Loughborough MP Andy Reed is making available new public information leaflets for the disabled and carers.

The new public Information Leaflet “Do you, or someone you care about, need help in everyday living?” is written in an easily readable manner by the Local Government Association (LGA). The leaflet is designed to give the disabled, elderly and carers’ simple and straightforward information on where they can receive help and practical support.

Andy Reed MP welcomes the announcement on fair tips and the minimum wage and calls for rogue employers who con staff to be exposed.

This July marks 10 years since Labour voted to introduce the National Minimum Wage in 1998. When it came in ten years ago people like David Cameron strongly opposed it. The Tories said the minimum wage would cost the country 2 million jobs. The reality is totally different. An extra 2.3 million jobs have actually been created since then. Nearly one million low paid employees, two thirds of them women, have benefited from the National Minimum Wage.

Andy Reed MP today welcomed the statement by the Prime Minister to the House of Commons on Iraq. But he said he had hoped troops could have been coming home quicker.

"It is good that Gordon remains committed to bringing our troops back from Iraq as quickly as possible. I had hoped that would be even quicker than the timetable outlined by the Prime Minister today but I understand his need to set no artificial political timetable to a military decision. Whilst I still believe we should never have gone into Iraq I do now believe we have a golden opportunity to withdraw by the end of 2009 with Gordon Brown and Obama in the White House"

Andy Reed MP today urged Health Ministers to change the culture of the department to encourage the growth of co-operative and social enterprise solutions to health care provision.

After he spoke in the Commons Andy Reed said "There is a long tradition of service providers in the NHS. We have GPs who are not salaried but effectively small businesses as well as a large charitable sector like the Rainbows Children Hospice. If we are to have commissioning of services the co-operative sector has proved it provides good service and wit th added values that co-operation bring. Not for profit organisations have quality of care at their heart and although there are many excellent examples like the Shepshed Carers the culture of the Health Department means the have to jump through too many hoops. I call on the government to help with the promotion of this form of service provision and was pleased to hear the Minister agrees."

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has set out the latest plans for reform of the House of Lords.

Under the proposals most, if not all peers, would be elected and serve terms of between 12 and 15 years.

The Lords would be reduced in size from more than 700 peers to no more than 450. The bishops would stay, but the 92 hereditary peers would be abolished.

Mr Straw told the Commons that any change would only take place after the next General Election.

MPs voted last year in favour of a reformed Lords being either 80% or 100% elected.

Andy Reed said "As this paper shows there is still no absolute consensus on the way forward but that must not be a reason not to act. We have an 18th century upper house in the 21st Century. We need to do this as quickly as possible and take as many people with us as possible. I look forward to further legislation and action."

Stripped of their blackberries and mobiles, a cross party group of MPs will spend 24 hours drawing attention to the way 1 billion people spend a lifetime – in a slum.

The MPs will build their own makeshift shelter, walk 4 miles to collect water and eat nothing but rice and dhal. They will face a series of unexpected challenges, to highlight some of the daily harsh realities faced by 1 billion slum dwellers.

This will take place Tuesday 15 July – noon Wednesday 16 July at College Garden, Westminster Abbey, London.

By spending 24 hours focusing on the way a billion spend a lifetime, living in a temporary shelter, eating a limited diet and facing tough challenges and choices, the MPs will raise awareness of the poverty and people that live in the world’s slums.

Andy Reed said "Whilst this can only ever be a token gesture we hope that by doing this we get people talking about this issue. With 1 billion people living in slums where water and sanitation remain a massive problem we know the world could act. But we need to understand the issue and how bad it is. Having seen slums for myself in countries around the globe I am amazed at the resourcefulness of those living these lives. But we are all responsible in the way we live our lives and expect cheap products to maintain our comfortable lifestyles from imported goods. Many will have been made by those living in slums.

"I know some cynical journalists will find it easier to have a pop at us rather than deal with the issue we highlight - but that is their problem and further demeans the journalists as a profession - not us!"

Andy Reed today chaired a meeting of the Sports Caucus where evidence about the support work of UK Sport was heard in the build up to the Olympics next month.

UK Sport are responsible to the government for delivering elite sport in the UK and have £600m of lottery and exchequer funding to hit their target number of medals.

"This was a good opportunity to see how well UK sport is doing at delivering through the governing bodies our medal winners not just for Beijing but more importantly for 2012. UK Sport have set an ambitious target of 4th in the medal table in 2012 and it seems we should have every confidence of the systems being right. We just need athletes to fulfil their potential now!"

"This is important becauise Loughborough is one fo the key bases for training our elite athletes for the future so we have a direct interest."

At and event held in London this evening Loughborough MP Andy Reed praised the Co-operative and StreetGames for their Young Volunteer initiative.

The volunteering programme helps people from disadvantaged areas to make the most of their talents and abilities by becoming volunteers in their local StreetGames sports projects. This tackles social exclusion at its roots.

Andy said "We have heard a lot about tackling street crime at source. well projects like this which I hope to bring to Loughborough are a great way to do so. I have seen other similar projects in the town turn youngsters away from a potential life of crime and this seems to be doing the same. I hope the local projects will be up and running later this year."

Andy Reed MP and Cllr Kev Parker were joined by Labour Party members as they hit the streets to meet and listen to constituents in Shepshed.

Andy said "Throughout the year and in between elections we are always out and about knocking on doors, holding roving surgeries and coffee mornings.

"What is obvious is what a great impact Cllr Kev Parker has had as an effective voice for Shepshed at County Hall and locally. We met so many people who had been helped by Kev already.

"This informal chat on the doorstep allows people to discuss the issues they want - not what the media ram down their throats and they seem to appreciate that. It was great to hear of really positive experiences of the NHS for example as well being able to take up really local issues."

Loughborough MP Andy Reed has agreed to be a County Champion for the 2012 Olympics.

Andy said"I have agreed to take up the challenge of making Leicestershire heard in the 2012 organising Committee and to making sure Leicestershire itself gears up to make the most of the 2012 Olympics. I have been involved over the last 2 years at helping deliver the Leicestershire strategy but now I am keener than ever to turn these fine words into action. I hope to be joined by champions from other sectors too but post Beijing we have only 4 years to get the most out of the Olympics coming to London."

Andy Reed was re-elected to his position of Secretary of the influential All Party Debt, Aid and Trade Group this week. Andy has been a leading member and Secretary of the group for 11 years.

"This is an important aspect of the many different things I do here in parliament. Over the last decade we have seen significant progress and working with Jubilee 2000 and the Make Poverty History has showed how much support there is locally and nationally. But today 30,000 children will still die of preventable diseases and malnutrition so more needs to be done. We cannot wash our hands and pretend it is not our problem. We often are the problem in the way unfair trade rules make life easier for us but desperate for those already struggling to live on less than $2 per day. We have the means to rid the world of starvation and the ability to deliver clean water and sanitation but we have never achieved the political will and money to make it happen. I will continue to push that agenda at every opportunity as it remains our biggest global challenge alongside climate change."

Andy Reed was the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the London Fitness Network at the Sports cafe last night.

The London Fitness Network gives the freedom to use gyms, classes and swimming pools at 85 centres across London. You don’t need to decide to join a gym near your workplace or near home, because now you can do both it is claimed.

Membership covers over 80 gyms, 50 swimming pools and over 2,000 exercise classes per week.

There are now plans to roll out the scheme nationwide and Andy was there to support the concept and the fitness industry in their partnership to provide greater opportunities for sport and physical activity.

"I support this concept and hope it is successful in its roll out nationally this year. We need to make it easier in our modern and very busy lives to find time and space to exercise. The work life balance means it is often difficult and therefore expensive to get along to one gym at home and another near work. This scheme will make it much easier to visit both as part of the same membership."

