Speeches by Voaden.

“Thank you. I will quickly follow up with Lydia. In your written evidence, you said—you have just gone over it—that the current patchwork of entitlement is complicated, fragmented, difficult for parents to understand, and difficult for local authorities and childcare providers to navigate. What would be your proposed so…”

“We are going to move on to talk about the funding in a minute. Sarah, what is your main concern about access?”

“I would like to move on to talk about access to childcare and affordability. “Giving every child the best start in life” restates the Government’s mission to ensure that a child’s background does not determine their future success. You have all voiced concerns that the most disadvantaged children will not benefit suffi…”

“Given the horrendous, apocalyptic scenes we are seeing in Sudan, and the fact that 25 million people are now estimated to be in acute hunger, does the Minister still think it was right for the Government to cut our overseas development aid budget? Can he commit to the House that the Government will increase it back to …”

“We welcome the Government’s ambition to see arts and outdoor enrichment education included at the heart of the school curriculum, and we have some phenomenal outdoor ed going on in South Devon. We have long called for a broadened EBacc including arts subjects, but without clear incentives to encourage or require their …”

“2. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to banking services in rural areas.”

“When Labour was in opposition, its shadow Economic Secretary, the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Tulip Siddiq), welcomed measures to protect access to cash, but was concerned about the fact that they did “nothing to protect essential face-to-face banking services.”—[Official Report, 26 June 2023; Vol. 735, c. …”

“This debate has reminded me of the maiden speeches we heard last year. We have had a really good tour of the country, taking in Animal shops, fun palaces and all sorts of stuff. It has been great to talk about high streets, which are more than just shopping streets. They shape how people feel about where they live. Whe…”

“Nearly 100,000 jobs have been lost in hospitality since the last Budget. Does the hon. Member agree that if that number of jobs had been lost in the steel industry or a car plant, it would have been front-page news day after day for weeks on end? Yet almost nothing is said about the jobs lost in hospitality, because th…”

“I recently met about 20 independent local traders in Totnes who are furious that the last bank in town will close in January and that Link has refused to consider a banking hub. My businesses and constituents—1,100 of them have signed a petition—deserve better. The Prime Minister just told the hon. Member for Blyth and…”

“Hope Cove lifeboat station in my constituency is considering purchasing a new rescue boat, which could cost in excess of £220,000—a vast amount of money for such a small organisation. Does the hon. Member agree that a specific grant scheme should be introduced to help independent lifeboat stations with capital expendit…”

“The Government obviously have good intentions about improving the standard of post 16-education; I have seen that for myself on the Education Committee, so I do not doubt their intentions. However, this decision feels like levelling down rather than levelling up. Does my hon. Friend agree that instead of removing the o…”

“Will the hon. Lady give way?”

“The hon. Member talks about redeploying funding so that it can be spread across the landscape to improve 16-to-19 education, but we are talking about 0.004% of the education budget. Does she think that the tiny amount of funding that goes into the IB would make any difference at all if it were spread across the entire …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover) for bringing forward this debate. The international baccalaureate sets a global benchmark for education. It is trusted by universities, employers and educators worldwide as a mark of acad…”

“Looking at the school rebuilding programme, in October 2024, the BBC reported that only 62 contracts out of 500 projects under the school rebuilding programme had been awarded, and the ISBL has said that at current rates, it will take 400 years to rebuild all schools. Would you explain the reasons for delays in awardin…”

“Minister, how good do you think the information is that your Department holds on the condition of the school estate?”

“Looking at the school rebuilding programme, in October 2024, the BBC reported that only 62 contracts out of 500 projects under the school rebuilding programme had been awarded, and the ISBL has said that at current rates, it will take 400 years to rebuild all schools. Would you explain the reasons for delays in awardin…”

“I have a question for you all. Do you believe that schools are safe and fit for purpose?”

“I just have a follow-up question for Chris. In 2023, the National Audit Office identified RAAC, system-built blocks and asbestos as the three principal risks on the school estate. Would you agree?”