Speeches by Paffey.

“I probably should have declared the interest that I worked in a university for 20 years. I appreciate your answers on that. You were very clear with universities when you removed the fee freeze that you expected more in terms of widening participation and other measures and that more would come. As part of that reform,…”

“Turning to higher education, I know you are very alive to the challenge of higher education funding and you announced the measure to remove the freeze on fees. Even taking into account that measure, the Office for Students has warned that three-quarters of universities and other higher education settings could be in fi…”

“Secretary of State, the condition of school buildings, certainly in my constituency and across the country, was a source of huge concern in the last Parliament. We had the RAAC crisis, what funding there was was limited and my experience was certainly that that tended to be more readily available to preferred models of…”

“Thank you, Mr Vickers—so keen was I to support the clause that I tried to speak to it too early. I appreciate your forbearance. Clause 3 has my full support. As I mentioned, I live in an area served by Southern Water. The citizen scientists on the River Itchen have done such good work that they regularly and consistent…”

“rose—”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I rise to speak in support of clause 3, which deals with defining emergency overflows and reporting requirements. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye, I have the great fortune to live on the south coast and the great misfortune of being in t…”

“I share my hon. Friend’s shock and disgust at not only what people are suffering, but the entirely avoidable reasons why people are becoming ill. There are so many benefits to what the clause and the wider Bill can achieve, not just on the issues that Members on both sides of the House have mentioned in relation to tru…”

“The very real and transformational merits of the Bill are clear. Measures on branded uniforms and free breakfast clubs will help families in Southampton Itchen and put money back in their pockets. Registering children who are not in school and having a unique number for every child will help multiple agencies to safegu…”

“Are you saying they are a tool that will help you, but in the wider context of sufficiency and capacity?”

“On registered children’s homes, we have an almost comparable problem to schools accepting more SEND children and then being penalised by the inspection and the judgment system. The independent review of children’s social care found that there are registered homes where they can meet their needs, but they are reluctant …”

“Back on unregistered children’s homes, which you just mentioned, we have the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which proposes to give Ofsted the power to fine those who operate unregistered children’s homes. What is your view on whether those powers go far enough to help Ofsted deal with the problem of unregistere…”

“Let us turn to special educational needs, which you have rightly identified as the most pressing issue on all fronts at the moment. You said a moment ago that Ofsted should want any of the settings that you are inspecting to be taking the most vulnerable children, and that you should be judging that accordingly. The pr…”

“As a former cabinet member at Southampton City Council, I cannot remember when or how many but I certainly have a number of ILACS and other inspection experiences.”

“Thank you. We will pick that up in six months.”

“That is helpful, thank you.”

“I want to ask about foster care. I should probably declare an interest in that I grew up in foster care, so I am particularly interested in this. James, you have called for a foster care strategy to sit alongside the adoption and kinship care strategies. I will begin with you, but I am interested in others too. In your…”

“There are a few Members looking at possibly forming an APPG on care leaving as a protected characteristic, so it would be good to carry on that conversation. My question is about best practice. We are talking very much about policy, but in best practice, where should we be looking for successful care leaving offers and…”

“I have one follow-up question on the latest DFE paper, which does mention—I think James said this—the move towards more regional recruitment hubs. What impact is that likely to have? Is that a silver bullet?”

“Some of the issues there you have mentioned, particularly pay and support, are also coming through in discussions about kinship care, so perhaps there is scope to look at it together. Thank you. There were some very good details there.”

“It is a pleasure to welcome this much-needed legislation. A couple of weeks ago, I visited Bitterne Park primary school, which is just across the River Itchen from Southern Water’s treatment works. I met the school’s Eco Warriors, an inspiring group of schoolchildren who are passionate about improving their environment…”