Here we go again, another reorganisation of a government department that will save little or no taxpayer’s money, further reduce confidence in the public sector justifying the need for another reorganisation in the future, and in all probability leave the public with a worse service than before the external consultants recommended the changes.
The Government is proposing yet another ‘shake-up’ of Jobcentres and support for the unemployed. It’s not that long since the last one and while I feel sorry for those who are out of work or facing redundancy, I also feel for the poor staff who want to help them but their political masters keep moving the goalposts.
On the other hand it would be churlish not to acknowledge that this latest reorganisation at least indicates that the Government is recognising the terrible damage it did by closing hundreds of job centres, including Paignton’s, as Britain headed into recession. But as these latest changes will have no impact whatsoever for at least a year, it does nothing for the millions who are looking for work now.
Ministers may trumpet an 800-strong new network, but the fact is they have closed more than 500 job centres in recent years. They will now have to reopen many of the centres they so short-sightedly closed.
We must focus on what we can do for Britain’s unemployed now, particularly young people without work. What they need is tailored support as soon as they present themselves, not government press releases promising an improved service in 12 months time.
The lesson from the recessions in the 1980s is that twelve months on the dole for a young person substantially increases the likelihood that they will spend the rest of their life on welfare rather than in work.
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And another here we go again as a campaign starts to dissuade the Ministry of Defence from cutting 24 hour helicopter coverage out of Chivenor in North Devon.
We’ve been here before having successfully campaigned to prevent the removal of a rescue helicopter stationed at Portland a few years ago.
Fishing interests are understandably concerned about this latest threat as lives could be put at risk. So too could lives of the ever growing numbers of recreational seafarers from canoeists and rowers to yachting and luxury motor cruiser enthusiasts.
Whether for industry, trade or enjoyment, the people who enter the seas around our coast should have confidence that help will be available in the unlikely event of problems. And when things go wrong at sea, time is of the essence. Even the shortest time delay can cost dearly.
As part of the slow, painful and vital process of restoring public trust in Parliament and our democracy the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has been set up to oversee MPs expenses. Last week Parliament was asked to approve its membership.
You would think that by now every MP would have got the message that the days when we thought we could determine our own pay and judge ourselves on our own behaviour were over. But no. On the night some MPs attempted to move an amendment to interfere with the membership of the board of IPSA.
In an effort to preserve both the independence of IPSA and the integrity of the independent public appointments process, some of us supported an obscure procedural device to ensure that MPs were not able to pick and choose the membership of IPSA's board. Instead, the House was required to consider the full slate of names as the Act intended.
MPs should not be picking and choosing the members of the authority in charge of MPs expenses. Nor should MPs be second-guessing a fair and open competitive selection process. We may have had to use an obscure procedure, but it kept Parliament honest.
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Freakonomics was the title of a book that sought to explain a number of unexpected economic consequences. The authors answered questions such as which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their mums? In every case conventional wisdom was turned upside down.
The concept might explain an unintended consequence of the recession and the movement of Eastern European workers back to their home countries. This has been the near 10 per cent increase in exports of British food to Poland and other countries.
What appears to have happened is that migrants got a taste for British staples such as baked beans, shortbreads and curry paste, and are now demanding them from shops from Warsaw to Bucharest!
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My campaign for people to be able to contact the emergency services by text messaging has taken a step forward.
A Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) pilot scheme allowing people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired to contact blue light emergency services by sending an SMS text message to 999 has begun. The scheme will be of significant help to people who may have difficulties using a telephone to contact the emergency services.
I am still pressing communications companies to go further and introduce a permanent SMS service and have raised the matter with the telecommunications watchdog, OFCOM, who have the power and influence to speed up developments.
There are many circumstances where someone could endanger themselves communicating verbally with the emergency services, but where a text could alert the appropriate service and gain a response.
I have floated the suggestion to a number of mobile phone companies that if they could offer such a service many a parent would insist their child’s mobile was subscribed to it.
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