Speeches by Voaden.

“So it is a start, and it is going to keep getting better?”

“Prior to last week’s talks with leaders of the British overseas territories, concerning reports suggested that the Government were planning to cave in to pressure from the British Virgin Islands, the epicentre of billions of pounds of tax evasion, and allow it to restrict public access to a register of company share ow…”

“The Government have said that all schools should take steps to prohibit the use of smartphones during the school day, but they do not support an outright ban on smartphones in schools. As I told the Prime Minister, I recently hosted a roundtable with headteachers of secondary schools who spoke about the transformationa…”

“In July, the Secretary of State promised a better SEND system, with strengthened support, improved access and more funding, yet even a charitable interpretation of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s analysis of the Government’s decision, announced at the Budget, to absorb SEND funding into core budgets shows severa…”

“I am interested in this proposal, but I wonder whether it will be applicable to council areas that do not yet have a mayor and may not have a mayor for some time. Will they still have the power to impose an overnight visitor levy?”

“Universities are worried about the impact of this levy because they are so dependent on international students, and the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said it is likely to be self-defeating, robbing universities of both talent and funds. Do you disagree with that?”

“I am sure that nobody in this room would disagree with you that reintroducing maintenance grants is a good idea to balance out the disadvantage gap in higher education. I am fully behind that. However, there is a question about this elasticity. Going back to the Public First data, it says that your figures are based on…”

“I would like to ask you about the student levy. The immigration White Paper says the levy will only have a limited impact on student numbers and sector revenue. However, Public First’s assessment says that it will have a very damaging impact. We have heard directly from universities that they will not be able to pass o…”

“The trend for last year is up, but we do not know what will happen next year. Anyway, moving on from that, the Committee heard when it was in Warwick, that they felt that student recruitment was in decline across the whole sector. They spoke of negative messages from the Government about immigration. Participants share…”

“The numbers are more than last year, but they are lower than 2022-23, so we are seeing a downward trend. When the Committee—”

“The Government have stated that international students are welcome in the UK, and that is something that you have just repeated to us this morning. Could you share with us some examples of recent policy changes that have been designed to support and encourage international students to come and study here?”

“Finally and quickly on that, is it up to the student to find another course or is there any mechanism for the collapsing institution?”

“To clarify, there is not any framework or legislation that exists at the moment that says we will protect students in this situation. You mentioned Schumacher, which just happens to be in my constituency. There were international students who had given up accommodation, given up their jobs, moved to the UK, arrived in …”

“If a university does declare insolvency, what actually happens under the current legal framework? Who takes control and what protections currently exist for students and staff?”

“New clause 10, which I tabled, would require the Secretary of State to re-establish the community ownership fund, to which strategic authorities can apply for funding. We have heard from lots of Members in the House today about the value of their local community-owned businesses. Community-owned spaces are of immense e…”

“We all agree on the need to get aid urgently into Gaza now. Research from famine in world war two shows the lasting impact of famine, even on unborn foetuses; it cannot later be erased or reversed. Famine can also lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Does the hon. Member agree that Israel must allow the unrestr…”

“Q2. Given the Government’s desire to improve our children’s educational outcomes and wellbeing, they are ignoring the elephant in the room. This morning I hosted a powerful roundtable with three secondary headteachers who spoke about the transformational effect that a complete ban on smartphones in their schools had ha…”

“As far as I am aware, we have done.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I thank the hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) for securing this debate. He outlined some horrific stories of neglect and appalling treatment of children with SEND. I am not from Kent—I am from Devon—but all I can say is that I re…”

“I think my office might already have done that. I will check.”