Damien Moore, “My Week in Parliment (3rd – 7th September)”

Damien Moore, “My Week in Parliment (3rd – 7th September)

This week in the House, I voted with the Government on Wednesday to pass the Tenant Fees Bill. The Bill makes several provisions including prohibiting landlords and letting agents from requiring certain payments to be made. The Bill makes important legislative steps to protect tenants from rogue landlords.

I was also pleased to see that the Voyeurism (Offences) (No.2) Bill was read a third time and was passed. The bill amended the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and will ensure that the disgusting act of ‘up skirting’ be considered an offence.

As Chair of the APPG Blockchain, I held an important evidence meeting on the impact of fraud on Tuesday. I welcomed several important speakers from business and academia and thank them for their contributions. We discussed how blockchain could end cyber-fraud and what degree of transparency is needed to create trust. My office also attended a meeting of the Equitable Life APPG with John Glen MP – the economic Secretary to the Treasury. The meeting provided an opportunity for APPG members to make the case directly to the Minister for the full disbursement of the funds already allocated and call for this debt of honour to finally be settled.

I attended one of the regular meetings of the Science and Technology Committee of which I am a Member. The Science and Technology Committee exists to ensure that Government policy and decision-making are based on good scientific and engineering advice and evidence. I continue to work with my colleagues on the committee to fulfil its objectives. There are several on-going enquiries that will be published as reports in due course. Our most recent report concerned e-cigarettes. Watch this space!

This week, I was also delighted to attend two important drop-in sessions. On Tuesday, I was happy to support Bloodwise, the UK’s leading blood cancer charity. September is Blood Cancer Month and Bloodwise are working hard to make blood cancer visible. 1 in 19 will be affect by blood cancer making it the 5th most common cancer. It is also the 3rd biggest cancer killer in the UK and the most common type of cancer in children and young people. I also attended another cancer charity drop-in, Breast Cancer Now, who held their annual ‘wear it pink’ photocall in Parliament on Wednesday. Breast cancer survival rates have improved remarkably over the last 40 years, with five-year survival rates for women at over 86 per cent, up from just 53 per cent in the 1970s. This is a testament to the efforts made to raise awareness of, and boost funding into, tackling this disease, but more must be done. I met some lovely people and learned a lot. I strongly encourage my constituents to get involved.