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PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVE
April 2001 - July 2002
03/07/02 Independence Day
Demonstration - Menwith Hill, MP Says No to Use of US Bases in Britain for
"Star Wars"
28/06/02 The UK Must Not Vote to
Undermine the International Criminal Court
19/06/02 Birmingham People of All
Ages Come to Westminster for Trade Justice
19/06/02 Lynne Jones MP Goes Green
for World Summit
09/05/02 Ousted
Director General of Chemical Weapons Watchdog to Address MPs
01/02/02 46 Labour MPs Back
Amendment on Faith Schools
10/01/02 Major New Education Portal For West Midlands Launched
08/01/02 Local MP Calls
For Tighter Arms Controls As Lords Consider Export Control Bill
23/11/01 Free Fruit Scheme
Launched in the West Midlands
20/11/01 MP
Opposes Proposals for Health Service Shake Up in Birmingham There Should Be One
Primary Care Trust for the City Says Lynne Jones
16/11/01 Human
Cloning: Commons Select Committee Told Government About the Need for Urgent Action in 1997
18/10/01 MPs Deliver
Petition Signed By Half a Million to 10 Downing Street
05/10/01 Local MP Speaks
Out on UK Response to the US Terrorist Attacks
28/09/01 CITY HONOURS VOLUNTEERS INCLUDING 90 YEAR OLD MABLE READ THOUGHT TO
BE BIRMINGHAM'S OLDEST VOLUNTEER
21/09/01 LOCAL MP ECHOES
CHIEF CONSTABLES MESSAGE IN SUPPORT OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY
03/09/01 61 PLACES IN
BIRMINGHAM FOR 239 PEOPLE ASKING FOR DRUG/ALCOHOL TREATMENT
07/08/01 MP OPENS
CRICKET FESTIVAL FOR KIDS
27/07/01 VALUED
VOLUNTEER
18/07/01 MP QUIZZES PM ON A FAIR
DEAL FOR BIRMINGHAMS COUNCIL TENANTS
12/07/01 PROTEST OVER SPECIAL
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS PROPOSALS GETS RESULTS
12/07/01 Check that your holiday
is protected,urges LYNNE JONES MP
27/04/01 MP
JOINS PARENTS TO CELEBRATE JOB SUCCESSES
Click here
for PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVE
March 2000 - March 2001
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03 July 2002
INDEPENDENCE DAY DEMONSTRATION - MENWITH
HILL
MP SAYS NO TO USE OF US BASES IN BRITAIN FOR "STAR WARS"
Lynne Jones will join Mark Thomas and Caroline Lucas MEP at the annual Independence Day
demonstration calling for the accountability of American bases
Lynne Jones said:
"I welcomed Tony Blairs statement on Newsnight on 16 May that he
believes weapons of mass destruction to be a "real evil" - but the US
abandonment of the ABM Treaty and the instigation of National Missile Defence
completely undermines our Governments stated aim of ridding the world or nuclear
weapons.
If the US Government really wanted to make the world a safer place, they should be
planning to spend the billions that Star Wars will cost on global programmes
to reduce conflict in the world".
There are also concerns that if we cooperate with this programme then Britain would be
more likely to become a target in any future attack. US reliance on the use of the bases
at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill in Yorkshire gives our Government influence on US policy
this influence should be used to press Bush to abandon NMD".
Lynne Jones is calling on the Government to raise with President George Bush the grave
concerns expressed by its Foreign Affairs Select Committee and the 278 MPs who have signed
a motion against NMD.
The MP said:
"July 4 is US Independence Day but in Yorkshire we will be reading a Declaration
of Independence from American Militarism, the sentiments of which are heavily based on the
original US Declaration!"
E N D S
Notes to Editors:
Lynne Jones has tabled a Parliamentary Motion: PRIME
MINISTERS COMMENTS ON WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION 3/7/2 which will appear on the order
paper on 4 July
The event is organised by the CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB)
supported by Yorkshire CND
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28 June 2002
THE UK MUST NOT VOTE TO UNDERMINE THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
9-11 Peace.org a US campaigning body are
highlighting a US led UN resolution to undermine the International Criminal Court. 9-11
Peace.org have informed UK MPs that the vote is due to take place before 30 June. They say
that Jack Straw is wavering on whether to vote against this proposal.
Lynne Jones has contacted Jack Straw to bring the Peace.org campaign to his attention.
The MP said:
"I have written to Jack Straw urging him to reject any UN Security Council
resolution that would provide blanket immunity from the ICC. The refusal of the US to sign
up to the ICC and this apparent campaign to undermine it is deeply worrying and I hope
that Jack will not be swayed".
E N D S
The text of the 9-11 Peace.org notice is reproduced below.
Dear friend of 9-11Peace,
In the next few days, Britain will decide whether or not to support a UN Security
Council resolution that would undermine the International Criminal Court. The ICC, which
the United Kingdom joined over 160 other countries in creating, will prosecute the world's
worst criminals -- perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. But
if the US's resolution exempting peacekeepers from the Court passes, it'll be a giant step
backward for the Court and the entire structure of international law. Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw is wavering on whether to vote against this proposal. The vote will occur some
time before June 30 -- this Sunday. Please encourage Secretary Straw to hold firm against
the United States'assault on international law. please urge him to:
"Reject any UN Security Council resolution that would provide blanket immunity
from the ICC. Such a resolution would undermine the world's ability to bring to justice
the perpetrators of genocide and war crimes."The Security Council resolution hardly
came out of the blue. It's part of a sustained campaign by the US to get rid of the ICC.
When President Clinton signed the Rome Statute establishing the Court in 1998, he
committed the US only to not undermining the Court. But a few weeks ago, President Bush
"unsigned," and, at the behest of right-wing elements in the US, he's now
seeking to make it powerless. In practice, neither the United States nor any other
government that sends peacekeepers on UN missions has anything to fear. Under current
conditions, a person can only be brought before the court if he or she committed
horrendous crimes, AND if these crimes go without investigation by perpetrator's own
country. The ICC sets the bar very high, on the principle that international law should
only come into play when national law fails. As long as the US conducted an investigation
when there was an allegation that a US peacekeeper had committed a serious crime, the ICC
would have no jurisdiction. Although the resolution is largely a symbolic gesture for
Bush's right-wing constituents, it'll have very real consequences. According to the
Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, "This puts the very idea of treaty-making
at risk. Why negotiate a document if the U.S. can change it later, behind the closed doors
of the Security Council?" So far, Jack Straw has been quiet about whether or not he
plans to vote against the resolution. 12 out of 15 Security Council members have already
indicated that they won't support the resolution. But if Britain makes a compromise,
there's a possibility that other countries will join in it. Please call Jack Straw now and
urge him to hold strong. And please pass this message on to friends and colleagues. Time
is of the essence.
Thank you,
--Eli Pariser
9-11Peace Campaign
MoveOn.org
June 27, 2002
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19/06/02
BIRMINGHAM PEOPLE OF ALL AGES COME TO WESTMINSTER FOR
TRADE JUSTICE
On Lambeth Bridge, outside Parliament with
Selly Oak Trade Justice Lobbyists
As part of todays mass lobby of Parliament organised by the
Trade Justice Movement. Lynne Jones MP met constituents of all ages in Portcullis House to
discuss the injustice faced by developing countries because of current trade policies.
Lynne Jones said:
"I was proud that so many people of all ages from Selly Oak
came to London to lobby against the deeply unfair trading conditions faced by developing
countries. We all agreed that we must work to remove the protectionist measures, including
subsidies from rich nations, like the CAP, which prevent fair access to world markets for
poor countries.
The international rules and practices that govern trade are biased
in favour of the rich. Instead, they could be giving special help to the weakest and most
vulnerable.
Many countries have signed up to the 2015 development targets but if
these are to be reached we need to see a higher level of commitment on both trade justice
and meeting UN targets on aid as well as dealing with the unnecessary imposition of
structural adjustment programmes.
Campaigners against global poverty have demonstrated that they will
not go away until anti poverty promises are met".
I meet with constituents to discuss trade justice in
Portcullis House on the day of the Lobby
E N D S
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19/06/02
LYNNE JONES MP GOES GREEN FOR WORLD SUMMIT
Lynne Jones MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, today backed a global
campaign to bring green energy to two billion of the planets poorest people.
