Representation of the People Act Centenary #Vote100

/

Today marks 100 years since the Representation of the People Act which gave some women the right to vote and extended the vote to men over the age of 21.

The Representation of the People Act 1918 was a vital step towards the rights women have today, and the centenary of the Act is an incredibly important opportunity for us to reflect on how far we have come, thanks to the extreme bravery and sacrifice of the women who fought – and in some cases died – for equality.

Whether it’s chatting about the issues over a cup of tea, or engaging with one of the many exciting events as part of this year’s UK Parliament Week, there are countless opportunities for schools and community groups across Kilmarnock and Loudoun to get involved in this key anniversary.

We all know that there is still more to do, and I look forward to working with people across Kilmarnock and Loudoun to ensure we create an even more equal society.

Parliament are celebrating 100 years since the first women got the vote with a major exhibition, education programmes, events, talks and tours. Find out how you and your community can get involved! http://goo.gl/fGsWHS   #Vote100

Vote 100.jpg

Holocaust Memorial Day 2018

/

It was a privilege to attend the Kilmarnock Academy Holocaust Memorial event on Monday 29 January.

As the Holocaust moves from living history, to just history, it becomes ever more important that we take the time to remember the victims and also pay tribute to the survivors.

I would like to thank the pupils and staff for including me in such an important event to reflect on the tragic events of the Holocaust, and to Henry and Ingrid Wuga for sharing their personal stories with us. #hmd2018

Unsolicited Marketing Communications (Company Directors): Ten Minute Rule Bill

/
Unsolicited Marketing Communications (Company Directors): Ten Minute Rule Bill

I was happy to support my colleague Patricia Gibson MP when she brought forward her Ten Minute Rule Bill on the 13th September 2016 and welcome the moves by the UK Government to clampdown on nuisance calls.

The Unsolicited Marketing Communications (Company Directors): Ten Minute Rule Bill was introduced to Parliament on 13 September and included provisions to hold company bosses personally responsible for nuisance calls, by giving the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) the power to take action against named company directors found to have made unsolicited marketing calls in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

Following the debate in Westminster, UK Ministers have now agreed to Patricia Gibson’s proposal to end the scourge of nuisance calls by legislating for company directors to be fined up to £500,000 each if they are found to be in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. Prior to this, only businesses were liable for fines, many of which try to escape paying nuisance call penalties by declaring bankruptcy - a practice known as “phoenixing”- only to open up again under a new name. 

I gave a comment to the Kilmarnock Standard shortly after Patricia Gibson’s speech:

“Nuisance calls plague millions of people every year and it is wrong that rogue companies are able to avoid paying the penalty for their unlawful actions.
"At best nuisance calls can be an irritant; at worst they can be a blight on the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society.
“If passed, the bill would hold company bosses personally liable for fines imposed for unsolicited marketing calls – elevating the issue of nuisance calls to the boardroom and ensuring that these companies cannot escape responsibility by going into liquidation.
“If the UK government is serious about tackling the practice of cold-calling it should back my bill and give the ICO the powers needed to pursue unpaid fines.
"This would benefit the taxpayer and act as a strong deterrent to firms engaging in this practice.”

If you would like to find out more about the Unsolicited Marketing Communications (Company Directors) Bill the link to the debate in Parliament is here or click the following link to view the speech instead. The Bill has gone to 2nd reading and is due to be heard again on the 18th November 2016.

Notes
To date, fines totalling almost £3.7million have been issued to companies behind nuisance marketing. This year alone, the ICO has fined firms responsible for more than 70 million calls and nearly 8 million spam text messages. Over 114,000 nuisance calls and texts were reported to ICO in the first nine months of 2016. 

Reporting a nuisance call is simple: visit the ICO website at www.ico.org.uk or call their helpline on 0303 123 1113 and they will take it from there.

Read More

WASPI Petition to the House of Commons

/
WASPI Petition to the House of Commons

I am helping to support the WASPI campaign by collecting signatures of Kilmarnock and Loudoun for their public petition at my Constituency Office and presenting the petition to the House of Commons on the 11th October.

I will be collecting signatures at the office until Friday 7th October so if you can spare the time please come down to my Constituency Office at 31A Tichfield Street, Kilmarnock to support the campaign and add your signature to the petition.

If you are not available during the week there is an Ayrshire WASPI meeting that I will be attending this Saturday 1st October at 10am in the Kilmarnock Wetherspoons. I will bring the petition to sign and copies for others to gather signatures.

If you're not able to come to the meeting you can download a petition from the WASPI website http://www.waspi.co.uk/action

If you wanted to gather signatures yourself the petition would need to be brought into the office or posted to me and received on or before the 7th October. Please note that any petition I present has to be from Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituents and have the original signatures on the petition (not scanned, copied or emailed).

