This week we finally put to bed the Committee stage of the Scotland bill. The Opposition Day debate this week was on fuel prices and then on the proposed changes to the NHS. As you know I have been calling on the government not to implement the planned fuel duty rise and to consider both a fuel duty stabiliser and rural rebate. The government wants to see the NHS protected and make investment for the future. 4,200 extra health visitors are being recruited and 1,300 patients have already benefitted from the Cancer drug Fund. 2,500 doctors have been recruited and 2,000 administrative posts have been abolished. £5 billion is being released to invest in patient care. Much of what is happening is building on steps taken by previous governments – all of which across the political spectrum want to make the NHS the best it can be.
Momentous events in North Africa and the Middle East rightly necessitated a general debate on Thursday about what this country should be doing. With the consent of the Arab League and the United Nations, the government decided together with a broad coalition of countries to create a no fly zone and to take all necessary measures to protect civilians in Libya. Saturday evening saw the resolution implemented. Clearly no one can predict the future but if we can give the people of Libya a chance to resolve their problems in a peaceful way that must be a good outcome. It cannot be right to allow the Libyan government to bomb its own people.
Lobbying for Change
This week in Westminster Hall we finally had our back bench debate on the future of the Coastguard Service. The government was clearly listening. The challenge is clear – while the existing configuration around the country 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.
This week was British Tourism Week and we celebrated this in Westminster with Tourism Alliance at which event I met up with South West Tourism. I will be meeting them again locally for a more detailed briefing on local issues in a few weeks time. I was also pleased to have the opportunity of visiting Cofton Holidays when I was back in the constituency on Friday. They are having a good year which was welcome news! The government has just released its Tourism Policy and I was interested to hear from everyone I met what they thought.
Together with the private sector the government will be funding a £100 million marketing campaign after the Olympic Games to capitalise on our profile aiming to attract 4 million extra visitors to Britain. The government also wants to increase the number of UK residents taking holidays in Britain from 20% to 29% which would bring us into line with the pattern in the rest of Europe. The most controversial proposal was the suggestion that the star rating system becomes the industry’s responsibility in place of the government. This was something everyone I met was concerned about and I will be looking into – along with what we can do locally to fund the marketing and training needs we have.
Out and About
On Friday I had a very useful meeting with Working Links to look in more detail at how Teignbridge Business Buddies could help mentor and support people who, having been unemployed, now want to set up a new business. I then went on to visit Teign School where I was very impressed to see how well the school was working with local businesses – I dropped in on a mock job interview training session where local businesses were putting students through their paces. I then went on to visit the Music Mill in Newton Abbot, one of our best kept musical secrets! The Music Mill helps young people develop the skills they need to become artists or technical professionals in the modern music industry. It is the brainchild of recording industry legend Malcolm Toft and seasoned radio presenter Rick Edwards
Saturday was another busy day with surgeries in Teignmouth and Kingsteignton and then a few constituent visits. From time to time I do make personal visits where a constituent is disabled and cannot attend a surgery or where the problem is of such a nature that seeing for myself is the only way to really understand the problem!
Surgeries and Getting Together
My next surgery in Dawlish will be at 10.00am on Saturday 2nd April at the Manor House and in Newton Abbot at 12 noon at the Courtenay Centre. 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!