Other issues – Page 30 – Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

Lords debate Care Home deaths

Published on April 24, 2020May 4, 2020 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” →

Virtual Parliament and the greens

Published on April 22, 2020May 4, 2020 by iwin1961

I have been pushing for remote voting in the Lords and the functionality to make it happen is being put in place. Myself and Natalie have also been keen to ensure that the greens continue to get their voice heard with questions and during debates. This is my exchange with a Minister yesterday: Continue reading “Virtual Parliament and the greens” →

Women in prisons

Published on March 25, 2020May 4, 2020 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 March 5, 2020November 11, 2020 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” →

Why do we need a new Extradition Bill?

Published on February 5, 2020September 15, 2020 by iwin1961

There is a huge backlog of action that needs to happen on the climate emergency, so why are we discussing new legislation on extradition? What is the size of the problem that we are seeking to resolve, and how serious is the threat? Continue reading “Why do we need a new Extradition Bill?” →

Brexit – what next?

Published on February 1, 2020February 4, 2020 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 31^st 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 January 16, 2020February 4, 2020 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” →

Two years after Grenfell and what has changed?

Published on October 30, 2019June 24, 2020 by iwin1961

Part 1 of the Inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower has been published and the obvious question is why hasn’t the government removed the cladding from the other 400 high rise buildings that could be a danger to those living inside them. Continue reading “Two years after Grenfell and what has changed?” →

Future Generations Bill introduced

Published on October 21, 2019October 21, 2019 by iwin1961

Today, I am introducing the Future Generations Bill on behalf of independent peer, John Bird (founder of Big Issue). This Bill aims to look after the interests of the very young and those not yet born. In the words of John Bird, the world of tomorrow should: “… not simply be an accumulation of the half-arsed hopes and the short-term governmental thinking of days gone by.”

Continue reading “Future Generations Bill introduced” →