Update from Linda Gilroy MP: Week ending 26 February 2010
Posted by Linda Gilroy, MP for Plymouth, Sutton, at 09:21, Fri 26 February 2010:
Thought For The Week - A Future Fair For All
This week I attended the launch of a campaign for a Robin Hood Tax. This is a small tax on speculative international banking transactions which has the potential to raise a large amount of funding which could be used to finance public services as well as address international issues such as global poverty and climate change. I can remember the late John Smith and Gordon Brown talking about the need for this kind of international reform twenty years ago. In the present climate people are at last starting to listen. Now that the economic recovery has started, it is clear to me that we cannot go back to how things were. We need to reform the international finance system so that markets work to the benefit of people and society and not the other way around! Find out more at http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/
My Week At A Glance
Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme
On Monday I completed my attachment with the Royal Navy through the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. My Parliamentary colleagues I were presented with our certificates by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh at a special dinner in the Mr Speaker's house in the Palace of Westminster. Over the past two years I have met British forces in Afghanistan, attended elements of the Advanced Staff course at Shrivenham, been present during a 'Thursday War' off the English coast and visited the hydrographic office in Taunton and the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone. T he Scheme confirmed for me that our servicemen and women are proud and motivated by what they are doing on our behalf, often in the most challenging circumstances. The AFPS enabled me to come alongside them in a different way from my Defence Select Committee work, which is of course scrutinising what everyone does, often in a supportive way - but sometimes, inevitably, in a critical way. The scheme is much more about showing that we want to be on the side of the men and women who put themselves in harm's way for our security and to glimpse life from their point of view.
Supporting Plymouth's Public Sector Jobs
This article in last week's Sunday Times caught my eye: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/public_sector/article7034849.ece I have written to the Prime Minister to urge him to consider Plymouth as a location for government jobs that are being relocated out of London and the South East. They could benefit from our excellent quality of life in the South West while Plymouth could benefit through the investment this would bring and the contribution it would make toward the City maintaining an important economic sector as well as helping to realise our ambitious growth plans.
Water Charges
On Wednesday I led a delegation of Devon and Cornwall MP's to meet the Prime Minister to discuss the Walker Review of Water Metering and Charging and my campaign for fairer water charges in the South West. The Water Minister has referred the South West findings of the Report to the regulator Ofwat asking that they take immediate steps do further work on them. Ofwat has started to do this and regulator Regina Finn has met with me to outline her approach and seek suggestions. The Prime Minister said he wanted to support the Water Minister in making sure that the options for helping south west water users identified by the Walker Review are followed through with the priority they merit. He undertook to keep the us informed of his actions in this respect. You can be sure we will be keeping up the pressure in all necessary directions - and yesterday I raised the issue of the links between hot water and high fuel and water bills (see below)
Breakfast with Alan Sugar
On Wednesday I attended a Small Business Group breakfast with Lord Alan Sugar, best known as the star of 'The Apprentice' television series and now also a government adviser on business and enterprise. He is a very colourful figure but behind the hype is someone who started out as a teenager selling goods from a suitcase and rose to become one of the most successful businessmen in the country - so I was genuinely interested to learn his thoughts. We discussed Business Link and what could be done to improve its services; Lord Sugar also gave advice on how banks should return to a method of lending based on allowing access to finance to small businesses that are sound in terms of risk. On entrepreneurship, he suggested that the government's role should be to help experts who wish to start a business comply with regulations. Plenty of useful ideas for me and others to take forward in supporting business to make the most from the recovery.
Babcock
At the other end of the day - and scale of business (Babcock is currently in the middle of a £1bn plus take over bid for VT) - I hosted a dinner with senior personnel of Babcock. CE Peter Rogers and Babcock Marine MD Archie Bethel from Plymouth were present alongside Roger Hardy who is in charge of the submarines. Senior personnel from Scotland, Bristol and the Midlands joined us. MP's with Babcock activities and workers in their constituencies were able to get an update on how this international engineering support services company, of which Babcock Marine with its HQ in Plymouth is an important part, is doing.
Security and our Borders
I am a member of the Royal United Services Institute and on Thursday morning I went to the start of their day long conference looking at the work of UKBA, the Borders Agency formed a couple of years ago to bring together work on passports, visas and enforcement of the security of our borders. Government Minster Phil Woollas said we now have the strongest secure borders of any developed country - and others said we were the envy of the US now. When I heard how closely the police, Transec and SOCA now work I could understand why we have at last transformed performance in preventing people who have no right to be in our country from getting in, and apprehending and removing those who are here illegally. There is of course more to do and the technology is being rolled out to make sure we can count people in and out - something the Tories abolished in the 1990's which was the source of so much of the problem in this difficult policy area.
Water Efficiency
On Thursday I also asked Energy Secretary Ed Milliband to consider the links between water and energy efficiency and in particular whether there is scope for smart metering to be used to benefit customers for both their water and electricity bills.
Plymouth Samaritans
Today I'm calling in to speak with Plymouth Samaritans in order to discuss some of the issues that they deal with on a day to day basis. I am full of praise for the commitment and selflessness of the staff, not least because they are all volunteers. One of the things I found surprising when I became MP for Plymouth Sutton twelve years ago was the amount of energy and commitment so many individuals give to their community in their spare time. It is a great antidote to the other side of life which I see a lot of too!
Cruelty Free Office - Update
I mentioned a few weeks ago that my constituency office had signed up to the British Union Against Vivisection (BUAV)’s Cruelty Free Campaign. We have now had a visit from BUAV officers who, having investigated all our cleaning products, have now confirmed that we are indeed a Cruelty Free Office! We have all been surprised at how reasonable and readily available products are which meet the BUAV’s humane standard and can be easily recognised by the bunny logo on the packaging.
Looking ahead
Next week I'm having a briefing from Wrigleys - one of Plymouth's major employers - and I'll be welcoming the minister for the Marine Environment to speak at the University and meet some of our marine scientists. In Parliament I hope to take part in a defence debate. You can keep up to date with what I'm doing on Twitter www.twitter.com/lindagilroy which I put short updates on when I have a moment from time to time!
Commenting on this message is now disabled.