February 2007

This week I have been working on a variety of issues:
1. Tax credits
2. Fair-trade fortnight
3. Protecting workers
4. Carers
5. Bio fuels

Parents – get ready to make your claim

Many families, including children, benefit from tax credits here in Glasgow North West.

I want all families in Glasgow North West to get the support they are entitled to.

In order to make sure tax credit payments are correct, you have to renew their claim each year.

Renewal packs are being sent by post over the next few months and will include advice on what families need to do and by when.

Many claimants will only need to check the information on their Annual Review form.

Others will have to complete, sign and return an Annual Declaration form.

Tax credit payments will continue whilst your award is being renewed.

However it is important to return any information required by the deadline of 31 August 2007 or payments will stop.

More information is available on the HM revenue & customs website at
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/renewals or on the Tax Credit Hotline: 0845 300 3900

Fair-trade Fortnight

Monday marked the start of Fair-trade Fortnight to raise awareness for ethical shopping in the UK which promotes trade from the developing world and helps poor farmers.

If a product carries the Fair-trade mark a producer in the developing world will receive a minimum price that covers the cost of production and a premium that is invested in the local community.
Between 2002 and 2007 this Labour Government will have given more than £1 million to the Fair-trade Foundation to help it promote and extend its fair-trade mark.

I am proud that many people in Glasgow North west have committed their support to buying fair-trade products. By buying these products we can all do our bit to promote trade justice throughout the world.

The Labour Government is committed to concluding the Doha trade talks this year. Doha would allow poorer economies to grow and lift millions of people out of abject poverty. I will keep you updated on the progress.

Protecting workers

Plans to protect vulnerable agency workers were published in a Government consultation last week.

This is welcome news and builds on the measures to improve fairness at work agreed at the Labour Party National Policy Forum at Warwick University in 2004.

It is right that agency workers know their rights and are protected from the unscrupulous practices of agencies that they may fall foul to.

It was pleasing to see that a conman was convicted last week and ordered to pay more than £20,000 for running an illegal employment agency and charging vulnerable workers up to £124 a time for falsely claiming that he could find them work overseas.

I was also present for the 2nd reading of the Private Members Bill entitled “Temporary Agency Workers” by my colleague Paul Farrelly MP. I have raised the issue of workers rights and protection in Parliament on many occasions and I will continue to do so.

A New Deal for Carers

Millions of carers are hidden heroes who keep families together through their support and devotion. The carers in Glasgow North West often provide care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, taking on that precious role that enables a friend or family member to stay at home and live with the dignity, independence and security the rest of us take for granted.

Carers are so important in Glasgow North West and Labour wants them to get more support.

Last Wednesday, the Chancellor Gordon Brown and Health Minister Ivan Lewis launched a New Deal for Carers which includes a range of measures designed to recognise the essential work that carers carry out across the country, including:

• £25 million to be spent on providing short-term home based respite care for carers in crisis or emergency situations in every council
• £3 million towards the establishment of a national helpline for carers
• £5 million to support the development of an expert carers programme
• And a wide ranging review of the 1999 national carers strategy

Bio fuels

Bio fuels are liquid fuels made from energy crops like oil-seed rape and wheat that can be mixed with diesel and petrol and used in ordinary vehicles.

Labour introduced the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) to ensure that from 2008 2.5% of all fuel sold on UK forecourts will come from a renewable source.
On Thursday last week, the Government launched a public consultation to consider increasing this to 5% in 2010.

This measure is predicted to save 1 million tonnes of carbon a year – the equivalent of taking 1 million vehicles off the road. I value your opinion, thoughts and ideas on Bio fuels and I would encourage you to take part in the consultation by visiting www.dft.gov.uk/consultation/open/draftrtfo/

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