There is a long list of "new things" you have to do for the first time as a newly elected MP, one of which is to ask the Prime Minister a question in PMQs. I was fortunate enough to be called by The Speaker on Wednesday, and was able to tell the PM and share with House the bravery of constituent Paul Short from Wooler, who saved lives in the Tunisian massacre by putting himself in harms' way.
This week has seen the first stages of my helping to make a law... not quite as straightforward as making a cake! It is absolutely fascinating, and makes me understand in real detail why it is that the British legislative system is respected the world over. The latest stage of Law-making was the start of the Bill Committee for the Education & Adoption Bill. I am one of the group of Conservative MPs charged with helping this bill through its various stages, report stage, third reading, to the Lords then hopefully enacted.
We met in four sessions last week, the first two listening to oral evidence from experts in the fields of school improvement and of adoption services, the two parts to the bill. The second two sessions were the debate of various amendments put down by Labour MPs on the Adoption section, which were all asking for various extra items to be added, or amendments (known as "scoping" amendments) which simply generate debate so that Ministers have to explain the bill in more detail.
We will sit for a further 6 sessions this coming week and next to debate the "coasting schools" part of the bill, which is likely to be contentious and generate some heated debate.
The first meeting of the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) on Autism took place this week. I met with Jane Asher, patron of NAS, and a wonderful autistic teenage campaigner, who has set me a challenge on bus route mapping. We heard from a number of speakers on just a few of the longterm social & employment attitudes we must tackle for those with the life long challenge of autistic spectrum disorders.
In my new role as vice-chair of the APPG on Forestry, I have been challenging departments on tree planting plans for the next 5 years, not just in DEFRA but also with the Department of Energy & Climate Change. Trees are, after all, some of the best carbon capture & storage tools we have. We shall see what they think of this way of looking at trees.
On Thursday the Labour opposition day debate focused on the gender gap. I was able to raise the key issue of sports funding supporting women's sports. I am a great supporter of Sport England's #thisgirlcan campaign, and of course of my constituent Lucy Bronze from Alnwick & England ladies football team, who won bronze medals in the World Cup this weekend.
There are several local issues bubbling at the moment, including the ongoing Alnwick School partnership review. Two rural schools are caught up in this review- which was driven by Alnwick town schools-so I am working closely with both Branton First School & Embleton C of E First School to ensure good outcomes for their future. if you have any concerns about your local school, please email me anytime.
The changes in EU legislation on clean water beaches is also going to lead to new standards which are likely to see Spittal beach declassified - no longer "fit to swim in". a variety of consultation processes with industry and the Environment Agency are ongoing and I am working with Ministers to get the best outcome for local users.
The week ahead will be dominated by the Chancellor's Budget on Wednesday, but I will also be sitting in The Education & Adoption Bill Committee and the Public Accounts Committee ( of which I am a newly elected member) will sit for the first time in public on Tuesday. A group of us new MPs are launching an APPG on rural broadband & mobile provision and I am meeting the Northern region head of the Environment Agency. And apparently I will get my Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme uniform, for which I had to divulge my vital statistics - a good reason to consider a health drive over the summer recess!
If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to [email protected]