Subject: News

Bulletin from Conor Burns MP #86 Date: Saturday, 17 March 2012 15:14:04 United Kingdom Time From: To: Conor Burns MP news@localconservatives.com

In this edition:
Conor Burns MPs Diary Website of the Week: Cherry Tree Nursery Photo news: Glenmoor School visit Department of Health announces funding for Bournemouth and Poole Conor in Parliament: Conor questions PM on proposed changes to the EU working time directive Photo news: Military recruitment in the South West Conor in Parliament: Conor speaks in Travellers Sites debate Conor stands shoulder to shoulder with all who Serve Photo news: Newly expanded Sainsburys in Talbot Heath Closure of Remploy Factories Photo news: Winchelsea Special School Digital TV Switchover begins Photo news: Poole Members of the Youth Parliament Conor in Parliament: Conor questions Health Secretary following statement on Health & Social Care Bill Photo news: Raising awareness of diabetes Conor in the papers: Games area officially opened in Poole Photo news: Bourne Valley Road DVLA centre Conor in the papers: Talbot Heath plan thrown out by government How to contact Conor Burns MP

Issue 86 Saturday 17th March 2012

Since the past edition, Conor has:

Attended the Royal British Legions drop-in session at the Houses of Parliament, to help raise awareness of their campaigns in the South West region. Visited Microsofts School in a Box fair to learn about the news ways that ICT is helping children have the very best education. Met with the Mike Penning, Under-Secretary of State for Transport, to discuss the upcoming consultation on DVLA closures. Met with Commodore Jamie Miller CBE to discuss military recruitment in the South West. Been given a tour of the newly expanded Sainsburys in Talbot Heath. Held a constituency surgery at the Bournemouth Triangle, to meet constituents with complex or ongoing issues that he is helping with as their local Member of Parliament. Attended the Chamber of Commerce AGM to show support for local businesses and enterprise groups. Met with constituents who came to Westminster with the Care and Support Mass Alliance Lobby to hear their concerns about care of the elderly in the UK. Attended the Humble Address given to her Majesty the Queen in the House of Commons on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. Questioned the Prime Minister on proposed changes to the EU working time directive. Paid a visit to Glenmoor School in Bournemouth for an opportunity to meet the staff and students. Appeared on local radio station Hope FM for an hour to be interviewed by Simon Marsh on their Business Show. Paid a visit to the newly opened Circo Lounge to ask the owners how they are progressing with their new venture. Celebrated the achievement, heritage and ambition of the Twin Sails Bridge at its official opening by HRH Princess Anne alongside local Councillors. Questioned the Health Secretary following a statement on the Health & Social Care Bill. Went to the opening of the Cherry Tree Nurserys volunteers tea lounge, which was also attended by HRH The Princess Royal. Spoken in an Adjournment debate about the provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites in Bournemouth and Poole. Spoken at the Young Britons Foundation annual Parliamentary Rally. Joined Robert Syms MP in raising awareness of Diabetes in the UK. Questioned the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work & Pensions on learning from experiences of disabled people trying to find employment. Welcomed students from Winchelsea Special School to Parliament.

Website of the Week:

www.cherrytreenursery.org.uk
The website of the Cherry Tree Nursery. Cherry Tree Nursery is the first project of the registered charity the Sheltered Work Opportunities Project (SWOP). The charity was set up to provide sheltered work rehabilitation, in a supportive but realistic working environment, for people with severe and enduring mental illness. There is no upper age limit or restrictions on the time that people can stay at SWOP. The charitys aim is to create a loving community for people who often feel frightened, lonely, isolated and powerless. Cherry Tree Nursery produces more than 100,000 high quality garden plants every year and is well-known in the local community for its friendly atmosphere. Volunteers find the nursery a safe and non-threatening place to work, where they can receive support from staff, gain strength from developing friendships with each other, share problems and experiences, and build social networks through working together. There are many different types of work available, all of which contribute to the running of the nursery and to the strengthening of a mutually self-supporting community. Confidence is boosted through the knowledge that all play a part in keeping a thriving, popular and successful nursery project running. Volunteers benefit greatly from having purpose, meaning and structure in their lives, a crucial step in restoring self-esteem and dignity.

Photo news:

Glenmoor School visit

Conor chats to pupils at Glenmoor School during a recent visit.

Conor with pupils at Glenmoor School.

