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David Heath retains justice post in shadow cabinet reshuffle
David Heath has welcomed the retention of his position as Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary and Shadow Lord Chancellor in the new Shadow Cabinet announced today by the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.
Mr. Heath has held the post since July of this year and will continue to be the party’s spokesman on a portfolio that includes subjects as diverse as the penal system, party funding, electoral reform, constitutional affairs and legal matters.
David Heath said: “I am delighted to be able to continue my role as Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary under Nick’s leadership.
“This is a challenging and wide-reaching portfolio and I will continue to strive to protect and enhance the best of British Justice and to create a constitution and a parliament fit for the 21st Century.
“Issues such as prisons, probation, and reform of an unfair electoral system are of great importance to the people of Somerset and to the country at large.”
David Heath delighted as Clegg wins Lib-Dem leadership
David Heath has expressed his delight at the news that Nick Clegg MP has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Mr. Heath had previously given Mr. Clegg his endorsement during the seven-week campaign. Mr. Clegg beat the party’s environment spokesman, Chris Huhne, by 511 votes in a tight contest.
David Heath said: “I am delighted that Nick has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. I have worked alongside him for two years and I know that he will make a superb leader for the party.
“I backed Nick because of his focus on the things that really matter to people in Somerset and the country at large – health, education, the environment and personal liberties – and I was impressed by his positive and outward looking campaign.
“Both Nick and I are ambitious for the party and I am confident that under Nick’s leadership the party will once again provide a radical and progressive alternative to the stifling two-party system.
Home Secretary must back down over police pay, says Heath
David Heath has criticised the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, for her refusal to back down in the row over police pay.
Ms. Smith is refusing to backdate the 2.5% police pay rise to September, as recommended by the Police Arbitration Tribunal.
David Heath said: “It is a disgrace that the Home Secretary is engaging in such blatant cost-cutting regarding police pay.
“The police in Somerset and across the country deliver a fantastic service, often in difficult circumstances, and they are fully deserving of a 2.5% pay rise.
“What is the point of having an independent arbitration process if the Government can simply ignore it? Refusing to backdate the pay award, which the Police Arbitration Tribunal recommended, is a kick in the teeth to this fine profession.
“Jacqui Smith should admit that she is wrong and pay the police what they are owed.”
Heath calls on Government to improve care for armed forces
David Heath is calling on the Government to renew the Military Covenant and to improve the treatment of our armed forces and their families.
Mr. Heath is in full support of the action plan for improving armed forces welfare, ‘Our Nation’s Duty’, which has been published this week by the Liberal Democrats.
The proposals include a parliamentary committee to conduct an annual review of the state of the covenant, a ring-fenced budget for welfare and accommodation, and improved personal care and counselling for troops.
The Liberal Democrats have also used one of their opposition day debates on Wednesday to have a debate on the subject.
David Heath said: “With RNAS Yeovilton in my constituency and such a proud tradition of military service in our area, the issue of the Covenant is particularly important to me.
“The sorry truth is that successive British governments, both Labour and Conservative, have failed to invest in fair treatment for our troops. The result is the critical overstretch we are now witnessing.
“As Chancellor, Gordon Brown cut the armed forces’ accommodation budget. Then as Prime Minister he went to Iraq for a photo opportunity with troops and announced what turned out to be ‘phantom’ troop withdrawals.
“The last Conservative Government is also to blame for the shoddy housing, faulty equipment and inadequate medical care that our troops deal with.
“The time has come for the Government to show some commitment to the Military Covenant and start honouring our enormous debt to those brave men and women who are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice when serving their country with such distinction.”
David Heath congratulates Worldskills medallion winner
David Heath has congratulated Ben Ingersent of Somerton on being awarded a Medallion of Excellence in the Joinery competition at the WorldSkills 2007 in Japan.
