30 April 2007

300+ Gains from a Labour Government (up to 2006).

DELIVERING WORKPLACE RIGHTS
Labour has ended discrimination against part-time workers and given all workers new
rights including the right to join a union.
1. The right to join a trade union - and to be informed of this right - 700,000 workers are joining trade unions every year.
2. Restored TU rights at GCHQ within 16 days of coming to power.
3. £1.97 billion paid in compensation for lung disease and vibration white finger, to 340,000 disabled miners or their widows.
4. 50% increase in trade union recognition deals.
5. 2.5m employees benefit from increased paid leave entitlement.
6. 3.1 million workers given the right to 4 weeks paid holidays.
7. 700,000 workers benefit from Labour outlawing discrimination against joining a Trade Union.
8. 740,000 workers given new rights to representation at disciplinary and grievance hearings.
9. Signed the Social Chapter giving British employees the rights denied to them by the Tories.
10. Equal pay and conditions for all 6 million part-time workers.
11. Cut the working week to 48 hours for most workers.
12. Unfair dismissal protection after 12 months - down from 2 years.
13. Raised the limit on unfair dismissal compensation to £55,000.
New rights for all night-shift and other workers:
14. Limited night-workers’ hours to 8 hours average in 24 hours.
15. Free health assessments for 3.5 million night-shift workers.
16. A right to 11 hours of rest a day for all night-shift workers.
17. A right to a day off each week for all night-shift workers.
18. A right to an in-work rest break if the working day is longer than 6 hours for all night-shift workers.
19. Legal protection for workers taking strike action.
20. New rights to protect ‘whistle-blowers’.
21. New protection against “discrimination by omission” because of trade union
membership.

THE DRIVE FOR FULL EMPLOYMENT and A NEW DEAL FOR EVERYONE

Under Labour, over 28 million people have real jobs - more people in work than at any
time in history - with the protection of a National Minimum Wage and a Working Tax
Credit guaranteeing families £241 a week. UK manufacturing has a key role to play in
our future economic success. The New Deal is now permanent.
22. 28.4 million people in work: a record - a net increase of 1,900,000 jobs over 1997. Unemployment at a 29-year low.
23. Cost of unemployment down 75% to just 0.4% of GDP- a saving of £10 billion a year in social security and lost taxes.
24. Full-time permanent jobs up by 1.9 million since 1997.
25. Every region has an employment rate well above the EU average.
26. Lowest unemployment rate in the G7 - beating USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Canada,.
27. 262,000 new jobs created in the last year alone.
28. 10,000 new job vacancies reported every working day.
29. Long term adult unemployment - down 75%, a 25-year low.
30. Long term youth unemployment - virtually eradicated.
31. New Deal - 518,000 young people in work, education or training.
32. New Deal for Young People boosted economy by £500 million.
33. 277,000 loan parents gained work through the New Deal.
34. 1.6m workers from age-16 gain from the National Minimum Wage.
35. 7.2 million mothers and 12.8 million children benefit from the record Child Benefit rise - up from £11.05p to £16.05 a week - a 25% rise above inflation, with £10.75p for each subsequent child.
36. 1.8 million children taken out of poverty - 200,000 in 2003.
37. Poorest fifth of families are £2,500 a year better off than in 1997.
38. Single earner family on half average earnings with two young children is £3,400 a year better off.
39. Minimum weekly wage of £197 to disabled person on 35 hours.
40. Disabled person working 16 hours gets £140 a week minimum.
41. Lifted the ‘hours limit’ on voluntary work for disabled people.
42. 1,800,000 fewer children live in low-income households.
43. 250,000 fewer children live in households where no-one works.
44. New Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit worth £54.25 a week for the first child for families earning less than £13,000 a year - an income boost of £26.55p since 1997.
45. 1.8m low paid workers’ tax bills halved with a 10p starting rate.

BUILDING A STRONG, STABLE ECONOMY
The economy is stronger than ever, with the longest period of sustained growth for 200 years. Record employment levels, the lowest inflation for 30 years and strong public investment are rebuilding Britain.
46. Average earnings rising well above inflation - 3.5% each year since 1997 and 3.7% in 2002.
47. Manufacturing output 20% higher than 20 years ago.
48. Growth in every quarter since 1997 - the longest period for 50 years - while the USA, Germany and Japan’s economies shrank.
49. 255,000 apprenticeships, risen from 75,000 apprenticeships in 1997 and 180,000 in 1979.
50. £170m for Employer Training Pilots - building a high-skill economy.
51. UK Unemployment lower than USA, Japan, France & Germany.
52. Borrowing cut by £51 billion under Labour - between 1990 and 1997 public debt doubled to £350bn - £15,000 for every family!
53. Lowest debt interest payments since 1915 - 2% of GDP. Tory debt cost £28bn a yr to service - more than schools spending.
54. National debt cut by £20 billion to 33% GDP vs 44% by the Tories.
55. 2000-2003: lowest interest rates for 48 years - since 1955.
56. Interest rates at lowest sustained rate since the 1960s.
57. Whole-economy investment up 11.3% under Labour.
58. £23.6 bn invested each year in health and education since 1997.
59. Business investment share of GDP is 50% up over the decade.
60. UK growth ‘most stable’ in the G7 top economies vs ‘least stable’ under the Tories.
61. Fixed standard rate of Corporation Tax at the lowest level ever.
62. Starting rate of Corporation Tax is zero% and the lowest of any major industrial
economy.

