Letter from Parliament - Tony Lloyd MP

Tony Lloyd MP

I raised a number of important topics in parliament this week.

In addition to the ambulance service, I brought up how prison education must continue after they are released from prison. All too often, someone’s training is interrupted because they are released and they lose that qualification. The continuation for education both inside and out of prison is important to move towards a better way of life.

The UN must be more active in preventing crises that are producing refugees. There is a real crisis with refugees from Africa and Yemen, plus the Rohingya Muslims. This needs to be addressed and be preventing from occurring in the first place.

I spoke about air quality. In Rochdale, the residents of John Kemble Court are subject to the most polluted air in the borough.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/115274/john-kemble-court-subject-to-the-most-polluted-air-in-rochdale

Air quality is something that also affects the younger population and we need older buses and lorries off our roads because they are massively polluting the air. The vehicles need improving, and fast.

We need Britain to invest to keep our national security intact. I think most of both Conservative and Labour MPs think our defence cuts from the government have just gone too far.

On Monday, I attended the funeral of Tameside council leader Councillor Keiran Quinn at St Ann’s Church in Ashton. He was a very important political figure and his sudden death was terribly sad.

I attended the Rochdale Training Awards at the Town Hall on Thursday, which recognises not only our young people’s achievements, but the dedication and hard work they put in. Well done.

Saturday (27 January) is Holocaust Memorial Day. It marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history. For the past 15 or 20 years, I have signed the commemoration book in memory of a fellow MP who was killed during the Holocaust.

I showed my support for Sudden Arrhythmic Death, which is an undiagnosed heart condition, and met with a father whose young son died as a result of SAD. He was highlighting the need for more defibrillators, which are potentially life-saving devices for people of any age.

I presented a petition to 10 Downing Street against the potential closure of women’s refuges for those who have been affected by domestic violence, which is a topic I have spoken about previously in my weekly letters.

I also met with the Pakistani High Commissioner, and housing lawyers about how their policies affects people both in Rochdale and across the country, and held my advice bureau on Friday.

Over the weekend, I will be meeting with a group in Rochdale about mental health issues and how we can improve access to services. One in four of us has mental heath issues and accessing that support is vital.

I will also be meeting with the residents of Littleborough whilst out with the Labour party, and I will also be meeting with the Bangladeshi community in the centre of Rochdale.