Department of Health announces funding for Bournemouth and Poole

Conor is pleased to announce that the Department of Health have recently announced that they will be supporting two projects that will directly benefit Bournemouth West residents. The first project is South Ambulance Foundation Trust, which has been awarded with 500,000 of public capital in 2011/12 and 2012/13. This will enable the Trust to implement their plans for the Emergency and Vital Signs Equipment purchases to bring real benefits to their patients. The second award is of 1.3million to Poole Hospital across 2011/12 and 2012/13. This will enable the Trust to invest in essential cancer therapy equipment upgrades, to better serve their patients. Commenting, Conor said: This is really fantastic news. It shows us that the Government is really committed to trying and improve the lives of sick people, even in this great time of austerity. Making sure that we are still able to provide facilities for patients at a time when budgets are tightening is a great achievement by the Department of Health.

Conor in Parliament:

Conor questions PM on proposed changes to the EU working time directive

Monday 5th March 2012

Click on the image above to watch Conors question to the Prime Minister. The full text of the exchange was as follows: Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): I congratulate my right hon. Friend on pursuing a growth and deregulation agenda at the EU Council. Did he have an opportunity over the weekend to see the reports in the newspapers here about proposed changes to the working time directive that would allow employees to add sick leave and paternity and maternity leave to their end-of-year holiday entitlement? Does he agree that such proposals run entirely counter to his agenda? Will he confirm that the Business Secretary would have his full support if he were to oppose them here in the United Kingdom? David Cameron (Prime Minister; Witney, Conservative): My hon. Friend makes an important point. We have a blocking minority on extending the working time directive and we need to ensure that we keep that together. In my view, however, this is the sort of area that the European Union should not have got into in the first place.

Photo news:

Military recruitment in the South West

Conor with Commodore Jamie Miller CBE (centre) and Bournemouth Council Leader Cllr John Beesley (left) on the Terrace of the House of Commons. Conor met the Commodore to discuss military recruitment in the South West.

Conor in Parliament:
Monday 12th March 2012

Conor speaks in Travellers Sites debate

Click on the image above to watch Conors speech. The full text Conors speech was as follows: Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): I begin by again congratulating my hon. Friend Mr Syms on securing this debate and apologise for arriving a moment late. This afternoon I travelled up from the constituency of Bournemouth West, which I have the honour of representing, after attending the opening of a visitor facility in a caf at the Cherry Tree nursery by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal. That is relevant to the debate only because the nursery is surrounded by a large amount of greenfield land that has previously been occupied by illegal Gypsy and Traveller encampments, causing enormous distress to the people who work theresome wonderful young and old people who suffer from severe learning difficulties. The presence of those communities, often unannounced, has been a great source of concern to those people. My hon. Friend is putting on the Minister responsible, who is yet to be with us, an extraordinary expectation in hoping that he will respond in detail to all the points that we are making, but I am sure that his colleague, the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Andrew Stunell, who will reply to the debate, is taking all these points on board. My hon. Friend the Member for Poole went to the heart of the problem we face, which is that the previous Governments policy remains in place. Before Christmas I spoke with the head of Gypsy and Traveller policy at the Department for Communities and Local Government, a lady called Nicola Higgins, who confirmed that the previous Governments policy is still in place. In the run-up to the most recent general election, we raised our local electorates hopes and expectations that the matter would be a priority of the Government who are now in office. Ministers still make the point that the Localism Act 2011 will give our local authorities the powers that they need to get together in groups and remove from them the requirement that each must have their own, separate, single-authority provision. My hon. Friend who secured this debate and I want the Government to complete that unfinished business and to move with some speed to reassuring our local communities. My hon. Friend Mr Ellwood told the Bournemouth Daily Echo that he had been assuredaccording to my hon. Friend, by the UnderSecretary of State for Communities and Local Government, our hon. Friend Robert Neillthat once the Localism Bill becomes law, councils will have an opportunity to re-submit their local plans without the obligation to automatically identify gypsy traveller locations. In a letter to me, however, the Under-Secretary indicated that every local housing authority is required under section 8 of the Housing Act 1985 to carry out an assessment of the accommodation needs of travellers. The ongoing consultation throughout Dorset is being funded in part by money from the Department, so there is a great urgency about the Governments clarification of when the powers that we promised local authorities will become available to them. My hon. Friend the Member for Poole mentioned that there are a couple of proposed sites. Thomas Docherty (Dunfermline and West Fife, Labour): The hon. Members for Bournemouth West (Conor Burns) and for Poole (Mr Syms) are making compelling and straightforward arguments, and it is good to see so many Members on the Treasury Bench to hear them, but does the hon. Member for Bournemouth West think that the problem is a lack of transparency or a lack of urgency from the Department? Conor Burns: I am delighted to see the hon. Gentleman back in his place after his no doubt successful visit to the Falkland Islandsand this on Commonwealth day. As he knows, sometimes Governments of all persuasions need a little push, and it is our constituents who are giving us a push as those sites go out to consultation. The current consultation, which is being carried out by Baker Associates throughout Dorset and funded to the tune of some 300,000 by the Department, is profoundly unsettling the communities that my hon. Friend the Member for Poole and I serve. One proposed site out to consultation at the moment is Lansdowne, right at the heart of Bournemouth, known locally as the gateway to Bournemouth and visible from the Wessex way. Robert Syms (Poole, Conservative): As I said in my contribution, the real problem is that Bournemouth and Poole local authorities became unitary without the boundaries being looked at. Both areas are very compact, and finding suitable sites is difficult unless we do so on the basis of the Dorset way. Conor Burns: My hon. Friend makes a valid and compelling point which I wholly agree with and endorse. My final point is that those communities, which include some elderly, vulnerable and frail people, are worried that our councils have gone out to consultation on specific sites. There is an excellent campaign being run on the Lansdowne site by a lady called Alex De Freitas, who has mobilised local traders and residents to put across their concerns. We really want to hear tonight a compelling answer of some urgency from the Minister as to when our local authorities will be able to move away from that consultation and take up the very sensible powers that they were presented in both governing parties pre-election offerings to the British people: the opportunity to come together and to make provision across multiple-authority areas, thereby giving the police the powers to move on the illegal encampments that do so much damage to the communities that my hon. Friend and I serve. I, like my constituents, look forward with eager anticipation to the words of reassurance that will doubtless now flow from the Minister at the Dispatch Box. To read the full text of the debate click here.

Conor stands shoulder to shoulder with all who serve

Conor Burns MP pledges to stand shoulder to shoulder with all who serve at a Royal British Legions event at the House of Commons recently. Conor Burns MP has been thanked by The Royal British Legion for taking the time to learn about its welfare support for the whole Armed Forces family. At a recent event organised by The Royal British Legion at the House of Commons, Conor was told about the Legions work to improve the welfare of the Armed Forces family in the local area. Tim Purdon, the Legions Southern Regional Manager, said, It was great to see Conor; we really appreciated him making the time to drop in. Many people dont realise that we spend nearly 1.4 million a week on helping both the serving and the ex-Service communities, including their families, so we were delighted to tell him about the range of services we provide. We help everyone from a child of a serving family needing an adventure break to a young entrepreneur needing advice and assistance to be his own boss. Conor said, I was really pleased to see my local Regional Manager of The Royal British Legion. The Legion does very important welfare work for some of my most vulnerable constituents in both the serving and ex-Service communities. It is vital that we, as a nation, are there for those serving in current conflicts, and for the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about how the Legion stands shoulder to shoulder with all who Serve. They deserve as much support as we can give them.

Photo news:

Newly expaned Sainsburys in Talbot Heath

Conor with staff from the newly expaned Sainsburys in Talbot Heath.

Closure of Remploy Factories

Last week the Government announced that it would be closing down the Remploy factory in Alder Hills in Poole. The Government believes that this decision is a direct reflection of the wishes and needs of the disabled community and has been welcomed by disability campaigners and charities. Like the Government, they believe that in 2012 there is no longer a place in our society for Government funded sheltered or segregated employment for disabled people. Instead, after listening to the experiences and aspirations of the disabled the community, the Government now wants to offer assistance to disabled people in the mainstream workplace. Even though there have been reports that 1,500 disabled people will be losing their jobs due to the closure of Remploy factories up and down the country, the Government has pledged to use that money that is saved from this loss making enterprise to fund the Access to Work program which will offer tailored support for disabled people into mainstream work and incentives for companies to take on disabled workers. Commenting, Conor said: I believe that although this decision is one which is right for the modern-day needs of the disabled community. They are valued members of society who deserve to be welcomed into the workplace alongside all other members of the community. Although it had its merits, the Remploy scheme is now outdated and so I welcome this reform. I know that this will be a time of great uncertainty and concern for those employees who will lose their jobs in Remploy, so I will be pressing the Government to make sure they get all the support they need to find work again, learning from the previous experiences of disabled people who have tried to find mainstream employment. Conor later went on to question a Work & Pensions Minister in the House of Commons on ensuring the Government makes all the necessary steps to learn from the bad experiences of the past by disabled people unable to find work in order to help people now. The text of that exchange was as follows: Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): May I thank the Minister for her conversations with me in recent months, as she has come to this difficult but, I believe, correct decision today? Many people at the Alder Hills site in my constituency and their families will be worried tonight, but that worry will not be allayed by the invective in the two contributions that we have just heard from the Opposition. Will the Minister say what more we might do to seek the advice of disabled people, so that as they try to access mainstream employment, we can learn from their bad experiences in the past of trying to do that? Maria Miller (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative): I thank my hon. Friend for that comment, and I think he is right that many vulnerable groups and individuals who are listening to this debate will be taking close note of who is trying to offer the support that is needed, and we on the Government Benches want that to be constructive support. He will be aware that we are putting in place a budget of some 8 million, half of which will be used directly for personal support budgets for individuals, both in his constituency and elsewheresome 2,500 a head. I want that to give every individual who is affected the proper support, so that we do not have a repeat, perhaps, of some of the problems of the past to which Opposition Members have referred.

Click on the image above to watch Conors question to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People) for Work and Pensions.

Photo news:

Winchelsea Special School

Conor Burns MP and Cllr John Beesley with staff and pupils from Winchelsea Special School during their visit to Parliament recently.

Digital TV Switchover begins

Digital TV Switchover has begun for Bournemouth and Poole viewers who receive television from the Rowridge and Whitehawk Hill transmitters. The start of TV switchover means that thousands of viewers in digital blackspots like Poole, Horndean and much of the Isle of Wight will get BBC Freeview channels for the first time, while picture quality will improve for many existing viewers. The digital TV switchover is a two-stage process. At stage one (7 March), analogue BBC Two is switched off. BBC Freeview channels are then boosted in power and become available from local relay transmitters for the first time. A fortnight later at stage two (21 March), all remaining analogue services are switched off and all other Freeview channels increase in power and become available from relay transmitters. Advice at Switchover Viewers with digital TVs or Freeview, Top Up TV or BT Vision boxes will need to retune their equipment at both stages of switchover. Guidance on retuning and selecting preferred regional services is available from our website and advice line. Viewers can receive help and information at both stages of switchover from our roadshows in Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Brighton and Newport on the Isle of Wight or from one of the advice points in Dorchester, Poole, Lymington, Ringwood, Winchester, Salisbury, Romsey, Portsmouth, Chichester, Ryde (Isle of Wight) and Littlehampton. Help scheme still open for older and disabled people The Switchover Help Scheme has written directly to all eligible older and disabled people across the Meridian TV region in the last few months to offer them practical help to switch one TV set to digital. Eligible people must respond to get help. Eligible people covered by the Tunbridge Wells, Heathfield, Hastings, Bluebell Hill and Dover transmitters who are yet to respond, are in the process of being sent a reminder letter by the Help Scheme about the help available. For 40 (or free for those on certain income-related benefits) all eligible people will be offered practical help to convert one of their TV sets to digital including easy to use equipment, installation and aftercare Regions oldest tv ready for Switchover Whitstable resident Brian Maley has successfully converted his 1950s black-and-white Bush TV22a to receive digital television, proving that you dont need to get rid of your old TV at switchover. Digital UK teamed up with Mr Maley to remind viewers that almost any television can be converted to digital. With almost 20 per cent of TV sets across Kent and East Sussex still analogue only, viewers can visit the Digital UK website for more information on the different ways to go digital.

Photo news:

Poole Members of the Youth Parliament

Conor with Jack and Ben the current Poole Members of the Youth Parliament.

