news bulletin from aidan burley mp #84

From: Aidan Burley MP news@aidanburleymp.orgSubject: News Bulletin from Aidan Burley MP #84

Date: 10 July 2014 10:56To: news@aidanburleymp.org

In this edition: Aidan Burley MPs Diary Aidan in Parliament:Aidan Burley asks whatHome Office does to"reintegrate those whohave strayed [intoextremism] back into theircommunities" Photo news:Grand Opening of EurofitAutoCentre, Cannock MP urges holiday makersnot to travel uninsured Photo news:Gorsemoor Primary SchoolYear 6 pupils visit Aidan atWestminster Conservtives helpinghardworking people to finda home in Cannock Chase Photo news:Freedom of the Districtgranted to the MercianRegiment and StaffordshireRegimental Association Burley encourages peoplein Cannock Chase to savemoney on householdenergy bills More jobs means moresecurity for people whowant to work hard and geton in Cannock Chase Aidan welcomes new cashfor potholes in CannockChase Aidan in Parliament:Aidan speaks in FinanceBill Debate Photo news:Parliamentary Boat Race MP welcomes savingsboost in Cannock Chase Aidan in the papers:Town has designs on outletvillage Aidan in the papers:Queens Speech hailed byMP Burley How to contact Aidan Burley MP

Issue 84 - Thursday 10th July 2014

Since the last edition, Aidan has:

Officially opened a new state of the art Eurofit Autocentreworkshop on Longford Road in Bridgtown.Chaired the sixth Chase Line Stakeholder Meeting to discussthe main issues affecting the Chase Line rail service. Amongissues discussed included updates on electrification, thelinespeed upgrade and car parking at Rugeley Trent Valleystation.Spoken with Andrew Donald, Chief Officer of Cannock ChaseClinical Commissioning Group to push the case for animproved Minor Injuries Unit at Cannock Hospital.Welcomed news that APC Overnight is to create 140 newpermanent jobs at its Headquarters in Cannock.Attended the Freedom March in Cannock to celebrate theHonour of the award of Freedom of the District, which wasgranted to both the Mercian Regiment and StaffordshireRegimental Association for their services associated with theDistrict.Welcome students from Gorsemoor Primary School inCannock to Parliament.Met with Giles Membrey, Managing Director of RiojaDevelopments to get an update on the proposed designeroutlet village at Mill Green in Cannock. You can find out moreabout the development at www.millgreenoutletvillage.co.uk. Spoken in the Finance Bill debate in the House of Commonsabout accelerated payment of tax and avoidance cases.Attended 3 Delegated Legislation Committees to discussissues including the draft Copyright and Rights inPerformances (Personal Copies for Private Use) Regulations2014 and the draft Copyright and Rights in Performances(Quotation and Parody) Regulations 2014.Questioned the Secretary of State for Education on what stepshe is taking to improve access to swimming lessons forschoolchildren.*Questioned the Minister for the Cabinet Office on theproportion of women in Cannock Chase in work in each ofthe last five years.*Questioned the Secretary of State for Justice on what steps heis taking to address any growth of a compensation culture inthe UK.*Questioned the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions onhow much is spent on housing benefit in Cannock Chase andStaffordshire.*Took part in the eighth Parliamentary Boat Race between theHouse of Commons and House of Lords.Questioned the Home Secretary on reintegrating those whohave strayed into extremism back into their communities.

*You can view the answers to Aidans questions to Ministers here.

!Aidan in Parliament:Aidan Burley asks what Home Office doesto "reintegrate those who have strayed[into extremism] back into theircommunities" Monday 9th June 2014

Click on the image above to watch Aidan's question to the HomeSecretary.

The full exchange was as follows: Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase, Conservative): Integration is notjust about preventing young people from engaging in extremism; it isalso about reintegrating them into their communities when they havebeen radicalised. What steps is my right hon. Friends Departmenttaking to reintegrate people who have strayed in that way? Theresa May (The Secretary of State for the Home Department;Maidenhead, Conservative): Within the Prevent strategy is theimportant Channel strand which works with people who are perhaps atrisk of being radicalisedwho are particularly vulnerableto helpensure that they do not move down that path of radicalisation. Ofcourse we also work with the National Offender Management Serviceon dealing with people who have been prosecuted and imprisonedunder the terrorism legislation when they return to their communities.

!Photo news:Grand Opening of Eurofit AutoCentre,Cannock

Aidan Burley MP officially opening the new Eurofit AutoCentre inCannock.

MP urges holiday makers not to traveluninsured Aidan today warned his constituentsabout the dangers of travellinguninsured as research from ABTA TheTravel Association revealed that 14% ofpeople in the West Midlands travelabroad uninsured. In support of acampaign by ABTA The Travel Association and the Foreign andCommonwealth Office (FCO), Aidan is urging holidaymakers inCannock Chase to be prepared for their travels abroad and ensurethey are properly covered. Travelling abroad uninsured can cost thousands if a trip goes wrong,yet according to new research by ABTA the Travel Association eightout of ten (80%) of people from the West Midlands who traveluninsured don't think it is necessary to take out insurance when theytravel overseas, often leaving their families to pick up the pieces. 11% of people also think that a European Health Insurance Card(EHIC) acts as a full insurance policy when abroad. However, an EHIConly provides access to state medical care in the European EconomicArea and does not cover other costs such as bringing the individualback to the UK. Worryingly 1 in 10 of people surveyed wrongly presumed that all oftheir treatment costs would be covered by the UK Government if theyhad an accident or fell ill while abroad. In reality it is the holidaymaker or their family who will pick up the bill ifthey are not covered, and this can range from 500 to treat a sprainedankle in a popular holiday resort like Corfu, 15-20,000 for ascheduled flight, stretcher and medical escort from Australia and40,000 to treat a broken leg in the USA. Serious injuries can alsolead to bills of thousands of pounds which can rapidly escalate to verysubstantial sums and this is before the added cost of relatives flyingout and staying in-destination to accompany a loved one. Commenting Aidan said: "We all look forward to our summer holiday.However, medical costs arising from uninsured accidents abroad canbe very significant indeed. In addition to the worry over a sick orinjured relative, it is often families who are presented with the bills, andthe added stress of covering these. It is very important to make surethat when you do travel overseas, you are covered if something goeswrong. It is just not worth taking the risk. Travel insurance really is atravel essential, which is why I am very happy to support thiscampaign and would urge all my constituents to take out travelinsurance if they are planning to travel abroad this summer." ABTA has an advice section on travel insurance for consumers. Visitwww.abta.com/travelinsurance for full details.

!Photo news:Gorsemoor Primary School Year 6 pupilsvisit Aidan at Westminster

Aidan Burley MP with year 6 pupils from Gorsemoor PrimarySchool during their recent trip to the House of Commons.

Conservtives helping hardworking peopleto find a home in Cannock Chase

Chase MP Aidan Burley has welcomedfigures showing that the Conservatives aredelivering new affordable homes and helpinghardworking people to get on the housingladder in Cannock Chase. In Cannock Chase, 410 new affordablehomes have been delivered since 2010 and102 people have been able to buy their ownhome thanks to Help to Buy, giving morefamilies the opportunity to move into a goodquality, affordable home and plan for theirfuture. Nearly 200,000 new affordable homes havenow been delivered across the country since2010 while Help to Buy has enabled over27,000 people to buy their own home and,

thanks to the Conservatives long-term economic plan, Britain is nowbuilding more homes than at any time since 2007. Commenting Aidan said: Labour cut the number of social homes torent and their Great Recession led to a collapse in house buildingmeaning thousands of families could not find a home they could afford. Thats why the Conservatives, as part of our long-term economic plan,took action to get Britain building again and launched Help to Buy somore people could get on the housing ladder. Thanks to these policies,over 400 new affordable homes have now been delivered and 102people have been able to buy their own home in Cannock Chase. Our long-term economic plan is helping people to find a good quality,affordable home where they can raise a family, contribute to theircommunities and enjoy greater financial security.

