Monday, March 27, 2006
On Monday morning I had one of my regular drop in surgeries at Balham Family Centre on Bedford Hill.
In the afternoon, the Public Accounts Committee examined the closure of MG Rover. This had a massive impact on the West Midlands economy, and almost 6000 jobs were lost. You can read the questions that I asked during the session here.
On Tuesday I attended a meeting with Richard Caborn MP, who is Sports Minister to discuss ways to improve participation in sports and the engagement of sports bodies in Government policy.
I also met with Charles Clarke MP, the Home Secretary, to discuss the Respect Action Plan to tackle anti social behaviour. More details from the press release here and a photo is here.
In the evening I chaired a meeting organised by Progress (more details on their website) entitled ‘Three Years On: Lessons for Labour from Iraq'. Oliver Kamm, who has recently published a book called 'Anti -Totalitarianism: The Left-wing Case for a Neoconservative Foreign Policy' was also on the panel.
Wednesday was Budget Day. This was exciting for newer MPs like me as it was my first Budget. The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, was fantastic and was able to make some impressive announcements. The main points of the Budget are summarised here.
In the evening I attended the launch of the Hindu Forum of Britain-Parliamentary Entrance Programme (website here)The initiative will allow young people to experience first hand how Parliamentarians from all three main parties work in their constituency and in Westminster. After the launch I attended the monthly General Committee meeting of Tooting Labour Party.
My Thursday morning began with a breakfast meeting with BBC London to discuss developments in the BBC's services for London. I then attended the launch of Operation Black Vote (website here) and The Electoral Commission’s MP Shadowing Scheme. The aim of the scheme is to help improve ethnic minority representation within the political system. I got to meet the person that will be shadowing me as well as graduates from the scheme.
In the afternoon I took part in a Parliamentary debate on the Participation of Young People in Democracy. In the 2005 election, only 37% of 18-24 year olds voted, compared with 51% in 1997. It is vital that we find ways to engage young people with political processes and their communities – the success of campaigns like Make Poverty History show that young people are not apathetic, they just tend to mistrust politicians. My speech is here.
After leaving the debate, it was a quick walk over to County Hall to record "The Last Word" for Channel 4/ More 4. The guest host was Spectator political editor Peter Oborne. Fellow panel members were Daniel Finkelstein who is an ex-Tory spin doctorand Times journalist, and broadcaster, Fi Glover.
After recording this I rushed down to Burntwood School in Tooting to watch the Wandsworth Schools' Music Association Annual Concert. This evening was one of the best I have had for a while. There were Primary school choirs, orchestras, Guitar medleys, dances and much more. I was particularly proud that the vast majority of schools were from Tooting (far more then either Battersea or Putney!)
On Friday I attended Tooting Islamic Centre for Friday prayers.
On Sunday we had a very successful canvass in Bedford ward in Tooting.
Sadiq
In the afternoon, the Public Accounts Committee examined the closure of MG Rover. This had a massive impact on the West Midlands economy, and almost 6000 jobs were lost. You can read the questions that I asked during the session here.
On Tuesday I attended a meeting with Richard Caborn MP, who is Sports Minister to discuss ways to improve participation in sports and the engagement of sports bodies in Government policy.
I also met with Charles Clarke MP, the Home Secretary, to discuss the Respect Action Plan to tackle anti social behaviour. More details from the press release here and a photo is here.
In the evening I chaired a meeting organised by Progress (more details on their website) entitled ‘Three Years On: Lessons for Labour from Iraq'. Oliver Kamm, who has recently published a book called 'Anti -Totalitarianism: The Left-wing Case for a Neoconservative Foreign Policy' was also on the panel.
Wednesday was Budget Day. This was exciting for newer MPs like me as it was my first Budget. The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, was fantastic and was able to make some impressive announcements. The main points of the Budget are summarised here.
In the evening I attended the launch of the Hindu Forum of Britain-Parliamentary Entrance Programme (website here)The initiative will allow young people to experience first hand how Parliamentarians from all three main parties work in their constituency and in Westminster. After the launch I attended the monthly General Committee meeting of Tooting Labour Party.
My Thursday morning began with a breakfast meeting with BBC London to discuss developments in the BBC's services for London. I then attended the launch of Operation Black Vote (website here) and The Electoral Commission’s MP Shadowing Scheme. The aim of the scheme is to help improve ethnic minority representation within the political system. I got to meet the person that will be shadowing me as well as graduates from the scheme.
In the afternoon I took part in a Parliamentary debate on the Participation of Young People in Democracy. In the 2005 election, only 37% of 18-24 year olds voted, compared with 51% in 1997. It is vital that we find ways to engage young people with political processes and their communities – the success of campaigns like Make Poverty History show that young people are not apathetic, they just tend to mistrust politicians. My speech is here.
After leaving the debate, it was a quick walk over to County Hall to record "The Last Word" for Channel 4/ More 4. The guest host was Spectator political editor Peter Oborne. Fellow panel members were Daniel Finkelstein who is an ex-Tory spin doctorand Times journalist, and broadcaster, Fi Glover.
After recording this I rushed down to Burntwood School in Tooting to watch the Wandsworth Schools' Music Association Annual Concert. This evening was one of the best I have had for a while. There were Primary school choirs, orchestras, Guitar medleys, dances and much more. I was particularly proud that the vast majority of schools were from Tooting (far more then either Battersea or Putney!)
On Friday I attended Tooting Islamic Centre for Friday prayers.
On Sunday we had a very successful canvass in Bedford ward in Tooting.
Sadiq
Monday, March 20, 2006
On Saturday 11th, I joined local children, parents and elderly residents with Judi Gasser, Mark Thomas and Cllr John Farebrother (the Furzedown candidates for the local election) to highlight the dangerous position on Thrale Road and Furzedown Road near Tooting Bec common. More than 20 residents joined the hundreds who have signed the petition calling for a crossing. This is urgent – we shouldn’t wait for someone to be hurt before any action is taken, and residents have been asking the Council to put in a crossing for years.
On Sunday I joined local members in Graveney ward. Common issues raised were the state of the town centre, litter on the pavement and streets and the general lack of cleanliness. These are common complaints and are to a large extent due to the fact that when choosing a service, the Council looks at how cheap the contract is over the quality of the service provided.
On Monday 13th, I joined local primary school children at Balham tube station celebrating the great news from the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone giving all under 11 year olds free off peak tube travel. This is part of the Mayor’s strategy to improve young people’s access to education, sport and leisure facilities in London, and will have real benefits for children in Tooting constituency.
Later, I joined members of a local football team, Balham Blazers, the Secretary of State for DCMS, Tessa Jowell, at the Football Association HQ to lobby the FA to change their rules around boys and girls playing in mixed teams after they reach 11. At the moment, the current arrangements are sexist – once girls turn 11 they are no longer allowed to play football alongside boys. The Balham Blazers were very successful in putting their point across to the FA about how unjust this situation is.
On Tuesday morning I attended two separate seminars. The first organised by Progress (details here) looking at democratic renewal and the second organised by The Smith Institute (details here) looking into the economic and political prospects of the Middle East.
I later met with representatives of Stagecoach to discuss my campaign to improve Earlsfield Station. I have been regularly lobbying for step-free access to the platforms. Towards the end of last year South West Trains agreed to give all disabled passengers from Earlsfield Station a free taxi to the nearest accessible station. At the meeting on Tuesday I sought assurances that posters advertising this will be put up around the station.
I also met with representatives of the Disability Rights Commission (http://www.drc-gb.org) to discuss the wider issue of the appallingly way disabled people are treated by public transport, not just in Tooting, but throughout the UK. The meeting was extremely useful and allowed me to understand, even further, the extent to which people with disabilities struggle as a result of companies disregarding their needs. I will be able to raise this issue even further in Parliament through oral and written questions. For an update on my questions asked in parliament see http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/sadiq_khan/tooting
On the 28th March I will also be meeting representatives from the DRC, along with delegates from 23 other UK organisations, to primarily raise awareness of the issue and to move towards creating a coalition group with an interest in improving access to railway stations, particularly those representing the disabled, the elderly, and parents with young children. I will keep you informed of how the meeting goes.
Wednesday was the 2nd Reading of the Education and Inspection Bill. I made three interventions during the debate, which you can read here. First intervention; second intervention; third intervention.
On Thursday I attended a briefing organised by the Institute of Fiscal Studies on their preview of the Budget. In the afternoon I chaired a conference looking at the confidence building measures and human aspects of the Kashmir dispute. Speakers included the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, John Denham MP, Tory Defence spokesperson, Gerald Howarth MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir as well as other parliamentarians and experts on the topic.
