Alison Thewliss

Consultation closes: Government urged to listen and scrap tax credit cuts

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

The SNP MP for Glasgow Central, Alison Thewliss, has urged the UK Government to “genuinely listen” and drop its two child policy and rape clause following “sincere and evidence based” concerns submitted in a public consultation.

After almost 450 days of ducking the issue, the UK Government last month quietly put its “medieval” rape clause and “disastrous” two child policy for tax credits out to public consultation, following a lengthy campaign by the SNP MP.

Yesterday (Sunday) saw the closing date for submissions to the consultation. Now Ms Thewliss is calling upon the Government to reflect upon how entirely unworkable a rape clause would be and how disastrous implementing a two child policy would be for family finances.

Commenting after alison-thewliss-mp-response-to-rape-clause-consultation, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“As the Government consultation on the rape clause and two child policy has now closed, I would urge policy officials and Ministers to genuinely listen to the very sincere and evidence based concerns I and many others have submitted.

“If implemented, we now know the rape clause will almost certainly mean that DWP decision makers – with little or no training – are going to be arbitrating on whether or not a woman was raped and whether or not her third or subsequent child should receive tax credits.

“Designing a policy and consultation which asks some of the most vulnerable women in society how they would like to prove they were raped must surely be one of the most insensitive, disgusting and degrading ideas ever to emanate from Whitehall.

“Research by the Resolution Foundation indicates that the two child policy will push an extra 200,000 children, the majority of whose families are already in-work, into child poverty by 2020. These are the very “just about managing” families that the Prime Minister claims to support.

“Whatever way you look at this, it’s bad policy making, it will be disastrous and the Government must use this consultation response to scrap these awful proposals now.”

Formula marketing law clears first Commons hurdle

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Alison Thewliss MP sitting at her desk in Parliament

A new law to tighten up advertising of formula milk has cleared its first Commons hurdle today. MPs gave their unanimous backing to SNP MP Alison Thewliss to push ahead with her Feeding Products for Babies and Children (Advertising and Promotion) Bill, which she says will “better support all parents in the infant feeding choices they make for their children”.

The Scottish MP, who chairs Westminster’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Infant Feeding & Inequalities, has already secured cross-party support from MPs in the Conservatives and Labour as well as other parties in the UK Parliament. She will now take her Bill forward for second reading in Parliament in February.

Speaking from Westminster after MPs unanimously backed her bid to change the law, Alison Thewliss MP commented:

“Securing Parliamentary approval to introduce my Bill is a big step forward. I hope it will be the first step to give better support to all parents in the infant feeding choices they make for their children.

“Whether parents decide to breastfeed or bottle feed is entirely a matter for them, and I very much respect the choices families make. This is not a debate about breastfeeding versus formula milk.

“I believe it is vitally important that parents get accurate and impartial information on the contents of formula milk and the best way to prepare it safely. At present there is a worrying lack of independent scrutiny of infant and young child formula, as well as growing frustration about the industry marketing tricks and misleading claims being pushed on parents and health professionals alike.

“Misinformation on health policy never ends well and this Bill aims to seriously tighten up the behaviour of the formula industry.

“I look forward to using the coming months to consult on the contents of the Bill. I will continue working with MPs across the House to convince the Government that this should be put on the statute books to safeguard the health and wellbeing of babies and young children.”

Law to tighten marketing of formula milk

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Alison Thewliss MP sitting at her desk in Parliament

A cross-party group of MPs at Westminster will today [Wednesday] start the legislative process to introduce a new law, which will tighten up the marketing of formula milks and other infant feeding products.

Alison Thewliss MP, who is leading with the proposal, will today seek approval from the House of Commons to go ahead and draft the bill, making way for it to be given a second reading in Parliament.

The legislative proposal has strong cross-party backing, including from influential Conservative MP and chair of the Commons Health Select Committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston.

Speaking in advance of today’s proceedings in the Commons, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“I understand there is a genuine and sincere requirement for infant formula milk for mothers who can’t or indeed don’t wish to breastfeed, and any number of circumstances which lead parents and carers to choose formula. I come to this debate with absolutely no judgement or attempt to tell other parents how to feed their children.

“I believe it is vitally important that parents get accurate information on the contents of formula milk, and the best way to prepare it safely. At present there is a worrying lack of independent scrutiny of infant and young child formula, as well as growing frustration about the industry marketing tricks and misleading claims being pushed on parents and health professionals alike.

