Les Bonner

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne.

Commenting on Government figures which show that spending on overtime for police officers went up by nearly 50% in just five years, Chris Huhne said:

“Spurious and unnecessary overtime must end but not at the expense of frontline policing.

“Three quarters of forces have made it clear that large overtime expenditure is due to a lack of police.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street.”

“There were failures in the past but the resignation of Hector Sants will plunge the FSA into a great deal of uncertainty,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable.

Commenting on the resignation of Hector Sants, Chief Executive of the Financial Services Authority, Vince Cable said:

“We are still in the middle of a crisis and the FSA has an important part to play in effecting far reaching and lasting change. 

“There were failures in the past but the resignation of Hector Sants will plunge the FSA into a great deal of uncertainty.  

“We don’t know if this decision is a direct result of the Tories’ stance on the FSA’s future but what we can say is that their proposals are creating uncertainty for an organisation that has a vital role to play.”

“Every party wants to provide the best possible care for those who need it, but making promises to vulnerable people that you can’t deliver is grossly irresponsible,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb.

Responding to Andy Burnham’s comments on the social care system, Norman Lamb said:
 
“It is increasingly clear that the Government’s plans on care for the elderly are in disarray.

“Labour’s pledge on personal care at home is going to cost much more than they claim and will not provide the long-term solution people need.

“Every party wants to provide the best possible care for those who need it, but making promises to vulnerable people that you can’t deliver is grossly irresponsible.

“This issue is far too important to be used as a political football. The Liberal Democrats want to see a cross-party agreement on social care to sort this problem out once for all.”

Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Clement-Jones’s Live Music Bill has its third reading in the House of Lords today after which it goes to the Commons. It has sailed through previous stages in the Lords with no amendments.

The Bill proposes that schools, hospitals, colleges, and small venues up to a capacity of 200 should not need a licence for a live music performance, and that the “two-in-a-bar” exemption should be reinstated.
 
The Government’s 2003 Licensing Act means live musical performances must have a licence or the organisers risk criminal prosecution.
 
Lord Clement-Jones said:
 
“The Government’s stubborn refusal to accept the recommendations of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee that licensing be relaxed for live music is short-sighted and illiberal.
 
“Live music used to be at the core of our society. But it’s harder for someone to play the piano in a bar now than it was in 1899.
 
“We should be supporting small venues not strangling them with red tape. More live music in our pubs would mean more punters and fewer pubs closing.
 
“My Bill is the only chance to change the law before the general election and breathe new life in to the live music scene. I challenge the Government to explain why they will not support it.”

“We need a public body to look at the BBC’s full accounts to see if the public interest is being best served,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster.

Commenting on the BBC’s disclosure that it paid £229m to performers, Don Foster said:

“These are eye-watering figures. Licence fee payers have a right to know if they represent good value for money.

“We need a public body to look at the BBC’s full accounts to see if the public interest is being best served. Scrutiny of this kind is a job for the National Audit Office, not commercial accountants.

“While we all want to know how much stars are being paid, public disclosure is likely to be ruled illegal. It could also lead to a bidding war, pushing salaries and hence BBC costs up, not down.”

“The benefits system needs to be much simpler, not least so officials can understand it properly,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb.

Commenting on today’s Work and Pensions Select Committee report, Steve Webb said:

“The Government’s failure to get to grips with the over-complex benefits system is appalling, especially when so much is down to official error. 
 
“It is staggeringly unfair that the taxpayer is forced to stump up almost £1bn just because officials are unable to administer a system of their own creation.

“These blunders cause hardship and stress for many vulnerable people. 
 
“The benefits system needs to be much simpler, not least so officials can understand it properly.”

The Labour party has been found by bthe Information Commissioner to have breached privacy rules by making unsolicited automated phone calls to almost half a million people without their consent.

The calls, which featured a recorded message from Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, were made at about 495,000 people in areas with strong Labour support to encourage them to vote in the local and European elections last June.

Deputy Information Commissioner David Smith said calls of this type can cause “annoyance and disruption” to those receiving them.

He ordered Labour to ensure that no further automated direct marketing calls are made without consent, and warned that failure to comply would be a criminal offence which could lead to prosecution.

The Liberal Democrats will today seek to change the question to offer the choice of a more proportional system - the single transferable vote - instead of AV.They also want to bring forward the last date of the referendum to May next year, and close what they say is a loophole that would allow an incoming Conservative administration to abandon the vote without the need for fresh primary legislation.

Speaking on Sky News earlier today, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said that whilst the proposals are not a true proportional system this move “is a baby step in the right direction.”

However, Chris Huhne said that the alternative vote does not in his view “give people the real choice that I think voters want” namely, supporting the candidate rather than the party.

Chris Huhne ended by saying if the Liberal Democrats own amendments were not passed “we will support the government proposals.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Howarth said: it is “unacceptable that Labour’s amendments would make it childishly easy for the next Government to kill a referendum without further legislation”.

David Howarth added:

“By acting purely out of naked self-interest, the Conservative Party has long been a roadblock to electoral reform.”

There was an interesting article published earlier today on Liberal Democrat Voice which readers might find of interest:

Look at a Lib Dem election campaign, whether it’s a sitting MP or target seat challenger, and you’ll invariably find a hard working local campaigner, a local champion, and leaflets full of local stories.

That’s not at all what you see in Conservative literature. Across many seats the Tories have all but given up promoting their local campaigning credentials, or selling their candidate as the best person to be the MP. True, you’ll always find a few token stories, but the vast majority of material hitting doormats promotes Cameron, and Cameron alone.

Most of their firepower pushes the message that we need a Conservative MP in the constituency to ensure Brown is kicked out. Your vote could be the one that propels Cameron into Number 10. David Cameron needs you! Yes, YOU!

Have the Tories accepted they can’t compete with the Lib Dems on the basis of how good the local MP or candidate is, how hard he or she works for local people and how strongly they campaign?

You can read the rest of this post at url http://ldv.org.uk/17877

Liberal Democrat MP for Rochdale, Paul Rowen is supporting this year’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day which takes place on 12 February; it is a national campaign that aims to highlight the effects of living in a cold home on people’s health.

The country is still in the grip of the most severe winter in over 30 years, and there is still more severe weather forecast. The campaign aims to draw attention to the health problems caused by living in a cold, damp home and urges vulnerable people to keep their heating on until winter ends and temperatures start to warm up.

Government statistics have shown that during the winter of 2008/9, there was a 49% rise in excess winter death across England. In Rochdale, 13.6% of households are living in fuel poverty and National Energy Action estimate that the average number of excess winter deaths in Rochdale over the last 5 years is 60.

Last winter temperatures remained as low as minus 6 degrees well into March, leading to concerns that people may have been risking their health by turning their heating off too early in order to save money on their fuel bills.

Speaking in support of the Fuel Poverty Awareness Day Paul Rowen  said:

“Living in a cold damp home can lead to extremely poor health, especially in those who are vulnerable such as older people, young children whose immune system has not yet fully developed and those with long terms sickness and disabilities.

“It is important that people in Rochdale know that there are schemes in place to help them, and to ensure they are keeping warm and healthy throughout the winter period and for as long as the cold weather lasts. Fuel Poverty Awareness day is about acknowledging the issues, helping people to understand the links between fuel poverty and poor health, and making them aware of the help that is available to ensue they are kept warm and well.

“The most important message is that there is help out there for vulnerable households. I urge everyone who is concerned about their fuel bill to contact their energy supplier or to call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to access help and advice on staying warm when it is cold without the fear of fuel debt and ill health.”