Campaign reply - The UK must offer protection to Ukrainian refugees

Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch about  about ensuring refugees from Ukraine are supported by the UK at this challenging time.

 
The UK government has made it clear we want to support Ukrainians seeking refuge, both those who have family connections here in the UK and, indeed, those who don't. Over the last few months, we have seen huge numbers of people leaving Ukraine, fleeing from the conflict, and we will support them in the places they currently are - which is typically in countries bordering Ukraine. The Government is also welcoming Ukrainians here to the UK.

The Government has changed the immigration system to support refugees:

• Homes for Ukraine scheme allows individuals, charities, and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety – including those with no family ties to the UK.
• Sponsors can opt in to receive a 'thank you' payment of £350 per month up to 12 months.
• 43,800 signed up in the first five hours.
• Ukraine Family Scheme allows applicants to join family members or extend stay in the UK.
• Free, granted for 3 years, gives right to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds.
• Recently updated so that Ukrainian passport holders won't need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come here.
• 4000 visas have been granted so far as of 3pm Sunday.
• Ukrainian children will receive lifesaving cancer treatment through the NHS in England.
• Launched largest ever aid-match contribution - Gov will match the first £20 million donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

Thank you once again for getting in touch, and I will keep your concerns in mind as I continue to work with the Government to ensure we do all we can to support the people of Ukraine throughout this crisis. If I can be of further assistance during this difficult time, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Campaign reply - Invitation to 'The Forgotten Women: Persecuted Women and Girls from Religious Minorities' 28/02/2022

 

 Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch.

 Unfortunately, due to other parliamentary commitments, I could not attend this session.

However, this is an important issue. It is a sad reality that many religious minorities have long been subject to discrimination and campaigns of persecution. I am also aware that the coronavirus pandemic has also exacerbated existing inequalities and made addressing the needs of some communities harder.

In November 2020, the Government launched the Declaration of Humanity, which condemns conflict-related sexual violence and committed its signatories to work to dismantle harmful interpretations of faith and belief that may be used to condone or commit acts of sexual violence.

I am pleased that up to January 2021, 50 faith and belief leaders, civil society organisations and governments had signed from across the world.

The UK has also aid has funded several programmes promoting human rights, including:

• Through the UK Aid Connect, the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (Creid) programme, which works with women from religious minorities in Egypt, Pakistan, India, Iraq and Nigeria.

• Sexuality and Religion Network (Serene) in East Africa, which works with religious groups to promote LGBTIQ inclusion.

• Resisting gender-based violence and injustice through activism with biblical texts and images in four African countries, which seeks to assist those most vulnerable to gender-based violence through education.

The UK is also hosting the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in July 2022, which I will keep a close eye on.

Thank you once again for getting in touch, and if I can be of further assistance with any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Newspaper column 17 March 2022 - an update from the Department for Work and Pensions

 

This week I wanted to focus on my recent visit to the Jobcentre in Truro, where we discussed their work in supporting people back to work via the Way to Work scheme.

Way to Work is DWP’s new partnership between job-ready customers and employers to nationally help half a million people back into paid employment by the end of June 2022. This partnership will help employers fill vacancies and job ready people move back to employment.

In Cornwall, employers currently have a vast array of job opportunities, many of which need no previous experience. Dedicated teams of Work Coaches and Employer Advisers offer a tailored approach face-to face to help jobseekers and employers fill vacancies across a broad range of Sectors, including Construction, Social Care, Transport, Logistics, Agriculture, Manufacturing and Hospitality at a time when the Labour Market is incredibly buoyant.

Jobcentre Plus flexible offer includes access to Find A Job, a website for employers to advertise vacancies, Work Trials, Work Experience and Disability Confident helping customers with a health condition progress into employment. Along with the opportunity to interview applicants, matched by DWP, in local Jobcentres and arrange Sector Based Work Provision and skills training.

On Friday 4th March Truro Jobcentre hosted an event for local providers to work with a range of jobseekers offering support and help. Jobcentres across Cornwall are bringing together Employers and Jobseekers daily through interviews and Jobsfairs. They work with Small and Medium Sized Enterprises as well as many of the largest employers across the County including the NHS who offer a multitude of opportunities for all.

The rurality of Cornwall often presents many barriers for local jobseekers but DWPs Flexible Support Fund provides an opportunity for local people to overcome issues, such as transport, and support to find sustainable employment. Following the global pandemic, home working employment opportunities have increased bringing work directly from other parts of the country into peoples’ homes, further helping the Cornish economy, providing opportunities to develop skills, careers and financial independence.

The recent Kickstart Scheme supported nationally over 130,000 young people commence placements with employers to develop new skills and find work to create positive and lasting social change.

Whether you’re a Jobseeker finding your way back into work or an employer who’s looking for a way to recruit the right person to help your business, Jobcentre Plus and Way to Work can help.

It was great to see the team at the Truro Jobcentre office in action and I would certainly encourage anyone with questions about how they can help, employer or employee, to get in touch with them direct to find out more.

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 , or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held in a covid-safe environment 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 10 March 2022 - St Piran's Day and Ships and Castles

 

This past weekend saw Cornwall unite to celebrate St Piran’s Day, the national day of Cornwall, with events taking place across our county to mark the occasion.

With pandemic restrictions in place, last year saw these events marked virtually for the first time, but this year, with covid measures lifted and normality returning it was great to be able to be back out there in the community celebrating this special day for us all.

I was honoured to take part in the St Piran’s Day Parade in Truro, which with its incredible community involvement from all ages, rousing rendition of Trelawny, in which we were led enthusiastically by the Truro Male Voice Choir, and numerous blessings of the day from a variety of people, really encapsulates all that this day is about.

I said a few words myself from the steps of the Cathedral and as I looked out over the packed High Cross, I could only think that the ‘Onen hag oll’ (One and all) spirit which we have in Cornwall has not only steered us all through a real time of adversity, but has seen us come through stronger than ever on the other side.

On less positive news, last week saw a decision of Cornwall Council, following an extraordinary meeting of their Cabinet, to end the procurement process for Ships and Castles leisure centre in Falmouth .

On the day the agenda for this meeting was published following the papers being released for I wrote to all of Cornwall Council’s Cabinet expressing my complete disappointment with the recommendations from the officers – recommending that Ships and Castles should close.

Since the initial consultation, I have made my opposition to the closure of Ships and Castles very clear. I do believe the representations I have made, and continue to make, are reflective of the current mood in Falmouth and the wider community. This site means so much, to so many. We must safeguard its future, and Falmouth and Penryn need a viable leisure centre and swimming pool.

I have also written to the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, asking for his assistance in this matter. I have also reached out to Falmouth Town Council and the two universities locally. As a community, we must work together – now more than ever.

Now that Cornwall Council have made this decision I will be putting pressure on them to move at speed to follow through on another recommendation that they voted on Friday, that alternative options be developed for leisure provision for the Falmouth and Penryn area which may include the disposal of the Falmouth Ships and Castles site. I want to work with all of the groups mentioned above to both protect the iconic headland site for the community and also ensure a sensible and achievable leisure solution is arrived at for Falmouth and the surrounding area as soon as possible. As I said earlier it is only by working together, one and all, that we will get the outcome we need and deserve.

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 , or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held in a covid-safe environment 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 - Please support the Early Day Motion calling for a wealth tax and not a National Insurance hike!

Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch.

As a principle, I never sign early-day motions as they very rarely achieve anything whilst at the same time running up costs to the taxpayer. However, I take note of your views on a wealth tax as an alternative to national insurance rises. 

The issue of funding social care is a difficult one and very important to many constituents for a variety of reasons. With an ageing population in Cornwall who are living longer, these funds need to be found, and the issue will only become more pronounced the longer we leave it.

The 1.25 per cent Health and Social Care Levy on earned income will raise almost £36 billion over the next three years, with money from the levy going directly to health and social care across the whole of the country. I will of course, be lobbying to ensure Cornwall gets its fair share. Many economic commentators agree that only a broad-based tax base like Income Tax, VAT or National Insurance contributions can raise the sums needed for such a significant investment. This could not be raised by taxes on wealth, which currently raise: £6 billion from Inheritance Tax, £8.7 billion from Capital Gains Tax and £12.3 billion from property transaction taxes.

As set out by the Wealth Tax Commission, the UK’s taxes on wealth are on par with those of other G7 countries. If considering inheritance tax, capital gains tax, and stamp duty land tax, the UK is among the top of the G7 countries for wealth taxes as a percentage of total wealth. It is also right that the Government has already frozen inheritance tax thresholds until April 2026, which is projected to raise nearly £1 billion.

It is important to note that the Levy is a progressive way to raise money. Additional rate taxpayers make up just 2 per cent of individuals affected but will contribute nearly 20 per cent of the revenue raised from people. The highest-earning 14 per cent will pay around half the revenues. The UK is also the only G7 nation with a Primary Threshold below which people do not pay any social security contributions, so 6.2 million individuals earning less than £9,568 will not pay the Levy. The Government is also making sure that those with dividend income pay their fair share, which is why the Government will also increase the rate of dividend tax by 1.25 per cent from April 2022.

We must now help the NHS recover to provide much-needed care to our constituents and the people we love – and we must provide the funding to do so. We are doing this in a suitable, reasonable, and fair way.

Thank you once again for getting in touch, and if I can be of further assistance with any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Campaign reply - Israeli Apartheid

I am grateful for you sharing this report with me, which I read with great interest. Of course, the crime of apartheid is an incredibly serious matter, and the UK would take appropriate action to stamp it out wherever needed. However, I do not agree with the terminology of this report that accuses Israel of apartheid. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.

As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all. I reject expressions like apartheid or a one-sided focus of criticism on Israel, as it is not helpful to solving the conflict in the Middle East.

Regarding the Palestine issue more broadly, the UK's position, which I support, is clear and longstanding. There should be a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a fair and realistic settlement for refugees. The UK consistently calls – bilaterally and via the UN – for an immediate end to all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution.

The UK has said that it will recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. Bilateral recognition in itself cannot end the occupation; without a negotiated settlement the occupation and the problems that come with it will continue.

In the interim, therefore, the UK, working with allies and the wider international community, will do all it can to facilitate renewed cooperation and substantive negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. As part of this effort, it will continue to call on both sides to desist with immediate effect from all activities that undermine progress towards a peaceful two-state solution.

Thank you once again for getting in touch and if I can be of further assistance with any other matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Newspaper column 3 March 2022 - Ukraine and my work over the past week

 

I cannot start this week’s column without commenting on the events unfolding in the Ukraine over the past week. 

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine is a completely unacceptable open act of war. I welcome the Prime Minister's strong condemnation of these actions and further sanctions on Russia announced on the day of the invasion.

There can be no doubt that Putin’s Russia is now a pariah state with few friends. The West and the wider international community are united in its condemnation of this invasion. These severe sanctions mean that it will pay a heavy price economically in the years to come for this reckless action.

My thoughts are with the Ukrainian people who are facing dangers and terror at the hands of a bullying neighbour who only wants to subjugate a people who have chosen democracy over tyranny.

The UK is Ukraine’s friend and we will not turn our back in her hour of need. We will support her and we will not let Russian aggression go unpunished.

Away from Parliament last week I was delighted to welcome two Cabinet Ministers to our constituency.

On Thursday Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy visited the Geothermal works at United Downs.

We had a really positive conversation about the future of renewable, green and clean energy and what this could mean for Cornwall. I also raised with the Secretary of State the rising energy prices and the effect this is having on those in Cornwall.

There is huge potential for clean, green energy in Cornwall and we need to accelerate the growth in this industry, but we also need to be tackling the rising cost of living.

On Friday I welcomed COP26 President Alok Sharma to Falmouth.

We gave Alok a presentation on nature recovery, Levelling Up for Cornwall, and the Cornwall City of Culture bid for 2025.

We also took him out on the docks to talk about floating offshore wind off the Cornish coast in the Celtic Sea, and the opportunities this presents Falmouth with.

The theme throughout the visit was climate change and what we are doing in Cornwall to address it.

Cornwall has a key role to play in this important work. When Cornwall hosted the G7 Leaders Summit in 2021 the Prime Minister backed plans to make Cornwall the first net zero region of the UK. He aims to create a long-term legacy from the G7 Summit, and with its miles of coastline, rolling rural vistas, past history as an industrial powerhouse, and most importantly the creative energy to make this happen, Cornwall is ideally placed to realise these ambitions.

The Government’s Net Zero Strategy, published just last year, will create 440,000 jobs by 2030 and bring in £90bn of investment to the UK.

In Cornwall, that means leading the way in investment in renewable energies, unlocking the geothermal power that is literally embedded in its foundations, and floating offshore wind, pioneering the extraction of lithium to use in new greener technologies, and investing in the subsequent well paid, high skilled jobs these sectors will bring. Cornwall is also a national leader on Nature Recovery, piloting innovative schemes to help restore and enhance the natural environment in the county.

As MP for Truro and Falmouth, I will continue to work with and champion the emerging Cornish Green Industrial revolution, ensuring everything is done to harness the blue and green landscape on this journey and making sure that Cornwall’s voice is heard at the heart of Government to realise this potential, both for Cornwall itself and also as a blueprint for green growth across the country.   

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 , or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held in a covid-safe environment 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.