David Ruffley

David Ruffley MP, the Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform, will be visiting Jobcentre Plus in Bury St Edmunds on Friday 9 June from 10.30am until 3pm.

During the morning David will be given a thorough briefing on the work done by Jobcentre Plus. This will include:

• An explanation of the organisation.

• An overview of the New Deal, Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and Disability Living Allowance.

David Ruffley MP has today demanded that Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is abolished after it emerged that it has overseen an overspend in excess of £110 million in the last financial year.

Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA area is one of the four worst performing areas in the country.

The role of the SHA is to give financial advice, training and support to health trusts in the region.

David Ruffley MP will be attending the reopening of Rattlesden Village Shop on Saturday 17 June 2006.

Rattlesden Village Shop is a community store staffed entirely by volunteers and has recently been refurbished.

The reopening will be performed by K-9, Doctor Who's popular sometime side-kick from the BBC Television series.

David Ruffley will be available to meet with local residents while at Rattlesden Village Shop on Saturday.

David said:

'Rattlesden Village Shop provides a fantastic, and valuable, service to the local community.

David Ruffley MP will be attending Civic Services in Bury St Edmunds and Needham Market on Sunday 18 June.

At the invitation of the Mayor of St Edmundsbury, Councillor Frank Warby, David Ruffley will be attending a service at Christ Church, Moreton Hall in Bury St Edmunds at 10.30 am.

At 3.00pm David Ruffley will be attending a service at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Needham Market at the invitation of the Mayor of Needham Market, Councillor Brian Annis.

David said:

David Ruffley MP has today highlighted the fantastic array of opportunities available to adult learners in Suffolk.

Adult Learners Week runs in Suffolk from 20 to 26 May as part of a national campaign. The week offers free introductory sessions for adults to try learning something new.

The week aims to encourage people who might be thinking about starting a new course in order to get new skills to get a job, or get a promotion, or aid their personal development through relaxation and healthy living.

David Ruffley MP has today called on the new Home Secretary, John Reid, to respond to reports in the national press that he is considering calling off the proposed amalgamation of police forces.

A financial forecast drawn up for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) suggests the merger could cost up to £600 million and, due to a funding shortfall, the equivalent of 25,000 police officers may be lost to pay for the amalgamation.

David Ruffley MP has today has today congratulated the Back on Track team at West Suffolk Hospital on the receipt of a 'Health Enterprise East' certificate for Service Delivery.

Back on Track is a scheme devised by physiotherapists at West Suffolk Hospital to help people overcome their fear of movement, giving them control over their condition and enabling them to return to their normal lives.

David said:

'I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the Back on Track programme on the receipt of this certificate.

David Ruffley MP has today voiced his support for Farmers Weekly's 'Local Food is Miles Better' campaign.

To show his support for the campaign David Ruffley has signed Early Day Motion (EDM) 2256 which reads:

David Ruffley MP has today called for a referendum across Suffolk to back or reject the Government's controversial plans to abolish Suffolk Constabulary and create a three county super-force covering Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

David Ruffley's call comes as new figures published by the Government reveal that the police levy on Suffolk's council tax bills has increased by 157 percent since 1997.

David Ruffley MP, the Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform, has challenged the Government in the House of Commons on changes to the way benefits are paid, which could have a huge negative impact on local Post Offices in Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and surrounding villages.

David said: