The warning follows several recent tragedies in which campers have lost their lives after taking lit barbecues into tents or caravans for warmth. Carbon monoxide is difficult to detect because it is colourless and has no taste or smell, and sadly people often don’t realise that they are being overcome by fumes until it is too late.

Exposure to the gas reduces the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen, thereby causing the vital organs to fail. Early symptoms are similar to flu, but these worsen as more of the gas is breathed in and carbon monoxide concentrations in the blood increase. Anyone who suspects that they may be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning should turn off all appliances, go outside and seek help from a qualified healthcare professional.

Alex said:

“I am very happy to be supporting this important campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide exposure from taking barbeque grills inside.

“Nobody should ever take a barbecue in doors. To do so is courting disaster, but unfortunately the public do not seem to be aware of this and sadly around the country there have been a number of tragedies and several near misses in the past year.

“I am determined that such incidents should not be allowed to happen again, and that is why I am calling on barbeque grill manufacturers to do their bit and educate the public so that these terrible, yet totally avoidable, incidents can be prevented.”

The ability to obtain illegal driving licences has extremely worrying implications for the community. The safety of other motorists and pedestrians is being put at risk as non- qualified people could be driving on our streets, and it is very likely that a website where you can obtain driving licences using dubious bank accounts and requiring no formal ID would have links with organized crime.

Alex has written to ministers at the Department for Transport asking them what action they are taking to close down websites which charge as much as £700 for a driver’s licence, and what the Government is doing to warn the public of the dangers and consequences of acquiring illegal documents like driving licences through the internet.

Alex said:

“I am absolutely appalled that a website selling UK driver’s licences, with no regard as to whether someone is fit or not to drive, is allowed to operate in this country.

“Action must be taken by the Government to stop such websites as these and I will do all I can to make sure they are not allowed to continue. It must be made clear that anyone caught purchasing a licence this way will face criminal charges as quite simply, the safety of the public is at stake.”

“I think it is more about what isn’t in the speech than what is.  There are no plans to help the million young people out of work nor the record number of other unemployed people find a job, there is nothing to invest in growing our economy and there is nothing to improve life for families by tackling high energy, food and other bills. 

“Instead we have a plan to reform the House of Lords, to force people in public service work longer and pay more for smaller pensions and a mish mash of ideas to regulate electricity, abolish the audit Commission, change parental leave arrangements and possibly even create police courts.  

“This is hardly a legislative programme that will achieve much in delivering the kind of future our nation needs.”

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham has expressed his anger at the Government’s proposals to use age— rather than deprivation— as a core measure for NHS funding allocations, which could put serious pressure on the Stockton’s NHS provision.  

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley says his new Clinical Commissioning Groups should be looking at population numbers, like the number of older people in an area, appearing to give the green light for them to give less weight to the major factors of health inequality in our society.

This would be devastating for the Stockton Borough where health inequalities are quite stunning, with life expectancy 14.8 years lower for men and 10.4 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of Stockton-on-Tees than in the least deprived areas.  And that doesn’t even take into account the differences across Regions.

The latest figures come from the Royal College of Nurses who have said the Health Secretary needs to tread very carefully before he tells NHS Commissioners to use the blunt instrument of age as a measure to help determine funding. The UK has some of the worst health inequalities out of all rich world countries, and anything that exacerbates this will be completely unacceptable to any right thinking person”.  

 Alex said:

“This is yet another example of the Tory Health Secretary being totally out of touch with the real situation on the ground, and like his disastrous top down re-organisation of the NHS, he is simply ignoring the expertise of doctors and nurses and putting the health of the nation at risk.

“It is well known that in areas of social disadvantage, local populations experience higher incidents of heart disease, cancer, emphysema, diabetes, as well as a range of other diseases caused in part by our industrial history and the work that our communities undertook.

“This is not just a health issue- every year, health inequalities cost £31 billion to £33 billion in lost productivity, up to £32 billion in lost taxes and higher welfare payments and £5.5 billion in additional health care costs, something we simply can’t afford in this recession.

 “The North East is already being hit by high unemployment, disproportionate cuts in the public sector and a lack of investment and to take away much needed funding to tackle health inequalities is the last thing the region needs”.

Free school meals are a crucial entitlement for families living in poverty and helps to ensure that children from the lowest income families get at least one nutritious meal every day, and can provide important health and educational value.

Currently 1.2 million children living in poverty in England miss out on free school meals. 700,000 are not even entitled to them, and another 500,000 do not take them up, often for fear of bullying and teasing.

The introduction of the Universal Credit in October 2013 creates a unique opportunity for the Government to extend free school meal entitlement to all children in poverty. This can help families escape the poverty trap faced by parents trying to move into employment and make sure that work always pays. We believe this is a fair reward for low income working families struggling with rising costs.

Alex has written to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, and Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, urgently calling for them to make all children in families in receipt of Universal Credit to be eligible for free school meals.

Alex said:

“I was shocked to learn that half of all school-age children living in poverty aren’t getting free school meals, and more than a million of these kids may not be eating a single nutritious meal all day”.

“Giving children in poverty a free school meal makes sense on every level. They can help children stay healthy and learn. And they can help families escape the poverty trap faced by parents trying to move into employment by making sure that work always ‘pays’.

“The Government must act to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children in our society are given the best start in life and providing a nutritious hot school lunch is a brilliant way to do that.”

Due to the drastic agenda being pursued by the Tory Government, Cleveland Fire Service faces a cut to its budget of almost one quarter which will see £9m taken out of its £33m budget. Alex asked the Communities and Local Government Minister Bob Neill MP what his message was to people in the communities served by the fire service given that both their lives and those of firemen and women in Teesside will be under threat as a result of the cuts.     

