November's E-Westminster Report

On Wednesday, Parliament prorogued, which means that we finished the 2007/8 session. We now have a short gap until next Wednesday and the State Opening of Parliament, which marks the start of the 2008/9 session.

I brought the curtain down on this session as I was the last person to make a speech on Wednesday. Given that much of the discussion in parliament in the last couple of months has been about the economy, I used the last speech of the session to talk about the action  we could avoid a repeat of the debt bubble which caused the current crisis. That was the third and final speech I made in Parliament this week as I spoke twice on Tuesday in debates on Equitable Life and dormant bank accounts.

Thankfully, life in Westminster has been about more than just the economy. During November, children from Portchester Community School and St Jude's RC Primary School came to see me in the House of Commons. Two children with Type 1 Diabetes also came to lobby me about how schools can help them manage their condition.

I hope you enjoy this month's e-Westminster report and please feel free to forward it to anyone you know locally.

Keeping the area moving but not too fast!

I had a couple of meetings in Fareham one Friday to discuss traffic issues. The first was to talk about new transport initiatives for the area including the proposed express bus link between Fareham and Gosport and how the new development area planned for north of the M27 might linked into Fareham. 

Speeding is a big issue locally and I have had complaints from people in Portchester, Fareham, Locks Heath, Warsash and Burridge. I have discussed this with the police and followed this up with a meeting this month with Hampshire County Council. During the meeting we explored a number of potential solutions. Unfortunately, the law prevents us from putting signs to remind drivers that they are in a 30mph zone. If there are too many warnings at the side of the road or painted on the road itself, they lose their impact so we need to be careful how they are used. There are a couple of other things we are looking at which might make a difference if they are supported by local communities. I hope to have more news on these next month.

In amongst all the bad news we are hearing about the economy, there is some good news around.

Earlier this month, I opened a new factory in Segensworth for a company called Saab Seaeye. The company makes underwater submersible vehicles and has grown significantly in the last couple of years as it breaks into new markets and develops new products.  Because of this growth, they have outgrown their premises in Fareham down by the creek and have had to move to Segensworth so that they can continue to grow