South East round-up: 18 December 2009

Written questions

• Commons Hansard: Gifted children in Ashford, Kent
• Commons Hansard: Health visitors employed in East Sussex
• Commons Hansard: Spending on PE and sport strategy in Kent
• Commons Hansard: Deaths caused by obesity-related diseases in Milton Keynes

In addition to oral questions, MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer. These are often used to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of government departments.

Debates

• Video: Debate on health services in Buckinghamshire
• Commons Hansard: Debate on health services in Buckinghamshire

An adjournment debate is a way of having a general debate without requiring the House to vote. The MP who tabled the relevant adjournment debate is called to speak and a Minister will reply.

Early Day Motions

• EDM 453: Redundancies on Network Rail Sussex route
• EDM 486: Steer Clear campaign

Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view.

South East Select Committee

• Call for evidence: Housing in the South East
• Video: Post appointment hearing - the new Chair of SEEDA
• More on the South East Select Committee

The South East Committee covers the following local government areas: Bracknell Forest, Brighton & Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Newbury, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Sussex, Windsor & Maidenhead and Wokingham.

The remit of the Committee is to examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies. Previously the Committee has reported on the South East England Development Agency and the Regional Economic Strategy.