22/11/2016 House of Commons


22/11/2016

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 22/11/2016. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Minute Rule motion. We were in a moment do so. Colleagues leaving the

:00:00.:00:00.

chamber... If you can do so quickly and quietly. We can proceed with the

:00:00.:00:10.

Ten Minute Rule motion which the honourable lady has been patiently

:00:11.:00:21.

waiting. Louise Hague. Thank you, Mr Speaker, I beg leave to introduce a

:00:22.:00:25.

bill to amend the employment rights act but in that sector make

:00:26.:00:28.

provision for leave of persons donating body organs for transplant.

:00:29.:00:34.

Can I start Mr Speaker by sending my thanks and I'm sure the thanks of

:00:35.:00:37.

the whole house to the nurses and medical staff who make up the NHS

:00:38.:00:42.

Blood and Transplant service and the staff who run the NHS organ donation

:00:43.:00:46.

register. It is relatively small team in the grand scheme of things

:00:47.:00:50.

but it is thanks to their effort and their utter brilliance that

:00:51.:00:52.

thousands of lives are saved each year might otherwise have been lost.

:00:53.:00:57.

And it is thanks to the ingenuity and dedication that lasted organ

:00:58.:01:00.

donations in the UK reached a record high. The difference they are making

:01:01.:01:04.

the families whose loved ones have been given a new chance at life

:01:05.:01:08.

often goes unsaid. I would also like to take this opportunity to note the

:01:09.:01:12.

work of honourable members including the member for Burton and Uttoxeter

:01:13.:01:16.

and the member for Montgomeryshire who have put the issue of organ

:01:17.:01:19.

donation firmly on the Parliamentary agenda. Organ donation is improving

:01:20.:01:25.

year on year. In part due to small changes such as the option to sign

:01:26.:01:30.

up every time you renew your driving licence. Last year alone that method

:01:31.:01:34.

saw an extra half million people register to become potentially

:01:35.:01:39.

life-saving donors. These are small changes making a huge difference.

:01:40.:01:44.

But as the NHS Blood and Transplant service has said, there is an awful

:01:45.:01:49.

lot of work to be done. Not only to raise and sent figures, currently at

:01:50.:01:54.

62% despite evidence which suggests that over 90% of the public would

:01:55.:01:58.

give their organs in death, but also to encourage families to have a

:01:59.:02:00.

difficult conversation about what we'd you do if the unthinkable

:02:01.:02:05.

happened. Because family refusal after the death of a loved one is

:02:06.:02:11.

sadly the single biggest barrier to organ donation. Of course it is

:02:12.:02:14.

completely understandable and natural that in the aftermath of a

:02:15.:02:17.

life changing was all we want to do was preserve that left behind. But

:02:18.:02:22.

if 80% of families consented 1000 more lives a year could be saved and

:02:23.:02:26.

1000 more families kept together. I would like to take this opportunity

:02:27.:02:31.

to gently urged families today to have that conversation, find out

:02:32.:02:34.

their wishes, tell them yours, because the chances are if the

:02:35.:02:37.

unthinkable happened your loved one would want to save a life. But Mr

:02:38.:02:41.

Speaker while much of the focus is rightly delegated to those brave

:02:42.:02:45.

families who have made that difficult decision it is living

:02:46.:02:49.

donors who should also be hailed for the selflessness. To give a kidney,

:02:50.:02:53.

part of the liver or bone marrow in order to save the life of someone

:02:54.:02:56.

they may never even have met. And it is living donors to whom my bill

:02:57.:03:00.

would guarantee legal rights that so far they have not enjoyed. 6000

:03:01.:03:05.

people nationwide currently are going through the utter agony of

:03:06.:03:08.

waiting for the call that could save their lives. But their availability

:03:09.:03:14.

year in, year out for those organs never matches need. Living organ

:03:15.:03:18.

donors are playing a very significant part in bridging the

:03:19.:03:21.

heartbreaking gap. Last year alone over 1000 of that part of the liver

:03:22.:03:26.

or kidney and many more donated bone marrow. Because of their

:03:27.:03:30.

requirements and criteria for organ donors many are often of working age

:03:31.:03:35.

and in work. Now it hardly needs saying that giving an organ is an

:03:36.:03:39.

enormous commitment and if you are an employee the time needed off work

:03:40.:03:44.

may give you pause for four. The NHS advises that living donors can

:03:45.:03:49.

expect up period of up to 12 weeks recovery time. This will vary from

:03:50.:03:52.

person-to-person and depending on what job you do but the point is it

:03:53.:03:56.

is a very serious commitment for any would-be donor. You had to weigh up

:03:57.:04:00.

whether you can afford to take the time off, if your boss insists you

:04:01.:04:04.

take leave unpaid, and you have to wait for any compensation to come

:04:05.:04:08.

through from the relevant NHS Trust. You have to weigh up whether you can

:04:09.:04:12.

make the commitment to be out of work for that length of time. And

:04:13.:04:16.

you are all the way is worrying in case your positional terms and

:04:17.:04:21.

conditions are not quite the same on your return. That uncertainty is

:04:22.:04:24.

unacceptable. It is putting barriers in the path of people becoming

:04:25.:04:28.

life-saving donors and currently the law has nothing to say. This issue

:04:29.:04:34.

was brought to my attention by a man who told me he had donated bone

:04:35.:04:38.

marrow to an anonymous blood cancer patient. He was allowed just three

:04:39.:04:42.

days off work and paid to cover the time in hospital. He felt pressured

:04:43.:04:47.

to return and he was accused of making himself sick by his employer.

:04:48.:04:54.

It is just one the full that it tells us of the pressures faced by

:04:55.:04:58.

workers who may want to donate. Any and all barriers standing in the way

:04:59.:05:02.

of living donors must be dismantled. And a lack of legal employment

:05:03.:05:07.

protection is holding these potential life-savers are

:05:08.:05:12.

significant and can be easily corrected by government. For young

:05:13.:05:16.

people in particular who have the highest likelihood of donating

:05:17.:05:19.

high-quality bone marrow, that time out of the work may completely

:05:20.:05:24.

determines that is why my bill would guarantee living organ donors to

:05:25.:05:30.

paid time off to allow them to recover and they will have their job

:05:31.:05:37.

guaranteed. So the employees not checking their phone, worried they

:05:38.:05:39.

might get a call from the boss of rushing back because they are where

:05:40.:05:42.

they should be that this can have the time off to take the time to get

:05:43.:05:47.

better which they so deserve. This bill will also guarantee that their

:05:48.:05:50.

terms and conditions on rights are the same on their return as when

:05:51.:05:55.

they left. In an age when workers feel increasingly insecure in their

:05:56.:05:59.

job and where at the sharp end of the economy unscrupulous employment

:06:00.:06:03.

practices and rights are rife, these legal garages can make the

:06:04.:06:07.

difference between donating and not. We are already chronically short of

:06:08.:06:10.

donors and we should be clearing every conceivable barrier put in the

:06:11.:06:14.

way of these potential life-savers. I'm delighted that major businesses

:06:15.:06:18.

like my own former employer, Aviva, and the DIY retailer Wickes back

:06:19.:06:26.

Michael. It is fantastic cross-party group of MPs supporting it as. Each

:06:27.:06:33.

donation is an astonishing story of bravery in its right and a life

:06:34.:06:36.

changing moment for the individuals and families who benefit the

:06:37.:06:41.

generosity. As work gets increasingly precarious employs must

:06:42.:06:45.

rely on the protections in law which guaranteed their rights. These

:06:46.:06:47.

counties will not only bring peace of mind but will help increase the

:06:48.:06:52.

number of living donors from 1000, and bridge the gap between

:06:53.:06:56.

availability and need. And crucially it will send a clear signal from

:06:57.:07:00.

government and from this house that if you are prepared to give an organ

:07:01.:07:04.

to save a life, then we will back you every step of the way.

:07:05.:07:09.

As many as are of the opinion, say "aye".

:07:10.:07:19.

To the contrary, "no". I think the ayes that, the ayes it. Who will

:07:20.:07:29.

prepare and bring in the build? Cavern west, Greg Mulholland, Sarah

:07:30.:07:31.

Wollaston and myself, sir. Second reading, what day? Friday

:07:32.:08:10.

20th January. Thank you. Order. We now come to the opposition Day

:08:11.:08:14.

motion in the name of the Leader of the Opposition on education and

:08:15.:08:19.

social mobility. I informed the howls that I have selected the

:08:20.:08:25.

amendment in the name of the Prime Minister. I should advise the howls

:08:26.:08:33.

that a very substantial number of backbench members have applied to

:08:34.:08:37.

speak. If memory serves me correctly, no fewer than 28. The

:08:38.:08:44.

debate, realistically, I imagine, will not run beyond 4pm, or at the

:08:45.:08:49.

latest 4:30pm. Of course, there is no limit on front bench speeches.

:08:50.:08:53.

The frontbenchers tend to take significant numbers of

:08:54.:08:58.

interventions, privately properly, that is favoured by the howls, but

:08:59.:09:03.

I'm sure at that those ventures will wish to tailor their contributions

:09:04.:09:06.

in the light of what I have just said. To move the motion, I called

:09:07.:09:14.

this secretary -- Shadow Secretary of State for Education.

:09:15.:09:19.

I hope to try and be brief, but substantive in my comments today. I

:09:20.:09:24.

would like to start by saying thanks to the emergency services across the

:09:25.:09:28.

UK who have helped many of our constituents during the floods

:09:29.:09:31.

yesterday, in particular those held my constituents and businesses. It

:09:32.:09:38.

should be the duty of all governments to provide the best

:09:39.:09:41.

education for every child. Today we will be calling on the whole House

:09:42.:09:46.

to show that they share with this commitment. Because only last

:09:47.:09:50.

Wednesday, we heard that Britain has a deep social mobility problem, and

:09:51.:09:54.

for this generation of young people in particular, it is getting worse

:09:55.:10:00.

and not better. And that this was in result of an unfair education

:10:01.:10:03.

system, a two tier labour markets, and an balance labour economy, and

:10:04.:10:12.

an unaffordable housing market. Not to not accusations from -- are not

:10:13.:10:18.

an accusation from the opposition, but the conclusion of the governed's

:10:19.:10:24.

own mobility commission. How can we offer the best art and life every

:10:25.:10:28.

child, but and crucially new academic solution -- site and was

:10:29.:10:37.

not one of them. Happy to give way. Can you inform the House precisely

:10:38.:10:42.

how many grammar schools she has visited before opposing the paper

:10:43.:10:48.

today? At I say, as a parent and school

:10:49.:10:54.

governor and someone who represented trade union members, I have visited

:10:55.:10:58.

many grammar schools. My contribution to this debate will be

:10:59.:11:04.

on fact and evidence. I hope the honourable member will look the

:11:05.:11:08.

facts and evidence vote accordingly. In fact, they offered social

:11:09.:11:16.

mobility is a clear recommendation to abandon any such plans. They said

:11:17.:11:20.

that because they know social mobility is facing a crisis. And

:11:21.:11:26.

that further academic selection is simply not the answer. In fact, it

:11:27.:11:29.

will only entrench the problem. I give way.

:11:30.:11:34.

I thank the honourable lady. Which explain why it's all right for my

:11:35.:11:39.

constituents to be able to go to a grammar school and Birmingham, but

:11:40.:11:46.

not to go to a grammar school and Brierley Hill, because is no

:11:47.:11:51.

provision that? I will explain exactly why we need

:11:52.:11:56.

to be moving away from selection and having improvement within our

:11:57.:11:59.

education system. Those conclusions from that commission will find much

:12:00.:12:06.

support in this House, not just on these benches, but, I hoping, an

:12:07.:12:10.

opposition benches as well. But we still haven't heard from the Prime

:12:11.:12:13.

Minister as any of these recommendations will be adopted. I

:12:14.:12:16.

give way. Before we have to listen to the

:12:17.:12:21.

sixth form debating points from the party opposite, dishes agree with me

:12:22.:12:25.

that what they ought to do is to be setting out the evidence for this

:12:26.:12:29.

policy, setting out where these schools will be, what the war costs,

:12:30.:12:34.

where the resources will come from, what the pupils will learn that, and

:12:35.:12:37.

even how they would offer from existing schools?

:12:38.:12:44.

I agree with the honourable member, and there is clearly many questions

:12:45.:12:49.

to be answered on where the evidence is for this type of policy. I would

:12:50.:12:55.

like to get the Education Secretary the chance to end this uncertainty

:12:56.:13:00.

with an assistant today. Can she tell us which of the commission's

:13:01.:13:03.

recommendations she will be accepting, and whether they have

:13:04.:13:09.

rejected the recommendation on schools in particular? The

:13:10.:13:11.

challenges we face go much further than this one misguided policy. I

:13:12.:13:19.

give way. Last year in Ashfield, 66% of

:13:20.:13:23.

children from disadvantaged backgrounds did not get their five

:13:24.:13:34.

GCSEs. This is the real scandal, not the grammar school system?

:13:35.:13:40.

I thank her for her splendid intervention, because we know that

:13:41.:13:43.

increasing selection is not the answer to the current crisis that is

:13:44.:13:48.

facing our school system. I give way.

:13:49.:13:51.

Isn't it a fact that the demand for a grammar schools is coming from

:13:52.:13:57.

those wealthy parents who are seeing private education more and more

:13:58.:14:02.

priced out of their reach? With over ?21,000 fees now. It is a fact that

:14:03.:14:11.

there are four times more children who are going to privately paid prep

:14:12.:14:16.

schools getting into grammar schools than there are from other state

:14:17.:14:20.

schools. Surely we shouldn't let people get an elite education on the

:14:21.:14:26.

cheap paid for by the taxpayer? I think the honourable member for

:14:27.:14:30.

his contribution. Of course, the commission that was out last week,

:14:31.:14:34.

said that those finding it hard to progress are not just the most

:14:35.:14:39.

disadvantaged, but those earning around ?22,000 Bojan. Those of a

:14:40.:14:43.

hard-working families that people that are just getting by, that this

:14:44.:14:47.

Prime Minister pledged to support on the steps of ten Downing St. So I

:14:48.:14:52.

want to find common cause with members from all sides and all

:14:53.:14:56.

parties in making Britain a country in which every child gets an

:14:57.:15:00.

excellent education and the best start in life.

:15:01.:15:05.

When she goes to watch one of our best sports teams in the country,

:15:06.:15:09.

does she problem that they were selected and given an elite

:15:10.:15:13.

education? I mean, the honourable member knows

:15:14.:15:17.

that this is a completely different issue. And as Italy on member, as I

:15:18.:15:22.

say to all across this House, follow the evidence.

:15:23.:15:30.

I thank my honourable friend forgiving way. Talking of excellence

:15:31.:15:35.

in sports, would she agree with me that we should celebrate the fact

:15:36.:15:41.

that Mo Farah and went to a state school in my Anderson Dame

:15:42.:15:46.

constituency, that school is now suffering from cuts, and is...

:15:47.:15:56.

He is also a staunch Arsenal fan which makes an even greater man.

:15:57.:16:04.

I thank my honourable friend the making that point. We need to ensure

:16:05.:16:08.

every child makes the best progress in life, and we know that selection

:16:09.:16:12.

is not the way forward. I will make progress before take more

:16:13.:16:17.

interventions. I want to find common cause. I know there are many on the

:16:18.:16:22.

Government benches were agree with me that expanding academic selection

:16:23.:16:26.

is hardly the best way to do that. For instance, members of all parties

:16:27.:16:30.

will note that all the evidence tells us that providing an excellent

:16:31.:16:35.

education starts at the earliest point. Access to childcare and early

:16:36.:16:41.

years education is absolutely vital. Not just in helping children, but

:16:42.:16:46.

and helping every family fulfil their potential. Indeed, by the time

:16:47.:16:51.

that they will take the 11-plus, children from the most disadvantaged

:16:52.:16:56.

backgrounds are already, on average, ten months behind. The evidence

:16:57.:16:59.

shows that investment in early years is the best way to close the

:17:00.:17:04.

attainment gap between the most disadvantaged children and their

:17:05.:17:10.

affluent peers. I give way. Does the honourable lady agree with

:17:11.:17:15.

David Cameron who said, there's a hopelessness and the demand to bring

:17:16.:17:18.

back grammar is, an assumption that this country will only ever be able

:17:19.:17:22.

to offer decent education to a select few?

:17:23.:17:27.

I think the honourable member for her contribution, and I find myself

:17:28.:17:31.

agreeing with the former Prime Minister, who was obviously elected

:17:32.:17:35.

to make those contributions within this debate. That is the platform

:17:36.:17:40.

and manifesto at the Conservative Government stood on, that they are

:17:41.:17:46.

currently rejecting. I know from own personal experience, as parents

:17:47.:17:49.

across the chamber well, the incredible impact childcare can

:17:50.:17:54.

have, not just on children and their education, but on their entire

:17:55.:17:59.

families. Leaving school at 16, with no qualifications, and a newborn

:18:00.:18:04.

son, it was Labour's sure start centres that help me be a better

:18:05.:18:08.

parent for my son. I know that I would not be speaking in this House

:18:09.:18:13.

today without those programmes. And they have helped offer my son the

:18:14.:18:17.

opportunities that I never had growing up.

:18:18.:18:22.

What with the honourable lady say to parents and my constituency in

:18:23.:18:27.

Croydon where there are no grammar schools, have to travel for miles

:18:28.:18:30.

and miles to an adjacent grammar school? She is seeking to deny them

:18:31.:18:36.

choice, issue not? I say to the honourable member, I

:18:37.:18:42.

want to ensure that every child has the best start and opportunities in

:18:43.:18:45.

life. Not that they had to travel miles away from his constituency. I

:18:46.:18:50.

want his constituents to have the best education possible, and that is

:18:51.:18:53.

why selection does not provide that every child.

:18:54.:18:59.

My friend is making an outstanding opening speech in this debate. On

:19:00.:19:03.

that point of choice, it did she agree with me that, in this debate,

:19:04.:19:08.

the issue of choice is a nonstarter? Because the choice is not with the

:19:09.:19:11.

parents, the choices with this school. The skill gets to choose the

:19:12.:19:15.

kids, the parents don't get to choose the school. Invariably, the

:19:16.:19:20.

school choose the children on a financial and social well being

:19:21.:19:25.

rather than anything else. Absolutely. And I absolutely agree

:19:26.:19:30.

with the honourable member for Manchester Central, and pay tribute

:19:31.:19:32.

to her head standing work that she did on the front bench. I will make

:19:33.:19:40.

more progress. The social mobility commission talked about treadmill

:19:41.:19:43.

families, who are running faster but I stuck in the same place. There are

:19:44.:19:48.

working hard, but don't have anything to show for it at the end

:19:49.:19:52.

of the week. Childcare and early years intervention would do far more

:19:53.:19:56.

to address these problems than would a focus on new academic selection at

:19:57.:20:03.

11. Yet, we have seen the closure of over 800 sure start centres since

:20:04.:20:09.

2010. And the loss of around 45,000 childcare places, and the closure of

:20:10.:20:15.

1000 childcare providers in the last five years. And there are similar

:20:16.:20:17.

challenges facing our existing schools. The Institute for Fiscal

:20:18.:20:24.

Studies has shown that our schools are facing a real terms cut in their

:20:25.:20:29.

budgets for the first time in nearly two decades, just as the demand for

:20:30.:20:34.

school places is growing. We already know the consequences -

:20:35.:20:37.

was staff leaving, more schools in disrepair, more courses being

:20:38.:20:42.

caught. The Department education has ready method is teacher training

:20:43.:20:47.

targets four years in a road, while more inexperienced teachers are

:20:48.:20:53.

leaving the profession in record numbers, and 500,000 pupils are now

:20:54.:20:58.

taught in super-sized classes. It should be our mission to provide an

:20:59.:21:02.

excellent education for all children, and we know what is needed

:21:03.:21:07.

to provide that. It is a high-quality, early years education.

:21:08.:21:11.

The best heads and teachers teaching the right curriculum and manageable

:21:12.:21:16.

classes in decent school buildings with high standards and good

:21:17.:21:23.

behaviour. Mr Speaker, let me say to the Education Secretary, and all

:21:24.:21:26.

those on Government benches, that if they do take serious action to make

:21:27.:21:32.

the changes our education system needs, then I will be the first to

:21:33.:21:36.

support them. Because education policy should not be about

:21:37.:21:41.

ideological dogma, but about looking at third of the evidence and

:21:42.:21:44.

bridging policies that will improve the lives of all children.

:21:45.:21:49.

Would she agree with me that the academy programme has delivered

:21:50.:21:55.

considerable success and could she give her unequivocal support to the

:21:56.:21:58.

Academy programme and could then members of the NUJ that picketed the

:21:59.:22:04.

Kimberley school in my constituency when it had the temerity to break

:22:05.:22:07.

free from the local authority and established an excellent Academy?

:22:08.:22:14.

What I would say and what I hope we can agree on is actually we know it

:22:15.:22:19.

is not about the vehicle, it is about the drivers in education and

:22:20.:22:22.

focusing on vehicles is not actually dealing with the fundamental issue

:22:23.:22:26.

of our dealing with collaboration, leadership and good teaching. And

:22:27.:22:34.

then to make some more progress. The purpose of today's debate, Mr

:22:35.:22:37.

Speaker, is to send a message that members of all parties are committed

:22:38.:22:42.

to an evidence -based approach to education policy. And not pursuing

:22:43.:22:46.

the failed policy of academic selection. Because we know that this

:22:47.:22:50.

policy is not the answer to Britain's social mobility crisis.

:22:51.:22:54.

And the government knew that can be in. Until very recently. Indeed the

:22:55.:23:03.

Conservative Party, the one who won an election has explicitly promised

:23:04.:23:10.

not to do so. Only just gone but so quickly forgotten. And why has that

:23:11.:23:14.

pledge being ripped up by the new Prime Minister? The Education

:23:15.:23:18.

Secretary has said it is to help solve Britain's mobility crisis. But

:23:19.:23:25.

the evidence is scanned, and without reciting it at length I think the

:23:26.:23:28.

recent backbench business debate focusing precisely on the evidence

:23:29.:23:35.

by my honourable friend for the member for Wigan demonstrated that

:23:36.:23:41.

this is conclusive. That is why I'm not to take individuals on that

:23:42.:23:43.

point, I am going to make some progress. We know that those from

:23:44.:23:47.

disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to get into selective

:23:48.:23:51.

schools, even if they are just as bright as they're better off ears,

:23:52.:23:55.

and we know that even if they do get in the impact on their attainment is

:23:56.:24:01.

minimal at best. It is not just those of us on this side of the

:24:02.:24:05.

house and know that. Dozens of others know it and Mr Speaker it is

:24:06.:24:09.

a mistake and priority that this policy shows that as of the greatest

:24:10.:24:16.

concern. I want to wrap up shortly. Already in the consultation document

:24:17.:24:21.

launched in November the government pledged ?50 million to help existing

:24:22.:24:24.

grammar schools expand. The same green paper made a series of

:24:25.:24:29.

substantial unposted pledges to those schools that want to become

:24:30.:24:33.

grammars. Or the Academy chains that want to open them. And now just this

:24:34.:24:38.

weekend government sources have briefed the Sunday Times that there

:24:39.:24:42.

will be tens of millions more to help run the schools expand. The

:24:43.:24:45.

idea that this is the way the government should spend taxpayers

:24:46.:24:50.

money is simply baffling. When nurseries across the country are

:24:51.:24:52.

facing closure because the government will not deliver the

:24:53.:24:57.

investment needed to deliver on their manifesto pledge to deliver 30

:24:58.:25:00.

hours of free childcare awake when our schools are facing deeper cuts

:25:01.:25:07.

in their budgets van and any time since the 1970s, why is this money

:25:08.:25:15.

being taken away from them? My honourable friend has made an

:25:16.:25:18.

outstanding speech this afternoon and haven't we seen the problem with

:25:19.:25:22.

Tory education thinking this afternoon? They think that some

:25:23.:25:25.

types of school are better than others, and some children deserve

:25:26.:25:28.

better opportunities than others. That is what is so entirely wrong

:25:29.:25:33.

with what they are arguing today. I thank the honourable member and that

:25:34.:25:36.

is the real rub, that is the difference between the size and the

:25:37.:25:42.

benches opposite. We believe that teachers are invaluable to making

:25:43.:25:45.

sure that our schools are the best they possibly can be rather than the

:25:46.:25:49.

vehicle in which those vehicles and drivers take their admission

:25:50.:25:53.

forward. We know that there are members across this house agree that

:25:54.:25:56.

this is not the way we should spend school budgets. Members in the

:25:57.:26:01.

devolved nations will want to know the implications on their own school

:26:02.:26:05.

budgets as well and I know there are many members on the government

:26:06.:26:08.

benches who share the view of those on the Labour benches that education

:26:09.:26:12.

is the key to social mobility and that for all our differences on

:26:13.:26:15.

policy they would not want to see the government wasting the

:26:16.:26:19.

Department for Education's budget on an ineffective vanity project. That

:26:20.:26:24.

must be the key test of every spending commitment made by the

:26:25.:26:30.

Secretary of State. I will give way. I'm very grateful. Perhaps she could

:26:31.:26:34.

clarify, we have heard her position in relation to grammar schools, is

:26:35.:26:37.

her position that the government should close all grammar schools

:26:38.:26:49.

that already exist? Was it worth it? Again I would reiterate my point is

:26:50.:26:52.

that the members across all sides of this house have the absolute

:26:53.:26:57.

responsibility to make sure that policies that they'd use in this

:26:58.:27:01.

house for the education of all our children are in the best interest

:27:02.:27:08.

and our evidence based. It must be the key test of every spending

:27:09.:27:10.

commitment made by the Secretary of State. Will this money be spent on

:27:11.:27:16.

something that we know will improve the lives of children across this

:27:17.:27:21.

country? Whatever their background? This is the point of our motion

:27:22.:27:25.

today, Mr Speaker, and I urge all members across this house to ensure

:27:26.:27:31.

that our collective endeavour is always for the best education for

:27:32.:27:40.

every child. The question is to move the amendment in the names of the

:27:41.:27:48.

finest air. I call the Secretary of State for Education, Justine

:27:49.:27:50.

Greening. Thank you and I beg to move the amendment standing in my

:27:51.:27:54.

name and in my right honourable friend's. Social mobility is

:27:55.:27:58.

something that matters usually to discover that and of course to

:27:59.:28:01.

members across this house. It is easy first to say that where

:28:02.:28:05.

somebody starts shouldn't dictate where they finish. But the greatest

:28:06.:28:08.

challenge will face is that in reality it still does make a

:28:09.:28:11.

difference and it has for generations. And as the social

:28:12.:28:17.

mobility Commissioner's report last week tells us, just 5% of children

:28:18.:28:21.

on free school meals gained five good GCSEs, they are 29% less likely

:28:22.:28:26.

to take two or more of the facilitating A-levels that can help

:28:27.:28:31.

keep their options open. The 34% more likely to drop out of post-16

:28:32.:28:36.

education altogether. It is no surprise there for that they are 19%

:28:37.:28:41.

less likely to go to university. And 47% less likely to attend a top

:28:42.:28:49.

Russell group institution. Given the excellent case she is laying out,

:28:50.:28:53.

how is it that these statistics can be changed by grammar schools when

:28:54.:28:57.

currently only 3% of kids on free school meals go to grammar schools?

:28:58.:29:04.

I will come onto that in my speech but I would also say to her that we

:29:05.:29:08.

do have grammar schools and I think it is quite right for us as a

:29:09.:29:13.

government to set out the case for how it can make sure that grammar

:29:14.:29:17.

schools play their full role in driving social mobility. Mr Speaker

:29:18.:29:22.

want to set up the number of facts in relation to the prospects for too

:29:23.:29:25.

many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and none of these facts

:29:26.:29:30.

should be acceptable to us. They certainly are not to me all this

:29:31.:29:33.

government. I believe social mobility matters. I will give way in

:29:34.:29:38.

a minute. Social mobility matters for several key reasons, firstly it

:29:39.:29:44.

matters for individuals, I believe the innate desire for people to do

:29:45.:29:47.

well is one of the most powerful forces of change in our country and

:29:48.:29:51.

social mobility is about our country working with the grain of human

:29:52.:29:55.

nature. Secondly, social mobility matters for communities, because

:29:56.:30:01.

fundamentally feeling like we all have an equal shot at success,

:30:02.:30:05.

having equal opportunity, is the glue that binds us together. And

:30:06.:30:11.

social mobility matters for economy. Because investing in people is a

:30:12.:30:13.

core part of how we raise productivity. Yes we need to build

:30:14.:30:18.

roads and railways but we're determined to build up people. I

:30:19.:30:23.

will give way. I grateful. How can the government claim to be the party

:30:24.:30:30.

of social mobility when 800 children centres were closed, 29 nursery

:30:31.:30:34.

schools closed in the last year alone? Letting down a whole

:30:35.:30:38.

generation of kids of two, three and four years old because if they fall

:30:39.:30:41.

behind at that age you never catch up. And, of course early years does

:30:42.:30:47.

matter which is one of the reasons why are investing in not only in

:30:48.:30:50.

improved but more childcare for parents around this country. For

:30:51.:30:53.

working parents in particular because we do think having a strong

:30:54.:30:59.

start subsidy vital. As I was saying, this isn't just about

:31:00.:31:03.

improving the prospects of individual people and communities,

:31:04.:31:06.

it is about improving the prospects of our country and its economy. We

:31:07.:31:10.

have to build our country's economy by building our people. Canyon of a

:31:11.:31:18.

lady explained to the house how having additional secondary modern

:31:19.:31:23.

schools in this country is going to do anything she aspires to? Of

:31:24.:31:28.

course this isn't about additional secondary modern schools, and this

:31:29.:31:34.

isn't about a return to a binary system. Reforms of the last six

:31:35.:31:38.

years have really enabled children and parents to have a more diverse

:31:39.:31:42.

offer and set of choices for education have ever seen before. But

:31:43.:31:47.

it is now time that we look and see how grammar schools can play a

:31:48.:31:51.

stronger role in our education system in the 21st-century. I know

:31:52.:31:58.

that in her opening speech she is citing much of the evidence from the

:31:59.:32:00.

social mobility commission report published last week about the

:32:01.:32:05.

challenge that our country faces, so why, they're four, when she adopt in

:32:06.:32:10.

full the recommendations of that report as to how we will actually

:32:11.:32:15.

tackle some of these are inequalities rather than cherry

:32:16.:32:19.

picking the little bits of it she wants? Thereupon I think quite

:32:20.:32:24.

quietly set out that what we need to pull together is a much longer term,

:32:25.:32:31.

our government talked about a 10-year programme, of social reform.

:32:32.:32:34.

And actually they also pointed towards our focus on improving

:32:35.:32:39.

attainment in schools. And the bottom line is that I don't think we

:32:40.:32:43.

are really going to make significant progress on this issue of social

:32:44.:32:49.

mobility until we can start focusing on the areas of commonality and

:32:50.:32:52.

common ground rather than spending our entire time focusing from the

:32:53.:32:58.

opposition on areas where they don't agree. Let me make some progress, Mr

:32:59.:33:04.

Speaker. I was setting out why this government believes that driving

:33:05.:33:07.

social mobility matters so much. But I also wanted to set out that in

:33:08.:33:13.

reality, as challenging as it is for our country, there is no country in

:33:14.:33:16.

this world that has managed to crack the issue of social mobility, yet,

:33:17.:33:20.

that is because it is highly complex. It has many factors that

:33:21.:33:25.

feed into it, and it is because improving social mobility is as the

:33:26.:33:29.

social mobility commission says, a long-term issue which needs a

:33:30.:33:33.

long-term approach and not to be simply treated like a political

:33:34.:33:39.

football for short-term political gain. If we are going to make a

:33:40.:33:44.

difference, social mobility is a generational challenge that we must

:33:45.:33:49.

tackle together on behalf of the next generation. The difference I

:33:50.:33:54.

think Mr Speaker may be that fundamentally focused social

:33:55.:33:56.

mobility is an agenda of levelling up opportunity, to those who don't

:33:57.:34:02.

have it, something I hope we can all agree is the right thing to do and

:34:03.:34:06.

education of course is that the heart of how we do that. That point

:34:07.:34:15.

can I congratulate my writable friend on this success of the pupil

:34:16.:34:21.

premium? I am grateful for that intervention and of course not only

:34:22.:34:24.

is that spending protected through the course of this Parliament but we

:34:25.:34:30.

are also now working with the education endowment fund to make

:34:31.:34:32.

sure we can really understand how we can get the best and biggest impact

:34:33.:34:36.

in that investment for disadvantaged children and indeed I went to see a

:34:37.:34:40.

grammar school last week where a high proportion of free school

:34:41.:34:46.

children and people eligible for the pupil premium and we are looking at

:34:47.:34:49.

what we can do to improve attainment for those people. The Secretary of

:34:50.:34:56.

State for giving way. Maybe to help build consensus we could hear one

:34:57.:35:01.

piece of evidence that suggests grammar schools would improve

:35:02.:35:05.

educational outcomes and social ability. One piece of evidence. We

:35:06.:35:09.

know the education gap between free school meals children is closed

:35:10.:35:16.

throughout the course of that. We know that disadvantaged children who

:35:17.:35:20.

go to grammars have a higher proportion chance of getting at

:35:21.:35:23.

university. We know they have got a higher chance of getting into

:35:24.:35:27.

Russell group universities, that is because their attainment is

:35:28.:35:29.

improved. And, Mr Speaker, education is at the heart of how we drive

:35:30.:35:34.

social mobility in our country. It is why as a government we have had

:35:35.:35:38.

such a radical reform of the last six years. The academies and free

:35:39.:35:44.

schools programme which I know the shadow secretary of state was not

:35:45.:35:47.

willing to support, have given schools the freedom to run their

:35:48.:35:51.

schools in the best interest of their children and local committees.

:35:52.:35:56.

And the introduction of the EBAC has given more children access to a core

:35:57.:36:01.

committee making sure they keep their options open as they make

:36:02.:36:03.

decisions about the future. And thanks to the hard work of teachers

:36:04.:36:07.

all over the country we now have 1.4 million more people being taught in

:36:08.:36:13.

schools that are good or outstanding compared to 2010. That means 1.4

:36:14.:36:16.

million more children getting access to the education that will allow

:36:17.:36:20.

them to make the most of their talents. And of course this does

:36:21.:36:23.

start with early years. And children going into school arriving at school

:36:24.:36:27.

ready to be able to learn if they're going to be up to take full

:36:28.:36:31.

advantage of the education on offer is why we are introducing 30 hours

:36:32.:36:35.

of free childcare for the working parents of three and four-year-olds.

:36:36.:36:38.

That is why we are looking at how we can improve the quality of the early

:36:39.:36:44.

years workforce even further. And it also means teachers are absolutely

:36:45.:36:47.

crucial to improving attainment outcomes for our young people.

:36:48.:36:54.

Verhofstadt what's Doggrell friend think about the independent study

:36:55.:37:04.

which concluded that, in the second most deprived borough in the

:37:05.:37:08.

country, a grammar school would provide much-needed incentive and

:37:09.:37:11.

improve standards of education in that area and throughout the

:37:12.:37:14.

country? I've Sina report, and I think what

:37:15.:37:19.

it shows is that when people look at the evidence, and are prepared to

:37:20.:37:23.

step away from political ideology, the reality is that grammars can

:37:24.:37:27.

have intentionally transformational impact in some of the most deprived

:37:28.:37:31.

communities, where we want to see the biggest changes. I'll make some

:37:32.:37:36.

progress, I've given away to a lot of members already. I was speaking

:37:37.:37:42.

about how we are improving and want to see more at teacher training.

:37:43.:37:47.

That is also why we started the Teaching And Innovation Fund. So

:37:48.:37:52.

more schools can build the capacity to have excellent teachers and

:37:53.:37:59.

leaders. And more broadly than academic roots, our education

:38:00.:38:03.

standards and quality of technical education in this country mirrors

:38:04.:38:07.

the excellence that we have been embedding an academic route. We

:38:08.:38:12.

focused on academic roots, it is now important for us states Emily focus

:38:13.:38:18.

on improving technical education for young people. And we are going to

:38:19.:38:22.

make sure that technical education is put on the same footing as

:38:23.:38:27.

academic education that young people already take. And through this Bill

:38:28.:38:31.

dies slimming down the system qualifications, butting employers in

:38:32.:38:39.

the dining set of how these are designed. So there is a smaller

:38:40.:38:43.

number, but more easy to understand roots that read directly to career

:38:44.:38:48.

pathways for young people. We also put a real focus on apprenticeships,

:38:49.:38:53.

so that young people get direct work experience as they learn. We are

:38:54.:38:59.

planning to create 3 million new apprenticeships by 2020, with

:39:00.:39:02.

British business, for the first time, butting investment into making

:39:03.:39:06.

sure that those apprenticeships are high quality through the

:39:07.:39:13.

apprenticeship levy. We also had the third reading of the higher

:39:14.:39:15.

education and research bill in this House, warrior putting in place a

:39:16.:39:18.

new framework to drive up teaching quality, making universities more

:39:19.:39:23.

transparent than ever in terms of their outcomes, and making sure we

:39:24.:39:28.

remote equality of opportunity browse our universities. We have to

:39:29.:39:32.

recognise though, that one of the biggest challenges we face in the

:39:33.:39:36.

education system right now is the growing need for more good school

:39:37.:39:40.

places. Because too many children, in spite of the progress we have

:39:41.:39:45.

made, don't have a place at a good school. We have 1.2 million children

:39:46.:39:51.

that are in schools that Ofsted says aren't good enough. That is why we

:39:52.:39:57.

published the Schools That Were Everyone Consultation, to pose

:39:58.:40:02.

questions about how we can use the education expertise that already

:40:03.:40:06.

exist in this country, independent schools, faith schools, universities

:40:07.:40:11.

and selective schools too, because we cannot afford to leave a single

:40:12.:40:18.

Stone unturned. I am grateful to the secretary of

:40:19.:40:24.

state, I would put it to her that that is more likely to happen if the

:40:25.:40:29.

Government sticks to its mandate in terms of education. Then she now

:40:30.:40:32.

read out the precise section in the Conservative Party manifesto from

:40:33.:40:36.

the last election that gives her at the mandate to lift the bar on the

:40:37.:40:40.

Grayson of new grammar schools? We talked about excellent school

:40:41.:40:47.

places, and the best schools in our country, including grammar schools.

:40:48.:40:51.

I say that it is not viable for the party opposite to say that we've got

:40:52.:40:58.

grammars, we don't like them, to be apparently in equivocal about

:40:59.:41:01.

whether or not it is still Labour Party policy to shut the grammars

:41:02.:41:05.

that we do have. I'm willing to give way to the honourable lady she wants

:41:06.:41:15.

to confirm that? So we have a gaping hole in the opposition party's

:41:16.:41:20.

policy in relation to grammars. What I don't think is tenable as that we

:41:21.:41:25.

have a country where we have grammars and selection, but an

:41:26.:41:28.

opposition that says they don't like that, but want to take those steps

:41:29.:41:33.

whatsoever to see how we can deliver more strongly on social mobility

:41:34.:41:36.

through the schools which are already in place. I give way.

:41:37.:41:42.

I'm grateful. She must surely be aware that we have had 18 years of

:41:43.:41:47.

Labour policies in Wales, and as a result we have lower education

:41:48.:41:54.

standards, according to three separate bodies. Does she think we

:41:55.:41:57.

should take any notice whatsoever of what they have to say on education?

:41:58.:42:04.

No, I don't. And I think the legacy that was left after 13 years of

:42:05.:42:09.

labour for our youngest people was a disastrous one. Not just in terms of

:42:10.:42:17.

grade inflation, which gave millions of young people a sense of achieving

:42:18.:42:22.

grades which were not, in fact, at a level they needed to be. But I say

:42:23.:42:29.

as well that under the last government, youth unemployment

:42:30.:42:34.

nearly went up by 15 present. And of opportunity is about anything, for

:42:35.:42:39.

any people in our country, it surely starts with the dignity of being

:42:40.:42:44.

able to have a job and a career. I was at Handsworth Grammar School

:42:45.:42:48.

last week. This is a school where around 25 present of pupils are

:42:49.:42:54.

eligible for the deprivation premium. These young people talk to

:42:55.:42:58.

me about how much they value the education they are getting. When

:42:59.:43:02.

students, who is planning to go to Oxford, and I can hear the

:43:03.:43:06.

opposition bench, and I think they'd is young man, I've not sure

:43:07.:43:11.

precisely he would say do the chattering from the opposition

:43:12.:43:15.

bench, Mr Speaker, I think he would be dismayed to see the school which

:43:16.:43:19.

is giving him a transformational opportunity in his life being talked

:43:20.:43:25.

down. But his family, just two generations before him, had arrived,

:43:26.:43:29.

his grandparents with nothing more than the clothes on their back, and

:43:30.:43:34.

within two generations, he is hoping to be able to go to Oxford. He

:43:35.:43:39.

talked to me about what the chance to go to a grammar school in

:43:40.:43:44.

Handsworth has made for him, his family and his prospects for the

:43:45.:43:49.

future. And it's levelling up. This is what we want to do. I hope we

:43:50.:43:55.

should all be able to agree that the agenda on social mobility is about

:43:56.:44:01.

having more young people with opportunity, not fewer. It's about

:44:02.:44:04.

having more young people aiming higher, not fewer. So in setting out

:44:05.:44:11.

our consultation, how we can make grammars more open to disadvantaged

:44:12.:44:14.

children, that is exactly what we should be doing.

:44:15.:44:19.

She is speaking very powerfully about the opportunities that grammar

:44:20.:44:23.

schools give to children from very ordinary backgrounds. Tissue grew

:44:24.:44:26.

with me that it is a real tragedy we haven't invested more in grammar

:44:27.:44:33.

schools. Those are my constituency around massive pressure from parents

:44:34.:44:38.

living around my constituency, restricting places for their

:44:39.:44:42.

children that live in rugby players. He is right, and I think it is

:44:43.:44:47.

untenable to say to parents who want more choice and two children who

:44:48.:44:50.

would otherwise have had a place in those schools that they can't have

:44:51.:44:55.

one, they are simply wrong. We certainly at least be allowing local

:44:56.:44:59.

communities to decide. Simply an approach are saying, you can't have

:45:00.:45:04.

them, we know better, your parents, your child, you have the grades ago,

:45:05.:45:09.

but you're not allowed to go, I don't think that is a terrible

:45:10.:45:14.

approach. I will make more progress, because I think there are more

:45:15.:45:17.

members who want to come into this important debate. We are asking in

:45:18.:45:22.

this consultation how we can make more grammars open to disadvantaged

:45:23.:45:26.

children. How we can make sure that excellence which exists within a

:45:27.:45:30.

grammar schools can play a stronger role in a school improvement

:45:31.:45:33.

throughout the system. That is also part of what we should be doing. And

:45:34.:45:38.

asking as we have seen elsewhere, how grammars can play a role in

:45:39.:45:41.

lifting the schools around them and doing a stronger job. Many are

:45:42.:45:46.

working extremely hard, we want to see that become the norm. Finally,

:45:47.:45:52.

selective and grammar schools are often hugely oversubscribed. So

:45:53.:45:57.

consulting on how we respond to the demand that's there from parents and

:45:58.:46:01.

pupils is exactly what we should be doing. We can't just simply say that

:46:02.:46:06.

those parents and students are wrong. In reality, it is now time

:46:07.:46:09.

that we should be looking at how we can use grammar schools to open up

:46:10.:46:14.

for opportunity to more people. Grammars close the attainment gap

:46:15.:46:19.

between pupils from deprived backgrounds and are more advantaged

:46:20.:46:23.

peers. For the top performing 25 present of primary schools, the gap

:46:24.:46:31.

in results for pupils on a free meals is significantly smaller than

:46:32.:46:35.

in non-selective schools. Children an selective schools are more likely

:46:36.:46:43.

to attaining GCSEs. Also twice as likely to secure a place and attend

:46:44.:46:49.

one of the top Russell group your rest is than their wealthier peers.

:46:50.:46:56.

You don't fix the challenges of social mobility and opportunity

:46:57.:46:58.

simply by just complaining about it. You have to take radical action.

:46:59.:47:04.

That is why a unique to give local communities choice, which is exactly

:47:05.:47:09.

what our consultation is proposing and asking about, and we are

:47:10.:47:12.

improving our school system standards. Those communities that

:47:13.:47:18.

want to keep the status quo of their existing good and outstanding

:47:19.:47:21.

schools will be able to do that. There's much more to do alongside

:47:22.:47:26.

this consultation to ensure that every child has the education they

:47:27.:47:30.

need and deserve. We had to recognise that some challenges we

:47:31.:47:34.

face inside schools also require solutions outside schools too. That

:47:35.:47:40.

is why I have announced the first six opportunity areas dashed as

:47:41.:47:43.

those parts of the country where social mobility is really stalling,

:47:44.:47:48.

but young people have huge potential we want to unlock, and we need to

:47:49.:47:51.

work to make sure that happens. I give way.

:47:52.:47:58.

As comprehensively educated lad from Wellingborough, it is music to my

:47:59.:48:02.

ears to hear this current is committed not just the academic, but

:48:03.:48:06.

also the technical side of things. With my right honourable friend

:48:07.:48:10.

agree with me that it's so important in our education policy to recognise

:48:11.:48:13.

that different things work in different areas.

:48:14.:48:19.

That is quite right. The first six opportunity areas that we picked our

:48:20.:48:24.

very different places. Some are present coastal communities, some

:48:25.:48:27.

more grasslike amenities, some more arrogant. That is because they face

:48:28.:48:39.

different challenges in how we raise challenges. We need to work inside

:48:40.:48:44.

schools, working with head teachers at leading those schools, but also

:48:45.:48:48.

outside schools will stop will have better careers advice, men touring,

:48:49.:48:53.

working with the CBI and Federation of Small Businesses so that we can

:48:54.:48:57.

work on work experiences, apprenticeships, of course. I will

:48:58.:49:04.

give way. I'm delighted the secretary of state

:49:05.:49:09.

is giving away on that point. London challenge, and at the last Labour

:49:10.:49:12.

Government, achieved something very similar by doing something similar

:49:13.:49:18.

to what she suggested. A huge transformation in terms of funding

:49:19.:49:21.

for teaching, school buildings, freedom for schools and teachers -

:49:22.:49:26.

is she sure she has nothing to learn from the last Labour Government?

:49:27.:49:29.

I certainly don't think, in relation to the outcomes that were achieved

:49:30.:49:34.

for young people who left the education system. All too often

:49:35.:49:42.

haven't taken exams that suffered from grade inflation, and also,

:49:43.:49:45.

critically, when you look at the reporter done by Alison will

:49:46.:49:51.

surname, by taking altercations that the employers simply didn't value.

:49:52.:49:55.

We were told this was because it was an easier route for the institution

:49:56.:49:59.

they were in. We have lots to learn from, but it is ostensibly what is

:50:00.:50:06.

not to do rather than what to do. As I can finally make some progress, Mr

:50:07.:50:11.

Speaker, and include. Opportunity areas on just about the need to

:50:12.:50:14.

address the need for school places in all parts of the country. We want

:50:15.:50:19.

them to act in the vanguard of helping us ensure that we can learn

:50:20.:50:24.

how to best drive social mud at a in a different places so it can spread

:50:25.:50:29.

what throughout England. -- social mobility in different places. We

:50:30.:50:33.

have seen further and higher education, schools and

:50:34.:50:37.

apprenticeships put back into one department within the Department for

:50:38.:50:39.

