Simon Danczuk: Letter from Parliament

Photo: Journeaux

Simon Danczuk MP

As the summer recess draws to a close, I am looking forward to returning to Parliament on 7 September.

In the coming weeks, I will be taking part in debates on a wide variety of legislation put forward by the Government.

One upcoming Bill which has captured the public’s attention will come not from those in power, but from the opposition benches.

MPs will discuss the Assisted Dying Bill, put forward by my Labour colleague Rob Marris, on 11 September.

This is a very emotive and divisive issue and I appreciate that there are strong feelings on both sides of the argument.

I have received dozens of emails and phone calls to my office from Rochdale urging me to vote one way or another on the Bill.

Mr Marris has put his proposals forward as a Private Member's Bill, a process which gives backbench MPs the chance to create new laws.

The reality is that very few Private Member's Bills become law because there is so little time in Parliament to debate them.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the debate as it is taking place on a Friday, which is when I hold my weekly surgery here in Rochdale.

If I were in Parliament, I would probably vote against the Bill.

I have examined the evidence and listened closely to the opinions of experts in this area and I think the law as it stands is sufficient.