Thursday 19 December 2013

Roger condemns need for food banks in House of Commons debate




 Speaking in a debate on the rise of food banks in in the House of Commons, Roger  Godsiff MP condemned the economic inequality and Government indifference which have forced people to turn to “modern-day soup kitchens”.

In his speech, Roger talked about the experience of one his constituents who had to use a food bank in Sparkhill. She had a well-paid job, but after losing her job and suffering bereavements, she was forced to rely on benefits. She got into debt with her utility bills, and had to spend most of her JSA on paying the ever-rapacious energy and water companies, leaving her with just £5 per fortnight to live on.

Happily, this constituent has now found a job and is feeling hopeful about the future, but Roger emphasised that no-one in the world’s seventh largest economy should be forced to rely on food banks to survive. The state has a duty to provide a safety net for its citizens, and should not abandon them to the instabilities of unregulated markets.

Roger concluded his speech: “The Government ought to be ashamed of presiding over a situation in which people must go through what that young lady, who is not feckless or a shirker, has had to experience. At the end of the day, lives will be scarred by the humiliation of forcing people into food banks—not just the lives of those individuals, but the lives of their children, too. Whatever the Government say, their MPs should be ashamed of that.”

You can read Roger’s full speech here
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131218/debtext/131218-0004.htm

Roger Godsiff MP calls for renewed efforts to fight TB after new figures reveal Birmingham Hall Green as an “at risk” area




New figures showing that the rate of tuberculosis (TB) in Birmingham Hall Green is five the national average have been described as “deeply concerning” by local MP Roger Godsiff.

Although often considered to have been eliminated, TB remains the world’s second deadliest infectious disease, killing 1.3 million people in 2012. The disease doesn’t only affect the developing world: the UK has the highest rates of TB in Western Europe.

The national average for the UK is 13.9 cases per 100,000 of the population. The rate in Birmingham Hall Green is 72.4 per 100,000.

Roger stated that the figures are of particular concern given that a small, but growing, proportion of cases are drug-resistant. Cases of drug-resistant TB can take two years to treat, requiring patients to take an average of 14,000 pills and costing local health services tens of thousands of pounds.

Roger wants to ensure that people are aware of the risk of TB and of some of the symptoms, which can include: a persistent cough, night sweats, a high temperature and a lack of appetite or weight loss.

“Most people in the UK think that TB is a disease of the past, but the number of cases of the disease in the UK has doubled in the last decade”, Roger said. “It’s important that people are aware of the threat posed by the disease, and that they make sure they go to a doctor if they experience symptoms.”

Public Health England is currently developing a national strategy to fight TB, but it is also important to reach out to the most vulnerable parts of the community and make sure that everyone understands the importance of diagnosing and treating the disease as early as possible.

The Birmingham health authority has a rate of 37.6 TB cases per 100,000. In comparison London’s average is 42, Public Health England’s definition of a high risk area stands at 40, and the UK average is 13.9 cases per 100,000.

Monday 16 December 2013

Roger calls for Government action on shell companies

Roger calls for Government action on shell companies

Twenty parliamentarians including Roger wrote to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills about the newly announced register of who really owns and controls anonymous shell companies.
Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption co-signed a letter calling on Minister Vince Cable to ensure his Department implements the register effectively. The Group is campaigning to end the use of anonymous shell companies which help corrupt foreign officials steal cash from developing countries, as well as helping individuals and organisations evade tax in the UK, funnel money to terrorists, break international sanctions and aid drugs smuggling. According to research by Kofi Annan’s Africa Progress Panel, the amount sub-Saharan Africa loses in illicit financial flows is more than the total it receives in aid and direct foreign investment.
Roger has previously campaigned for the Government to take action on the one in five tax havens around the world which are under UK jurisdiction. He tabled an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to implement a publicly-accessible register on beneficial ownership to tackle the use of UK territories as tax havens. He commented: “Announcing the register is a good first step, but in order for it to be effective and help developing countries it needs to be rigorously enforced and fully transparent, not just a token gesture.”
The letter calls on Vince Cable to ensure that the registry, to be held at Companies House, requires individuals to submit sufficient information to create a unique identifier for every person listed, not just a name. The parliamentarians request that information be published as open data, that it should undergo verification through cross-checks with other UK registries, and that severe penalties should be levied against any company failing to comply.
Signed by parliamentarians from both the Commons and Lords, the letter is supported by members of all the major political parties. It is part of a broader package of work by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption highlighting the role of UK policy in facilitating major financial outflows from developing countries.

