 The Queen’s Speech set out the Government’s legislative plans for the next twelve months and was focussed around two themes, security and
opportunity. Proposed bills addressing security include Criminal Justice, Offender Management, Organised Crime, Fraud (Trial without Jury), Immigration, and Climate Change. Bills
focussed on opportunity include Pension, Further Education and Training, Child Support, Concessionary Transport, Digital Switchover, Mental Health, Legal Services, Consumers Estate agents and
redress. Other bills include Local Government, Greater London, Northern Ireland legislation,
Statistics and Registration, Exchanges and Clearing Houses, Tribunals Courts and Enforcement. The proposal to complete the reform of the House
of Lords will be voted on in this Parliament. Amongst these I assess the Climate Change bill will be the most important and the Lords Reform and
Mental Health legislation the most controversial.
In Westminster I have attended meetings with the Suffolk
branch of the Country Landowners and Business Association and the East of England Federation of Small Business and the regions’ Wildlife
Trusts. I have attended presentations by the Identity and Passport Service on their new passport security measures,
including the new applicant interview offices, and by Network Rail on their maintenance, and investment plans which include the Doncaster – Ipswich gauge enhancement programme. The Ofcom Annual Lecture was an
interesting debate on the continuing convergence of broadcast and telecoms industries and the increasing fragmentation of audiences with more people accessing multi-channel TV and online content
options. Interestingly a decreasing number (less than 30%) of people now take their news from print media. I have chaired a meeting of the PLP
Education and Skills committee where Skills Minister Phil Hope outlined the Government’s intentions in the FE Bill to drive up quality further in the FE sector. I also chaired the PLP East of England group meeting where our guests were One Railways. Dominic Booth, MD, outlined the progress they have made on
punctuality and rolling stock improvements under the current franchise. Mr Booth expressed concern at the number of major network failures this year at 15 when an annual average of three is expected.
This led to a discussion about the interim steps Network Rail are taking to reduce catenary failures, and the need for pressure on Network Rail to instigate a major overhead wire replacement
programme from Shenfield to London. It was encouraging to hear some of this investment may flow from the development of Crossrail. In
Ipswich I have continued to campaign against the proposed reductions to older peoples’ Day Care Services.
I was asked to speak at the launch of 4th Angle a social enterprise capacity building company that builds on European Social Fund investment in training and development
of local social enterprises. This was during Social Enterprise week and it
is hoped that more of these businesses can thrive in support of their social objectives, often employing individuals with disabilities and from other vulnerable groups.
 I was pleased to be asked to open the extension to the St Christopher’s Pupil Referral Unit which meets the needs of pupils at Key Stages 2 and 3 who are not able to
learn in a school setting, but which works to enable them to return to school as part of the inclusion agenda.
BT invited all of the East of England MPs to their Innovation Day on the 24th November, but I was the only one to attend. Along
with a group of DtI officials I was treated to the usual high quality introduction to BT’s current and future technologies, their work to support the UK economy and their corporate social responsibility activity.
Chris Mole MP
| 
December 2006
