Newspaper Column 29th April 2024 - Increasing Armed Forces Spending

As last year’s successful National Armed Forces Day events demonstrated, Cornwall has many, many strong links with our fantastic armed forces. Last week the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the biggest strengthening of the UK’s national defence in a generation, with a fully funded plan to grow the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

With last week’s announcement, UK defence spending will increase immediately and then rise steadily to reach £87 billion at the end the decade – hitting 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

The Prime Minister has set out three areas of focus for our bolstered defence budget:

·         Firing up the UK defence industrial base: Investing at least an additional £10 billion over the next decade on munitions production, delivering high-quality jobs and investment across the UK and ensuring we have rapid production capacity and stockpiles of next-generation munitions.

·         Modernising our Armed Forces: Radically reforming defence procurement and creating a new Defence Innovation Agency to ensure the UK is at the cutting edge of modern warfare technology, with at least 5% of the defence budget to be committed to research and development.

·         Backing Ukraine’s defence: Ukraine’s security is our security. As part of this plan, the Government will commit an additional £500 million this year for the ammunition, air defence and drones Ukraine needs; the largest-ever single delivery of military equipment to Ukraine’s frontlines; and a cast-iron commitment to maintain existing levels of support to Ukraine for as long as it Is needed.

Falmouth in particular will benefit from the Prime Minister’s announcement because of its long and enduring relationship with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), a naval auxiliary fleet which provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by providing fuel and stores through replenishment at sea, transporting Royal Marines and British Army personnel, providing medical care and transporting equipment and essentials around the world. In addition the RFA acts independently providing humanitarian aid, counter piracy and counter narcotic patrols together with assisting the Royal Navy in preventing conflict and securing international trade.

A&P Falmouth is responsible for maintaining and supporting Argus, HMS Scott, Lyme Bay, Mounts Bay and Cardigan Bay under the terms of the Future In-Service Support contract which runs until 2028, and is a major employer for the town.

As Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth I will be doing all I can over the coming months to ensure that Cornwall and our constituency in particular gets its fair share of defence investment, so we can do our bit in ensuring our armed forces continue to be world leading.

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.

Newspaper column 22nd April 2024 - Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan visits Truro and Falmouth

Last week I welcomed the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan to Truro. One of the things I have been most proud of to promote during my time as Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth is the fantastic education opportunities available in our constituency. Whether at primary, secondary, further education or our wonderful university campuses, Truro and Falmouth offers something for everyone, at every stage of the learning journey.

One education institution that is certainly leading the way, not just in Cornwall, but across the whole country, is Truro and Penwith College, Cornwall’s leading academic further education setting. As such I have always been keen to promote the top class work that is done there to my colleagues in Government, last year memorably welcoming the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to see the facilities.

I believe that our children deserve the best education we can provide, and Truro and Penwith college has set the benchmark by providing local, quality courses. It was a privilege to visit with the Secretary of State, and to show her the fantastic work we have done to make sure our children can access the best possible education right here in the community.

During our visit we were given a tour of the faculties by Principal Martin Tucker, where we had the chance to see the new innovations introduced by his team employed.

The Secretary of State was shown art and design, engineering, and the college’s new construction unit. Students can use this facility to learn practical skills including bricklaying and carpentry as part of their education and are working to construct a building to completion which will be finished later this year.

As a former apprentice the Secretary of State conversed knowledgably with the students about their courses and experiences at the college. She was particularly impressed with the diverse training available, as well as the accessibility of the courses, and the opportunities for local high-paid employment to follow. A very positive visit and one which I know will have given the Secretary of State a good impression of what we do so well in Cornwall.

Combined with the official opening of the STEM and Health Skills Centre Bodmin, which I also attended on the same day, which is part of Truro and Penwith College group, and heavily recommended by staff at Treliske, it is clear that in Cornwall we have an impressive, cutting edge and growing further education offer, and I will continue to do all I can to ensure those delivering it get the support they need to do so.

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.

Campaign reply - Alcohol Duty

Thank you for contacting me about alcohol duty.

On 1 August 2023, the alcohol duty system became much simpler and fairer, taxing all alcoholic drinks based on their alcohol by volume (ABV). I welcome the Government’s commitment to supporting pubs through increasing draught relief from 1 August 2023 as announced at Spring Budget 2023. This freezes the duty charged on a typical pint of beer in the pub and ensures this will always be lower than in the supermarket.

