by Paul Scully | Nov 10, 2016 | News |
Having been an employer for much of my career before being elected as the MP for Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park, I know how important it is to look after your employees.
In recognition of Living Wage Week, Parliament took the time to debate the National Living Wage last Thursday.
I joined my neighbouring MP for Mitcham and Morden, Siobhain McDonagh, in calling for this important debate and was delighted that MPs were given the opportunity to discuss this topic.
I have always tried to pay my employees above the minimum wage at a competitive rate, both to get the best out of them as employees and to help give them a decent wage to live on.
You can listen to my speech here, and I hope employers will be listening to what MPs said.
by Paul Scully | Nov 9, 2016 | News |
The police put themselves in danger every day to keep us safe and I am so grateful for the work the police do in Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park that makes Sutton such a low-crime Borough by London standards.
Steps such as installing cameras on officers uniforms, I believe, is a positive step in keeping police safe, although I am disappointed that the new London Mayor has chosen to halt the trial of spit hoods given the danger spitting can pose to officers.
I brought these issues up during a debate in Parliament on police officer safety, including the shooting of Sutton resident PC Patrick Dunne in 2003 and stabbing of Sutton PC Paul Dalton in 2009.
You can watch my speech here.
by Paul Scully | Nov 8, 2016 | News |
Recently I supported National Adoption Week and its campaign for people across Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park to #SupportAdoption.
The week is a national event, focusing on family finding for some of our most vulnerable children in the UK. It is also a chance to demystify and clarify the adoption process, reflect the challenges of adoptive parenting, share individual stories and showcase best practice. Nationwide supporters have been sharing their adoption stories and detailing how their lives have been affected on Facebook and Twitter.
Melissa Forbes-Murison, Manager of Adoption Match, who with her team met me in Parliament, said; “Day in day out, using the Adoption Register for England, we make links for children seeking a permanent loving family with prospective adopters. The Adoption Register is the only statutory register of children and families awaiting adoptive placement. All councils and voluntary agencies are required to use the register. Since 2004 we have found families for 3356 children who may otherwise have never been found a permanent family. The Adoption Register has been used to aid family finding for nearly 20,000 children.
“It was a pleasure for my colleagues and I to share with Paul Scully MP some of the stories of children the Adoption Register has helped find adoptive parents for. I often speak with social workers and respective adopters who are working tirelessly to help find loving homes for children who so desperately need one.”
National Adoption Week should remind all of us of the importance of finding families for some of our most vulnerable children in Sutton. The local council, voluntary adoption agencies and the statutory adoption register supporting them day in, day out, are doing everything possible to find families for children for vulnerable children. Each and every child adopted is not least a saving to the council as they are no longer paying to care for a child in care, but is a life turned around and a better future with their own new family.
by Paul Scully | Nov 7, 2016 | News |
Recently I visited the Sutton Women’s Centre to discuss domestic violence strategy and the vital work that they do locally.
The visit was a follow-up to the debate on domestic violence in Family Courts that I took part in several weeks ago.
Domestic abuse is appalling and tackling such abuse is a priority for the Government. Over the next four years, the Government will provide funding of £80 million for violence against women and girl (VAWG) services. This increased level of central funding will be used to transform local service delivery, so that more women and children are kept safe and more perpetrators are brought to justice.
To tackle domestic violence and its pernicious effects, the Government has already committed £40 million for domestic abuse services between 2016 and 2020, and provided a £2 million grant to Women’s Aid and SafeLives to support a new domestic abuse early intervention project, as well as protecting funding of over £6.4 million to 86 female Rape Support Centres for 2016/17. The Government has also committed to a further year of funding to support the local provision of 144 Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisers for 2016/17.
I was delighted to get the chance to discuss these issues with the Sutton Women’s Centre, and I pay tribute to the staff and volunteers who provide such an important local service.
I also had a chance to meet with Sutton Police to discuss their domestic violence strategy, especially following the tragic murder of Ellie Butler, which I referred to in my speech on domestic violence in Family Courts.
To find out more about Sutton Women’s Centre and the work they do, you can visit their website here.
by Paul Scully | Nov 6, 2016 | News |
Recently I backed a new bill to help tackle homelessness during a crucial vote in parliament. I joined MPs from all parties in backing the Homelessness Reduction Bill at its second reading, helping to bring the bill one step closer to becoming law.
Proposed by Bob Blackman MP and supported by homelessness charities including Crisis, the bill could transform the help available to homeless people in Sutton, Cheam & Worcester Park, and right across the country.
Private Members Bills struggle in terms of success as it requires 100 MPs or more to attend a Friday debate, when most are usually back in their constituencies, but I am pleased that this bill got the support it needed.
The law as it stands means that homeless people who approach their council for help can be turned away to sleep on the street. If passed, the new law would help to prevent people from losing their home in the first place and make sure all homeless people can get help when they need it, whilst continuing to protect families with children from homelessness.
The bill has the backing of the Government, the opposition and the Communities and Local Government Select Committee following an in-depth inquiry.
This is about basic social justice. Nobody should be forced to sleep rough because they can’t get the help they need, not in Sutton, Cheam & Worcester Park, nor anywhere else. I’ve personally heard from local constituents who were unable to get help when they became homeless. It’s time we took action. We need to make sure that anyone facing homelessness can get help, ideally before they actually lose their home. That’s why I’m backing the Homelessness Reduction Bill put forward by Bob Blackman MP, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the house to offer their support as it moves through parliament.
Crisis Chief Executive Jon Sparkes said: “This is a landmark moment, and we’d like to thank Paul Scully for backing this unique bill. We still have a long way to go before it becomes law, but we’ll be there every step of the way to help make sure it happens.
“We have the momentum and we have the cross party consensus, and today’s success shows what can be done when people come together to help tackle homelessness. Yet this is no time for complacency. We must continue to build on what we’ve achieved today, both to get the bill through parliament and to make it work for homeless people if and when it finally becomes law.”
