Member Article Archive
Impact of cuts on vulnerable and disadvantaged
The services Action for Children provide to three groups of children could be affected by the government's cuts, according to their recent publication The Red Book.
Friday 28th October 2011
Industry provides 'solid employment opportunities'
The Corrugated Packaging Industry has been hailed as a "good news story" by a backbench MP.
Thursday 27th October 2011
Lack of equality for care leavers
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest unequal treatment of care leavers by local authorities, a backbench MP has said.
Thursday 27th October 2011
'With change comes uncertainty'
In a new publication, 'Homes for Citizens', Brian Johnson, chief executive of Moat, discusses the future of social housing.
Wednesday 26th October 2011
'More sympathetic' legislation for manufacturing
If the coalition is serious in its intention to be the 'greenest government ever' it must understand the heavy regulatory burden placed on industry, the Confederation of Paper Industries has argued.
Wednesday 26th October 2011
Championing biodiversity
Organisations from the mineral products sector and champions of the natural environment have come together to both celebrate and build on the biodiversity potential of the minerals industry.
Tuesday 25th October 2011
'Small Business finance – how are the banks doing?'
Alex Jackman, senior policy adviser at the Forum of Private Business looks at whether the initiatives introduced to encourage banks to lend to small businesses are working.
Tuesday 25th October 2011
'What happened at Winterbourne View was appalling'
It is vital that we all play our part in safeguarding vulnerable groups, says Adrian McAllister, chief executive of the Independent Safeguarding Authority.
Monday 24th October 2011
UK should emulate Wales on heart transplants
The UK is at the bottom of the European league in terms of organ transplants, but developments in Wales could drive forward improvements, a trustee of the Kidney Wales Foundation has said.
Friday 21st October 2011
Maintaining continuity in the construction sector
Chief construction advisor Paul Morrell is to stay in his position for a further 12 months to ensure continuity in the construction industry, it has been announced.
Thursday 20th October 2011
'Careism exists'
It is a national disgrace in this day and age that people still have reason to think they may be treated prejudicially simply for being in care, says Mike Lindsay, head of advice at the Office of the Children's Rights Director.
Thursday 20th October 2011
More children need support
Two significant facts emerged from Action for Children’s recent publication The Red Book, more children need support, and because of cuts there is less capacity to respond.
Thursday 20th October 2011
Tackling disability hate crime
Legislation is only one small part of the answer to tackling disability hate crime, the minister for disabled people has said.
Tuesday 18th October 2011
Parliament celebrates 'undervalued' professionals
A new report, launched in parliament, has described technicians as the "unsung heroes" of some of the UK's leading industries.
Friday 14th October 2011
Age UK welcomes government pensions climbdown
Compared to the original proposal, the coalition's plans to raise the state pension age to 66 in 2020 will reduce the negative impact on 245,000 women and 240,000 men, says Age UK.
Friday 14th October 2011
Red alert for services protecting the vulnerable
The launch of Action for Children's new Red Book shines a light on vulnerable families across the UK and warns that frontline services are struggling to pick up the pieces, exacerbated by the spending cuts.
Thursday 13th October 2011
'People are poorer, and that brings new challenges'
A year on from the government's comprehensive spending review (CSR), we talk to Action for Children chief executive, Dame Clare Tickell, about the charity's 'Red Book' analysis on how government policy is affecting vulnerable children and young people on the ground.
Thursday 13th October 2011
Veterinary nurses call for statutory regulation
A parliamentary reception to celebrate the golden jubilee of veterinary nursing has heard of the need for statutory regulation of the profession
Wednesday 12th October 2011
New website will allow adults to 'exercise some responsibility'
A new website, driving forward the government's work on tackling the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood, will allow adults to take some "control back", a leading expert in preventing child sexual abuse has said.
Wednesday 12th October 2011
Shapps announces further hostel beds for homeless
Housing minister Grant Shapps has announced a further £5m on top of the £37.5m announced earlier today, to provide an extra 1,400 hostel beds and support finding work for the homeless.
Wednesday 12th October 2011
'Care-leavers need stability'
Having grown up in a family that cared for over 90 foster children, Edward Timpson MP, chair of the APPG on children in and leaving care, says the care system remains too 'fragmented, disjointed and unstable'.
Tuesday 11th October 2011
Cumulative impact of legislation – need for a rethink
The Confederation of Paper Industries has claimed that the "unforeseen consequences" of measures imposed by both the UK and European parliaments have the potential to damage the paper industry.
Monday 10th October 2011
'Subdued' growth in consumer spending
New data released over the weekend has shown growth in UK consumer spending in September after a volatile summer of customer expenditure.
Monday 10th October 2011
NICE should appraise unlicensed drug
We talk to Helen Jackman, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, about why the charity is calling on the government to initiate a NICE appraisal of the unlicensed drug Avastin.
Monday 10th October 2011
From care-leaver, to Cambridge, to The X Factor
Cambridge graduate Ashley John Baptiste is fresh from his live appearance on The X Factor with new band The Risk – after growing up in foster care he talks about what has driven him to succeed.
Friday 7th October 2011
'The failure of animal testing'
The National Anti-Vivisection Society has criticised the claims of a Liberal Democrat peer that animal testing is "essential."
Thursday 6th October 2011
Binley warns of civil service involvement in delivering Green Deal
The civil service should not be allowed to "get its hands on the green deal", because it knows nothing about business, a member of the business, innovation and skills committee has said.
Wednesday 5th October 2011
Encouraging people to give more
If we are to create a society in which it is ingrained in people to give to charity, then we need to start with the young, the minister for civil society has said.
Wednesday 5th October 2011
Dog welfare 'the mark of a civilised country'
Financial difficulty will not see Britain lose its status as a nation of dog-lovers, the under-secretary of state at Defra has said.
Wednesday 5th October 2011
Re-including the financially excluded
Our banking system needs to regain its service ethos to ensure it is accessible to all people, a backbench MP has said.
Tuesday 4th October 2011
'Cuts to legal aid would have been greater under Labour'
Under Labour's spending plans we would be seeing a cut to legal aid larger than the 16 per cent currently being put forward by the government, a member of the justice select committee has said.
Tuesday 4th October 2011
Developing new models of democracy
The Arab Spring is more important even than 9/11 in its far-reaching consequences, the foreign secretary has said.
Tuesday 4th October 2011
Shapps maintains commitment to No Second Night Out
In a civilised country, nobody should be living on the street, a leading Conservative politician has said.
Monday 3rd October 2011
Communities the key to preventing youth crime
The shadow home secretary has called on politicians and the public alike to "challenge the misconceptions" about young people's involvement in the riots that took place across English cities this summer.
Thursday 29th September 2011
Coalition 'sowing seeds of confusion and preventing investment'
The coalition government is creating uncertainty by putting politics back into the planning process, the shadow business minister Ian Lucas has said.
Wednesday 28th September 2011
Reforming the image of trade unions
The general secretary of the country's largest trade union has called for Ed Miliband to provide "a radical alternative" to the Conservative government's anti-trade union policies.
Wednesday 28th September 2011
Labour 'positive' about new nuclear
The shadow energy minister has outlined Labour's support for the nuclear industry, as delegates meet at the party's annual conference.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
Promoting healthy lifestyles at conference
Party conference may not be the best time to check on an individual's health, but Gemma Reay, public affairs officer at the British Heart Foundation, outlines why the charity endeavours to do so.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
'Country experiencing sustained attack on access to justice'
The country is seeing the most sustained attack on access to justice there has been since the creation of legal aid, the shadow justice minister has said.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
Labour a voice for young people, proclaims Burnham
The Labour Party will be "a voice for young people", the shadow secretary of state for education has declared.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
PFI 'too expensive', says Hodge
The chair of the Commons public accounts committee has argued that the private finance initiative (PFI) is too expensive to be used as a driver for economic growth.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
'Removing barriers to growth'
Prior to the National Federation of Builders' Labour Party conference fringe event, chief executive Julia Evans outlines what is stunting growth in the construction sector.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
Welfare reform 'must succeed'
A Labour MP has highlighted the need for the government's flagship welfare-to-work scheme to prove successful.
