Subject: News

 Bulletin  from  Greg  Hands  M.P.  #298

Date: Friday,  13  May  2011  13:45:20  United  Kingdom  Time
From: Greg  Hands  M.P.
To: news@greghands.com

In this edition: Issue 298 – Friday 13 th May 2011

Greg Hands M.P.’s Diary

Since the last edition, Greg:
Website of the Week:
Adam Smith Institute
Hands publishes
Annual Report
Carnwath Road too
small for super-sewer
Hands: Labour’s denial
on Immigration
New K&C primary school
on Warwick Road will be
an academy
H&F Council funds
breaks for disabled children
Ending heart surgery at
Royal Brompton risks
children’s lives, says
Hospital
Free polo tickets
available
Hands in the papers:
M.P.’s column
Hands in the papers:
Greg Hands tells the
Austrian press that the first
year of the UK Coalition
has been a success
How to contact
Greg Hands M.P.
· Chaired a meeting in the House of Commons to give M.P.s
more information about Thames Water’s controversial plans
for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, at a cost of £3.6bn, which
will be paid for by all Thames Water sewerage customers at
around £60 per annum for many years. Speakers included
Thames Water and H&F Council Leader, Stephen
Greenhalgh.
· Was guest speaker at the Patrons Dinner of the Adam
Smith Institute (ASI). The ASI is one of Britain’s leading
free market think tanks.
· Met disabled constituents from both Chelsea and Fulham
at a parliamentary rally to discuss issues facing disabled
people.
· Welcomed senior Councillors and officers from the Royal
Borough of Kensington & Chelsea to discuss the impact of
changes in Housing Benefit on the local private rented
sector.
· Attended with the Chancellor of the Exchequer a meeting of
the Cornerstone Group of M.P.s to hear the Chancellor’s
views on the need to bring order to Britain’s public finances.
· Met Sainsburys and local residents on site to discuss their
controversial new store on Fulham Road, at the junction of
Landridge Road, SW6.
· Welcomed members of the Serbian City Circle to the
Commons to discuss measures to improve UK – Serbia
relations.
· Met Thames Water separately to discuss their disastrous
plans for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, or “Super Sewer”,
which will devastate south Fulham. For more, see below.
· Welcomed local military historian and former Falklands
commander Major General Julian Thompson to the
Commons to discuss current operations in Libya.
· Welcomed senior executives from Total, the French energy
company, to the Commons to discuss energy taxation.
· Ran a surgery for residents of Chelsea and Fulham at
Fulham Town Hall. Greg’s surgeries are generally every
Monday, at either Fulham Town Hall or Peter Jones, Sloane
Square. To make an appointment, call 020 7219 5448 or
reply to this bulletin.

Website of the Week:

www.adamsmith.org
The website of the Adam Smith Institute, one of Britain’s
leading free market think tanks. Greg was their guest
speaker at their patrons dinner this week.

Hands publishes Annual Report

This week Greg Hands M.P. has published his Annual Report.

The report – produced at no cost to the taxpayer – is being delivered

to all Chelsea & Fulham households over the next few days
and details what Greg has been up to as your local MP both in the
House of Commons and around and about in Chelsea & Fulham.

Commenting, Greg said, “It is important that M.P.s are accountable

to residents and this Annual Report, along with my new website and
this email newsletter, explains what I am doing on your behalf.”

You can also read the Annual Report online by clicking here.

Carnwath Road too small for

super-sewer
The south Fulham riverside site that Thames Water has earmarked
to build part of its controversial super sewer is too small – by the
company’s own admission.

Thames Water bosses want to use land next to Carnwath Road as

the main ‘drive site’ for their £3.6billion 20-mile long sewer. But the
water utility’s own site selection documents specify that any area
under consideration should be at least 190,000 sq ft so it can be
used for ‘core’ and ‘ancillary’ activities – which means Carnwath
Road is around 40,000 sq ft too small. However, the water company
also says that if a 190,000 sq ft site cannot be found it might try to
find additional sites in other parts of south Fulham.

The bombshell comes as Fulham residents mobilise against the

super sewer – also known as the Thames Tunnel – by forming
action group RATS (Residents Against Thames Sewer).

Cllr Nick Botterill, Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council Deputy

Leader, says: “Thames Water has not done their homework on
Carnwath Road as, by their own admission, it is too small to
accommodate all of the works they want to do on one site.

“The last thing we need in our tightly packed residential area is

multiple sites under threat so we are now calling on Thames Water
to see sense and formally rule out the whole of south Fulham for any
major super sewer works once and for all.”

Water company chiefs believe that Hurlingham and Whiffin Wharves

as well as the Carnwath Road Business Park could be suitable for a
24-hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week construction compound. The
mammoth construction project is expected to take at least seven
years to complete and needs a large area of open land to get heavy
drilling equipment into the ground and to excavate waste from the
tunnel.

Alex Schniewind, who lives in Beltran Road and speaks on behalf of

RATS, says: “We can’t let big business dictate a decision that will
harm our health, our quality of life and our property values – all paid
for from our own pockets with absolutely no chance to have our
voices heard. We stand to gain nothing from this debacle but a
decade of disruption from a major construction site that is a stone’s
throw from eight schools and nurseries, local parks, and people’s
homes; not to mention the decades beyond when our landscape will
be blighted by a venting column spewing noxious gases.”

It is understood that even if the riverside walkway, next to the

Carnwath Road sites, was included in Thames Water’s calculations
the site would still be around 20,000 sq ft, or about the size of the
grassy area inside an Olympic running track, too small. The council
has also indicated that the Thames river walk – including the path
that splits the business park from the wharves – is part of the public
highway. The council is steadfast that it will block any attempt by the
water company to occupy any parts of the borough’s highway.

At a public meeting in April Thames Water defended their tunnel,

which would be bigger than the Channel Tunnel, by saying it is
designed to increase the capacity of London's Victorian sewage
system and reduce the amount of sewage spilling into the river after
heavy rainfall. However Thames Water’s Phil Stride admitted: “We
don’t know much about the Carnwath Road site and we have not
done a thorough analysis in the past three weeks.”

At the packed public meeting residents raised a series of concerns

about the selection of Carnwath Road including:
The stench that will be created from gases caused by raw
sewage in a densely populated residential area next to five
local schools
The clogging up of already congested residential streets with
lorries
The £3.6billion cost of the scheme that has more than
doubled since 2002
The disruption to local homes caused by noisy and dusty
construction work
The loss of new homes and jobs on the riverside
The lack of consultation on this site with local people
Water rates spiralling by at least £65 per year to pay for the
scheme
The 50 ft high stink pipe to let off sewer vapours that will be a
permanent legacy of the scheme.

Dymock Street resident, Nicky Pateman – who is also a member of

RATS, says: “If there is only one local issue that you should do
something about this year, it’s stopping the Thames super sewer.
Thames Water must listen to the people of South Fulham and the
people of South Fulham must speak up. It is critical that every
person sign the petition against the Thames sewer in south Fulham.
And if residents want to do more, they should contact RATS to see
what else they can do in the next few months to be sure South
Fulham doesn’t become a sewage drain.”

Cllr Nick Botterill concluded: “Carnwath Road is a tightly packed

residential area and it would be a disaster if Thames Water tried to
squeeze in masses of heavy machinery into a small site next to a
narrow, congested road next to riverside homes. There must be
alternative sites away from this area and it remains our view that the
main construction compound can only be accommodated in an open
area well away from residents’ homes and businesses.”

Thames Water will launch the second phase of their consultation

later this year.

More than 3,300 people have signed a petition questioning the

merits of Thames Water’s super-sewer. The petition was originally
launched in 2008 but has now been updated to focus on the specific
risks to sites in the borough. Visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/sewerpetition.

To find out more about RATS email:

RATSinSouthFulham@gmail.com.

The next RATS meeting takes place on Wednesday 11 May at

6.30pm at The Parson’s Green Sports & Social Club.

Hands: Labour’s denial on Immigration

Greg Hands MP was surprised to hear Labour leader Ed Miliband
admit that he would still like to see more immigration into the UK.
Even though under Labour immigration rocketed (with net migration
at a record 2.2 million people – twice the population of Birmingham)
the Labour leader refused to admit that the last government had let
too many people into the country.

In an interview last week, Ed Miliband:

· Denied that net migration was too high under Labour.
· Denied that immigration needs to be reduced now.
· Denied that Government plans to reduce net migration down
to sustainable levels in the tens not hundreds of thousands
a year should be supported.

