I SEEM to have spent a lot of my time meeting Ministers visiting Warrington recently. Mo Mowlam was here last Saturday and we have also seen John Hutton from the Department of Health and Charles Clarke from the Department for Education and Employment.

John came to open the new Hollins Park Hospital and Charles to see the new computers at Burtonwood County Primary School which were installed as part of the national grid for learning. This is a Government initiative to get more new technology into our schools and 14 schools in Warrington have benefited so far. I was amazed at how confident the children were in operating computers; like my own son they know far more about them than most adults do. As someone whose idea of tech-equipment is a pen and paper, they made me realise how much I have to learn.

Being able to use computers is now an essential skill. That is why I was very pleased when the Chancellor announced in his budget that they were finding £470 million to fund a national network of 1000 IT centres where children and adults can learn together. Perhaps we should call it "IT for the terrified" to get people like me in.

It is all part of a programme to re-build our public services which is putting £10 billion extra worth of investment into education and health. An extra £200 million will also be invested in modernising accident and emergency departments and in cancer care and I have been lobbying Ministers to ensure Warrington Hospital gets its share of that money. Frank Dobson, the Secretary of State for Health, has said it will and I am looking forward to the work starting as soon as possible.

HELEN JONES MP

Warrington North

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