Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con): I was heavily lobbied on this issue immediately after I was elected and I listened to a lot of businesses that are concerned about the job prospects in the Lowestoft area as a result of the ban. I should like to mention in particular the Regulatory Policy Committee's report, dated 13 April, the summary opinion of which is:
Will the Minister confirm that he has had regard to the findings of the Regulatory Policy Committee in coming to his decision?
Mike Penning: Not only have I had those findings, but I will look at them after the consultation is concluded.
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The scheme estimated to cost £134 million is projected by the Highways Agency to generate £19 million in indirect taxes, with economic benefits of £550 million for consumers and £1.1 billion for businesses
In the debate secured by Matthew Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, Mr Aldous argued that:
“In the past 27 years, the A11 has gradually been improved and today the only section that remains to be dualled is that between the Fiveways roundabout at Barton Mills, and Elvedon....It is vital that that dualling work is carried out as soon as possible. This section of the A11 is a dangerous stretch of road. In rush hour, there are long tailbacks and it is a bottleneck that is holding back the creation of jobs. Those jobs may be in the logistics sector in the Thetford area, in the research and development sector around Norwich, or in the green energy sector in my own constituency, which is further to the east in the Lowestoft area.”
Peter Aldous commented:
“It is vital that as well as looking to secure transport improvements in Waveney, we upgrade the road and rail links to the area. The A11 is an important link to the national road network and I was pleased to join up with colleagues across Suffolk and Norfolk to emphasise to the Minister the importance of completing the dualling of the road.”
FULL TEXT:
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con): I am grateful to you, Mr Williams, for giving me the opportunity to speak in this debate. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock) for securing a debate on a matter that is of such importance to the future prosperity of Norfolk and Suffolk. He has already spoken eloquently and passionately and I want to say a few words in support of the case that he has put forward. I speak not only as a fellow Suffolk MP but as someone who has lived in the county his whole life and who, until 12 weeks ago, spent his whole working life of 27 years in Suffolk and Norfolk.
When I started work as a trainee surveyor in Norwich in 1983, only two parts of the A11 from Cambridge to Norwich were dualled. They were the Cringleford bypass on the southern outskirts of Norwich, which at that time was the only dual carriageway in Norfolk, and the section of the A11 around Newmarket where it combined with the A14.
In the past 27 years, the A11 has gradually been improved and today the only section that remains to be dualled is that between the Fiveways roundabout, which is at Barton Mills, and Elvedon, which is in my hon. Friend's constituency. It is vital that that dualling work is carried out as soon as possible. That section of the A11 is a dangerous stretch of road. In rush hour, there are long tailbacks and it is a bottleneck that is holding back the creation of jobs. Those jobs may be in the logistics sector in the Thetford area, in the research and development sector around Norwich, or in the green energy sector in my own constituency, which is further east in the Lowestoft area.
In East Anglia, we have particularly poor infrastructure. We only have motorways along the western edge of the region; we have a rail network that is creaking at the seams; we have poor broadband connections, and we have an electricity network that is in need of a major upgrade if we are to realise the full potential offered by the offshore renewable sector.
Nevertheless, our economy is performing remarkably well. My hon. Friend recently hosted a reception at which various East Anglian businesses launched their "blueprint for growth". That highlighted the fact that the eastern counties are an economic powerhouse. Indeed, the eastern counties are one of only three parts of the UK that make a net contribution to the UK Exchequer.
That success is in spite of our poor infrastructure. If proper investment is made, we can be at the forefront of the country's drive out of the recession. We can play a crucial role in helping the coalition to secure its goal of rebalancing the economy across the regions and across a wide range of new industries. Dualling this stretch of road across the Brecks will help to achieve that goal and it will also help East Anglia to become a more attractive location that new companies can move to and where existing businesses can grow. As I have said, that growth will be in such sectors as scientific research and development around Norwich and renewable energy in Lowestoft and Yarmouth.
I wholeheartedly support my hon. Friend in his efforts to secure funding for the dualling scheme. However, there is a wider issue to address. It is important that Britain moves away from the piecemeal approach to the provision of infrastructure. We have pursued that approach for far too long and it is putting the brake on economic activity and holding back the creation of jobs.
I recognise that we are in challenging times, with money in short supply. However, if we are to secure long-term economic growth in Britain, including in East Anglia, local businesses and local government need to work together to set out a blueprint of the infrastructure that they need and we then need to consider new ways to secure the investment for that infrastructure. By adopting such an approach, East Anglia can realise its full economic potential and play its full part in delivering the more balanced and diverse economy that Britain needs.
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Suffolk MPs Peter Aldous (Waveney) and Dan Poulter (Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) today pressed Transport Ministers in the House of Commons to recognise the vital importance of the East Suffolk Line.
The two MPs both tabled questions answered by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and Minister of State for Transport Theresa Villiers.
Mr Aldous asked:
“Will the Minister confirm that the review of the Greater Anglia franchise will recognise the vital importance of the East Suffolk line from Ipswich to Lowestoft, and the need for both an hourly service along the whole line and the reintroduction of through trains to London, which are being withdrawn in December?”
Dr Dan Poulter followed up in a Topical Question by asking the Minister:
“I thank the Minister of State for her earlier answer in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Peter Aldous) in respect of recognising the importance of the East Suffolk line to the future prosperity of central and eastern Suffolk. Part of improving the infrastructure is a vital stretch of track called the Beccles loop, which would enable a future franchisee to run a full London to Lowestoft service. May we count on the Secretary of State’s support in pursuing the funding for that vital stretch of track?”
Mr Aldous and Dr Poulter are working together, along with the other Suffolk MPs, where issues cross the constituencies they represent and their constituents needs are best met by collaboration. Both believe strongly that good transport links to London are vital to the economic prosperity of the region.
The MPs are particularly concerned that a good rail service linking Lowestoft to London is vital to attract new jobs to North Suffolk.
Peter Aldous commented:
“I am pleased that we were able to re-emphasise the importance of the East Suffolk Line. We shall continue to do so in the lead up to the retendering of the rail franchise.”
FULL TEXT
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con): What progress has been made on the Government's review of rail franchising; and if he will make a statement. [10287]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mrs Theresa Villiers): I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave earlier.
Peter Aldous: Will the Minister confirm that the review of the Greater Anglia franchise will recognise the vital importance of the east Suffolk line from Ipswich to Lowestoft, and the need for both an hourly service along the whole line and the reintroduction of through trains to London, which are being withdrawn in December?
Mrs Villiers: My hon. Friend will appreciate that it would not be wise for me to start making timetabling decisions at the Dispatch Box. However, we are determined that the franchising reform, on which we will consult in the next few weeks, will deliver improvements for passengers, improve train operators' ability to respond flexibly to increases in passenger demand on particular routes and help deliver the private sector investment to provide vital enhancements to our railways.
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Dan Poulter's Question:
Dr Daniel Poulter (Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) (Con): If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Philip Hammond): Since I last answered departmental questions, we have announced a new framework for the economic regulation of airports; our south-east airports taskforce has commenced work; we have announced the sale of High Speed 1; and we have launched a £15 million fund to incentivise the purchase of low-carbon buses. I have also prepared and submitted a spending review bid to the Treasury.
Dr Poulter: I thank the Minister of State for her earlier answer in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Peter Aldous) in respect of recognising the importance of the East Suffolk line to the future prosperity of central and eastern Suffolk. Part of improving the infrastructure is a vital stretch of track called the Beccles loop, which would enable a future franchisee to run a full London to Lowestoft service. May we count on the Secretary of State's support in pursuing the funding for that vital stretch of track?
Mr Hammond: Any future proposals for rail enhancements will be considered in the usual way in setting the output requirements for control period 5, which will define Network Rail's investment programme from 2014 onwards.
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Waveney MP Peter Aldous has met with Suffolk fisherman to hear the dire situation they face where if they cannot catch more fish they may go out of business.
Following the meeting Mr Aldous has written to Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon urging him to do all he can to address the situation.
Aldous commented:
“The situation is very serious and it is a tragedy that we have reached a point where an industry that has existed on the Suffolk coast for centuries is now fighting for its very survival. The inshore and ten metre fleet that fish along the Suffolk coast should have a long-term future. They fish in a sustainable way that ensures that the responsible management of fisheries.”
The fisherman provided Mr Aldous with details of a proposed scheme for the under ten metre vessels operating on the Eastern Sea Fisheries District, which he has sent to the Minister for his consideration.
Aldous continued:
“The fundamental problem that fisherman face is two-fold. Firstly the system for controlling fish stocks does not work and promotes the obscene practice of discard (throwing overboard) dead fish that were possibly healthy and cannot be landed). Secondly the inshore fleet does not have enough quotas. Not only has Britain got a poor deal in terms of the quota it receives in comparison to other EU countries , but the quota is allocated unfairly between the under ten metre fleet and large trawlers.”
78% of the British fishing fleet are 10 metres and under yet they only receive 2 per cent of the UK’s total quota.
Much of the quota does not reach local fisherman as it is used as a tradeable commodity by investors, known as ‘slipper skippers’ and rented out.
Aldous continued:
“The review of the CFP in 2012 provides the opportunity to address the situation that will hopefully ensure that Suffolk fisherman have a sustainable future, at present it is in the balance as to whether they will be around to benefit from this. They deserve better and I shall do what I can to secure them a sensible deal both in the short-term and in the long-term.”
Click here for Proposed Pilot Scheme (pdf)
Waveney MP Peter Aldous has met with Suffolk fisherman to hear the dire situation they face where if they cannot catch more fish they may go out of business.
Following the meeting Mr Aldous has written to Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon urging him to do all he can to address the situation.
Aldous commented:
“The situation is very serious and it is a tragedy that we have reached a point where an industry that has existed on the Suffolk coast for centuries is now fighting for its very survival. The inshore and ten metre fleet that fish along the Suffolk coast should have a long-term future. They fish in a sustainable way that ensures that the responsible management of fisheries.”
The fisherman provided Mr Aldous with details of a proposed scheme for the under ten metre vessels operating on the Eastern Sea Fisheries District, which he has sent to the Minister for his consideration.
Aldous continued:
“The fundamental problem that fisherman face is two-fold. Firstly the system for controlling fish stocks does not work and promotes the obscene practice of discard (throwing overboard) dead fish that were possibly healthy and cannot be landed). Secondly the inshore fleet does not have enough quotas. Not only has Britain got a poor deal in terms of the quota it receives in comparison to other EU countries , but the quota is allocated unfairly between the under ten metre fleet and large trawlers.”
78% of the British fishing fleet are 10 metres and under yet they only receive 2 per cent of the UK’s total quota.
Much of the quota does not reach local fisherman as it is used as a tradeable commodity by investors, known as ‘slipper skippers’ and rented out.
Aldous continued:
“The review of the CFP in 2012 provides the opportunity to address the situation that will hopefully ensure that Suffolk fisherman have a sustainable future, at present it is in the balance as to whether they will be around to benefit from this. They deserve better and I shall do what I can to secure them a sensible deal both in the short-term and in the long-term.”
Click here for Proposed Pilot Scheme (pdf)
During a briefing on 14th July Mr Aldous heard about the different approaches used to treat cancer patients in the UK and was taken through a range of treatment pathways that a patient may follow after being diagnosed with the disease.
He heard about the importance of diagnosing and treating cancer early and the need for patients to have timely access to world-class treatment.
Mr Aldous also learnt about how people affected by cancer can find reliable, easy to understand information from Cancer Research UK on their patient information website, CancerHelp UK (www.cancerhelp.org.uk). If people in Waveney have concerns about cancer they can call the Cancer Research UK’s information nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040 9am until 5pm Monday to Friday. They can also visit Cancer Research UK’s patient forum, Cancer Chat (www.cancerchat.org.uk) where they can share information and experiences with other people affected by cancer.
Aldous commenting said:
“Detecting cancers early is absolutely vital. If people know more about the signs and symptoms of cancers and talk about this with friends and family, we could improve early diagnosis.
When cancer is diagnosed early, it is much easier to treat successfully. We must ensure that there is access to existing and new ways of diagnosing cancer as soon as possible so that patients are given the best and most effective treatment.”
The importance of giving patients access to innovative cancer treatments was also highlighted during the briefing.
Aisling Burnand, Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Cancer Research UK, said:
“People with the same cancer, at the same stage of development, often do not receive the same type of treatment. It is of the upmost importance that patients have timely access to treatments. Although the UK invests far more in cancer research than any other country in Europe, it is often much slower to take up the fruits of this research.
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con): What steps is the Department taking to ensure that the planning process not only responds to the demands of local communities, but provides an efficient supply of housing and employment land?
The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark): We are getting rid of the Soviet-style planning system-repealing Gosplan-precisely so that local communities such as my hon. Friend's can get together in the right way. For example, there is no sense in linking his area with Hertford because that is not a natural economic area and it is difficult to plan employment in such a way. His community is now free to liaise with neighbouring authorities, as it always should have been.