By backing a House of Commons motion, Dr Jones pledged her support
to the CHOOSE POSITIVE ENERGY campaign led by The Body Shop and Greenpeace The
initiative is currently running in The Body Shop stores across 27 countries.
CHOOSE POSITIVE ENERGY is calling for a commitment from world
leaders at the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) to deliver renewable
energy to two billion people in the developing world currently without access to
electricity services by 2012.
EDM 1299 also calls on the Prime Minister Tony Blair, to give his
support to the campaign call.
To date over half a million people have signed a global petition
supporting the campaign, which will be delivered to WSSD in Johannesburg this August.
Lynne Jones said: "I urge my constituents to join me in
supporting this campaign look out for the petition in branches of The Body Shop.
One in three people on planet Earth have no access to electric lighting or decent cooking
facilities renewable energy provided by the sun, streams, wind, wav and tides can
meet peoples needs and help avoid climate catastrophe. World leaders at the 2002
World Summit need to make a commitment to support investment in renewable energy and phase
out fossil fuel development."
The UK has a mixed record on its commitment to renewable energy.
Renewable energy is already available for domestic and business use throughout the UK but
targets for renewable energy use need to be massively increased if we are to help stop
global warming devastating the lives of millions. For example, wind and wave farms out at
sea alone could produce enough electricity to supply the UK's electricity needs three
times over.
While the UK is the third highest giver of Overseas Development
Assistance (ODA) to energy, only 0.07% is spent on renewable energy. In addition the
UKs Export Credit Guarantee Department has facilitated the construction of fossil
fuel projects in the developing world that have contributed 13.3 million tonnes of carbon
to the Earths atmosphere each year.
-Ends-
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9 May
2002
OUSTED DIRECTOR GENERAL OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS WATCHDOG
TO ADDRESS MPs
José Bustani, former Director General of the Organisation for the
Prevention of Chemical Weapons will address MPs on The future of the OPCW on
Tuesday 14 May. Brian Eno, one of the celebrities who wrote to the Guardian on this
matter, will also be in attendance (other celebrity signatories tbc).
The move to dismiss
José Bustani as Director General of the organization charged with enforcing the Chemical
Weapons Convention was led by the US. Bustani is the second head of a multilateral agency
to fall to US pressure within a week, after the removal of climate scientist Bob Watson as
chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The US charged the Brazilian diplomat with mismanagement and
"ill-conceived initiatives" including ordering chemical plant inspections in
certain countries for political reasons. However, whilst the US has posted a list of its
allegations on a State Department website, it has never produced any evidence and has
declined to conduct an enquiry to seek to substantiate its allegations. It has not
answered Mr Bustani's rebuttal, which attributes financial problems to a lack of payments
from member states and explains that the director cannot order inspections.
Lynne Jones MP arranged for Mr Bustani to come to the House of
Commons after being unconvinced by the UK Governments reasons for supporting the US
campaign against him. The MP said:
"I was dismayed to learn that the UK was the first member
state to co-sponsor the US resolution to dismiss Mr Bustani and I am deeply concerned that
the US appears to be embarked on a policy of deliberately undermining international
treaties. In view of the events of September 11 it is astounding that the US is forging
ahead with this blinkered unilateralism and it is extremely worrying that the UK supported
this US campaign."
"The purpose of the meeting, is to give Mr Bustani the
opportunity to respond to the accusations made against him by the US and UK Governments
and to discuss his concerns for the future of the Organisation and other international
organisations in light of the actions of the US".
Dr Julian Perry Robinson an expert in chemical weapons from Sussex
Universitys Science Policy Research Unit will also contribute to the meeting.
E N D S
for more
information on the event click here |
1 February 2002
46 LABOUR MPS BACK AMENDMENT ON FAITH SCHOOLS
So far, the following Labour MPs have signed an amendment
designed to limit the number of pupils that faith schools can select on the basis of their
religion:
Frank Dobson, John Austin, Harry Barnes, Anne Begg, Andrew Bennett,
Roger Berry, Colin Challen, Michael Clapham, Tony Clarke, Anne Clwyd, Harry Cohen, Jeremy
Corbyn, Ann Cryer, Ian Davidson, Janet Dean, Gwyneth Dunwoody, Barbara Follett, Derek
Foster, Neil Gerrard, Ian Gibson, Jane Griffiths, Kelvin Hopkins, Eric Illsley, Lynne
Jones, Oona King, Jackie Lawrence, Terry Lewis, Alice Mahon, Bob Marshall-Andrews, Chris
McCafferty, John McDonnell, Anne McKechin, Jon Owen Jones, Gordon Prentice, Ken Purchase,
Syd Rapson, Terry Rooney, Martin Salter, Brian Sedgemore, Jonathan Shaw, Alan Simpson,
Dennis Skinner, Gerry Steinberg, George Stevenson, Betty Williams and Derek Wyatt.
The amendment, tabled by Frank Dobson will be debated during the
Report Stage of the Education Bill on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th
February 2002.
Lynne Jones MP has been involved in discussions with colleagues and
has identified considerable unease amongst Labour MPs (including even Labour Whips) over
the Governments policy on faith schools. Lynne Jones said today "I
anticipate many more colleagues will sign the amendment by next Tuesday. The Government
needs to listen to its own backbenchers and revise its policy to ensure that faith schools
are genuinely inclusive".
E N D S
Notes to Editors:
The text of New Clause 1:
No requirements of attendance at a place of religious worship
(1) It shall not be required, as a condition
of a pupil being admitted to a maintained school, that:
(a) he must attend or abstain from attending a place of religious
worship
(b) his parents or guardians must attend or abstain from attending a
place of religious worship.
(c) the pupil, his parent(s) or guardian(s) belong to any particular
faith or denomination
(2) The local education authority after consultation with the
admission forum may by
regulation authorise that, notwithstanding (1) a maintained school
may admit
between 20% and 75% of pupils who have a particular faith or
denomination.
(3) Where the local education authority is informed that there are
insufficient
applications to a particular maintained school to fill the available
places, the local education authority may after consultation with the admission forum
authorise an increase up to 100% in the numbers of pupils admitted who are of the
particular faith or denomination of the maintained school in question.
For more details on my views on faith
schools please: click here |
11 January 2002
MAJOR NEW EDUCATION
PORTAL FOR WEST MIDLANDS LAUNCHED
Today at the British Education Technology Exhibition
at Olympia, Lynne Jones MP launched the WMnet portal, www.wmnet.org.uk
which is a part of the Governments Curriculum Online strategy. lt will provide:
- a cataloguing system for classifying and finding teaching resources
- exemplar online teaching materials with evaluations
- templates to support the evaluation of online teaching materials
- gallery of content developments and projects
- a video-conferencing directory to locate partners
Lynne Jones said: "The opening of this portal will provide a
new opportunity for locating and presenting high quality, digitally-enhanced, teaching and
learning materials for teachers and pupils in 2500 West Midlands schools. It will be a
great a stimulus for the development of new ways of teaching and learning."
"These new techniques will use broadband to channel the power
of video and animated presentations into increasingly more vivid teaching resources,
harnessing information technology to the improvement of education standards."
Broadband facilities promoted through the portal will not be just
about better facilities and materials for teachers. As well as enhancing teaching the
facilities will provide resources for learners through which they can locate materials,
publish information and set up their own learning collaborations with a greater degree of
independence. By 2005 all schools in the region will have broadband access.
E N D S
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08 January 2002
LOCAL MP
CALLS FOR TIGHTER ARMS CONTROLS AS LORDS CONSIDER EXPORT CONTROL BILL
Birmingham Selly Oak MP, Lynne Jones, has
signed a call to strengthen new arms legislation as the Export Control Bill receives its
Second Reading in the Lords today.
The cross party Early Day Motion, supported
by the UK Working Group on Arms, which includes Oxfam, Amnesty International, BASIC,
International Alert and Saferworld, aims to tighten up legislation so that British-made
and licensed weapons do not end up falling into the wrong hands. Developed in response to
the 1996 Scott Report, the Bill still leaves much to be desired and could still mean that
British weapons are used in human rights abuses or by those fighting UN and British peace
keeping forces.
Lynne Jones MP said: "It is important that Britain tackles
the issue of arms exports. We are one of the world's top three arms exporters and it is
vital that there are no loopholes that allow British-made weapons to be used to fuel
conflict and human rights abuses worldwide."
"Weapons that end up in the wrong hands, due to weak
legislation and monitoring, can often destroy years of work helping countries overcome
poverty. I am supporting this Early Day Motion to press for measures to ensure that
Britain acts responsibly and is part of the drive to cut conflict around the world."
Oxfam, as part of the UK Working Group on Arms, demands that the
Government takes responsibility for the wider effects of arms sales. The Export Control
Bill must ensure that human rights are protected and conflicts prevented where possible.
The Government must minimise the likelihood that weapons produced under UK license
overseas find their way to conflict or human rights crisis zones and immediately revoke
export licenses when weapons fall into the wrong hands.
Ends
TEXT of EDM 469:That this House
congratulates the Government on introducing the Export Control Bill which represents a
welcome step in strengthening the UK arms export regime; notes that a number of concerns
have been identified in the Bill; further notes that the Bill could be strengthened to
ensure that arms brokered or manufactured by UK citizens do not end up in the hands of
terrorist groups or used to abuse human rights and exacerbate conflict; regrets that arms
sales that damage sustainable development could still occur under the Bill; and calls on
the Government to reconsider amendments raised at the committee and report stages during
its passage in another place.
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23 November 2001
FREE FRUIT SCHEME
LAUNCHED IN WEST MIDLANDS
The Government is piloting the National School Fruit Scheme
(NSFS) in 500 schools throughout England with the aim that all infant children will be
entitled to a free piece of fruit each school day by 2004. The pilots are examining the
practicalities of the scheme before rolling it out nationally. Lynne Jones MP welcomed
todays launch of in the fruit scheme in the West Midlands.
In recent pilots, children were given bananas, satsumas, pears and
apples and although bananas were the most popular, all types of fruit consumption was
high. 97% of schools regarded the NSFS as a support to teaching and learning about healthy
eating and many schools had incorporated the scheme into health education lessions and
other areas of the school curriculum such as science and numeracy.
The MP said:
"Too many children are not getting the healthy diet that they
need and it is excellent news that the Government has introduced this school fruit scheme.
I am encouraging Ministers to extend the scheme to older children once the practicalities
of the pilots are worked out so that positive impact of the scheme in both educational and
nutritional terms can be widened"
"I am also keen to promote the Dairy Councils
School Milk campaign which provides subsidised milk in primary schools in ten
regions in the UK, including Birmingham. The scheme is a good one but at the moment it
relies on parents to request milk for their children. I am in contact with Tim Brighouse,
the Chief Education Officer, at Birmingham City Council to ask how the Local Education
Authority might lend its support to the scheme to increase the numbers of children who are
taking up this opportunity and to find out about Birminghams plans for implementing
the pilot fruit scheme."
"We have taken a big step in the right direction with
todays launch of the fruit scheme for infants"
E N D S
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20 November 2001
MP opposes proposals for Health
Service shake-up in Birmingham there should be one Primary Care Trust for the City
says Lynne Jones
In her submission to Birmingham Health Authority's consultation on proposals to
establish Primary Care Trusts in Birmingham, Lynne Jones MP has rejected the amalgamation
of the current seven primary care organisations into four new trusts.
Speaking today, the MP said; "There seems to be no coherence in
the Health Authoritys proposals. The proposed structure creates bodies that are not
small enough to enable genuine grassroots participation, particularly in South Birmingham
where the proposals have been overwhelmingly rejected in the GP ballot, but neither does
it work well for services that are to remain or develop at a City level. We learned this
lesson 10 years ago when we amalgamated four health authorities into one. There should be
no going back to this failed system. "
The MP is concerned that GPs who started out enthusiastic for new primary care structures
now feel that they have no influence on the larger organisations. The solution to this
problem is not to divide the City up into four but to keep one over-arching body that is
able to devolve as much decision-making as possible to locality areas that are already a
feature of the current plans.
"My biggest concern is that if we go ahead and create four new
Primary Care trusts, it will not be very long before some bright spark comes up with the
idea of joining them all together again. There are already rumours of work in hand to
merge Good Hope hospital with Heartlands hospital, which will create pressures for the
merger of the trusts covering the north and east of Birmingham before they have hardly got
going. Healthcare workers in the City are desperate for some stability. They will not get
it if these plans go ahead."
"I know there will be a reluctance on the part of ministers to accept that any new
body should take on the same boundaries as those left behind by the soon to be abolished
Birmingham Health Authority but they should not let political dogma overcome common
sense."
E N D S
Click here to view my submission
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16 November 2001
HUMAN CLONING:
COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE TOLD GOVERNMENT ABOUT THE
NEED FOR URGENT ACTION IN 1997
Health Minister, Phil Hunt yesterday said that the advice the
Government had received was that human reproductive cloning was covered by the Human
Embryology and Fertilisation Act (HFEA). This was the same position given by the DTI
Minister in response to exhortations in 1997 and 1998 by the Commons Science and
Technology Select Committee that there was an urgent need for primary legislation to
clarify the scope of the Act.
This is yet another example of the Government paying scant attention
to the concerns of expert backbenchers.
In March 1997, the Select Committee produced a report on cloning. It
pointed out that the cloning method uses an oocyte (egg) but it is not actually
fertilised. Instead, the nucleus is directly transferred into it and thus the process may
not be covered by the Act. Paragraph 29 of the report stated:
It is clear that the law relating to the cloning of humans by the
Roslin method is at best ambiguous, and at worst sufficiently lax not to catch some
applications of the technique at all. While Counsel's opinion will clarify the position,
it will not be a binding interpretation of the law. It is not satisfactory for issues as
momentous as this to be left until they are decided through test cases.
We recommended:
The HFEA should be amended to ensure that the Roslin technique comes
within its scope. Anyone attempting cloning without the Authority's approval should face
criminal charges.
We also put forward proposals for amending the law.
The complacency of the Govt's response resulted in further
exhortations from the Committee in Feb 1998 (Given the potential for rapid developments in
genetic science, we believe there is also a need for a degree of urgency) see: Science
and Technology Committee website.
Again our advice was ignored leading to the chaotic situation we now
find ourselves in!
E N D S
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18 October 2001
MPs DELIVER PETITION SIGNED BY HALF
A MILLION TO 10 DOWNING STREET
Prime Minister Tony Blair today faced calls from MPs and half a
million signatories of a petition organised by US citizen David Pickering to use
moderation and restraint in responding to the terrorist attacks in the USA
David Pickering has come to Britain to personally deliver the
petition, endorsed by half a million signatories from 190 countries (including 53,000 from
the UK) collected over the internet in the last 3 weeks. He was joined by Valerie Davey
MP, Lynne Jones MP, Paul Marsden MP, Adam Price MP, Alan Simpson MP and Hywel Williams MP.
The petition says:
" We implore the powers that be to use, wherever possible,
international judicial institutions and international human rights law to bring to justice
those responsible for the attacks, rather than the instruments of war, violence or
destruction"
"Furthermore, we assert that the government of a nation must be
presumed separate and distinct from any terrorist group that may operate within its
borders, and therefore cannot be held unduly accountable for the latter's crimes".
The petition has also been signed by the family of Simon Maddison, a
British citizen who was killed in the attack on the World Trade Centre.
Also delivered to Downing Street was a letter from Mr Pickering
making the point that, whilst he understood that terrorism threatened the stability of the
world, 'the military engagement that is under foot will only undermine that stability
further.
MPs are calling on the PM and other world leaders to give more
emphasis to the safety of innocent civilians, who 'must not bear any responsibility for
the actions of their government and condemned the use of cluster bombs, which kill
indiscriminately. All the MPs called for a halt in the current bombing campaign to
maximise the chance of humanitarian aid reaching people in need in Afghanistan.
Text of petition below:
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of the
United States of America and of countries around the world, appeal to the President of The
United States, George W. Bush; to the NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson; to the
President of the European Union, Romano Prodi; and to all leaders internationally to use
moderation and restraint in responding to the recent terrorist attacks against the United
States. We implore the powers that be to use, wherever possible, international judicial
institutions and international human rights law to bring to justice those responsible for
the attacks, rather than the instruments of war, violence or destruction.
Furthermore, we assert that the government of a nation must be
presumed separate and distinct from any terrorist group that may operate within its
borders, and therefore cannot be held unduly accountable for the latter's crimes. It
follows that the government of a particular nation should not be condemned for the recent
attack without compelling evidence of its co-operation and complicity with those
individuals who actually committed the crimes in question.