I also meet with a reprehensive of the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss policing issues.
On Friday, Mark Lazarowicz’s Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill (which I discussed in my last blog entry) returned again to the Commons to debate the amendments made in Standing Committee. Some Tory MPs were intent on talking out the Bill, but the debate on the Bill will continue now on 12th May.
As well as spending most of Friday in Parliament supporting this important Bill, I also attended an assembly at Fircroft Primary School where Reception class children aged 4 and 5 performed a wonderful play about how a beanstalk is made.
In the evening I attended the Yahweh Christian Fellowship (details here) conference at Lola Jones hall off Garratt Lane. YCF are members of the UK Evangelical Alliance. Pastor Noel and Sharon Mclean were very impressive as were the band and the singing. Pastor Noel emphasised that the conference has a two fold emphasis which is "to bless and impact our community and local church." There were over 150 in the session I attended and impressively, many young people were present too.
St Patrick's Day was on the 17th, and I fully support the anti racism theme for this year's celebrations. Things are definitely better now than they were in previous decades. However it is important not to be complacent and to remember that progress has been made by a coalition of right-thinking members of our society coming together and saying that racism is unacceptable.
On Saturday I had one of my regular surgeries at Tooting Library.
After this I went canvassing with Furzedown Labour Party members on The Aldrington Estate in Furzedown. The response on the doorstep was very positive. The Safer neighbourhood team have been a huge success but residents in Furzedown are keen, understandably, to get their full compliment of 6 officers as soon as possible. Details of my campaign are here. There was also support for our campaign to persuade the Council to have a pedestrian crossing at the end of Thrale road and Furzedown Road approaching Tooting Bec Common.
Sadiq
On Sunday I joined local members in Graveney ward. Common issues raised were the state of the town centre, litter on the pavement and streets and the general lack of cleanliness. These are common complaints and are to a large extent due to the fact that when choosing a service, the Council looks at how cheap the contract is over the quality of the service provided.
On Monday 13th, I joined local primary school children at Balham tube station celebrating the great news from the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone giving all under 11 year olds free off peak tube travel. This is part of the Mayor’s strategy to improve young people’s access to education, sport and leisure facilities in London, and will have real benefits for children in Tooting constituency.
Later, I joined members of a local football team, Balham Blazers, the Secretary of State for DCMS, Tessa Jowell, at the Football Association HQ to lobby the FA to change their rules around boys and girls playing in mixed teams after they reach 11. At the moment, the current arrangements are sexist – once girls turn 11 they are no longer allowed to play football alongside boys. The Balham Blazers were very successful in putting their point across to the FA about how unjust this situation is.
On Tuesday morning I attended two separate seminars. The first organised by Progress (details here) looking at democratic renewal and the second organised by The Smith Institute (details here) looking into the economic and political prospects of the Middle East.
I later met with representatives of Stagecoach to discuss my campaign to improve Earlsfield Station. I have been regularly lobbying for step-free access to the platforms. Towards the end of last year South West Trains agreed to give all disabled passengers from Earlsfield Station a free taxi to the nearest accessible station. At the meeting on Tuesday I sought assurances that posters advertising this will be put up around the station.
I also met with representatives of the Disability Rights Commission (http://www.drc-gb.org) to discuss the wider issue of the appallingly way disabled people are treated by public transport, not just in Tooting, but throughout the UK. The meeting was extremely useful and allowed me to understand, even further, the extent to which people with disabilities struggle as a result of companies disregarding their needs. I will be able to raise this issue even further in Parliament through oral and written questions. For an update on my questions asked in parliament see http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/sadiq_khan/tooting
On the 28th March I will also be meeting representatives from the DRC, along with delegates from 23 other UK organisations, to primarily raise awareness of the issue and to move towards creating a coalition group with an interest in improving access to railway stations, particularly those representing the disabled, the elderly, and parents with young children. I will keep you informed of how the meeting goes.
Wednesday was the 2nd Reading of the Education and Inspection Bill. I made three interventions during the debate, which you can read here. First intervention; second intervention; third intervention.
On Thursday I attended a briefing organised by the Institute of Fiscal Studies on their preview of the Budget. In the afternoon I chaired a conference looking at the confidence building measures and human aspects of the Kashmir dispute. Speakers included the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, John Denham MP, Tory Defence spokesperson, Gerald Howarth MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir as well as other parliamentarians and experts on the topic.
I also meet with a reprehensive of the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss policing issues.
On Friday, Mark Lazarowicz’s Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill (which I discussed in my last blog entry) returned again to the Commons to debate the amendments made in Standing Committee. Some Tory MPs were intent on talking out the Bill, but the debate on the Bill will continue now on 12th May.
As well as spending most of Friday in Parliament supporting this important Bill, I also attended an assembly at Fircroft Primary School where Reception class children aged 4 and 5 performed a wonderful play about how a beanstalk is made.
In the evening I attended the Yahweh Christian Fellowship (details here) conference at Lola Jones hall off Garratt Lane. YCF are members of the UK Evangelical Alliance. Pastor Noel and Sharon Mclean were very impressive as were the band and the singing. Pastor Noel emphasised that the conference has a two fold emphasis which is "to bless and impact our community and local church." There were over 150 in the session I attended and impressively, many young people were present too.
St Patrick's Day was on the 17th, and I fully support the anti racism theme for this year's celebrations. Things are definitely better now than they were in previous decades. However it is important not to be complacent and to remember that progress has been made by a coalition of right-thinking members of our society coming together and saying that racism is unacceptable.
On Saturday I had one of my regular surgeries at Tooting Library.
After this I went canvassing with Furzedown Labour Party members on The Aldrington Estate in Furzedown. The response on the doorstep was very positive. The Safer neighbourhood team have been a huge success but residents in Furzedown are keen, understandably, to get their full compliment of 6 officers as soon as possible. Details of my campaign are here. There was also support for our campaign to persuade the Council to have a pedestrian crossing at the end of Thrale road and Furzedown Road approaching Tooting Bec Common.
Sadiq
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
One of the most stressful experiences for a school governor is an OFSTED inspection. However, I have no doubt that this stress is nothing compared to the pressure that is put on staff! OFSTED recognise this and in recent times have changed their inspection regime to make it more useful to a school and less of a burden. Gatton Primary School, where I am Chair of Governors, had a 2 day inspection commencing on Tuesday so I had to attend an early morning meeting with the inspection team to discuss progress made at the school and answer any questions they had. The inspection went very well and the school received a good report despite only very recently moving into new premises.
On Tuesday 7th, in the evening, I opened an exhibition at St Georges Hospital - 'Nature's Fury'. International development charity Concern Worldwide commissioned award winning Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam to travel to Pakistan after the earthquake last year - the photographs are on display on the first floor of the Lanesborough Wing at St George's Hospital, and are very moving indeed.
After the opening of the exhibition I rushed to a fundraising dinner organised by Putney Labour Party. The main guest speaker was the brilliant author John O’Farrell, who in his brilliant book "Things Can Only Get Better" managed to encapsulate the feelings, anguish, pain and eventual joy of thousands and thousands of Labour Party members who suffered for 18 years before May 1997. John's book is set mainly in Wandsworth and so has additional resonance for me. I had the misfortune to follow his painfully funny speech, but focussed on the challenges of the next few weeks in the run up to the local elections.
On Wednesday morning I visited Wandsworth Prison along with two Ministers – Rosie Winterton, Minister of State for Health, and Baroness Scotland, Minister of State for the Criminal Justice System. We met the Deputy Governor of the prison, staff in the health teams, prison officers and representatives from St George’s Mental Health Trust. The purpose was to discuss how to adopt a more integrated approach to the mental health needs of prisoners – particularly focussing on early intervention, and helping resettlement and rehabilitation after the sentence is over.
The Public Accounts Committee today looked at the Crown Prosecution Service and making effective use of Magistrates Courts. The CPS prosecutes about 1.25 million people each year. Most of these prosecutions (92%) are handled in Magistrates courts. One of the things we examined was the high number of delays and dropped charges. The Director of Public Prosecutions was able to confirm the huge progress made over recent years in the experience of victims and witnesses as well as the quality of CPS lawyers.
