Subject: News

Bulletin from Conor Burns MP #92 Date: Thursday, 31 May 2012 10:32:18 United Kingdom Time From: To: Conor Burns MP news@localconservatives.com

In this edition:
Conor Burns MPs Diary Website of the Week: Coeliac UK Conor in Parliament: Conor questions Business & Enterprise Minister on global competitiveness Photo News: Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps Lobbying Housing Minister on Park Homes legislation Red Tape Ticker tracks scrapped regulations Photo news: Conor supports national Coeliac charity at Westminster Conor in the papers: MPs in plea to PM Conor in the media: My passionate belief in the Conservative Party and my concerns about today's electoral registration bill which could pave the way for Coalition candidates at the next election How to contact Conor Burns MP

Issue 92 Thursday 31st May 2012

Since the past edition, Conor has:

Spoken in the House of Commons to question Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, about ways to help small businesses in the UK. Visited the Bournemouth Lifeguard Corp to see their training at Stokewood Swimming Pool. Attended a reception in Westminster with ITVs This Morning doctor Dr Chris Steele MBE hosted by national charity Coeliac UK. Published an article in the blog Conservative Home on electoral registration. Met Jake Carroll, Member of the Youth Parliament for Dorset. Met with Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP along with Redhill & Northbourne Conservative by-election council candidate David dOrton-Gibson to discuss Park Homes. Attended a meeting of the Gender and Politics Conference Project Steering Committee. Held a help and advice surgery for local residents. Attended The Queens Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Met with the Managing Director and Director of Policy of Cancer Research UK in Westminster. Visited Hill View Schools Spring Fayre in Redhill. Attended the Mayor Making ceremony of Bournemouths 100th Mayor.

Website of the Week:

www.coeliac.org.uk

The website of Coeliac UK

Coeliac UK provides information and support to people with Coeliac disease, an autoimmune disease present in around 1 in 100 people which sees an immune reaction triggered in sufferers after consuming gluten. Given its presence in ingredients such as wheat or barley, gluten can be found in many popular foodstuffs such as pastas, cakes and breads. Founded in 1968 the charity, then known as the Coeliac Society, now sees around 1,200 newly diagnosed people join each month. As well as offering support and advice the charity works to increase awareness of Coeliac disease and carries out research and hosts conferences to help the lives of sufferers. May saw Coeliac UKs Awareness Week, The Gluten Free Challenge, which intends to promote gluten-free provisions in the hospitality industry. Coeliac UKs dieticians work to ensure people with Coeliac disease know which foods are safe to eat and produce an annual directory of around 10,000 products which can be eaten by people with Coeliacs disease. Eating the wrong foods can be harmful to sufferers, and symptoms of Coeliacs disease including bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, wind, tiredness, anaemia, headaches, mouth ulcers, recurrent miscarriages, weight loss (but not in all cases), skin problems, depression, joint or bone pain and nerve problems. Although there is no cure for Coeliac disease, there is some hope for a vaccine in the future. Research in Australia, co-funded by Coeliac UK, has found the parts of gluten that make it toxic for people with the disease. Although it may be sometime until a vaccine in available it has been described as an important step by Coeliac UK.

Conor in Parliament: Conor questions Business & Enterprise Minister on global competitiveness
Monday 21st May 2012

Click on the image above to watch a video of Conors question and the Ministers reply. The full text of the exchange was as follows: Conor Burns (Bournemouth West, Conservative): Has the Minister had the opportunity to read the World Economic Forum global competitiveness report, which showed that between 1997 and 2011, the UK fell from seventh to 10th in the years when the Labour party was in power? Does he agree that if the Beecroft report leads to a new focus on deregulation and the undoing of the burdens placed on business by the Labour party, it will be welcomed by small business throughout the UK, which we rely on to be the engine of economic recovery? Mark Prisk (Minister of State (Business and Enterprise), Business, Innovation and Skills; Hertford and Stortford, Conservative): I entirely agree with my hon. Friend, who is right to point out that we need to restore the sad decline in our competitiveness that we saw before the last election. We need to restore not just the Government finances, but the strength of the economy. Ensuring that flexible workplaces and modern work practices are in place is part of that.

