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Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health, is leading a parliamentary inquiry into premature deaths from respiratory conditions. To help inform the inquiry, he hosted an oral evidence session in Parliament about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease alongside the national charity, the British Lung Foundation.

Stephen McPartland MP said, "The session heard a carer's perspective of dealing with this devastating condition, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, speaking movingly about the pressures of looking after a loved one suffering from severe breathing difficulties. We also heard from medical experts in the field of respiratory health who highlighted the importance of developing a long term care strategy and giving patients accurate information about their condition as it develops.

"Members of 'Breathe Easy' support groups also contributed and Dr Penny Woods from the British Lung Foundation explained the importance of early diagnosis and awareness-raising campaigns to tackling respiratory diseases, stressing the need for investment in research projects to develop vital treatments and cures for patients."

The APPG is conducting an inquiry into premature deaths from respiratory conditions, including COPD and the evidence presented will inform a report to be published by the APPG in the summer making policy recommendations on respiratory health to the Government and NHS England.

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Global IT company Kronos, based in Codicote, invited Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, to test out Optilink, a new technology which is revolutionising patient care and could save the NHS millions of pounds.

Stephen McPartland MP, who is a passionate supporter of local innovative technology businesses, said, "Kronos is a fantastic example of an innovative, industry-leading organisation that is investing in Codicote and bringing highly-skilled jobs to the area. Their technology is providing real solutions to a range of global companies and I am proud they are so committed to our area. It was great to see first hand the potential for helping staff in the NHS and the work they are already doing to help ensure that staff are available in the busiest wards, so patients have the care they need and nurses the support they need too."

Tristan Spencer, director sales and marketing, Kronos commented, "We're delighted that Mr. McPartland has taken such an interest in Kronos and the benefits that we can offer both in the public and private sectors. Providing accurate and transparent staffing numbers on hospital wards is now at the forefront of NHS policy development. Kronos solutions can help deliver safe staffing as well as achieving efficiency savings in the NHS."

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This was a great budget for local families: whether you are looking at owning your first home, starting a family, saving for the future, or accessing your savings as a pensioner, there was something to help everyone.

The biggest figure for me was that a staggering 38,536 local people are paying lower taxes on their hard earned wages. We have increased the personal tax allowance from £6,500 since forming a Government to £10,000 this year and £10,500 next year. This means a typical basic rate taxpayer will be paying £805 less in tax every year than they would have been, with 3.2 million people taken out of income tax altogether. This tax cut is excellent news for hardworking local people who are keeping more of the money they have worked hard to earn, giving them and their families more financial security for the future.

I am passionate about giving a helping hand to people at every stage of their life and I was particularly proud we are stopping the scandal of forcing pensioners to buy annuities when they do not want too. The support we are giving savers means that you can get up to £5,000 in interest on your savings before you pay any tax, which means most of us will no longer have to pay tax on our savings income. The help with childcare costs will be a huge benefit to families with children. There were a few little crowd pleasers too, such as a penny off a pint, scrapping the alcohol duty escalator and freezing fuel duty again, so petrol is now 20p a litre lower than planned under the previous Labour Government.

I am proud that this budget helps families and builds on the massive £300 million infrastructure investment I have secured from the Government for our local schools, hospital, housing and jobs. More people are in work than ever before in the UK and with over 96% of local people employed, we are continuing to lead the UK economic recovery.

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The personal tax allowance will rise to £10,000 from this Sunday 6 April, so thousands of local people are paying lower income tax on their hard earned wages.

Stephen McPartland MP commented, "This tax cut is excellent news for hardworking people, benefitting around 39.326 people here in Stevenage, with 4,312 people now taken out of income tax altogether.

"We have increased the personal tax allowance from £6,500 since forming a Government to £10,000 this year and £10,500 next year. This means a typical basic rate taxpayer will be paying £805 less in tax every year than they would have been by next year.

"I am proud that the tax changes help families and build on the massive £300 million infrastructure investment I have secured from the Government for our local schools, hospital, housing and jobs. More people are in work than ever before in the UK and with over 96% of local people employed, we are continuing to lead the UK economic recovery."

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Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, showed his support for those suffering from rare diseases as part of the new Rare Diseases plan set out by NHS England.

Stephen McPartland MP said, "I have been contacted by local people suffering from Rare Diseases and this plan is an excellent step forward as there is a strong emphasis on patient engagement. It is clear that by empowering patients we can improve the identification and diagnosis of patients with rare diseases. This means we can make better care a reality by improving the coordination of care. However, we must do more to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families."

The Rare Diseases plan is part of a new UK Strategy which aims to ensure patients in England have access to specialist care, and that recognition and diagnosis of rare diseases is efficient as possible.

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Knebworth Tennis Club had an official grand opening of its new clubhouse with Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, cutting the ribbon. The club Chairman, Neil Stevenson, together with other club members and volunteers have worked for almost three years to make the dream a reality, and more good news for the club is that Sport England have awarded a grant of £40,000 for floodlights to be installed.

Stephen McPartland MP said, "It was an honour to be asked to officially open the new clubhouse and see the amazing facilities on offer. The enthusiasm of members from the very young to the veteran teams was fantastic and showed incredible community spirit.

"I am proud of the wonderful volunteers we have in our community as they really do make a difference every single day and once the new floodlights are installed there will be no holding back Knebworth Tennis Club."

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Member of Parliament for Stevenage, Stephen McPartland, has signed up to support this year's Earth Hour by making a special pledge to help protect the planet.

Stephen McPartland MP said, "Our natural world is precious to all life that inhabits it, but we need to do more to protect it. WWF's Earth Hour reminds us that there are simple things we can all do for the planet, not for just one hour, but every day. It's a great opportunity to bring together millions of people from across the world with one united goal - to help protect our planet."

Earth Hour sees millions of people around the world coming together to switch off their lights for one hour in a symbolic act of support to show they care about our brilliant planet. WWF already works to tackle a lot of environmental challenges - like deforestation, threats to endangered species, and the impacts of climate change - but Earth Hour is a chance for everyone to say they'll do their bit.

Last year, Earth Hour bought together over 10 million people in the UK, and 154 countries took part. Iconic landmarks such as Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House all switched off and hundreds of local communities, schools and businesses took part.

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Stevenage Nationwide Building Society pulled out all of the stops and raised over £700 for Sports Relief on Friday, 21st March.  They completed an 8 hour Cyclathon in the branch and also sold cakes.

The Nationwide branch team thanked Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, for personally visiting the branch to cheer the cyclists, and also all of their loyal customers for supporting this event and the Fit 4 Less gym for the loan of the bike.

Stephen McPartland MP said, "It was a great event and congratulations to all the staff who took part for such a great cause. The generosity of both staff and customers was amazing and shows what a wonderful community spirit we have here in Stevenage."

A great day was had by all although there have been several aches and pains reported since!

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