David Ruffley

Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket MP pledges to continue his ongoing campaign against new red tape on local musicians:

David Ruffley MP pledged to campaign against the plans to hit local musicians with new red-tape and fees. David Ruffley has been in regular contact with local musicians and churches about the Licensing Bill which is currently before Parliament. He has warned that it will force local churches to pay for licences to hold nativity plays or concerts. Now music organisations across the country have warned that they also face a 'music tax'.

David Ruffley will be launching the new e-mail service at the Samaritans at 46 Well Street, Bury St Edmunds on Friday, 7 February at 12.00 noon. The new service will offer a new means of contact for anyone who wants to get in touch with the Samaritans. The telephone service will, of course, still be available but some members of the public may prefer e-mail as a means of getting in touch if they do not want to speak directly to a counsellor on the telephone. David will meet Director, Colin Nicholson, and other staff at the Samaritans' office.

David Ruffley will be visiting three schools in his constituency on Friday, 7 February.

David Ruffley will meet Mid Suffolk District Councillors on Friday, 7 February to discuss local council issues.

One of the items to be raised will be the proposed increase in council tax by Suffolk County Council which will significantly raise the amount paid by residents in the Mid Suffolk area.

David Ruffley today sent a letter to Tim Matthews, the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, branding the Agency's abysmal performance in the appalling weather conditions last week as a 'national disgrace'.

The text of the letter is below. It calls for disciplinary action or dismissals for the shambles last week.

3 February 2003

Text of letter to Mr Tim Matthews, Chief Executive of Highways Agency

GRIDLOCK ON M11 ON 31 JANUARY

David Ruffley has called Simon Amor, Project Manager for the Highways Agency A14 Haughley New Street to Stowmarket Improvements, to an urgent meeting at the House of Commons on Thursday, 6 February to discuss their plans for the A14 Haughley to Stowmarket section of the road. This follows David's strongly worded letter to the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency on 28 January- text below.

David Ruffley MP has signed Early Day Motion 572 in the House of Commons on Post Office Card Accounts.

Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket MP pledges to fight to protect local environment

Responding to the publication of new 'Communities Plan' by the Government, David Ruffley MP warned that Whitehall-imposed building targets would lead to the loss of green spaces and Green Belt across the county. Research suggests that Suffolk already faces the dumping of 29,150 new buildings on green fields. On top of this, parts of the South East, East of England and East Midlands, now face additional house building targets, offset by communities in the North having housing torn down.

David Ruffley has today written to the Chief Executive of Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority, Mr Peter Houghton, to ask for information about how NHS Cancer Plan money is being spent in his constituency.

David said 'I have been involved in an ongoing campaign to ensure that Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket receive adequate funding for Cancer patients. Extra funding obviously is crucial but so are the practical steps that are introduced to ensure that the funding is spent properly.

David Ruffley is supporting the Rugby Football Union bid for the Rugby World Cup in 2007. He has signed Early Day Motion 137 in the House of Commons congratulating the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for submitting a bid that requires no government funding.

In parallel with the World Cup, the RFU proposes to run an innovative Rugby World Nations Cup which will involve 20 teams from developing rugby nations. Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club has been selected as one of the two clubs in the Eastern Region as a venue for this parallel event should the Rugby World Cup bid be successful.