26 June 2017

The Green Party has responded to news the Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan is not guaranteed to be published this year. [1]

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“This is another example of the recklessness that comes with Gove’s appointment as Environment Secretary. He is clearly intent on playing fast and loose with the environment at a time when we need a safe pair of hands.

“The 25-Year Environment Plan is already long overdue and yet another delay compounds concerns that Gove will slash environmental protections and make the environment subservient to his wider political agenda. The Plan must be published as a matter of urgency. The need for a new Environment Protection Act is also clearly greater than ever.”

Notes:

1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/michael-gove-25-year-environment-plan-delay-government-climate-change-brexit-a7807781.html

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26 June 2017

*Co-leader Jonathan Bartley: “No other party appears to be engaging with the magnitude of the problem”

The Green Party has renewed its call for investment in the NHS and the end of privatisation following comments by the British Medical Association that the NHS is ‘running on fumes’ [1].

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“Jeremy Hunt must listen to staff and patients on the frontline who are experiencing day in and day out the effects of a two pronged attack on our health service in the form of chronic underinvestment and privatisation. Attempts to further privatise our health service in an illusory quest for greater ‘efficiency savings’ are clearly counterproductive. There is also a clear alternative to starving the NHS of funding it so desperately needs. These are political choices, and there are other options.

“The NHS is indeed running on fumes, and no other party appears to be engaging with the magnitude of the problem. It is time not just to fill up the tank again, but replace the engine with one fit for the modern era.

“The Green Party is also the only party proposing to properly fill the funding gap and would invest more money year on year than any other party. This includes scrapping Trident renewal which alone would give the NHS the kiss of life it desperately needs, providing an extra £3.6bn every year which would pay for 85,000 nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals. But as well as reversing privatisation and reinstating a publicly run NHS, we should give patients, staff and others at the frontline a greater voice and control in running of our health service.”                                                    

Notes:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40401311

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23 June 2017

* Lucas: “Consumers and taxpayers are going to be ripped off by this absurd project”

Caroline Lucas, the co-leader of the Green Party, has responded to a report by the National Audit Office on Hinkley Power Station. The report says that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s deal for Hinkley Point C has locked consumers into a ‘risky and expensive project’ with uncertain strategic and economic benefits.[1]

The multibillion pound project at Hinkley is currently supported by both Labour and the Coservatives, but opposition to the plans is expected to grow as the costs soar. 

Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“The National Audit Office’s damning report confirms what many of us have been saying for a long time: the Hinkley deal is overpriced and risky. Not only are consumers and taxpayers going to be ripped off by this absurd project but it will also divert resources away from building the clean energy infrastructure we need, and threaten our climate change targets because of the snail’s pace at which it will be built.

“The fight against Hinkley isn’t over – and we will be joining campaigners in continuing to highlight the major shortcomings of this project. This is a crossroads for Britain – and the signing of this deal has seen us swerve down the wrong path. By reversing this decision we can put the resources needed into building a decentralized energy system where Britain puts to use its most abundant resources: the sun, sea and wind.”

[1] Report available from the National Audit Office

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22 June 2017

The Green Party has welcomed the government’s amnesty for undocumented migrants affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower but says the reprieve does not go far enough.

The party says that it has spoken to victims of the fire who are worried that they were in breach of their tenancy and as a result do not want to come forwards to ask for information about missing friends and family.

The discovery may help to explain why the death toll remains so uncertain as it appears some tenants were subletting their flats or had more people living in them than they had officially declared.

The Green Party has called on the government to extend its amnesty for undocumented migrants to survivors who were in breach of their tenancy and any welfare or benefits related claims.

The party has also asked the government to confirm exactly what legal costs they intend to cover for survivors. Cuts to legal aid mean many residents will struggle to get advice and representation on issues like the replacement of lost documents, seeking insurance compensation, and negotiating time off work with employers. Many lawyers have also raised concerns that residents’ views will not be fully taken into account in any public inquiry if they cannot get legal advice [1].

In a letter [2] to Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Co-Leader of the Green Party Caroline Lucas said:

“In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, I am hearing reports from volunteers in the community that some survivors are reluctant to officially report friends and family members as missing because they fear the consequences of revealing that eg flats were being sublet or lived in by people not on their tenancy. I hope you will agree with me that knowing the identities of all those who might have been killed is critical and that all necessary assurances should be given to residents of Grenfell Tower that any information they provide will be for reporting purposes only.

“The victims of the fire are already facing enormous personal and practical challenges and do not need any additional worry and stress. This situation is compounded by an ongoing sense that the authorities are not there to help them and I am sure you will agree that the Government needs to work as hard as possible to overcome this impression going forward. I hope you will therefore announce an amnesty for any residents worried that they have might have breached housing, benefit, or immigration rules.”  

Notes

The latest estimate suggests 79 people have died in the fire that engulfed Grenfell Tower on 14 June. The Green Party’s Sian Berry, Caroline Russell, and Amelia Womack have all visited the tower and helped residents with their concerns and queries.

[1] http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/lawyers-rally-to-help-grenfell-tower-residents-facing-looming-mountain-of-paperwork-a3566356.html

[2] Full text of the letter:

To Rt Hon Sajid Javid,

In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, I am hearing reports from volunteers in the community that some survivors are reluctant to officially report friends and family members as missing because they fear the consequences of revealing that eg flats were being sublet or lived in by people not on their tenancy. I hope you will agree with me that knowing the identities of all those who might have been killed is critical and that all necessary assurances should be given to residents of Grenfell Tower that any information they provide will be for reporting purposes only.

The victims of the fire are already facing enormous personal and practical challenges and do not need any additional worry and stress. This situation is compounded by an ongoing sense that the authorities are not there to help them and I am sure you will agree that the Government needs to work as hard as possible to overcome this impression going forward. I hope you will therefore announce an amnesty for any residents worried that they have might have breached housing, benefit, or immigration rules.  

This amnesty should also extend to undocumented migrants who had been living in the tower block, and to private owners who may have known that subletting practices were going on. The latter may hold crucial information on the whereabouts of people missing following the fire.

It’s also critical that there is a clear and flexible package of support for individuals who may have cases with government authorities pending and are worried about the impact of eg the loss of documentation. For example, if someone is in the process of claiming asylum and is now unable to provide evidence, there should be an assumption in favour.

I welcome the announcement that there will be state funding to cover the costs of legal representation at the inquiry. In addition to seeking legal advice ahead of the public inquiry, residents will need support on a range of issues including the replacement of documents lost in the fire, how to make insurance claims, and how to negotiate time off work with their employers. Please can you confirm which costs will be met and what support will be put in place to ensure victims are able to fully access the support they need.

I appreciate that this letter touches on matters which are the responsibility of  a number of Government departments but trust you will liaise to provide a response as the coordinating Minister. I look forward to a timely reply that can go some way towards providing the victims of the fire with critical assurances about their security and wellbeing.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas MP

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22 June 2017

Responding to the news that 600 buildings in Britain may have the same cladding used at Grenfell [1], the Green Party’s Assembly Member for London Sian Berry said:

“I am deeply concerned by the news that so many residents have been making their homes in tower blocks with the same cladding that was on Grenfell Tower.

“I am also extremely worried by just how long it has taken the government to get this information. Surely after a disaster of the kind we saw at Grenfell finding out where else it could occur should have been one of the main priorities? It’s good to finally have an answer and action being taken but the wait was too long and information on fire risks must be dealt with more transparently and clearly in future.

“We also need a cast iron guarantee that any resident who wishes to move out while these necessary works are done is given temporary accommodation, particularly vulnerable residents.”

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