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Tag: 2021

  • Rachel Reeves – 2021 Comments on Award of Government Contracts

    Rachel Reeves – 2021 Comments on Award of Government Contracts

    The comments made by Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, on 20 April 2021.

    It says everything about the rampant Tory sleaze consuming this government that such a huge conflict of interest was revealed by mistake.

    The Government keeps saying that it wants to be transparent on deals – but the redactions on this contract show this was a deliberate cover up. They’ve been caught red handed.

    It’s clear it’s one rule for the Conservative Party and their friends and donors, and another for everyone else.

  • Angela Rayner – 2021 Comments on Prime Minister’s Briefing Room

    Angela Rayner – 2021 Comments on Prime Minister’s Briefing Room

    The comments made by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, on 20 April 2021.

    Boris Johnson is clearly running scared of scrutiny and questions about Tory sleaze and dodgy lobbying.

    Instead of wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on a pointless vanity project the Prime Minister should have used the money to give our NHS heroes a pay rise.

  • Jim McMahon – 2021 Comments on Smart Motorways

    Jim McMahon – 2021 Comments on Smart Motorways

    The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 20 April 2021.

    The Conservatives had a very straightforward choice to make and an opportunity to protect lives on smart motorways.

    Yet ministers appear to have decided to ignore the pleas of those who have already lost loved ones, and of the coroners who investigated their deaths.

    Labour will continue to press the Transport Secretary to reinstate the hard shoulder immediately while full safety reviews are undertaken and before more lives are lost.

  • Louise Haigh – 2021 Comments on Attempted Murder of Northern Ireland Police Officer

    Louise Haigh – 2021 Comments on Attempted Murder of Northern Ireland Police Officer

    The comments made by Louise Haigh, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 20 April 2021.

    This attempted murder of a serving police officer is utterly sickening.

    All my thoughts are with the officer affected and her family.

    Those who want to drag Northern Ireland back to the past have no support, and this reprehensible act has no place in today’s Northern Ireland.

    Communities want to live in peace, free from fear and violence. That is the only way forward.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2021 Speech on the NHS Pay Award

    Carolyn Harris – 2021 Speech on the NHS Pay Award

    The speech made by Carolyn Harris, the Labour MP for Swansea East, in the House of Commons on 14 April 2021.

    I beg to move,

    That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to lay before Parliament a report on any proposal to award NHS staff a pay rise for 2021/22 below 2.1%; to require the Secretary of State to move a motion in the House of Commons to approve any such report; and for connected purposes.

    The last 13 months have impacted all of our lives, through illness, bereavement and financial worries, on top of learning to live with the fear of the pandemic and the limits on our freedoms. We have not all faced the same level of difficulties, but none of us have escaped without our lives in some way being changed by the experience. Some 127,000 people have tragically lost their lives—this is one of the highest death tolls in Europe —and in the past year more than 450,000 have been hospitalised due to severe covid symptoms.

    For every one of those people, it has been our amazing NHS frontline staff who have cared for them, fought for them and either celebrated their recovery or held their hand as they took their last breath. Our NHS staff have kept this country going, risking their own health, isolating from their own families, working harder than ever, grieving the lives they could not save and comforting the bereaved. They are the very best of Britain and they deserve to be given the credit and the reward for everything that they have done and everything they have sacrificed to keep the rest of us safe.

    Nurses and NHS staff were promised at least a 2.1% pay rise, but the Government have now retracted that and recommended 1% for all NHS staff, with the exception of junior doctors, GPs and dentists. The Government pretend that this is a rise, but they are fooling no one. With inflation forecast to reach 1.7% this year, our NHS staff, who have shown nothing but commitment this last year, are now set to receive a real-terms pay cut. Nurses’ pay has been falling in real terms since the Conservatives came to power 11 years ago, with pay awards consistently lagging behind inflation. Already that is unacceptable, but in the current situation the Government’s proposal to reduce that even further shows a complete lack of respect and gratitude.

    For me, the thought of looking a nurse in the eye and telling them that they are worth less this year than they were before the pandemic is outrageously insulting. All of us across this House stood on our doorsteps and clapped for our key workers. We all took to social media to thank NHS staff and tell them what a wonderful job they were doing. We would have all been indebted to them if we had got sick and needed hospital care to help us against this undiscriminating virus, as some on these Benches indeed did. So was this just for show? Were the warm words and platitudes just a tick-box exercise? Or do the Prime Minister and his Government, hand on heart, truly believe that a rule-breaking, unapologetic aide is worth considerably more than the hundreds of thousands of NHS staff who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to battle this viral enemy and save lives?

    The promise was clear: a 2.1% increase, as a minimum—it was not dependent on inflation rates or any other economic struggles. That promise has been broken, in yet another ill-judged U-turn by the Government. If the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues have now rescinded that offer and replaced it with an inferior one, they need to come to this House with the revised recommendation and put it to a vote. When Opposition Members clapped on a Thursday evening and pledged our support to the NHS heroes, we meant it, and we still mean it. Those NHS staff have held up their side of the bargain, working diligently and doing everything in their power to save lives. Now it is our turn to hold up our side by voting in favour of a fair, long-term pay deal that reflects their commitment.

    A recent survey by the Royal College of Nursing concluded that more than a third of the 42,000 people who submitted responses were considering leaving the NHS because they felt undervalued. These are staff who are exhausted from their efforts over the last year—they have worked unpaid overtime, forfeited their mental wellbeing and, far too often, put our families ahead of their own. The least they expected in return was recognition and fairness, but when it comes to a Government who have consistently failed to deliver on both, it appears that they were expecting too much.

    We are on a cliff edge here: we already know that we entered the pandemic with a record 100,000 vacancies across the NHS. If we do not pay the staff what they deserve, we will struggle to retain those we have—let alone fill any vacancies. Even the 2.1% in the long-term plan was a minimum, and a cautious one at that, but 1% is not a pay rise—it is an insult. Trade unions and professional bodies are calling for improved pay offers at varying levels. They know that a fair pay rise would also help to boost staff recruitment and retention.

    A 1% pay rise for an experienced nurse equates to £3.50 a week. That is £3.50 for a year of unpaid overtime, unwavering commitment and personal sacrifice—£3.50 for a year of turmoil; of fighting a virus that at times seemed unbeatable; of watching patients die, despite doing everything possible to save them; and of having to keep on going when beyond exhausted.

    On the Opposition side of the House, we believe that our NHS is worth so much more. Under this Bill, the Government will be required to present their recommendations for anything below the already approved minimum increase of 2.1%, and to seek agreement from the House on any new proposals. That is the least that our NHS deserves. Our NHS staff have not faltered since the start of the pandemic, and they deserve to be rewarded for that. Unions and stakeholders know it, the public know it and we on this side of the House know it.

  • Rachel Maclean – 2021 Speech on Hammersmith Bridge

    Rachel Maclean – 2021 Speech on Hammersmith Bridge

    The speech made by Rachel Maclean, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, in the House of Commons on 14 April 2021.

    I congratulate the hon. Member for Putney (Fleur Anderson) on securing this important debate on funding for the restoration of Hammersmith bridge and on her detailed speech this evening. I agree with her on the issues that she highlighted, setting out the devastating impact on the physical and mental health of residents and local businesses on both sides of the river, due to the long-standing catalogue of failures and lack of action by Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council.

    The hon. Lady led a protest that took place on Easter weekend, and I commend her for doing so. I want to acknowledge her passion for getting the bridge reopened.

    Andy Slaughter

    Will the Minister give way?

    Rachel Maclean

    I will just make some progress.

    I assure Members that the Government wish to see the bridge reopen as soon as is safely possible. [Interruption.] I will take interventions, but I need to correct a number of inaccurate statements before I do.

    We want to make sure that Londoners can move around the capital easily by public transport, through active travel and on our roads and rivers. Therefore we want Hammersmith bridge to be reopened, despite having no statutory responsibilities for the bridge—particularly because it is wholly owned by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The Government have stepped in to try to work collaboratively to find a solution. That is why we established a taskforce in September, led by Baroness Vere, bringing together all the relevant organisations to agree the best way forward and unblock any challenges.

    I reiterate that Hammersmith bridge is owned by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. That means that the responsibility for maintaining the bridge and making decisions on its repairs and funding lies solely with the borough and not the Government. It is a travesty that we have got to a situation where the bridge has to be closed altogether, given that the council could have prevented the serious safety concerns through regular repairs and maintenance.

    I would like to ensure that Members in the House and those watching are clear about what funding has been provided by the Government and what action has been taken. Since the structure was closed to vehicles in 2019, and to pedestrians, cyclists and river vessels in 2020, funding for maintenance and repairs has come from a variety of sources. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is the highway authority for the section of the A306 that runs over the bridge, so it has funded the acoustic monitoring and temperature control systems to the bridge. Those alert the borough to potential changes and allow it to take informed decisions about the safety of the bridge.

    I will correct the first inaccuracy that has been stated. As part of the TfL deal on 31 October 2020, the Government ensured that £4 million—much more than a penny—was committed to start immediate mitigation works on Hammersmith Bridge during the 2021 financial year. That has funded the blast cleaning and a visual inspection of the western pedestals, giving the borough a better insight into the condition of the bridge. That is a vital step before any other engineering works can be undertaken. Members and residents need to understand that.

    The funding means that risk mitigation works can begin so that the full repair programme is in the best possible position on cost, schedule and technical risk. As well as that, we have made the ferry service a condition of the TfL bridge deal, so that people, prams and bikes can cross the river safely.

    Andy Slaughter

    Will the Minister give way?

    Rachel Maclean

    I want to address one further inaccuracy. If I have time after that, I will take an intervention.

    As with any local infrastructure project, the Government expect the local authority to take the lead in promoting the scheme. We have heard from the leader of the council, who does not believe that the borough has the capital funds available to meet the costs of repairing the bridge. Indeed, on several occasions he has said that his residents are not users of the bridge and should therefore not be liable for the works.

    In discussions with the leader of the council and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, various options for contributions for funding the project have been discussed. Unfortunately, the council seems to look to the national Government with gold-tinted lenses, not understanding that we cannot and will not hand out a blank cheque for the works. How would that be fair to taxpayers up and down the country and to those who have been responsible, such as the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington (Felicity Buchan)? This is what councils all over the country have to do when they are carrying out major infrastructure works.

