Monday

This is the week before recess and so business at Westminster is either plenty or sparse. This week it’s sparse.

My day is spent in Inverclyde and included a catch up with Cloch Housing, Inverclyde Council and Scottish Water to discuss the current situation over the flooding that took place on Kilmacolm Road and forced tenants out of their homes.

Scottish Water have taken on board the need for them to manage the local reservoir better and have done this successfully. They are also reviewing the culverts on an ongoing basis. I would imagine moving back into a house that has been flooded out twice and that getting insurance for it will be tough for some and maybe a step too far.

Cloch Housing will handle this and have the tenants' best interests at heart. I made it down the road in time for votes at on the Finance Bill at 1830.

Tuesday

My select committee took evidence from Ed Humpherson of the Office for Statistical Regulations.

The driest of subjects can be fascinating when an expert really enjoys their subject and wants to engage with the committee. This was one such occasion. I was particularly interested in his desire for the UK Government to pro-actively publish evidence where that evidence was being cited in public.

Too often ministers make claims which are spurious to say the least and upon investigation their interpretation of the data leaves a lot to be desired. He was particularly critical of comparing NHS data across the four nations, as the data is gathered differently and reset at different stages.

I don’t normally engage in adjournment debates as they tend to be very specific to a constituency, but tonight’s was on the support for civilians seeking to flee the war in Gaza. Despite all the political rhetoric from the minister he looked particularly uneasy, had no backing from his own side and refused my request to call for a ceasefire.

Wednesday

I dropped in on the World Cancer Day event in Portcullis House to hear about the role of carers and ongoing research.

Prime Minister’s Questions was as you probably know a new low. The PM's clumsy attempt to put down the Leader of the Opposition came out as shallow and cruel to the ears of many. And especially to the parents of a transgender teenager who had been murdered.

I hosted the launch of a new report ‘Men Who Buy Sex: Understanding the demand for prostitution and sex trafficking in the UK’, in my capacity as the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on commercial sexual exploitation. It’s a tough, hard-hitting report that recognises that we end the demand if we are ever to end the trafficking and exploitation of so many women. We had four excellent speakers at the event, Farah Hussein from Feminista, Ruth Robb from Azalea, Anne-Lise Robin from the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe and Esther who represented women that have been exploited.

Thursday

I spoke in the chamber in the debate on the management culture of the Post Office. This is an issue that has been highlighted by the Horizon scandal that has seen hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses prosecuted for fraud. Some have been imprisoned and some have even been driven to commit suicide.

Questions remain unanswered around who knew, and when, that bugs in the software were causing what looked like fraud and how many people were still prosecuted once the Post Office knew the truth. We are seeking all convictions to be quashed and the appropriate compensation to be paid as soon as possible.

I wrote to the Department for Business on the back of the shock announcement from BT Group of the proposal to close the EE site in Greenock.

Friday

Surgeries in Kilmacolm this morning and in Greenock this afternoon. In between I had a meeting with the Fire Brigade Union.

The evening was reserved for Cappielow and the big cup tie. As I write this, we haven’t yet beaten Motherwell, but I predict we will.

On Saturday, I shall be attending the Lesley Riddoch event at the Beacon to discuss how a small northern European independent country like Denmark manages to thrive.