Thursday 12 December 2013

Roger calls on Government to act to protect the rights of women in Afghanistan


Roger has written to the Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening MP, to urge her to take all possible steps to protect the safety of women and girls in Afghanistan, and to prioritise supporting Afghanistani women who are working to improve human rights.

Roger also tabled a Parliamentary Question to urge the Department for International Development to increase funding to help provide more shelters for female victims of violence in Afghanistan, where there are currently just fourteen shelters. He tabled another question asking DFID for more information about how it is working with the Government of Afghanistan to bring to justice perpetrators of violent crimes against women and girls, and how it will safeguard women’s rights following the withdrawal of Coalition forces.

Roger said: “My constituents have written to me to tell me that they share my concern about the current situation of women in Afghanistan. Of particular concern is the extremely high level of violence against women and girls, and the number of these attacks that remain unreported and unpunished. I am urging the Government to take these factors into account when planning the withdrawal of troops.”

High-profile women who stand up for human rights in Afghanistan are particularly likely to be targeted for attacks. Recently two parliamentarians, Fariba Kakar and Rooh Gul, were attacked, and the two most senior police women in Helmand were both murdered. The perpetrators of violent attacks such as these are frequently not brought to justice even when the victim was a high profile woman, and the killers who target women with lower profiles are even less likely to be held to account for their crime. Female teachers and doctors, who provide other women and girls with the healthcare and education they need to improve their lives, are frequently targeted.

Roger concluded: “I believe that it is vital for the UK to champion women’s rights in Afghanistan, and to apply all possible diplomatic pressure to the Government of Afghanistan to take effective action in this area.”

Thursday 5 December 2013

Roger condemns Coalition incompetence and cruelty on benefits


Roger has tabled an Early Day Motion which severely criticises plans by the Department of Work and Pensions to introduce a period of ‘mandatory reconsideration’ as an intermediate stage for claimants who wish to appeal the decision not to award Employment and Support Allowance, during which time ill and disabled people would receive no money to live on.
 He also tabled a number of questions for written answer from the DWP, asking how long the mandatory reconsideration of ESA decisions would take and if a maximum time limit for the process would be introduced. In response, Minister of State for Employment Esther McVey said: "There are no plans to introduce a timescale for the completion of the mandatory reconsideration process, however, the process will be monitored to avoid any unnecessary delays". The DWP expects the process to take around 14 days for straightforward cases but “the time it takes to complete will vary depending on the circumstances of the case”.
 For people who are already living on the breadline, even two weeks without any income at all is far too long. The only good news was that claimants who successfully appealed would be entitled to have their award backdated, but this is yet another hurdle that the most vulnerable have to face simply to survive.
 Commenting on the Government’s response, Roger said: “The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, is constantly on the lookout for ways to pare back the benefits bill and shoehorn claimants into non-existent jobs regardless of their circumstances. The introduction of a punitive sanctions regime was never going to satisfy him in his undeclared aim to punish the ‘undeserving poor’ and pick off the easy targets. This is a clear and unequivocal attack on the most vulnerable, such as disabled people, who have a right to state support.”
 However, Roger believes that Iain Duncan Smith has bigger headaches on the horizon than pinching pennies from the pockets of those unable to work. On the day of the Autumn Statement, DWP tried to sneak under the radar news that it will miss the deadline of getting all benefit claimants on to Universal Credit by the end of 2017. It also announce that it will have to start the IT system again from scratch, at a cost estimated to be at least £140m of taxpayers’ hard-earned money. Roger said: “I am happy for my taxes to support ill and disabled people who cannot work, but I do not see why I or my constituents should pay for yet another Government IT mess-up.”
 
You can read the EDM here: www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/815
 

Roger welcomes Appeal Court decision that Work Capability Assessments disadvantage mentally ill


Roger has welcomed a decision by the Court of Appeal upholding a previous ruling that work capability assessments disadvantage people who are mentally ill or have learning difficulties. He has been concerned for some time that these assessments are not designed with the best interests of these vulnerable individuals in mind, leading to unwell people being deprived of support to which they are entitled.

 
Roger said: “I am really pleased that the Court of Appeal has upheld the ruling that Work Capability Assessments do not work fairly for people with mental health problems, learning difficulties or autism. The current system expects the claimants themselves to obtain all the necessary documents from their GP or social worker, even if they lack the capacity to understand what can be a complex process. This results in assessments taking place without the necessary evidence, leading to mistaken outcomes. The DWP must start taking on the responsibility to help collect evidence if the claimant is unable to do so.”

 Mental health charities including Rethink Mental Illness, Mind and the National Autistic Society have welcomed the ruling, and are calling on the Government to immediately stop using this dysfunctional assessment process. However, the Government refuse to recognise the truth of this finding and are refusing to pause reassessments in response to the court’s decision. A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said that there will be no effect on the day-to-day business of assessments, which would continue as usual.

 
In response, Roger commented: “Nothing better illustrates the nastiness of the Coalition’s policies than the treatment of those with mental illness. It is shameful that DWP refuse to take action in response to the court ruling. It is bad enough that for so long the Government have ignored the voices of ill and disabled people, their carers and the charities which represent them, but it is now also ignoring the findings of the UK’s legal system. The Coalition needs to start putting the wellbeing of its own citizens—not to mention respect for the legal process—above its blind ideological commitment to cutting the state.”

 The ruling took place in response to a judicial review initiated by two claimants, where the original judgment was that the assessments are unfair to those with mental health problems. Rather than accepting this ruling and changing the assessments to avoid disadvantaging people who are already vulnerable, the Department for Work and Pensions appealed against the judgment, causing the judicial review to be put on hold. This legal process can now resume, with a final ruling expected to be given in 2014 unless the DWP brings further legal action to delay the process.

Roger has tabled a written Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions, asking the Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith, how he will change the way ESA assessments are carried out in light of the ruling and asking him to make a statement.

You can read Mind’s response to the ruling here: www.mind.org.uk/wcajr 

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Roger supports proposals to introduce a 20mph speed limit on Birmingham’s residential roads

Roger has written to Birmingham City Council to express his support for the Council’s introduction of 20mph speed limits on the city’s roads in order to improve safety and reduce accidents.

Roger said: “I am really pleased that the Council is considering lowering the speed limit for residential streets in Birmingham. There have already been too many road deaths in the city, and each one is totally unnecessary and a tragedy for the family involved. I hope that the Council does decide to implement the 20mph limit and make Birmingham’s streets safer.”

The Government have recommended that local authorities lower the speed limit in city areas where people live and children play. This has been shown to lead to fewer accidents and fewer fatalities. Pedestrians are much less likely to be seriously hurt in car accidents when the vehicle is travelling at a lower speed. A person hit by a car travelling at 30mph has a 50% chance of being killed, but at 20mph this is reduced to 10%.

Roger first campaigned to reduce Birmingham’s speed limit some years ago. He pushed for the introduction of a 20mph limit on the streets around schools but was told that individual schools needed to make a case for the introduction of limits in their areas. He commented: “It is good news that the Council is now considering applying lower speed limits to the streets around all Birmingham’s schools. I urge councillors to introduce the limits as soon as possible to help keep children safe.”

Under the Council’s proposals, the 20mph speed limit would be introduced mainly on residential roads, which account for about nine out of ten of Birmingham’s roads. Some A and B roads would keep speed limits of 30mph or 40mph, but special consideration would be given to accident hotspots such as busy shopping streets, and to the roads around schools and hospitals.

Sunday 1 December 2013

Roger calls for support for people living with HIV or AIDS to mark World AIDS Day


Roger is supporting World AIDS day and calling for increased global access to antiretroviral drugs to help eliminate preventable deaths. The report released by the UN to mark last year’s World Aids Day found that of the 14.8 million people around the world who are eligible for HIV treatment, only 8 million are receiving it. There were also 2.5 million new HIV infections.

Roger says: “With advances in antiretroviral drugs, HIV is no longer a death sentence—at least for people living in rich countries. However, around the world people continue to become infected and to die needlessly due to a lack of access to medication and healthcare. I am supporting Word AIDS Day and calling on the Government to do everything possible to increase access to antiretroviral drugs in the developing world.”

In the UK, the last year saw the Government announce that the ban on people with HIV practising as dentists, midwives or surgeons is to be lifted from early next year. In addition, studies were released showing that people living with HIV can now have a normal lifespan.

Treatment can mean that people living with HIV are no longer infectious, and couples with HIV can become parents without passing the virus on to their children. However, people with HIV still sometimes face stigma and discrimination.

Friday 29 November 2013

Roger signs up to ‘Save Birmingham Badgers from Culling’ campaign

Following on from Roger’s long-time opposition to the ongoing and extended badger cull, he has signed a petition calling for the ban of culls on council owned land and implementing local vaccination programmes.

Speaking from his Birmingham constituency he said: “The object of the petition is to ensure that Birmingham's badger population is as safe as possible from slaughter and that the already available injectable badger vaccine against btB is used in as many cases as possible”.

He continued: “There is already widespread concern that cull periods have been extended to meet targets and may have to be extended a second time in certain areas. It is widely known that badgers move to and from previously populated areas and that inadvertently they may be changing the goal posts in doing so. This petition is there to remind Birmingham City Council that it cannot just assume that council land is available to reduce the badger population.”

Roger Godsiff MP calls for investigation into political lobbying by the City of London

Roger Godsiff MP is among a group of MPs, academics and celebrities campaigning for the investigation of lobbying by the Square Mile. The group sent a letter to the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, calling for an inquiry into the City’s “unfettered and unmonitored” access to senior MPs through the City of London Corporation.

 The letter calls for an inquiry into the relationship between the City and politicians, and argues that a lack of openness and accountability enables Big Finance to exert too much power over the political and legislative process.

Copies of the letter were also sent to David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg. Other signatories include two other Labour MPs, Green MP Caroline Lucas, lead singer of Radiohead Thom Yorke and the actor Dominic West, as well as academics and charities.

 The letter argues that City UK, which lobbies on behalf of the City of London, promotes tax avoidance and also has too much access to ministers and civil servants. Roger said: “Politicians should be accountable to the citizens they were elected to serve, not to the financial industry which has caused such damage to the UK’s economy. I am also concerned that the City is linked to tax avoidance schemes which have an incredibly damaging effect around the world, particularly on the poorest countries.”

 Roger has previously campaigned for Government action on corporate tax avoidance, and tabled an Early Day Motion calling for a clampdown on the use of British Overseas Territories as tax havens. Speaking after signing the letter, Roger said: “It’s time for politicians to stand up to the City and take action for tax justice and a fairer distribution of global wealth.  A public inquiry is the first step, so that we can find out the full extent of the City’s influence on UK politics and legislation.”

You can read the letter here: www.theukgold.co.uk/letter, and the EDM Roger tabled here: www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/476.

Roger supports campaign urging drivers to turn off their phones

Roger backed a national campaign launched by the charity Brake which aimed to prevent appalling crashes caused by multi-tasking at the wheel.

The campaign appeals to drivers to turn off their phones or put them in the boot, and urges everyone to refuse to speak on the phone to someone who’s driving. It was launched almost exactly a decade after hand-held mobiles were banned at the wheel and is being supported by a week-long campaign of heightened police enforcement across the country targeting drivers on hand-held phones.

Distraction reduces hazard perception and increases reaction times in a similar way to drink-driving, making drivers much more likely to cause deaths and injuries. Drivers who think they can multi-task are mistaken: research shows that 98% are unable to divide their time without it affecting how they drive. Talking on a phone, even on a hands-free set, texting, emailing, adjusting sat navs, eating, drinking and smoking are all proven to increase drivers’ risk of crashing.

Roger said: “Staying focused is vital to ensuring driving safely, enabling you to spot hazards in time and react quickly in an emergency. If you’re using a mobile phone or any other gadget you’re more likely to crash, potentially causing very serious injury or even killing someone, as in the tragic case of a local schoolgirl in my constituency who was killed by a driver who was texting at the wheel.”

He continued: “These tragedies are entirely preventable, and happen far too often in our area and across the country. I’m urging everyone to back this campaign and pledge to avoid distractions at the wheel, to help prevent crashes and casualties in our community. If we all get behind this campaign, we can make a huge difference in making our local streets safer and stopping families suffering needlessly.”

Thursday 21 November 2013

Roger warns constituents about rogue companies failing to carry out Green Deal assessments



Roger has urged his constituents to take care when choosing a company to carry out a Green Deal assessment after cases came to light of people paying for services which they did not receive.

The Government’s Green Deal scheme aims to help people improve the energy efficiency of their homes by installing green technology without up-front costs. Instead, they take out a loan which is then repaid through the savings to their energy bill over a period of time. However, some unscrupulous companies have taken advantage of people’s concern about skyrocketing energy bills and have charged people for “Green Deal” services which have not been provided.

Roger was contacted by constituents who had paid for assessments which were never carried out. He commented: “The Green Deal was a good scheme but, unfortunately, it has become a hunting ground for rogue companies who are out to scam people. Such companies take down payments of several hundred pounds for assessments to be carried out. They then excuse the failure to actually carry out the assessment by saying that there is a shortage of Green Deal accredited assessors. It is completely unacceptable for my constituents to be ripped off in this way.”

Roger has written to the Minister of State for Climate Change, Gregory Barker MP, to point out the exploitation of the Green Deal scheme by unscrupulous companies. He highlighted the problems caused to his constituents by one company in particular, Becoming Green UK Limited. This company claim to offer a “managed service”, and took money allegedly in order to pay an accredited Green Deal assessor. However, the company failed to actually arrange the assessment and instead provided only excuses. One constituent was even left without heating for a significant period of time due to the company’s ineptitude.

Speaking after meeting constituents who have been caused problems by companies’ exploitation of the deal, Roger said: “I urge people to be cautious when paying upfront for a Green Deal assessment to be carried out. Sadly, what could have been a very useful scheme has been damaged by its association with companies which are either deliberately dishonest or simply inefficient.”

Becoming Green drew public criticism in summer 2012, when it came to light that it had been bussing in prisoners and paying them £3 per day to work in its call centre, following which it sacked paid members of staff.

Thursday 14 November 2013

Roger condemns “mandatory reconsideration” of ESA claim appeals

Roger is concerned about the effects the Coalition’s introduction of “mandatory reconsideration” for Employment and Support Allowance claims will have on his constituents. Under new rules, ill or disabled people who are told that they can no longer claim ESA will have to undergo a mandatory reconsideration of their claim before they are permitted to appeal. However, no time limit has been set for how long the reconsideration process will take, and people will not be able to receive the allowance while it takes place.

Roger said: “I am extremely worried that vulnerable people, who may be seriously ill or disabled, will have the ESA to which they are perfectly entitled, and on which they depend in order to survive, stopped for a length of time to which no limits have been set. This seems to me to be grotesquely unfair, and I am concerned that it is nothing more than a penny-pinching exercise by the Department for Work and Pensions.”

Previously, ESA claimants could continue to receive the allowance while their appeal was being considered, but they will now have to either claim Jobseeker’s Allowance or try to survive without any income. However, as JSA is only available for people who are well enough to work, ESA claimants may not be eligible for it or they may be vulnerable to sanctions if their condition worsens and they are unable to search for jobs.

Roger has written to Birmingham City Council to set out his opposition to severely unwell or disabled people’s only source of income being cut off for an indeterminate time period. He commented: “I am worried that some of my constituents might fall between the two benefits, and be told that they are not ill enough to receive ESA but not well enough to receive JSA, with the result that sick and disabled people are left with no income at all.”

“I am also concerned that, if people who were claiming ESA are forced to claim JSA to keep from starving or becoming homeless, despite not actually being well enough to work, the fact that they have claimed JSA may be used as evidence against them when their ESA appeal is heard.”

Roger has called on the Government to provide more clarity about how people in this situation are expected to survive. He has tabled Parliamentary Questions asking whether people on ESA will be able to apply for any benefit other than JSA during the mandatory reconsideration period, whether the outcome of someone’s appeal will be affected if they apply for ESA, and whether the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions will consider introducing a maximum time limit for the mandatory reconsideration process.

Roger said: “I will keep up pressure on the Government to provide full clarity about what people’s options are if they are forced to undergo mandatory reconsideration. I will also continue to challenge the Coalition’s vindictive, unnecessary and counter-productive attacks on people who are not well enough to work.”