Location of meetings
It has been suggested that for the convenience of
attendees we should hold two meetings, but both should be on a Saturday in
Birmingham rather than midweek in London. (That was not my suggestion, but
I like the idea). If there are any people who would prefer midweek in
London could they please email Tom Paul on paultj@parliament.uk
Southall GMC hearings - selection of press
items.
A DISTRAUGHT mother claims that a paediatrician
accused of tampering with her child's hospital records had treated her son like
a "lab rat".
John Hemming MP, the Chairman of Justice for
Families, has challenged the GMC to demonstrate why families who want to talk to
the press about the GMC hearing currently going on cannot do so
openly.
http://www.24dash.com/centralgovernment/12964.htm
Speech on Youtube
The Speech I gave in the House of Commons on 16th
November has now been uploaded to youtube in two bits. Both can be
accessed via my blog entry as below.
Constitutional Affairs Select Committee
Report
The Government's response to Constitutional Affairs
Select Committee Report on Family Courts is available via here.
I doesn't say anything particularly
new.
Welsh Social Care Council Suspends CAFCASS
worker for making false statements under oath
I don't know the details of this case, but if it
shows a greater commitment from "the system" to truth that is to be
welcomed. FASSIT are obtaining further information.
Early Day Motions in New
Session
I have retabled all of the Early Day Motions where
the issue has not been resolved. The new numbers will last until next
year's queens speech. You can check whether or not your MP has signed the
EDM by clicking on the URL. MPs who are members of the government can
write a letter to the minister and copy it to you. Protocols are such that
they do not actually sign Early Day Motions (that includes PPSs).
EDM 145 MEDICAL EVIDENCE IN COURTS
That this House welcomes the work of
the Chief Medical Officer in relation to expert witnesses relating to medical
issues, but expresses concern that medical professionals with conflicts of
interest have been allowed to promote prosecutions such as that of Marianne
Williams; notes with concern that a false diagnosis of chronic sexual abuse by a
medical professional, followed by multiple unacceptable errors by social
workers, in a recent case caused a family to be separated for some years when in
fact there was no actual evidence of abuse; expresses its continuing support for
opening up the family courts so that errors made by professionals are more
readily detected and hence prevented and the consequent miscarriages of justice
avoided; and calls for a review of the extent to which witnesses as to facts
should be involved in Crown conferences in criminal cases.
EDM 146 FORCED ADOPTIONS
That this House notes the impact on both the
birth family and adoptive family when it is shown that the basis upon which a
child was removed from its birth family and placed with an adoptive family was
unjust; and calls for a review of the rules that apply in contested adoptions
(now placements) which should include the standard of proof, scrutiny and
whether or not a jury should be required in such cases
EDM 196 TAKING
CHILDREN INTO CARE
That this House notes that taking fewer
children into care would facilitate the provision of better services for those
who have been taken into care; further notes that many children have been taken
into care in error in the past; further notes that there is a conflict of
interest between social services acting as a supportive service and social
services acting as an enforcement-based service; and calls for the Secretary of
State for the Department for Education and Skills to review the option of taking
the enforcement role out of social services and into a specialist
agency.
EDM 198 INDUCED ILLNESS IN
CHILDREN
That this House notes that guidance from
the Department for Education and Skills, entitled Safeguarding Children in Whom
Illness is Induced or Fabricated by Carers with Parenting Responsibilities, says
that when a possible explanation for the signs and symptoms of illness is that
'they may have been fabricated or induced by a carer', and as a consequence the
'child's health or development is or is likely to be impaired', a referral
should be made to the social services department; further notes that the effect
of the above is to require parents alleged to have induced illness in their
children to prove their innocence, rather than to require those accusing parents
of inducing illness in their children to prove the guilt of the parents; and
calls for a review of this guidance.
EDM 200 WORK OF Dr DAVID SOUTHALL
That this House notes that over a large
number of years Dr Southall has performed risky, interventionist,
non-therapeutic, experiments on babies and young children which have been
demonstrated to have caused medical difficulties for some of the babies and
young children; further notes that project E5 involved over-sedating babies,
misleading parents as to the discomfort and risk faced by their babies and
giving carbon monoxide to babies with respiratory problems; further notes that
this has been reported to the General Medical Council; and calls for the General
Medical Council to explain why no action has been
taken
EDM 204 WORK OF DR DAVID SOUTHALL (No.
2)
That this House notes that in the report
written for the University Hospital of North Staffordshire by Professor McNeish
and Dr Durbin, Professor McNeish said that Dr Southall has pursued multiple
clinical research studies that were poorly designed and therefore were unlikely
to produce new knowledge of worth, more worryingly he appears to have had
insufficient regard for the ethical standards that should surround all clinical
studies in babies; believes that these are important comments that require
proper consideration; is surprised that the University Hospital of North
Staffordshire is unable to find a copy of this report; calls for the hospital to
locate such a copy and publish its contents; and further calls for an
independent judicial or parliamentary inquiry into the research and clinical
activities of Dr David Southall, the failure of the regulatory system to prevent
unethical experiments on babies managed by Dr Southall and the misuse of child
protection and judicial procedures which prevented parents from raising
complaints about his research and the methods by which he procured children for
his research.
EDM 205 AUDIT OF DEATH CERTIFICATES
That this House notes that one
recommendation of the Shipman Inquiry in 2003 was an audit of death
certificates; regrets that the Government has not been fit for the purpose of
implementing this very simple change to procedure; and calls on the Government
to implement this change at an early stage, including a numerical audit of the
past 10 years.
EDM 209 Dr DAVID SOUTHALL'S RESEARCH CASE
FILES
That this House notes that Dr David Southall
has maintained special case files including details of research he has managed
on many thousands of babies over a number of years; further notes that it is the
view of the Chief Medical Officer that copies of such information should be
given to the patients who range throughout England and Wales from Birmingham,
through Barnsley to Banbury and Bristol; regrets that the University Hospital of
North Staffordshire National Health Service Trust has not as yet done so; and
calls for the UHNS Trust to act to rectify this
situation
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