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8/3/2019 News Bulletin From Conor Burns MP #79
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Subject: NEWSBULLETINFROMCONORBURNSMP#79
Date: Tuesday,13December201122:41:54UnitedKingdomTime
From: ConorBurnsMP
In this edition:
Conor Burns MP’s Diary Website of the Week:The Home Heat Helpline Photo news:St Aldhelm’s Academy craftwork What the AutumnStatement will meanfor the South National Expresslaunch new Coachcardconcessionary scheme
Photo news:Amnesty International’s
50th Birthday Conor in Parliament:Conor questions PM on EUCouncil meeting Conor in Parliament:UK extraditionarrangements debate Conor in the papers:Students are driving us out
of our homes, say Wintonresidents Conor in the papers:Dorset MPs slam minister for wind turbine proposal Conor in the media:Conor on the EU CouncilMeeting Conor in the media:No 10 says no referendumneeded for proposed EUchanges
Conor in the media:Newsnight How to contactConor Burns MP
Issue 79 – Tuesday 13th December 2011
Since the past edition, Conor has:
· Questioned the Prime Minister following David Cameron’s
statement on the recent EU Council meeting.
· Attended Amnesty International’s 50th Birthday Party in
Bournemouth and led a ‘toast to freedom’.
· Appeared on the Politics show to talk about what impact the
Chancellors Autumn Statement will have on the South.
· Attended the launch of the Home Heat Helpline, a service
set up to offer advice for those facing or living with fuelpoverty.
· Contributed to the World at One on BBC Radio Four .
· Appeared on the BBC’s Newsnight programme ahead of the
European Summit, calling for repatriation of powers fromBrussels.
· Spoken in the House of Commons on the need for the UK to
revaluate its extradition laws.
· Visited St. Aldhelm’s combined Church of England School
in Branksome.
· Held a constituency surgery at the Kinson Hub, meeting
local constituents about any problems they need help with.
· Met with Liberal Democrat Councillors at St. Aldhelm’s
Academy.
Website of the Week:The Home Heat Helpline
www.homeheathelpline.org.uk
Conor Burns MP with Dragon’s Den star Hilary Devey, backingthe Home Heat Helpline campaign.
6,600 households in Bournemouth West could be entitled to helpwith their fuel bills. New figures reveal that in Britain, one in ten households, or 3.5 millionhomes are entitled to some form of assistance with their fuel bills. Thathelp is worth an average of £250 per household and a free helplineand website is available for more information. Lending his support to the Home Heat Helpline campaign, Conor
Burns MP has said: "Around 6,000 homes in Bournemouth West constituency are entitled to some form of support. Anyone who isconcerned about staying warm should call the Home Heat Helplineand seek advice. I would also ask people to look out for neighbours,friends or relatives who may be in difficulty and make sure that they are aware of the Home Heat Helpline." The number for the Home Heat Helpline is 0800 33 66 99 or you canvisit www.homeheathelpline.org.uk. It is a free service that providesindependent advice to people on low incomes on how to get help withtheir gas and electricity bills as well as other help such as grants for insulation or a new boiler.
As well as supporting the campaign locally, Conor Burns MP recentlymet some of its friendly, trained advisers. He also heard fromDragon’s Den star Hilary Devey, who is backing the campaign to raiseawareness of the Helpline and spoke of her experience of strugglingto keep her home warm before she became a successfulbusinesswoman. Christine McGourty from the Home Heat Helpline also advises peopleto think about what they can do around the home to reduce their energy consumption: “As well as calling the Home Heat Helpline tofind out what financial assistance is available there are some other simple steps people can take. For example:
· turn radiators down in rooms which you only use occasionally · switch your lights off when you're not using them
· turn appliances like TVs and phone chargers off at the wall
rather than leaving them on standby when they're not being used
· replace normal light bulbs with energy efficient ones
· regularly defrost your freezer to make sure it's operating at full
efficiency
· draw curtains over windows at night to provide insulation for
the room
· move furniture away from radiators and heaters to allow heat
to circulate around the room
· open internal doors of any rooms which get more sun than
others and let the warm air travel around your home” Home Heat Helpline: 0800 33 66 99or www.homeheathelpline.org.uk.
