January
2009 - to date |
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We use this page to let you know what's
happening in the constituency or further afield.
Of course, we cannot put everything on this
page - life is a little too hectic for that, but when
the issues are important we will try to make sure
we tell you about them.
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Also, read articles in
News Archives |
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| Debate on MPs allowances
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| On
Friday May 17 the Leicester Mercury published the article
“What
our MPs say about their claims” asking Leicestershire
MPs to give their comments on the current situation. |
Sir
Peter Soulsby answered:
"My main home is in the heart
of my constituency, where I have lived with my family for
over 30 years. I make no claims for this home.
"Whilst in London I live in a flat within walking distance
of Westminster.
After the first year renting, I have chosen to buy a flat
rather than rent. The total costs per year are a bit higher
than the allowance so I make up the difference from my salary.
Most of the allowance is used on interest payments on a fixed-rate
mortgage. When setting up the flat, as a matter of policy,
I chose to buy some furniture rather than to use the allowance
for a number of smaller items where receipts and tax might
not have been necessary.
Now the flat is set up, I only use the allowance for mortgage
interest. I pay all the service charges, maintenance, council
tax and electricity myself. I have never claimed for food
for myself or submitted unreceipted claims.
I believe all MPs will have to answer their electors for the
way in which they have used allowances."
The full article published
by the Leicester Mercury can be seen here...
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On Sunday May 17 Peter
also appeared on the BBC East Midlands
Politics Show for a discussion on MP
expenses.
You can view the discussion here...
It
should be noted that all Peter's expenses have
been published on this website for sometime
and can be seen here...
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Tuesday May 19 2009 |
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| Workers’ Memorial
Day 2009 |
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MP: “no excuses when
it comes to safety at work”. Leicester South MP Peter
Soulsby has called for “no excuses” when it comes
to health and safety at work. |
Next
Tuesday (28 April) is Workers’ Memorial Day. The annual
day commemorates all those across the world who have lost
their lives at work. Each year trade unions and others mark
the day with vigils and special events. In Leicester the Trades
Union Council is organising a commemorative event at Town
Hall Square with speeches and wreath laying, followed by a
non-denominational service at Bishop Street Methodist Church.
Peter Soulsby MP, who will not be at the event this year because
of parliamentary commitments in Westminster, has sent this
message:
“Workers’ Memorial Day
lets us reflect each year on the fact that too many people
lose their lives at work. Every year too many families face
the grief of losing a loved one through a workplace death.
It is important that we mark this day and I am pleased that,
as in every year, an event has been organised by the Trades
Union Council in Leicester.”
“Workplace health and safety has improved dramatically
in recent years with new laws introduced to protect workers.
However, we can never be complacent and quite simply, there
are no excuses when it comes to safety at work.”
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Peter
Soulsby MP has backed new health and safety laws in Parliament
and has long campaigned for better protection for people at
work. The MP has also called for compensation justice for
those suffering from industrial illness, including people
suffering from respiratory conditions including mesothelioma
and lung diseases.
Monday
April 27 2009
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| Peter opens new constituency
office in city centre |
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Peter Soulsby MP has moved
into a new constituency base at 60 Charles Street in the city
centre, the new office address is 60 Charles
Street, Leicester LE1 1FB.
Peter Soulsby also has a new office telephone number: 0116
251 1927. |
Announcing
his office move Peter Soulsby MP said: “My
new constituency base is in the heart of the city centre and
can be reached by many key bus routes. The new office will
allow me to continue to provide an excellent service to my
constituents. It will be a good location for surgeries and
meeting with constituents.”
The MP is urging people to update
their contact files: “Having
a new constituency telephone number is not ideal but because
of the office move we have no choice. BT have made sure our
new lines are already up and running. The new number is 0116
251 1927 and I would urge people to update their contact files
with my new details.”
An official opening of the new
office will be held later in the year.
