Despite the current lockdown it continues to be a busy time in the constituency and Parliament, so here is a rundown of some of this week's events, meetings and speeches.
On Monday I attended Zoom meetings with the Ministry of Justice team along with meetings with Colleagues about coronavirus. In DWP Questions I asked about job support for older people who have lost their job through coronavirus. And in the Opposition Day Debate I pointed out the dishonesty of Labour's claims about Council tax - click here to see this speech.
On Tuesday I attended (virtually) a Holocaust Memorial event organised by the Israeli Embassy - a truly moving service. I sat on a Delegated Legislation Committee to extend the stay on evictions which I know will help to reassure many constituents. I also took part in a meeting of the Science and Technology Select Committee.
Wednesday was the Greater Manchester Holocaust Memorial (virtual) - another very moving event. I took part in Zoom meetings about forthcoming legislation and also met with former Officers from Greater Manchester Police to hear their perspectives on the current issues in the Force including Maggie Oliver. I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity for this frank and honest exchange.
On Thursday I had the honour of speaking in the Holocaust Memorial Day debate, click here to see this video. I also took some time to prepare for next week's Justice Questions.
Friday saw me join the Rochdale Town Board meeting to view the final bid and was an opportunity to catch up with some admin, calls and correspondence.
There has been some great national news this week too. We have reached a new milestone in the vaccination roll-out - over 8 million people have now received their first dose. We also saw the news that the Novavax vaccine has demonstrated 89.3% efficacy in UK trials.
The Prime Minister thanked parents this week for the incredible efforts that they are making to educate children at home whilst we keep schools closed to many children. I too know how hard it is to manage work, home life and schooling and I really admire the innovative ways that I am hearing about how people are balancing new routines.
In other news The Home Secretary confirmed that 6,620 new police officers have been hired, ahead of March's target, this is reassuring progress towards our target of 20,000 new more officers.
And finally, today I will be having a virtual meeting with Housing Minister Chris Pincher to discuss fire safety and cladding concerns. This is something that several constituents have contacted me about so I am glad that I will be able to pass on their concerns to the Minister.
As always, my office remains active during lockdown so if there is anything that I can help you with please do get in touch and I will be happy to help in any way I can.