Photo news:St Aldhelm’s Academy craft work
Conor with Principle Cheryl Heron, Leader of Poole BoroughCouncillor Elaine Atkinson and a student of St. Aldhelm’sAcademy being shown some of the schools’ craft work.
What the Autumn Statement will
mean for the South
Conor discussing the Chancellor’s Autumn Statementon the BBC’s Politics Show South.
Last week, Conor appeared on the Politics show to talk about theChancellors Autumn Statement and what impact it will have for peopleliving in the south of England. In his statement, the Chancellor said that:
“We now know that the recession was even deeper than we thought,meaning the UK economy shrank more under Labour than any advanced economy except Japan. This confirms that it was thedeepest recession in living memory. Recovering from such a deeprecession was always going to take time... “There was also some good news on the economy this week – our large service sector is growing faster than people expected, and faster than in other European countries. This comes after better thanexpected manufacturing numbers on Monday [3 October 2011]...
“In the first six months of this year, the UK economy has grown faster than the US economy – despite the latter’s massive fiscal stimulus... “Since the general election, the private sector has created over half amillion extra jobs... “Our borrowing costs have fallen to record lows, showing that UK government debt is seen as a safe haven in the global debt storm and saving money for taxpayers, businesses and families... “Over the past year businesses have invested £119 billion across theeconomy, up £3 billion on the year before...
“Britain’s credit rating, which was put on negative outlook under Labour, has been restored to its previous highest possible level.” His comments about the current state of the economy and summary of the progress that the Conservatives are making helping Britain out of the recession, provided a background against which he could outlinefurther measures for growth. These measures included supporting infrastructure, promotingfairness, protecting education and encouraging enterprise. These measures will affect the south west region specifically withplans to provide funding for South West Water to enable it to cut billsby £50 per year for all household customers and creating localenterprise partnerships in the South West that will receive over £75million as part of the Growing Places Fund. This will mean that residents are able to save money on energy bills,something that the Government is working hard alongside energycompanies to ensure, and that there will be many jobs andconstruction projects going to local people. The Localism Bill willensure that these are managed by the local community and so deliver the environments that local residents want.
National Express launch newCoachcard concessionary scheme Following the 2010 Government Spending review, funding reductionswere made to many local transport services as local authoritiesstruggled to deal with budget reductions. The company originally gave assurances to the Government abouttheir willingness to offer a mitigating scheme following cuts toconcessionary services for pensioners and people with disabilities.
Following correspondence and various meetings with NationalExpress, local MP Conor Burns has received confirmation that a newCoachcard has been introduced which offers a one third discount onfares. Commenting, Conor Burns said: “This is a good start and I am
pleased to note that the feedback has been positive. I remaindetermined however to work with National Express and any other appropriate coach operators to seek more innovative ways of offering further help to my constituents and those who wish to visit Bournemouth.”
Coachcard’s can be used at any time, every day, with no peak or off-peak restrictions. It's easy to book discounted tickets online, by phone,or at counters and ticket machines in any of our outlets.
Photo news:
Amnesty International’s 50th Birthday
Conor at Amnesty International’s 50th Birthday Party inBournemouth, where he led a ‘toast to freedom’.
Conor in Parliament:Conor questions PM onEU Council meeting
Monday 12th December 2011
Click on the image to watch Conor’s question to thePrime Minister.
The text of Conor’s exchange with thePrime Minister was as follows: Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): May I add mywords of support for the Prime Minister, who at the weekend kept faithwith this House and, more importantly, with the country? Can heconfirm that, as the Foreign Secretary said yesterday, the existingtreaties of the European Union belong to all 27 member states andthat there can be no question of the eurozone countries havingrecourse to the institutions, mechanisms and procedures of those
treaties? David Cameron (Prime Minister; Witney, Conservative): I thinkwhat my hon. Friend says is important. The treaties belong equally tothose who are in the euro and those who are out of the euro. The keything is that if there are going to be further changes to those treaties—if you are going to allow the eurozone members to do somethingwithin the architecture of the European Union—it is important to getsafeguards for those countries that are not in the euro, not going to
join the euro, want to safeguard the single market and recognise thatthere is a potential threat to financial services. That is what we wereabout in Brussels and that is what matters.
Conor in Parliament:UK extradition arrangements debate
Monday 5th December 2011
Click on the image to watch Conor’s speech. The text of Conor’s speech was as follows: Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): I congratulatemy hon. Friend Mr Raab on securing this debate. He has shown hisusual tenacity and principle, which are becoming his hallmark.
It is a bit of a relief, on this one-line Whip, to escape the burdens of PPS-dom and speak out on something about which I have feltpassionately for some time. I have recently written a pamphlet entitled“The case against the European arrest warrant”, which will bepublished shortly. I will not trespass on my time by speaking a lot about the UnitedStates, except to place on the record my support and sympathy for Gary McKinnon and his family, who in my judgement have been badlytreated. The public share that view strongly. I will concentrate on the European arrest warrant. My hon. Friend’s
motion is moderate in calling on the Government
“to reform the UK’s extradition arrangements to strengthen theprotection of British citizens”.
As Dr Francis said, there is an emerging consensus in this House thatthat is something the Government should do. The political and emotional context in which the European arrestwarrant emerged after the desperate events in New York on 11September has been alluded to. In evidence to the Joint Committeeon Human Rights at that time, the Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham
Watson, who was chairman of the European Parliament’s justice andhome affairs committee, said that
“the proposal would still be on a shelf gathering dust if ithadn’t been for the events in New York… Mr. Bin Ladenhelped make it a reality”.
There is a great deal of truth to that. The workability of the European arrest warrant hinges on the principleof reciprocity between our courts and the courts of other countries. Iwill not dwell on this point because my right hon. Friend the Member for
Haltemprice and Howden (Mr Davis) and my hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton spoke passionately about why that is not areality. Another element that is central to making the European arrest warrantwork is proportionality in its application. On 9 January 2007, thepresidency of the European Council delivered a communiqué to thebody’s working party on co-operation in criminal matters, examiningthe application of the proportionality principle in matters relating to theEuropean arrest warrant. Article 5 of the pre-Lisbon treaty on thefunctioning of the European Union stated that the proportionalityprinciple is applied in respect of the four freedoms of the EuropeanUnion, chiefly the free movement of goods, services, persons andcapital. The treaty stated, however, that
“any action by the Community shall not go beyond what isnecessary to achieve the objectives of the Treaty.”
It is surely clear that in its application, the European arrest warrant hasgone well beyond proportional use. Let us look at some of the examples of warrants being issued. Theyhave been issued in respect of offences such as the possession of 0.4grams of cannabis, 1.5 grams of marijuana or three ecstasy tablets,
the theft of two car tyres and even the theft of a piglet. There was alsothe case of a person arrested while driving a car with a blood alcohollevel of 0.81 mg, compared with a UK limit of 0.80 mg. The problemhas been recognised even by the European Commissioner withresponsibility for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship. Shestated last November that
“European arrest warrants should not be issued mechanically,or automatically, for crimes that are not very serious such asbicycle theft.”
Then there is the question of the number of European arrest warrantsissued, which is also central to the application of the system. In 2009,
the total number of arrest warrants issued was 14,789. My hon. Friendthe Member for Esher and Walton will doubtless be aware thatBulgaria, Hungary and Italy were unable to provide figures for thenumber of arrest warrants issued in their countries. That backs up hispoint about the differences between systems. Poland issued 4,844,and France, a similar-sized country to the United Kingdom, issued1,240. In the United Kingdom, we issued a mere 220. We can also examine where those citizens were living when thewarrants were issued. Despite the United Kingdom being in thebottom quarter of issuers of warrants, those issued against people inthe UK represented 38.8% of all the warrants issued across the whole
European Union. David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden, Conservative): Top of theleague. Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): Indeed. There is a fundamental question whether the European arrest warrantis compatible with habeas corpus as we understand it in this country.The excellent Lord Vinson of Roddam Dene challenged the HomeOffice Minister then responsible in the other place, saying:
“The fact remains that hundreds of UK citizens are being
compelled to appear before any EU court without the merit of the often frivolous charges being first assessed. They can belocked up without pre-trial. Is she not concerned that thistotally
overrides the ancient liberties of the British citizen enshrined in MagnaCarta and habeas corpus? Will she assure the House that this will beresolved?” The then Minister, Baroness Neville-Jones, responded:
“My Lords, the Government are concerned…with the
disproportionate use of the European arrest warrant for trivialpurposes.”—[Hansard, House of Lords, 26 January 2011; Vol.724, c. 955-56.]
That is another example of the consensus that is emerging acrossParliament. Then there is the question of the principle of dual criminality. Under the European arrest warrant, British citizens or those living in theUnited Kingdom can be extradited to another European country for crimes that may not necessarily even be offences under UnitedKingdom law. That concern was raised by the Home AffairsCommittee in its report on the application of the European arrest
warrant of November 2002. The Committee stated that it had
“grave concerns about the abolition of the dual criminalitysafeguard. The variety of criminal justice systems and of legislative provisions within the member states of the EUmakes it difficult for us to be…confident…that it will beacceptable in all circumstances for a person to be extraditedfrom the UK to face proceedings for conduct that does notconstitute”
a crime in the UK. The fact that the European arrest warrant couldnecessitate a British court extraditing a British citizen for somethingthat would not be illegal in the UK represents an entirely unacceptableincursion into our British criminal justice system. I am not a lawyer. I think my constituents regard being a politician ascrime enough without being a lawyer as well, but to be a law-maker one does not have to be a lawyer. Most of my constituents are notlawyers either, but they smell that something is not right in theexercise of the European arrest warrant. They want the BritishGovernment to stand up for British citizens, and they want thefreedoms and protections under the law that we have cherished for years.
Conor in the papers:Students are driving us out of ourhomes, say Winton residents Stephen Bailey, Bournemouth Echo
Sunday 4th December 2011
Drunkenness, littering and vomiting – desperate residents told an MPthat student behaviour is driving them out of their homes. Around 15 people had a special closed meeting with BournemouthWest MP Conor Burns because they were worried about “retaliation”. They told him families were being driven out of Winton and the onlypeople willing to take the properties were student landlords. The Winton Forum residents group, which organised the event, saidpeople described “situations where police officers were unable to exertcontrol because they were outnumbered by dozens of drunkenstudents”. It added: “Landlords were strongly criticised for failing to take
responsibility for properties.” The residents came from roads such as Green Road and WycliffeRoad. Stephanie Wilson, 48, a credit control solicitor from Cardigan Road,told the Echo that her road was now “70 per cent” students. “They drink before going out and its pointless trying to sleep beforemidnight,” she said. “That keeps children up and they have got schoolthe next day. The students come home from 3am to 5am, and it’s not
just at weekends. You don’t get any sleep but then you have to go towork.
“I know some people that have had to visit their GP because of theproblems.” The university and the students union has been running educationprogrammes. But Mrs Wilson said there were problems with broken bottles andoverflowing litter bins, and said: “They can say what they like, it’s onlygot worse over the last 15 years. Everyone is leaving.” Resident and retired university lecturer Dr Brian Dicks, who did not
work at Bournemouth, said: “The real crux of the problem is thelandlords who do not look after their properties.” Anson Westbrook, chairman of the Winton Forum, said someresidents did not want to sign a petition about the problems becausethey were “frightened of retaliation”. He said the meeting was closed so residents could speak their mindswithout feeling inhibited. MP Conor Burns said he was very concerned at what he had heardand would try to find solutions.