Innocent civilians living within any nation that may be found
responsible, in part or in full, for the crimes recently perpetrated against the United
States, must not bear any responsibility for the actions of their government, and must
therefore be guaranteed safety and immunity from any military or judicial action taken
against the state in which they reside.
Lastly and most emphatically, we demand that there be no recourse to
nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, or any weapons of indiscriminate destruction, and
feel that it is our inalienable human right to live in a world free from the use of such
arms.
www.9-11peace.org
back
to 'September 11' page
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E N D S
05 October 2001
LOCAL MP SPEAKS OUT ON UK RESPONSE TO US TERRORIST ATTACKS
On October 4 Parliament was recalled. Although indicating my wish to
contribute to the debate and attending between 9-30 and 7pm, I was not called to speak.
Below is a document giving the gist of what I would have said, had the opportunity arisen.
Though several colleagues referred to the importance of reinvigorating international
institutions, no other member who spoke made reference to the need to improve the
effectiveness of our own democratic structures in which so many people demonstrated their
loss of confidence at the General Election.
I was, however, pleased to be able to make interventions during Jack
Straws
and Jeff Hoons speeches to highlight some of my concerns. Jack
Straws indication that Kofi Annan had been fully briefed did provide some
reassurances but I will be following this matter up to ensure this is the case.
Statement - 4 October 2001
Members of the House and the British people are thankful for the
emphasis the Prime Minister has placed on justice and not revenge. The public mood is
neither for war nor perpetuating the cycle of violence but for actions that will improve,
not harm, prospects for world peace.
On Tuesday the Prime Minister told the Labour Party Conference that
the justice we seek is not only to punish the guilty but to bring the values of freedom
and justice to people around the world.
He is right.
But, though it would be wrong to foster prejudice against Americans,
it has to be acknowledged that in many places the USA is seen as a supporter of
anti-democratic regimes which have been kept in place to support US financial interests.
This is a point made time and again in the flood of communications I
have received from constituents in the last three weeks.
As we cope with the aftermath of the terrible carnage in New York,
Washington and Pennsylvania, I agree with points made by several honourable members that
we must bolster and extend the role of global institutions. I would particularly like to
endorse the comments made by the Honourable Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Derek
Wyatt) in which he questioned the use of the veto in the Security Council.
We also need to reinvigorate our own democratic institutions, in
which, we know from the general election, so many of our own citizens have lost
confidence. This creates a dangerous vacuum that extremist elements will be only too happy
to occupy.
We must make this Place more relevant.
Today, Parliament has been reconvened to give implicit, not
explicit, support for the military action necessary to achieve the objectives that were
laid down by the Prime Minister in his statement.
I, for one, accept the need for military action if we are to deal
with those behind the atrocities in America, if at all possible by bringing them to
justice in an international court. But action must be measured and only that which is
strictly necessary.
There should have been a substantive vote today so that this House
can set the framework within which we expect our Government to act on our behalf.
In a few weeks time, it is likely that the House will be asked to
approve measures which we will be told will help combat international terrorism. The House
has a responsibility to ensure that the effectiveness of any legislation is properly
scrutinised, something that we have often not been effective in doing. The Government
needs to consider whether the way it exerts its powers of patronage and marginalises
critical voices contribute to good governance and effective law-making.
In my constituency, those of all faiths and none that I have spoken
to have unreservedly condemned the atrocities committed in the USA. In Birmingham
survivors of the 1974 pub bombings and the relatives and friends of those who did not
survive, and even those like me who thought "there but for the grace of god go
I" will empathise with the feelings of the American people. But at home it is the
Muslim community that is suffering from threats of violence and actual violence. Those who
threaten schools and mosques and circulate hate material are equally to be deplored as are
those that rejoiced in the carnage in the USA.
Lasting good must come out of the events of September the 11th. We
owe it to the lives lost that day.
On Tuesday the Prime Minister set out the challenges that face us.
How can anyone think that National Missile Defence will help in anyway? The vast resources
that would need to be deployed on this project would be better directed towards
international institutions engaged in work to reduce conflict, bring justice and tackle
the real threats to world order poverty, climate change and abuse of human rights.
In everything we do from now on we should remember that this is what
we want to achieve.
Lynne Jones MP
E N D S
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to 'September 11' page
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28 September 2001
CITY
HONOURS VOLUNTEERS
INCLUDING 90 YEAR OLD MABLE READ THOUGHT TO BE BIRMINGHAM'S OLDEST VOLUNTEER
Lynne Jones MP joined the Lord Mayor in presenting over 70 'older volunteer heroes' with
certificates in recognition of their work at an event in the Banqueting Suite at the
Council House. The Lord Mayor also met Mable Read, thought to be the city's oldest
volunteer, who gives her time to work at the Cotteridge Church day centre. At the end of
the evening, a party of volunteers toured the Council House. Mable is pictured above with
the Lord Mayor, the Lady Mayoress and Lynne Jones MP, surrounded by other honoured
volunteers.
Lynne Jones said: "In this year above all, the International Year of Volunteers, I'm
pleased to be part of an event to celebrate the work done by some of our 'Older Volunteer
Heroes'. I got involved when I received a huge response to a request for nominations by
the International Year for Volunteering 2001 Older People's Group."
"Many older people have been volunteers for years - helping in our hospitals or with
children and young people and it is important to emphasise the key role played by
volunteers in the well-being of our community".
"These are the heroes of our community, and we need to celebrate their
contribution."
"And now that more and more people are retiring early and enjoying many years of good
health, we should invite them to play an important part in the community."
E N D S
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top
21 September 2001
LOCAL MP ECHOES CHIEF
CONSTABLES MESSAGE IN SUPPORT OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Local MP, Lynne Jones, today spoke in support of Chief Constable,
Edward Crews message that the views of a small minority of extremists urging Muslim
men to fight against the US are not representative of the wider Muslim community.
Lynne Jones said:
"I am appalled and deeply saddened by the racist attacks
inflicted on Muslims and others in Birmingham. Mercifully, these have been small in number
and carried out by people whose own bigotry and intolerance does a disservice to the
memory of those who died in New York and Washington. I urge all good people to act with
understanding and respect as a small contribution towards redressing the injustices in the
world. It is totally senseless to blame Islam for these atrocities".
E N D S
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to 'September 11' page
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03 September 2001
61 PLACES IN BIRMINGHAM FOR 239
PEOPLE ASKING FOR DRUG/ALCOHOL TREATMENT
Lynne Jones MP has criticised the
Government over the lack of resources for people needing treatment for alcohol and drug
addiction in Birmingham. Birmingham Social Services have received 239 referrals for 61
treatment places (only 20 of which are residential).
Lynne Jones said:
"The extent of this problem came to my attention when I was
contacted by a constituent, whose son had been subject to detoxification in Solihull
Hospital an wanted to go into residential rehabilitation. He successfully completed the
two week detoxification (prior to which he was drinking at least a bottle of spirits a
day) but has since had to wait months for an assessment. As far as I am aware, he has
still not been assessed.
It is totally unacceptable not to offer people a seamless package of
treatment after they have gone through hospital detoxification. This leaves extremely
vulnerable people without the rehabilitation they need at a time when they have made a
major step in addressing their illness.
If programmes are to be successful Government needs to ensure that
sufficient resources are available, either to Social Services or the NHS"
Birmingham Social Services had hoped to use funding from the
Governments new National Treatment Agency to help fund treatment but they have been
told that NTA funding cannot be used for people addicted to alcohol.
E N D S
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07 August 2001
MP OPENS CRICKET FESTIVAL FOR KIDS
6 10th AUGUST
Lynne Jones MP has helped launch the Attock
Cricket Clubs Second Cricket Festival at their home ground, at Moseley School in
Wake Green Road. 160 children from local primary schools will participate in a week of
cricket training and fun and games. Professional coaching is being provided by
Warwickshire County Cricket Clubs Development Section and Richard Cox, their
Director of Cricket, was also at the launch. The launch was also attended by Alamgir
Sheriyar, a former member of the club who is now a professional cricketer with
Worcestershire CCC.
The attached photographs show the assembled participants and Lynne
Jones presenting a cheque for £5000 from Sportsmatch, a lottery funded venture which
matches commercial sponsorship in support of community sports.
