10th January 2022: A Week in Parliament
/New Year
Happy New Year. Again, we go into a new year and hope it is better than the one previously in terms of covid impacts. We may have some limited restrictions at the moment that are causing frustration. January 2021, we were in the grips of another lockdown, and record numbers of people were being admitted into hospital. This time around, it does seem true that the Omicron variant is milder than the other strains. However, hospital numbers are still at the level of February 2021. It is therefore very serious with people still getting so ill they are being admitted to hospital. This means a continued strain on the Scottish NHS – it means with people being off ill, fewer staff are dealing with these near-record numbers and other general services are affected or delayed. This is the reality of Omicron and we should not be dismissive of it and the impact. The amount of people contracting it is scary. At the time of writing, it is estimated that 1 in 20 people in Scotland have Omicron. In London, it is 1 in 10. Astonishing, and I am certainly not looking forward to mixing with people in London!
Pre-Christmas I was disappointed to have to cancel our office Christmas lunch. So, I am looking forward to rewarding staff when the current restrictions are lifted. Hopefully, some hospitality venues will benefit from other people doing likewise at a time that perhaps the venues would traditionally be quiet.
Pensions Spokesperson
I have been given an additional Spokesperson role – that of Pensions Spokesperson. It is challenging but a role I will relish. I have already been involved with the WASPI women campaign and this will continue. I intend to do more work looking at pension policies in other countries – the UK has one of the worst pensions in the world compared to the average working salary of the country. It is outrageous and an inequity I want to highlight. Worse, the UK Government has effectively cut the rate of pensions by £500 per year at the last budget. If you are a pensioner or approaching pension age, you should be outraged at this robbery. Taking £500 out of your pocket at a time when the cost of living is going through the roof. Help is needed, not taking money away from hard-pressed pensioners.
BEIS Committee Enquiry
A new BEIS Committee enquiry is looking at the current cost of the energy crisis and importantly how the market is operating and whether changes are required. Nearly 30 energy companies have gone bust this year. That in itself suggests market failure. Some people have been protected by the price cap, but if the UK Government does not intervene, the cap will increase by around £500 this April. It is estimated that the number of people in fuel poverty within the UK will increase from four million to six million. That is a 50% increase. Urgent Government action is required, using all the additional revenues they have collected from the crisis, including a predicted £6billion additional oil and gas revenues.
