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Ochil and South Perthshire MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh this week published her first Annual Report following her election to Parliament in May 2015.
According to the independent website TheyWorkForYou.com, Ms Ahmed-Sheikh asked 37 Written Questions and spoke in 97 debates in her first year as an MP, which was well above average for all Members of Parliament. This contrasts with her Labour predecessor’s record of 8 speeches in his final year in office, when he also only asked 23 Written Questions.
Ms Ahmed-Sheikh’s has raised a wide range of local, national and international issues in Parliament, including the impact of benefits sanctions, pensions policy, tax on small businesses, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, changes to Employment Tribunals, renewable energy, the conflict in Syria and how to prevent international terrorism.
Over and above these contributions, Ms Ahmed-Sheikh brought forward her own Private Members Bill on reforming the currently unfair Benefits Sanctions process which despite securing the support of MPs from all main opposition parties failed to receive Government backing.
In addition to her work in Parliament, the local MP has also now held 43 MP Surgeries for constituents all across the area she represents, including events in Alloa, Tillicoultry, Dollar, Menstrie, Kinross, Dunning, Bridge of Earn, Bankfoot, Comrie, Auchterarder, and Crieff.
She also opened her new Constituency Office alongside Keith Brown MSP in Alloa in October. Since her election, Ms Ahmed-Sheikh and her team have helped around 500 constituents with cases as diverse as protecting PIP payments for disabled constituents, resolving issues with the Child Support Agency, supporting local businesses, securing compensation from utility companies, as well as answering thousands of constituent enquiries on a range of topical political issues.
To mark her first year in Parliament, Ms Ahmed-Sheikh has also now launched a monthly newsletter for constituents, which will be published in addition to her ongoing updates on Facebook and Twitter. Constituents can sign up to the newsletter online on the MP’s Official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/
Speaking today, Ms Ahmed-Sheikh said:
“It has been an honour and privilege to serve every one of my constituents to the best of my ability here and in Parliament over the past twelve months.
“I promise to continue to work as hard as I can each day to make a positive difference to the lives of everyone who lives here, whether that’s through holding the Tory Government to account in Westminster or working with my local team to address individual issues raised by my constituents.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me over the past year. In particular I’d like to thank the local charities, schools and businesses who have welcomed me in to gain a better understanding of their work, and each of the individual constituents who have welcomed me into my new role.
“I look forward to building on my hard-working record as a local MP over the months and years to come.”
