Local MP welcomes budget’s nhs investment

David Laws, the Lib Dem MP for Yeovil constituency, has today commented on the 2002 Budget.

David Laws MP said:

“I support the increased investment in the NHS which Gordon Brown announced in the Budget. I am only sorry that it will have arrived five years too late for many people. At the General Election I backed increased investment in the NHS funded by fair tax rises. I am glad that the Government has now adopted this position, but why weren’t they honest and why did they not say this was needed before the election?

“ I will be seeking guarantees that this money is spent wisely and not wasted. For instance, I will argue for more money to go into social care to help care homes and cut down bed-blocking. I also think that a ring-fenced tax dedicated to the NHS may well be the only way to secure long term funding and keep the NHS safe from politically motivated spending cuts.

“ The Government must also give local NHS units more power to make their own decisions over priorities, rather than taking the usual approach that “the man in Whitehall knows best”.

“ I hope that the Government will not focus on the NHS at the expense of education, transport or pensions. I will not let the Chancellor forget about the importance of a world class education system and will press the government to end tuition fees and cut class sizes. Next week I will be grilling the Chancellor on these issues, as part of my role on the Treasury Select Committee.

“ I am disappointed by some of the Government’s budget proposals. The tax system is already too complicated and the new pension credit system announced in the Budget will condemn half of Britain’s pensioners to means testing. The Chancellor cannot justify this when a third of those who are entitled to benefits fail to claim them. An increase in the basic state pension is the easiest and fairest way to support pensioners.”

Category: MP Press Releases