Letter from Parliament - Tony Lloyd

Tony Lloyd MP

An important topic this week is modern cyber threats and the need for appliances to meet the proper standards so they cannot be hacked into. Hackers can access your bank account through your wi-fi from your central heating, which sounds incredulous, but it can and does happen. We need robust products and people need to take password protection seriously to prevent this. It was certainly a wake-up call for me as an individual.

I went to a good exhibit at the start of the week about a special comic, Dekko, that has been developed to act as an aid to children with autism and dyslexia. I met with the year eight girl, who designed the comic, Neve Parker Rossie, who has dyslexia and she was so massively enthusiastic about antonyms and synonyms. Neve is a great success story of how these aids can help children like her as she has leapt ahead in her learning now.

The World Health Organisation have estimated as many as 11,000 early deaths in the UK due to air pollution. We have got to meet their guidelines, which Greater Manchester is trying to do, but we need the government to work with us. One hotspot identified is motorways, which run through the Rochdale borough, and busy roads, especially at rush hour and this has to be a priority.

I met with the foreign minister of Moldova about how we can make sure there is a fair election for the country, the former president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, to talk about the current political situation there. I also attended a group football meeting about keeping supporters safe during the World Cup and enjoyed watching the England v Tunisia match.

The Labour Party proposed a motion calling for debate of no confidence in Chris Grayling, after the Northern Rail saga. Unfortunately, the government decided to keep him in post.

I raised the need for accessing the medicinal use of cannabis, which has been in the national news this week after a young epileptic boy, Billy Caldwell, had his confiscated at Heathrow Airport. His mum has had to fight hard for Billy to be treated with cannabis oil.

Most MPs welcomed the pressure to ban so-called ‘upskirting’. I am astounded one Conservative MP tried to block the bill. As far as I’m concerned, he is the parliamentary wally of the week.

There was a debate this week about the need for more money within the NHS. There is a gap between what is required, and what the government have announced, and we can’t let that happen. That gap is the quality of someone’s life in Rochdale, and we need the NHS to fit Rochdale, not the chancellor’s pocket.

Locally, I met with the Chief Executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Gareth Swarbrick, and councillors about the plans to build new homes and get rid of properties no longer fit for the purpose.

I will be attending the local Labour Party meeting, before enjoying the Milnrow and Newhey Carnival on Saturday.

On Sunday, I will be cutting the ribbon for a new walking trail for Rochdale in Bloom at the Spotland Library. A disused field has now been transformed into a wonderful 200m gentle trail, where senior citizens can go for a walk and feel safe.