Opt-In to Internet Porn (22 Aug 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP has joined a cross-party group of MPs to support a campaign for an Opt-In access model for internet pornography.
MPs are encouraging UK based Internet Service Providers to restrict universal access to pornographic material by implementing an opt-in system at the network level of their service that uses age verification checks to allow a user to access adult material. The group is also launching a Parliamentary Inquiry into the current state of online child protection beginning in September, has written to the Prime Minister to ask for his support and met Ministers to ask for assurances that government will regulate internet content if the industry fails to find its own solution.
Andrea said,
"Parents are understandably worried about the ease with which their children can view pornographic content on the Internet. We are calling on British Internet Service Providers to share the responsibility of keeping our children safe online and on Ministers to regulate if the industry fails to come up with a solution".
Notes to Editors:
Claire Perry, MP for the Devizes Constituency, called last November for an Opt in Model to Internet porn in a Parliamentary debate. To read the debate click hereSince then, 60 MPs from all political parties have formed a campaigning group to improve online child protection. The Group will be holding a Parliamentary Inquiry at which the Executive Officers of Britain's largest Internet Service Providers are invited to give evidence, in September 2011.
Download (, 0kb)
Ensuring fairness in our Welfare System (22 Feb 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire has welcomed the Government's shake up of our welfare system, the most radical in 60 years. The Welfare Bill and Work Programme deliver on a number of Conservative election promises to mark the beginning of a new era of 21st century welfare.
At the election, the Conservatives promised to work to reduce the high marginal tax rates faced by people on low incomes who want to return to work or increase their earnings. The Welfare Bill the Government introduced this week delivers on that promise. The Universal Credit will simplify the system, ensuring it will always pay to work.
The Conservatives also made a promise to impose sanctions to remove benefits from those who will not take work when it is offered and they have delivered on that promise as well. If you're unemployed and refuse to take either a reasonable job or to do some work in your community in return for your unemployment benefit, you will lose your benefits for three months.
The Government will also ensure fairness for taxpayers by introducing an annual cap ensuring no family can get more in benefits than the average family earns by going out to work.
Andrea Leadsom MP says;
'These reforms show that this Government is on the side of people who want to get ahead. These measures will get people into work and will reform the welfare system to ensure that work always pays and no one can say they are better off on benefits.'
Download (, 0kb)
Andrea joins cross-party coalition calling on Government not to delay in fight to tackle legal loan sharking (22 Feb 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire has joined a coalition of MPs from all three major parties calling on the Government to set out a timetable for action to prevent exploitation in the high-cost lending market, in response to new evidence showing the speed of growth in the sector.
Andrea is one of 15 MPs to sign a joint letter to Ed Davey, minister for consumer affairs,
Andrea Leadsom MP says;
"With high-cost lenders expanding aggressively and no adequate protection in place for vulnerable consumers, the case for action is becoming clearer every day. There is a wide range of support for the introduction of a range of caps on the costs of credit, not only among MPs from all parties but also among consumer groups and debt advice agencies, and I'm pleased to be a part of this campaign. We need to act in order to ensure that consumers in XXX and around the country are no longer locked in cycles of debt thanks to the unscrupulous practices of payday, home credit and hire purchase lenders."
Meanwhile it has emerged that Wonga.com, an online payday lender, has borrowed £73mn in order to expand its operations. The news comes after Dollar Financial, an American payday company that owns MoneyShop, was revealed to be planning to expand its presence in Britain from 350 stores to 1,200.
Download (, 0kb)
Onshore Wind Farm Debate (10 Feb 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire, who is leading the debate says:
Energy Gap and Energy Security
"Britain is facing an energy gap of up to 32 Giga Watts by 2015 as coal and nuclear power stations are shut down. We must move away from our reliance on oil and coal for our energy security.
"The previous Government's policy was to close the gap and meet its renewable energy targets by using wind power however the amount of electricity generated by wind farms will have to increase by around 11.5 times or from around 7,600 Giga Watt Hours (GWh) to 87,000 GWh by 2020"
Facts about onshore wind in the UK
"Currently 283 wind farms in the UK produces 2.1% of the UK's energy (5,200 Mega Watts (MW);) and making them the largest single renewable energy source. However, if the Government is to meet its renewable target by 2020 it will need to build 10,000 new turbines. That is 2.5 new wind turbines every day!"
Effectiveness of Onshore Wind
"Denmark has led the way in producing wind energy and they have concluded that wind energy is expensive, inefficient and not even particularly green. The Danes pay the highest electricity bills in Europe. Wind turbines only produce electricity when the wind blows but if it blows too much they are turned off. A back up supply of power is always needed for when the wind is not blowing.
"They are inefficient during cold weather;
In December 2010 the UK experienced average temperatures of -0.7oC which was 5.3oC below the long term average;The cold temperatures pushed up the demand for energy and the average demand in December 2010 was around 7% above the December 2009 level; The drop in temperature also meant that the wind dropped as well. Therefore, at a time when the UK required more energy, our wind farms were not
producing any."
Wind power is expensive
"The Royal Academy of Engineering has calculated that the cost to the consumer of generating electricity by;
Nuclear power is 2.3p per Kilo Watt hour (KWh);Coal-fired power stations electricity costs 2.5p per KWh;Onshore wind is 5.4p per KWh to the consumer.
"To meet the 2010 target the previous Government commissioned report estimated it would cost between £4 billion and £5.4 billion a year until 2020 which is the equivalent of between £1,900 and £3,000 per household."
Communities and People
"The impact on the people the wind farms are built next too is vast, visually and with noise pollution. A turbine is audible 800 feet away. The resulting sound of several towers together has been described to be as loud as a motorcycle, like aircraft continually passing overhead, a brick wrapped in a towel turning in a tumble drier, as if someone was mixing cement in the sky, like a train that never arrives, a relentless rumble like unceasing thunder from an approaching storm."
"In a 2002 Spanish study they estimate that the number of animals killed by wind turbines and their power lines are:
11,200 birds of prey;350,000 bats;3 million small birds."
Other Renewables
"I know that we need renewable but I suggest that others would be more effective. Nuclear energy is cheap, reliable, produces little or no waste and is carbon free and therefore does not contribute to pollution. Other renewable are available I have seen a company in my constituency who turn methane from landfill sites into biofuel. The tides and waves are more predictable than wind energy and solar energy, therefore they are reliable and once they are built they are cheap to maintain. There is Hydroelectric power is also cheap to maintain and water can be stored cope with peaks in demand. Ground source heat pumps systems need to be explored. They have been called the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available. Biogas generation has potential and is extremely environmentally friendly and Biomass uses waste products and is Cost effective"
Call to action
"Wind Farms are not the solution. I have put in an amendment to the Localism Bill which will give local the communities the ability to object to wind farms development. We need to increase our nuclear power capacity and investigate fully other renewable."
Download (, 0kb)
National Apprenticeship Week MP Visits Scheme in Brackley (09 Feb 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire yesterday visited T-Sport in Brackley in order to support National Apprenticeship week. T sport is a Brackley based Formula 3 team that competes in the British Formula 3 Championship. They currently employ a National College for Motorsport student as an Apprentice Race Technician. Andrea was given a tour of the workshop where three F3 cars are being rebuilt and met apprentices old and new.
Alan Woodhead, CEO of the T-Sport British Formula Three Racing Team says "The National College for Motorsport based at Silverstone circuit provide us with 1st year Apprentice Race Technicians who are able to fit straight into our racing program with a good base knowledge of the motorsport Industry"
Andrea Leadsom says, "The apprenticeship arrangement is so successful and so sensible. The apprentices are given 6 months theory and then 6 months technical training before being found an apprenticeship in February just as the Motor Sport teams are preparing for their new racing programs.
"South Northamptonshire is the heart of British Motorsport and I was delighted to see how Tresham College, based at Silverstone, is making such a strong contribution in providing high calibre apprentices to local businesses. T Sport is a local Brackley business we can be very proud of."
Download (, 0kb)
Onshore Wind Farms (01 Feb 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire has secured a debate to be held in Parliament on Onshore Wind Farms on Thursday 10 February from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. The debate is a result of Andrea's appearance before the Backbench Business Committee this week. As the Member of Parliament in charge of the debate Andrea has the right to open it and wind it up at the end.
Andrea Leadsom MP says: "Onshore Wind Farms blight the lives of those who live near them and this is not only a problem in my constituency but across the whole country. I am keen to have this debate as I believe the pros and cons of Onshore Wind Farms need debating. In my view the need for renewable energy sources should be balanced against the needs of local communities. Many feel that there is not sufficient power at a local level to resist or change applications. Onshore wind farms do not meet the country's need for more renewable energy. However, off shore wind farms may hold part of the answer."
Download (, 0kb)
Localism Bill – Andrea puts Onshore Wind Farms (18 Jan 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire spoke in yesterdays Localism debate in the House of Commons and put forward an amendment to the Bill. Andrea focused during the debate on the problem with Wind Farms being forced on communities by central government strategy.
In the Bill, onshore wind farms of less than 50 MW capacity will become part of neighbourhood plans and therefore the local community will have a say over the siting of wind farms and over whether they are willing to have a wind farm in some of the sensitive sites that developers are putting in applications.
Andrea has tabled an amendment to the bill proposing that the capacity of onshore wind farms that fall within neighbourhood plans be increased to 100 MW, in line with offshore wind farms.
"Wind farms have such an enormous impact on the communities that have to house them. The Localism Bill is a superb attempt by the Coalition Government to give power back to communities and I want to make sure that the siting of wind farms becomes a clear part of the neighbourhood planning process. Communities' views must be properly taken into account. For example four villages in South Northamptonshire, Alderton, Helmdon, Sulgrave and Greatworth, are currently dealing with planning applications for wind farms within 500 metres of the village."
Download (, 0kb)
Residents of a South Northamptonshire Village Deliver a Greetings Card to No 10 (14 Jan 2011)
A group of residents from Boddington and Aston Le Walls severely affected by the proposed high speed rail link (HS2) have prepared a New Years greeting card to David Cameron to protest against the scheme. They will deliver the card to 10 Downing Street with their Member of Parliament, Andrea Leadsom on Monday 17th January at 11am.
The residents admit that initial opposition was based on so called "Nimbyism". However, they say that thanks to such attitudes this project has been carefully scrutinized and appraised and the findings are quite staggering. The business case for HS2 is flawed, using over optimistic forecasts on passenger numbers and too great an emphasis placed upon the cost benefits of time savings whilst travelling on trains. In addition any environmental benefits it claims are unproven. A scheme which is destroying virgin countryside using trains that require 3 times more power can not be considered as environmentally friendly in any circumstances.
Anne Wadland, Villager says, 'We have all written letters to MP's and the Transport Select Committee, we felt that a huge card containing simple messages inside may get noticed, and even if Mr Cameron does not read it – it was certainly a cathartic experience for a lot of us to vent our anger and frustration. We are dumfounded that this Government continue to commit huge funds to such a project, when they are being so ruthless cutting essential services for thousands of others. I am gravely concerned about what our Government considers is a priority.
"The residents are convinced that HS2 is not just a problem for those who live along the line, it is a huge mistake for which the nation will have bear the cost, currently estimated at £17 billion. They say that this is a vanity project which will benefit few but for which we all will pay."
Andrea Leadsom MP says: "I am not happy that the HS2 business case makes sense and I believe other alternatives need to be properly considered in order to deliver the improved train infrastructure that Britain needs."
Download (, 0kb)
Treasury Select Committee Grills Bob Diamond (12 Jan 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire, as of a member of the Treasury Select committee, interviewed Bob Diamond, Chief Executive, Barclays and Anthony Jenkins , Chief Executive, Global Retail, Barclays on Bankers Bonuses in yesterdays Select Committee hearing during a two and half hour session.
Andrea Leadsom says: "It was a long session but as I said at the end, I really felt that Bob Diamond did not understand that currently change is needed in relation to how bonuses are awarded. Mr Diamond constantly argued for the status quo.
"It is simply not true that the City would lose all its business and competitors will take a banks best staff if the banks don't pay huge sums. There are always a number of non-financial reasons, such as family and quality of life, why bankers might stay in a particular role.
"The Government cannot and should not be legislating on what private companies pay their staff. However, in the current situation, when most taxpayers are struggling the banks need to recognised that serious restraint is needed. They need to recognise the likelihood that they too would have failed if the taxpayer had not bailed RBS out. Then there would have been no bonuses.
"The banks need to start showing some leadership not just on bonuses, but also on dealing with genuine concerns about lack of competition and the "to big to fail" issue. "
Download (, 0kb)
Giving Planning Power back to Communities (12 Jan 2011)
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire held a Westminster Hall debate today on the Government's Proposals for Planning Control in the Localism Bill, the Second Reading of which is on Monday the 17th January 2011.
Andrea congratulated Bob Neil MP, Minister for Communities & Local Government, for abolishing the Regional Spatial Strategy and top-down housing targets and giving planning strategy back to the democratically elected local councils. Andrea then discussed three issues that the Localism Bill is not addressing clearly.
St Crispin housing development in Northampton The West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC), a quango whose days are numbered under the new government, has just approved planning for a further 80 houses ignoring the continued objections by local residents and councillors.
Andrea Leadsom MP says: "There are serious local infrastructure concerns including roads not adopted, insufficient parking, worries over the number of school places, hospital capacity and stretched local Council services to support these new homes."
WNDC Planning powers will return to Local Councils and WNDC will be disbanded once the Localism Bill is on the statute Book. In South Northamptonshire last year WNDC spent £17.8 million and £15.9 million of which was a grant from Central Government. Andrea asked the Minister to set very clear guidelines that Councils should follow in planning matters prior to the Localism Bill becoming law.
Andrea Leadsom MP says: "I am delighted the WNDC will be disbanded. I don't believe my constituents received value for money. During the next few months before the Localism Bill becomes law, we will need clear guidance on how to defend against unwelcome development proposals that are submitted under the old legislation."
Wind Farms Andrea urged the Minister to make sure that Wind Farms are clearly included in the Localism Bill so that Local Communities through their Councils can object to Wind Farm developments in their local area.
Andrea Leadsom says: "I entirely accept the need to include renewables in our energy mix to ensure our energy security. However, I am not convinced that onshore Wind Farms are the answer to our renewable energy needs. During the latest cold snap there was hardly any wind, so at the time of great demand wind contributed next to nothing to our energy resources. Wind turbines do blight the lives of local communities. The villages of Helmdon, Sulgrave and Greatworth are currently dealing with the prospect of having a wind farm built in the middle of them - I want them to have the power to say no."
Download (, 0kb)
