Proceeds of crime …

As well as writing to Ministers at their Government departments, and asking questions in the House of Commons, Members of Parliament can submit written questions to Ministers. I often table these questions as they are a great tool for MPs to obtain detailed information on policies and statistics on the activities of Government departments.

I recently tabled a series of questions on the proceeds of crime after meeting with local Lewisham resident Tom Mann from CURV (Communities Understanding and Reducing Violence). At the meeting we discussed what happens to the proceeds of crime recovered by the Police, and what organisations that money is pooled back into. In particular, Tom mentioned the Community Cashback Scheme which was piloted by the last government to give local people a say in how recovered criminal assets should be distributed in local communities.

After the meeting, I did some research on provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act and into the workings of the Community Cashback Scheme. I was concerned that there seems to be little transparency in what happens to this money, and how it is used, and so tabled the following questions to the Secretary of State for Justice (see here, here and here).

These figures raise questions about whether this money is being put to the best possible use. In particular, it seems a total of £157million has been generated from the proceeds of crime and more than half of that goes straight to the Home Office. It is unclear what this money is used for.

Only a small amount of money, just £2.4million, goes to local authorities – it seems to me that they may be better placed to use the money for the good of the community to tackle the issues behind the causes of crime, especially if it was directed towards some of the excellent voluntary and community initiatives that already exist but often struggle for funds.

I’ll be asking more questions of the Home Office to find out exactly where this money goes. For those interested in other written questions I table, you can view the recent answers I have received from Ministers here.

A busy day in the constituency

After a week dominated by the Queen’s Speech, it was great to spend a couple of days out and about in Lewisham.

Friday started with a meeting catching up with my staff at my office in Lee Green, before dashing off to Hither Green to take part in the annual Spring Planting of flowers with F.U.S.S. (Friends and Users of Staplehurst Shops). Luckily the rain stayed away for an hour!

Afterwards I met a constituent at Leybridge Court to chat to him about the regeneration work being undertaken around the properties.

After a quick lunch at a lovely new cafe on Lee High Road, I headed to the offices of A4E, one of JobCentre Plus’s prime contractors. As part of my work to help tackle the huge problem of unemployment in Lewisham, I am meeting with employment service providers to hear about their approach to the challenges of getting people into work. It was great to meet some of the people who use A4E and drop into their training sessions, where they are learning the skills to give them the edge in their search for work.

The next stop was Forster Park Primary School, who held a Fairtrade Fair to celebrate World Fairtrade Day (see photo above). The homebaked fairtrade cakes were definitely a highlight for children and parents alike!

Finally, the day was rounded off with a busy advice surgery in Downham with people coming to me wanting my help on a range of issues including housing and welfare support.

Camilla on work experience in my office

While I never take interns in my office (I believe if there is a job to be done, that person should be paid), I do try to take as many work experience students from my constituency as I can.

This year I have had a number of young people on placements to see how my office works and shadow my work. I believe it is important for young people to know how our Parliament works, and see first hand what their MP does.

Below is a post from Camilla, who has just spent a week of work experience in my offices. It was a delight to have her around and I wish her luck for the future!

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My name is Camilla Yahaya, I’m 15 and live in Catford. I’m in year 10 at Prendergast Ladywell Fields College in Brockley.

This week I was on work experience shadowing Heidi Alexander, in both Westminster and the constituency office in Lee Green. I had met Heidi a few times before, as part of my work with Young Citizens.

It was a busy and interesting week where I got to do lots of varied things, including sitting in the gallery for the Department of Work and Pensions questions and attending event were Heidi was chairing. My favourite moment of the week was a constituency visit to Lewisham Parents and Carers’ Forum where I learnt about the experiences of those caring for children with disabilities.

The week was also an opportunity for me to develop my skills through helping the office with admin and researching Government proposals.

Working with Heidi and her office this week was a great insight into the work of an MP and has strengthened my dream of one day becoming a Member of Parliament myself.