Graeme Sneddon

Christmas Post!

Christmas is a busy time of year, not least for Royal Mail who have to handle a much larger volume of parcels and letters. I visited the hardworking posties at the Victoria Road sorting office, who have been putting in a huge amount of effort to deliver our cards and parcels to us in time. Their efforts were very impressive and will no doubt deliver a first class Christmas for all of my constituents. I would like to thank the team at Victoria Road, and at sorting offices around Scotland, for all of their efforts and I wish them all the best over the busy festive period.

FREE FIRST USE MP Alison Thewliss visits Glasgow G41-G42-G5 Delivery Office to see how it is getting ready for Christmas. L-r Ian McInnes, Kevin Plunkett, MP Alison Thewliss, Daniel Connolly, Les Peyto Lenny Warren / Warren Media 07860 830050 01355 229700 lenny@warrenmedia.co.uk www.warrenmedia.co.uk All images © Warren Media 2015. Free first use only for editorial in connection with the commissioning client's press-released story. All other rights are reserved. Use in any other context is expressly prohibited without prior permission.
(Credit: Lenny Warren/Warren Media)
FREE FIRST USE MP Alison Thewliss visits Glasgow G41-G42-G5 Delivery Office to see how it is getting ready for Christmas. MP Alison Thewliss chats to Harry Blackburn and Fraser Matthew. Lenny Warren / Warren Media 07860 830050 01355 229700 lenny@warrenmedia.co.uk www.warrenmedia.co.uk All images © Warren Media 2015. Free first use only for editorial in connection with the commissioning client's press-released story. All other rights are reserved. Use in any other context is expressly prohibited without prior permission.
(Credit: Lenny Warren/Warren Media)

Press release – Alison Thewliss raises rape clause at PMQs

Glasgow Central MP, Alison Thewliss, today challenged the Government’s “abhorrent and vile policy” of making women prove that they have been raped, simply in order to receive tax credits for a third child.

Raising the issue on the floor of the House of Commons for the seventh time since she was elected, Ms Thewliss called upon Chancellor George Osborne – who was standing in for David Cameron at PMQs – to drop the rape clause now.

The Chancellor confirmed that the Government was currently consulting on the policy but Ms Thewliss has called for the proposal to be dropped as a matter of urgency.

Speaking after challenging George Osborne during Prime Minister’s Questions, Ms Thewliss said:

“I’ve now raised this issue with the Government seven times and they still can’t justify this abhorrent and vile policy.

“It is clear that everyone, with the exception of this out of touch Tory Government, know that the policy is totally unworkable and utterly degrading.

“Given that the Prime Minister was not there to answer my question today, I have now written to him to ask that he personally meet me and representatives of women’s groups, and to look us in the eye and seriously justify Government officials interrogating women to prove they’ve had their third child as a result of rape”.

The UK Government’s “rape clause” proposals

During DWP Questions today I challenged Iain Duncan Smith to scrap his ill-thought out plans to force women who have a third child as a consequence of being raped to prove this to a Government official in order to receive tax credit payments.

Asking women who have been raped to relive such a traumatic experience and – worse still – justify their child’s birth is appalling and has got to be the lowest this Government has stooped yet.

I’ve met with a number of women’s welfare organisations and rape crisis groups who are rightly calling for the Government to bin these ill thought out plans. SNP action has already led to u-turns on tax credit policy and I’ll be campaigning hard to make sure this policy is the next to be put through the Downing Street shredder.

Breastfeeding Conference

19115 - Unicef breastfeeding Conference (1)This week I attended the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Annual Conference. I enjoyed meeting with various organisations who do excellent work to promote breastfeeding. I am currently working on setting up an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infant Feeding and Inequalities and I look forward to working more closely with some of the organisations I have met at the UNICEF Conference over the coming weeks and months.

The Trade Union Bill

I met with the EIS at my constituency office and pledged my opposition to the Trade Union Bill. I believe that this Bill threatens the fundamental rights to organise and bargain collectively, as well as placing undue restrictions on strike ballots and social media communication by trade union members. ‪#‎killthebill

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Refugees welcome

I am delightAlison - Aye Welcome Refugees 2 - 18115ed to see the first arrivals of refugees in Scotland under the UK Government’s refugee resettlement scheme. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all of those who have come to Scotland.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council, established an online hub to provide practical support and assistance to refugees in Scotland. I and my SNP colleagues will continue to use our influence to ensure that the UK works in partnership with our European neighbours to devise a long-term solution to the refugee crisis, which should include diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria.

Keep Me Posted

I’ve offered my support to the Keep Me Posted campaign, which campaigns for people to receive paper bills and statements from companies without charge. It is important that my constituents are able to choose how they receive important financial information from service providers, including banks and utility companies.

Moreover, in many areas of my constituency broadband access and uptake is below the national average for Scotland. Whilst the Scottish Government is working to improve digital literacy and provide superfast broadband, the option for paper bills and statements should remain available and there should be no financial penalty attached to receiving paper statements, particularly for elderly and vulnerable people.