Further Colombia questions

Yesterday in the House of Commons I asked a further question on Colombia during the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs debate. I wanted to know who is responsible for monitoring Colombian security forces' compliance with human rights standards.

You can read the debate in full here.

Warm Front

Last Friday I visited one of my constituents, Patrick McCornish, to see how his home had been improved by the Government's Warm Front Scheme. He was keen to show me the insulation and draft proofing he'd had installed around his windows all free of charge. He said that he was really happy with the work, which meant that he could now use the heating less but that the house was still much warmer.

Mr McCornish is not alone. To date in Edmonton, 2,304 homes have been made warmer through insulation and heating measures since the Warm Front initiative began in June 2000. In total, over £2,436,234.37 has been invested by the Government through Warm Front in Edmonton alone. And as a result, many of those who have benefited from the scheme have reported average household savings of anything between £300 and £600 a year on their energy bills. That's big news given the rising fuel prices, combined with the current economic situation, which I know are a real burden to many constituents.

Warm Front is designed to combat fuel poverty in the private owner-occupied and rented sector by providing contributions of up to £3,500 towards insulation and gas heating measures and £6,000 for oil for the elderly, disabled and for low income families on benefits.

As winter approaches, many people are worrying about how they will cover the costs of heating their homes. If you think you might be eligible to receive help from the scheme then I'm urging you to call Warm Front on 0800 316 6014. Their action could be invaluable.

St Demetrios of Thessaloniki

On Monday I was invited to attend St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on Logan Road in Edmonton for a large service to celebrate the annual feast day of Patron Saint the Great Martyr Demetrios.

Saint Demetrios is revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, which explains the grandeur of the celebrations for him, as displayed in these photos.

On Colombia

Yesterday I was able to ask the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Chris Bryant, what representations our Government has made to the Government of Colombia in respect of that government's use of landmines to protect military installations.

He has recently returned from a visit to the country's capital, Bogota and a number of other MPs had questions on Colombia too. They can all be viewed here, along with the answers.

Economic recovery? Not if the Opposition has anything to do with it.

Last Thursday I waded into the topical debate on Economic Recovery taking place in the House of Commons. I managed to make a number of points and ask a number of questions, which you can view here, but if you don't have much time, I'll summarise.

One of the main reasons I was taking part in the debate was to attempt to establish the Opposition's policies on how best to steer the country through the downturn. As I said at the end of the debate, all that was revealed was a "total bankruptcy" of what the Conservatives are offering.

Their priority would be the deficit, rather than securing the growth that is absolutely necessary if Britain's economy is to survive and thrive in the future. I asked Greg Hands MP, Shadow Treasury Minister, "How can it possibly be sensible or economically literate to withdraw the stimulus at this time?" and further pressed the Opposition to accept that the decisive action the Government took to stimulate the economy had prevented the recession developing into a depression. But I received only indirect answers.

The Conservatives failed to support decisions to recapitalise the banks and to provide a fiscal stimulus. We believe it's right to continue to ensure a recovery for the country - a task that cannot be achieved through the huge cuts in expenditure the Conservative Party are now advocating.

Wearing it pink

I know that men don't usually wear a lot of pink, just as I know that men don't usually get breast cancer. But some men do, and numerous more men know women who have been affected by breast cancer.

That's why I was proud to join Breast Cancer Campaign's 'wear it pink' photoshoot, and that's why I'm urging as many of you out there as possible to find something pink to wear on Friday 30 October and donate £2, or whatever you can afford, to Breast Cancer Campaign.

Last year over one and a half million people took part in the nationwide 'wear it pink' day. Their money is being used to fund innovative world-class breast cancer research, which goes some way to understanding how breast cancer develops and in turn leads to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and even cure.

Every day in Britain, 125 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed. Your £2 could change this, or at least help the individuals who are faced with such a diagnosis.

For details on how to get involved in the 'wear it pink' fundraising day, click here or here or call freephone 0800 107 3104.

Recognising our local champions

I recently had the pleasure of nominating somebody in the constituency who I think makes a big contribution to the local community; the idea being that the recipient would have their efforts rewarded in a reception hosted by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah at number 10 Downing Street.

Those of you who recognise him from the picture will need no introduction and will no doubt know why I chose him ... for those of you who don't recognise him, I'd like to introduce Ade Adeshina, a real local champion in Edmonton.

Ade is heavily involved in a number of local organisations including the Council of Enfield Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities and the Ponders End Development Forum, which he played a founding role in.

He is also the Chief Executive of O"-Bay Community Trust - a voluntary organisation which provides confidential and impartial advice and information to all local Enfield residents on issues such as welfare rights, immigration services, housing and debt. The trust also runs workshops for young people and training for the unemployed, as well as organising multicultural events for the local community.

I could write more about why Ade deserved an evening at number 10 - just a small token of his commitment to the people of Edmonton and Enfield as a whole. I do know, however, from all my visits to local community events and groups that there are many more individuals like Ade out there in my constituency who dedicate their time to helping others. These are the people who make Edmonton a place to be proud of and I'd like to take this opportunity to say "thank you."