Speeches by Green.

“4. What steps his Department is taking to support the victims of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.”

“The Liberal Democrats welcome the humanitarian support that the Government are giving to Sudan. We also recognise that greater protections are needed for women, children and ethnic minority groups. In the light of the failure of the United Nations to back safe areas, what is the UK doing to create safe zones for school…”

“Thank you, Dame Bernadette, for outlining what was in the update, which goes into some detail but also makes it very clear that you disagree about how much this is going to cost. My first question is: why do you disagree? You are looking at the same data and the same information. Why don’t you agree on what this will c…”

“I would like to ask Alan the same question, if I may.”

“That’s all right, Chair. To follow up, when will that methodology be agreed?”

“My question is for Mark Wild. I fully acknowledge that you are only a few weeks into your job, but I am keen to know what changes you are planning on how HS2 Ltd operates. You have already talked about the reset, but can you expand on some of the changes you plan? What lessons from your experience at Crossrail you can …”

“Forgive me, but you have already had 12 months. Phase 2 was cancelled 12 months ago, and you have come to us 12 months later not agreeing on a methodology and on what it is going to cost. What confidence do you think it gives us as a Committee that the Department is willing to publicly disagree in this way? Could you c…”

“ I am going to direct my next question to you, if I may, Dean Beale. Thank you again for coming this afternoon. Why is it so difficult to qualify company directors for phoenixism?”

“ Do you have a sense of how much of your caseload involves phoenixism?”

“ You mentioned 2022-23, but you have not reported on the overall performance and impact of your work on phoenixism in 2023-24 yet. Why is that?”

“ I am going to return us to the issue of phoenixism, if I may. My first question is to you, Sir Jim. How concerned are you that phoenixism has increased since the pandemic? What are you doing to address it?”

“6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that SEN provision is adequately funded.”

“A recent National Audit Office report makes it clear that, without reform, the SEN system is financially unsustainable. The Minister will know that, since 2020, local authorities such as Buckinghamshire council have been able to exclude their dedicated school grant deficits from their main revenue budgets. That statuto…”

“T5. What steps are under way to recruit and retain more educational psychologists so that children, including in Chesham and Amersham, do not have to wait as long as they currently are for the assessment they need?”

“I could not agree more. This is where I must pick up Carol’s story again. She tried to pursue her claim against her original surgeons through the courts, and she hit on an unexpected problem. She approached multiple legal firms who would not take her case because one or both of the surgeons were advising them on other …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) for securing today’s debate. We are here because four years after being published, the Cumberlege review has not been implemented and there is still no redress scheme. I will turn in more detail to the progr…”

“Can I ask specifically about educational psychologists? I am not quite sure whether they sit in the Department for Education or the Department of Health and Social Care. If you could clarify that for me, I would appreciate it. What specifically has been done to retain those educational psychologists within local author…”

“I have a final question, if I may, Chair, and it is to both Alison and Jonathan. It is about where you find good practice, because it is certainly out there. We tend to focus on the negative, but, where you find good practice, how is that then rolled out and shared, not just with local authorities but with schools as w…”

“The NAO Report spells out quite clearly how too many families are waiting too long, not just for the support they need, but, in some cases, for the assessment in the first place. Can I ask Jonathan and Susan, in the first instance, what you are doing to reduce the time that families are waiting to receive the support t…”

“Other Members have asked about educational psychologists. There is a real shortage right now. Are the Government considering enabling other professionals to undertake some of the assessments to help unblock the waiting lists?”