From: Greg Hands MP news@greghands.

com
Subject: News Bulletin from Greg Hands MP #477
Date: 11 April 2017 at 15:15
To: news@greghands.com

Issue 477 -Tuesday 11th April 2017

In this edition:

Since the last edition, Greg:

Greg Hands MPs Diary

Website of the Week: Expressed his condolences to the victims of the Westminster
The website of Imperial
NHS Trust terrorist attack on Wednesday, 22 March. Greg was abroad
on ministerial duties at the time, and his parliamentary staff
Photo news:
Listening to local residents were all safe. Greg thoroughly appreciated all of the notes of
with Fulham Broadway concern and thanks he received in the wake of the attack.
Conservatives
As MP for Royal Brompton Hospital, attended and addressed
Greg Hands Announces the march through Chelsea to save the Hospitals congenital
Heathrow Expansion
Consultation Event in heart disease services. For more, click here.
Chelsea & Fulham Attended the public re-opening of the National Army Museum
Photo news: in Chelsea, which reopens after three years of refurbishment,
Hands attends launch of funded in part by Heritage Lottery and 1m of LIBOR fines from
Virgin Atlantic's new
Manchester to San the Government. For more, see below.
Francisco service Attended and addressed the AGM of the Hammersmith
Unprecedented: NHS slams Conservative Association.
Labour-run Hammersmith & Went to Manchester to help launch Virgin Atlantics new
Fulham Council for scaring
patients over Charing Cross service from Manchester to San Francisco.
Hospital Reacted with dismay to Labour H&F Councils withdrawal from
Photo news: the ground-breaking Triborough Council scheme, with
Hands welcomes Pakistan's Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster.
High Commissioner to
Westminster Visited Birmingham to join the Prime Minister and Secretary of
State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox, addressing the
Photo news:
Hands addresses Planet Qatar-UK Business Investment Forum.
Earth Africa lunch Welcomed representatives from Denmarks Confederation of
Greg Hands welcomes new Danish Enterprises to the Department for International Trade.
income boost for ordinary As Minister of State for Trade and Investment, visited Buenos
working families in Chelsea
& Fulham Aires, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and So
Paolo, Brazil, to promote UK trade and exports.
Photo news:
Hands addresses Kazakh Addressed a useful roundtable on trade with Africa at the
Investor Day Planet Earth Institute.
Photo news: Welcomed the Czech Ambassador, Libor Seka, and Czech
Hands welcomes Deputy Head of Mission, Jan Brunner, to the Department for
Confederation of Danish
Enterprises to London International Trade, to discuss Brexit and business relations
between the UK and the Czech Republic.
Greg Hands speech at the
Financial Times Brexit and Greg also welcomed to the Department for International Trade
beyond summit Pakistans High Commissioner, HE Syed Ibne Abbas, for talks
Photo news: on trade and improving commercial ties.
Hands addresses "Save Visited Germany for the seventh time since the EU
Brompton Hospital" rally
Referendum, this time for the Knigswinter Conference.
Photo news: Attended the 80th birthday concert for the Earl Cadogan,
Hands meets Argentinian
parliamentarians president of the Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservative
Association.
7 ways to contact Met senior management of the UK-India Business Council in
Greg Hands
London. The Council provides practical assistance for those
looking to trade with India.
Addressed the Kazakh Investor Day at the London Stock
Exchange.
Addressed the Financial Times conference on Brexit and
Beyond in central London. For Gregs speech, see below.

Website of the Week:

www.imperial.nhs.uk

The website of Imperial NHS Trust, which this week sensationally
accused Labour-run Hammersmith & Fulham Council of
scaring residents over the future of Charing Cross Hospital.

Photo news:
Listening to local residents with Fulham
Broadway Conservatives

Greg Hands MP with the local Fulham Broadway Ward

canvassing team last week, getting a very strong response!

Greg Hands Announces Heathrow
Expansion Consultation Event in Chelsea &
Fulham
Wednesday, 19 April, 6.30-8pm
Fulham Library

Member of Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, is pleased

to be able to announce that the Department for Transport has agreed
to add an extra date to its Heathrow expansion consultation schedule
in his constituency, meaning that local residents will be able to obtain
information before getting their views heard.

