Results 1-20 of 1,736 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Annette Brooke

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Annette Brooke: I endorse the hon. Gentleman's point. Does he agree that one of the big problems is the confusion of education and child protection? If I am teaching in a school, I am hopefully trained to recognise signs of child abuse and will report it to the appropriate authorities, which will not have to set out to solve it. Is not the problem the attempt to wrap this all into one, instead of being clear...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Annette Brooke: I am very pleased to make a short contribution to the debate, which gives an opportunity to tie health and education issues together. Although a lot of legislation endeavours to do that, I think we are all aware of the huge gaps where children's services and health services are not working together as they should. I should like to speak about access to health services and subsequent outcomes...

Bill Presented: Clause 47 — Provision of education for persons subject to youth detention (11 Nov 2009)

Annette Brooke: I concur with the Minister's previous comments, in which he congratulated staff, but I would also like to recognise the voluntary sector. When I visited Feltham, I was incredibly impressed with the volunteers working with the young people there.

Bill Presented: Clause 47 — Provision of education for persons subject to youth detention (11 Nov 2009)

Annette Brooke: We, too, welcome the amendments greatly. The proportion of young people in custody with low standards in literacy and numeracy and—often—with speech impediments has long been known, so it makes sense finally to address the situation. I note the Minister's reference to the United Nations convention on the rights of the child, the 20th anniversary of which is coming up. It might...

Wareham Railway Station (28 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: I am grateful to have secured this debate. The proposed closure of the Wareham station pedestrian level crossing was devastating news for my constituents. The situation is complex, so I shall aim to describe it for the Minister as simply as I possibly can. Wareham is an attractive small market town in my constituency. The 2001 census figures showed that its population was around 5,600....

Wareham Railway Station (28 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: I thank the Minister for that, because it provides clarity in the ongoing debate among residents. Clause 11 of the lease is particularly relevant to the current situation. It states: "if at any time the Board are required as a result of any change in the law or any direction or requirement of the Railway Inspectorate of the Department of Transport to alter or modify the controls or any part...

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Equitable Life (21 Oct 2009) has video

Annette Brooke: It is interesting to note that the Government use the word "expeditiously" in their amendment. Perhaps timeliness is now very belatedly being addressed. Does my hon. Friend agree that Sir John Chadwick's remit does not offer us the opportunity to be assured that there will be full transparency and fairness?

[Mrs. Janet Dean in the Chair] — Sure Start (15 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: As the hon. Lady is reflecting on health, I wonder whether I could mention childhood obesity, which I omitted in my contribution? We clearly have not done enough on that matter. The Pre-school Learning Alliance has made the staggering prediction that a high percentage of two-year-olds will be obese in the very near future.

[Mrs. Janet Dean in the Chair] — Sure Start (15 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: Perhaps I should start by declaring a similar interest in that I have a granddaughter who, until my daughter returned to a work after a year, engaged in many activities. She still goes along when possible, sometimes with her grandfather. In 1997, I happened to be the chair of education in a new unitary authority. Although it was not 20 years ago, there was just one state-run nursery school....

[Mrs. Janet Dean in the Chair] — Sure Start (15 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: I was studiously avoiding saying who controlled the county council, but now I have been tempted to say that it is Conservative-controlled. I believe in local decision-making, but commitment is needed to channel money to communities in the best way, and not to the places where perhaps particular parties' electoral strength lies. That is perhaps the easiest way to say it. Returning to the...

[Mrs. Janet Dean in the Chair] — Sure Start (15 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: I absolutely agree with that point. I must be cautious not to commit my party to the £4 billion suggested in the report that I mentioned, or I will get into trouble. However, the Liberal Democrat party is committed to spending more on early years development in general.

[Mrs. Janet Dean in the Chair] — Sure Start (15 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: I do not think that it is matched penny for penny. Obviously, the Liberal Democrats have always been opposed to using money in the child trust funds. We want to use that money in more effective ways. Again, it is a matter of short-term or long-term provision. That money will be accessed at age 18, but we think that there are too many lives that need extra support now. In particular, we wish...

[Mrs. Janet Dean in the Chair] — Sure Start (15 Oct 2009)

Annette Brooke: I would be extremely disappointed if any outreach work was to be cut. I believe that we need more outreach, more training, more skills—perhaps we have not got the definition of what an outreach worker does right yet. The issue needs a lot more work, but I am extremely pleased to see that better evaluations are coming through. The service is also rather patchy regarding how much help...

Oral Answers to Questions — Children, Schools and Families: Home Schooling (12 Oct 2009) has video

Annette Brooke: Given the Government's general acceptance of the Badman review, have they left themselves enough scope to respond to these important representations, particularly in respect of the conditions attached to registration?

Bournemouth and Poole Fe College (14 Jul 2009)

Annette Brooke: I concur that there has been a good record of investment, which was long overdue, in further education. However, before the Minister concludes, will he give us an idea of the time frame in which the LSC is working during the short-term funding crisis because confidence must be restored in our local area to ensure that people enrol on the courses?

Bournemouth and Poole Fe College (14 Jul 2009)

Annette Brooke: I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate. Does he agree that we have a short-term and a slightly longer-term problem? The short-term problem could almost be described as a crisis. The college is running a huge deficit and people are gravely concerned about the future. We seek reassurance from the Minister that stop-gap funding can be found to make good what has been undertaken...

Oral Answers to Questions — Treasury: Personal Debt (14 Jul 2009) has video

Annette Brooke: What his most recent estimate is of the level of personal debt in the economy.

Oral Answers to Questions — Treasury: Personal Debt (14 Jul 2009) has video

Annette Brooke: Against that worrying background, my local citizens advice bureau really welcomes debt relief orders but is very concerned about the availability of intermediaries. Is the hon. Lady aware of those concerns, and what action is she taking?

Teaching Standards (England) (7 Jul 2009)

Annette Brooke: I also start by congratulating the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart). He expressed some very interesting ideas, many of which I agree with. There are probably other areas that he talked about where I would place a slightly different emphasis. None the less, the important thing that we will agree on in this debate is that we need not only an adequate supply but a full...

Teaching Standards (England) (7 Jul 2009)

Annette Brooke: Again, we have to go right back to basics. We have a problem, in that there are so few schools that offer the three sciences separately. We have to go back to that before we can bring forward an adequate supply of good science teachers. Obviously, many things can be done with continuous professional development. Training can be topped up. When I was teaching, I did not necessarily always...