Author: iwin1961

Writer. Communications professional. Policy wonk. Problem solver. Father. Cyclist. I like the music I like and playing football.

Another Ministerial power grab

Published on by iwin1961

See video of my Parliamentary question here

The government have introduced another piece of legislation that will potentially give Ministers the power to make up laws? The Private International Law Bill appears to give Ministers the ability to make up new laws when seeking resolutions in disputes between individual and companies. I’ve been questioning the Minister about their intention to attach criminal fines and imprisonment to civil disputes. It is wrong in principle, for any secondary legislation to extend the provisions and powers in primary legislation. It becomes very dangerous if Ministers are doing this and making criminals of people.

 

Minister says tracking and tracing should come before the NHSX App

Published on by iwin1961

In an answer to my question about tracking, tracing and support, the Minister said:

“… it is probably a mistake to launch an app before you have got the public used to the idea of tracing. As I mentioned in an earlier answer, that is something we have taken on board. When it comes to launching the test and tracing programme, we will begin with the tracing, not with the app.” Continue reading “Minister says tracking and tracing should come before the NHSX App” →

Greens raise alarm about creation of parallel government machinery

Published on by iwin1961

The Green Party has raised serious concerns over Michael Gove’s appointment of four new non-execs to the Cabinet Office. [1]

It has been announced this week that Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, has appointed Lord Hogan-Howe, Baroness Finn, Henry de Zoete and the Rt Hon Gisela Stuart as Non-Executive Board Members to the Cabinet Office, extending the role of non-accountable appointees at the heart of the government. Continue reading “Greens raise alarm about creation of parallel government machinery” →

Lords debate Care Home deaths

Published on by iwin1961

My speech can be found here. The audio of the debate is here.

“I have three questions for the Government; they are very simple and I am happy to have written answers if necessary.

Like many other noble Lords, I am shocked that the Government were so late in taking action to shield those in care homes, in the same way that they were late in banning mass gatherings. Ministers focused on hospital deaths because that is what their press conference graphs focused on. The result is that at least a thousand people died in care homes prior to the Easter weekend. There was a failure to provide adequate supplies of PPE to care homes. It has been an example of how a Government really should not behave. Continue reading “Lords debate Care Home deaths” →

Women in prisons

Published on by iwin1961

Natalie and myself have written a letter to the Minister of Justice to ask for the fast-track release of non-dangerous, women prisoners. Corona Virus is putting an already fragile prison system under major stress with staff sickness, restrictions on prisoners and fears that the infection will spread rapidly in confined spaces.

Outside visitors have now been banned and the government has been asked to urgently review measures that will ease the situation. Even small changes like giving women prisoners free phone calls to relatives and friends would help tremendously.

 

Fishing limits – it’s everything obvious about human survival

Published on by iwin1961

The Fishing Bill is going through Parliament and I despair for common sense. The most basic rule of human survival on a finite planet is don’t take more than nature can provide. Yet, there are no binding legal commitments not to fish above scientifically recommended sustainable levels. As it stands the Fisheries Bill breaks the Conservative Manifesto promise to “a legal commitment to fish sustainably”. It also appears that that Ministers have no intention of keeping the legal commitment set out in Article 2 of the Community Fisheries Policy to set catch limits at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2020. Continue reading “Fishing limits – it’s everything obvious about human survival” →

Brexit – what next?

Published on by iwin1961

Politicians in the UK have largely wasted the last four years discussing border arrangements, rather than the icecaps melting, rivers flooding and forests burning. The environment and our rapidly changing climate doesn’t recognise legal boundaries or custom checks. Despite the admirable efforts of Extinction Rebellion, Parliament has made few actual changes to end or even limit the damage we are doing to our planet. That has to change and I can only hope with January 31st out of the way, we can focus on promoting the New Green Deal and other essential changes. Continue reading “Brexit – what next?” →

Withdrawal Bill needs to include scrutiny for any backwards steps on the environment

Published on by iwin1961

With all the Henry the Eighth powers, secondary legislation making powers, and judicial erasure powers that Parliament will have handed to the Government in the Withdrawal Bill and other Brexit legislation, Ministers are going to find themselves with an unprecedented ability to rewrite enormous aspects of UK law at will. The Commons will be effectively by-passed and the Lords may feel compelled to wave it all through, as happens with almost every piece of secondary legislation. For this reason, it is so important that we put a backstop into law now, to protect environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards. Continue reading “Withdrawal Bill needs to include scrutiny for any backwards steps on the environment” →