“Misinformation on health policy never ends well and I believe this requires an urgent change in the law, to seriously tighten up the behaviour of some companies.

“Currently, a loophole allows for misleading and scientifically questionable claims to be printed in reputable and highly respected medical and nursing journals. This is an untenable position and the legislation I am proposing will tackle this issue head on.

“My bill would also mean that the UK fully implements the international Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, which has been called for in numerous reports.

“I am hopeful that the House of Commons approves permission to formally introduce the bill today and let it have a second reading in Parliament.”

Alison Thewliss MP celebrates 30 years of Childline

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To mark 30 years of Childline, the free 24-hour counselling service for children and young people, Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, attended a special event at Portcullis House to hear from its founder, Dame Esther Rantzen.

The event took place at Portcullis House in London, on 2 November, and was hosted by Nigel Huddleston, MP for Mid Worcestershire. There were also presentations from a Childline counsellor and six NSPCC Young Ambassadors.

Dame Esther spoke about how Childline is more in demand than ever before, counselling more than 300,000 children and young people every year. She also explained that since the charity introduced online support and counselling in 2009, more than two-thirds (71%) of the counselling sessions take place online.

Childline counsellor, Michelle Turnbull, who has been volunteering for Childline for five years, gave the Peers and MPs an insight into the counselling sessions. She described the time she took a call from a young girl who was suicidal and listened and spoke to her for more than hour – they even wrote a song together. Two months later the girl called Childline back to give counsellors an update on her progress.

Ms Thewliss also got the chance to talk to children who had used Childline and understand how it changed their life.

Alison Thewliss MP said: “It was great to be a part of these special celebrations for such an important service. Childline provide an excellent service in supporting young people of all ages on a daily basis and I want to thank them for the work they do in supporting my young constituents.”

Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC said: “This event at Westminster was a great way to continue Childline’s 30th birthday celebrations, with Dame Esther Rantzen as always leading the way. It was particularly moving hearing from the Childline counsellor and how she helps children and young people on a daily basis, some of whom find themselves in the most desperate of circumstances.”

During Childline’s birthday week the NSPCC released new data that reveals a 35% rise in anxiety in the past year, with 11,706 children and young people being counselled by Childline in 2015/16 compared to 8,642 in 2014/15. An increasing number of children and young people are being struck down by the problem, with causes ranging from personal and family issues to concerns about world affairs such as the EU Referendum, the US Election and troubles in the Middle East.

The charity has also announced Cheryl as their new Childline campaigner.

Alison Thewliss MP Raises Money for The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal

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Yesterday (Wednesday 2 November) Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewliss, the Director General of The Royal British Legion and over 80 other Members of Parliament raced against the clock on an exercise bike to raise money for The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal.

The 12 hour bike ride was held from 08:00 to 20:00 in Portcullis House, Parliament and aimed to raise money for the Legion’s National Poppy Appeal. Alison Thewliss represented her local constituency by cycling as far as she could in 5 minutes, with the hope of topping the leaderboard and beating last year’s winner David Davies, MP for Monmouth in South Wales, who cycled an impressive 2.46 miles in 5 minutes. Alison Thewliss managed to cycle 1.8 miles in 5 minutes.

The bike ride was organised by the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) in association with The Royal British Legion and follows on from the successful bike ride held in 2015 (where 77 MPs and Peers cycled a total of 128.8 miles in 12 hours).

Members of the Welsh Assembly also undertook the same challenge as the two legislatures aimed to collectively cycle the distance from Westminster to the Somme in France to mark this year’s centenary of the Battle of the Somme.

MPs were encouraged to donate as they took part, with all of the money raised on the day going to help The Royal British Legion provide lifelong support for the Armed Forces community. The Central Parliament Poppy Appeal is the only charity that can fundraise in Parliament.

Alison Thewliss, said:

“I would like to thank the Industry and Parliament Trust and The Royal British Legion for arranging this event. The Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland provide invaluable support to the Armed Forces community; I am pleased to have been able to support such a worthy cause.

Nick Maher, CEO of the IPT said:

“The work of The Royal British Legion is essential to the lives of so many families across the UK and I am delighted that Alison was able to support us in our efforts to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. The support and enthusiasm from parliamentarians this year has been fantastic.”

Alison Thewliss MP supports Macmillan’s coffee morning

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2016-09-30-16-55-49-webAlison Thewliss MP showed her support for Macmillan and helped to raise awareness of the issues faced by people affected by cancer on Wednesday by attending a World’s Biggest Coffee Morning event in Parliament.

More than 220,000 coffee morning events were held around the UK to raise money for Macmillan on and around 30th September and Alison Thewliss MP held a coffee morning in her Glasgow Central constituency office which raised £102 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Following the success of the national events, Macmillan hosted a coffee morning in the House of Commons where MPs had the opportunity to hear about the challenges facing people living with and beyond cancer and to learn more about some of the services that Macmillan provides.

Alison Thewliss MP attended the Commons event and said,

“Macmillan’s coffee morning is a fantastic annual fixture and I was really glad to have the opportunity to both attend one in parliament and host one in my constituency office. It was also a great way to hear more about the support that Macmillan offers directly to people affected by cancer. With the number of people living with cancer increasing, this event is an important opportunity to not only raise funds for a worthy cause, but to bring people together to talk about an issue that will become more urgent in the future.”

Having raised £27 million in 2015 and over £138 million to date, the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is the original and most successful charity fundraising event of its sort. The idea remains simple: get together with friends, colleagues or neighbours to hold a coffee morning and raise money for Macmillan, with every donation helping to ensure that no one faces cancer alone.

City MP welcomes moves for safe injecting facility

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Alison Thewliss MP sitting at her desk in Parliament

Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, has given a cautious welcome to moves to introduce a Safe Injecting Facility (SIF) in the city.

The decision to approve the move towards a supervised injecting facility was taken today at a meeting of the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board. It follows months of consideration, research and scrutiny of the proposal by the Alcohol & Drug Partnership.

Glasgow MP, Ms Thewliss, travelled to Dublin last month to meet with officials, politicians and the Ana Liffey drug project to learn more about SIFs and how they operate. The Irish Government has already announced plans for its first safe injecting facility to open early next year.

Speaking after today’s decision was taken, Ms Thewliss said:

“The issues of discarded needles, the increase in infection rates and drug overdoses are not things people find easy to talk about. It is an uncomfortable subject and for too long it’s been an issue swept under the carpet. We cannot ignore this any longer.

“The sad fact remains that this city has a public drug injecting population of approximately five hundred people, who are extremely vulnerable. I’ve seen with my own eyes people injecting in broad day light near to my office at Glasgow Cross. Dirty needles are regularly being discarded and it’s becoming a major public health risk, not only for the Council staff clearing them away but for local people finding syringes in their closes and near their homes.

“As well as fearing for the safety of the drug injecting population, I am deeply concerned that members of the public could be injured by a discarded syringe.

“I’ve been elected now for almost a decade and can see that this is an issue which is not going away. I’ve considered this very seriously, I can really see no other option but to move towards a supervised and safe injecting facility.

“Research has shown that safe injecting facilities save lives, move drug injecting off the street and open up a vital dialogue between services and drug users. Safe injecting facilities can rapidly reduce the rate of deaths from overdose which must be at the forefront of our minds.

“We need to ask ourselves a very difficult question. If someone I cared about was injecting drugs, where would I want them to be? Would I want them to be on dirty waste ground, in a dark city centre lane or a back court all alone, or supervised in the safety of a consumption room with trained medical staff available and services to help move them away from drugs in the longer term?

“I welcome this very carefully considered step by the Integration Joint Board, believe it will improve public safety, and hope it is a first step to supporting this vulnerable population towards recovery.”

Rape clause – Government finally allows the public to have their say

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

Campaigning MP, Alison Thewliss, has welcomed a climb down from the UK Government which has now finally relented and put its proposed two child policy and rape clause out to public consultation.

The SNP MP has been putting pressure on the Government for the last fifteen months to scrap the policy. Ms Thewliss has also consistently criticised the Government’s lack of consultation.

Ms Thewliss is now calling upon stakeholders, constituents and interested individuals to “pile in” with responses to the consultation and send a clear message to the Government that it must drop the entire policy.

Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewliss commented:

“It’s a small but significant step forward that, fifteen months after exposing this cruel policy, the Government has finally relented to pressure and gone out to public consultation.

“After dozens of exchanges with Ministers on this issue, it has been increasingly clear that this policy was dreamt up in Whitehall and not seriously thought through.

“One of the key points about getting this put out to public consultation means the Government must listen to rape crisis campaigners, women’s groups, religious organisations, and welfare charities who are crystal clear that these policies are unworkable, immoral and medieval.

“I urge all interested parties and individuals to pile in, respond to the consultation and leave this Tory Government in no doubt that their cruel rape clause and pernicious two child policy must be scrapped.”

Alison Thewliss MP shows support for people living with incurable secondary breast cancer

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Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, met with Breast Cancer Care in Parliament on Wednesday 12 October to pledge their support for the charity’s campaign to ensure people with incurable secondary breast cancer no longer get second-rate care.

A survey of people with incurable breast cancer by Breast Cancer Care revealed just over a fifth (21%) of people who previously had breast cancer are first treated by their GP for another condition. More than four in 10 (42%) do not feel their overall care is well-managed and well-coordinated. This suggests people living with incurable breast cancer are not getting the care and support they need.

In addition, a report from the charity reveals that, despite it being mandatory since 2013, a fifth (19%) of Hospital Trusts are not collecting any data about the number of people diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. And almost half (47%) are not recording the numbers fully.

Breast Cancer Care believes incomplete data for the number of people with incurable breast cancer is one of the major barriers to urgently needed improvements to poor care.

Ahead of Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day , attended Breast Cancer Care’s parliamentary event – hosted by Sharon Hodgson MP, co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer and new Shadow Public Health Minister – to meet women living with incurable breast cancer and call for an end to second-rate care.

Commenting on the campaign, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“It is so important to show my support for women living with incurable secondary breast cancer. It is absolutely vital that this Breast Cancer Awareness Month people with incurable breast cancer are not forgotten. It must be made a priority that everyone diagnosed and living with the disease is counted.

“I am calling on the UK Government to do more to support women and men affected by incurable breast cancer and make vital improvements to care.”

Danni Manzi, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Breast Cancer Care, says:

“We are extremely grateful to Alison Thewliss MP for joining us ahead of Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day to show his/her support for our Secondary. Not second rate. campaign, improving care for incurable secondary breast cancer patients.

“There are still gaps in care for people with incurable breast cancer and consistent data collection is essential to enable crucial services and support to be planned effectively for people living with the disease.

“We are calling on the UK Government, Public Health England and NHS England to do all they can to ensure everyone with incurable breast cancer gets the best care possible.”

When time is uncertain, women with secondary breast cancer need to be certain of your support. Act today to improve care, visit breastcancercare.org.uk/secondary

“Blind people should be able to use buses too” says Alison Thewliss MP

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Alison Thewliss MP heard about the importance of audio-visual announcements on buses at SNP Conference last week.

She heard about the experiences of a guide dog owner who had missed their stop and been left stranded on a bus because they were unable to know where on the route they were.

Sadly, this is not an isolated experience: 7 in 10 passengers with sight loss have been forgotten on a bus. Talking Buses, which provide audio-visual “next stop” and “final destination” announcements, are essential for people with sight loss to live independently. Worryingly, only one fifth of the UK’s buses are talking buses, 97% of which are in London. For a sighted person, missing a stop is an annoyance, but for someone with sight loss, it is potentially dangerous.

The MP for Glasgow Central supports Guide Dogs’ proposal to make buses accessible for everyone. Earlier this year the SNP called on the UK Government to make sure all new buses are talking buses, calling it a “life-changing” move. As a result of Guide Dogs’ campaign, the UK government has acted to include this proposal into the Bus Services Bill.

Alison Thewliss MP commented:

“I was shocked to learn when speaking with the charity Guide Dogs how often blind people miss their stop because they do not know where they are. The Bus Services Bill is the biggest reform of buses since the 1980s so it is a unique opportunity to make sure that blind people can use buses safely too. I’m delighted that the UK government has listened and included talking buses in the bill”

James White, Senior Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs, commented:

“Talking buses give independence to people with sight loss, enabling them to travel on their own and reducing stress and anxiety. They also help other travellers including tourists and infrequent bus users to reach their destination safely.

“The UK government have now recognised the need to roll out talking buses nationwide. We are asking politicians like Alison Thewliss to ensure they follow through and commit to making talking buses the norm across the UK.”