KEY RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP
63. Delivered devolution for Scotland, Wales and London.
64. Created Northern Ireland Assembly.
65. Enacted Freedom of Information legislation.
66. Established a new Disability Rights Act and Commission.
67. Equalising the age of consent.
68. European Convention on Human Rights adopted in UK law.
69. Removing all hereditary peers from law-making.
70. New laws banning racial harassment and violence.
71. Created Britain’s first Minister for Children.

SUPPORTING ENTERPRISE
Social justice and economic success go hand in hand. Labour’s wealth creating economy will deliver our goals of equality and fairness in an enterprise culture to benefit everyone involved in business and social enterprises.
72. 2.4 million new businesses have started up in the lifetime of this Government, including social enterprises.
73. Abolished Corporation Tax for 150,000 businesses.
74. Cut Corporation Tax for a further 335,000 businesses and introduced a new 10p
corporation tax rate for small companies.
75. Cut red tape: it takes less than a day and costs under £100 to start a business. A decade ago you needed “28 licences, certificates and registrations to start some businesses” -John Major told Tory conference in 1992.
76. Created the best VAT threshold in EU and cut form-filling and red tape for up to 700,000 small businesses with our new flat-rate VAT scheme.
77. Abolished Tory’s automatic penalties for late VAT-filing.
78. Saving 219,000 small businesses up to £274m by raising the statutory audit requirement to £5.6m turnover.
79. UK attracted 18.8% of all EU inward investment - the UK is the first choice for companies like Honda and BMW.
80. 890,000 small businesses can benefit from raising the small company and audit
exemption threshold.
81. Created the Small Business Service, the first government agency dedicated solely to small firms - helping 310,000 SMEs last year.
82. New Late Payment Act gives small businesses the statutory right to claim interest on late
paid invoices. Average payment times fallen from 49 days in 1997 to 41 days. EU
average is 51 days.
83. New Regional Venture Capital Funds created, providing £119 million equity for small businesses with growth potential.
84. New £20m UK High Technology Fund supporting new high tec businesses in their early stages - attracting £106 million private funding.
85. £31 million Phoenix Fund created to help small businesses set up in disadvantaged
areas.
86. Extended 40% first year capital allowances for SMEs to encourage investment and
growth.
87. A new Research & Development Tax Credit encourages small business investment in
R&D alongside a £1.4 billion increase in the science budget over 3 years.
88. A new Employee Share Ownership Scheme gives employees a real stake in the success
of their companies.
89. £5 million for 14 Community Development Finance Initiative projects putting finance into disadvantaged communities.
90. Interest rates are now determined independently, not by politicians, to avoid Tory boom and-bust policies.
91. A tight fiscal policy ensuring we borrow for investment and have a surplus over the economic cycle.

NEW MATERNITY & FAMILY RIGHTS
Maternity rights are vital to give women real choices. Our Labour Government has
strengthened the rights of over 1 million working women - supporting parents in giving their children a good start.
92. 1 million working women now entitled to statutory maternity pay from day one - Labour abolished the 2-year qualifying period.
93. Labour has cut the qualifying period for additional maternity leave from 2 years to 6 months.
94. 350,000 working women have had the right to paid maternity leave increased from 14 weeks to 26 weeks.
95. Increased the standard rate of Maternity Pay to £100 a week.
96. 200,000 mothers benefit from the Sure Start Maternity Grant increased five-fold to £500, helping expectant mums and new parents on low incomes to buy their babies essential new items.
97. 700,000 childcare places created since 1997.
98. Sure Start programme reaches 400,000 children in the most disadvantaged areas -
helping a third of all children in poverty.
99. Sure Start programmes in over 500 communities.
100. The new right to take time off work if your child is ill - helping 2.4 million workers.
101. Right to additional maternity leave: 26 weeks after 6 months.
102. Right of employees to return to their own jobs or to suitable alternatives, after parental leave.
103. A right to 3 months parental leave after being in a job for a year.
104. New Childcare Tax Credit - worth 5 times as much for the poorest infant and 4 times as much for the poorest child.
105. Flexible working rights for parents of children under 6 and disabled children under 18, benefiting up to 3.7 million workers.
106. Child Benefit up 25% for the first child - £16.05 a week.
Tackling child poverty is our goal. Labour has lifted over 1 million children out of poverty. We are investing an additional £7 billion a year in children’s financial support. The poorest 20% of
families receive almost 50% of the additional funding.

