Richmond Park News: 12 May 2023
RETAINED EU LAW BILL
I have received a great deal of correspondence from constituents concerned about the Government’s plans to scrap thousands of EU laws by the end of 2023 through the Retained EU Law Bill. This Bill could pose a threat to huge swathes of legislation that guarantees workers’ rights and environmental protections.
This week the Government tabled wide-ranging amendments to the legislation in the House of Lords. These amendments mark a dramatic change in approach. The Government is now opting to scrap around 600 laws, rather than the original 4,000 plus. Although I am pleased that the Government have rowed back on their initial proposals, I am still concerned about the uncertainty caused for both businesses and the wider public and also the feasibility of revoking, reforming and replacing so many laws.
I spoke out against this legislation when it was debated in Parliament on 18th January. I criticised the sweeping powers it will grant to Ministers, by-passing all parliamentary scrutiny. A subtitled clip of my contribution is available to view here, along with a longer transcript here. I was also a lead co-signatory to a cross-party amendment which would have required the Government to publish a definitive list of legislation that would be impacted by this Bill and increase Parliamentary oversight.
The Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose this legislation and push to remove as much of this uncertainty as possible, looking closely over the list of regulations due to be scrapped and fighting to retain our environmental protections.
SUICIDE RISK ASSESSMENT
This week, I wrote to the Minister for Mental Health, Maria Caulfield MP, to reiterate my long held ask that a review of all suicide risk assessment tools be included in the upcoming Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, expected this summer. My letter follows the open letter I sent to the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid MP, on the same subject last year, in coordination with suicide prevention strategies MIND, Samaritans and Papyrus, on the same subject.
Shockingly, of the 17 people who die by suicide each day in this country, five are in touch with mental health services, and four of those five are assessed as ‘low’ or ‘no risk’, a statistic which has led me to work with constituent Philip Pirie, who tragically lost his son to suicide in 2020, to improve the system.
Should you wish to read the letter, you can do so here. If you would like to see more about our original campaign, or read Philip’s story, you can do so here and here.
POLICING NEWS
This week, I had the opportunity to meet with senior local police officers to discuss the issue of crime in Richmond Park and the Met's renewed focus on community policing. I know that residents have been concerned about the rise in car thefts, burglaries, and muggings in our community and I was extremely pleased to hear that the force's leaders are working hard to not only ensure these crimes are investigated but also to put new initiatives in place to prevent criminal activity as part of its turnaround plan.
Our local police force has, despite years of cuts and a significant lack of resources, worked hard to keep the community safe. I am glad that despite the immense pressures on their time, senior officers have made engaging with residents a top priority over the past few months. I was pleased to see them out engaging with the community at one of the street parties I attended last weekend.
One call that officers have reiterated to me again and again is a request for the community to always share any information they