This week Parliament is in recess. The Commons adjourned on Thursday 9 February and will next sit on Monday 20 February at 2.30pm. For those who don’t know, recess is a break during the parliamentary session in which neither the House of Commons nor the House of Lords meets to conduct business. During these periods, MPs can carry out their other duties and I will have one of the most interesting opportunities of my time in Westminster but first I will update you on the last week.
On Tuesday I hosted a round table discussion for Pragmatic based in NETPark at Sedgefield. They are the only semiconductor manufacturer in the world that produces ultra-low cost, flexible chips and we were discussing how the UK can realise its ambitions of becoming a science and technology superpower. It was whilst we were in our discussions that the Prime Minister announced changes to his Cabinet that included breaking up the old BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) department and DIT (Department for International Trade) and creating three new Departments focused on Energy, Innovation and Business. One of our conclusions had been the need for a greater focus from Government on science and innovation so I am delighted with these changes.
Tuesday also saw questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This meant I and the rest of the Treasury team had work to do in anticipating the questions to be asked and providing the Chancellor and his Ministers with the best opportunity to answer the questions raised as comprehensively as possible.
On Wednesday I was able to catch up with a number of local employers and apprentices visiting Westminster during National Apprenticeship week. It is always good to chat to young people setting out on their careers. In the Transport Select Committee this week we took representations on the use of e-scooters, these included Local Authorities running trials, the Police, suppliers, and a gentleman who was visually impaired providing the perspective of partially sighted people. An informative session and it is clear the Government need to accelerate the introduction of legislation, or at least guidance, as soon as possible.
Before heading north, I had meetings with my London staff to focus our priorities. Once back in Sedgefield I had a number of meetings, these included with the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS trust who are working hard to improve their performance but still have serious issues to resolve from their history.
I had a very reassuring meeting with the Home Office team as regards the Eden Arms Hotel where a number of constituents had contacted me about its potential use as an ‘Asylum Seekers Hotel’. I am told that there are no plans to consider its use in this way and that they will confirm that in writing for me. I spoke with Go North East about the funding pressures that bus companies are facing and will meet other bus companies in the coming weeks. I also took the opportunity to call into other businesses including Coherent, The Fish Tank and Ebac, all of which raised distinctly different issues to inform me in my work in Westminster.
As I said earlier, this week is a recess week but as part of the AFPS (Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme) that I am engaged with I will spend the week in northern Norway understanding the training and experiences of the Royal Marines. The aim of the scheme is to give Members, the vast majority of whom have no experience of life in the Armed Forces, an insight into military life that would not otherwise be available to us. It is then hoped that we will be able to make a more informed and useful contribution to defence debates as a result. I will tell you all about this next week. It, of course, does mean that I will not be in the constituency this week but, as always, my team will be available to assist should you need anything.
Next week though I will be in and around the constituency all week so, if you want to catch up, please do get in touch. You can contact my office either by email paul.howell.mp@parliament.uk or call 01325 790580.