Newspaper column 27 March 2024 - State Pension updates

The State Pension has been in the news a lot recently for several reasons.

One of the main things I have campaigned on over the years is for the Government to retain the triple lock for the State Pension.

The triple lock is designed to ensure pensioners, especially if they rely solely on the state pension, are able to afford rising prices, or keep pace with the increases in the working population's wages.  It means the state pension rises in line with average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5% - whichever is highest.

It was introduced by the coalition government in 2010, but there has been debate over whether it can continue in the long-term future due to its costs.

I have been clear in conversations with colleagues in Government that retention of the Triple Lock, particularly while we are experiencing cost of living pressures, has never been more important.

The Government has listened over the past couple of years and kept the Triple Lock. Last year saw the largest ever increase of the State Pension, with a 10.1% increase in April 2023, and next month will see another significant increase, with a rise of 8.5% from April 2024. Combined this means the state pension will have risen by around £1800 in this time. It is absolutely right that we provide pensioners with these increases during these difficult times.

But now we are looking to the future, with a General Election due later this year, and I was delighted to see over the weekend that the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has now publicly committed to retaining the State Pension Triple Lock as a Manifesto commitment should the Conservatives win the next election.

The Chancellor said that although continuing the Triple Lock will be an "expensive commitment… You can only make that commitment if you're confident that you're going to deliver the economic growth that is going to pay for it." As we have seen with the continuing fall in inflation and economic growth indicators brought about by the Chancellor’s sensible management of the economy, this is happening and therefore I am pleased that the Government is doing the right thing and committing to the Triple Lock under a future Conservative Government.

I do understand that some people are frustrated that the Personal Allowance, the amount you can earn before paying tax, will not be going up this year. This is a difficult but necessary decision to maintain income tax thresholds until April 2028 to ensure the tax system supports strong public finances. That being said, the Government has increased the Personal Allowance by over 40 per cent in real terms since 2010, ensuring some of the lowest earners do not pay income tax. Thanks to the PA, in 2021-22 around 30 per cent of earners did not pay tax.

Also in the news last week was the outcome of the Ombudsman’s investigation into issues with the Department for Work and Pensions communicating with women born in the 1950’s over State Pension changes.

The Ombudsman’s report had previously concluded that maladministration under the last Labour Government between 2005-07 has caused injustice, and their report into the DWP’s communication of the changes is now complete and will be put before Parliament. The Government will consider the Ombudsman’s report and respond in due course, having cooperated fully throughout the investigation.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column March 20 2024 - Pharmacy First

As we go through March, last week was another busy and productive one for me in Parliament, which saw me hold a debate on the need for the Government to do more to support our pollack fishermen on Monday, as well as speaking in the Budget debate and the debate on the Bill currently going through Parliament that will see National Insurance Contributions people pay cut from April this year.

As well as this it was also good to take part in a number of meetings, including with Heathrow Airport, one showcasing our Tri Service Safety Officers, and one on fairness of fuel prices, as well an event to promote the Pharmacy First initiative.

I have always been a passionate champion for our community pharmacies and the excellent health services they provide.

As former Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Pharmacies it was great to work with our brilliant pharmacies in Cornwall in piloting the Pharmacy First initiative.

Pharmacy First enables pharmacists to utilise more of their medical skills and training. Patients using the service can receive treatment for seven common health conditions from their local pharmacy without the need to visit a GP or have a prescription.

Their pharmacist helps with conditions include sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women. Following the assessment, the pharmacist can then supply the prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics and antivirals, to treat the problem

The Pharmacy First approach not only speeds up access to essential care for patients, but also help to reduce pressure on local GP services by directing people to more appropriate places to be treated. Backed by up to £645 million, 95 per cent of pharmacies across England have opted-in so far, meaning that patients will be able to receive care more quickly without the need to wait for a GP appointment.

The Pharmacy First approach builds on the other measures outlined in the Primary Care Recovery Plan last spring, including tackling the 8am rush by giving GPs new digital tools and providing more GP staff and more appointments.

In combination, the Primary Care Recovery Plan aims to free up 10 million GP appointments a year nationally by next winter, and give the public more choice in where and how they access care.

As the Pharmacy First initiative has already been running in Cornwall successfully for some time, it’s great to see that the rest of the country will now be able to experience the exceptional service that we in Cornwall already have, and it was good to again highlight this at the event in Parliament last week. I will continue to work with the Government to support our pharmacies and the excellent teams that work there, in order to ensure they remain a pivotal part of our health care system.

With all my activity in Parliament it was nice to be recognised last week as the MP who has contributed more to Parliamentary debates in the first two months of the year than any other MP in the South West, and in fact, showed that I made the seventh highest number of contributions in January and February in Parliamentary debates among Conservative backbenchers nationally, and was ranked 11th overall among backbench MPs of all parties across the country.

Of course 2024 is only going to get busier, and I will continue to work hard both in Parliament and in Cornwall to ensure the voices of the people I represent are heard loud and clear.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

 

Newspaper column 13 March 2024 - Looking back at the Budget

Last week saw the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt give his Budget Statement, with a number of positive developments that will make things better for people in St Austell and Newquay.

