Make sure you’re insured when you travel abroad

I fully support a campaign launched by the Travel Association ABTA and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office urging holidaymakers heading abroad to “pack your policy”. Lots of people will be looking forward to a well-deserved holiday, however, things can go wrong and many countries do not have national schemes to cover the cost of healthcare.

Having travel insurance means getting ill or having an accident won’t saddle you with an enormous bill, so I urge you not to be one of the increasing numbers of people travelling without insurance.

Many people have called for the Government to get behind the campaigns to get Britain fit and active through cycling. We must do all we can to encourage people to be fit and active to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Cycling is a great way to commute and for leisure. Burnley is creating miles of off-road cycle ways such as the Brun Valley Green Way. It is important people are able to cycle safely and I will support this in Westminster after the recess. A little closer to home, however, is Ride with Brad, hosted by Sir Bradley Wiggins, which started in Barnoldswick and included Pendle and the Ribble Valley.

In my role as Apprenticeship Ambassador, I continue to do all I can to boost the image of apprenticeships and get apprenticeships the recognition they deserve as a viable alternative to university and a means of further education. I continually highlight the benefits of apprenticeships for businesses and young people and it is great to see so many apprentices in our own town.

Building on work done before Recess, there is the hope to double the number of businesses who offer apprenticeships in the UK from 100,000 to 200,000. Work on this task will resume as Parliament returns. Priorities for the next Parliament continue to be boosting business, creating jobs and helping people with the cost of living. To see the economic recovery we must fix the skills gap and continue forward in a positive way. I am proud of the amazing businesses and products we have in our town. Looking to the latter half of 2013, I am proud of the Government’s cutting of income tax, reducing the deficit by a third and creating more than a million jobs and new apprentices, but there is still much to be done.