Friday March 20 2009
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| Bill Bryson backs campaign
to clean up Leicestershire’s canals |
| Bill
Bryson, best-selling author and President of the Campaign
to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is urging the people who use
Leicestershire’s canals and rivers to tackle the problem
of litter on their waterways. |
Volunteers
are needed to put on their Wellington boots and take part
in British Waterways’ Towpath Tidy 2009 – coordinated
activity days which will take place along targeted stretches
of the River Soar and Grand Union Canal between Thursday 26th
and Sunday 29th March 2009.
The volunteer effort, ahead of the
main summer visitor and boating season, will bring wildlife
and environmental benefits as well as providing a welcome
boost to the year-round work carried out by British Waterways.
Everyone is welcome, with activities ranging from litter picking,
painting and graffiti removal, to cutting back towpath vegetation
and removing floating debris.
As part of its Stop the Drop campaign,
CPRE is supporting Towpath Tidy by involving its local branches
and other litter picking groups registered on Litteraction.
Bill Bryson comments: “Britain’s waterways are
of vital importance, providing everyone with the opportunity
to experience their cities, towns and countryside from a unique
and tranquil perspective.
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It’s a disgrace that some people choose to treat their
waterways as an open litter bin or as a place to dump their
discarded waste. I urge everyone who wants to get this country
clean to join in and tidy a towpath.”
Caroline Killeavy,
British Waterways general manager in the East Midlands, adds:
“Our local canals are enjoying
a long overdue renaissance, often used and enjoyed more than
at any other time in their 200-year history.
Volunteers have become essential to the waterways ongoing
success and Towpath Tidy is an enjoyable and rewarding occasion
when we join forces with individuals and organisations to
support wildlife and improve the appearance of the network
for everyone.”
Local MP for Leicester South, Sir Peter Soulsby
is supporting this year’s Towpath Tidy, saying:
“Our waterways are an integral
part of our heritage and need to be a key part of our future.
That’s why I am so pleased to be supporting this event
which will showcase some of the excellent work which is going
on to restore our canals and waterways. As a long-time supporter
of British Waterways and waterways restoration, I am looking
forward to getting stuck in and joining volunteers on the
Soar in Leicester.”
In addition to CPRE, Towpath
Tidy 2009 is supported by Encams’ The Big Tidy Up campaign,
the leading inland waterways charity the Inland Waterways
Association as well as local authorities, businesses, canal
trusts and civic societies. The activities in Leicester City
Centre are being coordinated in partnership with Leicester
City Council.
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To find out how you can get involved, contact Kevin
Howe on 07885 653940 or kevin.howe@britishwaterways.co.uk
or visit www.waterscape.com/towpathtidy.
Towpath Tidy Events will
be taking place at the following Leicestershire
locations:
Thursday
26th March – Sunday 29th March
Leicester City Centre, 10am – 4pm
Meeting at Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Loughborough
Road, LE4 5PN
Litter picking and removal of floating litter and
debris
Thursday
26th March & Friday 27th March
Foxton Locks, 10am – 4pm
Meeting in the bottom car park
Painting and litter picking
Sunday
29th March
Glen Parva, 10am
Meeting at Blue Bank Bridge
Litter picking and graffiti removal
Tuesday
March 10 2009
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| Peter welcomes £5
million City Centre Youth Hub funding |
| Peter
Soulsby has welcomed today’s news that the City Council
has been awarded £5 million to develop the Haymarket
Theatre into a new youth hub as “possibly the biggest
boost for young people in Leicester for a generation”.
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It
was formally announced today that Leicester City Council has
been successful in securing £5 million funding from
the Government’s Myplace programme. The funding will
see the Haymarket Theatre become a new city centre youth hub
for 13-19 year olds. The new centre will provide a range of
activities and services including a climbing wall, skateboard
and BMX track, sports area, performing arts space, recording
studio space, dance rooms and will also provide space for
Connexions and other advice services aimed at young people.
Leicester
South MP Peter Soulsby has welcomed the announcement: “This
is excellent news and I congratulate the City Council on securing
the funding to make this happen and for developing this innovative
vision. Not only will this new youth hub bring back into use
a large city centre building, it has the potential to help
raise the aspirations of our city’s young people. We
need more facilities for young people and more opportunities
for young people to get involved in positive activities. This
could be possibly the biggest boost for young people in Leicester
for a generation.”
