Plas Meddyg Surgery

I was delighted to be invited to open the new extension to the Plas Meddyg GP surgery in Bexley Village.  The practice now has three additional consulting rooms to support the work of Dr Sykes and the rest of the healthcare team.  I hope it will help the practice to continue to broaden the range of community healthcare services for residents living in Bexley Village.   

Hornchurch Farewell

With the General Election imminent the boundary changes which will divide and abolish the Hornchurch constituency will come into effect in a matter of days. These changes will also mark the end of my period in office as the Member of Parliament for Hornchurch. It has been a genuine privilege to serve as the MP for Hornchurch, Elm Park Rainham and Wennington since 2005 and I've been touched by the kind and generous messages from local residents in recent weeks.

During this time there have been a number of important victories for the local community. St George's Hospital, Hornchurch which was ear-marked for closure when I took office can look forward to a secure future. Elm Park has seen a new library to enhance facilities for local residents and investment in CCTV to help improve community safety. The annual Elm Park Fiesta and Christmas Illuminations have created added focus and attention on the community.

In Rainham there have been plenty of battles to fight. Proposals to make Rainham a site for processing contaminated debris in the event of a serious terrorist incident were reversed. Plans for a moto-cross circuit at Launders Lane were rejected. The Rainham Prison proposals for the Beam Reach 5 Industrial Park were dropped after thousands of people marching through the streets of Rainham brought the area to a stand-still. And plans for a 5,000 seat ‘mega church' were refused after strong opposition at a public inquiry.

It has certainly been a busy period and I've been proud to have played a part in all of these successes. But none of this could have been achieved without the local community coming together with a ‘yes we can' spirit. With this attitude and outlook as my time in Hornchurch comes to an end, I have little doubt that the local community can look forward to a positive future.

Combating Computer Crime

On-line crime is one of the fastest growing crimes in Britain today. Senior police officers estimate that a crime with an online element is committed every ten seconds. This has serious consequences for not only our economy, but our everyday lives where the virtual world has become an integral part of the day to day functioning of the physical world. These growing ‘digital dangers' of the online environment have not been taken seriously enough by Labour. Conservatives would take action on a number of fronts.

We would make it easier to report online scams and computer enabled crime. This would build on the initial work of the National Fraud Strategic Authority to provide both tactical and strategic intelligence on computer enabled crime and fraud. Where emerging patterns of risk or organised scams emerge, alerts would be provided through an on-line safety portal. This would also give computer users practical steps to help protect computer users falling victim to on-line crime.

We would raise corporate risk management surrounding data retention by requiring businesses holding significant quantities of personal data to report incidents where personal information has been lost, stolen or compromised and if required notify their customers that they may be at risk of identity fraud. Education and awareness of the potential risks in the on-line environment also need to be enhanced. That's why we would promote on-line safety as a core part of all ICT training in schools and colleges.

Enforcement needs to be strengthened to send a clear message that online crime will not be tolerated. We would provide clearer co-ordination between the various law enforcement agencies responsible for computer crime and establish a dedicated team within the Crown Prosecution Service. We would also strengthen international co-operation to assist in cross-border investigations.

More of the same simply isn't an option.

The Olympic Tower

One of the lighter issues discussed on LBC 97.3 last night was the Turner-prize winning artist Anish Kapoor's striking steel sculpture for the Olympic site. There have been various descriptions of the twisted steel design, most uncomplimentary. I described it as resembling inter-twining red musical treble clefs. Cathy by contrast said it looked more like collapsing steel cranes - you get the difference of view even in this household! The tower currently has the title of the Arcelor Mital ‘Orbit'. I suspect that in time a more everyday description will develop.

Whilst the initial commentary has been negative, I think over time it will grow in Londoners' affections. Think of how the ‘Angel of the North' was initially derided but now is lauded. Whilst the scale of the Olympic Site is impressive it is largely functional and lacks a striking feature. Kapoor's tower will provide the striking aspect and will be featured across the globe. I think it will provide a modern symbol not just for the Olympics but for London in the 21st century. We may knock the idea now, but once it is up I don't think many will be clamouring to knock it down.

Preparing for the next problem drug

Tragically, the drug Mephedrone has been dominating the headlines over the last few weeks. The so called 'legal high' has been linked to the deaths of a number of people. Focus has rightly been placed on public health concerns and controls applied to the drug and moves to classify the drug are welcome. It seems that many young people are making the mistake that because it's legal they think it's safe. It isn't with the chemistry of Mephedrone being similar to that of an amphetamine.

What has also been disturbing has been the way in which it is being sold. Rather than being offered by the drug dealer down a dark ally, Mephedrone is being sold openly over the internet as 'plant food' or other absurd descriptions in order to subvert medicines control legislation.

Despite movement in the last few days, the Government has been slow to act with some suggestions that the risks attached to this new breed of drug were telegraphed as long as five years ago. At the very least, the prevalence of Mephedrone on the club scene has been known about for many months and the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs flagged their concerns with the Home Secretary during the course of 2009.

What's clear to me is that the current system for responding to new and emerging drugs just isn't up to scratch in the internet age. We need a speedier mechanism to respond to new drugs intended for human consumption (however they may be marketed).

Conservatives would reform the drugs laws to provide a new temporary classification to enable controls on sale and supply to be applied where significant public health concerns are raised about a new substance. This would apply for a period of up to one year and would allow time for expert input and analysis to be provided to inform decisions on whether a formal classification should be made or not whilst addressing safety risks. It would also enable appropriate public health alerts to be given in a structured manner.

We need to learn from the tragic loss of life linked to this latest drug. What is clear is that, sadly, there will be many more of its kind which will follow.

Double charging for radio?

Tougher economic times have drawn into question part of the licensing scheme operated by PRS for Music. In particular, whether shops and businesses should pay charges for simply playing the radio in the workplace. Interestingly, I've had this issue flagged up from two sides. The stores and firms which balk at having licence fees levied on them when they are struggling to keep in business. And the radio stations who say that they are already paying a licence fee for broadcasting music and that this is effectively ‘double taxation'.

It's become a bit of a pet issue for me as I've held a long interest in the radio industry and am a keen supporter of community radio. I've also been concerned by complaints I've received that some businesses feel that they've been picked on unfairly or small businesses who liken their work to being in a home environment and therefore why should they pay? Similarly, commercial radio stations have concerns that charging shops and businesses to play their output is hitting advertising revenues which have already been cut to the bone in the recession. On the other side PRS argue that many of their artists are small businesses and that they should be properly recompensed for the performance of their creative works.

I met up with PRS recently to put a number of these points to them. There was recognition that small businesses should not be picked on and exemptions for lone workers, certain guest houses and medical practitioners were highlighted. Small business tariffs starting at just £44 a year were stressed and a separate scheme for voluntary organisations underlined. I certainly welcome the fact that PRS are working with the Federation of Small Business and have promised to keep tariffs under review.

But this doesn't address the principal issue of ‘double charging' which was flagged up to me in no uncertain terms by RadioCentre - the trade body for commercial radio. But there may be a way forward. PRS have offered to fund research into the impact of licensing on radio advertising revenues, recognising that they wouldn't want to ‘cut off their nose despite their face' if some radio stations showcasing their artists were to go to the wall. Provided this is meaningful research conducted in collaboration with the industry, this may be helpful in informing the debate. However, my feeling is that this is going to be an issue which will be ongoing for some time yet.

Through Unity

After the shocking teenage stabbings of the last few days, there was even more poignancy to the ‘Through Unity' Conference in Docklands today. Through Unity is a charity which helps to give a voice to and support families who have lost loved ones to violent crime. The themes of the event were around stopping antisocial behaviour, binge drinking and youth violence; raising aspirations and providing real solutions to the problems; and how we can move forward to drive societal change.

It was a privilege to share a platform with Helen Newlove whose husband Garry was kicked to death outside of their home, Lorna Simpson whose son Jamie was killed in Hackney and Franklyn Edwards whose nephew Robert was stabbed to death protecting a 14 year old child in a street attack in Hackney. There were many other families in the audience. It was humbling and inspiring at the same time. I cannot think of more powerful voices to help drive political change. Rani King, the Chief Executive of Through Unity deserves great credit in bringing this extraordinary of group of people together.

There were many young people at the Conference and it was interesting to hear their perspective on the importance of youth facilities and the contribution that young people make to our society. Recurring themes of family, the need for boundaries and responsibility were raised by a number of contributors. For me, family policy has to be at the heart of providing the long-term solutions to deal with violent, aggressive and selfish behaviour. The reality lost on this Government is that strong families and strong communities are as effective in instilling a culture of respect and responsibility as any law, rule or regulation made in Westminster. That's a message I'll be taking away from today.

