EU Visas for Touring Musicians Campaign Response

Thank you to the many constituents getting in touch regarding a Europe-wide visa-free work permit for touring professionals and artists linked to the petition below: 

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/563294 

I am acutely aware of the importance of the creative industry here in Cornwall and for the UK economy.  Many of my close friends are involved in the industry.

There were claims in an Independent article recently which were very misleading.  

One of the claims was that the government had turned down a bespoke arrangement from the EU to allow musicians to work and perform in member states, but this was not true. The government has said that it always will support ambitious arrangements for performers and artists to be able to work and tour across Europe.  

There was a proposal on the EU’s paid activities which was inextricably linked to their broader proposal on visa-free short stays. This could not be accepted because this broad proposal would have given visa-free access to the UK for any future EU member states and prevented us imposing visas if we deemed it to be necessary.  

The article also said that vital support staff and technicians could have been included if the UK had been willing to enter negotiations.  

The EU showed no appetite to cover support staff or technicians when it was discussed in the context of mode IV. The EU's offer in the negotiations would not have worked for touring musicians: it did not deal with work permits at all and would not have allowed support staff to tour with artists. 

The UK proposed to capture the work done by musicians, artists and entertainers, and their accompanying staff, through the list of permitted activities for short-term business visitors. This would have allowed musicians and support staff to travel and perform in the UK and the EU more easily, without needing work-permits.  

The EU repeatedly refused the proposals the government made on behalf of the UK’s creative arts sector. The government have made clear that our door remains open should the EU change its mind. The government has said that it will endeavour to make it as straightforward as possible for UK artists to travel and work in the EU.  I will do what I can to assist them with this. 

If you would like to discuss this further or any other matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 

cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk 

Newspaper column 21 January - G7 News!

This week I thought I would step away from the COVID-19 situation to focus on some positive news that will put Cornwall on the international stage later this year.

On Saturday the Prime Minister confirmed that Cornwall, specifically Carbis Bay, will be the location of the G7 Summit, which is being held in June. While The conference itself is being held at Carbis Bay, the international media will be based at Falmouth, which will be a real opportunity for the town to shine.

The G7 is a unique international forum, bringing the world’s leading developed, democratic nations together to respond to the latest global challenges.

In past years the G7 has taken action to strengthen the global economy, save 27 million lives from Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria and supported the education of millions of children in the poorest countries. In 2016 its members led the way in helping secure the historic Paris Climate Agreement to limit global emissions.

As well as the annual gathering of leaders, G7 ministers meet to discuss shared challenges in areas such as global economics, health, technology foreign policy and national security.

The G7 is unique from other international organisations. Its seven members (The UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Italy) are all bound by shared values as open, democratic and outward-looking societies.

Unlike other international organisations, the G7 is small and informal. When G7 members meet, their leaders can be open and honest with each other, creating effective responses to global issues as they happen.

As the presidency holder for 2021’s Summit, the UK will direct the agenda, choosing to focus on issues that matter and will help the UK and the world build back better from coronavirus.

The Presidency is a unique opportunity for the UK to lead the international recovery effort from the COVID-19 crisis. We will create an agenda for the Presidency that tackles the biggest issues facing the world, building a global coalition that delivers economic opportunities and growth, while also protecting our planet.

Having the Presidency of the G7 for 2021 is a unique opportunity for the UK to lead the international recovery effort from the COVID-19 crisis, and it is excellent news to see the Prime Minister announce that Cornwall will be hosting this pivotal event on  the world stage.

I am pleased to see the Prime Minister putting Cornwall at the heart of the Government’s levelling up agenda by choosing our county to host this global event.

From our verdant vistas and rugged coastlines, to our world class hospitality offer, unique culture and heritage, along with our cutting edge creative sector, I look forward to seeing Cornwall shine on the world stage at this important time in our history.

This will be a real boost to Cornwall  -  Visit Cornwall estimates a total economic impact of the Summit for the County of £50m, including both the immediate benefits of the Summit and related events, and projected tourism growth over the next five years, as we look to head out of the pandemic towards a brighter future.

As ever, if you need my assistance with anything then my team and I are here to help. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk , by telephone on 01872 229698.

Trade Bill Amendments

Thank you to the many constituents getting in touch with me regarding the recently voted on Trade Bill amendments.  

