Hi everyone,
This week I’m starting a new feature on my website to tell you all about what I’m going to be up to over the course of this week. Many members of the public have no idea what an MP gets up to and, as your voice in Westminster, it’s important to me that you know what I’m doing on your behalf. If you have any feedback or questions on any of these activities then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with my office on 01482 219 211 or by email on emma.hardy.mp@parliament.uk
Monday
On Monday, I will be in Parliament. I’ll be meeting with the Labour Brexit team. Following this, I’ll be asking a question in Defence Questions about BAE in Brough. I have significant concerns about the over-reliance of the site on Hawk aircraft. Workers seem to be constantly in fear of their jobs and unable to guarantee that they will remain in post for more than 12 months if new Hawk orders do not come in. Last week, I launched a letter that I co-signed with several other MPs asking for a meeting with the Chief Executive of BAE to discuss diversification of the site to guarantee jobs and put workers’ minds at ease.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, the Education Select Committee will be holding a hearing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and I will be asking the witnesses how they think our education system should change to identify and train students for a future where automation is likely to change the way the world of work operates and affect who is able to access it. I recently visited Germany where a German Green Party politician told me that he couldn’t understand our obsession with treating education as a commodity rather than a social good when we face these dramatic future changes in the way our economy works.
Following this, I will be asking a question to the Health Minister Steve Brine about what effect the ban on GPs from prescribing treatment for headlice will have on the ability of children from lower income families from accessing treatment for it.
I also have a meeting with the other Humberside MPs and Sajid Javid about the Police Pension Scheme and the effect that it is having on Humberside Police. The last revaluation of the scheme was undertaken in 2016 and resulted in a reduction in the employer’s contribution by 2.9%. This saving was not passed onto the police service but was instead retained by the Treasury. For Humberside Police, this equated to £1.7 million. The current revaluation adds £6.6 million per year to Humberside Police’s costs from 2020/21 onwards and would require losing the equivalent of 132 officers to bridge this gap. I will be arguing
Wednesday
On Wednesday, I will be attending a Surgical Mesh stakeholders workshop to continue to press the case for better treatment of mesh injured women. The workshop is being run by HQIP (Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership) who are undertaking exploratory work on behalf of the Department of Health around the data capture and reporting requirements of procedures for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse using surgical mesh.
Thursday
On Thursday, I will be asking a question to the Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, about Police Funding and its effect on Anti-Social Behaviour in Hull West and Hessle. The exact content of my question may change depending on the content of the meeting with Sajid Javid on Tuesday. Following this, I will be participating in a debate on ‘Standards in Education’ and raising the issue of access to education. With recent statistics showing that the number of children being ‘home schooled’ in Hull has risen from 120 cases in 2015/16 to 278 cases this year, the issue of children being unable to access their education is already a huge news story this week but exclusions from school is only part of the issue. Some schools use long term isolation to prevent children from accessing their education for long periods of time. These children are overwhelmingly those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who could be integrated into classes with more support. Unfortunately, this support is not available due to lack of SEND funding from central government.
Friday
My meetings on Friday include the Refugee Roundtable meeting and a meeting with Yorkshire Water to discuss the recent news that some of their pipes in Hull are over 95 years old. This was recently in the spotlight when a water main burst in Hull City Centre and caused extensive flooding between Osborne Street and Midland Street last month.
All the best,
Emma
