Local MP, Mark Hunter visited W H Ashworth and Son Ltd, a 4^th Generation local Cheadle business, last Friday 30^th November 2012 to find out why regular eye tests are so important in preventing blindness.

Around 1.8 million people in the UK are living with sight loss and this figure is set to increase by 115% to nearly 4 million people by 2050, largely due to the ageing population (1). Much of this is preventable through the early detection and treatment of eye problems. Regular eye tests are a simple and practical way to maintain good eye health and look after your eyes.

Saving energy in our homes is very important. Why is there no scheme of heating seeking cameras available. Seven years ago we brought our bungalow up to recommended standards. I am not satisfied that the wall insulation is effective as it should be but I have no way of verifying and am prepared to pay for reasonably priced heat seeking camera survey but such services are not available.

Cheadle MP Mark Hunter joined forces with Friends of the Earth and RSPB last Wednesday 28 November 2012 in a call for the Government to deliver green jobs for the North West.

It comes in the week the Coalition has published its long-awaited Energy Bill, which will determine the way Britain is powered for the next generation.

Our society is energy hungry. Cutting carbon from this diet is vital. And we mustn't forget gas!

Decarbonising our electricity supply is an on-going hot issue, and challenging too. For example, the technology is not yet all proven - like the uncertainties of carbon capture and storage (CCS) - and for some technologies the reality is harsh - like maintaining wind turbines and tidal barrages in marine environments. There's also the big challenge of matching a variable supply of power with actual demand.

It is perhaps a sign of the times that three Parliamentary by-elections took place on Thursday, and even your day editor mentally filed them under "not that interesting". After all, all three were safe Labour seats at a point in the electoral cycle when the other two major parties are doing a bunch of unpopular things. Naturally, Labour held all three easily, although had they managed to lose even one, the media would doubtless have found room on their front page somehow.

Nick Clegg MP, leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister, has recorded a video for World AIDS Day on Saturday 1st December. In it, he calls for support for people with HIV/AIDS and an end to discrimination, along with a future free from AIDS. You can watch the video below or on YouTube:

Local MP Mark Hunter has welcomed the recommendations from the Leveson Report, released yesterday, saying that it was "time to put a stop to ordinary people being subjected to press intrusion".

The Leveson report makes a number of additional recommendations including the introduction of a system of voluntary, independent self-regulation, overseen by an independent Board. The Leveson Inquiry was setup by the Coalition Government following the revelations that several national newspapers had illegally hacked into phones to uncover private information. The findings will be looked at carefully and debated in Parliament in the coming weeks and month.