Henry Smith MP has today addressed a meeting of the Rivers Learning Project Community at Crawley Civic Hall as part of UK Parliament Week 2017.

Henry said;

“I’m grateful to Rivers for inviting me to be part of their special meeting to mark this year’s UK Parliament Week.

“It was a pleasure to speak with this group who undertake important work empowering disadvantaged women in Crawley about my role as MP on behalf of our town, both locally and in Westminster.

“An important part of my role as Crawley MP is to try and engage local people in our democracy and the political process. Parliament Week is a great time to do this – but it’s a responsibility I take seriously all year round. Just a couple of weeks ago I welcomed a group of local school pupils to the Parliamentary Education Centre.

“One of the key points I spoke with Rivers about was the importance of participation – if we all get involved we can improve and enhance our community.”

The Crawley MP spoke about his work as the town’s elected representative, which includes assisting people locally, questioning the government in the House of Commons, holding ministers to account and helping pass laws. There was also a focus on the work that takes place in Westminster Hall, the House of Lords, and Commons select committees.

In September, Henry was chosen to provide additional scrutiny in this regard as he was elected by parliamentary colleagues to the House of Commons International Development Committee. In this role, MPs focus on the work of the Department for International Development, to monitor that UK aid is spent where it is required and to ensure the interests of British taxpayers are adhered to.

The Crawley MP also spoke about his work in Parliament, including his campaign for CCTV to be introduced in slaughterhouses. The Environment Secretary confirmed last week that legislation on this issue will be introduced in the new year, due to come into force in the spring.

UK Parliament Week has taken place each year since 2011, exploring what Parliament means to people and encouraging them to get involved. This year’s UK Parliament Week takes place from 13th to 19th November 2017, and more than 4,500 events are going on from Orkney to the Isle of Wight.

Activities include question times, debates, workshops, arts, music performances, poetry and a range of other events.