To have been happily married for 70 years, as Honor and Peter have, is an inspiration to us all.  I was glad to visit Amarna House to hear about the work they do and to mark this very special occasion.

“Hugh Bayley (York Central) (Lab):  Two years ago, during the general election, The Press in York reported the Prime Minister as promising, “We won’t bring in VAT increase”.  Has he considered that if he were to honour that pledge and reverse the VAT increase that would put money in people’s pockets, stimulate the economy and get Britain out of a double-dip recession made in Downing Street?”

“David Cameron (Prime Minister):  The reason we had to put up VAT is that we were left the biggest budget deficit anywhere in Europe.  It was bigger than Greece’s, bigger than Spain’s, bigger than Portugal’s – the complete mess left by Labour.  We now know from reading the former Chancellor’s memoirs that he was going to put up VAT too.”

Business leaders are now speaking out against the Government’s austerity drive.  According to the Financial Times, on the day of the Queen’s speech last week, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive, Justin King, “launched a stinging attack on the government”.  He said, “The most important thing for any retailer has got to be that consumers at large have money in their pockets”.  The supermarket boss, who is one of the Prime Minister’s business advisors, criticised the government for changing tax rates, increasing business rates, delaying investment in rail, roads, airports, schools and hospitals, and making too many u-turns.

Newly elected French President, François Hollande, is calling for more emphasis on growth and less austerity.  Turkey, which was in deeper recession than Britain in 2009, cut VAT from 18% to 8% and now enjoys 7% growth.

Only Britain is in recession.  European countries are still growing, despite the Euro crisis.  David Cameron and George Osborne pride themselves on making bigger cuts than other countries, but this has plunged Britain back into a double dip recession.  The Prime Minister should take lessons from business leaders who are demanding less austerity, or politicians abroad whose countries are not in recession.

Athena House was established in 2005 as a joint office for the CPS and police to get prosecutors and police staff working side by side preparing cases, with the declared objective to speed up the administration of justice by reducing court delays and cutting court costs.  The office was opened by the then Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, Della Cannings, and the then Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken MacDonald QC.

However, following Government cuts to the CPS, the new Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, is considering a proposal to move the Athena House staff to Leeds.  I believe that withdrawing CPS staff from Athena House would once again create delays, which would incur additional costs on the courts, and result in a worse service for the victims of crime.

My exchange with the Minister during today’s topical justice questions can be read here.

I have followed up Mr Djanogly’s reply by writing to the Minister to ask him:

(1) What are the views of York Crown Court and the Magistrates Courts on the value of closer cooperation between the CPS and police over the preparation of cases?

(2) What have been the savings in terms of fewer delays and lower administrative costs at York and Selby courts since 2005 compared with the 7 years before?

(3) What representations, if any, the Ministry of Justice has made to the Law Officers Department on the CPS proposals to withdraw its staff from Athena House?

Yesterday, I also received a written answer to my question from the Solicitor General, which confirms that the proposal to transfer the CPS staff to Leeds “is still under consideration and no final decision has been made”.

Athena House was set up seven years ago to save money.  By getting prosecutors and police working side by side they avoided administrative slip ups – like listing a case to be heard on a day when the arresting police officer cannot give evidence.  In those cases, hearings were delayed, which added huge costs – for the judge, witnesses, prisons holding a defendant in custody, lawyers and other court staff.  If the CPS staff are moved it will cost far more than it saves, and could even lead to some criminals getting away with their crimes.

I have pointed out that the Naburn Designer Outlet Centre had not had the negative impact on the city centre that many traders feared and that frequent buses to and from the city centre encouraged some Naburn shoppers to also visit the centre of York.  I believe this could also work for Monks Cross.  I have also called on the Council to encourage a new proposal to redevelop Piccadilly.

I rarely express a view about planning applications but this one will have a huge impact on York’s economy.  We are in a double dip recession, and it would not make sense to turn down an £80 million investment which will create hundreds of new jobs in York.

It’s important that York is represented by professional sports teams.  The players are ambassadors for the city.  People all over the country are reminded of York whenever they look at the football and rugby league results.  You only had to see the enormous support and pride that York people had when the Football Club picked up the FA Trophy on Saturday to know how important sport is to the city.

The Monks Cross development needs to be balanced by investment in the city centre.  The council and the developers need to make this happen.

Piccadilly needs to be redeveloped and I hope the Council will give this serious attention.  It has enormous potential to create jobs and make the city centre more attractive.  I don’t see Monks Cross and Piccadilly as competitors but as complimentary developments which will bring new jobs and visitors to York.

Scope is one of the charities which will benefit from the nationwide campaign which runs from 14-19 May and which seeks to encourage more people to donate directly to their local charity shops.

Over half the charity shops in the UK are participating in the Choose Charity Shops campaign, including Scope, Oxfam, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Sue Ryder, YMCA, Shelter and the Red Cross.  There are also a host of smaller charities, including those run by hospices and other regional charities.  Members of the public are being asked to donate unwanted items directly to the charity shop of their choice during the campaign week and then pledge to continue donating to charity shops for the forthcoming year.  Charities depend on donations and it is a matter of great concern if they do not have enough items to sell.

Many charities have had their funding cut or withdrawn because of the spending squeeze by central Government.  This has happened at a time when many of them are facing increasing demand for their services.  Most charities are short of money and they depend on members of the public donating cash or good quality items which they can sell in their shops.  Lots of people have clothes which they do not wear or they have unwanted gifts which do not see the light of day.  A bag of unwanted clothes can be worth about £20 to a charity such as Scope and this can pay for valuable services for people in need.

I hope everyone who reads this will spend an hour going through their wardrobes or their bottom drawers.  This is a win-win situation because people can recycle their unwanted goods whilst raising money for their favourite charity at the same time.

York Associates is a company based in St. Saviour’s Place in York, which provides training in professional language, communication, intercultural and leadership skills for people working internationally.  The members of this group all work for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, including national and regional news presenters and journalists, a children’s TV producer, a radio arts magazine presenter, a music journalist and someone from Sami Radio and TV in Lapland, inside the Arctic Circle.  I talked to them about my work as the Member of Parliament for York.

York is a perfect place to study English, especially for Norwegians given our city’s Viking past.  The word ‘gate’, as in Micklegate or Fishergate, was brought to York by the Vikings.  It means street and is still used in Norway.  York is a beautiful, friendly city steeped in English culture and history.  York Associates provide an excellent environment for members of the international business community to study English.

I enjoyed meeting the Norwegian broadcasters today.  I hope they will not only improve their English language skills during their stay in York, but also learn about our lovely city, its history and present day business opportunities.

Mike works one day a week at Cherry Tree House in Tang Hall Lane as a volunteer driver for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  The day club at Cherry Tree House is run as a partnership between Age UK York and York and North Yorkshire Primary Care Trust and it enables people to participate in activities, socialise and have lunch.  Mike has worked as a driver for the past seven years and he is doing the bike ride to raise money and also to raise awareness of the fact that the centre could close as a result of the Government’s cuts to NHS funding.

Mike will be setting off from the Mediterranean coast of Spain this Sunday (7 May) and he will spend 3 to 4 weeks cycling back to York, averaging 50 to 60 miles a day.  He aims to be self sufficient by camping and staying at small hotels en route.  Age UK York runs Cherry Tree House in partnership with the NHS but a major shortage of funding means that more money is needed if it is to remain open.  Mike’s goal is to raise £1,000 and he urges anyone who wishes to sponsor him to donate through his online fundraising page.

Age Concern is a great charity to support and Mike is to be congratulated for undertaking such a gruelling bike ride to raise money for Cherry Tree House.  I visited Cherry Tree House in 2010 and I joined in some of the activities there.  Many elderly people feel socially isolated, especially if they have a disability, suffer from mobility problems or have dementia.  Age UK do a fantastic job bringing people together and organising activities for everyone and it is vital that we do not allow day care centres to close because of a shortage of funding.

Mike is making a tremendous effort on behalf of everyone at Cherry Tree House and I hope lots of people will sponsor him.

I have expressed concern about cuts to police numbers locally and the impact this will have on the region’s crime figures.  In February, Nick Herbert, the Minister for Policing claimed in a debate in the House of Commons that crime is coming down, but I pointed out that the Government’s figures show that it is rising in York.  In an answer to a Parliamentary Question the total crime recorded by the police in York in the last year of the Labour Government was 14,480 offences but this figure rose to 15,199 in 2010-11, the first year of the Coalition Government.   Despite this rise in crime the Government is cutting its grant to North Yorkshire Police for 2012/13 by more than £5 million.  North Yorkshire Police have funding for 1,411 Police Officers in 2012/13 but this will fall to about 1,300 by 2015/16.  Under the Labour Government the number of Police Officers in North Yorkshire rose from 1,367 in 1997 to 1,509 by 31 August, 2010, an increase of 142.  When Labour left office crime had fallen by 43% nationally and there were record numbers of police on the street.

In June 2011, I wrote to the Minister, to raise concern about the clear correlation between the rise or fall in the number of police officers in North Yorkshire and York and the incidence of crime in the area.  I asked the Minister how the Government proposed to tackle crime if it forged ahead with its plan to cut the number of police officers.  The Minister failed to respond to my letter despite a further reminder being sent on 23 September but in March 2012 I received a bland, evasive and inadequate response from an official at the Home Office.  I then requested a meeting with Nick Herbert, which is due to take place in May.

It is deeply disappointing that the Government is cutting the number of Police Officers in North Yorkshire and there is a real danger that crime levels will spiral upwards.  I asked people today if they have been affected by crime and will raise their concerns when I meet the Minister.

Cinema is a major contributor to our economy, directly employing some 17,500 people across the country.  And research has found that cinemas like the Picturehouse typically spend as much as two thirds of their total annual expenditure on local goods and services, including on local staff, caterers, repairs, maintenance and advertising companies.

I took a behind-the-scenes tour with Marketing Manager Dave Taylor.  I was able to see first-hand how a modern cinema operates, and to hear how cinemas help contribute to a vibrant local economy.  Studies suggest for example that 22 per cent of cinemagoers visit local businesses, such a local restaurant, after a trip to the movies.

My visit came ahead of the busy Easter weekend for cinemas across the UK with families expected to flock to see the new hit movie by Aardman Animations, “The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists”; and teens still clamouring to see “The Hunger Games”.

Cinemas across the country are currently in the midst of wholesale conversion to digital projection technology after decades of relying on celluloid.  Almost three-quarters of UK screens already show films in this new format.  When the digitisation process is complete in the UK, the need annually to use around 109,000 miles of film – enough to circle the Earth four-and-a-half times – will disappear.

I used to run a company making documentary programmes.  One of our films about Doncaster miners’ wives writing poetry during the 1984 Miners’ Strike is in the Film Archive.

Digital technology has improved the production quality of film and enhanced the cinema experience for film lovers.  I have always enjoyed visiting the cinema and it was good to see yesterday how cinemas have developed.

I attended a rehearsal of York based rock band We Could Be Astronauts last night after the group’s drummer Dave Hartley, who is a constituent of mine, wrote and asked me to nominate the band to represent York Central in the Parliamentary live music competition “Rock the House”.

The “Rock the House” competition which counts rock legends Alice Cooper and Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan as Patrons, was founded by Mike Weatherley MP to support the UK live music industry and raise the profile of intellectual property rights issues.  Unsigned artists and live music venues with a capacity of under 500 had until 16 March to apply to their MPs, who have until 23 April to nominate artists and venues to go forward to the national competition which will be judged by a panel of international music industry experts and musicians.  The “Rock the House” organisers have promoted the competition heavily on Facebook and Twitter.  I received an application from We Could Be Astronauts and after seeing the band rehearse last night, I have nominated them to represent my constituency in the band category.

Three finalists in each of the artist categories (bands, solo artists, and under-18s) will be announced by the competition organisers on 23 May.  The finalists will compete in a battle of the bands to determine the winner of each category, with the three overall winners all playing a live set on the Terrace of the House of Commons on Wednesday 30 May.  The winners will get lots of fantastic prizes; including musical equipment, the chance to play at high profile festivals and coverage in some of the biggest music magazines; plus the opportunity to meet people from the music industry, who will listen to their music.

We Could Be Astronauts formed in York in 2009.  The band is made up of Robert Hughes (vocals, guitar), Simon Himsworth (guitar, backing vocals), Stuart Fletcher (bass), Paul Heaney (guitar) and Dave Hartley (drums, backing vocals).  The band members have been in previous York bands such as Hijak Oscar; Idle Jack & The Big Sleep; and The BlackWater Trio; with Stuart Fletcher having played bass in The Seahorses, The Yards and Rick Witter & The Dukes.  We Could Be Astronauts are a rock band inspired by the greats and have been compared to Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine.  They are currently working on their debut album.  More information about the band can be found on their website and some of their tracks can be heard here.

Live music is very popular in York and is an important part of the city’s heritage.  Bands like Shed Seven and singer-songwriters such as Chris Helme, grew up in York, and still live here.

The “Rock the House” competition is a very good idea because live music is not only popular – it also makes an important contribution to the economy.  If other York musicians and venues are interested, I would encourage them to apply next year.

There is a wealth of musical talent in my constituency.  I enjoyed listening to We Could Be Astronauts’ tracks online, particularly ‘The Catastrophist’ and ‘Mary’s Violet Eyes’ and it was good to meet the band and listen to them rehearse yesterday evening.  I am happy to nominate them for the “Rock the House” Parliamentary live music competition.

We Could Be Astronauts have a powerful rock sound with some epic guitar solos, but also a very strong sense of melody.  They are a very professional act and stand a good chance in the competition.  I hope they get chosen for the final and play at the House of Commons next month.  The recognition and contacts bands can get from this competition are invaluable.  It would be great if the next big British band came from York.

Video: Hugh Bayley joins We Could Be Astronauts (video by York Press)