Letter from Parliament – Tony Lloyd MP

On Monday, I attended the Ministry of Housing question time in Parliament.

There was also a debate in Parliament about the rights of victims of crime on Monday, where I spoke about restorative justice.

Restorative justice fundamentally delivers to victims the sense that their needs are being taken seriously. That is as important in prosecutions as when there is a decision not to take a case forward, which can sometimes be appropriate.

I am a big supporter of restorative justice as it makes people really understand the crimes that they have committed.

Many years ago, I dealt with a grieving family whose son had been stabbed to death at a party. The charge was murder and the case took many months, as such cases do, to come to court. Eventually, on the day of the trial, the family were told that the murder charge could not be sustained, because the prosecuting barrister had said he could not deliver it on the available evidence. No other charge of manslaughter or lesser offences had been brought, and that meant that the two perpetrators went scot-free. The family were left devastated.

This is a case of human error, but such human error is systemic within the present system. Prosecuting barristers often do not come to the cases until late in the process. We must do something about that. We must begin to put victims first in the criminal justice system, rather than treating them as an afterthought. We are not at that point yet.

I had a meeting with Simon Wessely, a British psychiatrist, who had been asked by the government to review the operation of the Mental Health Act. This is when people are put in police cells when they should really be in hospitals. We want to make sure that people are under proper provision and are treated in their own homes and communities, as people often end up in the wrong type of treatment.

On Tuesday, I went to the Irish Embassy for a St Patrick celebration.

I have pledged to make Earth Hour a priority. I attended a meeting where the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) made a point about needing to protect our natural environment through carbon reduction.

On Wednesday, I went to a Manchester Airport forum, where MPs met with the airport staff to put a case to the government about listening to the needs of the airport. For example, saying how the security can be really slow and ensuring we are not left behind other countries in terms of development. This was an important meeting.

I attended a Parent Kind meeting. This is an organisation who campaigns to ensure that parents are brought into the school system. It is a parent and teacher organisation to help children gain access to better education and to build their confidence. I will meet them again in the future to see what they can do for Rochdale.

On Thursday, I went to a Blue Belt Charter event where we discussed marine conservation areas on British Islands. These areas are important to safeguard as both marine and land environments are under a lot of pressure.

Friday I attended the opening of a new shop at the Shell Garage on Queensway and the evening is the Labour Party monthly meeting.

On Saturday (17 March) I will be attending a flag raising at Rochdale Town Hall for St Patrick’s Day. Later in the day I will be in Milnrow with other local Labour councillors, knocking on people’s doors to ask them about the area.

I will then attend a vigil evening in Milnrow for domestic violence in the home. I find it shocking that two women die every day in the UK at the hands of their partners. These people live in misery because they are scared to death of their partners who are meant to be there to support and protect them.

I am spending St Patrick’s night at the Sacred Heart Social Club at Kingsway.

On Sunday I will be at the Science Extravaganza event at Castlemere Community Centre.