"We need to do everything we can to make things easier so that we head off the obesity challenge facing this country. If we carry on as we are we will have 50% of men obese by 2050 costing the country and NHS £41bn per year."

Loughborough MP Andy Reed pushed Treasury Ministers again in the Commons today to give additional tax relief and support to Community Sports Clubs.

Andy Reed MP introduced a Bill in Parliament for Community Sports Clubs which gave them special tax status - the CASC scheme.

Andy said "I welcome the additional support for these CASCs. We now have nearly 5,000 registered and they have saved nearly £42m in tax relief. But I asked the Treasury to go further on Tax relief for Junior subscriptions for example. It seems the National Trust can get this tax relief so why not our genuine community sports clubs up and down the country. I have the support of the CCPR and numerous sporting bodies and the Minister did agree to look at it in more depth to see if they can make it work."

"It is a sad reflection on the compromise at the G8 Summit that Gordon Brown has to be congratulated on preventing other countries not watering down their promises to the promises made at Glen eagles Andy Reed told the Prime Minister today.

Speaking from the Commons Andy Reed said:" It is welcome that Gordon Brown worked hard to maintain the commitments on the MDGs but isn't it sad that he had to do so in the first place."

"As his statement to the House showed we live in an interconnected world where all of our decisions impact on us her at home and abroad equally. I raised the question of water and sanitation for example because it has only just reappeared on the G8 agenda after being missed for 5 years, yet all that was agreed was another progress report in 12 months time. In that period another 2.5 million children will die as a result of poor sanitation. Whilst we moan about hardships children die. This is a moral question not a relative one. We need to speed up our debt, aid, trade talks and tackling global climate change as a matter of urgency - not year long delays."

The Communities White Paper launched by the government today offers some interesting ideas to get people engaged in their local communities and to change things for the better themselves said Andy Reed MP today from the Commons.

"How often have you wished that you could get the council to do what you want? Or hold public officials to account? Or been able to have your say to quangos and unelected agencies? When new laws are passed, you will be able to have a much bigger say, decide how local investment is spent, or even join with your neighbours to own and run local services yourself. "

"For example, you will get new powers to:

• Petition to force the council to calm traffic, clear up graffiti, or move dumped cars
• Get the council to act on your behalf with the local NHS
• Take part in participatory budgeting schemes to decide how and where the money is spent
• Access more internet information about the local neighbourhood
• Set up a community council in your neighbourhood
• Decide how criminals sentenced to ‘community payback’ should do their work
• Set up a social enterprise or co-operative to own and run services such as community centres.

The idea is for our community to have a greater influence over the things that really matter to us, such as the environment, anti-social behaviour and public services."

"People often say they want more control and these changes will help. Hopefully they will also make people realise how difficult it is to balance different interests in their own community."

"It will be really interesting to see if these new ideas do empower people to do things for themselves or whether it is true that people like to moan from the sidelines without taking responsibility as some have suggested. This is a challenge for government and councils to let go and for people to then get involved."

London Mayor Boris Johnson has quashed the proposed rise in congestion charge for vehicles deemed the most polluting.

Former mayor Ken Livingstone planned to raise the daily levy from £8 to £25 from October, prompting car maker Porsche to bring a legal challenge.

The mayor has also scrapped a proposal to allow some low emission cars free entry to the congestion charge zone.

"This shows the Tories in action. Just like all their other tax proposals - its tax cuts for the rich and tax increases for the poor who pollute less. It shows you should always measure a Tory by what they do not what warm words they trot out." said Andy Reed MP

Andy Reed MP welcomed the government response to Biofuels after recent reports showed the rush to produce is causing harm to food production and development. He said the government was right to amend the policy on Biofuels but not to abandon it.

"About 5 years ago the people lobbying us to halt the Biofuels revolution are the same people who were lobbying us to head down the Biofuels route and said we were not going fast enough. It shows we should not always follow lobbying fashion!"

