Thursday 19 August 2010

Ian Swales first 100 days in office

 Ian Swales MP is pictured with HRH Prince Charles on his visit to Redcar

On Sunday Ian Swales MP for Redcar had been a Member of Parliament for 100 days, and to mark this occasion Ian took some time to reflect on everything that has happened since he was elected on the 6th May. Time seems to have flown by since that night and when Ian looked at everything that he has achieved so far it seems almost unbelievable.

Ian said: "Time seems to have just disappeared and some days I still cannot believe that I am actually here doing this job, representing an area that I passionately care about.  When I reflect on the work that I have done so far it seems amazing that so much can happen in such a short space of time.


"I have been in London every day that parliament has sat and back in Redcar all the rest of the time apart from 4 days travelling to Thailand to meet a potential Corus buyer and 2 days in Belgium for a wedding.
"When I was elected I was working out of my front room. Now I have organised support in Westminster and a fully staffed office in Redcar Station Business Centre which is operational and working well.  
"I have attended 20 advice surgeries in 8 locations across the constituency; I am trying to get to all areas as I know how important it is to have access to your MP. 
"In Westminster, I have spoken 7 times in the House of Commons, asked a number of questions and proposed 4 Early Day Motions on a range of subjects, one of which was in relation to Corus and another proposing a transaction tax on banks. 
"I have been elected to the prestigious Public Accounts Committee and elected as Vice Chair of the All Party Group for the Steel industry and the one for the Chemical Industry.
"In my constituency I have been campaigning on issues important to people. These include the sale of Corus TCP, St. Peters School South Bank, Ensus emissions and the need to get more jobs in the area. 
"I am especially pleased to have got the Government to sort out the position on biomass tariffs which has directly led to a new £500m investment in the constituency. 
"I have attended community events from the return of the Green Howards to concerts, coffee mornings and fetes. I have met many representatives from the voluntary sector and presented awards at the Redcar and Cleveland volunteer celebration. 
"I have met many local businesses as well as many of my constituents and have been trying to help wherever possible.  We have had hundreds of items of correspondence since I was elected and I'm happy that we have been able to make a difference for so many people. I hope to be able to help many more constituents in the years to come.
"It has been incredibly busy with virtually no time off and I'm now looking forward to a short break away with the family before parliament restarts on September 6th."

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