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Focus stories to June 2000
End the 'Travelling CircusEuro Lib Dems help cut doctors' hours
MEP calls for more Investment in Research from Europe
Rail must be used to bust road jamsAndrew Duff, local Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, has sent a message to Prime Minister, Tony Blair that they want to save taxpayers £100 million each year by getting rid of one of the massive European Parliament buildings.
The move would end the 'travelling circus' in which European MEPs and over 2,000 parliamentary staff are obliged to spend three weeks each month in Brussels and one week in Strasbourg, some 300 miles away.
Andrew Duff MEP commented;
"The European Parliament is forced to meet in Strasbourg twelve times each year by a succession of treaties signed by both Tony Blair and John Major.
"Scrapping this trek to Strasbourg would save money and allow me and the other MEPs to do our jobs much more effectively
"MEPs have done their bit by clearly showing that we want to end this travelling Circus. Now it is up to Tony Blair to insist that the European treaties be changed."
Andrew was instrumental in getting Fridays struck from the Strasbourg calendar for 2001.
Euro Lib Dems help cut doctors' hours
Andrew Duff, local Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, has welcomed the European Parliament's efforts to relieve the plight of junior doctors.
Under the terms of the deal with government ministers, trainee doctors across the EU will start having shorter hours within four years and will reach a maximum of 48 hours within nine years. This is less than the doctors themselves wanted, but far more than the UK Labour government was initially prepared to concede.
Andrew said: "We have campaigned for years to get sensible limits on the hours worked by those with life and death responsibilities. This is good news for junior doctors, and should help to stem the brain drain of medical students from our region."
MEP calls for more Investment in Research from Europe
Andrew Duff, Liberal Democrat Euro-MP for Eastern England has called for the European Union to boost its research and development policies.
He claims that Eastern England, which is Britain's top region for science and technology, would benefit from more investment in research from Europe.
Andrew Duff said:
" We spend much less per head on reasech and development than in the USA.
"Europe has to make a determined effort to build clusters of excellence in the new technologies.
"Here in Eastern England, we have Europe's best chance to develop serious competition with Silicon Valley.
"But this will only happen if we get enough backing from Europe."
Widespread alarm at the proven lax safety standards of British Nuclear Fuels has led the European Parliament to propose the introduction of common EU standards for the design, building and operation of all nuclear installations. This will affect Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex, and has been strongly supported by Eastern England's Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, Andrew Duff.
Andrew is also speaking to the regional Environment Agency and to BNFL executives about the complany's plans for the future of these nuclear plants.
Rail must be used to bust road jams
Andrew Duff, local Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, is pressing for improvements to railways in Eastern England as a means of solving the congestion on the road.
He has written to both the European Commission and John Prescott, Secretary of State for Transport to argue that the present review of Trans-European Networks must see more passengers and freight travelling across Eastern England by rail.
Andrew Duff MEP has told the Commission that "the existing road network is highly congested across the East of England. What is badly needed is to move much bulk freight and passengers from road to rail."
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Andrew's
work
in the European Parliament since 1999
Andrew is Vice-President of the European Parliament delegation to the Constitutional Convention on the Future of Europe.
Andrew drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights which has strengthened the rights of all the citizens of the European Union.
Andrew is working for improved links between the EU and Turkey, to encourage improvements in Turkey's human rights record and to enhance its democracy.
Andrew's campaigning in the East of England
Andrew has led calls for the Air Travel industry to be sunjected to the same rigourous environmental criteria as other modes of transport
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