Speeches by Bailey.

“I do agree. I would love to visit, and I congratulate Lyndsay Hogg and Hartlepool borough council on this brilliant idea. “Matilda” is one of my favourite Penguin books, and it is a perfect allegory for our times: smart women who love reading standing up to snake oil salesmen and bullies.”

“Learning to enjoy books is a critical foundation for every child. As we get ready for the National Year of Reading in Hartlepool and across the country, our new “best start in life” family hubs will support families to read, and new books and libraries for schools will ensure that the benefits of reading reach right in…”

“I thank the hon. Member for his advocacy on this issue after the terrible events that led to Sara Sharif’s death. He has been doing an excellent job of that. I very much agree that the findings in the report on that case are appalling. The Government are taking them extremely seriously and will continue to work with lo…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that useful contribution to the debate. I am conscious of time, so I will conclude by once again thanking the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross for presenting this debate. I also thank Members across the Chamber for an excellent debate and for their thoughtful con…”

“I take everything that the right hon. Gentleman has said on board. I will come to the topics he raises in more detail in my speech. The Government will also introduce new multi-agency child protection teams in every local area to make sure that agencies work together to protect children from harm as quickly as possible…”

“I shall write to the right hon. Gentleman in extreme clarity on that point. Secondly, the Bill’s children’s social care reforms will shift the system away from increasing reliance on residential provision, towards stronger early intervention and prevention. We want to keep families together as much as possible and, whe…”

“This Government are determined to break down barriers to opportunity so that everyone can achieve success, and this commitment is underpinned by strong data and evidence.”

“I have a lot of respect for the hon. Gentleman, who is a fellow Berkshire MP, but I gently say to him that it is right that people who serve our country, in whatever form, reflect the communities that they serve. These schemes are about levelling the playing field, not creating an unfair advantage, and everybody who ga…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for her great campaigning work. I agree with her that we must do absolutely everything possible to break down all barriers to opportunity in our country.”

“Wherever there is abuse, it should be tackled, and we will publish details in due course.”

“I am absolutely happy to pop into the event this afternoon, and I applaud Esther Ghey for her fantastic campaigning work. The Government are completely clear that mobile phones should not be used in school, and the Government guidance says as much.”

“Happily. The average family will save £7,500 per child per year under this Government’s record expansion of childcare.”

“Sure Start was one of the greatest successes of the last Labour Government, and it drove significant improvements for our children. The Conservative party systematically dismantled that across our country, with significant negative consequences for our children and young people. When this Government say that we are pri…”

“I encourage the hon. Lady to write to me with the details of that case, because we are absolutely clear that in this rapid expansion of childcare—which half a million children have been able to access this September—those 30 hours should be available, and it should not be the case that extras are charged or anything el…”

“Absolutely—I thank the brilliant team at Mousehold, who are so dedicated to giving every child the help and support they need. This Government want every child to have the best start in life, which is why we have expanded childcare entitlements, are supporting schools to open new nurseries, and—after the Conservative p…”

“I do agree with my hon. Friend, and I congratulate St Anthony’s and Oak Lodge, as well as my hon. Friend for being a tireless champion for his constituents. This Government have delivered 5,000 places at new school-based nurseries this year alone, with 7,000 more to come next September. I encourage Members across the H…”

“As it is my first time at the Dispatch Box, I want to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth South (Stephen Morgan), and say what an honour it is to build on his work to give every child the best start in life. This Government have delivered a record expansion of childcare, saving working parents £7,500 a year,…”

“Breakfast clubs give children a great start to the day. They drive improvements in behaviour, attendance and attainment, and they can save families up to £450 a year. I congratulate my hon. Friend and the schools in her constituency on their efforts, and I look forward to more and more children benefiting as we continu…”

“I entirely agree with my hon. Friend, and I thank him for his intervention. This Government are cleaning up the mess that the Conservative party made, fixing the foundations of our economy by restoring stability and presiding over rate cut after rate cut. We are supporting people with the cost of living through measure…”

“Over recess, I had the pleasure of visiting more than 20 fantastic small businesses in my constituency during my small business summer roadshow. My aim was to promote these businesses and hear what I can do to help them thrive. I visited a large number of hospitality businesses, including Nino’s in Pangbourne, the Aven…”