Letter from Parliament – Tony Lloyd MP

The dominant topic at the moment, as I’m sure you are aware, is the developments on Brexit – the Prime Minister made a statement on Monday. However, it is a real shame that it is not obvious how much progress we are making on this matter of fundamental importance for all our futures.

I attended a meeting on a subject I touched upon in my letter last week – modern day slavery. Greater Manchester Police have done a lot to battle this huge issue, and their work continues. However, in order to combat the horrific personal cost of being a slave in our world, we need everyone to play their part, across all public services, private businesses and the general public – including you and me.

One informative story I always recall was where a young disabled woman was released from domestic servitude thanks to a public utilities worker who just thought ‘something wasn’t right’. Passing details on to the appropriate authority resulted in freedom for the woman and a prison sentence for the perpetrator. It could be me or you who spots something suspicious, for example at a car wash, nail bar or factory.

A short briefing was held on the Clean Air Plan for Greater Manchester. Like lots of urban areas, we know vehicle-borne air pollution can be particularly damaging for health, especially for the most vulnerable in our society, such as the young and the elderly. We need practical proposals that can make a real difference.

Another pressing issue which dominated the Shadow Cabinet and Parliamentary Chamber last week was the question of Universal Credit – a benefit which was supposedly created to make life easier by streamlining various benefit claims. In reality, this has meant a reduction of approximately £200 per month for many families – these are often working families (despite government denials!) and Labour is now calling for the suspension of the roll-out of Universal Credit and is committed to a review of the welfare system.

I attended a meeting with Professor Les Mayhew, who has written various reports on poverty and its effects on society in the UK. He demonstrated to me that there is a strong correlation between families on low incomes with poorer health and education outcomes. He also made the point, which I agree with, that we need to challenge these low expectations and recognise that we can do much better. Poverty is a real issue in Rochdale, as we can see in the rise of the use of foodbanks.

Another meeting was held this week to keep the pressure on the government to help the Rohingya refugees (who were driven out of Myanmar, Burma, simply for being ethnic Bengalis). Thousands of people are currently living in temporary, horrific conditions – this is unacceptable.

BT hosted an event at the House of Commons, promoting careers and opportunities available in cyber security. The cyber security industry plays a crucial role in the protection of UK businesses, consumers, and infrastructure. I met with a group of trainees at the event to discuss their role in protecting us against cyber criminals. The importance of their roles will continue to grow over coming years as more devices are connected to the internet and more activity is conducted online. Without sufficient cyber professionals to fill these new roles, the UK risks being unable to provide the security protection required for businesses and citizens to safely use innovative technologies.

Raúl Rosende, the United Nations Representative for Colombia, visited parliament last week to brief MPs about the U.N findings on the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement. The civil war was mainly brought to an end in recent years, but there is still a need to bring about safety for the country’s citizens, along with jobs and access to housing.

On Wednesday I appeared on Politics Live to discuss Prime Minister’s Questions. The key areas of concern were Brexit and the implications for the Northern Ireland border. I then met with Northern Ireland Politicians regarding the rights, presently protected by the European Union, which we may lose through the Brexit process. An example of this is that if a citizen requires a hip operation but is unable to secure an appointment within 9 months, then there is currently a safety net, provided by the EU, which allows them to demand the operation from elsewhere (e.g. a private clinic) free of charge. Rights like these will be lost when we leave the EU, unless we replace them with alternative measures.

An all-party parliamentary group meeting was held to discuss town centres across the UK, many of which are suffering, with many businesses closing - particularly those smaller independent shops. We are campaigning for recognition from Central Government to look at this as an area of focus for our communities.

On Friday I held my regular advice bureau for my constituents across Rochdale. Then, I attended a session on GDPR. For those of you who are not fully informed of this piece of legislation, GDPR is the General Data Protection Regulation, which came in to effect earlier this year. It gives sectors greater responsibility in managing its customers’ data, and in turn, increases the rights of customers to access and remove their data. Data needs to be stored securely; when data falls into the wrong hands it can life changing for some people.

I am therefore looking at how to manage GDPR in my local office and I will be ensuring my staff are trained effectively in managing my constituents' personal information.

On Friday I attended the monthly meeting of the Rochdale Constituency Labour party. We discussed matters such as Brexit, Universal Credit and housing. We held an interesting discussion on how the council and public bodies can make sure the employment standards for those in the third and voluntary sectors are much better.

On Saturday I appeared on Sky News, again to discuss the implications of Brexit on the Northern Ireland border. I then attended a great event at Christ Church Healey, to celebrate and welcome their new minister, Gill Barnett. Gill is a fantastic addition to the church and the community.