Happy Christmas!

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. I can’t believe that Christmas is upon us again already – the year has gone so quickly and it seems like only yesterday that it was this time last year!

I hope that this festive season brings you every happiness, and that you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas!

Help the Homeless this Christmas

This week I signed up to Shelter’s campaign to highlight the plight of homeless people this Christmas.

A new report from the housing and homelessness charity shows there is still a long way to go to solve the problems faced by people forced to sleep rough or stay in homeless hostels.

Despite setting up the Rough Sleepers Unit 10 years ago, the report shows the Government still does not provide enough specialist help, hostel places or ‘move on’ accommodation. This means many people remain trapped in unsuitable hostels without access to the support they need to turn their lives around.

The report gives 10 recommendations to help street homeless people including increased support and outreach work; more hostel beds and better standards; and more social housing so that more people can be offered suitable move on accommodation.

I'm delighted to back Shelter’s campaign to highlight the plight of homeless people in Enfield this Christmas. As Chair of the All Party Group on Homelessness and Housing need, this is an issue that I am very involved in at Parliament. The desperate days of cardboard city might be a thing of the past, but dealing with homelessness is not just about putting a roof over someone’s head. People need support and advice to deal with their problems. And most of all, they need decent and affordable accommodation to ‘move on’ to.

Let's Stand Up for the "Non-Cuddly" Creatures!

Today I signed Early Day Motion number 423, which pledges support for the protection of frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians - all of the less cute creatures really! I was horrified to learn that over half of all amphibians could disappear in our lifetime. They have been around for over 360 million years, so it is only right that we try to protect them now that they are under threat.

The EDM was tabled by Charles Walker MP, and calls for the Government to avert this environmental disaster and help promote the preservation of the habitats that sustain these creatures. If half of these amphibians do disappear it will be the biggest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs, which is shocking.

I get so many letters from constituents who are worried - and rightly so - about the extinction of larger species like polar bears and whales. I feel that these smaller, less aesthetic creatures are too often forgotten (perhaps with the notable exception of Ken Livingstone, himself a big newt fan!) It is inconceivable that amphibians will not be around for future generations, so I am happy to give this cause my full support.

Christmas Card Winner!

It's that time of year again when I run my annual Christmas card competition for local Primary school children. We had a record number of entries this year- 1213! The winner was 10-year-old Symran from Bush Hill Park School. I presented her with her prize (a painting set) today in a special assembly. We also gave runner-up prizes to the best two cards from each school.

You can see a display of some of the best designs in the window of my constituency office at Broad House over the Christmas period. I was overwhelmed by the response to my Christmas card competition –the best yet! It was great to see so many local schools getting involved. We had lots of fantastic entries – there are definitely some talented young artists in Edmonton!

Meet Lolita, My Humpback Whale...

Copyright: Trish Franklin ©The Oceania Project & iWhales.org

This is Lolita, the Humpback whale that I've adopted to show for IFAW. Isn't she lovely?

The aim of the campaign is to protect this vulnerable species, now being targeted by Japan’s whaling fleet in an internationally recognised whale sanctuary. The threatened humpback has been protected from whaling for more than four decades after being driven to near extinction by commercial whaling during the last century. Despite this, Japan has now added 50 humpbacks to its target list as it sails towards the Southern Ocean Sanctuary in Antarctica to hunt the humpbacks plus almost 1,000 other whales.

Japan claims its expanding annual whale hunts are for “scientific” purposes, but little science has been produced and the whale meat is put on sale in restaurants and supermarkets.

I am very happy to support IFAW’s campaign to protect whales by adopting Lolita. Whaling is cruel and unnecessary and I receive many letters about this issue from my constituents.

Asking Questions About Defence

Yesterday I questioned Des Browne, Secretary of State for Defence, about the capability of the Iraqi security forces in Basra Province. Here's the text of my question, taken from the very useful theyworkforyou.com.

New Improved School Dinners in Edmonton!

From this week, many Edmonton children will be enjoying new, improved school dinners. On Wednesday I went along to open Raynham Primary School’s new catering facility - The Diamond Hall - paid for with a Government Grant. The new kitchen and dining room facilities are very impressive.

Also last week I went to Hazelbury School to see their new catering facilities, which enable them to now make fresh meals on site for the children. I'm delighted to see our local schools taking our children’s health and nutrition very seriously. Fresh, healthy food really helps to motivate children.

The meals I saw being served at both schools certainly looked delicious. School dinners have definitely come on in leaps and bounds since I was a child!

Above: Andy opening the kitchen at Raynham Primary School. (From Left- Right): Joanne Raynham, Head chef, Mrs Marva Rollins, Headteacher, Carrieanne Bishop, Head of Catering Services, Cllr Glynis Vince, Andy Love MP, the Enfield Beast, Paul Smith and Mark Green from Diamond Build PLC. The little girl is Yasmin.

Asking Questions About Enfield's ALMO

On Tuesday I got the chance to ask one of the first newly-introduced Topical Questions during Communities and Local Government Questions about the funding for the Arms Length Housing Management Organisation in Enfield.

I asked Housing Minister, Yvette Cooper:

“The Government decent homes programme has now reached its final stages of bringing all local authority accommodation up to a reasonable standard. If the Arm's Length Management Organisation in my local authority is to be up and running by April next year, it needs an announcement on setting up and on funding by the end of this year. Can my right hon. Friend help?”

Yvette Cooper replied:

“My hon. Friend makes an important point about the decent homes programme, which has already helped literally millions of people into better homes, including lifting more than a million children out of cold, damp or poor housing. We are keen to get the final phase of ALMOs going, and we are working with individual ALMOs at the moment, as some are at different stages of readiness from others. We want to see the £2 billion that we are putting into ALMOs over the next few years well spent, but I certainly undertake to look at the issue for my hon. Friend as fast as possible”

The Enfield Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) was set up by the local authority to manage and improve its housing stock. It is due to be launched in April next year under the name of “Enfield Homes” and will give local residents lots more say and control in how their local housing is run.

The new Topical Questions were only introduced in the House of Commons two weeks ago, in an effort to make Parliamentary business as up to date as possible. They give MPs an opportunity to put questions to ministers without giving them any prior notice. Previously, questions to departmental ministers had to be tabled at least three days in advance, which meant issues that cropped up in the meantime would go undiscussed.

I am really pleased that the Minister has agreed to look urgently into this situation. I think that these new Topical Questions are a great idea and I wanted to make sure that I used them to get across the day-to-day concerns of my constituents. The ALMO will make a vital difference to so many of my constituents’ lives when it is launched, but for this to take place in April, we need an announcement about its funding urgently. Hopefully by drawing this to the Government’s attention it will mean that we see some action on this very soon.