    Sarah Olney

    Will the Minister give way?

    Rachel Maclean

    I am afraid I cannot, because I need to clarify a number of inaccuracies.

    It has been reported in the press by the hon. Member for Putney that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has asked the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to contribute 50% of the cost. That option was discussed. All that was requested of the borough was that the leader send a plan for the borough’s funding proposal. So far, the so-called bids that have been sent in amount to nothing more than letters asking for an unsubstantiated amount. It is simply not appropriate to ask for funding from central Government on that basis. The Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham should have taken the time to understand what is required to submit a bid to the Government. We stand ready to help. There is plenty of help available for officials to put these bids together, but that has not been happening.

    When evaluating any temporary crossing solution, the complexity of procurement and requirement of various consents must be considered. Given these challenges, the borough and the taskforce determined that a ferry service would provide an immediately available alternative river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists. That has been provided and we are very grateful to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames for its support.

    The closure of the bridge has affected not just those who need to cross it, but those who travel along the river beneath it. The taskforce is an essential first step. Contrary to statements earlier, the taskforce has met regularly. It stands ready to meet any Member who would like to meet my noble Friend Baroness Vere in the other place; she is more than happy to discuss in full the detailed complexities that we cannot possibly air in a 30-minute debate in a political environment such as we have here tonight.

    These are serious and complex engineering works. I am afraid that it is completely inaccurate to make the point in this House that there is no action from the Government. I will not stand here and let Opposition Members say that. We have taken on additional responsibilities—well over and above our statutory responsibilities—as Opposition Members know. We have gone out of our way to help.

    Andy Slaughter

    I am most grateful to the Minister for giving way. We need £4 million towards investigation work and there is a bill of over £140 million for repairs. Where does the Minister think that money is going to come from? She knows that it cannot come from TfL or from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Her speech will be greeted with absolute dismay by people across London and beyond who use this major arterial route. The issue is simply not being addressed, after two years. It is a wholly irresponsible position for the Government to take. Where is that £140 million going to come from?

    Rachel Maclean

    I suggest to the hon. Member that his comments tonight are wholly irresponsible, because they have not reflected the work on the Government side to engage constructively with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in order to understand its funding position and what it can afford. The borough has not come back on any of the engagements and discussions that we have extended to it regarding realistic sums of money. If it cannot afford that amount of money, it should come back and tell us what it can afford. That is how infrastructure projects up and down the country are conducted. The hon. Member knows that very well.

    Sarah Olney

    I am grateful to the Minister for giving way. She referred earlier to fairness to taxpayers. Does she think that this is fair to the taxpayers of Richmond upon Thames, who are the most affected by this bridge closure? Their lives are being ruined, their businesses are closing, they cannot get to school or work, they cannot access medical services, and they have no say over what the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham does with its budget, but they understand that £140 million is more than that borough can afford. They are looking to the Government for assistance, and all they ask for is a commitment for the funding. The Minister stands here and talks about all the administrative barriers that are in the way. All we ask for is a commitment.

    Rachel Maclean

    I thank the hon. Lady for her comments. It is not fair to taxpayers in any part of the country that that London borough should think that, due to its lack of a maintenance programme on this bridge over the years, people from outside the borough should be expected to stump up for its failure and incompetence. No, it is not fair to them.

    In summary, as we have heard tonight, the closure of the bridge has affected not just those who need to cross it but those who travel along the river beneath it. The taskforce has enabled an agreement between the Port of London authority and the borough to allow limited and controlled river transits from 12 April when work is not being undertaken on the bridge. That is a very important point. It is welcome news for commercial river users, who can now continue operations as national lockdown restrictions ease.

    Ruth Cadbury

    Will the Minister give way?

    Rachel Maclean

    In a moment. I have given way several times already.

    I reassure Members that the Department continues to work closely with all parties involved to reach a funding solution that is fair to national taxpayers. As I have said many times, there are demands on the public purse from all over the country for all kinds of things.

    We must ensure that this bridge is reopened as soon as is safely possible. In all genuineness, I encourage the Members on the Opposition Benches to work constructively with the local council to get it to engage with the Government, who are going outside their statutory responsibilities to help to get this bridge reopened so that commuters, people listening tonight, residents on both sides of the Thames, users of the river, emergency services and wider businesses can make use of the crossing and ease pressures on Putney and Chiswick bridges.

    We cannot do any more without a detailed funding solution. The buck stops with Hammersmith and Fulham. It needs to present that case to the Government and then we can take action.

  • Fleur Anderson – 2021 Speech on Hammersmith Bridge

    Fleur Anderson – 2021 Speech on Hammersmith Bridge

    The speech made by Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, in the House of Commons on 14 April 2021.

    I thank Mr Speaker for granting the debate, because this issue is of such interest to my constituents and to people in many other constituencies surrounding mine throughout south and west London. Hammersmith bridge has been closed for over two years. In that time, we have had a pandemic, moved billions of pounds around the country, and vaccinated half the country, yet we still have not fixed Hammersmith bridge. My constituents are really frustrated by that.

