MPFree
Michael Foster’s Parliamentary
Bulletin
June 2009
Hello all and welcome to this
month’s MPFree.
This month has been unbelievably
hectic – as many of you will have seen I have just been appointed
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities.
I’ve
always made clear that the most important job I do is that of MP
for Hastings and Rye and I have also made clear I would not be
interested in a role that conflicted with that priority. As
Minister for Equalities I see my role as complementing the needs of
my constituents in Hastings and Rye – I welcome the opportunity to
serve in Government particularly in a role which demonstrates a
core value of a Labour Government.
My new role means I am busier than
I have ever been – each day is a constant rush of meeting with
Civil Servants, MPs and various other groups. I am also responsible
for answering Parliamentary Questions and helping to steer the
Equality Bill through Parliament – you can watch the Committee
Stages online if you’re interested – just click here and look in the Committee section –
hearings usually take place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. You
can see more about my new department by clicking here.
So fare it has been extremely
rewarding and I shall try to keep you all updated on the work I am
doing. But there has also been a lot going on elsewhere in Hastings
and Rye so on to this month’s roundup:
Local Elections – Labour Bucking
the trend in Hastings
In a
disastrous night for the Labour Party across the country the Labour
Party in Hastings returned four local Labour County Councillors to
County Hall in June’s election and narrowly failed, by just 38
votes, to hold the Baird/Ore division where newcomer Councillor Kim
Forward was the Labour candidate.
I
appreciate that local elections do not necessarily reflect the
outcome of a future General Election but it does give us confidence
to know that the people of Hastings and Rye appreciate the energy
and enthusiasm of Labour’s elected representatives and I know many
who have had reservations about certain aspects of Government
policy are still backing Labour because of what we do
locally. With a General Election just under a year away and
with the probability of the Borough Council elections on the same
day it is all to play for.
Iraq
Inquiry – The Time
is Right
As military operations in Iraq come to an end the time is now right
to launch a full inquiry.
I understand
the desire for this inquiry to be as open as possible. We all want
to know the exact details of what is examined and how conclusions
are reached. When the
Government last week initiated the inquiry they also asked
Sir
John Chilcot, chairman of the independent inquiry, to consider what
elements should and should not be held in public. He has now stated
that it is essential that as much of it as possible be held in the
open, although elements will be held in private for security
reasons. I think that right.
I am pleased
that most of it will be in public but I also understand the need
for some evidence to be given in private. I would emphasise though
that the findings, and all
but the most sensitive information, will be published when the
inquiry concludes. Those findings will then be fully debated in
Parliament.
The
committee of inquiry will examine and report on UK government
policy and its implementation in Iraq from the summer of 2001 to
the present day. The inquiry can
ask for any British document to come before it and any British
citizen to appear. No British document and no British witness will
be beyond the scope of the inquiry. Its main purpose is to provide a full assessment
of British involvement in Iraq over this period, and to learn
lessons for the future.
Extra £100,000 to help
Hastings ‘Kick the
Habit’
The Government has just awarded Hastings Borough Council a
£100,000 grant to help smokers quit.
Thanks to the
smoking ban and the large amount of extra funding already provided
to the PCT’s stop smoking team we have seen dramatic falls in
smoking rates locally. But there is clearly more to do if we are to
tackle the health problems that stem from smoking and I hope this
new money going to the Council can help locals, particularly young
people, kick the habit for good.
Jobcentre Plus
Jobs
Hastings stands
to benefit twice as the Government recruits 10,000 new Jobcentre
Plus advisers to help get people back to work. This is part of a £5
billion fiscal stimulus across the UK.
Hastings already has a Jobcentre Plus based at Herron House on
London Road. We know we need to provide extra resources for people
who are looking for work in this global recession and that's why we
are hiring thousands more frontline staff to give job seekers the
real help they need to get back to work.
Jobs will be created and, secondly, there will be more advisors to
provide one-to-one advice for more people and better support for
those looking for work.
Are you a carer? Flexible working
could help
I’d like to close by trying to offer some help to anyone
who may need it – in 2007 we
changed the law to give carers the right to request flexible
working from their employer, and so help them balance work with
their caring responsibilities. Caring for a relative can be
unpredictable, so it’s important carers know about this right and
talk to their boss if it could help.
Carers do a fantastic
job and deserve to be recognised and supported. This right could be
a real help to those who need to so for more information
click
here.
I hope you
found this month’s round up interesting but there’s a lot more that
I couldn’t fit in so if you want to know more please visit my
website www.michaelfoster.org.uk.
If you have any questions about any of the stories or simply want
to get in touch please drop me an email at mp@1066.net.
Best
wishes
Michael
Foster DL MP
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