At the beginning of last week I was pleased to welcome a group of constituents who are members of Saltash Rotary Club to Westminster.

They started their visit with a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster which included both the House of Commons and House of Lords. I then met them and took them to the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft and some other places of interest. We enjoyed a coffee on the terrace before they departed. I really love sharing the Palace of Westminster with constituents, It is a real privilege and honour to work there and if any other group would like to visit, please contact my office and we will try to organise this.

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On Tuesday I visited APHA Scientific in Weybridge with fellow members of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. This DEFRA facility offers a complete testing, advice and support service for the diagnosis, control and prevention of diseases in farm animals. It was really interesting to talk to the scientists about various matters including the threats from pet smuggling to the very severe threat from Bird Flu. It was also interesting to discuss the plans for updating the facilities and hear about their preparations for a future potential disease threat.

I also met up with the Cats Protection and Dogs Trust in Parliament for their event to highlight the importance of pet friendly rental accommodation. One of the main reasons that pets are handed over to our charities is because of the owner’s housing situation, fuelled by the lack of pet friendly options in the private rented sector. This forces desperate owners into the heartbreaking decision to rehome their beloved family pet, and means many private renters cannot experience the joy of pet ownership.

It was also good to meet up with the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) for a celebration of World Cider Day and Great British Ciders. I am very proud of the fantastic Cornish Orchards cider produced in Duloe in South East Cornwall.

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On Thursday I was able to raise the delay in ensuring the safety work is carried out to the A38 with the Minister in the main House of Commons Chamber. I thanked him for the work they had done on this but explained that I had seen the aftermath of a recent accident and that this work needs to be done quickly. He agreed that the government would ask National Highways to accelerate this work. I will continue to keep pressing Ministers on this matter.

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On Saturday also on the A38 I met in Landrake with St Erney Parish Councillors and Cornwall Councillor Martin Worth. They were concerned about the siting of a phone mast at the busy junction at Landrake. They were not against the mast but just wanted the location moved slightly. I agreed to ask the company to look at this again and come to a site visit with us all.

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On Friday I heard the news that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was standing down as an MP. Boris managed to win a general election with an 80 seat majority to end the Brexit gridlock. He managed this when his predecessor had failed. Boris threw everything at getting the vaccine when the pandemic hit. He also led on a robust response when Russia invaded Ukraine. I would like to thank him for all he achieved and wish him the very best for the future.