News from Westminster

Kerry McCarthy MP visited a 'pop-up' food bank outside the Houses of Parliament, to draw attention to growing poverty and the reliance on food parcels in the UK. Reliance on food support is rocketing. The number of people supported by food banks has grown from 2,800 in 2005-06 to over 128,000 in 2011-12, while Britain's largest network of food banks, the Trussell Trust, predicts that they will need to support in excess of 260,000 people over the next year.

Two sixth form students from St Brendan’s Sixth Form College in Bristol have traveled to London to give local MP, Kerry McCarthy, food for thought on the issue of world hunger.

Kerry McCarthy MP has today slammed the Government for slashing funding for Sure Start Children’s Centres and other early intervention programmes by £10.9m in real terms since May 2010. The figures, compiled by the independent House of Common Library, have sparked fresh concerns that already over-stretched services for children and families will suffer further from April as the next wave of cuts hits Bristol City Council. Early Intervention Grant for Bristol has been cut by 44.2% since the election.

The MP for Bristol East Kerry McCarthy has called upon Japan to end its cruel commercial whaling at the launch of a new report revealing the industry is dying in the water. Japan’s whaling is being propped up by millions of pounds a year in public money, research by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) shows.

The MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy MP, has marked ‘V- Day’ by urging Government Ministers to do more to eliminate violence against women girls both in the UK and internationally. Today thousands of campaigners across Britain will join a worldwide movement in almost 200 other countries to call for renewed efforts to end violence against women. This week in Parliament, Kerry has praised local campaigners from Integrate Bristol for their success in raising awareness of Female Genital Mutilation and has urged Ministers to work with communities to prevent FGM.

The MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, is fighting to ensure that Bristol keeps money given by the Government to improve the energy efficiency of homes in Bristol. Around £2million of funds for installing wall insulation could have to be given back to the Government if Bristol City Council does not spend the money by 31st March.

The MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, is raising awareness of National Heart Month. February is National Heart Month and the British Heart Foundation is urging the UK to show support. Meeting representatives from the British Heart Foundation in Parliament this week, Kerry is encouraging her constituents to think about their hearts and the hearts of their family in friends to raise awareness of the UK’s single biggest killer, heart disease.

The MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy MP has attacked Government plans to close local tax offices, which will result in over 10,000 job losses throughout the country. Last year the Government confirmed plans to shut nine UK offices in the coming months including Norfolk House in Bristol, with the loss of around 250 jobs.

Kerry McCarthy MP has hit out at Government Ministers for failing to ensure housing is available for people who will be forced out of their homes as the result of the new under-occupancy rules –otherwise known as the ‘Bedroom Tax.’ Speaking in Parliament, the MP Bristol for East asked Government Ministers whether they accepted that many families would be able to pay the bedroom tax, and would be forced to downsize. Kerry told the Minister, local Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster, that there simply weren’t enough suitable smaller family homes available for families to move into, and that if families had to go into privately rented accommodation this would end up increasing the housing benefit bill.