7/30/2019 News Bulletin From Conor Burns MP #101
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In this edition:
Conor Burns MPs DiaryWebsite of the Week:The Youth Cancer
TrustConor in Parliament:Conor speaks out against
any increase in EU BudgetConor supports MeningitisTrust campaign
to givebetter support to childvictimsConor elected on to
SelectCommitteeConor welcomes front lineservices to Post
OfficePhoto news:Judging the Hill View
School Halloween CakeCompetitionBig Energy Saving WeekPhoto
news:Bournemouth Universitystudents visit Conor inWestminsterConor
in the papers:MP Burns gets job onSavile investigation teamConor in
the papers:Conor Burns slams Cleggs
boundary review hissy fitConor in the papers:Remploy factory
closes itsdoorsConor in the papers:Bournemouth and Poolehospital
trusts mergerfears: will we lose services,asks MPHow to
contactConor Burns MP
Issue 101 Wednesday 14th November 2012
Since the past edition, Conor has:
Spoke in the House of Commons during the debate on the EU
budget and voted against proposals to increase it.
Been elected on to sit on the Culture, Media and Sport
SelectCommittee.
Visited Hill View Primary School to meet the new Head
Teacher and tour the school.
Spoke at the annual Bournemouth West Conservative
Conference along with Julie Girling MEP, Neil Parish MP, and
Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset
candidate Nick King.
Attended an event in the House of Commons with the Young
Ambassadors of the Meningitis Trust, which included
Bournemouth School student Adam Tuffrey.Been quoted in The
Spectator magazine about boundary
changes.
Attended a meeting in Town Hall with local MPs and Council
officials to discuss the Navitus Bay Wind Farm.
Been quoted in The Bournemouth Echo regarding Remploy.
Spoke in the House of Commons telling the Prime Minister
large increases in the EU budget would be unacceptable.
Appeared on LBC Radio with Labour MPs Heidi Alexander and
Fiona McTaggart.
Attended the annual The Pride of Britain Awards in London.
Spoke at an event organised by Kings College London
Conservative Society.
Hosted a lunch in the House of Commons celebrating the
Northern Irish digital switchover, the last area of the UK
to
lose the analogue signal.
Appeared on BBC News and Channel 4 News discussing the
EU budget vote.
Met with a delegation from the Bournemouth Universitys
Students Union.
Held a help and advice surgery in Bournemouth Library.
Website of the Week:
www.youthcancertrust.orgEstablished in 1997 by John Scott OBE
and Brenda Clark, The
Youth Cancer Trust is a unique charity working in Bournemouthto
help improve the lives of those living with cancer and
othermalignant diseases.
The aim of the organisation is to provide 14-30 year olds from
across
the UK the opportunity to escape hospital for a week and get
involvedin a local holiday with a variety of activities extending
from horse ridingin the New Forest to sailing in the Solent, whilst
staying in Tracy AnnHouse in Westbourne. These recreational
holidays and travel costsfor patients living in other parts of the
country are entirely funded bycharitable donations so young cancer
patients dont have to payanything towards the holiday, making it
accessible to all. YCT has anumber of fundraising events, including
the Three Peaks Challengeand Skydiving, but the charity also
receives local support, with AFCBournemouth raising 15,000 in 2009,
which funded 37 holidays.
The charity has previously hosted the National Conference
ofChildhood Cancer Charities and Support Groups, indicating that
not
only does the charity work with young people, but they also work
withhealth professionals, other cancer charities and MPs in the
attempt toresearch the causes and potential cures, as well as
increasingpeoples awareness of the disease.
Conor in Parliament:
Conor speaks out againstany increase in EU Budget
Monday 22nd October 2012 Questioning the Prime Minister
Click on the image above to watch Conors question to the
PrimeMinister.
The full text of the exchange was as follows:Conor Burns
(Bournemouth West, Conservative): My right hon.Friend will be aware
that the biggest issue confronting families inBritain and across
the European Union is the cost of living, with risingfuel and food
prices and utility bills. In that context, he will have thestrong
support of Government Members in making it clear to ourEuropean
partners that large increases in the EU budget would beutterly
unacceptable to the British people.David Cameron (Prime Minister;
Witney, Conservative): I am very
grateful for my hon. Friends support. If anything, since
December,when Chancellor Merkel and the French, Finnish and Dutch
leaders allsigned the letter, along with me, the debt situationthe
deficitsituationhas got worse, and so the pressure to make sure
that wedeliver a sensible settlement for the European budget has
got evengreater. That is why we will be sticking to our guns.
Wednesday 31st October 2012 Speaking in the EU Budget debate
Click on the image above to watch Conors speech in theEU Budget
debate.
The full text of the speech was as follows:Conor Burns
(Bournemouth West, Conservative): I am grateful toyou, Mr
Speaker.
At the beginning of the debate, there was an outbreak of
consensusbetween those on the two Front Benches, when the Minister
and ChrisLeslie agreed that the Government and the Opposition
shared theobjective of achieving a real reduction in the EU budget.
Such areduction would not be possible if the EU had gone through
theprocess that all our councils are going through by squeezing out
allthe fat and getting rid of all unnecessary expenditure, but both
Front-Bench spokesmen could cite examplesnot least the two
Parliamentsof where the EU could still make plenty of savings.My
hon. Friend Sir Tony Baldry mentioned the experiences of
Maastricht, but this is not Maastricht. The Conservative party
is unitedon Europe. We are united in believing that it is doing too
much andspending too much. We had the slogan, Were all in this
together.How will we be able to go back to our constituencies and
look in theeye our electors who are paying hugely more for petrol,
food and railfares?This House matters again. As a united House of
Commons, we havethe opportunity to back the Prime Minister by
sending himemboldened to the European Council with the clear
message from theBritish people that enough is enough. If we are
taking cuts, theEuropean Union must take them, too.
Conor supports Meningitis Trust campaignto give better support
to child victims
Conor, pictured with Bournemouth School studentAdam Tuffrey, at
an event in the House of Commons
supporting the Meningitis Trust.Conor joined Bournemouth School
student Adam Tuffrey in the Houseof Commons to support the
Meningitis Trust campaign to highlight theimpact of the illness.The
charity asked MPs to become Meningitis Champions on behalf ofthe
1,700 children who contract the disease each year.The House of
Commons event also introduced a new resource thecharitys currently
developing, which will improve the lives of everychild survivor of
meningitis in the UK once available next year. The
meningitis journal, referred to as the Yellow Book, will provide
youngmeningitis victims and their parents with an in-depth and
interactiveguide following the disease. This will be the first of
its kind formeningitis victims and has received support from
several RoyalColleges.
Adam Tuffrey, who suffered from meningitis as a child and is now
aYoung Ambassador for the Meningitis Trust, was nominated by
MrBurns for this years Mayor of Bournemouths Volunteer of the
Yearaward.Giving support to the Meningitis Changes Futures
campaign, Conorsaid; Meningitis is a devastating disease, and I am
delighted to be
able to support Adam and the Meningitis Trust. I was very happy
togive my backing to this cause as I was shocked to learn that
around500,000 people living in the UK have had meningitis and more
than athird of children who survive it are left with after-effects.
This really is adisease that needs more attention.Sue Davie, Chief
Executive of the Meningitis Trust, said: We knowthat its only
together that we can make a difference and ensure ourambitious
plans come to life, so our new army of MeningitisChampions have a
key part to play. Meningitis changes lives. TheMeningitis Trust
changes futures, which is why our campaign is socrucial.The
Meningitis Trust helps to rebuild thousands of lives by
providingfree support for life through its tailored services and
communitysupport. Every year 20,000 people benefit from its
commitment tofighting back against meningitis and the Trust is
determined to reachout to the 500,000 people in the UK who have had
meningitis, andthose who continue to contract it, providing support
however it isneeded.
Conor elected on to Select Committee
After topping the polls, Conor has been elected on to the
Culture,Media and Sport Select Committee by fellow Conservative
MPs.Chaired by Conservative MP John Whittingdale, the CMS
SelectCommittee monitors the Department of Culture, Media and Sport
andconducts inquires and issues reports on a range of subjects
frombroadband delivery to racism in football.
Conor welcomes front line services to Post
OfficeConor has welcomed news from the Department of Transport
that thePost Office has won the DVLAs Front Office Counter
Servicescontract.The ten year contract, which will save taxpayers
up to 15 millioneach year, will allow people to continue to access
services such astaxing their cars and applying for driving licenses
at their local PostOffice.The contract will also mean it will be
easier for the Post Office tosecure future Government
contracts.
In a letter to MPs, the Secretary of State for Transport,
PatrickMcLoughlin MP, congratulated the Post Office for winning
thecontract, and said he is confident they will deliver an
excellent serviceto constituents.Commenting, Conor said, This is
great news. The Government hasmade it clear it wants the Post
Office to become a front office forGovernment services, and I know
this decision will be welcomed bythe hundreds of people who contact
me during the campaign.I believe it is vital residents,
particularly older residents who rely ontheir cars, have easy and
convenient access to these importantservices.Conor has previously
lobbied Government to keep Pooles DVLAoffice and enforcement centre
in Bourne Valley Road open.
Photo news:
Judging the Hill View SchoolHalloween Cake Competition
Conor, pictured with Headteacher Amanda Jones, after judgingthe
Halloween cake competition at Hill View Primary School.
Pupils from the school will also be entering Conors
ChristmasCard competition this year.
Big Energy Saving WeekLast month saw Big Energy SavingWeek where
people all over the countryare encouraged to consider their
energybills and receive practical advice onhow to keep warm for
less. People canbenefit from Government money to helpinsulate their
home: the Warm HomeDiscount, worth 1.1 billion, is expectedto help
two million low-income andvulnerable households, and the WarmFront
scheme will see 48 million spentbefore January next year.Two-thirds
of people expecting their energy bill to be higher thiswinter, and
research from Citizens Advice found 62 per cent of peopledo not
have their heating on as much and 18 per cent are not using allthe
rooms in their house in a bid to lower their bills.Commenting,
Conor said, I urge everyone to look in to theseschemes to see if
they can benefit, particularly after the recent newsof rising
energy prices.Now the temperatures are beginning to drop, I would
also encourage
people to really think about how they can afford their energy
bill andconsidering switching suppliers so people are not paying
more thanthey need too.To save money, Big Energy Saving Week
suggests:
Check youre on the best deal with your current supplier.
Many
offer discounts of an average of 100 for paying by direct
debit.
Make sure youre getting all the help available. Up to 20
billion of benefits went unclaimed last year, and if youre
currently on benefits your supplier might be able to offer you
a
discount.
Switch to a new deal with a new supplier you could save up
to 200.
Insulating your cavity walls and loft could save up to 160 a
year, and major energy suppliers will do this free or at a
reduced price.For more information on the Warm Home Discount,
click here.
For more information on the Warm Front scheme, click here.
Photo news:
Bournemouth University students visit
Conor in Westminster
Conor, with representatives from Bournemouth UniversityStudents
Union, at the House of Commons.
Conor in the papers:
MP Burns gets job onSavile investigation teamDarren Slade,
Bournemouth Echo
Saturday 27th October 2012
A Bournemoiuth MP has landed a
job on the committee investigatingthe Jimmy Savile scandal.Conor
Burns, MP for Bournemouth West, has been appointed by
theConservatives to the culture, media and sport select
committee.The committee has made headlines in recent days for
interrogatingBBC director-general George Entwistle over the Jimmy
Savile affair.Its business in coming months is likely to include
the outcome of theLeveson Inquiry into press standards.Mr Burns
said: Im a passionate advocate that the law makers,parliament, must
not overreact to some bad eggs doing some badthings.Im a
fundamental and unwavering advocate of a free press. I do notwant
to see state regulation of the press.But he said there could be a
role for stronger self-regulation, with thepress having to accept
binding judgements.The committee questioned George Entwistle over
the decision by theeditor of Newsnight to drop a report on
allegations against JimmySavile at a time when the BBC was planning
a tribute to the old
presenter.My own view is here was a bad man who is now dead and
a lot ofthese events happened a very long time ago and it would be
very hardto prove very much, said Mr Burns.I think if the decision
was taken that Newsnight should not broadcastsomething that they
knew to be because that would then result insomebody having to
re-arrange the Christmas schedules, then I thinksomebodys got very
serious questions to answer.But he said the Newsnight issue could
turn out to be a minor part inthe great scheme of things compared
Saviles abuse itself.Mr Burns was a parliamentary aide to the
Northern Ireland secretarybefore quitting earlier this year because
he disagreed with thegovernments stance on House of Lords
reform.
Conor in the papers:
Conor Burns slams Cleggs boundary
review hissy fit
The SpectatorFriday 16th October 2012Conor Burns, the
Conservative MP whoresigned from the government over Lordsreform,
is livid with Nick Cleggs smugdeclaration that the Liberal
Democrats are not going to abstain fromthe Tories vote on electoral
boundaries but actively vote with theopposition. Its revenge on
Burns and his cohort of true blues for killingthe yellows beloved
Lords reform bill earlier in the year; and itsuggests that the
rulebook has gone out the window:
It appears to prove what many have long feared: its one rule for
theConservatives, who have to resign or be sacked to vote against
thegovernment, and another rule for the Deputy Prime Minister who
justhas to have a hissy fit.Two days after recess and the gloves
are off again.
