David Ruffley

David Ruffley MP will be visiting the St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds on Thursday 7 September.

David will be receiving an update on the Hospice's work from Chief Executive, Ron Overton.

The St Nicholas Hospice serves a population of 250,000 in Bury St Edmunds and the surrounding area. As a registered charity, it meets the needs of the people with active progressive disease, where life expectancy is uncertain and for whom the focus of care is the quality of life. Its services extend to the needs of partners, families and other carers before and after a patient's death.

David Ruffley MP will be visiting the Bury St Edmunds facility of the high-tech company Thales UK on Thursday 7th September.

The Thales company is a well recognised world class company. It employs approximately 9,000 people throughout the UK, employing a total of 60,000 on a worldwide scale. The Bury St Edmunds site focuses on airborne countermeasure deployment systems; reconnaissance cameras and pods; and military video camera systems. At the moment it is developing prototype equipment for the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle system for the British Army.

David said:

David Ruffley MP will be visiting the Healthy Mind Centre in Bury St Edmunds on Wednesday 6 September at 9.30am. He has been vocal about the crisis in mental health funding.

The Healthy Mind Centre provides services to people aged 16 or over who are suffering from mental ill health or whose mental health and well-being is at risk. Their services are open to all and the vast majority are free at the point of delivery.

David Ruffley MP, the Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform and Patron of West Suffolk Voluntary Association for the Blind (WSVAB), will be speaking and presenting awards at the 70th anniversary of the WSVAB on Tuesday 12th September.

The Association promotes the crucial role of independent local charities for the blind and partially sighted people within West Suffolk. Their long term vision is to enable blind and partially sighted people to have the opportunity to access appropriate support services in order to achieve the highest quality of independence and competence.

David Ruffley MP has today written to Licensing Services at St Edmundsbury Borough Council in support of local residents' objections to a licensing variation application from the Queen's Head Public House in Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds.

The Queen's Head has applied to extend its licence for alcohol on sales until 2.30 am every day and until 5.00 am for alcohol off sales.

In addition the Queen's Head has asked that the compulsory provision of doormen on certain nights of the week be removed from their licence.

David said:

Figures released from the Home Office in answer to a Written Parliamentary Question from David Ruffley MP have revealed that only 15 Penalty Notices were issued in 2005 for the sale of alcohol to a person under 18.

David said:

'It would appear from these figures that either Suffolk does not have a problem with underage drinkers or the Police are not using the new powers given to them to deal with it.

David Ruffley MP will perform the official launch of the 'Great Outdoors' campaign organised by Kids Klub at Finborough School, Great Finborough on Friday, 28 July.

The campaign aims to help children learn more about the great outdoors by introducing fun, games and educational activities out or doors. The campaign is backed by local schools.

David Ruffley MP has today released new figures obtained during his questioning of Harriet Harman, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, which reveal that the number of children who have been subject to new care proceedings in Suffolk rose by 64 percent in 2006.

In 2005 there were 90 new care proceedings in Suffolk, in 2006 this figure had risen to 148- an increase of 64 percent.

In England and Wales between 2003 and 2006 the number of proceedings rose from 12,022 to 12,590- an increase of only 5 percent.

David Ruffley MP has today congratulated Suffolk County Council on being accredited with the International Environment Standard ISO14001.

The British Standards Institute carried out an audit of the authority to see how environmentally friendly it was. The audit included visits to fire stations, council offices, homes for the elderly and schools.

The County Council received its certificate at a presentation ceremony on Wednesday.

David said:

David Ruffley MP has today welcomed the news that Suffolk is to host a major disability sport event in September of this year.

Disability charity Optua is holding the Disability Sport Academy Showcase Day on Saturday 16 September at Northgate Sports Centre in Ipswich.

The event has been organised as part of Optua's Suffolk Disability Sport Academy project which aims to introduce more disabled people to Paralympic sports.

Some of the sports confirmed include archery, football, wheelchair basket ball, wheelchair tennis, judo, boccia and goalball.

David said: