Press Releases
« Older EntriesDigital Durham: Grahame Morris MP Welcomes Superfast Broadband For All
Press Releases / May 10, 2012 (2 weeks ago) / Comment now
Congratulations to Durham County Council for securing £7.79 million in funding from Broadband Delivery UK to roll out their Digital Durham programme to secure superfast broadband for all households within County Durham.
The Local Authority has already set aside matched funding for its Digital Durham programme but the additional £6.93m it will receive from Broadband Delivery UK will ensure that all areas of County Durham including those communities and areas within the former Easington District can benefit.
The remaining £860,000 will be used by Gateshead Council to provide broadband to homes on the border between the two areas.
Currently there are large parts of the region that do not have access to superfast broadband and private sector business plans will extend the next generation of broadband coverage (30 Mbps or greater ) to only 40% of homes and businesses within the region leaving significant pockets of deprivation and worsening the digital divide.
Data from OneNorth East in 2009 showed Easington significantly below the regional and national average for broadband take up. Only 41% of households -16,100 households out of 39,216 – received broadband compared to the regional average of 54%, and national average of 59%.
Access to superfast broadband is key to unlocking economic growth, creating more jobs, improving business and transforming access to services for our communities. The life chances of people throughout the region will be significantly enhanced by gaining access to effective technology improving educational attainment, work prospects, access to health care and greater sociability.
The Digital Durham programme has set ambitious goals to roll out super fast broadband (30 Mbps or greater) to 60% of premises by the end of 2013/14, 90% of premises by the end of 2014/15, and 100% of premises by the end of 2016/17. In addition to this they aim to have public internet WiFi access from all community buildings by the end of 2014/15. The importance of this project cannot be under-estimated for every 1% of County Durham and Gateshead that does not get superfast broadband will result in 7,000 residents without access to digital services.
Grahame Morris M.P. said. “I am really pleased at the prospect of the Superfast Digital Broadband programme going live across County Durham and especially in the Easington constituency which I represent. Congratulations to all involved at Digital Durham in getting BDUK approval of the Durham County Council local delivery plan. Everyone involved in this Project have put in a lot of hard work and many obstacles have had to be overcome to get to the procurement stage. Really well done to all concerned.
The availability of superfast broadband to all businesses, homes and communities across County Durham will be a huge step forward and a tremendous boost to local regeneration.
Durham County Council’s ambitious Digital Durham programme will ensure that communities, such as those in rural areas where the private sector is reluctant to invest, will still share the benefits of superfast broadband.”
Durham County Council now needs to demonstrate that demand for high-speed broadband exists and is asking the public to help.
Broadband mapping data provided by SamKnows.
For more information please contact:
Email: digital.durham@durham.gov.uk
Tel: 03000 261160
Web: http://www.durham.gov.uk/pages/Service.aspx?ServiceId=8540
Follow us on Twitter: @DigitalDurham
Like us at facebook.com/DigitalDurham
North East facing double-dip job crisis across private sector
Press Releases / May 8, 2012 (2 weeks ago) / Comment now
EASINGTON MP Grahame Morris has issues a stark warning to Treasury ministers that the North East is facing a double-dip crisis of job losses across the private sector. He said government proposals for regional pay in the public sector would only make things worse turning the North East into a “low pay ghetto” for those in work.
During scrutiny of the finance bill which puts into effect Budget measures, he scorned coalition claims that cuts in the top rate of income tax, coupled with reductions in corporation tax, would boost the region.
“The question that needs to be asked is who will be better off from Chancellor George Osborne’s package,” he said. “The answer is the better-off.
“Ordinary families in Easington spend the vast bulk of their income on VAT items which are going up.
“They do not save to buy Ferraris or holiday homes or to put it into pension pots.”
He said that independent figures show that the average family will be £511 a year worse off while top earners stand to gain up to 10 times that.
“The Chancellor has chosen to give a substantial £40,000 tax cut to 14,000 millionaires,” Mr Morris said. “That choice would not meet with favour in Easington, in much of the north-east or across the country.”
He said that VAT at 20 per cent is “clearly a regressive tax that hurts the poor most.”
And the government’s move towards regional rates of pay mean that “areas such as mine would effectively be turned into low-pay ghettoes.”
Mr Morris, in a follow-up session, also slammed Treasury claims that cuts in corporation would benefit deprived areas.
“There has been a long list of job losses in Easington just since Christmas,” he said.
“The most recent is Dewhurst, which lost over 100 jobs; Cumbrian Foods lost 500 jobs; Reckitt Benckiser, the pharmaceutical company, lost 500 jobs; Robertson Timberkit, a construction company, lost 300 jobs. There were also job losses at JD Sports and Fortress Doors. Would this cut in corporation tax assist any of those companies?”
And he pointed out that construction firms like Carillion are also being hit by the coalitions cuts to major building projects.
ends
Radical Change in Health Funding will disadvantage poorest areas warns Easington Labour MP
Press Releases / May 1, 2012 (3 weeks ago) / Comment now
Tory health funding fit-up set to shift money from the North to the South
Proposals put forward by Andrew Lansley are set to radically change the formula for how health funding is distributed across England.
Whilst any changes must come through an advisory committee, the Secretary of State has given clear guidance that he expects age to be the principal determinant of health need in the future.
Funding is currently allocated on the basis of health need and deprivation. This change would see funding increase for those areas with a higher life expectancy at the expense of poorer areas with a lower life expectancy.
Labour MP Grahame Morris, member of the health select committee, described the move as “cynical, politically motivated, unethical and immoral”.
He went on to say “This is the single biggest attack on reducing health inequalities and bridging the North-South divide in health outcomes.
“This is nothing other than the political gerrymandering of resources as it will channel money directly into the Tory heartlands where there is the least need and where people already live the longest.
“Put simply, Andrew Lansley wants to take money from the poorest areas suffering the highest incidences of ill-health and premature death in the North to give it to the leafy suburbs in the South where life expectancy is far higher.
“This has always been on the Tory agenda. Conservative MPs were pushing for age to outweigh deprivation as the key measure for health funding at every stage of the Health and Social Care Bill”.
North East regional director at the Royal College of Nursing, Glenn Turp, said: “Health outcomes are directly linked to poverty and inequality, and to use age as the measure rather than inequality is simply the wrong thing to do.”
Ends
Note to editors
Health inequalities for County Durham:
Life expectancy is 8.1 years lower for men and 6.3 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of County Durham than in the least deprived areas (based on the Slope Index of Inequality published on 5th January 2011).
In County Durham, the rate of people aged under 75 dying from heart disease and strokes is 81.9 per 100,000 population. The UK average is 70.5 per 100,000 population.
In County Durham, the rate of people aged under 75 dying from cancer is 127.1per 100,000 population. The England average is 112.1 per 100,000 population.
In 2009/10, there were 339.0 hospital stays for self-harm per 100,000 population in County Durham, the England average is 198.3 per 100,000.
In County Durham, hospital stays for alcohol related harm 2286 per 100,000 population, 2009/10, the England average is 1743.
Source: http://www.apho.org.uk/resource/view.aspx?RID=105191
Grahame Morris MP urges would-be filmmakers in East Durham to enter national film competition
Press Releases / April 11, 2012 / Comment now
Grahame Morris MP has called for local amateur film makers to enter FILM THE HOUSE, a national competition that celebrates up-and-coming amateur film producers, directors and script writers across the UK.
Film lovers of all ages are urged to get their creative juices flowing, and submit their amateur films to FILM THE HOUSE. Grahame Morris MP will nominate his top film from the area for the national competition, which aims to also raise awareness of the importance of intellectual property rights, film and the creative industries.
Founded by Mike Weatherley MP and supported by the British film industry, FILM THE HOUSE gives entrants the chance to win a screening of their film to film industry executives at the House of Commons.
Grahame Morris MP said: “FILM THE HOUSE is a great opportunity to showcase aspiring film makers from the East Durham area looking to find a way into the industry. I am excited to see the films that the people of East Durham can come up with, and hope to see as many submissions from the Easington constituency as possible
The North East coast is a beautiful natural backdrop for film makers and has attracted a number of high profile film productions including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Elizabeth, Atonement and the Harry Potter series.