On Friday 10th I was present in the House of Commons for the 3rd Reading of Mark Lazarowicz Private Members Bill on Climate Change. I supported the Bill’s Second Reading back in November. It has two main objectives - firstly it will encourage measures that will combat climate change throughout the UK. Secondly the Bill encourages the development of microgeneration (the generation of energy by individual householders or small groups of householders) and other methods to improve energy efficiency. If this Bill is passed into law, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs would be required to report annually to Parliament about the level of greenhouse gas emissions. This report would then be subject to a debate in the House of Commons, which would give MPs the opportunity to hold the government’s record on climate change to account. Microgeneration units, which emit little or no carbon dioxide, can be installed in the home. Examples of such units include Micro wind, solar thermal and micro hydro systems. The Bill sets both national and local targets for microgeneration, which will help to reduce the capital costs currently involved in this scheme. It also calls for the Government to contribute more towards the development of community energy schemes, whereby local people collaborate on renewable energy projects. Lastly the Bill would enable the Secretary of State to establish a ‘renewable heat obligation’. This would ensure that a specified percentage of heat generated by utilities would have to be produced from renewable sources.
In the afternoon I travelled down to Hastings to take part in Radio 4's "Any Questions". The show was preceded by a dinner with the host Johnathan Dimbleby and the other panellists – Michael Mansfield QC, Ann Widdecombe MP, and Nigel Farage – a UKIP MEP.
Sadiq
On Tuesday 7th, in the evening, I opened an exhibition at St Georges Hospital - 'Nature's Fury'. International development charity Concern Worldwide commissioned award winning Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam to travel to Pakistan after the earthquake last year - the photographs are on display on the first floor of the Lanesborough Wing at St George's Hospital, and are very moving indeed.
After the opening of the exhibition I rushed to a fundraising dinner organised by Putney Labour Party. The main guest speaker was the brilliant author John O’Farrell, who in his brilliant book "Things Can Only Get Better" managed to encapsulate the feelings, anguish, pain and eventual joy of thousands and thousands of Labour Party members who suffered for 18 years before May 1997. John's book is set mainly in Wandsworth and so has additional resonance for me. I had the misfortune to follow his painfully funny speech, but focussed on the challenges of the next few weeks in the run up to the local elections.
On Wednesday morning I visited Wandsworth Prison along with two Ministers – Rosie Winterton, Minister of State for Health, and Baroness Scotland, Minister of State for the Criminal Justice System. We met the Deputy Governor of the prison, staff in the health teams, prison officers and representatives from St George’s Mental Health Trust. The purpose was to discuss how to adopt a more integrated approach to the mental health needs of prisoners – particularly focussing on early intervention, and helping resettlement and rehabilitation after the sentence is over.
The Public Accounts Committee today looked at the Crown Prosecution Service and making effective use of Magistrates Courts. The CPS prosecutes about 1.25 million people each year. Most of these prosecutions (92%) are handled in Magistrates courts. One of the things we examined was the high number of delays and dropped charges. The Director of Public Prosecutions was able to confirm the huge progress made over recent years in the experience of victims and witnesses as well as the quality of CPS lawyers.
On Friday 10th I was present in the House of Commons for the 3rd Reading of Mark Lazarowicz Private Members Bill on Climate Change. I supported the Bill’s Second Reading back in November. It has two main objectives - firstly it will encourage measures that will combat climate change throughout the UK. Secondly the Bill encourages the development of microgeneration (the generation of energy by individual householders or small groups of householders) and other methods to improve energy efficiency. If this Bill is passed into law, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs would be required to report annually to Parliament about the level of greenhouse gas emissions. This report would then be subject to a debate in the House of Commons, which would give MPs the opportunity to hold the government’s record on climate change to account. Microgeneration units, which emit little or no carbon dioxide, can be installed in the home. Examples of such units include Micro wind, solar thermal and micro hydro systems. The Bill sets both national and local targets for microgeneration, which will help to reduce the capital costs currently involved in this scheme. It also calls for the Government to contribute more towards the development of community energy schemes, whereby local people collaborate on renewable energy projects. Lastly the Bill would enable the Secretary of State to establish a ‘renewable heat obligation’. This would ensure that a specified percentage of heat generated by utilities would have to be produced from renewable sources.
In the afternoon I travelled down to Hastings to take part in Radio 4's "Any Questions". The show was preceded by a dinner with the host Johnathan Dimbleby and the other panellists – Michael Mansfield QC, Ann Widdecombe MP, and Nigel Farage – a UKIP MEP.
