Speeches by Furniss.

“I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called to speak.”

“I call Chris Vince, who has two minutes to wind up the debate.”

“T6. I have often raised the importance of further education and the transformative impact it can have. I know that the Minister and the Secretary of State share my belief in excellent education for all, instead of the broken skills system that the Tories left behind. To that end, what steps is the Minister taking to en…”

“Order. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. I also remind them that interventions are meant to be very brief if we are to allow everyone to speak in this big debate.”

“Order. I ask Members to keep strictly to three minutes. You are going over that limit and speaking other people out. If you cannot keep to the limit, we will have to put the timer on, and you will be cut short.”

“There are still many of you wishing to speak, so I will restrict you each to two minutes because we want to hear a response from the Minister and the spokespeople. I call Alison Hume.”

“About 10 Members have indicated that they wish to speak or intervene, which is unusual in a 30-minute debate. To make a speech in this debate, a Back Bencher must have the leave of the Member in charge, Ms Kyrke-Smith, and of the Minister. Obviously, there also needs to be time enough. If you wish to make a speech as o…”

“Members should stand if they wish to speak. You have a very short amount of time.”

“I was delighted recently to visit Chaucer school, a great school in my constituency with fantastic young people and innovative and motivated teaching staff, but 14 years of Tory government did not do enough for more than 300,000 children across the country attending schools that are stuck and kept receiving poor Ofsted…”

“We have quite a lot of speakers, so I will limit speeches to three minutes each so that everyone will get an opportunity to get in the debate. I reiterate that interventions should be brief so that colleagues get the opportunities that they are here for.”

“I am grateful for this opportunity to raise the plight of women with endometriosis and the everyday struggles they face in the workplace. Endometriosis was first identified in 1860, but progress in improving the lives of women suffering from it has moved at a glacial pace since then. As the Women and Equalities Committ…”

“Absolutely, and I will come to that shortly. That leaves women feeling dismissed, ignored and belittled by the very people who should be helping them. The result is that it takes almost nine years on average to get a diagnosis of endometriosis in the UK. I therefore look forward to hearing from the Minister on the step…”

“I am sorry; I have got to make progress. I do not underestimate the task for Ministers in fixing our NHS after it was left in tatters by the previous Government. Waiting lists for gynaecological care have grown faster than those for any other specialty in recent years, leaving many women in agony. The women’s health st…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right—that is what we are talking about. For many years, the APPG was chaired by our dear friend David Amess. David campaigned tirelessly for improvements to endometriosis care, and he will forever remain on our minds as we continue his legacy.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that point, and I completely agree. Although the Employment Rights Bill does require large employers to publish equality action plans, there is no specific mention of reproductive conditions. What discussions is the Minister having with her colleagues in the Department for Business and Trade …”

“I completely agree, and it has serious consequences. Women may need to have a stoma because of the damage done to their bowels. The right hon. Member and I have both met quite young women their 20s who have needed to have hysterectomies and will never be able to bear a child. Endometriosis should not mean that women ha…”

“I thank my hon. Friend. The average length of time taken is now eight years, which is not good. Many women feel unable to speak openly about endometriosis as they would other conditions, as if it were something to be ashamed of. Research shows that 23% of women take time off work because of period health issues while 8…”

“I thank the right hon. Member for that intervention, and I absolutely agree. I pay tribute to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and to the right hon. Member for the efforts he has put in over many years. Stigma and a lack of awareness by employers means that reproductive health conditions can have a significant effect on wome…”

“I thank the hon. Member for that point. The issue has been known about for a long time. The women’s health strategy, published in 2022, painted a picture of what workplaces should be like over the next 10 years, arguing that women should “feel able to speak openly about their health and to be confident that they will b…”

“I will call Sonia Kumar, and then I will call the Minister to respond. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention for 30-minute debates.”