Education. I think this means we have never had a better chance to

:50:40.:50:43.

make sure that education and opportunity as a whole work to drive

:50:44.:50:50.

social throughout our country. In conclusion, improving social

:50:51.:50:55.

mobility as our country's greatest generational challenge. As

:50:56.:50:58.

complexity means that change won't happen overnight. As I say, no

:50:59.:51:04.

country has cracked how to drive great social mobility. But making

:51:05.:51:08.

the best possible success of Brexit, as is Government and party is

:51:09.:51:13.

committed to do, is why social model to matters, and is why education is

:51:14.:51:18.

at the heart of that agenda. Because in the end, it will be people who

:51:19.:51:22.

left this great country of ours. That is why we need to make ours a

:51:23.:51:26.

country that works for everyone. The Prime Minister has said that her

:51:27.:51:30.

intention and the intention of this Government. Now it's time for this

:51:31.:51:35.

House to do the same, so we can get on with making sure the education

:51:36.:51:39.

system in this country becomes the driver of social mobility that it

:51:40.:51:43.

really can be. Young people only get one shot at their education, so we

:51:44.:51:57.

have two urgently get this right. And it requires all of us to be

:51:58.:52:06.

An amendment has been proposed. The question is, that the original words

:52:07.:52:18.

stand part of the question. As I rise I would like to declare an

:52:19.:52:21.

interest as a physics teacher, who spent two years working in the

:52:22.:52:28.

comprehensive sector. Mr Speaker, my father sat and failed the 11 plus

:52:29.:52:38.

exam and ended up in the local secondary at Saint rocks in Glasgow.

:52:39.:52:43.

School was simply a holding area for them until they were old enough to

:52:44.:52:50.

enter the workforce. My dad set out the path that was laid for most of

:52:51.:52:56.

his classmates, who worked in the shipyards but instead he went to

:52:57.:53:01.

work for the parks department. He has some good memories but work was

:53:02.:53:05.

simply something you did to provide for your family. There was no

:53:06.:53:12.

element of choice within that. You were grateful that you had the job

:53:13.:53:18.

and he was grateful. By that time my siblings and I went to school,

:53:19.:53:21.

grammars had been completely abolished in Scotland. We also

:53:22.:53:25.

attended the local secondary but now as a conference if and there were no

:53:26.:53:30.

preconceived ideas or restrictions placed upon us. My father watched

:53:31.:53:36.

with pride as one by one his five children went on to university.

:53:37.:53:41.

Possible of course because we paid no fees and were awarded maintenance

:53:42.:53:47.

grants. By coincidence, early in my career I've taught in my father 's

:53:48.:53:51.

old school, however it was transformed by that point. By now it

:53:52.:53:57.

was a comprehensive, a much happier place, the walls were the

:53:58.:54:02.

suppression of past achievements and some were academic, some vocational,

:54:03.:54:12.

but the real difference was the expectation of achievement. Every

:54:13.:54:14.

young person entering that school was seen as a human being with

:54:15.:54:18.

potential and every young person felt the weight of that expectation,

:54:19.:54:22.

because the real problem with selective education is not that you

:54:23.:54:27.

end up with good schools, it is not that one set of features works

:54:28.:54:33.

harder than another, it is that whole swathes of our young people

:54:34.:54:37.

will be labelled, Rogne of course, as having failed. And with that,

:54:38.:54:45.

social mobility falls. Whilst it may be argued that those who have the

:54:46.:54:48.

intellectual maturity or whose parents can pay for the tuition to

:54:49.:54:55.

pass the 11 plus, themselves may offer a more sheltered experience,

:54:56.:55:01.

as a government benches opposite should be concerned with every

:55:02.:55:07.

single child. And with grammar schools on the horizon this is

:55:08.:55:12.

simply not the case. If I could give an example,... I will. Would she

:55:13.:55:20.

agree with me that the major flaw in the secretary of the's speech was

:55:21.:55:23.

that she could not bring herself to acknowledge that if she pursues this

:55:24.:55:29.

policy it will lead to the creation of more secondary modern schools.

:55:30.:55:33.

That is the truth they will not face. I actually think there was

:55:34.:55:39.

another floor, listening to the centre of state speaking in such

:55:40.:55:41.

glowing terms about grammar schools, I wondered why we don't just make

:55:42.:55:49.

every school grammar. That would solve every problem. Many secondary

:55:50.:55:54.

schools choose to set pupils within the schools according to academic

:55:55.:56:01.

ability. However, the educational evidence of the benefits of even

:56:02.:56:04.

setting is scanned. Certainly when pupils are working on the same

:56:05.:56:09.

curriculum content of the evidence is clear and mixed ability classes

:56:10.:56:13.

are far more successful in raising attainment. The most able pupils

:56:14.:56:20.

succeed in whatever class they are in. The least able pupils do a bit

:56:21.:56:27.

better in mixed ability but the massive advantages for your swathes

:56:28.:56:31.

of average attendance who within a mixed ability class have no ceiling

:56:32.:56:41.

placed on their admissions. In fact when this government uses one of its

:56:42.:56:45.

buzzwords, aspiration, it is indeed this large group of middle pupils

:56:46.:56:50.

who embody and embrace the site there. And conversely when

:56:51.:57:01.

admissions based on ability and post on pupils in sends a strong signal

:57:02.:57:04.

to that particular group. In other words it is a self-fulfilling

:57:05.:57:10.

prophecy. Rolling this out too much larger scales as has been considered

:57:11.:57:14.

in the return to grammar schools, we have young people who have had

:57:15.:57:18.

decisions made on their future attainment before they even have a

:57:19.:57:21.

chance to attain. The damage that this does cannot be underestimated.

:57:22.:57:27.

To be told age 11 that you are not good enough is an incredibly

:57:28.:57:31.

difficult thing to overcome. Despite the best efforts of teachers, that

:57:32.:57:35.

labelling is a blow to the confidence and self esteem that can

:57:36.:57:41.

remain throughout the person's life. Given what the honourable lady just

:57:42.:57:47.

said, would the Old Lady join me in welcoming the green paper proposal

:57:48.:57:51.

to allow for transfers into and out of selective schools at age 14 and

:57:52.:57:57.

16 as well as 11? , co-I would welcome very little of the green

:57:58.:58:00.

paper, I do not agree with selective schooling. Does she think that

:58:01.:58:12.

eligibility to stay on either a college six form based on the level

:58:13.:58:17.

of qualifications at GCSE level should also be abolished? Cobb

:58:18.:58:22.

actually I'm not sure I understood the question. Students should be to

:58:23.:58:31.

stay on as long as the score fits their requirements and as long as

:58:32.:58:35.

the school is able to offer them something. Maybe it is not what the

:58:36.:58:38.

honourable gentleman asked but I will move on. I have had some

:58:39.:58:44.

correspondence not from my own constituents but from people living

:58:45.:58:52.

in England to have shared their about grammar schools. I will share

:58:53.:58:58.

this concern from a letter from a gentleman in England. As an 11 plus

:58:59.:59:01.

failure the sense of failure are still with me so much so that I find

:59:02.:59:05.

it hard in this letter to admit I went to a secondary modern. Nearly

:59:06.:59:10.

all my fellow pupils came from poorer or deprived backgrounds. I

:59:11.:59:13.

cannot think of one who came from a well-off background. As children we

:59:14.:59:18.

accepted our lot and it was made clear to us that our choices of work

:59:19.:59:22.

were limited after school. There were small cohort of teachers who

:59:23.:59:27.

did the best for us despite, as I realise now, limited resources.

:59:28.:59:34.

However turnover of teachers was high and did not bode well for

:59:35.:59:40.

continuity of education. There was no question of taking exams for

:59:41.:59:43.

qualifications of any kind. University was unthinkable. Higher

:59:44.:59:49.

education was closed off to us, we were in the rubbish bin. It's

:59:50.:59:58.

well-known that young people's thinking skills development

:59:59.:00:03.

different rates. Some aged 11 will have advanced cognitive abilities,

:00:04.:00:06.

for others it would take several more years for thinking skills to

:00:07.:00:10.

mature. A number of years ago I taught a young boy who had come age

:00:11.:00:16.

11 from the primary with the extremely poor literacy and numeracy

:00:17.:00:21.

skills that as time of one he showed some talent for science. Despite all

:00:22.:00:32.

original expectations placed on him and not by teachers but probably by

:00:33.:00:35.

that young boy himself he managed to achieve in his national exams

:00:36.:00:41.

scraping by on went on to university. Thief went on to get a

:00:42.:00:47.

degree in chemistry and then a Ph.D. And now travels the world as a

:00:48.:00:51.

chemical engineer. That is social mobility. That is achieved in a

:00:52.:00:58.

comprehensive school. That boy would not have come close to passing an 11

:00:59.:01:04.

plus exam. I completely oppose selective education. Which

:01:05.:01:08.

thankfully will not be introduced in Scotland. I will give way. I am

:01:09.:01:21.

incredibly grateful. Would she agree that there is a tendency with this

:01:22.:01:24.

debate to send a message that anybody who has gone to a secondary

:01:25.:01:29.

modern is indeed failing. I say that because I did. Exactly the same

:01:30.:01:32.

machine identified with her father. So I know how tough it can be. But

:01:33.:01:38.

the reality is that can be achieved, we scanned succeed. It is not a

:01:39.:01:41.

question or success and failure, it is a question of making the

:01:42.:01:45.

alternative schools as good as those that will go to grammar schools. I'm

:01:46.:01:51.

extremely glad the honourable gentleman did and has made his way,

:01:52.:01:57.

however not every young person has the strength of character that he is

:01:58.:02:00.

displaying and for many young people that actually causes major issues. I

:02:01.:02:10.

do not make any point about whether I have succeeded or otherwise, many

:02:11.:02:13.

could argue why have and by being here. The point is more that we are

:02:14.:02:19.

in danger of going back to the farce of either it is success or failure.

:02:20.:02:24.

Whereas in fact it is possible to have a mix of schools and still see

:02:25.:02:28.

those who don't go to grammar schools being successful schools and

:02:29.:02:31.

thriving and we shouldn't talk that down in this house. We have swathes

:02:32.:02:40.

of teachers who are battling the labelling that has been put on these

:02:41.:02:46.

young people. They are working absolutely flat out to overcome the

:02:47.:02:49.

prejudices that have been put on these young people. It is not right

:02:50.:02:53.

as a government that we should make life more difficult for them by

:02:54.:02:56.

continuing this and in fact extending this. I have got another

:02:57.:03:05.

letter here, from a young person, from high Wycombe. He says, I

:03:06.:03:09.

currently attend a grammar school in high Wycombe. At the age of ten I

:03:10.:03:14.

was put under a ridiculous amount of stress and felt at a disadvantage

:03:15.:03:18.

going into the 11 plus. As my family could only afford a fortnight of

:03:19.:03:22.

private tuition. This system makes 70% of case feel second-best. The

:03:23.:03:34.

social mobility agenda in Scotland is quite different. We are looking

:03:35.:03:39.

at positive steps we can take to increase social mobility including

:03:40.:03:43.

early learning. 30 hours of early learning for all children regardless

:03:44.:03:51.

of the work status of their parents. We have the attainment fund which I

:03:52.:03:54.

believe my honourable friend will mention more in his speech, which

:03:55.:03:57.

has been used to target the attainment gap currently in some

:03:58.:04:06.

areas. . Bolivars for the excellent pupils and teachers in the comments

:04:07.:04:10.

is in my area so achieved great things alongside grammars which also

:04:11.:04:14.

recruit for my local area. She should not run this people down,

:04:15.:04:20.

they are doing a great job. As someone who has attended and has

:04:21.:04:25.

taught in a comprehensive school, I think these teachers and young

:04:26.:04:28.

people are doing some of the best jobs in the country. Far better than

:04:29.:04:34.

some who possibly are in other situations. Other things that the

:04:35.:04:40.

Scottish game and have or haven't done, they have not cut the

:04:41.:04:44.

educational maintenance allowance that allows young people from

:04:45.:04:46.

disadvantaged backgrounds to remain at school to achieve to their full

:04:47.:04:55.

potential. Maintenance grants still available for our young people going

:04:56.:05:00.

to university. I would like to give an example of something that has

:05:01.:05:05.

really proved successful in increasing social mobility. Within

:05:06.:05:09.

Glasgow there are areas of serious deprivation, and schools in these

:05:10.:05:14.

areas may only have one or two pupils that are planning to set the

:05:15.:05:19.

highest level of qualifications in Scotland, the advanced higher. It is

:05:20.:05:25.

unreasonable and an economic to run courses for these 12 pupils said

:05:26.:05:30.

they are now coming to Caledonia University as a group of 20 or 30

:05:31.:05:35.

students together. This has been funded by Scottish Government, by

:05:36.:05:39.

Caledonian University and by Glasgow City Council. They are coming

:05:40.:05:44.

together as a group, they are experiencing life on a university

:05:45.:05:48.

campus and they are achieving their advanced higher altercations. That

:05:49.:05:55.

is social mobility. I will finish up by saying that we support the

:05:56.:05:59.

original motion by the opposition benches, social mobility is

:06:00.:06:05.

definitely, definitely has to be increased but grammar schools are

:06:06.:06:08.

not the way to do it. Posterity is not the way to do it. And we have to

:06:09.:06:12.

start looking at positive steps we can be taking. On account of the

:06:13.:06:20.

level of demand there is a requirement for the imposition of a

:06:21.:06:24.

time limit. We will begin with a minutes limit on backbench speeches.

:06:25.:06:32.

Nicky Morgan. Thank you very much indeed. I think all members of this

:06:33.:06:37.

house can agree that a first-class education is the greatest investment

:06:38.:06:41.

we can make as a country in our next generation.

:06:42.:06:47.

I have no doubt about the Secretary of State's commitment to increasing

:06:48.:06:53.

social mobility having heard speak for the last few years. I think we

:06:54.:06:59.

can also agree that, post-Brexit, it is more important than ever that all

:07:00.:07:03.

at younger people in this country leave education well skilled and

:07:04.:07:06.

well educated, particularly if we are going to have a new education

:07:07.:07:11.

policy in the next few years. For me, Mr Speaker, we want to have an

:07:12.:07:18.

excellent education everywhere. As I said at a party conference a couple

:07:19.:07:21.

of years ago, that everywhere is absolutely fundamental. What I think

:07:22.:07:27.

is missing from the Green paper is that sense of a strong and

:07:28.:07:31.

consistent whole system. I think that might be because the green

:07:32.:07:34.

paper only talks about schools rather than some of the other issues

:07:35.:07:39.

that we know are facing our education system. Issues of equality

:07:40.:07:45.

of teaching, the need for more great teachers, the need for announcements

:07:46.:07:50.

on terror funding. I was pleased to hear the secretary of State talking

:07:51.:07:59.

about her commitment to the bank. In the White Paper published earlier

:08:00.:08:04.

this year, we identified achieving excellence areas which need

:08:05.:08:07.

attention. The Social Mobility Commission last week picked that up,

:08:08.:08:12.

and we have heard already about the report on Knowsley. I think we

:08:13.:08:20.

should pay tribute to this, paid for by the Knowsley commission, because

:08:21.:08:24.

they have recognised the underperformance in their own area,

:08:25.:08:28.

and they need to make sure that children in that area, and families

:08:29.:08:32.

in that area, have a real choice about schools. For me, there are two

:08:33.:08:39.

tests for new schools holidays. Firstly, are we tackling those areas

:08:40.:08:46.

of underperformance specifically? Secondly, and I think this is at the

:08:47.:08:51.

heart of debate about selection, is every child being offered an

:08:52.:08:56.

academic knowledge-rich curriculum? I know that knowledge-rich is

:08:57.:09:00.

something of fundamental importance to the Minister for schools. I think

:09:01.:09:06.

we have technology that the Government's own green paper sets

:09:07.:09:11.

out the dangers around the case for change in selective schools. It says

:09:12.:09:16.

on page 21, paragraph four, while those children who attend selective

:09:17.:09:20.

schools enjoy a fire greater chance of academic success, there is

:09:21.:09:25.

evidence that children who attend nonselective schools in certain

:09:26.:09:29.

areas may not fare as well academically compared to local

:09:30.:09:33.

selective schools and comprehensives in nonselective areas. The education

:09:34.:09:37.

policy Institute also published a report in September same analysis of

:09:38.:09:46.

educational reformers shows that a high incidence of academically

:09:47.:09:56.

selective schools is not an end... I would like to hear more from the

:09:57.:09:59.

Minister about the evidence that the Government is relying on and making

:10:00.:10:05.

puzzles in the green paper. We talk about being a one nation Government.

:10:06.:10:10.

So the focus has to be on tackling those areas where school

:10:11.:10:16.

underperformance is still entrenched. Those areas of the

:10:17.:10:20.

country where families do not have the choice, whether are no good or

:10:21.:10:25.

outstanding schools, where, for them, the opportunity to travel

:10:26.:10:28.

outside the borough boundaries does not exist. So if we are at serious

:10:29.:10:37.

that more selective schools raise standards across the, that they are

:10:38.:10:50.

at look at... My question to the ministers is, what of those areas

:10:51.:10:54.

most in need of standards being raised opt out of having new

:10:55.:10:59.

schools? Because of the inherent problems in what is being promoted

:11:00.:11:04.

as, -- being proposed, the Green paper has to talk about measures. My

:11:05.:11:09.

concern is that everything proposed is a distraction for the party of

:11:10.:11:15.

the Government for those issues facing our education system. I

:11:16.:11:18.

mention fair funding, which are no colleagues on all sides of the House

:11:19.:11:22.

take incredibly seriously as an issue that has to be sorted. The

:11:23.:11:28.

second test is whether we think all children can benefit from excellent

:11:29.:11:32.

academic knowledge-rich curriculum. I think that is what our future

:11:33.:11:38.

workforce needs. True social mobility needs every child to be

:11:39.:11:41.

given the same opportunity. I give way.

:11:42.:11:46.

I've listened very carefully to what she said. Was she agree with me that

:11:47.:11:51.

this policy is a distraction, and we wanted to make the biggest

:11:52.:11:53.

difference to education in our country, we would do that by

:11:54.:11:59.

focusing on 0- for, and making sure more children alight at class with

:12:00.:12:05.

the language and social skills they needed?

:12:06.:12:08.

The honourable gentleman is right is that education is critically

:12:09.:12:12.

important. One of the issues surrounding that is that the

:12:13.:12:15.

attainment gap is already wide by the time children get to the age of

:12:16.:12:19.

11, often before they reach primary school. He has also been a

:12:20.:12:23.

Government minister, and knows that Government departments can do more

:12:24.:12:27.

than one thing. We can focus on early years at the same time as

:12:28.:12:31.

making sure every child has an excellent academic education. True

:12:32.:12:35.

social mobility requires every child to be given the same opportunity.

:12:36.:12:40.

Not for other people to make judgments about what children are

:12:41.:12:45.

entitled to. I remember the visit I paid to a primary school in

:12:46.:12:48.

Lancashire, whether head teacher informed me that the children at her

:12:49.:12:52.

previous school, a city centre school, where only going to ever be,

:12:53.:12:59.

requires improvement. The children being written off before the age of

:13:00.:13:02.

11 by Summit tells me there is a problem, and that problem needs to

:13:03.:13:07.

be tackled first. I have been up honest, I have struggled with the

:13:08.:13:12.

motion an amendment today in terms of how to vote. Because what is

:13:13.:13:16.

being proposed in the green paper was not in our manifesto. I hope the

:13:17.:13:20.

ministers will listen to the sponsors they receive in the

:13:21.:13:23.

consultation. They will listen to what members on all sides say today.

:13:24.:13:28.

Can I also suggest that in taking forward these proposals, if the

:13:29.:13:32.

Government remains determined to do so, they must set out proposals that

:13:33.:13:36.

will lift standards in underperforming areas, and it will

:13:37.:13:41.

start with those areas. Can I say, it's a pleasure to follow

:13:42.:13:51.

the right honourable member for Loughborough. She and I disagreed

:13:52.:13:55.

many times in the past, but I agree with much of what you has just

:13:56.:13:59.

outlines, and I hope her successor is listening carefully to what she

:14:00.:14:03.

had to say. We don't have long, as I'll track and canter through some

:14:04.:14:07.

of the issues as best I can. Before we get into the meat of this, it is

:14:08.:14:12.

important to clarify for all of us what we mean about social mobility.

:14:13.:14:17.

Too often in this debate, we talk about plucking the lucky few from

:14:18.:14:23.

disadvantage to the very top, and that's not actually what the policy

:14:24.:14:28.

of social mobility needs to address. It's about economic and social

:14:29.:14:32.

progress and for the lucky, not the few. It is about the rungs on the

:14:33.:14:35.

ladder getting shorter distance between them and pulling up that

:14:36.:14:43.

bottom wrong altogether. The challenges we face a deep-seated and

:14:44.:14:48.

manyfold, but they are particularly important in the world of work of

:14:49.:14:52.

today and tomorrow. Automation and that authorisation, and a hollowing

:14:53.:14:56.

out of the low skilled and many skilled jobs mean that by 2022,

:14:57.:15:03.

there will be 9 million low-skilled people going after 4 million jobs

:15:04.:15:11.

with a 3 million shortfall to fill the 15 million of high-skilled jobs

:15:12.:15:16.

that will be available in that economy of the future. These are the

:15:17.:15:21.

big challenges our country faces. The educational landscape needs to

:15:22.:15:24.

address the challenges, but hark back to the challenges of the 50s

:15:25.:15:28.

and 60s and the different economy that was face then. We need a bold

:15:29.:15:37.

strategy for tackling social mobility in this country, and how we

:15:38.:15:40.

narrowed the gap in educational disadvantage. And that, as many

:15:41.:15:45.

successive governments have looked to do is about dealing with the long

:15:46.:15:51.

tail of underachievement, not, as is Government seems hell-bent on doing,

:15:52.:15:55.

creating an even more elite education for the already elite. I

:15:56.:16:02.

stated to this equity stake, who is shaking her head, the Government

:16:03.:16:07.

could start by adopting in full the recommendations of our own Social

:16:08.:16:09.

Mobility Commission report that was published just last week, and she

:16:10.:16:14.

would get widespread, cross-party support in so doing. There are three

:16:15.:16:21.

key areas that report set out which I fully agree with, and have been

:16:22.:16:25.

raised by others already. The first is about quality in the early years.

:16:26.:16:31.

In the early years, I'm phrase, we are yet again seeing the Government

:16:32.:16:34.

not understanding the policy question that they are being asked.

:16:35.:16:39.

They are putting more money into childcare, something which I very

:16:40.:16:44.

much welcome. But there are two reasons we invest in early years

:16:45.:16:47.

just as one is about enabling parents to get back into the labour

:16:48.:16:54.

market. The second is to narrow the educational attainment gap which

:16:55.:16:58.

exists by the age of five for many young people already. To narrow that

:16:59.:17:04.

gap, we had to have an absolute focus on quality. And that quality

:17:05.:17:09.

being available for the most disadvantaged children, not just for

:17:10.:17:13.

a few. The Government could be spending its money much more wisely

:17:14.:17:18.

in this area, and driving up quality across the board. We need a clear

:17:19.:17:23.

agenda going forwards to do theirs. I'm afraid many of these things have

:17:24.:17:27.

been going backwards under this Government. We've got to have more

:17:28.:17:30.

support for parents under the sure start programme, and parental

:17:31.:17:35.

support. The quality provision, where it is needed most in the most

:17:36.:17:39.

disadvantaged areas, and we see that with our maintained nursery schools

:17:40.:17:42.

and many other classes in primary schools, these are now all under

:17:43.:17:48.

threat with the new funding formula. We see a levelling down, not a

:17:49.:17:52.

levelling up in terms of quality in the early years. We could be using

:17:53.:17:58.

the early years premium much better, and we are not. I would say to the

:17:59.:18:03.

secretary of State, leveraged the money you're putting an iterator

:18:04.:18:06.

quality is at the heart of your strategy. We have is about

:18:07.:18:09.

childcare, and we hear is about working families and childcare and

:18:10.:18:14.

that is not what the social mobility debate is about. We need a pool of

:18:15.:18:18.

talented teachers everywhere, as we got in the London challenge. I say

:18:19.:18:24.

to the Secretary of State, the London Challenge was a fantastic

:18:25.:18:26.

achievement of the last government. We deceive need to see that draw

:18:27.:18:30.

that places like Knowsley, the ten worst areas in the country, in

:18:31.:18:35.

dealing with that. Camera schools were exacerbated the issues of

:18:36.:18:40.

quality teachers where we need them most. -- Grammar schools will

:18:41.:18:46.

exacerbate. Does she not notice the irony in

:18:47.:18:50.

mentioning Knowsley, when a council's own report says that the

:18:51.:18:58.

introduction of grammar schools would actually be transforming for

:18:59.:19:02.

those working-class boys are especially who were underachieving?