    Hammersmith bridge is an early prototype of the suspension bridge. It has a unique historical value, as well as being a major London artery, and we need a unique funding solution to enable a temporary bridge to open urgently, and for the restoration and the future of the bridge to be secured. Hammersmith bridge is not in my constituency, nor in the constituencies of some Members attending the debate, but that shows the wide-ranging impact of the bridge’s closure on hundreds of thousands of Londoners and why its reopening is so important and so urgent.

    Our health in Putney is being damaged by the increase in pollution on our high street from the additional 4,000 vehicles a day that are being diverted. Journeys to school, to work and to healthcare appointments are very long. Businesses are suffering. This cannot go on. Time and again, we have put the case to Ministers. I have raised the matter in Westminster Hall debates, at Transport questions and business questions, in written questions, through a public petition and in letter after letter, yet here we are again, and the bridge is still not open.

    Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)

    Does the hon. Lady agree that the primary responsibility for the upkeep of the bridge lies with Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which owns the bridge and has responsibility for its maintenance? My borough has two bridges: Albert bridge and Chelsea bridge. It takes full responsibility for those bridges. Over the last 10 years, it has invested £12 million to £13 million in Albert bridge, and it is about to do work on Chelsea bridge.

    Fleur Anderson

    I am grateful for the hon. Lady’s intervention. It has been said many times in many places that it is up to Hammersmith and Fulham Council, but that is absolutely not the case. Hammersmith bridge is a unique historical structure with a unique bill—£141 million. No council in London could afford that. Therefore, this issue needs a unique funding solution. I will talk about that and the bid that Hammersmith and Fulham Council has made to the Government, but now is the time for the Government to step up, because Hammersmith and Fulham Council cannot do this on its own.

    I was on Putney embankment on Easter Saturday on what would have been boat race weekend, but the race could not run on the Thames because of the danger to the boats of going under the bridge. I teamed up with local rowing organisations and hundreds of constituents to protest the continuing inaction about Hammersmith bridge and to call on the Government to step up, play their part and fund its restoration. There were boats from the London Rowing Club, Wandsworth Youth River Club and Putney High School Boat Club out on the water, all of which are affected by the closure. Hundreds of local people came by, and it was not necessary for me to persuade anyone to sign the banner and send a clear message to the Secretary of State for Transport to open the bridge.

    Last week, I went out on my first canvass since the start of the pandemic. I knocked on my first door in Roehampton, eager to speak to constituents again, and asked, “What issue is important to you?” The first thing they said was, “Hammersmith bridge.”

    Sarah Olney (Richmond Park) (LD)

    The hon. Member is making an excellent speech, and I am extremely grateful to her for bringing the matter back to the Floor of the House for debate once more. I wonder whether she would mind me taking the opportunity to highlight the massive impact that the closure has had on the residents of Barnes in my constituency. She mentioned the difficulties that people have had in getting to work and accessing healthcare. The biggest growing issue that we have had since the reopening of schools at the beginning of March is children getting to school. They have all already suffered massive disruption to their education, but many are finding that, where they could previously walk to school in 10 to 15 minutes, it now takes them upwards of an hour on crowded public transport during the pandemic.

    On top of the pressures those children are already experiencing—some with exam stress, and all the uncertainty and disruption that they have faced—they now have the additional anxiety of how to get to and from school in a way that they have never experienced. I want to highlight the massive impact that the bridge’s closure is having on young people on both sides of the bridge and the really difficult experience they are having, and to urge the Minister to come to the table and find a solution.

    Fleur Anderson

    I thank the hon. Lady for highlighting the impact on young people. I have had an email from a sixth-former in my constituency who said that they formerly left from home at 7.30 am but now have to leave at 6 o’clock in the morning. This is having a really bad impact on students across the constituency.

    Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)

    I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate and on her excellent speech. My constituents are also impacted, particularly by the additional road traffic that is finding its way through Chiswick as a result of the closure of Hammersmith bridge—2 or 3 miles away.

    May I highlight the concern for the businesses and operators that use the river and have been unable to gain access upstream and downstream of Hammersmith bridge? They may not go under Hammersmith bridge unless the RNLI is on an emergency call, or they have to book in advance for very restricted opening—it has been on Sundays. This has had an impact not only on the RNLI’s training, maintenance needs and refuelling, but on businesses such as boatyards and the commercial tour operators, whose core business is travelling up and down the river. There is effectively a block on that at the moment, and that will continue until Hammersmith bridge is made safe.

    Fleur Anderson

    I agree absolutely, and I thank my hon. Friend for sharing the impact that the closure is having on so many businesses and organisations, and even on the RNLI, in London.

    As the Minister will know, the bridge, which is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the world, was closed to cars two years ago and then fully closed to all vehicles in August 2020. The impact that is having in my constituency—and, clearly, in neighbouring constituencies —is catastrophic. However, I am not here to make the case for why the bridge needs urgently to reopen. That is so obvious, and I think it is something the Minister and I can agree on. I am here to spell out to the Minister and her Department that the biggest obstacle to progress at the moment is funding, and that only the Government have the funds, resources and legislative ability to make the changes needed to reopen and restore the bridge and to get south-west London moving again.

