Adrian Sanders

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Adrian Sanders MP puts spotlight on rheumatoid arthritis for World Arthritis Day

12 October: 

Local MP Adrian Sanders is supporting the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) on World Arthritis Day in calling for improvements in services for people with rheumatoid arthritis. 

The theme of World Arthritis Day 2010 is ‘let’s work together’.  On 12 October 2010 NRAS members, health professionals and Adrian will be working together to raise awareness of RA and of what needs to be done to improve outcomes for patients.  

This World Arthritis Day, Adrian will be supporting a motion in Parliament to raise awareness and speaking to local NHS bodies to encourage them to prioritise arthritis care. 

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and disabling autoimmune disease, affecting about 690,000 people in the UK[i].  It has no known cause or cure[ii]. It remains a major cause of people not working – almost 30% of people with RA surveyed by NRAS in 2007 gave up work within a year of being diagnosed with the condition[iii].  The overall cost of the condition to the UK economy is almost £8 billion each year[iv]. 

Adrian said: “There are, on average 1,061 people with rheumatoid arthritis in each constituency.  To support NRAS on World Arthritis Day, I am working with them to raise awareness of rheumatoid arthritis and the importance of early diagnosis so that people can get the treatment they need at an early stage and continue to enjoy life and work with the condition.” 

Ailsa Bosworth, Chief Executive of NRAS said: “We are delighted that Adrian Sanders has chosen to work with NRAS to put rheumatoid arthritis back on the agenda in Parliament and raise awareness of the condition in their constituency. NRAS is committed to ensuring that services are fully coordinated across the whole health service and improving outcomes for people with rheumatoid arthritis.” 

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Bay MP To Campaign Against Badger Culls

Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay, Adrian Sanders, has voiced his strong opposition to Government proposals to allow badger culling to go ahead.

If adopted the proposals could see culling in Devon and Cornwall in the near future.  Mr Sanders has echoed fears that the evidence does not support culling and that the Government is simply seeking the least expensive route to give the impression action is being taken.

The previous Government shelved plans for a cull in favour of a widespread vaccination programme for badgers, to eliminate once and for all the reservoir of Tuberculosis.  They took this decision following a lengthy scientific study, which revealed that badger culling rarely reduced the rate of Tb in cattle and that there were many other factors that increased the likelihood of cattle contracting Tb.

The Government has not yet firmly decided what action to take and Adrian is urging member of the public to respond to the open consultation, which closes on 8th December, to make their views known.

Adrian said: “In the Coalition agreement, it was stated that the Government would take an evidence based approach to the problem of Tb.  The evidence so far points to the fact that culling does not solve the problem and if not handled well, actually exacerbates it.”

“The Government’s approach is clearly a cost cutting exercise; it could fight to alter the trade barriers that prevent vaccinated cattle being exported and it could invest in a vaccination programme for badgers.  Sadly though it is just outsourcing solving the problem to individual farmers, who ultimately will be shouldered with the cost of carrying out any cull.” 

“I would urge anyone who feels the Government should do this differently to respond to the consultation here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/tb-control-measures/index.htm”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The comprehensive report of the Independent Scientific Group can be found here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/isg/report/final_report.pdf

Adrian Sanders MP Urges Local Schools To Go Green

Schools in Torbay encouraged to enter competition to win free solar panels worth £15 million

Adrian Sanders MP is urging schools in Torbay to take advantage of British Gas’ £15 million solar panel giveaway.  All schools in the UK are eligible to put themselves forward to the company in order to win solar panels, worth between £20,000 and £40,000 each.  Schools will need to demonstrate they are amongst the most sustainable in the country before winning the panels, which could cut as much as 20% off a school’s annual electricity bill.

Under the competition, up to 750 schools will receive free solar panels, with around half of the prizes going to schools in low income areas.

In addition to the solar panels, schools will also receive a free energy display meter. This is expected to help reduce energy consumption by a further 10-15% and any money earned from selling the solar electricity back to the grid will be reinvested in the British Gas Energy For Tomorrow Trust, a ‘not for profit' trust fund which will allow even more schools to benefit each year.

The competition comes from British Gas’s Generation Green programme, a 10,000 strong schools programme which rewards schools for green actions. Pupils earn “Green Leaves” for sustainable behaviour – supported through an online teaching hub - which can be redeemed against green prizes. Any winning “Solar Schools” will receive tailored lesson plans from the Generation Green online hub, allowing them to make the most of their new solar panels.

