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Exciting times at heart of Government
TUESDAY saw the traditional pomp and ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament. It followed its accustomed familiar pattern, but there was one big difference. It was the first Government programme in three generations to be drafted by a coalition Government.
The Bills that the Queen announced came directly from the coalition programme for Government. It covers topics as diverse as banking, civil liberties, crime, deficit reduction, the environment, government transparency, immigration, welfare and the future of the NHS.
With a coalition government you need different machinery to give it the best chance of success. There are two key new committees. The Coalition Committee is at its heart, with five members from each side. I sit on this with David Cameron, George Osborne, William Hague, Oliver Letwin and the five Lib Dem Cabinet ministers.
Representing Horsham in Parliament and looking after the interests of local people is at the heart of what I do as an MP. It's what I am most passionate about and most proud of. But being Horsham's MP has enabled me to be at the heart of our new Government and it's really exciting! We really are witnessing history being made and it's great to be part of it.
There is a genuine feeling of partnership and great expectation. Of course there are differences between the two parties but many more similarities. Indeed, the whole coalition agreement is based on three shared values: freedom, fairness and responsibility.
Something of huge local significance is the agreed approach to the future of the NHS. The coalition agreement states: 'We will give every patient the power to choose any healthcare provider that meets NHS standards, within NHS prices. This includes independent, voluntary and community sector providers'.
As readers will be all too aware, for years the local NHS bureaucracy has swept our desperate need for a new hospital under the carpet. Henry Smith, the new MP for Crawley, and I brought together a partnership of local authorities and private healthcare providers to conduct a feasibility study into the possibility of a brand new hospital for local NHS patients.
We should learn the conclusions of the study in the next few weeks – hopefully they will be positive and if so, the coalition agreement provides us with the framework to get on with securing a new hospital, that meets NHS standards, within NHS prices and most importantly – for NHS patients.
It's really promising that both the Lib Dems and Conservatives are now totally committed to a framework that enables a community like ours, frustrated by the remoteness of getting a traditional NHS hospital, to seize our destiny and make it happen ourselves.
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
