Fighting terrorism, test centre closures and hospital-acquired infections!

Written by David Heath MP and published in Western Gazette on Thu 1st May 2008

I spent last week taking evidence as a member of the committee looking in detail at the government's counter-terrorism bill. Sitting on a bill committee rapidly takes up any surplus time one might have, as it sits twice a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays and displaces a lot of other activity. It's also one of the most important tasks we perform as MPs, scrutinising new laws on a line by line basis and discussing possible amendments.

If you simply looked at the headline issue you would assume that there was no consensus at all on fighting terrorism effectively. The question of detaining suspects for long periods of time without charge is very emotive, and hard fought, rightly so. We shouldn't give up basic principles of English law and the protection of the individual lightly. But there is also a lot that all parties agree on.

For instance, in the current bill there are proposals to allow questioning after charge. There is provision for cross-border co-operation. Previously, we have agreed new and lower order offences for acts preparatory top terrorism, to allow for effective action where the evidence of the final despicable act is not yet available. We have allowed the threshold for charging suspects to be lowered to reasonable suspicion rather than certainty. All these, plus a strong conviction on the part of some of us that evidence obtained by intercepting phone calls should be allowed in court, make it easier and more appropriate to charge a suspect with an offence at an earlier opportunity.

That's partly why we, and by we I mean not only Liberal Democrats and Conservatives but large numbers of Labour MPs as well, can't understand why the government is persisting with their demand for forty two days detention without charge. And, on the basis of evidence we heard last week, that view is shared very strongly by the Director of Public Prosecutions, the man responsible for charging these suspects, the former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, and many others. Having been in Washington DC on 9/11 and in Aldgate on 7/7, I don't need to be reminded of the threat of terrorism. I do insist that we use the most effective ways of dealing with it, though, and that isn't simply ramping up the time we can lock someone up without telling them what they're charged with.

On Thursday I broke out of the committee for long enough to ask a question about the Driving Standards Agency. The immediate issue is one that does not affect the southern part of my constituency, the imminent closure of the Driving Test Centre in Trowbridge. It will, however, make life difficult for learner drivers in Frome who will have to trek over to Chippenham, a forty minute journey each way. But what will make a difference to everyone in South Somerset is when, in September, the motorcycle test is transferred to the new so-called Multi -purpose Test Centres. Only one is planned at present for the whole of the south west - and that's in Exeter. The next nearest will be in Gloucester. Neither is exactly convenient for a learner motorcyclist in, say, Bruton.Indeed, according to my computer, it's an hour and a half's drive and over sixty miles each way to Exeter, a little further to Gloucester. That's a long way on a 150cc bike.

I'm quite prepared to kick up a fuss about this, not just because it means more inconvenience, expense and environmental damage, but because of the attitude it reveals on the part of what is supposed to be a public agency: complete indifference to the people they are there to serve. It's just not good enough. I have already written to the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency, now I've asked parliamentary questions, and I will be seeking a debate on the issue. Interestingly, when I raised it on Thursday a number of colleagues later congratulated me and said they were experiencing the same difficulty. It's obviously a national policy.

After having joined a demonstration of driving instructors outside the threatened test centre, I drove down to Yeovil General Hospital to talk to the Chief Executive and the Head of Infection Control about what they're doing about the twin perils of MRSA and clostridium difficile. They had spotted the article I had written some months ago in the Western Gazette on the subject, and wanted me to see what was being done in Yeovil, where they've managed to reduce the incident of bacterial infection quite markedly over recent years.

I did a quick tour of Lovington and Montacute wards, talked to the matron and sister on duty, and looked at the disease control precautions they are insisting on, plus simple measures like updating the sluice rooms to make them more easily cleanable. I was impressed by what had been done, but even more by the fact that no-one was resting on their laurels and they were clearly still looking for other ways to improve patient safety and hygiene and cleanliness levels. That's what the patient wants to hear.

Yeovil General is, in any case, providing a pretty good service to people in our area at the moment. They are talking about investing significant amounts in improving the now ageing buildings. If they can do that and maintain high clinical and nursing standards, then we all gain.