Have your Say!

Helping our bravest families

Over the recent months I have been working on a Private Member's Bill to improve the amount and quality of respite care available for families looking after severely disabled children.

These families work tirelessly around the clock for their loved ones with no breaks or time off, often with little or no support and yet are surely among the most deserving in our country.

My Bill attempted to help these heroic families by providing regular short-term respite care for their disabled children so they could have a night off to relax, spend time with other children or simply catch up on much needed sleep. I have met with many of these families and have always been impressed and moved by their utter devotion to caring for their children, and for their modesty and bravery.

My Bill was talked out last Friday after several hours of debate in the House of Commons, but I am feeling positive about the improved prospects for these families. The government has promised a review of how funding is used in this sector, and hopefully this will lead to a better distribution of the resources, giving families better and more frequent support. In addition to this, more funding for emergency respite care has been announced and the campaign team I have been working with continue to promote the issue and raise its profile.

Hopefully we will continue to make progress in getting a stronger, more efficient support network around some of the most vulnerable in our society. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Yours,
Gary

posted by Gary Streeter M.P. on Tuesday, February 27, 2007

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Gun Crime Crisis

The recent shootings in London have rightly shocked communities across the country. Teenage boys being gunned down in their own homes or on their local streets is a terrifying thought.

Talk in the media is of how to solve this kind of crime- but there seem to be no easy answers. I am currently involved in a study being conducted by the Home Affairs committee I sit on which seeks to determine why so many young black men are caught up in the criminal justice system. We are hearing again and again that many of these young men feel isolated within Britain and seek gangland life as a way of belonging and fitting in.

Clearly somewhere we are failing to reach these young people and as we have seen, the consequences of this are often violent and tragic.

The report isn't complete yet but I imagine the conclusion will be that somehow we need to end these feelings of exclusion within some communities in Britain today.

But how can we do this? What is the best way to promote pride in ethnic heritage while strengthening social cohesion and building an inclusive Britain.

I'd love to hear your thoughts,

Gary

posted by Gary Streeter M.P. on Monday, February 19, 2007

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