Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 24 September 1999.

Jim Fitzpatrick MP (Poplar and Canning Town) has been appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chief Secretary, Alan Milburn.

Educated at Holyrood Senior Secondary, Glasgow, Mr Fitzpatrick was a firefighter in the London Fire Brigade from 1974 – 97. Elected on 1 May 1997, he has been a member of the London Labour Executive since 1988 and Chairman of the Greater London Labour Party since 1991.

A parent Governor at Eastbury Comprehensive School, his special interests include anti-poverty and regeneration issues.

Born in 1952, Mr Fitzpatrick is married with one son and one daughter.

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 24 September 1999.

Commonwealth finance ministers were today invited to the United Kingdom for their annual meeting in 2002 by Economic Secretary to the Treasury Melanie Johnson.

Speaking at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting (CFMM), Miss Johnson said:

“I am delighted to extend the United Kingdom’s invitation to host the 2002 Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Meeting. I believe it is very fitting for the UK to host this important meeting in the same year as the celebration of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games being hosted by the city of Manchester.

“The Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Meeting has a valuable role to play in the work of the Commonwealth and indeed, in the wider international community.

“It brings together decision makers from over 50 countries, developed and developing, from all regions of the world. And, it provides a unique forum for members large and small to exchange views and learn from each other on a wide range of issues of international importance.”

Commenting on the current meeting of Commonwealth Finance Ministers in the Cayman Islands, Miss Johnson continued:

“I am very pleased with the progress that has been made at this year’s conference, particularly on the issue of heavily indebted poor countries.

“I echo the Chancellor’s belief that this week is the most important week in the campaign for debt relief. Following his meeting with religious leaders on Monday, this meeting of the Commonwealth has taken the debate a step forward on the international stage at a very important time – on the eve of the G7 and World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington.”

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 23 September 1999.

The Government’s commitment to providing a better deal for families with children was championed today by the Chief Secretary Alan Milburn as he met staff and users at a new £2.5m Sure Start project being developed in Howdon, North Tyneside.

He commented:

“When we came into office one in three children were living in low income families with a higher number of children growing up in workless households than any other European country. And in North Tyneside 25% of children are in households dependent on income support.

We are determined to address the causes of poverty and provide help where and when it is most needed to give every child the best start in life. As the Prime Minister has said, we aim to abolish child poverty over the next 20 years.

We have put in place a comprehensive package of measures of which the Sure Start programme is an integral part. Its £540 million over the next three years is aimed at providing a co-ordinated approach to services for families with children aged under four.

I am very pleased to be able to see for myself how the Howdon Centre is providing local parents and children with the high quality services and advice they need.”

Howdon is one of 60 areas that have been invited to put forward proposals under the Sure Start programme, including 4 others in the North East. So far 54 areas have been given the go-ahead. The aim is to build up to 250 by the end of the Parliament. It is expected that the Government will be investing in the region of £12 million over the next three years in the North East Sure Start programmes. Sure Start aims to provide new services and reshape existing ones for children from birth to 4, and their families.

Around 15,000 people live in the area covered by the Howdon Centre, of which 810 are under 4. It is a mixed housing area where 21% of households contain a lone parent. There are high levels of teenage pregnancies, low birth weight babies and juvenile crime rates.

The Howdon Sure Start programme will include enhanced health visiting and midwifery services, a community mothers scheme, a drop in centre, family support sessions, pre-school playgroups, day care for babies and children, speech therapy, special needs project and a sensory room.

Mr Milburn will be looking at new multi-sensory equipment designed to encourage children to interact with their suroundings, visiting the creche and talking to staff, parents, local residents and key service providers.

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 20 September 1999.

A call for the EU to contribute one billion euros to aid debt relief has been issued today by the Chancellor Gordon Brown and International Development Secretary, Clare Short.

The Ministers have written to EC Commissioners Chris Patten and Poul Neilson proposing a contribution of one billion euros from the European Development Fund to aid the costs of debt relief for the most heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs).

The Chancellor Gordon Brown said:

“Debt relief for the most heavily indebted poor countries is one of the major challenges facing all of us in the run-up to the Millennium.

“This is a major opportunity for Europe to take a strong political lead on one of the great moral issues of our time.

Development Secretary Clare Short said:

“The G7 agreed at Cologne speedier and more generous action to reduce debt relief and ensure the benefits help the poor.

“We have made the biggest pledge of $171 million for the HIPC Trust Fund. It is now time for others to back up their commitments with firm pledges of support.

“But we must also ensure that poor people have a stronger voice in ensuring the benefits of debt relief really benefit the poor.”

The Chancellor also announced that, for the first time, there will be a joint meeting of the Interim and Development Committees in Washington this coming Sunday.

A copy of the letter to the EC Commissioners is attached.

Poul Neilson
Commissioner For Development Cooperation And Humanitarian Aid

Chris Patten
Commissioner For External Relations

European Commission
Rue de Ia Loi 200
B-I 049 Brussels
BELGIUM

Dear Poul and Chris

HIPC/DEBT RELIEF: EDF CONTRIBUTION

We would like to pass on our congratulations and warmest wishes to both of you on the confirmation of your appointment as Commissioners. We are sure you are already looking forward to the challenges ahead. As you know debt relief for the most heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCS) is one of the major challenges facing the developing world in the run-up to the Millennium.

