Monthly Report for November 2009

Below is a summary of my work in Parliament and in Southampton for the month of November 2009. Click here to read previous reports.

If you'd like to know more about any of the work I've been doing, or if you think there is another issue you think I should be acting on, you can always contact my office.

Work in Parliament

Protecting the Solent

As of Wednesday week, the Marine Act 2009 is now law.  The main benefits of the Act are:

back the banFox-hunting

I have signed up to the Back the Ban campaign to keep the fox-hunting ban in place after the next election.  As I was on the committee that wrote the original Hunting Ban 6 years ago, I have a strong desire to avoid turning the clock back to a time when killing an animal for sport was deemed acceptable.  Incidentally, there have also been over 50 successful prosecutions under the Hunting Act since it was introduced, so the argument that the ban does not prevent anyone from hunting is (thankfully) fictitious.

 

 

Copenhagen

I spoke in the Commons debate on the Copenhagen summit, which was at times encouraging and at times deeply distressing.  It is concerning that some unreconstructed elements of the Conservative party are still fixated on debating whether climate change really exists and is caused by human activity.  In my speech I focused on how reducing carbon emissions can and should go hand in hand with reducing fuel poverty, and that therefore climate change is not only a post-material issue of relevance to the middle classes, but rather something that can be used to give direct benefit to all households struggling with household bills.  I also made this point to other Labour MPs at a closed PLP meeting about campaigning in the run-up to the summit.

 

 

10:10

I have personally signed up to the 10:10 pledge to reduce my personal carbon footprint by 10% by the end of 2010.  This is, somewhat ironically, going to be a much steeper challenge for MPs who have a history of working on climate change issues, as many of us have already made a more long-term commitment to cut our personal carbon footprints by 25% over 5 years.  So, I have already made some big changes to my own lifestyle (like installation of solar PV in my home in Southampton) that have made big reductions to my carbon footprint, but would not show up simply by comparing my footprint at the start and at the end of a single year.  Nevertheless, I think it is a challenge worth taking on, if nothing else to demonstrate again that those who talk about green issues are seen to ‘practice what they preach.’

 

Credit card regulations

The government has published new regulations to crack down on unscrupulous tactics used by credit card companies to encourage people to increase their debt.  The proposals include:

As readers may know, I have done a lot of work with the National Housing Federation on doorstep lending, and how people on low income are targeted by such lenders because they cannot access ‘safe’ lines of credit from major lenders.  Although the profile of the targets of such practices is often (but not always) different when it comes to credit card companies, these regulations go hand in hand with increasing scrutiny on doorstep lenders to ensure we close down avenues for lenders to target individuals vulnerable to agreeing to exploitative and unfair deals.

 

Other questions

I have tabled questions on voltage optimisation for every government department.

 

Work in Southampton

Debate on Student Fees

On Tuesday I spoke at an NUS debate panel on the future of funding for Higher Education.  I made a clear statement that I was opposed to any move to introduce any fee variability above the current cap.

 

respect for shopworkersRespect for shopworkers

I am working with Usdaw in Southampton to promote their ‘Freedom from Fear’ campaign.  The campaign highlights the abuse many shopworkers still face when asking someone for proof of age.  It encourages all young people to carry proof of age with them, as well as encouraging employers to ensure there are quick and effective measures in place in all workplaces if a customer ‘kicks off.’

 

Lordshill’s Future

On Thursday I spoke with members of residents’ associations in Lordshill.  We discussed the future of the area, particularly with regards to how best to protect the community facilities at the current Academy school sites if the Academy itself is moved to Five Acre Field.  A full report of the meeting and actions coming out of it will be in my next report. 

 

Improvements for St James Park

I have welcomed the news that Southampton has been awarded just over £1 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore and transform St James’ Park.  I understand the grant will go towards funding the following items:

Tax Deferrals for Hampshire Businesses

One of the fiscal stimulus measures I supported was that small businesses would be given the option to spread their tax payments to Revenue & Customs out over a number of years.  The goal of this was to ensure small businesses that were under threat of closure during the worst period of the crunch would not be driven out of business purely because of their tax liabilities.  New figures published this month that show over 2500 businesses in Hampshire have taken advantage of this scheme (somewhat misleadingly entitled ‘Time to Pay’) and that the scheme is providing important breathing room for these businesses.

 

Other engagements

Also this month I attended the Remembrance Sunday event at the Cenotaph; attended the opening of the new Freemantle Community Centre; met with private rented landlords about new charges being levied by banks on some mortgage clients; did interviews with Tearfund and the Waterfront church about international development, and with Solent University’s new radio station (which was very impressive for what I understand to be a very new operation); met with the principal of Taunton’s college; met with industry representatives about improving the energy efficiency of street lighting.