    I want to make three points: first, about the taskforce; secondly, about Hammersmith and Fulham Council; and finally, about solutions. The taskforce, which was set up in September last year, seems to have morphed into a significant barrier to any sort of progress, instead of making the urgent progress that we need. It is little task and no force. Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Richmond Borough Council and Transport for London have carried out the actions detailed for them in the taskforce meeting, but the Government have not brought the action needed from their side.

    Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab)

    My hon. Friend is making an excellent case, but I think she is being slightly too generous towards the taskforce. A letter from the Hammersmith Society, which is a strictly non-political and very civilised body, to the Prime Minister two weeks ago ends by saying that

    “the communities on both sides of the river are unified in their anger, their disappointment and their despair at the failure of their government.”

    I held a debate identical to this a year ago when the Minister was engaging with the issue and looking at bids. We have actually gone backwards in the past year, and silly political games are being played, as typified by the intervention from the hon. Member for Kensington (Felicity Buchan). What we need is a solution and funding for this major project.

    Fleur Anderson

    I thank my hon. Friend for so eloquently sharing the frustration we are feeling. I think you can understand that, Mr Deputy Speaker, and that you are feeling it from all the interventions this evening.

    The taskforce has come up with no workable solutions, although the ferry will be opening in the summer. It has simply trotted out tired statements and has not discussed financing, which is why funding is the focus of the debate.

    My second point concerns the financial role of Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Many people have said to me, “Why can’t the council pay for the bridge?” To expect the council to fund the restoration of the bridge and any temporary measures is unfair and unreasonable—and in fact impossible. Hammersmith bridge is extremely expensive to fix compared with other London bridges, as was mentioned earlier, in part because it is London’s earliest remaining example of a suspension structure over the river, and because of the unusual materials it is built from—cast iron, which can shatter, wrought iron and wood—and its suspension mechanisms are unique. That puts the cost of repair at an eye-watering £141 million, which is unaffordable for Hammersmith and Fulham Council, as for any council.

    Felicity Buchan

    Will the hon. Lady give way?

    Fleur Anderson

    I will continue to explain and address the point the hon. Member made earlier.

    Since 2010, the Government have cut the council’s annual net budget from £180 million to £124 million this year. Even taking a loan would cause significant cuts to local services or huge rises in council tax, so the cost of repairing the bridge would be more than the council’s entire budget.

    Andy Slaughter

    My hon. Friend is being most generous in giving way. In fact, both Hammersmith and Fulham Council and Transport for London have contributed a sum of about £25 million. The Government have not contributed a penny towards the repair of Hammersmith bridge so far. Hammersmith has come up with schemes for a new temporary bridge, and so has TfL, and for stabilisation and repair. It is all there. The only people who will not engage with this are the Government, and they are doing that for deliberate political reasons.

    Fleur Anderson

    I thank my hon. Friend, and I hope that when the Minister has her opportunity to speak she will not ask again for Hammersmith and Fulham Council to fund an unprecedented 50% contribution to the bridge’s repair. That is clearly unreasonable, especially when the precedent for contributions from councils to national infrastructure projects is 15%. That makes me question whether the Government are genuinely interested in resolving the situation, or are just going to leave it.

    Instead, the taskforce suggested in October 2020 that Hammersmith and Fulham Council come up with a financing plan. The council, together with TfL, had made funding applications to the Government in December 2019, February 2020 and June 2020. All three bids were rejected by the Government, and we do not know why. Instead, Hammersmith and Fulham Council went away, talked to experts and came up with a new plan—the “Outline Financial Plan”—which it submitted on 19 February.

    I want to pre-empt any answer that the Minister may be ready to give about waiting for Hammersmith and Fulham Council to do more, or any repetition of the response of Baroness Vere of Norbiton to a joint letter from me, my hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith (Andy Slaughter), the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) and my hon. Friend the Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ruth Cadbury). The Baroness’s response was:

    “I suggest that it would be most beneficial for you to support the local authority in developing its preferred funding option so that we can progress the business case.”

    The funding option was submitted on 19 February, seven weeks ago, and we are still waiting for a response. This is not the urgent action we need.

    Any response will need the Government to agree to set up a special company or trust fund. It will need Government legislation, financial underwriting and an assurance of future revenue from Government funds or from a toll. The council needs to have that input from the Government to continue. The ball is now firmly in the Government’s court, not that of Hammersmith and Fulham Council. To say that would be to play the type of party politics that local residents are absolutely fed up with.

    That brings me to my third and final point, about solutions. I hope that the Minister will shortly announce how the Government will take responsibility for the Government’s vital role in restoring the bridge. The ferry service is a partial solution—it starts in the summer—but it will not address vehicles going through Putney and it will not stop the long bus journeys for Roehampton residents.

    Sarah Olney

    Briefly, does the hon. Lady agree that one of the significant disadvantages to the ferry service, welcome though it is, is that local residents will have to pay a fare to use it, as opposed to being able to use the bridge perfectly freely?

    Fleur Anderson

    I thank the hon. Member for mentioning a disadvantage of the ferry. I am concerned that that the taskforce will say, “We’ve done the ferry, and now we are not going to fix the bridge.” Putney residents are concerned about that.

