John Milne MP: New role on Select Committee

Select Committees are one of the things which Parliament does well. Many would argue they have a bigger impact on actual policy than debates in the main Chamber. With 72 MPs, the Liberal Democrats are entitled to more committee places than ever before, so we now have the platform to make a difference.

There’s been a tendency over many years for the government to push through rushed legislation and skimp on the detail. Select Committees are an important check on this bad habit, because they contain members from all the main parties and tend to work more collaboratively.

On Thursday last week, myself and Horsham resident Andrew Turner met with the new Justice Minister, Heidi Alexander, to talk about the Child Trust Fund scandal. This was a state-funded savings scheme that ran for 9 years from 2001.

Savings in Child Trust Funds belongs to the child but they can only take it out when they reach 18. However, an oversight meant no provision was made for children with disabilities who would be unable to manage their own finances – as Andrew discovered when his own son reached 18.

Andrew has fought a superb campaign to overturn this injustice with the support of my predecessor Sir Jeremy Quin. Incredibly the turmoil in Westminster has been so great that Andrew has already approached 7 different Justice Ministers before Heidi, all without success. So why should it be any different this time?

There does seem to be a change in attitude. At first sight the new government seems genuinely willing to engage with the issue. 40,000 families have already been affected, and another 40,000 will run into the same difficulties when their own children reach age 18. A solution must be found!