Toby Horner, president of Bournemouth University students union,said he was “incredibly frustrated” at not being able to attend themeeting. He said: “The union and the university have placed communityrelations much higher up the agenda than ever before, and manyresidents have acknowledged the significant advances that have beenmade. It is sad problems still exist, but it is inevitable that a smallpercentage of students will always let the side down.” Bournemouth University said it could not comment properly because itcould not attend the meeting but highlighted its new policy of finingrowdy student homes up to £75.
Conor in the papers:Dorset MPs slam minister forwind turbine proposal Stephen Bailey, Bournemouth Echo
Wednesday 7th December 2011
MPs in Dorset have condemned a Liberal Democrat minister’sproposals for 32,000 more wind turbines. Chris Huhne said they were needed because Britain was fallingbehind targets for renewable energy. Conservative MPs in Dorset already fighting schemes said the ideawas “illogical” and the result of a “fashionable consensus”. Britain currently has 3,000 onshore wind turbines. Mr Huhne wants6,000 to 10,000 more onshore, and up to 25,000 offshore, with manyvisible from land.
Eneco currently plans to build 150 to 240 turbines in Poole Bay,around 10 miles from Bournemouth, and eight miles from Swanageand Christchurch. Purbeck District Council has approved a turbine near Tolpuddle andtwo appeals are to be heard next year over wind farms at Silton, near Gillingham, and at Master’s Pit, near Wareham. Terry Stewart, president of the Dorset branch of the Campaign toProtect Rural England has written to all the county’s MPs urging them,and the Conservative Party, to fight Mr Huhne’s plans. Bournemouth West Conor Burns said: “I fear we are in the grip of afashionable consensus. “Changing the Government’s energy policy is sadly not in my gift. But Iwill use whatever influence I have to ensure that if these things are putin our bay they will be put somewhere that does not destroy themagnificent view enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.” South Dorset MP Richard Drax said: “My view is simple – I don’t likethem. We should have our energy provided by nuclear power. “It’s essential we are self-sufficient without being at the mercy of somecountries that produce fossil fuels.
“Wind Turbines will be antiquated in a few years because much moreefficient renewable sources like tidal power will be developed.” North Dorset MP Bob Walter said: “Dorset is the most illogical place toput wind farms because the wind doesn’t blow enough.” He said the only reason people wanted to build wind farms is becauseof the subsidies involved.
Conor in the media:Conor on the EU Council Meeting BBC World at One
Monday 5th December 2011 Being interviewed on the BBC’s World at One programme ahead of the EU Coucil meeting, Conor Burns MP said, “we should use theopportunity of this treaty change to say to our European partners if you want to go down the route you’re going down, please carry on, but this is the opportunity finally to get the British dog out of the federalist manger, let you do want you want, but let us have some more of our
powers back.” Then asked ‘Should there be a referendum here in the event of treatychange?’ Conor said: “The first thing I think it should mean, Martha, isthat our interests on this occasion coincide rather than collide. TheEuropean Union, the Eurozone need our permission to have treaty change and I think we then have the opportunity to use that treaty change to begin a process of repatriation of some powers to theUnited Kingdom and that’s the first thing that the government need tobe addressing in the negotiation stance.” And finally asked ‘will that necessarily mean that a referendum has tobe triggered in this country if it doesn’t make substantial legal changes
to the U.K’s position?’ Conor replied: “Well, what we would have is wewould have a completely different relationship with a new entity, a lock Eurozone, a single economy, in the Eurozone and that doesfundamentally change the relationship the United Kingdom has withthat Eurozone, if we don’t use the opportunity of treaty change tobegin a process of repatriation. “Now the referendum lock that the Government has passed says that there should be a referendum if there is a transfer of power fromBritain to Brussels. I can't see that these treaty changes will do that,but I think we should have a process where the powers are coming back the other way, as we promised at the last general election”
Conor in the media:No 10 says no referendum needed forproposed EU changes BBC News website
Monday 5th December 2011 No 10 has said none of the proposed changes being discussed about
