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My week in and out of Westminster

Posted by Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, at 15:21, Fri 29 November 2013:

Thanks for the feedback on last week’s blog. It seems people liked to hear a description of how I spent my week. So in future I’ll aim to give you a flavour of what I’ve been doing on a regular basis.

So I started this week in my constituency office in Urmston, to discuss the applications we’ve received for a new caseworker post for which I’m recruiting, and to agree a shortlist with Tom, my office manager.

Then it was down to London on the train, for a meeting with a researcher who is looking at what works to help more disabled people to take up employment.

I attended a pre-briefing session by Yvette Cooper on Monday evening on the report of the independent commission into the future of policing, led by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens, ahead of its publication on Tuesday. This review makes several recommendations on the future of policing in England and Wales, including a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing which I particularly welcome.

Tuesday morning I was in Birmingham, addressing a conference of occupational therapists on disabled people and employment. Then the train back to London to catch up with my London staff, before meeting the Financial Ombudsman Service, which handles consumer complaints about banking and other financial services.

They told me that PPI, mortgages, credit cards and bank accounts are the issues most complained about by my constituents. It was helpful to me to hear about their work, and how they can help, as I often hear about such problems in my surgeries.

I then attended a presentation by a group of disabled people about the Independent Living Fund, which helps some of the most severely disabled people to live independently. Its future is uncertain as the government want to close it, but have just lost a court case which means they can't do so as planned. The group put on a very powerful and moving drama and showed us a film about the difference it made in enabling to live their lives as they chose.

On Wednesday morning, my researcher Liz and I went to meet the public bill clerks who will be handling the Mesothelioma Bill, which we will be debating in parliament next week. The clerks are able to advise us on how we can propose amendments to the bill, and were full of helpful suggestions. That was followed by Prime Minister’s questions. Then I met Labour MPs to brief them on the provisions of the Mesothelioma Bill, as I’ll be opening next week’s debate for Labour, and I wanted to explain our position and priorities. This is such an important piece of legislation for sufferers of this terrible disease and their families, since it will at last allow those who became ill as a result of exposure to asbestos at work to receive payment, even though an employer’s insurer can’t be traced. I welcome the Bill, but want to see it improved, and my colleagues and I discussed some of the changes we will try to make.

I then went to a reception organised by Parkinson’s UK, who were launching a new report on the care needed by Parkinson’s sufferers, and the challenges they can experience in having their needs properly assessed and met. Staff from the charity asked if I would inform the local media about their report, so I sent information to Catrin, who’s based in my constituency office and looks after communications and press work for me.

After that, I went to a briefing arranged by the teaching unions NUT and NASUWT about their dispute with the government over pay, pensions and conditions of service. And at 7 pm, I went into the chamber to vote for Labour’s motion for the government to take action to address the crisis in living costs faced by families. Then back to the office to finish my emails.

On Thursday, the shadow work and pensions team, of which I’m a member, held an awayday to discuss our priorities and strategy. Not that we went very far away – we met in the former Shadow Cabinet room in parliament. The meeting lasted until early afternoon, as there were so many ideas people wanted to discuss.

Then I met a representative of TransMedia Watch, who wanted to update me on the campaign for rights for transgender people. I had done a lot of work on this subject when I was shadow Equalities Minister, and I wanted to hear what progress was being made. It seems press attitudes to transgender people have improved a bit – there were some scandalous and cruel reports in the press earlier this year, and in at least one case, it’s believed this led to a suicide. But transgender people are concerned about securing a number of other rights, and the government seems to have lost interest. I promised to raise the issue with my colleagues in the shadow equalities team.

Then I met representatives of the charity Mencap to talk about the work capability assessment, which determines eligibility for the employment and support allowance, which is paid to disabled people who aren’t in work, before returning to my computer.

Unusually, I'm spending Friday in London, as parliament will be sitting, and I’m on the rota in case a frontbench spokesperson is needed. Generally I get home to the constituency on Thursday nights, but this week, I’m making the best of having to stay in London by attending the Labour Disabled members’ conference on Saturday. I’m looking forward to hearing about their campaigning activity and sharing ideas about how we can work together.

And over the weekend I also need to write my speech for the mesothelioma debate on Monday. Thankfully, Liz has produced brilliant and comprehensive notes for me – I would be struggling without her research.

Kate Green Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston Shadow Spokesperson for Disabled People