It has been a busy week in Parliament, and I’ve spoken in the Chamber on several matters raised with me by constituents.
In the Opposition Day Debate on Household Energy Bills and VAT, I said: “The Chief Secretary seems to be suggesting that everything is fine, but the reality on the ground for many families is very different. The Trussell Trust had to give out nearly a million foodbank parcels between April and September last year. That is an 11 percent increase on the same period in 2019. Why is that the case if everything he is doing is working just fine?”
In Business Questions, I asked the Leader of the House: “Can we find time for an urgent debate on pensions injustices, so that I and other Members can raise the case of members of the Pensions Action Group, including members of the financial assistance scheme and many former Allied Steel and Wire workers in my constituency? Many are suffering because of the failure to link their pensions to inflation, which is now going up massively. Some are receiving 40 percent less than they were entitled to. It is important that we have a debate.”
In a statement updating the House on the UK Covid situation, I said: “I am sure the Secretary of State will want to join me in paying tribute to the staff at Cardiff and Vale UHB for their work on the booster programme. He will know that statistics show that Wales is joint first in Europe – we are actually ahead of the UK average – on delivery of boosters, which can only be a good thing for our population. Will he talk a little about the plans for further jabs for the most vulnerable?”
And in the statement on BBC funding, I said: “I heard what the Secretary of State said about S4C, but my constituents would simply not recognise what she says about the rest of the BBC being some sort of London bubble. We have seen a 54 percent increase in our creative economy locally, with thousands of people employed. Every pound invested in our local economy by the BBC generates almost double in return. Does the Secretary of State accept that what she has suggested today puts that at risk, along with jobs and opportunities in Cardiff including those in deprived communities?”
You can read my parliamentary contributions in full at hansard.parliament.uk
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