Photo News:

Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps

Conor speaking to Rookie Lifeguards of the Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps. Conor paid a visit to Stokewood Road Swimming Pool in Winton to see the work of the Bournemouth Lifeguard Corp this week. During the evening Conor spoke to Rookie Lifeguards, age 9 13, and saw a dry-side lesson where Rookies made lungs out of bottles and balloons to help them learn about human respiration and resuscitation. Conor also saw Lifeguard Cadets, age 14 18, train for their Assistant Beach and Beach Lifeguard awards. Speaking after the visit Conor commented, There is a real spirit of teamwork between the children and the volunteers. The skills they learn are of great benefit to our town keeping local people and visitors alike safe on our superb beaches. The Bournemouth Lifeguard Corp, which was established in 1965, has over 140 members aged between 9 and 70.

Lobbying Housing Minister on Park Homes legislation

David dOrton-Gibson (centre) discussing issues regarding park homes with Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP (right) and Conor Burns MP (left) in the House of Commons. Conor Burns MP and Redhill & Northbourne Conservative by-election council candidate David dOrton-Gibson know that some Park Home residents have concerns about the special legal position relating to their properties. Yes, they own their home but still must pay the site owner a fee for the right to base their property on a particular pitch. With sites at Stour Park, Kingfisher Park Homes, Doveshill Park, Wheatplot Park Homes and Redhill Park Homes, this is clearly a significant issue for hundreds of Park Home residents in both Redhill and Northbourne. So, Conor and David dOrton-Gibson met face-toface with the Minister responsible for Park Homes legislation. At a meeting with Grant Shapps MP in the House of Commons on Wednesday 15th May, Conor and David were able to raise all sorts of issues, speaking up for local residents and do his bit so that their voice is heard. As David reports: This meeting with the Minister was a great opportunity to talk with the person who can actually make a real difference to the lives of Park Home residents.

Red Tape Ticker tracks scrapped regulations

Under Labour there were the equivalent of six new regulations every working day, or over 1,500 in a year. In 2011, the Government cut that flow to 89 measures of which just 19 imposed any cost to business. Conor has launched the Red Tape Ticker on his website, and also here on the bulletin, to celebrate the Governments achievements so far in reducing regulation with 887 regulations already being scrapped or substantially improved. The ticker will help local businesses find out more about what the Government is doing. Conor commented: Im proud to launch the Red Tape Ticker on my website today. This Government is working steadily to free businesses in Bournemouth and Poole from the stranglehold of regulation that built up during 13 years of a Labour Government. Latest figures show there are 427,125 private sector businesses in the South West, employing 1,770,000 people altogether. This Government is taking action to help each and every one of them. The ticker also comes after Conor spoke in the House of Commons, where he asked Mark Prisk MP, Minister for Business and Enterprise, if he agreed a new focus on deregulation and the undoing of burdens placed on business will be welcomed by small businesses who are the engine of economic recovery. Mr Prisk agreed, stressing the need for flexible and modern work practises.

Photo news:

Conor supports national Coeliac charity at Westminster

Conor pictured with Dr Chris Steele MBE. Conor recently joined celebrity TV GP, Dr Chris Steele MBE, the resident doctor on ITVs This Morning, at a Parliamentary reception to show support for Coeliac UKs campaign to improve the diagnosis and awareness of coeliac disease and the need to improve the availability of gluten-free food. The reception, which was attended by MPs, Peers and supporters of the charity was held as part of Coeliac UKs Awareness Week, The Gluten-free Challenge. The aim of the campaign is to promote understanding about coeliac disease and the need for increased gluten-free provision across the hospitality industry and asks the nation to try something gluten-free during the week. Speaking after the event Conor said, I am supporting Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with coeliac disease and their campaign to improve the awareness and diagnosis of the condition and the increased provision of gluten-free food. For many of those diagnosed, eating out is a continuous challenge which affects their lives every day. This campaign aims to make eating out possible for all people with coeliac disease, to significantly improve their quality of life and create understanding of their condition. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, which is found in bread, pasta, pizza, cakes and beer etc. However, it is also often used in a wide range of products including mayonnaise, soy sauce, sauces, sausages and many processed goods. Coeliac disease affects 1 in 100 people in the UK and is a serious autoimmune disease in which the bodys immune system reacts to gluten found in wheat, barley and rye, making the body attack itself. If left undiagnosed, the disease can lead to infertility, multiple miscarriages, osteoporosis and bowel cancer. Recent research has shown that patients have had to wait on average 13 years from first onset of symptoms to diagnosis and that only 10 15 per cent of those affected have been diagnosed, leaving over 500,000 people in the UK currently undiagnosed and at risk. Dr Chris Steele MBE, who has recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease himself, is the Health Ambassador for Coeliac UK. Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive of Coeliac UK said: Many people may have struggled for years to get diagnosed with coeliac disease and are then faced with a complete change in diet and lifestyle. For them it is not a matter of choice or a faddy diet, it is the only treatment for their condition and is essential for the rest of their life.

