Supping with the Enemy...

.. Or so you would think! Today I met Shaun Spears from the Campaign to Protect Rural England for a meeting about affordable housing. We found that we had a surprising amount of views in common - particularly on our desire to provide more providable housing for people as soon as possible.

Discussions on Terrorism with Commissioner Blair

Also on Tuesday, the London Group of Labour MPs met with Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the Met. We questioned him on the terrorist threat and we had a very frank discussion on the difficulties of bringing people to justice on charges of terrorism and keeping London safe.

24 July: Sri Lanka All Party Group AGM

Sri Lanka is one of the places that I feel most passionately about, and I've been chair of the All Party Group for four years now. At the annual general meeting on Tuesday, I was proud to be re-elected as the chair. The APPG does a lot of work in trying to help raise awareness of the deeply concerning human rights situation in Sri Lanka and the terrible conflict there.

Asking Questions about Health

On Tuesday I got the chance to ask a few questions about our local hospitals to the new Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson. I wanted reassurances that any changes at Chase Farm Hospital would have minimum implications for other local hospitals such as the North Middlesex. Here's the text of my question and the answer I received, taken from the very useful theyworkforyou.com website:

Big Wild Read!

Today I took a break today from the usual weighty Westminster tomes to promote some great new fun books for children this summer. It was to promote the Big Wild Read - a campaign to get children along to their local libraries and keep them reading through the long summer holidays.

On Tuesday July 17, I joined over 100 colleagues and attended a reception held by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Libraries in the House of Commons. The campaign, organised by the Reading Agency, aims to encourage children to visit their local libraries during the summer holiday period so they do not lose any reading skills during the break from school teaching. To support this initiative I'll be donating books, courtesy of The Reading Agency’s publishing partners, to a library in my constituency.

I fully support this campaign, and my local library, and am delighted to be donating books to support their excellent work. Our libraries and librarians help children get the reading habit early, are a great place to spend time and learn to enjoy books.

While children are having a great time, they are also reinforcing all the educational achievements in reading. Holidays are a good time to enjoy reading for all of us, and I urge everyone to go along to one of our fabulous libraries to pick up a book this summer. These books look great fun to read, as well as providing educational benefits, and I really hope that they will encourage our local children to get reading!"

Asking Questions About Housing

On Wednesday I took part in the Westminster Hall adjournment debate on housing. You can find the text of the debate here on the theyworkforyou.com website.

Campaigning in Ealing Southall

What a fantastic victory on Thursday, after weeks of hard work by so many people! I was so glad to see that Virendra Sharma (top) was successful in Ealing Southall, as well as Phil Wilson (bottom) in Sedgefield. I spent all day in Ealing, getting a good drenching in the rain (why is it that every time I go out campaigning it rains?!) and I got a really good feeling out on the doorstep.

Meeting with Ruth Kelly

Last Monday I met with sir Alan Haslehurst (Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons) and Ruth Kelly, the new Secretary of State for Transport. We got together to discuss the problem of congestion on the Cambridge - London line, which goes right through my constituency. The trains are so congested by the time that they arrive that my constituents have difficulty even getting on board, never mind getting a seat. Ruth Kelly told us about the new proposals by the Department of Transport to bring in 1,000 new carriages, which will hopefully help to alleviate this problem.

Making Edmonton Green Safer

Also on Friday ( a busy day!) I went to take a look behind the scenes at Edmonton Green Shopping Centre’s new security control room. The room forms the focal point for new security measures that form part of the drive to redevelop and regenerate Edmonton Green.

The security control room:
· Permits 104 CCTV cameras around Edmonton Green Shopping Centre to be monitored in a main control room.
· Allows images to be monitored on a 24-hour basis over 18 screens to give comprehensive, live footage of activity around the centre.
· Has a police viewing area, to allow police to view recordings while live monitoring can continue.
· Provides direct links to the Claverings CCTV control centre in Edmonton. This will allow sharing of video images should a suspect need to be tracked from within the centre to outside into Edmonton Green – helping security not just in the centre but further afield.

