Bradford MP David Ward has welcomed the Coalition Government's announcement that Bradford will get an additional £8 million this year to relieve the pressure on school places.

This is part of an additional £600m of capital spending in England this year.

Commenting, David Ward MP said:

"Bradford's school system is bursting at the seams leaving far too many families unable to find a place at their local school.

New figures released today show that in Bradford show 2500 people have taken up apprenticeships since August last year.

This comes on top of record numbers of apprentices in our area last year: 4620 were on an apprenticeship in 2010/2011, which is an increase of 70% on the previous year.

Commenting, David Ward MP said:

Figures released today show that the number of unemployed in Bradford fell in the first quarter of 2012

Across the UK unemployment figures also fell by 35,000, bringing the total number of those unemploymed to 2.65 million. Despite the good news, Bradford East is still the 31st highest of the 650 UK constituencies for unemployment claimaints.

Bradford MP, David Ward, today pledged to take part in peaceful protests at the London Olympics to raise awareness of the plight of the Palestinian people.

Speaking in the House of Commons today, David condemned the situation in the West Bank as "apartheid". He called on the Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt to support the protests following a 40% increase in the demolition of Palestinian settlements last year.

Bradford MP David Ward has won a major concession from the Government on funding for Bradford's hard working advice centres.

David Ward tabled amendments in the Commons which would ensure that vulnerable people including the disabled and those out of work could continue to access legal aid funded support for complex cases. This amendment won a majority in the House of Lords forcing the Justice Minister to drop plans to restrict access to legal aid for those facing welfare tribunals.

Bradford MP David Ward is to challenge Home Office Ministers over proposals to raise the income threshold to bring in a family member from outside to the UK, claiming that the plans were "totally out of step with reality" in Bradford.

Under the plans the minimum income required to sponsor a dependant seeking entry to the UK would increase from £13,700 to between £18,600 and £25,700. The proposals were revealed in a leaked letter from Theresa May to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg.

Bradford MP David Ward has written to local head teachers urging them to take advantage of a new summer schools programme this year, which aims to make sure disadvantaged children aren't left behind in the to secondary school.

Ofsted data shows that performance can take a significant dip when children make the transition from primary to secondary school. The Summer Schools programme aims to bridge the gap and help Year 7 pupils get off to a flying start in their new school.

David Ward MP has criticised the International Criminal Court for abandoning its investigation in the 2008-9 Gaza war on the grounds that Palestine is not a state.

David is backing calls by the pressure group Amnesty International for the ICC to reconsider is position, and has written to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, urging him to intervene