently working with lenders to develop the scheme in detail, with a view to it being available to customers early in the New Year. In addition, the Prime Minister has been urging lenders to pass on the recent interest rate cut from 3% to 2% onto homeowners and businesses.
CIGARETTE DISPLAYS
Last week, Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced proposals to further discourage young people from smoking by removing cigarette displays in shops and preventing underage access to vending machines. The announcement follows the recent Department of Health consultation on the future of tobacco control - we received over 96,000 responses showing overwhelming support for removing tobacco displays in shops, and tough action to restrict access to vending machines by underage smokers. As Public health Minister it is of great concern to me that in England in 2007, nearly 200,000 children aged between 11-15 years of age were regular smokers; the new proposals will put children and young people at the forefront of the next Tobacco Control Strategy which I have been helping to draw up.
EXTENDING THE RIGHT TO FLEXIBLE WORKING
The Government has announced that it is extending the right to request flexible working to all parents of children aged 16 or under. Many people already benefit through flexible working, as they try to balance busy work and family lives. The Government has taken into account the views of business when making this change, especially given the current economic conditions. However, studies show that the vast majority of employers believe their staff are more likely to work harder if they can strike a balance between their work and home lives. The Government also looked at whether these new proposals would prove too onerous for small business, but evidence from the CBI showed that smaller employers were actually more likely to grant a request for flexible working than larger firms.
GOLD STAR AWARDS
I always try to go along to the Evening Post’s Gold Star Awards. They celebrate a range of magnificent achievements, bravery and fund-raising efforts, and this year was no exception. Sixteen local people received Gold Stars at the award ceremony last week, and it was great to be able to join in with the celebrations. Many congratulations to all the winners.
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 me at primarolod@parliament.uk, phone 0117 909 0063 or write to me at PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH. Alternatively, for more information on what’s happening in and around Bristol South, you can visit: www.bristolsouthlabourparty.org.uk.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. My News from Westminster updates will return in the New Year.
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