:19:03.:19:07.

I would say it was not a recommendation that the council has

:19:08.:19:11.

taken on board. What we need is to get the quality teachers in city

:19:12.:19:16.

areas. We know what works, it works in London, we need to see the London

:19:17.:19:20.

Challenge rolled out of the ten worst areas where we know the

:19:21.:19:25.

children of most disadvantaged and not getting the support they need.

:19:26.:19:31.

There is more we can do in the post-16 area as well, as the Social

:19:32.:19:37.

Mobility Commission said. Finally, on grammar schools, let's remind

:19:38.:19:40.

ourselves of the evidence. The OECD has found that selective countries

:19:41.:19:47.

do more well than those are nonselective. In England, the

:19:48.:19:51.

highest attainment gaps in selective boroughs, yet the highest performing

:19:52.:19:56.

boroughs are comprehensive. In Kent, 23 present of free school meal

:19:57.:20:02.

children are A-letter Charlie, whereas in London it is ten present.

:20:03.:20:09.

It is not can parable with the free school meal children elsewhere. So

:20:10.:20:15.

far, as David Willetts has described, grammar schools are in an

:20:16.:20:19.

arms race Private tuition for rich parents. The inequalities we have

:20:20.:20:23.

just described previously get greater and greater in the system.

:20:24.:20:29.

That's weighted chief inspector of schools, the very education the

:20:30.:20:33.

Social Mobility Commission, the Southern trust, the head teachers

:20:34.:20:37.

unions, all the heads and Surrey, Ruth Davidson and many members

:20:38.:20:41.

opposite, are all opposed to the reintroduction of grammar schools.

:20:42.:20:48.

So if she wants to have a robber, cross-party agreement on driving up

:20:49.:20:54.

social mobility, take forward her own Government's report every step

:20:55.:20:57.

of the way and agree with their recommendations on grammar schools,

:20:58.:21:00.

as you will get the consensus of this House.

:21:01.:21:07.

There is a happy consensus, well hidden within this debate -

:21:08.:21:11.

and that is all the parties in this House believes that education is of

:21:12.:21:16.

huge importance. And all of us believe that we want the best

:21:17.:21:19.

possible education for all the children in our country. We also

:21:20.:21:24.

accept that the state has the main obligation, because most of the

:21:25.:21:27.

children will need state finance and state support in order to achieve

:21:28.:21:32.

that great education. I pay tribute to ministers that there are now 1.54

:21:33.:21:37.

million children being educated in good and outstanding schools as

:21:38.:21:41.

proof that work by successive ministers, and buy more importantly,

:21:42.:21:45.

at whole army of head teachers and teachers in state schools is

:21:46.:21:49.

delivering a better education across the country. There are still more to

:21:50.:21:54.

do, and I hope others and who are so critical of our current levels of

:21:55.:21:57.

educational achievement in their own errors will be positively working

:21:58.:22:00.

with their schools and local education authorities to try and

:22:01.:22:02.

achieve the better performance. The shadow Secretary of State give

:22:03.:22:13.

boiler by revealing that since becoming Shadow Secretary of State

:22:14.:22:17.

she's made grammar schools are big thing in table of this motion, but

:22:18.:22:21.

hasn't actually visited any since taking on the job. I would have

:22:22.:22:24.

thought it would be a courtesy to the grammar schools she's attacking

:22:25.:22:27.

to go and visit one or two of them before mounting this challenge in

:22:28.:22:33.

this house. The argument runs that selection is wrong because we may

:22:34.:22:37.

not select all of the talented people at the age of choice. And

:22:38.:22:42.

that therefore it is unfair to give this advantage to those who are

:22:43.:22:46.

selected. But again there is a huge humbug on the opposition benches.

:22:47.:22:51.

When I asked the Shadow Secretary of State whether she was upset by the

:22:52.:22:56.

fact that our elite sports people have usually been selected at quite

:22:57.:23:00.

a young age for special training and special education, and that they are

:23:01.:23:04.

expected to achieve to a much higher level than the average, and they are

:23:05.:23:08.

given training in May to do extra work in order to be able to do so,

:23:09.:23:12.

and she didn't seem at all upset by that.

:23:13.:23:17.

I do not accept that that is completely useless analogy to draw.

:23:18.:23:22.

Education is about life. The skills that people need to get through

:23:23.:23:27.

life, the basic literacy, numeracy. Sport is not about the entirety of

:23:28.:23:31.

life. That is why education is different and that is why it's wrong

:23:32.:23:34.

to label any child as second-class at age 11.

:23:35.:23:39.

The right Honourable gentleman just doesn't understand. If a young

:23:40.:23:43.

person from a poor background becomes a top footballer, there is a

:23:44.:23:45.

transformation in their lives, and good luck to them. Why do they not

:23:46.:23:51.

understand is that exactly the same arguments apply to art, ballet,

:23:52.:23:54.

music? We take the children at quite a young age who we think are going

:23:55.:23:58.

to be the most talented musicians and we give them elite special

:23:59.:24:01.

training so that they can play to the highest standards in the world.

:24:02.:24:06.

I'm glad he mentioned football because actually 13% of our national

:24:07.:24:12.

football team went to a private school, which is double the number

:24:13.:24:16.

of children who go to private schools nationally. Does he think

:24:17.:24:20.

that might account for the performance of our national football

:24:21.:24:23.

team, if we're missing out on the tavern that exists in a

:24:24.:24:25.

comprehensive sector? Will he recognise that that is precisely the

:24:26.:24:32.

problem we are facing today? I don't think we will get a better

:24:33.:24:36.

team by training them less and no longer giving them any kind of elite

:24:37.:24:40.

education. I really think they're being very obtuse on the benches

:24:41.:24:44.

opposite. Let me try a different argument. The second argument

:24:45.:24:48.

against grammar school is that they claim in Buckinghamshire and

:24:49.:24:50.

Berkshire where we have some good grammar schools we must be suffering

:24:51.:24:54.

in all the other schools. They write off and write down the many

:24:55.:24:57.

excellent comprehensive schools in areas that have access to grammar

:24:58.:25:02.

school places. In a quite unrealistic and unpleasant way. I

:25:03.:25:06.

know my own area better than Buckinghamshire stopping my own

:25:07.:25:08.

constituency we don't have any grammar schools, but we have two

:25:09.:25:15.

excellent grammar schools, a girls' and boys's, just over in wedding,

:25:16.:25:21.

and they took from our brightest and most academically gifted pupils from

:25:22.:25:25.

the Wokingham area. What happens in our comprehensive area in Wokingham

:25:26.:25:27.

is that our comprehensive schools also have great academically gifted

:25:28.:25:33.

children. At the top of the school not having to compete with the ones

:25:34.:25:36.

you are grammar, they go on to compete very successfully and get

:25:37.:25:40.

good places at elite universities. The members opposite should not

:25:41.:25:44.

write those schools for pretend that some kind of failed secondary

:25:45.:25:48.

modern. I'm very glad that my honourable friend reminds us that

:25:49.:25:51.

there are some very good secondary modern schools and pupils to achieve

:25:52.:25:54.

great things. My honourable friend achieved great things before coming

:25:55.:25:57.

into this house. Others will think it's a great achievement that he is

:25:58.:26:01.

also in this house. I think it shows that you should not write off any

:26:02.:26:05.

whole category of school as I think in a more honest moments of those on

:26:06.:26:08.

the opposition benches pointed out, what really matters in the school is

:26:09.:26:12.

the talent of the teaching force and the goodwill and working spirit of

:26:13.:26:18.

the pupils. The two play off each other and you can get that in a good

:26:19.:26:22.

comprehensive and a good grammar school. But the opposition must

:26:23.:26:26.

understand we're not trying to create a series of schools for

:26:27.:26:29.

failures. We want to have great schools for everybody. But we do

:26:30.:26:33.

believe that if we select some pupils on academic ability and give

:26:34.:26:37.

them elite academic training, that can make sense for them but it

:26:38.:26:42.

doesn't write off the other school. I'm not at all opposed to giving the

:26:43.:26:45.

brightest pupils and elite education. That's not why I'm

:26:46.:26:49.

worried about grammar schools. I'm worried about grammar schools

:26:50.:26:53.

because they don't answer the central problem is our education

:26:54.:26:55.

system faces. Michael Wilshaw said that we had a mediocre education

:26:56.:27:01.

system. We are falling behind how international competitors. In a

:27:02.:27:06.

modern economy where innovation is creating jobs at 30 times the rate

:27:07.:27:10.

of the rest of the economy, we need to exploit all the talents of all

:27:11.:27:13.

our young people. That's why I'm worried about grammar school.

:27:14.:27:22.

You don't prevent providing a good education to everybody else by

:27:23.:27:25.

selecting some people who are good at football or good at academic

:27:26.:27:29.

subjects. If we want to have more Nobel Prize winners, they're very

:27:30.:27:33.

likely to be attending the great universities in our country. We want

:27:34.:27:35.

to feed those great universities with the best possible talent from

:27:36.:27:41.

our schooling system. Shouldn't that talent have been given an education

:27:42.:27:44.

which stretches them and get them further along the road to great work

:27:45.:27:49.

before they reach university? The most successful people at university

:27:50.:27:53.

have often had an extremely good education before they get to the

:27:54.:27:57.

university. Their self-starters. I really don't have the time and lots

:27:58.:28:00.

of other people wish to indulge in the debate. We need to make sure we

:28:01.:28:05.

get the maximum number of talented pupils throughout the highest

:28:06.:28:08.

possible level so that they can achieve even greater things at the

:28:09.:28:12.

elite universities. That brings me to my next problem with the

:28:13.:28:14.

opposition argument because they ignore completely the fee-paying

:28:15.:28:21.

schools. There are some fee-paying schools in our country that achieve

:28:22.:28:25.

enormous success academically. They have double privilege because they

:28:26.:28:29.

select bright pupils who also have rich family backgrounds. You put the

:28:30.:28:32.

two together and it's explosively successful. I don't begrudge people

:28:33.:28:38.

a great education if they came from a rich background. I didn't come

:28:39.:28:41.

from one myself but I'm very grateful they can get a great

:28:42.:28:44.

education. It's even better that they pay for it themselves as well

:28:45.:28:47.

as paying their taxes. I'm not jealous. But it must be a great

:28:48.:28:52.

problem if you are all kinds of elite education that we have those

:28:53.:28:55.

great schools that combine this double advantage. I think a grammar

:28:56.:29:00.

school provides people who are bright but didn't come from a rich

:29:01.:29:04.

background with an opportunity to compete better against those

:29:05.:29:07.

phenomenally successful elite schools in the public sector. The

:29:08.:29:11.

honourable lady rightly pointed out that all of our public schools are

:29:12.:29:16.

not only dominate -- not only dominate academically but in the

:29:17.:29:20.

sporting world as well, showing that the combination of resource and

:29:21.:29:23.

selection that they put together is a powerful combination. Surely we

:29:24.:29:25.

need more centres of excellence where you can get access to it

:29:26.:29:30.

without having rich parents. My final point is to say I do think

:29:31.:29:35.

it's deeply disappointing that the opposition front bench called a

:29:36.:29:40.

debate on this important subject yet cannot confirm or deny that they

:29:41.:29:46.

wish to abolish the grammar schools we've got. One little tip for the

:29:47.:29:50.

opposition, I remember how difficult it was, I always find it helpful if

:29:51.:29:55.

I've worked up the position of my party first as shadow spokesman

:29:56.:29:58.

before challenging the Government on its position. I need to make sure

:29:59.:30:03.

that my party's position on the topic I was responsible for was both

:30:04.:30:07.

sensible and unlikely to be popular. I think they failed the tests today.

:30:08.:30:12.

It sounds as if the shadow spokesman would like to abolish the grammar

:30:13.:30:15.

schools but doesn't have the courage to say she wishes to abolish the

:30:16.:30:19.

grammar schools. I would make a plea to this house, get behind the

:30:20.:30:23.

excellent grammar schools we've got. Get behind the excellent

:30:24.:30:27.

comprehensive we've got. Understand that were comprehensive and grammars

:30:28.:30:32.

coexist, the comprehensives can do very well and also achieve great

:30:33.:30:36.

things with their pupils. We don't have enough great schools. Let's not

:30:37.:30:40.

cripple the ones we've got and certainly I don't want to live in a

:30:41.:30:43.

world where you have to be rich to go to an elite academic Academy.

:30:44.:30:52.

Today's debate about how to ensure that every child, no matter what

:30:53.:30:55.

their background is, is able to make the most of their life. As the world

:30:56.:30:59.

changes and the labour market changes, that becomes more important

:31:00.:31:04.

than ever. Good education is the best possible route to opportunity.

:31:05.:31:09.

It is the liberator from circumstance. The open of mines and

:31:10.:31:13.

the means by which children can change the course of their lives. --

:31:14.:31:21.

the opening of minds. It is for the country as a whole. The

:31:22.:31:25.

well-educated country is a country better equipped to succeed in the

:31:26.:31:32.

modern world. It isn't just about 11 players. It's about tens of millions

:31:33.:31:38.

of people. A country which neglects education does it self harm. It not

:31:39.:31:46.

only cuts off opportunity for individuals and Luke 's discovered,

:31:47.:31:48.

it also disarms itself in the mission to make the country the best

:31:49.:31:54.

it can possibly be. -- and leaves talent undiscovered. There has been

:31:55.:32:01.

some progress. Last week's social mobility commission report pointed

:32:02.:32:05.

out that disadvantaged young people of 30% more likely to go to

:32:06.:32:09.

university now than many years ago. But despite this progress, we still

:32:10.:32:16.

have a long way to go before we can say that we have succeeded in our

:32:17.:32:21.

mission. Too many children still don't get the life chances they

:32:22.:32:25.

expect. Too many children are still held back by lack of ambition, by

:32:26.:32:30.

the view that their background dictates that they could never make

:32:31.:32:33.

it. And too much discussion about this issue begins with the awful

:32:34.:32:41.

defeatist phrase, "These kids". What I believe these kids can achieve is

:32:42.:32:47.

anything. I believe that children from any background can achieve as

:32:48.:32:51.

much as those from a better off background, given the chance and

:32:52.:32:55.

given the platform. And when that doesn't happen, we have lied

:32:56.:32:58.

unfulfilled. Jobs which people can't take up. -- we have lied

:32:59.:33:05.

unfulfilled. Resentment at being closed off from how the world is

:33:06.:33:09.

changing. And a country which is not making the most of its people. But

:33:10.:33:14.

it need not. We have the power to change it. And in some cases people

:33:15.:33:20.

are already doing so. In my constituency, for example, if we

:33:21.:33:24.

take a school like Holy Trinity Primary School, it ranks among the

:33:25.:33:30.

top 10% of primary schools in England for work with disadvantaged

:33:31.:33:34.

children. And it's rated outstanding. The Ofsted report

:33:35.:33:40.

speaks of a school where, I quote, school leaders and governments are

:33:41.:33:45.

relentlessly focused on achieving the very best for their pupils. From

:33:46.:33:49.

the moment they start in nursery, children achieve exceptionally well

:33:50.:33:52.

and this continues throughout the school. All of this is done in a

:33:53.:33:58.

school where the percentage of pupils receiving the pupil premium

:33:59.:34:02.

is twice the national average, and where the school is about half white

:34:03.:34:06.

British and half a diverse mix of other cultures. Holy Trinity

:34:07.:34:12.

achieves this because of the fantastic leadership of its

:34:13.:34:17.

headteacher, Carol McNally. Great stewardship from its governors. And

:34:18.:34:20.

a refusal to accept anything other than excellence. And it is an island

:34:21.:34:27.

of excellence. We've got other islands of excellence, too. But for

:34:28.:34:32.

all pupils to achieve an excellent education, we don't just need

:34:33.:34:36.

islands of excellence. We need a system of excellence. Where the kind

:34:37.:34:41.

of performance that we see at Holy Trinity, and other schools like it,

:34:42.:34:46.

runs right through the whole school system. So, do we have? I'm afraid

:34:47.:34:51.

we don't. In July of this year, West Midlands MPs received a letter from

:34:52.:34:57.

the regional director of Ofsted about the condition of secondary

:34:58.:35:00.

schools in the Black Country. They expressed concerns about low

:35:01.:35:05.

standards and weaknesses, inequality provision for secondary pupils in

:35:06.:35:12.

all four Black Country areas. The Z pupils' achievement by the age of 14

:35:13.:35:20.

is poor with that compared by others in the West Midlands and nationally.

:35:21.:35:26.

It follows by success to build -- failure to build on achievement in

:35:27.:35:36.

primary school. Were not enough has been done to address these failings

:35:37.:35:40.

over the years. I'm pleased to say that Wolverhampton has been

:35:41.:35:45.

improving fast. It the fourth most improved authority in the country.

:35:46.:35:50.

But that's from a low base and there is still a long, long way to go. So

:35:51.:35:55.

I want to commend my honourable friend, the member for Dudley North,

:35:56.:35:59.

whose convened a meeting between Black Country MPs and the regional

:36:00.:36:04.

director in a few weeks' time. And I hope that this letter is a rallying

:36:05.:36:09.

call for everyone concerned about local education. Everyone in a

:36:10.:36:13.

position of leadership to ask what we can do to improve the picture and

:36:14.:36:17.

create a system of excellence, not just islands of excellence. We

:36:18.:36:22.

cannot be satisfied with the status quo. We ought to be passionate about

:36:23.:36:27.

change. The easiest thing in the world in politics is to be a

:36:28.:36:32.

megaphone for anger. But real leadership is not just about

:36:33.:36:38.

amplifying disaffection. It's about giving people a chance and not a

:36:39.:36:40.

grievance. An improvement in all ability skills

:36:41.:36:51.

for all children has a real chance of doing so.

:36:52.:36:56.

I agree with nearly everything he said until the last line, but there

:36:57.:37:00.

we are. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate

:37:01.:37:06.

given the inability of the Shadow Secretary of State to answer the

:37:07.:37:09.

question put by my honourable friend from Crawley as to whether a future

:37:10.:37:13.

Labour government would close existing grammar schools, which is a

:37:14.:37:18.

matter of importance to me and my constituents, and also the

:37:19.:37:22.

honourable gentleman sitting next on the opposition front bench, and I

:37:23.:37:26.

hope we'll have an answer to that important question before the end of

:37:27.:37:32.

this debate. Mr Speaker, fundamentally this debate is about

:37:33.:37:36.

social mobility, of course, but it is also about the question of who we

:37:37.:37:40.

believe should make choices in our society. Do we believe that we, in

:37:41.:37:47.

this House, should be directing what should be available to our

:37:48.:37:50.

constituents? Or should we be listening to what they want? Where

:37:51.:37:54.

ever we have selection in our country at the moment my

:37:55.:38:01.

constituents are perhaps the best performing in the country. That

:38:02.:38:05.

system is immensely popular with parents, it is hard to find

:38:06.:38:07.

significant numbers of people who would like to change it, because it

:38:08.:38:12.

works so well. But there are people in this House... Does he accept that

:38:13.:38:19.

in Northern Ireland, where nearly a quarter of the grammar schools for

:38:20.:38:24.

the whole UK exist, that academic results are actually the best of all

:38:25.:38:29.

the areas in the United Kingdom, just reinforcing his argument? If I

:38:30.:38:35.

have time I shall return to some of the excellent results from Northern

:38:36.:38:38.

Ireland later in my remarks. There are those in this House who think it

:38:39.:38:42.

is all right to have a choice of school, or type of school, if you

:38:43.:38:46.

can afford to pay the fees. There are those who think it is all right

:38:47.:38:50.

to have a choice of school if you can afford to buy a House in an

:38:51.:38:55.

expensive catchment area. It is instructive, Mr Speaker, to look at

:38:56.:39:03.

the results of that approach. The borough of Trafford, which has very

:39:04.:39:05.

excellent state education, only 5.2% of pupils go to independent schools.

:39:06.:39:14.

Manchester, 6.7%. Stockport, 10.1%. If you look at Camden, where, we are

:39:15.:39:19.

told, state education has been revolutionised, it is 28.9% of

:39:20.:39:26.

pupils go to independent schools. Let's open up opportunities to

:39:27.:39:29.

people regardless of their ability to pay, and that's exactly what they

:39:30.:39:33.

do in those areas which offer selection in the state sector. But

:39:34.:39:37.

Trafford is outstanding, not just because of the seven grammar

:39:38.:39:39.

schools, it is also the outstanding quality of the

:39:40.:39:52.

high schools. This persistent myth from the 1950s and 60s but if you

:39:53.:39:55.

have grammar schools you have sink schools is an utter nonsense and

:39:56.:39:58.

should be rejected. We have heard mentions of Knowsley and the report

:39:59.:40:00.

produced for it. One thing that has not been mentioned is that one of

:40:01.:40:04.

the so-called secondary modern schools in my constituency, we call

:40:05.:40:08.

them high schools, it spawned the Dean trust, a very good, effective

:40:09.:40:13.

Academy trust, and is so good that it has been brought into Knowsley,

:40:14.:40:18.

as my honourable friend, former Secretary of State said, looking for

:40:19.:40:22.

excellent from outside. It is to Trafford high schools that they have

:40:23.:40:27.

turned. That gives the lie to the nonsense about no attainment in

:40:28.:40:31.

those schools. Also, we should reflect on some of really damning

:40:32.:40:38.

evidence about the degree of social segregation elsewhere in the system.

:40:39.:40:43.

If we look at the record of the last Labour government, it was alluded to

:40:44.:40:48.

earlier, let's look at the findings in 2010, from the Sutton trust. It

:40:49.:40:54.

looks at the 100 most socially selective schools in the country.

:40:55.:40:59.

And 91 of them were comprehensive schools. Selecting by catchment, by

:41:00.:41:04.

postcode, by the ability to buy a House in the catchment area. I know

:41:05.:41:13.

he is a passionate advocate of grammar schools in his constituency

:41:14.:41:17.

but one of the issues that has not been thrown into the debate so far

:41:18.:41:22.

is ethnic segregation. Does he agree that white British pupils make up

:41:23.:41:32.

70% of all pupils but only 16% in selective schools. One of the items

:41:33.:41:34.

is that white working-class boys would benefit from the selection,

:41:35.:41:39.

does he agree that it is not the case? Actually those numbers are

:41:40.:41:43.

rising fast, I would say. And if you look at the answer to a written

:41:44.:41:47.

question I tabled recently you will see the evidence that every single

:41:48.:41:53.

ethnic minority group, including white British, performs better in

:41:54.:41:57.

partially selective areas than in comprehensive areas, and better

:41:58.:42:00.

still in partially selected areas. If we look at A-level results, I

:42:01.:42:06.

can't... I have given my time up for interventions. If we look at A-level

:42:07.:42:13.

results. Eight of the top ten local authorities are selective or

:42:14.:42:18.

partially selective. Trafford, 35.8% achieving those top A-level grades.

:42:19.:42:26.

GCSE, those achieving a star through to see, the national average is

:42:27.:42:31.

52.8%, if you look at the top achieving authorities, seven out of

:42:32.:42:36.

ten are selective or part selective. That is not the grammar schools,

:42:37.:42:39.

that is the whole local education authority areas. Trafford sees a

:42:40.:42:48.

70.8% this year getting five or more a- C grades. 70% getting those

:42:49.:42:56.

grades in English and maths. If we look at participation levels and

:42:57.:42:58.

higher education Trafford gets a 72%. If I can come back to Trafford

:42:59.:43:05.

and its participation in higher education, 72% go into higher

:43:06.:43:09.

education, and if you look at those going into the top third of higher

:43:10.:43:13.

education institutions, nine of the top ten authorities are selective or

:43:14.:43:18.

part selective. If you look at students going to Russell group

:43:19.:43:21.

universities, seven of the top ten are selective or part selective, and

:43:22.:43:25.

