Airbus Announcement

Earlier today it was announced that a £326m deal to sell 11 Airbus A330 aircraft to airline Garuda Indonesia has gone ahead.

Commenting Jack Lopresti MP said:

"I am delighted at today's news. Last year Airbus had a record year for orders and today's announcement confirms that Airbus continues to go from strength to strength – it's great news for the UK and great news for all those who work at the Airbus site in Filton.

This is the first time a UK Prime Minister has attended a signing ceremony for an Airbus aircraft deal and is a demonstration of the Government's commitment to UK manufactured exports and firms like Airbus. It's a very proud moment for Airbus and for our local area which contributes so much to the aviation industry."

Jack Lopresti MP visits DHL Express at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol

Jack visited the DHL Express Service Centre at Cribbs Causeway to hear about DHL's work, the challenges and opportunities they face and their plans for the future.

DHL opened the Bristol Service Centre over ten years ago, and have seen their operations grow to the point where they now employ 50 people and make over 1700 customer visits per day. The Centre's drivers cover an area from Yeovil in the South to Gloucestershire in the north.

Jack heard about the challenges that the business faces, in particular on local congestion and aviation. However, the DHL team are meeting such challenges head on and expressed support for some of the measures recently announced by the Government to improve transport infrastructure.

Across DHL's business units, the company is working hard to reduce vehicle miles and congestion. In Bristol this includes running the DHL Supply Chain Consolidation Centre which reduces the number of lorries entering the city centre by consolidating into a single vehicle the many lorry deliveries that are made by different retailers to sites across the city centre,. This operation has resulted in 300,000 fewer vehicle kilometres being travelled and over 30,000 tonnes of cardboard and plastic being collected and recycled since the site opened in 2004.

Jack said:

'I would like to thank DHL for inviting me to visit their Service Centre at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol. I found the visit very interesting, and I am pleased that DHL continues to innovate new ways to make deliveries into our city centres and help reduce urban congestion. I am pleased that the Government has also been able to find the money to make infrastructure improvements that will improve DHL's ability to do business, whilst also decreasing congestion for local residents and other road users.'

Committee threatens rapid transit

Decision-making fix risks council's reputation

A 'rushed and ill-thought out' change to decision-making at South Gloucestershire Council could risk funding for a major transport scheme, according to local MP Jack Lopresti who campaigned in Parliament for the investment to the local area.

South Gloucestershire Council's Labour Group has called a vote at next week's Council meeting (Wednesday 21st March) on changing the decision-making system from the current Cabinet system back to old-style Committee system without any public consultation.

At the moment, the Cabinet Member for Transport sits on the West of England Joint Transport Executive Committee (JTEC), which includes all four councils that make up the former Avon area – where major sub-regional decisions on transport are made.

The government has rewarded this close partnership working between the authorities by provisionally approving a series of major transport schemes, including the North Fringe to Hengrove Package (NFHP) rapid transit scheme.

But under the Committee System, no-one councillor would be in charge of transport and South Gloucestershire councillors could decide that they all wanted to attend the JTEC.

The NFHP was recently granted 'programme entry status' by the Department for Transport (DfT). This allows the council to complete the remaining legal and procurement processes (but not enter into contractual or other legal commitments for the construction of the scheme) following which a request for 'Full Approval' can be made.

And South Gloucestershire Council has been appointed by the DfT to be the accountable body for the NFHP.

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti said:

"There's a real danger that South Gloucestershire will look ridiculous in the eyes of not only our partner authorities in the West of England, but also the Department for Transport who is yet to grant full approval to the rapid transit scheme.

It's bad enough that the Labour Group are trying to force through this massive constitutional change without bothering to ask what the public think, but they have failed to understand the implications this has for rapid transit.

This unnecessary, rushed and ill-thought out shake-up of decision-making risks the council's reputation with the DfT for being a reliable and competent partner who can be trusted to deliver a multi-million pound major transport scheme.

I urge Labour to take a step back and take the time to consult widely because South Gloucestershire Council belongs to its residents, not the Labour Party."

Meeting Staple Hill Primary School Council

One of Jack's favourite parts of his role as Member of Parliament for Filton and Bradley Stoke is to visit local schools. On Friday, he visited Staple Hill Primary School to meet the School Council and answer questions from them about his work as an MP.

Jack was present at the opening ceremony for the new school in November, and agreed to visit again to meet pupils in a more informal setting. The School Council had worked hard to think up some questions for him, which he answered in a session that lasted nearly an hour. The subjects covered ranged from those about his role as an MP to his life outside politics and what jobs he had before he entered Parliament. He was also asked if he had any opinions on how to get the country out of debt, and if he had met any famous people, and whether he considered himself a celebrity!

'I really enjoyed my visit to Staple Hill Primary School. Visiting schools is probably the most enjoyable part of my job, and I thought the questions the School Council had come up with were very interesting and often tricky to answer. I hope they enjoyed hearing about my work, and lets hope it has inspired some of them to go into politics themselves.'

Jack is pictured with the School Council.

Young people share top money tips with Jack Lopresti MP

Jack Lopresti MP has met a group of inspiring young people to learn about an innovative new money management project in Filton, South Gloucestershire.

The young people from Independent People have agreed to train to become Barclays Money Skills 'champions' as part of a pioneering money management project for 16 to 25 year olds.

The Barclays Money Skills 'champions' project is designed to build the financial skills of 5,000 young people who are not in education, employment or training, and equip them with the tools to share this information with their peer group. The young people involved receive two days of comprehensive training, as well as resources and ongoing support to help them throughout the project. Through this model the network of 5,000 nationwide 'champions' will reach up to 100,000 of their friends and peers.

During his visit, Jack Lopresti MP, spoke to Michael Fautley one of the 'champions' and gained an insight into the informal education techniques champions will be using to pass on their knowledge to their peers to improve their financial capability.

Jack Lopresti MP, said: "It is fantastic to see these young people taking control of their money, and building the skills they need to ensure a secure financial future. It is even more impressive that they are committed to helping their peers by sharing this information with other young people in similar situations."

Barclays Money Skills 'champion', Michael Fautley, explained what it means to have this role:

"I never seemed to have any money left at the end of the month and I knew that I needed to make some changes with how I was managing – but I didn't know where to start! By becoming a 'champion' I have really begun to get myself sorted. I'm feeling in control for the first time, and happy to share what I have learnt with my peers."

The Barclays Money Skills 'champions' project is run by Barclays, the National Youth Agency and a number leading youth charities including 1625 Independent People, Rathbone, Citizens Advice Bureau, Youth Access, UK Youth and YouthNet.

MP welcomes Scout Community Week in Filton and Bradley Stoke

Taking place from 14-20 May 2012Week will see Scouts across the country volunteer in local area

13th March 2012: The well-known "Bob a Job" Week of old is to re-launch as Scout Community Week this year after a seventeen year break and scouts in Filton and Bradley Stoke will be taking part.

Scout Community Week will see Scouts from across the UK taking part in an array of tasks and projects to make a positive impact on the lives of local people. The Scout Association wants your help in bringing these benefits to our community.

Jack Lopresti MP said:

"Scout Community Week is taking place from 14-20 May this year across the UK and I am proud to support it, particularly as scout groups in the Filton and Bradley Stoke area are heavily involved. Organisations such as the Scouts play an important role in our communities and do wonderful work with so many young people. I was lucky enough to visit the Avon Scouts Annual General Meeting last year and saw firsthand the positive impact Scouts have on our local area. Anyone can get involved in the Scout Community Week and I encourage anyone so minded to have a look on the Scouts website."

The Scout Association wants your suggestions for projects you think Scouts in our area could do to make a difference. This could be creating a garden for a hospital or care home, litter picking in a local park or making useful individual items such bird boxes or bike racks.

To submit your ideas please email community.week@scouts.org.uk or visit www.scouts.org.uk/scoutcommunityweek for further information on this great initiative.

Local MP asks PM to Ensure Afghan Mission is a Success

Today in the House of Commons Jack Lopresti, the Member of Parliament for Filton and Bradley Stoke, spoke during Prime Ministers Questions to pay tribute to the six servicemen who, it was announced, are missing, presumed dead, following an attack earlier today.

Mr Lopresti, who has himself served in Afghanistan as part of 29 Commando RA on Operation Herrick 9, asked the Prime Minister to confirm that the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would remain in place until the stability of Afghanistan could be ensured after any handover of power to Afghan Security Forces.

Mr Lopresti echoed the Prime Minister's tribute to the Armed Forces, who he said "are asked to make sacrifices, quite often on a daily basis, to keep our country safe".

He went on to ask:

"Will the Prime Minister confirm that despite these tragic events, ISAF will remain in Afghanistan, in one form or another, for as long as it takes to complete the mission, which is for a safe, secure, stable Afghanistan with the Afghan people taking responsibility for their own security?"

The Prime Minister responded:

"We now have a very clear timetable which is all about transitioning parts of Afghanistan over to Afghan Security control, which allows our troops to move into the background and eventually out of the country. We are already seeing in Helmand itself, where we have been for all these years, one of the toughest parts of Afghanistan, for instance in Lashkar Gah the effective Capital of Helmand, that it is now controlled by Afghan forces, so this process is ongoing.

"I believe it can be properly completed by the end of 2014 so that we will leave in a proper and orderly fashion, handing over to Afghan troops. But let me be clear, the relationship between Britain and other countries in Afghanistan will go on. It will be a relationship of military training, of diplomacy, of support, of aid, and of help for that country. We must learn the lessons of the past, which is what a mistake it was to turn away from Afghanistan."

MP speaks up for local Manufacturing

Yesterday in the House of Commons, local MP Jack Lopresti, the Member of Parliament for Filton and Bradley Stoke, took part in a debate on UK Manufacturing and Engineering. The debate was held as growth in manufacturing and engineering is put at the heart of the Governments wider growth agenda.

Mr Lopresti said:

"The Government remains committed to manufacturing and engineering, which is why we have placed these industries at the core of the Growth Programme. Equally so, showcasing manufacturing as a worthwhile career choice for young people in modern Britain is another goal. In our local area we have so many wonderful companies, many of which are the crown jewels in Britain's export businesses."

"These businesses have all told me that it is vitally important to maintain a highly skilled local work base and that local young people are the key to fulfilling this. That is why I made the points on apprenticeships and University Technical Colleges. Many local firms, especially Rolls Royce and Airbus, offer apprenticeships and we had the fantastic news last year that the South Gloucestershire University Technical College has the go-ahead and will be built near to the Abbeywood Community school. Both Apprenticeships and UTC's offer amazing opportunities to local young people and can create exciting and highly rewarding careers."

In the debate Jack asked Neil Carmichael MP for Stroud, who secured the debate:

Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke, Conservative)

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. On apprenticeships, is he aware that 30% of the senior management at Rolls-Royce, which has a large facility in my constituency, started their professional lives as apprentices? That demonstrates what a fantastic career people can carve out in manufacturing. It also clearly demonstrates social mobility in action.

Neil Carmichael (Stroud, Conservative)

My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I will talk about apprenticeships later. I notice that he has Airbus literally around his neck—its name is on his lanyard—and that is a signal that he understands the importance of large firms such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce in developing our manufacturing and engineering.

Later in the debate Mr Lopresti asked:

Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke, Conservative)

I wanted to ask whether my hon. Friend recognises the importance of university technical colleges in increasing the range of training and opportunity for young people, and providing the link between business, manufacturing and the education sector?

Neil Carmichael (Stroud, Conservative)

My hon. Friend is right. The UTCs are important. I fully support that initiative and I know that Lord Baker has been pivotal—as, indeed, has Lord Adonis—in supporting those projects. We want more of them. In my constituency, I have been vigorously promoting the engineering centre in Stroud college. Funnily enough, there is another link there with the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Filton and Bradley Stoke, because the college has merged with the one in Filton—and quite right too, because is a good strategic alliance. The point I want to make is that it is necessary for engineering to be promoted in organisations, including colleges.

At the end of the debate the Norman Lamb MP the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for employment relations and consumer and postal affairs at the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills said:

"The UK is recovering from the biggest financial crisis for generations and the deepest recession of almost all the major economies. We are still feeling the shocks from the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis. The recent agreement with Greece, although welcome, is not a panacea. One of our first decisions in government was to place manufacturing at the heart of our economic strategy."

"The Minister of State lead on manufacturing: he devotes attention to it, and he is closely interested in doing everything he can to support growth in manufacturing.

In placing manufacturing at the heart of our economic strategy, we were under no illusion about the challenge that we faced in turning UK manufacturing around. In the UK, manufacturing as a percentage of the economy fell from just over 22% in 1990 to around 10% in 2010. The decline of manufacturing has been significant, in marked contrast with Germany, which has sustained that share of the economy much more successfully. We have learnt from the mistakes of previous Administrations."

"We are working hard to encourage and support British manufacturers and create an environment where they are free to thrive and compete in a global marketplace. Two weeks ago, we held a second manufacturing summit, which gave ministerial colleagues and me the opportunity to discuss and agree what more should be done to help us meet these challenging ambitions. We want UK industry to be our partner in achieving economic transformation and recovery. This strategy places world-class manufacturing at the heart of a healthy and balanced UK economy."

National Citizen Service is a great opportunity for 16-year-olds in Filton on Bradley Stoke

Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has welcomed the launch of the second year of National Citizen Service.

National Citizen Service is a scheme for 16-year-olds first proposed by David Cameron in 2005 and now introduced by the Coalition government. It brings together 16-year-olds from different backgrounds in the summer after they have taken their GCSEs to work together and give something back to their communities. After three weeks of team-building and outdoors activities, participants spend 30 hours helping improve their communities.

There will be 30,000 places available on National Citizen Service this summer, including 90 in South Gloucestershire. By 2014 there will be 90,000 places available and it is our ambition that there will ultimately be places available for all 16-year-olds.

Jack said:

"National Citizen Service is a fantastic idea and a great thing for young people to do.

"It is all about giving young people the chance to come together from different backgrounds, have new experiences, learn new skills, understand how to work as a team, and give something back to the community. It's also great news for the rest of us, as all young people taking part spend 30 hours making their community a better place.

"I am very pleased that there are 90 places on National Citizen Service for young people in South Gloucestershire and I hope that eventually all children in Filton and Bradley Stoke will be able to benefit."

Jack Lopresti MP welcomes Welfare Reforms

The Government's victory in passing the Welfare Reform Bill, ensuring that no family can get more in benefits than the average working family earns, has been welcomed by Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke.

Under the reforms, the benefit payments that a household on out of work benefits will be capped at £26,000 per year so that work always pays. Under Labour, households were able to receive up to £104,000 per year in Housing Benefit alone.

Labour have opposed this fair cap on benefits, voting to maintain a something for nothing culture whereby some families who don't work get thousands of pounds more in welfare handouts than the average working family earns.

Commenting, Prime Minister David Cameron said:

'Today marks an historic step in the biggest welfare revolution in over 60 years. This government has taken bold action to make work pay, while protecting the vulnerable. Past governments have talked about reform, while watching the benefits bill sky rocket and generations languish on the dole and dependency. This government is delivering it. Our new law will mark the end of the culture that said a life on benefits was an acceptable alternative to work.'

Jack said:

'In Filton and Bradley Stoke, the average person would have to pay tax for 23 years to pay for one household to receive £104,000 in benefits a year, which could happen if Labour had their way.

'This benefit cap shows that Conservatives are the party of fairness, standing up for hard working taxpayers. By voting against it, Labour have once again shown they are the party of something for nothing.'

Jack Lopresti MP welcomes the huge interest shown in Police and Crime Commissioner

Jack Lopresti MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke welcomes the huge interest shown by Conservative and other candidates in the Police and Crime Commissioner posts which will be elected in November this year.

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti, right, has been given the task of finding potential Conservative nominees.

Police and Crime Commissioners will herald a new era of policing when the power to hold the police to account is put in the hands of directly-elected representatives. Local democratic accountability will replace Whitehall-led bureaucratic accountability. And Police and Crime Commissioners will have mandates from the public to drive the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour.

Police and Crime Commissioners will have specific responsibility to:

work with the communities in their force area and identify their specific local policing needsset priorities by agreeing a local strategic plan for the forcehold the Chief Constable to account for achieving these priorities set the force budget and the policing precept in council tax bills appoint - and, if necessary, remove - the Chief Constable

Many high profile potential candidates, including Falklands War veteran Simon Weston, former army commander Col. Tim Collins and former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, have already put their names forward.

Commenting Jack said:

"Police and Crime Commissioners are at the heart of the Government's programme to reform the police to help them fight crime. PCCs will have real power to ensure the police are really accountable to the local people they serve.

"With nine months still to go till these elections, we have already had hundreds of expressions of interest from a diverse range of candidates.

"As more and more candidates register, I look forward to an exciting election this November and working with the new PCC for Avon and Somerset in the future."

Local MP urges Minister to consider local Cycling scheme

Local MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, Jack Lopresti, has urged the government to support cycling in the local area by looking favourably upon a South Gloucestershire Council bid from the government's Local Sustainable Transport fund.

Mr Lopresti was taking part in a debate on cycling in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons, which was prompted by a national campaign supported by The Times and The Independent newspapers.

Jack said to the Transport Minister Norman Baker MP:

"My own local authority, South Gloucestershire council, is working very hard to promote cycling, both in my constituency and across the wider Bristol area as part of the West of England partnership, thanks to the funding that has been recently secured through the first phase of bidding for the Government's local sustainable transport fund. The council has submitted a larger funding bid as part of the next bidding round. I urge the Minister to look favourably on that bid and support local efforts to promote more sustainable means of travel across the sub-region."

The Minister responded that he was aware of the bid but that he would not give further comment whilst it was being evaluated.

After the debate Jack said:

"There are so many great benefits to cycling: it is cheap, healthy, efficient, sustainable and fun. The debate united all sides of the House and it was very well attended. Our desire was to raise more awareness to the issues faced by cyclists, in terms of road safety but also to promote cycling as a great form of transport and something that can deliver real health benefits. I look forward to hearing the Governments views on the local bid in due course."

Jack meets Halfords Apprentices

Jack visited Halfords Autocentre in Filton to meet one of their apprentices, Ben Fisher,and learn more about how the company is starting careers for local young people. Ben is undertaking an apprenticeship with the company, and Jack discussed the skills that he is learning and the support he is receiving from the company.

Halfords currently employ 180 apprentices across the company, which represents around 10% of its technician workforce, and has taken on another 60 promising youngsters each year to replace those graduating. In the last two years they have increased the number of apprentices by 60%, and expect to take on 25% more this year.

'I am delighted with the work that Halfords are doing with Ben,' commented Jack. 'He is thoroughly enjoying working for Halfords, and I know the skills that he is learning will stand him in good stead for the rest of his working life. Halfords are very pleased with the progress he is making, and I am sure their apprenticeship scheme will give him and all others who are on it a career path within the company and beyond.'

Jack also met Rachel, who began as an admin assistant with the company and has worked her way up to the position of manager with the aid of a Business Management course at a local college. Before joining Halfords, she worked as a receptionist for another motor company. While she is thoroughly enjoying her current Rachel is continuing to progress even further and is looking at the possibility of becoming an Area Manager or an Operations Manager.

Halfords provides a structured three year vocational training programme, with graduates being awarded an NVQ and certification from the Institute of the Motor Industry. Apprentices spend eight weeks a year at a training centre in Shropshire, as well as enjoying on the job training and assessment. Over 1000 young technicians have graduated from the scheme in the twenty years since it was established, and Halfords are very proud of the fact that all apprentices have gone on to be offered employment, with many rising through the ranks to become senior technicians or managers.

Jack said:

'The work Halfords are doing with their apprentices is in line with the Government's aims. We want to increase opportunities for young people in the jobs market by improving access to high quality training. To continue the improvement, we will be offering incentives to employers to take on apprentices, reducing red tape and providing funds to allow companies to design, develop and purchase their own training programmes. I would like to wish Ben all the best with his career at Halfords.'

Apprenticeships are so important to our young people’s future

This week marks National Apprenticeship Week – a celebration of apprenticeships and how they are helping to shape our workplaces. Apprenticeships are about learning on the job, not sitting in a classroom but getting out into the workplace and learning a new trade.

Who knows where an apprenticeship may lead – today half of the board at Rolls-Royce began their careers as apprentices. As did the likes of Jamie Oliver; the Formula One engineer Ross Brawn and Eric Clapton – who all started out as apprentices. Up and down the country hundreds of thousands of young people are following in their footsteps and realising the life-changing opportunity becoming an apprentice affords.

Here in Filton and Bradley Stoke we gained 850 new apprentices last year, an increase of 72%. And we are not alone: across the country there was a 63 per cent increase as 450,000 people started an apprenticeship last year. With yet more investment by the Government we are sure to see this number rise.

This week David Cameron announced businesses and training providers can bid for a share of the £6m Higher Apprenticeship Fund, which will support the development of new Higher Apprenticeships in sectors including aerospace, energy and renewable technologies. An additional £250m will be available to businesses to boost skills in their workplace.

So why do I think more people from Bristol and South Gloucestershire should be signing up for apprenticeships?

Many young people in our local area may leave school and not know which way to turn. One option may be university, another to travel in a gap year or simply work. But there is another option – becoming an apprentice. And the best thing is that this option allows you to earn and learn at the same time.

The second fantastic thing about apprenticeships is the skills they provide. More and more employers are saying that graduates and school leavers do not have the tools necessary for the working world. An apprenticeship is a great way of developing a young person’s skills, of tailoring them to the workplace.

But apprenticeships are not just a win for young people. They are beneficial to local businesses, such as Airbus, Rolls Royce, GKN and MBDA, which is why the Government has launched new initiatives to encourage more firms to take on apprentices. This way they can train people to their standard and in return get loyal staff and a quick recoup of their investment. As an added incentive from today any small business in our area who hires an apprentice aged 16-24 will be eligible for £1,500.

They are a boost for our economy – every £1 of public cash invested in apprentices returns an estimated £18 to the wider economy. This is vital at a time when new jobs and growth are what’s needed when we face the biggest economic crisis any of us have known.

Apprenticeships are a win for business, a win for young people and a win for the economy – that is why I am delighted that here in Bristol and South Gloucestershire we are adding more names to the growing list of people realising their potential through an apprenticeship.

Jack Lopresti MP welcomes growth in apprenticeships under Coalition Government at start of National Apprenticeship Week

Jack has welcomed new figures which show Coalition investment has led to a substantial rise in the number of apprenticeships since the last Labour Government.

Figures released last week show a 72% increase in Filton and Bradley Stoke since 2009, putting the total number at 850 in 2011.

