Bradford East MP, David Ward, is calling on the Government to look again at its plans to speed up the increase in the State Pension Age for women.

Under the Government's plans the State Pension Age for women will reach 65 in 2018, instead of 2020 as previously planned. This will result in 300,000 women born between December 1953 and October 1954 having to work up to two years longer before they receive their pension.

Bradford MP, David Ward, has spoken out against plans to cut funding for the provision of basic English language tuition.

In the Comprehensive Spending Review last Autumn, the Chancellor proposed reducing funding for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). While funding will be maintained for those in search of work, other recipients will have to meet part of the cost of their courses themselves.

Today, many of the nearly 900,000 people who have been lifted out of paying Income Tax and the 23m basic-rate tax payers who have received a £200 tax cut will receive their first pay cheques since the changes came in.

The Income Tax threshold, the point from which people start paying their taxes, has been raised by £1,000 to £7,475.

Bradford MP, David Ward, has quizzed the Secretary of State for Business on what will provide the future voice for Industry in the Yorkshire Region.

The Secretary of State, Vince Cable, was yesterday giving evidence to the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, of which Mr Ward is a member.

Students at Carlton Bolling College have been asked to contribute to a report on improving access to education, to be prepared by the Government's Advocate forAccess to Education, Simon Hughes.

Mr Hughes joined David Ward MP on a visit to the College last week where they held a Q&A session with pupils which covered the students' courses and aspirations, student finance, careers advice and the newly announced replacement for the Education Maintenance Allowance.

Lib Dem deputy leader and Government Advocate for Access to Education, Simon Hughes, joined David Ward MP on a visit to Bradford College.

David and Simon were joined by College Principal, Michelle Sutton, and Student Union President Nabeel Hussain, as well as other representatives from the college stuff and student body. Discussion included the Government's newly announced replacement for the Education Maintenance Allowance as well as student finance and the future of the careers service.

David Ward MP has welcomed the announcement that the Treasury Select Committee are to reopen their enquiry into the future of cheques.

The influential committee of MPs will examine the Payments Council's decision to phase cheques out by 2018 and make recommendations to the Government.

David Ward has been at the forefront of the campaign to save the cheque and has introduced a Bill in Parliament to stop their abolition.

On the 17th April David will be running in the London Marathon to raise Money for the Marie Curie Hospice here in Bradford. The London Marathon is the single biggest annual fundraising event on the planet. It has raised over £500 million for good causes since 1981.

David is running for Marie Curie Cancer Care and is hoping to raise £2,000 for the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford. David is a member of the Idle Daffs fundraising group for the charity and over the years has helped the charity raise a substantial amount of money.

Bradford MP, David Ward, welcomes Coalition spending on affordable homes

Bradford is set to receive £2.8 million extra this year through the New Homes Bonus, it was announced yesterday.

Through the New Homes Bonus, the Government will match the council tax raised from new homes for the first six years, with a further bonus of £350 per year for each new affordable home. Empty homes brought back into use will also qualify.

Bradford MP, David Ward, says Lib Dem's are delivering for pensioners

From today every pensioner will get a guaranteed rise in their state pension matching inflation, the increase in average earnings or 2.5%, whichever rate is highest.

This means that this year over 82,000 pensioners in Bradford will get a rise of £4.50 a week, totalling £19.4 million of extra money across the District.