As a new week began, the focus on International Womens Day was brought close to home by our launch of Women for Britain, a group of women from all walks of life- business, law, finance, medecine and many others- who wanted to create a "low testosterone" forum in which to discuss the EU referendum. So many women have said to us that they want to be able to ask questions, assess the facts for themselves, and have a chance to think about what a return to being an independent country, freed from the EU political & economic union project, would mean for them and their families. You can find more on Facebook or Twitter.
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We held hearings in Public Accounts Committee on the training of new teachers, and on the programme coming forwards on the Right to Buy plans being rolled out. As a Committee, we are keen to spend more time pre-scrutinising and holding civil servants and Ministers to account before financial mistakes are made and vast sums of taxpayer money are wasted on projects.
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My new experience of the week was to be interviewed by Radio Northumberland for my Dessert Island Discs. Now that isn't a typo, it really was all about puddings! I had to choose 6 of my favourite tracks, but also one dessert which I would have to eat, to the exclusion of all others, for the rest of my life on that desert island! To find out what I chose, listen in on 19th March!
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As it was also Tourism Week last week, I spent some time on Friday visiting Bamburgh Castle, learning about their plans to draw more tourists to North Northumberland, and how we can best provide a great tourist experience which includes the castles, coast and Berwick Town's ancient historic interests. I also had the great pleasure of chatting with Seahouses Middle School students at the Bamburgh Castle Inn at Seahouses, where they were discovering all the jobs which underpin our tourism industry- from chefs to administrators. I was also challenged to pulling a pint of Farne Bitter.... Not a total disaster!
The coming week is the Budget, so two days of speculation followed by a very long statement on Wednesday. As MPs, we really do have no idea what will be in it. It will be a surprise for us all.
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