HearFromYourMP

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It’s been a very busy week for the Shadow Work and Pensions team

Posted by Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, at 11:22, Fri 28 February 2014:

I'm on the train to London on Monday morning when I receive a message that the High Court has ruled that the proposed biomass incinerator at Davyhulme can go ahead. It's a bad start to the week, and I know local people will be disappointed and angry. I talk to Catrin in my office about sending out a comment to the press.

I arrive in London in time for our regular DWP questions slot, when we quiz Iain Duncan Smith and his team on work and pensions issues. In my capacity as shadow minister, I’m automatically able to come in on a question relevant to disabled people, and this time there's a wide selection on the order paper to choose from. In the end, I decide to ask about delays to DWP's latest project, the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We've heard there are capacity problems at ATOS, the company that assesses people for the benefit, but of course I don't get much of an answer from the minister.

My new parliamentary next door neighbour, Mike Kane MP, makes his debut in parliament - I'm very pleased to be in the chamber to welcome him. Then a debate starts on the Crime and Courts bill, and I stay in the chamber to participate, and to ask questions about the government's plan to build a massive secure youth detention facility, something I'm really worried about.

I duck out of the debate for an hour to go along to a fabulous reception organised by Stonewall and hosted by the Speaker to celebrate the introduction of equal marriage. Then back to the chamber for the end of the debate which finishes around 10pm.

Late Monday, my colleague Sheila Gilmore tells me of more rumours of chaos at ATOS, and that the government has suspended reassessments of those on Employment and Support Allowance, because the company can't cope with the volumes.

This is pretty significant, so first thing on Tuesday I talk to colleagues about applying to ask an urgent question on the matter. We agree to do so, and I draft an application to put in to the Speaker. Sadly, our application is refused, but my colleague Stephen Timms is able to raise the issue when we debate benefits rates in the chamber later that day.

In the meantime, during Health Questions, I ask Ministers about testing for a condition called Group B streptococcus, which can have devastating effects on women in labour, putting unborn children at great risk. The government had promised to introduce the test, but now it seems to have changed its mind. I'm surprised and worried about this development, and return to my office to report back to the campaigners who raised the issue with me.

We're trying again for our urgent question on Wednesday, as the situation is going from bad to worse. But it is a very busy day in parliament, so again we're unsuccessful. Instead, I go off to meet the chair of Motability, the charity that supplies specially adapted cars, scooters and wheelchairs to disabled people. The government's cuts to mobility benefits mean many people are at risk of losing these vehicles, essential to enabling them to get around and about. I'm very impressed at the work Motability are doing to try to offer affordable deals to enable people to keep their cars wherever possible.

I'm in the chamber in the afternoon for yet another debate on the Bedroom Tax. The government left open a loophole that means thousands of people have been charged the tax illegally, and now it wants to amend the legislation. Ministers say only around 5,000 people are affected, but our team has been asking local authorities for numbers, using the Freedom of Information Act to get the information, and we think there are thousands more. So it's a lively exchange in the chamber, with Iain Duncan Smith on the back foot.

Thursday sees the long awaited debate in parliament on the War on Welfare petition, calling for a cumulative impact assessment of the effect of the government's policies on disabled people. This online petition gathered over 100,000 signatures, testament to the depth of public concern about the effect of the cuts. I start the day by meeting some of the campaigners, then go into the chamber for the debate. As shadow minster, I respond for Labour, and I'm pleased the Commons agrees that there should be a cumulative assessment - though sadly, we know ministers will take no notice.

That debate is followed by a second debate, on trying to increase the diversity of backgrounds of MPs. We are slowly doing better at getting more women, BAME, LGBT and disabled MPs (and Labour are doing better than the other parties) but there is still a long way to go. It really matters to have a diverse parliament that properly reflects the society we represent. Everyone agrees on the need for more action, and it's a thoughtful, friendly debate.

After the debate, I nip across to the BBC studios opposite Parliament to record an interview about the biomass decision for the Sunday Politics programme. Then I head to Euston, but when I get there, all trains have been cancelled, so I decide to stay in London for the night.

I'm writing this on Friday morning on the train back to Manchester for what will be a busy day. I'm really looking forward to my Fairtrade coffee morning, then it will be off to Manor High School to see the work the students have been doing to improve their money management skills. After that, I'm joining Andy Burnham at the fantastic Macmillan centre on Moorside Road.

But it's been a very early start....!