The Trade Bill is a continuity Bill, and it cannot be used to implement new free trade agreements with countries such as the US. Rather, the Trade Bill is designed to enable the free trade agreements that the EU had signed with third countries before the UK exited the EU.  

On food standards, the Government has consistently been clear that it will not compromise on our standards. Our manifesto, to which we were all elected individually and collectively, is clear that in all our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. We remain firmly committed to upholding our high environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards outside the EU and the EU Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing EU food safety provisions, including existing export requirements, onto the UK statute book. 

These import standards include a ban on using artificial growth hormones in domestic and imported products and set out that no products, other than potable water, are approved to decontaminate poultry carcases. Decisions on these standards are a matter for the UK and will be made separately from any trade agreement. 

All imports must meet our strict food safety standards. All food safety will be carried over into UK law when we leave the transition period. Parliament retains final say over such standards, it can block any changes should it wish to do so. Amendments demanding that all agricultural imports meet our domestic production standards could have negative effects for UK food supply, UK food manufacturers who rely on imports, the price of goods in the shops and the ability of developing countries to sell to the UK. 

You can see some more specific details on legislation below: 

The legislation for the hormones in beef ban is contained in EU legislation 2003/74/EC, the provisions of which now form part of UK law. 

On chlorinated chicken – retained EU law under Section 3 of the WA. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 defines ‘potable water’ as water meeting the minimum requirements laid down in Directive 98/83/EC. 

(4)     Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 lays down specific rules on the hygiene of food of animal origin for food business operators. It provides that food business operators are not to use any substance other than potable water to remove surface contamination from products of animal origin, unless the use of the substance has been approved in accordance with that Regulation. 

Regarding scrutiny, Parliament will retain, through the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRAG), the right to block any treaty from being ratified. Free Trade Agreements cannot change UK law. Parliament will retain the right to reject any domestic implementing legislation necessary for a trade treaty. By blocking any legislation, should it be required, it can also block ratification. This is in line with similar systems such as Canada. It goes further than countries such as Australia and New Zealand, where Parliament cannot directly block ratification of a trade treaty. Any trade treaty will be made public before ratification, Parliament will be able to act should it choose to do so having seen all the draft text. Government has committed, where time allows, for a report to be drafted by the relevant committee before ratification takes place to allow for independent scrutiny. 

On the so called ‘Genocide amendment’ there were specific reasons for voting this one down. I know that the amendment is well meaning but it would actually be ineffective and counterproductive.  

It would be absurd for any UK government to wait for the human rights situation in a country to reach the level of genocide, which is the most egregious international crime before halting free trade agreement negotiations. 

At the same time, every campaigner against free trade would seek to use that legal provision to delay or halt FTA negotiations by tying the government up in litigation that may last months—if not years—with no plausible genocide concluded at the end. 

Finally, although I think it is right that the courts determine whether the very specific and technical legal definition of genocide is met in any given situation, it would be quite wrong for a Government or for Members of Parliament to subcontract to the courts our responsibility for deciding when a country’s human rights record is sufficiently bad that we will not engage in trade negotiations. Parliament’s responsibility is to determine when sanctions take place and with whom we negotiate. 

I want to add how disgraceful it is to be suggesting that this has anything to do with voting against supporting the Uighur population in Xinjiang, China. I share all constituents’ concerns at the shameful and gross human rights abuses taking place which includes forced labour and extra-judicial detention.  

The government also has no intention Post-Brexit of signing a free trade deal with China. 

The government also recently announced measures over the human rights abuses in Xinjang: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-announces-business-measures-over-xinjiang-human-rights-abuses 

There was also a rigorous debate on this on 12th January which you can see on the link below: 

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-01-12/debates/C7E8DDAA-46C2-4A47-B2D6-BBBEE0A99B76/XinjiangForcedLabour 

The government last year also introduced sanctions under a new global human rights scheme: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-announces-first-sanctions-under-new-global-human-rights-regime 

Finally, on the NHS amendment it was not necessary to back this. 

As I stated at the start of my post the Trade Bill is a continuity Bill and it cannot be used to implement new free trade agreements with countries such as the US. It is designed to enable the free trade agreements that the EU had signed with third countries before the UK exited the EU.  

63 of these have been agreed and in all of them the NHS is protected from specific exclusions, exemptions and reservations. None of these deals has affected our ability to protect the NHS. It will also remain a priority to protect the NHS in any future trade agreements.  

The government and I are extremely grateful for all the work done by the NHS throughout this pandemic and this idea that it would then be sold off to foreign corporations is absurd. 

If you would like to discuss this further or any other matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 

cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk 

Newspaper column 14 January 2021 - A new lockdown and the vaccine rollout

They say that a week is a long time in politics and this past week has certainly felt that way!

On Monday evening the Prime Minister announced that because of the worrying continued spread and escalation of numbers of the new mutant strain of COVID-19 we would be going into a Stay at Home Lockdown from the 5^th of January. This Lockdown is due to continue at least until the latter part of February but could go on into March if needed.

These are not easy decisions to make and these restrictions will be difficult for many of us, but I cannot stress how important it is for people to follow them, Stay Home as much as you can, and stop the spread of the virus.

My thanks as ever, go out to all involved in the frontline fight against the virus, those working in the NHS, health and social care, and key workers across various sectors who are working so hard to keep the country going, not to mention our strong and resilient community volunteer groups who have done so much to ensure no vulnerable people get left behind.

Even as we entered lockdown, there is still hope on the horizon as the Moderna vaccination was approved for distribution at the end of last week.

The Prime Minister has also confirmed that the army will be used to help ramp up the vaccine distribution, and on Monday this week the Government its plan for the largest vaccination programme in British history, that should ensure tens of millions of people will have had the COVID-19 vaccine by the spring.

We have already vaccinated more people in the UK than have been vaccinated in the whole of the EU put together. This plan looks to ensure at least 2 million vaccinations per week with over 2,700 vaccine sites across the UK.

By the end of January, everyone in England will be within 10 miles of a vaccination site or, for a small number of highly rural areas, the vaccine will be brought to them via mobile teams. There will also be capacity to deliver at least 2 million vaccinations in England per week by the end of January and all residents and staff in over 10,000 care homes across the country will be offered a vaccine by the end of the month.

This will mean every at-risk person has easy access to a vaccination centre, regardless of where they live.

The expansion of the programme will also mean all adults will be offered a vaccine by the autumn.

The government and the NHS have also mobilised a workforce of over 80,000 health professionals to help in the delivery of the programme across the different vaccination sites, with over 200,000 additional members of the public expressing their interest in helping with the non-clinical elements of the rollout such as administrative support, logistics, stewards and first aiders.

This is a massive programme and will do so much to ensure we beat the virus, but during this Lockdown, and while the vaccine continues to be delivered across the UK, it is more important than ever before, with the light at the end of tunnel now in sight, that we do all we can to follow the rules, Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, and Save Lives.

As ever, if you need my assistance with anything then my team and I are here to help. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk , by telephone on 01872 229698.

Pesticides and Bees campaign reply

Thank you to the many constituents getting in touch regarding the decision from the Environment Secretary to let the product containing neonicotinoid thiamethoxam to treat sugar beet seed this year to protect the crop from a virus.  

Last year a virus significantly reduced sugar beet yields, and similar conditions this year would be likely to present similar dangers. 

 

The pesticide will be allowed in a limited and controlled way for up to 120 days and will be strictly limited to a non-flowering crop. The tight controls will minimise any potential risk to pollinators. Virus yellows disease is having an unprecedented impact on Britain's sugar beet crop, with some growers experiencing yield losses of up to 80 per cent, and this authorisation is desperately needed to fight this disease. It will be crucial in ensuring that Britain’s sugar beet growers continue to have viable farm business. 

 

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have said that emergency authorisations for pesticides are only granted in exceptional circumstances where diseases or pests cannot be controlled by any other reasonable means.  

 

Many are suggesting that is a casualty of Brexit but in reality emergency authorisations are used by countries across the European Union.  

 

10 EU countries including Belgium, Denmark and Spain have granted emergency authorisations for neonicotinoid seed treatments since 2018. Under EU legislation Member States may grant emergency authorisations in exceptional circumstances. The UK’s approach to the use of emergency authorisations has not changed as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU.  

 

Pesticides can only be used where it is judged that there is to be no harm to human health and animal health, and no unacceptable risks to the environment.

 

If you would like to discuss this further or any other matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 

 

cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk 

Campaign reply - Teachers and the COVID-19 vaccine

Thank you to everyone who has written to me regarding prioritising teachers for a Covid vaccine.

I do understand your concerns, like you I also wish to see all children back in face to face education as soon as possible.
 