    A proposal to build a temporary truss bridge inside the current bridge—so, a double-decker bridge—has been given the green light as feasible, and could be built within a year, as soon as it is funded. We need that funding. The “Outline Financial Plan” was developed by Hammersmith and Fulham Council with a series of sector-leading consultants. That plan would not only see Hammersmith bridge repaired, but offer value for money to national and local taxpayers for the long-term.

    The “Outline Financial Plan” was submitted on 19 February. I would like to hear whether the Government agree with the plan and are going to get on with it, or do not agree with the plan and are going to come up with one of their own. Either way, we need urgent funding solutions. It is important that these plans are engaged with and taken forward.

    To sum up, my asks of the Minister tonight are fivefold. A lot of Putney residents and constituents from across south-west London will be listening tonight. First, the Government must urgently provide up-front funding for the temporary bridge, so that the original bridge can be restored and re-opened as soon as possible and the traffic diverted out of Putney High Street. Secondly, they must drop the requirement for Hammersmith and Fulham Council to provide 50% of the funding—that is not feasible, and the Minister knows it.

    Thirdly, the Government must expedite action on the funding proposals submitted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council on 19 February; they present workable and realistic ways forward and must not be left to simply sit and gather dust. Fourthly, I would like reassurance that the taskforce will start delivering and co-operating, so that Hammersmith and Fulham and Richmond Councils, Transport for London and the Government work together to come up with urgent solutions. Fifthly, I ask that the Secretary of State and the leader of the Government taskforce meet me and other concerned parliamentary colleagues as a matter of urgency.

    Enough talk. Our constituents want action. The Government know what they need to do. It is time they delivered on the funding agreement to finance the temporary bridge urgently and the restoration and re-opening of Hammersmith bridge.

  • Victoria Atkins – 2021 Statement on the Domestic Abuse Bill

    Victoria Atkins – 2021 Statement on the Domestic Abuse Bill

    The statement made by Victoria Atkins, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, in the House of Commons on 14 April 2021.

    This Thursday— 15 April—the House of Commons will consider the Lords amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill available on the following link https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-01/0281/200281.pdf. As we are approaching the end of the Session and further consideration of this Bill is likely to proceed at pace, I am issuing this written statement to set out for the benefit of MPs, peers and others the Government’s position on the various Lords amendments.

    The Domestic Abuse Bill will be a groundbreaking piece of legislation. Building on the strong suite of measures already in the Bill as agreed by the House of Commons, the Government proudly welcome many of the Lords amendments (namely, amendments 4 to 8, 10 to 32, 34 to 36, 39 and 44 to 82 and 84 to 86) and worked closely with peers to achieve them. In particular, we support the Lords amendments:

    creating a new offence of non-fatal strangulation (Lords amendment 36);

    extending the offence of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress (known as the “revenge porn” offence) to cover threats to disclose intimate images (Lords amendment 35);

    extending the controlling or coercive behaviour offence to cover post-separation abuse (Lords amendment 34);

    stopping vexatious family proceedings that can further traumatise victims by clarifying the circumstances in which a court may make a barring order under section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989 (Lords amendment 32); and

    prohibiting GPs and other health professionals from charging a victim of domestic abuse for a letter to support an application for legal aid (Lords amendment 39).

    In addition, as further evidence of our commitment to community-based services, the Government have committed to consult on the provision of community-based domestic abuse services in the upcoming victims’ law consultation to be launched this summer.

    We have also listened closely to concerns about misogyny and attitudes towards women and girls, and will ask police forces in England and Wales to record, on an experimental basis, any crimes of violence against the person, including stalking and harassment, and sexual offences where the victim perceives it to have been motivated by a hostility based on their sex.

    That being said, there are other amendments made in the House of Lords which the Government are unable to support (that is, amendments 1 to 3, 9, 33, 37, 38, 40 to 43 and 83). These amendments apply to England and Wales only.

    Abuse by carers (Lords amendments 1 to 3)

    We fully recognise that abuse of disabled people perpetrated by carers is wholly unacceptable and needs to be tackled along with all other forms of abuse. The Government’s definition includes husbands, wives, partners and relatives who act as “carer” for the victim whom they abuse.

    These amendments, however, would bring the relationship between a disabled person and a paid or volunteer carer who is not a partner or relative within the meaning of “personally connected”. Extending the scope of the Bill in this way would undermine the common understanding of domestic abuse. Central to this understanding is the manipulation of the emotional bond between intimate partners or family members.

    Further, the Government’s approach is consistent with international definitions. The explanatory report to the Istanbul convention declares that domestic abuse or violence covers “intimate-partner violence between current or former spouses or partners and inter-generational violence which typically occurs between parents and children”.

    Nevertheless, we are determined to act on the concerns that have been raised in this debate. Accordingly, we are pleased to announce that as part of the Government’s ongoing commitment in this sphere, the Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care, with input from the Ministry of Justice and Cabinet Office, will undertake a review to examine the protections against carer abuse and the support available to victims. The review will apply to England.

    Judicial training (Lords amendment 33)

    The Government acknowledge the importance of effective domestic abuse training for judges and magistrates involved in family proceedings. Training in domestic abuse for the judiciary is a priority and is included in all family law courses run by the Judicial College both for newly appointed judges and magistrates and as part of their continuous professional development.

