3 February 2017

* Green peer seeks to transform House of Lords from within

* Jenny Jones: Lords reform is essential for proper scrutiny of Brexit process

Jenny Jones, Green member of the House of Lords, will today (February 3) continue her fight to transform the unelected chamber.

Baroness Jones’ House of Lords Reform Bill will get its second reading on Friday, with reform of the Lords more important now than ever to enable proper scrutiny of the Brexit process.

Baroness Jones hopes to gather support from within the Lords for her plans to replace the House of Lords with a democratic and effective second chamber. This would use proportional representation to elect a new house, but keep many existing peers as non-voting experts.

Her Bill is the first with this mix of proposals to come from within the Lords.

Jenny Jones said:

“I’m not the only Lord who wants to abolish their right to vote in the second chamber, but I’m aiming to be one of the most energetic peers in making it happen. I’m relatively new to the Lords and I hope my fresh approach will help fast track the various discussions about Lords reform.

“The referendum vote in favour of Brexit makes Lords reform both urgent and inevitable. The government could try to push through all kinds of bad ideas on the back of the Brexit negotiations, the Great Repeal Act and hasty trade deals.

“We need an effective and democratic chamber to help scrutinise the secondary legislation and the international deals.

“The Government may well give itself so-called Henry 8th powers to just unilaterally repeal or amend European laws after the Repeal Act passes, opening the door to a bonfire of environmental and social protections. We need a second chamber that has the legitimacy and popular backing to challenge the use of such anti-democratic powers.”

Notes:

1 https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldordpap.htm

Jenny’s bill is the third on a list to be taken at 10am on Friday 3rd June. Nine peers in addition to Jenny have put their names down to speak so far.

House of Lords Reform Bill [HL] Second Reading [Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb]

If the bill is read a second time, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to move that the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House

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Sharon Hodgson MP, Shadow Minister for
Public Health, reacting
to Cancer Research UK’s report into women’s cancer rates rising faster than
men’s, said:

“Cancer
Research UK’s warning of cancer rates amongst women rising faster than those
amongst men in the next 20 years due to a lack of prevention measures should be
a warning shot to Ministers that their policies are failing the health of our
nation.

“Despite
the radical upgrade we were promised in the Five Year Forward View two years
ago, the Government’s mishandling of the NHS has seen this upgrade fall by the
wayside and has been exacerbated by the deep cuts to public health funding we
have seen.

“The
Government has a lot of work to do when it comes to their Cancer Strategy, but
they cannot let it be undermined by weakening preventative measures which can
address these issues at source. Ministers need a serious rethink when it comes
to their approach to public health.”

Ends

Angela Rayner MP, Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on the first report of the Northern Powerhouse, said:

“This report from George Osborne’s think tank is
all very well, but let’s not forget that he was a Chancellor in a Tory
Government that presided over falling school budgets, a chronic teacher
shortage and not enough good school places.

“The Tories’ huge cuts to schools funding will hit
schools in the North hard, making the problems highlighted in this report even
worse. The Northern Powerhouse means nothing unless the Government is
prepared to invest in education, skills and infrastructure.

“Theresa May must take action or the divisions
between North and South will become even deeper, with working people paying the
price for inequality. The Government must stop undermining our schools’ ability
to deliver an excellent education for all by failing to invest in our
children’s future.”

Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Friday reported two human H7N9 avian flu cases.

It is the first time that such cases have been reported in the province.

The two patients are currently stable but still in critical condition.

Local authorities have taken disease control measures.

At least ten people have died from the virus since the start of the year, according to disease control centers in Henan, Guangdong and Hunan provinces.

H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in March 2013 in China. It is most likely to strike in winter and spring.

Two survivors were rescued and seven found dead after a residential building collapsed in Wenzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, local authorities said Friday.

Part of a five-story residential building in Dahui village of Wencheng County collapsed at about 8 a.m. Thursday, burying nine people from two families.

A 63-year-old woman was pulled out from the debris at about 10:40 p.m. Thursday and another female survivor was rescued at about 7 a.m. Friday. Both have been rushed to hospital for medical treatment. The ninth victim buried was found dead at around 10:00 a.m. Friday.

With the help of eight cranes and excavators, more than 400 paramilitary officers, fire fighters, township officials and medical workers have carried out rescue operation.

“The scene is quite chaotic, as if the place was leveled by an earthquake,” a rescuer told Xinhua. “We have to work very carefully because the wreckage of the ruined building are joined to homes still standing.”

One of the adjacent homes, he said, was already damaged with a big hole in its outer wall.

A total of 58 people living nearby were evacuated to safe places.

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the building collapse.