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Draft Legacy Paper
Update on Welfare Reform Bill
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AGENDA
Meeting to be held 3.15-4.45pm, Wednesday 2 December 2009,
Committee Room 15, House of Commons
1. Welcome by the Chairman
2. APPG Report on the Inquiry into NHS Services
3. Speaker: Mike O'Brien MP, Minister of State for Health Services
4. Minutes of the last meeting
5. Matters arising
- APPG legacy paper (in preparation for the General Election)
- New research: murine leukaemia virus-related virus (XMRV)
- Accessibility of venues for future meetings
6. Welfare update
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Welfare Reform Bill
7. Any other business
8. Date of next meeting
Contact: Des Turner MP, 179 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6AG
Tel: 01273-330610 Email: turnerd@parliament.uk
APPG Legacy Paper consultation
A consultation was launched yesterday on the Legacy Paper for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on M.E.
The current Chair of the APPG, Dr Des Turner, intends to stand down at the next General Election, due sometime before 3 June 2010.
Comments on the draft Legacy Paper (Click to download the PDF file) should be sent to the Secretariat (Click to send email) no later than 19 November 2009.
The Countess of Mar, who is Secretary of the Group, thanked people with M.E. and Action for M.E. for the work done so far in producing the draft.
The main speaker at the meeting was the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who described her own personal experience of M.E. and answered a number of questions. In particular, she reassured people with M.E. that it was not the Government’s intention to change working-age Disability Living Allowance under current care reform proposals.
Other topics on the agenda included an update on the APPG Inquiry into NHS services, which is expected to produce a report before the next meeting of the APPG, which will take place on Wednesday 2 December 2009. A Minister from the Department of Health would be invited to attend.
In addition to the Chair, Dr Turner and the Secretary, the Countess of Mar, the meeting was attended by Vice Chairs Andrew Stunell MP and Tony Wright MP (Vice Chairs), plus Bill Wiggin MP and Russell Brown MP.
Minutes and a transcript of the meeting will be produced in due course.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) was set up in 1999 to raise awareness of ME.
The Group campaigns within Westminster to support the improvement of health, social care, education and employment opportunities for people affected by ME. The Group also aims/campaigns to obtain wider recognition of the need for biomedical research into the underlying cause of ME and effective forms of treatment.
The current office bearers are:
Chair: Dr Des Turner MP
Vice chairs: Anthony Wright MP, Andrew Stunell MP
Treasurer: David Amess MP
Secretary: Countess Mar
Action for M.E. and the ME Association provide the Secretariat services.
Meetings are held 3-4 times per year, depending on availability of speakers.
The APPG has launched an Inquiry on NHS service provision for people with ME. Click here for more details.