Conor in Parliament:

Conor questions Health Secretary following statement on Health & Social Care Bill
Tuesday 28th February 2012

Click on the image above to watch Conors question to the Secretary of State for Health. The full text of the exchange was as follows: Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): May I ask the Secretary of State today to confirm again that when the Bill becomes law the national health service will remain funded through taxation and free at the point of use regardless of ability to pay? Opposition Front Benchers should stop scaring our constituents with grossly inappropriate scare stories. Andrew Lansley (Secretary of State, Health; South Cambridgeshire, Conservative): My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I share his deep resentment at the way in which Opposition Members misrepresent and distort what is in the legislation and then, when people write to us concerned about what is in the legislation, accuse us of not listening to them. Opposition Members should read what is in the Bill, find out that it achieves the purposes that my hon. Friend describes and not distort it.

Photo news:

Raising awareness of diabetes

Robert Syms MP (Poole) and Conor Burns MP raising awareness of the risks of Diabetes, the symptoms and treatments.

Conor in the papers:

Bournemouth Echo Friday 2nd March 2012

Games area officially opened in Poole

The launch of a outdoor multi-use games area at Parkstone, Poole was celebrated by residents and guests. Parkstone Sport and Arts Centres new 56,000 sports area in Recreation Road was officially opened by Matt Ford, promoter of Poole Pirates speedway. He was joined by Warren Cummings of AFC Bournemouth and a speedway bike, courtesy of David Adams. Centre chairman Ray Parish thanked Talbot Village Trust and Community Spaces of the Big Lottery Fund, who jointly funded the MUGA. We have an outdoor sporting facility for use in our training programmes which will be available to the general public when not in use by the centre, he said. I am delighted that we have been able to add to the facilities in the adjacent Branksome Recreation Ground. Guests included Sir Michael Salt, representing Talbot Village Trust, Jan Smith from the Big Lottery Fund, Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns and Poole Council representatives. The centre is struggling to find core running costs and trustee Chris Bulteel expressed thanks to both organisations for their support.

Photo news:

Bourne Valley Road DVLA centre

Conor Burns MP at the DVLA centre on Bourne Valley Road. Conor went to meet staff and see at first hand what the local office does, which is currently facing redundancies for 63 of its staff.

Conor in the papers:

Talbot Heath plan thrown out by government

Harriet Marsh, Bournemouth Echo Wednesday 29th February 2012 Pooles controversial Talbot Heath development plans have been thrown out in a landmark decision, according to campaigners. Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, yesterday (TUES 28) ruled out proposals for 450 student units and 378 homes, saying they would have a harmful effect on the heathland. Campaigners against the Talbot Village Trust plans are celebrating the decision, which follows a 10-day 165,000 public inquiry last year. The site, south of Wallisdown Road, borders an area of Special Scientific interest and falls within the Natural England 400m protection zone designed to protect heathland from the effects of urbanisation. The Trust, and Pooles planning committee, failed to win the case with their mitigation of a catproof fence and heathland improvements. Branksome East ward Cllr Stephen Rollo-Smith said the ruling would be revolutionary for heath conservation across the south. This is a landmark decision because it shows that bolted together and inappropriate applications like this will not stand, he said. You cannot overturn common sense protection of heathland to shoehorn in development. Protester Veronica Trevett, of Save Our Heath, said: Im absolutely delighted. I feel this justifies the objections of more than 1,000 people who signed our petition and residents associations, wanting to protect the integrity of the heath. The RSPB, Natural England, Bournemouth Council and Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns had concerns with the scheme, including traffic along Wallisdown Road. Mr Burns said: I have always said that this scheme was wrong for Talbot Heath and I will be getting in touch with the Talbot Heath Trust to mediate. He will try to work with the local community and university to find an alternative scheme, he said. The Trust said the project would have brought many benefits to the area. Trustee James Gibson Fleming said: Some people seemed to think that we were planning to encroach on the heath itself. In fact we wanted to invest significantly in the improvement and the extension of the heath and certainly not build upon it. Cllr Mike White, Pooles Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regeneration, Borough of Poole, said: The council is extremely disappointed at the outcome, as the application put forward by the Talbot Village Trust offered an opportunity to provide much needed affordable housing and family homes for the town. Meeting the growing demand for homes within the boroughs coastal and heathland boundaries is a considerable challenge, he said, and the council is focusing on regeneration opportunities in the town centre.

Three ways to contact Conor Burns MP:

By Phone: 020 7219 7021 By email: conor.burns.mp@parliament.uk By post: Conor Burns MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

www.conorburns.com

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Promoted by Andrew Morgan on behalf of Conor Burns, both of 135 Hankinson Road, Bournemouth, BH9 1HR