the future shape of the European Union would trigger a referendum inthe UK. Germany and France are developing a plan for greater fiscalintegration among the eurozone's 17 members ahead of a crucialmeeting on Friday. Many MPs say this would alter relations with the EU and a referendumis needed. But Downing Street said it did not meet the test for a vote, whichrequired a major transfer of powers to Brussels.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President NicolasSarkozy met on Monday to discuss a blueprint for the future shape of the eurozone, as well as urgent steps to deal with Europe's financialand economic problems. 'Not on table' The meeting came ahead of a summit of all 27 EU leaders on Fridayseen as crucial to supporting the euro and signalling the futuredirection of the eurozone. Following the meeting between their two leaders, Germany and
France said the EU needed a new treaty signed by all EU members,but if that was not possible, signed by the 17 states which haveadopted the euro. While the UK is not a member of the single currency, the primeminister says he will defend the UK's national interests should theeurozone move towards closer fiscal union and budgetary co-operation. But he is likely to face renewed calls for a referendum on any changesin the UK. Last month, more than 80 Tory MPs defied the government and called
for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. One of them, the leading Tory eurosceptic Bill Cash says in the light of the call for a new treaty there must now be a referendum. "This is a major Treaty change whether it is for the eurozone-17 or theEU-27 because it fundamentally changes the relationship of Britain tothe EU," he says. "It therefore requires a referendum, irrespective of the attempt tobypass the British people with the European Union Act this year."
The former Tory Cabinet minister John Redwood said a referendumwould strengthen David Cameron's hand in future EU talks. "What a lot of us are advising him is that this is an opportunity now toredefine Britain's relationship," he said. "The best sanction to try andget something in Britain that we want is to say that any treaty changewill have to be approved by the British people." The coalition has said there will only be a referendum if there is afurther substantial transfer of powers from Westminster to Brussels.But there has been tension between the Conservatives and Lib Dempartners over what would trigger this. "Referendum lock" Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Sunday that a public votewas unlikely because the eurozone changes could be secured withouta treaty change, but Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smithsaid the public must be consulted in the event of any major treatychange. But No 10 indicated on Monday that a referendum was unlikely under the terms of the "referendum lock" legislation passed by Parliamentlast year.
And Mr Cameron said, after an NHS speech: "As prime minister, I amnot intending to pass any powers from Britain to Brussels. So I don'tthink the issue will arise. The measures under consideration were about how the eurozonecountries organised and governed themselves, Downing Street added. Conor Burns, parliamentary private secretary to the Northern IrelandSecretary Owen Paterson, said MPs in government and on thebackbenches were urging the prime minister to fulfil the party'selection pledge to repatriate powers. "We should use the opportunity of this treaty change to say to our
European partners: 'If you want to go down the route you are goingdown, please carry on,'" he told BBC Radio 4's World at Oneprogramme. "But this is the opportunity, finally, to get the British dogout of the federalist manger." Financial veto Some MPs are backing a proposal from the Open Europe think-tankfor a veto on financial regulation coming out of Brussels which mightdamage the City of London. In a new report, Open Europe warns that the UK is increasingly losing
influence over financial regulation coming out of Brussels, oftenfinding itself outvoted, and that the UK must fight its own corner as theeurozone "pushes its own agenda". "There is a growing divergence between the UK's economic interestsand the slew of regulations coming from Europe," said its director,Mats Persson. The Labour leader Ed Miliband says Mr Cameron is not at the heart of the debate on Europe's future as he should be. "What I actually see is a Prime Minister who is standing on thesidelines or having a row within his own party about what needs to
happen in Europe," he said.
Conor in the media:Newsnight
Conor Burns MP being interviewed on the BBC’s Newsnightprogramme ahead of the EU Council meeting, where he calling
for repatriation of powers from Brussels.
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
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