News from Westminster
Last month saw the devastating fire on Canford Heath. Over 42 acres of heathland was destroyed by the fire, and it was only the immense hard work of our firefighters which prevented it from spreading to local homes. The Chief Fire Officer for Dorset, Ben Ansell, briefed me as progress was being made and kindly arranged for a meeting on the site the following week, with some of the firefighters who had been on the scene and in charge of the response. We discussed the cause of the fire, and what actions the fire service are taking to keep residents informed. The fire service do a brilliant job going into schools to speak to children and young people about the risks and dangers of fires in open areas. Another great risk is the use of disposable barbecues, and I was pleased that the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food recently acknowledged the work done locally here in Dorset and Poole in restricting their use.
In Parliament we recently had the Queen’s Speech. For the first time in 60 years the Queen was not able to attend due to her health, so Prince Charles read the speech on her behalf, supported by The Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke of Cambridge. As always, it was an event of pomp and ceremony, but preceded the important debates on the Government’s plans for the coming session. There are 38 important Bills planned, building on the work done so far. This includes £22 billion of support to help families tackle the global cost of living increase. It also includes a Renters Reform Bill, providing more security and higher quality homes for more than 4 million households.
I’m also pleased to see the plans for the new Higher Education Reform Bill. This will introduce something called the lifelong learning entitlement, which will mean that everyone is able to access further training through academic or vocational courses.
After the Queen’s Speech has been read, MPs return to the House of Commons for the Humble Address to Her Majesty. This is the start of the debate, and was, as is usual, a good-humoured beginning. My colleague thanked Her Majesty for her decades of services in this Jubilee year, which met with unanimous approval across the House. I hope that during this month, that you are all able to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in some way with friends and family. God Save the Queen!
It will be another busy session of Parliament in Westminster, but as always I am continuing my surgeries, so please do get in touch if you need support. You can contact me via email [email protected] or call my office on 01202 624216. I send out a regular email update – you can sign up on my website www.michaeltomlinson.org.uk where you can also find links to information such as COVID-19 vaccinations updates, energy price advice and how local people can help Ukrainian refugees.