You will be aware, we wrote in April to Commissioners Pinheiro and Mann to propose a contribution of some 1 billion euro from the European Development Fund to the costs of HIPC. It is clear that the ambitious and comprehensive solution to debt and poverty proposed since then, and which will be discussed at the forthcoming Annual Meeting of the IMF and World Bank, will require additional funding, particularly for the African Development Bank and some other multilaterals. We welcome the considerable support amongst EU Finance and Development Ministers for the possibility of a contribution from the European Union to the costs of HIPC over and above the EU’s own requirements as creditor.

We understand that there are no substantive legal impediments to the use of EDF resources for HIPC. But, there has been an understandable delay, pending your assumption of duties in working up a full proposal. Now that you are in office, we urge you to make this one of your first priorities.

This is a major opportunity for Europe to take a strong political lead on one of the great issues of our time. Debt relief will be one of the most important issues to be discussed at the Annual Meetings. Although final agreement to use any of the EDF underspends rests with the joint European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Ministerial Council, we believe that a Commission Position Paper outlining the options for using the IEDF in time for the Annual Meetings would be very helpful in securing agreement to a financing package for HIPC as a whole. That in turn would allow the new HIPC to be in place as the new Millennium begins. We believe that such a Position Paper from the Commission would receive widespread support from the citizens of the EU and ACP.

We are copying this letter to our EU Finance and Development colleagues.

GORDON BROWN                                 CLARE SHORT
Chancellor of the Exchequer                   Secretary of State for
International Development

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 16 September 1999.

A concerted autumn campaign to shine a spotlight on the Government’s improvements in local services and drive standards up to the levels of the best took a further turn today as Chief Secretary Alan Milburn visited a range of innovative local transport schemes in the Nottingham area.

He is determined to see for himself what is happening at a local level to deliver the Government’s modernisation and reform programme. Following a look at Youth Court activities in Teesside last week he will today be visiting; a highly acclaimed local rail service, the Robin Hood Line; a rural bus scheme which has links to it; a safe route to school project operated by Whyburn School; and the Rainworth Bypass road scheme.

Alan Milburn commented:

” The Government is determined to drive forward its modernisation programme to provide the high quality services throughout the country that we all want to see.

A lot of imaginative and innovative work is going on at a local level to deliver the Government’s commitment to a more integrated transport system. I am very pleased to be here in the Nottingham area today to see for myself what Nottingham City Council and the County Council are doing to reduce congestion, improve safety and encourage the greater use of public transport.”

The Chief Secretary will be meeting a number of senior representatives from Nottingham City Council and the County Council as he travels on the Robin Hood Line. The lines eleven new stations have been specifically designed to be accessible by people with disabilities and for interchange with car, bus and cycle.

As he visits Newstead Abbey he will be learning about the regular bus services that are being provided to this major tourist attraction, with links to the Robin Hood Line.

He will be discussing with school staff and local authority representatives the safe route to school project being operated by Whyburn School. The aim of such schemes is to reduce accidents around schools as well as reduce the number of cars used to transport children to and from school.

The Rainworth Bypass is part of the Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route, designed to open up land for development and improve access to the former coalfield area.

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 5 September 1999.

John Healey MP (Wentworth) has been appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.

Educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, Mr Healey was a journalist/deputy editor for the House Magazine from 1983-84. He was a disability campaigner for three national charities from 1984-90 and campaigns manager at Issue Communications from 1990-92. From 1991-94, Mr Healey was a part-time tutor for the Open University Business School, and was Head of Communications at MSF Union from 1992-94. Mr Healey was Campaigns Director of the TUC from 1994 until he entered Parliament as MP for Wentworth on 1 May 1997.

Born in 1960, Mr Healey is married with one son.

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 15 September 2022.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms today called on American entrepreneurs to invest in Britain and tap into first class British research into information technology and biotechnology.

Speaking at Stanford University, California, to an audience of some 400 American entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, Mr Timms said:

“This Government has set out to build a new Britain which will be modern and decent – a thriving, knowledge-based economy, and one where every person has the chance to play their full part. It has become very clear to me today that we have a great deal to learn from what is happening here about how to build a modern economy, but also about how to build a decent society as well.

“There is one message I should like to impress upon you. That is there are great opportunities today for venture capital investment in the United Kingdom, which I hope a number of you will explore.

“The quality of research in the UK has always been very high – especially today – in information technology and biotechnology. In the past it has been severely under exploited.

“We are determined to change that. We are taking major steps to promote the commercialisation of the research produced by our universities. Universities like Cambridge are themselves promoting entrepreneurship. And we are taking new steps to promote the commercialisation of the research produced in other public sector research establishments. Underpinning such initiatives we aim to transform the whole business environment in the UK.

“There is compelling evidence that our new macroeconomic policy framework has delivered an economic stability that has eluded British Governments for 30 years.

“We are learning from the models that you have pioneered to adapt a new quality of partnership between business and Government that will address the big issues that face us both.

“We are introducing new tax incentives to encourage individual entrepreneurship and corporate venturing.

“Earlier this week the Prime Minister, Tony Blair in a major speech in Cambridge set out how we are building an environment for e-commerce to match the best in the world.

“It adds up to a huge opportunity for investment. The UK is the biggest overseas investor in the United States, and the US is the United Kingdom’s biggest trading partner. About half the venture capital investment in Europe today is in the UK, and half of that is provided from the US.

“So the foundations are in place and the potential is immense. We want to work with you – the British Consul General is here to work with you – to see that potential realised.

“Britain is open for business – come and join us.

“Thank you again for your welcome.”