The Department for Transport is currently seeking the publics views

on its draft Airports National Policy Statement, which sets out:

the need for additional airport capacity in the South East of

England;
their case for a north-west runway at Heathrow Airport;
and the specific requirements that the applicant for a new
north-west runway will need to meet to gain development
consent.

This draft Airports National Policy Statement is subject to public

consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny.

As part of this consultation process, the Department has been holding

information events across West London and nearby. Greg had
previously been disappointed that none of the Departments planned
events were due to take place in his own constituency of Chelsea &
Fulham, in spite of the current and expected future impact that
Heathrow Airport might have on local residents. Nevertheless, the
Department for Transport has now agreed to host an additional
information event for local residents, on 19 April, at Fulham Library.

Commenting on the consultation, local Member of Parliament for

Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, said: I know that the announcement
on the proposed Heathrow expansion came as a disappointment to
many of my constituents in Chelsea & Fulham, as well as to those I
campaigned with when I represented Hammersmith as their MP. I fully
acknowledge the need to increase airport capacity in the South East
of England, but I remain opposed to the prospect of a third runway at
Heathrow.

I have been campaigning for a ban on night flights for more than a
decade, and the Governments recommendation of a six-and-a-half
hour ban on scheduled night flights does potentially sweeten the
overall blow a little but this rather depends on when the 6.5 hours
are.

I look forward to hosting this Heathrow consultation event on 19 April,

and I should like to thank the Department for agreeing to host an
event in Chelsea & Fulham. I shall make my own submission to this
consultation in due course, and I urge all of my constituents to get
their opinions heard, by responding to the Department for Transport.

The event will take place from 6.30-8pm at Fulham Library, 598
Fulham Rd, London, SW6 5NX. The nearest Underground station is
Parsons Green on the District Line. In terms of accessibility, there is a
lift from pavement level to the ground floor and the first floor. There is
a fully accessible lavatory with baby changing facilities.

If you would like to attend the Heathrow consultation event, please

send your NAME and FULL POSTAL ADDRESS to
handsg@parliament.uk or call 020 7219 0809. Details on the
Department for Transports draft Airports National Policy Statement
can be found here. You can get your voice heard by responding online
here, or by downloading a response form here and sending it to
RunwayConsultation@dft.gsi.gov.uk or to Freepost RUNWAY
CONSULTATION.

Photo news:
Hands attends launch of Virgin Atlantic's
new Manchester to San Francisco service

Greg Hands MP at the launch of Virgin Atlantic's new, ground-

breaking Manchester to San Francisco service, including a
delegation of leading Northern Powerhouse technology firms.

Unprecedented:
NHS slams Labour-run Hammersmith &
Fulham Council for scaring patients over
Charing Cross Hospital
Labour-run Hammersmith & Fulham Council has been accused by the
NHS of putting out incorrect and misleading claims about Charing
Cross Hospital, which are likely to cause significant, unnecessary
distress to patients and staff.

In response to the recent letter from the Labour Council Leader to all
residents in Hammersmith & Fulham (which was sent out with Council
Tax bills), in which he made the claim that NHS bosses have re-
launched plans to close Charing Cross as part of the North West
London Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), local NHS
leaders have stated firmly that there have never been any plans to
close Charing Cross Hospital, and that the STP makes a clear
commitment that there will be no reduction in Charing Crosss A&E
department and wider services within the STPs remit until April 2021.

Local NHS leaders, Dr Batten and Ms Parker, drew attention to the

Labour Councils choice to spend significant sums of public money on
leaflets in response to closure plans that do not exist, and they have
raised a formal complaint in the belief that Cllr Cowans letter has
breached the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority
Publicity, specifically around objectivity and even-handedness.

Commenting on the local hospitals rebuttal to the Council, local MP

Greg Hands, said: This is something unprecedented: the NHS
publicly accusing a local Council of scaremongering. The Labour
Council has been running this highly misleading campaign for some
years now, and the recent letter from the Council to all local residents
is full of untruths. It is highly ironic that, enclosed in the same
envelope as their Council Tax bill, hard-working tax payers also
receive a letter which is a product of Labours wasteful use of public
funds."

