David Ruffley

David Ruffley MP's return to full Parliamentary and constituency duties has been very warmly received.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: 'I join my Parliamentary colleagues on all sides of the House in warmly welcoming David back. I know he is looking forward to continuing to represent his constituents in Bury St Edmunds and fighting for the causes he believes in.'

David Ruffley MP has called a public meeting which he will chair at 7.30pm on Friday 12 November. It will be held at Cedars Park Community Primary School, Pintail Road, Cedars Park, Stowmarket, IP14 5FP.

Concern expressed by Cedars Park Residents Association about delays in providing a community centre at Cedars Park prompted David Ruffley to call the meeting.

Representatives of Mid Suffolk District Council, Crest Nicholson, the developers, and Suffolk County Council will attend.

Bury St Edmunds MP, David Ruffley, questioned Home Secretary, Theresa May, in the House of Commons on the establishment of a new National Crime Agency (NCA). Mr Ruffley was concerned that a new agency may have a negative effect on the huge administrative burden already shouldered by police forces, having 'to comply with 162 separate protective services standards, involving answering 1,099 separate questions.'

Benefit payment blunders have cost taxpayers more than £2billion under Labour, it was revealed last night.

The astronomical sum has been overpaid to hundreds of thousands of welfare claimants- many of them workshy scroungers- thanks to a catalogue of errors by Whitehall penpushers.

Officials at the Department for Work and Pensions admitted to the daily Express: 'It's our mistake- and we can't get the money back.'

Benefit overpayments equivalent to £104 for EVERY household have been made since Labour came to power.

Bungling penpushers have wasted £2.5billion of taxpayers' cash since 1997 - £1.17billion of it on incorrect Income Support payments, figures show.

Tory MP David Ruffley, who uncovered the figures, said: 'Gordon Brown's fiddling with the system and ministers' incompetent running of it is causing chaos.'

The Department for Work and Pensions will not ask for overpayments back, it said last night.

THE unemployed and people on low incomes have received more than pounds 2 billion in overpaid benefits since Labour came to power.

The Government yesterday blamed "official error''. The Tories described the total as "shocking''.

Ministers said there was nothing they could do to recoup the cash other than ask people to repay it voluntarily.

The figures were compiled from answers to parliamentary questions tabled by David Ruffley, the Conservative spokesman for welfare reform.

Benefit overpayments had reached almost Pounds 2.5bn during Labour's time in power, and an overcomplicated system had led to "shocking" levels of error, the Conservatives said yesterday.

The Department for Work and Pensions revealed in answers to parliamentary questions from David Ruffley, the Conservative spokesman for welfare reform, that overpayment of income support caused by officials' errors had reached Pounds 1.17bn since 1997 and pension credit overpayment Pounds 540m.

West Suffolk Hospital is facing a desperate fight to hang on to staff as the financial stranglehold on NHS providers continues to tighten.
The Bury St Edmunds hospital, slashed 260 posts, 50 beds and two theatres last year as it struggled against mounting debts.

Despite this, the hospital made savings of £6 million and improved waiting times for inpatients, day cases, cancer referrals and A&E.

However, the fear is that with West Suffolk facing possible cuts in its funding, more jobs could be sacrificed as bosses battle to reduce a £12 million deficit.

My online survey for Suffolk residents about the Chancellor's Budget asked: "If a Government increased public spending, which area do you think needs it most?"

A third of respondents said: "The NHS."

No surprises there. Our Suffolk health service and its hard working staff are carrying debts that are not of their making.

Many of you living on Moreton Hall use the West Suffolk Hospital and our local GPs.

TORY John Redwood enlisted the help of animalloving MPs to come to the aid of Yorkshire terriers rescued from a filthy shed in West Sussex.

The dogs are among the 206 rescued from the windowless 60ft building after pet breeder Elizabeth Stevens, 73, died in April.

The case prompted outrage after a broadcast showed the animals packed into transport containers and riddled with disease. In "hellish" scenes, six dogs had been partially eaten by others desperate for food.