On Monday I had some constituents to Westminster but sadly the Lords was shut due to preparations for the visit of the South Korean President, so they were only able to see the House of Commons. It is easy to forget that it is a working place on a Monday morning when many MPs conduct their visits.
I am looking forward to a coach full of constituents in January and we are organising another coach in April, we are just waiting on a date from the tour office. I am very happy to see smaller groups on other Mondays but it is cheaper and easier on the coach.
I met with the Bangladeshi High Commissioner to talk about how well girls and women are doing in her country. We also discussed the many women Ambassadors and High Commissioners that represent their countries in London, they have a good supportive network.
In the afternoon, I bobbed in defence questions with a question on Palestine but sadly was not called by the Speaker. It is very frustrating if you are not on the order paper (which is balloted) and are not called to ask a question when you bob.
The situation in Gaza continues to be appalling. This week Philippa Whitford, an SNP MP, got a message from one of her surgeon colleagues in Gaza.
Philippa is also a breast cancer surgeon and visits Gaza often in her free time to train doctors. She had heard that his house had been bombed and texted him to see if he was still alive. He was but many of his family were at home, he lost his son with his wife and two of his children; his daughter who was trained in the UK and works for the WHO with her husband and 5-month-old child and his other son. Only his wife and youngest daughter survived. 45 people had been sheltering at his home and all were killed.
Philippa is in the same group as me where we get regular updates from charities and organisations in Gaza as well as from those that people have worked with.
We heard from the new Foreign Secretary at a special 1922 (the Conservative backbench group) and I was pleased that he is working hard on the issues in the Middle East already. We voted early on Monday on the Remaining Stages of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill,
so I was able to get back to my flat at 10pm which is good for a Monday.
Tuesday’s Education Select committee was the first meeting on the impact of screen time on education and well-being. We have all heard about young people’s mental health getting worse so that will be part of the inquiry to see whether social media has an impact on that. The internet is an educational resource but can also be used negatively.
It will be interesting to see what we conclude as I think it is a very difficult issue and the panellists agreed that there was not enough evidence yet either way. I had a briefing from the NAO concerning next week’s committee on reducing the harms from illegal drugs and whether policy is working. We will have the public session on the 30 November.
The PAC is very time consuming as we have hour long briefings before the three-hour public meeting which happens twice a week. I must admit that I am not making all the meetings at the moment as I would not be able to do anything else. Although it is a prestigious committee to be on and very interesting, we have a shortage of members as it is so time consuming.
Late Tuesday afternoon, I had an online meeting with the politics class at Bishops Wordsworth School in Salisbury. I had met the teacher at a careers event and he asked me whether I would be prepared to do it as it gives another insight into another MPs life and thoughts. I was very honest, which surprised them and they commented that they might look again at the Conservative Party.
We are very bad at communicating with the younger generation as most of them have no idea what we are doing or stand for and most of our policies are in line with what they are thinking. I then went on to a meeting with the Defence Secretary who has formed a group of us who are interested in defence issues.
In the evening, Vodafone had an event to inform us about the rollout of 5G. I know some constituents are concerned about reports that 3G networks are being switched off. This is only being done where an upgrade to 4G or 5G is already in place, and the outcome for us in Meon Valley will be improved coverage compared to the current situation.
I always go to these events as it is good to have contacts in areas that affect us in Meon Valley and it is easier to contact people you meet to get a problem solved.
Wednesday morning started with an 8.30am online update meeting on Palestine. It is a cross- party group including Philippa. We got an update on Israel too and it was interesting to hear that the war is not being covered in detail in the press there although everyone is aware because the rockets from Gaza are still being fired on Israel. Another PAC briefing followed, this time on flood defences which will include a panel from Ofwat. The public meeting will be on Monday afternoon. It will be interesting to hear from Ofwat about the plans that every water company has submitted.
In the afternoon, I met the CEO of Southern Water and we looked at the map of the area they cover. It was good to see that the Rivers Meon and Itchen were in good health compared to others in Kent and Sussex. We discussed the new reservoir at Havant and how to reduce abstraction from the rivers. There is still work to do on reducing the centuries of industrialisation with the heavy metals but wildlife is returning fast especially in our local rivers (there are now otters in the Test again) despite what you might read in opposition leaflets and the media.
The biggest event of the week was the Autumn Statement and I was pleased that it had something for everyone.
I was particularly pleased that businesses can now offset a 100% of investment, working people receive a 2% reduction in national insurance and pensioners get an 8.5% rise which should be above inflation next year. We have halved inflation, reduced the debt and the economy is growing albeit slower than we would all like, but I hope that the measures will help boost productivity.
There were many other announcements and there will be more in March at the Budget. Does this mean that an election may be sooner than we thought? I am not sure but am certainly preparing for it! I had a lovely meeting with Denmead Junior School at 4.45pm at the Parliamentary Education Centre, they will have got home very late that evening.
On Thursday, I attended the Hampshire Vineyard event in Winchester. I spend time lobbying on behalf of our vineyards to make sure that they are thriving and work closely with the trade body, Wine GB, to make sure that we get policies right.
Today, I attended the Chalk Stream Headwaters Forum at Sparsholt College and met with some constituents.
This evening I will be at the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association dinner which helps provide support for Down Syndrome children and adults around the county and was instrumental in the Down Syndrome Act which I co-sponsored last year. It does amazing work and if you know anyone that could do with support, let me know.
Have a great weekend.