To further support alcohol producers, pubs, and the hospitality sector, and to help consumers with the cost of living, the Government will freeze alcohol duty from 1 August 2024 until 1 February 2025, extending the six-month freeze announced at Autumn Statement 2023. This will result in 2p less duty on an average pint of beer, 1p less duty on an average pint of cider, 10p less duty on an average bottle of wine, and 33p less duty on an average bottle of spirits, than if the planned duty increase had gone ahead.

All tax categories, such as beer and wine, have been moved to a standardised set of bands, with rates for products between 1.2 and 3.4 per cent ABV, 3.5 and 8.4 per cent ABV, 8.5 and 22 per cent ABV, and above 22 per cent ABV. Above 8.5 per cent ABV, all products across all categories pay the same rate of duty if they have the same proportion of alcohol content.

Registration and payment have also been simplified, and the practice where individual products have different administrative rules has ended. The new progressive manner in which alcohol is taxed will ensure higher strength products incur proportionately more duty, and these rates will be the same across all product categories. This change addresses the problem of harmful high-strength products being sold too cheaply, and the new rates for low-strength drinks below 3.5 per cent ABV will encourage manufacturers to develop new products at lower ABVs, giving consumers greater choice and greater options to drink responsibly.

I welcome the introduction of a new Small Producer Relief, which builds on the previous success of the Small Brewers Relief and benefit cidermakers and other producers of lower ABV drinks. This will allow small producers to diversify their product range to other products below 8.5 per cent ABV while still benefitting from reduced rates.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Abortion

Thank you for contacting me about abortion.

I completely understand what an incredibly emotive issue this is, and I appreciate the strength of feelings on both sides. It is for this reason that, as with other matters of conscience, the Government adopts a neutral stance on abortion and allows Conservative MPs to vote freely according to their moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. This is a convention which I support wholeheartedly.

The approach to abortion in Great Britain is set out in the Abortion Act 1967, which states that two doctors must certify that, in their opinion, a request for an abortion meets at least one and the same ground laid out in the Act. These grounds include “risk to the life of the pregnant woman”, and “substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped”.

Guidance for doctors on how to comply with the Act has been issued, which stipulates that registered medical practitioners should be able to show how they have considered the particular facts and circumstances of a case when forming their opinion. Full details can be found online at www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-doctors-on-compliance-with-the-abortion-act.

I am aware that all independent sector abortion clinics in England have been reapproved, which will ensure that abortion services continue to be available to women across the country. I understand that all current approvals are valid until 31 July 2026.

I know that making a decision regarding abortion can be extremely difficult, and I believe that we must do all we can to support women to make an informed decision, taking into consideration all their options, with medical professionals offering impartial advice. I will continue to do all I can to ensure plenty of information is available to women making enquiries relating to abortion including all options available to them.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Pensioner Poverty

Thank you for contacting me about Government support for pensioners.

 

The Government is fully committed to enabling older people to live with the dignity and respect they deserve. In April last year, the State Pension was increased by 10.1 per cent, in line with inflation. As a result, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is over £3,050 higher, in cash terms, than in 2010. 

 

Regarding the uprating of the State Pension, the Government is maintaining the Triple Lock in full for 2024/25, meaning that in April 2024, the basic State Pension, new State Pension, and Pension Credit minimum guarantee will be uprated in line with September 2023 average earnings growth- 8.5 per cent.

 

Additionally, I am confident that the Government is providing substantial support for pensioners through the welfare system. The Government provides free bus passes and prescriptions; Winter Fuel Payments; and Cold Weather Payments for those in receipt of Pension Credit. 

Moreover, as set out at Spring Budget, the Government is providing an additional £500 million of funding to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England to September 2024, bringing the total funding to £3 billion since October 2021.

 

I hope that this response reassures you that pensioners in the UK are being adequately supported and that the most vulnerable will continue to be protected.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Free School Meals for Children

Thank you for contacting me about the campaign to provide free school meals to all children in educational settings. 

 

I believe it is imperative that children have regular healthy and balanced meals throughout the day to ensure they are able to thrive in the classroom. The Government is also keenly aware of the impact that the cost of living crisis is having on families across the country. 

 

Over two million pupils are currently eligible for benefits based free school meals. Close to 1.3 million additional infants receive free and nutritious meals under the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) policy.

