It has been a busy end to the parliamentary term in Westminster.
This week has brought the good that inflation has started to come down. This also resulted in a number of banks lowering mortgage rates. There is still more to do to get inflation down further and achieve the Prime Minister’s goal to half inflation - but this is encouraging news.
The Illegal Migration Bill has now been passed. This will enable stronger action to be taken to stop small boats. Too many lives are put at risk by these dangerous crossings, it is important to break the model of the people traffickers and stop these boats. Therefore, I support the measures in this Bill.
As a former Children’s Minister, I have also been working to ensure that under new procedures for tackling illegal migration there will be appropriate safeguarding and protections for children. This has led me to support various amendments to the Bill regarding children. The Immigration Minister has agreed with me that we do need to update guidance in this area. I would like to thank the Chelmsford YMCA and other local experts for their expert advice.
In Chelmsford, I attended the graduation ceremony for the medical students from Anglia Ruskin University. This is the first time that medical doctors have ever been trained in Essex and it was a huge honour to be present at their graduation.
Our medical school started just five years ago following the Conservative Government’s decision to invest in five new medical schools across the UK. Chelmsford’s medical school was the first of the new schools to open. It has had outstanding results, with retention rates way above the national average. Many of the new doctors want to stay working in the NHS in Essex, which is excellent news for our local NHS.
Nationally, I was also very pleased to catch up with ministers regarding the Online Safety Bill. I have been working to make sure that the Bill will protect children from online pornography.
Anorexia is the biggest killer of all mental health conditions. I have been campaigning to get better protections for vulnerable people from online content promoting self-harm. Ministers have agreed with me that action needs to be taken. The Bill will now include a new offence for those that promote serious self-harm, including eating disorders.
Internationally, I continue to be very busy in my role as chair of the All Party Group for Sudan and South Sudan. In Sudan, the battles raging between the rival war loads is a causing desperate situation, many thousands have died and millions of people have been displaced. This insecurity brings the risk of chaos spreading even further across neighbouring countries. The UK Government has now placed sanctions on a number of individuals and businesses in an effort to reduce funding sources for the conflict.
I have been catching up with First Bus Essex regarding local bus services. The local policing and town centre policing team have been doing a large amount of work to tackle anti-social behaviour at the bus station, it was good to hear that this is having a positive impact.
It is also great to see more people using buses. Passenger numbers dropped dramatically during the pandemic. But, over the past year, passenger numbers have increased by around 15% on most Chelmsford routes. The Stanstead and Southend services have seen even greater increases. This is partly because of the extra funding from Government which is supporting the £2 bus fair offer. Bus services in Chelmsford have also become considerably more reliable, currently 98.7% of timetabled is being achieved. I am told this is one of the highest rates in the country.
The £2 bus fare is running on all First Bus Essex routes this summer, so if you fancy a day out, why not hop on the bus!
Parliament is now in recess for the summer period. I will be taking some annual leave but will also be out and about in Chelmsford hoping to catch up with many local organisations and residents.
