Speeches by Babarinde.

“It is disgraceful that Eastbourne Conservative councillors have voted for the cancellation of local elections in my town and in Sussex this May, with no consultation, no democracy and no mandate from the people of Eastbourne. They have secured themselves an extra year to squat in County Hall, to press ahead with cuts t…”

“The £80 million swimming pool support fund to help make pools more energy-efficient is facing a significant underspend before it expires in a few months’ time. Will the Minister urgently meet Eastbourne borough council, Better, and me to discuss unlocking this national underspend to help fund solar panels and pool cove…”

“For 23 years, my constituent Timothy has attended Eastbourne’s Linden Court day centre for people with learning disabilities. Timothy’s mum, who is his sole carer, has spoken about how damaging it would be if Conservative-run East Sussex county council decided later this month to close the centre. Will the Minister joi…”

“Our precious high street in Eastbourne is blighted by the dilapidated Debenhams building on Terminus Road, whose owner has left it empty for years, attracting antisocial behaviour and crime. Will the Minister meet me or support me to meet his colleagues from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and…”

“Confidence in the criminal justice system can be achieved only if support for victims and survivors is adequately funded, but charities such as Victim Support, whose services I have personally benefited from, have said that for them, the hike in employers’ national insurance contributions amounts to a real-terms budget…”

“In a recent written parliamentary question, I asked the Government how many domestic abusers there are in prison and what their reoffending rate is. Under the system this Government inherited from the Conservatives, they said that “It is not possible to robustly calculate the number”. That is shocking, and is in part b…”

“A new hospital in Eastbourne would help to drive economic growth in my town and across rural Sussex, but years of Tory tumbleweed and, I am afraid, yesterday’s announcement mean that it will not be delivered and built until 2041. Will the Chancellor accelerate the release of funds to the Department of Health and Social…”

“Swimming is a really important skill for young people. I learned to swim at the Sovereign centre in Eastbourne, but so many pools across the country have closed—250 since 2015. It is critical that the national youth strategy refers to swimming pools, and support for young people when it comes to swimming. Will the Secr…”

“Survivors are tough, as I know from my own experiences of abuse as a child, about which I have spoken in the Chamber. Survivors have been subject to intense impacts and blistering climates, but like a blade in the blacksmith’s forge, each strike has strengthened many survivors’ character, mettle and spirit, even though…”

“Swimming is a really important skill for young people. I learned to swim at the Sovereign centre in Eastbourne, but so many pools across the country have closed—250 since 2015. It is critical that the national youth strategy refers to swimming pools, and support for young people when it comes to swimming. Will the Secr…”

“I will leave it there. I have to run, but I really appreciate your time and thank you for giving me a chance to ask the questions.”

“My question is about violence against women and girls. The Government have announced a very powerful aspiration to halve it over the next decade. My question is about the measurement of that. I have put in a written question to the MOJ on this. I asked, relatedly, “How many domestic abusers are in prison at the moment?…”

“I am Josh Babarinde, Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne, the sunniest town in the UK. I have no other interests to declare, outside of what is in the register.”

“Is the infrastructure of offences, as it currently stands, and the recording infrastructure sufficient to help with that measurement process?”

“The word that was missing from the shadow Justice Secretary’s question just now was “sorry”. A National Audit Office report said of the then Conservative Treasury’s investment in prison maintenance and security that “capital budget allocations for prisons have been well below the level needed.” Who was a Treasury Minis…”

“Will the hon. Member join me in promoting a fundraiser being held by St Wilfrid’s hospice in Eastbourne, called “I’m a CEO…Get Me Out of Here!”? It is trying to get lots of local chief executive officers and MPs to join the hospice staff in the Sussex jungle, to raise cash for the great work that the hospice does.”

“On the subject of charities that support victims and survivors, yesterday I met representatives of Victim Support. They shared that, at a time when demand for their services is surging, they are facing a 7% real-terms cut in funding because of the increase in national insurance contributions, as well as cuts to police …”

“Far from letting anybody down, the hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Sorcha Eastwood) has lifted survivors up with her contribution today. One of them, who has been watching from home, is my mum, who suffered abuse at the hands of a former partner. I witnessed that abuse growing up, and that is apart from some of the thing…”

“I could not agree more, and I thank my hon. Friend for her contribution. If we do not have the data that we want on domestic abuse offences, how can we measure whether we are halving violence against women and girls over this decade, and whether our interventions designed to reduce reoffending among domestic abusers ar…”

“Whether on Silverdale Road, Rodmill Drive, Quebec Close or Ceylon Place, potholes litter our roads in Eastbourne after years of neglect by the Conservative county council. Indeed, the Mirzas at my local garage have replaced my tyre a number of times, and I thank them for it. We also have a ridiculous situation where po…”