LABOUR’S RECORD INVESTMENT IN HEALTH
Our Labour Government is making the biggest-ever investment in the NHS – and the
biggest sustained increase in NHS history. With 77,500 more nurses, 19,000 more
doctors and more heart and cancer operations than ever.
107. Since 1997 the NHS workforce has increased by 224,000 and 84% are directly involved in patient care.
108. Labour is spending £3,000 on the NHS per household. This contrasts with under £2,000 in 1997.
109. Record NHS spending - up by 35%: health spending now 8% of GDP [9.4% by 2008] vs
only 6.7% in 1997.
110. Doubled NHS investment in education & training since 1997 - increased from £1.7bn to over £3.4bn last year.
111. Abolished eye test charges for 6.6 million over-60s.
112. 19,000 more doctors and 77,500 more nurses are working in the NHS than in 1997.
113. A third more consultants in the NHS and 1,900 Modern Matrons recruited - 3 times the target.
114. 11,000 more therapists & scientists working in the NHS.
115. 2,150 more medical school university places.
116. £17,000 minimum pay for new nurses.
117. Boosted nurses’ pay by 3-times the rate of inflation.
118. 10% pay rise for NHS staff over three years.
119. Cut waiting lists by almost 200,000 since 1997.
120. 99% of suspected cancer patients now see a consultant within 2 weeks vs only 63% in 1997.
121. 140,000 more patients receiving cancer treatment than in 1997. Funding 1,340,000
treatments each year.
122. 15,000 more heart operations - 38% up from 39,000 in 1997 to 54,000 heart operations now.
123. Heart surgery waiting times halved from 18 months to 9 months - doubled number getting clot-busting drugs.
124. 50% heart patients awaiting surgery are now able to choose an alternative hospital for quicker treatment.
125. Premature deaths from heart disease - the single biggest killer - down by a quarter since 1997.
126. 1 million more elective admissions than 1997. 5.5 million elective admissions to the NHS - up 22% from 4.5 million in 1997.
127. 1.4 million more out-patient admissions than 1997 - 12% increase to 12.9 million outpatient admissions.
128. 130 Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinics established.
129. Built 16 new Diagnostic & Treatment Centres, which now perform 45,000 specialist
operations, taking the strain off hospital beds.
130. Built 4 new medical schools and 3 medical education centres.
131. 7,000 extra NHS beds funded by 2004.
132. 2,000 new or modernised GPs’ surgeries provided.
133. 182 new or modernised Accident and Emergency departments, with £50 million more for A&E nurses.
134. 40 new hospitals now open and 74 under construction.
135. The biggest building programme in the history of the NHS - 100 new hospitals funded by 2010.
136. New Health Development Agency, improving health education and public health.
137. Created NHS Direct - now handling 6 million enquiries a year.
138. £1.2 billion to be spent on NHS research by 2007/8.
139. 400 more cancer specialists in training – 50% up on 1997 levels. Cancer deaths cut by 10%.
140. 400 more cardiac specialists in training – a 50% increase on 1997. Heart disease deaths cut by 23%.
141. NHS spending up from £45 billion to £68 billion by 2003.
142. 2.5 million additional sight tests administered - the real impact of restoring free eye tests,
axed by the Tories.
143. No new health charges.
144. 85% reduction in meningitis by targeting the vulnerable.

BEST EDUCATION FOR ALL - 29,000 MORE TEACHERS
We want every child to get the best start in life. 5.6% of GDP is going on education by 2008 compared to 4.7% in ‘97, we’re taking education spending from among the lowest in the developed world to among the best - with another £18 billion in the next three years. We’ve increased school spending by 27% per pupil and have record numbers at university.
145. £11.9 billion extra spent on education - £2.7 bn more this year.
146. Spending is up from only £2,500 per pupil in 1997 to £4,500 now and £5,500 by 2007/8.
147. The capital budget for schools is up 7-fold since 1997.
148. Education spending up by more than one-third in six years vs less than one-third
increase under the Tories in 18 years!
149. Education spending 5.3% GDP & 5.6% by 2006 vs 4.7% in ‘97.
150. £403 million investment in adult literacy and numeracy - almost double the previous budget.
151. An extra 29,000 teachers in our schools.
152. 425,000 teachers now in post - a 21-year high - and 120,000 more janitors, cleaners and paid support staff since ‘97.
153. Teacher vacancies fallen 25% to under 1% in the last year.
154. 122,000 teaching assistants now supporting teachers.
155. 31,230 new teachers trained last year - the third annual increase in training funding.
156. £1,000 more per pupil by 2005/6.
157. 4,300 fewer school exclusions - cut by one-third.
158. £60m a year boost to school music - encouraging every child.
PRE SCHOOL - REAL GAINS
159. 120,000 free nursery education and pre-school places for 3 & 4-year-olds already
created - opposed by the Tories.
160. All 3 and 4-year-olds now have access to free nursery places.
161. 524 Sure Start Centres created to help pre-school children from the poorest young families.
162. 175,000 families benefiting from Childcare Tax Credits.
163. Nearly 200 new nurseries created.
164. 107 Early Excellence Centres established.
165. Over 1.8m children gaining from the National Childcare Strategy.

PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOLS
166. Investment in school buildings in England is £4.5bn this year vs Tory spending of under £685m - up 7-fold.
167. 6% net increase in school spending each year to 2006.
168. 345,000 fewer children taught in infant classes of more than 30 for the first three critical years - opposed by the Tories.
169. £620 million extra spent to cut class sizes including £300 million released from the Tory Assisted Places Scheme.
170. £680 million New Deal for Schools for capital spending gives £75,000 to typical
secondary schools and £22,000 to primaries.
171. Over 800,000 children benefit from Excellence in Cities - urban comprehensives
transformed with investment and leadership.
172. Helped over 800 failing schools regain satisfactory standards.
173. 1,209 specialist colleges now teaching technology, languages, sports or arts - up from 181 in 1997 - 1,000 more created.
174. 84,000 more pupils reach the maths standard every year thanks to Labour’s Numeracy Hour.
175. 73% of 11-year-olds now reach level-4 in maths vs 50% in ‘97.
176. 60,000 more pupils reach the English standard every year thanks to Labour’s Literacy Hour.
177. 75% of 11-year-olds now reach level-4 in English vs 50% in ‘97.
178. 60,000 more 16-year-olds achieving five or more GCSEs at A. B or C grade than in 1997.

UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
179. First real increase in funding per student in Higher Education in 17 years.
180. £1.7 billion more spent in HE this year than in 1997.
181. Further 6% real increase in each of the next three years.
182. Extra £423 million for Further Education colleges - over 9% above inflation.
183 New Trade Union Learning Fund - £3 million to TUs this year.
184. £2,000 New Opportunity Bursaries for students from disadvantaged areas, and 6,000 university summer school places.

THE BENEFITS OF THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY BRINGING COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY TO EVERYONE
Labour wants everyone to benefit from Information and Communications Technology
[ICT]. We’re investing in our teachers, our children and our communities to ensure
access for all so that no-one is left behind.
185. 95% of the population with access to broadband by 2005.
186. 450,000 teachers with access to computer training.
187. Over £800 million extra spent on school computers.
188. £230 million New Opportunities Fund is available to support training every teacher to use new technologies.
189. More schools now connected to the internet than in any G7 country.
190. Every school was connected to the internet by 2002. In 1997 only 1-in-10 schools were connected.
191. £20 million for librarian training in ICT.
192. £50 million digitisation of content in libraries, museums, archives and galleries giving wide public access.
193. £200 million for community access to lifelong learning, including ICT in libraries and community grids for learning.
194. £470 million Capital Modernisation Fund computer-learning centres countrywide,
computers for teachers and for low income families - 'Computers Within Reach’.'
195. 1,000 computer-learning centres established across the UK - ensuring access for all.
196. 100,000 computers into low-income homes to assist people in seeking employment or retraining.
197. 100% tax write-off for businesses buying computer & internet equipment. Now in its third year.
198. New R&D tax credit underwriting 25% of new technology in small and medium-sized
business.
199. £1 billion investment for ICT in schools from 2001 to 2003/4.
200. £1.4 billion increase in the science budget over 3 years.

BUILDING SAFER COMMUNITIES
Crime continues to fall - by 30% since 1997. We’ve allocated an extra £1.3 billion for police services. Anti-social behaviour orders are in place to tackle racists and others.
201. Banned handguns - honouring our pledge after Dunblane.
202. More police than at any time in history - 12,500 more full-time police officers than in 1997.
203. 4,000 Community Police Officers appointed.
204. Made racially motivated attacks specific crimes.
205. Banned sales of spray paint to under-16s.
206. New Victims’ Advisory Panel and doubling Victim Support’s funding to £28 million.
207. 28% drop in overall recorded crime since April 1997 and 5,300,000 fewer victims of crime than in 1995.
208. 26% cut in violent crime.
209. 42% drop in burglaries - burglaries at lowest level for 20 years.
210. 34% cut in vehicles thefts.
211. £11 million budget to install security measures in the homes of 150,000 senior citizens.
212. 50,000 more convictions last year and re-offending is falling.
213. 30,000 prisoners achieving basic skills awards last year and 72,000 vocational
qualifications awarded to prisoners each year.
214. Abolished the hated Primary Purpose Rule.
215. New Anti-Social Behaviour Orders - over 700 already issued.
216. £153 million spent on CCTV security cameras.
Drugs Strategy
217. £1 billion to tackle drug misuse, rising to £1.5 billion in 2005/6.
218. £46.2 million to target worst-affected areas.
219. £107 million to steer youngsters away from drugs and crime.
220. 48,000 arrestees screened for drugs and offered referral.
221. 120,000 people getting drug treatment.
222. £1m crime profits seized every week.

