Tuesday 7 May As Monday was a bank holiday we start our week on Tuesday but follow “Monday hours”.This means that is there is to be a vote Westminster and we will sit until 10pm. My week starts in the second debating chamber called Westminster Hall, where I help the Foreign Office Minister with a debate on abuse of women human rights campaigners. There are some very challenging stories from different parts of the world where campaigners have been tortured or imprisoned. It’s good to hear the work that the British Foreign Office and our embassies are doing.
In the main chamber I ask the Health Secretary about GPs for students. I am campaigning for them to be able to register with two GPs, both at home and at University. This was the number one ask of Chelmsford’s Anglia Ruskin students in a recent survey on mental health.
I join a meeting with the World Wildlife Fund on action to prevent climate change and then meet cross party MPs to form the All-Party Group to reduce plastic waste. We have a late meeting with the Foreign Secretary to discuss a major speech he is giving. Steps 9079
Wednesday 8 May Morning in Select Committee before joining colleagues for Prime Minister’s Questions, which is not as busy this week. It’s Ovarian Cancer Day and I join a number of MPs wearing a white rose to support their cause. 11 women die of Ovarian Cancer every day in the UK. It’s important to help raise awareness of the symptoms.
Long session with the Foreign Office Minister who is answering an urgent question from MPs about Iran. The Iranian Government has just announced it has suspended commitments under the 2015 international nuclear deal. This brings back the risk of nuclear war and so is very concerning.
I join colleagues from the Science and Tech Committee to meet experts on unlocking smart grids to save energy - fascinating. More Foreign Office debates.
Feisty meeting of the 1922 Committee discussing the difficult local election results. Then lots of emails to respond to. Get to Stratford station only to find the trains to Chelmsford have been cancelled due to vandalism. Very frustrating. Steps 9921
Thursday 9 May Back in Westminster and another urgent question to Foreign Office ministers, this time on the treatment of refugees in Sri Lanka. The country has had a truly dreadful time since the awful bombings on Easter Day. In the Commons I raise the issue of vaccinations – they do save lives and research on the impact of the HPV vaccination shows this has been extremely positive. I am concerned about the stories of measles being back on the rise and want to encourage more mums and dads to make sure kids are vaccinated.
I spend the afternoon in a training session on stopping bullying and harassment, all MPs are to do this course and four of us have been asked to be the “pilot” trainees. I have a long meeting with my team before going to the Embassy of Sri Lanka for a reception to welcome their cricket team to the UK for the world cup. What a treat! Steps 7479
Friday 10 May Morning spent with other Mid Essex MPs for our quarterly meeting with NHS leaders. There is good news about more mental health support coming into the area, better access to insulin monitors for people with diabetes and the new “Network” strategy to enable GP practices to team up with their neighbours in order to have more specialist services. Positive feedback also about the new medical school which is training 100 new doctors in Chelmsford. We are told that Broomfield hospital is still finding it hard to recruit nurses. We discuss ways to help improve this. The MPs agree to work together on a letter to the Health Secretary.
Constituency surgery and then a very helpful catch up with Chief Inspector Gerry Parker, the head of Chelmsford police. We discuss the work they are doing with schools and youth groups to discourage young people from getting involved with drugs and gangs. He tells me how local neighbourhood watch schemes have been very helpful and how intelligence from local residents has been invaluable. One person shared a photo from their doorbell camera which helped the police arrest a notorious car thief!
Good meeting with Rob Saggs who runs CHESS Homeless. They have 32 beds in their permanent shelter and run the 10 bed “winter project”. They have exciting plans to add an extension to their building with another 10 beds. The council will help with a grant from the infrastructure levy, but they will need to fundraise for more. Steps 7623
Saturday 11 May Thank-you event for those who helped in the local election. They work so hard! It’s sad to see many excellent councillors lose elections but they are determined to keep working for their local communities. Steps 1174
Sunday 12 May Beautiful service at Chelmsford Cathedral with two baptisms! Flight to Dublin for the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly. This brings together MPs from all parties in the UK and Ireland as well as members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Scottish and Welsh Parliament. It’s so important to bring politicians together, to keep peace and to try to get the NI Assembly up and running again.