David Heath said: "I have written to Ben to congratulate him on this outstanding achievement. It was a fantastic accomplishment to make the UK team and even greater one to be awarded a Medallion of Excellence.
“Ben pitted his skills against the best joiners in the world in Japan and it is a tribute to his hard work and dedication that he produced such a strong showing. He is credit to himself and his region.
“London is due to host the event in four years time and the UK will hope to improve on its 11th place. I hope that Ben’s success will encourage other young people in Somerset to get involved in this competition and hopefully go on to represent their country in Canada in 2009 or in London in 2011."
David Heath congratulates primary schools on test results
David Heath has offered his congratulations to local primary schools across Somerset on their outstanding Key Stage 2 test results, which were published last week.
Mr. Heath singled out Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary and Keinton Mandeville Primary for special praise, after they topped the tables and received the maximum possible score of 300.
Also worthy of mention were Hambridge Community Primary and Horsington Church of England Primary, who both scored 293 out of 300, with perfect scores in Maths and Science.
David Heath said: “The excellent test results achieved at Key Stage 2 are a fantastic reward for the hard work put in all year round by the teachers, pupils and parents in our fantastic local schools.
“I have written to the headteachers of Keinton Mandeville and Abbas and Templecombe primary schools to congratulate them, their staff and pupils on what is a truly outstanding achievement. They were two of only three schools in the whole of Somerset to score the maximum in English, Maths and Science.
“I have also written to the heads at Hambridge and Horsington to commend them on their excellent work in making it into the top ten primary schools in Somerset and in gaining the maximum possible score in Maths and Science.”
David Heath presses for livestock market restrictions to be eased
Frome market is being seriously disadvantaged because it’s a matter of yards from the county boundary of Somerset and Wiltshire.
Now David Heath is pressing ministers to change the arrangements for the Blue tongue disease surveillance zone to allow the market to work normally.
Frome Market at Standerwick is the second largest market in the south of England, but lies just a few hundred yards from the Wiltshire border.
That is a major headache for market operators Premier Livestock Auctions, as Wiltshire is in the surveillance zone laid down after the outbreak of Blue Tongue disease in sheep in the east of the country, but Somerset isn’t.
As a result, no livestock can be brought into the market from or taken to areas to the east, which badly affects trade and prices.
Mr Heath visited the market last week to discuss the problem, and today raised the matter in the House of Commons with Secretary of State Hilary Benn. He has also written to agriculture ministers to suggest a solution.
David Heath said: “I fully understand why disease precautions are put in place, but this has produced a ridiculous situation due to the proximity between the market and the county boundary. What is absurd is that sheep can quite properly be grazed right up to the boundary, and indeed it would be perfectly alright for Frome market to set up a second market in a neighbouring field, provided it was in Wiltshire.
“The restrictions would make senses if the disease was passed directly from animal to animal, but in the case of Blue tongue the vector is a midge, and as I pointed out to the Secretary of State, generally midges don’t recognise county boundaries.
“I hope we can reach a compromise, and the most sensible one I can see is for separate market days for animals from within the surveillance zone to be held on the main market site, with appropriate precautions taken to avoid any chance of transmission. Vets agree that would be a perfectly sensible approach, but at the moment the ministry prefer to keep rigidly to their line on a map.
“I have written outlining all this to Lord Rooker, the farms minister, and I hope he will consider it carefully and perhaps agree to a meeting to discuss it further. The result otherwise is bad news for the market but also for the farmers who use it, who have had enough to contend with over recent years.”
A 303 is the most neglected road in Britain, says David Heath
David Heath today claimed that the A303 is the most neglected major road in Britain during a debate in the House of Commons, as the Government announced it was abandoning plans to deal with the problems associated with Stonehenge.
Mr. Heath has been arguing for ten years for the go-ahead on key safety improvements on the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester, first agreed in 1997, and for replacement road surface to reduce noise in the area of Wincanton and the villages of Holton, Blackford, and Compton Pauncefoot.
