Edward Balls (Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families; Normanton, Labour)

Hi! It is a great honour to open this debate on Her Majesty's Gracious Speech, the fifth and last of this Parliament. This Gracious Speech is based on the firm belief that the Government have a vital role to play in securing economic prosperity and building a fair society, with measures to secure our economic recovery and financial responsibility; to renew our democracy and this Parliament through political and constitutional reform; to continue, as we are debating today, our investment and reform of public services-in health, with a new series of powerful patient rights and wider provision of free personal care as a stepping-stone to the creation of the first ever national care service, and in education, with every pupil and every parent to be guaranteed a good local school, a balanced curriculum, tough home-school agreements and discipline and catch-up support for those who fall behind.

These clear entitlements and guarantees are essential for a strong economy and a fair society in which everyone accepts their responsibilities. They are possible only now because of our sustained investment and reform over the past 12 years. They are tailored to the needs of individual families; they are led locally by doctors, nurses, teachers and head teachers, with Government stepping in only as a last resort. These guarantees are all actively opposed by the Conservatives and would not appear in any Queen's Speech introduced by Her Majesty's Opposition.

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