Dr Batten and Ms Parkers letter of complaint is below and can also be

found here.

Photo news:
Hands welcomes Pakistan's High
Commissioner to Westminster

Greg Hands MP welcoming Pakistan's High Commissioner for

trade talks in the House of Commons last week.

Photo news:
Hands addresses Planet Earth Africa lunch

Greg Hands MP speaking at the Planet Earth Africa lunch in

London, hosted by Lord Boateng, at the English Speaking Union.

Greg Hands welcomes new income boost

for ordinary working families in Chelsea &
Fulham

Member of Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, has

welcomed the news that ordinary working families in Chelsea &
Fulham are set to benefit from a range of Government measures
coming into effect this week.

The tax-free personal allowance has risen for the seventh year to
11,500, benefitting about 50,211 people in Chelsea & Fulham and
meaning a typical basic rate taxpayer will pay a full 1,000 less
income tax than in 2010.

As a result of our changes to the personal allowance and higher rate

threshold, 4,070,000 individuals in London gain on average 207, and
a total of 136,000 individuals will have been taken out of income tax
altogether, compared with 2015-16.

In addition:

The National Living Wage which delivered a pay rise to a

million people last year will rise again to 7.50: an income
boost of over 500 for a full time worker in Chelsea & Fulham.
The Government will provide up to 2,000 a year per child
through the roll out of tax-free childcare, to help with childcare
costs for families in Chelsea & Fulham.
Hard-pressed savers will get a boost, with access to our new
market-leading NS&I bond which will pay 2.2% on deposits up
to 3,000.

Commenting on this announcement, local MP, Greg Hands, said:

Weve come a long way in the last seven years there are 2.8 million
more people in work, unemployment is at its lowest for twelve years,
and weve cut income tax for over 30 million people. But there is more
to do to help people locally and across the UK feel the benefits of the
recovery, and make ends meet.

By giving the lowest paid a wage boost, taking more people out of
income tax, boosting savings, and helping with the cost of childcare,
were putting ordinary working people at the heart of our plan for
Britain: to build a stronger, fairer economy that works for everyone.

Photo news:
Hands addresses Kazakh Investor Day

Greg Hands MP addressing the Kazakh Investor Day at the

London Stock Exchange.

Photo news:
Hands welcomes Confederation of Danish
Enterprises to London

Greg Hands MP welcoming members of the Confederation of

Danish Enterprises for talks at the Department for International
Trade in London.

Greg Hands speech at the Financial Times

Brexit and beyond summit
Tuesday 4th April 2017

Greg Hands MP addressing the Financial Times conference

"Brexit and Beyond" in central London.

I would like to thank the Financial Times for hosting todays event.

This is a historic place, here at Central Hall.

In 1914, the Suffragettes campaigning for the vote for women - met
here at Central Hall.

And I am delighted to see the Prime Minister announce, at the

weekend, that Millicent Fawcett will be honoured with a statue just
outside, on Parliament Square.

Churchill, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King have all spoken in this
building so no pressure on any of todays speakers!

And in 1946, out of the ashes of war, the world came together, here, in
a spirit of peace and co-operation for the first meeting of the United
Nations General Assembly.

The then Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, welcomed delegations to

this ancient home of liberty and order.

So, it is a privilege to be able to address you in this historic setting: a

resolute reminder of the role Britain has and always will play in the
world.

Almost 1 week ago, Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50:
the formal process for leaving the European Union.

What will follow could be a momentous journey for Britain, as we

embark upon a new chapter in our history.

We stand ready as a country full of self-confidence, ready to build a

new, special and deep partnership with Europe, whilst recasting our
position in the wider world.

You would struggle to find a serving minister with closer personal ties
to mainland Europe than me.

As a husband to a German wife, and father of 2 children who are just

as comfortable speaking German as English, being European is an
intrinsic part of my British identity.

No referendum can and will change that.

The vote to leave was not a rejection of our shared European values,
nor some sort of wish to undermine the ideals and principles of the EU.

Those very values have led to over 70 years - and counting - of

unprecedented levels of peace, stability and prosperity across much of
the continent.

And those EU ideals and principles will be crucial in ensuring the

Union remains successful - something which will always be in Britains
national interest.

I campaigned on the Remain side during the referendum, but I am,

above all, a democratic politician.

More British people voted to leave the EU than for anything else in our
electoral history.

It was a clear instruction which the government is carrying out.

Now more than ever, the whole of Britains focus should be on the
horizon.

We should, as the Prime Minister said, no longer be defined by the

vote we cast, but by our determination to make a success of the result.

That determination has manifested itself in the creation of 2 new

departments the Department for Exiting the EU and the Department
for International Trade which are charged with overseeing Brexit
and Beyond respectively.

So, todays theme is quite apt.

Department for International Trade

And I want to talk about the role the Department for International
Trade will continue to play in equipping the UK for a future outside of
the EU.

For the first time since 2007, trade is back heart of government policy
making, with a seat at Cabinet.

Indeed, its the first time since 1983 that the UK has a standalone
Department for Trade.

The 3 pillars of trade finance, policy and promotion - are now under
1 roof, allowing us to be more co-ordinated than ever before.

The departments objectives are simple yet significant.

We will promote UK exports to the world; maximise opportunities for

wealth creation through foreign direct investment and outward direct
investment; and build a trade policy capability fit for a post-Brexit
Britain.

Our purpose is clear.

We will ensure the UK becomes the most passionate advocate for

global free trade anywhere in the world.

That means we will champion the benefits that trade provides to

consumers, through greater choice and cheaper products and
services.

And the benefits to our businesses through global value chains, the
free flow of ideas and technology, and a shop window of continents
rather than counties.

Amounting to over half our national income, trade ensures more jobs
and stronger public services at home, whilst bolstering our influence
overseas.

Indeed, we are the only G7 country to meet its obligations to spend

both 2% of GDP on defence, and also 0.7% of GNI on international
development.

Our global standing and internationalist spirit will always be intertwined

with our willingness and ability to trade with the world.

So the message I want to leave you with today is that it is only through
trade that we can build a truly Global Britain: one that seeks and
ultimately realises the economic and political opportunities of an
evolving and interconnected world.

My department will be at the forefront of this ambition, and there are

several areas we will focus on.

UK exports

First, we will boost UK exports the world over, ensuring our dynamic
and innovative companies are well positioned on the global stage.

The diagnosis is that only 11% of UK businesses export and only 6 to

7% of goods exporters target high growth economies such as China
and India.

The Federation of Small Businesses claim that 54% of small

businesses do not even consider exporting.

And UK exports as a percentage of GDP languish at 28% - the lowest

of any EU Member State including Germany at 46% and even Greece
at 30%.

These are disappointing figures for a great trading nation, revealing so

much unfulfilled potential in our economy.

That is why my department is taking bold steps to address the barriers

to export that businesses are facing.

We are revolutionising export support through our world leading digital

platform great.gov.uk making it easier and simpler than ever before
for British business to trade overseas.

Over 2,000 UK businesses are already registered on the platforms

Find a Buyer service which matches export ready companies with
global buyers.

The platform is home to our Exporting is GREAT campaign which

presents thousands of live export opportunities for which UK
businesses can apply.

Add to this 100 country guides with valuable market and cultural
insight; and the ability to sell on the worlds biggest e-marketplaces at
preferential rates; and you quickly realise that this digital platform is
providing a level of export support which is simply unprecedented.

This support extends to UK Export Finance the governments export

credit arm which ensures no viable export fails due to lack of finance
and insurance.

From hospitals in Ghana to public buses in Toronto, UK companies of

all sizes are shaping the world thanks to UKEF support.

And I am delighted that last years Autumn Statement doubled UKEFs

risk appetite to 5 billion, whilst increasing the number of local
currencies in which UKEF can offer support from 10 to 40 from the
Australian dollar to the Zambian kwacha.

However, government support at home doesnt always automatically

translate to success overseas.

And here is where I want to see more UK businesses working together

across the supply chain to bid for high value projects around the world.

I was, last month, in Brazil, where there is a clear demand for UK

infrastructure expertise, particularly in the water sector.

And last year I visited Qatar where they are looking to the UK to help
deliver the 2022 World Cup.

UK companies should be harnessing their collective expertise to seize

these opportunities.

