Lorraine Beavers MP The website for Lorraine Beavers, Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Fleetwood
Last week it was fantastic to hear about the work of so many charities. 30 years since the introduction of the organ donor register, it was incredible to see the work Kidney Care UK do to support patients and families. I also met with Women’s Aid; there is so much work left to do to end the national emergency that is Violence Against Women and Girls. I know animal welfare close to the hearts of many of my constituents, so I also made sure to drop in on the RSPCA’s 200th birthday reception on Tuesday evening. Next month will see the second reading of the Fireworks Bill, which intends to tighten the rules around who can buy fireworks given the distress they can cause to animals. Many constituents have been in touch with me about this Bill, and I would like assure residents that I will be engaging fully with the debate, and attending events with the Dogs Trust and RSPCA this week on the subject.
I was also pleased to receive an answer from the Department for Transport about what is being done to improve the availability of practical driving tests in Blackpool North & Fleetwood. This is an issue which many constituents have been in touch with me about. It was very encouraging to hear that the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency has identified a new location for Blackpool Driving Test Centre and has been working through the planning process.
If this is successful and a new Driving Test Centre can be opened at this site, it would allow an increase in capacity in the number of Driving Examiners, with an overall capacity of 10 Examiners. In addition to this, as part of recent recruitment at Driving Test Centres that serve the Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency, the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency has three potential new examiners currently in training.
The major government business last week came around the Prime Minister’s new ‘milestones’ to measure our progress on our key targets. One of the most important to me was the target to get 13,000 more police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles. After 14 years of cuts under the Conservatives, seeing a police foot patrol has become a rarity, so I am glad the government has begun to reverse this decline.