This morning I met with Junior Doctors at Kings College Hospital to talk about the Governments proposed changes to their contracts. 

My article following the visit:

“A paediatrician, an anaesthetist, a psychiatrist, a geriatrician, a medical registrar...these, and many others are the doctors that at any time we or our families need.  And we should be falling over ourselves in gratitude to the junior doctors who work at Kings. Recently some of the junior doctors at Kings broke away from their vital work to tell me how Jeremy Hunt's imposition of a new contract will mean their pay is cut.  We gathered in the board room, but unlike when I meet the local managers, their phones were ringing and their bleeps going constantly demanding their attention.  The doctors I met had studied for years, at our top universities, and then carried on training and studying so that they can give the very best care and contribute to research.   We are lucky to have them but Hunt risks us losing them.  Australian hospitals are luring many away - so are pharmaceutical companies. 

What will happen to research if to do it they face a pay cut? Why should they?  How many of them can rely on their partners income to make up for their fall in pay?  Where are we going to get the consultants for the future if the junior doctor’s morale continues to be crushed?  It’s not fair on the doctors who've studied so hard and care so much.  It risks serious doctor shortages in the future which will cost more in agency fees and incentives for overseas doctors, let alone in the cost to patient care.  And the way the contract discriminates against those who work fewer hours - usually women with children - is surely in breach of the Equality Act.  I'm calling on the Equality and Human Rights Commission to investigate this.  And I'm asking Jeremy Hunt to meet these doctors who spoke to me.  He should see for himself their anguish for their patients, their concern for the NHS and their dismay at how badly he is treating them.  I'm totally on their side, so are local people and he should be too.“

You can read my Parliamentary report for September & October here

The Worshipful Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle hosted a civic celebration to mark the Golden Jubilee of Southwark Council at Southwark Cathedral today.

Earlier in the House of Commons I asked the Foreign Secretary to do all he can to support my constituent British journalist Rebecca Prosser who has been detained in Indonesia since May 2015. Full text below: 

Ms Harriet Harman (Camberwell and Peckham) (Lab):

May I draw the Foreign Secretary’s attention to the worrying situation of my constituent Rebecca Prosser? She was working in the Strait of Malacca on a documentary about piracy for Wall to Wall productions. She had the right visa for Singapore and Malaysia, but it had not yet been authorised for Indonesia. She was arrested in May and has been detained there ever since. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet the Minister and I have met the Indonesian ambassador, but my constituent is on trial right now. She is a hard-working, law-abiding young woman who has committed a visa breach. Will the Foreign Office do everything it can to support her, and at least have a consular presence in the courtroom where she is on trial?

Mr Swire:

The right hon. and learned Lady came to see me about this matter, and quite rightly so. I personally raised their case with the Indonesian Foreign Minister at the UN General Assembly in September. She knows that immigration offences are taken very seriously in Indonesia. The trial is progressing at the moment. As I said to her at the time, their lawyers judge that a low media profile is the best way of bringing this immigration case to a conclusion, so it is probably better not to say more than that at the moment.

Many children across Southwark have just started secondary school and I wish them all the best for their future.

It is impossible to overstate how important it is that when it comes to secondary school, a child is safe, happy and learning.  They need to be able to develop all their talents and abilities and get the qualifications they need to take them on to their next stage.

And schools is one of the biggest issues parents raise with me when I meet them out and about in my constituency.  Many parents are more than happy with the school their child goes to.  But all too often I meet parents who say, while they were perfectly happy with the local primary school, they are not happy with the local secondary school, they’ve applied to schools further away but did not get in.

So we should all be concerned about what it’s telling us about the local school if the local parents don’t want to send their children there.  There are a number schools for children living in Camberwell and Peckham which are popular with local parents and which are over-subscribed – meaning they have more applications than they have places including Kingsdale, Sacred Heart and the Charter School.  But 6 schools have fewer first choice applications than they have places.  That’s not because there aren’t any children in the area, it’s because the parents are choosing not to send their children there.

It’s no good the school and Ofsted saying it’s a great school and the parents have just “got it wrong”.  If there’s something about the school that is worrying the parents then the school should address that.  The local school needs to command the confidence of the local community. If there are fewer children applying than there are places, they should take that seriously, understand the concerns of parents and put it right.  Filling up your places with children who have made it their second or third choice doesn’t solve the problem.