Conor in the papers:
Remploy factory closes its doors
Jim Durkin, Bournemouth EchoFriday 26th October 2012Disabled
workers at PoolesRemploy factory have clocked offfor the last
time.The factory closed its doors for good yesterday lunchtime
after a failedlast ditch attempt by campaigners to keep it
running.It means 16 disabled and two able-bodied people are now out
of work.Remploy worker Lorraine Sheen, among those affected, told
the Daily
Echo staff were disgusted, devastated and worried about
theirfutures.Lorraine, a senior shop steward at the Alder Hills
site, added: We areall gutted. The atmosphere is terrible. I was an
operator here for 20years, those 20 years have been my life.We
cannot understand why the government is happy to payredundancy
which could have been used to save the factory.Basically, the
government is paying for us all to go on the dole.Lorraine, who has
taken part in numerous campaigns to save herworkplace, said: For a
lot of people here this is their only family.
Some of us have been here for more than 35 years.Co-worker Carol
Watt, from Bournemouth, said the closure was anawful thing to do to
us.The 56-year-old, who has learning difficulties and epilepsy,
added:What chance to I have in an outside industry? Everyone here
is likefamily.Earlier this year the government decided to close 36
out of 54Remploy factories.Giles Verdon, social enterprise manager
at the Poole factory, led a bidto turn it into an incubator hub for
social enterprises.Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns, whose
constituency includes thesite, said he was very sad.I think Giles
Verdon and his team did everything they possibly couldbut it was
clear Remploy had taken the decision that it was going toclose and
were not going to give the community interest company thetime and
space to work out a fully developed plan.
Conor in the papers:Bournemouth and Poole hospitaltrusts merger
fears: will we lose
services, asks MPMelanie Vass, Bournemouth Echo
Thursday 8th November 2012Valued hospital services,
includingmaternity, emergency and acutesurgery could be closed
down
under proposals to merge Bournemouth and Pooles hospital
trusts,an MP fears.Christchurch MP Chris Chope spoke out after
submitting a Freedom ofInformation request to see the benefits case
submitted by the trusts tothe Office of Fair Trading and received a
heavily blacked-out copy ofthe 46-page document.Mr Chope is worried
that the merger could lead to facilities beingclosed at one site
and expanded at another.But the trusts insist the merger is not
about reconfiguring services,
and that any such changes would have to go out for
publicconsultation.The merger, which could take place next year,
has to be cleared bythe Office of Fair Trading as part of the
approval process.Mr Chope said: Im left in a situation of having
been given a heavilyredacted version which includes page after page
after page wherethere is just a heading, like maternity services,
and then three pagesblacked out.He claimed: Its definitely more
than just a back office merger. This isdesigned to combine the
balance sheets so that the weak balance
sheet of Poole can be balanced by the strong balance sheet of
theRoyal Bournemouth and it could be that patients lose out.It
seems to me that they hope to be able to save money on servicesand
the way theyre going to try and do that is by closing down
theservice at one hospital and expanding it at the other.If thats
the case and, for example, they want to close maternityservices in
Bournemouth, lets have an open debate about that.Bournemouth West
MP Conor Burns said: I want to know whatsbehind these black lines.
Were not trying to panic anybody but justsaying we would like to
see a good deal more and rather quickly.The Royal Bourne-mouth and
Christchurch Hospitals and PooleHospital trusts said in a joint
statement: The OFTs function is toexamine whether the proposed
merger could substantially lessencompetition, which could reduce
choice or quality of care for patientsor increase the cost of
delivering services.Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS
Foundation Trusts, willadvise on whether the merger gives rise to
relevant customer benefitsfor patients that the OFT should take
into account.The trusts have been asked to submit the benefits of
merger as part
of the competition process.There are no decisions being made
about service reconfiguration.This is a corporate merger and not
one about service reconfiguration.Any proposals to patient services
will be for the new organisation toconsider, if the merger is
approved, and will be subject to full publicconsultation.We are
committed to continuing to provide accessible high-qualityservices
for local patients; the merger will help achieve this.
Three ways to contact Conor Burns MP:
By Phone: 020 7219 7021
By email: [email protected]
By post: Conor Burns MPHouse of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA
www.conorburns.com
More news from Conor Burns MP, Conservative Member ofParliament
for Bournemouth West, coming soon
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News Bulletin from Conor Burns MP #101
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