Contributions
1,747 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBullying and Harassment of MPs’ Parliamentary StaffThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. He has followed this closely, and he will recall that, during the working group’s investigations, it was clear that we needed to take…17 Jul 2019HANSARDBullying and Harassment of MPs’ Parliamentary StaffIt is a pleasure to speak in this important debate today, following the publication of Gemma White QC’s report last week. I would first like to pay tribute to her for the…17 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportIt is fantastic to see you in your place for the final bit of the debate, Mr Speaker. I can paraphrase what it has been about as “all you need is love”, and I know that you would…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportI am grateful for your advice, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I absolutely do understand your point. I know that you are very sympathetic, and I will hurry up. The second key…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportI am grateful to the hon. Lady. It has been a great experience. When I became City Minister, I was so sorry to learn that I had to drop all trusteeships and the all-party groups…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportI am grateful for your guidance, Mr Deputy Speaker. Those who go on to become abusers in 20 years’ time will all too often be vulnerable babies who are themselves being abused…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that there is a cycle of deprivation, which I will come on to discuss, but, as I said to the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportMy hon. Friend is, of course, right to say that it is possible to turn around these outcomes, but the ideal time to do it is during that first, critical 1,001 days, when the…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportOf course on one level the hon. Lady is right: having a safe place for families to meet and receive particular interventions is important. But it is not the whole picture. I will…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportThe hon. Gentleman tempts me to launch off in a completely different direction. He is right that, all too often, troubled families who have further children go on to have further…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportThe hon. Lady is right, and it is, of course, part of the upcoming comprehensive spending review. I will return to that later because, at the moment, the troubled families…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. One of the so-called “Five to thrive” is cuddling up to your baby, reading with them and looking at pictures with them. That engagement, which…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportThe right hon. Gentleman and I have worked together on this subject for many long years. I pay tribute to him for his amazing contribution in recognising the importance of secure…16 Jul 2019HANSARDEarly Years Family SupportI beg to move, That this House believes there is now overwhelming evidence of the importance of the first 1,001 critical days of a new baby’s life in determining his or her…16 Jul 2019HANSARD High Speed 2I certainly agree that HS2 needs to do much more to protect those who have been affected through no fault of their own. There has been real hardship. There are countless examples…10 Jul 2019HANSARD High Speed 2My hon. Friend makes an important point about the lack of point-to-point movement in HS2. Passengers do not end up at the Bullring in Birmingham, or in the west end of London;…10 Jul 2019HANSARD High Speed 2The hon. Gentleman mentioned that to me yesterday, and I am gravely concerned. As all right hon. and hon. Members will know, I am extremely unhappy at the prospect of…10 Jul 2019HANSARD High Speed 2The hon. Lady is right that building a train line frees up capacity for freight lines and all sorts of other things; the question is the business case for this particular project.…10 Jul 2019HANSARD High Speed 2I fear that I am very much aware of what the hon. Gentleman says, and I agree with him. Clearly, therefore, much of the capacity constraint on the west coast main line is…10 Jul 2019HANSARD High Speed 2My hon. Friend is absolutely right—we certainly need to invest in our rail infrastructure—but my question is whether HS2 is the right piece of infrastructure. The argument for the…10 Jul 2019