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Wednesay March
4 2009
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| Peter
Soulsby MP backs plan to improve dementia care |
Peter
Soulsby MP today welcomed a major plan to improve the quality
of life for people with dementia and their carers living in
Leicester. |
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The
National Dementia Strategy for England will be used by local
councils and the local health trusts to bring about improvements
in services and support for people with dementia in Leicester
and Leicestershire.
The Strategy calls for public awareness campaigns to help
reduce the stigma associated with the illness, earlier diagnosis
of dementia and for higher standards of care.
Peter Soulsby MP said: “The
numbers of people affected by dementia is set to soar in the
future. That is why improving the lives of people with dementia
and tackling the stigma that surrounds the condition must
be a priority for our local services.”
“If implemented locally, the dementia plan could be
life changing for people living with Dementia in Leicester
and their carers and families.”
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“Dementia
is a devastating illness not only for the person affected
but for those who care for them. We must end the myth that
once diagnosed there is nothing that can be done.
Given the right kind of support and access to high quality
services, people with dementia and their carers can learn
to better cope with the condition, maintain their independence
for longer and enjoy a better quality of life.”
“I look forward to seeing the
local council and PCT working together to put a local dementia
plan into action. Their commitment to change is imperative
if we are to see the lives of people with dementia and their
carers radically transformed.”
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Neil
Hunt, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society,
had this to say: "I am delighted that
Peter Soulsby MP is supporting the launch of the
National Dementia Strategy, which sets out an ambitious
national rescue plan to transform the lives of people
with dementia. Strong leadership from the NHS and
councils at a local level are essential if these
plans are to be made a reality."
Tuesday
January 27 2009
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| Have
your say on future of Post Office network |
| Peter
Soulsby is encouraging people to have their say on the future
of the Post Office network. |
Leicester
South MP Peter Soulsby is helping to publicise an online forum
launched by the House of Commons Business and Enterprise Committee.
The online forum has been set up as part of the Committee’s
current inquiry looking at the future of the Post Office network.
The online forum allows people and businesses to make comments
and suggestions about the range of services currently provided
at post offices, and to propose new ideas about services which
could be made available in local post offices.
The views put
forward by people will be considered by MPs as the Committee’s
inquiry proceeds and makes recommendations to the Government. |
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| Peter
Soulsby MP, who led local campaigns last year against the
closures of Leicester’s Francis Street and Walnut Street
Post Offices in his constituency, has provided a link from
his website to the online forum.
Encouraging Leicester
people and businesses to post their views on the online forum,
Peter Soulsby said:
“Post Offices are a vital part
of our local communities. That’s why I campaigned so
vigorously against the closures of the Francis Street and
Walnut Street post offices. It’s also why I was strongly
opposed to, and campaigned against, the Post Office’s
decision to move from the popular Bishop Street site into
the basement of WH Smiths.”
"I welcome
the setting up of this online forum by the House of Commons
Business and Enterprise Committee and would encourage Leicester
people to make their views known.”
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“Getting
the right mix of services available over the post
office counter is essential to the long term future
of our local post office network. This online forum
gives people a unique opportunity to help influence
the thinking of senior MPs in making recommendations
to the Government and Post Office management."
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In
2007 and early 2008 Leicester South MP Peter
Soulsby led local campaigns against the closures
of Francis Street and Walnut Street Post Offices
in his constituency. Read details below... |
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Tuesday February 3 2009
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| Peter
celebrates pool investment |
As
celebrations of Team GB’s swimming success at the Beijing
Olympics last summer continue, Leicester MP Peter Soulsby
is congratulating the City Council on their improvements to
a local pool. |
Leicester
South MP Peter Soulsby joined local councillors on Monday
19 January at the re-opening of the swimming pool at Aylestone
Leisure Centre. The pool has been closed for six weeks to
allow for £100,000 worth of improvements to the poolside
tiling.