This is welcome news at the start of National Apprenticeship Week which will see nationwide events to raise the profile of apprentices.

The Coalition has recently announced a new scheme of incentives for small employers to take on their first young apprentice. To encourage thousands of small firms that don't currently hire apprentices to take on a young apprentice aged 16 to 24, the Government will offer employers with up to 50 employees an incentive payment of up to £1,500. This will support up to 20,000 new apprenticeships in 2012/13. Details of how to apply will be announced by the Business department in the next few weeks.

Jack said,

"I am delighted that more and more people and employers in our local area have benefited from an apprenticeship thanks to the extra investment by the Government."

"Within weeks of forming a Government the Coalition committed to create 50,000 new apprenticeships and has already exceeded that number."

"Employers benefit from Government support for the costs of training their apprentices and they offer a fantastic opportunity for people to get on the job training that can lead to a fulfilling career."

Jack visits Big Society project in Staple Hill

David Cameron has made social entrepreneurialism a key part of his Big Society agenda. He wants to see individuals enabled to help themselves and others by using their own skills to give a direction and meaning to their lives that may have otherwise been lacking. A great example of this is the Compass Project in Staple Hill.

Kevin Neal set up the Compass Project in Staple Hill in May 2011, and he is helping ex-addicts to gain a structure and purpose to their lives that may otherwise be missing whilst living on benefits. They are trained to repair and improve donated second-hand furniture, giving them skills that can be brought before any new employer at interview, and are given a structure and purpose to their working day that will be necessary for any long term position they may find. Jack visited their site in Staple Hill for a tour of the premises and a chat about what they are trying to achieve.

'This is the perfect Big Society project,' commented Jack. 'I am hugely impressed with the vision Kevin has for the business, and the plans he has to help those less fortunate to gain skills and experience at the same time.'

Kevin is looking to grow the business and raise its profile, and has plans to increase the number of ex-addicts that he helps off benefits and into work. 'Kevin deserves a huge amount of credit for what he is doing. He recognises the limited amount that the state can do to help benefit recipients back into work, and it is through individuals like him that the Big Society will grow and flourish.'

Jack is pictured with Kevin at the Compass Project's premises, which can be found at 58/60 Broad Street, Staple Hill.

Holocaust Memorial Day

This week Jack Lopresti MP signed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who died during the Holocaust.

Friday January 27th marks the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp which is the site of the largest mass murder in history – and in the weeks running up to the day, the Holocaust Educational Trust placed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, giving MPs the chance to honour those who were persecuted and killed during their Holocaust and encouraging constituents to actively speak out against prejudice and bigotry today.

In signing the Book of Commitment Jack paid tribute to the extraordinary men and women who having survived the Holocaust, work to educate young people about what they endured, through the Holocaust Educational Trust's Outreach programme.

In the weeks around Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. This year, people will also be encouraged to take a stand against racism and prejudice today – and to speak out against hatred wherever they encounter it.

Jack said:

"Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau – and is an important opportunity to both remember the victims of genocide. I encourage all constituents to mark the day and to commit to 'speaking up and speaking out' against prejudice today."

Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:

"We are proud that Jack is supporting Holocaust Memorial Day this year. It is vitally important that we both remember and learn from the appalling events of the Holocaust – as well as ensuring that we continue to challenge all forms of bigotry."

Jack Lopresti MP joins call for more time on clock change bill

The Daylight Saving Bill was derailed by a small group of MPs on Friday but pressure is growing on the government to give the bill a fair hearing. Local MP Jack Lopresti has joined scores of other politicians and organisations calling for more parliamentary time to see it through.

The bill would mandate the government to conduct a comprehensive review of the costs and benefits of putting clocks forward an hour throughout the UK, resulting in lighter evenings every day of the year. If this concludes that a change would be beneficial, the government will run a three-year trial of the new system, subject to consent from the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Even with huge support from over 140 MPs at Friday's debate, a couple of politicians were able to block the bill by simply running down the clock.

"The will of the house was for the Daylight Saving Bill to proceed. I, and many of my colleagues, set aside Friday to attend the debate after receiving a huge number of letters of support from constituents. Despite overwhelming support, a tiny minority employed wrecking tactics to scupper the bill. I am hopeful that the Government might give the bill more time - so it can have the hearing it deserves" said Jack.

10:10's Lighter Later campaign has been leading the campaign for clock change. The campaign has the backing of over 90 organisations working on an enormous range of issues, from sport and tourism to, road safety and environmental protection. "The support we saw on Friday is pretty unprecedented when it comes to a private members bill. It's imperative the government gives the bill more time" said Daniel Vockins, Lighter Later campaign manager.

Jack Supporting Action for Children

Jack Lopresti attended the parliamentary launch of Action for Children's landmark report into child neglect. The Filton and Bradley Stoke MP has added his name to the charity's petition, signed by over 16,000 members of the public, calling on the Government to intervene early to prevent and tackle child neglect, and will be writing to the Secretary of State for Education, asking him to do more to help neglected children.

The launch of the leading children's charity's review into child neglect, the first of a new annual series, has revealed that over half (51%) of social workers, and a third of police officers (36%) feel 'powerless' to intervene in suspected cases of child neglect. Over 4000 people, including the general public, a range of professionals, and 47 local authorities, took part in the research through polling and focus groups.

The charity has also found a worrying picture of neglected children getting trapped, rather than caught, in the safety net in place to protect them. Social workers questioned felt that the point at which they could intervene in cases of child neglect was too high (42%) and for those children who did meet the level at which they could start to help, many cited a lack of resources (52%) or support services to refer families to (43%) as barriers to acting.

Action for Children is calling on the Government to continue to support professionals to better understand and tackle neglect, and make sure that families who need it get help – as early as possible

Jack commented:

"Neglect corrodes childhoods, robbing the most vulnerable children of hope, happiness and life chances. The report points to the stark reality that neglected children and their parents are being identified, but neither the professionals nor the public feel empowered to help or intervene, particularly at the early stages.

I know that the Government is singing from the same hymn sheet as Action for Children and will continue to do all it can to support vulnerable children and parents. The Minister for Children, Tim Loughton MP made that clear at the launch and there is cross-party consensus on the issue."

Jack visits local Ambulance Service’s Emergency Operations Centre

Jack today visited the Emergency Operations Centre of the Great Western Ambulance Service in Bradley Stoke.

GWAS covers a large area stretching from Gloucestershire to Wiltshire, taking in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, and includes his constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke. The Emergency Operations Centre receives all emergency requests for an ambulance in the Bristol and Wiltshire areas.

Jack talked about the future challenges GWAS faces with Chief Executive Ken Wenman and Dr Ossie Rawstorne, the Chief Operating Officer. Currently the Trust is looking at a merger with the South Western Ambulance Service, and they talked Jack through the issues that this will bring with it for the Ambulance Service's resources and future performance. They also discussed some of the concerns the Service has in performing its day to day duties, principally waiting times when taking patients to hospital.

After this, Jack looked at the work of the telephony teams who take the calls, and was able to listen in to an emergency call. He also heard about the work they do to offer treatment over the phone, and looked at the state of the art computer system the Service utilises and the improvements in brings to its performance.

' I was enormously impressed with the facilities at the Emergency Operations Centre. I can reassure my constituents that they will receive an excellent service from the Great Western Ambulance Service, in particular from the dedicated staff who work there. I now have a comprehensive picture of the challenges facing the Service in the near future, and have offered to do all I can to help.'

Jack Lopresti MP calls for nominations for Rock the House

Jack Lopresti MP is supporting the second annual Parliamentary live music competition, Rock the House, and invites under-18s, solo artists, bands and live music venues in the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency to write and nominate themselves.

The competition was founded by Mike Weatherley MP in support of the UK live music sector to raise the profile of intellectual property rights issues and counts rock legends Alice Cooper and Deep Purple's Ian Gillan as Patrons.

Musicians and live music venues within the Filton and Bradley Stoke area can find all forms and information on the competition at www.rockthehouse2012.com and can send in their nominations to Jack at loprestij@parliament.uk.

Any musicians outside the constituency can still write to their own MP to nominate themselves to take part.

Prizes include music equipment; a chance to play at high profile festivals; and mingle with the great and the good of the music industry. Successful nominees will go forward to the national competition which will be judged by a panel of international music industry experts and musicians and the finalists will be announced on Friday 18th May. The finalists will take part in a battle of the bands to determine the winner on Wednesday 30th May and the winner in each category will perform live at a final competition reception on the Terrace at the House of Commons in the evening.

Jack said:

"There is a wealth of live music talent in my constituency, and I would urge all musicians and live music venues to fill in an application and send it to me. The recognition and contacts entrants can get from taking part is priceless and it would be great to put the constituency on the map for its artistic talent."

Founder, Mike Weatherley MP, said:

"The UK has a world-leading music and creative industry and this competition aims to celebrate the very best up-and-coming artists; and to raise the profile of intellectual property rights among politicians. I urge all unsigned musicians to fill in an application form and send a copy of their music to their MP."

Good News on Filton Police Helicopter

In 2010, I spoke to the Home Secretary to oppose plans to move the Filton police helicopter to Wiltshire (you can read the story here). After the announced closure of Filton Airfield last year, one of my first priorities was to ensure that the police helicopter was still able to operate out of Filton. I have been speaking with BAe to this end for several months, and I am delighted that they have delivered on their promise to allow the helicopter to continue operating from within the current airfield boundary. I hope that this will now pave the way for the continuation of police helicopter operations out of Filton for the foreseeable future.

You can read more about the latest developments on the Bristol Evening Post website here.

Jack Given Pledge Over Future of University Technical College

Last month I was contacted by a constituent who had read the following on the Save Filton Airfield website:

"The plan jeopardises Government funding for the proposed Bristol University Technical College next to Abbeywood Community School. This joint venture between University of West of England (UWE) and the City of Bristol College, with financial and technical support being offered by Airbus and Rolls-Royce, is aimed at producing high-calibre engineers through academic and apprenticeship routes, largely aimed at the aerospace industries based around the airfield. The funding decision has been deferred until the fate of the airfield is decided. The young people of Bristol stand to lose their future livelihoods."

Obviously concerned by this assertion, I immediately contacted the Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk, who responded with the following assurance:

"Contrary to what you have heard, I can confirm that in October the Secretary of State for Education approved the Bristol and South Gloucestershire UTC proposal to enter the pre-opening stage with a target date for opening in 2013.

"I understand the proposers' preferred site option is the former Filton High School site.

"Department for Education property advisers, Partnerships for Schools, have recently commissioned searches for possible alternative sites in order to ensure best value for money in securing an appropriate site for the UTC. There is however no connection between the timescales for that process and the closure of Filton Airfield".

I am pleased with the commitment from the Minister that the University Technical College will proceed as planned, and I hope this reasures anyone who has read the above statement on the Save Filton Airfield Website. I am disappointed that the Save Filton Airfield group have felt the need to resort to scaremongering and spreading misinformation to achieve their aims. This is obstructive to transparent and open debate over the future of the site, which could be of great benefit to the area if developed correctly.

I would call on the group to remove the incorrect information from their website and publish an apology as soon as possible so that local people can consider the issue whilst in posession of the full and correct facts.

Jack Speaks on Broadband Provision and Local Police

Today I spoke in the Pre-Recess Adjournment Debate, where I raised the topics of local broadband provision and local policing. You can read the full speech below, and the coverage in the Bristol Evening Post here.

Speech reads as follows:

"It is a pleasure to speak in this pre-recess Adjournment debate. I will focus my contribution on two local issues in my constituency. I had planned to talk about three issues, but I guess that it will have to be two because we are short of time. I am sure that I will manage. The two issues are superfast broadband connections and progress on the local campaign to combat antisocial behaviour.

There is demand for superfast broadband across Bradley Stoke, which is a new town and the largest population centre in the constituency. The sticking point is that any significant undertaking to lay the necessary cables in the town to increase the broadband speed would have to be done at the providers' cost because the roads are in a good state of repair.

Last year, we started a community broadband campaign that collected more than 1,000 signatures to demonstrate the demand for improvements to the Almondsbury exchange. Although I appreciate that there are local infrastructure issues, it is difficult to see why the private sector is not capitalising better on that demand. We also hosted a meeting with the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend Mr Vaizey and the local authority. The Minister told us that to help solve the problem, the Government have set up a scheme to provide £530 million of funding to improve broadband provision across the country.

To ensure that South Gloucestershire council is able to benefit from the scheme, the Conservative-run council is working with Broadband Delivery UK to develop a local broadband plan, setting out how homes and businesses would benefit from improved broadband provision. Progress has not been as quick as I and some of my constituents would like. I am as keen as they are that concrete results emerge soon and I am hopeful that they will.

South Gloucestershire council had been working with Bath and North East Somerset council on a joint superfast broadband plan to submit to the Government for approval. However, at its November meeting, the Bath and North East Somerset cabinet decided to pull out of the plan. It made no sense for the Lib Dem administration to pull out of the joint plan with South Gloucestershire council, given all the benefits that superfast broadband could bring to households and businesses across both districts. I am pleased to report that progress is none the less being made behind the scenes. I hope to give positive news to my constituents on this matter early in the new year.

Hon. Members may remember that several months ago, in another pre-recess debate, I called for antisocial behaviour to be taken much more seriously by the police force that serves my area. I had been contacted by residents in Filton who were concerned that antisocial behaviour was being allowed to get out of control and was becoming a daily occurrence in some areas.

I am pleased to say that we have made significant progress in ensuring that the local police put the appropriate amount of time and energy into tackling antisocial behaviour. I am in constant contact with Avon and Somerset police, including with Chief Constable Colin Port, with whom I have an effective working relationship. In my mind, local policing has improved greatly because local people's priorities are being considered and swift action is being taken. I pay particular tribute to Inspector Robert Evely, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that local residents feel safe and that their voice is heard in local police decision making.

When local policing takes into account local feelings, it can only be for the better. That is why I am such a strong supporter of the Government's policy of police and crime commissioners and the elections that will take place in November 2012. Police and crime commissioners will be directly elected and accountable to the public who elected them and whom they serve. They will help to repair the broken link that I believe exists between the public and the police service. It is a fantastic policy that will be of huge benefit to residents in my area. I encourage all my constituents to take an interest, to participate in the elections and, if they are so minded, to consider running for the office."

Local MPs Welcome Success of Transport Schemes

Following the announcement by Secretary of State for Transport Justine Greening MP that the North Fringe to Hengrove Rapid Transit Scheme and the Ashton Vale to Bristol City Centre and the South Bristol Link schemes have received funding and will move rapidly from planning to delivery Jack Lopresti MP and Chris Skidmore MP said:

"We are delighted that the Department for Transport and Secretary of State Justine Greening MP have today given the go ahead and confirmed the funding allocation for the North Fringe to Hengrove Rapid Transit Scheme. The £102m investment will greatly improve the transport links between residential areas and employment, leisure and retail centres in our area.

The scheme will give a boost to the local economy by providing fast, frequent and reliable public transport service linking the areas of Cribbs Causeway, Aztec West and Emersons Green with Bristol city centre and with Hengrove to the south of the city.

The scheme has so many benefits for our local area:

It will support our buoyant local economy, and improve the quality of life for local residents as well as national and international travel.

It will reduce congestion and therefore the economic, environmental and health damage that is associated with it but also enhances the chances of regeneration through the linking of areas of economic growth and housing expansion.

It will also promote equality of opportunities through improved connectivity to education, employment, leisure, health and retail facilities.

Well done to both South Gloucestershire and Bristol City Councils for working together on the joint bid – this is a fantastic piece of news and the Government should be thanked for its commitment to our local area."

Referring to the other successful Ashton Vale to Bristol City Centre and the South Bristol Link schemes the MP's said:

"These schemes will form a network which will bring a step change in new public transport provision to the greater Bristol area."

Mr Lopresti has campaigned hard for the bid, asking Parliamentary Questions and writing to the Department to advocate the potential benefits:

10th November 2011

Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke, Conservative)

Officials in the Secretary of State's Department are considering the north-west Bristol to Hengrove major scheme bid. The scheme supports the delivery of 23,000 new homes, more than 100 hectares of employment land and 150,000 square metres of offices for local businesses and industry. Does she agree that the bid fits in well with the Government's growth agenda?

Justine Greening

I am very well aware of that bid, which was received by the Department on 9 September. It is currently being assessed alongside the other 44 schemes that have been submitted for the development pool. We hope to be in a position to announce which of those 45 schemes will receive funding later this year.

Chris has also been a champion of the scheme and has campaigned for the bid to be accepted by the Government.

15 September 2011

Chris Skidmore: The Minister will undoubtedly be aware of the huge success that cycling city status has brought south Gloucestershire. Could he now seriously consider the North Fringe to Hengrove major scheme bid that his Department has received recently? The scheme will further enhance cycling provision and will boost economic growth.

Norman Baker: I agree that the initiatives in south Gloucestershire have been successful, and I congratulate my hon. Friend on his inventiveness and ingenuity in including that question under this heading. He will understand that the project he mentions is subject to assessment under the development pool arrangements. A decision will be made later this year, but his support for the scheme is noted

Official opening of new Staple Hill Primary School

Jack attended the official opening of the new Staple Hill Primary School in his Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency. The official opening ceremony was performed by the oldest living ex-pupil of the school, 96 year old Mary Carter, and a member of the schools reception class.

The rebuild has cost in the region of £7 million, and was necessary due to the cramped conditions in the schools old Victorian era buildings. Pupils have been in their new premises since September, with an official opening scheduled for today. After the opening ceremony, the school held a special assembly, which included the singing of the schools own song, and the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the occasion. As well as parents and former pupils, the school had invited the architect who designed the new school, representatives from the builders and South Gloucestershire Council who were all involved in efforts to bring the new school into being.

'I was delighted to be invited to the official opening of the new school,' said Jack. 'I am aware the rebuild has been a long time in coming, and many people have worked very hard for many years to help the school get to this position. I enjoyed my visit, and I know that the pupils are already thoroughly enjoying their new premises which will no doubt benefit them in all aspects of their continued education.'

Jack Visits NHS Blood and Transplant Facility at Filton

Jack visited NHS Blood and Transplant's facility at Filton to receive a briefing on the vital work they do in processing and testing donated blood ready for it being supplied to patients in hospitals in both the South West and the rest of the country.

Jack met a number of NHSBT's staff, and received a tour of the facility to see their work in action. The NHS needs 7,000 voluntary donations of blood every day, and each donation then goes to facilities such as the one in Filton to be processed and prepared for use in transplants and other life-saving operations.

Jack said:

"I'm extremely grateful for all of the fantastic work being done in Filton which helps to save lives across the country. I am a great believer in, and supporter of our NHS, and the groundbreaking research done by NHSBT, alongside their role in ensuring a steady supply of blood donations, means that the NHS will be ready to meet future healthcare challenges."

For anyone interested in becoming a blood or organ donor, please visit www.blood.co.uk and www.organdonation.nhs.uk

Jack Unveils Staple Hill Information Pillar

Jack joined members of the Staple Hill Beat Team and their newly appointed Inspector, Deryck Rees, for the unveiling of the Staple Hill Pillar. This provides information and contact details for Avon & Somerset Police, in particular the Officers responsible for Staple Hill along with help to deal with anti social behaviour. Local Councillors Shirley Potts and Ian Boulton were on hand along with representatives of local Housing Associations and members of Staple Hill Shop Watch.

Jack said, ' I welcome the prominent display of direct contact information for the Staple Hill Beat Team. It is reassuring for the public to know how to report anti social behaviour easily should they need to. This pillar is a 'first' for Avon & Somerset Police and it will be interesting to monitor its perception locally. '

Jack Lopresti MP: Boosting apprenticeships for young people and small businesses

Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has welcomed new measures from the Government to ensure young people and small businesses feel the full benefits of the successful expansion of apprenticeships.

Data released last month showed that here in Filton and Bradley Stoke:

490 people started an apprenticeship in 2009/10.820 people started an apprenticeship in 2010/11.This means the number of people starting an apprenticeship increased by 330 last year.

On 16 November 2011, the Government announced it will be:

Offering cash bonuses for taking on young apprentices. The Government will offer employers with 50 employees or fewer up to £1,500 for taking on an apprentice aged between 16 and 24. This will support up to 20,000 new apprenticeships in 2012/13.

Making it quicker and easier for employers to take on an apprentice. The National Apprenticeships Service and training providers will be required to ensure that every employer is able to advertise a vacancy within one month of deciding to take on an apprentice.

Targeting apprenticeships where they are needed. We are renewing the programme's focus on younger adults, new employees, higher level qualifications and particular sectors where apprenticeships can make the greatest impact.

Equipping apprentices with basic skills. Apprenticeship providers will be required to offer all apprentices training in English and Maths up to the standard of a good GCSE.

Ensuring high standards. We will launch a review into the standards and quality of apprenticeships, undertaken by a leading employer and reporting in the Spring.

Jack said:

'330 more people in Filton and Bradley Stoke are benefiting from an apprenticeship thanks to the government's extra investment. This is great news not just for these individuals, but also for the whole local economy.

'Until now, too many businesses have been put off taking on an apprentice because of unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape. It is therefore good news for businesses and young people alike that the government is streamlining the system.

'I also welcome the cash bonuses for small firms who take on young apprentices and I urge companies in Filton and Bradley Stoke to take up this opportunity.'

Jack Lopresti MP: “The Aviation industry holds one of the keys to the economic growth"

This week Jack Lopresti, the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has been promoting local industry in the House of Commons. Mr Lopresti whose constituency is a UK base for many of the country's leading aviation, aerospace and defence companies is an aviation enthusiast with a business background and has made a point of standing up for local firms since his election.

Earlier in the week Mr Lopresti asked Government defence Minister Peter Luff about the Warrior armoured vehicle upgrade programme that is being worked on local companies and staff based at the MOD Abbey Wood site.

Jack asked:

"What assessment he has made of the potential effects on (a) the Army and (b) UK industry of the capability sustainment programme for the Warrior armoured fighting vehicle?"

The Minister replied:

"The £1 billion upgrade to the Warrior armoured fighting vehicle is an important step towards meeting the requirements for Future Force 2020. Warrior will remain the backbone of the infantry for the next 30 years. The upgrade represents a step change in capability, ensuring that our forces are equipped to counter the threats of the future. UK industry will benefit from the creation and sustainment of some 600 British ... sustaining both skills and capability within the UK's armoured vehicle sector."

The Minister then went on to praise local people for their hard work:

"I pay tribute to his constituents for playing their part in ensuring that that is achieved both at Thales, which is making the battle group thermal imager for the upgrade and at Defence Equipment and Support itself." *

Later in the week Mr Lopresti gave a passionate speech on the future of the UK aviation industry and urged the Government not to steer away from supporting the sector.