E N D S
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27 July 2001
VALUED VOLUNTEER
A special event was held in Portcullis House, in Westminster, on the
evening of 17 July when a number of MPs took the opportunity to present Certificates of
Achievement to older volunteers who had made exceptional contributions to benefit others.
The event was part organised by the Older Peoples Group as
part of the UN International Year of Volunteers. Some 250 MPs and their guests attended
together with their nominated volunteers from all over the country.
Lynne Jones MP, presented Robert Fish with his Certificate in
recognition of the outstanding work that he has done for the Selly Oak constituency at the
local Citizens Advice Bureau for the last 14 years.
E N D S
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18 July 2001
MP QUIZZES PM ON A FAIR DEAL FOR
BIRMINGHAMS COUNCIL TENANTS
Today, Lynne Jones sought assurances from Tony Blair that investment
for Birminghams Council housing stock would still be available if tenants voted
against a change of landlord. Like the response of the Housing Minister who, yesterday,
responded to Lynne Jones debate on Housing in Birmingham in Westminster Hall,
the PMs response was evasive. Due to the lack of satisfactory responses to questions
that are vital to the wellbeing of her constituents, Lynne Jones has now tabled the
following Commons Motion:
This House notes that due to chronic
under-investment caused by the refusal of successive Governments to permit Birmingham City
Council to raise sufficient finance to invest even from its own resources in its housing
stock, the backlog of repairs and renovations has risen from £750 million in 1985 to
£1.3 billion in 1993 and £3.75 billion in 2000; is concerned that the Government is
prepared to spend £650 million of taxpayers money in writing off overhanging debt
on the housing revenue account only if tenants vote for a change of landord even though
this will result in early redemption penalties of £240 million; believes that this money
and the £38 million in consultancy and other fees preparing for the stock transfer would
be better spent on housing improvements and on securing genuine tenant empowerment on
decisions on the use of this money and calls on the Government to give assurances to
Birminghams Council tenants that if they vote against stock transfer the Government
will still keep its promise that their housing will be brought up to a decent standard by
2010.
Lynne Jones said "I am determined that Council tenants in
Birmingham should get a fair deal from this Government. We need to end the discrimination
against council tenants and council housing which has resulted in todays problems on
council estates across the Country".
E N D S
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12
July 2001
PROTEST GETS RESULTS
Lynne Jones and 6 other labour MPs joined in the opposition
against the Governments draft for a Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
Faced with the overwhelming argument that the Code revision would have reduced the
requirement on local education authorities, like Birmingham, to quantify the support
needed by children with special needs, the Government has agreed to rethink the proposals
even though enough MPs voted in support.
Speaking today, Lynne Jones, welcomed this sign that the Government
was beginning to listen more closely to rational argument and would think again about
using the whipping system to force unpopular and inadequately considered measures through
Parliament.
E N D S
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12 July 2001
Check that your
holiday is protected,
urges LYNNE JONES MP
"Summer is coming and many families in Birmingham are looking
for late holiday bargains and some are even planning next years break to the
sun. To make sure that your money is safe, remember to look for the ATOL stamp," says
Lynne Jones.
"ATOL is the only financial protection scheme for flights and
air holidays in the UK. Twenty-eight million holidaymakers a year are ATOL protected,
which means that if a travel organiser fails, their money is safe and they wont be
stranded abroad."
Lynne Jones added, "You can check if your holiday is protected
by looking out for the ATOL stamp, or by visiting the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk"
*ENDS*
Notes to Editors
- ATOL (Air Travel Organisers Licence) is a statutory scheme run
by the Civil Aviation Authority. All tour operators selling flights and air holidays must
hold a licence from the CAA.
- ATOL gives 28 million people in the UK comprehensive protection from
losing their money or being stranded abroad when travel organisers fail. It is by far the
largest travel protection scheme in the UK and the only one for air holidays and flights
sold by tour operators.
- The ATOL website www.atol.org.uk
contains a database covering all ATOL holders, including a search facility to help people
find information about particular firms.
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27 April 2001
MP JOINS PARENTS
TO CELEBRATE JOB SUCCESSES
On Monday 30 April, Lynne Jones MP will be joining a group of eight
lone parents returning to Kings Heath Job Centre to thank their New Deal advisers who
helped them into work and self-employment. Two employers will also attend the event.
Under the New Deal, lone parents have a personal adviser to guide
them through a range of options tailored to their needs, including education, training and
job search. Gaining employment is only one of several positive outcomes to improve
peoples quality of life and, crucially, help with childcare is given.
Lynne Jones said "I hope this event will help raise awareness
amongst lone parents of the opportunities available to them under New Deal. Evidence shows
that a lack of suitable affordable childcare and worries about being able to afford the
transition into work are major barriers to lone parents being able to gain employment. The
women attending will have individual stories to tell about how their personal adviser was
able to help them overcome these barriers".
E N D S
Note to Editors
By the end of December 2000, 182,000 lone parents had joined the New
Deal for Lone Parents, 89% of those who went to a first interview
Job entry for the West Midlands was 36% (compared to 41% nationally)
and 7% (10% nationally) participate in education and training opportunities. Regional
variation in take-up is thought to be due to the availability of good quality childcare.
Recommendations of the National Childcare Commission on measures to improve childcare are
currently being considered by the Government.
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Embargo
4.30pm Thursday 29 March
MP PRESENTS
GOOD DEED DRIVER AWARD AND CALLS FOR LOCAL GROUPS TO NAME OTHER OLDER VOLUNTEER
"HEROES"
Speaking as she awarded her constituent,
Jeremiah Walls with his Co-operative Insurance Societys Good Deed Driver Award,
Lynne Jones welcomed a further initiative to emphasise the importance of volunteers for
the well-being of our community.
The MP is supporting the International Year for Volunteering 2001
Older Peoples Groups search for older volunteer heroes. She is calling
on local organisations in South Birmingham to identify older people who are the
heroes of local volunteering. And those who are identified will be presented
with a Certificate and an invitation to visit the House of Commons.
"Many older people have been volunteers for years - helping in
our hospitals or with children and young people or like Mr Walls just being a good
neighbour, offering lifts to disabled and infirm people - and helping themselves to keep
active well into old age."
"These are the heroes of our community, and we need to
celebrate their contribution."
"And now that more and more people are retiring early and
enjoying many years of good health, we should invite them to play an important part in the
community."
"In this year above all, the International Year of Volunteers,
Im pleased to be asking local organisations to nominate the older volunteers that
they value and appreciate. Im doing so at the invitation of the IYV2001 Group on
Older Volunteering who want all of us to help celebrate the International Year of
Volunteers"
E N D S
Note to Editors:
For more information about IYV2001 Older Peoples Group:
After 1 April 2001 at Help the Aged 207-221 Pentonville Road London
N19UZ Tel 020 7278 1114
or: Janet Atfield on Tel: 020 7278 2659 or email janetatfield@hotmail.com
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|
13/02/01
MP CHAIRS LAUNCH OF MAJOR NEW WEBSITE ON MENTAL
HEALTH
emental-health.com
A new website www.emental-health.com
was launched today at the House of Commons at a meeting chaired by Lynne Jones MP. The
site is a development of schizophrenia.co.uk created by Dr Tonmoy Sharma from the
Institute of psychiatry in 1999 which was so successful that it attracted 200,000 hits a
month. In response to demand, emental-health.com has now been developed to cover
depression, bipolar disorder and Alzheimers disease. It gives high quality
information useful to anyone with either personal or professional experience of mental
health problems and creates a virtual meeting place to debate hot topics and offer
support. Emental-health.com offers a unique opportunity for people who use mental health
services to share their experiences.
According to a recent MORI poll carried out for emental-health.com,
which was presented at the meeting, 6 out of 10 people have experienced mental health
problems either directly or in someone close to them. Yet the stigma associated with
mental illness means that many people are reluctant to discuss their problems openly.
Summing up the meeting, which included a contribution from a service
user, Lynne Jones emphasised the point made by several speakers that the more informed
people are about mental illness, the better the outcome for sufferers. She said "It
is shocking that due to ignorance, stigma and fear, the average time lapse between the
first signs of schizophrenia and medical intervention is 18 months causing lasting
damage to sufferers. As one in three people use the internet, this new website will create
enlightenment, helping bring mental illness out into the open".