Conor in the papers:

MPs in plea to PM

Stephen Bailey and Katie Clark, Bournemouth Echo Thursday 10th May 2012 A Dorset MP is calling for stronger leadership to deal with the big issues the country is facing. South Dorset MP Richard Drax called on Prime Minister David Cameron to take charge and put a Conservative stamp on issues such as immigration and crime. His comments come as the Queen outlined the Governments plans for the year ahead in the Houses of Parliament yesterday, which included controversial legislation on House of Lords reform. Conservative backbenchers, many of whom are strongly opposed to the potential changes, published an Alternative Queens Speech, laying out their own proposals including demands to cut tax and a referendum on repatriating powers from Brussels. Tory MP Mr Drax said: I was one of those MPs that decided to sign up to it. The main reason is that our country needs, frankly like never before, strong leadership and a clear and very precise direction of travel. There are too many big issues like the EU which is about to implode immigration, crime, etcetera, which as Conservatives we feel there should be a strong narrative about. I believe the public is fed up with talk. What they want is action. They want their politicians to do what they were elected to do. I am not for one minute saying we should oust David Cameron. I am just telling him, as a back bencher one of many saying this that taking the country forward in a rather haphazard way we are doing is not good enough, and the solution is very simple. Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said the alternative speech had some value in stimulating debate. He said the coalition agreement had required Parliament to take up time with issues such as House of Lords reform when he would have preferred it to concentrate on removing regulation which could get in the way of economic recovery. He said his party had to set out a distinctively Conservative position ahead of the general election in 2015. Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, said: I do believe the coalition has got to concentrate on growth in the economy. Im pleased with the emphasis on families, especially the help for children with special needs. Asked whether she believed the coalition between the Lib Dems and Conservative parties was working, she said: I think it is working at different levels. Admittedly there are aspects of it which are difficult. It is such a long time since we have had a coalition and both sides want their basic principles upheld. Its down to give and take.

Conor in the media:

