Binley Slams European Court

Brian Binley MP for Northampton South has spoken of the resentment felt in the UK at Europe’s ruling to force the Government to allow prisoners the right to vote.

Speaking in a debate at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg yesterday, Brian said: “The Court has delivered a ruling which virtually nobody in Britain aside from prisoners believes in -that prisoners should have the right to vote.”

“Many in Britain hold the opinion that the restriction of the right to vote for those who freely choose to place themselves outside the rule of law for their own personal gratification, gain or ambition is not a denial of Human Rights. It is a choice they make themselves.”

“Many constitutional experts have questioned the right of the Court to make such a ruling and the former Law Lord, Lord Hoffman, summed up their concerns arguing that it was not proper for a European Supranational Court to intervene in matters on which Member States of the Council have not surrendered their Sovereign Powers.”

“It touches on a wider problem; increasingly the actions of the Court are creating resentment, not just in my country but across the continent.”

“Polls show an increasing level of dissatisfaction which questions not only the credibility of the Court but of the E.U. itself and that needs to be recognised.”

“A political class which ignores the concerns of the people runs a great risk to itself. Perhaps this assembly needs to get round to facing up to those concerns before it’s too late."

Lessons must be learned

Brian Binley MP for Northampton South has written to Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley MP, with his views on the lessons which might be learned as a result of the incidents that occurred at Parkside care home in July and August 2009 following the Health Secretary’s letter to Brian asking for his recommendations.

Brian criticised the role the Care Quality Commission and Coroner played whilst the serious case review was being conducted stating:

“Both the Coroner’s office and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) seemed intent on defending their own positions.”

“The CQC went even further by attempting to change and delay the publication of the report and as a consequence created an aura of confusion which impacted heavily upon concerned relatives and friends at a time when a greater degree of sensitivity was needed.”

Brian then recommended that the series of on the spot inspections currently taking place in the nation’s hospitals be extended to care homes nationwide.

Brian said: “I applaud your efforts to improve standards in our hospitals and to hopefully ensure that regular quality inspections concentrate on the detail of care at the patient interface and are not seen as a self assessment, tick box process. It is however, evident that this was also the case with regard to the care quality inspections of care homes and I would therefore encourage you to extend that scheme to care homes nationwide.”

Finally, the Northampton South MP highlighted his concerns over the quality of practical care in our nations care homes.

Brian said: “It is clear that care providers have a duty to provide their staff with the effective training to enable them to do their jobs. If that is not available through Primary Care Trusts or local hospitals it must be sourced privately but many care homes are failing in that respect.”

“It is clear that a regular regime of the repositioning of the especially frail or elderly every 2 to 3 hours to avoid pressure sores was not undertaken, and indeed wider research suggests that the practice which was undertaken as a matter of course some thirty years ago has ceased to be an integral part of the culture of care in many homes.”

“It is the delivery of a detailed regime of care concentrating on those minor, but important matters which has become increasingly absent.”

Binley slams Local Government Settlement

Brian Binley MP for Northampton South has written to the Communities and Local Government Secretary, Eric Pickles MP, to voice his disappointment at the Local Government Grant settlement for Northamptonshire.

Brian said: “When you announced the Local Government Settlement to the House, I was one of many people who congratulated you on the lower than expected average size budgetary cuts in Government support for local Government".

“However, that feeling of goodwill evaporated like dew before the sun after the actual results for Northamptonshire were announced.”

The County Council had been working on a very worst case scenario of cuts of 12% this year and 6% in the following year and were stunned when the figure was in fact 12.6% this year and 7.5% the following year.

Brian said: “Northamptonshire was regularly ill treated by the previous Government which based its funding allocation partly on understated population figures for Northampton itself.”

“Those difficulties were further added to by the fact that Northamptonshire was a key component in the previous Government’s housing growth agenda.”

“It is clear that the current funding mechanism does not reflect the substantial growth that has already taken place because of the errors made by the Office of National Statistics and this has had a negative impact on the local authority’s budget and ability to deliver local services.”

In conclusion Brian urged the Secretary of State: “To commit himself to whole heartedly support the formula funding review; recognise the damage caused by the error made by the Office of National Statistics and meet with a delegation from Northamptonshire County Council to discuss ways of eradicating the deleterious effects inflicted upon them.”

Brian said: “I look forward to the Secretary of State’s positive response and the receipt of some dates for the suggested meeting with a delegation from Northamptonshire County Council.”

Binley Backs Free School

Brian Binley MP for Northampton South has received a letter from Education Secretary, Michael Gove MP, in which he informed Brian that Looking Glass Theatre Ltd. had been selected to progress to the next stage in the free schools process.

Free Schools are all-ability, state-funded schools and specifically focussed on providing high quality teaching to improve standards for all children, regardless of their background.

The Coalition Government has made it easier and actively encouraged charities, universities, businesses, educational groups, teachers and groups of parents to get involved and start their own schools.

Brian said: “I am delighted that Looking Glass Theatre Ltd. has taken the step of applying to set up their own free school. They aim to promote an all round education based on the National Curriculum whilst nurturing performing arts training.”

“I am particularly impressed by their ethos to create a small, friendly, family orientated school where children of all backgrounds can flourish.”

The next step in the proposal will be for Looking Glass Theatre Ltd. to make a fully detailed business case and set out the plan to open and operate the school.

Brian said: “I wish them all the very best with their proposal and I am hopeful that more free school proposals for Northampton will be forthcoming in the future.”

Michael Ellis, Member of Parliament for Northampton North, said:

“I’m delighted Looking Glass Theatre are hoping to open a Free School in Northampton. I’m looking forward to attending their first production!”