A March election? Fine by me!

There’s been a lot of newspaper speculation in recent days that Gordon Brown is considering holding the General Election on 25 March rather than 6 May.

And although I’ve said it before, I’m very happy to say it again: let’s get that election called and let’s allow the people of Keighley and Ilkley to have their say.

The day Skipton and Ripon came to Silsden

I was recently very debted to my colleague Julian Smith, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Skipton and Ripon, who brought several members of his team to join up with the Keighley and Ilkley team to campaign for me in Silsden.

Julian is an extremely impressive and capable individual who, I know, will prove to be an outstanding Member of Parliament.

Here's a short film of what we got up to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gewuok3D3vE

A common sense approach to health and safety

David Cameron’s attack on the health and safety culture which has sprung up across this country under Labour has received a positive response from the public – and rightly so.

Some of the examples he gave in yesterday’s speech – such as children being made to wear goggles by their head teacher to play conkers, and trainee hairdressers being banned from using scissors in the classroom – have gained the biggest write-ups in this morning’s newspapers.

But the most important remarks he made were on what a Conservative Government would do to begin to get the balance right, namely:

• Establish clear and specific principles about when health and safety legislation is appropriate, and when it is not, so we can evaluate whether existing or future legislation is necessary.
  
• Propose practical changes in the law to both bring an end to the culture of excessive litigation while at the same time giving legal safeguards to those who need them most.
  

David also announced that former Trade Secretary Lord Young would lead an extensive review into how the health and safety culture could be curbed. This would focus on a small number of specific questions:

1. How can we best protect what are effectively 'Good Samaritans'? Is it possible to extend legal protection for all people acting in good faith – especially public service professionals?
   
2. How can we help alleviate some of the health and safety oversight that currently burdens small, local and voluntary organisations? At the moment if their work benefits the local council they fall under health and safety law.
   
3. Civil Liability Act – do we need to define civil liability for negligence in statute? At the moment there is no single Act of Parliament that ties all this work together. Lord Young will examine whether such an Act would be necessary and effective in reducing our excessive health and safety culture.
   

All of these measures are sensible, practical and realistic – virtues the Labour Government have dismally failed to demonstrate in its approach to health and safety matters over the last 12 and a half years.