In the speech Jack said:

"I believe that the Aviation industry holds one of the keys to the economic growth the UK needs. I know the Government are working hard to support the sector and its employees.

And it is the UK's highly skilled aerospace work force that contributes so much to the industry's success. I would like to ask the Government to continue to do all it can to support our aviation workforce. In these times there are of course going to be people affected.

That is why I was so pleased to hear of the Government backed Talent Retention Solution which is part of the Business Secretary's Skills and Jobs Retention Group.

The TRS is designed to help engineers facing redundancy link up to companies who are looking for engineering skills. The system is backed by top companies like BAE Systems, Airbus, , Rolls-Royce and GKN have all backed the initiative.

The Aviation sector is vital to the economy bringing financial benefits to the UK and providing high skilled employment and connections to growing markets. Aviation supports 963,000 jobs in the UK, 352,000 of which are direct 344,000 through the supply chain and a further 266,000 through spending by employees in the Aviation sector and the supply chain.

The Aerospace sector is an engine of growth for the UK and we must do all we can to ensure it is nurtured and protected.

From Biofuel development and Research and Development programmes to sustainable aviation projects the UK is a world leader in aviation. As the industry confronts the challenges of operating in the global market we must do all we can to help aerospace companies make the most of the opportunities."

Jack also paid tribute to the local area's Aviation history and the opportunities it could benefit from in the future and paid tribute to the late Sir George White:

"Aircraft have been built and flown and at Filton since their inception and in Filton we are very proud of our aviation roots which are well over a century in the making. Only last year we commemorated and celebrated a hundred years of aviation in Filton.

The pioneer and entrepreneur Sir George White, the humbly born son of a painter and decorator, was the founder of our local industry and you could say the founder of British aviation. In 1910 Sir George founded the Bristol Aeroplane Company and his legacy is something that we should all honour and celebrate. What he achieved was truly awesome; He was a pioneer of aviation, a great philanthropist and a completely self made man. Without his vision we would not have the home of British aerospace on our very doorstep in Filton.

This Bristolian was the embodiment of social mobility and enterprise and I believe his example, which we should shout from the rooftops, should help inspire the next generation of aviation and aerospace engineers and scientists.

Sadly, BAE Systems has decided to close the airfield in Filton at the end of next year, but that provides us with many opportunities, with room to expand the existing aviation and aerospace industries locally, and plans are close to fruition for an aviation heritage centre, which will house the last complete aircraft built at Filton, Concorde 216, which was the last Concorde ever to fly. The plans importantly include a science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning centre, which will help to inspire children to go to college and university locally."

The Minister of State for Transport, Theresa Villiers praised the local MP for his remarks:

"I welcome the emphatic support for the aerospace industry provided by my hon. Friend Jack Lopresti. Supporting and providing the right economic climate for manufacturing to flourish is a hugely important part of the Government's overall economic strategy. It is crucial that aviation in the UK is able to grow and prosper in the future"

Speaking after the debate Jack said:

"Filton in my constituency and where I live, most would agree, is at the very heart of the UK Aerospace industry. We are fortunate to have an outstanding cluster of aerospace companies on our door step. Airbus, GKN, Rolls Royce, Boeing and BAE systems to name but a few, all have a significant presence in the constituency and employ thousands of people. As the elected representative to Parliament I will always stand up for local industry and anything that benefit the local area and our local economy. Companies like those in the local aerospace and aviation industry that are creating the growth and the employment opportunities that will pull the country through these tough economic times."

Local MP visits MOD Abbeywood

Jack Lopresti MP joined many of the 7,000 plus civilian and Armed Forces staff at MOD Abbeywood for their Remembrance Day Service and Wreath Laying Ceremony on Friday 11th November.

Invited to visit as the local MP, Jack met with Bernard Gray, Chief of Defence Materiel, signed the Visitor's Book and had a short discussion about the impact of current Government budgetary requirements and future plans for MOD Abbeywood.

Abbeywood employs over 7,000 people and whilst not all live within the constituency, the MOD's intention to increase the on-site numbers to nearer 10,000 will have a significant impact in this locality. With local issues to the fore, Jack met Dr Simon Cholerton, Chief of Staff and Marlene Morley, Head of Collocation. Proposed new working practices and innovative responses to parking congestion alongside alternative travel to work arrangements were all discussed.

An overall view of the current and new approaches to working practice under consideration for Defence Equipment & Support (DE & S) was outlined to Jack by Mr Richard Smart of the Materiel Strategy Team. Although still in development, these responses to the Levene Framework will ensure DE&S Materiel Strategy delivers best value via a balanced Equipment & Support programme employing highly motivated, well equipped and skilled staff to carry out these aims.

Jack, an Army Reservist who deployed in Helmand Province in Afghanistan, had a short briefing from Master Gunner Stephen Reynolds on current and forthcoming Artillery projects and provision for active service. Col Justin Stanhope-White from Defence Supply Chain Operations & Movement Teams then outlined the modernised operation of Defence Equipment & Support. Once supplies are bought, these Teams are responsible for the complex logistics of supply and support for combat zones and home bases – everything from weapons and vehicles to morale boosting letters from home.

Jack said, 'It was an honour to attend the Remembrance Service with so many Serving personnel and their civilian colleagues. I was very interested to meet some of those who work with such enthusiasm to ensure our troops are well resourced and supplied despite the massive logistical exercise, often at very short notice. Having been on the receiving end, I appreciate and am grateful for their vital work maintaining standards and fulfilling expectations on the ground.'

Tesco make presentation to local schools

At the Bradley Stoke Extra Store, Tesco made a special presentation to children from three local schools to mark the success of their voucher scheme for schools and clubs.

Two pupils and a member of staff each from Bowsland Green Primary School, Wheatfield Primary School and Bradley Stoke Community School were present to receive some of the equipment earmarked for their schools from the scheme, and to be presented with a goody bag for themselves courtesy of Tesco.

In Filton and Bradley Stoke, 78 schools and clubs collected 726,945 vouchers last year, and ordered equipment worth £21,206.

'I was delighted to hear about the good things the scheme has achieved in the last year,' said Jack. 'Parents and carers have made a great effort to collect so many vouchers, and I hope they benefit from the equipment and resources they have been able to order as a result. I would also like to thank Tesco for their efforts in putting together the scheme, and in inviting me to the presentation today.'

Sam Lea-Tanner, the customer service manager, and the store manager Pete Ballam met the children and staff, and talked for a few minutes about the community work that Tesco do. They are pictured with Jack outside their Bradley Stoke store.

Doors open at new BITA Academy

The British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) and City of Bristol College have cemented their new strategic partnership with the official opening of the BITA Academy by Jack Lopresti MP.

The BITA Academy has been created to offer the only dedicated industrial truck apprenticeship scheme in the UK leading to an Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) accredited forklift truck qualification. Apprentices pursuing the College's IMI accredited Diploma in FLT engineering can now graduate with a unique BITA-branded 'IMI Quality Assured' certificate. Recruitment for apprenticeships starting in January 2012, has now begun.

Government policy has recognised the importance of apprenticeships and several rounds of dedicated funding for apprenticeships have been announced. City of Bristol College is working with the funding awarding bodies to ensure that it is able to maximise the number of apprenticeships on offer in the coming years.

Jack said: "It is a pleasure to see the coming together of Government policy initiatives, academia and industry in such an effective manner in my constituency. The BITA Academy promises to lead to quality training and real career prospects for young people in a sector which actively wants to attract significant numbers of apprentices to replace retiring employees. The time seems right for this initiative and I wish it well."

Jack visits Thales UK

On Friday, Jack visited the Thales UK site at Bradley Stoke to receive a briefing on its defence and electronics business and an update on key programmes being delivered to its customers.

During the visit, Mr Lopresti was updated on key Thales UK programmes, including support to current UK Ministry of Defence operations across the land, aerospace and naval sectors. Jack had an opportunity to talk to specialists from a number of current programmes that are managed locally.

The subjects included a brief about the Aircraft Carrier Alliance that is delivering the Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth-class carriers and its Thales UK-led design and power and propulsion procurement teams. He was also briefed about the Future Integrated Soldier Technology (FIST) programme and developments in armoured vehicles that are playing a key role on operations in Afghanistan.

Mr Lopresti viewed a scale model of the giant 65,000 tonne aircraft carrier and handled some of the latest communications and infantry weapon sighting systems being provided for the British Army.

Jack said:

"Thales UK is a world leading provider of technology for both civil and defence projects in the UK and across the globe. Thales are a major employer across the South-West of England, and have close links with local schools and universities, and do some fantastic work in helping to train and inspire the next generation of great British engineers and researchers.

"I was delighted to see the work being done in support of our armed forces in operations around the world, and am proud to represent a constituency which is home to the very best in British engineering."

Stoke Gifford Royal British Legion Launches Poppy Appeal

On Friday 28th October, Jack joined the Stoke Gifford Branch of The Royal British Legion, (TRBL), to launch their Poppy Appeal at Bristol Parkway Station. The station is one of the main sites for the branch's fundraising efforts along with Sainsbury's in Stoke Gifford and the Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke.

The Branch which covers Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke, Filton, and Bradley Stoke runs its appeal year-round, and last year raised a record amount of £30,000 locally. Money raised goes to help current and ex service personnel and their families. TRBL is the largest welfare charity in the country distributing £1.4 million in support every week.

Jack said

"I'm delighted to be here to help TRBL launch their local Poppy Appeal. I have a huge amount of respect for the charity, and ran the Bristol Half-Marathon for the Stoke Gifford Branch earlier this year.

"TRBL provides fantastic support for those who have given so much in the defence of our country, and is often a lifeline for our brave servicemen and women, and their families. I hope that the Stoke Gifford Branch can achieve another record-breaking year this year, and continue with the vital work they do for those who have sacrificed so much for us all."

Jack visits Penna plc

Jack Lopresti MP visited the Bradley Stoke offices of global HR firm Penna plc to meet their South West Team and CEO Gary Browning, hearing some of the innovative solutions they have developed with local firms.

Penna offer all the services expected from a progressive HR company and of particular local interest are developing a reputation for providing bespoke outplacement packages for the redeployment and re-employment of staff when firms downsize or relocate. Locally based organisations as diverse as Avon & Somerset Police, Airbus, Somerfield and Bristol City Council have worked with Penna to offer tailor made programmes to leaving staff to ensure they make the move, often from long term employment, to the world outside as successfully as possible.

As a company, Penna take their social responsibility seriously and have chosen to offer staff and expertise rather than charitable donations, supporting the work of Career Academies UK to raise the education and career aspirations of 16 to 19 year olds.

Jack said:

"It is all too easy for large companies to comply with the minimum legal requirements, leaving people feeling abandoned after a lifetime of service. It is reassuring to know there are large organisations that employ my constituents committed to supporting their workforce at such a difficult time. I would like to see a much wider provision of similar facilities."

Local speech and language therapists take their message to Westminster

Local MP Jack Lopresti met with speech and language therapist Mike Richards at Parliament today to learn more about what he does to help people with communication needs.

Mike, who works at Weston Area Health NHS Trust joined 150 speech and language therapists from around the UK as they travelled to Westminster to meet with their MPs as part of the Giving Voice campaign.

Giving Voice, led by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, highlights how speech and language therapy transforms the lives of those with speech, language and communication needs.

Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke said: "Meeting with my constituent, Mike Richards, has shown me what a critical role speech and language therapists play. I've been surprised to learn of the huge variety of people that speech and language therapists work with – from children with autism to older people recovering from stroke.

Jack added: "The film The King's Speech shone a well-deserved spotlight on the profession earlier this year and it was fascinating to hear about how speech and language therapy is literally transforming so many people's lives on a daily basis."

Mike Richards said: "It was fantastic today to join up with fellow speech and language therapists from across the country and take the message to Westminster that our profession really does transform lives.

"I'm so proud of the work my team have done this year, and continue to do. It was particularly rewarding to be able to help Mark Wilson who came to Weston General Hospital earlier in the year for help with his father- of-the-bride speech. We found a smart phone app that was able to help his stammer for less than £10. It felt like a perfect example of what the Giving Voice campaign is about."

Over the past year, RCSLT members have been engaging with their local politicians as part of the Giving Voice campaign by inviting them to visit local services and attend events to find out more about speech and language therapy.

Kamini Gadhok, chief executive of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists says: "Today was the perfect opportunity for SLTs to build on their local campaigning achievements, and come together as a profession to highlight the essential work they do."

Earlier today the Prime Minister praised the work of the Giving Voice campaign in Prime Minister Questions.

Local MP Campaigns for Bomber Command Medal

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti spoke in the House of Commons to raise the "injustice" of Bomber Command Personnel, who fought in World War II, not receiving a campaign medal despite their heroic actions.

The MP revealed that his maternal grandfather had joined Bomber Command after emigrating from Ireland at 17.

Jack said:

"My own Grandfather on my mother's side served in Bomber Command, he was born in Southern Ireland so he didn't have to serve as Ireland was neutral.

But he emigrated at the age of 17, from Tramere in Waterford and enlisted as an Air Gunner and soon found himself, a few months later, as a rear gunner over Germany on operations night after night.

From operations over Germany and the Mediterranean my Grandfather then fought against the Japanese, where he was shot down over Malaysia and was found several weeks later in the jungle suffering from Malaria."

Jack added:

"Successive Governments have failed to address the issue. But where there is a will there is a way.

During the war, the men and women of Bomber Command were unanimously regarded as heroes.

As Churchill himself declared in 1940: "The fighters are our salvation but the bombers alone provide the means of victory

Churchill's bombers did not fly or crew themselves. Let us now acknowledge the contribution of those that did, and made that victory possible"

MP asks Minister over Road Safety Petition

Jack Lopresti MP has given his support to a campaign to increase road safety on Bradley Stoke Way.

The MP met with concerned residents, led by Becky Mansyah one of the mums living near Bradley Stoke Way, last Saturday at the Willow Brook centre in Bradley stoke following several incidents this year. The most recent was on September 30th 2011, when a local 13 year old boy, was seriously injured after being hit by a motorbike on the road.

Local residents are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to improve road safety on Bradley Stoke Way by introducing a light-controlled pedestrian crossing, cutting the 40mph speed limit, placing warning signs, and removing a stretch of dual carriageway to prevent dangerous overtaking

Jack said:

"I have asked the Roads Minister, Mike Penning, to see if there is anything the Government can do to assist the local authority. I have also spoken to the local police who have told me that they would be supportive of several measures at that location from reduced speed limit to lane closures. The police also mentioned that Community Speedwatch have been active in the area and have given some feedback. In fact the police recruited five more members for Speedwatch at the petition signing last Saturday at the Willow Brook Centre.

I know that Brian Allinson, South Gloucestershire's executive councillor for transport, has already met with Bradley Stoke Councillors and is looking at the issue closely. Brian is working hard with all interested parties to establish a consensus of opinion and I have no doubt that appropriate action will be taken.

If any constituents would like to register their support for the campaign then there is now a petition on my website where they can let me know their views."

Local MP opens new Boeing site

Jack Lopresti MP attended the Dedication Ceremony for Boeing Defence UK's new office in Bristol.

BDUK's presence in the UK has been increasing steadily for a number of years, and they established an office in Bristol earlier this year. They are working closely with the Ministry of Defence, principally on logistics and support solutions to the Army, Navy and RAF, through their Logistics Networked Enabled Capacity (LogNEC) programme. Jack saw a presentation on LogNEC from Boeing Executives, which detailed the benefits this will bring to Service personnel in Afghanistan and at other locations around the world.

In addition, Jack and other senior Boeing figures assembled for the ceremony heard a moving presentation from Lu Lord, who is working on the LogNEC programme and whose Uncle was shot down and killed over Arnhem in 1944 while flying in a Dakota, the military transport plane after which BDUK's new office is named.

Jack said:

'Having heard Lu's story of her Uncle and his service during the Second World War, it is an excellent idea for Boeing to name their new office after the Dakota. It was a timely reminder to us of the ultimate sacrifice that so many of our service personnel make, and why it is so important that the MoD does all it can to support our service personnel serving overseas."

Jack also heard about Boeing's links with the two universities in Bristol, which included providing work placements at their new office, and of their plans for future recruitment.

'I was delighted to be able to attend the Dedication Ceremony. Boeing's presence here is a further sign of the thriving aerospace sector here in Filton and Bradley Stoke, and shows just how far the MoD is taking its responsibilities to improve the service it provides to our troops. I am delighted that they are still recruiting, and I wish them all the best for the future.'

Jack Lopresti MP wants strong role models for young people

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti has spoken in the House of Commons in a debate on the response to the summer riots. Mr Lopresti argued that strong role models and an improvement in social mobility are just as important as prosecution and appropriate sentencing.In the debate Jack said:

"Young people tend to be drawn to gang culture largely because of a lack of good role models in the community, a poverty of aspiration and the lack of social mobility in our country."

After the debate Jack said:

"We can all remember the violence and looting of the nationwide summer riots. Bristol was affected along with most other major cities. What I remember to be so striking was that some people weren't surprised at what was happening. It seems that we lost touch with a proportion of our young people years ago. I believe one of the things our young people need are strong role models who can demonstrate to them that with determination, hard work and persistence they can achieve their goals."

Jack advocates young people joining local voluntary groups for inspiration, structure and leadership, particularly groups such as the Scouts and St Johns Ambulance. He also believes that the newly formed National Citizen Service, a Government sponsored scheme for the benefit of young people will provide them with great opportunities

His youngest son Michael is a distinguished army cadet, (Patchway detachment) who hopes to join the regular army.

Jack is a vice chairman of the newly formed All Party Parliamentary Group Social Mobility

Visit to St Chad’s School, Patchway.

Jack was on hand for the presentation of Paralympic Sports Equipment to pupil's at St Chad's C of E VC Primary School today. The equipment was donated by Sainsbury's, and the manager of their Filton store, along with two members of staff, were also present at the event. This was part of a scheme promoted by Sainsbury's in the run up to next year's Paralympic Games in London, where primary age pupils are able to use equipment which allows them to play sport in the way that participants at the Paralympics will do.

'I was delighted to be visit the school and to be present at this event. I would like to thank Sainsbury's for their very kind donation and for promoting Paralympic sports across the country. I am sure that using the equipment will allow the pupil's at St Chad's to have a much better grasp of what it means to be a disabled sportsman or woman.'

Jack also met the new Head Teacher, Mr Darren Brown, and talked through some of the challenges and opportunities facing him in his new role. Jack is pictured with Mr Brown, the Manager and staff from Sainsbury's Filton store and St Chad's pupils with the new equipment.

Visit to Downend School

Jack visited Downend School where he spoke to around seventy A Level pupils about his life as an MP. This was the latest in a series of visits to the school by inspirational figures from the local area.

Jack spoke on what motivated him to get involved in politics, his background before becoming an MP, how to get selected as a Parliamentary candidate and what he hopes to achieve in Parliament. He also talked about the typical day of an MP, both in Parliament and when in the constituency. Questions to Jack were on topics such as Afghanistan, education and the plans for a new home ground for Bristol City.

'I really enjoyed my visit to Downend School. It was fantastic to be able to show them that someone from a very ordinary background such as myself can set and achieve very difficult goals, and I was very impressed with the range of questions asked of me. I have encouraged the pupils to get in touch with me if they have any issues or questions I can help them with.'

After this, Jack met the new Head of Downend School, Mr Will Roberts, who talked about this first few weeks in the role and the challenges ahead of him in the months and years ahead.

Filton Airfield

From the Bristol Evening Post:

Over the last few months the planned closure of Filton Airfield has divided some local opinion. The announcement from BAE Systems that the airfield will shut on the last day of 2012 was sad but presents us with some great opportunities. I understand the sentiments behind the campaign to save the airfield, it is right that we should unite as a community to recognise the legacy and huge contribution that our area has made to British Aviation. Yet I would argue, and will set out in this article, that with the closure of the airfield we will not lose that heritage, locally based world renowned businesses will still be at the forefront of British Aviation, that local industry and jobs will remain secure. More importantly we will secure our young people's future through economic growth and career opportunities, partnered with education, training and inspiration from the great achievements of the past. I cannot, as your representative in Parliament, recommend that we follow any other course in good conscience.

There are only two ways the Airfield can remain in operation, either through massive public subsidy, i.e. taxpayer support, or a hugely increased usage on a par with a busy commercial Airport, which local people have repeatedly rejected over many years.

I remember well the Campaign Against Filton Commercial Airport (CAFCA) in 1993. That campaign had an active membership of 13,000 people. The Airfield has been economically unviable for years as both BAE and Airbus have made known, and so far no potential buyers have come forward. The fact is that there is no need for an airstrip at Filton.

However I do recognise the operational importance of the site to the Great Western Air Ambulance. I have spoken with BAE systems again today and am happy to confirm that BAE are in discussions with the Air Ambulance and are committed to working with them to enable operations to continue from within the current airfield boundary.

So what are the future intentions of the local industry, will they, as some have suggested, quickly leave the employees and facilities and supply chains that have been built up over generations?

We know that BAe will continue to have a significant presence locally but what about the other main employers?

Airbus made the following statement on the closure:

"Airbus is fully committed to Filton – this is the case now and will remain the case, as clearly demonstrated by the recent decision to build a multi million pound business park at Filton and the continued investment in state of the art facilities such as the A350XWB Landing Gear Test Facility. We are putting into place a range of mitigation measures to ensure that the closure of the airfield does not affect our business in any significant way."

Rolls Royce say in a submission to the South Gloucestershire Core Strategy that far from it being prejudiced that "the closure of the Airfield is likely to widen the development potential of East Works with, for example, the relaxation of constraints" and furthermore that the option, of both commercial and residential use for the land that both I and South Glos Council are recommending to you, is "the only credible option".

GKN have recently invested in converting two units at the Western Approach Distribution Park, Severn Beach, to house a £125 million manufacturing facility for the company creating 250 jobs locally. This investment was in no way based on the continued existence of the airstrip.

With these reassurances, all in the public domain, it is hard not to see the cynicism and opportunism that some local politicians are displaying. The local Labour Group have said that they "have not been persuaded that there is no operational future for the runway" fully in the knowledge that the airfield is losing significant amounts of money and has done for many years. The Bristol Labour Party Leader, Cllr Peter Hammond has said that the airfield's future is central to the economic growth of the area and will jeopardise 30,000 jobs. Rather than scaremongering why won't he listen to the local industry, to local employers looking to expand and encourage growth? Surely our aims should be to secure local investment in the aerospace high tech manufacturing sectors, to provide more local employment, to achieve balanced communities by strengthening local infrastructure and transport links, create much needed housing and secure the Concorde museum and the long term legacy of aviation at Filton. Those are the aspirations that I see and hear about from local people and the aspirations that I will fight for.

We have the proudest of aviation legacies in Filton, and yes we must recognise it, but not at the expense of future generations.

To uphold this proud legacy and to ensure that Filton's position as one of the cradles of aviation in Britain, and, indeed, the world, is conserved, it is vital that any development of the airfield includes a considerable aviation heritage centre. In recent weeks I have been continuing my work with South Glos Council, The Concorde Trust, and the Bristol Aero Collection to lobby for this and I have applied huge pressure on BAE Systems to honour their commitment to protect our local aviation legacy, by investing in a heritage aviation centre which will include a permanent home for Concorde 216. I know that BAE have recognised this responsibility and that lots of work is continuing behind the scenes.

Make no mistake this may well be the last opportunity to secure a permanent home for Concorde 216 here in Filton.

We desperately need more engineers and scientists locally and in the country. A brilliant Aviation Heritage centre will help to inspire the next generation of Aviation pioneers and would honour those from the past like Sir George White the founder of aircraft manufacturing in Filton.

I live within sight of the Airfield in Filton, I share and appreciate people's sadness and regret at its closure. However I do not and will not support Labour's plans for massive taxpayer support or the development of a busy commercial airport.

The local Labour Party are playing cynical political games with local residents. We cannot bury our heads in the sand. I will do what is right for local residents. We will fight for a fitting legacy for the airfield and the contribution it has made to the local area but also that the land be used to create local jobs, for the benefit of local industry and the local economy. We will also campaign for desperately needed local housing to only be built with suitable planning conditions including local transport and other infrastructure improvements.

I cannot imagine a more fitting legacy to the Airfield which has helped our local area grow and thrive over the last one hundred years.

Filton MP salutes young Bristol apprentices

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti was on hand to celebrate the success of two young Bristol apprentices at Bovis Homes' flagship development, Charlton Hayes this week.

Steve Hoskins and Chris Rae, both 20, have so impressed Bovis Homes during their four-year apprenticeships that they are being taken on full-time and are now being trained to become site managers for the housebuilding firm.

The pair, both recent winners in the company's internal South West Apprentice of the Year Awards, received commemorative awards from Mr Lopresti, who said he was delighted at the talented duo's achievement.

"I was delighted to attend the presentation to celebrate the promotion of Steve and Chris to Trainee Assistant Site Managers for Bovis Homes," commented Mr Lopresti. "Both have come through four-year apprenticeship schemes and are examples of the talent and hard work ethic that many of our local young people possess. Local firms need a highly skilled local workforce and I believe that schemes like this greatly benefit many young people. It is crucial that we continue to build up the skills that our local businesses need and that will fuel long-term growth.

"Having left school at a young age myself, I fully appreciate how apprenticeships aid social mobility and give young people the qualifications and drive to work hard and add to the local economy. I commend Bovis Homes for the support they have given to Steve and Chris and look forward to hearing about future promotions in the years ahead."

Both Steve and Chris took their plumbing apprenticeships through OnSite Bristol. Steve worked mainly at Bovis Homes' Dorian Road site in Bristol, which is part of Bristol City Council Prefab Redevelopment Project, with contractor Gregor Heating and Plumbing. He lives locally at Horfield having attended St Bede's Catholic College in Lawrence Weston.

Chris most recently worked with contractor GFC Plumbing and Heating at Charlton Hayes, a 2,400 home scheme in South Gloucestershire which is the biggest project of its type in the Bristol area for 30 years. He lives in Yate and went to Brimsham Green School.

Also on hand to congratulate the pair of apprentices was Bovis Homes South West region managing director Malcolm Pink.

Malcolm said: "As a business we are committed to developing young people through our apprenticeship schemes and these two lads show just what can be achieved.

"Young people often get a bad press in the media, but Steve and Chris are shining examples of youngsters who have been prepared to get their heads down and graft while showing a willingness to learn.

"The result is that they have learned valuable new skills and are now in an excellent position to further their careers in the housebuilding industry. I am sure they have set an example that our other apprentices - who work in areas such as plumbing, carpentry, office administration and bricklaying – will be keen to follow.

"That's good news for the Bristol area because there remains a huge need for housing here – and these are some of the people who will be delivering that well into the future."

Chris, who joined the company from school, said: "Before working with Bovis Homes I had difficulty communicating with new people but after spending four years talking with other trades and customers I have built up a lot of confidence and feel much more confident in those situations.

"I now enjoy getting involved in group discussions and finding ways around problems. Being on different sites means I have seen close up the different ways that people approach the job in hand and learned some valuable skills."

Steve, who also joined Bovis Homes straight from school, added: "I remember being nervous on my first day but the Bovis Homes staff were quick to reassure me and I have never really looked back.

"The best day I have had on site was when I first completed a whole 2nd fix on a home – when all the sanitary ware and taps are installed – by myself. It was a proud moment. Now I want to complete my training as an assistant site manager and gain as many qualifications as possible to further my career."

Support our Police in the Work They Do

From the Bristol Evening Post;

The recent riots demonstrated in the starkest possible terms what happens in our society when law and order breaks down.

One of my main priorities is to represent and stand up for my constituents who have been affected by crime; especially anti social behaviour and to hold the local agencies to account, to ensure that people feel safe and protected. In recent months I have seen real improvements to local policing and the level of response to incidents of anti social behaviour in my own constituency. This was due in large part to pressure brought to bear by local residents supported by myself which led to me speaking in debates in the House of Commons on these matters and asking questions to ministers followed up with meetings with the Home Secretary, and the local police.

The professionalism and bravery of our police forces in tackling mindless vandalism, looting and rioting over recent weeks cannot be taken for granted and we must ensure that we support our police officers in the work that they do. Yet we must also make sure that the police can be held to account.

That is why, in this column, I would like to make the case for the benefits of the Governments plans for elected police commissioners, which I believe will be of great benefit to both local people and enhance the accountability of our police force to the public.

Police and Crime Commissioners will strengthen the link between the Police and the public by having a directly elected person who can both hold the police to account but also act in the best interest of our area by, for instance, having the power to set the police budget. They will also determine police force priorities and have the authority to hire and, where necessary, fire their Chief Constable.

This is not a policy that will make politics of policing – the Government have guaranteed the operational independence of the police will not be affected. The new Commissioners will not be micro managing but will have the broader responsibility to tackle crime in their areas, working with local agencies through more effective Community Safety Partnerships.

The first elections are fast approaching and will take place in May 2012. Commissioners will serve fixed four-year terms, with a maximum of two terms. They will be subject to a number of checks and balances, including through new Police and Crime Panels made up of local councillors and independent members.

I urge you to consider the proposals; take part in the democratic process and have your say in who you'd like our elected police commissioner to be in the elections in the spring.

 

Jack Lopresti MP Welcomes Good News on Broadband Provision

Jack said "I am delighted to hear the Government's announcement today that £530 million will be made available to improve broadband provision across the UK, and I am pleased that the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency stands to benefit from a combination of this and the telecom companies' own infrastructure upgrades."

"Broadband provision here has been patchy and poor compared to many other areas in the UK, which is why I have secured a number of meetings with the Broadband Minister Ed Vaizey MP, including a visit to South Gloucestershire as recently as April.

I look forward to the improvements which will be made as a result of the Government's funding. We must however, ensure that we keep the pressure up on broadband providers to contribute to these improvements by investing in their own infrastructure, so that individual customers and businesses in my constituency receive a service which is comparable with – or even better than - the rest of the country."

Jack meets Bristol Army Cadets

Jack recently travelled to Chickerell Training Camp in Weymouth to visit Bristol Army Cadet Force at their annual camp.

Jack, who is a serving reservist, saw the cadets on parade and was given a snapshot of the kind of activities the Army Cadet Force takes part in. The cadets were also treated to a visit from the Lord Lieutenant of the City and County of Bristol.

Jack said "I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Bristol ACF, and meeting the young cadets at their camp. The cadets work hard to train themselves both physically and mentally, and can even attain BTEC qualifications as a result.

"My son, Michael, is a cadet and I know how much he values the opportunity to train and develop himself, in a fun environment with friends his own age. I would urge anyone who is interested to get in touch with Bristol ACF, visit them, and see what fun, exciting, and challenging activities are on offer. "

Jack Lopresti MP Visits Bristol Academy Women’s Football Club

Jack visited Stoke Gifford Stadium on Saturday 13th August to watch Bristol Academy WFC play their final home match of the Women's Super League campaign against Everton Ladies FC.

Bristol Academy plays in the top tier of English Ladies Football, and recently moved to Stoke Gifford Stadium, a 1,500-capacity venue purpose built for women's football and athletics.

Jack said "It was a pleasure to visit Bristol Academy WFC. As the only team in the Women's Super League who are not affiliated to a professional men's football club, the team have had to work incredibly hard to establish themselves as one of the top club sides in women's football, and I'm very proud to have them in my constituency.

"Women's football is a fast-growing sport, and the success of Bristol Academy WFC only serves to enhance its reputation. My own daughter, Sophie, is a keen football player, so the sport is particularly close to my own heart. I wish Bristol academy the very best of luck, and hope to see them continue to grow and flourish in the future."

Jack Lopresti MP signs Riots E-petition

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti has signed the online petition calling for rioters to have social security benefits and social housing payments stopped.

Jack signed the popular online petition following the Prime Minister's statement on the riots in the House of Commons. If the petition attracts 100,000 signatures, Parliament's Backbench Business Committee will consider the matter for debate in the House.

Jack said "Of course I support the importance in a civilised society, of ensuring that the most vulnerable and those who are unable to work through no fault of their own are protected by the welfare state safety net. However that means being available for work, and not abusing the support they receive from hard working taxpayers by rioting, thievery and by causing wanton disruption.

Today Jack also asked the Prime Minister David Cameron about the powers that the new elected police commissioners will have in situations that we have seen up and down the country to authorise emergency measures such as water cannon, baton rounds and troop support.

Jack said, following his question to the Prime Minister in the Commons "I was reassured by the Prime Minister's answer, that these decisions will still be taken at an operational level by Chief Constables. They will be able to authorise the use of tactics such as water cannon if necessary in situations such as those we have seen this week, to ensure they are dealt with swiftly and effectively"

Jack Lopresti MP congratulates local volunteer on netting regional FA award

Jack Lopresti MP has commended local volunteer Michael Smardon on his hard work after he was named Volunteer of the Year, for the South West region, as part of the 2011 FA Community Awards, presented by McDonald's.

Voted for by peers, The FA Community Awards were founded in 2010 to recognise and celebrate those coaches, volunteers, clubs and leagues in counties across England who dedicate their time to grassroots football in their local community.

Michael has received the award in recognition of his work as Referee Secretary in the club. Under his leadership, in just two years the club experienced a 68% rise in the numbers of referees affiliated with the club. In addition, Mike is to be admired for his mentoring of younger referees and the energy he has devoted towards supporting them.

Local MP and football fan Jack Lopresti said: "I was delighted to hear that Mike had won this much deserved award. Sport is a great way to bring a community together. His hard work and dedication to this end is to be admired, and I am pleased to see it recognised with an FA Community Award. I would also like to commend McDonald's for the fantastic work they have done in supporting grassroots football."

McDonald's Director of Football, Sir Geoff Hurst, who launched the FA Community Awards 2011 search for nominations back in February, said: "The FA and McDonald's Community Football Awards were established as a way of rewarding the extraordinary number of volunteers that lend their time and support to grassroots football, simply for their love of the game."

As the FA's Community Partner and the nation's biggest supporter of grassroots football, McDonald's has once again partnered with The FA to promote the Community Awards. Over the last eight years, McDonald's has helped drive the training and recruitment of over 20,000 community coaches and aims to improve standards at grassroots level to help coaches and clubs play an even greater role in community football.

Boost to local pubs in Filton and Bradley Stoke

Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has enthusiastically supported the Government's review which could boost the number of local pubs. As part of its commitment to the Great British pub, the Government this week launched a review of restrictive covenants, a legal clause that can be used to prevent local pubs reopening as community run public houses following a sale.

Between 2004 and 2009 - some 572 pubs are said to have been permanently lost following a sale with a restrictive covenant, potentially depriving thousands of regulars of an important community asset.

Jack said:

'Pubs are part of community life, as important to the local social scene as they are to the local economy. But time is being called at too many of our 'locals', depriving people of treasured places to get together in the community.

We are putting the people back in charge, giving them the power to step in and save their much-loved community assets. By reviewing this restrictive red tape we will enable people to use their collective powers to ensure that their locals remain local and continue to thrive at the heart of every community'

I have long been of the view that the local pub is an essential part of the social fabric of our communities. They play an important role in the social cohesion of an area. I thoroughly welcome the Governments announcement but we the public, as consumers need to take some responsibility to support and to continue to enjoy and encourage others to experience the hospitality and pleasure gained from a trip to the pub. We must also recognise and inform others on what the loss of these valuable community hubs would mean to the quality of life and social cohesion in our local areas."

Mr Lopresti has previously debated the future of local pubs in the House of Commons. In the speech Jack paid tribute to some of his local pubs; the Stokers Pub in Little Stoke, The Fox in Easter Compton and The Beaufort Arms in Stoke Gifford.

New powers for local residents to evict nuisance neighbours

Anti social and abusive neighbours could be evicted from their homes by using new powers for residents, landlords and councils, the Government has announced.

Processes to evict those responsible for campaigns of unpleasant or serious anti social behaviour can currently take up to a year or more.

But Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP has introduced a new mandatory ground for possession of a property when tenants have a track record of anti-social behaviour.

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti has been a local advocate for such measures and had been calling for tougher measures to evict repeat offenders.

Jack said:

"I think the Governments plans bring a common sense approach to tackling this problem. I have seen for myself the frustration that local residents feel with the lengthy and bureaucratic process which often requires them to prove each new incident of anti-social behaviour. The plans announced will create a swifter process for evicting nuisance families and will act as a deterrent for bad behaviour and force offenders to change their ways."

Mr Lopresti has campaigned on the issue for many months, raising the topic of anti-social behaviour on the floor of the House of Commons and asking questions to Ministers on the difficulties of creating effective eviction orders.

Jack Lopresti MP welcomes Broadband Announcement

South Gloucestershire Council has announced plans to give all residents and businesses access to fast, reliable and affordable broadband.

The private sector broadband market will be providing superfast broadband to around two-thirds of communities over the next few years. However some homes and businesses in areas in the remaining third are at risk of being left behind.

To solve the problem the government has set up a scheme to provide £530m of public sector funds to improve the broadband provision in these mostly rural communities. To ensure that South Gloucestershire is able to benefit from the scheme, the Council is working with BDUK (Broadband Delivery UK, who are responsible for allocating and distributing the £530m of public sector funding) to develop a local broadband plan setting out how those homes and businesses in the final third will benefit from improved broadband provision.

The local authority is in the third phase of the BDUK national programme and expects to hear about our funding allocation later in the summer. The Council will then need to develop and submit the local broadband plan to BDUK for approval, provide 1:1 match funding and procure a private sector partner to contribute the rest of the funding required.

Jack said:

"I am pleased that the council has announced its intentions in regard to the implementation of fast and reliable broadband for the whole of the local area. However this is not an excuse for the telecommunications companies to sit back and expect the tax payer to fund the upgrade of their exchanges. We need the private sector to engage and contribute to this process in a partnership with the local authority and customers. Last year the community broadband campaign collected over 1,000 signatures to demonstrate demand for the improvement to the Almondsbury exchange alone. Whilst I appreciate that there are local infrastructure issues it's difficult to see why the private sector aren't utilising this demand better."

BDUK are setting up a national procurement framework for councils to use to procure the required broadband infrastructure from broadband providers. It is hoped that this framework will be in place next summer.

It is expected that the private sector roll out will be completed by 2015, with the BDUK work to follow.

Jack Lopresti visits Open Day at Filton Home for Veterans

Jack Lopresti MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, visited the Alabaré Bristol Home for Veterans Open Day at one of their houses in Filton to see at first hand the good work done at the home and what continuing care ex-servicemen need. Jack met with representives from Merlin Housing, South Gloucestershire Council, Filton College as well as the Ministry of Defence's resettlement team.

Jack also met representatives from the Royal British Legion, Stoke Gifford Branch with other supporters of veterans groups who were at the Open Day.

The home aims to provide supported accommodation to veterans with low to medium support needs in a responsive and safe environment, enabling the veterans to make life changes and develop so that they are able to move on to successful independent living.

Residents usually stay for an average of 6 – 8 months but can stay for up to a year and the project is currently running two houses in the Filton area.

Jack said:

"The Alabaré Bristol Home for Veterans is a great project and one I whole-heartedly support. I have said many times in Parliament that it is important that we recognise the service and sacrifices of our veterans and that we ensure that they are provided for should they need support. Adjusting to civilian life after leaving the forces can be incredibly difficult, if anyone feels that they could benefit from the support that the Alabaré Bristol Home for Veterans can provide then I urge them to go on the Home's website or contact me for more information."

The Home's details can be found at www.alabare.co.uk. Jack is pictured with members of staff from Alabare in the garden of the home.

Jack visits Selex Systems Integration

Jack today visited Selex Systems Integration in their offices in Bristol Business Park.

Selex are part of the Finmeccanica group, and employ around 200 people in their Bristol office. While there, he gained an overview of the full range of work they are doing, from cyber security and military technology, to work computerising train timetables.

Jack was particularly impressed with their work on cyber security. 'This is an area of huge and growing importance, and Selex are doing some excellent work in raising awareness of it and designing systems to counter cyber criminals. I will be visiting them again to take a closer look at this.'

Jack also spoke of their links with the MoD, and their reactions to the Strategic Defence and Security Review. He also heard about their plans for future expansion.

'The presence of Selex reinforces to me the high-tech nature of much of the local economy in the South Gloucestershire area. I welcome their presence in South Gloucestershire, and I am sure they will go from strength to strength in the years ahead.'

Jack is pictured with David Gould, Executive Chairman of Selex, and Michael Clayforth-Carr, Chief Executive Officer.

Local MP Welcomes Additional Funding for Apprenticeships Programme

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP, Jack Lopresti, has welcomed the Prime Ministers announcement of radical plans for an apprenticeship programme that will see £25m support up to 10,000 advanced and higher apprenticeships in industries including manufacturing, IT and engineering.

Jack said:

"We are blessed in our local area to have a thriving local economy based largely on engineering, aerospace and high tech manufacturing. Local firms need a highly skilled local work force and I believe the Governments announcement will greatly benefit many local young people. It is crucial that we continue to build up the skills that our local businesses need and that will fuel long term growth.

"This Government is investing in apprenticeships because we know they work - they are good for people who want to get ahead, good for business and good for the country."

The scheme will promote the development of apprenticeships up to degree equivalent in companies where there is unmet demand for the higher level skills that are crucial for job creation and growth.

It follows the Governments pledge of committing additional investment to apprenticeships totalling £180m that will fund a total of 360,000 apprenticeships in this year alone.

Jack hears about the National Wildlife Conservation Park

Jack today visited Bristol Zoo, where he was informed of the latest plans for the National Wildlife Conservation Park, to be created on a site next to Junction 17 of the M5, within Jack's constituency.

The Zoo has received planning permission for the Park for the first conservation-led visitor attraction of its kind in the UK. The park will link specific ecosystems and conservation projects that happen in those areas, thus enhancing Bristol Zoo's role in the global conservation movement. The Park is designed to take visitors on a journey round the world, incorporating areas such as Tropical Forest in Congo, Sumatran Rainforest, British Ancient Woodland and Indian Ocean Coral Reef.

As well as being kept informed of the progress of this project, he also heard about the educational opportunities this will provide to primary and secondary age pupils, as well as students in further and higher education, veterinary students and the Parks own staff.

Jack commented 'I was delighted to hear about the Conservation Park, I was greatly impressed with the enthusiasm and skill this project is being taken forward by the management of Bristol Zoo. Once it is open, the Conservation Park will be a fabulous visitor attraction for the South West and South Gloucestershire in particular. It will allow Bristol Zoo to expand the fantastic animal conservation work they already do and enhance their worldwide reputation in this area.'

Jack was also taken on a tour of the Zoo, and heard about some of the future plans for the existing site. He is pictured with Dr Bryan Carroll, Director of Bristol Zoo Gardens, and a pile of sleeping meercats!

Local MP welcomes Reserves Review

Local MP Jack Lopresti has welcomed the Governments announcement on the increase in resources and capabilities of the United Kingdom's Reserve Forces. Yesterday, Dr Liam Fox, the Secretary of State for Defence announced that the Reserve Forces would increase in number and additional funding would be provided. Mr Lopresti is an Army Reservist, serving as a trooper in the Royal Gloucester Hussars.

Yesterday Jack asked Dr Liam Fox whether he would ensure that the announced funding would be used specifically for reservists:

"Will my right honourable friend ensure that the welcome additional funding he has announced for the reserve forces will be used specifically for the reserve forces and not by the regular forces for other things?"

Dr Fox replied:

"That money is earmarked for the reserves, but it is also earmarked for our deployable force. I have said that if we are unable to get the increase in deployability through the reserves alone with the money that I have put in place, there may be a mechanism for an adjustment between the two. We will certainly try to achieve the ratio and the time scale that I have set out today."

After the announcement Jack said:

"Yesterday's announcement was great news for the Reserve Forces; the extra funding will enable the UK' s reserve forces to be brought up as a proportion of our armed forces more in line with our allies in the US and Canada. I have the honour of serving in the Reserves Forces and I have had the privilege of serving alongside other volunteers on operations. Reserves have long been an essential part of our operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere and I am delighted that the role of the Reserves will be enhanced."

Local Brewery visits the Houses of Parliament

Jack Lopresti the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke hosted a visit by the Great Western Brewery to the House of Commons. Jack arranged for some barrels of GWB beer to be sold at the famous Houses of Parliaments Strangers Bar. The Brewers were then treated to a special tour of Westminster Hall, The Houses of Parliament and the Parliamentary Chapel, St Mary's Undercroft.

Jack said:

"I was delighted to host the Great Western Brewery. It is great to see local business's doing well and thriving, even in these difficult economic times. The Great Western Brewing Company is a great example of a well-run, successful family business and it is companies such as these which will help lead the economy out of recession. I am encouraging as many of my colleagues as possible to sample their fine beer!"

After the tour Jack invited the guests for a pint of beer on the House of Commons riverside terrace to watch the arrival of 12 Royal Marines who were completing a row of the Thames in aid of Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. The crew of 12 Royal Marines, centred on 40 Commando recovery troops (wounded, injured and ill - many wounded on operations in Afghanistan last year), rowed the length of the Thames (150 miles, 45 locks, 30 miles a day, 55,000 strokes) from 10-14 July for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund, which supports serving and retired Royal Marines and their dependants.

There was also a collection for Help For Heroes on the terrace after the event.

Frenchay Village Flower Show

Jack was very proud to officially open the 68th Frenchay Village Flower Show, organised by the Frenchay and Hambrook Horticultural Society. Joan Beasant, at her 48th show, guided Jack round the displays of children's exhibits, flowers, fruit and vegetables, handicrafts and the Bath Bee Keepers stand, as well as the impressive photographic, cake and WI entries in the Village Hall and the model village in the Friends Meeting House.

'I was delighted to open the Flower Show,' commented Jack. 'The members of the Horticultural Society have again made an excellent effort to put this together, and the fact that this is the 68th staging of this event shows how popular it continues to be.'

Children were well catered for with face painting, side stalls, and magicians Delboy, Scorpio and Michael Midnight, the Frenchay School Choir showcased some of the songs they have been practising, and the Marshfield Brass Band and Winterbourne Down Morris Dancers provided entertainment. Steam engines and new cars were displayed adjacent to the show site while a London bus ferried people down to the Frenchay Museum site where vintage vehicles were exhibited

In addition to all this, the 37th Kingswood Scouts ran the barbeque while Frenchay and Hambrook WI members tempted us with refreshments.

Jack is pictured with Frenchay and Stoke Park Councillor Trevor Jones with one of the trophies presented on the day.

MP calls for permanent tribute to Sir George White

Local MP, Jack Lopresti has called for a permanent tribute to Sir George White at any future Aviation Heritage Centre. With local support behind the need to recognise the local area's contribution to aviation history Mr Lopresti believes that Sir George White's contribution cannot be overlooked but recognised as something remarkable and inspirational.

Credited with establishing Filton as the home of British aviation Sir George White's historic contribution to the local area made him a favoured son of Bristol and should be recognised as an important national figure and aviation pioneer.

Jack said:

"To me Sir George White's legacy is something that we should all honour and celebrate. What he achieved is truly awesome; He was a pioneer of aviation, he founded the Bristol Aeroplane Company, he was a great philanthropist and a completely self made man. I have long been an advocate and campaigner for a local Aviation Heritage Centre and I believe that the memory of Sir George White has to play an integral part to that museum. Sir George White was the founder of our local industry. Without his vision we would not have the home of British aerospace on our very doorstep.

I believe that with his example, he was a humbly born Bristolian who was the embodiment of social mobility and enterprise, we can inspire the next generation of locally grown engineers and inventors. The campaign for an Aviation Heritage Centre is popular locally and with this momentum we must make it a reality. I would like to see a larger than life statue and permanent exhibition in tribute to Sir George White's amazing life and achievements and I will be campaigning for that end to all local stakeholders and interested parties."

Local MP visits Northern Ireland

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti today returned from N Ireland where he had been visiting the province at the height of the Marching Season. Jack had high level meetings with Hugo Swire MP, Minister of State, the N Ireland Assembly Member and Minister for Justice, David Ford and Chief Constable Matt Baggott of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Jack undertook the visit as part of his role on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. Jack saw firsthand the violence of the riots that took place in recent days and how the PSNI dealt with the incidents.

Jack said:

"It is a great shame that this year's 12th July commemorations were marred once again by a violent minority intent on bringing brutal destruction to their local communities and attacking the forces of law and order. I am assured by the PSNI that the perpetrators will be brought to justice and I praise the professionalism that officers showed in very challenging and difficult circumstances."

Jack also serves on the All Party Group for Counter Terrorism and was able to see where some of the £200M of additional security funding from the Government to the PSNI was being put to work to combat dissident terrorist activities in the province.

Local MPs join forces to stand up for local defence industry

Jack Lopresti the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke and Chris Skidmore the MP for Kingswood, today asked questions in the House of Commons on how the Government can support local companies' exports in the UK defence industry. Mr Lopresti has been an advocate for local defence companies since his election last year, often meeting with local aerospace and defence firms based in the constituency.

Jack said in the Chamber:

"This Government has made positive changes in the way it is working with the UK Defence industry to achieve better mutual benefits-

But what more can be done by the Government and industry to get an even better approach to exports across the whole of the UK's defence sector, like MBDA and many other companies in my constituency, in order to maximise opportunities for the UK?"

Gerald Howarth the Minister for International Security Strategy replied saying that the Government has set up a Defence Export Support Group to help the industry to become better integrated into Government plans. The Minister then went on to praise MBDA, who have a large base in Filton, for the work they are doing to support the Government and Britain's Armed Services on operations in Afghanistan and Libya.

Local MP Chris Skidmore also stood up for the region's defence expertise asking a question about Airbus's local composite technology facility at the National Composite Centre is his Kingswood constituency, which the minister also praised.

Chris said: "Airbus has recently set up a research and development base at the National Composite Centre. Will the minister welcome this and does he agree that research and development is crucial for promoting our defence exports."

Following the question time Jack said:

"The defence industry is crucial to our local economy, as well as boosting our trade balance and support of high technology skills throughout the UK. The South West region is the heart of the UK's defence trade and the home to many of our nation's biggest defence companies. The Governments continued support to the industry is very welcome and good news for local businesses."

Jack Lopresti MP attends Celebrating Age Festival in Filton

Today, Jack attended the Celebrating Age Festival event in Filton. This was the culmination of a two week long series of events held to celebrate the positive aspects of ageing, organised by South Gloucestershire Council, Age Concern, the Senior Citizens Forum and Southern Brooks Community Partnership.

Jack met many community groups and charities who are helping older people across Filton and Bradley Stoke who were represented at the event. He heard of the work that is done to help them retain their independence, and saw examples of some of the fund raising efforts that are made on their behalf.

'I was very impressed with the work that is being done across Filton and Bradley Stoke on behalf of older people. I saw some fantastic examples of community based teams and fund raising that is going on to help support older people. There were many older people at the event, and my congratulations go to everyone who helped organise the event, and I know the event was a resounding success.'

If there are any older people in Filton and Bradley Stoke who have any issues they would like Jack to address on their behalf, his constituency office can be contacted on 01454 617783, or via email at jack.lopresti.mp@parliament.uk

Jack is pictured with some of the representatives of the groups who were at the event. Later in the day, Jack attended the Filton College Prize Day.

Jack meets 2152 (North Bristol) Squadron Air Training Corps

Jack recently met members of the 2152 (North Bristol) Squadron ATC at the Celebrating Age Festival in Filton. They told Jack of the efforts they are making to find former ATC members. This is to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Air Training Corps, and the local Volunteer Gliding Squadron, 621 at Hullavington, are preparing an open day with the aim of flying past Air Cadets from the 70 years since the ATC was formed.

In order to do this 2152 (North Bristol) Squadron, along with the rest of Bristol and Gloucestershire Wing have been attending a variety of local community events with the aim of reaching out to ex-cadets and also to recruit potential new cadets.

2152 Squadron, based in Filton, last year won the Bristol and Gloucestershire Wing Community Trophy for all their efforts in gaining a foothold within the heart of the local community by providing help and support for events or ceremonies.

If you, or anyone you know, is a former member of the Air Training Corps, you can get in touch with the North Bristol Squadron at 2152@aircadets.org and oc.2152@aircadets.org or via Jack's office on 01454 617783. Jack is pictured with members of the squadron at the event in Filton.

Opening of St Peter's Anglican Methodist VC Primary School

Jack Lopresti helped open St Peter's Primary School in Pilning yesterday. Jack helped mark the opening along with local Cllr Robert Griffin, pupils, parents, governors and staff at the recently completed building.

Although nearly four months after they moved in, the event was delayed so as to coincide with St Peter's Day, which the school celebrated in the local church.

The opening ceremony involved songs from the pupils, prayers, blessings and the burying of a time capsule. It came to a close with the release of balloons by the children. The school was built after the merger of Redwick and Northwick Primary School and Pilning Primary and £4.7 million was invested into the project.

Jack said:

"I was so pleased to be invited to yesterday's opening ceremony of the wonderful new St Peters school. The school is a great asset to the local area. I had a great day and it was a real honour and privilege to have been with the staff, helpers, pupils and volunteers on such a special occasion. I look forward to seeing the School continue to go from strength to strength and hosting a visit at the Palace of Westminster for the pupils very soon!"

Jack is pictured with Robert Griffin, South Gloucestershire Councillor for Pilning and Severn Beach, outside the new school.

Anti-social behaviour

Yesterday local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP asked another question on Anti-Social behaviour in the House of Commons.

Jack asked:

"What tools will the Home Department make available to local police and local agencies to tackle ingrained and site-specific antisocial behaviour?"

The department said that they were looking at the proposals following a consultation process with local agencies and the local police that finished recently.

Jack asked the question following work with both local residents and the local police to try and tackle incidents of anti social behaviour in Filton, Patchway and elsewhere in the constituency.

Jack said:

"I am continuing to work on behalf of local residents to turn around the trends of ASB in some areas of the constituency. I have meetings with Inspector Robert Eveley, Safer and Stronger Division South Glos Council and spoken with Chief Constable Colin Port on how we can work together to tackle the problems. An action plan is being drawn up and I believe the police are responding to residents concerns. I know that the police are now taking all Anti Social Behaviour incidents seriously and I have been visiting local residents encouraging them to report any Anti Social Behaviour. I will continue to keep a close eye on developments and will be holding regular meetings with residents and the local police to make sure that the pressure is kept up for dealing with this very serious issue"

Grenadier Driving School

Mike O'Gorman is a former Guardsman who started a driving school last year after leaving the Army. He is helping to raise money for Help for Heroes through his driving school by diverting the franchise fees paid by their instructors to the charity, rather than going into the company. Mike met Jack at the National Armed Forces Day celebrations in Page Park, Staple Hill, where they discussed the efforts he is making to support former servicemen through the charity.

'I was delighted to see that Mike is doing his bit to support Help for Heroes,' commented Jack. 'They are an excellent charity that provide a lot of support for ex-servicemen, and Mike's idea is an excellent way of helping them raise money.'

The Grenadier Driving School's details can be found at www.grenadierdrivingschool.com, and Mike can be contacted on 07508 034966.

Jack opens new Third Dimension headquarters

Jack has today opened the new Filton headquarters of Third Dimension. They are a company that designs and manufactures the GapGun range of products, which are precision shop floor optical metrology tools for the aerospace and automotive manufacturing industries, and have moved to new premises due to the continuing growth of their business. Whilst being taken on a tour of their new offices, he was given a demonstration of their products by the CEO, Tim Monks. Third Dimension continue to grow, and predict that their turnover will double in the next three years. Their client list includes such names as Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover and Lockheed.

"It has been a pleasure to visit Third Dimension today to see a real developing local success story that is founded on engineering excellence and sheer hard work," said Jack. "Third Dimension is proof that even in the harshest of economic circumstances a company can be successful. For a company of this size to design, assemble and market a product that in a matter of years is being picked up by many of the major manufacturers in two of the most demanding industries, and sold in more than 25 countries around the world, is testament to their knowledge and their application. A successful business generates wealth and opportunity for local people, with the creation of new jobs all the way down the supply chain. I am delighted to be part of a Government that recognises the crucial role played by small and medium sized enterprises in our economy. Our policies will always do everything possible to encourage precisely the type of innovation and entrepreneurship that Third Dimension has in clear abundance."

Winterbourne View

Earlier today Jack Lopresti MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke met with Mr Lee Reed, the Chief Executive of Castlebeck, in Westminster to discuss the future of the Winterbourne View Hospital.

Jack said:

"Following my calls for the closure of Winterbourne View Hospital I have now met with the Chief Executive of Castlebeck, Mr Lee Reed. Mr Reed confirmed to me that Winterbourne View Hospital is to close on Friday this week.

Mr Reed gave me his assurances that the closure of the hospital will be conducted in as sensitive a way as possible so that little or no disruption will be caused to the on-going care of the patients.

I stand by my call for the hospital's closure and I am pleased that Castlebeck have come to the same conclusion. Given the horrific events which have taken place at Winterbourne View I believe its future running is un-tenable

The most important consideration is that the patients and their families receive what they need. I understand that by Friday all patients will have been relocated and will continue their care at other hospitals."

Almondsbury Community Shop

Jack held his latest constituency surgery at the Almondsbury Community Shop today. The shop was opened in March 2009 and is run by a voluntary group of local residents who wanted to maintain a social and economic hub to the village. The goods on sale are provided by suppliers from the local area, and there is a wide range of items for sale from milk and bread to newspapers and stamps.

Jack said 'the Almondsbury Community Shop is a fantastic community resource for the village of Almondsbury. The volunteers have done an excellent job in getting the shop up and running, and maintaining a focal point for the village when so many local pubs, shops and Post Offices have closed. I travel all over my constituency holding surgeries, and I always enjoy coming to the shop and showing my support. I am sure it will continue to thrive in future years.'

The shop is open from 8.30 am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 2.30pm on Saturdays, and is situated at 14 Church Road, Almondsbury.

MP asks Government about Traveller Site Eviction Orders

In a debate in the House of Commons, local MP Jack Lopresti asked a Government Minister about how the law could be improved to ensure that any eviction orders applied to trespassers by becoming site specific.

Talking about the legality of moving Travellers on from privately owned sites Jack said:

"In the Severn Beach and Pilning areas of my constituency there is a new school, and we have had a spate of problems with unauthorised Traveller sites. I asked the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend Mr Blunt, about making exclusion and eviction orders site-specific rather than individually based. At the moment, if a group of Travellers is asked to move on, other people can quickly reoccupy the site. If the eviction or exclusion order is made specific to a particular site, the problem will be solved once and for all."

After the debate Jack said:

"I first came across this grey area in the law after Cllr Robert Griffin and local residents alerted me to a Traveller site that was occupying private land next to St Peter's school in the Severn Beach and Pilning area. In my eyes an amendment to the law to make any eviction orders site specific would put an end to land lords and residents having to fight tooth and nail to regain control of land occupied by trespassers."

Local MP helps bring through Bill for Armed Forces

Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP has helped bring through a landmark piece of legislation that will ensure that all members of the armed forces, their families and veterans are supported and that their service to the nation does not disadvantage them in any way.

Jack was asked to serve on the Armed Forces Bill Committee in part due to his service background.

Jack is currently an Army Reservist, serving as a trooper in the Royal Gloucester Hussars. Prior to that, Jack was a gunner with 266 Commando Battery, which is based in Whiteladies Road. During that time, Jack served, as a mobilized reservist, with 29 Commando RA for a year and was deployed in Helmand Province, in Afghanistan, on Operation Herrick 9 for 5 months over Christmas and New Year 2008/9. Whilst in Afghanistan, Jack ran the Camp Bastion Half Marathon, for Help the Heroes, on New Years Day 2009.

The Bill has now passed through all stages of the House of Commons legislative process and will be considered by the House of Lords before it can be given Royal Assent.

Speaking in the House of Commons Jack said:

"The welfare of our nation's service men and women is rightfully at the top of the political agenda and this Government has moved with a swift pace to ensure that any lapses in the commitment between Government and our Armed Forces are being rectified.

Here, in this Bill, we have a piece of legislation of historical importance to our nation and to our Armed Forces. Since the inception of the nation state from the Ancient Romans giving land to their veterans to provide them with a livelihood, to here in 1593 when Elizabeth 1st recognised the responsibility the country had to wounded veterans, the passing of this Bill, in this House, proves the firm and now unbreakable commitment we have to our service personnel, veterans and their families.

The way in which the Covenant was reflected in legislation was something debated in great detail in Committee and I think we can all be proud of what has come out of these deliberations.

This Bill is recognition of a duty that precedes even this place the Mother of all Parliaments, the duty of care, protection and equality for those who are asked to defend our country and is a proud moment for this Parliament which will enshrine for the first time in law that covenant."

Jack receives bus petition

Jack Lopresti today visited the Crossways Court complex in Downend to receive a petition from residents who are concerned at restrictions put on the number 4 bus route. Previously, this service used to run all the way into Kingswood, but now terminates in Downend. This is making it difficult for residents to get to the shops in Kingswood. 'The residents have made an excellent effort in collecting 184 signatures on the petition,' said Jack. 'It clearly shows how important this issue is. I was also concerned that some of them cannot use their bus pass before 9am, which makes it difficult to get to their place of work. I will be taking this up with First Bus and South Gloucestershire Council, and will report back to the residents as soon as I have any news.'

Jack also heard about the work that Knightstone Housing are doing to support residents and help them integrate into the community. 'I was very impressed with the facilities here, and feel that excellent work is being done to help promote the ability of the residents here to live independently.'

MP calls for closure of disgraced care home

Local MP Jack Lopresti has called for the closure of Winterbourne View hospital and an independent review into what led to the serious failures in patient care.

Jack said:

"I believe the right course of action is for the permanent closure of Winterbourne View Hospital.

After seeing the Panorama documentary last week and sharing in the revulsion and horror felt throughout the country it strikes me that the abuse is likely to have been going on for quite some time – the situation is untenable.

I will be meeting with the Chief Executive of Castlebeck shortly to suggest that the company permanently closes Winterbourne View at the earliest opportunity.

I am aware that South Glos Council are taking this issue very seriously and have instigated a Serious Case Review.

The Review will examine the effectiveness of the safeguarding system and processes as they applied to Winterbourne View Hospital.

Today I have been in contact with Cllr John Calway Leader of the Council and will be monitoring the situation as it progresses.

I am aware that the Council will be making a full statement on this issue tomorrow.

I am also calling for an independent inquiry into why such serious failures occurred and what lessons can be learnt to ensure the abuse at Winterbourne View Hospital never happens again. I believe that a truly independent inquiry is needed to restore the public faith in the care system.

I have met with the Care Services Minister and am pleased that the Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring has been asked to help officials at the Department of Health investigate the findings of inquiries by the Care Quality Commission watchdog and South Gloucestershire Council. This I believe is a step in the right direction however I still feel that a wider-ranging and completely independent inquiry is vital to preventing these tragic events repeating themselves elsewhere."

Bristol Rovers and UWE

Following today's announcement by Bristol Rovers Football Club and the University of the West of England, Jack said:

"Broadly I welcome today's news. I believe that the new stadium will be welcomed and supported by many people and it seems to be a great opportunity for our local area. The location itself, on the UWE campus, is a good choice but I do have concerns about the local infrastructures ability to cope with additional pressures but this could be improved with the proposed rapid transport scheme.

I would like to see close engagement with residents who live nearby to listen to their views on issues such as parking and the knock-on effect the stadium may have. I have also been talking with local Councillors Trevor Jones and Bob Pullin who are committed to representing their constituents throughout the course. I understand that Bristol Rovers are committed to that process and I look forward to working with them to ensure that all local stakeholders are happy with the plans.

And the news of the stadium also being the home to Bristol Rugby excites me as a rugby fan!

If anyone is concerned about the proposals then I would urge them to make their views known to the consultation process or contact me and I will be happy to make representations."

Local MP competes in Tug of War for charity

Last night saw the annual Lords v Commons Tug of War competition held in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP represented the Bristol area in a team of six other Conservative MP's and one Liberal Democrat.

The Commons team beat the Lords in two straight pulls.

Jack said: "I was thrilled to compete in the annual Tug Of War grudge match which is held for such a good cause. There was a friendly rivalry between the two teams but I am very proud that the House of Commons team prevailed!"

The competition was sponsored by local employer BAE systems and was held to raise money for Macmillan's Cancer Support and cancer care services.

Winterbourne View

In reaction to the footage shown on BBC's Panorama after the under-cover investigation into Winterbourne View Hospital in the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency, Jack said:

"The footage shown on last night's Panorama was shocking and haunting. To me the actions of some of the members of staff at Winterbourne View Hospital amounted to torture and assault against some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

I have now written to the local PCT, the Quality Care Commission and Castlebeck Care concerning the future of the facility and for the outcomes of internal enquiries.

Serious failures were clearly made by those responsible for the patient's well-being and care and these should be rectified and strong action taken as soon as possible."

Jack Lopresti MP visits new dental surgery in Staple Hill

The Phoenix Dental Surgery on Victoria Street is newly opened after £600,000 was invested in the conversion from a Victorian house last year. It has three surgeries, all fitted with the latest technologies.

Jody Bennett won an iPod Touch for being the 1,000th patient to be registered at the surgery. Unfortunately he was unable to attend, but his mother Joy accepted the prize in his place. She is pictured with Jack, practice owner Paul Drugan and Melanie Gibbs from South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust.

Mr Lopresti said: "I was delighted to be invited to see the great work taking place and congratulate the surgery on signing up its 1,000th patient. I very much welcome this much-needed NHS facility and look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength.

"I urge all members of the local area to take advantage of this fantastic resource."

Mr Drugan said: "We are very proud of this new facility and lots of South Gloucestershire residents have beaten a path to our door. We've had tremendous feedback from our patients, young and old, and like our other practices in South Gloucestershire, we are proud that we can provide a great NHS dental service that caters for everyone."

NHS South Gloucestershire has invested £500,000 in 2010/11 to increase dental access in the Staple Hill area and also invested an extra £900,000 in increasing access to dentistry in 2009. The local health trust also helped establish the first NHS dental practice in Bradley Stoke, in the Willow Brook Centre in 2009.

For information about the practice visit www.phoenix dental.co.uk or call 0117 9570146.

People in South Gloucestershire looking for an NHS dentist can ring the helpline on 0845 120 6680.

 

Local MP calls for clamp down on Anti-Social Behaviour

Jack Lopresti MP spoke in the House of Commons yesterday after continued incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour in Filton.

The local MP has spoken on the issue before in the House of Commons but made it clear that so far he is unsatisfied with the local police's response.

Mr Lopresti has invited Chief Constable Colin Port to meet with local residents so that the Chief Constable can hear the residents' concerns for himself.

Jack said:

"I am saddened to report to the House that the constituents I mentioned in my last speech on this topic are still suffering at the hands of a few thugs who believe that they can do as they please and that they are above the law in waging their campaigns of intimidation and abuse. Just last week a crowd of about 20 were involved in intimidating a resident who said, "I have lived here all my life and this has got to stop!" The crowd followed my constituent down the road to his home where more youths arrived in two cars. Neighbours called the police who, instead of dispersing the crowd or, heaven forbid, making arrests for disturbance of the peace at the very least, simply chatted with the crowd in a manner that my constituent described as jolly and friendly.

My constituent reported the matter to the district chief superintendent, who replied that he had asked a colleague to respond, but no response has been received so far. I am hopeful that when a copy of Hansard arrives on his desk, sent from my office, the response will be forthcoming more quickly.

I expect the local police and local agencies to make full use of the current powers for tackling antisocial behaviour and to offer the most effective means available of protecting victims and communities. It is easy to see why there is a perception in some quarters that nothing can be done about this sort of crime, but something can be done, as it was done in New York by Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In one of the most crime-infested cities in the world, he achieved real success. He realised:

"Reducing the number of crimes wouldn't be enough: people had to see improvement, not just hear about it. If crime went down but the existing amount of pushing and shoving, urinating on the streets, and other quality-of-life issues remained the same, we would never have a convincing case that life was better. We had to get people to be safe and to feel safe."

When people feel safe, antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated by the community. Only when the local police achieve that will we see the trends of antisocial behaviour begin to reverse. I have more to say but I know we are stuck for time so I shall finish."

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP supports equal access to telecoms for Deaf people

Jack Lopresti MP has called for equal access to telecommunications for Deaf people, at a Parliamentary event in support of the VRS Today! campaign. The campaign is calling for British Sign Language users to have universal access to Video Relay Services (VRS) – a technology which allows them to place calls to hearing people via a sign language interpreter.

The MP met members of the Deaf community and providers of VRS technology in the House of Commons to learn more about the impact the technology could have on Deaf people's lives and to show his support.

Jack said "If I want to speak to my friends, family or constituents at any time – all I have to do is pick up the phone. But 50,000 British Sign Language users across the country are currently denied this opportunity. I want to see the Deaf community having the same access to telecommunications that hearing people take for granted – that's why I'm supporting the VRS Today! campaign."

Jack Lopresti MP re-opens Patchway Post Office

Jack Lopresti, MP officially opened Patchway Post Office®, 126 Rodway Road, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 5PF on Friday 13 May at 12.00.

The new branch within the Spar Store restores Post Office services to Patchway following the closure of the former branch in 2009. The branch will provide customers with an on-site convenience store providing the opportunity to carry out a range of shopping under one roof, low-level facilities for wheelchair users and parking facilities directly outside the premises

Mr Lopresti, MP, said: "Local services are vital in creating a sense of community. I am delighted that the Post Office is up and running again in Patchway and I hope that local residents will continue to support this essential service."

A Post Office Ltd spokesman said: "We are delighted to have appointed a new partner providing us the opportunity to restore Post Office services to the local community.

"Customers will have access to a wide range of Post Office products and services, including automated banking services, bill and budget payment schemes, Post Office card account, postal orders as well as postage for letters and packets.

Please can you help our lads in Afghanistan?

Woolly Hats Urgently needed for our Soldiers!

Service personnel serving in Afghanistan are experiencing night temperatures as low as -20 degrees C. The Women's Section of the Royal British Legion's Somerset branch are knitting wool hats for wear under helmets (acrylic fibre could melt and burn in bomb blast).

So far over 3,000 hats have been sent, but many more are needed, especially because they have to be discarded after one month's use.

Details of patterns, which take one ball of wool and can be kinted in an evening, are available from:

Mrs Rita Duddridge
28 Charnill Crescent
Mangotsfield
Bristol
BS16 9JU

0117 949 2359

Wool is, very kindly, being supplied, at half price, by:

Mrs Pat White 
The Knitting Well
105 High Street
Staple Hill
Bristol
BS16 5HF

0117 970 1740

Thank you ladies!  Keep up the excellent work!

Jack Lopresti MP visits local brewery

On Friday 1st April 2011, Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti was taken on a tour of the Great Western Brewing Company in Hambrook.  The company, which began brewing in 2008, is a family owned and run business and currently produces six varieties of real ale and porter.  Jack was shown the brewing process from start to finish and discussed the challenges facing small businesses with the owners.

Jack Lopresti said "It is great to see a new business that is doing well and expending, even in difficult economic times.  The Great Western Brewing Company is a fine example of a well-run, family business and it is companies such as these which will boost the economy out of recession.  I wish the company the best of luck for the future and hope to see it continue to expend and flourish."

There is also the opportunity for guest beers to be sold within the Palace of Westminster and Jack is currently arranging for the Great Western Brewing Company to take advantage of this.

The Great Western Brewing Company run tours and tasting sessions, please see their website for further details, http://www.greatwesternbrewingcompany.co.uk/default.htm

Council gives green light to A38 Resurfacing

South Gloucestershire Council plans to resurface the A38 in response to local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP, Jack Lopresti’s call for the improvement work.  The appeal was made by Jack in response to the concerns raised by his constituents.

Jack Lopresti said:

"I'm pleased to see that the council has listened to local residents concerns and will be undertaking re-surfacing works later this month.

I'm also a regular commuter along the A38 and there are particular patches which have seen better days.

Ironically, the recent opening of Hayes Way in Patchway means that you are able to contrast its brand new road surface with the ageing surfacing on the rest of the A38 and I am glad that something is being done to improve the surface as part of the council's maintenance programme for the coming year.

I have been informed by the Council that the works will involve the planing off of the existing surface of the carriageway, followed by resurfacing and that the works will be predominantly carried out on nightworks, between the hours of 8pm and 6am.

During the works, the road will be subject to lane closures and diversions but access to properties and amenities fronting the site will be available at all times and I am confident every effort will be made to keep the disruption to local residents to a minimum for the duration of the works."

Volunteers join in big Spring Clean

POLITICIANS and the public got out and about in Bradley Stoke to take part in the Big Spring Clean.

The town's Mayor, Councillor Ben Walker, was joined by helpers including MP Jack Lopresti, local children and the Christ the King Church Youth Group as they did their best to tidy up the streets.

Working in Bowsland Way, Foxfield, Honeysuckle and Oaktree Crescent, the tireless team collected 30 bags of rubbish and removed abandoned road works equipment, tyres, wood, bottles and glass as well as other general litter.

Mr Walker, who is standing as the Conservative Party candidate for South Gloucestershire Council in the town's north ward, paid tribute to the volunteers.

He said: "It's really great to see so many local people come out to help tidy up our town.  Bradley Stoke is a great place to live and local Conservatives have been working hard, in the last four years, to improve it further.  The town council now employs its own dedicated litter picker and we're always looking at ways to further tackle the litter menace."

The annual spring clean event is co-ordinated by South Gloucestershire Council under the wider Keep Britain Tidy umbrella.

Airbus announces major new investment at their Filton site

Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP, Jack Lopresti was at the Filton Airbus site for a good news announcement about a substantial investment in the local area.  This morning Airbus UK announced the plans for a new multi-million pound office campus in Filton.

The new Airbus Aerospace Park, worth in the region of £70M, will be a modern, highly efficient engineering and technology campus.  Along with Jack, the Business Secretary, The Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP was invited to see the plans for the state-of-the-art facilities.

In another piece of good news for Filton yesterday, Jack visited the Airbus site for the landing of the A400M transport aircraft, following the confirmation by the Prime Minister last year of the Governments order of 22 of the aircraft in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.  The plane landed at Filton Airfield for the first time yesterday afternoon, flown by Test Pilot Ed Strongman who Jack made reference to in his maiden speech in June last year.

Jack said:

"The last few days have been great news for Filton, the South West and the British economy and I congratulate Airbus for their continued commitment to our local area.  I am delighted that Airbus has made such a strong commitment to Filton.  The new Airbus Aerospace Park will secure thousands of jobs locally and is a fitting recognition to the home of British Aviation."

Talking about the showcase of the A400M aircraft, Jack added:

"To see the A400M finally land at Filton was fantastic.  I lobbied hard in Parliament and to the Secretary of State for the aircraft and I am thrilled that the dream has become a reality.  It is a great bit of kit, the best in fact and that’s exactly what our service men and women deserve.  I pay tribute and huge thanks to all the airbus workers who brought this amazing aircraft into production"

George Osborne delivers the Coalition Government’s second Budget

Today in the House of Commons, George Osborne delivered the Coalition Government’s second Budget.  It sets out how we will reform the nation’s economy so that we enjoy growth and jobs in the future.  It is also about doing what we can to help families with the cost of living – including an immediate 1 pence cut in fuel duty.

In last year’s Emergency Budget the new Government had to bring the country back from the brink of bankruptcy.  Labour had maxed out the country’s credit card and left their bills for our children and grandchildren to pay.  They doubled the national debt and as a result British taxpayers now spend £120 million a day paying off the interest on Labour's debts.  That is more than we spend on our schools or defence.

We must stick to the plan to tackle the deficit. But stability alone is not enough

Britain has to earn its way in the modern world.  Under Labour, we lost ground in the world economy.  We slipped down the league tables for economic competitiveness, as taxes got higher and red tape ever more restrictive.  Manufacturing halved, as they placed all our bets on the City of London with a model for growth based on unsustainable public spending, immigration, and financial services.

With the government now accounting for half of our economy, we have to reform.  We need a new economic model, one which is underpinned by investment, manufacturing and exports, so that Britain makes things again.

This Budget kick-started that reform with a tax cut for business, rate relief for small firms, a doubling of Entrepreneurs Relief and more support for research and development.  We will scrap burdensome regulations that cost businesses millions every year and introduce a moratorium on all new regulation for our smallest companies.  There will be radical reforms to the planning system to encourage more sustainable development.  To ensure growth is more evenly spread, we have announced 21 new Enterprise Zones across the country.  Creating a £3 billion new Green Investment Bank will encourage in another £15 billion in private sector investment in green projects.  Investing £100 million in new science facilities will help ensure Britain stays at the forefront of innovation.

To reach our economic potential we have to support young people.  Labour left Britain with a legacy of very high youth unemployment.  This Budget will help them back into work with 100,000 work experience placements and 50,000 additional apprenticeship places, on top of the 200,000 already planned.

Charities will benefit too.  A new scheme will allow Gift Aid to be claimed on small donations without the donor needing to fill in any forms at all.  That means Gift Aid on the contents of the collecting tin and the street bucket.  100,000 charities gain about £240 million.  There are radical plans to support the largest donations too. I n future if you leave 10 per cent or more of your estate to charity, then the Government will take 10 per cent off your inheritance tax rate.  Beneficiaries won’t be better off but charities will get £300 million more.

The Budget doesn’t choose between creating the conditions for future growth and helping families with the cost of living.  Our plan for growth means doing both.  At a time when money is tight for families up and down the country, people need to know that the Government is on their side.

That is why I am so pleased that the Chancellor not only replaced Labour’s fuel duty escalator with a fair fuel stabiliser but also announced a 1 penny per litre cut in fuel duty – all paid for by a tax on oil companies.  This won’t transform prices at the pump, but at a time when oil prices round the world are spiking, the Government is trying to ease the burden.  Alongside the freeze in council tax and the delay in the rise of Air Passenger Duty, it means the Government is doing what it can, even when money is tight.

The increase in the personal allowance will also make a difference to hard working low paid families. F rom April next year the personal tax allowance will increase by a further £630, to £8,105.  That’s another real increase of £48 extra per year, or £126 in cash terms.  Together with this year’s rise, that means a total of £326 extra each year for those working hard to support their families.  And it means, just ten months into office, this coalition Government has taken 1.1 million low paid people out of tax altogether.  First time buyers will also receive help with a new £250 million programme to help 10,000 people get on the housing ladder.

That’s why I am supporting this plan for growth.  By helping families with the cost of living and backing enterprise this Budget puts fuel into the tank of the British economy.

Jack Lopresti MP Visits Bradley Stoke Community School

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti was quizzed by year 10 Citizenship students, on Friday 11th March, when he held a question and answer session at Bradley Stoke Community School.  He was questioned on topics such as student tuition fees, child soldiers, fair trade and school uniform.

Jack was also handed a petition, by one citizenship group, who had raised over 300 signatures to raise awareness of the plight of child soldiers worldwide.  Jack, as a result, tabled a parliamentary question on the subject.

Jack said "I was thrilled to meet with Year 10 students at Bradley Stoke Community School and to answer the questions they raised.  I was impressed with how conscientious the students were and I could tell from their questions that they are genuinely interested and concerned about the topics they brought to my attention.

I think it is vital that young people take an interest in political and social issues worldwide and I very much hope that they continue to monitor and act upon anything they feel strongly about.  The petition I was given was a fantastic example of young people engaging in politics and the issue of child soldiers has been raised in parliament as a direct result of that petition. It is a great example to others of that age that if they engage with a topic, they really can make a difference."

Jack Lopresti MP joins British Legion celebrations

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti joined the Stoke Gifford Branch of the Royal British Legion at their concert on Saturday 16th March 2011 to support their fundraising efforts and celebrate their outstanding work for this year's Poppy Appeal.

There was further cause for celebration, as the branch's Welfare Chairman and Poppy Appeal organiser Terry Webber was honoured last week with the South Gloucestershire Council Chair's Community Award, for his fantastic fundraising efforts and community work.

Thanks to Terry's tireless work and that of countless volunteers, a branch record of £ 27,856.54 was raised for this year's Poppy Appeal, including £ 1,017.50 raised by Saturday's concert.

Jack, who is a member of the British Legion and has completed a 5-month tour of Afghanistan with 29 Commando, said "Most people's experience of the Poppy Appeal is the two weeks or so when they hopefully buy and wear a poppy in support of our troops, veterans and their dependents, who often face great personal hardship as a result of their service.  However, behind the scenes, people like Terry are constantly working all year round to raise money and I am extremely happy that his efforts have been recognised.

I'm always delighted to support the Legion, especially so in light of their recent fundraising success locally.  This year also marks the 90th birthday of the Royal British Legion and I hope that they can continue in their vital work for many more years to come"

If you feel you can help the British Legion in any way, or know of any serving or ex-service personnel who need their help, please contact Brian Hewitt on 01454 775 632.

Jack Lopresti MP visits BAe Systems in Filton

At the weekend Jack visited BAe Systems, which has a base in his Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency.

Jack was given an overview of the company's current projects, which involved looking at the products, the services the company provides and the outside bodies it has contracts with.  He also learnt about the work the company does with local schools, including school visits and offering internships at their site in Bradley Stoke.

Jack also looked at some of the work BAe Systems is doing and which is making a vital contribution to support our troops in Afghanistan.

Jack commented:

"I learnt a great deal about BAe Systems, and the excellent work they are doing at their Advanced Technology Centre in Filton.  They are a leading British company, employing around 200 people locally (100,000 worldwide) and I am pleased to see the work they are doing that will give our troops in Afghanistan an advantage in their mission there.  I was also delighted to see that they recognise the vital role that they can play in encouraging young people to take up a career in science and engineering with their work in schools."

Jack Lopresti MP pays tribute to troops in Afghanistan

Speaking in the House of Commons debate yesterday on Support for UK Armed Forces and Veterans, Jack Lopresti, local MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke paid tribute to British service men and women.

Mr Lopresti said "When our armed forces personnel on operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere face paying the ultimate price in the protection of our country, its people and our freedoms and way of life, we should only ask them to do so in the knowledge that they are properly equipped for the task, that they will be trained to the highest level and that when they retire or should they be injured, wounded or indeed killed that they and their families will be provided for in recognition and admiration for the sacrifices that they made.  This is the minimum we must do to support our Armed Forces and Veterans and to me these sentiments are the basis of the Military Covenant."

Jack also welcomed the Governments moves to recognise the Military Covenant in law:

"Clause 2 of the Armed Forces Bill, is trying to do more to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and to support our troops and veterans then the last administration achieved in thirteen years.  We know from the Minister that the text of the Military Covenant will be published in the spring and that, if necessary, legislation could be used to facilitate it.

If we accept that the Military Covenant is a moral commitment and a statement of principles rather than a list of rules and regulations and a job creation scheme for lawyers, then in my mind this Armed Forces Bill does in fact go a long way towards enshrining the notion of the Armed Forces Covenant into law.

The Bill provides a statutory recognition to the Covenant for the first time; it ensures that both the Parliament and Government of the day are forced to continue to address this most important issue.  It demands in law that the Secretary of State of the day must present to Parliament every year an Armed Forces Covenant Report on the effect of membership of the Armed Forces on Service personnel, their dependants and veterans in the UK.  Furthermore, the effect on healthcare, education and housing are specifically listed and for an examination of "such other fields as the Secretary of State may determine"

In a debate that saw cross-party agreement for the support of the Armed Forces Jack said:

"Our commitment to the welfare and aftercare of our service personnel must be unwavering and I believe that this is the goal of all sides of this House.  I believe that the best way we can honour this commitment is through the steps the Government is taking to restore the Military Covenant."

Jack is a serving reservist and in 2008 was deployed on Operation Herrick 9 in Afghanistan attached to 29 Commando.  Jack has wished his fellow service men good luck on their imminent deployment back to the country:

"The mighty men of 29 Commando are going back out to Helmand shortly and I hope that they have a great tour and all come back safely.  I wish I was going with them."

Jack Lopresti MP meets Home Secretary over local crime

Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti has met with the Rt Hon Theresa May MP the Home Secretary to discuss the effects of crime and its prevention locally.  Over recent months Mr Lopresti has campaigned against the planned move of the local Police Helicopter to RAF Colerne, as he believes it will have a detrimental effect on crime levels in the local area.

Mr Lopresti also discussed anti-social behaviour in the local area with the Minister and has asked her to examine some of the cases that his constituents have brought to his attention.

Jack said:

"I am very grateful that the Secretary of State took time out of her very busy schedule to meet with me.  I raised two particular issues with her in the meeting and she has promised to look at both closely.

As far as the move of the Police Helicopter goes, I have already said that the proposal to close the unit at Filton and move it to RAF Colerne in Wiltshire will have a very serious effect on the aircrafts' ability to reach incidents in the local area in an acceptable timescale.  The flying time alone from RAF Colerne is approaching 20 minutes, leaving nothing at all to allow for communication difficulties and start up times.  I would submit that the proposals will make the aircrafts' ability to provide any meaningful service to Bristol almost impossible.  I would encourage any local residents that share my concern to sign the Petition that I have on my website so we can keep up the pressure.

The issue of anti-social behaviour is something I feel very strongly about.  It makes me angry that a small element of society can create an environment of fear for so many good and decent people.  I believe that the last Government was far too soft on those who intimidate and disrupt the lives of others through anti-social behaviour.  Anti-social behaviour is just another word for thuggery and public-disorder, both of which are crimes and should be treated as such.  I will do all I can to assist any residents who feel threatened.

I have asked the Secretary of State to look at some particular Filton and Bradley Stoke cases of local anti social behaviour and to see what can be done to stop it."

Jack Lopresti MP calls for A38 resurfacing

An MP has called on South Gloucestershire Council to resurface the A38. The appeal has been made by Filton and Bradley Stoke MP, Jack Lopresti, in response to the concerns raised by his constituents.

Conservative-run South Gloucestershire Council has invested an extra £4m over the last 2 years to ensure more roads can be improved and this extra £2m investment will be repeated in 2011/12.

Jack Lopresti said:

"I'm pleased to see that the council is maintaining its additional £2m a year investment in improving our local road network.

But I would like to see some of this record investment directed into resurfacing the A38 as I know that this is an issue of concern for many of my constituents.

I'm also a regular commuter along the A38 and there are particular patches which have seen better days.

Ironically, the recent opening of Hayes Way in Patchway means that you are able to contrast its brand new road surface with the ageing surfacing on the rest of the A38 and I would like to see something done to improve it as part of the council's maintenance programme for the coming year."

Baroness Warsi Visits Local Academy School

Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti has visited the Winterbourne International Academy, with Conservative Party Co-Chairman Baroness Warsi, to discuss the Academy's plans for the future following the announcement, at the end of last year, that the Coalition Government had granted the academy funding to secure its long term future.

On 20th December, following the ongoing review of schools capital funding, Lord Hill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, announced £19.3m of capital investment for Winterbourne International Academy.

The Academy is now in discussions with the Property Services arm of South Gloucestershire Council to draw up a detailed scheme.

Jack said: "I am very grateful that Baroness Warsi took time out of her incredibly busy schedule to come and visit the Winterbourne International Academy to see, at first hand, the great work that they do.  The significant capital investment at Winterbourne International Academy is excellent news for the Academy and the wider local community."

From the Bristol Evening Post, Wednesday 2nd February

Since the General Election there has been a wide ranging and long overdue review, (last SDR 1998) on the future capability of our Armed Forces and the defence of the realm.

The new constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke lies at the heart of the strategic defence and security review with an array of world renowned defence and aerospace companies and the MOD procurement centre at Abbeywood.

During the period of the SDSR I personally lobbied the Secretary of State for Defence on issues that I felt were vital to the future of our forces and the support for the livelihoods, employment for Filton and Bradley Stoke in particular and the wide ranging impact on the South West Region.

The A400M programme was especially important and one of the things I pushed for hardest.  It's a fantastic piece of kit, our troops need it and part of it is built in Filton where I live.  I was delighted when the Prime Minister announced the A400M programme would go ahead seeing 22 of the transport aircraft ordered and the news that 14 specially converted Airbus A330 strategic transport and tanker aircraft will replace the ageing TriStar fleets securing hundreds of jobs locally.

One of the other things I felt passionately about and lobbied the Secretary of State on was on the mental welfare of veterans.  A number of studies over recent years have highlighted concerns about the relationship between deployment and the subsequent onset of mental illness.  The prevalence of all psychological symptoms is higher among those deployed for 13 months or more with the added complication that it can take up to 14 years for the symptoms to surface.  Furthermore, the prevalence of severe alcohol and drug problems is on the increase.  I called upon the Government to adequately fund and ensure the mental healthcare of both reservist and regular veterans, and to make special consideration for this important issue in the Security and Defence Spending review.

As somebody who serves in the reserve forces I felt especially proud to be able to make both verbal and written submissions to the governments review on the reserve forces.  They continue to provide a strategic reserve for UK defence and, particularly in recent years, have played a vital part in the UK's ability to mount and sustain operations and I look forward to the report publication later in the year.

I have also just been appointment on Armed forces bill, select committee.  One of the major aims of the Bill is to pave the way to enshrine for the first time the Military Covenant in law.

I will be scrutinising every clause, sentence and word of this Bill to ensure that we put in place a piece of legislation that will protect an honour the welfare of our Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families.

Jack Lopresti MP pays tribute to people of Wootton Basset

Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP has made a personal tribute to the residents of Wootton Basset for their support to the Armed Forces and their families.  Jack's comments came in a debate in the House of Commons on the closure of RAF Lyneham and his hope that the base could soon be adopted by returning troops from Germany.

Jack said:

"The poignant tributes which we have all seen on the television, local people paying homage to our fallen servicemen and women repatriated from Afghanistan landing at RAF Lyneham and then proceeding through Wootton Bassett High Street, stand out in all our minds.  To me, these residents express the gratitude that the nation feels towards those who sacrifice their lives to protect our freedoms and way of life.

This symbol of local support never fails to move me and is one of the reasons why, in my mind, RAF Lyneham is well placed to become a new home for the army.

It is clear that local areas benefit socially and economically from the presence of a military base.  In Lyneham's case the withdrawal of service personnel from the local community would have an immense impact

I as a Territorial Army Recruit, did most of my basic training at the Prince of Wales Barracks, in Grantham, which used to be a RAF base.  I was posted to the Royal Citadel, Plymouth, for six months prior to being deployed on Op Herrick.  Both camps are integral to their local communities, have a large beneficial effect on the local economies and help to project a very positive image for the Army with all the obvious benefits that brings.

As I see it, there are prevailing reasons that serious consideration should be given urgently to moving the Army onto the soon to be unoccupied site."

Jack, as the member for Filton and Bradley Stoke, specialises in defence matters, not only due to the considerable constituency defence interest, but also as reservist himself and has just been appointed to serve on the Armed Forces Bill Committee which will enshrine the Military Covenant in law for the first time.

 Jack's contribution to the debate as in Hansard:

Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Con):  "I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Wiltshire (Mr Gray) on securing this important debate and on his work to support and champion the armed services generally as chairman and founder of the all-party parliamentary group for the armed forces.  He hosts troops returning from Afghanistan here in the House of Commons and I know that he served with the Honourable Artillery Company, so he has a personal understanding of the armed services.  He has also been a champion and advocate for RAF Lyneham and his constituents for many years.  I commend him on his tenacity in ensuring that the future of the base remains on the political agenda, despite the sad news that the RAF will be leaving Lyneham, with final vacant possession by December 2012.

It is right to pay tribute to the local community for its support of the armed services.  We have all seen the poignant tributes on television in which local people and others from far afield pay homage to the fallen servicemen and women repatriated from Afghanistan who land at RAF Lyneham and then proceed through Wootton Bassett High street.  It stands out in all our minds. Those residents express the gratitude that our nation feels to those who sacrifice their lives to protect our freedoms and way of life.  That symbol of local support never fails to move me.  It is one of the reasons why, to my mind, RAF Lyneham is well placed to become a new home for the Army.  As my hon. Friend has pointed out, people in the area have unwillingly accepted that Lyneham will cease to be an RAF base by 2012.  That is not to say that acceptance has been easy, but he has been resolute in championing Lyneham and making the case against its closure.

It is with a heavy heart that the people of North Wiltshire must say a sad farewell to the harmonious bond that they have had with the RAF for 80 years.  However, the new Government have given at least some encouraging news.  We were all heartened to hear my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcement that as part of the strategic defence security review, which other hon.  Members have mentioned, our service personnel will return from Germany and some of them will be rehoused on a redundant RAF base.  I take this opportunity to echo some of my hon. Friend's sensible arguments why Lyneham has much to offer as a home to some of our returning troops, but first, giving examples from my own experience, I will explain why maintaining an armed forces presence in Lyneham is of undeniable benefit.

As a Territorial Army recruit, I did most of my basic training at the Prince of Wales barracks in Grantham, which used to be an RAF base.  I was posted to the Royal Citadel in Plymouth for six months before being deployed on Operation Herrick.  Both camps are integral to their local communities, have a large beneficial effect on them and help project a positive image of the Army, with all the obvious benefits that that brings. Local areas clearly benefit socially and economically from the presence of a military base.

In Lyneham's case, the withdrawal of service personnel from the local community would have an immense impact.  As my hon. Friend has mentioned, the study commissioned by Wiltshire council in 2009 demonstrated that the gross added value to the local community would be reduced by up to £90 million.  Furthermore, 3,400 jobs in local services, retail and other sectors were likely to become redundant and real household disposable income would decline by about £86 million.  That is an obvious impact on local people.  He was also right to mention the devastating economic consequences that the local area could face if the base closed permanently.

Besides the economic effects, one thing is abundantly clear: the people of Lyneham and the local area would welcome the Army, which must be one of our biggest considerations.  Given Wiltshire's strong military connections and Lyneham's proximity to Salisbury plain, I see it as a natural choice for rehousing troops returning from Germany or further afield.  Local people not only accept Lyneham as a military site-service personnel are already well integrated into Lyneham and the surrounding areas-but, given that 21,000 military personnel and their dependants reside in the county as a whole, the local area would need to change little if Lyneham, as we hope, becomes an Army base.  As my hon. Friend has informed us, letters of support from the local community and the chamber of commerce are a clear indication that that is desired across the board.

In conclusion, I agree that rehousing returning troops at Lyneham would provide the Army with a large, convenient and well-resourced base close to major training areas and other military sites and offering readily accessible family accommodation.  It is overwhelmingly clear that local people would welcome it, which is far from guaranteed elsewhere. There are prevailing reasons why serious and urgent consideration should be given to moving the Army to the site as soon as possible."

Jack Lopresti MP visits newly re-opened Post Office in Easter Compton

Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti has visited a Post Office facility that has opened after closure the Easter Compton Post Office branch back in June.

The branch was forced to shut because the building originally used was sold with no alternative locations in the village to move to.  More than 250 people signed a petition, during the summer, demanding the Post Office reinstate the village branch and thanks to public demand, a new replacement service has been introduced, which will operate from the Easter Compton Village Hall.

Jack Lopresti MP worked with the local community and the Post Office to ensure that a form of the service would remain for local use.

Jack said: "Local services are vital in creating a sense of community.  I am full of admiration of the local residents who have played a crucial role in securing this Post Office service.  When I was first contacted about the closure of the Easter Compton Post Office, back in the Summer, it quickly became clear that there was a real demand locally for continued postal services.  I am delighted that the new service is up and running and I hope that local residents will continue to support this essential service."

Jack Lopresti MP stands up for local pubs

Jack Lopresti MP has spoken in a Parliamentary debate on the Future of Pubs.

In the speech Jack said:

"I have long been of the view that the local pub is an essential part of the social fabric of our communities.  They play an important role in the social cohesion of an area.  I support the Governments idea of local communities being given the opportunity to take over closing local pubs, under new powers contained in the localism Bill, possibly funded by the Big Society Bank.  However, we must ensure that as many functioning pubs as possible remain open.

The Government must encourage further co-location of services in pubs; there are examples of post offices being set up in pubs, delicatessens and small shops being incorporated into a pub design.

And us, the public as consumers, need to take some responsibility to support and to continue to enjoy and encourage others to experience the hospitality and pleasure gained from a trip to the pub.  Also to recognise and inform others on what the loss of these valuable community hubs would mean to the quality of life and social cohesion in our local areas."

In the speech Jack paid tribute to some of his local pubs; the Stokers Pub in Little Stoke, The Fox in Easter Compton and The Beaufort Arms in Stoke Gifford.

Winterbourne Academy Receives Capital Boost

The Ridings' Federation Winterbourne International Academy has been informed that it will receive a capital allocation of approximately £19.3 million to invest in its Academy buildings, at a time when funds for all capital projects are being reduced.

This is wonderful news for the Academy Trust and Winterbourne International Academy and a great vote of confidence in the Federation as a whole. Dr Rob Gibson, Chief Executive Principal said "This really is fantastic news for the students, staff, Local Governors, Trustees and the Winterbourne community when we consider the Government have had to take some tough decisions on spending in order to address the public expenditure deficit.  We will now work with the Government in order to deliver a capital programme which will provide buildings for Winterbourne International Academy appropriate for education in the 21st Century."

This capital funding has now secured a very bright future, not only for the students of today, but for the students of tomorrow.  Mr Chris Smith, Acting Chair of the Academy Trust said "The Trustees are delighted in the confidence the Government has shown in continuing to fully support the Pathfinder Academy process.  We can now look forward to both Academies within The Ridings' Federation having first class accommodation in which to continue the development and delivery of an innovative international curriculum.  We would like to express our thanks to all those who have been involved in this funding bid and to our staff whose enthusiasm and professionalism helps inspire our students to be lifetime learners in an increasingly global economy."

Mr Rob Evans, Academy Principal, said "The announcement of significant capital investment at Winterbourne International Academy is excellent news for the Academy and the wider community.  The funding will enable us to develop the facilities our students and staff deserve, following our decision to become an Academy in September 2009."

Following the announcement Jack Lopresti MP met with Dr Rob Gibson, Chief Executive Principal, to hear how the grant would be used.

Jack said: “I was delighted when I heard the good news that Winterbourne International Academy will receive the capital allocation.".

IndiGo signs Memorandum of Understanding for 180 eco-efficient Airbus A320 aircraft

India's largest low-cost carrier, IndiGo has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for 180 eco-efficient Airbus A320 aircraft of which 150 will be A320neo's and 30 will be A320s.

It is the largest single firm order number for large jets in commercial aviation history and also makes IndiGo a launch customer for the A320neo.  Engine selection will be announced by the airline at a later date.

The announcement is good news for news for Filton as the Airbus engineers there are responsible for the engineering and design of the A320 neo wing.  Furthermore, the announcement is good news for the UK, as a whole, as the wings for the A320 will be produced in Airbus' North Wales facility at Broughton.

Jack said "I am delighted at the news; the massive order is fantastic for Airbus UK and for all the workers at the Filton site, just down the road from where I live.  We are all proud to have the Airbus facility at Filton and this good news is great for the local economy.

Congratulations to Airbus UK."

Jack Lopresti MP speaks passionately about Social Mobility

Drawing on his own personal experience Jack Lopresti MP has spoken passionately in the House of Commons about Social Mobility in a debate on the Big Society.  Jack called for the debate after meeting local volunteer groups in Filton and Bradley Stoke last week.

The text of the speech:

"Thank you Mr Speaker.  When I was thinking about the debate and my speech I was conscious that the Big Society as a term has only recently been added to the Political lexicon.

Now in my opinion it isn't a new concept at all, you would almost call it an age old human value.  Here is a quotation that I believe begins to explain what the Big Society is:

'To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle (the germ as it were) of public affections.  It is the first link in the series by which we proceed towards a love to our country, and to mankind.'

That was said by a man called Edmund Burke, who was the MP for Bristol in 1774.  Now Edmund Burke was one of the first writers to realise the importance of the spontaneous social groupings that people create for themselves.  Social Scientists have increasingly recognised that Burke's little platoons are the glue that holds society together and makes it tolerable.

The point I am trying to make is that the Big Society initiatives and volunteering empowers people and for me the Big Society could be one of the biggest Social Mobilisers we've had for generations.

It's not just poverty and difficult family circumstances which hold young people back, it is also the poverty of aspiration and a lack of good role models.

By being part of a community group, be it in politics, sport or the arts, inclusion gives young people a sense of purpose and aspiration.  It gives them a sense of community and active citizenship and can provide them with successful role models who can lead the way.

I know how difficult it is to escape from the constraints of your circumstances.

I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the fact that I was a volunteer.

At the age or 18 I wanted to engage in the political process and get involved in campaigning for a political party.

It was only when I met other like minded individuals, although from very different back grounds to my own and inspired by role models, that I started to think that maybe, even I, who had left school at fifteen with no qualifications, could one day be a Conservative Member of Parliament.

So when you see others who are doing it, you start to think, why not me?

There are many examples in my own constituency of volunteer groups that inspire young people to be mobilised and part of the community.

I think of the volunteers who run my youngest son's Army cadet detachment in Patchway, unpaid, passionate individuals who give up a lot of their time to keep the detachment going and to give the youngsters the chance to broaden their horizons, learning how to live and work with people from all walks of life and teaching the Cadets real life skills and providing great role models.

I was lucky enough to be invited to meet at one of their weekly meetings, the St John Ambulance Cadets in Bradley Stoke.  I met some wonderful young people some of which were passionate enough about their cause that they want to go on and be doctors, paramedics and other roles in the medical profession and I am in the process of arranging a trip to the House of Commons for them.

The Big Society is about overcoming the problems Britain faces by pulling together and working together.  In this vein, real change doesn't come from Government alone, but, more importantly, when the people are inspired and mobilised.  This is the underlying ethos behind the Big Society programme and an approach we should take with improving Social Mobility as well.

In practical terms, the Big Society is a vision, which can partly be described as championing local people, at a grass-roots level, to empower themselves and their communities but also, by encouraging the private sector to help us, tackle social problems and contribute to society as a whole.

As the Prime Minister states, "All acts of Parliament, all new measures, all new policy initiatives, are just politicians' words" without the empowerment of people at a local level". 

Nat Wei, the highly successful social entrepreneur, who has been instrumental in setting up the Big Society Network (BSN) as the executive chair has said that "in groups [people] learn what society fundamentally is", and that "grouping at the local level is arguably a public good".

The Big Society is intertwined with the improvement of people's lives and circumstances.  Both the Big Society initiatives and the mission to improve Social Mobility lay the road ahead on the journey back towards a healthy civil society; towards a 21st Century friendly society, in which all are invited to be active members.

I would also like to pay tribute to some of the organisations  that work in my constituency that are most prominent in my mind, for what they do to improve Social Mobility through Big Society programmes.

The Council for Voluntary Service South Gloucestershire

They give the voluntary and community sector in South Gloucestershire effective and accountable representation.  By sitting on various strategic bodies and by supporting other voluntary sector representatives, they ensure that volunteers are represented in local government.  Their guidance and assistance is invaluable to the voluntary sector locally.

I also pay tribute to the Southern Brooks Community Partnership, who have done so much to promote the Big Society Agenda in Filton and Bradley Stoke and elsewhere.

The Governments vision for a Big Society, with more diverse providers of public services and greater power for communities to make local decisions, brings huge opportunities to charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises.

I am also pleased that, as well as new opportunities and rights, the Government will assist new providers by improving access to the resources they need and also that the Government will provide funds to pilot the National Citizen Service.

The Big Society Bank will bring in private sector funding, in addition to receiving all funding available to England, from dormant accounts and I know that this in particular will help transform the lives of many of our young people.

I look forward to the Minister's response but would like to say that I am deeply encouraged by the commitments that the government has already made to the Big Society agenda and to hugely improving Social Mobility in our country."

Armed Forces Bill

Drawing on his own personal experience Jack Lopresti MP has spoken passionately in the House of Commons about the Armed Forces Bill and increasing welfare provisions for British Armed Forces personnel.

The exchanges as in Hansard below:

Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Con):  I declare an interest as a serving member of the reserve forces.  Unlike my smart friends who were in the Chamber earlier, my hon. Friends the Members for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) and for Milton Keynes North (Mark Lancaster), I am a private soldier, not an officer.  I had the honour and privilege of taking part in Operation Herrick 9 in Afghanistan, with 3 Commando Brigade, as a gunner in the ranks and enjoyed it very much, so I suppose that gives me a different perspective.  Unlike my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North, who said he was not going to be partisan, I am, so I hope that anybody reading Hansard tomorrow will see that my speech was not delivered by an officer and understand where I sit on the political spectrum.

Today's debate on the Second Reading of the Armed Forces Bill is most welcome.  Since the first few weeks of the coalition, the Government have put the welfare of our nation's servicemen and women at the top of the political agenda and moved swiftly to ensure that any lapses in the commitment between the Government and our armed forces are rectified.

Elizabeth Truss (South West Norfolk) (Con):  I am concerned that the result of the strategic defence review and the basing decisions now being taken might have caused some uncertainty - I am thinking of RAF Marham in my constituency.  What is my hon. Friend's view on how to maintain the military covenant in these difficult times?

Jack Lopresti:  I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention.  We Members have a responsibility to ensure that, when there are issues in our own constituencies, we bring them to the House, question Ministers and raise them in debates, so that it is on the public record that we are doing our utmost the protect the interests of service people in our constituencies.

I shall focus my contribution, as others Members have, on clause 2, which I very much welcome.  It ensures that provision is made to place a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to report annually to Parliament on the effects of service in our armed forces and on the welfare of serving and former members of the armed forces and that of their families.  That provision will ensure that the military covenant, which the Government are rebuilding, will be advanced year on year.

We ask our armed forces personnel on operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere to face paying the ultimate price for the protection of our country, its citizens and our freedoms and way of life.  We should do that only if they are properly equipped for the task, if they are trained to the highest possible level and if they and their families are provided for when they retire, or are wounded or killed, in recognition and admiration of the sacrifices that they have made.

The unwritten contract between the state and the men and women whom we ask to defend it is rightly a long-standing tradition . In the dangerous, unstable world that we face today and in the ongoing war on terror, its continuation and development is more important than ever before.  Disappointingly, the previous Administration reneged on the covenant.  They did not adequately equip our troops for the most hostile of conflicts; they neglected the welfare of our service families; our injured personnel and our veterans and they left a £38 billion hole in the Ministry of Defence budget at a time of war.

Thomas Docherty:  I commend the hon. Gentleman for his valiant service overseas; I know that he still hopes to go back.

Government Members are so keen to talk about the £38 billion hole.  Does the hon. Gentleman not accept that that comes from a single line of a National Audit Office report that actually said that if future Governments did not adequately fund commitments through this decade there would then be a £38 billion hole?  It was not referring to the previous decades of funding, but to the forthcoming decade.  It is, therefore, possibly not quite accurate.

Jack Lopresti:  The hon. Gentleman cannot run away from the fact.  There is a £38 billion hole in the budget.  He can try to dazzle me with statistics and perhaps more detailed knowledge, but the fact is that there is a £38 billion deficit in the defence budget.

Charlie Elphicke:  There is not only a £38 billion hole in the defence budget, but a £40 billion hole in respect of cuts that were not allocated and a structural deficit of £109 billion.  Every single household in this country is effectively borrowing £4,000 this year as a result. Is that not an outrageous state of affairs?

Jack Lopresti:  Yes, it is. I thank my hon. Friend for bringing that point to the debate.

If Labour Members have any uncertainty about the extent of the neglect that they caused, the evidence in the results of the May 2010 armed forces continuous attitudes survey may offer some clarification.  It showed that just 32% of serving personnel said that they felt valued.  Let today's debate be one of the first crucial steps that we take to restore the moral commitment that was broken - the crucial step that will ensure that our armed forces have the support that they need and that their families and former service personnel are treated with the dignity that they deserve.

It was a great encouragement that on 11 June last year, not even a month into the new Parliament, the Prime Minister announced that the operational allowance for the armed forces would be doubled and backdated from 6 May.  From the very start, the Government have ensured that the welfare of our service personnel is at the very top of their agenda.

In the programme for government, the coalition set out its policies for rebuilding the military covenant, all of which are aimed at improving the welfare of service personnel, veterans and their families.  That is more than just words on a page; the Government have acted swiftly to ensure that the military covenant will be enshrined in law so that never again will our promise to the servicemen and women of our country be broken.  The informal understanding of the state's duty of care to its armed forces will cease to be regarded as an obligation; it will be a firm rule that all future Governments will have to adhere to.  As the Prime Minister said, the time has come for our commitment to be "refreshed and renewed and written down in a new military covenant that's written into the law of the land."

Thomas Docherty:  I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who is being very generous.  He is absolutely right to say what should happen, but does he not accept that the one group of people who are not legally responsible will be the Government? They are putting legal responsibilities on local government and the health service, but not on the MoD.  That is a shabby situation.

Jack Lopresti:  As I just said, the fact that for the first time the military covenant will be enshrined in law is a massive step forward in accountability.

In early December, Professor Hew Strachan published the report, commissioned by the Government, that his independent task force developed.  As a demonstration of their commitment, the Government immediately began work on implementing two of the report's recommendations: the armed forces community covenant, which encourages communities across the UK to volunteer support for their local armed forces; and a Chief of the Defence Staff commendation scheme, which will allow the head of the UK's armed forces to thank individuals or bodies who give exceptional support to the armed forces.  Those are great initiatives along the way to restoring the covenant, and I look forward to the full response of the defence personnel, welfare and veterans Minister to the report in the spring.

MP welcomes business support for Bradley Stoke Broadband Campaign

Local MP Jack Lopresti visited the Willow Brook Centre, on Saturday, to join Town Councilors in welcoming support from Bradley Stoke businesses in the campaign to bring faster broadband connections to the town.

About 2,000 homes in Bradley Stoke have very poor broadband speeds because they are too far away from the BT exchanges at Filton and Almondsbury and their streets are not cabled by Virgin Media.

Jack has vowed to make the fight to secure faster, more reliable, broadband coverage across his constituency one of his top priorities and he recently met Communications Minister Ed Vaizey MP to discuss the problem.

Vote now at: www.racetoinfinity.bt.com

Story and picture courtesy of The Bradley Stoke Journal. For full story see; http://www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk/2010/11/22/mp-welcomes-business-support-bradley-stoke-broadband-campaign/

Don't move Police 'chopper', says MP

An MP has criticised plans to move a police helicopter that covers the Bristol area from Filton to Wiltshire.

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti said the proposal to take the helicopter to RAF Colerne could lead to an increase in crime in Bristol because of the longer flying time to deal with incidents.

He has now laid down a Parliamentary Question to the Home Secretary the Rt Hon Theresa May MP about the issue.

The Tory MP said: "The helicopter is based less than three minutes' flying time from Bristol, so that it can react to any serious crime in the city and the surrounding area. 

Until the creation of the Western Counties Air Operations Unit, the area suffered high levels of vehicle crime, vehicle pursuits and on-street crime such as ram raiding.  The presence of the helicopter, within a few minutes, has markedly reduced that.

The proposal to close the unit at Filton and move it to RAF Colerne in Wiltshire will have a very serious effect on the helicopter's ability to reach incidents in the local area in an acceptable time scale.  I have asked the Secretary of State to assess the implications and to think again.

The flying time alone from RAF Colerne is approaching 20 minutes, leaving nothing at all to allow for communication difficulties and start-up times.

I would submit that the proposals will make the helicopter's ability to provide any meaningful service to Bristol almost impossible and could lead to an increase in crime in the Avon, Somerset and Gloucester areas.

By Ian Onions political editor at the Bristol Evening Post

For full story see http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Don-t-police-chopper-says-MP/article-2897662-detail/article.html

Jack Lopresti MP Tours Rolls-Royce at Filton

Jack met with members of the Rolls-Royce management team, during a tour of their Filton site on Friday 8th October 2010, to discuss some of the main issues affecting the company today; the contribution they make to both the Ministry of Defence and to Filton and the surrounding area and to be given a flavour of their operations locally, in the UK as a whole and worldwide.

Jack said, following the tour, "It was fantastic to have the opportunity to visit Rolls-Royce and see  at first hand, some of the important work they do worldwide.  With the upcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review, we are reminded of the importance of companies such as Rolls-Royce and the vital contribution they make to the nation's security.

"We are incredibly lucky to have a thriving defence and aerospace industry here in Filton, to which Rolls-Royce is a major contributor.  I hope that they and the rest of the defence industry in Filton, will continue their good work in supplying our armed forces with world-class equipment and technology long into the future.

Rolls-Royce, whose headquarters is in London, is one of the world's largest makers of aircraft engines and the UK's second largest defence contractor.  It is also a key supplier to the energy and maritime sectors and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index.

Jack Lopresti MP Visits Community Showcase

Jack Lopresti showed his support for local business during a visit to the Bradley Stoke Community Showcase on Saturday 2nd October.

The Community Showcase, now in its second year, received praise from visitors and stallholders alike for helping to promote the work being done by organisations throughout Bradley Stoke.

Jack, pictured speaking with the team from Bradley Stoke Radio Station, said of the event "This is a fantastic opportunity for community groups and businesses to get together and forge strong local links.  We are lucky to have such a thriving, vibrant community here in Bradley Stoke and it is wonderful to see so many groups work together, recruiting more members and showcasing some of the great work that goes on in the community.

I hope that many more local organisations will join in with the success of the Showcase and come along themselves next year.  It is a great opportunity to have a community fair such as this and I look forward to seeing it progress from strength to strength."

(Photo courtesy of The Bradley Stoke Journal.)

Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti runs the 2010 Bristol Half Marathon

Jack ran, along with thousands of others, to raise vital funds for the Frenchay After Burns (FAB) Children's Club through sponsorship from the race.  Jack ran the race in an impressive 1hr 58 mins.

The FAB Club is a charity which provides ongoing support to burn-injured children and their families.  Each year more than 300 children from across the region are admitted to Frenchay Hospital's paediatric burns unit.

Mr Lopresti said: "The Bristol half-marathon is always a great day out and I'm so pleased to have raised funds for such a good cause."

Talking about the FAB Club, Jack added "The stories of the bravery and determination of the children, their families and the staff there really inspired me to go out and do something positive myself to help.  I am still collecting donations and hope that as many people as possible can give just a small amount towards the fundraising effort for the charity, every penny really does count and the more we can raise, the better."

It was the fifth time Mr Lopresti has run the Bristol Half Marathon and he hopes to compete in the London Marathon next year, to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

To sponsor Mr Lopresti and support the Frenchay After Burns Children's Club, visit: www.justgiving.com/jack-lopresti.

Jack Lopresti MP at fund raising event for Frenchay Hospital Cardiac Support Group.

On Saturday 4th September, local MP, Jack Lopresti gave his support to the fund raising activities of the Frenchay Hospital Cardiac Support Group.  The event was held at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, with a concert performance from the Great Western Chorus.

Jack was full of admiration for the work of the FHCSG: "In my mind what they contribute is above and beyond.  For ex-patients they make life a little less stressful and a lot more enjoyable, throughout their difficult time and beyond, by simply being there for all Patients and their Families or Carers.

The exceptional medical care patients receive at Frenchay is made all the more special by this support group.  From the day of care release onwards, the Frenchay Hospital Cardiac Support Group offers practical and compassionate advice and support to patients and families.  I fully support everything they are doing and will do whatever I can to help continue their important work."

The Great Western Chorus treated the audience to a wonderful performance.  The Chorus, comprised of over fifty male singers, is famous for its close harmony performances, singing a selection of the very best popular songs from the last 100 years.

Jack Lopresti MP opens his constituency office for business

On Friday 3rd September, Filton and Bradley Stoke MP, Jack Lopresti, opened his new constituency office.

Cllr Janet Biggin, Chairman of South Gloucestershire Council and Cllr Ben Walker, Mayor of Bradley Stoke helped open the new office along with local councillors and supporters.

Jack said "The office will also be a drop-in centre where people can come and see myself or my team if they need help or would like to bring a local issue to my attention.  Meeting with people face-to-face is something I really enjoy and discussing the issues that are affecting their lives is an important part of my job, I will do whatever I can to help."

The new office address is:  Jack Lopresti MP, 27 The Courtyard, Woodlands, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, BS32 4NH

Jack is also continuing his twice-monthly surgeries: "I look forward to meeting with as many people as possible. I hold my surgeries all around the constituency and am more than willing to meet people at their home should they have any difficulty in getting to see me."

Jack will be holding his next surgery on Friday 10th of September.  The surgery will be held at the Staple Hill Royal British Legion from 1600 until 1900.

The address is:
The Royal British Legion
Kendall Road
Staple Hill, Bristol,
Avon
BS16 4NB

If you would like to arrange an appointment to see Jack the please email

jack.lopresti.mp@parliament.uk

Jack Lopresti MP and Charlotte Edwards MBE celebrate girls' coaching initiative at Frenchay Cricket Club

JACK LOPRESTI, the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, teamed up with one of the most famous names in English women's cricket to celebrate a new coaching initiative at a local cricket club.

Jack joined Charlotte Edwards MBE, the England Women's cricket captain and ECB Coaching Ambassador, at the recent special lunch event, held at Frenchay Cricket Club.  The event was organised to mark the latest initiative to promote and expand women's cricket at the club, by improving its coaching facilities and techniques a three-day coaching session of girl's cricket.

During the event, Jack and Charlotte met with officials from the club, as well as the Grade 2 coaches, to learn more about how the club is promoting the sport to girls of all ages in the local area.

Speaking after the event, Jack said: "Encouraging our children to participate in sports is so important and I was delighted to see how the cricket club is trying to get as many youngsters as possible involved in cricket.

To see the determination at the club, and hear about the plans that they have for the future, was extremely impressive and should be commended."

Earlier this year, the club was awarded more than £1,500 funding from the Southern Brooks Area Forum, to help volunteers qualify as coaches and for the hire of indoor nets, for local girls of all ages to practice and develop their game.  The funding was given to help the development of girls' cricket at the club. The coaches will help the growing girls' section of the cricket club develop their skill, and hopefully enthusiasm for the game.  The Southern Brooks Area Forum is designed to bring together councillors, representatives of community organisations and local residents to discuss local issues.

The SBAF, one of five similar forums, covers Bradley Stoke South, Bradley Stoke North, Bradley Stoke Central & Stoke Lodge, Filton, Frenchay & Stoke Park, Patchway, Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne wards.

Jack Lopresti MP leads Bradley Stoke Broadband Campaigners for meeting with Communications Minister

Ed Vaizey MP vows to question broadband providers over slow broadband service in Bradley Stoke.

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has vowed to make the fight to secure faster, more reliable broadband coverage across his constituency one of his top priorities.

Jack delivered the pledge after leading a meeting with the new Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey MP, yesterday, Wednesday, August 11th, to highlight the long-standing issues with local broadband connections in the Bradley Stoke area.

As a result, Ed promised to write to both BT and Virgin Media to ask why the service has not been upgraded and the reasons behind the delay in providing fast broadband across the town.

Jack and Ed were joined at the high-profile meeting by a delegation of local campaigners and councillors from his constituency, who lobbied the Minister for decisive action to improve broadband coverage.  They were: Bradley Stoke Town Councillor and Mayor Ben Walker, Councillor Trevor Jones, Councillor John Ashe, Councillor Robert Jones, Councillor Brian Hopkinson and Councillor Sarah Pomfret.

The meeting gave both Jack and the campaigners the opportunity to outline the key issues that the current slow broadband service presents, to local residents and businesses alike.

Speaking after the meeting, Jack said: "I was delighted to be able to not only secure this meeting with Ed Vaizey MP, the new Communications Minister, but also that he agreed to write to both BT and Virgin Media to see exactly why the service isn't better than it is.

This is such an important issue for so many people in and around Bradley Stoke, that it deserves to be treated as one of our priorities.

This issue has proved to be a real challenge already and it will take dedication and hard work to ensure that our broadband connections are improved to the proper and deserved standard.  Yet that is what we must aim for, and as soon as possible.

This meeting allowed us to present our case to Ed Vaizey MP directly, we asked him to look into the issue on our behalf and he has agreed to do just that."

The meeting is the latest in a long-standing series of local calls and campaigns for fast broadband connections to be introduced in Bradley Stoke.  The town suffers from dramatically slower internet speeds than the national average, because of the fact that the two telephone exchanges are too far away to be utilised.

A high-profile local campaign has repeatedly called for provider Virgin Media to cable Bradley Stoke, after identifying more than 2,000 homes in the town were not connected to the firm's high-speed network.  Although more than 200 residents have signed up to the campaign calling for the firm to improve the broadband connect, Virgin has insisted it needs 1,500 people to email before it would consider completing the network in Bradley Stoke.

Meanwhile, in July last year, British Telecom also overlooked Bradley Stoke, which has the slowest broadband speeds across the Bristol area, for super-fast broadband.  As part of moves to slowly roll out improvements, BT has upgraded several other locations in Bristol such as Downend, but not Bradley Stoke.

Now, new MP Jack Lopresti has weighed in to the campaign to help secure better broadband for the 50-or-so streets in the town that need faster broadband.

Jack said: "It is simply not on that an area such as Bradley Stoke is being left behind when it comes to broadband, compared even to its neighbouring areas.

I can assure people in the town that I will do all that I can to fight for a better broadband connection for them and their families, friends, neighbours and employers."

Jack Lopresti MP in Gibraltar fact-finding mission

JACK LOPRESTI MP has continued his whirlwind start to Parliamentary life with a fact-finding mission to Gibraltar, where he conducted face-to-face meetings with three of the most important figures in the daily life of "the Rock".

Jack, the Filton and Bradley Stoke MP, first became involved with Gibraltar while standing as a candidate for the Euro elections in the South West region, in 2004.

He said: "Gibraltarians had just been given the vote in European elections for the first time and with my Conservative colleagues we had waged a successful campaign to have them vote as part of our South West region.  The links between Gibraltar and the Westcountry are immense.

The Rock's sovereignty was also under threat by the antics of Labour Cabinet Ministers like Peter Hain and Jack Straw so defending the interests of Gibraltar was paramount.  And we did so successfully.  But now the challenges are different.

The current review of Britain's defences has the potential for huge impact on both the Bristol and South Gloucestershire Defence and Aero-space industries and of course the long term strategic role of Gibraltar, with its unique place in the world.

And it's my job as a MP and a member of the Backbench Defence support team to be completely up to speed on the issues.

That is why I was delighted to discuss these issues in person with the Governor of Gibraltar, Sir Adrian Johns, KCB, CBE, ADC and also with the current Commander British Forces, Commodore Adrian Bell.

And the links between these two hugely different parts of the world were immediately reinforced when I discovered that the MoD civil servant accompanying Cdre Bell was himself on a posting from Abbey Wood.

Jack was also pleased to meet with the representative of the Gibraltar Government in London, Albert Poggio OBE and catch up on other issues which unite the two communities, such as the potential for a regular flight between Gibraltar and Bristol.

Having served last year in Afghanistan with 29 Cdo Regiment Royal Artillery, I am well aware of the special place that Gibraltar holds in the affections and history of the Royal Marines, The Royal Artillery and 3 Commando Brigade", he said.

"I am an unashamed supporter of Gibraltar and was thrilled to be elected by my colleagues as Treasurer of the All-Party Gibraltar group.  I will do everything I can to keep myself informed of this vital issue.

I represent 70,000 people here in South Gloucestershire and they need to feel confident that their MP is doing all he can to represent their interests wherever they may lie".

Jack Lopresti MP makes representation over Strategic Defence and Security Review

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has highlighted three key issues that he believes should be thoroughly examined as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

Jack has written to Dr Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for Defence, outlining his official representation in regard of the Review, the first of its kind for more than a decade.

In his representation, Jack identified three crucial areas: providing the required mental health care for military personnel and veterans; supporting the Reserve Forces and the A400M procurement policy that he believes should be treated with the necessary importance.

It came just weeks after Dr Liam Fox earmarked mental health care provision as a "top priority", during a speech to the House of Commons.

The SDSR will be the first 'root and branch' review of Britain's defence policy since the Strategic Defence Review, which took place in 1998.

The review is designed to help decide the future shape and role of the Armed Forces and is expected to report, in the autumn, to coincide with the outcome of the Spending Review.

Jack, who has himself served as a mobilised reservist and completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan on Operation Herrick 9 with 3 Commando Brigade, has written to the Defence Secretary, to outline three significant issues that he believes should be included as part of the Review.

In his letter, Jack calls for the provision of funding of recruitment, welfare support and training of reservists, as part of the SDSR.

Jack wrote: "I feel strongly that training funding, although not officially "capped" has been curtailed recently, due to funding difficulties and must be increased and standards improved to increase capability and morale.

Perhaps the most worrying case that I have come across is instances of Territorial Army soldiers who have passed out of their basic training without full and adequate training in skill at arms.  Territorial Army soldiers are being asked to complete their training with a deferred pass on shooting, with the premise that they will complete their shooting training back with their units.  Due to the budget cuts in Unit training expenditure, some units can't provide range firearms training, so this could lead to reservists being mobilised without full proficiency with a rifle.

It is my belief that we must recognise this commitment to, and the important and integral role the reservists play in, our military capability and ensure that they are fully trained and equipped to do the job we ask of them."

Jack also spoke about the important strategic and tactical role the A400M transport aircraft which Filton-based Airbus is involved in the design and wing manufacture of will play in support of the Armed Forces.

Jack said: "It is my opinion that any delay or cuts to this programme would undermine the ability of our servicemen and women to fulfil the important and dangerous tasks we are asking of them in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world."

Finally, Jack also called for "special consideration" to be made into the "important issue" of providing adequate mental health care of military personnel and veterans.

He wrote: "A number of studies over recent years have highlighted concerns about the relationship between deployment and the subsequent onset of mental illness.

The prevalence of all psychological symptoms is higher among those deployed for 13 months or more with the added complication that it can take up to 14 years for the symptoms to surface.  Furthermore, the prevalence of severe alcohol and drug problems is on the increase.

I call upon this Government to adequately fund and ensure the mental healthcare of both reservist and regular veterans and to make special consideration for this important issue in the Security and Defence Spending review.

Jack's calls come just weeks after Defence Secretary Liam Fox MP earmarked mental health care as a "top priority", during a speech in the Commons.

He said: "Delivering a range of mental health services to help members of the armed forces and veterans is a top priority.  While the number of incidents of mental health problems may be low, the human cost is high for those that are suffering.

The new Government has committed to creating an effective, through-life, mental health scheme for our service and ex-service personnel."

Jack Lopresti MP elected to Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has been elected to serve on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, in Parliament.  Jack will be one of four Conservative MPs sitting on the 12-strong Committee, which is established to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Northern Ireland Office.

Two of Jack's fellow South West Conservative MPs will be serving on the committee:Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury), was elected as chairman of the committee last month and Oliver Colvile (Plymouth Sutton and Devonport).

Commenting on his appointment, Jack said: "I am very happy to have been appointed to serve on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.  I am looking forward to starting this fascinating and important role and joining my colleagues from all parties in carrying out this vital work."

Jack also serves on the Defence support team.  Other work in Parliament includes his duties to several All Party Groups which promote debate and the promotion of specific subjects and interests. Jack currently serves on:

- All Party Group for Aviation
- Executive of the British-American Parliamentary Group
- Treasurer to the All Parliamentary Gibraltar Group
- All Party Overseas Territories Group
- All Party Group for Afghanistan
- All Party Group for Reservists and Cadets

Jack Lopresti MP presents prizes at Frenchay Flower show

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton & Bradley Stoke, has spoken of his delight after being invited to help present prizes at the recent Frenchay Flower Show.

Jack, accompanied by local Conservative Councillor Trevor Jones, presented more than 20 prizes to budding local horticulturalists at the event, held at the weekend on Frenchay Common.

Now in its 67th year, the Frenchay Flower Show was this year held alongside the Frenchay Vintage Vehicle Show, at the nearby village museum.

A total of twenty-five trophies were presented at the event, following strict judging under guidelines set down by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Proceeds from the event have been earmarked to support groups in the local community.

Speaking after the event, Jack said he was pleased to have been given the opportunity to present the trophies to the successful entrants.  Jack said:

"It was an honour to be able to take part in this successful and well-loved event, which this year proved to be as popular as ever and extremely well supported.

It was pleasing to see how much care and attention everyone took over their entries, you could see that it had been a true labour of love and the results were absolutely fantastic.

This is a very important date in the local calendar in Frenchay and I look forward to being able to help out with the prize-giving for many years to come.  I offer my warm congratulations to everyone who took part this year."

Jack Lopresti MP receives assurances over continuing free parking at Cribbs Causeway

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton & Bradley Stoke, has today welcomed assurances he has received from the West of England Partnership that parking charges for Cribbs Causeway are off the agenda.

Jack met with Partnership leaders in Parliament following a recent media report that suggested that the four councils in the Bristol area were looking at charging drivers to park at the out-of-town shopping centre. 

The Partnership does not have the power to introduce parking charges on what is a privately-owned shopping centre site.

However, the media report suggested that it had raised concerns over the abundance of free parking in the draft Joint Local Transport Plan 2011 to 2026, in relation to ways in cutting congestion.

The suggestion that the authorities were looking at charging to park at the shopping centre caused concern to local shoppers and drivers, who have enjoyed free parking at Cribbs Causeway since it opened more than a decade ago.

In response, Jack Lopresti met with Cllr John Calway the leader of South Gloucestershire Council and Chairman of the West of England Partnership and received assurances that it was not looking to implement parking charges at the centre.

Jack said:

"It is reassuring that, having contacted South Gloucestershire Council, I have been told that it is not, contrary to recent media reports, looking at charging people to park at Cribbs Causeway.

Indeed, they have no such powers to do so.

Free parking at the centre is a significant factor in its appeal for so many shoppers, and they should not be worried that this may be lost.

I think that more effort needs to be put by the bus companies, to ensure people don't think they are being ripped off if they opt for the green option."

He added:

"If Bristol City Council wants to introduce a Work Place Levy with the city council's borders, then that is an issue for them.

Whatever Bristol may be considering, it should not be allowed to confuse issues in South Gloucestershire and put in doubt the free parking consensus that has existed locally for years."

Jack Lopresti MP vows to Fight for the Future of Frenchay Hospital

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton & Bradley Stoke, has vowed to fight for the future of a vital South Gloucestershire hospital, during a specially-convened Parliamentary debate.  Jack delivered his impassioned speech during the 30-minute debate, held on the afternoon on Wednesday, July 14th, into the future of Frenchay Hospital, which lies in his new constituency.

The debate, where Health Minister Simon Burns MP was expected to respond, was called to try and clarify what plans have been put in place for the future of the hospital.  It follows a decision, made in 2005, to downgrade Frenchay to a Community Hospital, while nearby Southmead was chosen as the preferred site for the area's new acute hospital.

In February, contracts were signed between a private finance consortium and the North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs the two sites, and work commenced shortly after.

During his speech Jack said that, come 2014, when the downgrading is complete, he believed it would come to represent how Labour let down every single one of my constituents by denying them the chance for a good local hospital to treat their growing needs.

However, he vowed that, although it is unlikely those plans will not go ahead, he would continue to fight on behalf of his constituents to ensure that Frenchay would keep the best services possible in the future.

Jack also paid tribute to the Save Frenchay Hospital group, saying: "All I can say is that their work will not be in vain.

We will fight, and together we will win the battle to keep the best services possible for Frenchay in the future."

Speaking after the debate, Jack said: "Frenchay is, in every sense of the word, my local hospital and I know only too well the real concern felt by us all over these moves.

It is imperative that we have access to good local healthcare facilities, which is what has been offered by Frenchay to the local communities and they are rightly concerned about the future.

Yet even thought it seems that the decision to downgrade Frenchay has been signed and sealed, it doesn't mean we can not continue to fight for its future – and this is what I promise to do."

Jack Lopresti MP praises school literacy initiative

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton & Bradley Stoke, has offered his support to a successful reading initiative run at a South Gloucestershire primary school.

Jack offered his backing to the Reading Recovery programme, designed for children who are at risk of falling behind with literacy, after joining a recent session at the Coniston Primary School in Patchway.

During the visit, Jack was able to see, at first hand, the invaluable help given by specialist teachers to young children to enable them to improve their reading and writing.

Jack was also told that the programme differs for every child and is individually designed and delivered through half-hour programmes of daily instruction, which supplement regular classroom teaching.

The project, run under the Every Child a Reader (ECaR) programme, is completed when the child is able to cope well with reading and writing.

Speaking after the visit Jack described how important it is to ensure that children are able to experience the joy of reading from a young age something this programme was able to do.

Jack said:

"It was inspirational to see the work carried out at the school to help these enthusiastic young children develop a love for reading and writing.

It is so important that every child is given the opportunity to develop these essential skills as early on as possible and schemes such as this help make that possible.

What struck me most was just how much the children seemed to enjoy what they were doing, you could really experience the difference that it was making to each and every one.

The school and its staff should be congratulated on everything they have achieved so far and what I am sure they will continue to do in the future."

Jack Lopresti MP welcomes A400M debut flying display at South West Air Show

JACK LOPRESTI, the Conservative MP for Filton & Bradley Stoke, has spoken of his delight after the A400M made its first flying appearance in the country at a South West Air Whow, this weekend.

Jack was among thousands of air enthusiasts who visited the Royal International Air Tattoo, in Gloucestershire, this weekend, where the Airbus-owned military transport plane made its UK debut.

After touching down on Friday evening, the A400M, designed to supply strategic airlift capacity, performed air displays on both Saturday and Sunday, before departing for another air show.

The aircraft was piloted by Ed Strongman, who previously flew Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules from nearby RAF Lyneham, during the weekend's air displays.

Speaking after the event Jack said: "I am absolutely delighted that the A400M was able to make its first flying displays at this spectacular event, here in the South West. 

It is a testimony to the dedication and professionalism of those working at Airbus in my home town of Filton, as well as everyone associated with the fantastic, world-renowned project.

This is a fitting spectacle for such an impressive aircraft to make its debut in the region and I am sure that the many thousands of enthusiasts and families enjoyed seeing it for the first time here."

The annual Royal International Air Tattoo event, held at RAF Fairford, is the world's largest military show and showcases some of the most iconic aircraft from around the world.

Other events during the weekend's programme included a breathtaking display to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain; a display by the legendary Red Arrows and an appearance by two of the last flying Messerschmitt Bf109s.