I was pleased to see the motion to bring the compensation scheme for the Contaminated Blood victims brought forward this week.  That does not mean I think the scheme is perfect, I don’t, and have seen at first hand the suffering of the victims and their families. I am not sure how those people, many of whom were children when they were infected by the State, can ever be adequately be compensated for lost and destroyed lives. But it is progress, and a testament to the campaigning determination of so many over decades.  In the last Parliament I can recall rebelling on this issue, and voting with Dame Diana Johnson to demand a compensation scheme be brought forward, and at an accelerated pace. Anyone who had taken the time to meet some of the victims and hear their heart rending stories would have done the same. 

We have also had the indomitable Dawn Dines and her campaign to “Stamp out Spiking” in Westminster this week.  Dawn’s message is very clear, we have to raise awareness that spiking doesn’t just happen to young women in clubs, it happens to men too, and via a variety of means.  I am particularly worried that vapes are being used, tampered with who knows what, and deployed on children. I have spoken on this in Parliament many times and was delighted to see Dawn is launching a new campaign this coming week.

On Wednesday I met Jack Hurley, a young man who had a cardiac arrest whilst playing football.  Jack is alive today because there was a defibrillator installed at his local football club, and his team mates immediately deployed it to save him. That defibrillator was just 50 metres away from where Jack collapsed, but currently only half of all postcode areas are within 3-5 minutes reach of a defibrillator.  Jack is determined to see that number increase, and here in Romsey and Southampton 55 per cent of residents are in what he refers to as a “defib desert”. The 3-5 minute window of a cardiac arrest is considered essential for survival, and it was really moving to hear direct from Jack about his experience and how appreciative he is of the team mates who acted so quickly to save him.

This weekend I am headed to Lockerley, Over Wallop and Abbotts Ann for a number of meetings with constituents. All three villages already have at least one community defibrillator, all of them registered on the BHF “Circuit”, which is a brilliant resource to find out how close your nearest one is.

 

Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP

Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons

Member of Parliament for Romsey and Southampton North