I think that most people will recognise the significant and unprecedented challenges that our country has faced in recent years following the COVID pandemic, and then the energy price spike as a result of the war in Ukraine. The Government has spent hundreds of billions of pounds supporting households and businesses through these tough times. Of course, this money has to be found, and this was the backdrop to this year’s Budget. It is a credit to the Chancellor that he has been able to navigate the challenging times and deliver a Budget that addresses these issues while also continues to provide support and relief where possible.

That the Chancellor has been able to take the positive steps that he took in last week’s Budget is also testimony to his sensible management of our country’s finances over the past year.  to help guide our country and economy through challenging times. Inflation is down from 11.1% to 4.0% and wages are growing.

This has allowed the Chancellor, in his Budget, to cut taxes for 27 million working people from April, by again cutting the main rate of employee National Insurance Contributions from 10% to 8%. Combined with the cut at the Autumn Statement, this gives the average earner the lowest effective personal tax rate since 1975.

As well as this, the Chancellor has cut taxes for 2million self-employed people, by cutting the main rate of Class 4 National Insurance Contributions from 9% to 6%.

The Chancellor has also announced support for half a million families through reforms to the High Income Child Benefit Charge by raising the threshold and halving the rate at which Child Benefit is withdrawn, benefiting some parents by an average of £1,260.

The Chancellor has also frozen alcohol duty, easing pressure on the hospitality sector, as well as maintaining the five pence cut to fuel duty and freeze rates for the fourteenth consecutive year, helping keep motoring costs down – a £3.1 billion tax cut for drivers.

It is also good to see the Chancellor recognise times are still tough, and in doing so, extend the Household Support Fund for another six months, as well as assisting people who need to claim Universal Credit by giving them more time to payback emergency budgeting advance loans.

As well as the headline announcements from the Budget I was also pleased to see my campaign to reform the taxes paid by holiday let owners pay off. This will encourage holiday let owners to instead let their properties to local families, all year round. I look forward to working with the Chancellor’s team on the detail of how this will be implemented to ensure it does not penalise anyone unfairly.

There is plenty more to do, but as we move into Spring, it is good to be doing so with a positive Budget behind as a sound foundation for the future.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

 

Newspaper column 6 March 2024 - St Piran's Day and a busy week leading up to the Budget

On the week of St Piran’s Day, I hope you were all able to spend some time on 5 March reflecting on what makes our Cornwall so special, our unique culture, heritage and history.

On St Piran’s Day I was delighted in Parliament to host a ‘Taste of Cornwall’ event, to showcase some of the best food and drink companies from Cornwall on a national stage. From St Ewe Eggs to St Austell Brewery and Knightor Vineyard, there were a huge variety of Cornish businesses represented and suffice to say, the event was very popular. Thank you to everyone who made the journey and it is good to see ‘Brand Cornwall’ doing so well.

It was also good to see the Prime Minister wish the Cornish people and everyone who lives in Cornwall a Happy St Piran’s Day. This was part of his response to my question to him last Wednesday in Prime Minister’s Questions. My question was about the future of the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund. The Shared Prosperity Fund is £132 million allocated to Cornwall to replace EU funding. It has supported dozens of businesses and organisations around Cornwall, as well as funded projects across the duchy, ranging from plans to fix the harbour gates in Charlestown which were successful last year, to an ambitious £2million Youth Employment Programme (Yep!) spearheaded by Cornwall Council and Careers South West which launched last week.  

The Shared Prosperity Fund is confirmed for this spending review period up to the end of March 2025 but, as with all Government funding, decisions regarding the fund’s future are a matter for the next spending review, hence my question. I was pleased in his reply to get assurances from the Prime Minister that the Government remains committed to an ambitious levelling-up agenda in Cornwall.

Last week I was also pleased to go to the launch of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean campaign for 2024. The Great British Spring Clean is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign and this is its 9^th year, as well as marking the 70^th anniversary of the formation of Keep Britain Tidy.

Last year more than 400,000 bags of litter were pledged to be collected during the duration of the campaign. That’s a huge amount of rubbish removed from our environment! This year it is taking place from 15 - 31 March, and you can pledge to pick up a bag of litter – or more via their website on the link below:

https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/

After Parliament rose for the weekend on Friday I was delighted to visit Trenance Academy in Newquay, who have recently been recognised as an Oracy Centre of Excellence.

Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language.

In school, oracy is a powerful tool for learning; by teaching students to become more effective speakers and listeners they are empowered to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.

It is also a route to social mobility, empowering all students, not just some, to find their voice to succeed in school and life.

Trenance Academy have recently been accredited as an Oracy Centre of Excellence in recognition of their commitment to developing their students’ confidence and competence in spoken language, embedding it across teaching and learning within the school. It was great to visit the school and talk to the staff and pupils about this excellent achievement.

This week, the headlines will be dominated by the Chancellor’s Spring Budget. I will go into this in more detail next week, as it will happen after I have to send my column in, but in the run up to the Budget I have asked the Chancellor to consider taking more measures to incentivise landlords to rent properties to families all year round instead of using them as holiday lets, as well as pushing for more support for our tourism and hospitality businesses. International challenges still mean that we are facing a lot of pressures around the costs of living, but I am sure the Chancellor will be looking at all options available in order to deliver a Budget that works for everyone.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk