Letter from Westminster
February 22, 2006 8:54 AM
By Stephen Williams MP in Clifton Chronicle
By Stephen Williams MP in Clifton Chronicle
There were three big votes in Westminster this week. But only two of them will affect all of us and have long lasting implications, one adverse and one for the good.
The first was on ID cards. The government claims that forcing us all to carry cards will combat serious crime including benefit fraud and terrorism. I've long believed that these claims are total nonsense. The main problem in benefit fraud is people making false statements about their income or not updating the authorities about a change in circumstances.
The terrorism claim is equally spurious. Spain and Turkey have ID cards yet that hasn't stopped terrorist outrages in those countries. In fact repressive governments around the world appear to have much more of a problem with violence and disorder than democratic countries. I still think it's possible that we won't see ID cards in Britain. We know the costs are going to be enormous. The government has claimed people are concerned about identity theft. Yet when a minister was challenged about the real cost of cards being close to £300 he said he wouldn't expect anyone to pay that much for one! He obviously doesn't place much of a value on his own identity. I predict that if ID cards and the vast database on us all that go with them are ever introduced then they will become a costly bureaucratic nightmare.
The vote that gave me greater pleasure was on the full ban on smoking in public places. As the Liberal Democrats' Shadow Public Health Minister I have been working on this measure for months. I've had many meetings with a variety of health campaigning groups from Cancer Research UK to Smoke Free Bristol. I sat on the committee that considered the Health Bill in great detail. It became obvious during the sittings of that committee that the government's preferred option of a ban only where food was being served lacked any credibility. I pointed out that such a law would certainly improve the quality of a dinner with friends for most people - but is that really a basis for legislation?
When the Bill came back to the full House of Commons for its final approval MPs voted by a huge majority to take out the non-food exemption.
We then voted with another large majority to take out the exemption for clubs. Such an exemption would have distorted the hospitality market and maintained health inequalities in areas where clubs are common.
As the government knew it was in trouble it allowed a free vote. It is ironic to me that this meant that the Labour manifesto pledge of a partial ban was rejected, as was the Conservative hostility to any ban. The only party that wanted a full ban was the Liberal Democrats and I'm proud to have played a part in bringing it about.
Health was on my mind back in Bristol as I visited the Children's Hospital and the BRI to look at their cardiac services. I was amazed to see tiny tots being cared for after heart operations as well as meeting several adult patients who had received a variety of treatments. The reputation of Bristol's cardiac services took a battering over a decade ago but we can now be proud of some first class work being done in the city.
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