David Ruffley

David Ruffley expressed concern this week at new figures published by Royal Mail on its performance in delivering letters. The latest performance results show that in the three months from April to June 2004:

• Only 89.7 per cent of first class letters in the Ipswich postcode area to addresses outside the area are delivered the next day- failing to meet the Post Office's target. This means that over 11 per cent of letters are not delivered on time.

David Ruffley has written to John Pope, Managing Director of First Eastern Counties Buses, following a deluge of complaints from constituents about the unreliability of the bus services in Bury St Edmunds and dissatisfaction with the new timetables.

Bury St Edmunds Town Council have called a public meeting to discuss this issue on Friday, 1 October at 6.30 p.m. at the Corn Exchange in Bury at which David Ruffley will be on the platform with local councillors. Representatives from First Eastern Counties have been invited to attend.

The "Know Your Numbers!"Œ¬ campaign runs from 13-19 September

'I am delighted to be supporting the "Know Your Numbers!" Œ¬ campaign during the Blood Pressure Association's national blood pressure testing week.

High blood pressure is serious and it affects one in three adults in the UK, many of whom will live in my constituency.

David Ruffley MP this week announced that the Conservatives will abolish university tuition fees. Conservatives' radical plans will boost higher education funding, scrap tuition fees, reduce student debt and provide for an extra £21 billion investment in universities. Local Conservatives have been pleased by the positive response nationally to this new policy.

David Ruffley will this week be raising the important issue of the travellers camp at Woolpit and the inability of our planning laws to deal with Suffolk concern about the system.

David Ruffley said:

'I am glad that I have been able to use my influence with the Speaker to secure a debate in the House of Commons this Thursday, the 16th September. I promised my concerned constituents that I would raise their views at the very highest level and I will now be challenging the Government in Parliament to look at this situation with some urgency.

The West Suffolk Branch of the Alzheimer's Society, of which David Ruffley is Patron, is holding a 'Memory Walk' at Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds on Sunday, 19 September commencing at 10.00 a.m.

David Ruffley today delivered his speech in the House of Commons on the Woolpit/Elmswell traveller issue. This was a special Adjournment Debate that the Speaker, Michael Martin, granted David after his intervention in August calling for this emergency debate.

This is a link to the speech

There was a large amount of cross party agreement, particularly from Labour's Bill Olner from Nuneaton.

David Ruffley MP this week supported Conservative party proposals for a radical scheme to avoid the need for old people to use up their life savings and property to pay for residential care. The Conservative plan is for a three-year partnership scheme between Government, the insurance industry and families.

People who take out an insurance plan that meets the cost of three years' long-term care would be guaranteed free long-term care by Government beyond those three years, regardless of their assets.

Mr Ruffley said:

David Ruffley MP warned this week that the revaluation of properties for council tax, starting next year, was a 'ticking tax timebomb' that threatens to send council tax bills in Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket soaring. By contrast, Conservatives have pledged that they will stop the revaluation being used to further increase the tax burden on local residents.

The latest report from the Home Office, the Police Performance Monitoring 2003/04 report, published last week highlights the growing problem of robbery and burglary in the Suffolk Constabulary. These are the official figures for the year up to March 2004.