20 Most Recent Press Articles
Clarion Article
Written by Annette Brooke and published in The Clarion on Wed 11th Mar 2009
Sadly more and more people are beginning to contact me about the impact of the recession. Businesses are experiencing cash flow problems and some banks as yet are still not prepared to lend, sometimes even when businesses have full order books. I have urged local councils (Dorset and Poole) to offer support and advice and as your MP I have been encouraged to direct businesses within my constituency to Business Link via 0845 600 9006 or www.businesslink.gov.uk for a free review of their business with an adviser. Businesses interested in registering for loans under the Working Capital Scheme should call the helpline on 0845 459 9780. In addition a new MP's hotline has been set up and so if you need help please do not hesitate to contact me.
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Read "Clarion Article" in full (323 words).
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Annette Brooke MP in Remploy plea
Published on Thu 14th Jun 2007
Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole yesterday used a House of Commons debate to urge ministers to look at alternatives to closing the Remploy centre in Alder Hills, North Poole. Annette Brooke MP told Westminster Hall that any solution which involved workers travelling to Southampton for advice about work was 'not acceptable'. She was also concerned that Remploy did not know how many disabled people were employed by the factory and the fact that staff with learning difficulties facing the prospect of losing their jobs were unable to understand the 'long words' used by the counselling service.
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Read "Annette Brooke MP in Remploy plea" in full (272 words).
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Annette Brooke MP delighted at plans for 'Right to breastfeed' law
Published on Thu 14th Jun 2007
Annette Brooke MP today welcomed the news that a new law is being proposed by the government which would grant women the right to breastfeed in public. Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families is one of three key MPs who have been leading the Breastfeeding Manifesto campaign in Parliament, calling for the Government to take greater action on breastfeeding.
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Read "Annette Brooke MP delighted at plans for 'Right to breastfeed' law " in full (213 words).
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Please Support Our Breasts!!
Written by Annette Brooke MP on Wed 24th Jan 2007
When I was first elected to Parliament in 2001 I didn't imagine that I would be involved so actively in campaigning for more support for breastfeeding both locally and nationally. After all I had been there and done that well over 30 years ago!
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Read "Please Support Our Breasts!!" in full (401 words).
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Improving Services for Disabled Children and their Families
Written by Annette Brooke MP on Wed 17th Jan 2007
In 2006 HM Treasury and the Department for Education and Skills announced a cross-cutting review of services for disabled children and their families. Ministers asked two Labour MPs to set up a process to gather evidence and to put forward recommendations to be submitted to the comprehensive spending review later this year. Three special parliamentary hearings were arranged during July, 2006. I was very pleased to be invited by the Chairman, The Right Honourable Tom Clarke MP, to be a member of the MPs 'Hearing Panel'. Our Report was published in October 2006 and is available on the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign website www.edcm.org.uk.
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Read "Improving Services for Disabled Children and their Families" in full (502 words).
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Footpath Number 5, could it be the path to somewhere at long last?
Written by Annette Brooke MP on Mon 15th Jan 2007
When I was first elected as a Broadstone Councillor in 1986, footpath number 5 was a longstanding issue. People had tried to get a nice walk established from Corfe Hills through to 'Happy Bottom' for many years. Footpath number 5 starts just opposite Corfe Hills School but after a short distance it comes to a halt. Some people believe it should carry on to Merley but others believe it should follow the route of the old railway line to Ashington. Questions have arisen over the years as to whether there was a right of way over the old railway bridge, what land was controlled by the Borough of Poole and what land was controlled by Broadstone Golf Club. How could walkers co-exist with golfers? Were there dangers from flying balls? Year after year I tackled the issues and eventually a small land swap and a stopping off of the potential route to Merley was agreed with the Golf Club. In return there was land given by the Golf Club to gain access to the route of the old railway to Ashington. By now this cutting had become a Site of Special Scientific Interest and so dealings with the then English Nature ensued and the Herpetological Society became pretty involved to protect the species on the banks! Compromises were made and we tried to address the issues that would also make our path suitable for the disabled, after all this will be a really great walk! I worked with many groups of people - Broadstone Residents Association and Friends of Rural Ashington to name but a few. However, one objection was lodged to the stopping off of the path to Merley, and this eventually stalled the whole process.
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Read "Footpath Number 5, could it be the path to somewhere at long last?" in full (465 words).
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Children & Parenting: Self-help, not sin bin
Written by Annette Brooke MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families and published in The House Magazine on Mon 11th Dec 2006
Liberal Democrats believe that the state has a role in protecting and promoting children's safety and welfare, and encouraging their personal development.
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Read "Children & Parenting: Self-help, not sin bin" in full (530 words).
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Skills South West: Turning the tide
Written by Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole and published in The Regional Monitor on Fri 1st Dec 2006
I am very proud that the first dedicated marine skills centre in the country opened in my constituency in Poole in early 2005. A network of three centres has now been set up in the South West, based around focal points for the marine industry, with Falmouth and Plymouth hosting the other two centres. The project has been facilitated by an initial commitment of three years' funding by the South West Regional Development Agency.
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Read "Skills South West: Turning the tide" in full (428 words).
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Government losing its way?
Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in Mid Dorset Mail on Mon 21st Aug 2006
Crisis in the Middle East, threats from terrorism are intensifying, airport chaos... and yet Parliament in is recess until October 9th. I have joined many other MP's in requesting a recall of Parliament. Who currently responds to this request - the Goverment! I firmly believe that there ought to be a mechanism whereby Parliamentarians rather than the Government of the day makes such a decision. After all we live in a democracy and it should be possible to call Government to account at times of national and international crisis.
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Read "Government losing its way?" in full (207 words).
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'In my view' column for Nursery World, February 2006
Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in Nursery World on Thu 19th Jan 2006
The Government is to be congratulated on the progress that has been made in the provision of childcare since 1997 and overall the new Childcare Bill is to be welcomed. However, as always the devil is in the detail and despite having spent 9 sessions in scrutinising the Bill in Committee, for me there remain many unanswered questions. For example, will local authorities have adequate resources to meet the requirements of the Bill? I want this Bill to make a difference but without sufficient funding what true progress will be made?
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Read "'In my view' column for Nursery World, February 2006" in full (335 words).
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Fathers' Rights and Family Justice
Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in The Parliamentary Monitor on Thu 25th Aug 2005
Fathers' rights issues have been brought to the forefront of the political agenda only quite recently. In June 2004, the government introduced a consultation paper - Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities, a report of the responses, and an agenda for action called 'Next Steps' was published in January 2005 and the draft Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill was published in February 2005. The Children and Adoption Bill, introduced since the General Election, which includes a focus on enforcement of contact orders, is now going through the House of Lords. All this shows some commitment to addressing the complaints of non-resident parents, who are mostly fathers, and who feel that the legal system as it stands is inadequate to meet the needs of particular contact cases. Such cases have been highlighted by Fathers4Justice, and the high profile achieved by this movement appears to have been a catalyst to jolt the government into taking steps to reform.
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Read "Fathers' Rights and Family Justice" in full (755 words).
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Tribute to Patsy Calton MP
Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in Women Liberal Democrats newsletter July 2005 on Sat 30th Jul 2005
Patsy and I were first elected to Parliament in June 2001. We had met before then but on our arrival at Westminster we immediately struck up a really strong friendship. We were both 'homegrown' MP's, having campaigned for many years in the constituencies where we lived with our families. We were both teachers and both deputy leaders of our respective local councils. Patsy's majority was 33 and mine was 384 and we always said that of all the new MPs we were the most determined to win a second term! We shared an office for the whole of Patsy's time in Parliament and shared all our ups and downs and frustrations in this male dominated environment.
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Read "Tribute to Patsy Calton MP" in full (362 words).
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Children, School and Diet
Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in The House Magazine on Mon 18th Jul 2005
The extent of the problem facing children, parents/carers and presenting challenges for government policy is quite phenomenal. Recent studies report that over one million children in the UK are obese , with an additional 200,000 children in Britain becoming overweight and obese each year .
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Read "Children, School and Diet " in full (1146 words).
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The Clarion monthly column
Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in The Clarion on Mon 20th Jun 2005
It seems to have been a very busy month for me both in London and the constituency. Three major issues are all being strongly debated locally as I write this article - the proposed amalgamation of Upton Junior and Upton Infant Schools, the new buildings at Lytchett Minster Upper School, and the proposed closure of the award-winning 'TORCH' treatment and rehabilitation centre in Bournemouth which currently supports over 160 mentally ill people and their relatives and carers.
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Read "The Clarion monthly column" in full (385 words).
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The House Magazine: Approach to Adoption
Written by Annette Brooke and published in The House Magazine on Mon 28th Feb 2005
Adoption is an enormously complex subject. It invariably involves the most vulnerable children in society. Where the state is responsible for the welfare and the wellbeing of children, it is a reflection of our society of how we treat them and how we manage the situation they find themselves in. Increasingly, children who need to be adopted are in the care of social services, either in foster care or are looked after children, and many have had difficult experiences in their early lives. Now, and for far too long, these vulnerable children and young people have had the worst education, health and social outcomes.
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Read "The House Magazine: Approach to Adoption" in full (1245 words).
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Charity Times: MPs Voluntary Secondment Scheme
Published on Mon 20th Dec 2004
As a new MP from the 2001 General Election, I was particularly pleased to be selected to NCVO's MP Voluntary Secondment Scheme. With many years' experience in local government, as a councillor, and having served as Mayor and Deputy Mayor, I had already worked closely with a variety charities who were all extremely active in spheres such as health, education, housing and disabilities all across Dorset. This experience gave me a first hand insight into the vast number of voluntary organisations often working in partnership with local authorities and central government to provide vital services to both individuals and families. As a Patron of a local children's hospice movement, I was also aware of the challenges facing smaller charities in terms of funding, project management and campaigning. For part of the time of my placement I was the Liberal Democrats spokesperson for the voluntary sector and so it was also particularly important to keep abreast of developments and on-going issues. I was interested to see first hand; the special expertise brought into the delivery of services and the operation and implications of service level agreements between the public and voluntary sector.
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Read "Charity Times: MPs Voluntary Secondment Scheme" in full (955 words).
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