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Issued
by: Keith Reed
Embargo:
Immediate, 19/01/00
"The Lib Dems provide the only
opposition to the Government over the 75p pension
rise"
Kingston &
Surbiton’s MP this week voted in the House of
Commons for the Government to review its plans to raise
the pension by only 75p a week from this April. The
Liberal Democrats, including Shadow Chief Secretary to
the Treasury Edward Davey, were the only major party to
oppose the Government. The Conservatives abstained on a
motion condemning the inadequacy of the 75p rise, along
with a small number of "rebel" Labour MPs.
During the debate, the Government were told that many
pensioners were "insulted" by the derisory
increase and had lost faith in politicians of both larger
parties who had raised expectations in opposition only to
disappoint when in Government. Edward Davey and his
colleagues said that if the Government was not prepared
to put money into the state pension in a year when it had
buoyant finances, it would certainly not do so if times
were hard. As a result, the state pension would slowly
wither and die.
Speaking after the debate, local MP Edward Davey said:
"Faced with a
decision about whether 75p was enough for pensioners,
most Labour MPs said it was enough, the Liberal Democrats
said it was not enough, and the Conservatives could not
make up their mind. I regret the Conservatives failed to
join the Liberal Democrats in opposing Labour’s
meanness to pensioners."
"It makes me very proud to know that all Liberal
Democrats are opposing this mean-spirited measure and
that we will continue to do so".
Ends
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Issued
by: Keith Reed
Embargo:
Immediate, 19/01/99
Liberal Democrat MPs highlight
threat to local post offices in Commons debate
Following his discovery
that local post offices were under threat from new
Government proposals (see earlier press release)
Edward Davey MP and his Liberal Democrat colleagues
raised the issue in the House of Commons this week.
Speaking after the debate, Edward said,
"People depend
on their local post office. Yet successive governments
have closed them - 4000 closed by the Tories and 200
already by Labour. Kingston looks set to lose at least
two more sub-post offices under these proposals"
"Indeed, the whole Post Office network will be
undermined by the Government’s badly thought through
proposals. The transfer of benefits payments from the
Post Office to the banking system (ACT) will hit
pensioners and low income groups particularly hard. 10%
of the population do not have a bank account. Equally
seriously, what will happen if carers have to go to the
bank instead of the Post Office to collect benefits for
infirm elderly people - will they be charged a fee for
this service?
"The Government’s proposals to transfer
benefits to automatic credit transfer (ACT) in 2003 will
cut Post Office revenue by at least 30% and in some areas
this loss of revenue will be as high as 70%. Many urban
and rural sub-post offices will become economically
unviable and this will mean more sub-post office
closures.
A fully automated, modernised and competitive Post Office
is essential if the Post Office is to compete in the
market place."
ENDS
Notes:
Text of Motion
"That this House deplores the continued decline
under successive governments in the sub-post network
which is contributing to growing financial exclusion
especially among pensioners and low income groups;
regrets the government ‘s intention to press ahead
with ACT from 2003 which will lead to further large scale
closures and will deny freedom of choice; and urges the
Government to postpone ACT until the Post Office has
developed its own automated platform and, as part of the
Universal Service Obligation, require Post Office
Counters to maintain a sub-Post Office network which
satisfies broad social and economic as well as narrow
financial criteria of viability."
Liberal Democrats support:
* a fully automated, modernised, competitive, publicly
owned Post Office operating with greater commercial
freedom;
* the maintenance of the Universal Service Provision with
nationally uniform tariffs for the benefit of rural and
remote areas;
* real customer choice by retaining alternative payment
options for benefits and postponement of ACT for
benefits;
* making the sub-post network part of the Universal
Service Provision by requiring Post Office Counters to
retain any sub-post office judged as offering significant
social as well as economic benefit.
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Issued
by: Keith Reed
Embargo:
Immediate, 19/1/00
Local MP welcomes A&E cash, but
warns of more problems to come
The long running campaign by Edward
Davey MP for improvements to be made to Kingston
Hospital’s Accident and Emergency department appears
to have paid off. He received confirmation late on Friday
evening, that the hospital’s bid for funds for a
complete overhaul of the department had been successful.
The hospital will receive £5.7 million from the London
NHS executive to carry out the modernisation works.
Kingston’s MP, who just before Christmas pressed the
Prime Minister at Question Time on the issue, said,
"I am
delighted by the news. This money is long overdue and
residents will be pleased to know that the unpleasant
conditions which have become the norm will not have to be
endured indefinitely."
"Unfortunately, with this Government, it’s a
case of two steps forward, and one step back. This great
news has just come on the back of the local Health
Authority’s poor funding settlement."
"This means that without proper funding for
Kingston’s NHS, waiting lists are still likely to
increase, nurse shortages will persist and residents will
be left with a shiny new department but without the
backup services needed to make it work."
"I hope people will be as excited as I am about the
new A&E unit, but residents should also be warned
that we have only won a famous battle, not the war."
Ends
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