Schools can join the competition by filling in the application form on http://www.generationgreen.co.uk/solarpanels/

Judges will be looking at the school’s commitment to sustainability, its ability to engage and benefit the wider community and the overall originality of their entry.  Schools can also provide any supporting material that might help demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.  This could range from case studies, photos, videos, presentations, press cuttings or even petitions signed by the local communit

Interested schools should apply by 22nd October. Following this, a short list of schools will be decided and winners will be announced in November.

Encouraging schools to take advantage of this offer Adrian Sanders said,

“This is a really exciting opportunity for schools in Torbay to both go green and save money. Schools which win the British Gas competition will be able to generate their own green electricity, helping them cut as much as 20% off their annual electricity bill – surely a great incentive to apply.

“If you think that a school in your community would benefit from getting free solar panels, please spend five minutes filling out the form on the British Gas Generation Green website – there’s every chance that a school in Torbay could win the competition and save money and energy.”

Government Adopts Adrian’s Plan for Infrastructure Funding

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has hailed the decision of the Government to give councils the freedom to raise their own funding for improvement works.

The scheme, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at this autumn’s Liberal Democrat Party Conference, will allow councils to raise their own funds through what is known as Tax Increment Financing.

Councils will be able to borrow against the future revenues they will gain from increased prosperity resulting from the investment and is a core part of the Government’s localism agenda.

Adrian had been pressuring the previous Government to introduce the scheme, Ministers sadly failed to go beyond simply discussing the idea.  In 2009 it was announced that Ministers were seriously considering the idea but when Adrian raised the question in the House of Commons in February this year, no progress had been made.

The new scheme will be introduced in more detail in a White Paper following this year’s spending review and will focus on allowing high value projects that benefit deprived urban areas such as Torbay to proceed.

Adrian said: “This is yet another example of the Government putting Liberal Democrat ideas into practice.  Labour talked about giving councils more power on financing for years, but never actually did anything.  We will now have a great opportunity for local people to decide what regeneration projects go ahead and how they are funded.”  

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Parliamentary question from February urging the adoption of tax increment financing: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100208/text/100208w0023.htm#10020846000414
2. Excerpt from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s speech to Liberal Democrat conference, Monday 20^th September:

And I can announce today that we will be giving local authorities the freedom to borrow against those extra business rates to help pay for additional new developments. This may not make the pulses race, even at a Liberal Democrat conference. But I assure you it is the first step to breathing life back into our greatest cities.

Our leaders in Sheffield say it could allow the redevelopment of derelict mines in the Don Valley; our leaders in Newcastle believe this could help them create a new science park; in Leeds they argue the Aire Valley could be transformed. But whether in Newcastle, in Sheffield, in Leeds or indeed in every city in the UK. What matters most is that finally, they will be in the driving seat, instead of waiting for a handout from Whitehall. Local people, local power, local change.

Adrian Sanders backs campaign to clampdown on the extortionate cost of credit

MP joins broad coalition calling on government to end 'legal loan sharking'
 

Today Adrian Sanders MP joined a broad coalition of citizens groups, campaigners, MPs and celebrities who have called on the government to end legal loan sharking. Currently lenders can charge any price for credit which means some loan and credit companies charge £82 for every £100 lent. Annual interest rate charges of over 2500% are also now common (despite the Bank of England base rate being just 0.5%). Borrowing at these rates repeatedly tips customers into inescapable cycles of debt and poverty. According to the OFT £16,000 of excess profit is made every hour in this sector.

Co-ordinated by the Compass pressure group, this new campaign coalition have called on the government to ban excessive prices for credit and provide alternative sources of credit through CDFIs, credit unions and a post bank. The government has pledged to clampdown on interest rates for credit and store cards and the campaign believes it should do the same for the high cost credit market.

Thousands of people across Britain are expected to sign an online petition on a brand new interactive website at www.endleagalloansharks.org.uk. The campaign will be targeting millions of people across Britain through using social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Adrian said: "It is ridiculous that those on the lowest incomes often have to pay astronomically more to borrow even small amounts of money.  We really need to see a cap on interest rates and a robust system of credit unions and a post bank to provide an ethical financial system for the nation’s most vulnerable.”