 

The Department spends over £1 billion each year on free school meals, including through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme and school breakfast clubs. This includes around £600 million on UIFSM.

 

Furthermore, the Government funds over £200 million a year on HAF, which provides healthy meals and holiday club places to children from low-income families. In the summer of 2022, the HAF programme reached around 600,000 children across England, including over 475,000 children eligible for free school meals.

 

The Government is allocating £30 million over two years for the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) until the end of the summer term in 2024, which benefits over 2,000 schools across the country. Family Action estimates that 270,000 children are currently receiving breakfast from the NSBP on an average school day. 

 

In 2023/24, the Free School Meal factor of the National Funding Formula designates £480 per eligible pupil. This is increasing to £490 in 2024/25. Schools are allocated un-ringfenced funding through their core budgets to provide these free meals for disadvantaged pupils. This system recognises that schools are best placed to make decisions about how they use their funding and gives them considerable freedom in how they best deliver educational provision to their pupils.

 

Additional funding for schools announced since Spending Review 2021 totalled more than £2.4 billion in 2023-24 and will be more than £2.8 billion in 2024-25. This will bring per pupil funding for 5-16 year olds to its highest ever level in real terms in 2024-25 – and represents a cash increase in average funding per pupil from £5,920 in 2019-20 to £7,690 in 2024-25.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Fuel Duty and Prices

Thank you for contacting me about fuel duty.

To support people with the cost of living, the Government is maintaining the rates of fuel duty at the current levels for a further 12 months by extending the temporary 5p cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation, saving the average car driver £50 in 2024-25. This freeze represents a tax cut worth over £3.1 billion.

This support is being maintained at a time when many other European countries have ended their fuel duty cuts: it represents around £13 billion of support over the three years from the cut being introduced.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Snares

Thank you for contacting me about the use of snares.

I appreciate your concerns about this issue. The management of predators plays an important role in supporting the recovery of some of our most vulnerable species.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 states that it is illegal to set in position any trap or snare calculated to cause bodily injury to any wild animal mentioned in section six of the Act. This includes badgers, otters, red squirrels and hedgehogs.

The Deer Act 1991 makes it an offence to set in position any trap or snare calculated to cause bodily injury to any deer coming into contact with it, or to use any trap or snare for the purpose of killing, taking or restraining such an animal.

The law states that snares set in position must be inspected once a day. The use of a self-locking snare is illegal and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 prohibits causing any unnecessary suffering to any animal.

While laws are in place, my ministerial colleagues recognise that there have been cases of snares being used indiscriminately and not being checked, and the code of practice not being followed. When used incorrectly, they can cause significant injuries and suffering to animals. Anyone using snares must act within the law to ensure that their activities do not harm protected species. Penalties are in place when the law is not followed, including an unlimited fine or a custodial sentence. Anyone who suspects that snares have not been used properly should contact the police.

As part of the Government’s drive to maintain its high animal welfare standards, officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are in regular contact with colleagues from the devolved administrations to consider how snares are regulated.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Ending Rough Sleeping

Thank you for contacting me about ending rough sleeping.

Let me assure you that there is a firm commitment across Government to end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has set out its plans to do so in its strategy ‘Ending Rough Sleeping For Good’. This reiterates the goal that rough sleeping will be prevented wherever possible and where it does occur it will be rare, brief and non-recurring.

 

At the heart of this strategy is a ‘prevention first’ approach which focuses on preventing people from sleeping rough in the first place. I was encouraged to see the Government set out an ambition for no one to leave a public institution, such as a prison or hospital, homeless. Already, legislation has been passed to reduce numbers of prisoners released on Fridays to help with better access to essential services. 

 

The Government's rough sleeping strategy is backed up by £2 billion worth of investment between 2022-23 and 2024-25. As part of this, the Rough Sleeping Initiative is being expanded to further support people off the street and into longer-term housing-led solutions. Tailored support may include helping individuals find work, manage their finances and access mental and physical health services. In January 2024, the Government announced £13.1 million in additional funding for the Rough Sleeping Initiative, taking the total to over £547 million. A further £4 million has also been announced in Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures funding for local authorities facing the greatest pressures in rough sleeping in England.