FILM THE HOUSE will allow East Durham to show its passion for the creative industries and will support our ongoing efforts to encourage the private sector investment for a proposed new film studio in our area and a Centre of Creative Excellence to be built on the East Durham Heritage Coast South of Seaham.”
The competition is designed to promote the wealth and variety of film in the UK. Categories include drama, thriller, action, comedy, music video, documentary, as well as a separate category for under 18s which can be any genre.
The closing date for nominations is 30th June and the winners will be announced on the 30th October at a special reception and screening of the winning film at the House of Parliament. For more information on how to apply visit www.filmthehouse.com .
Notes to Editor
Founded by Mike Weatherley MP and supported by the Alliance Against IP Theft, FILM THE HOUSE is an innovative and fun Parliamentary initiative to raise the political profile of the importance of intellectual property rights, film and the creative industries, among Parliamentarians and the Government.
This competition follows the success of the founding parliamentary competition Rock the House. Supported by patrons including Alice Cooper, Robin Gibb, Mark Hoppus, Ian Gillan and Charlie Simpson from Busted, the competition is now in its second year, and celebrates the very best of up-and-coming unsigned British artists, and the live music venues that support them.
For more information please visit www.filmthouse.com or contact Amy Bourke or Lucy Hopkins on 0207 618 9142, filmthehouse@luther.co.uk
Grahame Morris supports Prostate Cancer Charity
Press Releases / March 23, 2012 / Comment now
Easington MP Grahame Morris has expressed support for work being undertaken by The Prostate Cancer Charity to identify a national set of standards of quality prostate cancer care.
After a wide-ranging consultation with people affected by prostate cancer, The Prostate Cancer Charity has compiled a draft set of standards that set out what good quality care looks like. The Charity is now calling on men who have been affected by prostate cancer, their partners and healthcare professionals to provide feedback on the standards, to ensure they reflect the care men with prostate cancer need.
Once finalised, The Prostate Cancer Charity will be working with the Government, health professionals and commissioners to ensure these standards are implemented across the country, so that men everywhere receive the same high quality care – regardless of where they live.
Grahame Morris MP said,
“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, which is why I believe it’s essential we know exactly what people affected by the disease require and expect from our health service”
“I am therefore delighted to back calls for national standards of care, and would urge anyone with direct or indirect experience of the disease to feed back on The Prostate Cancer Charity’s draft standards. Men everywhere deserve quality prostate cancer care, and delivering that is what this initiative is all about.”
Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said:
“It’s fantastic that Grahame Morris has backed our call, and I look forward working with him over the months ahead to make this a reality”.
“We need national standards of quality prostate cancer care to ensure that healthcare providers and NHS staff know what services and level of care they should be providing to patients. We also need standards to ensure that men who have, or are concerned about, prostate cancer know exactly what level of care and support they are entitled to receive.
“Before we finalise our standards we need to be absolutely clear that they reflect what men with prostate cancer want – which is why we want to hear from as many people with experience of the disease as possible.”
To view and feedback on The Prostate Cancer Charity’s draft standards of quality prostate cancer care visit: www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/takeaction
Alternatively, to receive a hard copy by post, please call 0208 222 7651
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Prostate Cancer Charity’s development of standards of quality prostate cancer care
Why do we need a national set of standards of quality care?
We believe that men with prostate cancer should have the same high quality care, regardless of where they live. We need national standards of quality prostate cancer care to ensure that healthcare providers and NHS staff know exactly what services and standard of care they should be providing. We also need them to ensure that men who have, or are concerned about, prostate cancer know exactly what level of care and support they are entitled to.
How do we know that the quality of care currently varies across the country?
The Prostate Cancer Charity surveyed over 700 men affected by prostate cancer and their families and found that variations exist in the care that men receive across the UK. These variations appear at every stage of the patient journey – from diagnosis through treatment, to living with side effects and beyond.
What is The Prostate Cancer Charity doing to address these issues?
We are developing national standards of quality prostate cancer care in partnership with men, their partners, families and friends and other experts, such as healthcare professionals.
We want our standards to cover every stage of the prostate cancer journey, and to include support for family members and carers too.
What we’ve done so far to inform these standards:
- Surveyed over 700 UK people affected by prostate cancer and their families
- Held round table discussions to gather the views of health care professionals and people affected by prostate cancer across the UK
- Interviewed healthcare professionals to get their views on quality care
- Held focus groups to allow men with prostate cancer to feed their thoughts into the development of the standards
We have used the information secured through these methods to develop a draft set of standards. We would like people with experience of prostate cancer to help us finalise these.
About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK. Every year in the UK 37,000 men are diagnosed with the disease and 250,000 men are living with it. One man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK.
African Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men.
The Prostate Cancer Charity is striving for a world where lives are no longer limited by prostate cancer. The Charity is fighting prostate cancer on every front – through research, support, information and campaigning.
If you have any queries about prostate cancer, call The Prostate Cancer Charity’s Helpline 0800 074 8383 which is staffed by specialist nurses and open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and Wednesdays from 7 – 9pm or visit www.prostate-cancer.org.uk
ENDS
Confidential Helpline: 0800 074 8383
Easington MP elected Vice-Chair of Parliamentary Save the Pub Group
Press Releases / March 19, 2012 / Comment now
Easington MP Grahame Morris has been elected as a Vice-Chair of the prominent All-Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group in Westminster. Following his election he vowed to push for changes that he hoped would reverse the closures of community pubs across Britain.
Grahame Morris said:
“With on average 16 pubs closing each week I recognise the need to apply pressure to local and central government to maintain the British pub as a vital community and social hub.
“This requires finding solutions to the many problems facing pubs especially in towns and villages in the north where pubs are closing at an alarming rate.
The group has previously looked at a number of the challenges facing public houses such as increased beer duty, competition from supermarkets and large pub companies selling beer to their tenants at above-market prices.
Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland has been re-elected as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group, Grahame Morris and Conservative MP Brian Binley (Northampton South) will serve as Vice Chairs. There are now over 120 MPs and Peers in the Group.
Ends
Grahame Morris MP joins The Big Switch to cut energy bills
Press Releases / March 19, 2012 / Comment now
Easington MP Grahame Morris has backed ‘The Big Switch’ campaign for consumers to get a cheaper deal on their energy bills.
The Big Switch, launched last month by consumer champion Which? and 38 Degrees, is a new way for people to buy their energy. This will be the first time in the UK that a very large number of people will join together as a group to negotiate a deal with energy companies.
Grahame Morris is urging constituents to join the more than 200,000-strong group who have already signed up to The Big Switch, and to use their collective power to try to cut their energy bills and help shake up the market.
Which? has invited all energy companies to take part and will be negotiating with them to secure the cheapest deal. Energy companies will be asked to submit a market leading deal and take part in a reverse auction. If a deal is secured, Which? will contact everyone who signed up with a personalised savings estimate. Which? will handle the switching process, making it as quick and easy as possible.
Grahame Morris, says:
“Soaring energy bills are driving up inflation and contributing to the cost of living crisis afflicting tens of thousands of families across the North East. Labour believes that community action, including collective purchasing, is essential to reforming our energy market, and I am pleased to support the Big Switch campaign.”
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said:
“We know people are really struggling with their bills as household incomes are squeezed so it is encouraging that over 200,000 people are taking action to get a better deal on their energy bills.
“There is still time for people to join The Big Switch to get a cheaper deal so spread the word to your friends and family.”
Grahame Morris with Caroline Flint MP
Shadow Energy Secretary Caroline Flint said:
“Collective switching is a simple but potentially trailblazing way to give people more control over their energy bills. When people come together, they will have more power to negotiate cheaper energy bills with the big energy companies.”
“It sets an exciting precedent which organisations such as local authorities and housing associations could take up to negotiate better energy deals on behalf of their residents. Our energy market needs reform – and people power is the first step.”