Torbay Suffering from Child Maintenance Debt

Recently revealed figures have highlighted that Torbay is in the top fifth of constituencies for unpaid child maintenance debt.

Information collected by Gingerbread, the single parent family charity, showed that there was £7,401,000 of arrears owed to parents in Torbay.  The late payments threaten hundreds of Torbay families with poverty and stem from the failures of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), which has been charged with collecting arrears but has consistently failed to meet its targets for collecting money from absent parents. 

Nationally almost £4billion is owed by absent parents.

Adrian and the Liberal Democrats are proposing the scrapping of CMEC, transferring responsibility to Revenue and Customs so that absent parents tax records can be matched to their cases.  For those who do not pay regular maintenance, arrears can then be automatically deducted via the tax system.

Adrian said: “Sadly so many families have been let down by the Child Maintenance system created under the previous Government.  Government agencies have let down so many families and have failed to pursue cases where even the smallest difficulties arise.”  

Adrian is urging any parents with problems with the Child Maintenance System to contact his office on 01803 200036 as well as consulting the Gingerbread hotline on 0808 802 0925.

Public Views Sought on Future of South West Water Bills

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has joined fellow South West Lib Dem MPs in promoting a survey to gather local residents’ views on the disproportionate water rates paid in the south west.

The previous Government commissioned a report on water bills and how inequalities across the UK could be corrected.  The recommendations of the report are currently being reviewed by the water regulator OFWAT to determine how best to tackle the problem. 

While OFWAT is looking at the technical measures surrounding the various options available, it has not yet sought the views of the public and Adrian is keen to ensure all local people can have their input into the process.  

Adrian said: “We are getting to the end of a very long process in rectifying the historic water bill injustice but we still need to keep up the pressure to make sure that it is not forgotten by Government.  Ensuring Ofwat is aware of how important this is to the public is crucial.” 

If you would like to take the Water Bills Survey, click the Water Survey link from the menu on the left of this page.   

Torbay MP calls for improved Ankylosing spondylitis services to benefit over 200,000 patients

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and experts met with Torbay MP, Adrian Sanders today to discuss the barriers to AS patients receiving the best care for the painful and disabling spinal condition.

The patients were in Westminster for the launch of the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society’s (NASS) report Looking Ahead which highlights the problems people with AS face due to delayed diagnosis and a lack of access to appropriate expertise and therapies. 

Ankylosing spondylitis affects approximately 200,000 people in the UK. Minimising the effects of disease progression and complications requires early recognition, careful long term monitoring and prompt appropriate treatment. Many people with AS have symptoms for years before the diagnosis is made. Current evidence indicates an average delay of 8 years between symptom onset and diagnosis.

Early diagnosis and treatment can make a huge difference.  People with AS whose condition is picked up early and managed well can be active, work normally and have a good quality of life.  So it is vitally important that patients aren’t afraid to report symptoms like back pain to their GP, to go back to their doctor if their symptoms don’t improve, and to ask questions at every step in their patient journey.

Jane Skerrett, Director of the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS) said:

“There are some centres of excellence for the treatment of AS in the UK. NASS as an organisation and patients as individuals value them and the staff who run them highly. But the number of these centres in the NHS is limited and too few patients receive optimum care as a result. This has a huge impact not only on individuals and their families but also on society. It is time for this to change, particularly since we now have the knowledge and tools to do things better.”

Adrian Sanders MP said:  

“Around 300 people in Torbay are living with ankylosing spondylitis. I have no doubt that more can be done to improve the services that they are receiving. Ensuring access to the appropriate specialists and treatments would mean that more patients are helped to manage their condition.”

Adrian Sanders MP backs brush up for oral health

Adrian Sanders, MP for Torbay, has backed a call for better oral health this week. Attending a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dentistry at Parliament, he lent his support to the group as it aims to increase awareness of oral health issues.

The meeting highlighted the current state of the nation’s dental health, emphasising the value of preventive care and the role patients and dental professionals play in its improvement. It also explored issues including the increasing number of cases of mouth cancer in the UK and the inequalities that mean children as young as five-years-old are undergoing multiple extractions because of the tooth decay they suffer.

Adrian said:

“It is well recognised that good oral health is an indicator of good general health. To maintain good oral health it is important that everybody has the opportunity to access a dentist, brushes twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and appreciates the role of good diet in maintaining oral health. I’m delighted to lend my support to the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s campaign to improve the oral health of the nation.”