In addition, Edmonton Green has two dedicated Police Community Support Officers as well as the on-site security team which operates on a 24-hour basis. As you can see, it's a very impressive new addition to the constantly-expanding new centre of Edmonton Green. It will definitely help to make us all feel safer, which is something we will all welcome.

Here are some photos of the day. From left- right: Me, Rupert Wood, Development Manager at St Modwen Properties. PC Damian Braganza, the Metropolitan Police Safe and Neighbourhood Team, Colin Chatt, Regional Operations Manager, St Modwen Properties.

Supporting Edmonton's Carers

On Friday I went along to Age Concern, Enfield, to find out more about what being a carer involves. I spent time with Jenny Bedford, and her mother, Winnie Bedford. Winnie suffers from dementia, and Jenny cares for her round the clock. Like many carers, Jenny uses the facilities at Age Concern, Enfield, for its facilities and support.

I also got chance to chat to staff at the Age Concern building on Houndsfield Road. The facilities that I saw at Houndsfield were first rate, and provide a unique daycare facility for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and their families. It is vital that these facilities receive continued investment so that Age Concern are able to continue to help the hard-working carers of my constituency.

It was a fantastic opportunity for me to spend time with Jenny and Winnie and find out more about what a carer’s role involves on a day to day basis. There are 29,000 carers in Enfield alone (including 669 young carers) who work tirelessly to look after a relative, adult or friend without being paid. It was great to be able to show my support for these hard-working members of our community, and I hope it will help to increase awareness of just what a wonderful job carers do.

Hindu Tamil Cultural Association Annual Chariot Festival

On Sunday I attended the annual chariot festival at Edmonton's Hindu table, as I do every year. It is always a great spectacle, and luckily the rain didn't affect proceedings too much. Events like this are great as they reflect the diverse nature of my constituency.

Enfield Matters Event

To Southgate College on Saturday 14th July for the Enfield Matters event. The event was well attended and there was lots going on: community workshops, free food, music and entertainment, exhibition stands and family events. It was also good to see that issues such as unemployment being discussed at the festival. Here's me recently with some Edmonton employers.

Fleecefield Primary School's 50 Year Celebrations

On Friday I went along to help the staff and pupils at Fleecefield Primary School cut the cake to celebrate 50 years of the school. I spoke at the event and it was very enjoyable to meet the pupils and see how proud they all were of their school.

Asking Questions about Eco-Centres

Following recent reports in the local papers about the possible return of a smell from our local eco-centre, this week I asked the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what was being done to reduce the level of waste emissions from eco-centres and recycling plants and what steps his Department is taking to prevent recycling plants and eco-centres emitting noxious smells. Here's my question and the answer I received in response.

My Visit to Eldon Junior School

A few weeks ago I got chance to call into Eldon Junior School, to meet staff and pupils. I sat in on a maths lesson and took on the pupils in a difficult maths game! I also went to an IT class and saw how the pupils use their newly-acquired computers for their work.

Mamma Mia! My Visit to Pinewood Studios

Last week I visited the Pinewood Film Studios with the All Party Parliamentary Film Group. The purpose of the visit was to increase awareness of the British film industry and acknowledge the important role it plays in creating jobs in London and in promoting British talent overseas. The studios are mostly known as having provided the location for James Bond and Carry On films, but over the last 75 years, hundreds of films and TV productions have been produced there.

We got a tour of the Pinewood studios, where Mamma Mia – a new film version of the stage musical starring Meryl Streep Pierce Brosnan - was being filmed. We also witnessed various interesting cinematic techniques in action – in particular a scene filmed in a large water tank which was used to simulate a man lost at sea in a forthcoming horror film!

It was a fascinating insight into this vital but often overlooked British industry. I was most disappointed not to bump into Pierce or Meryl but we did get to see several scenes from the new Mamma Mia film being acted out in their absence. It was really interesting to see how things work behind the scenes at a world famous film studio.

I was also really pleased to note that Pinewood has completely recovered from the fire damage that it suffered last year. I hope that continued investment in the film industry will keep these studios producing successful hits for many years to come.

