On Monday I started the day at Newlyn fish market. This was the first fish auction that had taken place for a number of days due to bad weather grounding the fleet. It was good to catch up with fishermen and representatives of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) as this year is a critical year for our industry. Last Wednesday I was glad to take part in a Parliamentary debate secured by my Cornish Colleague Sherryl Murray MP.
Together we take every opportunity to remind the Government how necessary it is to ensure that the UK Fisheries Bill (currently working its way through the legislative process) puts UK fishermen front and centre irrespective of pressure from France and Spain.
There were three points I was keen to make. Firstly, who catches our fish, what they catch and where it’s landed must be decided by the UK ideally under some form of co-management structure to include bodies such as the CFPO. Secondly, consideration must be given to how we reduce the bureaucratic burden placed on small scale, low impact fishing vessels (known as the inshore fleet) whose activity is already curtailed by weather conditions and the size of the boats and method of fishing. And finally, government must invest heavily in the infrastructure of our ports such as Newlyn to ensure we secure a sustainable and competitive fishing industry.
Congratulations to George Eustice MP on his promotion to Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This is well deserved and should reassure our fishermen and our farmers that Government is taking their livelihoods seriously. George is regarded as the most knowledgeable Member of Parliament when it comes to the nitty gritty of policy for fishing and farming.
Integrating health and social care continues to be a focus and priority for our local health professionals but achieving this is challenging to say the least! It is good that Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is one of seven areas across the country to pilot ‘Ageing Well’, an initiative to accelerate improvements to help mainly older people stay well at home and avoid long stays in hospital. The additional investment will see fewer people ‘automatically’ admitted to hospital - greater resources will be provided to quickly assess whether it is safe for the patient to stay at home. Extra support to help people regain their ability to perform day-to-day activities like cooking meals, washing and getting about will be provided within two days. The quicker response times will help people to remain well, in their own homes and independent 365 days a year.
This weekend my ‘drop-in’ events take place as follows: Friday, 21st February Central Methodist Church, Helston 8.30-10am, Atlantic Inn, Porthleven 5.30-6.30pm, Lion and Lamb, Ashton 7.30-8.30pm.
Saturday, 22nd February Galleon Fish & Chip shop, Mullion 10-11am, The New Inn, Manaccan 12noon-1pm, White Hart, St Keverne 2pm-3pm and Praa Sands Holiday Park, 4-5pm. For those of you who would prefer a private appointment, please contact my office (01736 363038).