 

In addition, in February 2024 the Government provided a further £220 million of funding to councils. £107 million is to provide more than 800 homes for rough sleepers. The money is being made available immediately to councils to purchase or rent properties to give rough sleepers a safe space to stay whilst they rebuild their lives off the streets. £109 million is a boost to the Homelessness Prevention Grant, the funding can be used by councils to prevent evictions before they occur or fund temporary accommodation. This brings the total fund to £1.2 billion, it has supported more than 160,000 people since the scheme opened in 2022. 

Rightly, Government funding for different types of accommodation reflects the fact that there is no one size fits all approach to supporting rough sleepers. For example, the £10 million Night Shelter Transformation Fund will increase the availability of quality single-room provision within the night shelter sector. Meanwhile, investment in longer-term housing solutions includes the £200 million Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme which will deliver up to 2,400 homes and wrap-around support. 

 

I am confident that, together, these measures and the whole system approach that will bring them together will help end rough sleeping for good.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. 

Campaign reply - Protection of Badgers

Thank you for contacting me about the protection of badgers.

In the UK, the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 restricts the killing, injuring or taking of badgers, or interference with their setts. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides protection against certain methods of killing or taking.

Badger persecution is one of seven UK wildlife crime priorities. Priority areas are those which are assessed as posing the greatest current threat to either the conservation status of a species or which show the highest volume of crime and therefore they are assessed as requiring an immediate UK-wide response.

The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 brought in tougher sentences for animal cruelty, raising the maximum prison sentence from six months to five years. As well as a prison sentence, offenders can also receive an unlimited fine. This means that the UK has some of the toughest sentences for animal cruelty in Europe, ensuring that courts are able to enforce extended penalties for those who cruelly mistreat any animal, sending a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Plastic Pollution

Thank you for contacting me about plastic pollution.

The Resources and Waste Strategy for England sets out the Government’s plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more plastic and Ministers have committed to work towards all plastic packaging on the market being recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Significant progress has already been made to address plastic pollution, including a ban on microbeads and restricting the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The use of single-use carrier bags in supermarkets has reduced by over 98 per cent.

Further, restrictions on a range of single-use plastics, including plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers have now come into force. I understand that England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery and over 700 million single-use plates per year, but only 10 per cent are recycled. This new ban is the next step in cracking down on harmful plastic waste.

Through the Environment Act 2021, the Government has set a target is to halve residual waste by 2042. This refers to waste that is sent to landfill, put through incineration, or used in energy recovery in the UK or overseas. This is an intentionally broad target, which will include the most environmentally harmful materials like plastics, rather than banning a single type of material and risk producers moving to a different, more harmful material. 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Furnished Holiday Lets

Thank you for contacting me about Furnished Holiday lettings. 

Holiday lets contribute to the economy, create jobs, and support tourism.  Let me be clear that the Government backs small businesses, including responsible short-term holiday letting, which I recognise brings significant investment to local communities. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge the impact that large numbers of holiday lets concentrated in an area can have on local communities. 

The Government will abolish the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime. Importantly this will eliminate the tax advantage for landlords who let short-term furnished holiday properties over those who let residential properties to longer-term tenants. This does not stop people conducting short term lets, but rather ensures that the system is equal for those letting long term or short term. I understand your disappointment at this decision, however, it will level the playing field between short- term and long-term lets and support people to live in their local area. 

Campaign reply - Hedgerows

Thank you for contacting me about hedgerows.

Hedgerows are important ecological building blocks in our farmed landscape, providing distinctive character to our countryside and crucial habitats and food for wildlife. Hedgerows can store carbon, improve local air quality and benefit the rural economy by boosting job creation for hedgerow planting and management in local communities.

Protection of hedgerows is a key component of the Government’s Environmental Land Management Schemes. Through the Countryside Stewardship schemes, Ministers are supporting farmers to maintain and restore over 10,000km of existing hedgerows while planting an additional 4,000km across the nation. I understand that as of January 2024, there were around 35,000 Countryside Stewardship agreements. 

Further, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (Defra's) new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) hedgerow standard will pay farmers to assess the condition of hedgerows and manage them in a way that will work for wildlife and improve biodiversity. I am pleased that SFI payments were increased by ten per cent at the beginning of this year. 

I am assured that this increased support for farmers will result in the creation of more hedgerows and flower-rich grass areas on headlands, assisting the UK' progress on environment targets including halting biodiversity loss by 2030.

I am aware that cross compliance rules ended at the end of last year. This is because gaps between cross compliance rules and regulatory requirements are already covered by existing and ongoing strong domestic legal framework, such as through generalised provisions in Farming Rules for Water and the Water Resources Act, guidance like the Code of Practice for the use of Plant Protection Products, and standards in the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. As a result of these, my Defra colleagues do not believe farmers will lower standards and there will not be significant negative environmental impacts in these areas. 

Following a Defra consultation on maintaining and improving existing protections, the Government has set out plans for domestic hedgerow regulations. The regulations will include a two metre ‘buffer strip’ from the centre of hedgerows with no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers, and a hedge cutting ban between 1 March and 31 August to protect nesting birds. 

The regulations will support the efforts of many farmers already carrying out vital work to protect hedgerows, providing important ecological benefits including wildlife habitats, slowing soil erosion and water run-off, supporting crop pollinators and absorbing carbon.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Animal Welfare Legislation: Kept Animals Bill

Thank you for contacting me about the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. 

As the highest ranked G7 nation on World Animal Protection's Animal Protection Index, the UK is a world leader on animal welfare. In 2021, the Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare set out reforms for this Parliament and beyond, many of which the Government has since enacted. This includes passing the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, recognising the sentience of vertebrate animals and some invertebrate animals. In addition, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act introduced tougher sentences for cruelty, increasing maximum sentences. The Ivory Act came into force in 2022 and was recently extended to cover five more endangered species. In April, the Government made cat microchipping compulsory.

I am assured that the Government remains fully committed to delivering its manifesto commitments on animal welfare. I am aware that the scope of the Kept Animals Bill, introduced in June 2021, was becoming increasingly broad. In light of this, and the successful progress made so far with single-issue legislation in this Parliament, the Government is supporting several Private Members’ Bills which individually deliver on animal welfare measures in the Kept Animals Bill. Ministers believe this to be the quickest and most effective way of achieving our aims.

In the King’s Speech, the Government announced the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill, which will ban the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury caused by exporting live animals. This Bill will ensure that animals are slaughtered domestically in high welfare slaughterhouses in the UK, reinforcing the UK’s position as a world leader on animal welfare.

My ministerial colleagues in Defra are committed to animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in this Parliament and beyond.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Trophy Hunting

Thank you for contacting me about trophy hunting.

I appreciate the strength of feeling around this issue. Around a million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction and the abundance, diversity and connectivity of species is declining faster than at any time in human history. Ministers take the welfare of all animals extremely seriously and are committed to strengthening and supporting long-term conservation of animals both internationally and at home.

In 2019, the Government held a consultation on the scale and impact of the import and export of hunting trophies. Over 44,000 responses to the call for evidence and consultation were received and 85 per cent of responses were in favour of further action. The Government’s response to the consultation set out plans to ban imports of hunting trophies from thousands of endangered and threatened species.

The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill was introduced to Parliament in June 2022, the last parliamentary session, as a Private Member’s Bill by Henry Smith MP to ban the import of hunting trophies from around 6,000 species, including lions, elephants, rhinos, and polar bears. My ministerial colleagues and I were disappointed that despite the overwhelming support from MPs and the public, this Bill failed to progress through Committee stage in the House of Lords. I understand that accepting the amendments proposed by Peers would have undermined the Government’s important commitment in this area.

Campaign reply - Caged Farm Animals

I would like to assure you that my ministerial colleagues and I take the welfare of all animals seriously. Since publishing the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the Government has delivered an ambitious legislative programme, bringing significant improvements for animals both in the UK and abroad. Ministers are firmly committed to maintaining the UK’s strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in the course of this Parliament and beyond.

I understand that my ministerial colleagues do not believe that the time is right to consult on cage reforms, recognising some of the challenges that numerous sectors have faced in recent years. I am informed that the market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hen production, with over 60 per cent of eggs coming from free range production. Regarding pigs, the UK also has a significant outdoor pig sector, with 40 per cent of the national sow breeding herd farrow freely on outdoor pig units with no option of confinement.

I am assured that the Government will continue to work with the sector to maintain and enhance high standards of welfare. For example, the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway will prioritise areas for additional improvement in the health and welfare for pigs, cattle, sheep and poultry. I know that one of the Government’s priorities for the pathway includes supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems. 

Of course, if you have specific concerns about the welfare of an animal, I recommend reporting it to the police or the RSPCA.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - The Poverty Gap

Thank you for contacting me about the report "Two Nations: The State of Poverty in the UK".

Tackling poverty and deprivation is a priority for this Government. While I note the concerns raised by the Centre for Social Justice's recent report, I am confident that my colleagues across Government are taking action to support the most vulnerable, ensure work pays, support our communities, and tackle crime.

Work is the best route out of poverty. As the report highlights, the UK has made good progress in reducing unemployment. Q4 2010 and Q4 2023, the UK unemployment rate (aged 16 and over) fell from 7.9 per cent to 3.8 per cent. To ensure that this trend continues, the Back to Work Plan will see the Government invest £2.5 billion into employment-focused support, which will help people to stay healthy, move off benefits, and reap the rewards of work. 

To ensure work pays, in April 2024, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.8 per cent from £10.42 to £11.44 an hour, boosting the pay of a full-time worker on the NLW by over £1,800 a year. Additionally, the Government will further cut Class One employee National Insurance contributions (NICs) from ten per cent to eight per cent in April 2024. 

Alongside this, the Government has provided targeted support through Cost of Living Payments, which have been paid to eight million households on eligible means-tested-benefits, eight million pensioner households and six million people on eligible disability benefits. Indeed, to support low-income households with their housing costs, the Government will raise Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents in April 2024. This will benefit 1.6 million low-income households, who will be around £800 a year better off on average in 2024-25.

Finally, the Government has also invested £120 million into the Safer Streets Fund. This money is supporting police forces, local authorities, and eligible community groups across England and Wales prevent violence against women and girls, neighbourhood crime, and anti-social behaviour.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Campaign reply - Catapults

Thank you for contacting me about catapults. 

I am aware that under the provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and Animal Welfare Act 2006, there are a range of offences around injuring and inflicting unnecessary suffering on wildlife and in the event that a member of the public believes that such an event has taken place, they are encouraged to report the matter to the police so they can investigate. 

The misuse of catapults may also constitute anti-social behaviour. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 already provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour.

However, I am aware that catapults do have some legitimate uses, for example when fishing and at present the Government considers that existing legislation provides the correct balance between protecting the public from the small number of individuals who misuse catapults, while also allowing the public to enjoy legitimate pastimes. As such, the Government does not have any plans to prevent the possession in public of catapults at this time, however, it continues to keep all relevant legislation under review in the interests of public safety. 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Newspaper column 15/04/24 - Fishing, fishermen, and the Pollack compensation scheme

Fishing, along with mining and farming is one of the three traditional Cornish industries, and in my time as Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth, championing our Cornish fishing communities has been one of the things I have been most proud of.

Of course I have to declare an interest here, being married to a proud Cornish fishermen, who fishes from Falmouth, but I believe the Cornish fishing community catches the best fish, in all conditions, (and fishing is the most dangerous occupation), for our plates. But due to the nature of our fishing fleet, with many of them being small vessels with only on or two crew, catching particular species in very localised habitats, we have to ensure that the national rules work for them and do not unfairly penalise them.

Twice in recent months, I’ve been delighted to help our fishing communities, both in assisting the extraordinary community campaign to stop a seaweed farm off the Roseland that would have been placed right on inshore fishing grounds, and more recently ensuring that rules on medicals for fishermen had exemptions added for existing fishermen in order to not deprive these experienced fishers of their livelihoods at short notice.

Last week, I was delighted to work with my Cornish MP colleagues to score another victory for the Cornish fishing community, as the Government announced a new compensation scheme to assist fishermen most impacted by restrictions placed on the catching of pollack earlier this year.

This followed last year, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) telling European countries that, for pollack in Western waters, the Total Allowable Catch for 2024 should be set at zero for the first time. However in Cornwall many fishermen relied on pollack for most if not all of their catch, and this ruling meant that from the beginning of the year, they were no longer able to fish, with replacement gear and different fishing grounds difficult to find or access.

I was pleased to campaign for a compensation scheme for these fishermen, and it was good to see the Environment Secretary announce it last week, in doing so crediting the wider industry along with MPs such as myself for our work in fighting for this outcome.

The scheme will be administered by the MMO, who will get in contact directly with eligible vessel owners over the coming weeks to provide further details on how they can access the compensation.

I will continue to work with our fishing community to ensure they get a fair deal going forward.

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.