!Photo news:Freedom of the District granted to theMercian Regiment and StaffordshireRegimental Association

Aidan Burley MP with two officers from the Mercian Regiment atthe celebrations to mark the Freedom of the District beinggranted to both the Mercian Regiment and Staffordshire

Regimental Association.

Burley encourages people in CannockChase to save money on household energybills Aidan is encouraging constituents inCannock Chase to take up energyefficiency improvements on their homewith the Green Deal to save money ontheir energy bills. Households carrying out energyefficiency improvements on their homecan now get more money back to offset the cost of having the workdone. The new Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) hasalready issued 16.5 million in the first three weeks and, with summerhere, now is the perfect time to have measures installed before thewinter. Under the new incentive scheme, domestic energy customers can get:

up to 1000 for installing two measures from an approved list; and/or up to 6000 for installing solid wall insulation; and up to 100 refunded for their Green Deal Assessment.

The scheme also entitles those who have bought a property in the 12months prior to application to qualify for up to an additional 500 if theycarry out energy efficiency improvements. The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund also applies to private orsocial landlords, who can benefit if they undertake to improve theproperty and are paying the costs themselves. Commenting Aidan said: "I am very pleased that people acrossEngland and Wales are now able to get up to 7,600 back through thenew Green Deal Home Improvement Fund so they can take control oftheir bills and have warmer, greener homes. "The average annual bill saving from installing major measures suchas solid wall insulation in a three-bed semi-detached house is 270,while savings from other measures, such as upgrading a boiler, canknock around 100 off a customer's bill in Cannock Chase. "I would strongly encourage people to call the Energy Saving AdviceService (ESAS) on 0300 123 1234 or visit www.gov.uk/greendeal tofind out how much they can save." In December the Government announced a 540 million three yearenergy efficiency package to make Britain's homes and publicbuildings more energy efficient.

More jobs means more security for peoplewho want to work hard and get on inCannock Chase Chase MP Aidan Burley has welcomed new figures showing that thenumber of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in Cannock Chasehas fallen by 722 over the last year, with employment up overall in theWest Midlands by 81,000 since 2010. Since the election the number of people claiming unemploymentbenefit in Cannock Chase has fallen by 1,273. Commenting Aidan said: I welcome the fact that there are now 722fewer people on JSA in Cannock Chase than this time last year. Thats722 people with a more secure, brighter future ahead of them. With the economy now recovering from the Great Recession, andbusinesses across Staffordshire creating jobs, its clear theConservatives long-term economic plan is working. We need to keepworking through the plan, which is delivering growth and jobs, so thatmore people in Cannock Chase who want to work hard and get on canhave the security of a regular pay packet they can bring home to theirfamilies.

Aidan welcomes new cash for potholes inCannock Chase

Aidan has welcomed the announcementof 4,578,155 of new funding inStaffordshire to tackle potholes. In total, 6,709,440 of additional fundingfor Staffordshire has been announcedfor this year, on top of the annual roadsmaintenance budget. Over three million potholes will be filledin across England with funding from the168 million Pothole Fund, announcedin the 2014 Budget. This is part of morethan 24 billion which will be spent onEngland's roads between 2010 and2021 the biggest investment in ourroads since the 1970s.

Commenting Aidan said: "This is great news for everybody who usesthe roads in Cannock Chase. "4,578,155 of new funding will go a long way to dealing with themenace of potholes and ridding them from our roads. "Investing in Britain's roads and infrastructure is a key part of theConservatives' long-term economic plan to secure a better future forBritain and this is just one part of that. By fixing Britain's roads theConservatives are supporting local businesses, and making life that biteasier for the hardworking people in Cannock Chase who rely on themto get around."

Aidan in Parliament:Aidan speaks in Finance Bill Debate!Wednesday 2nd July 2014

Click on the image above to watch Aidan's speech and theMinister's response.

The full exchange was as follows: Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase, Conservative): I have a couple ofquestions for the Minister about the accelerated payment of tax andavoidance cases. I have written to him about this and received a letterfrom him, and also met him subsequently. Others have mentioned thisissue, which has caused a lot of concern, especially within theaccounting community. Many of my constituents who are accountantsand who run businesses have written to me and met me to voice theirconcern about what they believe is retrospective legislation, with noright of independent appeal. I hope the Minister will be able toreassure my constituents and those of other Members. The first question is about the oft-quoted 80% success rate in taxavoidance cases tried at court. The Minister has quoted that statistic,and HMRC has quoted similar figures, but we have yet to discover thesource of that statistic, nor do we have a list of the cases on which it isbased. Many of those who have contacted me feel that the figure isunsubstantiated. Will the Minister tell us the source of that 80%success rate statistic? Secondly, there is a strong view that this law is being implementedretrospectively, with no right of independent appeal. I know theMinister has said it is not retrospective legislation, but he knows thatthat opinion is not shared by the accountancy profession, the legalprofession, the CBI or even the Treasury Select Committee. Will hecomment on that? It is predicted that the legislation will result in some 150,000redundancies, and the loss of future tax revenues from companiesgoing to the wall, including some in my constituency, is estimated to be50 billion, all to collect a mere 4 billion in unpaid revenues over thenext five years. That seems to me to be a very bad bang for your buck.Does the Minister believe it is worth such loss and unemployment? David Gauke (The Exchequer Secretary; South WestHertfordshire, Conservative): To answer the question from my hon.Friend the Member for Cannock Chase about the follower notices,there is no appeal against the requirement to pay the acceleratedpayment. That would simply substitute one dispute over the substanceof the scheme for another. HMRC is not making a decision aboutwhether the avoidance scheme works, which would have full rights ofappeal, and the rules do not change that situation; rather, therequirement imposed on the taxpayer relates solely to the timing of thepayment. If payment of the tax is a problem because the taxpayercannot afford the full amount immediately, HMRC will use its normalapproaches, including appropriate payment arrangements. The source for the HMRC success rate of 80% is the list of tribunaland court decisions. Those decisions are all published and people canread for themselves HMRCs continued success in these cases.

!Photo news:Parliamentary Boat Race

Aidan Burley MP taking part in the eighth Parliamentary BoatRace on 12 June.

Aidan Burley MP with fellow members of the House of CommonsBoat Race team.

MP welcomes savings boost in CannockChase

Aidan has welcomed radical changes tosavings which have come into force. From 1 July 2014, millions of saversacross the country are able to savethree times as much money in theirISAs. As part of the New ISA, the cashlimit has gone up from 5,760 in 2013-14 to 15,000 in 2014-15.

The overall New ISA limit is 15,000 and this full amount can be heldin either a cash ISA, a stocks and shares ISA, or any combination ofthe two. The New ISA will give savers complete flexibility over how to save andinvest allowing the transfer of savings previously held in a stocks andshares ISA to a cash ISA without losing the tax-advantage. Over 23 million adults have ISAs, and over 5 million people reach theircash limit every year. In the West Midlands, 1,948,000 people have anISA. 513,000 people in the West Midlands have already reached theISA limit and could benefit immediately from the increased limit. At the same time, the annual subscription limits for Child Trust Funds(CTFs) and Junior ISAs will be increased to 4,000 to let families savemore for their children in a tax-advantaged way. Commenting Aidan said: "These changes are about supporting saversat every stage whether that's saving for a home, saving for yourfamily or saving for retirement."

