Speeches by Perteghella.

“Although I also welcome the funding uplift, community pharmacies were already in crisis after years of real-term funding cuts, especially in rural areas. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government need to scrap unfair budgetary pressures on community pharmacies and commit to a funding model that will put them on a s…”

“We have already heard evidence, not just from our Children’s Laureate but from academics, that early years practitioners in the UK prioritise reading proficiency and phonics over reading for pleasure, even when it is not developmentally appropriate for young children. What is the Department doing to address the problem…”

“Of course we want to see more diverse books, which means we need to nurture writing talent. What steps is the Department taking to encourage children to see writing and publishing as an aspirational career? What are you doing to inspire the writers of tomorrow, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds?”

“Can you confirm that the Department will expect or encourage education settings to stock a diverse range of books?”

“Minister, you mentioned how you fell out of love with reading because you did not see yourself represented in books. Indeed, we have heard about the importance of children from diverse backgrounds seeing themselves represented in books. How are the Government working with the publishing and bookselling industry to impr…”

“My question is focused on practice in schools. How do schools currently promote and support reading for pleasure? What is your assessment of how effectively they do that?”

“Although I also welcome the funding uplift, community pharmacies were already in crisis after years of real-term funding cuts, especially in rural areas. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government need to scrap unfair budgetary pressures on community pharmacies and commit to a funding model that will put them on a s…”

“Minister, you mentioned the three priority audiences for the National Year of Reading: boys aged 10 to 16, families from disadvantaged communities and children aged zero to five and their caregivers. Can you tell us about how these groups were selected?”

“You mentioned the various excellent and specific activities for the different groups. How are you ensuring that those activities are accessible and engaging for children with, for example, special educational needs and disabilities, and particularly dyslexic children?”

“You talked about the network of English hubs and the important role they play in supporting schools and especially children and young people who are struggling to learn to read. How much of a focus do the English hubs have on reading for pleasure?”

“I used to be a school governor. In my first year as a school governor, my priority was reading—it was about the love of reading. A buddy system was set up, where year 6 children read to the little ones, and grandparents came into the school to read. It was about promoting the love of reading. How much is best practice …”

“My last question is about continuing to look at best practice. Currently, only 70 schools have achieved the reading for pleasure quality mark. Is the Department looking at how the lessons from the quality mark could be scaled up so that more schools are implementing this best practice?”

“Finally, what responsibility or responsibilities should developers take for air pollution beyond section 106 contributions?”

“For my next question, I will start with you, Tom. How do you navigate the mismatch between local responsibility for air quality—the statutory duty to monitor it and maybe to plan so that residents do not live near quarries and/or other sources of emissions—and their limited control over emission sources, such as region…”

“I have questions about accountability and local responsibility. My first question is for Councillor Porter. We are going through local government reorganisation, but in many areas, including my constituency, we still have two-tier local government, where you have district and borough councils with statutory duties to m…”

“Does anyone have anything to add?”

“Can you each briefly explain the role that you and/or the groups you represent play in supporting children and young people to read for pleasure?”

“Yes.”

“I want to focus on early years and school settings. How does the panel think early years settings and family hubs currently work together with bookshops, authors, libraries and publishers to encourage reading in the early years, and what more should be done? I want to start with Meryl, because I know that the Bookselle…”

“Can you each briefly explain the role that you and/or the groups you represent play in supporting children and young people to read for pleasure?”