ePolitix.com speaks to crossbench peer Lady Finlay on the role of women in Parliament.

Question: How have you managed to make a difference as an independent in the House of Lords?

Baroness Finlay: I came in to Parliament having seen a lot of people dying from smoking-related diseases and I was fortunate enough to make my maiden speech on the Tobacco Advertising Bill.

I introduced the first Bill banning smoking in public places, the Smoking in Public Places (Wales) Bill, which was passed by the Lords and then went through the House of Commons, where Julie Morgan MP picked it up.  Though the Bill fell through lack of time, it was picked up by the Government and it is now law. We now have, in addition to a smoke-free Wales,  a smoke-free England and Scotland (through their own legislation) as well.

I also have campaigned earnestly for improved palliative care. In 2006 I introduced a Palliative Care Bill into Parliament because I feel passionately that people should get good care when they are seriously ill, and when many of them are at their most vulnerable. The care they receive should not only address the physical symptoms of their illness, it should also enhance their sense of dignity and of personal worth.  It should help them, for instance, to overcome any concerns that they might be a burden to family, society or anybody else, and it should appropriately address their fears and provide good care solutions in a timely way to meet their needs.

The Bill was passed by the Lords and, even though it did not pass into law through lack of time, the Government has picked up the principles behind it, which is that every strategic authority must have a palliative care strategy and report its progress against that strategy. That was another way of driving up standards.

I’ve just drafted a Kidney Transplant Bill.  We have over 6500 people waiting for kidney transplants, which is the largest number of organ transplants on the waiting list, and I’m very keen that we do something to improve the number of donors. When people are dead, their kidneys are of no use to them.

That's my latest Bill and I’m also pushing the Government to reform the coroners' legislation because the coroners’ regulations are outmoded.

Question: Do you fear losing independent experts from an elected House of Lords in exchange for more professional politicians?

Baroness Finlay: It would be a disaster. You would lose the expertise as well as the ability of the House of Lords to refine legislation as well as it does. With all due respect, what in-depth knowledge and experience do many professional politicians have? They are sometimes too reliant on pressure groups or their party’s briefings.

The beauty of the House of Lords is that, even though members can belong to political parties, and even though there is a whip on them, they are not completely dependent on a political party, so they will either stay away or they might vote against their party from time to time.

Indeed, yesterday I divided the House (I didn’t win the vote, I was trying to improve things for charities), but I had people from all sides voting with me. I know the Liberal Democrats officially supported me but the Tories were neutral and of course the Government did not.

Question: Why do you think women are still so under-represented in Parliament?

Baroness Finlay: It’s much better than it was. I think women probably don’t sell themselves, and having not done so, they haven’t reached senior positions very often.

If you look at the university positions, women are very under-represented although in the graduate sector and in the younger groups they’re over-represented.

We do have something going on in terms of women selling themselves, and having the courage to say “Yes I’m good and I’ll do this well”. I think women are sometimes hesitant to put themselves forward.

Question: Which of the young women politicians have you been most impressed by in Parliament?

Baroness Finlay: So many of the women in Parliament impress me. We have a woman as Leader of the House, we have a woman Speaker, a woman as Chief Whip of the Labour and Conservative parties, and we have a woman as Convenor of the Crossbenchers.

I met Ann Keen MP and I was very impressed with her.  She’s a terrific woman. I also know Julie Morgan MP, and she’s been a great help to me in the House. There are many astounding people like Baroness Campbell, who’s an amazing and wonderful woman, also Baroness Wilkins and Baroness Masham who are both inspiring.

There are many who have impressed me but these are the ones that spring to my mind immediately. It’s not fair, however, to single out a few because there are many others as well.

I must also say that the two women who are finalists with me are astounding. Patricia Hollis is so clever and a brilliant speaker, I sit there in awe of her and she always knows her stuff and makes good points. I really like all of these senior women.

Question: Why do think awards such as Dod’s Women of the Year Award are so important?

Baroness Finlay: Because they recognise efforts, and they encourage one to aspire to excellence. They also say "here is a woman who has done well". I had huge pride in being chosen Welsh Woman of the Year some years ago, as I felt as though I had been endorsed by the people of Wales, and now I feel as though I’ve been endorsed by my Peers. That is a great privilege.

Question: Is there anything else you’re working on now you’d like to mention?

Baroness Finlay: I recently chaired the Select Committee looking into allergy. The report of the Committee has been universally welcomed by the patients’ groups and by the professionals involved in allergy.

I hope the Government will pick it up and implement it, and we’re going to grind away to make sure it happens; something has got to change over allergies.

I will carry on trying to be the voice and the champion of the vulnerable, and to protect those who need care from those measures which make shortcuts in care, and I want to make sure that people who are vulnerable in society get something back, especially good care.

We should not have shortcuts in care and bad attitudes towards patients should not be tolerated. When people are in despair, we have to do something about improving their situation, improving their quality of life, and not giving up on them.

I’m not going to give up on patients and I am not going to give up on the fight to make sure that everybody until they die naturally has the best of care.