Mark Reveals 2009 Card

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami has revealed his 2009 Christmas card.
Mr Tami unveiled the design at a prize winning ceremony at Toyota Manufacturing UK.
Chelsea Miniski, from Buckley Southdown School, won the competition and will join Mark for a tour of Parliament in 2010.
He said: “This was an incredibly difficult competition to judge and with more than 3,000 entries it was the biggest to date.
“Chelsea’s design was beautiful and warm. It will be featured on 1,000 cards, which will go to a variety of groups and people, including the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
“I was hugesly impressed by the creativity of the schoolchildren and would like to thank everyone for taking part in the competition.
“I would also like to thank UPM Shotton Paper and Toyota Manufacturing UK for sponsoring the event. Without their support it would simply not be possible.”

Mark Backs Bond on Fois Gras

Mark has welcomed news that former 007 star Sir Roger Moore has succeeded in his latest animal cruelty campaign.
Mr Tami said the news that Selfridges has stopped selling foie gras is a major step forward in ending the sale of the notoriously cruel delicacy in Britain.
He added: “The campaign group People’s Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been successful in pressing Selfridges to stop selling fois gras.
“Their chief campaigner Sir Roger Moore has been personally assured that fois gras will no longer be sold in their stores and this will certainly help in ending the supply of this delicacy of despair to the UK.
“The former Bond star has once again proven to be an outstanding advocate for animal rights and I am delighted that the supply of fois gras to the UK is being tightened.”
Fois gras is produced by force feeding geese with corn to produce a unique liver pate. In total, 5,000 PETA supporters pressed Selfridges to end the sale of the product.

Time Called on Credit Card Rip Offs

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami has welcomed plans from the government to end unfair lending terms by credit card companies.
Plans set out by the government will see restrictions set on increasing the interest rate on existing debt. In addition, the most expensive debt will be paid off first, reducing the overall cost of lending.
"During this difficult economic time I want to do what I can to help local people manage their finances and cope with repaying their debts.
"Whether its over the top charges in credit card bills, credit repayments or the high cost of credit on things like store cards, it's clear that something needs to be done to help consumers.
"What concerns me most is interest rates being increased without proper explanation. Consumers using their cards responsibly and making payments on time should not pay the price for excessive risk-taking by financial institutions. So I will push for the Government to ban or at least restrict the re-pricing of existing debt."

Mark Backs Campaign on Climate Change

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami has helped collect signatures for a petition calling on governments to dramatically cut carbon emissions.
Mr Tami joined with churchgoers at the Rivertown Church in Shotton to collect signatures ahead of crucial talks in Copenhagen later this year.
The Copenhagen summit will see world leaders discuss a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol, which will commit countries to cutting damaged emissions.
Mr Tami said: “We stand at a critical moment in time and the world cannot wait. We need urgent action to cut carbon emissions.
“Thousands of people in Flintshire have signed the petition calling on governments to reach a robust deal in Copenhagen.
“We need to commit the world’s biggest polluters to binding targets so that rises in global temperatures are minimized and the impact of climate change is reduced.”

Mark Welcomes Vauxhall Deal

Mark Tami has welcomed a deal to avoid compulsory redundancies at the Ellesmere Port Vauxhall plant and to increase production.
The agreement was reached between Unite, the biggest UK union in car and components manufacturing, and Magna, the Canadian auto parts company and preferred bidder for General Motors' European operations.
Mr Tami said the arrangement would improve future prospects for the Ellesmere Port plant.
He added: “This is a massive relief for the workers and production at Ellesmere Port will grow to nearly 148,000 units.
“Subject to maintaining its competitive position, Ellesmere Port will also produce the next generation Astra, set for launch in 2016.
“This is a testament to the determined approach taken by the government and Unite in fighting for jobs during the global economic downturn.”
Unite joint General Secretary, Derek Simpson, said the deal could not have been reached without the support of the Labour Government.
He said: "The UK government, chiefly the Prime Minister and Lord Mandelson, has been pivotal to reaching agreement today. Their support has ensured we can preserve and maintain the 25,000 jobs in manufacturing and services and the 403 components companies which depend on Vauxhall, and would have been at serious risk had agreement not been reached.”

Free Maps for 11-year Olds

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami is urging Flintshire schools to take advantage of a free map scheme by the Ordnance Survey.
The Free maps for 11-year-olds scheme offers an OS Explorer map to every pupil in year 7 of primary or junior school.
Mr Tami said: “All the school needs to do is order the free maps for their pupils online.
“The school also receives copies of the maps, which raise awareness of local geography and aspects of citizenship.
“This is an excellent scheme, which has seen almost 7,000 schools participate in.
“Any schools interested in participating can visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/freemapsfor11yearolds for more information.”

Mark Launches Search for Christmas Card Design

MP Mark Tami and AM Carl Sargeant have launched their search for a Christmas card design.
Mr Tami and Mr Sargeant are inviting all primary, junior, infant and special school children in Alyn and Deeside to enter the competition.
The best design will be used as their official 2009 card, which will be sent to hundreds of people, including the Prime Minister.
Mr Tami said: “This is the eight year that the competition has been held and in that time more than 7,000 youngsters have participated.
“the standard of entries is always sky-high and I am confident this year will see some outstanding designs.”
Mr Sargeant added: “I am hoping we will have more pupils than ever take part in the competition.
“In the past we have had the support of excellent local companies, including UPM Shotton Paper and Toyota. They have helped to make the competition a major success.”