News bulletin

This is the news bulletin for Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion and features highlights of her work in Parliament and in the constituency last week.  For more information please visit http://www.carolinelucas.com/

This is a bumper version covering the last several weeks, as Parliament has been in recess.

Syria 

Parliament was recalled early to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria and vote on whether or not the UK should take military action.  I tabled an amendment to the Prime Minister’s motion as follows:

"[That this House] deplores the chemical weapons attacks and appalling loss of life in Syria; notes that the reports of weapons inspectors in Syria are yet to be published, and that there is no UN authorisation for military action; regrets that the Attorney General's advice on the legality of military action has not been made available to honorable members; calls for refugees from the Syrian conflict to be fully assisted and supported; and believes that the case for military action against Syria has not been established.

I used the debate to express my deep concern about the terrible suffering caused by the deplorable use of chemical weapons specifically and the continued targeting of civilians more generally, as well as to make the case that military action risks only exacerbating the conflict. You can read my contribution to the debate here.

As a matter of urgency I think we should be increasing aid to Syria’s neighbours to help them support the millions of families forced to seek refuge, and will continue to send this message to Ministers. I have signed an Early Day Motion that urges the Government to take steps to refer President Bashar al-Assad to the International Criminal Court for prosecution for crimes against humanity and one calling on the US to reject the option of military action in favour of peace talks with all parties involved in the conflict.

Lobbying

The main parliamentary business during the first week of September has been the Transparency, Non Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill. Over 1000 constituents have now been in touch to let me know about their opposition to the proposals, especially Part 2 of the Bill which seeks to impose ridiculously strict controls on the campaigning activities of charities and other third parties in the run up to elections, whilst leaving businesses free to do pretty much whatever lobbing they please. The Bill has quite rightly been dubbed the Gagging Bill and I’ve tabled a series of amendments as well as been at the forefront of parliamentary opposition, including organising a meeting to raise awareness of the damage that will be caused if the Bill is passed. Whilst it’s right that non party campaigning should be regulated, we already have the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, and the Government hasn’t produced a shred of evidence that it’s not working well.

Part 1 of the Bill, which establishes a lobbying register, is welcome in principle but really does not go far enough. In fact, the proposals as they stand could mean less rather than more transparency, because only those who define themselves as lobbyists would have to register. This means the vast majority will not be covered. I want this improving, and I want to see lobbyists required to disclose how much money they have spent on various activities.  Part 3 of the Bill seeks to impose stricter controls over trade unions, especially regarding membership. Unions have very legitimate concerns that the proposals would create another barrier to the right to take industrial action. Whether this is deliberate or an unintended consequence, I agree with them that it potentially undermines workplace rights.

I intervened twice during the Second Reading of the Bill (here and here) and voted against it, as well as against a timetable that risks the Bill going through without sufficient scrutiny.  You can read my blog about the Bill here.

Transport

Over the summer recess I launched a petition to improve our railways. There are 3 key asks:

·         the Department of Transport to take the necessary steps to ensure rail fares are significantly reduced;

·         minimum standards for on-train facilities;

·         a railway run to a high standard, designed as a public service rather than one primarily run to generate a profit.

 I have been collecting signatures at Brighton station – as well as protesting about the news that rail fares will go up by an average of 4.1% again next year -  and will be there again over the coming weeks.  Please do get in touch if you want to join me. You can read more and find the petition here: http://www.carolinelucas.com/media.html/2013/08/13/“passengers-and-taxpayers-alike-are-being-ripped-off”-sign-carolines-rail-petition/  

Please do print off a copy and ask your neighbours, family, friends, fellow commuters and so on to add their names too – I will be presenting the petition to Parliament in mid October and want to send as strong a signal as possible to the Government that we are unhappy with the deal we are getting from the train companies.  Completed petitions should be sent to my constituency office: 15-17 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL.

You can also read my blog on the subject of bringing our railways back into public ownership here: http://www.carolinelucas.com/blog.html/2013/08/23/why-its-time-to-bring-the-trains-back-into-public-hands-(comment-is-free-blog)/

I also spoke during a key parliamentary debate about the promotion of cycling on the first day back after the summer break. I warmly welcomed the recommendations in the “Get Britain Cycling” report and repeated my calls for the Government to adopt them.

Energy and Climate Change

Following on from an adjournment debate I held in late July about the risks posed by hydraulic fracking, I took part in peaceful community protests in Balcombe, where the company Cuadrilla have been carrying out exploratory drilling. I was arrested for my involvement and issued this statement at the time: http://www.carolinelucas.com/media.html/2013/08/19/statement-on-arrest-at-balcombe/ I remain determined to speak out against the continued exploitation of fossil fuels as incompatible with meeting our international climate change obligations and want to thank all those who have supported the Balcombe protests in one way or another.

I was delighted as, one by one, the energy companies have been announcing their plans to end what are known as energy bill roll overs. This is the practice of automatically extending the contracts small businesses have with their energy supplier, locking them into contracts with big price hikes. I introduced a parliamentary bill to end the practice and, having seen the writing’s on the wall, British Gas, EDF, SSE, NPower have capitulated and promised to give business customers a much fairer deal. It’s now up the rest of the big suppliers to follow suit and I’ll be keeping up pressure on them.

Round up of other news

I was pleased to join the Ramblers over the summer on one of their regular walks on the Sussex Downs (there’s a photo here with my dog, Alfie). I spoke at a local meeting about the outsourcing of probation services and joined part of a walk for women to commemorate the achievements of the Suffragettes.

When Albion football fans visiting Leeds United were subjected to homophobic abuse, I urgently contacted the FA to urge them to do more to stamp out such behaviour.

In Parliament I brought together representatives of various local and national women’s campaigns to meet with the Culture Minister and discuss action to tackle media sexism. Everyone there made their case eloquently and passionately and the Minister promised to follow up, including with a meeting to bring industry representatives together with campaigners against the objectification of women in the media.

I was delighted to say a few words at the launch of the Brighton and Hove Autumn Harvest Food Festival - a wonderful initiative, putting the city's food culture on the map both nationally and internationally, and offering fantastic local food for residents as well.

 And finally, my campaign to get more defibrillators installed in the city was given a boost on Friday, when BBC Radio Sussex made it their lead news item.  I met with Malcolm Legg from the South Coast Ambulance Service, who briefed me on the importance of having more public access defibrillators available in the city, and more education in schools about how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Contacting me

If you are a local resident and want help with case work or to find out more about my activities locally please contact me at the office of Caroline Lucas MP, Brighton Media Centre 15-17 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL. Tel: 01273 201 130. Email: brightonoffice@parliament.uk    

I hold regular surgeries across the constituency. If you want to book an appointment at a forthcoming surgery please call Liz Collis on 01273 201130. She coordinates my constituency office and is able to help with most local enquiries.

If you want to know about my parliamentary work please get in touch at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. Tel: 020 7219 7025. Email: caroline.lucas.mp@parliament.uk