Newspaper column 11 March 2020- Flybe

Coronavirus continues to dominate both the media and my work in Parliament as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Secretary. It is clearly a fast developing situation and it is important that all of us act responsibly but do not over-react to the situation. We all need to listen to the advice from the NHS and Public Health England and ensure we are following the guidance.

There was however another major story last week that was highly significant to us in Cornwall. The very sad news overnight last Wednesday that Flybe were ceasing operations and going into administration was deeply concerning.

I am very aware of how crucial Flybe, as the UK’s biggest domestic carrier, was to the future vital regional airports like Cornwall Airport Newquay and our economy in Cornwall.

Looking at the statistics, nearly two thirds of Cornwall Airport Newquay ‘s flights were operated by Flybe, including the vital Public Service Obligation route linking Cornwall to London. It is particularly concerning that this has happened just before Easter which marks the start of the tourist season and I know many local businesses will be concerned at the impact this will have.

When Flybe first encountered issues earlier in January this year, along with other colleagues in Parliament I raised this with the Government, who very quickly recognised the challenge and took action in pulling together plans to support the airline.

After this quick action from the Government then, it was very disappointing indeed to see Flybe’s decision last week to enter administration.

This decision was a commercial one, made by the company. The shareholders have stated there has been a severe impact of Coronavirus on Flybe’s trading, which has also been mirrored in many other airlines around the world.

As I said last week, the Government had been in constant talks with Flybe and its shareholders. The Government continued to be prepared to support them within what they are allowed to do legally under EU state aid rules (we are currently still subject to these rules during the transition phase of Brexit until the end of this year). Some people have read into this that I was blaming the EU for Flybe’s demise. This is not the case – it is simply just stating the fact that there are limits on what the government is allowed to do.

As soon as I became aware of the unfolding situation I spoke with the Aviation Minister, who has confirmed the government's ongoing support for both our airport and particularly our vital London connection.

I also raised the issue, and Cornwall Airport Newquay’s importance to our Duchy, in the House of Commons during the debate following the Statement from the Minister on Flybe on Thursday.

I have also heard from the Department for Work and Pensions about the support they are offering to Mid-Cornwall constituents affected by any job losses and if anyone has any concerns with this, please do get in touch with me and I will do what I can to help.

I have made it a top priority to work with the Department for Transport, Cornwall Council and the management of Cornwall Airport Newquay to find another airline to take on this route as soon as possible. Other airlines are already coming forward to take on routes previously carried by Flybe around the country and I will continue to work with all concerned over the coming weeks to ensure as many routes return to Cornwall Airport Newquay as possible. Progress is already being made and I am confident that we will see the London route and other flights connecting Cornwall to other parts of the UK operated by other airlines in the coming weeks. It is important to remember that only Flybe flights have been affected and all other airlines flying in and out of Newquay airport continue to operate as normal.

My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm (no appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please, either visit the office or contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events

Campaign reply - Pheasants and partridges are caged - will you write to the Minister?

A number of constituents have sent me a copy of a campaign email regarding caged pheasants and partridges.

I do not sign EDM's as they rarely achieve anything whilst costing tax payers significant amounts of money.

The points raised are of concern. Whilst we need to recognise that UK farming methods and welfare standards are amongst the highest in the World that should not preclude efforts to ensure continuing improvement

Newspaper column 4 March 2020 - The Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Earlier last week I was delighted to be re-appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Department of Health and Social Care. I have been appointed to a new role, which could be seen as a promotion, as I am now PPS to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, and with this comes increased responsibility.

At the moment the top priority of the Department of Health and Social Care is protecting the public from the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As a result, in my role supporting the Health Secretary, I have been attending regular meetings with the Ministerial team on this subject, in order to keep up to date as this virus developments both internationally and nationally.

Understandably there is a great deal of concern and many questions among the public. I thought it would be good to provide an update and some facts about Coronavirus (COVID-19) in this column to provide reassurance and up to date advice.

A coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In many ways it is similar to the more common types of flu we see in this country every winter.

Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China.

It does appear to be a strain of virus that spreads quickly and widely through direct contact. It has now spread globally and in terms of the UK, the Department of Health and Social Care is providing daily figures on how many people have been tested for it in the UK, along with the results.

As of writing this column, for example, on 29 February at 9am, a total of 10,483 people had been tested in the UK, of which 10,460 were confirmed negative and 23 positive.

Despite the huge media interest in the Coronavirus then, the actual numbers of people who have been tested for it or actually have it in the UK are very small.

Of course, we do need to do everything that we possibly can in order to stop the spread of this virus.

The NHS has issued advice on travellers to certain countries which have had Coronavirus about self-isolation, which you can find here:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/advice-for-travellers/

Otherwise the NHS recommends people follow normal good hygiene rules in order to prevent spread of germs, such as covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze, putting used tissues in the bin immediately, washing your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available and trying to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

If anyone suspects they may have come into contact with someone who has coronavirus through traveling or in this country then the advice is very clear. People should self isolate by staying at home. They should then call the NHS helpline 111 for further advice. People should not attend their GP or hospital unless instructed to do so by the NHS helpline. It is important this advice is followed as it is one of the ways we can limit the virus being spread further.

The situation with Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to develop and I will continue to work closely with Ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that we as a country are best prepared to deal with it.

My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm (no appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please, either visit the office or contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events

Campaign response: Upcoming meeting on Tuesday 10th March

I am grateful to constituents for inviting me to attend a meeting of the APPG on Choice at the End of Life that will take place on Tuesday 10th March.

I am sorry to inform them that I will need to attend an urgent meeting in my capacity as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Secretary at the same time as the APPG meeting, and as such will need to send my apologies to the organisers.

However I understand how sensitive and important the issue of assisted dying is, and I would welcome constituents to write to me again to invite me to future events on this issue.

Campaign reply - The Environment Bill

Some constituents have sent me a copy of a campaign email regarding the Environment Bill. My blog has covered this issue before but this is a matter not only important to the government but to me and I have long since been active in Parliament and locally taking practical steps to both increase awareness and take action on much of the issues raised. I am delighted to see that there are yet more constituents who are interested and concerned for our environment.

The Environment Bill will establish our commitment to protect the environment and enable us to be in control of the standards we operate by. I am particularly interested in the measures this Bill will provide for protecting our seas and holding water companies more effectively to account for discharging sewage. I work with different environmental groups on this vital matter.

The government has consistently said that it will not dilute measures designed to protect the environment now we have left the EU. The Government’s 25-Year Plan to Improve the Environment is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan/25-year-environment-plan-our-targets-at-a-glance

My own experience of organising events around improving our environment have always been met with real support and enthusiasm from constituents. One area I have long campaigned on is the reduction in single use plastics and the terrible damage they do to our environment. Beach cleans involving collecting plastics have also been well attended and I will always be pleased to welcome more volunteers in helping. You can find out more here: https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/

The conservative party manifesto refers not only to the environment but also to the bill:

Stewards of our environment

Our Environment Bill will guarantee

that we will protect and restore our

natural environment after leaving

the EU. Because conservation has

always been at the very heart of

Conservatism.

 We will set up a new independent

Office For Environmental Protection

and introduce our own legal targets,

including for air quality.

 We will invest in nature, helping us

to reach our Net Zero target with a

£640 million new Nature for Climate

fund. Building on our support for

creating a Great Northumberland

Forest, we will reach an additional

75,000 acres of trees a year by the

end of the next Parliament, as well as

restoring our peatland.

 We welcome the Glover Review

and will create new National Parks

and Areas of Outstanding Natural

Beauty, as well as making our most

loved landscapes greener, happier,

healthier and open to all. We will

make the coast to coast path

across the most beautiful areas of

the North a National Trail.

 We will continue to lead the world

in tackling plastics pollution, both

in the UK and internationally, and

will introduce a new levy to increase

the proportion of recyclable plastics

in packaging. We will introduce

extended producer responsibility,

so that producers pay the full

costs of dealing with the waste

they produce, and boost domestic

recycling. We will ban the export

of plastic waste to non-OECD

countries, consulting with industry,

NGOs and local councils on the

date by which this should be

achieved.

 We will crack down on the waste

and carelessness that destroys

our natural environment and

kills marine life. We will increase

penalties for fly-tipping, make

those on community sentences

clean up their parks and streets,

and introduce a deposit return

scheme to incentivise people to

recycle plastic and glass.

Much of the concerns raised in this campaign are covered by the strong environmental commitments made by the government and I will always welcome feedback from constituents on this vital area and hopefully look forward to meeting many of you on our next beach clean.

Campaign reply - Help clean up the air in St Austell and Newquay

Thank you to those constituents for sending me a copy of the campaign email from the British Heart Foundation.

Breathing clean air is of fundamental importance to us all and particularly so for those who have existing health conditions that are aggravated by poor air quality.

The government has made announcements on how they intend the UK to lead the world in seeing our environment protected and cleaned up – and not just air pollution. For instance, some time ago, it announced the banning of the sale of conventionally powered cars by 2040. Electric cars with zero emission at point of use will rapidly become the norm. There are 19 or so new models being launched this year in the UK and so I am confident that we will see the demise of polluting cars far sooner than 2040. This alone will have an enormous impact on air quality where transport makes up roughly one third of air pollution.
In the Conservative Party manifesto for the last election there was a good deal about the topic you raise, and I copy it here for your ease of reference:

Stewards of our environment Our Environment Bill will guarantee that we will protect and restore our natural environment after leaving the EU. Because conservation has always been at the very heart of Conservatism. } We will set up a new independent Office For Environmental Protection and introduce our own legal targets, including for air quality. } We will invest in nature, helping us to reach our Net Zero target with a £640 million new Nature for Climate fund. Building on our support for creating a Great Northumberland Forest, we will reach an additional 75,000 acres of trees a year by the end of the next Parliament, as well as restoring our peatland. } We welcome the Glover Review and will create new National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as making our most loved landscapes greener, happier, healthier and open to all. We will make the coast to coast path across the most beautiful areas of the North a National Trail. } We will continue to lead the world in tackling plastics pollution, both in the UK and internationally, and will introduce a new levy to increase the proportion of recyclable plastics in packaging. We will introduce extended producer responsibility, so that producers pay the full costs of dealing with the waste they produce and boost domestic recycling. We will ban the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, consulting with industry, NGOs and local councils on the date by which this should be achieved. } We will crack down on the waste and carelessness that destroys our natural environment and kills marine life. We will increase penalties for fly-tipping, make those on community sentences clean up their parks and streets, and introduce a deposit return scheme to incentivise people to recycle plastic and glass.

Our first Budget will prioritise the environment: investing in R&D; decarbonisation schemes; new flood defences, which will receive £4 billion in new funding over the coming years; electric vehicle infrastructure including a national plug-in network and gigafactory; and clean energy. In the next decade, we will work with the market to deliver two million new high-quality jobs in clean growth. We have ambitious targets: } Our world-leading offshore wind industry will reach 40GW by 2030, and we will enable new floating wind farms. } We will invest £800 million to build the first fully deployed carbon capture storage cluster by the mid-2020s. } We will invest £500 million to help energy-intensive industries move to low-carbon techniques. } We will support gas for hydrogen production and nuclear energy, including fusion, as important parts of the energy system, alongside increasing our commitment to renewables. } We placed a moratorium on fracking in England with immediate effect. Having listened to local communities, we have ruled out changes to the planning system. We will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely. } We will help lower energy bills by investing £9.2 billion in the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals. } We will support clean transport to ensure clean air, as well as setting strict new laws on air quality. We will consult on the earliest date by which we can phase out the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars.

Once we leave the EU, we will be able to set our own rules and regulations and not be bound by EU regulation which currently falls short of WHO rules. I welcome this as a further excellent reason why we need to leave the EU.

The government has also acted to stop the most polluting forms of home heating fuels which are highly toxic contributors to air quality.

Campaign response - Stop the Lie of Israel Apartheid Week (AE)

I am grateful to constituents for getting in touch with me regarding the concerning development of so called ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ that some universities will be hosting.

I am of course very pleased to be informed that Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has announced that universities who fail to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism will be named and will face possible funding cuts.

You will know that I have consistently spoken up in support of Israel in Parliament and I continue to be a vocal critic of antisemitism and any acts of hostility to or prejudice against Jews around the world. 

The so-called "Israeli Apartheid Week" seeks to sow seeds of hatred, division, and encourage prejudice while supporting the Palestinian cause at the cost of Israel.

IAW, mostly held on college campuses and places of higher education around the world, is a series of lectures, exhibits and events singling out the State of Israel and her supporters for fierce criticism.

"Apartheid," a word only recently originating in the 1940's from Afrikaans, literally means "separateness" referencing South Africa's racist policies of politically and economically disenfranchising its black population.

This campaign seeks to cast Israel - a beacon of democratic progressiveness and the Middle East's only liberal democracy ensuring equality of rights and freedom of religion - as being equally guilty of similar practices and policies.

Many Jewish student leaders have expressed concerns that Jewish students on campus are being singled out, harassed, intimidated and even assaulted during IAW.

I fully agree with the sentiments expressed by constituents and the arguments they have made against acts of discrimination and antisemitism as defined by the IHRA perpetuated by IAW.

I will continue to support the Government’s position on this matter and will of course be happy to speak up against IAW in the House when presented with the opportunity to do so.