A short but very varied week in Westminster
Posted by Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, at 08:37, Fri 9 May 2014:
Tom, who manages my Urmston office, has been visiting us in Westminster today. We've just got on the train back to Manchester, and I pointed out the wheels of the train to him. Last week, I visited the company on Trafford Park that manufactures them. It was really exciting to see the production line.
It's been a short week in parliament. Because of the bank holiday, and then a visit I made to meet disabled members of Unison on Tuesday morning, I feel I've scarcely been there at all. But there's still been time to attend some really interesting and fun events.
On Tuesday afternoon, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty, which I chair, launched a new report into the role of non-governmental and civil society organisations in tackling poverty in the UK. We were very pleased the government minister came to the launch, and also - if this doesn't sound too perverse - pleased he said he didn't agree with the report. One, it shows he read it, and two, we wanted it to spark debate - so we're pleased to have achieved that. The report is available on the APPG website here: http://www.appgpoverty.org.uk/society/new-report-into-civil-society-and-poverty-to-be-launched-today/ if you want to read it.
I was also incredibly honoured and pleased to announce that the APPG in conjunction with the Webb Memorial Trust will award a prize to a local voluntary or community group that's working to reduce poverty in memory of the late Paul Goggins MP. Paul served as secretary of the Group, and we miss him very much in parliament. Details of the prize (worth £3,000) and how to enter are also on the APPG website.
Wednesday began with a couple of meetings. The first was with my colleague Debbie Abrahams MP, who's a member of our Shadow Health team. Then I met a lady who is campaigning for fair access to IVF treatment. This has been an issue I campaigned on in Trafford, and I'm very pleased that some treatment is now available. But Trafford still doesn't comply with NICE guidelines on the number of cycles of treatment it offers. I was interested to hear about the campaigning that's going on nationally and how I can keep up the pressure locally.
Wednesday was also my fabulous researcher Liz's last day working for me (she's moving to work in our International Development team). So Rebecca, who also works in my Westminster office, and I took her off for a farewell lunch. There was another celebration later in the day when I attended a reception to mark my colleague Margaret Hodge MP's twentieth anniversary in parliament.
Then it was off to another meeting. Westminster life is very varied!
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