Sadiq
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Monday 27th was my first day back at Parliament. After my busy constituency week, I felt it was only right to whinge, complain and make colleagues who had been away on holiday or out of the country feel guilty. I am afraid it didn't work - MPs can be heartless at times…
I attended the launch of the Local Democracy campaign. My friend and colleague Ed Miliband MP spoke at the event. A particular issue is encouraging young people to engage with political processes, and a recent report co-authored with the APPG on Youth Affairs and the Hansard Society stressed the need for MPs to meet their younger constituents and find out which issues are important to them.
The Public Accounts Committee today looked into improving poorly performing schools in England. Standards of school education have a strong influence on whether young people develop the skills, knowledge and qualities they need to lead happy and successful lives. All the witnesses who gave evidence agreed that the Government’s proposed education reforms are crucial in order to address some of the problems highlighted by the National Audit Office report.
One of the problems all MP's have to deal with is the varying diary commitments we have. This often leads to us having to leave meetings early and turning up to others late. This evening, I was supposed to speak at a meeting to promote the Festival of Muslim Cultures (details here.) but could not do so due to the select committee I was attending. Fortunately I was able to pop in for 30 minutes towards the end and speak to the organisers, volunteers and supporters of this exciting project.
On Tuesday morning I met with the director of the Council for Arab British Understanding (CAABU) - a cross party group who promote a positive approach to Arab-British relations. In the current context this is clearly a priority. I was happy to agree to a request to join the group.
At lunchtime, I was interviewed by a student who is doing a project on the far right and in particular the rise of the BNP. In the 2004 council and European elections, the BNP secured more than 800,000 votes and currently have 19 councillors in all parts of the country – it is vitally important that we are not complacent about the threat that they pose in the upcoming council elections.
In the evening I was the guest speaker at a dinner organised by the Society of Asian Lawyers. A hundred lawyers were packed into a restaurant in Bayswater to hear me talk about my experiences over the last 9 months, the challenges minority communities face, as well issues surrounding the law and lawyers. The questions from the audience were wide ranging, but there was some light relief when I was asked how I could be taken seriously when in a recent interview, in answer to the question as to who I would like to be stranded on a desert island with, I had chosen Muhammed Ali over the likes of Halle Berry or Kate Moss?
In the afternoon, I attended the ‘Carbon Dating’ lobby at the Methodist Central Hall organised by Stop Climate Chaos. This involved speed dating mixed groups of grassroots supporters drawn from across the country. The main topic raised was a UK carbon budget to ensure UK greenhouse gas emissions fall by 3% year by year. The Prime Minister confirmed earlier at PMQs that he is looking into this.
In the chamber in the afternoon, I raised local issues in the Opposition Debate on the future of cancer services. You can read this intervention here.
In the evening, I joined Keith Vaz MP (who is one of the judges of the Tiffin Cup Competition to find the best South Asian restaurant in the UK), in Mirch Masala restaurant in Tooting. The evening culminated with confirmation from Keith that Mirch Masala had made the final shortlist, and will be competing against the other 15 restaurants (chosen out of 10,000 in the UK) in a ‘cook-in’ at the Commons. A picture of Mirch Masala receiving the confirmation letter from Keith is here.
On Thursday morning, I organised a Bigger Breakfast event with Cancer Research UK at the House of Commons which was attended by many other MPs to raise awareness of the charity's campaign.
I also had a meeting with Macmillan Cancer Relief about issues they wanted to raise surrounding quality of life of cancer sufferers. Last year 39% of cancer patients experienced significant financial problems because of their condition. The recent report published by the Public Accounts Committee, of which I am a member, highlighted that “The benefits system needs to be more effective in providing financial support for cancer patients.” In 2005 Macmillan advisers worked on more than 8800 cases and helped patients to secure entitlements of £16.4 million in benefits and grants. However their resources are limited and they can only assist about 3% of new cancer registrations. Macmillan are stressing the need for a nationwide network of specialist benefit advisers to ensure that all cancer patients can receive the benefits to which they are entitled. They are also requesting that the qualifying rules for benefits such as Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance are revised to take account of the sudden onset of disabilities caused by cancer. Finally, Macmillan are advocating the extension of the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to all cancer patients. I have taken up all these issues with the Secretary of State for Health – Patricia Hewitt.
On Thursday evening, we had the last of the Just Listening consultation exercises which we held in the House of Commons. We had an excellent turnout of Tooting Head Teachers, teachers, police officers, pensioners and other local residents. The evening ended by me giving a guided tour around the Houses of Parliament. A picture from the event is here.