Featured in the picture are Iffat Rizvi, myself, Rani King and Helen Newlove.

Can the EU really delay Mephedrone controls?

Earlier this week it was suggested that even if it wanted to the Government wouldn't be able to act quickly against the drug Mephedrone or 'meow meow' because of the EU. It was claimed that to introduce new legislation to control the drug would require a 3 month consultation with our European partners. The Home Office itself appeared to give credence to this with an official suggesting that any ban would be in place "by the end of the year".

Certainly precedent on speedy law making to control harmful substances does not set a good example. It took the Home Office 18 months to implement the necessary regulations to control GBL (Gamma Butyrolactone) after the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) recommended legal restrictions.

It's true that the Technical Standards and Regulations Directive does provide for a 3 month notification period. However, the advice I've been given indicates that this directive is intended to cover restrictions on trade between EU member states. The spurious marketing of what amounts to a derivative of amphetamine as ‘plant food' hardly seems to qualify. In any event the directive incorporates an exemption relating to "the protection of public health of safety" where there are "urgent reasons."

If the ACMD does recommend on Monday that Mephedrone should be a controlled drug and the Government brings forward urgent measures to this effect it would have my support. Other European countries have already legislated to control Mephedrone.  In this conext, I will need some convincing that any delay in the implementation of any controls over the drug lies at the door of the EU.

Facebook's Unanswered Questions

Facebook rightly remains under pressure over its refusal to adopt a panic button to alert law enforcement agencies of potential child abuse. The social networking site has firmly set its face against the adoption of the ‘report abuse' facility developed by the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP) despite significant adverse criticism. The shocking rape and murder of teenager Ashleigh Hall has put the safety measures of social networking sites into stark focus. The 17 year old was lured by convicted double rapist Peter Chapman by creating a bogus Facebook profile using the picture of a teenager.

Jim Gamble, the Chief Executive of CEOP has asserted that just 3% of the reports of child grooming relating to Facebook are being received from the company directly. CEOP states that the vast majority of people are reporting allegations of online grooming and child abuse on Facebook to them via other websites and social networking sites. I simply cannot comprehend why Facebook is not willing to accede to the reasonable request of CEOP on this issue and adopt their ‘panic' button so that reports of child abuse are made to them directly without delay. Other social networking sites have adopted this approach, what makes Facebook so different and why do they think they know better?

I wrote to Facebook seeking answers to a number of questions, including why they believe that their child abuse reporting procedures are more effective than the CEOP report abuse facility and why they appear to think they are in a better position to judge the validity or seriousness of reports than the professionally trained officers at the relevant law enforcement agencies. Whilst I was initially told I would receive a speedy answer, two weeks on I have yet to receive a substantive response.

I think Facebook have made a bad judgement on this issue and I hope that time and reflection will enable them to realise this. If not, I know I won't be the only one pressing for answers.

The Surrealist Budget

If this budget were a painting it would be an exemplar of surrealism. The epitome of the absurd came with the suggestion that borrowing £167 billion this year is somehow a virtue, something we can all be pleased about. Similarly, that we should all take a collective sigh of relief at the fact that this has been the deepest recession on record, yet it wasn't as bad as we had feared. It was almost like twisted schadenfreude - a celebration not of someone else's misfortune but our own.

Then we had the hallmark of a Labour set-piece speech, the re-announcement. Although this being the surrealist budget, the Chancellor re-announced a Conservative policy on stamp duty relief for first time buyers. Next we had the bizarre. If your bank refuses to lend to you money as a business you can appeal their decision to a new independent regulator who will then force them to lend to you. Does that mean that the regulator will then underwrite the loan if the bank's original credit decision was right and the loan goes bad? How does that fit within wider financial regulation and capital adequacy requirements? Why not simply let the Government become a bank and lend directly to business and cut out the financial middle man? I think we know where that got us.

Then of course there was what wasn't in the Budget at all. The impact of the freezing of personal tax allowances. With inflation running at 3% that's a real terms financial hit for everyone paying income tax. And the other missing piece of the equation, the departmental spending plans. Yes, this was a budget that Salvador Dali would have been proud. The problem for the country is that it did nothing to tackle the deficit and did nothing to set out a clear economic strategy for the future. But there again, perhaps Alistair Darling has his eye on taking up art classes in the very near future.