Cameron in Cumbria

David Cameron was in Cumbria today as part of a tour of marginal seats in the North West. He was in the Carlisle area this morning, Kendal this afternoon and then in Barrow he had first a brief meeting with Conservative PPCs and councillors and then a public meeting during which residents of Barrow were able to ask him questions on any subject whatsoever.

In his answer to the first question at the public meeting in Barrow DC dismissed the ludicrous Policy Exchange report (see previous post.)

I raised with David Cameron some of the issues around health in Cumbria including the future of our local hospitals and the impact of the government's proposals to stop GP surgeries from being able to include a pharmaceutical dispensary if there is another one within a mile.

David Cameron confirmed that the Conservatives

1) Support District General Hospitals as the basis for Acute Healthcare

2) Oppose the forced imposition of "polyclinics" which may cut family GP services

3) Support the retention of dispensing in GP surgeries

If these policies were in place it would remove the current threat to Bootle and other surgeries.

Other answers included

* Government procurement should give small business a fair chance

* Local government should be able to make the decisions which suit local need with less interference from the centre and from bodies like the regional assemblies, which should be scrapped.

* The link between pensions and earnings should be reinstated as part of a strategy to move more pensoners out of means-testing

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