Contributions
1,361 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDViolence against Christians: Central African CountriesIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Sharma. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing such an important debate. I commend him for his…23 Sept 2021HANSARD Timpson Review of School ExclusionAs ever, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Warrington South (Andy Carter) and for Eddisbury (Edward…16 Sept 2021HANSARD Timpson Review of School ExclusionI thank the hon. Member for that very good point. It is true and it is one of the things that I have spoken about at length over the past year and a half with the former Mental…16 Sept 2021HANSARDChildcareI thank the hon. Lady for her question. When it comes to the take-up of the two-year-old offer, which is particularly targeted at disadvantaged backgrounds, there is a huge…13 Sept 2021HANSARDChildcareIt is an absolute pleasure to serve again under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I would like to begin by congratulating the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North (Catherine…13 Sept 2021HANSARDChildcareI think it is extremely important that businesses involved in the childcare sector pay the national minimum wage. The 8p and 6p an hour by which, as I said, we have increased the…13 Sept 2021HANSARDChildcareI thank the hon. Member for her great interest in this subject. We see the number of providers joining and entering the market through the Ofsted register, and we have looked at…13 Sept 2021HANSARDChildcareI really want to get some of this on the record because it is important to providers. Between June and December last year, a lower proportion of childcare providers leaving the…13 Sept 2021HANSARDChildcareHang on, this is important. We do not recognise the description of a 35% increase in closures. Between August 2020 and March 2021, approximately 2,000 settings joined the early…13 Sept 2021HANSARDChildcareI will give way to the hon. Lady, but before I do so I want to congratulate her on her beautiful baby. I hope she is getting a bit of rest.13 Sept 2021HANSARDGender Disparity in Educational AttainmentThe situation in Afghanistan, especially for girls and women, is extremely worrying; the Prime Minister is due to make a statement immediately after these proceedings. We are…06 Sept 2021HANSARDGender Disparity in Educational AttainmentMy hon. Friend is right to highlight the benefits of early reading for a child’s later learning. I know how much he has enjoyed reading with his son. In England, we achieved the…06 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank all those hon. Members who visited their HAF programmes this summer. They had so much fun and I am delighted that participation was so high. It is the first time that we…06 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Ofsted data from March shows a 4% dip in the number of childcare providers since 31 August, which is a fall largely driven by childminders and carers, not nursery settings.…06 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe have increased the high needs budget by a record £2.3 billion, which is over a third over the past three years. We are also making good progress with the special educational…06 Sept 2021HANSARDGender Disparity in Educational AttainmentThe greatest disparity in educational attainment is due to levels of advantage and special educational needs. The Government have therefore focused on raising standards for all…06 Sept 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsI absolutely agree that we need to have more for our young people to do, which is why it has been so brilliant over the summer to see our amazing holiday activities and food…06 Sept 2021HANSARDSpecial Educational Needs and DisabilitiesOn 20 July, the Department for Education confirmed it will be continuing the extended powers given to the SEND tribunal to hear appeals and make non-binding recommendations about…20 Jul 2021HANSARD Children and Families: Cross-Government StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for his support for family hubs. I have a little bit of constituency pride—my family hub, the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service, which supports the…14 Jul 2021HANSARD Children and Families: Cross-Government StrategyIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (David Simmonds) on securing this important…14 Jul 2021