Text of Sir Oliver's speech in the House of Commons

Oliver Heald, Conservative, North East Hertfordshire

2.28 p.m. 5 December 2017

I beg to move,

We need our Hertfordshire roads to be well-maintained. Our local roads are important for small business and local residents. 

Following the result of the Scottish Independence Referendum, it became obvious that the United Kingdom needs a new devolution settlement.

Cancer is one of the most serious diseases and, as such, must be treated effectively and in a way that does not place the patient under undue stress and difficulty. Radiotherapy is used in the treatment of nearly half of all cancer patients, but the people of North-East Hertfordshire find it difficult to access these services, owing to the long journeys required to get to them.

One of the most important road links in North-East Hertfordshire is the 21 miles of the A1(M) that run between the M25 and Letchworth.

Many of my constituents will know that discussions about the future of the Royston Hospital site have been ongoing for some time.  I attend regular meetings with the NHS to ensure the interests of patients. I want to see the hospital site develop in a way that will best cater for our present and future health and social care needs.

Amongst many important issues which I am interested in campaigning for in North East Hertfordshire is the promotion of the preservation of chalk rivers in the constituency. The Ash, the Beane, the Ivel, the Mimram, the Quin, the Rib, and the Upper Rhee are all within the constituency, and these rivers regularly face the possibility of drying up over the summer months - harming local wildlife, flora, and fauna.