Weekly Update

It's been another busy week at Westminster.  I was pleased to be called to speak in a session in the Commons on Monday with the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock. The chaos we saw last weekend is symbolic of the shambolic way his Government and his Department have handled this pandemic. We were promised a ‘world-beating’ test and trace system; instead, we’ve got a system that cannot cope with demand and has even lost tests. We were promised a protective ring would be thrown around our care homes; instead, we have almost 30,000 excess deaths in care homes during the pandemic. We were told it was perfectly safe for students to go back to university; instead, students are in lockdown in their halls with online lectures. And if that weren’t enough, Public Health England has also faced an unnecessary and deeply harmful restructuring right in the middle of the pandemic. The Secretary of State must stop with the ‘massive team effort’ soundbites and accept that the blame for the mess that we’re in lies squarely at his door.

I have been contacted by several constituents regarding the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill. The Bill is about undercover agents who are working to disrupt the activities of child sexual exploitation gangs, terrorist cells and violent drug gangs.  I do believe that it is vital that our security services are able to work within certain parameters to prevent serious crimes from happening and recognise that in doing so they will, on occasion, need to break the law themselves for the sake of their cover and the operation. However, these activities must be subjected to proper limits and accountability and Labour are pushing for changes to the legislation that would provide the necessary safeguards to ensure accountability and only proportionate action by the security services.

It was great to host a virtual meeting this week with Gary Kousoulou and his team of amazing apprentices from Loving Social Media/SEO. Many businesses are struggling in the current climate and are understandably unable to take on any of the many young people looking for work. To combat this, the Kickstart scheme provides financial support to businesses to take on someone between the ages of 16 and 24 for six months. We discussed this scheme on the call and we are keen to see more businesses and youngsters in Enfield North benefit from this scheme. It’s more important than ever that we recognise that university isn’t the only way into work and also that it’s not the best route for everyone. Many youngsters would benefit far more from an apprenticeship where they learn on the job and while they are earning. If you’re a local Enfield North business and are interested in taking on an apprentice, please get in touch with my office.

I had two update meetings this week with the London Strategic Coordination Group and the Greater London Assembly on Covid-19 developments. We heard from the Deputy Mayor for planning and a senior representative from Public Health England and received up-to-date information on the increasing number of Covid cases in London. We must all take action now to prevent this spread continuing by working from home as much as we are able, wearing a face covering in public indoor spaces and where the 2-metre social distancing rule cannot be stuck to. As always, we must ensure we wash our hands regularly and make sure to socially distance when out and about..

I was pleased to meet virtually with Liz and Charles Ritchie, the founders of Gambling with Lives, ahead of the Government’s announcement of the Gambling Review. Tragically, their son Jack took his life in 2017 aged just 24 after developing an addiction to gambling which began on fixed-odds betting terminals. While the maximum stakes on FOBTs has been cut from £100 to £2, campaigners like Liz and Charles Ritchie say that without further legislation to protect problem gamblers and to restrict advertising, this will simply push gamblers onto other platforms. It is clear that urgent action needs to be taken to prevent others feeling, like Jack, that their situation has become so desperate that they cannot see another way out, and to stop such a tragedy from hitting other families.

I also had a series of meetings throughout the week with the various All-Party Parliamentary Groups that I sit on, including meetings with the APPGs on Knife Crime, British Sikhs, and Kurdistan.

This Saturday we mark World Mental Health Day. This year has undoubtedly shown us that looking after our mental health is just as important as looking after our physical health. We must continue the conversation to ensure that the idea of mental health being a ‘taboo’ subject is firmly put behind us and open up to understanding that most of us will benefit from some form of mental health awareness and support at some point.  There is no shame in suffering from a mental health condition such as depression, in the same way that there is no shame in suffering from a broken leg. And just as you cannot simply get up and shake off a broken leg, neither can you get up and shake off depression without some help. I would encourage everyone, regardless of whether they are currently suffering from a mental health condition, to take a look at Enfield Mind’s website so that everyone is aware of the help and support that is available and the important work that they do. Take care of yourself.

Although my office is closed to the public in line with Government guidelines, my team and I are working hard from home so please do get in touch on feryal.clark.mp@parliament.uk if there is anything we can help you with. Remember –stay safe, save lives – maintain social distancing and keep washing your hands!