HOUSING QUALITY and CHOICE
Proper housing is essential to our well-being. We have promoted investment in new
housing and in much-needed housing repairs. Our home insulation programme is
ensuring that people have affordable warmth. We’ve abolished fuel poverty for over 2.5 million families.
223. Tripled council funding for housing to £2.5 billion in 2003/4 from only £750 million in 1997.
224. 30% real increase in council spending - well above inflation for 7 years.
225. Slashed repossessions to one-tenth: down to 11,970 under Labour from 75,540 in 1991 and 15% Tory mortgage rates.
226. Funding the fight against homelessness - rough sleeping in England cut by two-thirds.
227. 2002 Homelessness Act - a better, more effective safety net.
228. Releasing £5 billion from sold council houses to improve 1,800,000 council houses.
229. Doubled funding for affordable housing to over £5 billion.
230. Doubled investment in affordable rural housing since 1997.
231. £460 million in new funds to other housing bodies over 2 years.
232. Tackled 500,000 of the poorest homes since 1997.
233. Lowest mortgage rates since the 1950s. The average mortgage now is £2,400-a-year
lower than the Tory average.
234. Homeowners with £50,000 mortgage now pay over £100 a month less than 1997.
235. Key Worker housing investment tripled to £1billion by 2006.
236. Starter Home Initiative helping 10,000 key workers by 2004.
237. Improved 143,000 private homes in poor condition.
238. Abandoned Homes Initiative in 9 hotspots in the North and Midlands to help stabilise the property market in communities.
239. £300 million for the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme - this has already improved
insulation and heating in 460,000 homes.
240. £4.3 billion generated for housing investment following 450,000 homes undergoing
stock transfer.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
We can no longer ignore the effects of human activity on the world we live in.
Sustainable development - balancing economic, social and environmental gains - is
our key goal.
241. Launched world’s first economy-wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme.
242. Cut VAT on home insulation & energy saving measures to 5% - the Tories increased
VAT from 8% to 17.5%.
243. Set statutory targets for local authorities to achieve recycling rates of 25% by 2005.
244. £140 million investment in kerbside recycling for 1.6 million households.
245. Water leakage cut by 30% since 1997.
246. Achieved highest-ever quality of drinking water, beaches, bathing and river water. 332 beaches won clean-up campaigners’ awards vs 92 a decade ago.
247. Doubled landfill tax to £14 per tonne.
248. Projected £50 million Carbon Trust developing low carbon technologies.
249. 20% target for reduction of greenhouse gases - up from the 12.5% target set at Kyoto.
250. Abolished Climate Change Levy for Combined Heat & Power.
251. More than £1 billion invested in renewable energy.
252. Target of 10% of UK electricity from renewables by 2010.
253. Insulation and fuel efficiency programmes helped 2.5 million fewer people suffer fuel poverty - target to eliminate fuel poverty by 2010.
254. Almost 25,000 hectares of Green Belt created since 1997, with 12,000 more hectares planned.
255. Creating new planning policy to use brownfield sites before green belt - target of 60% of all new housing on brownfield sites met 8 years early.
256. Labour’s Countryside and Rights of Way Act is opening up the countryside to all.
257. Historic ban on fur farming now in force.

TRANSPORT POLICIES FOR THE FUTURE
Good, safe transport is crucial to improving the quality of our lives. Labour’s £180
billion investment is expanding and improving public transport and taking action on
congestion and road freight.
258. 15% cut in deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads since 1997.
259. 29% cut in serious child injuries and deaths since 1997.
260. Over 2,000 miles of new cycle lanes funded since 1997.
261. Rural bus grants now support 1,900 rural bus services.
262. 21 million additional rural bus journeys now made every year.
263. Over 550 miles of new priority bus lanes created since 1997.
264. Rail freight increased by 24% since 1997.
265. More passengers journeys made than in any year since 1947.
266. £54 million grants, switching 4 million tonnes from road to rail.
267. 1,400 new railway vehicles on tracks in last two years.
268. Every weekday, 1,200 more scheduled services than in 1997.
269. 19 new stations built since 1997.
270. 9 stations re-opened since 1997.
271. £33 billion for railway improvements over the next 10 years.
272. £16bn additional private rail investment between 1997 and 2003.
273. £52 billion for local transport in the 10-year transport plan.
274. Network Rail replacing 740 miles of track this year.
275. 4 times the Tory annual track replacement achieved this year.
276. Half-price bus travel for everyone over 60. £10 million spent to help the over 60’s and disabled people.
277. New Train Protection & Warning Protection System installed to cover 99% of the
passenger fleet and 81.5% of the track.
278. Created Child Road Safety Plan to reduce child casualties by 50% by 2010.
279. London’s congestion charge introduced.
280. M6 Tolls introduced.