David Heath said: “The A303 is supposed to be the second strategic route to the south west. It is of national, not just regional, importance. I cannot understand why it is so neglected by this Government.
“The issues associated with Stonehenge are undoubtedly difficult, and expensive, but not insoluble. That should be a national priority to protect a site of global importance, and shouldn’t ever have been seen as part of a regional roads budget.
“But the effect of the dithering on Stonehenge, along with absurd rules requiring the regional authority to bundle up various schemes into something that could not be afforded within local budgets, means that nothing has effectively been done.
“Now is the time to announce an early start on a scheme that will save lives, not simply speed journeys, and to fulfil promises made to local people to protect their environment and improve their quality of life."
Mr Heath has also asked roads Minister Tom Harris to visit the A303 in Somerset himself to see what needs to be done. “I understand that to ministers and bureaucrats in London these are just lines on a map, but if he sees for himself the problems we face on a daily basis I am convinced he will see the need to take urgent action.”
David Heath calls on Government to strengthen fight against AIDs
On Thursday, two days before World AIDS Day, David Heath joined a coalition of charities in Parliament Square to call on the Government to strengthen its efforts to tackle HIV and AIDS, and keep its promise of achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services by 2010.
David Heath said: “I was pleased to be able to meet representatives from the Stop AIDS Campaign, who do such excellent work in combating this global problem. The six metre-high AIDS ribbon was made of 6,000 red carnations, with each flower representing each person who dies of AIDS-related illnesses every single day.
“I am supporting the campaign and calling on the Government to keep their promises on HIV and AIDS when it launches a new three-year strategy to tackle AIDS in early 2008.
“It is vitally important that the Government announce a funding commitment of at least £2.5bn over three years to provide the UK’s fair share of global resources needed to keep the promise of Universal Access by 2010. Other priorities must be to reduce the prices of HIV medicines and address the global shortage of health workers.”
Steve Cockburn, Campaign Coordinator for the Stop AIDS Campaign, said: “AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa, so strong action is required from the Government to keep the promises they have made and give people the means to stay alive.
“They’ve promised action, and now they need to deliver it. The support of MPs is in making sure this happens is absolutely crucial, and will be very much welcomed by communities everywhere.”
Public expects fair and transparent party funding, says Heath
David Heath has called for a return to constructive cross-party talks on party funding in light of the recent donations scandal.
Mr Heath led for the Liberal Democrats during the last round of talks, which were chaired by Sir Hayden Phillips, and were only abandoned when the Conservatives walked out at the last minute.
David Heath said: “The continuing allegations made by David Abrahams against senior members of the Labour party have once again highlighted the need for serious reform of the way political parties are funded in this country.
“I was involved in the all-party talks on party funding, which were abandoned by the Conservatives. If they are serious about rejoining the talks, I hope they have read and understood the Hayden Phillips proposals, which for the first time would apply capping to trade union donations and genuine transparency to affiliation fee payments.
“It is only by capping both donations and expenditure that we can arrive at the fair, transparent, and sustainable outcome that the public expects.
“After a series of sleazy scandals, public confidence in the party funding system will only be restored through comprehensive reform rather than measures motivated purely by party self-interest.”
David Heath sings praises for conservation at church
David Heath has congratulated the St. Peter and St. Paul Church at Charlton Adam, near Somerton, on being awarded £26,500 by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Since 1994 the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded over £408 million to 1,335 projects in the South West.
David Heath said: “I am delighted that St. Peter and St. Paul Church have been awarded with this grant of £26,500. I understand that the grant will be used to conserve a five peal of bells (three of which are listed) and a listed medieval oak frame.
“I very much look forward to seeing the updated church guide that will be produced as part of this conservation effort.
“It is important to preserve memories and history in the form of valuable and priceless artefacts and I am sure that the new display area will allow the people of Somerton and the surrounding areas to share in the rewards of this grant.