A comment on Mims' activities through the week, and the latest news from Parliament.
In this week’s column, I would like to focus on issues that are regularly raised with me by constituents, beginning with mental health.
As many readers will be aware, mental health is one of the burning injustices that the Prime Minister committed to stamping out when she entered 10 Downing Street, and I welcome that these words have been followed by action.
Ministers have legislated to treat Mental Health with the same importance as physical health, progress is being made with more Government investment in mental health and an estimated 1,400 more people accessing mental health services every day compared to 2010, as well as around 750,000 more people accessing talking therapies since 2009/10.
Indeed, by 2020, the Government will spend an additional £1 billion on mental health so that people receive the right care in the right place when they need it most.
This is welcome news, however, as is so often the case, there remains more to do, and I was pleased to recently meet with the Head Teacher from Bursledon Junior School to discuss the impact of mental health on students, including our young children aged between five and eight years old.
It was clear to me that, while a further £1.25 billion will be invested into perinatal and children and young people's mental health services - those with responsibility for supporting the development of these children, both in schools and at nurseries, require more support, and I look forward to meeting with the recently promoted Education Secretary, Damian Hinds to put this important point forward to him in person.
Meanwhile, locally, mental health care has too often hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. I am therefore delighted to learn that the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - which delivers a number of mental health services across Hampshire - has now been rated as good overall and outstanding for caring. I look forward to working with the Hampshire Team going forward on this vital issue on behalf of my constituents.
This week in Parliament, I was also pleased to sit in on a debate discussing the use of fireworks in the UK. Like the majority of people across the country, I enjoy firework displays at various times of the year, including at New Year. This said, as I have mentioned in this column before, I am an avid animal lover, and my dog TJ is an integral part of my family. Therefore, I appreciate the affects that fireworks can have on animals, and indeed in some cases on people too.
This is why I welcome the measured approach being taken by the Government in relation to ensuring that the regulation of fireworks remains fair to all of those involved. In the debate on Monday, the Minister outlined how earlier this month he had announced the creation of the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
This is a new body that will receive some £12 million a year in central Government funding to ensure that the Government has access to information nationally and to support local authorities in their work. In particular, I welcome that the new office will work with key stakeholders and enforcing authorities to review the guidance materials available on the safe and responsible use of fireworks. It will also provide an intelligence-handling function to improve the information we have and examine the individual safety of particular fireworks and of other products on sale.
As I have already outlined, this is an important issue, and it is vital that should changes need to be made, those changes are evidence based. The Office for Product Safety and Standards will play an important role in ensuring that that is the case.
And finally for this week’s column, I would like to welcome the announcement that the Government will be carrying out a full audit of how many women in England have suffered complications as a result of vaginal mesh implants.
This is an issue that I have campaigned strongly on as a local MP on behalf of constituents, who have shared harrowing accounts of their individual experiences of mesh implants. Having debated this subject in the Commons Chamber, and raised it with the Prime Minister, both during Prime Minister’s Questions and during a meeting at Number 10, I welcome this important step forward for all of those affected.
All of my updates can be viewed on my website www.mimsdavies.org.uk or on social media, and as always, I look forward to keeping you updated via this local column. If you would like to contact me regarding any of the issues that I have raised within this week’s column, then please do so via mims.davies.mp@parliament.uk or write to me at Mims Davies MP, Member of Parliament for Eastleigh, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.