A FAIR DEAL FOR OUR OLDER CITIZENS
Labour is spending an extra £9.2 billion on senior citizens every year - £5.7 billion more than any rise linked to wages. Labour’s higher OAP, Winter Fuel Allowance and Pension Credit combined have raised the average pensioner’s income by £1,150 a year as against the 1997 Tory level.
281. 11,450,000 senior citizens get help with heating as of right.
8 million OAP households received Labour’s £200 Winter Fuel Allowance automatically.
And everyone over 60 now qualifies.
282. New £400 Winter Fuel Allowance now helps 2 million pensioners over 80 and new £300 payment to the over-70s.
283. Basic pension has risen to £77.45 a week - up £9.95 a week for single pensioners - 1.8m fewer OAPs living in poverty.
284 2.7 million pensioners are £700 [£14-a-week] better off: the new Pensioners’ Credit ensures £102.10 a week for single OAPs and £155.80 for couples - a 37% increase over 1997 incomes for the poorest senior citizens.
285. 500,000 senior citizens gain £5 a week from Labour doubling the savings cut-off for the M.I.G. to £12,000 of savings.
286. Over £5.7 billion more being spent on pensioners than uprating pensions with earnings - spending on every OAP is far higher than if the pension link to earnings was restored.
287. VAT on fuel cut to 5% and £11m for home security for OAPs.
288. Restored free eye tests for 6.6 million OAPs.
289. Free flu inoculation for everyone over 65.
290. Former Japanese prisoners paid £10,000.
291. Created free TV licences and free passports for 4.5 million senior citizens aged 75+.
292. Ensured 1.5 million senior citizens gain from 10p income tax.
293. Acted to take two thirds of OAPs out of income tax.
294. £10 million ‘Heroes’ Return Scheme’ enabling WW2 veterans to return to the areas
where they saw active service.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT - LEADING THE WORLD
Labour has given International Development and Third World Aid the biggest-ever
increase. We’ve boosted the budget by 93% in real terms since 1997. Overseas Aid is
£3.2 billion, rising from 0.26% of GDP to 0.40% in 2005/6 - £4.5bn. We lead the world in tackling the debts the poorest countries’ debts.
295. Labour is writing off the debts of the poorest countries - £1.15 billion debt cleared from 34 of the world’s poorest countries.
296. 8% annual increase in Government spending on overseas development - to £4.5 billion by 2006.
297. Working with developing countries to eliminate poverty and provide access to healthcare and education, in addition to an extra £22m funding for the Commonwealth Education
Fund.
298. Ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
299. Promoting the international abolition of nuclear weapons - 70% reduction in the UK’s stockpile.
300. An extra £1.6 billion to reverse the Tory decline in aid spending.
301. UK is the leader in meeting targets to help those living in extreme poverty.
302. Arms sales: stopped UK Government cash, grants or soft loans for arms sales to the world’s poorest countries.
303. Halted arms licences to regimes engaging in internal repression or international
aggression.
304. Secured an EU code of conduct on arms exports.
305. Led in establishing a strong International Criminal Court to try cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
306. Lockerbie: broke ten-year stalemate with Libya, securing the trial and conviction of the killer and compensation for victims.
307. Real leadership at Kyoto Conference on Climate Change - securing commitments from other countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
308. Destroyed the stockpile of 1 million anti-personnel landmines.
309. Banned the export and production of anti-personnel landmines.
310. British troops will never lay anti-personnel landmines again.
311. We’ve invested more than £800 million in education in the developing world since 1997.
312. In Kenya, 1,000,000 more children are going to school because of our Labour
Government’s funding and support.

A STRONG BRITAIN AT THE HEART OF EUROPE
As part of the EU, Britain attracts over 18% of all inward investment into the EU.
Labour signed the Social Chapter giving British employees the rights denied to them
by the Tories.
313. 12.6% funding increase for the BBC World Service - up from £174 million to £210 million in 2003.
314. World Service achieving 153 million listeners world-wide.
315. 100% Government funding of EU Objective 1, 2 & 3 funding - £4.2 billion invested
regionally over 3 years.
316. £2 billion EU refund secured for Britain.
317. The best-ever deal for the UK on EU regional funding for our poorest areas - worth £1 billion per year.
318. UK Presidency of the EU used to promote priority policies for people: jobs, training, economic reform, tackling crime and protecting the global environment.
319. Five clear terms set out for Britain’s participation in the Single Currency based on Britain’s economic interest - not dogma.
320. Strengthened EU common security and defence - our European Security Initiative
improves defence co-operation.

