It was a busy week in the House last week with a wide range of debates in the chamber, from the justice system to the BBC, football regulation and police reform.
The justice system is currently under horrendous strain, after the recent and worrying incidents of prisoner releases in error. The problem comes from archaic systems where every prisoner’s sentence is calculated entirely on paper. To tackle this, the Lord Chancellor has announced he will chair a new justice performance board and has commissioned a comprehensive review of the prison release process.
The Government is providing £10 million to deliver digital and technology solutions to help avoid mistakes and accurately calculate sentences. There will also be a review of historical releases to understand the causes.
Britain’s energy system was also debated, with the Government having already committed to a clean power mission aimed at delivering energy security, lowering bills, driving economic growth, and creating good jobs. This mission is a necessary response to our broken energy system that has been a partial driver of the cost-of-living crisis due to our reliance on international fossil fuel markets.
Key pillars of this mission include the creation of Great British Energy and launching the largest nuclear building programme in decades. This program involves kickstarting Sizewell C, backing small modular reactors, and investing in fusion power.
Furthermore, the Government is bringing forward a plan for the North Sea’s energy future, anticipating the creation of tens of thousands of jobs in renewable, nuclear, carbon capture, and hydrogen industries.
Immediate support for consumers is also being provided through the extension of the Warm Homes Discount, which will offer £150 off energy bills to approximately six million households this winter, an increase of 2.7 million families – I know this will be welcome news for many of my constituents here in Stretford and Urmston.
The Policing Minister confirmed that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be abolished, saving taxpayers at least £100 million. The removal of PCCs will cut the cost of bureaucracy, allowing £20 million to be reinvested every year to restore neighbourhood policing, enough to fund 320 constables.
This Government was elected on a manifesto which promised to improve policing standards and the return of neighbourhood policing. One of the issues I am contacted about most is antisocial behaviour, so I welcome anything we can do to reduce this.
Following on in this theme, I met with our local Chief Superintendent on Friday morning to discuss a range of local issues – I regularly meet with local police to discuss my constituent’s concerns and as usual, this was a productive and useful meeting.
I then met with USDAW deputy general secretary Rab Donnelly, along with colleagues at Tesco Extra in Stretford to support their “Freedom from Fear” campaign. A retail worker is assaulted every 2 minutes in the UK, 10% of retail workers have been assaulted at work, 50% of retail workers have been threatened at work and 75% of retail workers have been abused at work.
We must put an end to the abuse of shopworkers, that is why I am so pleased that Labour pledged to support USDAW’s Freedom from Fear campaign and is delivering on it in Government.
I then popped over to North Trafford Foodbank to chat with staff and volunteers about the important work they do, supporting the most vulnerable in our society.
Last up, I visited English Martyrs RC Primary School in Urmston. I was given a tour of the school by Head and Deputy Head Boys and Girls, followed by a question and answer session with the elected pupil leaders from each year group. Some bright and confident kids and they had some tricky questions for me to answer!