Notes to editors
1. Key facts:
> According to Ofgem, 60% of consumers have never switched energy supplier;
> 75% of people are currently on their supplier’s ‘default’ standard tariff; and
> Which? research has shown that consumers are missing out on £4 billion a year by not switching.
2. Currently 211,860 people have now joined [as at 18:00hrs on Monday 12th March]. This consists of 188,162 online signups plus 23,698 postal signups.
3. Further information on The Big Switch Early Day Motion can be found here: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-12/2755
4. What is The Big Switch? Using the combined switching power of thousands of consumers, we’ll negotiate with energy suppliers and seek to secure a market leading deal.
5. How will The Big Switch work? After initially registering, we’ll be asking people to supply more details about their current tariffs so that we can negotiate the best deal. Which? has invited all the energy companies to take part. They will be asked to submit a market leading deal and take part in a reverse auction. Once we’ve negotiated a new deal with the winning energy company, we’ll get in touch to let people know how much they could save. Which? will handle the switching process, making it as quick and easy as possible.
6. How do you sign up? Visit: https://www.whichbigswitch.co.uk/ It just takes a couple of minutes– only your name, address and email address are required at this stage.
7. More information on The Big Switch is available here: http://www.which.co.uk/energy/saving-money/guides/the-big-switch-explained/
-Ends-
Grahame Morris MP shows his support for Water Works Campaign
Press Releases / March 12, 2012 / Comment now
Easington MP Grahame Morris has pledged his support to WaterAid’s Water Works campaign to bring safe water and sanitation to the world’s poorest people.
Mr Morris made his pledge at a House of Commons event hosted by Northumbrian Water for WaterAid on the day that the United Nations announced that the Millennium Development Goal on water has been reached. An additional 2 billion people have accessed clean water within the last 20 years.
Mr Morris said:
“It is great news that we have met the Millennium Development Goal on water – this shows that aid is working and that we are making steps forward to eradicating poverty.” He continued, “there is still much work to be done however, as 783 million people still don’t have safe water to drink, and around 2.5 billion are lacking adequate sanitation. Not having these essential services traps people in poverty. The UK has a lead role to play along with other countries to concentrate our efforts on bringing water and sanitation to all.”
Preventable diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation are the biggest killer of children in Africa, and illness and hours spent collecting water from distant sources keep children out of school and prevent adults from earning a living.
Safe water and sanitation transform lives, improving health and lifting communities out of poverty. As world leaders prepare to meet in Washington next month for a crucial meeting on water and sanitation, WaterAid is encouraging the public to support its Water Works campaign, which aims to highlight the importance of these basic necessities in tackling poverty.
“We want everyone to back the Water Works campaign and we are extremely grateful for Mr Morris’ support. WaterAid will do all we can to reach some of the most marginalised communities in developing countries. However this world crisis in sanitation and water coverage will only be addressed if governments show leadership. Progress is far too slow and it will currently take around 350 years for everyone in Africa to have access to something as basic as adequate sanitation. This just isn’t acceptable, and we want the public to also say this loud and clear.” said WaterAid Chief Executive Barbara Frost.
WaterAid was established with the support of Northumbrian Water and the UK water industry in 1981. The company remains a very active supporter of its adopted international charity. Employees run a regional committee in the North East of England and, together with other partners in the region, organise fundraising events, support the charity’s campaigns and raise awareness of the charity.
WaterAid now works in 27 countries across Africa, Asia, Central America and the Pacific Region, improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Since WaterAid was founded 30 years ago, it has reached nearly 16 million people with safe water and 11 million with sanitation.
To show your support for the campaign please visit: www.waterworks.me
Ends
For more information contact: 0191 5262828
Notes to Editor:
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. The international organisation works in 27 countries across Africa, Asia, Central America and the Pacific region to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in some of the world’s poorest communities. Over the past 30 years, WaterAid has reached 15.9 million people with safe water and, since 2004, 11 million people with sanitation. For more information, visit www.wateraid.org , follow @wateraid on Twitter or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wateraid
- 783 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world’s population.
- 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is 39% of the world’s population.