RURAL ACTION - SUSTAINABLE, SAFE FOOD PRODUCTION
Labour recognises agriculture suffered from the Tory-induced crisis of confidence in
food safety. We give food safety the highest priority, getting the beef ban lifted and providing support for the industry to restructure so that we can meet the challenges of farming in the 21st Century.
321. Food Standards Agency established to ensure food is safe.
322. New Common Agricultural Policy breaking link between subsidies and production and a new Single Farm Payment to replace the plethora of existing payment schemes.
323. Farm incomes last year rose by 15%, more than previously forecast. Estimated total farming income in the UK in 2002 was £2.36 billion, compared with £2.07 billion in 2001.
324. Secured a £60 million aid package to Scottish, English and NI fishermen and their communities in addition to the £85 million allocated for UK fisheries structural aid in the period 2001-4.
325. 112 towns to benefit from £37million Market Towns Initiative.
326. £450m to safeguard the future of the 8,500 rural post offices.
327. Increased support to voluntary bodies helping those suffering from rural stress. Almost £1 million funded since 2001.
328. England Rural Development Programme providing £1.6 billion over 7 years to 2006 for rural and farming programmes. Expenditure increased to £230 million last year.
329. Banned fox-hunting on 15 September. Promoting a ban on battery cages throughout the European Union.
330. New Pet Travel Scheme with strong support of the RSPCA.
331. Abolished Vehicle Excise Duty for tractors.
332. Ensured farmers pay only 3.13p per litre duty for red diesel for their tractors and harvesters against 48p per litre for standard diesel - a subsidy worth £250 million to the farming industry.

ARTS & CULTURE
Our Labour Government is spending £337 million on the arts - the highest level ever in real terms - and an increase of 73% in real terms for the arts since 1997.
333. £137 million increase - the highest ever real funding. Up 73%.
334. Restored free museum entrance - ensuring 5.3 million more visitors each year, and 1.8 million more children - to over 30 million visitors.
335. £70 million investment in regional museums.
336. 19% rise in Government funding of museums and galleries.
337. £28 million for England’s 8 regional orchestras via the lottery.
338. Creative Partnerships Scheme helping young people to develop their artistic and creative skills.
339. 190 theatres getting increased government grants - up to 30% more.
340. Created the New Opportunities Fund - the people’s money for the people’s projects - expanding the use of public libraries, after-school clubs and new school playing fields.
341. £22 million extra to improve buildings, infrastructure and access for museum and
galleries.
342. Protecting our heritage - VAT cut to 5% for repairs to churches.
343. £10 million extra each year to regional museums, galleries, libraries and archives.
344. Targeting lottery funds to areas of greatest need, like coalfield communities which were neglected in the past.
345. £141 million business investment in the arts - a new record.
346. The first major national gallery for 100 years - the Tate Modern opened in May 2000, attracting 3 million visitors in the first 6 months.
347. Digital Viewing – access for all. Britain leads the world in digital TV with more subscribers, more programmes and more jobs. A Viewer’s Panel is advising the
Government on digital viewing.
349. Established the new Film Council to provide strategic leadership for the film industry.
350. UK talent contributes an estimated 20% of global record sales and the UK industry has a world market share of 10-15%.
351. Under Labour the value of UK music exports has risen to an estimated £1.3 billion - twice the value of imports.
352. The British Library is creating its own free dial-up Internet service - the first provided by a public sector body in the UK.
353. Government money backing successful UK films like Billy Elliot, through the Arts Council.
354. Launch of the world’s first national cultural resources network www.scran.ac.uk - wide
access to history and culture in Scotland.
355. The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden reopened after 21st century extensive
redevelopment.

SPORT FOR ALL
Labour believes in sport for all and enabling participants to reach their full potential.
Sport plays a leading role in personal fulfilment and is one of the keys to healthy living.
Everyone in every part of the country should benefit.
356. £1 billion investment programme in schools sport - the biggest-ever single investment in grassroots sports.
357. £459 million Government investment in PE, school sport and club links over three years to build sustainable school sports.
358. 400 specialist sports colleges, 3,200 School Sports Co-ordinators, 18,000 Primary and Special Link teachers by 2006.
359. £750 million UK funding in first-rate school sports facilities targeted at areas of greatest need.
360. Backed Manchester’s Commonwealth Games success and World Indoor Athletics
Championships in Birmingham, where UK athletes achieved their best-ever indoor
results.
361. £100 million funding to coach UK athletes for the 2004 Olympics.
362. Changed Lottery funding to allow creation of 30 Sport Action Zones - priority areas of high economic and social deprivation.
363. Increased funding for UK athletes prior to the Sydney Olympics to help them achieve the
best medals tally since the 1920s.
364. Best Paralympics tally ever achieved at the Sydney Olympics.
365. Tough new restrictions on the sale of school playing fields - the Tories axed 5,000 playfields - 40 lost every month!
366. £31 million from the New Opportunities Fund for new playing fields.
367. Established Supporters Direct helping football supporters take a stake in clubs. 100 trusts already formed involving 40,000 supporters.
368. £60 million invested in Football Foundation between 2000 and 2004, creating 600 high quality community football facilities.

