David Ruffley

David Ruffley will be visiting Stowmarket High School on Friday, 24 January to meet Headteacher, Mr David Oliver and then to speak to sixth form students.

David is in frequent contact with Stowmarket High School. For several years now sixth form politics students have visited Westminster to see the House of Commons in action and David has paid a return visit to speak to students and hold a question and answer session with them. The session is always non-party political and covers a wide range of topics.

David Ruffley MP will be speaking at Great Barton Free Church, Mill Road, Great Barton, at 7.30 p.m. on Friday, 24 January.

The subject of his talk is 'Brave New World: are genetic engineering, stem-cell research and cloning grounds for genuine optimism or general unease?' There will be an opportunity for questions following David's talk.

The event is open to members of the local community. Anyone interested in attending should contact the Church on: 01284 788032.

David Ruffley will be holding one of his regular meetings with members of the Bury St Edmunds Branch of the National Farmers' Union on Friday, 24 January.

The main topics for discussion at the meeting include: sheep tagging, bio fuels, the proposed takeover of Safeway by Wal Mart and the power of supermarkets in general.

David Ruffley will visit Bury St Edmunds Fire Station, Parkway North, on Friday, 31 January between 4.00 and 5.00 p.m.

David has kept in regular contact with local firefighters since negotiations began over their pay claim. He will be meeting the firefighters at the Fire Station on Friday to receive further briefing from them regarding the implications of the Bain Review, especially possible job losses locally. They also particularly wish to draw to David's attention the special features of rural fire services which are quite different from those in urban areas.

David Ruffley is visiting Needham Market Middle School on Friday, 31 January. He will meet Headteacher, Mrs Sue Hull, her staff and pupils. The School is in School Street, Needham Market.

David Ruffley has called a meeting in Bury St Edmunds as part of the '24 hours for Trade Justice' campaign. It will be held at St John's Church, St John's Street on Saturday, 28 June from 11.00-12.00 noon. Everyone interested in Trade Justice is welcome to attend. It has been organised in conjunction with the national campaign being run by CAFOD and Christian Aid.

David Ruffley was today elected to the influential Executive of the 1922 Committee. This follows a vacancy created by the departure from the Committee by the Hon Nicholas Soames MP.

David Ruffley has called a high level meeting at West Suffolk Hospital on Friday, 5th December. He will be meeting John Parkes, Chief Executive of the Hospital, at 10.30 a.m. to discuss hospital services which are under threat.

David Ruffley MP has called a high level meeting on the county's council tax in Suffolk. He will be meeting Mike More, Chief Executive of Suffolk County Council on Friday 14 November in David's office.

David said, 'I receive more letters in my postbag on council tax than on any other subject. Pensioners have been hit particularly hard at a time when the state pension has not kept pace with rises in pensioner expenditure. They are furious and they are right to feel this way.

David Ruffley MP today launched a strong attack on plans for a new tier of regional politicians across England. The Government has announced a costly 'information campaign' across the North West, North East and Yorkshire & Humberside to sell the case for creating elected regional assemblies. Other regions may follow, depending on the results of regional referendums in those regions in autumn 2004.