These denials confirm that Labour still aren’t being straight with
people on immigration. And there are other examples:
· Last month, the Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper,
tried to claim that Labour had reduced migration – when the
12 months before June 2010 actually saw record levels of
net migration.
· A few weeks ago, Ed Miliband’s former speech writer, Lord
Glasman, said that ‘Labour lied to people about the extent of
immigration’ – but Ed Miliband refuses to admit this.
· Ed Miliband has also attacked the Government’s cap on
economic migration, calling it a ‘very dubious thing’ – even
though it is backed by more than 4 in 5 people including two
thirds of Labour voters.

The Coalition Government is committed to controlling immigration.

The Government aims to reduce net migration down from the
hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands a year. This will be
achieved by:
· Capping economic migration from outside the EU.
· Reforming the largest route, the student visa system, and
clamping down on widespread abuses – student visa
numbers are expected to fall by up to 80,000 or a quarter of
the current total.
· Breaking the link between temporary visa routes and
permanent settlement, and addressing the family visa route.

Greg Hands MP said: “Labour aren’t just in denial about debt, they
are also in denial on immigration –refusing to admit that levels of
migration have been too high. They are also refusing to back the
immigration cap and the reforms to student visas.

“Only the Government is committed to bringing down net migration

back to the levels of the 1990s – the tens of thousands not the
hundreds of thousands”.

New K&C primary school on Warwick

Road will be an academy
 
The new primary school planned for Warwick Road will be an
academy, following a decision by the Royal Borough of Kensington
and Chelsea's Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday 5 th May.

As well as agreeing to apply to the Department for Education for

academy status the Cabinet agreed to begin the process of seeking
a sponsor for the school.

The borough is known for its fine primary schools, which inevitably
means that they are oversubscribed. The Council's plans for new
housing developments in the Warwick Road area will mean even
more parents applying for places in Royal Borough primary schools
and, therefore, a new school will be required to help meet demand.

Outline planning permission for the school has been approved.

Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, K&C Cabinet Member for Education,

said: "This decision paves the way for a much needed new primary
school. We will now begin the process, along with the Department
for Education, to seek a suitable lead sponsor for the school."

K&C Council hopes that it will be possible to open the new school by
September 2014.

H&F Council funds breaks for

disabled children
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has agreed to spend an extra
£270,000 on a scheme that pays for disabled children and their
families to take a short holiday or receive respite care.

The short breaks scheme gives parents and carers of severely

disabled children, who need direct and constant one-to-one support,
the chance to get some time to themselves.

The £2.5m scheme will benefit up to 500 children and their families
in H&F, and ranges from support for a few hours in the family home
to respite care overnight. Parents can also choose to take a direct
payment from the council which they use to buy their own short
break, specialist play provision or specialist support.

Cllr Helen Binmore, cabinet member for children’s services, said:

"This service is a lifeline for so many families. It is essential that our
parents, who are dedicated full-time carers, get the chance to look
after themselves as well as the other members of their family.

"Every child and every family is different, and this important service
gives parents the choice to decide what support they receive and
how, so that it best suits the whole family."

"This is our small way of saying to parents and families of disabled

children that we understand how important it is to take a break and
take some time out."

Ending heart surgery at Royal

Brompton risks children’s lives,
says Hospital
All children’s services threatened with
closure at world leading hospital
The proposal to axe children’s heart surgery at the Royal Brompton
will put children's lives at risk, according to the patients’ charity The
Brompton Fountain, which has launched a campaign to save the
hospital’s children’s heart surgery unit.

The charity says shutting the children’s heart unit defies medical
logic and is not supported by the facts and figures in the review that
makes the closure recommendation. They highlight three key facts:

· Royal Brompton is a world renowned centre of excellence -

with four specialist surgeons carrying out around 450
children’s heart operations a year.

· Removing heart surgery will lead to the closure of all

children’s services at the hospital – including the world
leading Cystic Fibrosis centre. These units depend on each
other; lose one and the rest will follow.

· The closure will lead to an unprecedented surge in patients

at London’s two remaining specialist units, taking them over
what is considered the safe threshold for cases.

The charity says that analysis of figures in the review shows a clear
cut case for keeping all three specialist children’s heart surgery units
in London, which will save lives, safeguard medical expertise and
save money.

Royal Brompton’s children’s heart unit is threatened with closure

following the publication in February of a review of children’s heart
services in England - Safe and Sustainable.

Dr Geoff Baldwin of the Brompton Fountain said, “The Royal

Brompton is recognised around the world as a centre of excellence
delivering the very highest standards of care to sick children and
support to parents. More to the point, it is one of only two centres
nationally that meets all of the standards for excellence laid down by
the review.

“It beggars belief it has been earmarked for closure. It is bizarre that
a review designed to improve children’s heart surgery should
propose closing one of the leading centres in the UK, if not the
world.

“The review also ignores the knock-on effects of closure. Each part
of the hospital is dependent on another. Closing children’s heart
surgery will inevitably lead to the closure of all children’s services at
the hospital – including the world renowned Cystic Fibrosis unit. You
can’t remove one brick from the wall without weakening the whole
structure.

“This closure would leave the two remaining specialist centres in

London stretched to breaking point. Closing Royal Brompton will lead
to a huge surge in demand and will take their case load over the
safe threshold. We consider this to be an unnecessary gamble with
children’s lives. The solution is simple. There is a clear cut case for
retaining three specialist centres in London.”

The review proposes closing a total of up to five units around the UK

and that the three centres currently specialising in children’s heart
surgery in London – Great Ormond St, Royal Brompton and Evelina
Children’s Hospital – should be reduced to two – Great Ormond St
and Evelina Children’s Hospital.

The review states that in order to reach the necessary standards of

excellence any unit should be undertaking a minimum of 400 heart
operations a year and ideally 500. Anything under 400 or over 800 is
considered to equate to a higher risk to patients.

The charity points out that reducing the number of London centres to
two would mean each having to undertake more than the review
identified as the upper safe threshold of 800 cases a year. They also
highlight the fact that it would mean Evelina Children’s Hospital
having to more than double its current case load of 337 cases.
According to analysis by the charity of the figures in the review,
retaining three centres in London would mean each one undertaking
around 500, which the review said was the ideal number.

The charity also say the review shows the additional investment
required to make such a change would result in additional costs to
the NHS of over £19 million.

Free polo tickets available

Residents who want to be a part of the action when a world class
polo event returns to Fulham can now apply for free tickets.

The third ever ‘MINT Polo in the Park’ takes place from Friday June
3 to Sunday June 5 and will see some of the world’s leading polo
players charging around Hurlingham Park, on horseback. Last year’s
event saw 29,000 people enjoy unrivalled, exciting equine action,
complete with entertainment and hospitality and this year’s
competition will be even better.

As part of the deal for this year’s competition, and to mark the
forthcoming London 2012 Olympics, the council has 2,012 tickets to
hand out for free to local residents.

To be included in the free ticket ballot, simply log onto

www.lbhf.gov.uk/polo and fill in the online form.

Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said: “Polo in

the Park is hugely popular with local residents who enjoy seeing
such a high-profile event taking place on their doorstep. Make sure
that you apply for your free tickets so that you can be a part of the
action.”

Last year’s competition was also voted the best sporting event in the
capital after being named Sport Attraction of the Year at the
prestigious London Lifestyle Award.

Once again, grandstands will be temporarily erected in Hurlingham

Park for the event so that spectators, including polo enthusiasts and
those new to the sport, can watch the action over the three day
period.

The first two polo events saw the council negotiate a raft of
improvements from the organisers. These included improved quality
pitches and sports equipment for schools and groups using the park.

This year, the organisers will be improving irrigation in the park. An

enhanced maintenance and reinstatement ground works programme
will also take place pre and post event which includes reducing
ground compaction, seeding and fertilisation.

There will also be a programme of discover polo days and a

competition for Borough school children to learn about the sport and
the polo heritage of Hurlingham Park.

To apply for tickets visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/polo.

Hands in the papers:

M.P.’s column
Greg Hands M.P., Hammersmith & Fulham Chronicle
Friday 13 th May 2011

As M.P. for Chelsea and Fulham, there is never a dull moment!

This week, my “official business” included debating the Finance Bill,

asking David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions to join me in
praising Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and
Westminster Councils in saving £35 million by combining services in
areas like libraries and senior salaried positions across the board,
and asking at Transport Questions how we can more strongly
oppose the RMT’s 6 days of tube strikes and also improve the
quality of the passenger experience at Heathrow.

In addition to my duties in the House, there is always a chance to

welcome local people and groups to Parliament and to engage
myself in local initiatives in both Fulham and in Chelsea. Visiting me
in the Commons was Chelsea Pensioner and World War Two
veteran Sgt Stan Pepper, who had some enthralling stories to tell
from past and present. It is a great honour to be the M.P. for the
Royal Hospital, home of the Chelsea Pensioners. On Saturday, I
visited the first anniversary tin collection of the Hammersmith &
Fulham Foodbank, an excellent charity which collects food to help
families in crisis, working with H&F Council. On Sunday, I attended
All Saints Church, Fulham, where Father Joe Hawes led us in a
service to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the King James
Bible, and its great gifts to the English language and to Christianity.

Oh, and I shouldn’t forget, in both Boroughs, we won a thumping

majority against changing our voting system, in voting No to AV!

Hands in the papers:

Greg Hands tells the Austrian
press that the first year of the
UK Coalition has been a success
Wednesday 11 th May 2011

Tory-Abgeordneter Hands: Erstes Jahr der Koalition war großer

Erfolg

Utl.: "Beide Parteien können zentrale Teile ihrer Programme

umsetzen"
- Vorgezogene Neuwahlen "extrem unwahrscheinlich" =

London (APA) - Die Bilanz des konservativen britischen

Abgeordneten Greg Hands nach knapp einem Jahr
Regierungszusammenarbeit mit den Liberaldemokraten fällt positiv
aus: "Ich denke, es war ein sehr gutes Jahr für die Koalition.
Niemand hätte vorhersagen können, wie gut es funktionieren würde",
so Hands im Gespräch mit der APA. "Ich glaube, es war ein großer
Erfolg, nicht ein hundertprozentiger Erfolg, aber ein großer Erfolg."

Das Wichtigste sei gewesen, die wirtschaftlichen Probleme

Großbritanniens in den Griff zu bekommen, was durch ein "klares
Programm" - etwa Einsparungen von mehr als sechs Milliarden
Pfund und ein Notbudget - auch geschehen sei. Erfolge sieht der
Parlamentarier aber auch in anderer Hinsicht: "Beide Parteien
können zentrale Teile ihrer Programme umsetzen" - Dinge, die
entweder beiden oder einer der Parteien ein besonderes Anliegen
seien.

Natürlich sei es nicht "perfekt" gelaufen, räumt Hands ein. "Sie

kennen das ja aus der österreichischen Erfahrung: Wenn die beiden
Koalitionsparteien in allem übereinstimmten, wären sie keine
separaten Parteien. Es ist also klar, dass es immer ein paar
Meinungsverschiedenheiten geben wird." Im Vorfeld des
Referendums über eine Wahlrechtsreform, bei dem die
Koalitionspartner entgegengesetzte Standpunkte vertraten, seien die
Spannungen größer als sonst gewesen, sagte der Tory-Politiker in
dem Gespräch, das bereits vor dem Referendum stattfand.

Vorgezogene Neuwahlen seien dennoch "extrem

unwahrscheinlich": "Man muss sich fragen, in wessen Interesse es
wäre, wenn die Koalition zerbrechen würde. Ich denke nicht, dass
eine der beiden Parteien notwendigerweise gleich ihre
Wahlergebnisse aus dem Vorjahr verbessern würde. Und das Risiko
wäre, dass wir am Ende wieder eine Labour-Regierung hätten, was
im Interesse keiner der beiden Parteien wäre." Hinzukomme, dass
das Verhältnis zwischen Premierminister David Cameron und
Vizepremier Nick Clegg sowie zwischen Schatzkanzler George
Osborne und Vizefinanzminister Danny Alexander und generell
zwischen den wichtigsten Führungspersönlichkeiten beider Parteien
"sehr gut" sei.

Auch wenn einige Maßnahmen der Regierung auf Protest

gestoßen sind: Hands ist überzeugt, dass die große Mehrheit der
Briten die Notwendigkeit von Einsparungen sieht. Die Umfragen
würden sich wieder erholen und bei den nächsten Parlamentswahlen
eine Mehrheit für Konservative und Liberaldemokraten ergeben, sagt
Hands. "Ich glaube, am wichtigsten ist es, dass die beiden
Koalitionsparteien zusammenhalten und die Wirtschafts- und
Finanzreformen durchführen, die Großbritannien braucht, und ich bin
überzeugt, dass das geschehen wird."

5 ways to contact Greg Hands M.P.:

By Phone: 020 7219 5448
By email: mail@greghands.com
By post: Greg Hands M.P.
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
In person: Click here for details of how
to book an appointment at
Greg Hands M.P.’s weekly
surgery

www.greghands.com

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