Geraint Davies MP - January Report

GERAINT DAVIES MP LABOUR & CO-OPERATIVE MP

IN SWANSEA & PARLIAMENT O Abertawe dros Abertawe

January 2020 Report Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Environment Bill must contain #EllasLaw - le WHO air quality limits to save thousands of c

The Environment Bill must contain legally binding WHO air quality limits in A nine-year-old girl has become the first person in the UK – and possibly pollution listed as a cause of death.

In a debate with the Leader quest found that air pollution who lived just 30 yards from tal 30 times in three years for

of the House, Geraint Davies MP sta was the cause of death for nine-year the busy London south circular and w air pollution-induced asthma attacks bef

Therefore, for Ella’s sake and in the light of this verdict, will the Leader of the Ho to ensure that legally binding World Health Organisation air quality limits are Environment Bill but are enforced from 2021 and not delayed, so that tens of are not put at unnecessary risk, but have the protection of the law? It co following her tragic death and this historic verdict.”

I am working with the Royal College of Physicians and Extinction Rebellion to Tory MPs to vote for enforceable WHO air quality limits - “Ella’s Law” - in the En

Tory Welsh Secretary @Simonhartmp confirms much of money provided by EU to Europe, West Wales, will instead be given to Tory constituencies in Wales as Brex @GeraintDaviesMP

Police Tackle Racist Booing At Swans Games

Increased security at the Liberty Stadium stopped a third consecutive match by Swansea City being interrupted by protesters against players taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter.

Jacks Against Racism and Fascism are working with Swansea Stand Up to Racism after lifelong fans said they had become afraid to support their own team.

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egally binding children’s lives

n memory of Ella. the world – to have air

ated “Yesterday, an inr-old Ella Kissi-Debrah, was admitted to hospifore she ultimately died.

HISTORIC VACCINE ROLLOUT ACROSS SWANSEA & UK This month I met with the Swansea Bay Health Board on their progress with the rollout of the Coronavirus programme.

Over 14,000 people in the Swansea Bay area have now received a Covid vaccination. Frontline health and social care workers, many care home residents and some residents over the age of 80 who do not live in care homes have had their first dose.

ouse urge the Government e not just included in the thousands more children ould be called Ella’s law,

In Swansea Bay 90% of care home residents will be vaccinated by January 18th. Care homes, health & social care staff over 70s & extremely clinically vulnerable are a quarter of population ie 100,000 and will be vaccinated by mid-February

mount a campaign to get nvironment Bill.

We all must play our part in tackling the virus by adhering to the regulations, maintaining social distancing, washing our hands regularly and wearing a mask.

poorest area in xit dividend.

Geraint Davies MP said “Well done South Wales Police for standing up to racism by ensuring Swansea City FC fans can #TakeTheKnee in peace and celebrate liberty from fascism and a united Swansea.”

BEE-KILLING PESTICIDES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK Geraint will be working with environmental groups on the concerning news that the UK Government has approved the use of bee-killing pesticides.

This decision will have far reaching consequences and Geraint is campaigning for the Tories to u-turn on their decision.

Our Trade Deals Must Support Our Values Trans-Pacific Trade Concerns have been raised about the Trans-Pacific Partnership with China’s attitude to democracy and human rights.

Speaking virtually in the House, Geraint said “I speak tonight as the trade rapporteur of the Council of Europe, and as such I want to see democracy, the rule of law, human rights and environmental sustainability embedded in all our trade deals. We stand here tonight semi-detached from our closest and biggest marketplace—the single market—and our closest friends.

“Over there, when they are looking at deals, they are scrutinising and approving the negotiating mandate, looking at the negotiations, and approving individual deals before they are ratified, but here we have not seen and agreed the mandate, and we have not looked at the negotiations.

“These deals are already binding in international law because they have already been passed and ratified. The EU deal was dumped on us on Christmas eve in a half-filled sack marked, “Take it or leave it”, and we found that it did not even include any services, which are 80% of our economy. The Japan deal, worth £1.5 billion, would have been worth £2.6 billion via the EU. “As regards the US, it is good to see the back of Trump and his isolationism and climate scepticism. We should now embrace President Biden in COP26 to ensure that environmental sustainability is central to all future trade agreements.

“As regards the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the US and India are standing back, and it is dominated by China, which has 18% of global GDP. China grew by 4.9% even last year through the pandemic. China is no friend of democracy, as we have seen in Hong Kong.

“It is no friend of human rights, as we have seen with the Uyghur Muslims.

We have ended up moving from being a rule-maker in the EU, be it on the

environment or financial rules, to a rule-taker from someone who does not share our values.

“That is why, if we do embrace the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we need to ensure that the UN human rights agreements are included and that, like New Zealand, we are one step removed and we do not agree investor-state dispute settlements. Otherwise those people from China who are building the nuclear power stations of the future, involved in HS2 and providing for 5G will end up being able to hit us, as we have seen in other examples like the nuclear provider Vattenfall in Germany.

“In a nutshell, with China we need to confront human rights, compete on trade, and co-operate on climate change and health. It is important that our COP26, G7 and Security Council chairpersonships embrace our fundamental values of democracy, the rule of law, human rights, fair trade and our environment.

GERAINT IN PARLIAMENT “The delays in the Brexit deal, alongside the pandemic, have meant that the Welsh steel industry has been hit hard, Airbus has lost 1,400 jobs, Grenadier cars will be produced in France instead of Wales, and even Brains brewery is up for sale. Will the Secretary of State now press the Chancellor for a sector-specific manufacturing strategy, in the knowledge that only UK Governments can borrow in the long term at low interest rates to secure long-term pre-pandemic production levels after the vaccine is deployed and after the deal is agreed?”

16th December 2020 The Secretary of State will know that millions of people—both children and adults—with speech and language difficulties have had a very difficult time in the pandemic through lack of physical and digital support. Will he meet me, as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on speech and language difficulties, and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists to discuss how to improve digital support for those with speech and language difficulties at this very difficult time?

10th December 2020

Why I voted against the Tory Brexit Deal This month, I made the decision to abstain on the Implementation Bill.

There were good bits of the deal as the EU called all the shots eg. environment/ worker rights & tariff-free goods trade but obviously it’s not good for manufacturers like cars due to tariffs on parts, for services (in particular financial) which are 80% of the economy and for delays in agriculture exports.

We have not been involved in negotiation, which threatened to break international law, and had only had the deal on Christmas Eve. There was no transition delay (to allow for delays in preparation and negotiation) due to the pandemic, so much is unresolved.

So I abstained as I couldnt vote for a deal in which we had no say in - that is a bad deal. However, I didn’t vote against it because a rotten deal is better than no deal.

I appreciate that the choice was between deal and no deal but to vote for the deal and then say we don’t endorse it is a difficult position to sustain.

Abstaining did not risk no deal.

We all agree we must move forward and pledge to build on this deal. People will naturally notice what is being taken away by Brexit not what they retain and nothing tangible has been added.

I believe the situtation at our ports in the recent days, including the issues faced by the fishing industry has illustrated that the deal struck by Boris is rotten to the core and it is only Labour that will be able to identify a relationship with the contintent addressing the many issues with this ‘deal’.

CONTACT ME / CYSYLLTU A MI (01792) 4759432 32 Walter Road, Swansea, SA1 5NW

info@geraintdavies.org.uk GeraintDaviesMP

@GeraintDaviesMP