Coronavirus Act Campaign Response

 

Thank you to the many constituents who have recently got in touch regarding the Coronavirus Act.

I voted in favour of extending the legislation.

The extension of the legislation does not change the planned roadmap out of lockdown, and I would clarify that the lockdowns come from the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, not the Coronavirus Act.

The roadmap is below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary

The cautious easing of lockdown alongside the very successful vaccination programme should ensure that this should be our last lockdown.

You can follow all the latest data including on vaccines on the link below which clearly shows the strong effect that the 2021 lockdown and vaccination programme is having on hospitalisations and deaths:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

If we were to remove the temporary provisions in the Act altogether, we would lose, for instance, measures protecting commercial tenants and renters from eviction, we would not be able to run virtual court hearings, which are an integral part of maintaining the rule of law, and people would not be able to receive statutory sick pay for the full period for which they are required to self-isolate. These are important technical provisions that allow for the running of public services, given the social distancing we have currently.

The Coronavirus Act is temporary, time-limited and proportionate to the threat we face, and we are keeping measures only where they are necessary as we exit this pandemic, and then we can do away with this Act for good. The original Act includes a clause which dictates that it must be reviewed and voted on at six monthly intervals and have a sunset after two years; yesterday was one such vote.

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

Column -25 March 21 - Lockdown Anniversary and Cleaning our waters

This week saw the one year anniversary of the start of the first national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In one day, the world changed for us, we found ourselves living with our freedoms restricted and massive changes to the way many of us live and work at the most basic of levels.

One year later and with the success of the Vaccine Programme, the hard work of the vaccine rollout run by our NHS and many volunteers, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  We have now seen more than 30,000,000 vaccines delivered across the UK and at the weekend saw more than 800,000 people given a dose of the vaccine in one day – statistics that are incredibly encouraging, and along with the success of the lockdown measures, we are winning the fight against the virus.

As we look forward to the future, it has been good to be back up in Parliament for some of this week. One of the meetings I have been at this week was the AGM of the Ocean Conservation All Party Parliamentary Group, a group of MP’s who work across political parties with stakeholders including environmental charities, NGOs, health experts, businesses and community leaders to evidence and discuss the need for policy and legislative change to better protect our marine environment.

Campaigning on local, national and international environmental issues is something I have been passionate about since before I became MP, and since my election I have been closely involved with the Government’s work on the ground-breaking Environment Bill, sitting on the Bill Committee for it last year, as well as getting elected as Vice Chair of the Ocean Conservation APPG at the beginning of last year.

Another huge part of the APPG’s success is the stalwart backing that we have from Truro and Falmouth-based charity Surfers Against Sewage, whose positive campaigning over the years has done so much to raise the profile of these issues. And there is still much to do.

Sewage pollution still plagues the rivers and ocean.  In 2019 there were over 200,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers, and in 2020 almost 3,000 discharges into UK coastal bathing waters alone.

In order to tackle this issue, we need a cross-sector approach that embraces a range of solutions, working with the water companies like South West Water, the Environment Agency and companies that contribute to so much of the waste packaging that we sadly see ending up in our rivers and seas to achieve the positive change we need.

And in Parliament along with the previously mentioned Environment Bill, we have also been pleased to support and successfully campaign for the Government to adopt the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill, a Bill to place a duty on water companies to ensure that untreated sewage is not discharged into rivers and other inland waters; and for connected purposes, something which we sadly still see happen often from Cornwall’s antiquated sewage infrastructure.

It is good to see then, as we look towards a future where we can relax Covid restrictions and live more freely, that as MPs we are still working closely across political boundaries to bring about the positive change that we all know needs to happen for our seas and rivers.

UK Arms Exports Campaign Response

Thank you to the many constituents who have recently got in touch regarding arms exports to Saudi Arabia.  

In accordance with the Court of Appeal’s judgement in June 2019, the Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, has now retaken licensing decisions regarding military exports to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the conflict in Yemen on the correct legal basis.  

Export licences are not granted when there is a clear risk that the equipment might be used in the commission of serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.  

Every application is carefully assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, and that a licence will not be granted if to do so would be a breach of the criteria. A range of sources are used when making assessments including NGOS, international organisations and our diplomatic posts overseas. Licences will also be reviewed, revoked or suspended where necessary.  

