Letter from Parliament

Jim Dobbin MP

Last week I was in the Lake District touring Beatrix Potter country, from our base in Siloth we enjoyed visits to Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Keswick and Carlisle and Gretna on the Scottish borders.  It was a lovely quiet week with no interruptions and especially no telephone.  It would be worth our local planners visiting Carlisle as an example of good town centre planning. We have been to the Lake District a number of times but its beauty never ceases to impress.

I returned to Heywood for the opening of our new joint Roman Catholic and Church of England School, Holy Family College. It will of course have a non faith entity as well – the first of its kind in Greater Manchester.  The Bishop of Salford and the Bishop of Manchester together opened the school.  I know it will be successful education establishment and I wish it well.

Meanwhile, Councillor Colin Lambert who administers my local parliamentary office attended a workshop in Manchester on Flood Risk Management.  We are still pursuing improvements to our flood defences and will submit a paper to the Environment Select Committee in the near future.

I set off for Bournemouth on Sunday for the Labour Party Conference. I felt it was a very successful week in which Gordon Brown was warmly welcomed at his first conference as Prime Minister.  The party was united behind the new leader and there was a sense that a new era had begun.  In his speech to conference he demonstrated the same assurance and authority that he has shown in the way he dealt with the London car bomb, the Glasgow Airport terrorism, the flooding, the foot and mouth outbreak and the Northern Rock crisis. After outlining his vision and plans for Britain under his premiership, he was given a rousing reception by party members.  The polls show that the public share their confidence and admire his statesmanlike quality.

The fringe meetings at the conference cover a wide range of issues and I spoke at the Labour Life Group fringe meeting to discuss the implications of the Human Tissue and Embryology Bill that will be in the Queen’s Speech and might reach the Commons in Spring as a Government Bill.  I feel this Bill could have dangerous implications that could result in human reproductive cloning that is banned across the world, the possible creation of hybrid animal/humans and could open up the debate on the 1967 Abortion Act.  It will need considerable amendments if these dangers are to be averted.  The meeting was well attended and many people expressed their own concerns.

On Friday Ivan Lewis M P, David Chaytor MP and I met with the local Bury and Rochdale Medical Committee representing our GPs.  It was chaired by Dr Richard Verity and we covered access to healthcare, reconfiguration, health service commissioning and the new build health programme known as LIFT. It was a wide ranging frank discussion but very constructive.

At this point I need to clear up a perceived misunderstanding.  Appointments to membership including chairmen of all health trusts, is the responsibility of an Independent Appointment Commission, not the Secretary of State for Health.

On Friday evening we attended a packed Sacred Heart Church, Kingsway for a Mass on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the church.  The Mayor Councillor Peter Evans and his wife the Mayoress were in attendance and joined the parish priest Father O’Kane and Bishop Brain and hundreds of parishioners in the parish centre afterwards to enjoy refreshments and reminiscences.

I close by saying to the Langley constituents with concerns about recent plans under consultation.  I do intend to meet with the Housing Market Renewal team and would be happy to listen to constituents concerns.  The published plans for Heywood’s regeneration over the next 10 - 15 years looks exciting and I look forward to the consultation process.  Both Heywood and Middleton are now the subject of considerable change and my role is to make sure the development meets the needs of my constituents. 

Castleton needs to become the focus of investment in the infrastructure of the village.  I mean to have discussions soon with the relevant officers. 

I will have to return to Parliament on Tuesday 2 October as my Select committee on Europe has been recalled.  We return to Parliament full time on 8 October.