WEEKLY UPDATE
This weekend is Remembrance Sunday and I am privileged to be joining the service at St Clare’s Church, Newton Aycliffe and laying a wreath on behalf of my constituents.
I will attend a number of services around the constituency starting at Teesside Airport this morning for the Middleton St George Memorial Association which is focused on the RAF. I will also visit as many as possible of the War graves and Memorials throughout the Sedgefield constituency. Visiting these memorials and seeing the huge number of names on some of them, reminds us of how devastating it must have been for the villages they came from and the incredible service they all gave to allow us the freedoms we enjoy today.
Please can I encourage you all to support the Royal British Legion in their fundraising. The support they deliver to our veterans is something special. I was also delighted to join the team selling Poppies at Morrisons, Morton Park, Darlington. The border between the Sedgefield and Darlington Parliamentary constituencies means that this Morrisons is actually in the Sedgefield constituency!
Monday this week has seen the latest draft of the proposed boundary changes for Parliamentary constituencies, they see the Sedgefield constituency borders changing and being renamed as Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor.
In Westminster we see every week many organisations coming to promote their causes and asking us to support their messages. Last week a particularly relevant one was the Children’s Brain Injury Trusts (CBIT) helping MPs understand the devastating consequences on the injured child and their family, as well as the difference CBIT makes and how their support helps to improve lives. They remind us that at this time of year, with darker nights and mornings, there are many more car accidents with children and we need to make sure we remind young people to wear reflective clothing and glow in the dark to be seen.
Most days in Westminster when the House is sitting follows a similar order. We start with Prayers, then it will be questions to a particular Secretary of State. On Wednesdays we then do Questions to the Prime Minister. After Questions we then have any Urgent Questions (UQs) or Statements and then we go into the legislative business of the day. UQs are when an MP has asked the Speaker to call a Minister to the House to answer a specific question where something has arisen. The Statements are when a Minister is doing something, or something has happened, that they should inform the House about. These are only determined on the morning before business starts.
Last week this column finished referring to me being scheduled to ask a Question in International Trade Orals last Thursday, this I did and reminded the Minister of the importance of having international envoys supporting our farmers specifically as they enter new markets.
When I was waiting to go to the Chamber for International Trade Questions, we were advised that a UQ had been granted as regards to Abuse and Deaths in Secure Mental Health Units. This was stimulated by the report published last week on the failings at Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation trust which were seen as contributory in deaths of three young ladies, Christie, Nadia and Emily. Christie’s family, as you may be aware, are constituents in Newton Aycliffe. I am normally okay when speaking in the Chamber but speaking last week, to support the families calls for a Public Inquiry, was one of the most difficult things I have done. Having read the report and trying to convey the gravitas of the failures was very emotional and I hope I did the families justice.
Friday saw me first supporting the campaign to reopen the Leamside Line and invest in our local railway infrastructure before heading back to see an incredible business in the process of relocating into Aycliffe who I am told “make the best E-Type Jaguars in the UK”. They take parts of an old E-Type and create a modern equivalent that is of an amazing quality. Yet another outstanding business right here in our midst.
After the visit it was off to Durham to meet the Council Leaders and other MPs for our regular catch up. We were also joined by the Fire Chief, Stuart Errington, to discuss the challenges facing Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service. It was then back home before returning to Durham for the County Durham Civic Dinner.
As always if there is anything I can help with call me on 01325 790580 or drop me an email at [email protected]