In some areas the overwhelming majority of parents get their first choice of school.  I Central Bedfordshire for example 99.7% of parents got their first choice of school.

Whereas in Southwark just 59.6% of parents got their child into their first choice of school. This in not just a problem for parents in Southwark but in London as a whole, and particularly inner London.

When Labour was in government we set up the London challenge which did so much to improve schools.  The Government should do something like that again, not wash their hands of parents’ concerns.  And while the education of London’s children is crucial, Mayor Boris Johnson has done nothing about it.  I hope the next Labour mayor will.  And I want Ofsted to take this issue on board when they inspect a school, looking not just at exam results but also at parental preferences.   I’m calling on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education to conduct an inquiry into why so many children across London don’t get their first choice of school.

Today is polling day in the South Camberwell by-election. Earlier I joined the great Southwark Labour team to get out the vote for local candidate Octavia Lamb.

Polls are open until 10pm.

Octavia Lamb said: “I am standing to be a councillor in South Camberwell because I want to represent my local community and bring improvements to the local area. I will work to improve local housing, work with local businesses and get transport improvements to make roads safer. I will also work to ensure that the new secondary school on the Dulwich hospital site is delivered on time."

Rye Hill Tenants and Residents Association Hall was the venue for the Rye Hill Estate Surgery today and many thanks to Miriam Facey, Vice Chair of the Tenants and Residents who helped with arrangements and refreshments.

35 tenants and residents attended to seek advice and discuss with the team issues ranging from housing, immigration, employment, benefits to anti social behaviour.

Councillor Renata Hamvas, Monika Gonzalez Tabar - Southwark Council Resident Officer, Paul Thomas from the Council's major works investment team and Lola Lakoja from the Southwark Council Anti Social Behaviour Unit also joined us to listen to tenants and residents concerns.

Miriam took us on a walkabout of the Estate to show us the recent improvements that have been made under the major redevelopment works but also raised concerns about matters that still need to be addressed.

“Almost a third of parents in London did not get their first choice of secondary school for their child this year. This means 25,931 children across London missed out on their first-choice of school.  London, and in particular Inner London, is right down the bottom of the league table for parental choice (4).

“David Cameron said parental choice was one of his priorities but the Tories’ education reforms are failing to deliver this in London, and are letting children and parents down." said Ms Harman.  "It’s one of the biggest concerns for parents in my constituency of Camberwell and Peckham that they don't have confidence in their local school and either their children have to travel miles to go to a school they do want, or end up in a school which they didn't choose."

Ms Harman is today calling for action from the House of Commons Education Committee, The Secretary of State for Education and the London Mayor. She has

- written to the chair of the House of Commons Education Committee Chair Neil Carmichael MP to ask him to conduct an inquiry into the issue of parents not getting their first choice of secondary schools.

- written to the Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan MP repeating her demand that Ofsted’s terms of reference should be widened to include the issue of parental preference in their inspections.  

Currently when inspecting a school, Ofsted talk to staff, pupils and to parents who do send their child to a school but not to those parents who live locally but don't want their children to go to that school. "The views of parents who want to avoid the school are every bit as important as those of parents who do send their children to a particular school," said Ms Harman.  “Ofsted should survey and report on the views of parents who don’t want their children to attend that school”.  

And Ms Harman is calling on the candidates for the new Mayor of London who'll be elected next May to commit to making this issue a top priority.  "This is a London-wide problem which Boris Johnson, the current Mayor, has shown no interest in and on which he has taken no action."

Ms Harman has published a report on parental choice in her constituency showing the oversubscribed and undersubscribed schools. (1)   For Harris Academy in Peckham, there are only 41 first choice applications for 180 places.  “It's no good Ofsted and the school saying what a great job they do.  They must understand and address the reasons so many parents don't want to send their children there."

ENDS

For further information contact Rachel Smethers on 0207 219 2057 or email [email protected]

Notes to Editors:     

1.         Harriet Harman MP today publishes her annual school choice report ‘Are parents in Camberwell & Peckham getting the choice of secondary school they want for their child?’ A copy of the report can be found here

2.         In 2015 only 59.6% of parents in Southwark got their first preference secondary school, compared to the national average of 84.2%. That is the fourth lowest of all the local authorities in the country and means 1,049 children in Southwark were left without their first choice school. 99.7% of parents in Central Bedfordshire got their first preference.

