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Inevitably, whilst Parliament is in session MPs have to spend most weekdays at Westminster leaving Fridays and weekends for work in the constituency visiting residents, schools, businesses, hospitals and a variety of local organisations and interests.
Tim is always keen to use constituency days to visit as many as people as possible whilst constituents are always welcome to come and visit the Houses of Parliament either to lobby MPs or join a tour of the Palace, usually in an organised group. Local schools are particularly welcome to visit and there is a special House of Commons Education unit which tailors special programmes for visiting school parties, usually in the Autumn term.
See this link for information on the UK Parliament's education website
As an ordinary Member of Parliament and as a Shadow Minister Tim has essentially three roles in Parliament:
- To take up issues and problems on behalf of constituents and make sure the people of East Worthing & Shoreham are getting a fair deal
- To participate in debates, deal with Parliamentary lobby groups and interests, sit on committees scrutinizing legislation and table questions, and generally hold the Government to account.
- As a Conservative front bencher to challenge Government policies and develop alternatives to offer the electorate at the next election. Tim is a Shadow Health Minister with responsibilities for Mental Health, Children's Health and Social Services amongst others, and in November 2003 he was appointed shadow Minister for Children as well
Much of Tim's time is therefore spent in meetings at Westminster away from the cameras and the chamber itself. The often unseen work in Committee where literally every line of a Bill will be scrutized is one of the most important jobs of a Member of Parliament and must take priority. Recently Tim has led for the Conservatives on the Mental Health Bill and the Children and Adoption Bill. He also has one of the best records amongst MPs of all parties for the amount of questions he has tabled to Ministers on a wide range of subjects.
Every word which is spoken in Parliament is recorded by Hansard. Records of debates since 1993 are available on the Parliamentary website and speeches from debates are usually available on the web by noon of the following working day.
The Government are committed to bringing forward a Children in Care Bill which will change the statutory framework around the care system to enable children and young people to receive high quality care and support and drive improvements in the delivery of services focused on the needs of the child.
In his capacity as Shadow Minister for Children, Tim will be leading on this Bill for the Conservatives.
It is hoped that the changes proposed in the Bill will:
- Enabling those who enter the care system to achieve the aspirations we have for our own children and reducing the gap in outcomes between children in care and their peers
- Improving placement stability and ensuring more consistency for children in care;
- Improving the experience children in care have at school and increasing their educational attainment;
The main elements of the bill are as follows:
- Giving pilot local authorities the power to test a different model of organising social care by commissioning services from 'Social Work Practices' and enabling regulation of these practices;
- Increasing the focus on the transparency and quality of care planning and ensuring that the child's voice is heard when important decisions that affect their future are taken;
- Increasing schools' capacity to address the needs of children in care including placing the role of the designated teacher on a statutory footing and ensuring that children in care do not move schools in Year 10 and 11 except in exceptional circumstances;
- Ensuring that young people are not forced out of care before they are ready by giving them a greater say over moves to independent living and ensuring they retain support and guidance as long as they need it;
- Improving the quality and stability of placements for children in care, securing higher placement standards and better value for money and ensuring children in care and custody are visited regularly.
