Call for a Minister for Older People

Fiona Bruce MP backs calls for a Minister for Older People

Congleton MP Fiona Bruce has pledged her support for a Minister for Older People.

New research undertaken by Anchor Housing Association and YouGov shows that of the over 55 year olds 84% believe that there should be a Minister at Cabinet level with responsibility for older people. 

Congleton MP Fiona Bruce said:

“35% of my constituency are older voters so I hear first-hand about the problems they face. That is why I’m supporting this call for a Minister for Older People. It’s really important that we can recognise and respond to the needs of older people, particularly as we are facing an increasingly ageing population.

“A Minister for Older People would be able to focus the Government’s attention on planning a better response to our ageing society, representing the views and needs of older people such as social isolation, suitable housing and social care support or their treatment and care whilst in hospital. There are some excellent charitable organisations in this area providing support for older people who deserve all the help they can get – in addition to local and national Government action.”

Alzheimer's Society Awards, Middlewich

MP hands out Alzheimer’s Society Awards at Middlewich

Fiona Bruce MP attended the Alzheimer’s Society event for their volunteers at Middlewich Community Church today. Awards were handed out to volunteer befrienders, including some for between five and twenty years’ service.

Almost 100 people attended the event to celebrate and evaluate the work of the Alzheimer’s Society’s volunteer engagement network of Cheshire and St Helens.

Fiona Bruce MP said “It was a privilege to hand out awards to Volunteers and Befrienders without whom the work of the Alzheimer’s Society simply wouldn’t be possible. They are amazingly dedicated people who give their time, energy and skills, to make a real difference to the lives of people affected by Dementia and we owe them a great debt of gratitude and respect. I was delighted to be able to express this personally at this special event.”

21st Century Technology & Camera Group - Middlewich

21^st Century Technology & Camera Group

The February group meeting of this new and exciting Cheshire, Middlewich based, community group was again very well attended, with members, guests and dignitaries from all over Cheshire.

Mr Owen Lloyd, of Owen Lloyd Photography presentation this month was a back to basics offering of digital photography for the group attendees, with many now taking notes to ensure nothing was missed or overlooked.

With nearly 30 members and guests, including the Mayor of Middlewich, Mr Paul Edwards and his wife Sonya as his Consort for the evening, were joined by our MP for Congleton Mrs Fiona Bruce, and the Middlewich Town Crier, Mr Devlin Dobson for a very entertaining and informative presentation.

The group now has some 120 plus members which is something quite extraordinary for a group that was only created in March 2014. Covering not just digital photography, but a whole raft of technical subjects surrounding the use of the digital camera.

Using funds successfully provided by Grants from Middlewich Town Council and Cheshire East the group plans to expand its activities, using a recently purchased Laptop to helping train members to take even better photos, and also to improve the ones already taken, using post photography processing software.

INTERESTED ? The Group has a FACEBOOK page where you can sign on to be a member, and by using the group web page can see what we have recently done, and read more as to where the group are heading in the future. Current members are aged from 14 to 80 plus, so there is room for all members of our Cheshire community.

Cliff Astles

Group Chairman & Organiser

February 19^th 2015.

Fiona Bruce MP visits new school in Church Lawton

Fiona Bruce MP congratulates Friends of Goostrey Station on Award

Fiona Bruce MP congratulates Friends of Goostrey Station on Award

Fiona Bruce MP has congratulated the Friends of Goostrey Station group on their sterling work at Goostrey Station after it was named Cheshire’s ‘Most Improved Station of 2014’ in the Cheshire Best Kept Station awards.

The group has been working to make the station more attractive and functional with a water supply due to be installed soon and is now hoping to restore the Victorian ticket office, one of the only ones remaining in the country, to its former glory with potential that businesses would be able to use a restored building bringing greater foot traffic to the station.

Fiona Bruce MP said “This is a well-deserved award. Friends of Goostrey Station as a volunteer group have made tremendous strides in improving the appearance of the station and its grounds, however, much more can be done with the connection of the water supply and the Friends Group and I are jointly pressing Northern and Network Rail to support this as quickly as possible.”

Cyril Caulkin, Chairman of Goostrey Friendship Group, “We are really pleased with this award which couldn’t have been achieved without the dedicated team of volunteers who have been reenergised by this success.”