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The event which took place on Tuesday 6th July provided an opportunity for MPs and industry to discuss how to turn promises into reality: including expediting broadband roll-out, restarting economic growth and improving service delivery - all within current spending constraints.
John Whittingdale, Chair of the DCMS Select Committee, highlighted the importance of working with bodies like EURIM in scrutinising proposals that affect the UK’s creative industries.
Among the other material made available were analyses, by constituency of the proportion of voters without high speed on-line services. The national average is 18 per cent, but in the Waveney constituency 51 per cent of the population live in low speed areas.
Mr Aldous said:
“I found it most useful to discuss the potential for turning the problems facing the Coalition Government into opportunities for locally organised co-operation to improve services in the Waveney constituency where the quality of broadband provision is particularly poor . I intend to follow up on the contacts and see who is willing to help me turn words into action.”
The Rt Hon Alun Michael, MP for Torchwood (filmed in his constituency), and also chairman of the Parliamentary IT Committee and the UK Internet Governance Forum, opened the reception by explaining that the jobs of the future were coming to his voters via the cracks in time, but others were less fortunate.
The industry representatives ranged from BT to INCA, which supports local community broadband programmes and from EADS, one of the giants of Defence and Aerospace to Erudine, a rapidly growing innovate start-up which is championing the cause of SMEs.
Photo: Peter Aldous with Steve Burkitt of EADS at the 'Getting Jobs of the Future to Your Constituency' event.
A. Introduction
Two months ago today, at this time I was flat out asleep. It had been an exhausting campaign, but we had won by a small majority of 769, a figure that will stay with me forever.
My campaign centred around one issue: retaining and bringing more jobs to the constituency. Two months on, it is appropriate to take stock and pose the question: - are the Coalition Government putting in place policies that will help me achieve this objective? Are they a new type of government, who will help turn around years of economic decline in the constituency?
Firstly a bit about myself and the constituency I represent.
I am best described by the three “Ps” –
• “P” for property – 27 years of working as a chartered surveyor in Suffolk and Norfolk.
• “P” for politics – having been both a district and county councillor.
• “P” for pigs – helping out on the family farm – a mixed arable and pig unit.
My constituency, Waveney, in Suffolk, is the most easterly in Britain and comprises the coastal town of Lowestoft, the market towns of Beccles and Bungay and a large rural hinterland.
Over the years in Lowestoft jobs have gone and have not been replaced. The fishing fleet is a shadow of its former self, the coachworks has gone, as has the canning factory, two ship yards, the television factory and the joinery works. The holiday industry has changed and there are fewer jobs in the oil and gas sector than there were 10 years ago.
The great hope that we now have is offshore renewables: - Lowestoft occupies a strategic location in relation to the wind farms that are both under construction and proposed in the North Sea. This location allied with the skills built up over many years in the fishing, shipbuilding and the oil and gas sectors provides the town with a great opportunity. It is my job to help make the best of this opportunity.
B. Ingredients for business to flourish
For businesses to flourish in both Waveney and across the country I believe that there are 5 vital ingredients that any government should be looking to nurture:-
1. Firstly there is a need to rebalance the economy, so that as well as London being a world player in the financial markets, Britain is a leader in a diverse range of other sectors across the regions.
2. To enable businesses to grow and to encourage people to set up their own businesses there must be less red tape and bureaucracy. With regard to corporate taxation in global terms we must be competitive, with a low taxation regime.
3. It is also vitally important that there is ready access to finance that is available on realistic terms..
4. Good infrastructure is of vital importance. This is something that for years Britain has done badly. Our transport network lags behind that of our European competitors and important schemes such as bypasses and better rail links so often have the gestation period of an elephant. We need better roads and railways and it is also vitally important that superfast broadband is available across the country as soon as practically possible. This is a particular challenge in a remote area such as Waveney.
5. Finally we need to invest in people: we need to be sure that they have the skills and the expertise that employers require.
C. How is the Coalition doing?
These are my vital ingredients for business success. So how is the Coalition Government measuring up? Are they putting in place the building blocks that will enable new jobs to be created in Waveney and across the country?
Rome was not built in a day, one cannot expect too much in a few short weeks, but are they making the right noises and is policy making moving in the right direction?
Let’s look at a few areas:
1. At the heart of the Coalition Government’s programme for government is their Deficit Reduction Plan, which takes precedence over all other measures. This does mean that in the short to medium term funds will not be available for investment in some of the areas that I have outlined. However I recognise that if the UK is not seen to be serious about tackling the deficit then the implications for our economy are dire.
2. There is a need to get the banks lending again and thus the Government’s objective of developing effective proposals to make sure that there is a flow of credit to small and medium sized enterprises is to be welcomed.
3. Their intention to rebalance the economy is also good news.
The Coalition Document sets out a vision of building “a new economy from the rubble of the old”, and of achieving sustainable growth across all regions and industries. To me and Waveney with one eye to the sea the promotion of green industries with incentives for green growth are to be welcomed.
Indeed the chapter on Energy and Climate Change in the Coalition Document is in many respects the most exciting part of it. A wide variety of measures are promised that if delivered will do much to help create new jobs in Lowestoft.
These measures include:
- The aim to increase the target for energy from renewable sources.
- Creating a Green Investment Bank.
- Measures to encourage Marine energy.
– Delivering an offshore electricity grid to support the development of a new generation of offshore wind power.
4. There are positive proposals to cut the red tape that does so much to discourage people both from setting up their own businesses and then expanding them.
These include:
• Giving the public the opportunity to have a say and to challenge the worst regulations, meaning that it will be real people not bureaucrats who make decisions on regulation.
• Introducing a ‘one-in, one-out’ rule - no new regulation will be introduced without another being cut.
• Finding a practical way to make small business rate relief automatic.
• Reviewing employment and workplace laws, for employers and employees, to ensure they maximise flexibility for both parties while protecting fairness and providing the competitive environment required for enterprise to thrive.
• Ending the ban on social tenants starting businesses in their own homes.
• And; ending the so-called ‘gold-plating’ of EU rules, so that British businesses are not disadvantaged relative to their European competitors.
In his Budget, George Osborne announced a major package of reforms to reduce corporation tax rates. These included measures to:
• reduce the main rate of corporation tax from 28 per cent to 24 per cent over the course of the four financial years from April 2011.
• reducing the small profits rate to 20 per cent, instead of the planned increase to 22 per cent, from April 2011;
These measures and the others announced by the Chancellor will help create the most competitive corporate tax system in the G20.
5. Turning to transport, I am going to have to wait for an upgraded A12 to Lowestoft and for a third crossing across the lake that divides the town and generates so much traffic congestion. However that does not prevent me and the councils working on a blueprint of the road network that we need to attract new businesses to the town.
Turning to the railways, the prospect of longer rail franchises does provide an opportunity for us to attract investment into the rail network, so that on the East Suffolk line there can be more trains and we can reintroduce a through service to London, which will do so much to reduce the perception of remoteness that have put off businesses in the past.
6. With regard to training and providing people with the skills that businesses require the Coalition Document provides encouragement. The promotion of apprenticeships and the availability of some funding for further education colleges is to be welcomed.
The coalition have announced that £50 million will be invested in Further Education colleges, which they will be able to leverage up to create a £150m fund to provide capital investment to those colleges most in need. Lowestoft College, with my support, have already put in a bid to this fund.
In addition, £150 million will be used to fund 50,000 new apprenticeship places, focused on small and medium enterprises
D. Conclusions
Is the Coalition Government a new type of government? After a few short weeks that feel like a lifetime am I full of enthusiasm or full of foreboding about the prospects for helping attract new jobs to Waveney.
With regard to the first question time will tell, but it feels different and the people to whom I talk like it.
The objective of creating a low carbon economy is an exciting challenge and Britain can be a world leader in helping deliver it. It provides my constituency with a great opportunity to reverse decades of decline.
In these austere times my task of helping bring new jobs to Waveney won’t be an easy one, but the Coalition Government are giving me a fighting chance.
The new regulations rushed through in the last days of the Labour Government would mean that the ship-to-ship transfer of oil is only permitted in harbour authority areas which hold an Oil Transfer Licence. This could have a significant impact on jobs in the Waveney area.
But in a written statement today from the Department of Transport, Mike Penning MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, announced a review will take place to allow for all views to be heard before the legislation comes into force.
Mr Aldous said:
“This is good news as it provides all interested parties the opportunity to put forward their own views. I would urge them to take part in the consultation and to forward their views to me. Doing all we can to retain jobs is most important in these lean times but I do fully understand the need to consider the safety of oil transfer from ships.”
Mr Penning today tabled a Statutory Instrument which defers the regulations from 1 October 2010 to 1 April 2010. The closing date for representations to the consultation is 30th September.
| Click here for Mike Penning MP's statement
