This Week in Westminster

There was no Easter break for Gordon when he started his working week on Monday.  After meeting constituents in Alloa, Gordon flew south to Westminter to begin his Parliamentary work.

First up on Tuesday morning was a meeting with staff and officials from the Department of Work and Pensions where this week’s business was discussed.  Next up Gordon was in Westminster Hall to assist DWP Minister Anne McGuire in a debate on Remploy.

After the debate, Gordon was present at Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for a Bevin Boys reception before heading over to 10 Downing Street to watch the Prime Minister present the first batch of Bevin Boys with their commemorative medals.  This was the end of a two year campaign led by Gordon in Parliament and a pre-cursor to the Scottish ceremony which will take place on May 9th at the Scottish Mining Museum in Newtongrange.

On Thursday morning, Gordon was back quizzing Ministers when he asked Education Minister Bill Rammell to outline the Government’s assessment of the contribution made to businesses by Universities. 
Mr Banks was told that Universities make an important contribution to business through research, knowledge transfer, innovation and work force development, in addition to supplying skilled and knowledgeable graduates. The Government has invested in university-business collaboration through increases in the Higher Education Innovation Fund and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and a stronger focus on the economic impact of research.

Gordon also was back at 10 Downing Street for a meeting to discuss developing the UK’s links with Nova Scotia.  This was a follow up to Gordon’s visit to Canada last year and relates to his consituency’s historic links with the area.

Gordon flew home, that is eventually after being caught in major delays at the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow!

On Friday,. It was off to Aviemore to Scottish Labour Party conference to meet with colleagues and contribute thoughts on policy.