Week In Westminster: w/c 20th April
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
t's been another busy week in Westminster, with the Government making progress on a wide range of issues that matter to people across our area.
Monday began with two important statements in the Commons. The Prime Minister addressed Parliament on the security vetting of Peter Mandelson, setting out reforms to the appointments process to ensure due diligence is properly followed in future. The Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, also made a statement on the deeply troubling rise in antisemitic attacks being seen across the UK. I join him in his view that "attacks on British Jews are attacks on all of us, and we will do whatever it takes to stop the cowards and thugs who seek to intimidate our Jewish communities". The Chamber also voted to progress two of the Government's flagship pieces of legislation: the Victims and Courts Bill, which will deliver long-overdue reforms to our justice system and the Crime and Policing Bill, which - as mentioned last week - gives police and communities new powers to tackle antisocial behaviour, shop theft and street crime.
On Tuesday, Ministers updated the House on the situation in the Middle East and its potential impact on UK households and businesses. I was pleased to hear about efforts to work closely with international partners to manage any disruption to supply chains and keep costs down for families. Also on Tuesday, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill continued its passage through Parliament. The legislation will shift real power out of London and into the hands of local communities and regional leaders. Wednesday saw the Chamber discuss an urgent question on modernising public procurement, an important issue for ensuring public money is spent efficiently and supports local businesses. There was also a statement on the status of current pension schemes, ahead of the Pension Schemes Bill progressing through the Chamber - legislation that will strengthen retirement security for working people. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill also advanced on Wednesday, a Bill I am proud to support, which delivers free breakfast clubs, better safeguarding, and a modernised curriculum for children across the country. During the Bill's progression, there has been debate about issues surrounding phone bans in schools and social media age restrictions. Relatedly, the Government currently has an ongoing consultation on the proposals into banning social media for under 16’s. This is set to conclude on the 26th May, and you can submit your views here. On Thursday I was also pleased to sit in on two debates in the Chamber, one on the vital contribution of allied health professionals to our NHS, and the second on reform of the DVLA. This weekend, I'll be out and about across our constituency. Today, I've visited two local schools, met with representatives to discuss improvements to grassroots sports facilities in our area, and sat down with Yorkshire Water to push for better services for residents. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend - thank you, as always, for reading. |
|
