Here's the latest Argus column by Newport East MP Jessica Morden:

THE House of Commons is now up and running again in 'hybrid' form with the majority of questions now being asked by video link.

It's absolutely vital that Parliament is able to continue scrutinising the government during the ongoing crisis, and the new system has worked well so far – albeit with more limited opportunities to get in.

Last week I questioned Department for Work and Pensions ministers, on behalf of constituents who have been in touch with me, to raise concerns about the Government’s handling of the benefits system during the outbreak. There have been over 82,000 new claims for Universal Credit in Wales during the pandemic, many of whom will struggle to access the support they need.

MORE NEWS:

DWP staff locally are doing a great job under pressure, but ministers do need to make the process easier for new claimants.

Labour is calling on the government to introduce new social security measures urgently to prevent families sliding into irreversible hardship.

These include converting Universal Credit advances into grants instead of loans to stop claimants falling into a spiral of debt; ending the five-week wait for a first payment; and abolishing the two-child limit in Universal Credit and tax credit.

The DWP should also up-rate legacy benefits to match the increase in Universal Credit, providing an immediate increase in Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance and Carer’s Allowance.

At Justice Questions I pressed the government to tackle the worrying backlog in the criminal justice system which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gwent Police are doing a great job, and it's wrong that the people they arrest now might not be brought before the courts for many months, and may go on to commit other crimes.

I have also raised with ministers problems surrounding the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self Employed Income Support Scheme.

There are a number of gaps in both systems meaning many people are unable to access help such as new starters, the newly self-employed and company directors who take their earnings as dividends.

Constituents and employers are also unsure about when someone can be placed on the Job Retention Scheme, meaning that many people are still having to continue working or are being made redundant when they could be furloughed.

  • Thank you again to all the wonderful key workers community organisations and volunteers across Newport East who are continuing to support residents through this incredibly difficult time.

There are too many to name individually here, but I do want to pay a special tribute to the work of our main food banks in Newport and Caldicot who are doing amazing work in the community whilst facing a big uptake in demand.

You can read my latest Parliamentary report covering April on my website, including a list of organisations and agencies in Newport East who can help, here: https://www.jessicamorden.com/news/2020/05/07/parliamentary-report-6/

  • As this is my last column before Argus editor Nicole Garnon leaves for pastures new, can I thank her for her longstanding and dedicated contribution to local journalism in South East Wales.

In these unprecedented times we need our local papers more than ever before and yet they themselves are struggling like other sectors, so anything you can do to support them I know would be appreciated.