George Eustice MP was pleased to welcome a delegation of students from Hayle Community School to Parliament today. The students had a tour of the Palace of Westminster, including being able to stand at the House of Commons dispatch box, before a question and answer session with George.
Questions ranged from what life is like as an MP, the issue of tution fees and the future regeneration of Hayle. George described how he enjoyed the wide variety of the job, before explaining that the important thing about tuition fees was that university was free at the point of use, and that no money will be paid back until you start earning a good graduate salary. George said, "Ultimately I want to encourage more people to go to university, but I do not think it is fair to ask those people who choose not to go, to subsidise those who do. I think the proposed system strikes a good balance between making sure university is affordable and accessible to everyone, whilst asking those that benefit from a degree, to contribute towards it as and when they can afford to."
On the proposed regeneration of Hayle George commented, "I came out very clearly in favour of the ING proposal on South Quay at the end of last year. If we are going to have a supermarket in Hayle, then let’s at least locate it where it will bring new life in to the town rather than drain life away from the town. Let’s demand something in return from all these supermarkets and use their interest as an opportunity to repair the harbour and regenerate South Quay. Let’s demand something for the community and make plans for a new cinema in Hayle a reality. Let’s celebrate our heritage and bring the famous Goonvean Engine back to the town where it was made."
George was particularly impressed by the language opportunities the school was offering saying, "I think that learning a foreign language is an essential ingredient of a good education and I am delighted to see Hayle School leading the way in Cornwall. Once learnt, a language is an asset throughout life but the process of learning them also stretches the mind. Some of the students I met today were even learning two languages.”