WEST WORCESTERSHIRE: Sir Michael Spicer (Conservative)

The rural economy here in Worcestershire has suffered, as elsewhere, from this Government's lack of interest, verging on disdain, for the countryside.

Evidence for this was the gross mismanagement of the foot-and-mouth epidemic, to the grave detriment of agriculture and of associated enterprises including the tourist industry.

There should certainly be a public inquiry into this. For the future what is required is a major reform of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to end a system which requires British taxpayers and consumers to subsidise farmers on the continent of Europe so that they can export their products to us.

Where it is appropriate we should support our own rural economies to the benefit of this country. Contrary to the spirit of the CAP our farmers should be encouraged to sell their products on world markets. When Britain's agriculture flourishes again so will rural communities.

I have always been against the piecemeal privatisation of DERA because I believe that it threatens the essential relationship we have with the Americans on defence research matters. This close and secure arrangement was underlined to me when I was in Washington recently and it is a crucial element in our defence system. The danger is it will now come to an end.

I am also concerned that the public/private partnerships flowing from the old DERA structure will be able to compete unfairly with genuine private sector companies.

When I have made these points in Parliament they have fallen on deaf ears. Now that QinetiQ (what a bizarre name) is in being, a new situation arises. Completely independent "spin off" companies were already forming themselves on the Malvern Research Park. These companies will hopefully multiply and are welcome. They should be encouraged to grow in size.

The funding arrangements for education in Worcestershire are manifestly unfair. Worcestershire receives a far lower proportion of taxpayers' money for education per pupil than does almost any other comparable county.

I recently introduced this issue in Parliament in a special debate which the Labour Minister answered in a very negative and unhelpful way. The Conservative Party promises in its manifesto that we will fund schools directly. This will have a number of good effects. It will overcome the unfair funding problem at a stroke. It will give financial responsibility to those directly responsible for teaching children and it will save a large element of the administration costs currently running in the county at some £30m a year, or 20 per cent of the whole education budget. This is itself an outrageously high figure delivered by an inefficient Liberal/Labour county administration which will be brought to an end when the Conservatives are elected once more to run the county council.

My main aim as a Member of Parliament has been to protect, preserve and develop the two wonderful community hospitals in Malvern and Pershore. I have been particularly involved in pressing for plans to be completed for a new hospital in Malvern at Seaford Court.

The purpose of these hospitals remains as ever to provide beds for people recuperating from operations and for the elderly so that they can be near their homes, friends and relations. This is particularly important given the difficulty that many people have with public transport to and from the big acute hospitals in Worcester and Redditch. This problem is especially hard felt by those living near to Kidderminster. It is a matter of great dissatisfaction that assurances that were made by the hospital authorities to provide good transport between hospitals have not been kept.

The flow of traffic in Pershore has become incessant and intolerable to those living and working in the town. The immediate solution has been the decision to go ahead with building the bypass at Wyre Piddle. I will continue to press for this new road to be completed as quickly as possible.