Esther McVey: My hon. Friend raises a point that is made time and again: the pain and suffering caused to people when there must be a further autopsy on a body-once, twice or three times. In those instances it is felt that the perpetrators of the crime get a better deal, and the victims' families are often left without adequate help and support. Such help and support are vital to enable them to come to...
Esther McVey: I apologise, Mrs Main. It is often charities and voluntary organisations that provide help and support to victims-often with no funding. So far I have discussed procedural inequalities that need to be addressed, but I want to move now to consider policy areas. As times change, so must laws, to reflect the society and times we live in. I fully appreciate the delicate balance of laws, and the...
Esther McVey: I thank my hon. Friend and entirely believe that that is the case. There is a need for education about responsibilities and the consequences of actions. Something that is frequently highlighted is the fact that the kids of the street know their rights but do not take care of their responsibilities to themselves or their community. We need to tell them that brutal, marauding gangs will not go...
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Roman Catholic schools which become academies may retain selective admissions criteria.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the articles of association of an Academy Trust operating a Catholic school allow (a) a majority of foundation governors to be appointed by a religious trusteeship and (b) the posts of headteacher, deputy headteacher and head of religious education to be reserved for practising Catholics.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Catholic schools which wish to achieve academy status may retain the right to select a proportion of pupils on the basis of their Catholic faith.
Esther McVey: As my right hon. Friend would like to see that work, let me invite him, as a good friend of Merseyside, to come up to Wirral and see our apprenticeship scheme in action.
Esther McVey: The hon. Lady and I are on opposite sides of the House, but our constituencies are next to each other, and on this matter we stand side by side. We both talk very passionately about youth unemployment and apprenticeships, and she will no doubt know that I am taking on an apprentice. However, Labour's legacy is dire. Labour brought about the highest number of young people aged between 18 and...
Esther McVey: The fact that this matter has not been resolved for so long is an absolute disgrace, and I congratulate the coalition on the fact that it will deal with it so swiftly. It is vital that the compensation given should be suitable and satisfactory to all the victims of Equitable Life. Going forward and looking at the bigger picture, we need to consider pensions as a whole. What does this issue...
Esther McVey: I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith) for this debate. Engagement with the public is vital, particularly now. We need to know that we can hold our elected representatives to account. In respect of the recall mechanism and direct democracy, is there not a need for greater sanctions within the establishment as a whole so that the public can see what goes on in the...
Esther McVey: I would like to add my voice to my hon. Friend's concerns; I have first-hand knowledge of such matters because 60,000 people across Wirral came out and protested when their libraries were threatened with closure. However, does my hon. Friend agree that we must modernise libraries and make them an amenity for the whole community and everybody within it?
Esther McVey: I am delighted that the hon. Lady has raised this issue in the Chamber tonight, because I have worked with women in business for the past 10 years. On everything that she talks about-every consequence, every dilemma and every situation that women are in-she has to look to her Government and ask why we are in this disastrous economic state, and she has to bear the responsibility for what is...
Esther McVey: My point is that we have to move forward, and the Conservative party is looking at how to get the 150,000 women who are not setting up businesses-when compared with the number of men who are-to do so. That would be worth £7 billion to the economy. What would the hon. Lady's advice be to women on how to even out the economy?
Esther McVey: Will the hon. Lady give way?
Esther McVey: The latest figures for business start-ups estimate that men start up 150,000 more businesses than women. If the same number of women as men were setting up businesses, £7 billion would be added to the economy. What is my right hon. Friend going to do to help women set up in business?
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Justice an increase in support for NHS staff treating mental health patients in the Prison Service.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to support the PRIME initiative of events and training to return older people to work.
Esther McVey: Will the Minister give way?
Esther McVey: Does my hon. Friend agree that we will increase the status of apprenticeships by introducing the apprenticeship rate tied in with the minimum wage from October 2010?
Esther McVey: I want to pick up on the point about the Wirral apprenticeships raised by the hon. Member for Wirral South (Alison McGovern). Although we are doing well in Wirral, we are seriously over-subscribed. Last year, more than 1,000 young people submitted 3,117 applications to the fewer than 150 businesses involved. To move forward, we are looking to build on something that has done so well. Do...