Alison Thewliss

Budget: Missed opportunity to scrap rape clause

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Alison Thewliss MP joins supporters at the launch of her campaign to scrap the rape clause

Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, has expressed her “sheer desolation” following the Chancellor’s budget statement today (Wednesday).  Despite making his budget statement to Parliament on International Women’s Day, Phillip Hammond MP did not use the budget as an opportunity to scrap the Government’s controversial rape clause and two child policy.  The Glasgow MP said today’s “missed opportunity” was an insult to women all across the UK who were celebrating International Women’s Day.

In the George Osborne’s budget of July 2015 – and buried within the small print – the UK Government announced plans to restrict tax credit payments to two children per family and force women to provide evidence of exceptional circumstances, such as rape, to claim tax credits for a third child from April 2017.

Commenting from Westminster after the Chancellor delivered his budget speech to Parliament, Ms Thewliss said:

“Today’s budget was a real missed opportunity for Phillip Hammond and Theresa May to do the honourable thing and scrap the UK Government’s pernicious two child policy and medieval rape clause.

“I cannot begin to describe the sheer desolation I felt when I looked at the UK Government’s Red Book today of all days – International Women’s Day – and saw that this callous Chancellor is still intending to make women prove they’ve been raped in order to receive tax credits.

“I’ve spent over a year and a half campaigning against this appalling policy, and I still cannot believe that any Government would think it’s acceptable to put women and their families through such incredible pain and misery.

“Although they’ve not yet laid the necessary statutory instrument before Parliament, it’s looking increasingly likely that the UK Government is planning to implement the rape clause on the April 6th.  I urge the Tories, even at this late stage, to reconsider their cruel, anti-women policy.”

MP supports campaign to boost number of female engineers in the UK

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To mark International Women’s Day, Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, is supporting the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) #9percentisnotenough campaign to tackle the gender diversity issue in UK engineering, which is compounding the engineering skills shortage.

#9percentisnotenough is the ‘rallying call’ behind the IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards (YWE), which identify and celebrate the best female engineering talent. The 2017 Awards are launched today, and the IET is calling on successful and inspirational young female engineers to enter and become much-needed roles to help inspire more girls to become engineers.

The Awards, which have been running for 40 years this year, demonstrate to young women and girls across the UK that engineering is a diverse and exciting industry offering creative and challenging careers. Recognising and celebrating outstanding female engineers has never been so important. Statistics from the IET’s Skills and Demand in Industry survey showed that women represent only 9% of the engineering workforce in the UK*.

#9PercentIsNotEnough has been encouraging engineers to share a picture with their hand raised to the fact that only 9% of women make up the UK’s engineering and technology workforce – and to highlight that engineering is a realistic and inspiring career for girls.

President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Jeremy Watson CBE, said: “Women are woefully underrepresented in engineering. In a profession with a serious skills shortage, this represents a problem for the economy as well as for diversity.

“So to coincide with International Women’s Day, we want to make it clear that engineering is a fantastic career for women. Not only that – but there are thousands of female engineers doing amazing things that are changing our world.

“The Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards celebrate our best female engineering talent and finds those all-important engineering role models to inspire more girls – and boys – to go into engineering. We’re very grateful for Alison Thewliss MP’s support for our campaign.”

Current IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year, Jenni Sidey, added:

“The IET’s efforts in diversity in the field are not just good for the profession but a necessity for the UK to be a competitive innovator and global technological leader.”

The deadline for entry to the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards is 7 July 2017. For more information, visit the IET’s website.

Council refuses to green light student accommodation

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Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, and Angus Millar, SNP councillor for Anderston/City ward, have welcomed the decision by Glasgow city councillors today (Tuesday) not to grant permission for a student accommodation development in Glasgow city centre.

Thewliss, who along with many other local residents and organisations, objected to the proposals to build a large student accommodation complex directly in front of Glasgow School of Art’s iconic Mackintosh building.

Councillors on the planning committee met today and refused to give the green light to developers.

Ms Thewliss said:

“Like many others, I was pleased to learn today that permission has not been granted for yet another monolithic student development which would dwarf an iconic part of Glasgow’s skyline.

“The decision not to grant planning permission is very much welcomed. Moving this application to a full hearing will provide an opportunity to further expose the folly of these plans, and highlight the significant misgivings the local community have about this wholly inappropriate development.

“The wider point to all of this is that our city centre has become entirely saturated with student accommodation. Without a comprehensive student housing strategy in Glasgow, there is no means of establishing the need for this type of accommodation; throwing up endless student blocks in the city centre simply isn’t the answer.”

Anderston/City SNP councillor Angus Millar, who also lodged an objection to the proposals, added:

“I am pleased that this application has been knocked back to a planning hearing, and as a local councillor I hope to attend and argue against these proposals, which are overwhelmingly opposed by the community.

“The Mackintosh Building is a unique part of Glasgow’s cultural heritage and any development must respect and enhance the character of the area – unlike these deeply damaging plans to throw up yet more private student accommodation.”

Use Budget to scrap the rape clause

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Alison Thewliss MP joins supporters at the launch of her campaign to scrap the rape clause

On the eve of Philip Hammond’s Budget, Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, has called on the Chancellor to use this vital opportunity to ditch the UK Government’s planned two child policy and rape clause.

With just under a month left until the policy comes into force, the campaigning MP has written to the Treasury, calling upon Chancellor to seize the moment presented by Wednesday’s budget and scrap this pernicious policy, which is opposed by women’s organisations, faith leaders, trade unions, MPs and MSPs from across the political divide.

Ms Thewliss has highlighted the growing concerns regarding delivery of the policy from civil service unions and from respondents to the government’s consultation on this issue. She has also pointed out the Government’s poor preparations for implementing the policy, with no additional training offered for the thousands of healthcare professionals, police officers and social workers who will be tasked with carrying out assessments of vulnerable women and arbitrating on whether or not their circumstances are consistent with rape.

Commenting prior to the Budget Statement, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“With under a month left until the two child policy and rape clause comes into force, it remains the case that this policy is immoral and unworkable. The public have had their say and they are clear – this policy stigmatises vulnerable women and must be consigned to the Downing Street dustbin.

“Serious questions remain about the implementation of the policy, with hundreds of thousands of third party professionals left without the promised training in the policy, and growing opposition from civil servants’ unions. The UK Government is still to introduce the necessary legislation to allow the policy to proceed in 23 days’ time, which underlines my belief that Ministers are slowly realising that this policy is a cruel and unfeasible way to cut benefits.

“With his upcoming budget, the Chancellor has a critical opportunity to save face for this heartless Government and ditch the two child policy and rape clause. I encourage him to do so when he comes before Parliament to deliver his Budget statement.”

City MP urges council to reject student housing planning application

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On the eve of a meeting of Glasgow City Council’s planning committee, the MP for the city centre has issued a last minute plea to Councillors to reject a planning application that would “dwarf” the city’s historic Mackintosh building.

A proposal will go before Councillors tomorrow which, if approved, would allow a large student housing development to be built immediately to the south of Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building.

Alison Thewliss MP said:

“This development is completely and utterly inappropriate and should be rejected without hesitation. The fact that so many objections have been submitted should speak volumes to the city’s planning committee.

“I visited Glasgow School of Art only recently and it’s absolutely clear that this development would significantly dwarf this unique Grade A listed building. The Mackintosh building is a precious part of Glasgow’s skyline and this should be protected. The scale of the proposed development would also restrict light into the building, which is crucial to the functioning of the School of Art.

“Glasgow is becoming saturated with student accommodation, with little assessment of either the need for this, the impact on local communities or on the wider landscape of the city.

“I hope the Council will take on board the significant concerns raised and throw these plans out unconditionally”.

Under a month until rape clause – Government has no plan in place

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A campaigning MP has reacted with fury in response to a series of written answers to parliamentary questions which show that – with less than a month until the controversial two child policy and rape clause comes into force – the Government is still no further forward in protecting victims of rape.

Alison Thewliss, the SNP MP who first drew attention to the Government’s ‘barbaric’ proposal, had already forced Ministers into a number of corners – first by sparking a United Nations committee probe into the policy, followed by a climb down by Ministers who had to put the policy out to public consultation, despite originally refusing to do so.

In response to the consultation, Ministers indicated it planned to implement a third party professional reporting system, whereby healthcare professionals, counsellors and social workers would be asked by the DWP to arbitrate whether or not a woman’s circumstances were consistent with having been raped.

The bombshell answers given to Ms Thewliss by Ministers indicate that no training has yet been provided to the hundreds of thousands of social workers, doctors and nurses who will be responsible for judging whether or not a woman has been raped.

Alison Thewliss MP said:

“Over a year and a half ago, I exposed this Government’s barbaric plans to limit tax credits to two children per family and ask survivors of rape – whose child had been conceived as a result of sexual violence – to prove it in order to receive tax credits. Throughout this entire time, it’s been abundantly clear that this policy is immoral and unworkable.

“Even by the UK Government’s standards, this is a total mess. These plans are due to come into force in just 27 days and hundreds of thousands of third party professionals haven’t had the training in the policy which was promised. This puts these frontline workers in an incredibly difficult position should a woman come forward to present a claim.

“Any woman making a claim under the rape clause will already have been through unimaginable trauma, and will expect officials to understand the policy and be able to support her. Without training and guidelines, this is impossible; it will only serve to make that woman feel more stigmatised and vulnerable.

“Other departments in Whitehall are openly distancing themselves from the policy and the UK Government hasn’t even laid the necessary regulations before Parliament which would enable this to happen. This is ridiculous when you consider that it’s due to be implemented in just under a month.

“I suspect UK Government Ministers know this is an unworkable, cruel, policy which will cause untold pain and stress for rape survivors. They have had quite long enough to figure this out, and if Ministers don’t voluntarily drop this policy, I’ll be submitting requests to drag Ministers before the despatch box in Parliament every day until they do.”

Thewliss in Kit House Factory visit

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Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, recently visited the CCG off site manufacturing factory in Glasgow, which produced many of the homes in the Dalmarnock Athletes’ Village.

Thewliss is a member of the Commons Communities and Local Government select committee, which is currently undertaking an inquiry into the housebuilding industry. She has hailed CCG’s house building techniques as being revolutionary and a model which others should look to.

CCG has a well-developed model of building timber properties within its Glasgow factory. The facility stretches to 130,000 square feet and is capable of producing over 3,000 buildings every year.

Alison Thewliss MP said:

“My visit to CCG was absolutely fascinating – the work they are doing is nothing short of revolutionary and it’s great to see such a high quality product being assembled quite so rapidly. CCG have worked hard to make house building more efficient, dramatically reducing the time taken to construct new homes.

“CCG is a remarkable firm based in Glasgow with over 600 employees and a turnover of £120 million per year. I was particularly impressed with the strong emphasis they’ve put on training and apprenticeships, which will go some way to dealing with some of the skills shortages within the construction industry.

“As the CLG committee continues to look at capacity in the housebuilding industry, I am very hopeful that we’ll be able to take a closer look at the impressive work CCG is doing in Scotland.”

MP visits Youth Community Support Project

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Glasgow Central MP, Alison Thewliss, recently visited YCSA, a youth community initiative which is based in the Pollokshields area of her constituency.

Youth Community Support Agency (YCSA) is a leading BME charity with 20 years of experience, focussing on empowering young people in a variety of ways including support in education, the arts, and employability.

Visiting the project, Ms Thewliss learned more about the charity and spent more than an hour doing a question and answer session with over 20 young people supported by the project.

Commenting after her visit to YCSA, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“I was so grateful to Clare and her colleagues at YCSA for such a warm welcome to the project. I was particularly impressed with the wide range of questions from all of the young people whose lives are being changed for the better by this fantastic community initiative.

“I would urge anyone who has an interest in supporting or learning more about YCSA, to visit their website – this is a fabulous community group which is doing valuable work.”

This MP Can: Alison Thewliss MP supports This Girl Can campaign

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Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewliss MP has lent her support to the This Girl Can campaign, which is helping millions of women and girls get active.

Sport England first launched the campaign in 2015 in response to the fact fewer women than men were regularly active – despite 75 per cent saying they would like to do more. It has received widespread praise for its realistic and empowering portrayal of women and girls, and to date has encouraged more than 2.8 million women to take up more sport or physical activity as a result.

Alison Thewliss MP met the This Girl Can team in Parliament to mark the launch of the next phase of the National Lottery funded campaign. With a range of new adverts featuring real women and girls playing sport and taking part in activities, from rugby to roller derby to ju-jitsu and mum and baby classes, This Girl Can is proving that no matter what your age, ability or interest is, there is an activity for everyone.

Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewliss MP said:

“I’m proud to support the This Girl Can campaign to get more women and girls active. The record numbers of women playing sport show that This Girl Can has really struck a chord but clearly more needs to be done. I am delighted that This Girl Can is showing a variety of sports that can be enjoyed at any stage of life, regardless of age, ability or experience.“

Alison Thewliss MP and Jason Isaacs ‘Make Every Daffodil Count’ for Marie Curie this March

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Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, and Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs have joined forces to ‘Make Every Daffodil Count’ this March and help Marie Curie provide care and support to people living with a terminal illness.

Ms Thewliss and long-term Marie Curie supporter Jason Isaacs were pictured together with Marie Curie Nurses, Sally Monger-Godfrey and Lib Wolley at a parliamentary event in Westminster to celebrate the launch of the Great Daffodil Appeal, Marie Curie’s biggest annual fundraising campaign.

Ms Thewliss pledged her support to the appeal and is encouraging local people to help the charity raise more money than ever before by simply giving a donation and wearing a Marie Curie daffodil pin, available from volunteers across the country, or Superdrug, Spar and Poundworld stores, and Wyevale Garden Centres, during March. Morrison’s supermarkets will also be holding GDA fundraising collections on 10, 11 & 12 March.

Commenting on the appeal, Ms Thewliss said:

“Marie Curie provide excellent care and support for those facing terminal illness. I know from speaking to Marie Curie nurses at this event that they put in a tremendous amount of work to support people with the pain and suffering that comes with terminal illness. I’m delighted to support the Marie Curie Appeal and I encourage all my constituents to help raise money for Marie Curie this March.”

Jason Isaacs, who is best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, said:

“I’m delighted to be joined by Alison Thewliss MP to help launch Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal.

“Please help us make every daffodil count. The charity is also calling on more people to help with local collections. Volunteering a couple hours of your time will make such a difference to the care and support that Marie Curie can provide.”

Scott Sinclair, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Marie Curie, said:

“Having the support of Alison Thewliss MP and Jason Isaacs makes a huge difference to Marie Curie in terms of raising awareness about what we do and helping us to reach more people who need us.

“One in four people miss out on the care and support they need at the end of life. We don’t think that’s good enough. That’s why we are asking MPs to help support our annual Marie Curie fundraising appeal to help enable us to reach more people affected by terminal illness.”

“Our services rely on charitable donations, so I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who gives a donation and wears a daffodil pin during March.”

Sally Monger Godfrey, Marie Curie Nurse and face of The Great Daffodil Appeal, said:

“Make every daffodil count. Your daffodil means I can care for someone in their own home, and be there for them through the night. You make a difference to people at the end of their lives, which in many ways is just as important as at the start.”

For more information about volunteering for a local collection call 0800 304 7025 or visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil.