This week was dominated by two things, the Budget about which more later - and the debate on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 - Libya. The House was in almost unanimous agreement supporting this resolution and the action the Prime Minister had taken to enforce the no fly zone and to protect civilians as part of an international coalition of countries. We were all pleased to hear nothing in this resolution mandated or enabled regime change or any occupying force in Libya.
That apart we managed finally to get through the Report Stage of the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill which has now received Royal Assent. It establishes a mechanism for the production of objective financial data, used among other things, for the Chancellor’s annual budget. During Question Time for the Secretary of State for Education I asked the minister to set out for me what plans were in hand to improve the quality of teaching for children with special education needs. This is very important, particularly given the statistics which indicate such children are twice as likely to become NEETS, young people Not in full time Education, Employment or Training.
Lobbying for change
In Westminster Hall we had a very timely debate on Tuesday about the promotion of women in business. In 2010 women made up only 12.5% of the members of the corporate boards of FTSE 100 companies. Evidence suggests that companies with a strong female representation at board and top management level perform better than those without. So this is about the economy. We need to do all we can to improve business performance. Mervyn Davies has just prepared a report on this issue which puts forward a number of recommendation, all of which are practical and don’t require primary legislation. The one thing we don’t want is more regulation and red tape!
On Wednesday we debated the challenges of rural communities with poor or no Broadband, lobbying for Government support. And we finally had our back bench debate on the future of the Coastguard Service. The challenge is clear – while the existing configuration around the country as a whole doesn’t work and is not co-ordinated to ensure best use of resources, any change must recognise the significant local knowledge and skill of the local coastguard stations and ensure we preserve that. The minister must properly consider the alternative proposal put forward for Brixham before reaching any decision. The Government was clearly listening.
Other issues included the welcome launch by the National Housing Federation of a manifesto to deliver affordable rural housing. Local government exception site policy allows planning permission to be granted where it can be demonstrated that housing is needed and the homes provided will be affordable and reserved for local people as a priority now and for the future. This planning provision is little used – and should be more used! By spreading the word and producing a guide for parish councils this should enable more villages to build homes to support the growth in local families which will in turn support and breathe life into small schools, shops, pubs and post offices.
The Budget
The best news in the budget was the Chancellor’s commitment to supporting households who face water affordability issues in areas where water bills are particularly high, such as in the South West. Following a consultation expected shortly, plans will be put in place to reform existing schemes and to look at options for further Government support. The second key win was undoubtedly the abolition of the fuel duty escalator which would have put 5p on every litre - and the further 1p reduction. Petrol prices will also be less volatile now with the introduction of the new fuel stabiliser. We will also see £100 million spent on repairing potholes!
For hard pressed families, I was pleased to see the personal tax allowance go up to £7,475 with a promise of it going up in 2012 to £8,105. This will take 99,000 people in the South West out of tax altogether. There was also help for first time buyers to purchase a new build property. Under the new FirstBuy programme, over 10,000 households will get help from the government and house builders, to meet the challenge of finding the deposit, very often a key stumbling block.
And help was at hand for business too with the reduction in corporation tax rates yet further - but more important for our small micro businesses, no new regulations for small businesses with less than ten employees for three years, and an extension of the small business rate relief holiday for properties with a rateable value of less than £12,000.
Out and About
I was delighted to welcome a group of residents from Newton Abbot to the Palace of Westminster this week – I hope to see a few more of you! Back in the patch, I visited Teign School, this time to talk about their new academy status and the Wolf Report on skills training. I was pleased then to be able to get fully briefed by Maureen McAllister on the future for South West Tourism. A new group has just been formed to look at how we can best support local businesses in this area. On Friday morning I visited Channings Wood Prison in Denbury with Minister Crispin Blunt to better understand the challenges of the present penal system – a very informative visit. On Friday afternoon I was off to the BBC studios in Plymouth to record a discussion on planning and renewable energy for last Sunday’s South West edition of the Politics Show. The week closed with a great evening at the Mayor of Dawlish’s Charity Civic Dinner at the Langstone Cliff.
Surgeries and Getting Together
My next surgery will be in Dawlish at the Manor House at 10.00am on Saturday 2nd April and then at the Courtenay Centre in Newton Abbot at 12 noon. Please phone 01626 368277 for an appointment or for immediate help with issues that can’t wait until the next surgery. My next “Face to Face” pub meeting will be on Friday 1st April at 6.30pm at The Rising Sun, Woodland –I should love to see you there so do come along for a chat!