Birth, crime and pensions – welcome to 2008!

Terrible events in Pakistan and Kenya and the grinding military action in Iraq and Afghanistan put British domestic politics in perspective. At Westminster the Parliamentary process gets down to serious legislative business in January that will keep us relentlessly busy until July.

Parliament is still the engine room of our democracy - where the real work gets done. The scuffles, skirmishes and froth of daily politics continue on the upper decks of the ship of state.

The Bills announced in the last Queen’s Speech are proceeding through the Lords and the Commons. The pattern is similar in both Houses. The principle of the legislation is debated at ‘Second Reading’, then the detail is scrutinised and amended in Committee before the Bill returns to the full House for its Report Stage and Third Reading. Finally, it receives Royal Assent and becomes Statute Law.

In our first week back I will be representing you on three very important pieces of legislation that affect our daily lives.

Joined-up government?
It has taken many months for the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill to make it back to the floor of The House for Report Stage – and there is still work for the Opposition to do to improve it. The Government is attempting yet again to legislate to reduce anti-social behaviour. There are new provisions for violent offenders and a new range of community sentences for young offenders. So why is the same Government cutting the budget for our excellent probation service and making life harder for the men and women in our community who work (usually behind the scenes) to straighten out young lives and help the courts come to sensible and meaningful judgments?

A measure that I hope will work is the introduction of ‘premises closure orders’ that can shut down places which are persistently the location of disorder in our communities.

Pensions fit for purpose?
There are seven million people in the UK who are not saving enough for their retirement. For too many young people in work, there are barriers of complexity and inertia that discourage them from saving. So the latest Pensions Bill, which receives its Second Reading this week, tries to encourage people who are low to moderate earners, to save more.

As you know, our system of state retirement pensions comes in two parts – the flat-rate basic pension and the earnings-related benefits. The latter used to be called SERPS (State Earnings Related Pensions Scheme). Now it will be called S2P (State Second Pension). There will be a new low-cost ‘personal account’ for every earner and a new, mandatory minimum employer contribution.

I really hope it works. There are still many people who imagine that their ‘National Insurance’ tax deduction each week or month is in some way building up a nest-egg for their retirement. It was never like this. The NI tax deduction is transferred straight into someone else’s pension payment! I have always thought this was one of the biggest political sleights-of-hand of the last century.

Life-saving law?
The first Parliamentary week of the New Year will also see the introduction of a Bill, which I am proud to sponsor, which will get nowhere – but will focus minds and attention and herald what could be a major life-saver in the future. This Bill, introduced by my back-bench colleague David Burrows MP, will have ten minutes of prime time in the Chamber. Let’s see how long it takes for it to become Government policy!

Thanks to people like those who work for us at both establishments at Porton Down, medical science is finding ways of treating disease that were undreamt-of a few years ago. Leukemia and other cancers, diabetes, strokes, multiple sclerosis, brain and muscle diseases, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are amongst disorders that we may be able to repair or reverse in the future. This is done by using the building-blocks of life - stem cells - that can turn into all the other cells such as muscle, skin or blood cells.

Stem cells can be harvested from bone marrow – a painful, complicated process with difficult ‘matching’ issues. Cells from embryos up to 14 days are the richest source of stem cells – but there are controversial ethical, religious and legal issues surrounding their use.

The umbilical cord contains plentiful stem cells that are, naturally, a perfect match for the child and may have a 25% chance of being an exact match for a sibling, too. The blood can be collected, screened, processed and stored in liquid nitrogen for many years, ready to repair that person in later life. Such ‘blood banks’ are increasingly common around the world. Some British hospitals offer the service – but not enough. There are some commercial medical companies that sell ‘DIY kits’ and store the cells for future use.

The Umbilical Cord Blood (Donation) Bill will seek to create awareness of this issue amongst the medical community and policy makers, encourage donation of cord blood and, most importantly, provide information for prospective parents who might wish to make preparations for the harvesting and storage of their own baby’s stem cells. Of course, it is not all straightforward and there are difficult issues – but we should engage with them, not stick our heads in the sand.

Robert Key MP
3rd January 2008