Thomas McAvoy

The House of Commons is made up of 646 Members of Parliament (MPs) each representing one constituency. As a matter of convention MPs usually only deal with issues raised by their own constituents and not with issues raised by constituents of other MPs.

MPs are there to help with matters that Parliament and central government are responsible for, such as:

Tax problems involving the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise Departments

Problems dealt with by the Department of Health such as hospitals and the National Health Service

Problems dealt with by the Department for Work and Pensions such as benefits, pensions and national insurance

Problems dealt with by the Home office such as immigration and matters such as school closures and grants which are dealt with by the Department for Education and Skills

MPs do not generally get involved with private disputes between neighbours and families. Neither do they interfere with decisions made by the court or intervene in private contracts.

I am always happy to assist my constituents. My office successfully deals with hundreds of cases a year. As every case is different, unfortunately there are some occasions when I cannot help but I will try to advise you as best as I can.

You can also contact your local councillor or Member of the Scottish Parliament about issues they deal with.

You can find out who your local councillor is by visiting South Lanarkshire Council website

You can get details of your local MSP by visiting the Scottish Parliament website