Returning to Westminster provides a variety of incredible opportunities to engage.
I met with the Secretary ofState for BEIS, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, to share with him details of a product made by PolyPhotonix based on NETPark in Sedgefield. PolyPhotonix have developed the Noctura 400 Sleep Mask for the prevention and treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy. Later that day I attended a dinner for the APPG for Armed forces where Air Vice-Marshall Maria Byford was the key speaker, she talked about how the armed forces were evolving and the impact of Covid on working practices.
I recently travelled to Brussels with a contingent from the BEIS select committee. This was part of our enquiry on State Aid and Competition policy. On Wednesday we had meetings with the Ambassador and the UK mission staff and discussed competition and industrial policy and bi lateral trade policies. These were followed by meetings with the Director General for Competition and later the Chief Executive of the European Policy Centre at the British Residence.
We met with the Chair of the EU-UK delegation and the vice chair of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) to discuss the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) implementation before a visit to the European Parliament. We then went to the UK mission to meet members of the British Chamber of Commerce. After lunch we met representatives from Make UK, an organisation focused on creating the most supportive environment for UK manufacturers to thrive, innovate and compete, before meeting a delegation from the Swiss Embassy and finishing with a discussion with the policy leads for some key initiatives. The discussions gave many different perspectives on areas like how trade was affected post Brexit but also how difficult discussions, like the Northern Ireland protocol, can frustrate progress in other areas. It was also interesting to talk to the Swiss as they, like the UK, are not part of the EU.
After these meetings I caught the Eurostar to St Pancras, then Azuma from Kings Cross getting me back to Darlington for midnight on Thursday. On Friday morning I met with the Minister for Skills, Alex Burghart, on his visit to South West Durham Training at the Newton Aycliffe centre. It was great to have the minister here during National Apprenticeship Week, the 15th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are a superb way for people of all ages to develop the skills they need to progress across a huge range of exciting industries. With the benefit of earning and learning on the job; they are an outstanding route to fantastic employment options for so many people. SWDT is a jewel in the crown of skill development in the North East and I would encourage anyone with an interest in a career in engineering to take a very close look at the opportunities here.
I also had a very informative Teams meeting with the Student Loan Company (SLC). The team make a real difference to help students organise their university and higher education funding. To further improve their service the SLC are also advertising recruitment opportunities. Currently there are 1500 staff and SLC are looking to recruit for 150 permanent job opportunities in roles such as customer advisors and case handlers as well as 20 apprenticeship roles. SLC provide structured career and development opportunities, career pathways and clear progression routes. More information is available here: https://careers. slc.co.uk/apply/
Many of us will have also seen the reports about anti-social behaviour in Newton Aycliffe town centre, it’s not good and we need to increase the focus. There have been some very constructive meetings already this week, between the Police, local councillors, my office and Durham County Council’s ASB team and I have had further discussions with the Neighbourhood Police Inspector. All of these people are doing all they can because they care deeply about our town and whilst ASB has reduced in the rest of the town we need to do more in the town centre. I am also in touch with the Justice Secretary as we need to ensure that those brought before the courts are robustly dealt with.
As you will have seen, changes have taken place effectively removing most travel restrictions and there is high expectation that domestic restrictions will be substantially ended later this week.