Meeting with the Local Press

Last week a team of local journalists from the Enfield Independent and Gazette and Advertiser came down to the Commons to discuss Edmonton and Enfield issues with myself and Joan Ryan. From the Advertiser we had Nadia Gilani, Kim Brett Richards and Nick Tarver (it was his first day at the Advertiser, so he was really in at the deep end!) and from the Independent Dominic Gover (see pic below) and Paul Dicken. It was a lively and enjoyable evening, and I hope it was productive for all sides involved!

The Young David Beckhams of Edmonton in Action

Sunday saw the Edmonton Rangers Youth FC 13th annual 7-a-side competition. I went along to the event and saw some great footy! I think the next David Beckham may well come from Edmonton if what I saw is anything to go by! Here's me with another famous footballing face, last year.

Nightingale Community Hospice Trust Dinner

Saturday saw the annual Nightingale Community Hospice Trust dinner and auction in my constituency. The auction raised £4,000 towards the building of a new hospice. I donated three items (though I'm not sure how much they raised!). The event took place in the Bush Hill Park Golf Club, and it was a lovely evening.

Tales from a Fast Bowler...

On Wednesday evening, I attended the All Party Cricket Group dinner. We had the legendary West Indian fast bowler, Michael Holding, speaking at the event. In his cricketing days, Michael was known as "Whispering Death" due to his silent approach at the crease and was one of the fastest bowlers ever to grace Test cricket. Nowadays he's a respected cricketing commentator and he had us all in stitches with his cricketing anecdotes. We could certainly do with another Holding on the England cricket team at the moment!

Living with Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Awareness Event

Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassaemia are both things that affect significant numbers of my constituents. I was pleased to be able to attend this event here in the Commons and help to increase awareness of these diseases. You can find out more about coping with Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Disease here.

5th July: Asking Questions about Nuclear Waste

On Thursday I asked the Secretary of State at the newly-formed Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform a question about the storage of nuclear waste. You can see the question and answer illustrated below (taken from the very useful theyworkforyou.com website)

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2007-07-05a.1078.0&s=speaker%3A10372#g1079.3

Citizen's Advice Bureau Open Day

Wednesday saw me making a speech at the Enfield Citizen's Advice Bureau's open day. I was delighted to be able to show my support for this organisation, which has such an important role to play in the local area. In particular, it is critical in helping people who have debt problems, as well as sorting out housing and immigration issues. The CAB's work in collating statistics at a local level is vital, because those statistics are then used to compile consistent evidence for Parliament to develop policy to address the problems of poverty, immigration and housing.

Gordon's First PMQs

Despite the negative response from the media, I thought that Gordon did really well at his first PMQs on Wednesday. I think the Press's criticism of Brown's first Parliamentary outing as PM was to be expected to a certain extent, coming straight after Blair's eloquent farewell speech, but I think Gordon will prove himself a strong performer at PMQs too.

Will Hutton Joins Us at All Party Parliamentary Group on China

On Tuesday, we had a special guest at our regular meeting of the All Party China Group. Will Hutton, Observer columnist and erstwhile editor-in-chief, came along to speak. As the author of The Writing On The Wall: Why We Must Embrace China as a Partner or Face it as an Enemy, Hutton is an informed expert on China and its economy and he gave a fascinating and humorous speech.

Private Equity: Part Two

Another chance to grill the private equity chief executives on Tuesday, at the Treasury Select Committee. The Treasury Select Committee meetings are fascinating at the moment, with lots of high profile witnesses and interesting issues for us to get involved with.

Here's an article from the Daily Telegraph which details my contribution to the committee and the debate itself.

Homelessness and Housing Need

On Monday I chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group on Homelessness and Housing need. We were discussing the following question: " Reaching the most excluded through joined-up services; what progress has been made?" It was a lively and informed debate. This subject is something that people feel really strongly about and I'm glad to see housing need is being put at the top of Gordon Brown's agenda.

Urging the Edmonton Credit Union to Offer Child Trust Fund Accounts

This week I wrote to the Edmonton Credit Union, urging them to consider offering Child Trust Fund accounts for local families. The Government’s Child Trust Fund scheme ensures that all children born on or after 1 September 2002 have savings behind them when they reach 18. Credit unions could help to encourage even more local parents to actively open an account for their children and get engaged with their child’s account to build a nest egg for the future.

In the constituency, 4,238 Child Trust Fund accounts have already been opened by parents themselves – well above average in constituencies. The remaining 1,913 are still to be opened or will be automatically opened by HM Revenue & Customs if the vouchers are not used after 12 months so that no child loses out.

The Child Trust Fund is a great way of saving for a child’s future. All parents with children born since September 2002 will have received a £250 voucher to get an account started. The Government will add an extra £250 for families on lower incomes, and there will be further top-ups when children reach the age of 7. I want all local parents to get involved with the Child Trust Fund to help build a nest egg for their child’s future. I think many more families would do so if they could open one through their trusted local credit union. Government rules allow credit unions to provide Child Trust Fund accounts, so I have written to the Edmonton Credit Union urging them to consider taking part in the scheme.”

Here's what Ed Balls MP (Treasury Minister at time of writing) said of the plans :

“The Child Trust Fund’s success has exceeded our expectations with 2.6 million accounts opened across the country, two thirds of them actively opened by parents themselves. Working with Andy Love MP and local credit unions I want to do more to encourage parents, grandparents and whole families to get involved and make the most of the opportunities the Child Trust Fund presents. Credit unions have a big role to play in helping more families actively use and benefit from the Child Trust Fund.”

You can get more info on Child Trust Fund accounts here.

Questions to Department of Culture, Media and Sport

Before the Cabinet reshuffle last week, I got chance to ask a question in Culture, Media and Sport questions. I wanted to highlight the work being done by English Heritage in Edmonton to improve the facades of shops in the high street.

Here's the full text of my question.

Step Up on the Career Ladder

Last week I launched the More than One Rung campaign in my constituency on behalf of the YWCA. Michelle Dewsbury, last year’s winner of the BBC’s Apprentice, was also present at the launch.

The YWCA's campaign is about giving young women from disadvantaged backgrounds the skills they need to climb off the bottom rung of the career ladder and work towards a better future.

The statistics speak for themselves. Female apprentices currently earn £40 a week less than their male counterparts. 75% of working women are still found in just five types of occupational groups - carer, cleaner, cashier or clerical assistant. The More than One Rung campaign aims to address these discrepancies and help get women the jobs they deserve.

I know from talking to constituents how difficult it can be for women to work their way up the job ladder. The More Than One Rung Campaign will provide a much needed voice for these women – fighting for their interests and helping to put a stop to the discrimination that women face in their careers. I’m happy to help launch this worthwhile campaign and hope that it is very successful. It’s high time that women were given an equal footing on the career ladder for once and for all.

You can find out more here.

Stroke Action Centre Reception

On Friday, along with several other Edmonton councillors, I attended a reception to celebrate the achievements of the Total Healthcare Groups and Stroke Action. Stroke Action do invaluable work to raise awareness of strokes, as well as providing advice, information and support. You can find out more about there work here. The reception was enjoyable and we got a health check, advice and even a relaxing massage!

Smoking Ban Gets the Thumbs Up!

From the 1st July, almost all enclosed public areas in Edmonton will become smoke-free, including offices, factories, pubs, restaurants, membership clubs, public transportation, and shopping centres. Statistics show that nearly 80 percent of the population supports the new law and the 70 percent of smokers who wish to quit smoking also welcome its arrival. The medical evidence supporting the smoking ban is undeniable - smoking and secondhand smoke is simply bad for your health. 120,000 people die each year from smoking related illnesses, whilst secondhand smoke can increase a non smoker’s risk of lung cancer and heart disease by nearly a quarter.

With over one in four people in the population still smoking, I hope that this campaign will have an immediate impact in helping to improve the health of our local residents. I’m delighted that the pubs, bars, restaurants and public places of Edmonton have become smoke free. It will make them a much better place to be, and will considerably improve the health of our borough. There’s never been a better time to give up smoking and I hope that this ban will encourage people to kick the habit once and for all.

Here's me with former health minister, Caroline Flint.