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Monday 15th January

 

  • On Monday the long overdue Animal Welfare Bill was given its third reading in Parliament. The Bill will introduce a ban on live exports for slaughter or fattening from or through Great Britain. The Bill has my full support, though I did vote for an amendment that would have made it easier to add additional species to the bill in the future and was disappointed that the Government voted the amendment down.

 

  • After some back and forth the immigration tribunal apologised for its delay in arranging hearing dates for my constituents and confirmed a date for an upcoming hearing. After 13 years of endless cuts, the Home Office is no longer fit for purpose. It is underfunded, understaffed and under-resourced. The result is that delays and mistakes are commonplace with many of my constituents frequently being forced to live in limbo while they wait for an outcome to an important application they’ve made to the Home Office.

 

Tuesday 16th January

 

  • Sanctuary Housing agreed to send a surveyor to my constituent’s property to determine what actions could be taken to tackle the severe and widespread dampness and mould. Damp and mould can kill and need to be taken seriously by landlords.

 

  • Since 2016 school absences in England have increased by 202%. In Enfield, that number is 87%. School absences are both a symptom of inequality and a barrier to reducing inequality. By failing letting school absences increase out of control the Government is failing our children. Labour has a plan to tackle school absences by introducing mental health counselling, breakfast clubs and a register of home-schooled children.

 

Wednesday 17th January 

 

  • The Department of Work & Pensions finally agreed to lift the suspension on my constituent’s Universal Credit claim after she had been without income and unable to pay her rent for more than 3 months. The claim had been unfairly suspended and the error should have been corrected immediately. This ‘mistake’ by the DWP, which I see far too often, forced my constituent to use a food bank and almost meant she was made homeless. The DWP frequently ruins lives with its ‘mistakes’ and should be held to account.

 

  • On Tuesday and Wednesday this week I voted against the Government’s Rwanda Bill. The Rwanda Bill legislates a legal fiction, reversing the Supreme Court’s factual assessment of the risk of harm in Rwanda without properly addressing the Court’s concerns about the Rwanda asylum system. Even so, it’s likely that the planned deportation flights to Rwanda will still face legal challenges and may never get off the ground. This is all a distraction. A gimmick that may result in flights taking off to Rwanda but will do nothing to tackle the global refugee crisis.

 

 

Thursday 18th January 

 

  • Following urgent representations from my office, Swale Heating attended my constituent’s property to ensure that the heating was fixed. Every year thousands of elderly people die as a result of the cold, often because they cannot afford to heat their home or their heating is broken. In the 5th richest country in the world, nobody needs to die as a result of the cold. Everybody has a right to warm home and we must do more to ensure that right is realised for everybody.

 

  • The Home Office agreed to expedite two visa applications for different constituents, which means that one of my constituents can visit a family member abroad who is seriously ill and for the other, can attend a parent’s funeral. I know how much making these trips means to my constituents and I’m glad to have been able to assist them in this instance.

 

Friday 19th January 

 

 

  • This week I was contacted by more than 350 constituents. The most common issue is the ongoing case against Israel for the crime of Genocide, which has been brought by South Africa in the International Court of Justice. The case against Israel is strong. Israel’s top officials have made repeated statements of genocidal intent which has been followed by a campaign of destruction which has made life untenable throughout Gaza. Almost 25,000 Palestinians have been murdered with no other conflict in this century having seen as many people die at this rate each day. Whatever the interim and final judgment made by the ICJ, the slaughter being carried out by Israel in Palestine is intolerable. It must be end and those responsible must be held to account.

 

  • I was pleased to be able to visit Kingsmead School on Friday to take questions from students on a range of topics, including crime, housing, education and the environment. Pupils are under incredible pressure with increasingly intense exams combined with more competition than ever for university places and the prospect of entering a dysfunctional work force at the end of it. Another reminder of why working for a Labour government this year is so important. It’s our future which is up for grabs.

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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 Parliame

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