E N D S
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BIRMINGHAM COUNCIL TENANTS
LOBBY PARLIAMENT
23/01/01
On Wednesday, Lynne Jones MP will be meeting constituents Lobbying
Parliament to "Defend Council Housing" and calling for a fair deal for
council tenants.
Lynne Jones said: "A lot has gone wrong with council housing
over the last 20 years, but this is not surprising given the deliberate discrimination
against council tenants during that time. Whilst housing associations have been given
taxpayers money to build and renovate homes and also allowed to raise additional
borrowing for investment, local authorities like Birmingham City Council have even been
prevented from raising their own finance to invest in council homes.
The City Council commissioned the KPMG Report to look at
alternatives to stock transfer. The Report demonstrates that these are not viable. It
will, no doubt, be used at the forthcoming Council meeting on 6 February to argue that the
only way forward is stock transfer. This is not a valid conclusion since KPMG were not
asked to subject stock transfer to the same rigorous analysis as the other options. Had
they done so they would have had to identify the enormous waste of taxpayers and
rent payers money to pay the large financial penalties from the early redemption of
debt necessary for stock transfer.
Understandably, when working to their brief, KPMG take as read that
there are no prospects of loosening central government controls on housing investment
carried out by local authorities (controls which do not apply to housing associations even
though their spending can have a greater cost to the public purse). Also the Report does
not consider the "daylight robbery" that takes money from the rents collected
from tenants to save the Government housing benefit costs? If this was stopped, there
would be an extra £8 - £12 million a year for repairs.
It is clear from the feedback that I have had from councillors that
they are not happy with the privatisation of the Councils housing stock but feel
that there is no alternative. But there is and tenants are leading the way with
tomorrows lobby. Tenants will be holding the Government to its commitment to bring
all council housing up to a decent standard by 2010 so that tenants can have a genuine
choice about the future management of their homes.
In arguing the case for a level playing field between local
authorities and housing associations when it comes to investment and public subsidy, I am
not accepting that the dysfunctional management of council housing in Birmingham should be
allowed to continue. There is merit in the devolved management arrangements proposed under
stock transfer. The 10 shadow Registered Social Landlords could potentially form the basis
for devolved budgets, devolved management and a devolved housing repair service. Tenants
and councillors should oversee the management of council housing in their area. Under
stock transfer, the interest of private financiers will be paramount.
Council tenants say that if the Government is willing to
"write-off" up to £850 million of the Councils debt and redemption
charges if stock transfer goes ahead, it should be possible to make the same money
available to Council Housing. I agree with them and it would be money more effectively
spent.
E N D S
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MP AND LOCAL SCHOOL
SUPPORT
BLUE PETER STAMP AID APPEAL
04.01.00
Lynne Jones MP has joined pupils of Hawksley Church Primary School
in supporting the Blue Peter Stamp Aid Appeal. The MP has been saving stamps from her
postbag to add to the stamps saved by the children. The money raised will be used to
develop community health networks for the Quechua people of Peru. The Quechua live high in
the Peruvian mountains and were caught up in a terrible civil war that lasted for 13
years. Although the civil war finished in 1992, people are still having to live with the
results. At present basic health services are only available after a two day trek down the
mountains.
Lynne Jones said today:
"It would be great if as many viewers as possible could donate
their stamps to the appeal. It will only take 200, 000 people collecting 100 stamps each
to support three villages, which is the Blue Peter target. If only a few more people in
every community joined in, even more villages could be helped."
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SPEAKING
OUT
LOCAL MP BACKS AGE CONCERNS
CAMPAIGN ON NHS COMPLAINTS REFORM AND CALLS FOR RETENTION OF A ROLE FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH
COUNCILS
21/12/00
Lynne Jones MP today joined forces with Age Concern
by signing an Early Day Motion supporting calls for the NHS complaints system to be
reformed, after older patients spoke out about their experiences in a new Age Concern
report, Speaking Out.
MPs from all parties are now demanding that the
government acts to ensure that the health service learns from its mistakes, that the
complaints system is made more accessible, that there will be no recriminations against
those who complain, and that those who complain have independent support. They also urge
the government to acknowledge that if it develops a complaints system which respects
and acts on the views of older people, it will help to build a health service which is
better for all.
Age Concern have heard from over 2000 people,
writing to tell their story, since the beginning of their campaign to raise awareness of
age discrimination in the health service. Over a third of these people specifically raise
the problems they have faced when making complaints, while some say they wanted to
complain but would not because they feared recriminations.
Speaking Out quotes many more older people on
how they have battled against secrecy, intransigence, incompetence and time-wasting which
can last for three years or more and in many cases still fails to provide
satisfactory answers or outcomes. They identify four areas of the complaints system which
must be addressed in order for the system to work. They want:To make sure what happened to them never happens to
others.
The system to be clearer, easier and more accessible
No fear of recriminations
Independent support
cont
/
Lynne Jones MP said: "The Age Concern findings
are totally consistent with my own experience supporting constituents in their complaints
about NHS shortcomings. Access to independent support for complex cases is absolutely
essential which is why I support the retention of the patient advocacy role of Community
Health Councils"
Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern
England, said: "We are delighted that so many MPs have given their immediate support
to this campaign. What is clear is that people make complaints in the hope that their
voices will be heard. They need to see that the health service has listened and will
learn."
ends
Notes to editors:EDM 75: OLDER PEOPLE AND THE NHS COMPLAINTS SYSTEM.
11.12.00
That this House welcomes the new
'Speaking Out' report compiled by Age Concern highlighting the failings of the NHS
complaints system in relation to older people; calls on the Government to act on older
people's concerns by reforming the system to ensure that the health service learns from
its mistakes, that the system is made more accessible, that there will be no
recriminations against those who complain and that complainants have access to independent
support; and urges the Government to acknowledge that if it develops a complaints system
which respects and acts on the views of older people, it will help to build a health
service which is better for all.
As of 15.12.00 the following MPs had signed: John
Austin, Mr David Amess , Mr Peter Bottomley, Mr Paul Burstow, Dr Vincent Cable, Mr Martin
Caton, Mr John Cummings, Mr Jim Dobbin, Mr Ronnie Fearn, Mr Andrew George, Sandra Gidley,
Dr Norman A Godman, Mr Lindsay Hoyle, Ms Jenny Jones, Lynne Jones, Mr Richard Livsey, Mr
Paul Marsden, Mr Edward O'Hara, The Reverend Martin Smyth, Dr Jenny Tonge.
- Last year the NHS received 86,013 complaints about
hospital and community health services in England alone.
- Age Concern is running a high profile campaign
against ageism in the NHS. This has included the publication of evidence by older people
themselves (Turning your back on us: Older people and the NHS),
research showing that over three quarters of GPs believe age-based rationing occurs (Age
Concern/NOP, May 2000), and evidence of Do Not Resuscitate decisions being
made without the involvement of patients.
- Case studies may be available. Please call Alice Hunt
or Katey Karam in the media unit on 020 8765 7200.
- Radio producers please note: Age Concern England has
an ISDN facility.
- Visit the Age Concern website at
www.ageconcern.org.uk.
Click here for a copy of Lynne
Jones letter to the Secretary of State for Health on NHS reforms, including the role
of Community Health Councils
E N D S
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19/12/00
SACKED NURSING SISTER NOT THE ONLY
ONE TO BLAME FOR REIGN OF TERROR
I have secured an adjournment
debate into the management of the Birmingham Specialist Community Health Trust on
Wednesday 20th December.
Following an incident in which a brain-damaged patient, Peter
Collins, was refused bowel care for six and a half hours, further issues relating to
maltreatment of patients and intimidation and bullying of staff were drawn to my
attention. An Independent Inquiry was eventually set up on the working practices and
organisation of Hillcrest and Ward 3 at Moseley Hall Hospital in Birmingham.
During the course of their Inquiry, the Panel, chaired by Professor
McLellan of Southampton General Hospital, were so worried about the possibility of
maltreatment of staff and patients that they felt obliged to tell the Chief Executive of
their most acute concerns. As a result of this information the Nurse Manager was
suspended. In their full report, the Inquiry Team recommended that the Nurse
Managers suspension should be confirmed and she should be formally investigated for
oppressive and unprofessional practices. They also recommended that the post of Clinical
Manager should be discontinued and that Dr Jim Unsworth should be replaced as Clinical
Director of the Unit whilst continuing in his role as Director of the West Midlands Centre
for Rehabilitation, of which the Unit is a key component.
