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March 20: A week in the life of Vicky Ford MP for Chelmsford

Vicky shares what she has been up to this past week with our readers

Nicola Lloyd

InYourArea Community, Nicola Lloyd

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March 20: A week in the life of Vicky Ford MP for Chelmsford

MP VISIT: Vicky Ford MP at The Boswells School in Chelmsford, with Year 9 students (Image: Vicky Ford MP)

Written by Vicky Ford MP for Chelmsford

In Westminster last week, I was involved in debates on three different Statutory Instruments.

Acts of Parliament which set out our laws, often delegate to ministers the powers to make decisions on detailed areas of policy via follow-up in Statutory Instruments (SIs). Most SIs are non-controversial and move through the parliamentary process without debate.

However, about 10 per cent of SIs require a positive approval from Parliament. Usually, this involves a small cross-party group of MPs forming a committee to debate the SI.

This week, I sat on two such committees. The first was looking at home electronic tags which are used for some convicted prisoners towards the end of their sentence.

The new rules we debated will mean that these tags can no longer be used for those convicted of crimes like domestic abuse and stalking. This is part of a wider strategy to reduce violence against women and girls.

The second SI merged Heath Education England into NHS England in order to help have a more holistic approach to workforce planning in the NHS and reduce waiting lists. Very occasionally, an SI is brought to a wider debate on the floor of the House of Commons in which all MPs can take part.

This happened this week for the discussion of the Stormont Brake, part of the Windsor Framework for reducing the trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain that have occurred since Brexit. I am one of the few MPs in the House of Commons to have been born and raised in Northern Ireland.

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I pointed out that the vast majority of the people of Northern Ireland support the Windsor Framework and the Stormont Brake, that it is also supported by the business community of Northern Ireland and that the deal negotiated by the Prime Minister is much better than most people had expected would ever be achieved.

It is important that this is settled and that the people of Northern Ireland, and indeed the people of the UK, can move on to focus on more important things. The SI was passed by the largest majority of MPs that I have known in my nearly six years in Westminster.

In Whitehall, I also attended the launch of a new Women and Girls strategy from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. I worked on the development of this strategy during my time as a minister and it was very good to see it finalised.

Often where there is conflict, climate change or poverty, it is women and girls who suffer disproportionately negative impacts. Where women are involved in negotiating peace agreements, the agreements tend to last longer.

Where girls are educated, economic prosperity is enhanced. This strategy will put them at the forefront of our foreign policy and especially focuses on the three 'E's: Ending Violence, Educating Girls and Empowering Women and Girls.

In Chelmsford, I would like to thank the politics students from The Boswells School who took the time to give me their views on what my priorities as Chelmsford’s MP should be. Locally, they prioritised my work to reduce NHS waiting lists (which are coming down).

Of the Prime Minister’s top priorities, they felt that the focus on halving inflation was the most important. I asked them which of the national and international campaigns I have been asked to champion they felt was the most important.

They felt that the work that is being done to tackle online pornography was a priority and that it was also important that I continue to try to ensure that the desperate plight of women and girls in Afghanistan does not lose focus from the international community.

Last week's column

In Chelmsford, I met with all the head teachers from our secondary schools on a project to help keep young people safe and caught up with staff from one of our local GP surgeries. I am also helping a group of tenants whose building is going to be without gas for heating, cooking or washing for a few weeks whilst major repairs are being carried out.

The cold period a few weeks ago opened up a number of potholes in Chelmsford. I have been reporting those that are reported to me and it has been good to see that a number of them have been fixed already.

The Government has just announced another £5.4million of funding to address Essex potholes. Please do get in touch if you require my assistance at vicky.ford.mp@parliament.uk.

The Essex Chronicle covers areas including but not limited to Althorne, Bicknacre, Chelmsford, Great Baddow, Witham and Writtle in Essex.

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