Member of Parliament for South Shields

How I Can Help

In the last general election I was honoured to be re-elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for the South Shields constituency and to take a seat in the House of Commons.

My role as an MP is to represent all the people in my constituency; not just those who voted for me. Whether or not you voted for me or agree with the views of my party, I am your MP and I am still here to help you with all matters for which Parliament or central government is responsible.

This page contains information on what I can, and what I cannot, do for you as your MP. This information is derived from the House of Commons Factsheet Members/Election Series No 1, which you can download in full in Adobe Acrobat format here.

 

What can I do to help you?

MP's are there to help only with those matters for which Parliament or central government is responsible. Problems often arise with work carried out by central government departments and I will be able to help you with such areas as:

  • Tax problems involving the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise Departments (but not such areas as the council tax which is paid to your local authority);
  • Problems dealt with by the Department of Health such as hospitals and the National Health Service;
  • Problems dealt with by the Department of Work and Pensions such as benefits, pensions and national insurance.
  • Problems dealt with by the Home Office such as immigration and matters such as school closures and grants which are dealt with by the Department for Education and Employment.

 

How I can help you with your problems

Where your problem does involve central government, I have a number of methods available to try to resolve the matter. A letter from me to the relevant department or official will often provide a solution. If not, I may decide to take matters a stage further by writing to the Minister involved, or even making an appointment to see the Minister personally. Many constituents problems can be solved in this way but not all problems, of course, have an easy solution. The Minister may not be able to give the answer that you wanted to hear but if the decision has been made in the right way, there may be little that can be done.

If, on the other hand, there has been unnecessary delay, or if some essential procedure has been missed out, i.e. if there has been maladministration, I may be able to take your case to the Ombudsman (Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration).

I am able to resolve such cases where there has been administrative incompetence. The Ombudsman can only be approached via an MP - you cannot approach him directly.

I cannot help you in private disputes with other individuals or with companies who have sold you faulty goods, nor, for example, to interfere with decisions made by courts - contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Trading Standards.

 

Raising matters in the House

All of the methods discussed so far allow problems to be kept confidential. If I am not satisfied with the answers received I may feel that there is something to be gained by making the matter public and may want to raise the issue in the House of Commons in front of the press and public.

 

Petitions

If you and other people feel strongly about a certain issue, you may decide to organise a petition to the House of Commons. Your petition can only be presented by an MP and must be arranged in a particular format. You can obtain advice on this by contacting me or by writing to the Clerk of Public Petitions, Journal Office, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.

 

My responsibilities as your MP

I will do everything I can to help constituents, but am not able to support every cause, nor will I be able to get the desired solution to every individual problem.

 

Tours of the Palace of Westminster and visits to the Strangers' Gallery

Please see the 'Visiting Parliament' page.

Finally, I am here to represent the interests of all the people of South Shields and I will do so to the best of my ability.