Welcome to my August newsletter!

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Welcome to my August Newsletter!
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I hope you have all found time to relax this past month. While Parliament has been in recess, my team and I have been busy supporting all those who have got in touch, including people trying to return from Afghanistan.

Parliament was recalled last week for the debate on the situation in Afghanistan. I was pleased to be in the Commons Chamber to hear powerful contributions from all sides and learn more about the Government's response. My thoughts and prayers are with the British nationals and their families who lost loved ones, as well as the many other victims of yesterday's barbaric terrorist attack in Kabul. You can read more about the Government and local response below.

Wishing you all an enjoyable and restful Bank Holiday weekend.

Victoria

Visit to HelloFresh Distribution Centre
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At the end of July, I enjoyed a visit to one of the leading global providers of fresh food at home at their 237,000 square foot distribution centre in Banbury. I met CEO Laurent Guillemain who showed me how the operation works. HelloFresh have been operating from the site since 2016 and produce as many as one-million fresh food kits a week! Read more about my visit here ([link removed]) .

Visit to Wykham Park Academy
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I enjoyed visiting Wykham Park Academy recently to see a National Citizens Service programme in action. The programme helps develop skills for work and life while allowing young people to engage with society and make a real difference.

The students took part in a virtual village activity where they had to imagine a hypothetical community and think what facilities they would need. It was a great session with lots of participation. I particularly enjoyed chatting with the students and hearing about their future plans.


A-Level and GCSE Results
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I was so pleased to see how well local students did in their A-Levels and GCSEs. I know how difficult the past 18 months have been for pupils. I’d like to thank every parent, teacher, tutor, school and college leader for their tireless efforts to support learning in these unprecedented circumstances.

I’ve been keen to keep in touch with schools throughout the pandemic and am looking forward to getting out and visiting them again in the new term.

Grab a Jab
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16 and 17-year-olds can Grab a Jab at Banbury United Football Club, which is operating as a Walk-in Vaccination Clinic, this Sunday 29 August between 10am and 6pm. You can find more information on local walk-in clinics here ([link removed]) .

Road and Rail Disruption over the Bank Holiday Weekend
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Please be aware that work will be taking place on the London Road level crossing this bank holiday weekend.

The crossing will be closed to traffic from 10pm on Saturday 28 August until 4:15am on Tuesday 31 August. I understand that pedestrians will still be able to use the crossing, while road diversions will be in place for traffic. Find out more here ([link removed]) .

Chiltern Railways will also be operating an amended timetable this weekend. No through trains will be operating between London Marylebone, Bicester Village and stations to Oxford. Check the amended timetable before you travel by clicking here ([link removed]) .

Afghanistan
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The events we have seen in Afghanistan over recent weeks are truly disturbing. Yesterday, an appalling terrorist attack outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport left a great number of dead and wounded, including two British nationals, the child of another British national and thirteen American service personnel. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this barbaric act of cowardice.

The Government is doing all it can to get British nationals and those who have supported us out of the country as quickly as possible. Military personnel, embassy staff and Border Force officials are working tirelessly on the ground to support the final stages of Operation Pitting, which has evacuated over 13,000 people in the past fortnight alone.

I welcome that those who have been forced to flee their home or face threats of persecution from the Taliban will be offered a route to set up home in the UK permanently. The Home Secretary has outlined plans for a new Afghanistan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme to resettle 5,000 Afghan nationals who are at risk in its first year. The scheme will be kept under review for future years, with up to 20,000 Afghans to be resettled in the long term. This new route is modelled on the successful Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, which resettled 20,000 Syrian refugees from 2014 to 2021.

Locally, Cherwell District Council and Oxfordshire County Council have announced their support for this scheme and joined a multi-agency response to resettle families. It has been brilliant to see communities come together across North Oxfordshire with generous donations and offers of support. Many constituents have contacted me directly to offer their help.

The County Council is asking for all those willing to make donations or offers of assistance to get in touch by emailing: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . This will help to ensure a coordinated local response.

National Adoption Strategy
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I recently visited Banbury-based Adoption UK, the leading charity providing support, community and advocacy for all those parenting or supporting children who cannot live with their birth parents.

It was good to catch up with Alison Woodhead, Director of Public Affairs and Communication, and Katharine Slocombe, Policy and Public Affairs Adviser, to discuss the Government’s new National Adoption Strategy. Read more about our meeting here ([link removed]) .

Ministerial Visits
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With the exception of last Wednesday, Parliament has been in recess throughout August. I’ve used this time to make a number of visits across the country in my role as Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food. These have included the Northern Fish School in North Yorkshire, Fir Farm in the Cotswolds, and taking part in a Thirsk NFU roundtable at Willow Grange Farm in Kilburn.

I was also delighted to travel to Norway earlier this week. I attended Aqua Nor, the world’s largest aquaculture technology exhibition. It was great to meet Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian Minister of Fisheries, and speak about our history of cooperation in trade, science and energy. We will continue to work together to manage fisheries issues moving forward.
For more information about anything you have read in this newsletter or to find out more about my work, please visit: www.victoriaprentis.com ([link removed])

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