It has been a busy week ahead of the Easter recess but as ever I have been working hard to ensure that the concerns of people from Heywood and Middleton are being represented in Westminster.
On Monday I had a virtual meeting with the Principal of Hopwood Hall College to hear about how they are managing the return of students, we also discussed exams and upcoming education White Paper. Throughout the pandemic the team at Hopwood Hall have been outstanding and their dedication commitment to the students has been an inspiration.
I also had departmental meetings with the Ministry of Justice and took part in the Westminster Hall Debate on Scottish Independence.
On Tuesday I participated in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Veterans where we discussed issues and practicalities around housing for Service Leavers. Coming from a forces family I understand how hard it can be for our services personnel to integrate back into civilian life and I believe that they should receive all the support they need.
I took part in my regular Science & Technology Select Committee meeting, and also had the opportunity to ask a question in Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions. I asked the department about green jobs in Heywood and Middleton and welcomed the investment of £78 million for decarbonisation in Greater Manchester.
I also had meetings with the US Embassy and Matt Hancock.
On Wednesday I had a meeting with colleagues. I also had the opportunity to speak with Jan Hinde from Link4Life before she moves on to pastures new. I wanted to thank Jan for her incredible work with Link4Life to support arts and culture in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale. It has been my pleasure to support Jan and the rest of the Link4Life team in bringing hundreds of thousands of pounds of support to the borough over the past year and I wish her every luck in her future projects.
I also attended another meeting of the Science & Technology Select Committee.
I was pleased to support the introduction of the Government’s new immigration plan. This is a subject about which I am often contacted by constituents, so it was good to see that is directly addressed many of the concerns that they regularly raise. The plan will make it tougher for people to enter the UK illegally and give border agencies more power to uncover and deal with people smugglers. At the same time, it will address the frustrating situation of repeat applicants who clog up the system and prevent legitimate cases from being processed quickly.
On Thursday I had a meeting with CFI to discuss Israeli Elections.
As part of my involvement with the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS), I took part in e meeting with the RAF to discuss the role of defence in Space. This came at a very appropriate time as we announce new measures to modernise our armed forces for modern battlefields. We are investing £190 billion over the next four years to ensure that we can keep our country and its citizens safe, now and into the future.
I spoke to our local Councillors following this week’s council meeting. It was disappointing to see Labour Councillors approving plans to start work creating another new development plan for Greater Manchester. Conservative Councillors here voted against the plans, but it seems like the relentless work of local Greenbelt campaigners is not over yet. It is so important that we continue to fight to protect our green spaces and campaigners will continue to have my full support.
On Friday I met with Nadhim Zahawi with the Vaccines Minister. With over half the UK adult population having received the first dose of one of the covid vaccines, we are leading the world in speed and efficiency, and I was keen to keep updated on progress.
I want to take the opportunity to thank all the people who took the time to complete my recent pothole survey. I am pleased to report that work has begun in several streets and that repairs have been scheduled for others. Constituents are already contacting me to let me know that their streets have been repaired. Remember, it isn’t too late to get in touch if you know of a road or footpath that needs work too.
Parliament is on Easter recess next week so I have been wrapping up some outstanding work and I also spent some time catching up with correspondence. My duties within the Ministerial office will continue over recess but if there is anything that you would like to get in touch about, I would be pleased to hear from you. Just email me at [email protected] or call the constituency office on 01706 538 262.
