Contributions
83 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWinter Fuel Payment: Pensioner Poverty7. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of means-testing the winter fuel payment on levels of pensioner poverty.03 Feb 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Seventh sitting)Has the Department conducted any analysis differentiating those students who are disadvantaged and on free school meals, or considered disadvantaged, and those who are not? The…30 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Seventh sitting)When I was a governor of a primary school, I found that an unintended consequence of underfunded breakfast clubs was parents accruing ludicrous amounts of debt. There are no…30 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q Do you think school improvement is best delivered at the Department for Education in a big office somewhere, or in a school with people on location? Julie McCulloch: I think…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q That is an interesting point, Sir Martyn. You had the freedom to hire a teacher when you saw fit. We have just heard that the Government intend this Bill to be predominantly…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q I want to talk about school improvement. Paul, I think you said earlier that you were confident in the RISE teams as a policy. When we FOI-ed commitments to the RISE teams, we…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q You spoke about the importance of intent and accountability in driving school improvement, yet the Bill tilts the balance back towards giving responsibility to local…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q How do you see the role of local authorities with multi-academy trusts? Are they just replacing what was already going on? Paul Whiteman: Unfortunately, local academy trusts…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q Will this Bill see fewer schools becoming academies going forward? Sir Jon Coles: I am not sure.21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q I completely agree on the need for stable safeguarding teams, and they are in the better interests of children, but can you completely rule out any risk that a statutory cap on…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q Family group decision making is a well-evidenced practice, yet this Bill mandates it. Do we really need a Bill to mandate it, especially considering that a lot of children come…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q For what it is worth. Luke Sparkes, do you have anything to add on top of that? Luke Sparkes: I do not have a huge amount to add beyond agreeing with what colleagues have said.…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q You have sat there and given evidence on your interpretation of why you guys have been very successful in turning schools around. The Bill takes away a lot of the freedoms that…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (Second sitting)Q If it takes away the automatic academy order— Sir Jon Coles: I would like to see what the Government’s policy underpinning this is. What is the Government’s school improvement…21 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren's Wellbeing and Schools Bill (First sitting)Q What about children who are at risk of neglect at the hands of the carer? Do you think family group decision making is an appropriate step that a child safeguarding team should…21 Jan 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsSuffolk has a huge flooding problem. Part of the problem has been driven by overdevelopment in low-lying rural areas. In her steps to reform the planning system—as well as…20 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Finances: Borrowing CostsI have heard that the Minister is the future, but all he wants to talk about is the past. The fact of the matter is that, today, borrowing costs are up, business confidence is…09 Jan 2025HANSARDPolice Funding: CambridgeshireAs we have just had a debate on child sexual exploitation, it is worth mentioning that we are seeing the nature of crime in rural areas change very quickly, and that the challenge…06 Jan 2025HANSARDPolice Funding: CambridgeshireMy hon. Friend is making an interesting point about the reality of policing in a rural area. My constituency has one of the most consistently underfunded police forces in the…06 Jan 2025HANSARDFloodingThere are loads of landowners in Suffolk who want to take steps to mitigate flooding. The problem is they need a flood risk assessment permit, but FRAPs are expensive and hard to…06 Jan 2025