Covid-19: One Year Report
Lord Davies of Brixton Excerpts(4 years, 10 months ago)
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Lord Davies of Brixton (Lab) [V]
My Lords, I take this opportunity to register my concern at the many government failings in dealing with the pandemic. This is against not just the number of deaths we have experienced but the long-term effects we will suffer, including both the effects of the illness itself and the collateral damage that it has inflicted on so many families and other human relationships more generally. My sympathy goes to those who have been directly affected; they make it all the more imperative that we recognise what has gone wrong on this Government’s watch.
I make my remarks with slightly mixed emotions because I am happy to report that, earlier today, I booked my second vaccine shot, due to the efficiency of the NHS and an excellent local GP practice. To them I say thank you.
In expressing my concern, I make it clear that I in no way wish to give comfort to the anti-lockdown libertarians, who prioritise profit over people and, especially, the care of our elderly. There has to be a public inquiry, sooner rather than later after our next crisis, but that is no substitute for speaking out now.
At this stage of the debate, many points have been made and many concerns expressed about how the pandemic has unfolded. I shall highlight five of them. The first is the inadequate financial support for millions of people, particularly the poorest-paid, including the most vulnerable in our society. That has led to tragedy, not only for the individuals concerned but for society more generally as many simply could not afford to take the steps necessary to protect the rest of us.
Secondly, there is the asymmetry in the legislation, with little or no enforcement aimed at unsafe workplaces. The case of meat processing plants is one particularly salient example, but it is not unique. As far as I am aware, there have been no prosecutions in relation to an unsafe building site, warehouse or call centre where people have been required to attend by unscrupulous employers, some of whom have multiplied their wealth to obscene levels as a direct result of the pandemic.
Thirdly, there have been problems in schools that have particularly affected those families on the lowest incomes, who could not afford the internet connections, the computers or even the pens and paper, not to mention the basic nutrition, needed to gain from at-home, and in some cases in-school, education.
The fourth issue that I want to highlight is the provisions relating to detention and dispersal. These powers are particularly egregious for a state to hold, and it is interesting that they have been retained even though, as I understand it, no declaration has been made in England.
Fifthly, it is clearly not necessary or proportionate to have emergency legislation on the statute book when we have had a year to regularise the position. We must not regularly have emergency legislation lasting for extended periods. We could have had more considered legislation rather than the somewhat rushed legislation that we got. That was understandable in the circumstances at the time but there has been time since to replace it with more considered and detailed legislation to deal with this difficult situation.
We now know that the powers have proved seriously disproportionate and we know about the enormous gaps in support for ordinary people who have lost so much in terms of liberties, livelihoods and even their loved ones during this time.
Mental Health Act Reform
Lord Davies of Brixton Excerpts(5 years ago)
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Lord Bethell (Con)
My Lords, I certainly do not condone that treatment in any circumstances, but I acknowledge the noble Baroness’s point: there have been some instances in the past—reasonably rare but consistent—where those with autism and learning difficulties have been subject to the most inappropriate regimes and where a completely different type of support, therapy and accommodation from the kind found in mental health institutions was needed. The campaign to which the noble Baroness alluded is entirely right and we are moving quickly to address those points.
Lord Davies of Brixton (Lab) [V]
My Lords, the White Paper is certainly to be welcomed, as there is much to be done. The number of people being detained in hospital under the current Mental Health Act has increased over the past few years. One reason is the lack of resources to provide the support needed in the community and respite care. While we are told that there has been investment, the resources often do not reach hard-pressed mental health trusts. More resources will be needed, not only to grow the workforce but for the workforce to receive education and training in the values and practices needed to deliver the radical changes envisaged in this review. We should also ensure that the workforce better reflects the communities it serves. Again, while I welcome the promise of further investment in mental health services, will the Minister give a commitment that this will be new money and that it will reach mental health trusts, to provide the workforce growth, and Health Education England, to provide the workforce training essential for delivering the aims of the White Paper?
