Westminster Despatches - 26th July 2023

Dear Resident,

It’s been a busy few weeks in Parliament and in the Constituency, so here’s a flavour of my recent activities as your Member of Parliament.

As l am sure you know, the National Health Service (NHS) celebrated its 75^th anniversary in July. This also coincided with the publication of the NHS’ Long Term Workforce Plan. In Parliament, I had the opportunity to ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there could be interdepartmental cooperation to ensure that young people are better informed about the myriad of opportunities in the allied health professions and as healthcare scientists before choosing GCSE, A-level or university options. You can view my question here.

As a backbench MP, I always enjoy participating in debates on health issues, and this month, I took part in one on underaged vaping. I joined colleagues from across the House of Commons to call for better regulation of the vaping industry to protect our children & young people. You can view my contribution to this debate via the link.

Just before the parliamentary recess and school holidays, it was great to welcome pupils from Cotmanhay Junior School to Parliament as they finished an educational tour. It was lovely to talk with the pupils about what they had seen on their tour and my work as a Member of Parliament. I also quizzed them about what they like about Cotmanhay and they came up with the right answer – it has a great school!

It's been a busy time in the constituency too. As part of the Kirk Hallam Community Academy’s 50^th Anniversary celebrations it was great to see their exhibition at Erewash Museum. This is on until September so plenty of time for ex-students to pop along to the museum and take a trip down memory lane!

There have been numerous other events in Erewash I’ve had the privilege to attend, including Erewash Partnership’s Networking and Business Showcase Day; the Rotary Club of Long Eaton’s President Charter Evening, The Elms Junior School’s Year 6 Prize Giving and Speech Day Ceremony and Trent College’s Awards event. Through my casework, I have also helped hundreds of Erewash residents and within the last month have successfully resolved 440 cases.

I know just how much the River Erewash and the Erewash Canal mean to our community and I am a big fan of the national Canal and River Trust and our local Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association. That is why I’m adding my voice to the many residents who have contacted me expressing their concerns about the financial settlement offered by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to the Canal and River Trust which will be valid from 2027. Along with fellow MPs, a few months ago I put DEFRA on notice about an inadequate settlement during a lively debate. I am following that up with a letter to the Secretary of State for DEFRA asking that she urgently reviews the inadequate settlement on offer to save our waterways for future generations.

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