3.         The lowest 10 local authorities across the country are all London boroughs. In London as a whole only 68.9% of parents got their child into their first-choice secondary school this year. In inner London boroughs the situation is even worse – just 65.8% of parents got a place for their child in their first choice of secondary school.

4.         Offers for entry to secondary schools in England in academic year 2015-16

Top and lowest 10 local authorities by % of highest preference offers made

Rank out of 151 local authorities:

 1. Central Bedfordshire      99.7%

 2. Northumberland            98.5%

3. Cornwall                         97.3%

4. East Riding of Yorkshire  97.1%

5. Wakefield                       96.2%

6. North East Linconshire  96.1%

7. North Tyneside             96.0%

8. Devon                          96.0%

9. Derbyshire                    95.8%

10. Somerset                   95.8%

142. Hackney                   65.0%

143. Brent                        64.3%

144. Merton                     62.8%

145. City of London          61.9%

146. Lambeth                  61.8%

147. Lewisham                61.5%

148. Southwark               59.6%

149. Wandsworth            57.8%

150. Westminster            57.0%

151. Hammersmith and Fulham 55.3%

Source: Secondary school applications and offers in England: June 2015, DfE. Data collected from local authorities on Secondary National Offer Day on 2^nd March 2015

Tomorrow I'll be voting in the House of Commons in favour of the Assisted Dying Bill.  This is an emotional and particularly difficult issue to make a law on.   And it’s a very personal issue, so all of us MPs will vote according to our conscience on a "free vote" and there will be no party "whip".  I will be voting to change the law so that doctors will be allowed to prescribe a lethal drug dose to terminally ill patients in England and Wales who are deemed to have less than six months to live.

Many local people have written to me about this vote.  And shared many heartfelt concerns on both sides of the issue. One woman told me she had witnessed the unnecessary suffering of her family members in the final stages of their life and she wanted people to be allowed to die with dignity and not have to ask a loved one to risk prosecution to help them.

Everyone agrees that people should, as far as possible, be able to make choices as their life comes to an end.  Everyone agrees that no-one should have to suffer unbearable pain.  Everyone also supports the hospice movement and all those in the NHS who, whether in our hospitals or caring for people at home, do so much to care for the dying.  No-one wants to see people with disabilities or life-limiting illness feel that they are a burden and must end their life.  No-one wants to see someone suffering mental illness end their life.  But that is not what this Bill is about.

The Bill does not allow for assisted dying when the patient is not terminally ill, or euthanasia where a doctor administers a lethal medication to a patient.

This Bill is to enable competent adults, who are deemed to have less than six months to live, to choose medically supervised assistance to end their own life. A High Court judge and two independent doctors would all be required to agree that the patient had made an informed decision to die.

I've never had to watch a relative or friend suffer horribly at the end of their life.  But I know that if that were the case I'd want to support their choice even if that meant medication which, as well as alleviating their pain, brought forward the end of their life.

We've all seen the people who've gone to Dignitas in Switzerland to end their life.  But some have said they've had to go earlier than they might otherwise, for fear of getting to ill to travel.  Others have wanted to go, but could not afford to travel.  And most want to die at, or near, home rather than in a foreign clinic.

Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands now have different laws to deal with assisted dying.  This is not about forcing people who are terminally ill to end their life.  It’s about giving people a choice.  This is what I would want for my family.  This is what I would want for myself.  So this is what I will vote for on Friday.  

Harriet Harman MP calls on Camila Batmanghelidjh to give the London Borough of Southwark the information they need to help vulnerable children and young people affected by the closure of Kids Company.

Harriet Harman MP has today also written to the Cabinet Office to ask the Government to provide the necessary resources for Southwark Council to enable them to support these children and young people.

She thanks the staff of Southwark Council for their hard work in seeking to protect vulnerable children and young people from the impact of the closure of Kids Company.

Notes to editors:

 1. Kids Company was based in Camberwell and supported many of the children and young people in Harriet Harman’s constituency

 2. Full text of the letter to Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster:

Dear Oliver,

Re: Kids Company

Following the closure of Kids Company, Southwark Council has been undertaking a great deal of work to make sure that vulnerable children and young people do not suffer because of the closure.

As you know I am very concerned that Southwark Council has the resources it needs to be able to protect these children and young people.

I am writing now to ask what additional resources are being made available to Southwark Council.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Harriet Harman

Ends

For further information contact Rachel Smethers on 0207 219 2057 or email [email protected]