Peter Soulsby has welcomed this investment:
“These improvements will make a real difference to the
pool at Aylestone Leisure Centre in my constituency. I want
to congratulate the City Council on their commitment to our
local leisure centres and the continued investment they are
making in improvements like this.”
“Our success at last year’s
Olympics, led by the East Midland’s Rebecca Adlington
in the pool, should inspire a new generation of swimmers.
It is of course vital that we have good swimming provision
for young people in the city. Swimming is an excellent way
to stay healthy and exercise.”
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In the photo above, Peter
Soulsby MP; Cllr Rory Palmer; Cllr Andy Connelly;
Cllr Wayne Naylor and leisure centre staff (click
photo for enlargement) |
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City
Councillor Andy Connelly, Cabinet Lead for Culture and Leisure,
said; “The new pool-side tiles are not only attractive
but they are extra durable. The tiles also make a real difference
to the overall environment of the pool area, bringing it more
up-to-date. |
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refurbishment of the pool is part of the continual
investment we have to make in our leisure centres
in order to provide users with a first rate service.”
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| Peter
Soulsby MP welcomes launch of Real Help Now guide |
Leicester
South MP Peter Soulsby has today welcomed the launch of a
new guide to finding help with homes, jobs and finances. |
The
guide outlines the real help available to people which the
Government has put in place to support people and businesses
through the economic downturn.
Welcoming the launch
of the guide Peter Soulsby MP said: “I
know that the international financial crisis is having a real
impact on individuals, families and businesses in Leicester.”
“We shouldn’t
repeat the mistakes of the past when people were left to cope
on their own. The Government has taken decisive and swift
action to put in place real measures to help people in these
tough times.
This new guide outlines
the extra support that is needed to get us through the downturn,
and explains clearly how people can access this help.”
Constituents
can download a copy of the Real Help Now guide by clicking
here or can request a hard copy by contacting
Peter’s constituency office on
0116 255 2895.
Tuesday January 27 2009
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| Peter
Soulsby MP calls for lasting peace in Middle East and welcomes
£20 million Gaza aid |
Leicester
South MP Peter Soulsby today welcomed the Government’s
announcement of a further £20 million to help rebuild
Gaza and to provide humanitarian assistance. Peter Soulsby
MP said the extra funding would be crucial to help provide
food, water, shelter and medical supplies for the Palestinian
people following the recent atrocities. |
Peter Soulsby was one of the first MPs to speak out against
the violence between Hamas and Israeli forces. The Labour
MP for Leicester South signed a national statement condemning
the violence and met last week with Foreign Office Ministers
as soon as Parliament returned after the Christmas and New
Year recess, and this weekend he joined local people in a
peace vigil at Leicester’s Clock Tower.
Following the ceasefire
agreement and today’s aid announcement Peter Soulsby
MP had this to say:
“I have shared with
many of my constituents the horror of the violence and suffering
that we have seen on our TV screens during the last three
weeks. It is vital that the ceasefire holds, so that the UN
can use this latest funding from the British Government. Fuel
is desperately needed for power stations so that hospitals
can function again, peoples homes can be heated and lit, and
access to safe water can be re-established.”
“I am of course
pleased that this weekend saw a ceasefire agreement put in
place. It is now vital that we seize the moment to establish
a new era of lasting peace in the Middle East, which provides
peace and security for all and allows the Palestinian people
to live with real dignity.”
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International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander,
said:
"An enduring
ceasefire is crucial to allow us to get vital aid
in to thousands of people who desperately need it.
The humanitarian
situation will be dire for some time to come. UN and
non-governmental aid agencies are doing heroic work
under extremely difficult conditions and we want to
support their efforts further.
This additional
funding will help the United Nations, aid agencies
and other humanitarian organisations working in Gaza
to rebuild the lives of 1.4 million people who have
suffered in the conflict."
The
additional £20 million contribution will be
used to allocate funds to emerging humanitarian priorities,
making them available to UN agencies and non-governmental
organisations working in Gaza.
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| Local
volunteer heads to 10 Downing Street |
Local
community volunteer Carole Blackburn joins the Prime Minister
next week for a reception
at 10 Downing Street. |
Carole
has chaired the Welford Road Local Policing Unit Community
Support Group for three years. The group is run by local volunteers
and covers Aylestone, Knighton, Saffron, Eyres Monsell and
Stoneygate in Leicester.
With Carole as chair
the group has successfully delivered important projects including
several No Cold Calling Zones on the Eyres Monsell and Saffron
estates, Church Watch at St Mary Magdalene Church in Knighton
and School Watch at schools like Saffron’s Marriott
Road.
The group has also
led other local crime prevention initiatives including bike
security marking at schools, the popular Nominate a Neighbour
scheme, and recently a project to reward high levels of attendance
at school to deter truancy.
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| Carole
and Peter at No.10 |
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The
group is also in the process of visiting local Brownie
and Guides groups to promote crime prevention and safety.
The Group also has a regular and popular presence at
community events such as the Saffron Fete, last year’s
Eyres Monsell Summer event and the City Council’s
ward community meetings.
Carole’s tireless hard work is recognised widely
in the local community and she was nominated to attend
the special Downing Street event by her Member of Parliament,
Peter Soulsby.
Looking
forward to the reception Carole Blackburn said:
“I am really humbled
to have been nominated by Peter Soulsby to attend this
reception at Downing Street. I do not see this as a
personal achievement for me, but an honour for everyone
involved in the Police Community Support Group. We can
only do the work we do because of the dedication of
all our volunteers and the support we get from across
the community.”
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Peter
Soulsby, who accompanied Carole to 10 Downing Street, had
this to say: “The Police Community Support Group which
covers the Welford Road policing area in my constituency does
truly excellent work. Every time I see one of their projects
I am impressed and it is obvious that the group is highly
regarded by the local community, by councillors and by the
police force.”
“The group is made up of dedicated
volunteers who work tirelessly to make their projects happen.
I hope that by nominating the group’s chair, Carole
Blackburn, to attend this reception at 10 Downing Street,
people recognise the importance and quality of the Welford
Road Police Community Support Group and all its volunteers.”
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| Leicester
MP joins calls against Royal Mail sell off |
| As
Parliament returns from the Christmas and New Year break,
Leicester South MP Peter Soulsby
is calling for reassurances on the future of Royal Mail. |
On
the first day of Commons business in 2009 Peter Soulsby has
signed a parliamentary motion urging the Government to appoint
a new Chairman of Royal Mail who is “committed to the
principles of a modern public enterprise.”
The motion also rejects
the recommendation of the Hooper Report to sell a minority
stake in Royal Mail to private sector investors.
The Hooper Report,
which was published just before Christmas, made a series of
recommendations on the future of Royal Mail.
One of the more
contentious of these recommendations was to sell a stake in
Royal Mail to the private sector.
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As
Parliament returns Peter Soulsby is calling for a rejection
of the Hooper Report recommendation to sell a stake
in Royal Mail: “I
am not at all comfortable with the Hooper Report’s
recommendation to sell off a minority stake in Royal
Mail to the private sector. This could amount to creeping
privatisation and we have already seen the consequences
of when large businesses become the toys of private
equity investors.”
“Royal Mail
is a vital service which should be kept fully in the
public sector. I welcome reviews into how Royal Mail
can improve its services but I do not see how selling
off bits of it to the private sector will lead to this
improvement. It’s vital that we have a Royal Mail
management committed to a modern public service ethos
and which is prepared to work with Royal Mail’s
staff to bring about positive change.”
The Early
Day Motion signed by Peter Soulsby MP reads:
That this House notes that
the Labour Party Conference 2008, with the backing of
ministers, supported ‘a vision of a wholly publicly-owned,
integrated Royal Mail Group’; welcomes the conclusion
of the Hooper Report that the current universal service
obligation offered by Royal Mail, including six days
a week delivery, must be protected and that the primary
duty of a new regulator should be to maintain it;
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...further
welcomes the recommendations in the report that the Government
should take responsibility for the pensions deficit which
followed an extended contributions holiday; endorses the call
for a new relationship between management and postal unions
and welcomes the commitment of the CWU to negotiate an agreement
which would support the modernisation of the industry; observes
that in 2007 the Government agreed to a £1.2 billion
debt facility on commercial terms to modernise Royal Mail
operations; ...further notes with surprise that by March 2008
Royal Mail had spent only approximately one-third of what
it intended to spend in its original master modernisation
plan; rejects the recommendation of the Hooper Report to sell
a minority stake in Royal Mail which would risk fracturing
one of Britain’s greatest public services;
...notes the Government
is currently advertising for a new Chairman of Royal Mail
and urges the Secretary of State to appoint a Chairman and
management team who are committed to the principles of a modern
public enterprise.
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| Peter Soulsby
MP calls for ceasefire |
Leicester South
MP Peter Soulsby is one of over 100 UK Parliamentarians from
different parties who have so far signed a statement demanding
an end to the military incursion in Gaza.
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statement calls for an immediate ceasefire, an embargo
on the supply of military equipment to both sides and
for urgent intervention by the international community
to stop the humanitarian catastrophe which is unfolding.
Peter Soulsby
was amongst the first wave of MPs to have signed a statement
which first appeared in The Guardian on 31 December.
The statement reads:
Israel's continuing
massive military strikes on Gaza are an outrage that
the international community must not allow to continue.
Palestinian rocket attacks which traumatise the lives
of communities in Southern Israel are also utterly unacceptable.
Both sides must cease fire.
Israel's actions
are disproportionate and counter productive to achieving
either security for the people of Israel or peace in
the Middle East. Physicians for Human Rights (Israel)
have warned that "targeting of civilians and of
medical facilities is a breach of international humanitarian
law. The targets chosen by the Israeli military include
also clearly civilian installations."
Gaza is one
of the poorest and most densely populated places on
earth. For the last two years, the blockade and previous
Israeli strikes had already disrupted electricity supplies
and access to clean water. Even before the current attack,
Gaza's health system was near collapse. Hospitals are
short of medicines, blood and essential equipment. Only
half of Gaza's 58 ambulances are functioning.
We call
on the international community, and especially the High
Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention,
to intervene to stop the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding
in Gaza. We call for an immediate ceasefire by all parties
and for an embargo on the supply of military equipment
to both sides.
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The
international community must also assert unambiguously that
there is no military route to peace in the Middle East and
redouble its efforts to create a secure and independent state
of Palestine alongside a secure and independent Israel.
It now has (as at 16:00 GMT on 06 January 2009) been signed
by 106 Parliamentarians: 97 Members of Parliament and 9 Members
of the House of Lords.
As the conflict enters its thirteenth day
Peter Soulsby MP had this to say:
“This is a profoundly
dark hour for the Middle East and for everyone in Leicester,
in the UK and around the world concerned with the cause for
peace in the Middle East. I have observed the events unfold
in Gaza and Israel with dismay, anger and above all a deep
sadness and concern for the innocent civilians caught up in
this violence.”
“As one of the first
group of MPs to add my name to a national statement condemning
the violence I see no virtue for the Israeli or the Palestinian
people in the continuation of this abhorrent conflict. Pictures
and reports coming from inside Gaza tell of an unimaginable
humanitarian catastrophe. The UN and its aid agencies must
be allowed into Gaza immediately with the full assurance of
safety.”
“Israel must stop
its military action and Hamas must stop its rocket attacks
immediately.”
When Parliament returns next week Peter Soulsby
MP will be seeking a meeting with the Foreign Secretary and
will be raising the Middle East crisis with other Government
Ministers.
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There are many occasions
that MPs speak or support subjects in the House of Commons.
This includes proposing or supporting an Early Day Motion, or
EDM. An EDM is a motion put down ("tabled") by Members
of Parliament calling for a debate on a particular subject.
In practice, there is rarely time to debate EDMs nowadays and
their true modern-day purpose is to enable MPs to draw attention
to an issue and to canvass support for their views by inviting
other Members to add their signatures in support of the motion.
Members may table amendments to existing EDMs.
Some
of the EDMs signed by Peter Soulsby are here…
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