Haslar

As the Member of Parliament for Gosport, Peter has led a campaign to retain Haslar Hospital which the Ministry of Defence is proposing to close. The hospital is over 250 years old and yet boasts some of the most impressive and up to date facilities in the south east region.

The campaign to retain Haslar at the heart of local healthcare provision continues as robustly as ever. The decision to close Haslar came about as a result of a review of Defence Medical Services in 1997/1998. However, Haslar heavily relied upon by the local community and is now run by the Hampshire PCT, with the military withdrawing from the site on 31 March 2007. The hospital has served the civilian population of the area, and also the Army, Navy and Air Force, for many years. A Private Finance Initiative is progressing for the redevelopment of the Queen Alexandra site in Cosham, Portsmouth, and it is anticipated that once this is settled, the longer-term future of healthcare provision can be addressed.

It has been acknowledged that the PFI bid is running behind schedule, and that Haslar is likely to remain open until at least 2009 for that reason.

In recent weeks and months, the television and written press has highlighted the campaign to retain services at the Royal Hospital Haslar, acknowledging it as an issue of national importance. Concern for the treatment of our armed forces has given us the opportunity to highlight the outstanding facilities and care provided at Haslar, as the last remaining military hospital in this country.

In addition, there is growing discontent amongst people all over the country that local hospitals are threatened with closure, adding weight to the campaign.

NHS Dentistry

Peter has been inundated with complaints from local residents unable to find an NHS dentist to treat them and their families.

He has raised the issue many times in Parliament (both with Ministers and in the chamber) and has also discussed the problem with local healthcare managers.

He is pleased to see that the situation has started to improve, with more NHS dentists being attracted to Gosport, and new practices being opened. However, work still needs to be done to ensure the service meets the needs of local people.

Tax Credits

Peter serves as a member of the influential Treasury Select Committee. One of the main areas of attention for the committee has been the operation of the Tax Credit system, and the committee has received evidence from the Paymaster General, Dawn Primarolo, on the issue.

Peter raised with her the fact that MPs still continued to receive a great many complaints from constituents who are experiencing problems in dealing with the Tax Credit system.

Tax credit payments affect families very badly – they often rely on this money for essentials. In many cases, difficulties arise when there has been an error on the part of the tax credit system when calculations result in people being overpaid.

Peter has been involved in many cases where claimants are told they are receiving the correct amount, only to be told later that they have in fact been paid too much and have to pay this additional money back.

The Treasury Committee is working to find ways of improving the system for all those who need its help .

Portsmouth Naval Base

Peter has given his support to Portsmouth’s Naval Base as its future is threatened under the Government’s naval base review.

He has also spoken in the House of Commons, highlighting the vital role the base plays in the economy of the local area and in the wider south east region, with 35,000 jobs being reliant upon the base in some way. Peter explained that Portsmouth was the spiritual home of the Royal Navy and that large numbers of naval personnel, together with their families, were settled in and around the Portsmouth area. He said, “To close the base would result in tremendous upheaval and strain for those families and for all those individuals and companies who are dependent upon the local defence industry for economic prosperity.” .

Child Support Agency

Peter has received numerous requests for help with CSA-related problems, and has argued that the main problem is the CSA’s over-complicated assessment process and bureaucracy.

The process of assessment is so complex that a significant percentage of calculations are inaccurate – and the average application takes 34 weeks to process.

Other problems are caused by the inequity of still having some claims processed on the old system, meaning that some parents are worse off than if they were to be processed on the new scheme.

In addition, where parents are intent on avoiding payment towards their child’s upbringing, the CSA’s enforcement powers should be used more effectively. A combination of co-operation and enforcement should be used to ensure that the child’s wellbeing is the first priority.

The CSA is to be abolished and a new, slimmed-down organisation is to be introduced.

Until this comes into force, Peter will continue to push for improvements in the service provided by the CSA to those people it is supposed to help