"There does seem to be a genuine issue though as production has happened so fast and there have been consequences for food production. But we must not throw out the baby with bathwater. There IS still a role for Biofuels and this needs investment and certainty. This report and response from the government seems to get this largely right."

The review, commissioned by Ruth Kelly in February, looked at the wider social and environmental impacts, particularly the indirect impacts, of different forms of biofuel production, in order to inform the development of both the UK and EU's policies.

Sustainable biofuels have an important role to play in helping us meet our climate change commitments. By 2020 biofuels have the potential to deliver annual global greenhouse gas savings of approximately 338 - 371 million tonnes of carbon dioxide

But given the uncertainty and potential concerns Professor Gallagher sets out, it is right to adopt a more cautious approach until we can be more confident that we can satisfactorily control and limit the adverse effects on the wider environment and vulnerable people.

We will therefore consult on slowing down the rate of increase in the UK's Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), taking the level to 5% by volume, as Gallagher recommends, by 2013/14.

Andy Reed MP said it was sad that Health Minister Ben Bradshaw needed to write to the BMA urging them to stop misleading patients over government plans to improve local care.

"I don't think it helps anybody when people lead misleading campaigns and worry people into the bargain. I have found in my years of experience it is easy to scare people into signing petitions if you mislead them into believing something that is not true."

"I hope the latest war of words from the BMA and their spokespeople and the governments response will be the last. What we want to see locally is the best services for patients. In some cases that may involve change!"

Frightening patients into thinking their GP surgery will have to close is outrageous and will come back to haunt them when it clearly is not the case and will not happen.

"I would urge both sides to calm down the rhetoric and deal with the facts and how they will continue to improve patient care and increase flexible services to meet modern demands."

"Over the last few years my postbag of complaints has grown about GPs - about booking systems, opening hours and use of 0844 numbers for example. Doctors surgeries are not immune from needing to change and respond to their patients needs. Dismissing more flexible opening hours and improved local services out of hand makes GPs look reactionary and protectionist. I am sure they too don't want to be seen this way."

Andy Reed welcomed the government’s decision not to implement a culling of badgers. The decision based on scientific evidence was that a cull would not substantially reduce the spread of Bovine TB. The decision was taken after the evidence was studied and scientific trials reported back. The government listened to all stakeholders but used an evidence based approach when making its final decision.

Andy praised the decision and the way the government went about reaching that conclusion. The open process of engagement with scientists and other stakeholders offered all people an opportunity to express an opinion but with the decision resting on scientific evidence presented to the government.

A government study found the UK wastes 4m tonnes of food every year, adding £420 to a family's shopping bills.

Rising prices and the world economy are due to dominate the annual G8 summit over the weekend.

The Cabinet Office report, due to be published later, claims that up to 40% of food harvested in developing countries can be lost before it is consumed, due to the inadequacies of processing, storage and transport.

Andy Reed MP said "We live in a throw away culture whether it's food or consumer goods."

"Relative low prices for food and consumer products over the last generation have made us unbelievably complacent about the things we throw away. This is not just wasteful but has also helped us do more damage to our planet in the last 20 years than we could have imagined."

"I welcome this report as it shows we can all make efforts ourselves to make a difference. When people say they can't do anything to help themselves and blame others all the time - here is more evidence that we can make changes.

"What sickens me most about our throw away culture is having visited the poorest in the world who do not even know if they will have enough food for their next meal, we still can't be bothered and too often resent aid and trade deals that give them a fair price for their products."

"Perhaps the price hikes in oil and food are bad news for us in the short term but perhaps in the longterm they will help us readjust our lives to take on board the real cost of food production and the reducing oil fields and our reliance on oil overall. Perhaps we will finally understand we cannot continue to consume at our current rates in the rich West. If the whole world consumed as much as the average Britain we would need 6 planet Earths. Life as we know it is not sustainable at current levels of consumption."