Aidan in the papers:Town has designs on outlet village Laura Blyth, Express & StarFriday 13th June 2014 A multi-million pounddesigner outlet village, withmore than 100 shops,restaurants and a cinemacould be built in Cannock, under new plans unveiled today. The development would create 800 jobs and has being labelled aonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the town. A total of 130 shops expected to include big High Street names suchas Superdry, Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren would form thedevelopment, which has been ear- marked for land off Lichfield Roadnext to Mill Green Nature Reserve. The plans also feature a handful of restaurants, a cinema and a 2,000-space car park. Cannock Chase Council leader George Adamson saidtoday: "This is fantastic news for Cannock. We have worked reallyhard on this over the past 18 months. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the town. It shouldcomplement what we already have in the town centre and it's bringingbetween 600 and 800 jobs as well." Biggest Meanwhile, economic development chief Councillor Gordon Alcottsaid: "I've been dealing with this now for the past two years. "There is now light at the end of the tunnel. This will be the biggestthing Cannock has had for a good number of years. "It will also create around 1,000 construction jobs as well. It will be amassive boost to the economy as it will attract people from all over intoCannock and also into the town centre." The district council-owned piece of land has stood empty for the past25 years. Bosses behind the proposed 307,000sq ft development say it wouldrival the likes of Bicester Village in Oxford and Cheshire Oaks. Rioja Developments and Development Securities PLC are workingtogether on the project. Giles Membrey, managing director of Rioja Developments, said it wasan 'exciting' opportunity for the town and shoppers. He added: "We are keen to consult key stakeholders and the localcommunity in the coming weeks before we submit a planningapplication late in 2014. If approved, the development could be openfor trade by spring 2017." Cannock Chase MP Aidan Burley said: "This is very good news forinward investment in Cannock Chase. "It will bring huge numbers of jobs to the area and most importantly willattract visitors to Cannock for shopping. "With them they will bring money into our area, which will lead to morebusinesses being attracted to set up in Cannock, in turn creating morejobs. "It's really significant news in terms of the local economy, and very verypositive news in- deed." Councillor Adamson added: "We've held very productive discussions with Development Securities and Rioja Developments with regards to delivering adesigner outlet village at Mill Green. "The council-owned site has enormous potential due to its strategiclocation and our hopes are that the development can create a new,unique retail destination for the region providing a substantialeconomic boost to the area and putting Cannock Chase firmly on themap. "We hope that extending the range of shop- ping to include designeroutlet stores will complement our existing town centres to the benefit ofall. We'll now be working with the developers on a consultationprogramme and look forward to sharing the plans with the localcommunity." Details of a public exhibition on the plans will be announced soonbefore a full planning application is submitted to the council. TheCheshire Oaks park in Ellesmere Port attracts thousands of visitorsfrom across the country every day and has become famed for itsdesigner goods and it is hoped the development in Cannock couldbe just as successful. Developers say there are 'excellent public transport links' that will'provide access from all parts of the region'. Mr Membrey said: "Ourown market research and site searches clearly show that Mill Green isthe best location in the West Midlands for our proposed scheme." It is the latest jobs boost for the district after Amazon announced plansto double the capacity of its base in Rugeley.

Aidan in the papers:Queens Speech hailed by MP Burley The ChronicleThursday 12th June 2014 Cannock Chase MP Aidan Burleyhas hailed the Queens Speech asthe next big step in thisGovernments long-term economic plan to secure a better and brighterfuture for Britain. The speech included plans for giant pooled pension schemes with thepotential to boost chances of a better retirement income. Mr Burley said: The proposed changes to our pensions system willgive local people in Cannock Chase who work hard and do the rightthing more security in their retirement. The current tax rules stifle innovation in the retirement income market,leaving pension savers with very little choice over how to spend orinvest their defined contribution savings. The changes proposed in the Pensions Tax Bill will create a muchmore competitive and dynamic retirement income market. Businesses across Cannock Chase will also benefit from theintroduction of the new Small Business, Enterprise and EmploymentBill which is specifically de- signed to address many of the keyconcerns they have around prompt payment, access to finance andprocurement.!

5 ways to contact Aidan Burley MP:

By Phone: 01543 502 447By email: aidan.burley.mp@parliament.ukBy post: Aidan Burley MP

6 High Green Court, Newhall StreetCannock, WS11 1GR

In person: Click here for details of how tobook an appointment at AidanBurley MPs regular help andadvice surgeries.

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www.aidanburleymp.org

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