Fiona Hall MEP

North East businesses should reach for the stars and grab a piece of the £1.3bn SKA project to build the world's largest telescope, according to local Euro MP Fiona Hall.

A leading engineer from the project will be in the region this week for the Spacetec conference and is encouraging companies to set their sights on the lucrative space industry.

Fiona Hall, meanwhile, has tabled a Written Declaration in the European Parliament calling for greater co-operation on space research in a move that could bolster the SKA project.

Fiona said:

"A giant telescope being built on another continent may seem light years away from the issue of jobs in the North East, but space technology is a £7.5bn industry in the UK alone and our region should be grabbing a sizeable piece of that.

"We have great expertise in manufacturing as well as leading research institutions. The fact we have one of SKA's key engineers in the region courting local firms is proof of the high esteem in which the North East workforce is held.

"Obviously, on a project of this scale, international co-operation is key. That's why I'm working in the European Parliament for greater collaboration between the EU and Africa, where the SKA telescope will hopefully be located. This will help open up opportunities for areas like ours.

"Space research may not be the first thing people think of when looking for ways to boost the regional economy but there is the real potential for many, highly-skilled jobs to be created."

A Newcastle pensioner has been left with a £600 bill after a neighbourly mistake led to police smashing down his door.

When neighbours raised concerns about Nicolas Hunter's whereabouts, police forcibly entered his property, only to discover he was away on holiday. Upon his return Mr Hunter faced the double shock of having to replace his front door and being told the police would not help with the cost.

Mr Hunter said,

"You can imagine the upset this has caused. I get back from holiday and find chipboard where my front door should be. And now the police are refusing to pay for the damage, leaving me with a £600 bill to pay.

"I know the police had good intentions but it's completely unreasonable to leave people like me high and dry. I'm hundreds of pounds out of pocket through no fault of my own."

Mr Hunter has now enlisted the help of Euro MP Fiona Hall who is challenging Home Office rules on his behalf after extensive discussions with Northumbria Police.

Fiona said,

"I have no doubt the police acted within the rules, but I am afraid that the rules are too rigid. When people report concerns about a neighbour's welfare, it is often an elderly or vulnerable individual they are worried about - the very people who can least afford £600 plus to get a door replaced.

"There needs to be funding available to help people like Mr Hunter. I have written to the Police Minister Nick Herbert expressing my concern and calling for the Code of Practice to be made more flexible so there is leeway to pay for repairs even where the police have acted correctly."

North East MEP Fiona Hall has called on the new owners of a seafood factory in Seaham to give the 360-strong staff a fair chance to save their jobs.

When Cumbrian Seafoods went into administration last month it was immediately bought by Young's. Initial optimism over the takeover has been dampened by the new owner's decision to conduct a 90 day consultation on the factory's closure.

Fiona today spoke to Pete Ward, the boss of Young's, and impressed on him the importance of keeping the Seaham plant open.

Speaking afterwards, Lib Dem Fiona said:

"With 360 jobs at stake, it is vital that we do everything possible to keep the factory open. Responsibility for the collapse of Cumbrian Seafoods seems to lie with the previous owners. It would be grossly unfair if the shop floor workers paid the price for that.

"I made the case to Young's that they should give Seaham the opportunity to prove its worth.

"The plant has received considerable investment in recent times, including public money, and I would like to see moves to get it running at full capacity rather than shut it down.

"I have been assured that no decisions have yet been made and that workers will be given a fair chance to save their jobs. I will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that happens and have been promised a further update before any action is taken."

Small businesses in the North East will be exempt from complex EU accounting rule following a vote in the European Parliament this week. Qualifying businesses must now only comply with national reporting rules which usually demand very basic information.

North East MEP Fiona Hall, who voted in favour of freeing small businesses from drawing up heavy annual accounts, said:

"It is pure common sense to exempt small businesses that rarely operate across borders from complicated accounting rules.

"Of course it is important for small businesses to provide basic information to comply with national laws on transparency and tax regulation. But we must not make this process more complicated than necessary."

The vote comes after a two year struggle between the European Parliament and EU Member States in the Council over the definition of 'micro entity'. Euro MPs wanted to include as many small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) as possible under the relaxed accounting rules whereas Member States pushed for a tighter definition.

Following a compromise between Member States, Commission and Parliament, Euro-MPs managed to include a generous definition of 'micro entities' into the deal adopted this week. Micro businesses are now defined as firms with a total balance sheet of less than €350,000 (around £300,000), a net turnover of less than €700,000 (around £590,000) and no more than 10 employees on average a year.

Lib Dem Fiona Hall continued:

"It is now up to the Coalition Government to implement this exemption. I will be pushing our ministers to introduce the new rules as quickly as possible."

Next year, more than 31,000 additional children in the North East will qualify for the Pupil Premium, meaning millions more for the region's schools.

The Pupil Premium - aimed at supporting the area's most disadvantaged children - amounts to £600 extra for every child eligible for free school meals. From next year, the Pupil Premium will be extending its reach to cover any child that has been registered for Free School Meals (FSM) in the past six years.

The new rules mean more than 106,000 North East pupils will qualify, increasing local school budgets by £31 million.

North East MEP Fiona Hall said:

"It is a scandal that children on Free School Meals have consistently worse school results than those that have never been eligible. Only one in 200 pupils on free school meals get three As at A-Level, compared with one in three privately educated pupils. We are consigning too many young people from poor backgrounds to a life of underachievement, without the equality of opportunity available to better-off families.

"That's why the Government is giving schools an extra £600 for extra child eligible for free school meals. That amounts to an additional £31m in our region next year.

"The Pupil Premium ensures money is directed towards those who need it most and helps ensure every child is given a fair chance to fulfil their potential."