2005 has been a monumental year for us all. For me and my family, life has changed dramatically for at least the next four years and perhaps longer than that; but more importantly the arrival of a new addition to the family doubled my happiness as a father, and also doubled my resolve to make Copeland, Britain and the world a better place.
I have written before about the privilege of serving this community as its Member of Parliament and after six months I know that I am making a positive, beneficial difference to the lives of the people in our community. Firstly, as Parliament's most vocal enthusiast for the renewal of the nuclear industry, I was delighted by the Prime Minister's recent announcement undertaking to review the nation's energy policy and as part of this, a reassessment of the benefits of nuclear power. Now, nuclear is back on the agenda and the benefits for West Cumbria that any new nuclear developments would bring are obvious.
Secondly, I managed to secure an adjournment debate in the House of Commons devoted to the Future of Health Services in West Cumbria. I was successful in forcing the Primary Care Trust to remove its proposals for closing hospital beds in all of West Cumbria's community hospitals and highlight the record investment going into our local health services - investment has doubled since Labour was elected in 1997. Over the next two years West Cumbria alone is set to receive a further, additional £43 million. Further to this the University of Central Lancashire, based at Westlakes has applied to the Department of Health to build and run a dental training school in West Cumbria and I have urged Ministers to back the bid.
Thirdly my Chairmanship of the West Cumbria Strategic Forum has yielded some truly outstanding results with the recent announcement from the NDA that it is to invest £20million over three years in establishing in West Cumbria a Chair of Epidemiology, a Nuclear Skills Academy and a Nuclear Institute.
This £20 million underpins much of the work coming from the West Cumbria Strategic Forum and the discussions I have been having with the NDA, NWDA and others. The Chair of Epidemiology will help to create a critical mass around a potential teaching hospital and the nuclear skills academy and nuclear institute will be of both significant national value and international importance. I promised during the election to bring significant higher education facilities to Westlakes. We now have UCLan and the University of Manchester in addition to the proposals for the University of Cumbria.
This is only the start of investment in West Cumbria and the potential of these developments is extremely exciting. This investment doesn't simply bring benefits to the nuclear industry but to the whole of our community and economy.
On a separate note, 2005 was the year in which the world lost some of its brightest souls and most brilliant talents.
American men of letters Arthur Miller and Hunter S Thompson both died. Legendary Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal died after a lifetime of struggle, pain, victory and hope and Rosa Parkes, the extraordinary woman whose bravery and self sacrifice led to the American Civil Rights Movement left us in 2005. Inspirational Labour figures, Robin Cook and Mo Mowlam, also passed away. The world in which we all live has been changed for the better by the life and work of these people; the world is a poorer place for their passing.
Who can and who will replace people such as this?
Let this be the challenge to us all in 2006. Let us ensure that our lives make a difference, not only for ourselves and our families but for all of those around us. So in 2006, let us follow our better instincts; let us double our efforts in making poverty history, let us work even harder for peace in the Middle East and let us never turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to pain, suffering and injustice - whether this be on our own streets or in some remote corner of the world.
For my part, I hope to be true to these values in the work I undertake on your behalf as your Member of Parliament.
May the coming year be happy, peaceful and prosperous for your families!

To read the full text of Jamie's speech to the House of Commons, click here

To read his press release on West Cumberland Hospital click here.