David Ruffley

David Ruffley MP has today announced the launch of a new page on his website DavidRuffleyMP.com.

The 'Ask David' page allows visitors to David's website to submit a question on a local or national issue for David to answer on his internet TV channel Ruffley TV.

The new page is not a substitute for direct personal correspondence with David but instead allows Suffolk people to question David on a topic of their choice.

People on fixed incomes face cuts in their living standards because 'astronomical'' household bill increases are not being matched by rises in benefits, the Tories said today.

Shadow work and pensions minister David Ruffley said changes to Government payments because of inflation were often not enough to make up for rises in gas and electricity bills or council tax rates.

He asked whether the methods used to calculate inflation could be adjusted so groups like pensioners were not left worse off.

David Ruffley MP has been conducting a House of Commons investigation into safety on Suffolk's roads and the county's major trunk road the A14.

New House of Commons figures obtained by David Ruffley during his questioning of Stephen Ladyman, Minister of State for Transport, reveal that in 2005 32 percent of all accidents on Suffolk's roads involved drivers under the age of 21.

Drivers under the age of 21 also accounted for 25 percent of all fatalities on Suffolk's roads.

David Ruffley MP will be visiting Combs Ford Post Office on Friday 23 February at 2.45pm to mark National Post Office week.

The Countryside Alliance will be holding a rally outside the Post Office in support of David's visit and the national campaign to keep our rural post offices open.

David will address the crowd and then meet with Combs Ford Post Office owner Deepak Suchak.

The local media are invited to attend and David will be available for interview and photographs.

David said:

'Local Post Offices are the lifeblood of rural communities.

David Ruffley MP has today launched a campaign to find a local hero in his constituency.

The winner will receive their award on 26 June 2007 at the MPs' Heroes Tea Party 2007 at the House of Commons.

This national award ceremony is organised by the Experience Corps and will be hosted by the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Community and Voluntary Sector, Tom Levitt MP. Each participating MP will present their local hero with their award during the official ceremony in the Members' Dining Room.

MORE than £1billion every year is lost in benefit overpayments due to mistakes by those who receive them.

The losses are enough to pay for 65,000 nurses, 52,000 teachers or 47,000 policemen.

The Government yesterday launched a 'five-year plan' to combat the problem.

But the Tories accused ministers of failing to take the issue seriously enough.

They point out that the Official Error Taskforce set up last year to cut the overpayments employs only two full-time members of staff and has a budget of only £132,000.

David Ruffley has been collecting Christmas Cards from across his constituency to recycle as part of the Woodland Trust initiative which aims to recycle 90 million Christmas cards across England.

David Ruffley receives hundreds of Christmas cards, both personally and professionally, from people across the UK and the World.

David will be recycling his cards and making sure constituents' cards are ready for collection on Friday 2 February at his Constituency Office in Woolpit.

Over the festive period it is estimated that in the UK we:

David Ruffley MP will be joining fellow Suffolk MP Richard Spring on a tour of Pakenham Water Mill on Friday 2 February at 12.30pm.

The Water Mill is currently undertaking a major fund raising drive.

Pakenham is thought to have had a water mill since as early as AD 43-60. The Domesday Book records Pakenham as being one of the 'Winter Mills' and the present building is believed to have been constructed in the late 18th Century.

David Ruffley MP will be out and about among the residents of the Howard Estate between 5 and 6pm on Friday 2 February.

At the invitation of Ernie Broom, Chairman of the Howard Estate's Over-60s Club, David is holding a surgery to tie in with the open day showing plans for the estate's Merry Go Round site.

Havebury Housing Partnership has recently announced that eight new houses will be built on the Merry Go Round site.

NEARLY 700,000 people pocket sickness handouts because of stress, eating disorders or booze addiction every week.

The number of people being paid not to work because of stress has rocketed a staggering 192 per cent under Labour.

Shock figures released last night show there has also been a 129 per cent surge in the numbers on incapacity benefit due to eating disorders.

And there have been whopping increases in the numbers claiming the handout due to alcoholism or drug dependency.