David Ward MP has criticised the move to withdraw cheque guarantee facilities today as part of a deliberate effort by the banks to hasten the death of cheques.

The scheme, which allows people to guarantee that cheques are honoured by writing their card details on the back, will come to an end today. This comes ahead of the eventual abolition of cheques which the Payments Council - representing the major high street banks - aims to achieve by 2018.

MP for Bradford East, David Ward, welcomed news that the Government has delivered more than 100,000 extra apprenticeships, twice as many as expected, but said that more still needs to be done to increase the availability of apprenticeships in smaller companies.

Figures released by the Government, show that there were over 40,000 people who started an apprenticeship for the first time last year in Yorkshire and the Humber. This represents an increase of nearly 12,000 since last year.

David Ward MP has called for more resources to be targeted toward early intervention among the most disadvantaged young people in order to tackle record levels of youth unemployment.

Speaking in a debate in Parliament, David said that too many young people in Bradford are leaving school without the appropriate skills or qualifications to find work. He argued that more resources to be targeted toward helping these young people at an earlier stage would save far greater sums in benefits and welfare to work schemes further down the line.

David Ward MP has taken part in a rally organised by the Yes to High Speed Rail Campaign to highlight the benefits of High Speed Rail for the Yorkshire region.

When completed the scheme will cut journey times between Leeds and the capital to just 80 minutes.

David was joined on the rally by the music producer and rail enthusiast Pete Waterman

David Ward MP is backing Age UK's Training Bradford Falls Awareness Week 2011 Campaign, which is holding an event at St James' Church, Bolton Road this Friday (24^th June) between 10am-4pm.

The road show seeks to help raise awareness of the devastating impact a fall can have and the basic steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of them.

Bradford East MP, David Ward, is expecting key changes to be made to the Pensions Bill to lessen the impact of proposed increases in the state pension age on women in their 50s.

David Ward voted for the Bill to go forward for detailed scrutiny by MPs, but has made it clear that his will not support the Bill to become law unless significant changes are made.

David Ward MP has welcomed the news that the Rockwell Centre Users Group and Swain House Primary School have been successful in securing National Lottery funding.

The Rockwell Centre Users Group has received £9,870 from the Lottery's 'Awards for All' grants scheme, aimed at funding small, local community-based projects in the UK. The Rockwell Centre Users Group is a community organisation in Bradford, and it intends to use the money to run activity sessions for older people in the area, such as arts and crafts and group outings.

Swain House Primary School has received £4,300, also from the 'Awards for All' scheme. The school intends to use the money to improve its wildlife area, enabling other schools, community groups and members of the general public to access the wildlife area and learn about nature.

David Ward M has welcomed signs that the Payments Council may be beginning a climb down over its plans to scrap cheques but stressed the need to keep up the pressure on the banks.

Questioned by the Treasury Select Committee a representative of the Payments Council - which represents all major banks - said that they regretted the way that cheque announcement had been made. Meanwhile the Treasury have written to MPs on the Committee saying that they might consider blocking plans to abolish cheques in 2018 if suitable alternatives are not found.

The Government has announced key changes to its Health Bill to address concerns raised by the public, medical professionals and the Liberal Democrats.

Liberal Democrats led the calls for changes after raising serious concerns at the party's Spring Conference in March. Nick Clegg and others have worked hard in Government to make sure the concerns have been addressed.

MP for Bradford East, David Ward, this week took part in an event to help raise awareness of the importance of pulse checks as part of World Heart Rhythm Week.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of Atrial Fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm disorder in the UK. It is estimated that the number of people affected by AF is in excess of one million. It is also responsible for 18%-20% of all strokes in the UK.