Trafford, as my honourable friend will know very well, is the only one

:43:26.:43:39.

in the top 20 in the country in the north or the Midlands, in their

:43:40.:43:41.

entirety. Members opposite in the north of the Midlands who want to

:43:42.:43:43.

see more opportunities for the constituents would be wise to pay

:43:44.:43:47.

close attention to that. I have to say, the culture of expectation and

:43:48.:43:52.

aspiration runs so deep in Trafford, we saw at the weekend of the parent

:43:53.:43:57.

power top 250 primary schools in the country in the Sunday Times, nine of

:43:58.:44:03.

them work Trafford schools. The second was Park Road primary School

:44:04.:44:08.

in my constituency. I am obviously delighted to congratulate it on this

:44:09.:44:14.

occasion. Returning, because I was asked to do so by the honourable

:44:15.:44:19.

gentleman from Northern Ireland, if we look at the performance of the

:44:20.:44:25.

most effective selective systems in Northern Ireland, holy selective

:44:26.:44:29.

education systems, which it has been for a very long time, the percentage

:44:30.:44:34.

of children eligible for free school meals in Northern Ireland, achieving

:44:35.:44:40.

five or more A- C grades at GCSE, 70%. That compares to the figure for

:44:41.:44:50.

England and Wales. 45.6%. So dramatically better. If we look at

:44:51.:44:54.

those in England achieving that performance, including English and

:44:55.:45:00.

maths, 33%, against 45% in Northern Ireland. What we need to look at Mr

:45:01.:45:04.

Speaker is how we can expand this real choice, how we can expand the

:45:05.:45:10.

number of good schools of all sorts, but we cannot tolerate any longer a

:45:11.:45:15.

situation in this country where people are allowed the choice of

:45:16.:45:19.

good school, which can transform life chances if they are rich enough

:45:20.:45:26.

to pay the fees of rich enough to buy a House in the catchment area of

:45:27.:45:35.

one of the top comprehensive schools. I am very pleased that it

:45:36.:45:42.

is my honourable friend from Ashton-under-Lyne who initiated this

:45:43.:45:45.

important debate, making an absolutely excellent speech. The

:45:46.:45:49.

whole House will agree that education is the most powerful

:45:50.:45:53.

engine of social mobility that there is. It broadens horizons, open

:45:54.:45:58.

stores, and should be accessible to all. There is nothing more inspiring

:45:59.:46:03.

and transformative and then people increasing their knowledge,

:46:04.:46:08.

realising their potential, and changing their life circumstances. I

:46:09.:46:11.

owe my grandmother a debt of gratitude for pushing me to do well

:46:12.:46:24.

at night school and giving me a lifelong love of reading. Education

:46:25.:46:26.

later in life gave me the opportunities that changed my life.

:46:27.:46:29.

I want others to be able to have those same chances.

:46:30.:46:30.

As the government social mobility commission state of the nation

:46:31.:46:33.

report showed, this engine is spluttering, rather than firing on

:46:34.:46:38.

all cylinders. As the commission's report concludes, the runs on the

:46:39.:46:42.

social mobility that are growing further apart. Those words should be

:46:43.:46:48.

a call to action. Yet the government appears to only of a mere words. The

:46:49.:46:53.

action we need is not falling back on the field prescriptions of the

:46:54.:46:57.

past, like trying to revive grammar schools. We need to be looking at a

:46:58.:47:08.

future face of all bridging the gap between education and employment.

:47:09.:47:11.

The traditional world of work is rapidly changing, but much of our

:47:12.:47:15.

curriculum is hopelessly lagging behind the pace of change. If

:47:16.:47:21.

education is to be a powerhouse of social mobility it needs to work in

:47:22.:47:26.

tandem with the demands of a modern economy. Government seems to

:47:27.:47:30.

recognise this in fits and starts. It launched a half baked initiative

:47:31.:47:37.

that rightly drew much criticism. Not least because the executive

:47:38.:47:41.

director did not even know how to code. Advisers were quitting, saying

:47:42.:47:46.

that they wanted nothing to do with it, and the government has come

:47:47.:47:51.

scurrying back to its comfort zone of 1950s Britain, where privileged

:47:52.:47:55.

children learned Latin and grammar schools were the great hope. That is

:47:56.:47:59.

where we are now and it is just not good enough. There is a wealth of

:48:00.:48:03.

evidence highlighting how ill-prepared we are. A study

:48:04.:48:10.

revealed that a lack of digital skills, digital poverty, is causing

:48:11.:48:15.

the failure of far too many UK start-ups. But it is not just things

:48:16.:48:19.

like vital text skills we are failing to equip our children must.

:48:20.:48:23.

Failing to meet engineering skills demand is costing the United Kingdom

:48:24.:48:27.

?27 billion per year according to engineering UK. The gap between the

:48:28.:48:33.

New World of work and education continues to widen. We need to start

:48:34.:48:39.

narrowing the gap between education and employers. A survey by the

:48:40.:48:45.

Gatsby foundation found that in only 40% of schools did a young person

:48:46.:48:48.

have an encounter with an employer at least once a year from year seven

:48:49.:48:54.

onwards. We can do better than this. I do believe that Labour, the party

:48:55.:48:59.

of work, recognises that education cannot exist in a vacuum. Unless

:49:00.:49:05.

education adapt to changing employment landscape that we set up

:49:06.:49:09.

then we will set up our children to fail. With recent research by Oxford

:49:10.:49:15.

University and Deloitte suggesting that 850,000 public sector jobs

:49:16.:49:20.

could be lost due to automation by 2030. It is clear that we should be

:49:21.:49:25.

preparing now for a brave New World. In Autumn Statement that is that the

:49:26.:49:31.

Chancellor is able to able to rise to this challenge, and kick-start a

:49:32.:49:35.

vision for social mobility. If the government does not act those who

:49:36.:49:42.

are just about managing now will soon become left on the scrap heap.

:49:43.:49:50.

Finally, any vision of social mobility has to have a chance of

:49:51.:49:54.

laying down roots and being seen as credible. Then we will need

:49:55.:49:58.

Parliament to start being seen as a proper, living example of social

:49:59.:50:04.

mobility. We have seen the reaction in America to the Clintons and

:50:05.:50:08.

bushes as the American dream of social mobility has withered away.

:50:09.:50:12.

People want their governments to get real and create a genuine

:50:13.:50:15.

stakeholder Society where everyone is a chance to get on. In Britain

:50:16.:50:21.

they want the British promise we are hard work is rewarded to finally

:50:22.:50:27.

mean something again. That is now the challenge for this government.

:50:28.:50:32.

With immediate effect the time limit and backbench speeches must now be

:50:33.:50:40.

reduced to five minutes. It is a particular pleasure to speak in this

:50:41.:50:43.

debate having attended a south London grammar school myself, I can

:50:44.:50:48.

say from personal experience I would not be here were not for that

:50:49.:50:53.

grammar school, and so I feel an obligation to other youngsters

:50:54.:50:55.

growing up in south London from ordinary backgrounds like mine to

:50:56.:51:00.

speak up when the opportunity arises. I would like to echo many of

:51:01.:51:04.

these things my honourable friend from altering said earlier, in

:51:05.:51:07.

particular highlighting the terrible unfairness that in our system today

:51:08.:51:15.

very often the only way to be sure of an outstanding education is to

:51:16.:51:18.

pay for it either by going private or buying a much more expensive

:51:19.:51:23.

House in the catchment area of a good school. It is a disgrace that

:51:24.:51:27.

the only way to be sure of an academic education is to pay for it

:51:28.:51:33.

today. Let me pick up on the... In a moment, I will take interventions in

:51:34.:51:37.

a moment. Let me begin by responding to a question which the Treasury

:51:38.:51:40.

Select Committee colleague of mine posed to the Secretary of State. He

:51:41.:51:44.

asked for evidence that children from ordinary backgrounds do better

:51:45.:51:45.

in grammar schools. Firstly, in areas where at least 10%

:51:46.:51:59.

of pupils are collected, free school meals kids get seven GCSE grade

:52:00.:52:04.

notches better than equivalent children in nonselective schools.

:52:05.:52:09.

That is as seven great boost. Secondly, for white, male children,

:52:10.:52:15.

the former Secretary of State asked about white, male children from

:52:16.:52:19.

privileged backgrounds, those who go to grammar schools have a 30% higher

:52:20.:52:23.

chance of going to university than those who do not go to grammar

:52:24.:52:30.

schools. I have to say that I think that any parent or teacher watching

:52:31.:52:34.

this and hearing somebody from the government benches saying the only

:52:35.:52:37.

way to guarantee an excellent education is to pay for it is

:52:38.:52:43.

absolutely ravishing our excellent education system. The fact is many

:52:44.:52:48.

parents want to socially select their children, but if we flip this

:52:49.:52:54.

issue and look at the progress being made, with preschool real children

:52:55.:52:57.

he will find the comprehensive system massively exceed that of the

:52:58.:53:04.

private system. It is very clear in my area in Croydon that parents who

:53:05.:53:09.

want an academic education have to travel out of the borough to either

:53:10.:53:13.

Bromley or Saturn because the kind of education they want for their

:53:14.:53:18.

children is not available. Where parents want a particular kind of

:53:19.:53:23.

education for their children it is not up to this house on ideological

:53:24.:53:29.

grounds to deny them that choice. We should be enabling choice. No one on

:53:30.:53:32.

this side of the House is suggesting a return to the 1944 education act

:53:33.:53:40.

system. The kind of system we are proposing is a diverse system where

:53:41.:53:44.

there are a whole range of different schools with different specialisms.

:53:45.:53:49.

We have different kinds of academies and free schools and grammar schools

:53:50.:53:54.

have a place in that diverse system along with lots of other schools.

:53:55.:53:59.

Parents can exercise choice over which kind of school works for them.

:54:00.:54:05.

What is clear is that where children from ordinary backgrounds go to

:54:06.:54:08.

grammar schools they do significantly better than if they

:54:09.:54:15.

did not. I am grateful to my colleague for giving way. Part of

:54:16.:54:20.

the reason for that is by their very nature of academic selection the

:54:21.:54:23.

higher attaining pupils from the poorest backgrounds are attending

:54:24.:54:27.

those schools. When you look at the evidence base as a whole, the

:54:28.:54:31.

evidence shows if you are from a deprived background going to a

:54:32.:54:34.

grammar school you are less likely to do as well as you're better off

:54:35.:54:39.

counterparts and the impact on the system as a whole is not positive.

:54:40.:54:43.

Every leading educational expert says this is a bad policy. I would

:54:44.:54:53.

refer him to the educational is situation report. Perhaps he has not

:54:54.:55:02.

had a chance to read it. That found the seven great advantage adjusts

:55:03.:55:06.

for the prior academic attainment. The child with the same level of

:55:07.:55:10.

attainment does better in a grammar school. Let me come onto the two

:55:11.:55:17.

objections that I have heard from the opposition. There are two

:55:18.:55:22.

reasonable objections which one might make. It is fair to

:55:23.:55:27.

acknowledge them and answer them. The first is grammar schools only

:55:28.:55:33.

admit 3% of their pupils with free school meals were as the population

:55:34.:55:39.

as a whole it is 13%. It is right to draw attention to that deficiency

:55:40.:55:44.

and question it. It is possible by being inventive to radically

:55:45.:55:47.

increase the free school meal percentage and there is a great

:55:48.:55:53.

example at the King Edward VI Grammar School in Birmingham where

:55:54.:55:57.

they have increased their intake from 3% up to over 20%, above the

:55:58.:56:05.

national average by doing a series of innovative things, including

:56:06.:56:09.

active outreach into primary school areas, free school coaching on the

:56:10.:56:17.

tests to deprived families. They provide bursaries so parents who are

:56:18.:56:22.

worried about the cost of school uniforms or a musical instrument or

:56:23.:56:27.

travel costs have those concerns are taken care of. They have transformed

:56:28.:56:32.

their free school meal intake. He will be aware of the evidence given

:56:33.:56:40.

by Becky Allen to the Education Select Committee which shows the

:56:41.:56:44.

negative impact on other grammar schools who have now lost free

:56:45.:56:48.

school meal children. He is arguing that overall the number of preschool

:56:49.:56:52.

children will go up if he wants this policy to work. I am arguing for

:56:53.:56:58.

them to do outreach to make sure we go from 3% to a higher figure so

:56:59.:57:03.

children from deprived backgrounds can do well and get in. The County

:57:04.:57:08.

Grammar School next door to my borough in Saturn has a slightly

:57:09.:57:13.

lower test threshold for free school meals children and they have

:57:14.:57:17.

increased their intake. I am happy to see in the green paper on page 25

:57:18.:57:23.

the government is saying a number of these things we have seen working in

:57:24.:57:26.

King Edward VI and in Warrington boys school will be the conditions

:57:27.:57:33.

of new grammar schools opening. By attaching those conditions the

:57:34.:57:37.

government is addressing the reasonable concerns that have been

:57:38.:57:40.

raised on both sides of the House. The other objection I have heard and

:57:41.:57:46.

the former Secretary of State just alluded to it, is that in selected

:57:47.:57:51.

areas nonselective schools do worse because the selective schools have

:57:52.:57:55.

creamed off the best pupils. There is not clear evidence for that.

:57:56.:58:02.

There are reports on both sides. The Sutton trust in 2008 found no such

:58:03.:58:08.

effect and another study found a marginal effect and we have heard my

:58:09.:58:11.

honourable friend referred to Northern Ireland. We will not have

:58:12.:58:18.

sedentary interventions and waving around of documents. It is simply

:58:19.:58:24.

not done in here. Thank you for defending me so valiantly. We heard

:58:25.:58:30.

from my honourable friend how Northern Ireland is an excellent

:58:31.:58:33.

case study where the entire educational system has done well in

:58:34.:58:40.

that system. Let me conclude that I believe with the reforms in the

:58:41.:58:44.

green paper this system can work and help children from deprived

:58:45.:58:50.

backgrounds fulfil their potential. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for

:58:51.:58:55.

calling me to speak in this important but sadly repetitive

:58:56.:59:00.

debate. It is an issue that rears its head every time we have a

:59:01.:59:05.

Conservative government. What is the Conservative Party's fascination

:59:06.:59:10.

with grammar schools? When it comes to social mobility the conservative

:59:11.:59:14.

response is to resort to dogma will stop a return to grammar schools in

:59:15.:59:19.

bodies retrograde thinking. It is a system that benefits only a few.

:59:20.:59:24.

There is no evidence, no justification and no basis to the

:59:25.:59:29.

belief that selective education leads to improved social mobility.

:59:30.:59:33.

You do not have to take my word for it. The government's advisory body

:59:34.:59:40.

on social mobility says grammar schools do not work. Education is

:59:41.:59:44.

the single most important tool available to each and every

:59:45.:59:49.

government in improving social mobility within this country. It is

:59:50.:59:55.

that this government's fascination with selective education makes any

:59:56.:59:59.

real dialogue about how we can improve social mobility in this

:00:00.:00:03.

country and is lost to the noise of Tory MPs calling for the

:00:04.:00:07.

reintroduction of grammar schools. This is a debate we have time and

:00:08.:00:13.

time again with the same conclusion, grammar schools do not work. There

:00:14.:00:18.

is no basis to the belief that selective education leads to

:00:19.:00:22.

improved social mobility. There is no easy way to improve social

:00:23.:00:30.

mobility in this country. Anyone who believes so is sadly deluded. Social

:00:31.:00:34.

mobility can only be improved through a tide of political will.

:00:35.:00:41.

Most importantly through unwavering investment long-term and not just

:00:42.:00:47.

during one Parliamentary term. I am proud that under the previous Labour

:00:48.:00:52.

government such political will did exist and we were funding to help

:00:53.:00:57.

all children, not just the select few educated in our private school

:00:58.:01:03.

system. Under a Labour government school budgets increased year on

:01:04.:01:08.

year. Under this government the ISS forecasts school budgets will fall

:01:09.:01:11.

in real terms by 8% over this Parliament. Under a Labour

:01:12.:01:17.

government the educational maintenance allowance was introduced

:01:18.:01:21.

to help children from low income families to continue in further

:01:22.:01:25.

education. Under the party opposite it was scrapped. The further

:01:26.:01:30.

education sector has faced real term cuts of 14%. The maintenance grant

:01:31.:01:37.

in the higher education sector is set to be scrapped. This is a recipe

:01:38.:01:43.

for social mobility disaster undermining all the progress of

:01:44.:01:48.

recent years to raise aspiration. At this time in my constituency we need

:01:49.:01:52.

more help, investment and for long-term planning, not less. In

:01:53.:02:00.

2010-2011, the last year of the maintenance grants, there were over

:02:01.:02:07.

8000 recipients in my district. It was ranked 64th nationally on the

:02:08.:02:14.

index of multiple deprivation. By 2015 its position has worsened to

:02:15.:02:20.

41st, pointing to an increase in need and suggesting a greater number

:02:21.:02:23.

of young people would have benefited from the maintenance grant. Of 656

:02:24.:02:31.

constituencies in the UK, my constituency ranked 600 a night for

:02:32.:02:38.

the percentage of individuals with a level four qualification or above.

:02:39.:02:43.

When it comes to the percentage of individuals without any

:02:44.:02:46.

qualifications whatsoever, Bradford South is 74th in our league tables.

:02:47.:02:51.

The grammar school will not change that. This government should reflect

:02:52.:02:55.

on their record in government, there is adequate investment, and do the

:02:56.:03:00.

right thing. And their fascination with grammar schools and most

:03:01.:03:08.

importantly committed to investment over the long term. Thank you, Madam

:03:09.:03:18.

Deputy Speaker. Can I welcome the debate and there is wide agreement

:03:19.:03:22.

about the stagnant state of social mobility in the UK, but less

:03:23.:03:26.

agreement about the right way to revive it. There are also, and it is

:03:27.:03:33.

an elephant in the room in this debate, deep philosophical

:03:34.:03:35.

differences by those inspired by America cripple situation and those

:03:36.:03:40.

who take an eagle at area and view and that is healthy and respectable.

:03:41.:03:47.

You will find the idea of meritocracy very hard to reconcile

:03:48.:03:52.

with your worldview. Some members opposite ought to be a bit more

:03:53.:03:58.

honest about that. The truth is I support the meritocratic vision on

:03:59.:04:05.

moral grounds because in my view, unlike the egalitarian mirage, it is

:04:06.:04:11.

a vision that can reinforce, not paralyse, a healthy, vibrant and

:04:12.:04:15.

competitive economy that creates jobs, wages and tax revenues for our

:04:16.:04:22.

public services. I want to come onto the issue of evidence around

:04:23.:04:25.

selection and I think there is strong evidence in favour of it if

:04:26.:04:30.

it is done right way. We see that in existing selection we have in the

:04:31.:04:34.

current school system at 16 when pupils want to stay on to do

:04:35.:04:39.

A-levels and into university. The opposition motion says there is no

:04:40.:04:42.

evidence that selection will improve social mobility. But this is clearly

:04:43.:04:49.

still a very contentious issue. I am not saying it is cut and dried, but

:04:50.:04:55.

there is compelling evidence in favour of it. The review conducted

:04:56.:04:59.

by a former chief inspector of schools in 2009. On a Select

:05:00.:05:07.

Committee I sat on in 2013 there was evidence that supported selection as

:05:08.:05:11.

long as admissions were Don on a clear and objective basis and as

:05:12.:05:17.

long as there were opportunities for selection later on. The opposition

:05:18.:05:22.

motion is flawed. But expanding grammar schools needs to be done the

:05:23.:05:29.

right way and it needs to be fair with grammar school expanded beyond

:05:30.:05:34.

a middle-class preserve. There is a strong case for making sure the

:05:35.:05:38.

first charge is done in those areas with very high levels of deprivation

:05:39.:05:46.

and lower educational standards. It creates an opportunity from those

:05:47.:05:49.

kids from the council estates or the backwaters. It is a reasonable

:05:50.:05:54.

question at what age selection should take place. I agree with the

:05:55.:05:59.

OECD that there ought to be doors at different ages to make sure we do

:06:00.:06:04.

not close off opportunities for late developers. Of course it goes

:06:05.:06:11.

without saying this is not a 0-sum gate. You can support grammar

:06:12.:06:15.

schools and raise standards right across the whole state education

:06:16.:06:19.

system and particularly in the most deprived areas which is what we have

:06:20.:06:24.

seen under the existing government with 1.4 million children going to

:06:25.:06:28.

schools that are good or outstanding compared to 2010 and specifically

:06:29.:06:34.

with policies like the pupil premium specifically designed to target

:06:35.:06:35.

children in the most deprived areas. The other mode of -- note of

:06:36.:06:49.

caution, this is not a silver bullet, it is one piece of a jigsaw,

:06:50.:06:53.

patiently putting together a jigsaw that will help provide social

:06:54.:06:56.

mobility. I support the proposals of the Green paper on harnessing the

:06:57.:07:01.

talent and innovation of the independent sector and they would go

:07:02.:07:05.

further, I like the idea of the Sutton trust opening up all

:07:06.:07:08.

independent schools on a meritocratic, means tested basis, it

:07:09.:07:12.

would massively widen their intake of youngsters from humble

:07:13.:07:16.

backgrounds. Notwithstanding the great strides made in

:07:17.:07:19.

apprenticeships and vocational training this country still has a

:07:20.:07:22.

massive hang-up with the technical route to making a success of

:07:23.:07:26.

yourself, whether it is through vocational training or

:07:27.:07:29.

apprenticeships. We don't have the same parity of esteem you see in

:07:30.:07:33.

France, Switzerland, Germany. I would like to see us do more in

:07:34.:07:38.

relation to those errors, and non-graduate roots to the

:07:39.:07:41.

professions, to create the ladders of opportunity, not just for bright

:07:42.:07:46.

academic youngsters, but also for bright and not necessarily bookish

:07:47.:07:54.

youngsters. One look at the issue across the board I share the

:07:55.:08:00.

inspiring vision set out to make Britain the great meritocracy of the

:08:01.:08:04.

world, this is only the first step, many people talk a good game about

:08:05.:08:07.

social mobility without being willing to get behind, deliver and

:08:08.:08:15.

will the means to let -- means to it. We face two major challenges in

:08:16.:08:23.

education in Britain. First, we are falling rapidly behind other

:08:24.:08:25.

countries in basic numeracy and youth literacy, Estonia, Poland,

:08:26.:08:34.

Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and it is a reason why recently the

:08:35.:08:37.

education select committee was told that we have a mediocre education

:08:38.:08:43.

system in our country. Secondly, with the innovation economy creating

:08:44.:08:46.

jobs at a much higher rate than the economy as a whole, and with jobs

:08:47.:08:50.

that require no skills or low skill is disappearing at a rapid rate, we

:08:51.:08:54.

need to educate all of our young people to a high standard. Last

:08:55.:08:58.

week's social mobility commission report, as we heard, compared

:08:59.:09:04.

children from the most advantaged areas with the private areas, most

:09:05.:09:09.

deprived areas are 27 times more likely to go to an inadequate

:09:10.:09:13.

school, more likely to drop out of education at 16, 30% less likely to

:09:14.:09:17.

study A-levels and reach a top university. White working-class boys

:09:18.:09:22.

are even worse. New research by the Sutton trust shows that three

:09:23.:09:25.

quarters been badly let down, failing to achieve five good GCSEs

:09:26.:09:31.

grades, compare that to pupils from independent schools, just five

:09:32.:09:34.

public schools send more pupils to Oxbridge than 2000 state schools,

:09:35.:09:39.

two thirds of the entire state sector. Despite accounting for just

:09:40.:09:51.

