Plans to close factories which employ disabled workers are expected to be announced later. The Remploy company says it wants to cut costs and place more disabled people into mainstream employment rather than in sheltered workshops.
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hill Farming called today for the 'FairTrade' brand to be extended to include getting a fairer deal for British farmers during a Westminster Hall debate on the dairy farming industry. At present dairy farmers receive only a very small amount of money for a litre of milk while supermarkets' and processors' profits soar to unprecedented heights.
Local MP Tim Farron has today spoken in a parliamentary debate on the regulation of the franchising industry to support a constituent who had lost tens of thousands of pounds of his own savings. Paul Wakefield of Ackenthwaite invested over £100,000 in a franchise registered with the British Franchise Association only to discover, having lost his money, that the directors of the parent company of the franchise were in fact banned from holding directorships.
Local MP Tim Farron used today's Health Questions in the House of Commons to highlight the financial situation of Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust. The Trust recently benefited from the change in rules which means that the Trust will not be financially penalised for being in deficit. Last summer's acute services review which recommended the closure of the heart and stroke units was motivated by financial problems, which have now largely been removed.
A £340m package to help families looking after disabled children has thrown the spotlight on the difficulties faced by carers. Parents at whom the funding is aimed described the challenges they confront every day.
The parents of an eight-year-old girl with cerebral palsy have raised the money needed to send her to China for a revolutionary new treatment. Kishor and Priti Tahiliani, from Bournemouth in Dorset, want to take Vaishnavi to Beijing to have stem cells injected into her spinal cord. They needed to raise £18,000 for two months of the treatment, which is not available in the UK.
