Remploy has been a fixture on the Bede Trading Estate since its post- war development. It was created as an independent company in receipt of Government subsidies in order to provide employment to the large number of returning disabled ex-servicemen. As MP I have regularly visited the factory and it has always been my pleasure to do so. So you can imagine my disappointment when I heard that under recently announced reorganisation plans the Jarrow plant is earmarked for closure and its workload distributed to two other Remploy factories. 

When Gordon Brown swept into Downing Street as our new Prime Minister he immediately promised radical changes in our style of politics both in Parliament and the country. Anyone who believes in the idea of more open government must welcome this pledge of building a new relationship between government and the people. To achieve this end he has stated that he wants to listen to all sections of society – and not shy away from debate, protest or opposition. 

The rivers of Tyne and Wear were once renowned for shipbuilding and ship repair. However, the physical effects for the men who worked in these industries at their peak were very serious.  In South Tyneside we have one of the highest death-rates in the UK from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer which is a notoriously cruel and incurable disease.  It can be caused by the inhalation of a single asbestos fibre and can lay dormant in a person unknowingly for years before it becomes active and is finally diagnosed.  So whilst the saying may go that 'a hard day’s work doesn't kill you' the fact is that one person dies every day in this area because of their exposure to asbestos!