TOURISM - JOBS AND INCOMES
Tourism contributes an estimated £74 billion a year to our economy and generates
over 2 million jobs. 22.8 million overseas visitors come to Britain - we are the world’s 6th most popular tourist destination.
369. £74 billion contribution to the UK economy.
370. The UK has 2.1 million tourism-related jobs.
371. Created VisitBritain website with better tourism information and now recording 66 million requests every year.
372. Sponsored the Million Visitor Campaign, generating 1,640,000 more visits to the UK.
373. Created Skills Sector Council to boost training, skills, quality and productivity in tourism.
374. New powers for Regional Development Agencies for developing tourism.
375. Extended the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme in April 2003 to tourism-related
businesses such as catering, hotels and retail.
376. Licensing laws modernised: a £2 bn, 10-yr saving in red tape.
377. Many seaside resorts now included in new EU Objective 2 and Assisted Areas maps,
recognising their needs and contribution.
378. Labour’s tourism strategy endorsed by the United Nations as the example of ‘best
practice’ for promoting sustainable tourism.
379. Air Passenger Duty tax abolished for the Scottish Isles.

New Rights for Women
The Top 15 policies to benefit women
1. Up to £105 a week help with childcare costs from WTC.
2. 8 million women now pay less National Insurance and over half a million now pay nothing at all - without any loss of rights.
3. One million children given childcare places - supporting mothers wanting to work.
4. Guaranteeing a nursery place for every 3 and 4-year-old who needs it and extending it for every 3-year-old in 2004.
5. Improved maternity measures and proper rights at work by:
- increasing leave to 26 weeks for all women and to 29 weeks for women with the same
employer for more than a year
- giving low paid women access to maternity pay
- new mothers who have been working 16 hours a week meet the criteria for WTC during
their maternity leave.
6. The right to take time off for family emergencies such as children’s illness.
7. Biggest ever increase in child benefit benefiting over 7 million mothers and over 12 million children.
8. 200,000 low-income mothers eligible for new Sure-Start Maternity Grant which we
increased 5-fold to £500.
9. £6 million to front-line domestic violence agencies and giving witnesses in rape and other cases greater protection.
10. Every woman with suspected breast cancer will see a specialist within 2 weeks.
11. £140 million fund for respite care giving the thousands of women as carers a break and improving pension arrangements for carers.
12. Boosting the salaries of low paid women through the introduction and up-rating of the National Minimum Wage.
13. New Deal for Lone Parents and New Deal for Partners helping women who want to get
back into work.
14. Part-time workers - mostly women - get full-time rights.
15. 700 ICT training centres giving women the skills to return to work through the £44 million invested in life-long learning.

Compiled by Nigel Griffiths MP.

5 comments:

  1. Many thanks for posting this. I keep saying something like this should be on the LP website.
    I can't understand why the Labour PR machine doesn't just keep rejoicing in all the great things they've done over the past 10 years and the fact that these would not have happened under the Tories (whoever their leader).

    Would the tories have introduced a minimum wage? of course not, they said it would cause mass unemployment.
    They were against banning all handguns, banning smoking, banning hunting with hounds and dropping admission charges to museums etc. etc.
    Would the Tories have gone into Iraq, of course they bloody would (even the Lib Dems would if they were ever actually in a position to make the decision)

    Listing these things is the perfect answer to those who say Blair is no different from the Tories.
    I'm not happy with everything of course but its 1,000s of times better than before
    How soon people forget.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 379 positives (many of which are not, of course) plus a short list of the things for women, who we must assume you think can't count past 380, as you rebase.

    And only 3,000 tax rises to pay for them.

    A sterling contribution to a better country.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't think anything that benefits women has ever come from right-wingers like you Tim.

    Rightwing reactionaries like yourself have opposed everything from votes for women to the right for women to have a bank account. You call it insulting to list what the Labour party have done for women, what is insulting is to pretend that your lot have done anything for women at all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Us right wingers" were responsible for the first woman Prime Minister were we not?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes and the first black PM will probably be a Tory who makes life harder for black people just as Thatcher made life harder for women. I don't think that is anything for the right-wing to be proud of.

    ReplyDelete

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