David Ruffley

CRIME committed by girls - some as young as ten - has soared by 25 per cent, official figures will reveal this week.

The crimewave will pile pressure on ministers, with the offending rate by teenage boys remaining stubbornly high.

It puts the spotlight on the introduction of 24-hour drinking, blamed for forcing many young girls off the rails by making it easier for teenagers to obtain alcohol.

The Government's critics will also point to evidence showing girl gangs are a growing phenomenon, particularly in towns and cities.

David Ruffley has today voiced his opposition to Government plans to replace local GPs' surgeries with impersonal super-surgeries known as 'polyclinics'.

It has been estimated that 1,700 family doctor surgeries could be closed down across England. Across the Suffolk PCT area 4 local GPs surgeries could make way for 'polyclinics'.

David Ruffley MP will meet members of the Save Our Silence Action Group (SOSAG) on Friday 6 June to discuss the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) proposals for new holding areas and flight paths in his constituency.

The proposed Stansted Eastern Hold will see increased air traffic over parts of David's constituency, in particular over Stowmarket, Needham Market and the Mid Suffolk villages to the south and west of these towns including Rattlesden, Felsham, Gedding and Drinkstone.

David launched an online survey in April on the NATS proposals at www.tellDavidRuffley.com.

THE NUMBER of children and teenagers regularly committing crimes has soared since Labour came to power.

Rural areas have been worst hit with counties such as Sussex, Gloucestershire, Dorset and Suffolk showing the biggest increases in youth offending.

The Conservatives said the figures showed that Government plans to try to cut youth crime were not working.

The figures show that over the past decade the number of persistent young offenders (PYOs) in England and Wales has jumped by two-thirds from 9,868 in 1997 to 16,512 in 2007.

COURTS were accused of going soft on uninsured drivers yesterday after figures showed that the average fine has fallen by more than a fifth since Labour came to power.

Those convicted of driving while uninsured were fined an average of £177 in 2005 compared with £224 in 1997.

The figures, produced by the Home Office, also show that the number of uninsured motorists brought before the courts has fallen since 1997 - despite more drivers being willing to flout the law.

DAVID RUFFLEY MP SHADOW MINISTER FOR POLICE REFORM: 'FINES FOR DANGEROUS UNINSURED DRIVERS FALL 20% AND PROCEEDINGS FALL 10%'

Mr Ruffley said: 'Driving uninsured is often a sign of more serious criminality. Yet the latest Home Office statistics I have uncovered reveal that:

• the total number of proceedings against uninsured drivers has fallen by 11% between 2004 and 2005, the last year for which figures are available from 441,819 cases in 2004 to 392,763 cases in 2005); and

INCIDENTS OF recorded race crime in Britain have soared by up to 300 per cent over the past four years, leading to concerns that efforts to calm tensions within communities are failing.

DAVID RUFFLEY MP SHADOW MINISTER FOR POLICE REFORM: '40% INCREASE IN RACIST CRIME IN JUST FOUR YEARS DEMONSTRATES TEN YEARS OF GOVERNMENT FAILURE ON COMMUNITY COHESION'

Shadow Police Reform Minister, David Ruffley MP said: 'These latest Home Office statistics I have unearthed show that between 2002/03 and 2006/07 there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of racially aggravated offences, from 31,436 in 2002/03 to 43,780 in 2006/07. Especially big increases were seen:

David Ruffley MP has today expressed his concern over the National Air Traffic Control Services' (NATS) proposed changes to the approach routes to Stansted and Luton Airports.

The proposed Stansted Eastern Hold will see increased air traffic over parts of David's constituency, in particular over Stowmarket, Needham Market and the villages to the south and west of these towns.

The proposed changes are open to public consultation until 22 May 2008. The consultation document can be viewed online at www.consultation.nats.co.uk and comments can be submitted via the website.

David Ruffley MP has today released new House of Commons figures which reveal that Suffolk roads receive some of the worst central Government funding in the East of England.

In 2007/08 Suffolk County Council is being given £25million for its transport initiatives. This compares with the £62million provided to Cambridgeshire County Council and the £37million provided to Norfolk County Council.

The figures were obtained during David's questioning of Rosie Winterton MP, Minister of State at the Department for Transport.

David said: