Update from Linda Gilroy MP: Week ending 12 March 2010
Posted by Linda Gilroy, MP for Plymouth, Sutton, at 09:54, Fri 12 March 2010:
My Week at A Glance
Supporting Plymouth's Service Families
On Monday I welcomed a group of volunteers from Plymouth's Friends and Families of Deployed Units (FAFDU) Support Group on a visit to Parliament. FAFDU exists to Plymouth's armed forces families by organising parties, trips away and other events. The successful model has since be replicated in other military communities. A total of seven women - mostly volunteers and many of them married to service personnel themselves - were able to meet with Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell to discuss some of the ways the Government can continue to support military families on issues like education, housing and healthcare. They also watched from the public gallery as I highlighted the work of their organisation in Questions to the Department for Children Schools and Families. I know from my visit to Crownhill Families Centre that the work done by Adele, Helen and their team of volunteers is greatly appreciated by Plymouth's armed forces community. I certainly value the feed back they give to me on welfare and family matters related to military life. Read more at www.lindagilroy.org.uk/defence
Showcasing Plymouth's Marine Science in Parliament
On Monday evening I had the pleasure to meet with Frances Hopkins from Plymouth Marine Laboratories. Frances was visiting Parliament as part of a celebration of science to show case her work on the problems of ocean acidification. You can find out more at www.lindagilroy.org.uk/marine
Bingo
On Tuesday I met with representatives from the Bingo Association. Many people have written to me about Bingo in the past and I know it is an important social activity for older people in particular. I was pleased therefore that last year's budget included a tax cut for Bingo clubs and I'll be looking for other ways in which I can speak up on behalf of Bingo players in Plymouth,
Driving Instruction - Safety
Last year I served on a committee that looked at the possibility of bringing in a new law to prevent sex offenders and those who commit other serious offences from continuing to work as driving instructors. I was broadly supportive of the idea as I knew of at least one case of a sexual assault of by a driving instructor where the perpetrator was able to continue teaching even after his conviction. However, one concern that I have is to ensure that those instructors who are suspended during the course of an investigation but are later cleared of any wrong doing are properly compensated for loss of earnings. I am pleased that the Government has taken this on board by publishing a consultation on proposals for such a compensation scheme. It can be found at www.dsa.gov.uk If you wish to submit your comments to the consultation you can do so by emailing robin.massey@dsa.gsi.gov.uk Do copy me in if you send any comments.
Student Funding
On Wednesday I met with representatives from the National Union of Students to discuss their Blueprint for the future of student fees. See: http://www.nus.org.uk/en/Campaigns/funding-our-future-/Funding-Blueprint-launch-/ The NUS is proposing a model that would see students pay no up front fees for their degrees, instead paying for them through a contribution from their income during the first 20 years of their working lives. Under this system those who benefit most from university by earning more will contribute more - from 0.3% for the lowest earners to 2.5% for those in the highest income bracket. These graduate contributions would be paid into an independent fund – a People’s Trust for higher education – which would be built up over time and eventually deliver considerable additional resources for universities in the future. I'm interested to explore this proposal further as I think it has some really positive advantages in dealing with a very difficult question.
Guide Dogs - Talking Buses
I called into a Guide Dogs reception on Wednesday for their Talking Buses Campaign which calls for audible and visual announcements on buses, for instance, next stop and last stop, the kind of which already happen on trains. As well as helping blind and partially sighted people this could also help the elderly, hearing impaired and those with learning disabilities.
Affordable Housing - Putting the Rungs Back on the Ladder
I know that a large number of my constituents, especially younger people, worry about house prices and wonder how they will ever get on the housing ladder. On Wednesday I joined by fellow cooperative MP David Drew in meeting with Housing Minister John Healey to discuss the role of Community Land Trusts as a means of providing affordable housing. These are vehicles for releasing land into community ownership. The point of this meeting was to see what progress had been made in engaging the Department's support for getting the demonstration model at Cashes Green Stroud off the ground and also in looking at how the Government might signal some support for CLT schemes to make them more attractive to investors. I also spoke to the Chancellor Alistair Darling about this on the same day. There is yet more work to do on this I think. Persistence is sometimes necessary in cases where you would hope that things would grasp the imagination a bit more readily. However it is at times like this that I remind myself it took 30 years to get Energy Efficiency taken half seriously and to get the Warm Homes Programme some decent funding, The Water Campaign is only 20 years old and, as I have reported before, on the point of a breakthrough - so I suppose a five year old campaign is a bit young to expect results from just yet! Read more at www.lindagilroy.org.uk/housing
Tax Justice
I met with a constituent who is a member of the PCS Trade Union to discuss tax justice, which is about closing loopholes by which the super rich can avoid taxes and the role of PCS members in the HMRC in doing this. This meeting came at an appropriate time given the shocking revelations that Tory donor Lord Ashcroft of Belize has not paid taxes in this country despite promising to the Conservative leadership ten years ago to do so. As regular readers of this email will know I'm interested by the idea - put forward in the book Spirit Level - that societies which are more equal tend to be healthier, more productive and more cohesive. That is why I have given my support to the campaign for a so called Robin Hood Tax and am generally supportive of the PCS campaign too. (see www.robinhoodtax.org.uk)
A Busy Weekend
Today I'm speaking to a group of University students about the role of the Defence Committee and later this afternoon I'm looking forward to visiting the Co-Op trade fair. Tomorrow I'll be out and about campaigning in the City Centre and elsewhere, before attending the launch of the Blue Mile. The brainchild of Plymouth based yachtsman Conrad Humphreys, this event seeks to raise awareness of sport and the environment. Participants are encouraged to complete a blue mile either on, in or by the sea. I think this is an excellent way of raising awareness. See http://www.thebluemile.org/
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