7% of school pupils rose from independent schools represent seven

:09:52.:09:54.

out of ten High Court judges, more than half our leading journalists,

:09:55.:09:56.

doctors, more than a third of MPs. I want to see the whole country united

:09:57.:09:59.

around the mission of driving up standards and open opportunity for

:10:00.:10:02.

all pupils. But grammar schools will only improve social mobility of poor

:10:03.:10:06.

children are able to go to them. Analysis by the education data that

:10:07.:10:09.

showed poor children are much less likely to get in then they're better

:10:10.:10:14.

off peers. Poor children of already had a poor start to their education,

:10:15.:10:18.

by the age of 11, making it harder for them to get into grammar

:10:19.:10:22.

schools, but even if you take two children from the same schools at

:10:23.:10:25.

Key stage two, the poorer child is less likely to pass an entry exam

:10:26.:10:35.

entered into a grammar school. In areas with selective grammar schools

:10:36.:10:38.

the gap between rich and poor is greater than in areas without any

:10:39.:10:40.

grammar schools at all. Grammar schools also put a barrier between

:10:41.:10:42.

the pupils in some of the most experienced teachers in the country.

:10:43.:10:45.

Again the education data showed that 54%

:10:46.:10:48.

teachers in grammar schools have been in the industry for ten years,

:10:49.:10:55.

and secondary modern, there's less experience. I think there should be

:10:56.:10:59.

better schools for every child, and instead of using scarce resources on

:11:00.:11:02.

the new grammar schools, focus on improving early years education and

:11:03.:11:06.

tackle stubborn levels of underachievement, as we heard

:11:07.:11:09.

earlier, in areas like the Midlands and the North. Provide incentives

:11:10.:11:12.

and support for experienced teachers, get them into schools with

:11:13.:11:16.

poorer children, and help them stay in the profession. Anyone who visits

:11:17.:11:19.

a school that has been turned round seen a

:11:20.:11:33.

dramatic improvement in results will know it is impossible without the

:11:34.:11:36.

inspirational leadership that the heads provide, so we need new ways

:11:37.:11:39.

of identifying, recruiting, training a new generation of headteachers,

:11:40.:11:41.

and new grammar schools will not tackle the fundamental problem is

:11:42.:11:43.

that our education system faces. They will not transform the quality

:11:44.:11:45.

of education for all pupils, they will not tackle the social mobility

:11:46.:11:48.

crisis we face in Britain, this policy will do nothing to tackle the

:11:49.:11:50.

chronic shortage of teachers, the teacher recruitment and retention

:11:51.:11:53.

crisis that we face in our country, it will not help identify, train,

:11:54.:11:58.

and recruit a new generation of brilliant heads, it will not improve

:11:59.:12:01.

early years education which is the key to giving every child a

:12:02.:12:04.

first-class start, it will not improve the status and

:12:05.:12:33.

quality of vocational education, it will do nothing about the funding

:12:34.:12:36.

crisis facing post-16 education, and the deepest cuts, the deepest cuts,

:12:37.:12:38.

that the further education sector has ever seen, and these are the

:12:39.:12:41.

issues that the government ought to address, and I think we should agree

:12:42.:12:44.

is a country, education is in a more priority. Let's sweep aside the

:12:45.:12:46.

all-party political dogma and instead of using time, energy, and

:12:47.:12:48.

resources on expensive and time-consuming structural changes

:12:49.:12:49.

for which there is absolutely national debate about education,

:12:50.:12:51.

let's involve all parties, employers, the teaching profession,

:12:52.:12:53.

and so based on the evidence we can work out how a modern education

:12:54.:12:56.

system can be structured and what young people need to look for the

:12:57.:12:58.

modern let's have a national debate about education, let's involve all

:12:59.:13:00.

parties, employers, the teaching profession, and so based on the

:13:01.:13:03.

evidence we can work out how a modern education system can be

:13:04.:13:05.

structured and what young people need to learn for the modern reforms

:13:06.:13:12.

since 2010 that there are 1.4 million more children now attending

:13:13.:13:16.

schools that are rated as good or outstanding then compared with six

:13:17.:13:20.

years ago. Furthermore, ?2.5 billion has been invested this year in the

:13:21.:13:29.

pupil premium that is reducing the attainment gap between children from

:13:30.:13:32.

thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, the recent publication of the social

:13:33.:13:34.

mobility commission annual State of the nation report highlight the

:13:35.:13:37.

challenges that we continue to face when it comes to tackling education

:13:38.:13:39.

inequality and improving social mobility. Thanks to the government

:13:40.:13:41.

reforms since 2010 that there are 1.4 million more children now

:13:42.:13:43.

attending schools that are rated as good or outstanding then compared

:13:44.:13:45.

with six years ago. Furthermore, ?2.5 billion has been invested this

:13:46.:13:48.

year in the pupil premium that is reducing the attainment gap between

:13:49.:13:49.

children from disadvantaged backgrounds and they're better off

:13:50.:13:50.

peers in both primary and and I would say to the

:13:51.:14:07.

member from Bradford South that he is having a much bigger impact than

:14:08.:14:10.

TMA ever did or ever would have, however, there is still far more to

:14:11.:14:13.

do, if you live in the Midlands or the North you have less of a chance

:14:14.:14:16.

of attending a good school and children in the South, just 5% of

:14:17.:14:18.

children eligible for free school meals came in those five a grades at

:14:19.:14:21.

GCSE, while work working-class boys, as we have heard many times today,

:14:22.:14:24.

are less likely to go to university than any other group in as was

:14:25.:14:26.

mentioned earlier it is absolutely vital age as we know that

:14:27.:14:28.

educational inequality time is given to children of a young age as we

:14:29.:14:31.

know that educational inequality year stated that children from the

:14:32.:14:33.

North are already behind their southern counterparts by the age of

:14:34.:14:35.

five. By September next year the government will double the current

:14:36.:14:38.

number of 15 hours of free charge per week for all 34 school age.

:14:39.:14:40.

Indeed, a report from the institution of public policy

:14:41.:14:42.

research in this year stated that children from the North are already

:14:43.:14:44.

behind their southern counterparts by the age of five. By September

:14:45.:14:47.

next year the government will double the current number of 15 hours of

:14:48.:14:56.

recharger per week for all three and in England to 30 hours, part of a

:14:57.:14:59.

record ?6 billion per year in investment and childcare by the end

:15:00.:15:01.

of this Parliament. The introduction of the early years pupil premium has

:15:02.:15:04.

equipped providers with the flexibility to innovate towards

:15:05.:15:06.

improving the quality of early years provision for each eligible

:15:07.:15:15.

children. I would mention one incredible important group of young

:15:16.:15:18.

people who we must also consider as part of this, and that is children

:15:19.:15:20.

who are looked after in the state system, outcomes for our looked

:15:21.:15:22.

after children in education are poorer than their peers, and the gap

:15:23.:15:34.

gets wider as the children get should not have and how far they go

:15:35.:15:38.

in life, it is imperative that we remain mindful of looked after

:15:39.:15:41.

children and they sometimes unique obstacles that they face. And all of

:15:42.:15:46.

this is where we are in their current system. We can while trends

:15:47.:15:49.

in the educational attainment of children are generally improving

:15:50.:15:51.

these children are still far less likely than their peers to achieve

:15:52.:15:53.

good GCSE results, A-level results, and indeed they tend not to go to

:15:54.:15:56.

university. When we speak out about social mobility consumer that HR's

:15:57.:15:58.

background should not have and how far they go in life, it is

:15:59.:16:01.

imperative that we remain mindful of looked after children and they

:16:02.:16:03.

sometimes unique obstacles that they face. And all of this is where we

:16:04.:16:06.

are in their current system. We can that despite the improvements that

:16:07.:16:08.

have been made since 2010 in many parts of the country there is still

:16:09.:16:11.

a shortage of good school places. And adequate choice for parents when

:16:12.:16:13.

it comes to choosing the best education for their child. There are

:16:14.:16:15.

two grad schools within my local both provide an excellent education

:16:16.:16:17.

to children and are proving incredibly popular with it is only

:16:18.:16:20.

those in middle income and high net worth families that tend to access

:16:21.:16:24.

these schools because of the area for many years. Sadly though, whilst

:16:25.:16:26.

popular with all parents, it is only those in middle income and high net

:16:27.:16:29.

worth families that tend to access these schools because and access to

:16:30.:16:37.

the right school places for each individual child cost associated,

:16:38.:16:40.

whether it is tuition, or private schooling. This has been a bugbear

:16:41.:16:42.

of mine for many years. If only our local primary schools were serious

:16:43.:16:45.

about social mobility and access to the right school places for each

:16:46.:16:47.

individual why don't they offer tuition to access grammar schools

:16:48.:16:49.

for those children who are capable and, from how much they get from

:16:50.:16:56.

pupil premiums. It is because they oppose the principle means? This,

:16:57.:17:00.

Madam Deputy Speaker, is not because of schools cannot afford to, we have

:17:01.:17:03.

already heard how much they get from pupil premiums. It is because they

:17:04.:17:05.

oppose the indeed, to the many members opted to suppose this in --

:17:06.:17:08.

post is in principle, I would say, this is already an in-built part of

:17:09.:17:12.

the comprehensive system at present. Having a ban on grammar schools only

:17:13.:17:16.

causes an in-built discrimination against those without monetary

:17:17.:17:19.

means. Comprehensive schools also tend to be highly selective on

:17:20.:17:24.

wealth in other areas, as is widely acknowledged, good or outstanding

:17:25.:17:28.

schools are disproportionately in well to -- post this in principle, I

:17:29.:17:30.

would say, this is already an in-built part of the comprehensive

:17:31.:17:33.

system at present. Having a ban on grammar schools only causes an

:17:34.:17:35.

in-built discrimination against those without monetary means.

:17:36.:17:36.

Comprehensive schools also tend to be highly selective on wealth in

:17:37.:17:38.

other areas, as is widely acknowledged, good or outstanding

:17:39.:17:40.

schools are disproportionately in well to do unfortunately I do not

:17:41.:17:43.

have a great deal of time left for my increasing choice for parents I

:17:44.:17:46.

believe there is a case for relaxing restrictions on selective education

:17:47.:17:48.

and that in this proposal, along with what I would say is that in the

:17:49.:17:50.

interest of educating standards and increasing choice for parents I

:17:51.:17:53.

believe there is a case for relaxing restrictions on selective education

:17:54.:17:55.

and that in this proposal, along with other indeed will increase

:17:56.:17:57.

social mobility. Indeed will increase social mobility. Thank am

:17:58.:17:59.

afraid we are overrunning and I must reduce the time limit to there are

:18:00.:18:02.

so many interventions that I am afraid we are overrunning and I must

:18:03.:18:05.

reduce the time four minutes. Liz that the government plans many

:18:06.:18:10.

speakers said that the government plans to will increase not decrease

:18:11.:18:16.

it. All the evidence shows that poor children are more likely to fall

:18:17.:18:19.

behind their better off peers and the effects can be long-lasting. Our

:18:20.:18:23.

opposition to grammar schools and to the government not decreasing. All

:18:24.:18:25.

the evidence shows that poor children are more likely to fall

:18:26.:18:28.

behind their better off peers and the effects can be long-lasting. Our

:18:29.:18:30.

opposition to grammar schools and to the does not mean we are in how well

:18:31.:18:33.

poor and better of children do at complacent about the achievement gap

:18:34.:18:36.

between how well poor and better of children do at far from it. Members

:18:37.:18:43.

on this side of the most deprived areas. But this must never be used

:18:44.:18:49.

as an excuse for tolerating failure of low the complex problems facing

:18:50.:18:51.

many children and families in our most deprived areas. But this must

:18:52.:18:54.

never be used as an excuse for tolerating failure of low we must be

:18:55.:18:57.

fearless champions of. Getting a great education is about more than

:18:58.:19:00.

and always put their needs first. Getting a great education is about

:19:01.:19:03.

more than the the chance to fulfil their potential, it must be at the

:19:04.:19:06.

heart of our response to globalisation also. The world is

:19:07.:19:11.

changing faster than ever before. New technologies emerge and jobs

:19:12.:19:14.

move in what seems like the brink of an eye. This is opening up

:19:15.:19:18.

opportunities for some but is leaving too many people behind also.

:19:19.:19:23.

Yet our response to global change cannot simply be to hold up a mirror

:19:24.:19:29.

to anger and despair. That leads nowhere and does not create a single

:19:30.:19:38.

job opportunity. Neither should we try to keep people has the chance to

:19:39.:19:43.

fulfil their potential, it must be at the heart of our response to

:19:44.:19:45.

globalisation also. The world is changing faster than ever before.

:19:46.:19:47.

New technologies emerge and jobs move in what seems like the brink of

:19:48.:19:50.

an eye. This is opening up opportunities for some but is

:19:51.:19:52.

leaving too many people behind also. Yet our response to global change

:19:53.:19:55.

cannot simply be to hold up a mirror to anger and despair. That leads

:19:56.:19:57.

nowhere and does not create a single job opportunity. Neither should we

:19:58.:20:00.

try to keep people we can somehow turn back the clock, because we

:20:01.:20:02.

cannot stop or the huge changes we are seeing in China, India, or

:20:03.:20:05.

chance, no grievance. We should not shy away from change but instead

:20:06.:20:07.

equip people with the skills, knowledge, chances, and choices in

:20:08.:20:09.

life to make change work for them. There are three priorities I think

:20:10.:20:12.

the government should focus on. First, early years. When poor

:20:13.:20:14.

children as my honourable friend says, we must be the champions of

:20:15.:20:16.

chance, no grievance. We should not shy away from change but instead

:20:17.:20:18.

equip people with the skills, knowledge, chances, and choices in

:20:19.:20:21.

life to make change work for them. There are three priorities I think

:20:22.:20:23.

the government should focus on. First, early years. When poor

:20:24.:20:32.

children... I children... I will give money devoted to this new

:20:33.:20:37.

policy would be better spent on early years intervention. I

:20:38.:20:41.

completely agree with my right honourable friend. There is nothing

:20:42.:20:45.

economically credible about paying more for problems that could be

:20:46.:20:52.

prevented, and having a genuinely long-term economic policy means

:20:53.:20:55.

prioritising early years. We should make it a national mission that

:20:56.:21:00.

every child starts school ready to learn. If the Prime Minister really

:21:01.:21:06.

wants a country that works for everyone in recent years the money

:21:07.:21:08.

devoted to this new policy would be better spent on early years

:21:09.:21:10.

intervention. I completely agree with my right honourable friend.

:21:11.:21:12.

There is nothing economically credible about paying more for

:21:13.:21:14.

problems that could be prevented, and having a genuinely long-term

:21:15.:21:16.

economic policy means prioritising early years. We should make it a

:21:17.:21:18.

national mission that every child starts school ready to learn. If the

:21:19.:21:20.

Prime Minister really wants a country that works for everyone she

:21:21.:21:32.

should scrap tax cuts for the wealthiest few and put the money

:21:33.:21:34.

into transforming early years services instead. All the evidence

:21:35.:21:36.

shows that strong leadership and great teachers make the biggest

:21:37.:21:37.

difference in improving attainment for disadvantaged children. For poor

:21:38.:21:40.

pupils the difference between a good teacher and a poor teacher is a

:21:41.:21:42.

whole year of they cannot wait and we should not let them. The

:21:43.:21:44.

government should focus relentlessly on getting the best headteachers

:21:45.:21:49.

into the most new incentives should also be trialled like writing of a

:21:50.:21:51.

proportion of teacher's students loans.

:21:52.:22:10.

I also think the government should look at trying a new help to buy

:22:11.:22:17.

scheme for teachers to help them move to areas with struggling

:22:18.:22:26.

schools. Finally, we must transform vocational education to equip people

:22:27.:22:30.

with the skills they need to succeed in the global economy. Britain has

:22:31.:22:36.

nowhere near enough apprenticeships of high enough quality focusing on

:22:37.:22:41.

the skills our country really needs. Two thirds of the apprenticeships

:22:42.:22:46.

created in recent years were only at level two or GCSE equivalent and

:22:47.:22:51.

three quarters of people aged over 25 who are already in work got them.

:22:52.:22:58.

This is in stark contrast to people in Germany which has much higher

:22:59.:23:03.

levels of participation and 90% of apprenticeships last three or four

:23:04.:23:10.

years and are higher graded. They need to create up to 300,000 quality

:23:11.:23:16.

apprenticeships at level three or higher every single year. They

:23:17.:23:19.

should focus on areas with the biggest skill gaps, help more small

:23:20.:23:27.

firms take part with minimal bureaucracy, and ensure young people

:23:28.:23:31.

can move from vocational to academic qualifications and vice versa at

:23:32.:23:37.

every stage post 16. When I visit schools in my constituency, I see

:23:38.:23:45.

the energy, hope and enthusiasm in the children's' eyes, but I know the

:23:46.:23:48.

cards are stacked against them before they have even begun in a

:23:49.:23:53.

world that is now so unforgiving of people without skills. It is my job

:23:54.:23:58.

and all of our job is to break down the barriers to their success.

:23:59.:24:02.

Expanding grammar schools is not the answer and will do nothing to

:24:03.:24:07.

address the very real challenges created by globalisation. The

:24:08.:24:15.

government must think again. I am a conservative because I believe

:24:16.:24:20.

fiercely in aspiration and it does not matter where you start in life

:24:21.:24:23.

or what your parents did or how wealthy your family is. You can

:24:24.:24:28.

achieve your dreams and improve your life through your own endeavours,

:24:29.:24:32.

your dedication and through an attitude of service and community.

:24:33.:24:39.

That for me is real compassion. It is no more abundantly clear than in

:24:40.:24:43.

relation to the educational policies and achievements of this government

:24:44.:24:47.

and on this side of the House. But if we look at the evidence, the side

:24:48.:24:54.

opposite has no grounds to complain because when Labour left office in

:24:55.:25:00.

2010, two in five children were leaving secondary school

:25:01.:25:02.

functionally illiterate or not numeric. In a country where we have

:25:03.:25:08.

some of the best schools in the world that is an unacceptable

:25:09.:25:14.

scandal. Employers had lost confidence in exams because of grade

:25:15.:25:18.

inflation and kids were left to catch up when they got to

:25:19.:25:23.

university. Thanks to the bold reforms on structures and standards

:25:24.:25:27.

progress has been made. The free schools movement has reinvigorated

:25:28.:25:34.

the teaching profession to inject innovation and allowed teachers and

:25:35.:25:36.

schools to provide the standards that they want in their community.

:25:37.:25:42.

Prior to my election to Parliament I co-founded and now chair one of the

:25:43.:25:48.

early free schools called Michaela community School in Wembley. We are

:25:49.:25:52.

now in our third year of opening and it is a secondary school in a

:25:53.:25:57.

rundown part of London. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds.

:25:58.:26:02.

40% are Afro-Caribbean and more than 50% are on the pupil premium. Nearly

:26:03.:26:07.

half speak English as a second language and one in five has special

:26:08.:26:12.

educational needs. One third started with the reading age below their

:26:13.:26:17.

chronological age and many have been thrown out of their previous

:26:18.:26:20.

schools. But our philosophy of an academically rigorous curriculum,

:26:21.:26:26.

high expectations and zero tolerance on behaviour has proved popular with

:26:27.:26:31.

children and parents in the area. Every child is treated as though

:26:32.:26:34.

they have the potential to get to Oxbridge even if some enter with low

:26:35.:26:41.

attainment and poor behaviour. We have children who make up five years

:26:42.:26:48.

of in one year. That is because of our invigorated teachers, innovation

:26:49.:26:50.

in teaching and the standards we apply. Our teachers recently

:26:51.:26:57.

published a book about what makes Michaela excellent. I will read a

:26:58.:27:04.

story about one of our pupils. Last September, Corey joined Michaela. He

:27:05.:27:08.

is black, has special education and lives on an estate. His father was

:27:09.:27:13.

absent. His primary school said he was the worst behaved child they had

:27:14.:27:17.

ever seen. We invited him into Michaela. We are a very inclusive

:27:18.:27:26.

school. My headmistress explained to Corey's mother how the school works.

:27:27.:27:30.

We have silent classrooms with hard-working children learning more

:27:31.:27:34.

than anyone could have imagined possible. I point to our silent and

:27:35.:27:47.

ordinary and ordinarily corridors. It works because we do not pander to

:27:48.:27:52.

every parental whim, making exceptions in order to accommodate.

:27:53.:27:59.

Could you tell me whether it is the case whether they focus on the

:28:00.:28:03.

quality of teaching which is so important for high achievement in

:28:04.:28:09.

schools? It is exactly about the quality of teaching that has made

:28:10.:28:14.

the difference to Corey's life. He is one of our extraordinary

:28:15.:28:18.

successes. He has progressed in reading and numeracy and is

:28:19.:28:25.

transformed in his behaviour. It is quality of teaching and high

:28:26.:28:26.

expectations that make the difference to our children. Would

:28:27.:28:33.

she agree with me that quality teaching does not need to take place

:28:34.:28:38.

within the confines of a grammar school? It can take place within a

:28:39.:28:44.

quality comprehensive? Quality teaching is what makes the

:28:45.:28:49.

difference. Empowered heads, it impassioned teachers, high standards

:28:50.:28:55.

and rigour and that is what is working in our schools and that is

:28:56.:28:59.

why we have seen progress. I pay tribute to the Minister for schools

:29:00.:29:04.

because he has focused relentlessly and tirelessly on phonics for

:29:05.:29:08.

example. By introducing a phonics test in 2012 we have seen hundreds

:29:09.:29:17.

of what children achieving basic literacy enabling them to enjoy

:29:18.:29:23.

reading. We have seen a rigorous curriculum that is raising standards

:29:24.:29:27.

for thousands of children around the country and that makes a difference

:29:28.:29:30.

and it is this party that is standing up and calling out low

:29:31.:29:34.

standards. In terms of our structures and standards, this party

:29:35.:29:39.

has made a massive difference and is trying to remedy the failures of the

:29:40.:29:44.

Labour Party that left education in 2010. When it comes to grammar

:29:45.:29:48.

schools they have got it wrong again. What parents and pupils like

:29:49.:29:54.

in those grammar schools is exactly the point made by my honourable

:29:55.:29:59.

friend, it is high quality teaching, high standards, zero tolerance on

:30:00.:30:04.

behaviour, cultivation of an environment where study is valued

:30:05.:30:07.

and confidence is engendered. That is what works in schools. Why does

:30:08.:30:13.

the Labour Party want to curb that and restrict a whole generation of

:30:14.:30:17.

children from accessing excellent schools? They should be ashamed of

:30:18.:30:21.

themselves and they should support this policy as much as they can.

:30:22.:30:28.

Thank you, Mrs Deputy Speaker. The question we are trying to answer is

:30:29.:30:34.

if you are talented, can you succeed in modern Britain? Why does it

:30:35.:30:39.

matter if you cannot? I think we should be unashamedly selfish about

:30:40.:30:43.

social mobility. Living in a country where more people can achieve their

:30:44.:30:46.

potential means they are more likely to do things that help us all.

:30:47.:30:52.

Whether they become doctors, entertainers or even MPs. When

:30:53.:30:57.

brains, not birth forms the basis of achievement, we all benefit. Today

:30:58.:31:04.

in my short contribution I want to take up the challenge of the member

:31:05.:31:07.

for Bradford who talked about the repetition of an this debate.

:31:08.:31:15.

