Contributions
281 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren’s Care Home Providers: Financial OversightThe Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce a financial oversight scheme for children’s social care. That will increase the transparency of children’s social care…19 Jan 2026HANSARDChildren’s Care Home Providers: Financial OversightI welcome the hon. Member’s interest in this issue, and the reports from the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee. Children’s social care issues looked at…19 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hospitality industry is hugely important. Nothing has been decided on defunding apprenticeships yet. I recognise all my hon. Friend’s points, and we share her ambition that…19 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI compliment my hon. Friend’s local leadership in High Peak. To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships,…19 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend has been leading local efforts on this issue, for which I pay tribute to him. The Government stand ready to support local higher education institutions where…19 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI share some of those concerns; this is an important issue. I have asked officials to meet the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to better understand the issues in the…19 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend for raising that important point. The Government are focused on protecting support and increasing it for those who need it most, which is why we are…19 Jan 2026HANSARDUniversities: Statutory Duty of CareI thank my hon. Friend for highlighting that. I welcome his intervention, given that he has not had a chance to mention Kieran’s story and Manjo’s experience as his mum in a…13 Jan 2026HANSARDUniversities: Statutory Duty of CareThe taskforce’s job is to look at the whole system that sits around universities, and the OfS is a crucial part of that, so it will be in scope of that work. Let me turn to the…13 Jan 2026HANSARDUniversities: Statutory Duty of CareIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I recognise the profound pain felt by families who have lost loved ones in higher education. I thank my hon.…13 Jan 2026HANSARD Higher Education: Government SupportI would like to express my gratitude to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend East and Rochford (Mr Alaba) for securing the debate. He has a dedicated record of 15 years of…12 Jan 2026HANSARD Length of the School WeekIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. Happy new year to one and all. I congratulate the young person who started this petition for securing this debate; it…05 Jan 2026HANSARDChild Protection AuthorityToday Government have launched a public consultation on the Child Protection Authority for England, a new national body with one clear purpose: to protect children. In addition to…11 Dec 2025HANSARDFranchising in Higher Education Consultation: Government ResponseToday I am announcing the publication of the Government response https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/franchising-in-higher-education to the consultation on franchising in…09 Dec 2025HANSARD Self-employed Adoptive Parents: Statutory SupportI thank the hon. Member for South West Devon (Rebecca Smith) for securing this debate and highlighting these important issues. Having spoken to her in our first week in this place…08 Dec 2025HANSARD Self-employed Adoptive Parents: Statutory SupportI am pleased that the parental leave and pay review is looking at these issues as part of its work, and I encourage Members to engage with the review as it continues. The…08 Dec 2025HANSARD Self-employed Adoptive Parents: Statutory SupportI thank the hon. Member for those questions. I will directly answer the questions that the hon. Member for South West Devon asked in a moment, but I take the broader point about…08 Dec 2025HANSARDFree School ApplicationsThere is a very simple answer to that question: the last Government left us with crumbling school buildings and a limited capital budget to allocate across the entire school…01 Dec 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsIf my hon. Friend writes to me with the details, I would be very happy to speak to colleagues at the Department for Transport.01 Dec 2025HANSARDAdoption and Special Guardianship Support FundWe want to ensure a sustainable, long-term future for adoption support in this country. I will set out plans in the near future that will hopefully address a number of the…01 Dec 2025