My passionate belief in the Conservative Party and my concerns about today's electoral registration bill - which could pave the way for Coalition candidates at the next election
Conor Burns MP www.conservativehome.blogs.com An interesting debate may well be about to begin springing from a little-noticed Written Ministerial Statement about electoral administration put out shortly before last years summer recess. It was made by the excellent Mark Harper who it has been my privilege to know for some 20 years since meeting him at a Wessex YC Conference in what is now my Bournemouth West constituency. Marks full statement can be read here. Much of the aims he outlines are laudable. However there is one bit that, in the light of developments, catches my attention. A day earlier, Mark said the following: We also propose to address an oversight in existing legislation passed during the previous Governments time in office which allows a candidate standing for a single party in a UK parliamentary election to use an emblem on their ballot paper, but does not allow jointly nominated candidates to do so. This issue has primarily affected candidates standing on behalf of the Labour party and the Co-operative party. The proposal will ensure that electoral law is consistent on this issue. This all seems innocuous enough. Except Im not certain I can recall too many occasions when a Co-operative Party candidate has stood against a Labour Party candidate. Or in my three general elections as a Conservative Candidate ever hearing of a 'Co-operative Party Candidate bidding to be included in hustings. Yet this part of the Bill (which comes before Parliament today for a 2nd Reading) stands. (The Full House of Commons Library research paper can be seen here with the key part at Section 9.5.) My regard for Mark Harper is enormous. Indeed, his patience and tenacity in taking difficult bills, such as the AV referendum Bill, through the Commons has been impressive and raised the high regard in which he was already by many colleagues. Few doubt that his loyalty and resolve even in defending his boss Nick Cleggs plans to abolish the House of Lords will gain a deserved reward to a position where he can show his true skills and develop his true instincts. Yet I have a niggling concern about this one measure, and whether it can truly be about whether a candidate at a particular election has an emblem next to their name. In fact, this little anomaly has been resolved for all other elections. As the House of Commons paper on the Bill makes clear: The election rules relating to the use of emblems on ballot papers in certain other elections were amended before the elections in May 2011: the Local Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 were debated on 7 March 2011 in the Second Delegated Legislation Committee. Mark Harper has explained that these regulations resolved the issue for candidates in the mayoral elections and noted that the Government has: "... laid statutory instruments to deal with it for the local and parish elections, and the conduct orders deal with it for the devolved elections and the Northern Ireland local elections. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation for the European Parliament elections and the Greater London authority elections next year and in 2014, not in that order." However, he then went on to make the following point: The hon. Gentleman is right to say that to fix the issue for the general election will require primary legislation. We have already set out that we will have a Bill that deals with individual electoral registration and other matters. It is our intention to use that Bill, or if that proves to be unnecessary, we will use another one. That is the likeliest option, however, and we can confirm that is our intention to fix this problem ahead of the 2015 general election. Hence the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill before the House of Commons today. There may be nothing more to this than a desire to use the main purpose of the Bill individual voter registration to address a small point. But the need to do it for general elections I am less sure of. Some of the coalitions most difficult moments have come when some have sought to suggest it should extend beyond the 2015 General Election - and when others coming from the opposite but equally unhelpful angle have suggested it should be terminated as soon as possible. I have never subscribed to either view. I support the coalition and have voted with it in every division at which I have been present. Save for the proposals for the House of Lords which I have spoken against on the floor of the Commons I have supported the coalition agreement even though very few Conservative MPs knew what was in it before it was signed. I continue to support David Cameron and the Government and wish it to succeed. I believe it is a Government born out of an indecisive election result that has resulted in two parties with differing values and instincts coming together in the national interest to rescue Britain from the tragedy we inherited from Labour. But I believe passionately in the Conservative Party and what we could offer the British people as a stand-alone and unencumbered Government. It is the idea contained in the Bill for two party and jointly nominated candidates for a general election that makes me nervous. And should make everyone who yearns for a Conservative Government nervous. I am on record as saying that some of the best and brightest people I have known in the youth wings of the Conservative movement have left us for UKIP. I believe these are patriotic and decent people whose core instincts and belief in Britain I share. I also believe that the time is fast approaching when we will need to make common cause with them to reassert of place in an international trading, global looking, self governing country than enjoys trade with Europe but governs itself. As I look at the mess that the EU is in and remember how all of us who predicted this were mocked and laughed it I wonder if the instincts we had then are not still right today. But only the Conservative Party not UKIP will be a big enough vehicle for the purpose I describe. Anyone thinking and I know there are some that coalition candidates are the answer to the next election would do well to wonder if, having ceded the principle of two party candidates in a General Election there might not be another party starting to nestle 12% or so in the polls with whom we may wish to make common cause for Britain. I hope I am wrong, but 'emblems on ballot papers may have far reaching consequences. To see the original article, click here.

Three ways to contact Conor Burns MP:

By Phone: 020 7219 7021 By email: conor.burns.mp@parliament.uk By post: Conor Burns MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

www.conorburns.com

More news from Conor Burns MP, Conservative Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West, coming soon Please forward this email on to anyone you think may be interested. If you have had this email forwarded to you and would like to be added to the mailing list, please send an email to: news@localconservatives.com with JOIN in the subject heading. To unsubscribe from this list, please return an e-mail to news@localconservatives.com with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject heading.

www.conorburns.com
Promoted by Andrew Morgan on behalf of Conor Burns, both of 135 Hankinson Road, Bournemouth, BH9 1HR