National Family Week

This week is National Family Week - an initiative designed to celebrate families and bring communities together. It's also parliamentary recess this week so I'm in Edmonton and I'm hoping to be able to join in some of the Family Week events taking place locally. I know that there are some storytelling sessions in Edmonton's libraries and an athletics training session in Lee Valley Park, amongst other events, so if you're looking for activities to keep your children entertained during this half term then it might be worth visiting www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk/events.

Sri Lanka: the hot topic

I know I've blogged a lot about Sri Lanka over the past few months but, as I'm sure you'll be aware from the news and from all the Tamils staging a protest in Parliament Square at present, the situation in Sri Lanka is becoming increasingly desperate.

Yesterday I spoke in another debate in the House of Commons highlighting the urgency of bringing a ceasefire to the fighting in Sri Lanka. The conflict area is actually shrinking but this has made the plight of the tens of thousands of innocent civilians trapped in the conflict ever more precarious.

I wanted to draw attention to the role that the new Indian Government, when it's formed after the elections conclude tomorrow, might be able to play in speaking out on the situation and in speeding up the progress the United Nations can make by condemning China and Russia for impeding the work of the UN.

I was also keen for our Government, joined by the international community, to alert the Sri Lankan Government to the fact that, even when the conflict is over, people will be held to account for what is happening during it.

You can take a look at the full debate here. In the meantime I will continue to do all I can on this matter.

7p

It's not exactly a lottery win, but from October, the National Minimum Wage will increase by 7p an hour from £5.73 to £5.80 for workers aged 22 and over - a 1.2% increase. For 18 to 21-year-olds, the rate will rise from £4.77 to £4.83 and for 16 and 17-year-olds, the rate will go up to £3.57 an hour from £3.53. I appreciate that some employees would have hoped for a bigger increase and some employers would have hoped for a smaller increase but the idea was to strike a balance whilst taking into account the current economic situation.

Last week the Government announced that minimum wage regulations will be changed with effect from October of this year so that tips and service charges will no longer be able to be used to make up staff salaries to the minimum legal level. And employers who have shown wilful disregard for minimum wage laws will be cracked down on. In addition, the top rate of the minimum wage will be extended to 21-year-olds from October 2010.

The estimated number of workers that stand to benefit from the October increases to the minimum wage in London alone stands at 74,000, and that means that thousands of low income workers in my constituency will also receive a boost. I'm proud to have helped introduce the minimum wage ten years ago - despite much opposition by the Conservatives - and I'm pleased that the latest increase will add to its positive impact on many hardworking individuals.

Smart meters: save energy, save money

Yesterday the Government published plans that will mean every home and small business in the country will have a smart meter installed by 2020.

Smart meters are a crucial tool in helping Britain become a low carbon economy, but importantly, they will give you the power to know exactly how much gas and electricity you're using at any one time, and therefore cut your energy use as appropriate and save money on your bills.

Smart meters will also put an end to estimated billing which will prevent you being overcharged for energy you've not necessarily used. Plus it will be easier to switch between suppliers and get the best deal on energy.

It's a big project and no other country in the world has yet implemented an electricity and gas smart meter roll out on this scale, but thousands of people in Edmonton alone will benefit and I look forward to seeing the programme delivered.

"Say cheese!"

As promised, here's a photo from my discussions with the Apollo Group in Edmonton on Friday.

Edmonton projects

Yesterday I was invited to speak at the opening of the Mevlani Rumi Mosque and Dialogue Centre in Edmonton. The centre's based on Fore Street and has been up and running for a little while already but it was a good opportunity to take a more in-depth look at the services it offers to the local community. Whilst the centre does function as a mosque for the local Muslim community, it simultaneously works towards community cohesion for all faiths and groups in society and encourages non-Muslim groups to use the centre, as well as Muslim groups.

Today, I was pleased to be invited to take part in another form of community cohesion in Edmonton. Community groups have joined forces with Enfield Homes' housing refurbishment partner The Apollo Group to discuss and agree action on youth community issues in the area. As much as possible, young people will be involved in education projects surrounding the housing work, for example a youth artwork project on hoardings around some of Apollo's development sites. I'll post some pictures on here as soon as I have them.

Brainy Edmonton

Take a look at this! Not only is it a great news story that a two-year-old has become the youngest member of Mensa, but it's even better because the little girl in question - Elise Tan Roberts - is actually from Edmonton and is a constituent of mine. Congratulations Elise!

Speaking out on Sri Lanka

As many of you will be aware, a considerable group of Tamils have been staging a protest in Parliament Square for the last few weeks about what is currently happening in Sri Lanka. I have been involved in Sri Lankan issues for some time as I have a number of Sri Lankans living in my constituency. I went to talk to people on the protest a couple of times over the past weeks and I have been doing everything possible from the perspective of an MP in parliament to try to bring an end to the bitter divisions and conflicts in the country.

On Wednesday I spoke a number of times in an opposition day debate in the chamber on Sri Lanka. I stated that it was important that all parties in the Government came together to send a powerful message to Sri Lanka and speak as boldly on the issue as possible to avoid the humanitarian crisis deepening any further. I also made clear that ending the humanitarian crisis is only the first move and that to avoid another humanitarian crisis a few years down the line, we need a viable peace process, starting with a ceasefire.

"We must send a message that we are friends of Sri Lanka but that we cannot stand back and watch as this crisis unfolds. We cannot do nothing...The UN must been seen to be doing more...We have to say publicly, within the forums of the United Nations, that we as a Government and we as a Parliament stand out against what is happening in Sri Lanka and that we will do our utmost, publicly as well as privately to stop it."

Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary David Miliband gave an update on Sri Lanka following his visit to the country. I was able to raise some important issues with him then and ask him how he intends to go forward in negotiations with the US and UN to try to find some sort of conflict resolution for Sri Lanka. You can read that here.