- For every £1 invested in water and sanitation, £8 is returned in increased productivity.
- Just £15 can enable one person to access safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation.
Save Our NHS Rally
Press Releases / March 9, 2012 / Comment now
EASINGTON MP Grahame Morris condemned the government’s backdoor privatisation of the NHS.
He said: “For over 60 years this country has had a National Health Service to be proud of, yet this Coalition is about to open it up for consumption by the private sector.”
“People don’t just oppose these reforms, they want a bigger and better NHS and the establishment of a National Care Service that will give dignity to everyone in their old age.”
He added: “The government calls it reform, I call it a top-down shake-up to inject market forces motivated by the government’s desire to reward their fatcat sponsors.
“These changes undermine, and could even destroy, the founding principles of the NHS that healthcare should be freely available to all regardless of income.”
Earlier this week Mr Morris joined thousands of people to demonstrate outside Parliament against government’s “reforms.”
Demonstrators descended on to the capital on Wednesday to call for the Health and Social Care Bill to be scrapped.
Save Our NHS campaigners formed a human chain outside St Thomas’ hospital opposite the House of Parliament in central London before a mass rally organised by Unite the Union and addressed by NHS workers, politicians and trade union leaders.
ends
NHS reforms “biggest political cover-up in a generation” says Labour MP
Press Releases / February 15, 2012 / Comment now
Grahame Morris writes to Health Secretary calling for immediate publication of ‘strategic risk registers’
Andrew Lansley’s ongoing cover-up of the risks posed to the NHS by his unpopular reforms is facing growing opposition in Parliament. A Labour MP has today written to the embattled Health Secretary to ask for the immediate publication of documents which could show the true extent of the risk to the NHS of Coalition reforms.
A controversial “risk register” produced by Department of Health Officials is being withheld by the Health Secretary even after an explicit ruling by the Information Commissioner for the document to be published.
Grahame Morris, a member of the powerful Commons Health Select Committee, has written:
“Whilst I understand it is your right to continue to appeal the ruling of the Information Commissioner set out in November 2011, I believe you are acting against the wishes and expectations of the general public, professional organisations, Royal Colleges, trades unions, patient groups and a whole spectrum of NHS stakeholders. The debate surrounding the future of the NHS should, at a minimum, be had in an open and transparent manner that should include the publication of the strategic risk register.
It is believed that the document details some of the potentially disastrous consequences of Lansley’s reforms including increasing waiting times and rising costs. Labour is planning to hold a debate on the publication of the risk register in the Commons later this month as part of its ‘three months to save the NHS’ campaign.
In separate comments Mr. Morris said: “Reform of the NHS is a matter of the most serious consequence. If the Health Secretary is suppressing a report that shows his reforms could put patients at risk and worsen the functioning of the NHS, he would be guilty of the biggest political cover-up in a generation.”
There is growing support in Parliament for an Early Day Motion tabled by Grahame Morris calling for the publication of the ‘Risk Register’ on Health and Social Care Reforms. The motion has gained the support of 75 MPs including thirteen Liberal Democrats in just a few days.
Mr. Morris went on to say, “David Cameron has chosen to back his unpopular Health Secretary over one of our nation’s most trusted institutions, the NHS. It’s a choice that even members of his own Cabinet think is ‘barmy’.”
“The arrogance of Andrew Lansley knows no bounds. Not only did he conceal the scale of his privatisation plans before the General Election, he is now covering up the potential risks they pose in an attempt to quash any informed democratic debate on the matter.”
In his ruling back in November the Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said: “Disclosure would significantly aid public understanding of risks related to the proposed reforms and it would also inform participation in the debate about the reforms.”
The Health Secretary has taken every step possible to keep the report under wraps by refusing to meet the deadline for publishing the ‘risk register’ following the ruling, and instead appealing the Information Commissioner’s decision.
In March, NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson told the Public Accounts Committee: “I’ll not sit here and tell you that the risks have not gone up. They have. The risks of delivering the totality of the productivity savings, the efficiency savings that we need over the next four years have gone up because of the big changes that are going on in the NHS as a whole.”
ENDS