Cleveland Fire Service looks after the highest industrial risk area in Europe and its pro-active work in Teesside communities has meant that house fire numbers have continually been driven down, and the service also has excellent working plans with local companies.

Alex said:

“I am amazed at the lack of understanding shown by the fire Minister despite the fact that I had him told, face to face, of the specific challenges facing our area by the Cleveland Fire chief himself. He talked about Cleveland having a higher level of funding than other areas but his funding formula fails to recognise the potential dangers posed by the industrial base.  He also failed to own up the fact that the Cleveland fire Service has suffered a cut of nearly a quarter of its budget and that means we lose fire fighters.”

Many Stockton North residents would be affected by the Government’s proposals.  The constituency has a high number of static caravan owners, with several established and developing static caravan sites being located in the surrounding area, such as Drovers Way Holiday Caravan Park in Elton.

The proposed tax hike would also be likely to have a negative impact on the wider economy, potentially leading to job losses in the manufacturing sector at a time when economic recovery is a priority concern while also hitting the UK holiday industry.

Alex said:

“The proposed tax would see a significant jump in the costs associated with owning a static caravan.  The impact is likely to be that fewer people buy static caravans, with the possibility of job losses in manufacturing.  With lower sales and a smaller workforce, this tax would end up costing the Government to implement.

“The proposals are senseless, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that a caravan tax is not implemented.  I urge everyone to take a few moments to sign the petition and register their opposition to the Government’s measure.”

With people now receiving their winter energy bills, new research from Consumer Focus shows four in ten people across the country say their winter energy bill is even higher than last year. This is despite one of the mildest winters in a decade which resulted in falls in energy consumption. Almost half of consumers (48%) say they plan to make cut-backs in order to afford their energy bill.

Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice are warning that these unexpectedly higher bills could push more people into debt with their energy supplier – particularly those on low fixed incomes such as older people and families receiving benefits. The organisations are highlighting their awareness campaign – ‘Plug the Debt’ – to help people know what to do and what their rights are when they fall behind on their energy bills. 

Alex said:

‘With many of my constituents receiving high energy bills, despite the mild winter, this is an issue that will be causing hardship for many people in Stockton North.

“It is clearly worrying that people are being forced to cut back just to afford their energy bills, and the number of constituents contacting me about this issue is rising. I hope this campaign will help those struggling to make ends meet, who do not know where to turn for help.

He will gather evidence as part of a joint All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) Inquiry examining how children in care who run away or go missing are supported locally and nationally.

Children who go missing from care are in danger of being physically or sexually abused. Research by The Children’s Society reveals that a quarter of the 100,000 children who run away from care or home each year have been the victims of significant harm or abuse. They are also three times more likely to run away than other children, so developing a better understanding of, and response to these children, is critically important to improving their lives. 

The inquiry, by the APPG for Runaway and Missing Children and Adults and the APPG for Looked After Children and Care Leavers, will look at issues around children in care who are placed away from their local authority, data collection and information sharing, police responses and the role of inspection and assessment. The first of four sessions will examine what safeguarding measures are in place for trafficked children who go missing from care. A report of the inquiry findings is set to be published in June.

At an Education Select Committee session, Alex questioned Education Secretary Michael Gove on what he plans to do to ensure such children are properly protected and removed to an appropriate place of safety, as well as provided with quality provision in all parts of the country. Mr Gove ensured Alex that a Government action plan would shortly be published on this and that he would be happy to appear on the panel.

Alex said:

“Children who run away or go missing place themselves in real danger. Far too often we fail these children, leaving them to face great risks of serious harm and abuse alone. This is simply unacceptable. They must be given a greater level of care and support.”

“Children in care are disproportionately affected and there is an urgent need to protect them more effectively. This inquiry aims to make a real impact on the lives of thousands of often very vulnerable children who run away from care every year, and I will do all I can to hold Michael Gove to his word and ensure the Government takes comprehensive action to tackle this problem.”

Alex lambasted the change which will see 212,000 households, including 340 in Stockton North and almost 3000 in Teesside, currently entitled to Working Tax Credit and working between 16 and 24 hours per week losing their working tax credit if they cannot find more working hours.

Many parents will be forced to totally give up work, and may be forced to give up their child care places as a result, and Alex questioned what action the Government will take to monitor the impact of the changes to family support on the child care market, to ensure that when women can return to work they will not be left struggling to find a child care place.

Unfortunately Work and Pensions Minister Maria Miller passed the buck to local councils, emphasizing it is their responsibility to ensure sufficiency of supply of child care places, despite local authorities being handed down cuts of as much as 25% by the Tory-led government.

Since the Government slashed the rate of support for child care a year ago, 44,000 fewer people have claimed childcare support, women’s unemployment is now at its highest for 25 years and 50,000 more women are economically inactive than before the cut was made.

Alex said:

“The Government has shown total contempt for hardworking low income families who are already facing rising food and energy prices and a hike in VAT, and this cut in tax credits will only hit them harder.

“It is absolutely incomprehensible as to why the government seems so keen to penalise parents and particularly women who are working and trying to do the right thing, but simply cannot increase their working hours at a time when the economy is flat-lining and unemployment rising.

“Working parents have had yet another kick in the teeth with the Government cutting the support they can claim for childcare costs from 80% to 70%, resulting in half a million families being more than £500 a year worse off, with some losing as much as £1500.

“Cutting support for child care is a false economy, and for the Government to pass the buck to local authorities whose budgets are being stretched to the limit is quite simply irresponsible.