VIEWPOINT FOR 22 OCTOBER 
FROM DR RICHARD TAYLOR

One of the oddities of this place has been demonstrated repeatedly in the last few weeks. 
As Regional Select Committees of the House of Commons now exist, I had thought that to be a member of the West Midlands Regional Select Committee might be useful to me in furthering my attempts to promote local affairs and help constituents. 
I applied to the Governments’ Whips for a place and this has then to be decided by the whole House so the motion for me to join this committee with motions for two other MPs to join their own regional committees has appeared on the order paper for several days before and since the recess. Each time these motions have been reached an MP has shouted “Object” and for even a single MP to shout this is enough to kick the proposal into the long grass until it is brought up again only to be objected to again. 
The same happened to an obscure motion to limit access to Parliament by UK MEPs last Monday evening but this was not repeated on Tuesday and so that motion was passed. 

The only explanation for the continued objections to new members for regional committees is not personal, but due to the main opposition parties’ disapproval of the concept of these committees and so they nominate each evening’s objector. Very strange and rather petty!
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I have been asked to help publicise local NHS Stop Smoking Services. 
To find the nearest service please ring the helpline number – 
                                   0800 9175602
The helpline will also give information about the services available including advice, support and prescriptions for nicotine replacement products.
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Writing this before my deadline I could not make any comments about another debate on the Equitable Life problem that took place yesterday afternoon. If this does not get much general press coverage I will write about it next week as it is of such huge importance to many of my constituents and, I suspect, also of those of most other MPs.
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The Associate Parliamentary Health Group, of which I am a Co-Chair, held a briefing meeting on Swine Flu yesterday with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and two of his experts.  
It was very helpful and gave us as accurate picture as possible of the state of this illness and the government’s plans to cope with it if the epidemic becomes worse this autumn and winter as is predicted. 

There are re-assuring plans for increasing the availability of critical care hospital beds for patients needing ventilation and for re-calling retired NHS staff if necessary. 
The vaccination is becoming available for the priority groups now. These groups will be publicised and, we were told, notified in due course by their GPs.

I asked about the safety of the swine flu vaccinations in view of the speed of their production and was re-assured by the CMO as tens of thousands of people have already received them and as they are similar in most respects to the well tried seasonal flu injections. 

So the very strong recommendation for priority groups and health workers is to have the injection as soon as it is offered.

RT

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