VIEWPOINT FOR 24 JULY 2008
FROM DR RICHARD TAYLOR

Parliament began the Summer Recess on Tuesday and although I enjoy a break from the journeys to London and a holiday away, the constituency work becomes more difficult. My filing system is in London with my excellent London assistant, who does almost all of my secretarial work. I communicate with him at long range by e-mails and posted dictated tapes.
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At the final debate in the House Members were concerned about the possible closure of the Post Office Card Account and the effect the loss of this account would have on the viability of sub-post offices. 
MPs have had more post cards deploring this possible loss than about other recent subjects. I have had over 300 and I hope people will understand that it was not possible to acknowledge all of them. Where they have been batched together and sent by a sub-postmaster I have replied to the post office and hopefully I have covered all of these enclosing an explanatory letter from the Government Minister responsible. Because of rules of competition, the Card Account has to be offered for tender when the current contract ends. The only hope is that the Post Office will be able to put in such a competitive price for the service that it will retain the contract.
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I had a meeting with Trish Haines, the new Chief Executive of the County Council last week. 

• I alerted her to some of our major concerns including the delays to the long awaited developments on the British Sugar site 
• and the future of the Lea Castle site, both vital areas for industrial or technological use. 
• I made sure she knew about the difficulties parents, children and staff are experiencing with the implementation of the Wyre Forest Education Review 
• and the late changes to the agreed arrangements for Primary Schools in Stourport. 

She gave me the good news that the County Council has a good chance of obtaining Government money specifically for re-building four of our dilapidated senior schools and refurbishing the fifth. The Council has already earmarked this for Wyre Forest schools and she was optimistic of success.
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The Prime Minister told the House he is optimistic about the future in Iraq and there are, at last, definite signs of improvement and lessening violence but he would not be drawn on announcing a date for the return of our troops who still perform a vital role in "training and mentoring of the Iraqi forces and the Iraqi police, encouraging the development of local government, and working with Iraqis on a Basra economic development strategy".
________

The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, also gave a statement to the House. 
He refused to take responsibility for the delays in the marking and distribution of the results of Key Stage 2 and 3 tests but felt re-assured that marking quality "is at least as good as previous years". The contract for the marking was managed by a body "arms length from Ministers, to ensure independence and objectivity". 
This gave him the let out from blame! 
I doubt if we will ever know what went wrong as in his words, the discussions "are highly sensitive – commercially, legally and financially".
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Congratulations to Cuckoo's Nest Theatre Group, Spennells Childcare and Worcestershire WI on their Lottery Grants from the Awards for All scheme.

R.T.

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