Monday 26th September 2011
Reforms risk leading people into 'abyss of homelessness'
Housing benefit is vitally important in keeping people from the "abyss of homelessness", the shadow work and pensions minister has said.
Monday 26th September 2011
Local food 'vital to the economy'
The shadow environment secretary has praised the innovative work of local food suppliers and producers.
Monday 26th September 2011
'Women are being left in the dark'
Time is running out for the government to change its plans for the state pension age, says Rachel Reeves MP in support of Age UK's 'our State Pension Age' campaign.
Friday 23rd September 2011
'Main feature of care is instability'
22 year-old care leaver Jessica Inwood talks to ePolitix.com about how she overcame the odds to gain a coveted university place.
Friday 23rd September 2011
Investing in the green economy
Business as usual in the energy industry is definitely something that we are past, a leading Liberal Democrat peer has said.
Thursday 22nd September 2011
'We spend more on cheese than charity'
ePolitix.com speaks to Rhodri Davies, policy manager at the Charities Aid Foundation, from their stand at Liberal Democrat conference.
Tuesday 20th September 2011
Compensation culture is 'bad for society'
The UK's compensation culture is having perverse social consequences, the chair of the justice committee has said.
Tuesday 20th September 2011
Infrastructure should receive more parliamentary time
Julian Huppert has said that infrastructure often gets ignored in Parliament, and does not always receive the levels of debate and prominence it should.
Tuesday 20th September 2011
Elderly 'ill-served' by the banking sector
High-street banks "ill-serve" disadvantaged people, leaving many feeling they are "tolerated" rather than served by the banking system, Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Kramer has said.
Monday 19th September 2011
Making party conferences easier for all
Making life easier for ministers and public affairs professionals alike – that is the idea behind the Transport Hub, says Luke Pollard, head of public affairs at the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).
Friday 16th September 2011
'New industrial revolution' in manufacturing
A parliamentary reception has celebrated the achievements of a number of pioneering campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of British manufacturing.
Thursday 15th September 2011
Last chance to stop women being penalised
MPs across all political parties recognise the unfairness of the proposals to increase the age at which women receive their state pension, says Age UK.
Wednesday 14th September 2011
MPs support Dilnot
Only one in ten MPs support long-term care being fully funded by the state. That is the finding of a report released by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), entitled 'Who cares?'.
Wednesday 14th September 2011
Young politicians debate climate change
A historic debate featuring young people from across the Commonwealth took place in the House of Lords on Friday afternoon.
Monday 12th September 2011
Vulnerable people are bearing brunt of the cuts
June Barnes, chief executive of social housing and social regeneration charity, East Thames Group, discusses the impact that changes to housing benefit will have on the most vulnerable in society.
Monday 12th September 2011
Looking for evidence?
The differences between policy aspiration and implementation must be learned, says the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, as it gears up for party conference season.
Friday 9th September 2011
Welfare-to-work, skills and the NEET challenge
The chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, Graham Hoyle, explains why his association is taking a high-profile presence on the party conference fringe circuit.
Thursday 8th September 2011
A country where no one ends up on our streets
The first step on the road to ending homelessness, is the ambition to end rough sleeping, says Jenny Edwards, chief executive of Homeless Link.
Thursday 8th September 2011
The business of housing
This year's conference season will see a "renewed focus on housing", with fringe events led by the National Landlords Association at all three party conferences.
Wednesday 7th September 2011
'Political will' needed to tackle global challenges
The environment secretary has outlined the "incredibly important opportunity" afforded by a forthcoming international summit on sustainable development.
Wednesday 7th September 2011
Social care reform, financial inclusion, localism and more
With party conference season fast approaching, Age UK outlines what it has planned, along with details of its priorities during this busy time.
Tuesday 6th September 2011
Securing the UK's place in the world
Creating wealth and driving growth, The CityUK outlines the messages it is taking forward during the forthcoming party conference season.
Monday 5th September 2011