Rooted in Dorset, Representing in Westminster
No two weeks as your Member of Parliament are the same, but they tend to follow a pattern. The Parliamentary timetable is like a school term and when we are in session, I am expected to travel to London on a Monday morning and stay until Wednesday or Thursday depending on what legislation the Government are putting forward, or what debates have been scheduled.
Government business takes place in the Chamber, but debates led by MPs happen on the green benches and in the Grand Committee Room, known as Westminster Hall. MPs do not vote in these debates, but they give us the opportunity to discuss local, national, or international issues and force Government ministers to respond to concerns.
Members of the public can attend – or watch live on TV – and they often move the dial on policy, or at least give us the chance to highlight injustice and gain momentum for a campaign.
Once I return home to Dorset, my time is filled with business and community visits as well as holding advice surgeries in libraries, supermarkets, and community centres, supporting individual families with a wide range of issues.
In recent weeks this has included Pensioners worried about problems with smart meter billing, Veterans concerned about the impact of the Northern Ireland Legacy Act, patients unable to access vital medicines, residents blighted by anti-social neighbours, parents unable to access child maintenance from absent parents and communities terrified by masked shoplifters.
With the help of my dedicated team of caseworkers, we can often resolve issues before the need for a meeting but if you live in MDNP and need my help get in touch and we will open a file and if needed, arrange an appointment in the most convenient location.
The one thing I try to do each week is to visit a school. This week, accompanied by two inspirational work experience students, I have visited three – Pamphill and St James’ First Schools and Millie College.
These trips not only give me the opportunity to listen to the concerns of staff and see the way schools represent the needs of their different communities but, most importantly, let me hear the voices of the next generation.
During these Q&A sessions I have just one rule – I will answer ANY question.
I always come away with local issues to fix, but without exception a sense that the future is in good hands. The children and young people are always thoughtful, and their questions ask about making the world better, not specifically for them but for other people. They allow me to reflect on how we address issues of inequality and conflict and provide practical suggestions that can make a difference.
My engagement with one school led directly to how I voted in Parliament. I was genuinely undecided about how to vote in the recent Smoking and Vapes Bill.
My liberal tendencies and my background in local government gave me concerns about how society would manage a future where those born after 2009 being ineligible to smoke. How, for example would a retailer staff their shops with younger staff who could sell but not buy or require ID for those in their mid-life to buy cigarettes.
But the letters and conversations with children at Lockyers Middle School and Upton Juniors, begging for us to rid ourselves of smoking in society – and the absence of correspondence from a single adult with the opposite view – made my mind up. I voted in favour, and trust that the secondary legislation will deal with how things are implemented for the good for the next generation.
Next week will be different again, a trip to HMS Culdrose with the Royal Navy and a rare Parliamentary sitting on a Friday means I will miss out on a school trip but I will be responding to a bundle of hand-written letters from Bearwood Primary late into the evening and doing what I can to leave a better world for the next generation in my actions.
Vikki Slade MP