Welcome to my Strasbourg Roundup. This is a very brief update to let you know what happens at the plenary meetings of the European Parliament.

• Hedge Funds and Private Equity- Tuesday saw MEPs vote on a report calling for improved regulation of hedge funds and private equity schemes.  It is my belief that the report will contribute to resolving the current economic turmoil, symbolised in Scotland by Lloyds TSB's move to take over HBOS.  I and my Labour colleagues supported measures to improve employee involvement in the takeover process and avoid any unreasonable asset striping when takeovers are carried through.
• Better deal for phone and internet users- I, along with Labour colleagues voted to boost consumer rights across the telecoms sector.  The proposals in Malcolm Harbour's report call on service providers to better inform their customers on what they will be paying for in their contract as well as introducing a one day limit for a company to switch your mobile number to a new network.  In supporting the report, Labour MEPs also put their weight behind moves to reinforce data protection and proposals to ensure disabled users have equivalent access to telecoms services.
• EU-wide Missing Child Hotline-  Another key component of the Harbour report was an amendment put forward by Labour MEP Arlene Mc Carthy, forcing each Member State to provide the 116000 Missing Child Hotline.  Previously, Member States had the choice to offer the number, though in 18months, only 7 member states did so.  With 7,500 children going missing in the UK and Belgium alone last year the 116000 number is key to identifying and finding missing children.  This is therefore a crucial development in helping avoid the suffering experienced by thousands of families whose loved ones go missing across the EU.  

Other matters that came up in Parliamentary and other Institutional business this week included:

·         Meeting with Imran Khan- I and other Parliamentarians met with the chairman of the Pakistan Movement for Justice and former international cricketer to discuss developments in the country.  Issues discussed included the recent election of new Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari and the country's role in the war on terror.  I feel that most were in agreement that Pakistan is a key partner for the EU in the world and efforts should therefore continue to demonstrate Europe's commitment to a prosperous and democratic Pakistan.