Teresa presenting her Private Members’ Bill in the House of Commons.

Teresa today presented her Private Members’ Bill to the House of Commons in which she calls for Emergency First Aid (EFA) education to be made a statutory requirement for all state-funded secondary schools (this would include academies and free schools).

In particular, Teresa’s Bill would make it a legal requirement for secondary schools to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillator awareness training for pupils. It is supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the British Red Cross, and St John Ambulance.

Following the presentation of the Bill, Teresa said:

“I was pleased to have the opportunity to present this Bill to the House today. Earlier this year I spoke in a packed Westminster Hall Debate about this subject, highlighting how beneficial it would be for society as a whole for CPR and defibrillator awareness training to be made mandatory in schools.

 

Evidence indicates that people are reluctant to get involved or take action when someone collapses due to a heart condition because they do not feel that they have been given the proper training to react effectively. The Government’s reluctance to enshrine in law this training is denying generations of young people the opportunity to develop practical, life-saving skills at a time when they are most receptive to learning.

 

The fact is that this Bill provides a practical opportunity to equip school pupils with the knowledge to save lives, and I hope that it will not be missed. I am looking forward to debating the merits of this Bill further at its Second Reading in the House of Commons.”

Teresa’s Bill will be debated during its Second Reading, which is scheduled to take place on Friday 20^th November 2015.

Teresa is calling on the Government to press the EU and manufacturers of fancy dress outfits to change the classification of children’s fancy dress clothing to ensure that it is properly fire-proofed.

Although, at present, children’s fancy dress clothing has to pass a flammability test, this test is designed for toys and not clothes. Given that toys burn at a much slower rate than clothing, the safety of children is being greatly compromised. Last year the daughter of TV personality Claudia Winkleman was seriously injured when her supermarket-bought Halloween costume came into contact with a candle.

Teresa’s Early Day Motion (EDM), titled Classification of Children’s Fancy Dress Clothes, calls on the Government to urgently review classification criteria to promote safety for children and adults alike.

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Teresa was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Erith and Thamesmead with an increased majority at the General Election on Thursday 7th May 2015.

Teresa said:

“I am delighted and honoured to have been re-elected as the MP for Erith and Thamesmead. I would like to thank everybody who voted for placing their trust in me to serve and represent our community.

 

I am naturally disappointed with the national results, but I am keener than ever to represent my constituents in Parliament.”

Teresa speaking during the Westminster Hall Debate about First Aid training and the National Curriculum.

Teresa welcomes the Chancellor’s £1 million investment in defibrillators announced in the Budget this week. However, she is restating her call on the Government to make Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillator awareness training a mandatory part of the National Curriculum.

This month there was a debate on this subject, which had cross-party support, but sadly Nick Gibb MP, the Minister of State for School Reform, disappointed a packed Westminster Hall by refusing to make CPR and defibrillator awareness training a mandatory part of the National Curriculum.

During the debate, Teresa highlighted the fact that generations of children are being denied the opportunity to develop life-saving skills. She spoke in particular of how the lack of CPR and defibrillator awareness training is preventing suffers of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) from having the best chance of survival. SADS is heart condition that affects people between the ages of 12 and 35, and is reportedly responsible for the deaths of at least 12 young people a week.

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Teresa speaking in the House of Commons during PMQs.

Teresa this week raised with David Cameron, during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), concerns about the length of time patients are having to wait to make appoints with GPs.

Teresa said:

“One in four patients is waiting more than a week for a GP appointment, and some in my constituency are waiting two weeks. A third cannot even get through on the phone, but 23% of London GPs are due to quit the NHS in the next five years. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for the increasing crisis in GPs on his watch?”

The Prime Minister replied:

“What I would say to the hon. Lady is that nationwide we have 1,000 more GPs in the NHS. In her constituency, there are eight more GPs compared with 2010, there are 317 more GPs in the London area, and the Royal College of General Practitioners, which has often criticised the Government, has said that there has never been a better time to go into general practice.”

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Teresa speaking during the Housing Costs debate in the House of Commons.

Teresa this week highlighted concerns about Housing Benefit reforms, which are causing hardship for many private renters across her constituency, during a debate in the House of Commons about housing costs.

During the debate, Teresa highlighted the lack of affordability of properties across the private rented sector, a problem which is being compounded by the fact that Housing Benefit awards are not rising adequately in accordance with rent inflation. She drew on the fact that many private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit often experience income discrimination as landlords are reluctant to rent to benefit claimants, meaning their choice of properties is very limited. Teresa also reiterated the need to regulate the private rented sector to ensure that affordable properties of an acceptable standard are available to rent.

The debate was prompted by a report published by the Work & Pensions Select Committee, of which Teresa is a member. This report was published in April 2014, and specifically looked at the impact of Housing Benefit reforms on claimants. Unfortunately, no Government response to the report has yet been received.

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Teresa speaking during the Epilepsy debate in the House of Commons.

Teresa this week raised in the House of Commons the lack of GP support for women with epilepsy.

Teresa highlighted that there are risks for pregnant women with epilepsy if they take certain anti-epileptic drugs. The most common drug taken to control epilepsy is sodium valproate and although the possible side effects of that drug have been known since the 1970s women of child bearing age are still not sufficiently informed about their medication.

Teresa also drew attention to the work of FACSA, the Fetal Anti-Convulsant Syndrome Association, an organisation formed by mothers of children born with disabilities as a result of the anti-convulsant drugs taken during pregnancy. FACSA works tirelessly to raise awareness of this issue and to advise families who need support.

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