I am concerned regarding the ongoing conflict in Yemen and the humanitarian crisis. This is why I fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and UN Special Envoy’s call for all parties to engage in urgent political talks and de-escalate the conflict. I am pleased that Saudi Arabia have very recently offered Yemen’s Houthi rebels a nationwide ceasefire and a series of proposals aimed at ending the conflict.  

I will continue to monitor the situation very closely.  

 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 

 

Fire Safety Bill/Amendments Campaign Response

Thank you to the many constituents who have recently got in touch regarding the Fire Safety Bill and amendments.  

It is important to highlight the comprehensive response to remediating unsafe cladding and protecting leaseholders from unaffordable costs. The intervention from the government is based on independent advice and prioritises public safety and providing fairness both to leaseholders and the broader taxpayer, many of whom are not home-owners themselves.   

The government is removing unsafe cladding, supporting leaseholders, restoring confidence to this part of the housing market and taking action to ensure a situation like the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower never arises again.   

 
The government has 5 areas to offer reassurance to homeowners and confidence to the housing market.  

 
 1 - Government will pay for the removal of unsafe cladding for leaseholders in all residential buildings over 18 metres (six storeys) in England  

 
  
The government have committed an unprecedented £5 billion investment in building safety, including the £3.5 billion announced recently. This will ensure taxpayer funding is targeted at the highest risk buildings in line with longstanding independent expert advice.  

 
 
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-bring-an-end-to-unsafe-cladding-with-multi-billion-pound-intervention 

 

 
2 - Generous finance scheme to provide reassurance for leaseholders in buildings between 11 and 18 metres (four to six storeys), ensuring they never pay more than £50 a month for cladding removal  

 
  
Lower-rise buildings, with a lower risk to safety, will gain new protection from the costs of cladding removal through a generous new scheme. This will pay for cladding removal – where it is needed – through a long-term, low interest, government-backed financing arrangement. Under the scheme, no leaseholder will pay more than £50 a month towards the removal of unsafe cladding.  

 
  
3 - An industry levy and tax to ensure developers play their part  

 
  
The government aims to introduce a developer levy targeting developers seeking permission to develop certain high-rise buildings in England. In addition, a new tax will be introduced for the UK residential property development sector. This will raise at least £2 billion over a decade to help pay for cladding remediation costs. This will ensure that the largest property developers make a fair contribution to the remediation programme.  

 
  
These new taxes and levies in no way absolve building owners, builders, construction products manufacturers, warranty providers or insurers from paying for their failures. The government strongly urge them to do so and are pleased some have and are supporting further efforts to bring this about.  

 
  
4 - A world-class new safety regime to ensure a tragedy like Grenfell never happens again  

 
  
The government will protect lower future generations from similar mistakes by bringing forward legislation, including the landmark Building Safety and Fire Safety Bills, this year to tighten the regulation of buildings safety and to review the construction products regime to prevent malpractice arising again. This builds on steps we have already taken to establish a world class regime such as setting up new construction products and building safety regulators.  

 
  
5 - Providing confidence to this part of the housing market  

 
  
These measures will boost the housing market and free up more homeowners to once again buy and sell their properties. This boost will be backed up by the introduction of new Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors guidance, to be published in March, which will make clearer the circumstances in which an EWS1 is required – freeing hundreds of thousands of leaseholders from the process.  

 
  
Taken together, this exceptional intervention amounts to the largest ever Government investment in building safety. The government believes in homeownership and are firmly supporting the hundreds of thousands of homeowners who need this help now. 

 

Moving on to the amendments which I did not support – Parliamentarians have a duty to implement a clear framework and transparent legislation to support fire and building safety reform. 

 

Despite the best intentions of the Lords amendments, they are unworkable and impractical. They would make the legislation less clear, and they do not reflect the complexity involved in apportioning liability for remedial defects.  

 

These amendments would also require extensive redrafting of primary legislation, resulting in delays to the commencement of the Fire Safety Bill and to our overall programme. They could also have unintended and possibly perverse consequences for those that the amendments are intended to support, and we would still be no further forward in resolving these issues. 

