Thursday, 01 July 2010

MP receives Government reassurance of long-term support for family carers

The Government has recently provided reassurance to local Member of Parliament Nicola Blackwood that it is “committed to widening the support available to family carers and will establish an independent commission on funding long-term care this year”.   

Nicola asked about carers’ support in Parliament after members of the Oxfordshire Carers Forum emphasised the importance of widening their long-term support.  Her visit to the Forum on 11 June coincided with Carers Week, a national awareness raising campaign, holding 12,000 events across the UK in conjunction with a number of organisations and charities. 

“It is great that the Government is following through on its commitments to improve the lives of carers in my constituency and across the UK.  I look forward to working closely with the Oxfordshire Carers Forum to ensure Ministers are aware of carers’ specific needs and requests”. 

Nicola said she will join her colleagues in pressing for improved respite breaks for carers, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing so that they can safely and effectively keep families together in their own homes for longer.  This was referenced as one of the top priorities for carers at the Oxfordshire Carers Forum.

“The Government is reviewing many aspects of carers policy, a process which I am watching carefully”, Nicola said. “Forum members raised a number of other issues of equal importance which I will be taking up with the Minister. I look forward to continuing my conservations with Forum members about the important issues they are raising.”     

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Thursday, 01 July 2010

Nicola Blackwood MP lauds local charity’s work in Parliament

Nicola Blackwood, Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon, today during a Parliamentary debate spoke in praise of local charity Helping Hands and its work with the Cumnor Primary School in her constituency.  Nicola singled out the “enthusiasm and resourcefulness” of the children as a “lesson to all of us in this House”. 

She had met with the schoolchildren on 24 June, along with special guests the HRH Earl of Wessex, the Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire to focus on how individuals and communities in the UK can form relationships with their UK counterparts in Uganda.  Cumnor Primary School has long been linked with the El-Shaddai School in Uganda.  The children performed songs, showed their artwork and created traditional African food to sample. 

“The children I met were so excited to tell me about how they fundraised to buy equipment and write letters.  If they raise the money they will visit their twin school in October”, Nicola said in the House of Commons. 

“It is an investment in the way in which future generations will think about and do aid, and that, I believe is an investment that is worth its weight in gold”.

Nicola also in her speech spoke extensively about the importance of using international aid to invest in women.  She noted that despite producing 50% of the world’s food, women earn 10% of the income and have a disproportionate lack of access to education and health services. 

“It is becoming increasingly clear that the only hope of effectively increasing the resilience of communities at risk is to engage, resource and train these women who are already doing more than their fair share to clothe and feed some of the poorest communities in the poorest countries”. 

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Thursday, 01 July 2010

Nicola Blackwood makes her Maiden Speech

Nicola Blackwood, local Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon, recently used her Maiden Speech in the House of Commons to praise her constituency and raises issues of domestic abuse.

She highlighted how most people still think of domestic violence as a women’s issue, when in fact a third of its victims are men.   Yet only 1% of refuge space is available for men nationally.  She praised a unique county volunteer initiative – the “champions’ network”, which is striving to make it easier for all victims to access help and support.  Nicola as a trained champion herself spoke of their “excellent work” and praised the enormous impact the network is already having in the county.

Nicola also used her maiden speech to praise the beauty and cultural heritage of Oxford West and Abingdon, but also illustrated a number of issues, such as flooding and traffic difficulties, which are currently affecting the area.

She said, “As research shows, it is incredibly important to maintain our commitment to flood defences, which are far cheaper than the catastrophic results of unmitigated flooding.  Those defences are much needed by the residents of Osney, Abingdon and nearby villages, such as Kidlington, and I look forward to supporting their campaign for them.”

 “It was such an honour to have the opportunity to speak in the first home affairs debate in this Parliamentary term”, Nicola said after the debate.  “I am incredibly grateful to the people of Oxford West and Abingdon for electing me to represent them and I look forward to speaking up for them on many more occasions in the future.”

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Thursday, 01 July 2010

Nicola elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee

Nicola Blackwood, the Local Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon, has been elected to serve on the Home Affairs Select Committee, which is responsible for examining the expenditure, administration and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies for Parliament.

Nicola said “I am honoured to have been elected to serve on the Home Affairs Select Committee.  This will be a great opportunity to fight for improvements for local issues such as policing and anti-social behaviour.  I look forward to being able to speak up for civil liberties which have been so threatened over the last decade!”  

She will also be closely examining Home Office and Ministry of Justice policies, ranging from immigration to sentencing.   

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Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Local MP supports Age UK Oxfordshire’s study on older people’s provisions

Nicola Blackwood, Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon, attended Age UK Oxfordshire’s recent conference which launched a major report highlighting the realities of growing older in Oxfordshire.

Rounding up the event in her speech, Nicola drew experts’ and locals’ attention to the dramatic changes which are taking place in the population of the county because more people are now living longer and in better health.  She said “I congratulate Age UK Oxfordshire for their insightful research; their report makes clear that we still have some big challenges to overcome”.

The report offered a comprehensive account of ageing in Oxfordshire today; giving policy-makers and public service providers the information they need to target resources where they are needed most. 

Nicola drew the audience’s attention to all that older people already contribute to their local community.  She said, “By further improving support to the older generation we tap into their great wealth of talent, experience and energy, which can only lead to the strengthening our communities. 

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