Embargo 4.30pm Thursday 29 March 2001

The MP is supporting the International Year for Volunteering 2001 Older People’s 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, I’m pleased to be asking local organisations to nominate the older volunteers that they value and appreciate. I’m 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"

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.

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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.

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Lynne Jones MP has responded to the Hansard Society’s 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.

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Lynne Jones MP has challenged the Government to ensure that the appraisal of the University Hospital Trust’s 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:

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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.

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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 Government’s 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 Committee’s 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.

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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.

MP’s 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.

MP’s 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"

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