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Weekly brief: 19 April 2001

'The work goes on'

Labour's latest poster campaign – ‘the work goes on' is a reminder, not just of how much we have achieved, but how, month in, month out, we will carry on working to turn Britain into the kind of country we know it can be.

April has seen the delivery of a raft of new measures to spread opportunity and prosperity further:

• The Childrens Tax Credit – our new family tax cut - worth up to £10 a month for 5 million families.

• The biggest ever real-terms rise in the basic state pension.

• Another rise in child benefit to record levels.

• The 10p tax rate extended giving 25 million people a tax cut.

At the same time, mortgage rates are down again – now half what they averaged under the Tories, saving an average £1,200 year. Employment is up – over a million more people are in work than in 1997. And over a million children have been taken out of poverty.

But this is just the start. Because we want to lift another million children out of poverty and end child poverty altogether in our generation. Because a million people still on the dole is a million too many. Because, although we have 10,000 more teachers in England and Wales, 17,100 more nurses in England alone and police numbers are finally on the rise, we know that we still need more staff in almost all public services.

That is why a second term is so important. Not because of what we have done, but because there are still real challenges ahead – challenges that can only be met with Labour's investment and commitment.

So the foundations have been laid. And with Labour, the work goes on as we build a better Britain for all.

Fighting foot and mouth – the vaccination option

We are carefully considering using vaccination as part of the strategy for controlling Foot and Mouth disease. The scientific and veterinary advice is that a very limited programme of vaccinating cattle in Cumbria, and possibly Devon, is justified as a means of protecting animals.

However, for this policy to work it must be understood and supported by both farmers and consumers. Farmers' leaders have asked for a delay so that the science can be explored and implications for consumers and trade better understood. We understand their position and we will be listening carefully to the views of farming and food industry representatives over the coming days before deciding how to proceed.

Vaccination is not an alternative to the cull policy, but would complement it. All the scientific and veterinary advice indicates that the government's strategy for culling animals on infected premises within 24 hours and taking pre-emptive action on neighbouring farms is the most important factor in controlling Foot and Mouth. These measures appear to be having an impact on the number of new cases.

It is important that retailers and consumers support the proposed vaccination plan. The Food Standards Agency has confirmed there are no risks to human health through vaccine entering the food chain. Foot and Mouth disease does not pose a threat to food safety.

The Tories continue to try and generate political capital from the outbreak, with their main objective being the postponement of a general election they fear they will lose. We will continue to focus all of our efforts on eliminating the disease as quickly as possible.

For further information see www.maff.gov.uk

The genetics revolution

Alan Milburn announced this week that Britain is to be the first country in the world to ban human cloning.

He also made clear that Labour is determined that scientific progress is not used to create a ‘genetic underclass', as he confirmed that we will take any action necessary to prevent the inappropriate use of genetic test results for insurance purposes.

At the same time, we have to recognise that genetics has the potential for new ways of treating and preventing illness. So genetic testing for conditions such as cancer will become more widely available, and Britain will also become the first country in Europe to offer free genetic testing to women with an inherited risk of breast cancer. There will also be increased investment in NHS genetic services including money for more specialist consultants, more laboratory staff, more counsellors and new laboratories. This means we will be able to increase the number of NHS patients seen by genetic specialists by 80 pe rcent to 120,000 a year with test numbers also doubling by 2005.

With Labour, Britain can and will aim to be a world leader in the genetic revolution, ensuring that science benefits all of society, not just those few who can afford to pay. But we must also be clear that no progress can be made unless strict boundaries are set.

Working with teachers to raise standards

Teachers are in the frontline educating our pupils and helping to raise standards in schools across the country. Together we have achieved much over the last four years.

Labour recognises that to achieve the improvements in standards has meant more work for teachers and we will now commission an independent study which will identify more clearly workload problems and practical ways to tackle them. But to continue our success we also need more honesty in the discussing progress made and achievements already attained.

We know that some schools have had real difficulties in recruiting teachers but this has never amounted to a ‘crisis'. There are 10,000 more teachers then in 1997, with more teachers employed in schools now than in any year since 1985. Teacher training is rising dramatically, having fallen from 1992.

We have achieved a lot in the last four years, a lot more that we promised and a lot more than perhaps is sometimes admitted. But we recognise that we have a lot more that we need to achieve in the next four years. Together with teachers we can make that further real difference for pupils' life chances and to the working conditions of teachers.

ONS poverty report

Claims from Michael Portillo this week that Labour's economic policy has hurt the least well off are, as ever, unfounded.

His comments are based on earnings figures from the Office of National Statistics. But what he and much of the press failed to point out was that these figures were based on data that is two years out of date. So they don't take into account the plethora of new measures from Labour including targeted tax cuts to help those who need it the most like the new Childrens Tax Credit, the basic rate of tax down to its lowest level for 70 years, National Insurance reductions or increases in the Working Families Tax Credit. As a result, the average family with children will be over £1,000 a year better off than in 1997, whilst the poorest families with children will be £3,000 a year better off.

What this ONS report is really saying is that Tory policies led to massive rises in poverty and inequality in Britain. Now they would take us back to those days of division.

• Their proposals on tax would benefit the few, not the many, even if the Tories could afford to implement them.

• They have pledged to cut the Working Families Tax Credit.

• Their £16 billion cuts would mean no extra money for deprived communities.