Jeremy Hunt: ...£63 million fund to keep our public leisure centres and pools afloat. I have also heard from the charities Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew), and his Secretary of State, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Lucy Frazer), about the brilliant work that third sector organisations are doing to help people struggling in...
Lord Fox: My Lords, I was hoping that the noble Baroness, Lady O’Grady, would leave me something to say, and I think there is a small window of opportunity. The Minister will be pleased to know that it is a small window, as I note he is on his seventh Haribo and may need further sustenance if we go on much longer. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, for coming and speaking to this. It is very...
Munira Wilson: It is a pleasure to see you back in the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Dame Andrea Leadsom), but it was slightly less of a pleasure when she reminded me of the pain of childbirth and all those sleepless nights. My children are now four and eight. She said she was freaking out potential mothers, but she was freaking me...
Aaron Bell: I am not sure whether my right hon. Friend was in the Chamber earlier when I intervened on the Secretary of State on precisely that point. This comes with a four-year entitlement. It is not perfect and people will have used up entitlement; I discussed this last week in the Tea Room with the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, who is in his place. The flexible loan is...
Baroness Hayman of Ullock: My Lords, my Amendment 7 would insert levelling-up missions into the Bill. I will also support and come to a number of other amendments in this group, and I have tabled Amendment 59 on health outcomes, which I will discuss in due course. On Monday, we heard much about the fact that, in February of last year, the Government announced their levelling up White Paper with much fanfare. I start by...
Alexander Stafford: ...the hon. Gentleman on having six grandchildren. I have only two children, Persephone and Charlotte, but one day I hope to have six grandchildren or more. I hope that they, too, will have a love of books and learning. At present, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are already behind their more affluent peers when they enter primary school. That is extremely concerning, especially...
Pam Gosal: I am delighted to be opening today’s debate for the Scottish Conservatives. The debate marks the international day of women and girls in science. As shadow minister for higher and further education, youth employment and training, and an advocate for women reaching their full potential, I have proposed an amendment to the motion. Marie Curie said: “Be less curious about people and more...
Paul Blomfield: I rise to oppose the motion to disagree with Lords amendment 10. There ought to be a basis for cross-party agreement, as there was in the Lords. I sense from many of the contributions so far that there will not be cross-party agreement, and that wiser heads are not prevailing on the Conservative Benches—those wiser heads are being kept below the parapet. I read the letter that the Minister...
Gareth Davies: I beg to move, That this House has considered children’s mental health services in Lincolnshire. As a parent, I know how strong and how special the bond that connects us to our children is. We give our time, our energy, resources and a hell of a lot of sleep without a second thought to nurture, guide and raise them. It is a love that knows no limit, and we all want our children to have the...
Baroness Barran: The government will continue to underline the importance that the UK places on defending human rights, and of speaking out and taking action where there are concerns. We need to evolve our approach to China into one of robust pragmatism, which is recognised and understood by our allies and partners. As my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, has previously said, China poses the greatest...
Claire Coutinho: The government continuously assesses threats posed to the UK. As a matter of longstanding policy, we are unable to release information regarding threat assessments, on the grounds of national security. The government is clear that any challenges to our core values, whatever their origin, will not be tolerated. Departmental officials will continue to work closely with their counterparts across...
Penny Mordaunt: I start by echoing the many sympathies and sentiments that hon. Members have expressed at the sad death of firefighter Barry Martin. I am sure all Members in the Chamber today will want to echo those sentiments. On a more cheerful note, I wish all the home nations good luck in the Six Nations, which kicks off this weekend. The Hillsborough inquiry and its findings were well done, and what we...
Nigel Evans: With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: Clause 2 stand part. Amendment 80, in clause 3, page 1, line 14, after “may”, insert “not”. The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that any consequential provision is made only by an Act of Parliament. Amendment 84, page 1, line 15, at end insert— “(1A) No such regulations shall be made without the prior...
Rob Roberts: ...) said earlier, the cost is £420-odd to process these things. I will come to the fees in a minute, but there cannot be any justification for that cost. Going back 15 years, it was a fraction of what it is now; the fees have increased at an exponential rate over the past five or six years. I am sure that the Minister can enlighten us on that later; I look forward to the answer. Of course,...
Robert Halfon: The mental health and wellbeing of students, including suicide prevention, is a government priority. The department has been working closely with higher education (HE) providers and health colleagues to ensure that students are well supported during their time at university. We expect all HE providers to take suicide prevention with the utmost seriousness, focusing on prevention, providing...
Sarah Dines: Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a government priority. VAWG is an unacceptable, preventable issue which blights the lives of millions. We have made significant progress since we published the Tackling VAWG Strategy in July 2021 and the complementary Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan in March 2022, including action to tackle the causes of these crimes. This includes supporting...
Anne-Marie Trevelyan: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford) for securing this debate to mark International Day of Education. I pay tribute to her work to drive progress on education around the world, both in her previous ministerial role and through her continued efforts as the new co-chair of the APPG on global education. My colleague, the Minister of State, Foreign,...
Robert Halfon: Under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, the department sets the Office for Student’s (OfS) registration fees, which are paid by registered higher education (HE) providers. No final decision has been made on any fee increase. The department is currently considering the level those fees should be set at for the 2023/24 academic year, to ensure that the OfS can perform its important...
Robert Halfon: In the current academic year, the government has devolved approximately 60% of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA), which are responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers. This includes Cambridgeshire and Peterborough MCA which received...
Sue Webber: I rise to speak on behalf of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. For our budget scrutiny, we chose to look at both ends of the educational spectrum: early learning and childcare, and further and higher education. August 2021 marked the introduction of the duty on local authorities to secure 1,140 hours of early learning and childcare for all three and four-year-olds and...