Sadiq
I attended the launch of the Local Democracy campaign. My friend and colleague Ed Miliband MP spoke at the event. A particular issue is encouraging young people to engage with political processes, and a recent report co-authored with the APPG on Youth Affairs and the Hansard Society stressed the need for MPs to meet their younger constituents and find out which issues are important to them.
The Public Accounts Committee today looked into improving poorly performing schools in England. Standards of school education have a strong influence on whether young people develop the skills, knowledge and qualities they need to lead happy and successful lives. All the witnesses who gave evidence agreed that the Government’s proposed education reforms are crucial in order to address some of the problems highlighted by the National Audit Office report.
One of the problems all MP's have to deal with is the varying diary commitments we have. This often leads to us having to leave meetings early and turning up to others late. This evening, I was supposed to speak at a meeting to promote the Festival of Muslim Cultures (details here.) but could not do so due to the select committee I was attending. Fortunately I was able to pop in for 30 minutes towards the end and speak to the organisers, volunteers and supporters of this exciting project.
On Tuesday morning I met with the director of the Council for Arab British Understanding (CAABU) - a cross party group who promote a positive approach to Arab-British relations. In the current context this is clearly a priority. I was happy to agree to a request to join the group.
At lunchtime, I was interviewed by a student who is doing a project on the far right and in particular the rise of the BNP. In the 2004 council and European elections, the BNP secured more than 800,000 votes and currently have 19 councillors in all parts of the country – it is vitally important that we are not complacent about the threat that they pose in the upcoming council elections.
In the evening I was the guest speaker at a dinner organised by the Society of Asian Lawyers. A hundred lawyers were packed into a restaurant in Bayswater to hear me talk about my experiences over the last 9 months, the challenges minority communities face, as well issues surrounding the law and lawyers. The questions from the audience were wide ranging, but there was some light relief when I was asked how I could be taken seriously when in a recent interview, in answer to the question as to who I would like to be stranded on a desert island with, I had chosen Muhammed Ali over the likes of Halle Berry or Kate Moss?
In the afternoon, I attended the ‘Carbon Dating’ lobby at the Methodist Central Hall organised by Stop Climate Chaos. This involved speed dating mixed groups of grassroots supporters drawn from across the country. The main topic raised was a UK carbon budget to ensure UK greenhouse gas emissions fall by 3% year by year. The Prime Minister confirmed earlier at PMQs that he is looking into this.
In the chamber in the afternoon, I raised local issues in the Opposition Debate on the future of cancer services. You can read this intervention here.
In the evening, I joined Keith Vaz MP (who is one of the judges of the Tiffin Cup Competition to find the best South Asian restaurant in the UK), in Mirch Masala restaurant in Tooting. The evening culminated with confirmation from Keith that Mirch Masala had made the final shortlist, and will be competing against the other 15 restaurants (chosen out of 10,000 in the UK) in a ‘cook-in’ at the Commons. A picture of Mirch Masala receiving the confirmation letter from Keith is here.
On Thursday morning, I organised a Bigger Breakfast event with Cancer Research UK at the House of Commons which was attended by many other MPs to raise awareness of the charity's campaign.
I also had a meeting with Macmillan Cancer Relief about issues they wanted to raise surrounding quality of life of cancer sufferers. Last year 39% of cancer patients experienced significant financial problems because of their condition. The recent report published by the Public Accounts Committee, of which I am a member, highlighted that “The benefits system needs to be more effective in providing financial support for cancer patients.” In 2005 Macmillan advisers worked on more than 8800 cases and helped patients to secure entitlements of £16.4 million in benefits and grants. However their resources are limited and they can only assist about 3% of new cancer registrations. Macmillan are stressing the need for a nationwide network of specialist benefit advisers to ensure that all cancer patients can receive the benefits to which they are entitled. They are also requesting that the qualifying rules for benefits such as Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance are revised to take account of the sudden onset of disabilities caused by cancer. Finally, Macmillan are advocating the extension of the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to all cancer patients. I have taken up all these issues with the Secretary of State for Health – Patricia Hewitt.
On Thursday evening, we had the last of the Just Listening consultation exercises which we held in the House of Commons. We had an excellent turnout of Tooting Head Teachers, teachers, police officers, pensioners and other local residents. The evening ended by me giving a guided tour around the Houses of Parliament. A picture from the event is here.
Sadiq
