Lib-Dems

Started by admin, July 17, 2013, 07: PM

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"The Liberal Democrats are building a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling every person to get on in life."


Crime figures

Crime has been lower every single year under this Coalition Government than it was in every single year that Labour was in power – falling by over 10% since the government was formed in 2010. It is lower in every one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. The murder rate in England and Wales is at its lowest since 1978. In London it is at its lowest since 1970.

Police recorded crime is down. The extensive and highly regarded independent survey of crime shows a similar reduction. Corroborating evidence, including hospital data on admissions for violent crime, also shows a fall. And all at a time when the police, with reduced budget allocations, are having to achieve greater efficiencies and do more with less.

That is cause for all Liberal Democrats to feel proud. By making the police more effective and more efficient, we have achieved the ideal outcome: better value for money from the public purse and better results. These are not just statistics – they are about real people's lives. Although every crime is traumatic for the victim, overall our neighbourhoods are safer than they have been for a generation.

In Government we are striving to keep people across Britain safe.

The Labour party said that the Coalition economic policy would lead to higher crime. Wrong. They said that you cannot achieve better results in the public sector while also getting on top of the deficit. Wrong. At every election our opponents have said that the Liberal Democrats would be weak on crime. Wrong. Our party, in coalition government, is presiding over the lowest crime level since records began.


Unemployment figures

There has been a significant fall in unemployment of 57,000 on the previous quarter's figure, which included 20,000 fewer unemployed young people.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has also fallen in every UK region over the last month, according to figures from the ONS. The total number of people claiming the benefit is now lower than in May 2010.

This was part of an overall fall of 330,000 in the number of people claiming the main out of work benefits over the last three years.

Today's statistics also show a continued growth in the number of vacancies, with more than half a million currently available. The number of vacancies has increased by 12% over the past year to 529,000 and there are now more jobs available than at any time since the end of 2008.

This is clearly a positive step forward, but we have to remain focussed on creating jobs and growing the economy. That is why the Liberal Democrats are leading the campaign to create a million new jobs to build a stronger economy.

Jobs are the key building block in creating a stronger economy and fairer society that allows everyone to get on in life. That is why our unrelenting focus will be promoting job creation and encouraging businesses to take on apprentices.

Pupil Premium

Nick Clegg has announced the biggest ever rise in the Pupil Premium for primary schools to help ensure that more pupils are able to achieve higher standards.

The Pupil Premium, a key Liberal Democrat commitment, provides schools with extra money to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This will help whole classes move forward faster together.

It will be increased to £1,300 per eligible primary school pupil in 2014/15, up from £900 per child this year.

Schools will be able to spend this money in ways that they feel helps their pupils best. Schools use it to hire extra staff, for reading and maths classes for children who need an extra hand or to provide appropriate IT facilities.

On 'ranking'

Under the current system, children are ranked by levels. We want to give parents more easily understandable information that gives them a real, meaningful indication of how well their child is doing. This information won't be published. It is private data to help parents and teachers - and we are consulting on what information they will find most useful.

On 'testing'

We are not proposing any new tests today. We are upgrading the current tests that children take at 11, to make sure they properly prepare children for secondary school.

We are committed to treating schools fairly. That means recognising where schools have helped children to make incredible progress against the odds.

We are consulting on how we should measure progress - and whether it's best to look at the progress a child makes between Year 2 teacher assessments and Year 6 tests, as now, or whether we should look at how well they do across all their time in primary school.


Trident

This is the most thorough review of our nuclear deterrent this country has ever published.

It clearly shows that there are options for our country that do not simply involve us sticking to the same strategic positions that were taken in the Cold War.

Liberal Democrats are clear in our opposition to like-for-like Trident replacement. We should come down the nuclear ladder and end the 24 hours a day, 365 days a year continuous at-sea patrolling designed to meet a threat in the Soviet Union that no longer exists.

The Trident Alternatives is the most thorough review of nuclear systems and postures the UK has ever made public – in this, it is ground-breaking.

Credible alternatives exist and we have an opportunity to change course.

At the next general election, Liberal Democrats will be offering a serious and credible alternative to the current approach.


Plain tobacco packaging

The Coalition decision to delay plain packaging legislation was taken to allow more time to monitor the impact of plain packaging in Australia, the first country to introduce it.

Stephen Williams, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Smoking and Health, said: "The medical profession and cancer charities agree... The government should be concerned about the number of children who are lured into smoking each year by the slick marketing ploys of the tobacco companies."

And don't let Labour forget: Labour had to return a £1m donation from Bernie Ecclestone in a scandal over donations being linked to planned ban on tobacco advertising in motor racing.


Lobbying Bill

We are the first Government to publish proactively meetings that Ministers and Permanent Secretaries have with external organisations. This Bill is about extending that transparency further to give the public more confidence in the way third parties interact with the political system.

The Bill will ensure that we know who lobbyists lobby for; how much money is spent on third party political campaigning; and make sure Trade Unions know who their members are.


Keogh Review

Liberal Democrats are committed to ensuring better care, but under Labour the focus was on arbitrary targets, not patient care. That is why we have introduced the NHS Mandate, which puts quality of care on a par with quality of treatment.

This review should not be used as some kind of political football. It is vital that we ensure these hospitals are given the support they need to ensure that the failings identified in the report are dealt with.

Swift and tough action has been taken to make sure these hospitals are given all necessary support to improve. They must fulfil all the recommendations made by Sir Bruce's review and will be inspected next year by the new Chief Inspector of Hospitals.

Eleven hospitals will be placed into special measures to improve patient care. This means that they must implement all of Sir Bruce's recommendations and external support will be provided to help them do this. The quality of leadership will be assessed and any senior managers who are not up to the job will be removed. Each hospital will be partnered with high performing NHS organisations to act as mentors.

Under the new rigorous inspection regime led by the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, if a hospital is not performing as it should, the public will be told. If a hospital is failing, it will be put into special measures with a limited time period to sort out its problems.

Disability Employment Conference

The Coalition has launched the UK's first national disability employment conference, marking the beginning of the 'Disability Confident' campaign to help employers become confident employing disabled people. This isn't just about doing what is right for disabled people. Employing disabled people makes business sense too.

Children's Society concerns on the Social Fund: We reformed the Social Fund because it was too complex, over-centralised and poorly targeted, devolving exactly the same amount this year as last - £178.2 million - to local authorities to use as they see fit to help local people in need. There is no evidence that changes are pushing families into poverty and debt.


Equal marriage

The vote this week in the House of Lords was another significant step forward for equality. With Liberal Democrats as part of the Coalition this government is committed to building a fairer society by advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

We feel strongly that, if a couple wish to show their love and commitment to each other, the State should not stand in their way. These changes will strengthen marriage in our society and ensure that it remains a modern and vibrant tradition. And we are also building a fairer society for all.

From January 2014 equal marriage will start. Congratulations to Ed Fordham, who played a key role in the campaign, on his engagement to Russell Eagling.

As Nick Clegg said in his speech to spring conference - your freedom to love who you choose is a fundamental right in a liberal society and you will always have our support.


Liverpool care pathway

We all want our loved ones' final hours of life to be as pain free and dignified as possible.

That is why we took the decision to launch the review of the Liverpool Care Pathway because concerns were raised about how patients were being cared for and how families were being treated during this difficult and sensitive time.

We need a whole new system of better end of life care tailored to the needs of individual patients and involving their families.


Syria

We have three objectives in Syria: to promote a political solution that ends the conflict; to help save lives by doubling our humanitarian aid and providing non-lethal support to the opposition; and to protect the national security of the United Kingdom from extremism and terrorism.

On the question of any future lethal support, that is arming the opposition or intervening militarily ourselves, the Government's position has not changed. No decision has been made and any decision would be put to the House of Commons on a substantive motion.


Royal Mail

Our overarching objective is to protect the UK's universal postal service: the six days a week service, at uniform and affordable prices, to all 29m addresses in the UK which is vital for our economy.

Royal Mail is one of Britain's biggest companies. We are giving it the commercial freedom and access to capital that other large businesses enjoy so that it can continue to innovate and invest in a changing postal market. We've already removed major barriers to its long-term sustainability by taking on its crippling historic pension deficit and reforming postal regulation.

The final step is a sale of shares to give Royal Mail access to future capital and to meet our commitment for 10 per cent of the shares to be reserved for employees. We will be setting out our plans to give employees a meaningful stake and how the public will be able to participate in a sale.


Party funding

There has been no agreement between the three parties on beginning party funding reform.

Despite reform of party funding being in the manifesto of all three parties and in the Coalition Agreement, we have not been able to reach a deal.

The vested interests in the two largest parties have once again been a road block to reform.

This is hugely frustrating, and we remain convinced that all parties, including ours, need to change the way that they are funded in order to restore public faith in politics.

The resistance to change within the two largest parties has once again made a cross-party deal impossible. Labour would not give up their union funding; and the Tories would not give up big donations.

Although it is now clear that reforms cannot go forward in this Parliament, we hope that the principles explored can inform further discussions on this topic and that the parties will then return to this issue after the next election.

The Government has decided to proceed with sensible and necessary improvements to the controls on third parties which campaign at general elections to ensure that they are fully transparent and not allowed to distort the political process. These proposals will go ahead as part of a package of measures in a Bill which will include provisions for a lobbying register. The Coalition will introduce the Bill before the summer recess.



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