Justice Questions

On Tuesday in Parliament, I raised the case of my constituent who tragically took his own life in Pentonville Prison last year. While we know there is a mental health crisis among prisoners, the provision of support is insufficient and reliable data on the scale of the issue is lacking, with estimates of the problems ranging from impacting 10% to 90% of prisoners.

That’s why I asked Prisons Minister Edward Argar MP if the Government would commit to a full review of the support and safeguarding for prisoners with mental health problems. The Minister did not commit to any such review, but it is an issue that I will continue to pursue.

I also took the opportunity to ask the Minister what the Government is doing to address inequalities in the use of remand. Numerous studies have shown that migrant and minority women are disproportionately likely to be held on remand. The Minister said he would not comment on the issue as it would be “wrong for me to comment on judicial decisions”.

Tragic Incident on A10

I was deeply saddened by news this week that a woman had been killed by a car in a hit-and-run incident on the A10 Great Cambridge Road in Edmonton. My thoughts are with her family at this incredibly difficult time.

Speeding on this stretch of the A10 is an issue that I’ve been seriously concerned about for some time. Last week I wrote to the TFL and Enfield Council asking that they urgently address the lack of safety measures for pedestrians, including the lack of average speed cameras in the area. I hope that some progress can now be made on this issue after this tragic event.

On Thursday, Police investigating the incident announced that they had arrested a teenage boy on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop. Police are keen to speak with the driver of a red Audi who was in the vicinity of the collision at the time and the Serious Collision Investigation Unit is asking anyone with dash cam footage, or who witnessed the incident, to make contact on 020 8597 4874 or via 101, quoting reference CAD 5858/09Jan.

No-Recourse to Public Funds

This week, as part of my role as the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for No Recourse to Public Funds I was proud to host United Impact’s photo exhibition, which showed the devastating impact of the No Recourse to Public Funds policy in practice.

No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is a government policy that means that certain people who are ‘subject to immigration control’ have no entitlement to the majority of welfare benefits, including housing benefits and tax credits in addition to student finance and other measures.

The exhibition by United Impact, a community group of people with lived experience of NRPF, put together an exhibition that showed how NRPF pushes people into debt and even destitution. Without the right to work, or get an education, people impacted by NRPF are often stuck in limbo and unable to get on with their lives. It’s a policy that achieves nothing but has a devastating impact on so many people.

Economic Activity of Public Bodies Bill

On Wednesday I voted against the Economic Activity of Public Bodies Bill, also known as the anti-boycott Bill. If passed, the Bill will force Local Councils to do business with human rights abusers, riding roughshod over local democracy.

The Bill is a cynical attempt to prevent Local Authorities from deciding not to spend public money that may fund settlements in occupied territory in the West Bank that are illegal under international law and which the UK Government agrees are illegal. At a time when hundreds of Palestinian civilians are being murdered each day by the IDF, it is disgusting that the Government is attempting to shut down a strategy of peaceful resistance which has proved successful in the past at ending apartheid and bringing about peaceful solutions to violent conflict.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update, if you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email  edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor

Member of Parliament for Edmonton