Lord Bethell (Con)
The noble Lord is right; the numbers are inappropriate. Fifty-one thousand detentions under the Act in 2019-20 seems far too many. Detentions under the Act rose by 40% in the 10 years to 2015, and we thought of this Act to try to address that injustice. The £2.3 billion is new money, and it will make a huge impact on the mental health trusts he describes.
ONS: UK Life Expectancy
Lord Davies of Brixton Excerpts(5 years, 1 month ago)
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Lord Bethell (Con)
My Lords, the noble Lord is entirely right that this stalling of the life expectancy curve is extremely worrying, and he is right to emphasise the disappointing results in deprived communities, where, as he says, we are going backwards instead of forwards. Covid has shown how that has a huge impact on the resilience of the nation’s public health. The Government are committed to this agenda—we published a prevention Green Paper and we are committed to building a strategy out of that Green Paper, and since then we have done work on better health, on obesity and on other areas of life expectancy—but I agree with him that more can and should be done.
Lord Davies of Brixton (Lab)
My Lords, it is clear that there has been a downturn in the rate of mortality improvement since 2010, and the evidence is that the impact of these negative trends has been greater among more deprived groups, with some suffering an actual decline in their expected lifespan. Does the Minister accept that a significant reason for this has been the imposition of austerity policies since 2010 under successive Conservative Governments?
Coronavirus Act 2020 (Expiry of Mental Health Provisions) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020
Lord Davies of Brixton Excerpts(5 years, 2 months ago)
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Lord Davies of Brixton (Lab) (Maiden Speech)
My Lords, I thank everyone whose kindness has made taking on my new role so straightforward. I thank the doorkeepers and attendants who have guided me more than once along different corridors. I thank the parliamentary staff who have supported my induction, and my party colleagues and the Front Bench team who have guided me through the rules and practices of this House. I must also thank my noble friends Lady Blower and Lady Osamor for supporting me at my introduction. Finally, I owe particular thanks to John McDonnell MP, who encouraged me to take up this new challenge, and my family, who have given me their support despite the disruption in their lives.
I aim to be an asset to this House, contributing my particular skills and knowledge. There is my lifetime of activity in the trade union movement, where I am glad to join a number of old colleagues. More notable is that I am an actuary, the first in this House for more than 70 years. The only other was the first Baron May of Weybridge. He was a prominent public figure and a formidable character, so it is odd that during his 11 years in the House he never made a speech. That means, I am proud to say on behalf of myself and my profession, that this is the first time an actuary has ever spoken in Parliament. I can certainly say that it will not be the last.
One thing that Lord May did was to play a significant role in bringing down a Government. Unfortunately, it was the 1931 Labour Government. I may not be able to go that far, but I shall use to my time to hold the Government to account.
A key skill that you must learn as an actuary is to explain what you do. The application of higher maths to finance sounds too technical, yet the assessment of mortality sounds too gloomy. As an actuary who specialises in pensions, my role has been to provide advice for trade unions when seeking to improve or, increasingly, to defend the pensions provided for their members. I am sorry to have missed the debates on the Pension Schemes Bill, but I have followed them and know that there are many pensions experts in the House. I look forward to joining them, particularly when we consider the further pensions Bill that the Pensions Minister has promised for this Parliament.
Turning to the statutory instrument before us today, I must state my keen and continuing interest in mental health. We know that these extraordinary powers were not required during lockdown, which is testament to the hard work of our mental health staff. They have coped without recourse to such drastic emergency measures and it is clearly right that they should now be expired. Mental health difficulties need to be discussed during this pandemic. We should understand the importance of social and financial stability in the face of the virus. We now realise that resilience lies not within an individual but within our community. Given the dire economic effects of both Brexit and the pandemic, it is vital to consider the NHS response to the increase in mental health difficulties. The proposed investment in mental health services is welcome, but it is still inadequate and barely makes up for the loss of support over the past 10 years. We need more investment. We also need to modernise the Mental Health Act. Public attitudes have improved markedly in the past 10 years, but the law has failed to keep pace. Of course, the pandemic has slowed progress, but we need the promised White Paper. Can the Minister promise to bring it forward as a matter of urgency?