York Press column: Parliament heating up ahead of summer recess
July 19, 2023
Once again, it’s been a very busy last couple of weeks in Parliament, and in the constituency. As you may be aware, last week saw the process of ‘Parliamentary ping-pong’ begin regarding the Illegal Migration Bill.
As is to be expected with a piece of legislation this detailed and with such far reaching consequences for tens of thousands of people, it is important that the Bill is scrutinised right down to the minutiae, hence the Bill was subject to 20 defeats in the House of Lords.
While ‘stopping the boats’ is rightly one of the Prime Minister’s five key pledges, it does not mean that the Government deserves a completely free run in Parliament. People trafficking and large scale illegal immigration are completely unacceptable but must be stopped in the correct way. Voting against your party is never easy, nor something anyone goes into politics actively seeking to do but, sometimes, a matter of principles takes precedent.
That is why I voted to accept two key amendments proposed by the House of Lords, against the Government’s wishes. These amendments, put simply, will ensure that we protect people from modern day slavery. The unamended Bill proposed stripping away vital support outlined in the Modern Slavery Act. Many victims will be unable to access the support system that facilitates their recovery and it will likely make it easier for traffickers to get away with their crimes.
This is not the first time I have rebelled on this issue as I signed an amendment proposed by Tim Loughton back in the spring. In that instance it was never put to a vote because the Government accepted Tim’s suggestions and incorporated it into the original Bill; an example of how a rebellion can improve a Bill without disrupting overall Government business.
This improvements made then were designed to open up safe legal routes for genuine asylum seekers. I believe it is only right that if we are stopping illegal routes, people who are legitimately fleeing war or persecution need to be better protected. I hope that the Government sees sense regarding the Lords amendments, otherwise we could be trapped in this ‘ping pong’ between the Lords and the Commons for weeks, which is especially unhelpful as we approach summer recess.
Moving onto local matters, I am still attempting to make progress regarding York dentists. As you also may be aware, the BUPA Dentist on Holgate Road recently shut with little to no warning for its patients. This has left several hundred constituents without a dentist, and with dentistry resources already quite stretched, finding a new practice is proving troublesome for many. In recent weeks, I have had meetings with the Integrated Care Board to try and establish a route forward, the first of such was constructive, the Board were engaging but we haven’t as yet found a way to square the circle, even in the short term. I remain disappointed by BUPA’s decision to close its practice so abruptly, leaving so many people in the lurch.
I continued pressing for reforms to outdated NHS dental contracts at Health Questions last week when I asked the Secretary of State about improve access to NHS dental care in York. It is common sense that contracts introduced in 2006 are updated to reflect population growth meaning dentists will be required to accept more NHS patients. This is not a silver bullet though and reforms will need to be introduced in tandem with increased investment in training.
In positive news, improvements are being made in other parts of the NHS with York’s new Accident and Emergency department opening after a two-year redevelopment. The new department will increase treatment capacity, create a dedicated area for pediatric admissions and will improve the overall patient experience. While greatly improving care at York Hospital, we need to look to the future and we need to explore options for a new hospital for our city. This, of course, won’t happen overnight but as long term projects, such as dualling the Outer Ring Road, have now secured funding we need to be ambitious and I am ready to lobby on behalf of our city.
