Caroline's Weekly Update 4 - 10 January

Rail Fares

At the start of this week I joined campaigners at Brighton Station in calling for the railways to be brought back into public ownership. Every year passengers face a rise in rail fares but, as I experience alongside many other Brighton train users, the service simply doesn’t justify the extremely high ticket prices. Indeed British commuters pay up to six times as much as their counterparts in France, Germany and Holland- whose governments own large parts of Britain’s railways.

Britain deserves an affordable and reliable train network. On 22nd January I’m due to present my Railways Bill to Parliament, aiming to put public ownership at the top of the political agenda and to ensure that Labour are as good as their word on the issue.   I’ll also be meeting the Rail Minister on the 18th to make the strongest possible case that current rail services from Brighton are absolutely unacceptable - and that if the train companies don’t improve in a very short time, their franchises should be removed.

Housing Bill

On Tuesday Parliament had the first of two debates about the proposed Housing & Planning Bill. Everyone knows we have a housing crisis in the country – and it’s hitting Brighton & Hove particularly hard. Renting is unaffordable, our social housing stock is dwindling, and buying a home is still an impossible dream for many. Unfortunately the Bill in front of Parliament utterly fails to address any of the serious issues we’re facing. I wrote about why I’ll be opposing the legislation in this piece for the International Business Times: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/housing-mess-uk-this-latest-legislation-will-ma...

Wildlife Crime

Last week I joined the campaign group World Animal Protection in warning against the scrapping of the National Wildlife Crime Unit. The unit is dedicated to supporting wildlife crime investigations and fundamental to providing and analysing national wildlife crime intelligence across the UK.

The NWCU’s future is in doubt as their funding comes to an end in March 2016. In 2014 they were granted 2 years funding; but previous to that they had to fight to stay open every single year. This endless cycle of uncertainty has been a huge drain on their resources. 

You can read more about the campaign to save this important department here: http://www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/take-action-wildlife-crime-unit

PMQs and Energy Questions

On Wednesday I asked the Prime Minister if he’s going to be urging the EU to strengthen continent-wide climate change targets after the agreement at the Paris climate conference. His answer, which you can read here alongside my question, was somewhat underwhelming (as they often are).  Essentially he was unable to offer any sort of commitment.

In other (similarly underwhelming) Parliamentary news I also asked the Energy Secretary, Amber Rudd, a question on the new National Infrastructure Commission (NIC). I wanted to know why the NIC has no low-carbon remit. Unfortunately Rudd’s answer suggested that the Commission wasn’t focussing on climate anywhere near as much as it should be. For more detail on this complex but important issue please have a read of this piece in Business Green:http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/analysis/2441105/is-the-national-infrast...

Palestinian Children

On Wednesday I also spoke in a debate on the treatment of child prisoners and detainees in Palestine. A number of investigations and reports have found widespread mistreatment of children held in Israeli military custody, yet despite some diplomatic action from the British Government, far more can and must be done. Specifically I am calling for the UK to urge our EU counterparts to suspend the EU-Israel trade association agreement until agreement until Israel dramatically improves its human rights records. 

Floods

As well as being devastating for those who experience them, this winter’s floods are the loudest possible wake-up call to the Government to do far more to protect the country from extreme weather events associated with climate change. As a very first step it’s clear that we must stop building on floodplains, give water companies a statutory role in the planning process, and also urgently adopt more far-reaching natural flood management plans.

I was asked to contribute my thoughts to a Prospect Magazine discussion on the issue which you can read here: http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/big-question-should-we-build-...

Freedom of Information

On Friday I tabled an Early Day Motion on the Government’s attacks on Freedom of Information. In order to have a thriving democracy, it is essential that members of the public and journalists have access to information held by Government, but the Tories are trying curtail our right to know what they’re up to. I’m campaigning to save the Freedom of Information Act from the Government and to strengthen the public’s right to information from private companies which operate public services.

Fair Pensions for Women

Last week I spoke in the House of Commons debate about the pension inequality that’s hitting women born in the 1950s. The problems have come about because of the increase in state pension age and the lack of sufficient notice given to women for them to re-plan for retirement. I know that many women are deeply worried about the situation and I’m working with the ‘WASPI’ campaign to put pressure on the Government to make fair transitional arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951 who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age.

Visiting Crunch

I was excited to visit the offices of Crunch in Hove, the ground-breaking online accountancy firm in Hove, which focuses specifically on support to fledgling entrepreneurs and micro businesses.  As one of Parliament’s Small Business Champions, this is a subject dear to my heart!  We discussed the need for Government to be more aware of the particular needs of micro businesses, and in particular some changes to current policy which threatens to undermine the sector.  I’ll be following up with a series of parliamentary questions.

 

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