Originally published @ 8:54 am, Thu 8th Jul 2010
I attended a debate on “Child Health in Nottingham” at Westminster Hall on Tuesday, prompted by Nottingham East MP, Christopher Leslie and supported by Graham Allen and Lilian Greenwood. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100706/halltext/100706h0002.htm#10070622000002
Chris' speech reflected the Children and Young People's Plan for Nottingham and the speech was trailed by the Nottingham Post - http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/politics/Child-poverty-real-problem-Nottingham/article-2381392-detail/article.html
The debate was worthwhile since it taking place had required the minister to find some things out, including by phoning Nottingham NHS PCT. His reply is published in the same Hansard report.
The minister clearly recognised the value of “early intervention” - helping families with problems early in a child's life, to minimise the problems later on.
The minister also said that the latest figures he had on Nottingham children’s dental health was positive than the figures we’ve been supplied with. “the latest figures show a slightly different and hopefully better picture. They suggest that five-year-olds in the Nottingham city area have, on average, 1.73 decayed, missing or filled teeth. That places the city's PCT as the 31st worst performer on that indicator, whereas it was the second worst the last time such figures were published.”
As I met the Nottingham MPs outside, conversation soon turned to the Government announcement on Monday that over 700 schools will not now be renewed as was planned. The list of schools affected however has had to be re-issued -
and it’s possible that given the criteria for stopping projects, there may be some kind of scope for appealing.
Michael Gove has since been required to attend the Commons to apologise both for the foul-up in the lists and in informing the media before Parliament.
And then the Chair of the new apparently independent Office for Budget Responsibility, had resigned apparently because David Cameron had used new information being produced by them early.
Tempting to say therefore that the Con/Dems are to be condemned for incompetence.
Perhaps even tempting to say that cuts in public services can't be done.
But the big story remains - these cut backs are not necessary, the projects and services could have been financed, Labour's measured programme for reducing the annual deficit was credible (as the OBR has recently said), and that
the Con/Dems have put assurance to the interests of the rich who gain most from capital and the money markets ahead of the interests of people (keeping them in jobs, keeping them in homes, helping them when they need most help).
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