As we go through March, last week was another busy and productive one for me in Parliament, which saw me hold a debate on the need for the government to do more to support our pollack fishermen on Monday, as well as speaking in the budget debate and the debate on the Bill currently going through Parliament that will see National Insurance contributions people pay cut from April this year.

As well as this it was also good to take part in a number of meetings, including with Heathrow Airport, one showcasing our Tri Service Safety Officers, and one on fairness of fuel prices, as well an event to promote the Pharmacy First initiative.

As former chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Pharmacies it was great to work with our brilliant pharmacies in Cornwall in piloting the Pharmacy First initiative.

The Pharmacy First approach not only speeds up access to essential care for patients, but also help to reduce pressure on local GP services by directing people to more appropriate places to be treated. Backed by up to £645-million, 95 per cent of pharmacies across England have opted-in so far.

The Pharmacy First approach builds on the other measures outlined in the Primary Care Recovery Plan last spring, including tackling the 8am rush by giving GPs new digital tools and providing more GP staff and more appointments.

In combination, the Primary Care Recovery Plan aims to free up 10-million GP appointments a year nationally by next winter, and give the public more choice in where and how they access care.

As the Pharmacy First initiative has already been running in Cornwall successfully for some time, it’s great to see that the rest of the country will now be able to experience the exceptional service that we in Cornwall already have, and it was good to again highlight this at the event in Parliament last week. I will continue to work with the Government to support our pharmacies and the excellent teams that work there, in order to ensure they remain a pivotal part of our health care system.

With all my activity in Parliament it was nice to be recognised last week as the MP who has contributed more to Parliamentary debates in the first two months of the year than any other MP in the South West, and in fact, showed that I made the seventh highest number of contributions in January and February in Parliamentary debates among Conservative backbenchers nationally, and was ranked 11th overall among backbench MPs of all parties across the country.

Of course 2024 is only going to get busier, and I will continue to work hard both in Parliament and in Cornwall to ensure the voices of the people I represent are heard loud and clear.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance call 01726 829379 or email [email protected]

Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay