Parliamentary Questions

Dave questions government Ministers on a wide range of issues.
A full account of Dave's questions in the House is here.

10 Mar 2010
Dave has praised the work of Ian Caddy and the Birtley community partnership.
In the House, he used a question about Grasroots Grants to highlight the work of the partnership and Mr Caddy in particular.

Strings, Chimpanzee and a website

10 Mar 2010
Dave has written praising the efforts of a new charity of which he is a patron.
A local group of volunteers formed the charity two years ago to support thousands of people in the North East with life-changing chronic illnesses.

Cross-party move on rare diseases

9 Mar 2010
Dave is backing moves by more than 100 patient organisations, clinicians and academics to raise awareness of 6000 incurable rare diseases.
These affect 3.5 million British people and Dave, who chairs the all-party group on Muscular Dystrophy, has supported a cross-party motion welcoming the third International Rare Disease Day:

MP welcomes adult autism strategy

4 Mar 2010
Dave, who works closely with the National Autistic Society, has welomed new strategy to boost awareness.
It is aimed at awareness training for employment advisers so that about 300,000 adults with autism who feel isolated, ignored and often at breaking point have equal access to jobs, education and good healthcare.

Fun Run and Libel

3 Mar 2010
Dave is asking for support for a fun run at Gibside on 25 April. This is in aid of the Muscular Dystrophy campaign, a cause especially dear to Dave's heart and a worthy cause in its own right.
He has also written about the urgent need to revise the libel laws, which currently enable the rich to defend themselves but leave the aggrieved ordinary citizen little recourse.

Welcome for payout for pleural plaque sufferers

25 Feb 2010
Dave has welcomed today's news of more money for pleural plaque sufferers.
Sickness benefits will rise above inflation and some will be eligible for a £5000 payout. There will also be help tracking down employers' insurers and a research centre into asbestos related diseases.

The Green Revolution

24 Feb 2010
Dave's article this week for the Evening Chronicle welcomes the 'green revolution'.
He is glad that other parties are starting to support the best ideas and calls for the LibDems to give up their boycott of the North East Committee where this has been on the agenda.

Support for Robin Hood

17 Feb 2010
Dave has written for the local press about the proposed Robin Hood tax.
Dave has long advocated the 'Tobin Tax' but this new version is even more radical and is now on the international agenda.

Welcome for new compensation tracking scheme

11 Feb 2010
Dave has welcomed a new government move to help people with industrial diseases claim compensation.
Government proposals will mean that thousands of people with serious industrial diseases who miss out because they cannot trace their employers' insurance records should be able to claim compensation.

Case for the North East

11 Feb 2010
Dave has written that he is delighted with The Journal's excellent campaign, the Case for the North East.
He is proud of the heritage and history of our region and supports the Case for the North East, which seeks wider recognition of our great strides in developing a positive future for the region.

Pleural plaques bill passes first hurdle

6 Feb 2010
A bill to change the law so plaque sufferers can receive compensation has passed through the Commons.
Dave, who has been a prominent campaigner on this issue, welcomed the passage of Andrew Dismore's bill.

Cancer, Carbon, COPD and Northern Ireland

3 Feb 2010
Dave has written for the Evening Chronicle of more good news than bad.
The good news concerns breast cancer screening, a campaign on carbon monoxide alarms, government compensation for COPD and white finger. Sadly the bad news is from Northern Ireland with the power sharing agreement looking very fragile.

Dave visits eaga

2 Feb 2010
Dave has praised green services company eaga for its environmental and social inclusion work. Dave at eaga

The MP for Blaydon and Member of the Climate Change Committee also met with a number of constituents who are eaga employees. He was shown examples of eaga's work in delivering large scale renewable energy solutions, green training programmes and benefit advice services for the vulnerable.

One Voice, more investment

28 Jan 2010
Dave has spoken out against Tory plans to split the North-East into competing rival agencies.
The Tories plan to scrap the Regional Development Agency OneNorthEast in favour of smaller agencies each arguing its own little corner.

Government announces major investment for Gateshead schools

8 Mar 2010
Dave has welcomed a major boost for education in Gateshead.
The government has announced a huge investment in the future of Gateshead's youngsters by rebuilding or refurbishing four secondary schools.

Council repents over Crematorium

4 Mar 2010
Gateshead Council has listened to the voices of Birtley residents and has reprieved the Crematorium.
Many local families have strong links with the crematorium, and Dave, who backed their campaign, welcomed the decision.

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Crime down 41%

2 Mar 2010
Crime in Gateshead is down by almost half since 2003.
The figures were given by the Home Office in response to a Parliamentary question from Dave, which showed violence down by 36%, sex offences down by 37%, robbery down 68%, burglary down 50% among others.

25 years on, pit closures were a mistake

3 Mar 2010
A quarter of a century after the end of the Miners' Strike, it is now apparent that Thatcher's pit closure programme was a ghastly mistake.
Dave has been championing clean coal technology which could mean that the centuries' supply of energy under our feet could be used.

Dave challenges local Conservative over Ashcroft cash and tax status

2 Mar 2010
The local Conservative candidate should come clean about Conservative Deputy Chairman Lord Ashcroft's extensive funding of the Conservative party despite refusing to pay tax in Britain like everyone else, according to Dave.
He said that leading Conservatives including David Cameron have hidden the truth about this billionaire's bankrolling of the party for a decade. Dave added three pointed questions to the Conservative candidate in Blaydon:

Concern over QE bed closures

27 Feb 2010
Dave has expressed his concern over plans to lose up to 100 beds at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The move from NHS bosses is to cut costs and they say it reflects the fact that more patients receive treatment in the community or as day patients.

UK's energy security

24 Feb 2010
Dave has raised the issue of the UK's security of supply of energy in a Commons speech.
He said the UK is importing 43 million tonnes of coal a year, burning 65 million tonnes of coal a year, and is running out of UK gas and oil. Cheap imported came at the cost of lives. He added that the Tories will not be able to work with the market in the way that is right for this country.

Local schools encouraged to get free energy display meters

23 Feb 2010
Dave is encouraging schools ot take advantage of government scheme to reduce energy consumption and raise awareness of carbon emissions.
Schools can apply for a free energy meter which monitor energy use and display real-time information. This enables everyone to follow energy use in their school and how changing their behaviour can curb energy waste.

Dave backing for Camra campaign for decent local pubs

22 Feb 2010
Dave says that well-run community pubs are needed to deliver a better deal for consumers and to help solve the problem of alcohol abuse.
Dave is backing the Campaign for Real Ale's new Beer Drinkers and Pub Goers Charter. He says Camra has done a sterling job over the years in highlighting their contribution and is very happy to back their Charter.

Dave pledges 'No Return to Cruelty'

22 Feb 2010
Dave backs IFAW in Action campaign to safeguard Hunting Ban and pledges 'No Return to Cruelty'
He pledged "no return to cruelty" as he backed an IFAW in Action campaign to protect the ban on the cruel sport of hunting with dogs. Dave recently launched a Parliamentary petition against the legalisation of hunting with dogs. You can read and sign the petition on this website

MP celebrates charity success at local supermarket

22 Feb 2010
Dave paid a visit to local Tesco staff this weekend to thank them for their fund-raising efforts for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign and to mark the end of the charity's Tesco Charity of the Year 2009 partnership.
He was joined by his wife Eva and local councillors Lynne Caffrey and John Hamilton as they met Tesco staff from the Rowlands Gill Metro store. Generous staff were holding their final customer collection for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign as they move into the last week of their Tesco Charity of the Year 2009 partnership.

BACK L-R: Eva Anderson, Councillor Lynne Caffrey, Dave Anderson MP, Councillor John Hamilton, Peter Shaw (Tesco Store Manager), George Forster (Tesco). FRONT L-R: Dawn Gillot and Joleen Coultas (both Tesco).

Dave supports Fuel Poverty Awareness Day

11 Feb 2010
Dave is supporting Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2010 a national campaign which aims to highlight the effects of living in a cold home on people's health.
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, run by National Energy Action (NEA) and sponsored by EDF Energy, takes place on 12th February and has received backing from high profile health professional Dr. Miriam Stoppard and Government's Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson.

MP's backing for the Robin Hood Tax campaign being launched today

10 Feb 2010
Dave is enthusiastically backing the national launch of campaign today by development, green, poverty groups and unions for a "Robin Hood Tax".
This would be levied on banks' financial transactions to raise hundreds of billions for good causes. The Robin Hood Tax would not be levied on banks' transactions with their high street customers, but only apply to transactions between financial institutions. While different rates of tax would apply to different types of transaction, they would start at just five pence for every thousand pounds traded - an average of 0.05 per cent.

Big welcome for personalised cancer care at home plans

8 Feb 2010
Free and personalised home care by specialist nurses for cancer sufferers paid for by reducing hospital admissions has been proposed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and enthusiastically endorsed by Dave.
He said that most people would want to be treated and hopefully recover from cancer at home if at all possible. It allows people to maintain their independence where they are most comfortable and also saves the NHS money by freeing up beds.

A 'Marie Curie' nurse caring for a patient at home.

Beware scam letters

8 Feb 2010
Dave is backing a new initiative to stamp out scam letters.
People who are sick and tired of receiving letters from fraudsters in the post are being invited to take part in the Office of Fair Trading's nationwide Scams Awareness month.