Focusing on schools and education in itself is not enough. We have to

:31:16.:31:20.

address the divisions around access to finance and networks. We have to

:31:21.:31:25.

address the fact it is the bank of mum and dad and all that it offers

:31:26.:31:30.

both in terms of cash and connections that increasingly makes

:31:31.:31:34.

a difference to social mobility in our modern world. We miss a trick if

:31:35.:31:39.

we do not think about those things. Education too often drives out

:31:40.:31:45.

people and money and privilege have a big hand in that. It is not just

:31:46.:31:51.

about academic talent, it is about creative talent as well wear the

:31:52.:31:57.

same patters are clear in acting and sport, with the exception possibly

:31:58.:32:04.

of music. We know our young people have the X Factor. We have to

:32:05.:32:10.

understand the barriers they face in this post Brexit, low growth world

:32:11.:32:15.

which means they will hold several different jobs in their lifetime,

:32:16.:32:19.

two of which have not yet been invented. It is in that environment

:32:20.:32:24.

that understanding where access to finance makes the difference. It is

:32:25.:32:31.

not just catchment areas, but the options for families to be able to

:32:32.:32:37.

subsidise their children. It is also about understanding in today's

:32:38.:32:43.

disruptive world have the back of mum and dad can be the option

:32:44.:32:47.

between taking the leap between one carrier and the next. We cannot

:32:48.:32:55.

afford to ignore this challenge. Where previous generations sought to

:32:56.:32:58.

ensure their children could advance up the ladder, the next generation

:32:59.:33:05.

have to access multi-ladders. Many are being taken away just as they

:33:06.:33:10.

are being created. They need the contacts and the confidence to get

:33:11.:33:15.

their foot through many doors. One great hope for us should be the

:33:16.:33:18.

entrepreneurship amongst young adults. What do we have to offer to

:33:19.:33:25.

them? Whether you are educated at University or want to start a new

:33:26.:33:31.

business, the bank of mum and dad offers not just money, but contacts

:33:32.:33:36.

and networks in a world where access to internships of unpaid experience

:33:37.:33:41.

all too often do not have defined outcomes. It is time for us to ask

:33:42.:33:46.

how we ensure 100% of all 18 numerals can take out a loan for the

:33:47.:33:51.

pathway they want to take. We have to make sure every child has access

:33:52.:33:57.

to that internship opportunity, not just those with parents who can get

:33:58.:34:01.

them in the door. We have to ask why the last government got rid of the

:34:02.:34:09.

Child trust fund. Michael Young talk about a meritocracy and that is why

:34:10.:34:12.

grammar schools are such an outmoded way of thinking. The future will be

:34:13.:34:18.

about those many doors that we want children to walk through and to make

:34:19.:34:22.

sure that the bank of mum and dad is open to every single young person,

:34:23.:34:27.

not just the few. We have to reduce the time limit to three minutes.

:34:28.:34:35.

Social mobility for me is one of the most fundamental objectives of an

:34:36.:34:39.

education system and a government. It runs deep in my veins. Last week

:34:40.:34:44.

I had to give a tribute to my father who very recently died and without

:34:45.:34:52.

his commitment to my education as somebody who, like my mother, left

:34:53.:34:57.

school at 16, I would not have had the opportunity to break free from

:34:58.:35:02.

the pattern of manual work, work in service or growing plants as he did.

:35:03.:35:06.

In fact, each morning when I leave my flat I see a friend letter from

:35:07.:35:14.

King George VI in 1943 to my great aunt Maud who worked as a maid in

:35:15.:35:20.

Buckingham Palace and I regard that in three generations someone from my

:35:21.:35:24.

family can move from being made to a member of Parliament is a function

:35:25.:35:29.

of the social mobility that should exist in our country. Before it is

:35:30.:35:35.

suggested that somehow being an MP is the summit of human achievement,

:35:36.:35:40.

I do not believe that is the case. But I do believe education is about

:35:41.:35:44.

choice and I want to address the core motivation behind those who

:35:45.:35:49.

scheduled the debate today that somehow grammar schools inhibit

:35:50.:35:58.

those choices that restrict social mobility to a chosen few whilst

:35:59.:36:02.

consigning children who go to non-grammars to a future without

:36:03.:36:06.

those opportunities. Education is not about the type of school, it is

:36:07.:36:10.

about instilling a fundamental belief in the Valley of hard work,

:36:11.:36:16.

it is about access to high-quality teaching, rigorous standards in

:36:17.:36:22.

education whatever of school. It is all about parental support and

:36:23.:36:26.

encouragement. My father passed his 11 plus and got some O-levels, but

:36:27.:36:32.

whereas his parents did not see the point of further study, his grandson

:36:33.:36:36.

sees a different focus as my sister and I tried to take advantage of

:36:37.:36:41.

every learning opportunity. Let's see that social education and

:36:42.:36:46.

mobility is not just a function of school type, but less value the

:36:47.:36:50.

framework, the teaching, and the resources.

:36:51.:36:54.

I want to challenge the notion of stigma. They believe that if you do

:36:55.:37:01.

not pass the 11 plus you are consigned to a different life

:37:02.:37:04.

trajectory. It is said by some that the child is labelled a failure.

:37:05.:37:09.

That is not my experience looking at the secondary schools in my I want

:37:10.:37:14.

to challenge the notion of stigma. They believe that if you do not pass

:37:15.:37:17.

the 11 plus you are consigned to a different life trajectory. It is

:37:18.:37:19.

said by some that the child is labelled a failure. That is not my

:37:20.:37:22.

experience looking at the secondary schools in my a very important point

:37:23.:37:32.

that the age of 11 should not be the cut-off point that defines the

:37:33.:37:34.

future of a child. Does he support the proposals that some colleagues

:37:35.:37:36.

have referred to this afternoon that there should be multiple entry

:37:37.:37:39.

points into any I totally welcome of academies, and the range of options

:37:40.:37:41.

that exist. There is a lot of mobility between those schools. A

:37:42.:37:44.

lot of transferring at sixth form. But it is also wrong, I think, to

:37:45.:37:47.

suggest we should have targets for work children go when they leave

:37:48.:37:52.

school and I welcome the value of academies, and the range of options

:37:53.:37:55.

that exist. There is a lot of mobility between those schools. A

:37:56.:37:57.

lot of transferring at sixth form. But it is also wrong, I think, to

:37:58.:38:00.

suggest we should have targets for work children go when they leave the

:38:01.:38:02.

target university. We need to work hard to generate parity of esteem

:38:03.:38:04.

for higher-level apprenticeships, vocational education, and all types

:38:05.:38:06.

of higher going to university. We need to work hard to generate parity

:38:07.:38:09.

of esteem for higher-level apprenticeships, vocational

:38:10.:38:10.

education, and all types of higher we should enable movement to these

:38:11.:38:13.

different settings and different schools for their sixth form is

:38:14.:38:17.

testimony to the enduring quality of their academic A-level offer. The

:38:18.:38:20.

fact that others choose the fact that so many young people go to

:38:21.:38:23.

grammar schools for their sixth form is testimony to the enduring quality

:38:24.:38:25.

of their academic A-level offer. The fact that others choose the sixth

:38:26.:38:28.

form is a reflection of how they provide for diverse needs that

:38:29.:38:30.

grammar schools do not suit sixth form is a reflection of how they

:38:31.:38:32.

provide for diverse needs that grammar schools do not suit every

:38:33.:38:42.

range of to my way of thinking we need to recognise that social

:38:43.:38:44.

mobility is achieved by embracing the broadest possible range that and

:38:45.:38:48.

the widest context we can provide for our young diversity, and the

:38:49.:38:55.

widest context we can provide for our young social mobility is an

:38:56.:38:59.

issue for the white working discuss in this it is an issue that we have

:39:00.:39:09.

failed to discuss in this and the GCSE benchmark last year. That

:39:10.:39:11.

isonly 32% of working class white British students receive free school

:39:12.:39:13.

meals and the GCSE benchmark last year. That and 47% of Pakistani

:39:14.:39:28.

students, all also receiving free school meals. This is because the

:39:29.:39:32.

educational attainment of white working class students has improved

:39:33.:39:37.

a much more slowly than almost any other ethnic group over the last ten

:39:38.:39:41.

years. I could take members of this House to the grammar schools next to

:39:42.:39:47.

my constituency and I will show you classes of young Tamil kids, first

:39:48.:39:52.

and second generation, and free school meals, because their parents

:39:53.:39:57.

understand the importance of education, and they live the

:39:58.:40:00.

immigrants dream, which many members in this House have shared and

:40:01.:40:07.

benefited from. But it is our own white working class kids who like

:40:08.:40:11.

not getting the benefit of that and the issue, I suggest, is so much

:40:12.:40:17.

bigger than the type of school. It exists for all social inputs. But

:40:18.:40:24.

what we do know from the education select committee report into

:40:25.:40:27.

underachievement of white working class kids is that going to a good

:40:28.:40:34.

school disproportionately affects poor white kids. And there are

:40:35.:40:39.

schools out there who are doing a brilliant job and who are changing

:40:40.:40:45.

lives. In so many cases members should have a look at the Harris

:40:46.:40:51.

Academy chain in south London. Last year 56% of white British students

:40:52.:40:57.

nationwide secured five they - C GCSEs. But in Harris, 65% of

:40:58.:41:02.

students secured the grades, just five years ago the school had been

:41:03.:41:08.

under special measures. Now, under the excellent leadership of a strong

:41:09.:41:14.

principle the school has undertaken quite an unimaginable trans

:41:15.:41:19.

formation, and Harris has a staggering 73% white British

:41:20.:41:23.

students securing these great. Yet again in the rate of success of the

:41:24.:41:31.

school is incredible. In 2008 only 17% of students achieved these

:41:32.:41:34.

grades but under the leadership of the principle the school is now

:41:35.:41:42.

judged outstanding by Ofsted. , the schools should be our ideals, not

:41:43.:41:46.

whether they are mainstream, grammar, or academies I am

:41:47.:41:54.

enormously grateful for the schools my constituency but also grateful

:41:55.:41:56.

for all those people who lead our schools and teach. I feel keenly the

:41:57.:42:05.

importance of everybody, every child having a chance to succeed. I feel

:42:06.:42:09.

it never more than when I visit schools in my constituency or when

:42:10.:42:14.

dropping off my children at school. When you see those faces in the

:42:15.:42:18.

playground or lined up in assembly, full of hope and potential. The

:42:19.:42:23.

question today is how we best nurture that potential and enable

:42:24.:42:28.

every child to make the most of their talents. From preschool

:42:29.:42:32.

through primary school, secondary School, further education, every

:42:33.:42:36.

stage is an opportunity, but indeed at every stage there is a risk that

:42:37.:42:40.

some children may do relatively less well but a fear of difference in

:42:41.:42:45.

results must not try policy as I fear it does for those opposite.

:42:46.:42:53.

There is a clear consensus in the House about the importance of

:42:54.:42:55.

preschool and early years education, the importance of primary school.

:42:56.:42:59.

And progress is being made in those areas, particularly standards in

:43:00.:43:03.

primary schools. But there's more to do and particularly so that children

:43:04.:43:07.

who arrive already with good language skills in their first

:43:08.:43:09.

language, which is not at moment always the case. But today we are

:43:10.:43:16.

talking primarily about selection, opposition MPs have been attacking

:43:17.:43:20.

academic selection. Oddly they attack it but not any other forms of

:43:21.:43:24.

selection. They have not countered the point about why they are happy

:43:25.:43:28.

with selection for sport or arts. And they do not make it clear where

:43:29.:43:32.

they stand on existing grammar schools, they appear to have a

:43:33.:43:37.

pretty confused policy. I represent a constituency where we have

:43:38.:43:41.

excellent grammar schools and they are extremely popular with parents,

:43:42.:43:45.

so I would ask the members opposite to listen to parents who like those

:43:46.:43:50.

schools and understand why. There has been a significant

:43:51.:43:54.

misinformation put out about the achievement in the education system

:43:55.:43:58.

in Kent, children there achieve above national average in GCSEs, the

:43:59.:44:03.

system does well, and we know that within that system children on low

:44:04.:44:07.

incomes, free school meals, pupil premium, are arguing especially well

:44:08.:44:12.

to enable our children to make up the gap between themselves and other

:44:13.:44:16.

children with greater advantages. I will give way. Can she inform the

:44:17.:44:20.

House of what proportion, what amount of children who go to grammar

:44:21.:44:26.

schools, go on to university, or Russell group universities? We know

:44:27.:44:29.

children are more likely to go to Russell group universities if they

:44:30.:44:33.

attended grammar schools but also in Kent we see an increasing number of

:44:34.:44:37.

children who have received pupil premium, attending grammar schools.

:44:38.:44:42.

So Kent is working at widening access.

:44:43.:44:55.

I welcome the points in the government Green paper to widen

:44:56.:44:59.

access so that more children have a chance to attend excellent grammar

:45:00.:45:01.

schools. One of the critical things is whether primary school head

:45:02.:45:03.

teachers support their pupils in getting into grammar schools.

:45:04.:45:05.

Schools that do make a huge different, those that don't, that is

:45:06.:45:07.

a huge disadvantage to the children. So I would like to see children

:45:08.:45:11.

supported to go to the best school for themselves. We also have a

:45:12.:45:15.

grammar schools that favour in their admissions criteria children on low

:45:16.:45:19.

incomes and do an outreach to make sure the children who have the right

:45:20.:45:23.

academic potential to do well in grammar schools get a place and make

:45:24.:45:28.

the most of that potential. I would like to emphasise, where we see

:45:29.:45:33.

selective and nonselective schools working so well together if they are

:45:34.:45:38.

part of a trust, an excellent example of that is the Invicta

:45:39.:45:41.

trust, I would encourage the Secretary of State to visit, so she

:45:42.:45:47.

can visit a comprehensive School and a grammar school in one go and see

:45:48.:45:51.

what excellent results both of them are getting for their pupils. Before

:45:52.:45:57.

I conclude I should mention the importance, underlying all of this,

:45:58.:46:01.

of high quality teaching, something that academies and grammar schools

:46:02.:46:06.

are doing so well. Making sure that all the children who go to those

:46:07.:46:13.

schools can truly succeed. I want to thank you for the opportunity to

:46:14.:46:17.

speak in this vital debate, it gives to the heart of how we grow and

:46:18.:46:23.

shared prosperity for all. We live in a divided nation and those

:46:24.:46:27.

divisions are becoming deeper and more entrenched. Children in this

:46:28.:46:31.

country should feel they have a society and a government that is on

:46:32.:46:36.

their side. Poverty is on the increase and social mobility has

:46:37.:46:41.

stalled. I want to share the perspectives from my constituency. A

:46:42.:46:44.

dose of reality for what life is like on the ground. The lives of

:46:45.:46:53.

thousands of young people are being blighted by family poverty. And low

:46:54.:46:58.

educational attainment of inflows from family stress. Schools which

:46:59.:47:03.

can and should be engines of opportunity and mobility are

:47:04.:47:06.

themselves struggling and now find themselves a feeling that welfare

:47:07.:47:12.

gap. I want to highlight the number of schools in my constituency who

:47:13.:47:16.

have helped with research on how we can come together as a local

:47:17.:47:19.

community to support them much more as they struggle, in particular

:47:20.:47:22.

Cranford community college, Spring West Academy, and reach academy. The

:47:23.:47:27.

social mobility commissions report last week was a grim read. Britain

:47:28.:47:32.

has a deep social mobility problem which is getting worse. According to

:47:33.:47:41.

the commission and those born in the 1980s are the first generation since

:47:42.:47:45.

the Second World War to not start their careers with higher incomes

:47:46.:47:50.

than their parents and immediate predecessors. We also know that more

:47:51.:47:55.

than one third of our young people nationally, and the same in

:47:56.:47:59.

Hounslow, in my constituency, are leaving school without the

:48:00.:48:04.

equivalent of five good GCSEs. That is a matter of shame for us all.

:48:05.:48:10.

There are 900 people in Hounslow alone year. The recent conversation

:48:11.:48:15.

I had with head teachers about the impact of benefits changes and

:48:16.:48:18.

rising family poverty are giving way to consistent themes. A picture

:48:19.:48:24.

emerges of a family struggling to make ends meet, not always been able

:48:25.:48:30.

to afford food, children arriving at school hungry, stress, overcrowding,

:48:31.:48:35.

damp conditions, and an inability to work. And a rising family debt where

:48:36.:48:41.

parents must borrow money for school uniforms and shoes. One teacher told

:48:42.:48:44.

me that the school hand out money for shoes two or three times a day.

:48:45.:48:49.

There is no getting away from the fact that government cuts are making

:48:50.:48:53.

life harder for families and schools. The choices made by this

:48:54.:48:57.

government and the previous Chancellor show there can be no

:48:58.:49:01.

greater false economy than underfunding schools. It is time the

:49:02.:49:05.

government did more than just rhetoric. It is time to understand

:49:06.:49:13.

that it is the reality of the choices they make that are impacting

:49:14.:49:16.

on the lives and prospects of children across this country. I have

:49:17.:49:19.

sat for hours listening to one opposition member after another

:49:20.:49:21.

criticising government policies and try to offer a few policies of their

:49:22.:49:27.

own. The interesting thing for me is that not one opposition speaker has

:49:28.:49:31.

mentioned the fact that for the last 18 years they have been implementing

:49:32.:49:34.

the policies in another corner of the United Kingdom, where I come

:49:35.:49:40.

from, Wales, and in any reasonable comparison on the difference between

:49:41.:49:44.

education systems between England and Wales, England comes out on top,

:49:45.:49:48.

and I say that as a former Welsh comprehensive pupil with three

:49:49.:49:50.

children going through the state system in Wales at the moment. The

:49:51.:49:56.

comparisons are absolutely clear. Fewer teachers take time off for

:49:57.:50:01.

sickness than in Wales. More money per head is spent on pupils in

:50:02.:50:05.

England than in Wales. Children in England have a much better chance of

:50:06.:50:09.

getting into university, this headline from the BBC says, top

:50:10.:50:14.

grade A-level performance falls in Wales. That was only a month or two

:50:15.:50:20.

ago. Pupils have the best chance of getting into better universities and

:50:21.:50:24.

their first chance honours degree than in England and Wales. Why?

:50:25.:50:28.

Because in Wales Labour have followed the same outdated policies

:50:29.:50:32.

they are trying to suggest we impose in England. They scrapped testing.

:50:33.:50:37.

They don't like selection. They don't like classroom assessment

:50:38.:50:40.

because they think it puts teachers under pressure. And they don't want

:50:41.:50:43.

to give the choice that my honourable friend wants to give to

:50:44.:50:47.

parents in England. Nobody has to take my word for it. People can look

:50:48.:50:53.

at the Independent reports, the OECD organisation that works and

:50:54.:51:01.

education systems around the world, within the United Kingdom, which

:51:02.:51:03.

clearly shows England's doing far better than Wales. They can look at

:51:04.:51:05.

the recent report showing Wales is far behind England in areas such as

:51:06.:51:10.

English language. And if that does not convince them, neutral reports,

:51:11.:51:14.

they can listen to the former Labour education ministers in Wales

:51:15.:51:18.

themselves, who said, we have taken our eye off the ball. Or another

:51:19.:51:24.

education minister, a Labour education ministers in Wales, who

:51:25.:51:28.

issued an apology to the learners of Wales for his own government

:51:29.:51:32.

failure, because of their failed policies. The reality is that Labour

:51:33.:51:39.

members like to promise a nation fit from cradle to grave but as far as

:51:40.:51:44.

education is concerned they have delivered a failure from the nursery

:51:45.:51:46.

to the bursary. I will give way. He is painting a bleak picture of

:51:47.:52:06.

education in Wales. Those quotes are some considerable years out of date

:52:07.:52:10.

and in the last five years significant improvement has been

:52:11.:52:14.

made in GCSE and A-level results and the gap has closed significantly. I

:52:15.:52:21.

notice he says the gap has closed, he did not say that Wales is doing

:52:22.:52:27.

any better than England. One of the newspaper headlines are referred to

:52:28.:52:32.

was only a couple of months old. There are still very many problems

:52:33.:52:37.

there. The reality is that in England we have rejected this sort

:52:38.:52:43.

of left wing, anti-selection, anti-testing, anti-choice dogma

:52:44.:52:46.

which Labour have been following since the 1960s and which is

:52:47.:52:50.

completely out of date. That is why we are going to bring high standards

:52:51.:52:57.

to pupils in England and Wales. It is why Labour members did not want

:52:58.:53:00.

to talk about their failure in Wales. It is why they are having to

:53:01.:53:05.

apologise to their own constituents by their own failures and it is why

:53:06.:53:10.

the members of the public know that this government can be trusted on

:53:11.:53:15.

education, the economy, defence and law and order. We have put public

:53:16.:53:22.

services at the heart of our agenda and will continue to do so and will

:53:23.:53:27.

proudly shout from the rooftops at the enormous successes we have

:53:28.:53:31.

delivered in terms of education and health in public services for the

:53:32.:53:38.

people of England. The evidence and the adverse effects of poverty on

:53:39.:53:44.

educational attainment and achievement is undeniable. My own

:53:45.:53:48.

constituency has one of the highest child poverty rates in Scotland. In

:53:49.:53:52.

some parts one of three children live in poverty. Data shows children

:53:53.:53:59.

living in poverty are much more likely to face social, emotional and

:54:00.:54:03.

behavioural differences, be overweight and to have multiple

:54:04.:54:07.

problems and all these factors will have an impact on future levels of

:54:08.:54:13.

attainment and achievement. Poverty ruins childhood. I am proud of the

:54:14.:54:17.

Scottish Government is focusing on closing that attainment gap and the

:54:18.:54:20.

First Minister has made education a priority. Higher proportion of

:54:21.:54:28.

entrance to Scottish universities are from our poorer communities. The

:54:29.:54:36.

gap between the most and least deprived communities has reduced.

:54:37.:54:42.

Part of this is down to the fantastic work of many of our

:54:43.:54:47.

universities and colleges that are working on positive routes into

:54:48.:54:51.

higher education. I would like to pay tribute to the Ayrshire College,

:54:52.:54:58.

and the University of the West of Scotland, all have campuses in my

:54:59.:55:03.

constituency. They have encouraged and supported students in the

:55:04.:55:08.

transitioning between further and higher education. But more needs to

:55:09.:55:12.

be done and more is being done. When you see the attainment gap starting

:55:13.:55:18.

long before children get to school, it is clear we need to focus on

:55:19.:55:25.

early learning. Whilst the UK Government pursues grammar schools,

:55:26.:55:28.

the Scottish Government is making sure that each child has access to

:55:29.:55:33.

the same opportunities. Does she agree with me that the education

:55:34.:55:40.

system in Scotland which prioritises the ability to learn, not the

:55:41.:55:44.

ability to pay, enables more children to go to university as

:55:45.:55:52.

opposed to the English system? Absolutely, I agree with what she is

:55:53.:55:57.

saying. Our curriculum is combining academic excellence with the

:55:58.:56:02.

attitude and skills for success and giving young people the opportunity

:56:03.:56:06.

to gain vocational qualifications without them being perceived as

:56:07.:56:11.

second best. We are making sure every child has the ability to

:56:12.:56:17.

pursue their full potential. We are working hard to improve life

:56:18.:56:22.

chances, but ultimately our efforts are tackling the symptom and not the

:56:23.:56:27.

cause of inequality. The Prime Minister says our government is

:56:28.:56:30.

committed to fighting injustice wherever it arises. Poverty has a

:56:31.:56:36.

devastating impact on the lives of young people in the UK. We live in a

:56:37.:56:41.

society where the rich enjoy the trappings of wealth and the Pru rely

:56:42.:56:47.

on charities. This government is driving people further into poverty

:56:48.:56:51.

while offering to siphon a few of the brightest put kids for a place

:56:52.:56:56.

in grammar schools and pretending this is equality. Finally, a two

:56:57.:57:04.

tier system is totally unacceptable. In January this year, the opening

:57:05.:57:12.

ceremony of the new ?25 million new academy was cancelled because the

:57:13.:57:16.

teachers were strike. The same day a window cleaner came to my surgery

:57:17.:57:20.

and said he could not send his bright sun to the local grammar

:57:21.:57:24.

school in Gainsborough across the border in Lincolnshire because he

:57:25.:57:28.

could not afford the ?400 it would cost to get him there every day.

:57:29.:57:33.

This year 55% of the children in my town are going out of town to

:57:34.:57:39.

school, the 50% who can afford it, not the 50% who might need it the

:57:40.:57:44.

most. It is no coincidence that new work and Sherwood as a district has

:57:45.:57:49.

amongst the lowest levels of social mobility anywhere in the United

:57:50.:57:54.