Read More

UK's Nuclear Deterrent (18 Jul 2016)

/
UK's Nuclear Deterrent (18 Jul 2016)

Too often today we have heard that Trident is classed as the ultimate deterrent. Yet the great warmonger, Tony Blair, is already on record as saying that it is a status symbol that “serves no military purpose”. What it means is that some others aspire to have that status symbol. We do not argue that we need to stockpile chemical and biological weapons to deter rogue states, so why do we argue that we need nuclear weapons? If we encourage a reckless gambler to play poker, he will not be afraid to go “all in” with his chips, so why do we argue that we should risk nuclear Armageddon as a possible deterrent? That is not the way to go. The only country ever to have suffered a nuclear attack is Japan, and it has never felt the need to get a nuclear weapon as a deterrent against a future attack. Instead, Japan makes the clear and logical argument that we need to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Read More

Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Alan Brown marks Srebrenica Memorial Day

/
Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Alan Brown marks Srebrenica Memorial Day

To mark Srebrenica Memorial Day, Alan Brown MP honoured those who were murdered during the genocide 21 years ago.

The Kilmarnock and Loudoun politician signed the Remembering Srebrenica Book of Pledges, promising to play his part in ensuring that the lessons from the genocide are learnt and community cohesion is strengthened in Kilmarnock and Loudoun.

Today marks the 21st anniversary of the worst atrocity on European soil since World War Two when over 8,000 men and boys were murdered just because of their faith. The Charity Remembering Srebrenica, which organises memorial events across the UK, says that this year it is time to act to counter the rising threat of Hate Crime in the UK.

Alan said: "We must always remember the atrocity and suffering at Srebrenica, and hope that one day all these type of acts will to confined to history worldwide."

“Srebrenica Memorial Day reminds us all that a shocking genocide took place only 21 years ago and this should never be forgotten. I strongly encourage everyone to take this day as an opportunity to remember the victims and survivors of Srebrenica, but also to work together to make our own community a place of safety that welcomes and cherishes diversity.”

Srebrenica Memorial Week takes places from 10th – 17th July, with hundreds of local commemorative events taking place across the country arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations, as well as UK and national events taking place in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast remembering the victims of the genocide.

 

  • On 11 July 1995 General Ratko Mladić and his Bosnian Serb forces marched into the town of Srebrenica and systematically murdered 8372 Bosnian Muslim men and boys.

  • In 1993, Srebrenica had been declared a UN Safe Area, under the watch of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). In July 1995, Serbian paramilitary units overran and captured the town, despite its designation as an area 'free from any armed attack or any other hostile act.

  • Remembering Srebrenica is a charitable initiative part-funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

  • Since April 2014, more than 800 leaders and key figures have gone on Lessons from Srebrenica visits to Bosnia. The charity has also developed education packs on the lessons of the Srebrenica genocide for use in secondary schools in the UK, which have led to over 21,000 young people being educated on the issues.

For further information on the work of the charity please visit:

Website: http://srebrenica.org.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rememberingsrebrenica

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SrebrenicaUK

Or contact Joe Peacock on 0121 454 3343 or email: joe.peacock@srebrenica.org.uk

Read More

Heart Valve Voice - Heart Valve Disease Awareness in Westminster

/
Heart Valve Voice - Heart Valve Disease Awareness in Westminster

I visited the drop in hosted by Heart Valve Voice in Parliament on the 5th July to learn more about heart valve disease in the UK and to help support Heart Valve Voice’s awareness campaign. Heart valve disease affects a high proportion of the UK population, yet it's worrying that there are such low levels of awareness and concern across the country. The work of Heart Valve Voice in raising awareness is very important and I welcome their efforts in seeking to improve diagnosis and treatment of heart valve disease.

Read More

Setting the record Straight

/
Setting the record Straight

This week is Diabetes Awareness Week (Sun 12th to Sat 18th June) and the theme is 'Setting the record Straight'. Many people are aware of the condition but not about how it affects those that have Diabetes.

"...Just about everyone has heard about diabetes. And, with 3.5 million people diagnosed in the UK and a further 549,000 who have the condition but don't yet know it, most of us know a friend or family member living with diabetes. And yet it’s still hugely misunderstood, and there are so many myths and misconceptions out there that this year, the theme is Setting the record straight." 

Find out more about Diabetes, if you are at risk from type 2 Diabetes and how to manage the condition so that it doesn't develop into something more serious and have further health implications.

Read More

Men's Health Week (13th-19th June)

/
Men's Health Week (13th-19th June)

Stress is a major factor in both physical and mental health and Men's Health Week (13th-19th June) is focussing on this to highlight how you can reduce stress in your life and cope with it better.

Everyone has stress in their lives to a varying degree and 1 in 4 men will develop a mental health problem. If thats you or you feel stress is getting too much, find out about ways to beat the stress at https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw

https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/beat-stress-chat

Read More

Volunteers' Week (1st - 12th June)→

/
Volunteers' Week (1st - 12th June)

Organisations across the country are holding events to thank volunteers for their dedication and contribution. Volunteers’ Week officially started on 1st June and will run through to 12th June and is an annual celebration of the millions of volunteers who give up their time in the service of others.

