Parliament has returned this week following the summer recess and it has been interesting to see how quiet London still is. I know commuter trains in and out of the capital are still much quieter than normal, but many have learnt how to adapt to working from home and have welcomed additional flexibility. I was pleased to hear the PMQ from a colleague talking about the need for more flexible season tickets, allowing people to have financial savings on the cost of their usual commute whilst also giving them the ability to go into the office for a set number of days per month. I agree with those colleagues who have correctly identified that Covid has changed the patterns of working, possibly forever, and for some (although certainly not all) working from home more can and does work.
We heard early in the week from the Secretaries of State for Health and Education on the Covid updates from their departments. I was not lucky in the ballot to ask Matt Hancock in the Health Statement, but did get called in the Education Statement. What is absolutely imperative is that support to help children who have missed schooling is forthcoming. There is a catch up fund to enable them to do that, but it is important that it is rolled out by the Education Endowment Foundation as swiftly as possible, which is what I questioned the Secretary of State about. The system of ballots for Statements and Urgent Questions is still a frustration, but it is better than nothing, even when you only have a 25% success rate in coming out in the top 50.
Over the Bank Holiday I was very pleased to visit Abbotswood Court for the Memory Choir singing in the garden. Kim G leads the choir in some fabulous old favourite tunes and it was wonderful to see the residents singing along with enthusiasm. We were lucky that the sun shone and the garden was lovely, Kim was telling me about her plans to lead choirs virtually once the weather changes, which I for one hope is a long way off. It is amazing how music can revitalise those with memory loss, and it was a thrill to hear one resident talking about when he saw Elvis in Vegas, a brilliant tale, retold with such amazing casual acceptance that it was normal to have seen the King perform live!
