GORDON BIRTWISTLE MP: The Pupil Premium will benefit Burnley schools

Last week was a busy one in Westminster. There is no doubt that these are difficult times to be in Government; the financial legacy left means that we cannot afford to do all the things we would like to do. However, details were announced this week of one policy which will make a big difference to children in Burnley. The Pupil Premium will focus education spending on the most disadvantaged children. It will mean that if you are running a school and you have children who receive free school meals – as many children in Burnley do – then you will get an additional £430 for each of those pupils in the next school year. Schools must show that the money improves children’s life chances and closes the attainment gap. I welcome this policy. It is proven that if you want to increase the life chances of poorer children, who are only half as likely to leave school with five good GCSEs as their better off classmates, you should target them when they are young. The money allocated will increase in future years and more pupils will be covered. Funds will also be weighted to areas of the country where they are most needed, like Burnley.

I am hopeful that this important national policy, along with local initiatives like breakfast clubs run with the Prince’s Trust, will do a great deal to improve chances for Burnley children.

Another crucially important issue for Burnley is apprenticeships. I am really pleased that Vince Cable is reversing the slide we have seen in apprenticeships over the past 20 years, this year creating a further 75,000 apprenticeships on top of the existing 200,000. This week I asked the Secretary of State what steps he plans to ensure parity of esteem between apprenticeships and university degrees. I was pleased by the response: increased public recognition will be given to apprentices, including graduation ceremonies and clear progression routes into and through apprenticeships into higher level skills training.

The future of Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is an issue which a number of constituents have raised with me. I share their concerns and during the week I pressed the Government to safeguard these funds. The response is that the system will change: support will in future be focused at a local level on the most disadvantaged students. EMA will be paid in full in the 2010/1 academic year. Final details are to be announced after Christmas – please be assured that I will continue pressing the Government.

I have been continuing our long campaign to save the Deerplay children’s ward. Following our victory at county council level, the Secretary of State for Health has referred the matter to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel which has been formed to look into whether the decision made by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust was the correct one. If they decide it was not, then the children’s ward will be restored. Local MPs have been asked to submit evidence to the panel.

Last week I also asked the Government about the potential culling of badgers to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis, which I am opposed to. This is a really tricky issue. There is clearly a big problem with TB in cattle, mainly among dairy herds, and this does need to be tackled. However, the scientific evidence is not clear about how TB spreads between badgers and cattle - or whether culling badgers works to reduce bovine TB. I am not convinced that the proposals for a regulated system which permits farmers to kill badgers on their land put forward by the Government will work. It is important that concern for badgers and nature is fully balanced against the projected benefit to farmers. I would also prefer efforts to be concentrated into investigating vaccinating badgers against TB, which is currently being piloted. The response from Government made clear that no decisions have been made and it is something I will continue to work on.

In the constituency, last week I met with a group from ELSUN, an organisation which works with people with learning disabilities. It was extremely useful to speak with them and listen to their views. One particular concern was the impact of the spending review on people receiving social care. I have taken up their concerns with the Government and Lancashire County Council. The Government has committed an extra £2b. to be invested in social care by 2014/5 and I feel that these valuable services should be the last to be cut.