Update from Linda Gilroy Week ending Friday 19 June 2009
Posted by Linda Gilroy, MP for Plymouth, Sutton, at 08:11, Fri 19 June 2009:
My week at a glance
Cracking Down on Teenage Binge Drinking
This week £1.4 million was pledged by the Government to help crackdown on anti-social behaviour in 69 youth crime priority areas, including Plymouth. Children’s services and police are being asked to work together to stop and prevent alcohol influenced anti-social behaviour, through tough enforcement (confiscating alcohol, using dispersal powers), early intervention and communication with local communities. I hope the City Council will consult residents and young people as part of this process to ensure that the money is targeted in a way which can achieve positive outcomes.
Iraq Inquiry
I welcome this week's announcement of an inquiry into the Iraq War. It is right that lessons should be learned from this conflict so that we can apply them in future – and hopefully save lives. I am sure that there will be many people living in Plymouth who would like to contribute evidence and I too will be looking for opportunities to engage with the inquiry. I am particularly pleased that the remit of the investigation extends prior to 2003, as the persecution by Saddam Hussein of the Kurds and the Marsh Arabs in the years following the 1991 Gulf War cannot be overlooked in any assessment of why we went to war. The Defence Select Committee is currently undertaking an investigation into the Comprehensive Approach, in which we are looking at how effectively different organisations and Government Departments work together to prepare for and implement post conflict reconstruction. In doing so we are seeking to draw lessons from the British experience in Iraq during Operation Telic and our continuing involvement in Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick.
The day I met 14 Chinese Major Generals………….
On Monday the Defence Select Committee met with a group of generals from China who were in the UK as part of their advanced command course. They were interested in how we do our work of scrutinising the government on Defence and we talked about everything from how we monitor expenditure and equipment and keep an eye on current deployments. They were, I think, interested to here that we talk to everyone from the Secretary of State down to the newest recruit – and people cannot refuse a call to give evidence!
Dementia Care
From time to time I am contacted by people in Plymouth who know someone affected by dementia. These cases are inevitably very sad, so I was pleased to be able to take part recently in an inquiry to look at how we can improve help to dementia suffers, whether they be living at home or in care. The particular theme of this report was the training and development of care staff. Our report was published this week and you can read it here: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=488
Protecting Children & Young People
On Wednesday I served on the standing committee for Private Members Bill that seeks to prevent sex offenders and those who commit other serious offences from continuing to work as driving instructors. The Bill is being introduced from the backbenches by Willie Rennie MP and follows the sexual assault of one of his constituents by her driving instructor. Even after conviction the instructor was allowed to continue teaching for six weeks before he was finally barred. It will enable the suspension of driving instructors convicted of serious offences whilst their removal from the register is considered. Young people should be safe whenever they fall under the care or responsibility of others, especially in educational situations. This Bill seems to be a practical and fair way of closing a loophole.
Looking ahead
On Monday we have the task of choosing our new Speaker. I will be supporting Margaret Beckett – and have agreed to be one of the signatories on her nomination form. We are in the middle of, or rather at the beginning of, one of the most challenging periods in the history of Parliament. Margaret has a comprehensive experience of how our Parliament works. She has been involved in its modernisation when, as Leader of the House, she was involved with the Select Committee tasked with this agenda. She has an eye for detail and a track record of effective consensus building to achieve difficult change. The next Parliament may have a completely different type of membership from any we have ever seen before – with many new faces simply because of the numbers standing down. Some commentators say there could be a hung parliament and I know Margaret is very seized of how important it will be to ensure that backbenchers of independent and minority parties who may well be present in greater numbers would need to be supported in playing their part.
The Marine & Coastal Access Bill finally reaches the House of Commons next week, having been introduced in the House of Lords. Last year I sat on the committee that scrutinised the draft text line-by-line. A large number of constituents have written to me about this legislation and I'm looking forward to getting engaged in the debate once again. Marine industries not only shape the character of our City but they also form an increasingly important part of our economy - the recent news about Princess Yachts expanding into the South Yard in Devonport is an excellent example of this. Tonight I will be going to speak to the Volunteer Marine Conservation Association at Wembury – so that will certainly keep me on my toes.
We will shortly see the publication of the interim findings of the Walker Review of Water Metering and Charging - I have met with Anna Walker to explain the problems we face in Plymouth so I am hoping her recommendations will help us get fairer, lower water bills.
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