Bradford MP, David Ward, says proposals will make pensions "fairer and simpler"

The Liberal Democrat Pensions Minister, Steve Webb, has announced a consultation on a new 'Citizen's Pension' which would see all new pensioners receiving a flat rate pension of at least £140 a week.

The current full state pension is £97.65 a week, which can be topped up with pension credit to £132.60.

From today the NHS in Bradford will enjoy an extra £25million, to support key Government priorities such as support for carers' breaks, the Cancer Drugs Fund, investment in talking therapies for those with mental health conditions, and 4,200 extra health visitors.

Spending on healthcare in our local area this year will total £906 million overall.

Bradford MP, David Ward, has welcomed a package of measures to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to stay on in education as demonstration of Liberal Democrat influence in government.

The package, which was unveiled today by the Education Secretary, will form part of the replacement to the Education Maintenance Allowance, which is being wound down this year.

David Ward MP has thrown his weight behind the Red Card to Red Tape campaign, which aims to reduce the burden of regulations on small sports clubs.

David joined commentator and former England rugby union international, Brian Moore, at the campaign's launch event this week.

The campaign, initiated by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, is calling on the Government to reduce the burden or regulations designed to regulate profit-making businesses, but which hamper small voluntary clubs. These include:

A local MP has given his backing to a plan to repay taxpayers for the bank bail-out by giving RBS and Lloyds shares direct to individuals.

A radical and innovative scheme to sell off the Government's ownership of RBS and Lloyds has been developed by tax expert and Liberal Democrat MP, Stephen Williams.

On 5th May you have a choice. You can keep the discredited First Past the Post system to elect our MPs, or you can choose a new and fairer system - Alternative Vote (AV). Back the campaign for change at www.YesToFairerVotes.org

AV is a small change that makes a big difference.

Saying YES! to Fairer Votes Means:

David Ward MP has today launched the search for the most outstanding and innovative example of Bradford manufacturing.

The hunt is part of a project launched by a cross Party group of MPs who want to support and champion UK manufacturing.

Commenting, David Ward said:

"We are seeing a manufacturing renaissance in Britain, with manufacturing growing three times faster than the rest of the economy. This needs to continue if we are to succeed in rebalancing away from Financial Services and the South East.

Bradford MP, David Ward, has presented a petition of over 5000 signatures to Prime Minister, urging the Government to act to prevent the banks from scrapping cheques.

The Payments Council, representing all major high street banks, has set a target date of October 2018 for the closure of central cheque clearing.

MP, David Ward will join young people for a 'Dragon's Den' style business event for aspiring entrepreneurs.

They will be taking part in the "Step Up Market Challenge" event, taking place at Valley Parade, the home of Bradford City F ootball Club. Norman Lamb, a senior Liberal Democrat MP and Chief Political Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, will also be in attendance.

David Ward MP joined students from Hanson School, Immanuel College and Dixons City Academy Charitable Trust on a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps this week.

The visit was a unique opportunity to see what happened at Auschwitz-Birkenau, to pay respect to those who lost their lives, and to explore the universal lessons of the Holocaust. The group was shown around the camp's barracks and crematoria, and witnessed the registration documents of inmates, piles of hair, shoes, clothes and other items seized by the Nazis. They were then taken the short distance to Birkenau where a memorial and candle-lighting service was held to remember the 6 million Jews, and the Roma, Sinti, gay, disabled, black people, and other victims of the Nazis killed in the Holocaust.