Teresa Pearce MP supports ‘Dental Check by One’ campaign.

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

Teresa Pearce MP is supporting the “Dental Check by one” campaign which seeks to promote good dental habits for children and families across Erith and Thamesmead.

In the UK, over 141 children per day, some just a year old, are having teeth removed in hospital.

Whilst the level of tooth decay amongst young children in England has continued to improve, with over 75% of 5 year-old children now decay free, extraction of decayed teeth remains the most common reason for hospital admissions in 5 to 9 year olds in England, despite being largely preventable.

The local figures for Greenwich and Bexley

In the Bexley, 14.4% of 5 year olds had experience tooth decay in 2017. For the Greenwich this figure was 22.2%. According to figures provided by NHS England, for NHS Bexley CCG only 9.59% of children under the age of 24 months had visited a NHS dentist in 2017/18. This figure was 11.94% for children under 24 months in NHS Greenwich CCG.

Starting good dental habits early and ensuring the all-important first dental check by a baby’s first birthday – ‘Dental Check by One’ – will contribute to a child’s best start in life. Regular early-years dental attendance gives children the opportunity to develop a positive lifelong-relationship with a dental team, who can nurture a whole range of healthy behaviours.

Teresa Pearce MP said:

“It is important to instil the values of good dental hygiene in children early, to prevent problems in later life. The Dental Check by One campaign encourages parent/s to take their baby’s for their first dental check-up when their first tooth appears. Starting regular preventive dental care early gives infants the opportunity to develop a positive lifelong-relationship with the dental team.”

N.B NHS dental care is free for children <18 years.

For more information on the campaign, please visit the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry’s website: https://www.bspd.co.uk/Patients/Dental-Check-by-One

 

 

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Teresa Pearce MP backs campaign to end rough sleeping for good

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

 

Teresa met with the housing charity St Mungo’s at the launch of their new report “Home for Good” she also met and spoke with Leo who is an ex client of St Mungo’s who explained how he had manged to get his life back on track after being street homeless.

Rough sleeping has increased by 169% across England since 2010. Recent figures revealed that 7,484 people were seen sleeping rough in London during 2017-18. Teresa joined St Mungo’s in calling on the Government to take action to end rough sleeping for good and to commit to long-term funding for local authorities to deliver homelessness services.

The campaign also calls for more social housing and improvements to make the private rented sector better suited to people who have slept rough. The number of people rough sleeping in England has more than doubled since 2010 and, worryingly, more people than ever are returning to rough sleeping after time away from the streets.

The Home for Good campaign is calling on the Government to end rough sleeping for good by:

  • Increasing the number of social homes available to people with a history of rough sleeping
  • Improving the private rented sector to better suit the needs of people with a history of
  • rough sleeping
  • Setting up a new programme to provide guaranteed, long-term funding for homelessness services.

Teresa said:

“I am fully support St Mungo’s Home for Good campaign. Homelessness is a scourge that should be purged from the UK. It is not right that people are experiencing homelessness in a modern society. People experience homelessness for a variety of reasons, whether it be because of rising rents or through evictions. It is clear that we need a robust strategy to tackle the issue but a good start would be through providing long-term funding for homelessness services. I would encourage people to read the report https://www.mungos.org/publication/home-for-good-campaign-report/ and support this important campaign”.

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Scientist from Erith and Thamesmead joins Teresa in parliament

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

Dr Simon Cork, a scientist from Erith, swapped the lab bench for the green benches when he joined Teresa Pearce MP in parliament last week.

Teresa Pearce MP met with Dr Cork who works at Imperial College London as part of a unique pairing scheme run by the Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of science, with support from the Government Science & Engineering (GSE) profession.

The scheme pairs scientists with parliamentarians and civil servants so that they can learn about each other’s worlds and explore how research findings can inform policy making.

During the week Dr Cork spent time with Teresa in Westminster to get a behind the scenes insight into how policy is formed and how their research can be used to make evidence based decisions. The visit also gave Teresa Pearce MP the opportunity to learn more about Dr Cork’s research.

Teresa said :

“In parliament I need to make decisions on complex topics. Building links with the UK’s top scientists helps me access scientific advice so that I can make decisions based on the best evidence available.Meeting expert scientists from my constituency and all over the UK is a great reminder that the UK is a world leader in science. We should use the expertise of our brightest scientists to provide evidence for policy making.

It was great to meet Dr Simon Cork and learn about his area of research in obesity, gut-brain axis, the vagus nerve, and the regulation of appetite.I’m looking forward to getting hands on experience of how Dr Cork works when I visit him in the lab.”

Posted in Health, House of Commons, News

Teresa Pearce MP urges Government to implement childhood obesity plan without delay

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

Teresa Pearce MP has met with the Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of over 40 leading charities, medical royal colleges and campaign groups to discuss childhood obesity. Currently, 22.6% of children in England start primary school with excess weight or obesity. In the Erith and Thamesmead constituency, this figure is higher at 26.5%. Obesity increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart and liver disease plus associated mental health problems, as well as putting an enormous strain on the NHS.

One of the issues discussed were the tactics used by the advertising industry to encourage us to buy and consume excess sugar and calories.

After the meeting Teresa said:

“With 26.5% of children in Erith and Thamesmead starting primary school with excess weight or obesity, it is clear that urgent action is needed to address this problem.

Action on junk food marketing and promotions of unhealthy food and drink is essential to ensuring that children and their families in my constituency – and across the country – can lead healthier lives. That’s why I support Obesity Health Alliance calls for Government to implement the proposals in Chapter 2 of the Childhood Obesity Plan without delay.

Teresa has written to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright MP, urging his Department to fully engage with the upcoming consultation on junk food marketing. Government are expected to publish this and other consultations on Childhood Obesity Plan proposals by the end of the year.

For further information, please visit the OHA website: http://obesityhealthalliance.org.uk/

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Teresa speaking about the failure of Universal Credit on the BBC this weekend

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP
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Teresa welcomes “important milestone in the fight for step free access at Erith Station” FREE ACCESS AT ERITH STATION”

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

Erith and Thamesmead MP Teresa Pearce has welcomed the announcement by Southeastern and Network Rail that Erith is one of the 22 stations submitted to the Government for potential funding under the Access for All scheme.

The Access for All scheme delivers funding for stations without step-free access, enabling the installation of infrastructure improvements such as new lifts and footbridges, to make them fully accessible. The improvements benefit everyone, from people with health conditions and impairments, to elderly people and parents with small children, they also provide a convenience for those carrying around heavy luggage and shopping.

In welcoming the announcement Teresa said:

“This is a huge move forward, for years Erith was not even considered for step free access because it’s used less than other stations. However its inaccessibility is probably one of the reasons why. To get accepted onto the list of 22 from a longlist of 107 is very good news indeed. This is the result of the hard work of residents, community groups, councillors and MPs both past and present who never gave up”.

The full list of stations nominated by Southeastern and Network Rail (in alphabetical order):

* Albany Park, south east London
* Aylesham, Kent
* Battle, East Sussex
* Chislehurst, south east London
* Clock House, south east London
* Deal, Kent
* Elmstead Woods, south east London
* Erith, south east London
* Falconwood, south east London
* Headcorn, Kent
* Herne Bay, Kent
* Hildenborough, Kent
* High Brooms, Kent
* Kent House, south east London
* Kidbrooke, south east London
* Lenham, Kent
* Maidstone West, Kent
* Marden, Kent
* Penge East, south east London
* Sidcup, south east London
* Swanscombe, Kent
* West Dulwich, south east London

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Teresa Pearce meets with conservationist Bill Oddie to call for urgent ban on trophy hunting imports

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

 

Teresa met last week with Bill Oddie to discuss the shocking new figures that show that nearly 400 hunting trophies from endangered animals have been imported into Britain in recent years. This includes almost 1 ton of elephant tusks. Teresa is now calling on the government to ban the import of hunting trophies.

Teresa said:

“Trophy hunting is an absolute disgrace. This supposed sport has an adverse effect on the conservation status of some of the world’s most endangered species. I am among the many animal lovers across the country who consider trophy hunting to be a cruel, archaic and immoral act. Countries such as Australia, France and the Netherlands have introduced import bans. We hope the U.K. government follows suit. A ban on trophy imports is an important step to bringing trophy hunting to an end.”

Conservationist and broadcaster Bill Oddie has backed the MP’s move, saying that trophy hunting was putting pressure on vulnerable wildlife:

“Elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs and rhinos are all fighting for their lives. We could see

all of them go extinct within a generation. When you’ve got a scattered, dwindling population, the loss of a handful of animals doesn’t just cause a ripple effect – it can be like a tsunami wave. “Trophy hunting has always been senseless cruelty. Letting people kill them because they think it’s entertaining is just insane, especially when you’re talking about wildlife with such a vulnerable status”.

Eduardo Goncalves from the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting also praised Teresa Pearce MP’s stand:

“British trophy hunters are targeting endangered animals. They have killed literally hundreds of elephants, hippos, leopards and lions – and then brought back their body parts for show.”

For information about trophy hunting contact Eduardo Gonçalves of the Campaign to Ban

Trophy Hunting (CBTH) at office.cbth@mail.com or on 0782 682 4384

 

 

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Teresa Pearce MP welcomes NHS decision to help tens of thousands more people with type 1 diabetes

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

NHS England has announced that from April 2019 the Freestyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system will be made available across the Country.

The monitoring system, works via a sensor attached to the skin, allowing people to check their blood sugar levels by using the device with a portable reader or a smartphone app. It reduces the need for finger-prick blood tests, helping people with diabetes to manage their condition.

The Freestyle Libre monitoring system was made available on the NHS last November. Although 20-25% of type 1 diabetes patients in England qualified for the sensor, it is thought only around 3-5% had access. Decisions on whether to make the system available have been taken by local Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Teresa Pearce MP said:

“Today’s announcement is very good news for tens of thousands of people across the Country managing Type 1 diabetes. I would like to pay tribute to Diabetes UK and for their campaigning on this issue.”

“On behalf of my constituents managing this condition, I sincerely hope that local Clinical Commissioning Groups will make sure the previous postcode lottery is ended and those eligible type 1 diabetes patients gain access to this important new monitoring system.”

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Teresa Pearce MP attends Remembrance Day events across the constituency

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

 

This weekend, it was a privilege to lay wreaths at ceremonies across the constituency in Remembrance Day services in Thamesmead, Erith and Plumstead.

 

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Teresa Pearce raises the tax gap with the Prime Minister at PMQs

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Teresa Pearce MP

 

 

Yesterday I asked about the tax gap at PMQs. In 2014 I wrote to HMRC and the then Chancellor to ask how much tax was unpaid on letting income from private landlords. In 2015 they wrote back to say it was approximately £500m.

At PMQs I asked the Prime Minister how much the tax gap is now. I have also written to the Chancellor to follow up.

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