    Judicial training on domestic abuse is kept under constant review and is updated to reflect key developments. The senior judiciary (including the president of the family division and chair of the Judicial College), have already made clear commitments to further develop domestic abuse training, taking into account this Bill, as well as the recommendations of the harm panel report, and findings from the four recent Court of Appeal judgments in domestic abuse cases (handed down on 30 March).

    While the Lord Chancellor will continue to support the judiciary in this area, the provision of training is properly a matter for the Lord Chief Justice, as head of the judiciary, working through the Judicial College. By conferring functions on the Lord Chancellor in relation to judicial training this amendment is fundamentally at odds with the constitutional principle of judicial independence.

    Reasonable force in domestic abuse cases and statutory defence of previous domestic abuse (Lords amendments 37,38 and 83)

    The Government understand the motivation behind these amendments, but we are clear that the existing full and partial defences are sufficient.

    Full defences, such as self-defence, are defences to any crime which, if pleaded successfully, result in acquittal. In the circumstances of domestic abuse, the partial defences relating to “loss of control” or diminished responsibility can also be argued. Additionally, the fact that an accused is also a victim of domestic abuse will be considered throughout the criminal justice system process from the police investigation through to any Crown Prosecution Service charging decision, to defences deployed at trial under the existing law and as a mitigating factor in sentencing.

    Moreover, these amendments are open to abuse by those seeking to evade justice, including potentially by a perpetrator of domestic abuse.

    Migrant victims (Lords amendments 40,41 and 43)

    We agree that all victims of domestic abuse, regardless of their immigration status, should be treated first and foremost as victims and that they should not be deterred from seeking support. We have emphasised this throughout the passage of the Bill.

    To recap, migrant victims of domestic abuse who live here on a spousal visa receive help and support through the destitute domestic violence concession scheme. For those victims who are on other types of visa, such as student, visitor or work visas, or who are here illegally, and who are not eligible for existing support schemes such as the national referral mechanism, we have announced a pilot support scheme. The game-changing £1.5 million support for migrant victims scheme will provide access to safe accommodation and specialist services for these victims, who have previously not been eligible for other support. As well as providing immediate support within safe accommodation for those who need it, our new scheme will also provide us with clearer evidence of the needs of victims, so that we can build a sustainable programme of support.

    Migrant victims should not be treated as a homogeneous group with similar, if not identical, circumstances and needs. We want our longer-term work to recognise migrant victims as individuals with complex and diverse needs. The scheme for migrant victims will help achieve this.

    In relation to data sharing, we are committed to considering existing data-sharing procedures following the publication, on 17 December 2020, of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) report in response to a super-complaint about the police sharing immigration data. HMICFRS recommended that the Home Office conduct a review of the legal and policy framework governing the sharing of information about vulnerable victims of crime, including domestic abuse, and to report on the outcome of the review within six months. We have accepted this recommendation and the review is now underway. This amendment pre-empts the completion of that review which we have commenced in good faith.

    Accreditation of child contact centres (Lords amendment 9)

    The Government recognise that provision of child contact centres is vital in supporting families and enabling parents to have contact with their children and that these must provide a safe environment for children and parents alike. The existing regulatory framework ensures that this is the case.

    High level data provided by the National Association of Child Contact Centres indicates there are up to 400 contact centres, fewer than 15% of which may be unaccredited. However, this figure includes contact centres which may be commissioned by local authorities and which are already subject to extensive safeguarding provision and regulation.

    In private law family cases, the judiciary and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) have protocols in place to ensure that they only refer parties to child contact centres accredited by the National Association of Child Contact Centres.

    In public law family cases, where children are in the care of the local authority, or under their supervision, comprehensive statutory provisions are already in place and emphasise that contact should not undermine the welfare and safeguarding of children. All plans and decisions regarding contact, including the use of contact centres or services, are made by social workers on a case-by-case basis, with detailed safeguarding risk assessments and taking full account of any child protection plan and/or contact order. All local authority activity in relation to child contact must be in the best interests of the child and subject to the relevant statutory provisions, including sections 22 and 34 of the Children Act 1989, the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and the Children and Families Act 2014.

    We are also concerned that the definition of contact services would be so broad, that it may create duplicative burdens on a wide range of local authority services, which goes beyond child contact centres.

    Management of perpetrators (Lords amendment 42)

    The Government agree that high-harm domestic abuse perpetrators need to be effectively monitored and supervised. The current legislation in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 already provides for serial and high harm domestic abuse offenders to be managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) on either an automatic or discretionary basis. Adding a new category of offenders automatically eligible for MAPPA would add complexity to those arrangements without delivering clear benefits.

    There is already significant work in train to improve the operation of MAPPA. As well as strengthening the statutory guidance that supports MAPPA, we are pleased to announce the envelopment of a new multi-agency public protection system (MAPPS). MAPPS, as a modern and efficient subject management system, will facilitate more effective and automated information sharing between MAPPA responsible authorities and their partner agencies, thereby improving the multi-agency risk management of all offenders managed under MAPPA, including those domestic abuse perpetrators whose risk is such that they need to be managed under the MAPPA frame- work. The target is for the new system to be piloted in 2022. Once MAPPS is deployed, it will allow ViSOR (the existing subject management system) to be decommissioned. In addition, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill includes provisions to further strengthen the legal framework governing information-sharing between MAPPA partners and others.

