This was the last week before recess and it was a busy one. The Academies Bill finished its passage through the House and we began to look at other issues which I expect to be before the House when the next Parliamentary term starts on 6 September.
Theresa May has started to look at policing. She has outlined a plan to increase the number of voluntary officers from the current 15,000 to the peak levels of 67,000 last seen more than 50 years ago. These Special Constables will have identical uniforms to full time police officers and will have the same powers of arrest.
These policing reforms will also include the introduction of elected police chiefs, an overall review of police pay and the creation of an American style National Crime Agency to come into force from 2013, replacing the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
The government has also established a commission on long term care. The key criteria for the commission will be choice, fairness, value for money and sustainability. The issue of long term care and the inadequacy of the current system is now a serious concern that more people are bringing to my surgeries.
Local Issues
There is quite a lot going on which will affect us here in Newton Abbot. One of the issues facing us is the modernisation of the Court System –both how it works and the infrastructure that supports it. The Magistrates Courts are under review and Newton Abbot is one of the courts proposed for closure. I have been talking to magistrates, local solicitors, the police and Devon Youth Services to get their views. The ideal outcome would be a new large integrated community justice service for the area centred in Newton Abbot.
Broadband access is an issue in a number of our smaller villages. In Broadhempston for example the school does not have Broadband and that is a serious problem. I met up with the Federation of Small Businesses and a number of industry experts to discuss this with the responsible Minister, Ed Vaisey. A plan to deal with these coverage gaps is being drawn up and a pilot study will then follow and I have asked the Minister if we can be part of that study.
Out and About
Last Wednesday I was invited to join Newton Abbot Town Council to talk about what I had been doing at Westminster and how this was going to affect the town. We talked about the health care changes, education, but especially skills training and how we were going to support job creation here.
I had a very useful meeting with the Chairman and Chief Executive of South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Torbay Hospital. I wanted to understand what challenges the NHS White Paper posed for our District General Hospital and what lobbying was needed to make sure the changes worked well for us here.
I had the pleasure of reopening the Ideford Village Hall which has just been refurbished and had two good public meetings, one at Ideford and then at the Jolly Sailor in Ogwell. People came with a number of local issues which I am now moving forward and a number of questions about what the Coalition Government is doing which I was able to explain.
Surgeries and Getting in Touch
My next surgery will be on Friday 6th August at 3.45pm. Please call 01626 368277 for an appointment.