Autism and Personal Independence Payments

One thing I’ve noticed over the last 20 years is that we are more aware than we used to be of autistic spectrum disorders and the pressures that there are both on people with ASDs and their families. No-one yet seems to have come up with conclusive evidence to explain whether there has been a genuine increase in the incidence of autism, or whether we are just getting a lot better at recognising something that had always been there.

Anyway, one issue that’s come up again and again with parents of autistic children is that while the Special educational Needs system can provide welcome support during the school years, the social security system is much less responsive to the particular situation of autistic adults.

So when a constituent came to see me about the impact on autistic people of the introduction of Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) and recent changes to the Work Capability Assessment for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) I took this up with Maria Miller MP, Minister for Disabled People .

Maria’s reply says that the assessment criteria for PIP are being designed to take account of the lessons learned from Work Capability Assessments. In particular, “the introduction of communication and social engagement [as elements of the assessment criteria] is a significant departure from Disability Living Allowance and one that will ensure we take better account of the effectb of impairments of hearing, speech, language comprehension, mental health and cognition”.

This is all welcome and there is still time for individuals and organisations to comment on the proposed assessment criteria since the consultation on them is open until the end of April. Further details are  available HERE.  The second draft of the criteria on which the consultation is being held can be found HERE.

A Call for Men to Join the Bone Marrow Register

I am currently supporting the call for men aged 18-30 in the local area to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register. Anthony Nolan is a charity that builds a register to match donors willing to donate their blood stem cells to people who desperately need potentially lifesaving transplants.

There is a shortage of young male donors on the bone marrow register. Men aged 18-30 account for 80% of donations, but make up just 19% of the register. Presently, Anthony Nolan can only find a matching donor for half the people who come to them in desperate need of a transplant.

This summer Anthony Nolan is aiming to recruit 10,000 more men aged 18-30 to the register.

The charity has provided every MP with a unique code to give to constituents so that it can track how many men MPs have recruited. Those interested in the chance to save someone’s life should go to mp.anthonynolan.org and enter the code VTR8.

It is important that as many people sign up to join the bone marrow register as possible. It would be wonderful to save a life, and yet most of us will never have the opportunity to do so. By joining the register people will know that if somebody out there truly needs their help, they will be there to give it.

Chilterns MS Centre needs your help

The Chilterns Multiple Sclerosis Centre has for years operated out of  what amount to portakabins at the top of the hill by what used to be the Princess Mary RAF Hospital on the border between Wendover and Halton. Dedicated staff, supported by an amazing team of volunteers, provide therapy for people from our area and beyond who suffer from this dreadful disease.

When the hospital was closed and the site sold by the Ministry of Defence for housing development, there were fears tha tthe centre would have to cl0se, but an arrangement was negotiated under which the developer agreed to provide a new site for them on the estate and pay £1 million towards the cost . What’s now needed is lots more money to reach the £2.5 million needed build and equip the new centre. So on Friday evening I went there to a preview of the art exhibition that they have been holding over the weekend. There were some fantastic pieces on sale and I came home with a Ben Waddams print of a hare running at speed. (You may know Ben from his column in the Bucks Herald).

If you want to contribute in any way to the centre’s appeal, please go to their web site here.

The Big Society in Aylesbury

I spent an hour on Friday at Walton Parish Hall at an exhibition that brought together many different local government, private sector and voluntary agencies that work together to help people in and around Aylesbury who can live independently but need some kind of support to do so. Their clients are varied: people with disabilities, or who are mentally ill, young people who are moving out of local authority care or who (for whatever reason) have left their parents’ home, women fleeing domestic violence, people dependent on drugs or alcohol, ex-offenders and rough sleepers.

We live in a relatively rich part of England. But statistical averages for Buckinghamshire or for any of its District Councils hide the poverty and the social problems that exist. It’s the towns, particularly Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Chesham, where you see these problems but they exist too in some of the leafiest, most picturesque villages.

Many of the people who come to these organisations to seek help also come to my constituency surgeries and I worked with Housing Associations, local churches and charities to try to assist constituents who are in difficulty.

I’ve come to the view that we won’t solve these very deep-seated social problems by assuming that the benefits of economic growth will trickle down to the poorest. Nor will we get answers by relying on well-meaning but bureaucratic state action. In my experience, the kind of people and families that most need help often want emotional support and encouragement as much as a giro cheque. And social problems aren’t restricted to office hours. What seems to me to work best is determined practical action by locally-based government and charitable agencies.

On Friday, Buckinghamshire County Council, Aylesbury Vale District Council and the Bucks Primary Care Trust were all there. So were the Bucks Youth Offending Team,the local Connexions and Walton Court’s Healthy Living Centre. Housing Associations included Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust and Stonham (specialising in housing vulnerable homeless people).Next week, I’m going to have a separate meeting with Hightown Praetorian and Churches Housing Association, which helps people with learning disabilities and those recovering from mental illness.

Among the charities and voluntary organisations there were Oasis (helping drug and alcohol abusers and their families), Addaction,   Sanctuary Carr Gomm which provides accommodation with support for people who are mentally ill or have complex needs, Aylesbury Women’s Aid, Space (a supported self-help group), the Aylesbury Homeless Action Group, Life House (giving a home to young women who are pregnant or have a young child), Anchor Staying Put (which helps elderly people stay in their homes through aids and adaptations) and the Vineyard Church which provides donated food, furniture and clothing to people in desperate need.

All the people to whom I spoke were utterly committed to their work. It was ‘do-gooding’ in the very best sense of the term.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer

On Tuesday 19th October David met with a constituent at a Breakthrough Breast Cancer event in Westminster, in order to support the work of this charity.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer aims to combat this form of cancer through education, research, and campaigns.  For more information please visit www.breakthrough.org.uk.

Conservative Party Conference 2010

David talking to Action for Children in Birmingham’s ICC at this year’s Conservative Party Conference. Picture taken by Jamie Jones.

To find out more visit Action for Children’s webite.

Cutting Red Tape

The letter below gives details about a Government Task Force that has been setup to cut the red tape that affects charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations. The Task Force will be chaired by Lord Hodgson, who is currently President of The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

I want to encourage local groups to get involved in the consultation process. This is a real chance to get your views across at a time when the government is looking at the question of regulation.   

To get involved in the consultation, send your suggestions to red.tape.taskforce@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk.

Last Call for 2011 Queen’s Volunteer Award Nominations

The Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire makes last call for 2011 Queen’s Volunteer Award Nominations

The Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher today called on the county to nominate outstanding local voluntary groups for next year’s Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, equivalent to the MBE for volunteer groups.

Nominations for the 2011 Award should be received by 30^th September 2010 therefore those who know of the great work or indeed have benefited from a voluntary group’s hard work should nominate now. Successful groups will be announced on 2^nd June 2011.

Further information can be gained and forms can be downloaded by visiting www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice or by calling 020 7781 2397 to request a hard copy.

Sir Henry said, “Voluntary groups in Buckinghamshire continue to play a pivotal role in the community, and many individuals’ lives. Recognising their influence is vital and I want the people of Buckinghamshire to express their gratitude to these groups by nominating as many as possible for The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest honour in the voluntary sector.

Buckinghamshire’s volunteers carry out tremendous work across a number of areas such as youth projects, BME and rural community based initiatives and these are the types of groups for which we would like to encourage more nominations. We have a plethora of groups who could be nominated so please visit the website or call 020 7781 2397 to find out more and nominate.”

In June this year, 2 outstanding groups in Buckinghamshire received the 2010 Award from the hundreds of nominations made from across the UK. These groups were nominated by friends, family or members of the public.

850 groups from across the UK – including 11 from Buckinghamshire – have now received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service since it was created by Her Majesty to mark the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002. Groups from different backgrounds providing extremely diverse activities have all felt the Award’s benefits, which include – attracting more volunteers, increased awareness of the group to potential funders and of course helping to raise morale amongst existing volunteers.

This year’s winners from across the UK can be found by visiting the website or by clicking the List of 2010 Winners, while case studies can be found in the Case Studies Section.

For details of all The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service winners  visit: www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice.

Breathe Easy (Aylesbury Group)

On the 3rd July I visited the Breathe Easy (Aylesbury Group) stall in Market Square, to support them in their valuable work.

To find out more about the British Lung Foundation’s Breathe Easy support group network, follow this link: http://www.lunguk.org/supporting-you/breathe-easy

The Lymphoma Association

On Friday 30th July, I visited the Lymphoma Association to talk about their new report, Supporting People Living with Lymphoma.

David with Chief Executive, Sally Penrose.

Lymphoma Association