 

Despite the best intentions of those who have tabled the amendments, they are unworkable and impractical. The amendment does not take into account remedial works that arise outside of the fire risk assessment process—for example, costs identified as a result of a safety incident or building works taking place. In such cases, this will not prevent costs being passed on, so it does not deliver what Members want it to do.  

 

Furthermore, if these amendments were to be added to the Bill and become law without the necessary redrafting of the legislation, the government, and thereby the taxpayer, would in all likelihood fall liable to protracted action by building owners in the courts. Building owners could use litigation to claim for costs that they feel are entitled to be pursued from leaseholders. While that litigation is ongoing, there could be further delays to construction work carried out on urgent remediation. It could be a waste of time and a waste of taxpayers’ money. Redrafting the Bill is not something that can be done at the stroke of a pen. It requires parliamentary counsel and parliamentary draftsmen to work at it to ensure that any changes are sound and that any secondary legislation is also prepared, so that the government, and thereby the taxpayer, can avoid legal challenge. We would not be able to get it done in this Session. 

 

Furthermore, the amendments do not reflect the complexity involved in apportioning liability for remedial defects. The government have announced how they will distribute costs, including from developers and industry, through the upcoming levy and tax. A decision through this amendment to pass all these costs to the building owner would be overly simplistic and it could be counter-productive. It would be self-defeating if landlords, faced with remediation costs, simply walked away. Many could do that. They could activate an insolvency procedure and just walk away. That is not about protecting freeholders, but about protecting leaseholders. It is about their position, because if leaseholders are left behind as the owners walk away, they would be in the same position as they are now, with no certainty on how works would be paid for or when they will be done. There is a real risk that this amendment could make the problem worse for leaseholders. We would be left in a situation where there would be delays to the commencement of the Fire Safety Bill, delays to our wider building safety programme, greater uncertainty for leaseholders and, quite possibly, unintended and deleterious consequences for them. We would not be any further forward in resolving the issue. 

 

There has been a lot of work to ensure that those with broader shoulders and those that should pay do pay. That is why the Chancellor announced at the Budget that there will be a levy on tall buildings and a tax on the sector. We do not want to absolve the industry of its responsibility. The government is finalising how the levy will be calculated and the Treasury is leading on the development of the tax. Of course, it should work effectively, and that small and medium-sized developers are not unfairly disadvantaged. We want to get it right and we want to get it done as quickly as we can. 

 

I am also pleased that we are now seeing developers step forward in this effort by putting aside significant funding: Taylor Wimpey has put aside £125 million of funds to de-clad the buildings for which it is responsible; and, Persimmon has put aside £75 million, and has committed to pay all ACM and non-ACM remediation and inherent defects in the buildings for which it is responsible. The sector is now stepping forward, and the government is encouraging more developers to do so. We will bring forward as soon as we possibly can the workings of the financial support scheme that were announced at the Budget that will ensure that leaseholders in buildings below 18 metres pay no more than £50 a month. 

 

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 

Ban Conversion Therapy Campaign Response

Thank you to the many constituents who have recently got in touch regarding Conversion Therapy.  

In response to a petition on banning conversion therapy last year the government assured people that it was deeply committed to ensuring all citizens feel safe and protected from harm and that it was working to deepen its understanding of and consideration for ending the practice of conversion therapy.  

Conversion therapy is a very complex issue. There are a wide range of practices which may fall within its scope and the government is working towards having a thorough understanding of the situation in the UK to inform an effective approach. Before any decision is made on proposals for ending conversion therapy, there must be a clear understanding of the problem, the range of options available and the impact they would have. 

It is important to stress that certain abhorrent and violent practices which may be classed as conversion therapy such as ‘corrective’ rape, or other forms of physical abuse, are already covered by existing criminal offences. Where such practices are already unlawful, the government has said that it will ensure the law is clear, well understood and enforced. Where dangerous conversion therapy practices are not already unlawful, the government will examine the best ways to prevent them being conducted, without sending such practices underground. 

I look forward to the government to bringing the legislation so we can get on with the task of ending this abhorrent practice which has no place in the UK.  

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 

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Thank you to all the constituents who have recently got in touch with me regarding the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.  

 I am disappointed, as ever, that some feel it necessary to send abusive messages. As everyone should, I have a zero tolerance policy to such remarks and any that constitute an offence will be followed up with the authorities.  

I want to first comment on the extremely distressing murder of Sarah Everard. My thoughts are very much with Sarah's family and loved ones, who are clearly going through a very painful time. This shocking case has sparked a national conversation which is vital to the future of our society. 

Sadly, for many women, this news story will bring back memories of threatening situations they found themselves in through no fault of their own, sexually harassed on the streets when walking home from meeting friends, receiving anonymous threats of physical violence on social media, or sexually assaulted in plain sight in rush hour on public transport on the way to work. Many choose not to talk about this and not to report it for fear of not being believed or being taken seriously. Research shows that these sorts of events are, depressingly, a part of women’s everyday lives, and that is why what happened to Sarah Everard feels so very close to home. 

The response to the reopened call for evidence on the Home Office’s violence against women and girls strategy, which I first shared some weeks ago, has now received more than 130,000 submissions. 

If you would like to contribute you can on the link below: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-call-for-evidence 

Please feel free to let me know if you choose to do this, I would be extremely interested to see your contribution.  

Specifically, I want to briefly address the action taken by the Metropolitan Police at the vigil held in Clapham on 13th March. I do have concerns around the scenes/images we saw round the policing of this, and this should have been handled a lot better. It is a shame that an agreement for the vigil to go ahead could not be made despite the efforts.  

Ultimately however due to the pandemic we are still fighting against an agreement for the event to go ahead safely was not agreed by the relevant parties. The action taken here by police was because of the national lockdown/restrictions we are in which are in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. With people packed tightly together there was a genuine risk of transmission. 

It is a shame that there has been a deliberate conflation by the Labour party and others with the Covid regulations and their effect on the right to protest.  The Labour party did not oppose these regulations but voted in favour of them. They have conflated those arguments with measures in the Bill that long predate what happened on the weekend.  

We are still firmly in the middle of a national lockdown and it is so important that everyone continues to do everything we can to stop the spread of Covid-19 in order to protect the NHS. The UK vaccination programme is making wonderful progress and, all being well, we can start to ease the restrictions very soon.

My apologies for the long start to this post but as many mentioned the above in their emails, I wanted to express my thoughts and clarity around this.  

Now, relating to the Bill itself, the main concerns relayed to me are around the right to protest.

Specific points of concern relate to the below: 

-Clauses 54 to 56 and 60 would amend police powers in the Public Order Act 1986 so police can impose conditions on protests that are noisy enough to cause “intimidation or harassment” or “serious unease, alarm or distress” to bystanders.  

-Clauses 57 and 58 would amend provisions in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to expand the “controlled area” around Parliament where certain protest activities are prohibited. It would also add obstructing access to the Parliamentary Estate to the activities prohibited in the “controlled area”.  

-Clause 59 would abolish the common law offence of public nuisance and replace it with a new statutory offence of “intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance” 

I very much support the right to protest and it is such an important part of a functioning and healthy democracy.  

The Bill will not undermine freedom to protest. Instead, the measures will balance the rights of protesters with the rights of others to go about their business unhindered. They will achieve this by enabling the police to better manage highly disruptive protests.  

The changes are needed because existing public order legislation was passed in 1986 and is no longer fit for managing the types of protests that are experienced today. The highly disruptive tactics used by some protesters cause a disproportionate impact on the surrounding communities and are a drain on public funds. The Metropolitan Police Service’s cost for policing Extinction Rebellion’s 2019 April protests in London was over £16 million.  

Changes will improve the police’s ability to manage such protests enabling them to dedicate resources to keeping the public safe. When using these, or existing public order powers, the police must act within the law and be able to demonstrate that their use of powers are necessary and proportionate. They must act compatibly with human rights, principally Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of association). 

The new statutory offence of public nuisance will cover the same conduct as the existing common law offence of public nuisance. 

Further, the offence captures conduct which endangers the life, health, property or comfort of the public, or to obstruct the public in the exercise or enjoyment of rights common to the public.  

