Equitable Life

Having been in the House of Commons to listen to the recent statement by the Financial Secretary on compensation payments for those affected by the failings of Equitable Life, I thought I'd lay out some thoughts on a subject which affects so many people in East Surrey.

To begin with, I think we should welcome the swiftness with which the Coalition has got on with the task of setting in motion the process for compensation. Equitable Life victims have been waiting a long time for justice, and now the end is in sight. We should give credit where credit is due.

The Financial Secretary was reporting on the work done by Sir John Chadwick, who made a first stab at coming up with a compensation figure. I would stress that these are preliminary figures and the Financial Secretary has said that there is further work to be done before a final estimate can be produced. But I fully understand that some of Sir John's findings will be contentious. Indeed, personally, I am particularly underwhelmed by this first attempt at establishing a compensation figure by Sir John, but perhaps this was to be expected given his original terms of reference.

Whilst I think we all, including the Parliamentary Ombudsman, accept that the final payment amount will be subject to public purse affordability - and must be given the perilous state of the public finances - I'll be campaigning for Equitable Life victims to get the compensation they deserve.

Celebrating our Epilepsy Champions

It was great to be able to host a well deserved thank you party for the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy on Wednesday in the House of Commons to thank the thirty one staff from Surrey and Sussex schools who trained to become "Epilepsy Champions". This was part of the NCYPE's Champions for Childhood Epilepsy campaign. In 2009, each of the 21 schools taking part chose one or more members of staff to become their ‘epilepsy champion'. The staff then received free training from the NCYPE and went back to work with their colleagues to revise school policies and procedures on supporting with pupils with epilepsy.

As is obvious from the increased awareness and skills the Champions came away with after their training, the NCYPE are leaders in their field and this campaign will help harness that knowledge so that people all over the UK can begin to appreciate the challenges that those with epilepsy face.

I'd encourage anyone interested to visit the NCYPE website to learn more about the great work the NCYPE do.

Surrey Minerals Plan

As some of you may know, I've written to the Council asking for them to withdraw their Surrey Minerals Plan.

New government legislation gives the Council a golden opportunity to reduce the level of mineral production in the county and resulting disruption to the local environment and the peace and quiet of local residents - because it abolishes the regional spatial strategies which the Council has previously argued forced minerals targets upon it.

The spirit of the new legislation clearly looks to give due weight to local opinion - it aims to give far greater local discretion over planning matters and states that plans should reflect local aspirations. As the previous consultation on the Minerals Plan quite clearly highlights, this opposition exists.

The national targets which were the excuse given previously for the Plan are no longer in place and so residents should be consulted on the Plan and its proposals again, based on the new justification for such a plan and set in a new context by the Council. To carry on without any alteration or fresh consultation is grossly unfair, and I really don't think it's "taking account of local concerns" as the Plan should do.

Overall, the currently submitted Plan is a threat to the Green Belt and the local environment. This is an essential part of what makes Surrey such a great place to live and work, and something which the vast majority of us care deeply about.

I am fully aware that creating the current Plan has involved a great deal of time and effort from the Council, and I understand their need to provide a clear framework for the future of minerals production in Surrey.

But I think a review makes sense.

To give local people the voice that the new Government legislation explicitly calls for, and to adjust the Plan to take account of this new people-led process.