By Andy Burnham MP for Leigh

THE HOUSE of Commons has now risen for the summer. I have enjoyed my first six weeks in Parliament, but it's good to be back as there's plenty to do.

Next week will see the official opening of my new office and advice centre at 10 Market Street. It will be open daily and the idea is that people can call in at any time to raise issues of concern or ask for help with a particular problem. If you would prefer to contact us by phone, you can call us at any time during office hours on 682353.

Foot and mouth

Just when we were least expecting it, foot and mouth has reached us. Our top priority has to be to contain the disease and ensure it does not spread to other farms in the area. The council has acted quickly to close footpaths and we all have a responsibility not to use them until we have the all clear. And, over the coming days, I will be working to see we get the support we need to clean and disinfect the affected areas.

Ingersoll-Rand

There has been some good news on the campaign to save the jobs at Ingersoll-Rand in Hindley Green. Following our meeting with the Trade and Industry Minister Alan, Johnson, I wrote to the company's president in the USA to ask if they would open talks with the UK government.

I am pleased to say the company has responded positively and agreed to meet UK Government officials at their New Jersey HQ to see if a solution can be found that would enable them to stay. Of course, this does not mean we will get the result we all want. But at least we can now be sure that everything that can be done is being done in the quest to save these jobs.

Centurions

I'm sure I am not alone in not yet having got over the result of the play-off. My commiserations to Leigh Centurions but, instead of dwelling on what might have been, we should really be congratulating all at Hilton Park on a season of great progress on and off the field.

As runaway winners of the Northern Ford Premiership, the club has done enough to earn a place in the Super League. But it's still not clear even if the winners of the play-offs will be promoted.

In future, I believe the NFP champions should be guaranteed promotion. A second promotion place should then be decided by a play-off between the clubs below and, possibly, the second bottom in the Super League. Such a strong system of promotion and relegation is vital if rugby league is to maintain public interest. It's high time that some of the game's elite put aside narrow self-interest and started looking to the long-term interests of the whole sport.