I take issue with the suggestion that the new measures around policing protests are dangerous and draconian. Ensuring that a protest cannot prevent an ambulance from reaching a hospital in an emergency is the exact opposite of dangerous. Ensuring that police can impose conditions on protests that are noisy enough to cause intimidation, alarm and distress to innocent bystanders is the exact opposite of draconian. 

The below article from full fact objectively looks at the levels of support for violence and serious disruption in protesting: 

https://fullfact.org/crime/telegraph-protests-disruption/ 

Unfortunately, all the misinformation around the Bill has caused some important democratically elected manifesto promises to be missed.  

There will be new protections and powers for the police while reforming sentencing. Measures include: 

-Whole Life Orders for child killers, with judges also allowed to impose this punishment on 18 to 20 year olds in exceptional cases. 

-New powers to halt the automatic early release of offenders who pose a danger to the public. The Bill also ends the halfway release of offenders sentenced for serious violent and sexual offences. 

-Introducing life sentences for killer drivers. 

-Serious Violence Reduction Orders – new stop and search powers against convicted knife offensive weapons offenders. We will also enshrine the police covenant in law. 

-Doubling the maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker from 12 months to 2 years. 

-Ensuring community sentences are stricter and better target underlying causes of crime such as mental health issues, alcohol or drug addiction. 

The Bill also delivers on the promise/progress to deliver 20,000 more police officers and delivers on the government’s pledge to restore confidence in the criminal justice system, giving full support to the police and courts to cut crime and make our streets safer.  

I am proud to vote for this Bill at second reading and very much hope that cross party consensus around some of the disagreements can be ironed out in its committee stage, as has happened very successfully with the Domestic Abuse Bill which is also progressing through Parliament.  It fulfils several manifesto promises, which I was elected by the people of Truro & Falmouth to help deliver. 

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 

 

Column 18 March 2021 - International Women's Day and actions to keep women safe

Last week began with International Women’s Day and I was pleased to put on record my thanks to women in local democracy in my role of co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Local Democracy, thanking thousands of inspiring women from parish councils who were at the core of the nation’s pandemic response and urging more women to stand for election in the upcoming local elections in May. I also commended local Cornish health campaigner Kathryn Davidson, who has worked with me in raising awareness of endometriosis over the past year, and welcomed that the Department of Health opened a contribution into women's health matters.

While the week started off in an uplifting way for women, it ended in a much darker and tragic place, after police investigating the disappearance of 33 year old Sarah Everard in London found her body and arrested a suspect for her murder. These awful events have caused the whole nation to reflect on the prevalence of crimes against women. My thoughts are with Sarah’s loved ones.

In light of this national conversation, the Government has reopened its call for evidence around Violence Against Women and Girls to provide an additional opportunity to feed into the consultation and to help inform the development of the Government’s next Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

You can participate in the call for evidence by filling out the survey via the below link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-call-for-evidence

This week also sees the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill come before Parliament, tough new laws to keep people safe, including many vital measures to protect women from violent criminals as well as Kay’s Law, which is being introduced after a woman died at her ex partner’s hands while he was released under investigation.

You would have thought that these proposals would have support across Parliament, but sadly on Sunday the Labour Party confirmed their MPs would be voting against them. This appears to be a kneejerk reaction in response to the poor handling of vigils in London by the Metropolitan Police, and another example where the opposition try to court popular opinion without understanding the wider circumstances.

Yes, the handling of the vigils on Saturday by some Metropolitan Police officers was disgraceful, and this should be investigated, but by using this as a pretext to vote against this Bill and grab some headlines, Labour are voting against tougher sentences for child murderers and sex offenders, killer drivers and measures that protect the vulnerable.  We should not conflate the current Covid restrictions on large gatherings with what is proposed in this Bill.

As well as looking at new laws and national strategies to tackle these terrible crimes, I am also taking action both in Parliament and locally around broader issues, as well as more parochial ones. This week I am expecting to stand up in the House of Commons and praise the work of our excellent Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez in making sure that Cornwall was the first area outside of London to set up the virtual remand hearings in police custody during this pandemic.

On Friday I also met with our new Superintendent, along with the excellent Truro BID team and local police earlier in the week, to discuss crime issues and policing requirements for Truro. There is lots to do in this particular area but I am pleased our police are listening and are committed to working with the business community to improve things in the town as Covid-19 restrictions continue to lessen and we look to recover from the COVID -19 pandemic

Pig Husbandry Campaign Response

Thank you to all the constituents who have recently got in touch with me regarding the Pig Husbandry Bill.

I can assure constituents that I very much share concerns around the welfare of pigs.

I am aware that the government is currently examining the evidence around the use of cages for all farm animals and is considering their options very seriously. They have also committed to continuing to focus on achieving world-leading farm animal welfare standards through both regulatory requirements and statutory codes.

On pigs specifically, Ministers have clearly stated that it is their ambition for farrowing crates to no longer be used for sows. The new pig welfare code clearly states that ‘the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow as well as her piglets’.

 

There needs to be progress towards a system that works both commercially and, most importantly, safeguards the welfare of the sow and her piglets. The UK is already ahead of most pig producing countries in terms of non-confinement farrowing, with around 40% of our pigs housed outside and not farrowed with crates. I do however want us to do more and faster.

It is certainly worth noting that the government is already taking strong action to improve animal welfare at home and abroad by increasing maximum sentences for animal cruelty, banning third party sales of puppies, and introducing the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales. Significantly as well the Government has now committed to banning live animal exports.

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 11 March 2021 - a return to school and the Budget

This week has seen the full reopening of schools across the country and I wish all those pupils returning to school after being home educated through 2021 so far all the best for the rest of the term.

Of course our schools have been open throughout, teaching vulnerable children and children of keyworkers, and I’d like to thank all those teachers and staff who have continued to teach both at school and virtually through these challenging times.

As a parent myself who has taught our daughter at home when my work has allowed it, I think a big thank you also has to go to all the parents who have home-schooled their children throughout the pandemic, often while working from home themselves – certainly a new and challenging experience for me, and I am sure we all now have a better appreciation of the excellent work teachers carry out at school every day!

Last week saw the Chancellor give the Spring Budget Statement. This is one that I think delivered for Cornwall in providing more support for people and businesses as we look to recover strong from the pandemic and look towards the future.

Firstly, the government is supporting livelihoods by extending the Furlough scheme until the end of September.  The furlough scheme has supported 11.2 million jobs across the UK, worth £53 billion. But to provide further certainty, the Government is extending the scheme until the end of September. And our scheme remains among the most generous of its kind in the world.

This Government is also delivering new Restart grants to help our businesses get going again. Non-essential retail businesses will open first and therefore receive grants of up to £6,000, while hospitality and leisure businesses – including personal care, hairdressers and gyms – will likely open later or with more restrictions and so receive grants of up to £18,000. These will be worth an extra £5 billion – taking our total cash grant support to £25 billion.

And this Government will extend the unprecedented 100% business rates holiday for all eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. This will apply for the next three months until June, before cutting rates by two-thirds for the remaining nine months. This is particularly welcome in Cornwall with our large percentage of tourism and hospitality businesses that have been particularly badly hit by the pandemic.

The Budget also provides further support for homebuyers, by extending the stamp duty cut. To avoid purchases not completing in time for the end of March, the Budget confirms the £500,000 nil rate band will end on 30 June, before tapering down to £250,000 until the end of September.

But even with the stamp duty cut, there is still a significant barrier for people to get on the housing ladder: the cost of a deposit. That is why, from April, lenders who commit to providing loan-to-value ratios of between 91% to 95% can get a government guarantee on the full value of those mortgages.

There will be more work to do to ensure we build back better from this pandemic, but this Budget, combined with the continued success of the Lockdown measures and rollout of the vaccine programme, COVID-19 figures released last week show Cornwall again has the lowest figures in England, gives us every reason to be optimistic for the future.

 

Newspaper column 4 March 2021 - The Roadmap to Recovery

 

The big news coming out of last week was that the Prime Minister announced the Roadmap to Recovery, the gradual process by which we will ease the COVID-19 restrictions, based on scientific data, to help us return to normality by later this year.

Supported by the increased protection offered by these vaccines, the government is able to slowly and cautiously begin to ease restrictions in all areas across England at the same time, guided at all stages by data, not dates.