    In relation to a domestic abuse perpetrator strategy, we have already committed to bringing forward such a strategy later this year as part of the domestic abuse strategy. We have tabled Government amendments to enshrine this commitment in law (Government amendments 42 (a) to (c).

    Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for the Prime Minister and this Government. Our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill will help to better protect and support victims and their children and bring perpetrators to justice.

  • Matt Hancock – 2021 Statement on Covid-19 Vaccination

    Matt Hancock – 2021 Statement on Covid-19 Vaccination

    The statement made by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the House of Commons on 14 April 2021.

    I wish to inform the House of actions we are taking to improve uptake of vaccines across the adult social care sector.

    In February 2021, we published the UK covid-19 vaccines delivery plan setting out the significant programme of work under way to drive vaccine uptake, including actions to improve access and to address the concerns of those who may be hesitant to receive the vaccine.

    We have been working to make the vaccination accessible to people living and working in care homes. Vaccination teams have visited all older-age care homes in England and are running a minimum four-visit schedule for each. For those workers who may not have been present when the vaccination team visited the home, access via other vaccination services has been available. We also opened the national booking service for seven weeks so that frontline social care workers could book their own appointments, and care home workers can now arrange vaccination directly through their GP.

    We have worked hard to address concerns among the adult social care workforce by delivering an extensive communications programme, running targeted advertisements and issuing a stakeholder toolkit containing regularly updated Q and As, guidance and communications materials. Positive messaging using influencers, leaders and care home workers who have already been vaccinated has boosted confidence and tackled misinformation, as have briefings with different faith groups who have become ambassadors for getting a vaccine.

    We continue to do everything we can to increase vaccine uptake. We have targeted support at older adult care homes where vaccine uptake is low, such as in London. As of 4 April 2021, vaccine uptake among eligible workers in older adult care homes in London is 68%, compared to 82% in the south west. Local efforts, by employers, local authorities, public health teams and others, supplement this Government’s support.

    Despite efforts, vaccine uptake among care home workers is not consistently at the level that we know from SAGE advice is needed to minimise the risk of outbreak: a minimum vaccination rate of 80% of staff and of 90% of residents in each home—that level must be maintained. Only 53% of older adult homes in England are currently meeting this recommendation.

    It is imperative that together we now take every step necessary to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to those most at risk from covid-19 and those who care for them. We must protect people living in care homes, and we must protect the workforce who perform such a vital role.

    Vaccination is a safe, effective way of preventing the spread of covid-19. It is therefore right that the Government act now to ensure that those working and assisting in older adult care homes are vaccinated to protect everyone in these settings.

    From today, we are consulting on taking steps to require care providers to deploy only staff who have been vaccinated within older adult care homes. This measure would be intended to protect the people most at risk in our society—around 90% of those who died from covid-19 were people over 70.

    Making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes in this way would help to further protect older people living in care homes, who are among the most vulnerable to covid-19, and ultimately save lives. A five-week consultation launches today to help inform decision making around how the change could be implemented and whether respondents think it will be beneficial. This will include areas such as potential impact on staff, safety and who could be exempt. Staff, providers, stakeholders, residents and their families are being urged to take part to have their views heard with an outcome expected by this summer.

    I will provide an update to the House, following the completion of the consultation.

  • John Glen – 2021 Statement on the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme

    John Glen – 2021 Statement on the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme

    The statement made by John Glen, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, in the House of Commons on 14 April 2021.

    It is normal practice when a Government Department proposes to undertake a contingent liability in excess of £300,000 and for which there is no statutory authority, for the Minister concerned:

    to present a departmental minute to Parliament, giving particulars of the liability created and explaining the circumstances; and

    to refrain from incurring the liability until 14 parliamentary sitting days after the issue of the minute, except in cases of special urgency.

    I am writing to notify Parliament of a contingent liability that has been created by the Government from the introduction of the new mortgage guarantee scheme. The scheme will be open to new mortgages submitted by participating lenders from 19 April 2021, but the liability will not be incurred until lenders start to submit mortgages to the scheme, which is not expected until May at the earliest.

    By way of background, the mortgage guarantee scheme was announced at the Budget on 3 March 2021. The scheme will provide a guarantee to lenders across the UK who offer mortgages to people with a deposit of 5% on homes with a value of up to £600,000. Under the scheme all buyers will have the opportunity to fix their initial mortgage rate for at least five years should they wish to. The scheme, which will be available for new mortgages up to 31 December 2022, will increase the availability of mortgages on new or existing properties for those with small deposits. The guarantee will be valid for up to seven years after the mortgage is originated.

    Exposure against this contingent liability would take place in the event that the sum of commercial fees paid by lenders would not be sufficient to cover calls on the guarantee. There will be a cap on the size of the Government’s contingent liability under the scheme of £3.9 billion.

    Authority for any expenditure required under this liability will be sought through the normal procedure. HM Treasury has approved this proposal.

    I will also lay a minute today on this matter.