Contributions
1,309 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q I want to ask about elective home education, but first, very quickly, we are going to legislate in this Bill for the provision of breakfast at primary schools. Has either of…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q I am conscious that we are short of time. This Bill is really like two Bills, with the children and social care section and the schools section. Were there discussions about…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Ah. Catherine McKinnell: It is very important that we use it. We are a Government on a mission, and we have a lot of things to do.21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)It would be the whole school, as it is now under the school breakfast programme. Mark Russell: Yes. With limited resources, I would probably have targeted it more at those most in…21 Jan 2025HANSARD New Hospital Programme ReviewThis announcement will come as a terrible blow to the people served by Basingstoke and North Hampshire hospital, particularly after the very personal commitment made by the now…20 Jan 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hugely increased housing target for East Hampshire gets further skewed by the extent of its overlap with a national park. Will the Housing Minister meet me to discuss our…20 Jan 2025HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) BillThere are problems with all taxes, which is why we end up with a blend of taxes. For businesses, there is tax on payroll, sales, profits and property. However, business rates are…15 Jan 2025HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) BillWell, I did refer at the start of my speech to the calls over the years for reform. I also said that there are problems with all taxes we levy on individuals or on business and…15 Jan 2025HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) BillAs ever, my hon. Friend is spot on. In the end, there is no such thing as a tax on business—you cannot tax a business; you can only tax people. Any tax on business is ultimately a…15 Jan 2025HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) BillThe hon. Gentleman is right to say that there is a challenge in making sure that things are fair, and we all support a level playing field between the online world and…15 Jan 2025HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) BillIt is worth reflecting that the education budget goes up every year. It does not go up because there has been a change to business rates, VAT or anything else, which is the logic…15 Jan 2025HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) BillWould the hon. Gentleman like to reflect on what he has just said, which is that the proportion of children going to private schools has stayed constant? Even the Government’s own…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Agricultural and Business Property ReliefBefore my right hon. Friend goes on too much further, I wonder whether he agrees that another effect of this is that, at a time when we need to unlock growth and productivity, it…14 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Social Media AccountsIt is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Twigg. I join colleagues in thanking the petitioners, and Ellen Roome in particular, for initiating the petition and enabling this…13 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Social Media AccountsThe Minister spoke earlier about age limits. I was not sure if she had finished responding to Members’ comments and questions, and whether she would be able to comment on not only…13 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Social Media AccountsWill the hon. Lady write to me?13 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI am sure that today Labour MPs will cheer what they see as the final demise of the Gove-Gibb reforms, but the Bill before us reverses far further back than that. If this Bill…08 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for letting the House know that the new Labour party still rejects synthetic phonics, which has the most remarkable depth of evidence behind…08 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI am grateful to Labour colleagues for their interventions, and for telling this House and the country what they need to know. All these successful schools and trusts have been…08 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillThe hon. Gentleman should have added the GCSE numbers to the numbers for technical and vocational qualifications, otherwise it is misleading. We all want kids to study the…08 Jan 2025