Much of the last two years has been taken up with dealing with the Pandemic but in the last two or three weeks our focus in Parliament has turned to activity overseas. An unprovoked and unjustified Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, with an incursion into two rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine in the last few days has resulted in the UK, US and some of our allies imposing sanctions on Russia.
The situation is very serious and many constituents have been in touch to share their concerns. Russia have over 150,000 troops amassed on Ukraine’s borders and despite suggestions that some forces have withdrawn the Government rightly continues to pursue diplomacy, pushing Russia to step back from the brink. We are now at the point where a full-on invasion could come with little or no warning, this would be a long-protracted conflict and it would be hugely damaging to Russia and Ukraine.
The UK has been playing a leading role internationally standing with our allies in support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We have been working through the diplomatic process to encourage de-escalation in the region. At the same time we have also been training troops in Ukraine and have troops based in Poland, and earlier in the month, to give us further levers should it be necessary. In Parliament we have granted new and unprecedented powers granted by to sanction Russian individuals and entities of strategic importance to the Kremlin.
Turning to more local issues, I hosted a special debate in Parliament earlier this month to raise concerns about the lack of appointments for NHS dentists in the town. Many families have been in touch to say they’re struggling to get dental treatment through the NHS. I was particularly concerned to hear about surgeries deciding to withdraw from providing all NHS provision in Appleton, even for children, so the debate in Parliament was an important opportunity to raise issues directly with the Minister responsible. In response, the Health Minister confirmed around £7m in additional funding is being allocated to the region to increase availability, with a new NHS dentist hub proposed for Warrington. Once this is confirmed I’ll share more details.
Furthermore, as part of National Apprenticeship Week I welcomed Cabinet Minister Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, the Minister for Further Education and Universities to Warrington South to meet students and staff at Priestley College and to talk about getting the right skills for future careers. As well as hearing about the successful roll out of T-Level courses we also heard from employers who had benefited from having brilliant young people join their organisations as part of their college course. The Minister also spoke at a round table meeting to Education Leaders from schools and colleges across Warrington about their plans to work with business, to meet the future needs of the workplace. In parliament I’ve been part of the Bill Committee which has scrutinised new legislation to make post 16 education more accessible and to improve the co-ordination between employers and local colleges.
Finally, I’d like to send a special thank you to our emergency services and others who have supported communities across Warrington throughout the three storms last weekend. I very much understand the fears of those who were flooded just over a year ago in Warrington and across the weekend I had numerous calls with the Environment Agency as they monitored the Mersey and tributaries. We’re making progress on the installation of flood prevention measures in Penketh and more will follow in Bewsey in the coming months.
If my team or I can assist you in anyway please do not hesitate to contact me via [email protected]. You can also follow my regular updates on my Facebook page.
