Please find below a summary of my activities for the week
Monday
On Monday, I will return to Parliament and will be meeting with Labour’s Brexit team. The major business in the House of Commons Chamber will be the continuation of the debate on the Withdrawal Agreement ahead of the vote on Tuesday.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, the main order of business is the vote on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. The deal is not good for the country and I will be voting against it. My reasons for doing this are to do with my concerns that this deal leaves the door open for the strong protections for our natural environment, local heritage and rights at work that the EU currently provides to be eroded in the future. I envision releasing a statement closer to the time setting these reasons out in further detail. The delay in the vote will have changed very few minds and it still looks exceptionally likely that the government will be defeated.
Away from Brexit, on Tuesday I will also be participating in a debate on local government funding. This is a topic that I have continually campaigned on since being elected to Parliament and it remains the fact that Hull needs more money having lost one pound in every three since 2010.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, the Education Select Committee will be holding an accountability session with the Secretary of State, Damian Hinds. I will be asking him about the increase in the use of isolation rooms along with the timing of policy diktats from the Department of Education. I will also be contributing to a debate on bioethanol. You will be familiar with the ongoing scenario with Vivergo Fuels. I will be arguing that the government’s failure to bring forward the renewable transport fuel obligation was the largest contributing factor to Vivergo having to close production.
Thursday
On Thursday, I will be working in my constituency office, answering constituent’s correspondence. I will also be meeting with representatives from Hull City Council to discuss off-rolling in schools. The number of school children who have been home schooled has doubled over the last three years. While this may be appropriate for some children, the fact that it has doubled over the last three years is worrying and we will be discussing what can be done to arrest this alarming trend.
Friday
On Friday, I will be holding meetings with the Humber Bridge Board and Humber Rescue’s Paul Berriff OBE to discuss safety on the Humber Bridge following the tragic suicides that took place on the 29th December. There are wider mental health issues that need to be addressed and support given to people who may be contemplating suicide, it is important that we also do everything we can to make it as hard as possible to use the bridge for these ends. I will be meeting with the mental health charities in Hull to discuss what can be done about the wider mental health issues and will release the date of the meeting in due course.