As a result, two female staff were suspended from work and Dr
Unsworth from his role as Clinical Director. A formal disciplinary inquiry then began. The
outcome of this was that the Nurse Manager was dismissed and the Clinical Manager (who had
no clinical training) was given a final written warning and redeployed. A modified
"Annex E" or intermediate procedure was commenced to investigate and advise on
matters involving professional conduct or competence in relation to three senior members
of staff. These were Dr Unsworth, Rick Roberts, the Acting Chief Executive of the former
Southern Birmingham Community Health Trust, who had initiated the Independent Inquiry and
Dr Imad Soryal, a consultant in rehabilitation medicine who, as on-call consultant, had
intervened to get proper care for Mr Collins.
The adjournment debate I have initiated on management of the
Birmingham Specialist Community Health Trust will explore how, in the words of the Inquiry
Report:
"the nurse manager could have established such an effective
regime for suppression of innovation and taken it to such extremes without the unwavering
and ill-judged support of Dr Unsworth and the clinical manager"
The debate will also address the impact of the actions of the
incoming Chief Executive of the new Birmingham Specialist Community Trust which was formed
following the amalgamation of its predecessor with its Northern Birmingham counterpart.
Further matters relating to the inadequacy of two internal
inquiries, conducted by Dr Alistair Main, the role of the Regional Director of Public
Health and health ministers will also be raised during the debate.
Mrs Lorraine Collins, the wife of the patient that was the subject
of the maltreatment that brought these various matters to light is willing to talk to the
media about her husbands experiences.
E N D S
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18 December 2000
WIFE OF BRITISH MAN
IN SAUDI JAIL TO MEET FOREIGN OFFICE MINISTER
This Wednesday morning, Lynne Jones MP will accompany her
constituent Shaheen Chaudhry, to the Foreign Office to meet with Baroness Patricia
Scotland to discuss the case of her husband Mohammed Chaudhry, who has been imprisoned
without charge in a Saudi jail for 18 months.
The meeting follows yet another disappointment when the offer by a
Saudi guarantor to give a personal guarantee for bail was refused on Monday by the Saudi
authorities even though they had indicated to the British Embassy that appearance only
bail would be accepted. Once more the Saudis are demanding an unlimited financial
guarantee, which is impossible to give. This is the third time that hopes have been raised
that Mr Chaudhry would be released on bail, only to see those hopes dashed.
Speaking in advance of the meeting Lynne Jones said:
"My constituent has been in jail for over a year and a half
and still no charges have been brought. We will be calling on the Minister to step up
diplomatic pressure on the Saudis including if necessary, summoning the Saudi Ambassador
to the Foreign Office."
E N D S
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
07/12/00
MP WELCOMES GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS FOR ARMS CONTROL LEGISLATION BUT SAYS
THEY MUST GO FURTHER
Lynne Jones MP has welcomed the export control bill promised by the
Government in yesterdays Queens Speech but has raised concerns that the
proposed legislation does not go far enough. Lynne Jones said:
"I am pleased that the Government have announced their
intention to publish a Draft Bill to bring tighter controls on the arms trade but as they
currently stand, the proposals do not provide for proper Parliamentary scrutiny of arms
exports. I would like the Government to hand the power to look at applications for arms
export licences to a House of Commons Select Committee. This has been called for in many
submissions to the Governments Green Paper, including my own from November 1998
where I stated:
a new Select Committee should be established, empowered to
monitor military export controls, co-operation among Government departments and the
compliance of companies involved in arms exports, [and] its findings included as a
commentary on the Government's own report.
I have now called upon the Government to publish the results of its
consultation."
The Selly Oak MP recently accompanied three students from Birmingham
University who handed in a petition to the Prime Minister calling for tighter controls on
the export of arms.
ends
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
06/12/00
MP WELCOMES PROPOSALS IN QUEENS SPEECH FOR THE REGISTRATION OF
"BOUNCERS"
AND CALLS FOR KERB CRAWLERS TO RISK ENDORSEMENT OF
THEIR DRIVING LICENSES
Plans for the regulation for the private security industry announced
in the Queens Speech were welcomed today by Selly Oak MP, Lynne Jones who, as long
ago as 1998, tabled a Commons motion calling for a national registration scheme for
door supervisors, commonly known as bouncers.
Reputable entertainment companies who are members of the British
Entertainment and Discotheque Association have also been calling for this measure for some
time. Whilst the majority of door supervisors are professional and responsible, without a
national registration scheme, the few who have demonstrated violent, racist or other
criminal behaviour continue to tarnish the reputation of workers in the entertainment's
industry.
In Birmingham there are over 300 premises licensed for entertainment
and it is estimated that around 3000 door supervisors are likely to be employed in the
City. Although Birmingham City Council has its own registration scheme, requiring pubs and
clubs granted entertainment licences by the Council to maintain a register of door
supervisors, the scheme lacks legal backing. At last the Government is putting this right
with the setting up of a Private Security Industry Authority which will licence all those
who provide private security services and ensure that standards within the industry are
maintained and improved.
Lynne Jones also welcomed the proposal to make kerb crawling an
arrestable offence. This was first proposed in the 1996 report of the Parliamentary Group
on Prostitution, which the MP helped author. However, so far, the Government has not
responded to the Groups recommendation that kerb crawlers should risk having their
driving licences endorsed. The Governments proposals also fall far short of the
comprehensive review of the laws on prostitution that was called for.
E N D S
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
15/09/00
MP URGES BIRMINGHAM DRIVERS:
"TAKE CARE THIS AUTUMN"
Lynne Jones MP is urging road users in Birmingham Selly Oak to take
extra care this autumn, traditionally a time when accident levels soar.
Children have now returned to school after the summer break, and
with 20% of morning rush hour traffic caused by the school run, there is an even greater
risk of danger. Lynne Jones MP is urging young people to develop safer and healthier ways
of getting to school through the RAC Grass Routes Challenge.
In line with the Governments commitment to cutting child
deaths and serious injuries by 50%, the Challenge encourages young people to come up with
safer ways of getting to school, by reducing the number of car journeys. The Challenge,
which also promotes healthier and greener modes of transport, offers schools the chance of
winning £4,000 to implement the Travel Plans they design.
Lynne Jones said:
"Increasing levels of traffic, particularly around schools, can
cause a greater risk of accidents to young people and drivers alike. Autumn in particular
is a time when extra care needs to be taken, as the weather becomes wetter and the nights
draw in.
"The RACs Grass Routes Challenge is a great way of
encouraging young people to develop safer, healthier and greener ways of getting to school
and involving the whole community. I am therefore urging schools in my constituency to
take up the RACs Challenge to develop School Travel Plans and help reduce the risk
of accidents.
"Whilst the emphasis of the RAC campaign is on road
safety, we must all learn from events of the past week that we, as a society, need to
reduce our dependence on the car. This sort of campaign can only be the beginning of such
a process"
- ends -
Notes to editors
- Schools can request an introductory competition by calling 0870 010
4443 or registering online at www.rac.co.uk
- The top prize, awarded for the most innovative Plan is £4,000.
- 20% of morning rush hour traffic is caused by the school run.
- 53% of secondary school students travel to school on foot - down from
61% in 1975.
- 2% of children cycle to school compared to 6% in 1975.
More than 300 schools have already signed up to the Challenge
E N D S
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news from
Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
01/09/00
MP HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO
TACKLE NHS
LABORATORY STAFF SHORTAGES
In the euphoria over the NHS Plan and the extra money that has been
given to the NHS a Birmingham MP has issued a plea to Ministers not to overlook the
shortages of crucial laboratory staff in NHS trusts.
Lynne Jones MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, said today:
"I have been contacted by a constituent who had to wait 15
weeks for the results of her original cervical smear test which proved inconclusive. At
her insistence the results of the repeat test have been marked as urgent. However, she has
been informed that due to staffing problems, those who go in for tests now could have to
wait for up to 22 weeks for the results. I know that Ministers at the Department of Health
are aware of this problem and are working on a human resource strategy with the National
Advisory Group for Scientists and Technicians (NAGST). However I remain concerned that
this issue has not been given a high profile in the NHS Plan and improvements
promised by Ministers are taking time to filter through. As the unacceptable delay
highlighted by my constituents case shows, changes cannot come too soon."
This issue was brought to the Department of Healths attention
in April, when professional medical workers who are part of the MSF union lobbied
Parliament to highlight the situation that whilst doctors and nurses are held in high
esteem, the work that is carried out by medical scientists and technicians, often goes
unrecognised. Lynne Jones MP said:
"I know from my visit to the Birmingham Womens Hospital
Trust last year that the laboratories there carry out as many as 45,000 routine tests a
year but are also responsible for screening at-risk parents for rare genetic conditions
like cystic fibrosis and thallasaemia. As many as 50 different tests can be carried out at
the hospital. There are concerns that the qualified staff necessary for this work are
simply not coming forward because of poor starting salaries.
"The problem is also outlined in a recent report by the Science
and Technology Select Committee, Cancer Research A Fresh Look, one of our
recommendations was:
The introduction of a fast-track system for people suspected of
having cancer will increase the demand on an already over-stretched service. Thus it must
be matched by the provision of a greater capacity in radiology and pathology if the
management of cancer patients is to improve
E N D S
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news from
Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
20/06/00
MP TAKES UP CHURCH COMPLAINT ABOUT RACE-HATE PROPAGANDA
This Friday, Lynne Jones MP is to meet members of the
congregation at Cotteridge Church and other constituents who have contacted her to express
their serious concern about the way issues concerning the treatment of asylum seekers have
been reported and in particular, the way some party political propaganda has pandered to
racism.
The MP has written to William Hague asking him to dissociate himself
from a particularly nasty piece of propaganda which gives the false impression that asylum
seekers receive more benefits than pensioners, thus legitimising racism and encouraging
racist attacks.
The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss how to raise awareness
of the reality of life in Britain for those fleeing persecution and also to speak
positively about the contribution made by refugees and economic migrants who have enriched
our culture and contributed to economic growth.
E N D S
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
20/06/00
SELECT COMMITTEE
BREAKS NEW GROUND
The Science and Technology Select Committee breaks new ground
tomorrow with the launch of a U.S.-style open witness session. An open-invitation was sent
out to cancer charities and patient organisations to give oral evidence to the Select
Committee who are conducting an enquiry into the organisation and funding of cancer
research in the UK.
Twenty witnesses, all with valuable experience of cancer services,
many cancer survivors themselves, have each been allocated 5 minutes to present key points
of concern to the Committee.
Lynne Jones MP, member of the Select Committee has welcomed this
fresh approach to Committee enquiries.
"We are so used to taking evidence from renowned experts it is
easy to forget that many ordinary people have valid contributions to make. For the first
time, a Select Committee in the United Kingdom Parliament has opened up the Select
Committee system to the very people that will be most affected by the outcome of our
enquiry".
E N D S
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
07/06/00
MPs
PROTEST AT BRITONS
12 MONTH DETENTION WITHOUT CHARGE IN
SAUDI ARABIA
More than 90 MPs of all political
parties are supporting an Early Day Motion tabled by Lynne Jones MP highlighting the
plight of her constituent Mohammed Masseh Chaudhry. A copy of the Motion, which will
appear on the Commons Order Paper on 8 June, is attached.
E N D S
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
14/04/00
MP SUBMITS EVIDENCE TO THE COMMISSION
ON THE SCRUTINY ROLE OF PARLIAMENT
Lynne Jones MP has responded to the Hansard Societys
consultation on the scrutiny role of parliament. In her contribution the MP made the
following points:
1. Current Parliamentary scrutiny of the executive is not effective.
2. The purpose of scrutiny should not be to question the aims
of Government policy but the effectiveness of a policy/piece of legislation in achieving
those aims.
3. All legislation should be examined by committees set up by an
independent body and selected from MP's who have expressed an interest in a particular
policy area. The committees should invite written and oral evidence with the aim of
assessing whether the legislation will achieve the aims set for it by the Government. A
report should be produced following these deliberations making recommendations to which
the Government should be required to respond, as for Select Committee reports. The same
Committee should then go into "Standing Committee" mode.
4. A novel procedure might be to enable an interested person to
submit oral evidence, perhaps setting aside half a parliamentary day, during which the
public would be entitled to make, say, 5 minute statements. I understand this is done in
Congressional hearings in the US.
5. Whilst there will always be a need for set piece, confrontational
debates, the above procedures in committee might allow for a reduction in the amount of
time for such, largely futile, exercises.
6. There should be more parliamentary time to debate select
committee reports. Perhaps alternate question time sessions for a particular ministry
should be set aside to allow questioning on select committee reports relevant to
departmental ministers' responsibility. Question time sessions on particular subjects
might be more productive than current free-ranging debate.
E N D S
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
31/03/00
MP CHALLENGES GOVERNMENT
MINISTER ON FINANCING OF PROPOSED REPLACEMENT FOR SELLY OAK AND QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITALS
Lynne Jones MP has challenged the Government to ensure that the
appraisal of the University Hospital Trusts business case for the new hospital will
include a valid comparison between the value for money of the proposed private finance
route and traditional public financing. She also asked for public capital to be made
available if this offered best value.
In his response to Lynne Jones question in Parliament this
week, the responsible minister John Hutton ducked the issues. Lynne Jones has now written
to the minister spelling out the inadequacies of his response and asking for straight
answers. Her letter ends:
"Without this information, I will not be able to reassure my
constituents, who remain concerned that there will be a loss of beds in the new hospital
that is to replace the much-loved Selly Oak and Queen Elizabeth hospitals."
E N D S
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news from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
30/03/00
MP LAUNCHES INTERNET PENSIONS DEBATE
On Monday the House will be debating amendments to the Pensions
section of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill.
Lynne Jones MP has tabled a number of amendments and has also
recently published articles on the subject in Tribune and Pensions Management.
Today, Lynne Jones MP launches a debate on pensions on her website www.poptel.org.uk/lynne.jones/
and invites constituents to feed back with their views.
E N D S
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news
from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
07/03/00
GOVERNMENT POLICY ON DIABETES AND
DRIVING LICENCES: ILLOGICAL AND INCONSISTENT SAYS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
Back in 1997, I was approached by constituents concerned that a new
EU directive would make it illegal for 350, 000 insulin dependent diabetics to drive
mini-buses and small lorries. After an exchange of letters with the Transport Minister if
became clear that the Governments interpretation of the Directive was not based on
evidence. I asked the Science and Technology Committee, of which I am a member, to look at
the development of policy on diabetes and driving licences as part of its general enquiry
into the scientific advisory system.
That enquiry in now complete and the Report has been published
today. I enclose a copy of a summary of the Committees recommendations and
conclusions and our press release.
Whilst the Government will have to give its formal response to the
Committee in due course, officials from the DETR have indicated that our Enquiry has
prompted them to review this policy.
This is a good example of democracy at work. A few constituents
lobbying their MP can lead to a change of policy.
E N D S
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news
from Labour
Issued by Lynne Jones MP
02/03/00
MP PRESSES MINISTER
FOR ACTION ON STUDENT HOUSING
Lynne Jones MP today joined a group of Parliamentarians representing
constituencies with high student populations in a delegation to Housing Minister, Nick
Raynsford. MPs told the Minister of their concerns about the impact of students on the
stability of local communities. Lynne Jones explained how the doubling of the student
population at Birmingham University over the last 10 years has lead to a marked change in
the character of the Bournbrook area of Selly Oak, highlighted in the recent Neighbours
from Hell programme. Whole streets of terraced houses are now occupied mainly by
students, causing problems for long-term residents.
Whilst the Government has already recognised the need for statutory
licensing of housing in multiple occupation MPs were concerned that houses shared by three
or four students count as single household occupation and may not be included.
MPs pressed the Housing Minister to give local councils
additional powers in defined student "zones" to deal with neglected properties
and anti-social behaviour and to intervene to acquire properties to maintain balanced
communities.
The Minister accepted the need for new legislation and promised to
put forward proposals along the lines suggested by the MPs. It was hoped that there would
be consultation on these measures "within a couple of months" with a view to
legislation as soon as Parliamentary time can be found.
MPs stressed the urgency of the need for action as some areas
are declining rapidly and local schools becoming unviable as families move out.
Speaking after the meeting Lynne Jones said "I was pleased that
the Minister recognised the special problems of student areas. I and the other eleven
colleagues who attended the meeting will be writing to the Deputy Prime Minister and the
Prime Minister urging them to bring forward legislation in the next Queens Speech"
E N D S
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