Since my last update, I joined the community in Esher to lay a wreath in Remembrance of those who lost their lives for us to be free. Ahead of Remembrance Sunday, I planted a cross in the Parliamentary Constituency Garden of Remembrance on behalf of Esher and Walton constituency.
In the constituency, I had the pleasure of helping some great local causes with their fundraising, and marked Parliament Week with pupils at four of our excellent local schools.
In Westminster, I spoke in a debate in the run up to COP28 on the need for global partnerships to secure critical minerals for the green transition. More on this, and the government's work to halve inflation, below.
If you are a constituent in need of my assistance, please get in touch using the contact details at the end of this email.
Yours sincerely,
Dominic
In this week's newsletter:
Marking Remembrance in Westminster and in Esher.
Bake sale raising funds for Dramatize and Caremark.
Marking UK Parliament Week at local schools.
Westminster Watch - a roundup of my recent contributions in the House of Commons.
State of the Nation - An overview of the national policy picture and recent government announcements.
Marking Remembrance in Westminster and in Esher
On behalf of Esher and Walton constituency, it was an honour to pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces – especially those from our local community – at the Constituency Garden of Remembrance in Parliament.
The Garden was initially started in 2021 to mark 100 years of Remembrance.
I also joined the community in Esher to mark Remembrance.
A moving Remembrance Sunday at Esher War Memorial
Bake sale raising funds for Dramatize and Caremark
It was fun to stop by the bake sale for Dramatize and Caremark in Walton recently to pick up some delicious cakes and learn more about the valuable work Dramatize and Caremark do to support people in Elmbridge and beyond.
Dramatize was formed in 2011 to help provide a variety of provisions for adults with learning disabilities once they leave education. They offer a wide range of activities and workshops that centre around providing opportunities for their students – including running two tea rooms in Shepperton and Woking to give valuable work experience for their students.
Caremark is a home care company that offers support to people across Elmbridge with a range of needs in their home. You can find out more about the services Caremark offer below:
To mark UK Parliament Week, I enjoyed dropping into four schools across our area – Bell Farm in Hersham, Chandlers Field in Molesey, Cobham Free School and Claremont Fan Court School in Esher.
Students across the year groups had some really interesting and insightful questions about the role of being an MP and how Parliament works, to foreign policy and net zero.
UK Parliament Week is an annual event that engages people from across the UK with Parliament, spreading the word about what Parliament is, its function and how everyone can get involved. It is a great opportunity to empower young people to participate in democracy both locally and in Westminster.
Thank you to all the staff and pupils at each school for the warm welcome!
Westminster Watch
Critical minerals are essential for the green energy transition, from nickel in solar panels to graphite in EV batteries. If we are to achieve net zero by 2050, we are going to need a massive increase in our supply of critical minerals.
Ahead of COP28, I asked the Minster for Energy Security and Net Zero what conversations the government is having at an international level to expand the Mineral Security Partnership – the key multilateral platform to discuss critical mineral supply chains – to include key players like Indonesia and Brazil.
State of the Nation
Thursday 16 November: The Chancellor and Work and Pensions Secretary launched their New Back to Work Plan to help up to 1.1 million people with long-term health conditions, disabilities or long-term unemployment back into work.
Wednesday 15 November: Figures show we have met our target to halve inflation by the end of the year. High inflation is the biggest problem for families struggling with the cost of living, so the reduction is positive news.