And the governments new industrial strategy will target investment in

the right areas so we can better present a Team UK offer to the world.

Investment

My departments second priority is to encourage continued record

levels of inward investment and to renew our focus on outward direct
investment.

Since the referendum, the UK has attracted billions of pounds worth of

FDI from the likes of Softbank, Toyota, Facebook and other global
names.

My ministerial colleagues and I have travelled to over 40 countries,

seeing at first hand the strength of investor sentiment.

Their continuing confidence and optimism in the UK economy is

striking.

As a former Treasury Minister, I know how strong and resilient our

economy is and the figures speak for themselves.

The second fastest growing economy in the G7 last year; growth

forecasts for this year being revised upwards; and rebounding
consumer confidence all point to an economy with strong underlying
fundamentals, pushing us forward by pulling in investors.

Our widely admired system of commercial law creates trust; the

highest levels of productivity in science and research throughout the
G7 breeds innovation; and our low tax, low regulation economy shows
that the UK is open for business.

These economic fundamentals have ensured that the UK remains the

largest recipient of foreign direct investment in Europe.

And by renewing our focus on outward investment, we can ensure that

the returns generated from the overseas assets owned by UK
companies, continue to help build a strong sustainable domestic
economy.

My department will be supporting UK companies expanding into new

markets, accessing expertise and technology, and helping boost their
overseas earnings all through overseas direct investment.

Trade Policy

My final point is on trade policy capability: an area which had, up till

now, been delegated to the EU on the UKs behalf.

The significance of regaining control of our own trade policy capability

is clear: we will be able to strike trading arrangements with partners
around the world.

Indeed, many countries have already expressed an interest in

establishing agreements with us in the future including some of the
worlds fastest growing economies.

The EU itself realises that 90% of future global growth is set to occur
outside the borders of Europe.

UK companies should see Brexit as an opportunity to fully seize upon

this growth.

We have already quadrupled the number of trade experts in my

department since the referendum.

We also have one of the largest and most revered diplomatic services
in the world.

Our dedicated overseas staff, with their ears to the ground in 109
markets, stand ready to help the UK re-engage with the world.

But our commitment to the rest of Europe remains steadfast.

We will be the best friends and closest ally to our European

neighbours, with whom we have achieved so much, with much more
yet be accomplished.

Across security, defence, academia and culture we aim to maintain,

and where possible strengthen, our existing ties.

And we will seek the greatest possible tariff and barrier-free trade with
our European partners.

We start from a unique position close regulatory alignment, trust in

one anothers institutions, and a spirit of cooperation stretching back
decades particularly in areas such as financial services and
manufacturing.

The key is to put consumers, jobs and businesses at the heart of the
negotiations.

Their interests, not political posturing or brinkmanship, should be the

elephant in the negotiating rooms.

Free Trade

A Global Britain also has a wider responsibility.

A responsibility to stand tall against a rising tide of protectionism,

which has led to a projected slowdown in the growth of global trade.

As an EU member, we have always championed free and fair trade.

When we leave, and as we take up our independent seat at the World

Trade Organisation, we will continue to attack the very measures that
defend narrow minded protectionist interests.

As a champion of free trade, Britain remains a friend to the global

consumer, a partner to global business, and a support to developing
economies wishing to trade their way out of poverty.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the UK is at a momentous juncture in our much storied

history.

And it is in times such as these that the attitude and approach we

choose ends up determining our future.

We could just turn our backs to the world, pull up the draw bridge, and
be satisfied with our lot.

But this government, and in particular my department, isnt interested

in that course of action.

Instead, we will choose to be bold and ambitious: building

partnerships with those, who like us, believe that trade is the surest
way to securing our collective freedom and economic security.

And we will harness this countrys long held internationalist instincts,

symbolised by this very building, to shape a brighter and more
prosperous future for the United Kingdom.

Thank you.

Photo news:
Hands addresses "Save Brompton
Hospital" rally

Greg Hands MP addressing the "Save Brompton Hospital" rally in

Chelsea last month.

Photo news:
Hands meets Argentinian parliamentarians

Greg Hands MP meeting leading Argentine parliamentarians in

Buenos Aires.

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