Contributions
269 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLocal Bus Services: Travel to SchoolRural communities in towns and villages such as Holwell in my constituency, which I visited last week, often depend on buses for their day-to-day life and for getting their…21 Nov 2024HANSARDPolice ReformFor too long, far too many of my towns and villages have had to endure rising levels of antisocial behaviour, such as people riding unsafe bikes through village centres, and an…20 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersAbsolutely. Since they took office, we have seen from the new Secretary of State, the Minister and the Government an urgency that, finally, is starting to meet the needs of the…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI completely agree with my hon. Friend, who, with typically great foresight, has alluded to one of the points I hope to touch on later in my speech.13 Nov 2024HANSARDEngagementsNot a week goes by when my office is not contacted by young people and their families who are being let down by the shocking state of SEN provision locally. In my constituency, I…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for kinship carers. It is, as always, a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Pritchard. I start by welcoming…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersLet me make some progress, in order to ensure that I give the Minister time to respond. I will briefly highlight three areas where we would welcome further consideration and…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI thank the hon. Member for making incredibly poignant remarks, as he always does in these debates. I think I have yet to attend a debate here where he has not brought something…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI thank my hon. Friend for that powerful intervention. It highlights the breadth of support we need to be considering for kinship carers—not just the pilots that have already been…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI thank my hon. Friend for his powerful intervention. It is important to recognise the urgency. We have inherited a situation in which one in eight kinship carers are worried that…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI hope the hon. Lady knows that I will always be an ambitious advocate for kinship carers. I have met my match in the Minister, who is a very ambitious advocate for them too. I…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI absolutely echo those sentiments. It cannot be right that young people who have gone through exactly the same level of trauma or difficulties early in their life can get very…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI will give way to both my hon. Friends, then I will have to make some progress.13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersI thank my hon. Friend for his powerful point. He rightly highlights that financial support is a crucial part of the package that kinship carers need. I am really excited that the…13 Nov 2024HANSARD Kinship CarersAbsolutely. The new kinship care ambassador and the guidance for local authorities that was brought out earlier this year will be important in delivering that, as will making sure…13 Nov 2024HANSARDHousehold Support Fund: Extension15. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the extension of the household support fund in 2025-26 on low-income households.11 Nov 2024HANSARDHousehold Support Fund: ExtensionI welcome the Government’s decision to provide more than £1 billion in new funding for the household support fund, extending it all the way through next year, and to give much…11 Nov 2024HANSARD Rail PerformanceCommuters at Arlesey and Hitchin stations in my constituency are driven to despair by the shocking state of Thameslink services, with delays and cancellations an all too frequent…11 Nov 2024HANSARDDefence: 2.5% GDP Spending CommitmentI had the privilege of starting my day in Shefford, just up the road from the Chicksands base in my constituency, marking Armistice Day with local veterans and the wider…11 Nov 2024HANSARDSmall Boat CrossingsThis Government inherited a situation on our borders in which there was failure on all fronts. There were record numbers of tragic deaths in the channel, millions wasted on the…06 Nov 2024