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 Tackling dangerous driving |
A crackdown on the menace of reckless driving has been announced as Labour’s Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick unveiled proposals to tackle drink and drug drivers and other dangers on Britain’s roads. A major consultation on road safety sets out Labour's plans to crack down on drug and drink driving and how changes in the law can play a role in combating this menace. It also examines the need for tougher penalties and other changes to make it easier for police to tackle reckless driving and cut the 3,000 road deaths that take place in Britain each year. Independent research shows that 1 in 5 drivers killed in accidents may have an impairing drug in their system. Specific proposals include: * exploring whether a new offence should be created to bring drug driving more into line with drink driving * a major publicity campaign on drug driving * improved training and equipment to help the police better enforce the current drug driving law * £2 million for new digital breath testing equipment * seeking views and evidence on the question of reducing the legal alcohol limit Labour’s Road Safety Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick said: "Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world and the number of people killed or hurt has fallen dramatically in the last decade. But too many people are still dying on our roads. "To tackle this we must crack down on the most dangerous drivers - the selfish minority whose reckless behaviour...
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| Jacqui Smith on tackling demand for prostitution |
Jacqui Smith write exclusively for labour.org.uk on tackling demand for prostitution. Today I am publishing the findings of the Government’s six month review into tackling demand for prostitution outlining tough new measures to crack down on sex buyers and kerb crawlers as well as giving police new powers to close down brothels. I want to do everything I can to protect vulnerable women. That is why I am determined to shift the focus onto the sex buyer, the person responsible for creating the demand for prostitution markets which in turn creates demand for the vile trade of women to be trafficked for sexual exploitation. I am outlining measures to protect women who have been groomed or trafficked into prostitution or for those who remain involved for fear of violence from a partner or pimp. There will be a new criminal offence of paying for sex with someone who is trafficked or pimped so that even if a punter claims he did not know the woman was being controlled for gain they will still be liable for prosecution. I want to send a clear message to force men to think twice before sex and make it clear that if they pay for sex with someone who has been controlled or exploited, they face a criminal record and a hefty fine. At the moment, only persistent kerb-crawling is outlawed. In my book, once around the block is once too many - and so I’m making kerb-crawling punishable as a...
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| Deal secures better access to drugs for patients |
The Labour Government has finalised a deal with the pharmaceutical industry that will allow more patients to benefit from a wider range of drug treatments at a fair cost to the NHS. The flexible pricing scheme agreed will cut the price of many drugs to the NHS while encouraging continued innovation in the industry – allowing patients to have faster access to new medicines which are clinically and cost effective. The agreement with the industry will produce: * a 3.9 per cent price cut in the cost of drugs sold to the NHS in February 2009 * a further price cut of 1.9 per cent in January 2010 * a new scheme providing stability and predictability in Pharmaceutical Pricing for the next 5 years * new pricing arrangements that will enable drug companies to supply drugs to the NHS at lower initial prices – with higher prices later if value is proven * action to support innovation in drug creation Labours Health Secretary, Alan Johnson said: "A more flexible approach to pricing is in everyone's interest. It gets clinically and cost effective drugs to more patients - providing cheaper options where clinically appropriate - delivers value for money for the NHS and the tax payer, and creates a better market for the pharmaceutical industry while supporting research and innovation. "Patient access schemes together with flexible pricing of pharmaceuticals will also enable the NHS to offer more patients a wider range of more expensive drugs as recommended by the National Cancer...
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| Tories won't help families and businesses right now - Cooper |
Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury, responding to David Cameron's speech on Tory spending plans, said: "There is a clear choice for the British people. "Labour's approach will give real help now for families and businesses to help Britain come through these difficult times stronger and sooner; the Conservatives won't act to support the economy when it needs it and won't help families and businesses right now. "Unlike the Conservatives, we refuse to abandon people in tough times. Instead of a shot in the arm the Tories would give the British economy a slap in the face. "The Tory policy of inaction is isolated and incoherent. They are now virtually alone in opposing an urgent boost to the economy and they have been forced yet again to change their plans from one day to the next. "Ever since the banking crisis hit Britain, David Cameron and George Osborne have been out of their depth and today once again their judgement has been wrong."...
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| Prime Minister issues statement on G20 leaders' summit |
The Prime Minister has updated the House of Commons on the G20 leaders' summit in Washington. He said: "At this unique moment in our economic history, we are seeing the world come together to find global solutions for the global problems we face. "Over the next few weeks, following consultation, Britain - as the incoming chair of the G20 finance ministers - will lead the preparations for the next summit working alongside the past and future chairs. We will set out the schedule of events, meetings and papers that will take us to the next conference - the date and venue of which will be announced next week. "In the run up to the conference, we will monitor - following the recapitalisation of the banking system - barriers to the resumption of funding. "For this summit and the meetings that will follow are about the real challenges of everyday life: the need for people to have confidence in the banks that hold their savings and their mortgages and that everything is possible is being done to help them in their jobs - and we pledge that with national and international action, real help in difficult times - we will take people through the downturn fairly" You can read the Prime Minister's full statement here...
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| Campaign to recruit more people to the organ donor register |
Labour’s health Secretary, Alan Johnson, has launched a £4.5m campaign to raise awareness of organ donation and help with recruiting nearly half the population to the organ donor register. The Secretary of State also welcomed the report on this subject by the Organ Donations Taskforce Group which recommended against a 'presumed consent' system in the UK. The campaign aims to help raise donor rates from the current 800 to 1,400 per year by March 2013. This would give the UK one of the best rates in Europe and, with each donor helping up to three people, could mean an extra 1,800 people getting the transplant they need each year. Labour’s Health Secretary, Alan Johnson said: "I am grateful to the Chair of the Taskforce, Elisabeth Buggins, and all the members for their careful and thorough examination of this difficult issue. We need to dramatically increase organ donation but the Government and the NHS can't achieve this alone. We need a much greater public understanding that organ donation saves lives. "The Taskforce has presented a well-balanced analysis of a substantial body of evidence drawn from a wide range of groups, including healthcare professionals, organ recipients, donor families, representatives of faith groups, and members of the public. "I accept their conclusions and recommendations, and support the priorities for action they have identified. The Taskforce conclude that donation rates equivalent to those achievable through the best presumed consent systems could still be possible without a change in the legal framework - and I...
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| Tory transport policy is now totally incoherent - Fitzpatrick |
Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Labour's Aviation Minister, responding to Theresa Villiers' outright rejection of Boris Johnson's Thames Estuary airport plan, said: "Tory transport policy is now totally incoherent. The Tories can't get their act together when it comes to airports and keep making headlines on the hoof that unravel under scrutiny. "They opposed Heathrow expansion during the London election campaign. The Thames Estuary airport plan was meant to be their alternative. Now Theresa Villiers has ruled that out - even though Boris Johnson is still lobbying for it. "After yet another of their ideas fails to fly - when will they replace unworkable plans with serious leadership for the long term good of the country."...
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| More Support for Post Offices |
Labour’s Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell, has announced that the Post Office has been awarded the contract to continue providing the Post Office Card Account (POCA). The Labour Government has taken the decision to help secure a viable Post Office network by awarding the five-year contract directly to the Post Office. Four million people, including two million pensioners, will be able to continue to use their account to access benefits over the counter at local branches. At a time when people are feeling anxious about the economy, this move will ensure that people are able to access benefits in a familiar way and guarantee an important source of income for post offices. The Labour Government has also announces a £1.7bn subsidy to help maintain the post office network and keep branches open in the right places Labour’s Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell said: "I firmly believe that this is the right decision for our customers, the Post Office and sub-postmasters. "The Post Office is a cherished national institution at the heart of many communities. The card account is an important source of income, and brings customers through the doors of Post Offices across the country. "Global economic events have made people, particularly the most vulnerable in our society, more concerned about financial transactions. The Post Office is a trusted brand, and is seen as a safe, secure and reliable provider of services in these turbulent times. "Now is not the time for...
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| Primary school investment announced |
Labour's Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls has given the green light to a new generation of primary schools by approving building plans worth £3.55 billion . The planned rebuilding and refurbishment of 1,500 schools across England can now start. This announcement means that Labour’s Primary Capital Programme – which is investing at least £7 billion to rebuild or refurbish half of all primary and primary-age special schools by 2022-23 - will now start in earnest. 133 local authorities today received the go-ahead for their primary capital strategies. Additionally the Labour Government will provide specialised support for 15 local authorities to help them improve their plans within three months to enable funding to be released.. As well as improving the learning environment of children across the country, this huge investment will help to support jobs in the construction industry and local businesses who will be crucial to fitting out the new and refurbished schools. Labour's Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls said: “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform primary education in every part of the country – to sweep away buildings now reaching the end of their shelf life and drive up the quality of our schools. “A decade ago many classroom facilities were in an appalling condition. Children deserve the best facilities that we can build and teachers deserve better classrooms to work in. Schools are now being revolutionised by the biggest, sustained capital investment for 50 years – benefiting...
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| PM speaks to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet |
Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, Gordon Brown, Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party said: “These last weeks and months will be studied by generations to come. Historians will look back and say this was no ordinary time but a defining moment: an unprecedented period of global change, a time when one chapter ended and another began - for nations; for continents; for the whole world. I want this to become the moment when together we rise to the new challenges by purposeful visionary and international leadership, leaving behind the orthodoxies of yesterday and embracing new ideas to create a better tomorrow: not as victims of history but as shapers of an open, free trade, flexible globalisation that is also inclusive and sustainable. At the heart of this is a growing agreement that at a time of change and massive uncertainty, people look to governments for action. This is no time for conventional old thinking or tired old orthodoxies. In Britain, we have already cut taxes to help families this year. And as the chancellor has said, we will maintain our essential public investments while continuing to increase the value for money of every pound spent. This is no time for the old approach of short-term spending cuts in a downturn that would hurt families and businesses today and damage the long-term productivity of the economy. Since this is a global downturn it requires a global solution. As was the case with the bank stabilisation plan,...
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