A message from Katy Clark

Welcome to my email newsletter. I hope to provide a regular email update on what is happening
at Westminster and some of the issues I am involved with.

More information about my activities at Westminster is available on my website.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I appreciate that 2011 has been a difficult year for many. I will continue to fight against the Government’s cuts and to work hard for all my constituents in North Ayrshire and Arran in 2012.

I hope that you are all able to enjoy the festive period and that 2012 brings you much happiness. These are some of the issues I have been involved with recently:

The Economy

I met with Michael Moore the Secretary of State for Scotland to discuss what the Coalition Government should be doing to assist North Ayrshire. The latest unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the there are now 3,644 people on Jobseekers Allowance in North Ayrshire and Arran, a 6.7% increase on the previous year. The number of people who have been unemployed for over 12 months in the constituency has also increased to 740, 20% higher than at the same time last year. The statistics indicate that the unemployment rate in Scotland has now reached 8.5% and is now higher than the rate for the United Kingdom as a whole. I am seeking a parliamentary debate on the economy of North Ayrshire.

Europe

Much of the parliamentary time at Westminster has been spent debating the issue of David Cameron’s veto of a European wide treaty and its implications

Farepak

I have secured a backbench debate on Farepak. Five years after the collapse of the Christmas Hamper and savings scheme, the 120,000 who lost out have not received any money back. I am calling for the Government to consider more strict regulation of the entire prepayment industry to protect consumers and savers in an area which is currently poorly regulated in the UK.

Durban Climate Change conference

Whilst I welcome that all countries have committed to coming together to tackle climate change in a legally binding agreement to cut carbon emissions, the agreement will not be put together until 2015 and will not come into force until 2020. With the terrible effects of climate change already being felt, particularly on the developing world, I do not believe that we can wait another 8 years to make sure that every country is committed to cutting emissions.

Control of International Arms Trade

As a member of the Committees on Arms Export Controls I took part in meetings with representatives of both non-governmental organisations and industry groups representing arms companies in this country. The Coalition Government is markedly different in its approach to the current negotiations for a legally binding International Arms Trade Treaty than the previous Government. It is making such a Treaty less of a priority and investing fewer resources into it. The previous Labour Government was forceful in its work for a robust International Arms Trade Treaty with humanitarian goals and strengthening humanitarian law and human rights.

The current negotiations, which are UN based, began in 1997. In 2004 the Labour Government explicitly backed the ATT and in 2006 sponsored the UN General Assembly Resolution which lead to the UN General Assembly passing a Resolution in December 2009, mandating formal negotiation of an International Arms Trade Treaty by 2012. I will continue to work on this issue in the New Year when the Committees on Arms Export Controls will be taking formal evidence.

With best wishes,
Katy