Newspaper Column 09/04/24 - Cornwall's NHS and the Integrated Care Board

In my time as Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth we have continued to see record levels of investment into our NHS and local health services here in Cornwall. But alongside the investment, we need to see the money spent well and wisely, in ways that will have a direct positive and tangible impact on service users. Something I have been thinking about recently is on who is accountable for the decisions made on NHS spending, these colossal amounts of money that can make a real difference to our health services.

In Cornwall Council, for example, the ruling administration, made up of democratically elected councillors, forms a Cabinet, chosen by the Leader of Cornwall Council, one of whom has responsibility for adult social care. All are accountable to the people who elected them.

 

But in the NHS, the decision-making hierarchy is very different. In Cornwall, in recent years we have had the introduction of an Integrated Care Board, made up of health professionals, to encourage better and more joined up working from the various local NHS organisations.

 

But Integrated Care Boards remain accountable to NHS England, a massive and inflexible organisation, and this in itself places limitations on how flexible and nimble local budgets in Cornwall can be to local needs. But everywhere is different, the needs for Cornwall, a largely rural and sparsely populated area, compared to our cities, could not be more different. Just in recent years it has been a struggle for myself and my MP colleagues to argue the positive case to the NHS for projects such as the Tri Service Safety Officers, who serve their communities across Cornwall, to make progress because of the perceived lack of flexibility and accountability of the NHS decision makers.

 

One potential solution to this could be more devolved powers locally but also putting more democratic accountability on to our NHS. One option would be to have elected health commissioners should each NHS Trust – as an equivalent to the Police and Crime Commissioners. Another would be to transfer responsibility for the NHS to unitary councils like Cornwall Council.

 

Obviously being an elected person responsible for NHS and health decisions in this manner would be a high profile and very involved role, but the big positive would be that they would be accountable, to the people, for the decisions that they make and the direction they take the NHS, much as us MPs are responsible for broader decisions nationally in Parliament. I would love to hear your thoughts on whether you think this would be a positive move, or your alternatives.

 

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I

can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. Please get in touch with

me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, or by telephone on 01872

229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.

Newspaper Column 02/04/24 - Special Educational Needs support in the community

Firstly, I hope everyone had a great Easter and was able to spend some time enjoying the long weekend. Parliament has now rise for the Easter Recess and I am looking forward to working in Truro and Falmouth for the next couple of weeks.

One of the most common issues raised with me when I am out and about and in particular with parents contacting me with concerns, is around the support available for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

It Is a good thing that our NHS and council services are increasingly able to diagnose and recognise conditions such as autism and ADHD in children and young people, but at the same time, it is critical that appropriate funds are provided to support these children and their families through their schooling and beyond.

Issues with delays to getting the support needed are often raised with by parents and this is something I am in regular contact with Cornwall Council about.

Cornwall Council have recognised the issue and in recent years have developed the Celebrating Neurodiversity strategy – putting extra resources into supporting families while their children are on the diagnostic pathway, and also working more closely with local NHS partner organisations to improve both the diagnosis process and the support that is subsequently made available.

But it is also important that Government plays its role in this and more funding to help children and families with special educational needs is something I have long-lobbied for, along with my Cornish MP colleagues.

I was delighted then to see last week the Government confirm a record annual investment of £850 million going to councils to create new places for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and in Alternative Provision (AP) in mainstream and special schools, and to improve the accessibility of existing buildings.  As part of this, Cornwall will receive £9,701,294.

This will provide specialist support for children with autism, learning difficulties, mobility difficulties and more to meet their extra needs, including extra encouragement in their learning, help communicating with other children and support with physical or personal care difficulties, such as using the toilet or getting around the school safely. 

The Government is sticking to the plan to ensure every child can receive the education they need to succeed, where hard work is rewarded and aspiration is celebrated. The funding is part of the £2.6 billion investment between 2022 and 2025 – more than tripling the previous levels of investment - to help to put an end to families having to fight for the right support for their children.

When combined with the places already being created by the special free schools programme, this funding is creating over 60,000 new places across the country.

This is helping to increase capacity, following a decrease in pupils in special schools from 1997 to 2010.

This is good news and I will continue to work with both Cornwall Council and the Government to ensure that Cornwall continues to get its fair share of money made available to support SEN children and also that this money is quickly drawn down and used to help those who need it in our Duchy.  

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I

can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. Please get in touch with

me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, or by telephone on 01872

229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.