There will be a minimum of five weeks between each step: four weeks for the data to reflect changes in restrictions; followed by seven days’ notice of the restrictions to be eased.

Getting children back into school has been the top priority, and so from 8 March all children and students will return to face to face education in schools and college. By this point, everyone in the top four vaccine priority cohorts will have received the first dose of their vaccine and developed the necessary protection from it. Some university students on practical courses will be able to return to face to face learning

Also from this date, wraparound childcare can resume where it enables parents to work, seek work, attend education, seek medical care or attend a support group, and care home residents will be allowed one regular visitor provided they are tested and wear PPE.

The Stay at Home requirement will remain, but people will be able to leave home for recreation outdoors with their household or support bubble, or with one person outside their household.

As part of step one, there will be further limited changes from 29 March, the week in which most schools will break up for Easter. Outdoor gatherings of either 6 people or 2 households will be allowed, providing greater flexibility for families to see each other. This includes in private gardens.

Outdoor sports facilities, such as tennis and basketball courts, will be allowed to reopen, and people can take part in formally organised outdoor sports.

At this point, the Stay at Home order will end, although many lockdown restrictions will remain.

For example, you should continue to work from home where possible, and overseas travel remains banned, aside for a small number of reasons.

Step 2, no earlier than 12 April will see non-essential retail, personal care premises, such as hairdressers and nail salons, and public buildings, such as libraries and community centres, reopen.

Most outdoor attractions and settings will also reopen although wider social contact rules will apply in these settings to prevent indoor mixing between different households.

Indoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, will also reopen - but only for use by people on their own or with their household.

Hospitality venues can serve people outdoors only. There will be no need for customers to order a substantial meal with alcohol, and no curfew.

Self-contained accommodation, such as holiday lets, where indoor facilities are not shared with other households, can also reopen.

Step 3, no earlier than 17 May, will see most social contact rules outdoors lifted - although gatherings of over 30 people will remain illegal.

Outdoor performances such as outdoor cinemas, outdoor theatres and outdoor cinemas can reopen. Indoor hospitality, entertainment venues such as cinemas and soft play areas, the rest of the accommodation sector, and indoor adult group sports and exercise classes will also reopen.

Larger performances and sporting events in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half-full will also be allowed, as will those in outdoor venues with a capacity of 4000 people or half-full

Finally with Step 4, no earlier than 21 June, it is hoped all legal limits on social contact can be removed. We hope to reopen nightclubs, and lift restrictions on large events and performances that apply in Step 3.

In the meantime, the vaccination programme continues at pace, with the announcement of a new target to offer a first dose of the vaccine to every adult by the end of July. It was amazing to see at the end of last week that 31,280 people in our constituency, that's 32.2% of the total population, have had their first COVID-19 jab.

So this is good news and I believe we can be cautiously optimistic, with the continued lowering of rates, combined with the success of the vaccine rollout, that we will be able to follow this roadmap, and return to normality after a difficult year, by the end of June, if the data allows it.

Napier and Penally Barracks Campaign Response

Thank you to the many constituents who have got in touch regarding the conditions for asylum seekers at Napier and Penally Barracks and for expressing your thoughts and concerns about the current situation.

The government continues to take welfare of people in Home Office care very seriously and it is committed to fulfilling its duties to ensure safe, decent and humane conditions.

The number of people since March within the asylum system has risen and it has, therefore, been necessary for the government to act quickly to source contingency accommodation to create additional capacity and ensure obligations are met in full. Those accommodated at these specific sites have access to appropriate medical care, are provided three meals a day, and have access to the 24/7 Migrant Help helpline to raise any issues.

The government continues to provide safe and legal routes for people needing protection despite the domestic challenges we face due to the pandemic. In the year ending June 2020, over 6,320 refugee family reunion visas were issued to partners and children of those previously granted asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK. The UK also continues to be one of the largest refugee resettlement states in the world, resettling around 25,000 refugees and issuing over 29,000 family reunion visas since 2015.

I was deeply troubled by the recent destruction at Napier barracks. I am pleased that the necessary parties are working to repair the damage that has been done. Five arrests have now been made and I hope that those who were involved in starting the fire and threatening staff will be brought to justice.

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