Speeches by Voaden.

“Many families are waiting a year or more for a plan and are choosing to put their child in a private setting so that they can get some education in the meantime. There has been no impact assessment done on parents who just make that decision without having the plan in place. Is that correct?”

“What impact assessment has been made about the impact of the VAT on private schools on the SEND capacity in state schools if those children are then removed from private schools and put into the state system?”

“I welcome the theory of simplifying local government, but I am concerned about the pace at which the Government are trying to move. Devon has a very complicated landscape, with Labour-run cities, a Conservative-run county and many Liberal Democrat districts. Conflicting proposals have already been submitted to the Gove…”

“I would like to talk about the national funding formula. In Devon, where I come from, a school with 1,000 pupils would receive £8 million a year. In London, a school of the same size would receive £12 million a year, so a 33% difference in funding. What is your assessment of how the national funding formula currently w…”

“We can see it has been successful in many councils. Is there a timeline—you are looking at it, but what does that mean?”

“Yes, we know about breakfast clubs but I was asking you about free school meals auto-enrolment. Is there any plan to roll that out?”

“Obviously, everybody is not going to get everything on their wish list all over the country and there are lots of different demands, but it would appear that a bit more equity across the piece would, I would assume, be something you would like to see.”

“Recent estimates from the IFS indicate that growth in per pupil funding in 2025-26, 2.8% in cash terms, will not cover the expected increase in school costs. We know that some councils are asking to take money away from schools to secure the safety valve funding. In Devon they are talking about 0.5%. If this is done, s…”

“The previous Government published guidance on prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools but they stopped short of an outright ban. Given the rising evidence we are seeing about the harm that mobile phones cause to children and young people, do you support a ban on mobile phones in schools?”

“Are you considering further controls on social media use for children and other ways of protecting them from online harm?”

“I am very grateful to be able to speak in this debate, which was prompted by Ellen Roome’s petition, although I am extremely sorry that any of us needs to be here at all. I pay tribute to Ellen and all the other families in the Bereaved Families for Online Safety network for their tireless campaigning. A week before Ch…”

“No, I do not believe that goes far enough. There should be a legal right to access that data without having to go through any complaints process, particularly at a time when one is struggling with the worst bereavement imaginable. The petition seeks to address that gap in law and ensure that, in the tragic event of a c…”

“I could not agree more. What is becoming obvious is the impact of children being on their phones late at night, which affects their sleep—even that has a knock-on effect on how well they can operate. Parents across my South Devon constituency are desperate to protect their children, but they are overwhelmed by the digi…”

“A fantastic organisation in my South Devon constituency called Child Assault Prevention, which I worked with when I worked for Devon Rape Crisis, had to close its doors two years ago because its funding was cut by the previous Government. It was doing vital work with primary school children, teaching them about the dan…”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“Will the hon. Lady give way?”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“Large areas of rural South Hams in my constituency of South Devon are still struggling with almost prehistoric broadband speeds. The company that was tasked with rolling out full-fibre broadband was astonishingly allowed to walk away from its contract after building the easy urban bits, leaving all the hard-to-reach ar…”

“I wish you, Mr Speaker, and all the House staff, a very merry Christmas. Following on from the hon. Member for Calder Valley (Josh Fenton-Glynn), next year I will be taking part in a strictly dancing competition for my local Rowcroft Hospice. However, I am pretty sure that, even if all the Members in this House sponsor…”

“I welcome the Government’s statement and their attention to local government finances. Delivering services in large, dispersed rural areas such as mine in South Devon is challenging and costly. What plans does the Minister have to ensure that rural local authorities will be allocated additional funding to manage the ex…”