Being an MP on the government side is obviously better than being in opposition but life goes on, constituents still require help and any MP worth their salt will use all parliamentary mechanisms to highlight issues and pressurise ministers.
Action in parliament is boosted when ministers know clearly that voters are watching them like a hawk and there is a groundswell of support for action.
We saw some success in government retreats on scrapping free school milk, selling off forests and curbing school sports. Peaceful and parliamentary protests can work.
Myself and other MPs together with unions and Thompsons solicitors have continued the pursuit of justice for those with pleural plaques - a hot issue in the North East, thanks to the campaign waged with us by the Journal's sister paper, the Chronicle.
The continuing public disgrace is that employers through their insurers are not giving compensation to people they criminally and knowingly poisoned. They took their case to the Lords to get their wicked way and refused to compensate hard working people for the damage done by this asbestos related disease.
Frankly, the last Labour Government should have changed the law to reinstate compensation, but didn't. However, our campaign persuaded it to set up a pleural plaques scheme to pay up to £5,000 to people who had brought but not resolved a legal claim prior to October 2007 when the Lords ended compensation rights.
However, under the current government, many people eligible for these payments had been waiting very long periods because of delays in the Revenue and Customs department in providing proof of employment which the Justice Ministry required before paying claims.
I have, therefore, used parliamentary questions to force the pace with ministers. My inquiries established that there were 18,400 outstanding requests for employment histories in industrial disease claims, an increase of nearly one third in a year.
The questions have succeeded in knocking heads together by establishing a more urgent dialogue between the two departments.
Proof of employment is now being produced within two weeks instead of taking over three months. This is speeding up the delivery of much needed payments to many elderly people with pleural plaques. Extra staff have also been hired to tackle the backlog with a new system to hurry up non-urgent requests.
But parliamentary work is only one part of the picture. Local people are also taking action. For instance, the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund, of which I am very proud to be a patron, aims to raise awareness and fund crucial research. It seeks improved diagnosis, treatment and care for mesothelioma sufferers plus better information and support.
Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer affecting the lung and occasionally the abdomen caused by exposure to asbestos. Builders, plumbers, railway, construction and shipyard workers are at greatest risk. More than 2,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year. There is still no cure.
It has been found in people who have lived near factories with asbestos and families of workers who have unintentionally brought the deadly dust home on their clothes.
The Fund was formed by Chris Knighton in memory of her husband, Mick who died in her arms at just 60 years old after contracting the disease when he served in the Royal Navy. As a gunner he used anti-inflammable gauntlets and hoods while the gun turret was lined with asbestos.
They lost their dreams for retirement together. But Chris came out fighting and decided to raise £100,000 to remember and honour Mick's life. Remarkably she has surpassed even her wildest expectations. Their Glitter Ball in Newcastle on 14 May can help them reach their new target of £1 million and details are at www.mickknightonmesorf.org
Chris and her colleagues are local heroes who deserve our support in tackling this terrible scourge. It's a great privilege to play my small part in helping Chris and others seek justice.
Newcastle Chronicle and Journal
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