Hemel Hospital – Judicial Review
I am delighted that the judicial review is to go ahead. The decision in the High Court that the outrageous proposal to close the A&E; at Hemel can go to judicial review is great news. The ‘so-called’ public consultation was a complete sham. 82% of respondents were in favour of keeping services at Hemel and the fact that the Trust has totally ignored and misrepresented the result will form the basis of the review.
Budget and Dexion Pensioners
On budget day I was honoured to be asked to support the Dexion pensioners – and others – who are fighting for their lost pensions. It is an appalling tragedy that these hardworking people who paid into their pension schemes all their working lives are being left to face old age in poverty.
Many ingenious solutions have been suggested for finding money to create a fund to support them – such as using unclaimed assets, many of which are from pension schemes in insurance companies.
The Chancellor has widened the net but it is shameful that he only did this when he was forced to after losing a High Court case. These pensioners should not be reduced to taking the Government to Court in order to get proper compensation when the Parliamentary Ombudsman has already backed their case. It is good news that the compensation is improved, but many will still only get about 50-60% of what they had expected and others who had planned to retire early won’t get anything until they are 65.
Leniency in Sentencing Guidelines
Several cases recently have prompted me to call for a House of Commons debate on leniency in sentencing guidelines. I am sure, like me, you will have been shocked at the sentencing of four women who goaded toddlers into fighting each other and then made a video of it. The women were sentenced to 100 days community service and a one-year suspended sentence but the distraught father, who had been away serving in Iraq at the time, said it was like “watching a dog fight” when he was forced to watch the video as part of the police investigation.
As a father I am appalled at the lenient sentences given to people who betray the total trust placed in them by babies and young children. Our youngest children are totally dependent on their parents and families and they deserve to be loved and protected in return.
Quite simply it is sickening that the message sent out by our legal system to adults who betray that love and trust is that you can get away with it.
If this recent case had been a dog fight they would have gone to prison!
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