Monthly Report for June 2009

Below is a summary of my work in Parliament and in Southampton for the month of June 2009 Click here to read previous reports.

If you'd like to know more about any of the work I've been doing, or if you think there is another issue you think I should be acting on, you can always contact my office.

Work In Parliament

Speeches & Questions

This month I spoke in the debate on Planning National Policy Statements and on the second reading of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill.  I asked questions on the End of Custody License Scheme; made an intervention on the debates on the Planning National Policy Statements; spoke in the debate on Business Rates; and asked a question following on from the DEFRA Climate Change announcement.

I also asked the first question in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.  My question was:

‘In view of recent speculation, can the Prime Minister assure me that budgets supporting green energy development and measures to combat climate change will be maintained and enhanced over the next three years: and what might be the effect on Britain’s ability to meet the requirements of our Carbon budgets if  that funding were cut by, say, ten per cent?’

The Prime Minister’s answer was:

“In the Budget we committed an additional £1.4 billion of support for the low-carbon economy. That would not have been possible if we had followed the advice of the Opposition to make cuts of 5 per cent this year. It would be impossible in the future if we went for the plans that have been suggested by the shadow Health Secretary to cut departmental expenditure by 10 per cent. We are for investing in the environment, not for using the money for inheritance tax cuts for the very few.”

Bills

I have submitted a Private Members Bill for possible debate on July 6th titled Fuel Poverty (No. 2)

 

Articles- Obama, fuel efficiency & Trident

You can now read on my website two articles I wrote over the last month.  The first, on the Obama presidency’s fuel efficiency targets, how they in fact go some way towards already introduced by our government, and how they will need to go further still in order to reduce carbon emissions by the amount that is necessary.  The second argues that both the public purse and our security interests can be very well served by replacing Trident with a submarine-based, non-ICBM nuclear deterrent.  A ‘normal’ long range nuclear missile system would not be able to destroy Russia several times over, as is currently the case with Trident, but would still be able to meet the needs for minimum intervention and threat, which is far more suitable to the post-cold war world.  The key date for this decision is September 2009, when the MOD will have to decide on future spending commitments.  I will be lobbying for them to review their current plans leading up to this date.

Expenses

I have now added a Q&A section on the expenses page on my website, to answer commonly asked questions that have come in from constituents.

 

Work In Southampton

 

hospitalHealth services in Southampton

I have met with the head of Southampton Primary Care Trust to discuss the recent changes in the opening hours for the Shirley Walk-in Centre, as well as other health issues across the city.  One of the issues raised was the difference in the provision of blood services across the various GP surgeries across the city, and whether more could be done to ensure a more equal level of service.

 

CHP-Port link

Earlier this month Southampton became the first city to power its port through a Combined Heat & Power Energy scheme, which has at its heart the geothermal power plant founded by Southampton’s Labour-run Council in 1986.  The CHP network will supply the port with 55% of its total electricity demands from a low carbon source, with further increases planned.  Before today, 23.5 kWe generated by the CHP scheme was exported back to the national grid.  Now, that energy is instead being sold to ABP to power the city’s port terminal.  In addition to the efficiency and financial savings, the carbon savings from the CHP plant are now 11,000 tonnes a year- the equivalent of taking 2000 saloon cars of our roads.  As someone who was there for the CHP scheme’s founding, I was delighted to see the scheme expand, and the City Council, ABP and Utilicom all deserve credit for making it happen.

 

Other engagements

Also this month I have: