THE Citizen Card (no relation to the newspaper!) is soon to be launched in Chorley to allow young people to prove their age.

The scheme, which has been set up by a national non-profit making organisation, is available to young people who need to either prove their eligibility for child or youth discounts.

The cards will shortly be issued to people in Chorley at a cost of £5 and can be purchased by anyone over the age of 12.

They are an excellent idea as it guarantees discounts to young people while at the same time allowing retailers to identify whether a potential customer is old enough, leading to fewer illegal sales. For further information on obtaining a Citizen Card please contact my constituency office on (01257) 483887.

Haulage Industry Lobby

The Budget always attracts a vast array of interests who lobby the Government to try and secure a better deal for them in the next financial year.

One industry that has been heavily affected by the Budget is the haulage industry because of the yearly increases in fuel duty.

Several companies got in contact with me last week to talk to me about the problems facing this industry at the moment.

The main problem is the rapidly increasing competition with Europe as they have lower overheads from cheaper petrol prices, exemption from paying road tax in the UK and less stringent and therefore less costly safety regulations.

They are finding it increasingly difficult to manage and need the Government's assistance to address these problems.

The meeting was useful and I have now made representations to the Treasury on their behalf.

International Women's Day - Monday March 8.

International Women's Day originates from 1857 when a band of poorly paid women workers marched through the streets of New York demanding better wages and improved conditions.

This day has been marked since to recognise the many contributions that women have made to society and to look to what can be gained from the future.

After only 20 months in office the Government has delivered many policies that will directly improve the lives of women in the country and their families. Some £300m has been put behind a national childcare strategy and child benefit is to rise by 20 per cent.

A national minimum wage of £3.60 will benefit 1.5 billion women and maternity leave has been increased to 18 weeks.

In addition, £40b is being pumped into health and education with a £10m boost to breast cancer screening and an NHS Direct telephone advice line.

We recognise there is still a lot to be done in terms of realising equality in work, but we are still committed to improving women's lives in the UK.

Forthcoming Constituency Events

It's going to be a very busy month in Chorley, with several key members of the Government visiting in an official capacity.

This Friday the Health Secretary Frank Dobson will be coming to look around Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

Also, the Trade and Industry Minister Ian McCartney will be launching Phase two of the Chorley Business and Technology Scheme.

And finally, Chorley Help The Homeless will be opening their new Drop In Centre on Tuesday March 16.

This shows the support and commitment shown by the constituency in getting this facility up and running.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.