CAROLINE COMMENDS BRIDGING THE GAP FUND SUCCESS

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has celebrated the success of the 'Bridging the Gap' Fund, praising the contributions of the Portsmouth News and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership in particular, during questions to the Leader of the House this morning.

The Fund enjoyed a fantastic response, with over 100 local companies and entrepreneurs applying for grants between £5,000 and £50,000 in the first round alone, with requests totalling more than double the £2.1million pot.

Caroline highlighted the outstanding reaction to the Fund as a result of key players pulling together on the ground and asked:

"I am sure the Leader of the House will join me in congratulating Portsmouth News and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, who have worked together to introduce a successful 'Bridging the Gap' scheme and used a £2.1 million regional growth fund bid to help generate local growth and boost local business."

The Leader of the House, Andrew Lansley MP, expressed his agreement and said:

"I do indeed join my hon. Friend in welcoming the 'Bridging the Gap' scheme and those who have supported it in her constituency and around Portsmouth and the Solent.

It shows how, by working closely with local authorities and businesses, local enterprise partnerships are able to deliver schemes that make sense locally, not least because they are rooted in their local communities and not part of a bureaucracy, which regional development agencies used to be."

The Fund's success highlights Caroline's work in promoting the Gosport peninsula as an excellent place to do business. Caroline has built up a strong track record of supporting enterprise and innovation locally, playing a key role in the creation of the £25m Solent Enterprise Zone and she continues working hard to secure jobs and investment for our area.

CAROLINE CONDEMNS HATE CRIME & BULLYING

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage will continue her efforts to tackle disability hate crime as she attends an anti-bullying event hosted by Hampshire Constabulary tomorrow morning.

The Hate Crime and Bullying Awareness Day will bring together a range of subject experts from across Hampshire, including representatives from the Crown Prosecution Service, the County Council and the region's Police and Crime Commissioner, all united in their goal to stop disability related hate crime and make our community a safer place to live.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's event, Caroline said:

"People with a learning disability should never have to live in fear of bullying or hate crime and the Awareness Day is a great way of reiterating this important message.

I'd like to commend Connect Self Advocacy and Hampshire Constabulary for the work they're doing to clamp down on this crime, helping make our community a safer place to live for everyone to enjoy."

ITV Meridian's Fred Dinenage will also join Caroline at the Awareness Day and her involvement follows Caroline's close association with Gosport Self Advocacy and Daring 2012 Club, of which she is the patron.

The Hate Crime and Bullying Awareness Day will take place on Friday 3rd May between 1000 and 1300 at Hampshire Constabulary, Southern Support and Training Headquarters, Hamble Lane, Southampton, SO31 4TS.

CAROLINE HONES HORTICULTURAL SKILLS AT ST. JOHNS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Local MP Caroline Dinenage honed her horticultural skills this morning, as she helped pupils at St. John's C of E Primary School to plant tree saplings and learn about the environment in celebration of Earth Day.

Caroline joined forces with Boeing and the Earth Restoration Service (ERS), who go out in to the community each year and encourage young people to play an active role in restoring the natural beauty of green spaces and woodland.

Speaking after her visit, Caroline said:

"The Earth Day initiative is a great way for children to learn about ecology, showing that gardening can be fun and enjoyable, while teaching young people about the importance of protecting our environment.

This fantastic scheme also helps people engage in local community projects and I was really impressed with the green fingers on display today!"

The Earth Restoration Service's goal is to inspire young people to play their part in restoring the natural health of their own environments. To find out more about the work of ERS and a project near you, please visit http://earthrestorationservice.org/

CAROLINE BACKS BETTER DEAL FOR PUB SECTOR

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has welcomed the Government's decision to hold a consultation into the forthcoming code of practice for pub owning companies, following an announcement by the Business Secretary this week.

The Government is consulting on proposals to introduce a Statutory Code and an independent Adjudicator for the pub sector that will enshrine in law the long accepted but largely ignored principle: that the tied licensee should not be worse off than a free of tie licensee and the consultation is asking how best to do this.

Following the announcement, Caroline said:

"The consultation is great news for pubs across the Gosport peninsula and I'm delighted that we've taken another step towards securing a much needed Statutory Code that will stop the abuse of the beer tie and save our hardworking tenants around £100 million per year."

The potential Code would apply to companies which own over 500 pubs, focussing on the part of the industry where almost 90 per cent of complaints are received. Caroline has long supported the British Pub sector and spent time behind the bar at The Three Tuns in Elson earlier this month in celebration of Community Pubs Month.

CAROLINE WELCOMES FOCUS ON LITERACY & MATHS

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has welcomed the Government's renewed focus on ensuring that children attain basic levels of literacy and numeracy before leaving school, during questions to the Department for Education today.

A strong supporter of early-years development, Caroline asked the Education Secretary:

"What steps he is taking to ensure that all pupils attain basic levels of literacy and mathematics before leaving school?"

Acknowledging the importance of this issue, Michael Gove MP, replied:

"The new national curriculum includes more demanding content in English and maths; mathematics will have more emphasis on arithmetic, fractions and decimals. There will be a new professional development programme for mathematics teachers at Key Stage 3 which will help them teach fractions more effectively with robust evaluation of the results and we are also reforming GSCEs and making changes to nursery education."

In a follow up question, Caroline highlighted the important role parents can play in early-years development, and asked:

"Given the evidence that parents with lower levels of literacy and numeracy can be motivated to improve their own skills through a desire to support their children's learning, what measures are being taken to support family learning programmes?

The Education Secretary expressed his agreement and replied:

"It is absolutely right that if parents are given the opportunity to play a part in their child's education and if they themselves are given additional confidence in their own grasp of literacy and numeracy, then the whole family can benefit. I'm committed to making sure family learning programmes are supported as effectively as possible."

As a Maths Champion for NIACE (The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) these questions reiterate Caroline's long-standing commitment to breaking through the skills barrier and raising awareness of low levels of literacy and numeracy.

CAROLINE MEETS WITH DEPUTY MEMBER OF YOUTH PARLIAMENT

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage welcomed Chloe Shield, deputy member of the Youth Parliament, to her Gosport office for a special meeting earlier today.

The aspiring MP from Bridgemary School fought off competition to be selected as the deputy member for Gosport, Fareham and Havant in a poll of secondary schools in the area.

Campaigning on a platform firmly rooted in local issues, Chloe is passionate about her community and is keen to bridge the communication barriers that exist between older and younger generations.

After meeting with Caroline to discuss future projects, Chloe said:

"I was delighted to have a chance to sit down with Caroline and discuss projects that I'm really passionate about. I'm keen to do all I can to change our area for the better and would like to follow in Caroline's footsteps, one day!"

Caroline added:

It was fantastic to meet Chloe, I was particularly impressed with her energy and enthusiasm and she's a very determined young lady.

There are not enough young people involved in politics, let alone women, so it's great to see Chloe flying the flag for our region. I look forward to working with her going forward and am confident that she will do our area proud."

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) was formed in 2000, and is a youth organisation consisting of nearly 600 democratically elected members aged from 11 to 18. It is managed by the British Youth Council and over half a million young people vote each year.

CAROLINE TO VISIT NEW TESCO AS ROWNER REGENERATION CONTINUES

Local MP Caroline Dinenage will visit Gosport's new Tesco superstore next week, as the multi-million pound regeneration of the Rowner Estate takes another step forward.

Monday's visit will allow Caroline to see first-hand the progress being made at the site, ahead of the stores' grand opening for residents and community members on 23 May.

Speaking ahead of her visit, Caroline said:

"Completion of the Tesco store marks an important milestone in the regeneration of Rowner, complementing the new homes on the Estate and enabling a strong community to be built in our area.

The vision of improved opportunities and a better quality of life is fast becoming a reality for the people of Rowner and I'm hopeful that the Tesco store will bring even more businesses and jobs to the area."

The store will create 150 jobs and in keeping with their promise to invest in our community Tesco have teamed up with the local JobCentre Plus to guarantee interviews for all applicants. Please email gosport.tescorowner@dwp.gsi.gov.uk to register your interest in a position at the store.

CAROLINE TO ADDRESS LOCAL GROWTH CONFERENCE

Caroline Dinenage MP will outline her vision for the local growth agenda, as she addresses the Annual Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Network Conference in central London later this afternoon.

Caroline will share a platform with a host of high profile speakers from the world of business and politics including Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, Business Secretary, Vince Cable and former Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Heseltine.

Addressing the Conference in her role as Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local Growth, Caroline will draw on her experience as a small-business owner as well as her efforts to secure the Solent Enterprise Zone, advocating the need for a place-based approach to growth policy.

Speaking ahead of her appearance, Caroline said:

"LEPs are now 'the only game in town' and have been given the great responsibility of driving our economic recovery. It's therefore vital that local partnerships have the resources as well as the necessary expertise to become the engines for local growth that we know they can be.

This event allows for the Government and LEP Network to further strengthen their ties, giving senior LEP board members the chance to set out exactly what they need to succeed and I look forward to addressing the Conference later today."

Topics for discussion and debate will focus on ways to drive local growth, and outcomes from the Heseltine Review, 'No Stone Unturned', which was published in October 2012.

CAROLINE CELEBRATES ADOPTION OF ARMED FORCES COVENANT

Local MP Caroline Dinenage has celebrated Gosport Borough Council's early adoption of the Armed Forces Community Covenant and encouraged other local authorities to follow suit, in Defence questions in the House of Commons today.

The Covenant is a voluntary statement of mutual support between the civilian community and any serving and former members of the Armed Forces and their families working and residing in Gosport. In a fitting tribute, the Council formally established the Covenant on Remembrance Sunday, last year.

Reiterating her support for the Council's decision, Caroline said:

"Would my honourable friend join me in congratulating Gosport Borough Council who adopted their version of the military covenant at the tail end of last year, and would he update the House on the progress that has been made in the take up of community covenants?"

The Minister for Defence Personnel, Mark Francois MP, welcomed Caroline's support and replied:

"I'm really encouraged by the number of local authorities at all tiers of local government that have been signing community covenants to demonstrate their support for the armed forces community and I'm very pleased to hear that that spirit is alive and well in Gosport."

Speaking outside the Chamber, Caroline added:

"Given the Gosport peninsula's proud military heritage, it's only right that our area is leading the way in adopting its own community covenant. This shows once again that Gosport Borough Council is ahead of the curve in recognising the sacrifice of our Service personnel and the welfare of forces families."

CAROLINE TO CHAIR LOCAL GROWTH INQUIRY

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage will continue to highlight the importance of the local growth agenda, as she chairs the final session of the inquiry into making the skills system more responsive to local business needs in the Houses of Parliament tomorrow.

In her role as Co-Chair of the APPG on Local Growth, Caroline will hear from a range of expert witnesses, including representatives from local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), local authorities and various government departments, on the steps being taken to align skills provision more closely with local needs.

Speaking ahead of the evidence session, Caroline said:

This inquiry has been identifying the barriers to local growth with a view to suggesting innovative ways to try and tackle these problems.

LEPs have been given the great responsibility of driving our economic recovery forward. It's therefore vital that local partnerships have the resources as well as the necessary expertise to become the engines for local growth that we know they can be."

The inquiry follows Caroline's efforts to ensure local growth remains high on the Government's agenda and ties in with her work as a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, championing small and medium-sized enterprises, UK industry and skills training in Parliament.