We have now started the rollout of the Oxford University / AstraZeneca vaccine across the UK, protecting the most vulnerable and saving thousands of lives. On Monday 4 January, the NHS began administering the first doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine –with 530,000 ready to be deployed and 100 million doses secured in total. The UK was the first country in the world to procure and authorise the Oxford vaccine, and we are the first country in the world to start a vaccination programme using this vaccine.
 
We have already delivered over 1.3million vaccine doses across the UK, with 1,000 vaccine sites set to be up and running by the end of the week. Hundreds of new sites are opening at hospitals and in the community this week in the new phase of the vaccination programme, the largest in NHS history. This is on top of the 700 which were already open and vaccinating, and now also includes General Practice led services, making it easier to protect care home residents and other vulnerable people against COVID-19.
 
The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are responsible for advising UK Health Departments on vaccination scheduling.  They advise that the first priorities for the current COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems. Secondary priorities could include vaccination of those at increased risk of hospitalisation and at increased risk of exposure, and to maintain resilience in essential public services.
 
Given the current epidemiological situation in the UK, the best option for preventing morbidity and mortality in the initial phase of the programme is to directly protect persons most at risk of morbidity and mortality, these include age and underlying critical health conditions.
 
The Government are closely considering the priority for the second phase of the roll-out which will likely include teaching staff and other groups who could be classed as at risk of exposure to Covid-19 through their occupation.  However, the schedule for vaccinations is decided by the JCVI and not Government.
 
You can read the full JCVI advice in the document below:
 
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950113/jcvi-advice-on-priority-groups-for-covid-19-vaccination-30-dec-2020-revised.pdf
 
From Monday 11 January the Government will produce daily vaccination updates and the full deployment package.  The armed forces have been drafted in to help deliver the vaccination programme and whilst there is no denying this is a mammoth task, I firmly believe we are on track to deliver these vaccines in a timely and efficient manner.
 
If there is anything further I can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Newspaper column 7 January 2021 - Brexit Deal and COVID update

Well it’s my first column of the New Year, and I hope everyone was able to celebrate the passing of what for many was such a difficult 2020, while looking forward to what lies ahead in 2021.

The past week has certainly given me a lot to write about!

Firstly, on Wednesday 30^th December I was privileged to be able to vote on the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation agreement – the Trade Deal between the UK and the EU that was agreed on 24^th December by the respective negotiating teams.

This was a mammoth achievement and thanks must go to our skilled negotiating team who achieved this deal during the 11 months of transition period since Brexit occurred on 31 January 2020. These deals often take years to agree.

On top of this, this Deal is the first the EU has ever reached allowing zero tariffs and zero quotas. We will preserve the immense benefits of free trade for millions of people in the United Kingdom and across Europe. The agreement means that the UK will fully recover its national independence and sovereignty. We will leave the EU customs union and single market, as well as ending vast payments to the EU. We will take back control of our borders and will introduce our new points-based immigration system from the start of this year. Most importantly, the agreement provides for the UK to take back control of our laws, affording no role for EU law and no jurisdiction for the European Court of Justice. The only laws we will have to obey are the ones made by the Parliament we elect.

This deal is not perfect and we have had to make some compromises. I share the disappointment felt by fishermen.  While we will take back control of our waters, there is a lengthy transition period included in this with further negotiations needed at the end. The Government is providing additional millions in funding to support our fishing fleets through this period and ensure they are in the best possible position to take advantage of the end of the transition period and I will be doing all I can to ensure fishermen in Truro and Falmouth are represented fully in this process.

With that being said, getting Brexit done was the primary manifesto commitment I was elected on and this deal achieves that. I was delighted to vote for this agreement and see it pass through its first reading in Parliament with a substantial majority.

Meanwhile the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care confirmed that Cornwall would be moving to Tier 3 of COVID-19 restrictions from 31 December. With the spread of the new highly communicable strain of COVID-19, this increase sadly not surprising and I will be working with Cornwall Council to ensure they use the funding available to them to support businesses that are closed or severely impacted by these new restrictions.

While this change in Tier ended 2020 on a sour note, hope is on the horizon, with the approval for mass distribution of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, which can be rolled out and given far easier than the existing Pfizer vaccine, which will also continue to be used. This will allow more people to have the COVID-19 vaccine quickly and I hope will be able to speed the return to normality as we head through 2021, something which I am sure we will all welcome.

As ever, if you need my assistance with anything then my team and I are here to help. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk , by telephone on 01872 229698.