Itchen MP shares experiences of Bangladesh

John Denham MP meets with British-Bangladeshis In Southampton following Government visit.

John Denham held a meeting with British-Bangladeshis in Southampton to share his experiences of visiting Bangladesh earlier this year.

Mr Denham visited Bangladesh in January in his role as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. During the visit Mr Denham met with Bangladeshi Government Ministers, visited Dhaka (Bangladesh’s capital city) and Sylhet (where many British-Bangladeshis have roots) and talked to community groups. He also launched a British Government aid package. Topics discussed during the visit included reducing poverty, tackling climate change and questions of identities.

The meeting in Southampton was arranged with the help of the Shah Jalal Mosque and Kuti’s restaurant.

Mr Denham said: “Visiting Bangladesh was a great experience. It’s so important to understand links between Bangladeshi Communities in Britain and their roots in Bangladesh.

We must keep investing to help everyone back into work – Labour MPs

Southampton MP’s John Denham and Alan Whitehead today jointly called on the Tories to abandon their plans to scrap extra jobs for young people.

Itchen MP John Denham said: “We have got to keep investing in jobs through the recovery. That’s why I am backing the Future Jobs Fund which will bring more jobs to the area, jobs that David Cameron wants to slash – it would be just like previous recessions when unemployed young people were left on the scrapheap. We can’t let that happen again.”

Test MP Alan Whithead added: “Labour believes in our young people. We’ve guaranteed a place in education or training for all 16-18 year olds, as well, as a job or training place for all 18-24 year olds out of work for six months.

Alan Whitehead MP calls for support for hardworking carers

Labour MP for Southampton Test, Alan Whitehead MP, has demonstrated his support for carers by attending a meeting in Parliament to highlight the fantastic work done by those who care for relatives and loved ones.

The meeting aimed to brief MPs about Carer’s Week, a national week of recognition of the difficulties and responsibilities facing carers, which will be taking place on 14th-20th June.

Speaking from Westminster Dr Whitehead said:

“Several years ago I organised a consultation event in Southampton to help carers from my constituency feed into the Government’s plans for a New Deal for Carers. Since then the Government has introduced measures to double the number of respite days for carers, offer professional support to children who may be caring for relatives, and help carers who want to combine a part-time job with their caring role. These measures have made a huge difference to the lives of many dedicated carers.

Whitehead pledges to continue the fight against fuel poverty

Dr Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test, this week signed a pledge with other members of parliament to continue to support the eradication of fuel poverty.

Dr Whitehead, who is a long-term campaigner against fuel poverty, has backed this new pledge written by the Parliamentary Warm Homes Group, which has also been signed by actor Sir Ben Kingsley and TV presenter Claudia Winkleman.

Speaking from Westminster Dr Whitehead said: “Although the Government have made huge advances in combating fuel poverty, many of which I have campaigned for, such as negotiating social tariffs with energy companies and offering grants for cavity wall and loft insulation, there are still an estimated 4 million people in fuel poverty in the South East. This means 4 million people in our region alone who cannot afford to adequately heat their homes.”

Southampton’s Labour MPs welcome new support for asbestos victims

After many years of campaigning, Southampton’s Labour MPs John Denham and Alan Whitehead have welcomed a multi-million pound package of vital help the Labour Government is extending to individuals whose health has been put at risk due to exposure to asbestos. This is particularly good news for Southampton due to the high-number of people exposed to asbestos through the maritime industry.

This new action includes help for people with asbestos related diseases to claim compensation, increase their upfront payments, and work towards a fund of last resort for people diagnosed with a serious asbestos-related illness who cannot trace their insurance records.

It also includes financial help to people with pleural plaques who were left in limbo by a House of Lords ruling in 2007.

