The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill has just received its Report Stage debate and Third Reading. 
This was a Bill which when it had its Second Reading gave unprecedented power to Ministers to bypass Parliament and to change virtually any law.
Thank goodness senior Members of the House of Commons spotted this enormous threat to the already restricted powers of Parliament and campaigned for changes. Some changes have been put in to improve the Bill a little but many Members spoke against the Bill and attempted to get further amendments to strengthen the powers of Parliament but these failed to get through. Thus Opposition parties and a small Labour rebellion voted against the Third Reading. 
The Bill now goes to the House of Lords and we will wait with keen interest to see if the Lords are able to strengthen the powers of Parliament against the Executive.

Primary Care Trust mergers have now been announced and despite all of our resistance, the Government through the Strategic Health Authority has rubber stamped the merger of the three PCTs in the County into one. 

It defeats me that elsewhere in the country small PCTs have survived when we were told it was impossible. 

I am investigating this as at first sight there appear to have been political influences on some of the decisions.

At home, I have had two very encouraging visits. 

The first was to the Worcester Samaritans Centre where I learnt that they never close and their eighty volunteers working on a shift system can maintain this service although they would like more volunteers. Most of their contacts are via telephone and increasing by email but they have very few visits. I met some of the leaders and volunteers and was delighted to see that the volunteers come from all age groups which to me is in contrast to many charitable organisations.

On the same day, I had lunch with members of North Worcestershire DIAL and presented certificates to several of their volunteers in recognition of their hard work and dedication. Theirs is a phone service to advise the disabled with information and advice and sometimes practical help in filling in those terrible forms that are the only way of achieving financial aid.

R.T.