Speeches by Platt.

“It is an immense privilege to speak in this debate and express my heartfelt support for Holocaust Memorial Day. This day is not merely a reflection on a single tragedy in human history; it is a time to remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust and to honour those who survived. …”

“Q7. Alongside other Greater Manchester MPs, I recently met constituents who shared distressing accounts of a spinal surgeon’s malpractice affecting many across the region. They have formed an injured staff and patient group, but despite a review, they feel that justice has not been served, and the hospital trust is yet…”

“T6. Groups such as Action for ME and Long Covid Support tirelessly advocate for improved care for over 2 million people living in the UK. How will the Minister ensure that NHS reforms deliver timely diagnosis, effective treatment and long-term support for those affected?”

“My hon. Friend is making some excellent points about our high streets. The Government’s recent move to introduce high street rental auctions is a game changer for places such as Leigh and Atherton. Local businesses such as local construction firm WJ Structures are eager to regenerate, but are often held back by obstruc…”

“Perfect. The Labour party sector plan prioritised equality of access to arts and culture, which you have mentioned earlier. What changes do you think are needed to enact that?”

“I have a tiny question with regard to education and going back to working with the different Departments. I know that you outlined how that happens in the creative industries and sports. As a point for me to make, it is down to schools where we have seen a lot of success happen. I am going to mention Keely Hodgkinson a…”

“What is the right balance between funding the elite sports, if you like, and grassroots sports that need the investment?”

“The Government have pledged £344 million over four years for the Olympics and Paralympics.”

“Is this not just old funding? It is a re‑announcement of funding that has already been allocated?”

“I am neatly going to go into the same subject in a way—funding—but for sports and grassroots sports in particular. I am going to blow Leigh and Atherton’s trumpet. I come from a great sporting constituency, especially from a grassroots level. Again, the same issue applies: sometimes funding does not get to where it is …”

“Can I add something and get your thoughts on this? You have mentioned working across Departments with Education. Health is obviously a huge aspect of this as well. In particular, with the creative industries, neurodiversity does play a part, which can be nurtured. If you are talking from an education level and how that…”

“Going back to the point that I made before with regard to the creative industries, they probably feel that they get things done to them rather than being involved and having a stake in it. How will you restore stakeholders’ trust that ACE’s funding decisions are completely independent of Government?”

“Again on how we are informing all creatives, a lot of this information does not necessarily cascade down to where it needs to go. Yes, the bigger institutions will obviously feed in and that is what we usually see, but people need to submit because they need their say in this; that is an important aspect.”

“Is there scope and timelines on this? I know you have said you will be announcing around Christmas, this side of Christmas, but is there any timeline for how long that process will take?”

“I want to go back to what you mentioned earlier—the Arts Council. Chair, I would like to declare an interest. I have submitted Arts Council bids while working with some of the creative industries in my previous job, which gave me that opportunity of working with the most amazing creatives during that time. I also see t…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) for raising this important issue, and I briefly want to mention my local authority. Since 2017, the number of children and young people requiring SEND transport has surged by more than 80% in Wigan, while the costs have exploded by 103%. To put that into perspe…”

“11. What steps her Department is taking to help support the creative industries.”

“Many individual artists in places such as Leigh and Atherton have great difficulty in accessing funding streams. In many cases, the trickle-down from larger institutions does not work and holds back creative growth. Can the Secretary of State outline how funding will reach grassroots artists, empowering them to thrive …”

“I have a follow-up question about the UK Government’s response. They said that “open acknowledgment” of the preparation for “evacuations would have sent a message that UK were wavering.” How would you respond to that?”

“To go back to the evacuation, had artists started to leave Afghanistan before the Doha agreement was signed? We want to try to get a timeline.”