The full list of measures, which was announced as part of the Government’s response to a consultation on pleural plaques (an asbestos related condition) includes:

* An ex-statutory scheme of fixed payments of £5k for individuals who had begun, but not resolved, a legal claim for compensation for pleural plaques at the time of the Law Lords ruling in 2007;

Whitehead makes key fuel poverty amendment to energy bill

Dr Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test, last week inserted a crucial amendment into the Energy Bill, which has just passed all its House of Commons stages. The Bill, if it also passes in the Lords, will help to significantly reduce the UK’s domestic carbon emissions from energy generation.

Dr Whitehead’s amendment to Clause 8 of the Bill (schemes for reducing fuel poverty) aims to ensure that the “benefits” which clause 8 would require energy suppliers to give to fuel poor customers, would include non-financial benefits such as advice and home improvements like insulation. In response the Minister said that it was his intention that the drafting of the Bill did cover non-financial benefits, but said that he would check again with the lawyers and support amendment of the Bill if their advice had changed.

Speaking after the report stage of the Bill Dr Whitehead said:

“I am delighted that the Minister has ensured that my amendment will be made to the Energy Bill if necessary. It is vital that the law provides for the full range of measures to help those in fuel poverty, both financial and non-financial.”

Itchen MP on the case with local hospital food

John Denham Will visit Southampton General Hospital to their catering operation in action.

After taking up the cases of patients dissatisfied with the quality of the food they were being offered at Southampton General Hospital John Denham has been invited to see the catering operation first hand.

John Denham will meet with patients, staff and management and be given the opportunity to see how the new system of catering works.

Mr Denham said: “It’s clear that some patients aren’t happy with the quality of food and reliability of service – I hope that after meeting with both sides, and seeing how meals are cooked and served I’ll be able to better understand what the problem is and hopefully help resolve the issue.”

Whitehead celebrates end of the prepay meter rip-off

Last week Labour MP for Southampton Test Alan Whitehead celebrated the successful end of the high-profile campaign for an end to the prepayment meter rip-off for the poorest energy customers. Dr Whitehead has been campaigning on this issue for many years, including holding an adjournment debate in 2007, asking questions in Parliament, and publicly supporting the National Housing Federation’s campaign for the repeal of prepayment charges.

The announcement by British Gas that it will no longer charge a premium to its gas prepay meter users means that all of the “big six” UK energy suppliers, British Gas, EDF, e.on, npower, Scottish and Southern Energy and Scottish Power have now scrapped the premium.

Speaking from Westminster, Dr Whitehead commented: “I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this long-running campaign conducted by the National Housing Federation, along with many Members of Parliament, Housing and Residents associations, and other campaigners against fuel poverty. It represents a real victory for the poorest energy consumers.”

14,000 Southampton families set to lose under Tory tax plans

Labour MP Alan Whitehead today demanded that local Tory candidates come clean with people in Southampton about their plans to slash financial help for local families.

Alan Whitehead MP said: “The Tories’ cuts to Child Tax Credits would hit families in Southampton and across the country hard.

“After trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes for months, it has now emerged that to make their plans for immediate public spending cuts add up, the Tories would need to axe Child Tax Credits for families earning as little as £31,000 per year.

“The Tories seem incapable of levelling with local people about which families will have their Child Tax Credits removed. In Southampton alone, over 14,000 young families struggling to make ends meet would see a direct drop in their income if the Tories carried out these cuts.

Whitehead congratulates Southampton’s research scientists

Labour MP for Southampton Test, Dr Alan Whitehead today congratulated 6 early-career research scientists who have been selected to present their work at the House of Commons as part of the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Student Awards. SET for Britain aims to encourage, support and promote the careers of Britain’s early-stage research scientists, engineers and technologists to help them become world-leaders in their fields.

Dorota Bartczak, Dr Kimberly Bruce, Charmain Demanuele and Dr Sergey Krysov from the University of Southampton have all been selected to present posters on their Biological or Biomedical research and Thao Nguyen and Richard Parker have been selected for the Physical Sciences (Chemistry) category. The exhibition of this work, which Dr Whitehead has been invited to attend, will take place on 8th March on the Terrace Marquee of the House of Commons.