December 2008

23.12.2008 16:20
CREDIT CARD COMPANIES AGREE TO PLAY FAIR WITH CUSTOMERS
Inverclyde’s Labour MP, David Cairns, has welcomed the news that credit card companies have signed up to the Government’s new set of ‘fair principles’. This means there will be an end to overnight hikes in credit card charges and borrowers struggling to repay their debts over the festive season will get a needed breathing space.  

22.12.2008 13:33
TAXPAYERS’ MONEY MUST NOT GO TO DRUG DEALERS
Drug users in Inverclyde will have to take up treatment if they want to claim benefits under new plans being backed in parliament by Labour MP David Cairns. In return for their benefits, addicts will be given help to get clean and get back to work – and it’s help they will be expected to take.   

21.12.2008 17:45
YOUNG PORT CITIZENS MEET MP DURING TRIP TO WESTMINSTER
When Christopher Hennan and Paul McMillan from St Stephen’s took part in the schools’ Question Time challenge earlier this year, they never imagined that it would lead to a trip to Downing Street and a meeting their MP. After Question Time the boys attended an event run by the Institute for Citizenship and they then selected the Port pupils for their Young Citizens’ Action Project.  

17.12.2008 15:52
MAKE SURE YOU GET THE FULL WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCE
When local Labour MP David Cairns discovered that some pensioners were missing out on their full winter fuel allowance, he teamed up with the Greenock Telegraph and asked people to contact him for help. The campaign was so successful dozens of pensioners phoned David’s office, and almost £4,000 has been reclaimed for Inverclyde’s senior citizens.  

16.12.2008 16:30
POWER COMPANY CUTS BILLS FOR PENSIONERS
Scottish Power has become one of the first energy companies to respond to the UK government’s demands to reduce bills for vulnerable customers. From January next year pensioners over 60 will be able to qualify for a special social tariff which the company estimates could save some households as much as £200 per year. To be eligible for the new rates pensioners must be in receipt of certain benefits such as housing benefit, attendance allowance or pension credit.  

5.12.2008 15:50
DRIVE SAFE OVER THE FESTIVE PERIOD
As the holiday season approaches, David Cairns MP is backing the UK Government’s Christmas Drink Drive campaign and urging festive drivers to leave the car at home, if they are going to indulge in their favourite tipple. Hard hitting adverts warning people not to drink and drive over the holiday period are already running on TV, and David is supporting the THINK! campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the devastating consequences of drink driving.   

4.12.2008 13:25
DECISION TO MOVE CUSTOMS JOBS OUT OF GREENOCK IS A MISTAKE
Inverclyde MP David Cairns has roundly condemned the news that HM Revenue and Customs has decided to go ahead and move jobs from Greenock to Glasgow. The MP put in a detailed submission to the consultation earlier in the year, outlining why the jobs should be retained at the Greenock Custom House, and he is convinced that the current decision is a mistake. As well responding to the consultation on the future of Inverclyde’s Customs’ jobs, David also wrote several letters to HMRC, met senior officials at their London HQ, had several meetings with the Greenock staff and met with Treasury Minister, Stephen Timms MP.   

4.12.2008 13:20
NEW BILLS IN QUEEN’S SPEECH WILL HAVE IMPACT ON INVERCLYDE
Although Scotland has its own Parliament, the laws passed in Westminster continue to have a profound effect on everyday life north of the border. The recent Queen’s Speech contained eleven new Bills, all of which will have implications for people living in Scotland. And, according to Labour MP David Cairns, some of these Bills will make a real difference to Inverclyde.