Fiona Bruce MP made Patron of Fair Votes for All campaign

Fiona Bruce MP made Patron of Fair Votes for All campaign

The Fair Votes for All campaign has welcomed Fiona Bruce, Member of Parliament for Congleton, as a Patron. This campaign is calling for English votes for English issues to be introduced into the House of Commons as soon as possible.

Fiona commented, “I am delighted to become a Patron of the Fair Votes for All campaign. This is a matter of fairness for people in my constituency whose voice in Parliament is currently diluted by Scottish MPs. With more powers being devolved to Scotland following the independence referendum last year, it is not fair that Scottish MPs continue to determine issues that do not affect their constituents. We should be able to decide our own priorities in our classrooms and in our NHS. I am determined to sort this out and, to this end, have placed a petition in my Congleton Office which I invite interested constituents to sign.”  

Graham Stuart MP, Chairman of the Fair Votes for All campaign, said, “I am glad to welcome Fiona Bruce MP as a Patron of the campaign. Fiona is a fantastic local representative who is standing up for the Congleton Constituency. As more powers are handed over to the Scottish Parliament, this basic constitutional unfairness cannot be ignored any longer.”

Fiona Bruce MP leads on amendment to Serious Crime Bill to outlaw sex-selective abortion

Fiona Bruce MP leads on amendment to Serious Crime Bill to outlaw sex-selective abortion

Almost 80 MPs have tabled an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill.

Fiona Bruce has tabled a parliamentary amendment to the Serious Crime Bill which would make it clear that conducting an abortion on the grounds that the unborn child is a girl – or a boy (although this practice mainly affects girls) is illegal.

Seventy-three MPs signed the amendment to the Serious Crime Bill yesterday and more have added their names today.

If selected for debate in the House of Commons at the next legislative stage of the Serious Crime Bill, which is likely to be within the next two to three weeks, the amendment will be voted on and, if ratified by a majority of MPs, it will become law.

Fiona Bruce MP said: “The amendment has two aims. Firstly, to make the Government to think of ways to support women who are under pressure to abort on grounds of the sex of their baby. Secondly, to stop this practice by confirming, beyond doubt, the current law. This clarification is necessary to prevent false information being distributed to women- still today, BPAS, Britain’s biggest abortion provider, on their website, insists that sex-selective abortion is not illegal – and this despite my Ten Minute Rule Bill of last November when MPs voted 181 to 1 that it is indeed illegal.”

“Evidence from women shows this is still happening and so stronger legislative force is needed – hence my amendment to the Serious Crime Bill. I am delighted that so many MPs are supporting it to send out such a clear message that this practice must stop. If we condemn this in countries like China where it has produced such an imbalance in young people that villages can have 30 young men to one young woman- whilst no-one is saying that the extent of the practice here is at anything like that level- it is happening here and it is equally wrong. I cannot be allowed to become culturally acceptable and we should no longer be turning a blind eye to it.”

Rani Bilkhu, founder of Jeena International, and spokeswoman for StopGendercide.org, said: “The Government has been clear that sex-selective abortion is illegal. But the UK’s biggest abortion provider BPAS continues to contradict them. It has been very upsetting to see some people claim that there is no evidence of sex-selective abortion in the UK. We know it is happening because we have been continually supporting women for nearly a decade who have had them or are being forced or coerced in having them. In their desperation to oppose this initiative, some radical commentators have said that there is no way to help women like those we deal with except through racial profiling.

“This is nonsense, and if the same argument were made about FGM and forced marriages, people would run a mile. We know sex-selective abortions are happening in the UK and the time has come to face up to it. People speak about choice. The women who we deal with rarely have a choice. Many are forced or coerced to abort simply because they are girls, this is the first act of violence against women and girls. We are supporting Fiona Bruce and her colleagues because it is the right approach, making a clear statement about the law, and providing the means for the Government to take practical action and to send a clear message to all stakeholders including communities that practice sex selection abortions is not only acceptable but against the law.”

Fiona Bruce’s Ten Minute Rule Speech, 4^th November 2014

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm141104/debtext/141104-0001.htm#14110444000291

Fiona Bruce’s Article in The Daily Telegraph, 22^nd January 2015

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11362379/Gender-abortion-Its-time-for-urgent-action.html


** A change has been made to the second paragraph on this release as the wording originally used has been interpreted as implying that women seeking a sex selective abortion would be breaking the law under this amendment. This is emphatically not the case, and has never been the intention of the amendment. Thanks to BPAS for pointing this out!