Northern Ireland news welcome but need to bring children together

8 Feb 2010
The deal on policing and parades in Northern Ireland is very welcome but the long-term normalisation of society there could be boosted by measures that bring ordinary people together starting with schools and young people, according to Dave.
The campaigning MP who has engaged with Irish affairs over many years has tabled a Commons motion which has already won cross-party support including from a former Conservative minister in Northern Ireland and a prominent unionist as well as those who sympathise with nationalist views.

Staying safe in the sun

7 Feb 2010
We may be in the grip of the coldest winter for a generation but Dave is helping to shine a light on how young people can stay safe in the sun.
Dave, who is the patron of local charity Fighting All Cancers Together, has praised them for running sessions in local primary schools to convey the dangers of skin cancer and how to stay safe. Young people do puzzles, colouring in, competitions and dress in yellow for the day. Several local schools have already signed up for the project.

Event proves just the job for school leavers

5 Feb 2010
Dave joined hundreds of pupils to find out more about the opportunities available for young people in the North East after they leave school.
He joined students at an open event held at Gateshead College's Skills Academy to hear more about what it is like to take Apprenticeships in areas like construction, engineering, retail, motor vehicle trades, hairdressing and business.

Dave gets the treatment from some young apprentices

Labour delivers for Blaydon

4 Feb 2010
Ministers have outlined to Dave the achievements of the government in Blaydon.
In response to a question from Dave, the Health Minister said that Labour's policies had yielded significant benefits for Blaydon, and then went on to give a long list.
The Business Minister told Dave how skill levels in the constituency had increased dramatically since 2000, and earning were up 28% since 2002.

Backing the Legion

5 Feb 2010
Dave has promised to do his bit for the British Armed Forces family and is encouraging all politicians to do the same.
He has signed the Royal British Legion pledge whose manifesto details policies to improve conditions for the British Armed Forces, their families, the bereaved, veterans and dependants. Dave said he is proud as a ministerial aide in the Ministry of Defence to work with the Royal British Legion and ministers to safeguard our armed forces which are doing a vital job in protecting our interests.

Call for urgent reforms to energy market

3 Feb 2010
As the energy regulator Ofgem casts doubts as to whether Britain will have enough energy in future, Dave has hit out at how Tory privatisation of energy has failed the country and especially the worst off.
The Ofgem report calls for urgent energy reforms to secure future energy supplies in the face of the UK's lack of its own gas and ageing power stations which the private companies have failed to replace.

Free laptops and internet access

2 Feb 2010
Free laptops and broadband access are being offered to hundreds of local families with school age children in a move by the government that has been acclaimed by Dave.
He says the internet is vital in this viral economy. PCs are as important as pens and paper nowadays. Parents can also make use of the Internet not just to help their children but also to help themselves by developing on-line skills and applying for jobs.

Ministers should intervene over rail safety

1 Feb 2010
Rail safety should be the prime priority according to Dave.
He has urged ministers to step in following the axing of at least 1500 rail maintenance jobs. He shares the concerns of the RMT railway union that staff cuts have already left many depots short of staff as vacancies have been left unfilled and this poses safety risk.

Dave backs the North-East

1 Feb 2010
Dave has tabled a parliamentary motion back the campaign, 'The Case for the North East'.
Launched by The Journal last week, the campaign has already gathered momentum as the region's leaders add their support.

Keep the hunting ban

29 Jan 2010
As the Tories threaten to bring back hunting with dogs, Dave has launched a petition to Parliament to reject this.
The petition calls for greater and more rigorous enforcement of the current ban. You can read and sign the petition on this website.

UK should go for carbon capture 'big time'

28 Jan 2010
Dave has argued the case for Carbon capture and Storage in a detailed speech in the Commons.
He made the point that not just the storage but the transport of captured emissions was vital to any scheme. A major reason why the UK should go all out for CCS is to give the UK energy security. Only ten percent of the coal in Britain has yet been extracted. Dave highlighted the role the North-East is playing in clean energy development.

New home scheme for soldiers

28 Jan 2010
A new £20 million Home Ownership Pilot Scheme for members of the armed forces has been launched by the government and backed by Dave.
Dave, who is Parliamentary Private Secretary at the MOD, said we owe members of our armed forces a great deal for their bravery in protecting our country. Personnel will be allowed to purchase properties anywhere in England to meet the needs of a mobile workforce.

Integrated education in Northern Ireland

28 Jan 2010
Dave has tabled a Commons motion calling for Catholic and Protestant children to be educated together in Northern Ireland.
He points out the divide between the communities and that only 6% of children are in integrated schools.

Good news for dairy

27 Jan 2010
The news that Blaydon Dairy is to reopen has been applauded by local MP Dave Anderson.
Dave, who battled to save the old DFB Dairy, said it is great news for local workers and the economy that Medina Dairies Ltd, the largest independent dairy business in the UK, has bought the dairy.

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