There are a large number of groups and organisations in Kilmarnock and Loudoun, some that I've met recently, that would be unable to function without the tireless work of local volunteers. I am always impressed with the volunteers dedication and selflessness across the board and would like to add my thanks for the good work that they do in their communities.

If you want to find out what’s happening locally or you have an event you want to promote you can find out more through the Volunteers’ Week webpage.

The definition of a volunteer currently used by the Scottish Government is:

‘the giving of time and energy through a third party, which can bring measurable benefits to the volunteer, individual beneficiaries, groups or organisations, communities, environment and society at large.  It is a choice undertaken by one’s own free will, and is not motivated primarily for financial gain or for a wage or salary.’

Read More

Dementia Awareness week (30th May to 5th June)

/
Dementia Awareness week (30th May to 5th June)

Alzheimer Scotland is asking everyone to Challenge Dementia as part of their Dementia Awareness Week (30th May to 5th June) and talk about dementia to challenge discrimination, isolation and stigma.

"With over 90,000 people in Scotland living with dementia and the number set to double in a generation, we need to take action now to support those living with the illness along with thousands of partners, carers, family members and friends. By talking about dementia we improve our understanding and we break down the stigma." - Henry Simmons, Chief Executive, Alzheimer Scotland

You can find out more about Dementia Awareness Week at Alzheimer Scotlands webpage. http://www.alzscot.org/

If you or someone you know has Dementia in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun areathe Kilmarnock Dementia Resource Centre can provide information, advice, personalised support services, or activities in your community.

Kilmarnock Dementia Resource Centre,

8-12 College Wynd, Kilmarnock, KA1 1HN

Phone - 01563 542621

Email - AyrshireServices@alzscot.org

 

Read More

Children’s Hospice Week (23rd to 29th May)

/
Children’s Hospice Week (23rd to 29th May)

Children’s Hospice Week is running from 23rd to 29th May. It is the is the UK's only awareness and fundraising week for children with life-shortening conditions, their families and the palliative care services that support them.
I have added my name in support of the Early Day Motion raised in Westminster this week to help raise awareness of groups like ‘Together for Short Lives’ and ‘Children’s Hospice Association Scotland’.
If you would like to support these worthy charitie...s or want to know how you can volunteer you can find out more through the links below.

Together for Shorter Lives - http://www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk/childrenshospiceweek
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland - http://www.chas.org.uk/
Early Day Motion - http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2016-17/54

Read More

Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination - #powertothebump→

/
Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination - #powertothebump

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched ‪#‎powertothebump‬ as part of their ongoing work to tackle pregnancy and maternity discrimination, a digital campaign to help young expectant and new mums understand and use their rights at work.

Their research shows that young mothers are significantly more likely to experience pregnancy and maternity discrimination, with six times as many under 25 year olds reporting being dismissed from their jobs after they tell their ...employer they are pregnant.

It is based on the insight and feedback that shows young women have lower awareness of their rights, were typically in less stable employment situations, and were worried or lacked confidence to talk to their manager about things that were troubling them – and so felt under pressure to hand in their notice or leave their job rather than raise these issues.

For further information and top tips for young mums please visit the Commission's website:

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/power-bump

Read More

World IBD Day (19th May)

/
World IBD Day (19th May)

A new survey conducted by patient charity, Crohn’s and Colitis UK, has found that 100,000 patients in the UK with Inflammatory Bowel Disease(IBD) don’t have access to adequate care. IBD Nurses are instrumental in improving the quality of life for patients with IBD as well as helping to cut significant costs to the NHS, yet many health services are not offering the recommended nursing level.

The specialist nurse role provides expert advanced nursing care, being the first point of contact and caring, often during distressing times - coordinating often high cost therapies in a cost effective way - as well as reducing A&E visits, with studies showing that IBD nurses help with a 38% reduction in hospital visits and a 19% reduction in in-patient length of stay. IBD costs the NHS £900 million per year, with the average cost per patient being £3000 per year. These costs are comparable to diabetes or cancer as treatment options can include effective, high cost biological drugs and surgery...

Read More

Mental Health Awareness Week 16th-22nd May

/
Mental Health Awareness Week 16th-22nd May

Taking care of your Mental Health is very important and your relationships have a huge part to play in keeping you healthy and happy. The Mental Health Foundation is using the theme of ‘Relationships’ as part of this year’s Mental Health Awareness week (16th-22nd May)

Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week 2016 online through The Mental Health Foundation. If you need more information on who to talk to about your own Mental Health or how to look after your Mental Health check out the links below.

The Mental Health Foundation - Looking after your Mental Health

The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) - Where to go to get help

See Me Scotland - End Mental Health Discrimination

Why don't you take the Daily Relationship challenge?

Read More