Kingdom. The story of our secondary schools is a near complete

:57:55.:57:57.

description of the failures of our state schools since the 1960s. The

:57:58.:58:03.

destruction of a successful grammar school established in 1531, the

:58:04.:58:08.

pre-emption of places at the good schools in the neighbouring better

:58:09.:58:13.

off towns with articulate parents with the resources to work the

:58:14.:58:18.

system to their advantage and can afford the cost of travel to them

:58:19.:58:20.

because the options were not available to them in their own town.

:58:21.:58:26.

The flight of middle-class parents to Lincolnshire for grammar schools

:58:27.:58:30.

where one needs 500 to ?1000 a year to bust your child to the school.

:58:31.:58:37.

The toleration of failure, or at least consistent underperformance,

:58:38.:58:43.

with a great deal of complacency with lines like, what do you expect?

:58:44.:58:49.

It is only new work. The gradual decline in aspiration and a

:58:50.:58:53.

pervasive culture of low expectations, the kicking away of

:58:54.:58:57.

the ladder out of ignorance and poverty by neglect and complacency

:58:58.:59:01.

dressed up as egalitarian, progressive educational policy. Will

:59:02.:59:07.

my honourable friend agree that this culture of low expectation, this

:59:08.:59:13.

self bigotry is exactly what needs to be changed and what this

:59:14.:59:18.

government stands up against? I could not agree more. In Newark

:59:19.:59:21.

social inequality is not the problem, it is the symptom of a real

:59:22.:59:28.

malaise. The condition of education in this town has been allowed to

:59:29.:59:33.

reach an appalling level. In diagnosing the problem there are

:59:34.:59:38.

many solutions. A lack of choice of school, an unwillingness to

:59:39.:59:41.

intervene and an unwillingness to embrace selection in any form even

:59:42.:59:47.

when parents are crying out for it. In my town, armed with a range of

:59:48.:59:52.

tools under this government, we are starting to make progress and I am

:59:53.:59:57.

convinced we have finally turned the corner. We have intervened to remove

:59:58.:00:01.

the Academy sponsor which was not working and brought in a number one

:00:02.:00:06.

school in the county to run the school thanks to a conservative

:00:07.:00:11.

policy. Next year in September we will open a new free school in

:00:12.:00:16.

Newark which I have the leisure of being a governor of. The school will

:00:17.:00:21.

be committed to the highest standards of education, discipline

:00:22.:00:24.

and committed to repatriating parents from across the county who

:00:25.:00:28.

have had to send their children away. The dioceses that runs the

:00:29.:00:34.

other school in the town, the Magnus, have now increased their

:00:35.:00:38.

commitment to driving up standards, driven by the competition and choice

:00:39.:00:42.

that we are now putting into the system. The apprenticeship level is

:00:43.:00:47.

forcing a long overdue conversation between the employers in the town

:00:48.:00:51.

and the schools. The common thread that runs through all these policies

:00:52.:00:57.

is parental choice. Parents in my town want the choice to send their

:00:58.:01:01.

children to the school that suits them and their needs and not to be

:01:02.:01:10.

told by others that only a privileged few who can afford the

:01:11.:01:12.

bus fare or the fees at the private school deserve it. I do not want to

:01:13.:01:18.

repeat the many points made by members. I would like to indulge in

:01:19.:01:23.

a moment of pedantry. The subject of this debate is social mobility and

:01:24.:01:28.

it is not a one-way ticket, you can go up or down. There was a lot of

:01:29.:01:33.

social mobility in the great depression and most of it downwards.

:01:34.:01:38.

The happiest societies are not necessarily those with the greatest

:01:39.:01:43.

level of social mobility. Secondly, many of those who go on about social

:01:44.:01:48.

mobility are quiet on the subject of social inequality. The assumption is

:01:49.:01:55.

it is acceptable as long as there is some level of social mobility. I

:01:56.:02:00.

have a problem with that assumption. It is easier in some ways to court

:02:01.:02:06.

it a wider distribution opportunity than a wider distribution of wealth

:02:07.:02:11.

even if there is some evidence that societies without vast differences

:02:12.:02:19.

in wealth are happier. But vast differences in wealth between

:02:20.:02:22.

individuals in modern societies are growing. When we examined the wage

:02:23.:02:28.

ratios of those at the top and the bottom of businesses compared to the

:02:29.:02:33.

60s and 70s, we can see this happening. It is hard to believe

:02:34.:02:38.

this is due to some sort of super talent, which is why we should all

:02:39.:02:43.

worry that hard-working people, the less talented in an affluent society

:02:44.:02:48.

cannot gain a decent standard of living where people are struggling

:02:49.:02:53.

in a gig economy with poorer housing prospects and living hand to mouth,

:02:54.:02:58.

even if there is some prospect of social mobility. Education, no

:02:59.:03:04.

matter how good, cannot make us all talented and cannot give us all the

:03:05.:03:09.

same life chances. Even to improve those chances it is not sufficient

:03:10.:03:14.

at times. Often we need cultural changes that go beyond the child,

:03:15.:03:19.

changes in the community, the parents and the society. Housing and

:03:20.:03:23.

economic growth, low crime rates, local empowerment, are all key

:03:24.:03:30.

determinants of mobility and social aspiration in any area. Education by

:03:31.:03:36.

it self is rarely sufficient, which is probably why, despite many

:03:37.:03:43.

schemes and many millions spent in education, we failed to produce

:03:44.:03:46.

across-the-board improvements. Yes, it is possible for educational

:03:47.:03:53.

achievement, but we are second bottom in the league for deprivation

:03:54.:03:57.

and there is a connection somewhere. I have heard it said that the magic

:03:58.:04:01.

ingredient we need here is a grammar school, middle-class, Tiger parents

:04:02.:04:09.

want this. I have heard it said that Knowsley has never had a grammar

:04:10.:04:14.

school. That is false, it pioneered a comprehensive education and I had

:04:15.:04:19.

the privilege of going to a grammar school in Knowsley. The grammar

:04:20.:04:26.

school recipe has been tried. It did not produce a noticeable result.

:04:27.:04:33.

Thank you for calling me at the end of this debate. There is a gaping

:04:34.:04:38.

hole at the centre of the opposition case. If grammar schools are good,

:04:39.:04:46.

it is a good principle, why would they be opposed to losing them? On

:04:47.:04:54.

the contrary it is a bad idea and a bad principle, so why are they

:04:55.:04:59.

committed to abolishing them? Surely if it is good, then a cap or a ban

:05:00.:05:06.

is a crazy way to proceed in terms of widening opportunity and choice.

:05:07.:05:11.

If it is a bad idea, why should we allow them to exist? Why should we

:05:12.:09:17.

Which is why recent child care interventions are so important. On

:09:18.:09:23.

top of the childcare plans outlined by my honourable friend from Glasgow

:09:24.:09:27.

North West. Every nursery in the poorest local area is having an

:09:28.:09:33.

additional teacher or childcare place for 2018. And it was written

:09:34.:09:39.

announced that funding changes will be made to follow the child, another

:09:40.:09:44.

welcome intervention. Every child in Scotland will receive a baby box, a

:09:45.:09:48.

box of essential item to help level the playing field in the first days

:09:49.:09:51.

of their lives, starting mixture. But if we are serious about

:09:52.:09:56.

improving social mobility in helping along people the government must do

:09:57.:10:00.

more in other areas also. I hope the Autumn Statement will see a greater

:10:01.:10:04.

investment in good quality, affordable social housing, and we

:10:05.:10:08.

should also expect plans on how the UK Government will overturn the

:10:09.:10:11.

stagnation in average wages that we have seen since 2009. Education

:10:12.:10:17.

policy can help children out of poverty to some extent. But we

:10:18.:10:20.

cannot expect teachers to fix everything for us in this regard,

:10:21.:10:25.

the real change will come when the government commits to addressing the

:10:26.:10:29.

causes of child poverty, low incomes, Social Security cards, and

:10:30.:10:36.

insecure work. Thank you for calling me during this debate. To me, the

:10:37.:10:40.

conundrum is how we break the grammar school system, is perhaps

:10:41.:10:45.

the preserve of the middle-class, but at the same time, we must not go

:10:46.:10:50.

backwards to what I recall the apartheid system that used to be in

:10:51.:10:55.

place. I reference that because I myself failed my 12 plus, as it was,

:10:56.:10:59.

and went to a secondary modern School, in a small town where there

:11:00.:11:06.

two schools, divided by a hedge. The state school was such that the

:11:07.:11:10.

siblings were unable to talk to each other across the hedge because the

:11:11.:11:14.

grammar school head would refuse to countenance it. You left school at

:11:15.:11:17.

16 and you were told by your teachers that there was little point

:11:18.:11:21.

going on to do A-levels because why would someone like you passed them?

:11:22.:11:27.

I ignored that advice and I am glad I did. I certainly wasn't a vote for

:11:28.:11:31.

a return of a grammar school system that takes us back to those days.

:11:32.:11:41.

Equally, we have a huge problem with grammar schools now been the

:11:42.:11:43.

preserve of a middle-class. Where I represent, in East Sussex, we ride

:11:44.:11:46.

on the border with Kent. In my daughter's primary school a quarter

:11:47.:11:49.

of the class move to the grammar school, leading to a brain drain

:11:50.:11:53.

from East Sussex. Those children will either go to a school that was

:11:54.:11:59.

based on ability, or -based, therefore only parents that can

:12:00.:12:02.

afford the increased House prices will see their children go to that

:12:03.:12:06.

school. Or a further school will be based on real pure ability. So only

:12:07.:12:12.

those parents that can afford the tuition, the rail fare, or indeed

:12:13.:12:15.

the prep school fees, to have got those children to school the first

:12:16.:12:20.

place, will be able to enjoy it. Therefore I would maintain that the

:12:21.:12:24.

current system does not work. Therefore, do we stick or twist? I

:12:25.:12:30.

was surprised by the opposition spokesperson's speech, I expected

:12:31.:12:38.

the opposition to state that the system does not work at all and

:12:39.:12:41.

should be abolished, because if they wish to continue with the status quo

:12:42.:12:43.

then the middle-class preserve is that which they are inadvertently

:12:44.:12:46.

supporting. So perhaps somewhat reluctantly I welcome the shift

:12:47.:12:50.

toward the government approach on expansion of grammar schools. The

:12:51.:12:54.

situation is so bad with social mobility that something must be

:12:55.:12:58.

done. Research in the last 50 years which I have spent the last couple

:12:59.:13:02.

of days reading through is completely inconclusive as to

:13:03.:13:05.

whether the competence of all the grammar system is better or worse.

:13:06.:13:12.

What is undeniable is that social mobility statistics are so bad that

:13:13.:13:15.

something must be done but I call on the front bench to consider that by

:13:16.:13:20.

creating more grammar schools, therefore perhaps turning his back

:13:21.:13:22.

to the towns with a choice of two schools, that we do not

:13:23.:13:27.

inadvertently moved back to a situation where it is either success

:13:28.:13:31.

or failure. It must be success for all regardless of the entrance

:13:32.:13:37.

tests. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. Last week in my capacity as

:13:38.:13:41.

the chair of the social mobility all parliamentary group are heard a

:13:42.:13:48.

damning indictment of the status quo, for too long we have been too

:13:49.:13:52.

ready to accept that those from poorer backgrounds proportionately

:13:53.:13:56.

do worse, for too long we have allowed privileged connections to

:13:57.:14:00.

override ability and potential, and for too long we have diluted

:14:01.:14:04.

ourselves that economic growth translate into increased prosperity

:14:05.:14:09.

and opportunity for all. Yes, let's invest in children for their early

:14:10.:14:12.

years, that a school system offering opportunity for all, but don't kid

:14:13.:14:19.

ourselves that will be enough if we still have a country where access to

:14:20.:14:23.

opportunities completely closed off to sections of society. The social

:14:24.:14:26.

mobility all-party Parliamentary group are conducting an enquiry and

:14:27.:14:30.

the report is due out soon and we have seen many similarities between

:14:31.:14:34.

the evidence we have heard and the commission findings. One such area

:14:35.:14:38.

was internships. Too often they are a way to get a foot in the door but

:14:39.:14:42.

not just that, the only way to open the door at all, they have become a

:14:43.:14:48.

further compulsory step into many professions, but by their very

:14:49.:14:52.

nature they exclude many. Too often these placements are determined by

:14:53.:14:57.

existing connections, family or business contacts, and a foot in the

:14:58.:15:00.

door is often available only to those who know someone on the other

:15:01.:15:05.

side of it. Another area where we found remarkably consistent evidence

:15:06.:15:08.

is in terms of young people's aspirations, they need role models

:15:09.:15:11.

and mentors from the community who have been there and done it to say

:15:12.:15:15.

to them, you can be whatever you want to be, but for too many it is

:15:16.:15:23.

simply not on the radar. The evidence I heard persuaded me it was

:15:24.:15:25.

simply not enough to encourage companies to do more, we must make

:15:26.:15:28.

sure social mobility is on a par with career prospects and rightly

:15:29.:15:32.

challenge things when minority sections do not get equal

:15:33.:15:35.

opportunities, so we should not do the same here, we cannot allow the

:15:36.:15:39.

situation to continue where your background is likely to be the

:15:40.:15:42.

biggest factor in determining your chances of success in life, I would

:15:43.:15:46.

like to see companies producing data every year on how many people they

:15:47.:15:51.

have recruited from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and

:15:52.:15:54.

crucially how many people who have addressed it in that company, we

:15:55.:15:59.

need a publicly available record as to what individual companies do,

:16:00.:16:03.

only then we would see the change in attitude we need, the UK stands

:16:04.:16:06.

alongside the USA is having the lowest social mobility of advanced

:16:07.:16:10.

nations and we only need to look across the Atlantic to see where

:16:11.:16:14.

ignoring these issues for successive generation leads, be in no doubt, we

:16:15.:16:19.

are heading the same way, I feel it when I speak to people, the anger,

:16:20.:16:23.

the frustration, the helplessness at the lack of opportunity around them,

:16:24.:16:28.

and they feel the same or worse for their children, automation and

:16:29.:16:33.

artificial intelligence will narrow the gap further in coming years, and

:16:34.:16:36.

we need to work further now before it is too late. We have had a good

:16:37.:16:43.

debate this afternoon but what is clear is that the government

:16:44.:16:46.

obsession with new grammar schools is simply a rehash of failed

:16:47.:16:51.

policies from the past, policy is not fit for purpose from the digital

:16:52.:16:57.

age in the 21st century, as pointed out by my friend from Manchester

:16:58.:17:01.

Central and the MP for Rochdale, pure dogma, as pointed out by the MP

:17:02.:17:05.

for Bradford South. The government has no answers to the real

:17:06.:17:10.

challenges facing our schools. While they waste time and energy on the

:17:11.:17:17.

new grammar schools they have nothing to say about falling school

:17:18.:17:19.

budget, a crisis in teacher recruitment, and the fact that

:17:20.:17:22.

there's not enough good school places. They would segregate our

:17:23.:17:28.

children. And our education for a privileged few. And a second-class

:17:29.:17:35.

education for rest. The member for Glasgow North West spoke

:17:36.:17:38.

passionately of her personal testimony of her father who failed

:17:39.:17:42.

the 11 plus. As for the number of Wolverhampton South East in his

:17:43.:17:47.

excellent speech, policies should be designed for tens of millions, not

:17:48.:17:51.

the few. I give way to my honourable neighbour, the MP for Altrincham

:17:52.:17:56.

south. I thank my friend and neighbour for giving way. Will he

:17:57.:18:00.

take the opportunity to make it clear, will a future Labour

:18:01.:18:02.

government scrap existing grammar schools or not? Yes or no? I always

:18:03.:18:10.

like to debate with my honourable neighbour, it was great that he was

:18:11.:18:13.

in my constituency visiting sale Grammar School just the other week,

:18:14.:18:19.

where I go in and speak to the children regularly, this current

:18:20.:18:22.

government is nationalising and privatising the current system at

:18:23.:18:27.

the same time, what Labour will do, and what the honourable members from

:18:28.:18:30.

the debate in the mid-90s should remember is that we will introduce a

:18:31.:18:35.

system of subsidiarity back into the education system and it will be to

:18:36.:18:40.

local people to decide, and we will not having nationalised system. I

:18:41.:18:44.

need to make progress. I have answered question. The front bench

:18:45.:18:52.

opposite have provided no evidence whatsoever of how extra grammar

:18:53.:18:55.

schools will increase social mobility of our young people. Issues

:18:56.:19:00.

more pronounced in the Midlands and the North, is the member rightly

:19:01.:19:05.

pointed out, and I cannot agree more. Let me be clear, citing

:19:06.:19:11.

evidence about access to Russell group universities is a complete red

:19:12.:19:17.

herring. A corrupt use of statistics, and failing to compare

:19:18.:19:20.

like with like. Let me provide evidence from the government's own

:19:21.:19:25.

Chief inspector. Sir Michael Wilshaw said that in Hackney the attainment

:19:26.:19:29.

gap between those eligible for free school meals and their colleagues is

:19:30.:19:34.

14%. In Kent, which retained a selective system, the member for

:19:35.:19:40.

Havisham and mid Kent is in her place, and the gap is 34%. In Kent,

:19:41.:19:47.

just 27% of pupils are eligible for free school meals and get five good

:19:48.:19:53.

GCSEs compared with 45% in London. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has

:19:54.:19:58.

said that those in selected areas who do not pass the 11 plus do worse

:19:59.:20:03.

than they would have done in a comprehensive system. Research by

:20:04.:20:09.

the education policy Institute has shown that once the data is

:20:10.:20:13.

controlled for prior performance Grammar schools do not actually

:20:14.:20:20.

improved results, even for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The

:20:21.:20:22.

issue has divided the party opposite, for sure. Many senior MPs

:20:23.:20:29.

coming out against the plans. The minister currently working with a

:20:30.:20:34.

previous minister who did not want it and now working for a Secretary

:20:35.:20:37.

of State who does want it, and orders from the Prime Minister. And

:20:38.:20:40.

the former Secretary of State, who spoke eloquently in this debate,

:20:41.:20:45.

does not believe in it. My neighbour in altering, and sale West, he needs

:20:46.:20:51.

to remember that Trafford has an excellent primary school system, I

:20:52.:20:54.

taught many of your children, I will have you know, that is why you have

:20:55.:20:57.

such good results in your constituency! And the primary system

:20:58.:21:04.

isn't selective. Turning to social mobility, the honourable member for

:21:05.:21:09.

Feltham and Heston said, this will be the first generation since the

:21:10.:21:12.

Second World War that will be less well off than their parents. The

:21:13.:21:17.

government have failed to build an education system that provides

:21:18.:21:22.

opportunity for all. Under this government the system is mediocre

:21:23.:21:26.

and falling behind, as pointed out by the member for Dudley North. They

:21:27.:21:30.

are increasingly obsessed with structures, rather than what matters

:21:31.:21:35.

most, the quality of education for young people. We have scandal after

:21:36.:21:40.

scandal in our multi-Academy trusts, they cannot even get to grips with

:21:41.:21:44.

the structures they are putting into place. There is no effective

:21:45.:21:48.

governance, as the Department for Education creaks under the strain.

:21:49.:21:55.

Declining budgets and chronic shortages of teachers and places.

:21:56.:22:02.

They have failed to invest in our young people at every stage of their

:22:03.:22:07.

education. Schools are facing their first real-time cuts since the 90s.

:22:08.:22:13.

Spending on education has been cut time and time again and student debt

:22:14.:22:18.

continues to rise. The government policies are no more than a series

:22:19.:22:23.

of roadblocks against aspiration and social mobility. The impact of these

:22:24.:22:28.

policies is clear to all but government. 71% of state school

:22:29.:22:35.

students went on to university under a Labour of a man and last year it

:22:36.:22:41.

fell to 62%, down from 66% the year before. We remain fully committed to

:22:42.:22:47.

ensure all of our young people are given the opportunity to succeed in

:22:48.:22:51.

whatever educational path they choose and their opportunities are

:22:52.:22:56.

based on what they can aspire to and not on what they can afford. We will

:22:57.:23:01.

be fearless champions for every child as pointed out by the member

:23:02.:23:06.

for Leicester West. Figures published last week show for the

:23:07.:23:12.

third consecutive year school leaders, there is a complete problem

:23:13.:23:17.

with recruitment across all roles from teachers to senior leaders.

:23:18.:23:23.

Overall a very high proportion of posts were difficult to recruit two.

:23:24.:23:29.

62% recruited were filled with a struggle and respondents were unable

:23:30.:23:36.

to recruit to 17% of all posts. Recruitment difficulties for the

:23:37.:23:39.

middle leadership roles in schools are pronounced. For post teaching

:23:40.:23:46.

and learning and special educational needs, only 17% of roles were filled

:23:47.:23:52.

with ease. High housing and living costs remain a serious barrier to

:23:53.:23:56.

recruitment in London and the South East. The cost of living is becoming

:23:57.:24:01.

increasingly problematic nationally. There has been a 7% rise in school

:24:02.:24:09.

leaders citing this reason for the problems faced. Difficulties in

:24:10.:24:15.

recruiting means 41% of responding schools have had to cover lessons

:24:16.:24:18.

with senior leadership staff, 70% have had to use supply teachers at

:24:19.:24:26.

higher costs. I must make progress. Madame Deputy Speaker, I mentioned

:24:27.:24:35.

funding earlier. According... According to the National Union of

:24:36.:24:39.

Teachers and the Association of teachers and lecturers, as I said

:24:40.:24:43.

England are experiencing the largest real terms funding cuts in more than

:24:44.:24:48.

a generation. In real terms schools will lose a huge amount of money

:24:49.:24:54.

rising to 2.5 billion by the year 2020 and 92% of schools will have

:24:55.:24:59.

their funding cut. The average cut for primary schools will be 96,000,

:25:00.:25:10.

going up to secondary schools. The Secretary of State chanters from a

:25:11.:25:13.

sedentary position. There is a website she can go on and see this.

:25:14.:25:19.

Budgets are protected only in cash terms, rather than real terms,

:25:20.:25:24.

meaning schools budget is at the mercy of rising pressures, pupil

:25:25.:25:29.

numbers and inflation. Schools are now worried about being further

:25:30.:25:32.

punished with the fair funding formula that the government have yet

:25:33.:25:37.

to consult on. The Minister has refused to guarantee that no school

:25:38.:25:44.

will lose out. This amounts to chaos and confusion. I need to thank

:25:45.:25:53.

everybody who has contributed to the debate. I have not agree with

:25:54.:25:58.

everyone, the member for working on, the member for Croydon and south,

:25:59.:26:03.

the member for Fareham, Eddery and shots, Bexhill and Battle. The

:26:04.:26:09.

member for Ellesmere Port, can I wish him a happy birthday today. The

:26:10.:26:14.

member for Walthamstow, the member for Salisbury. I am sure the whole

:26:15.:26:19.

house joins with me in wishing his family all the very best on the loss

:26:20.:26:27.

of his father. I am sorry to hear that. Mitcham and Morden, the member

:26:28.:26:31.

for Monmouth who always effectively seems to run down his own country.

:26:32.:26:39.

The member for Carrick Cumnock, Europe and Spelthorne even. Madame

:26:40.:26:43.

Deputy Speaker, we have a government front bench team that require

:26:44.:26:47.

special measures, and government failing on the selection, failing on

:26:48.:26:53.

social mobility, failing on the recruitment and retention of

:26:54.:26:57.

teachers, failing to provide enough good school places and letting our

:26:58.:27:08.

future generation down badly. Madame Deputy Speaker, improving social

:27:09.:27:13.

mobility has been the driving force behind our reforms to the education

:27:14.:27:17.

system over the past six years and thanks to these reforms and the

:27:18.:27:20.

tireless work of hundreds of thousands of teachers there are now

:27:21.:27:26.

1.4 million now good or outstanding school places than in 2010. The

:27:27.:27:31.

government has given powers to teachers and heads to deal with

:27:32.:27:35.

disruptive behaviour. We have created the education endowment

:27:36.:27:40.

foundation to promote the use of evidence -based teaching practice.

:27:41.:27:45.

We have rewritten primary and secondary curriculum is to raise

:27:46.:27:50.

expectations and the focus has halted the drift away from those

:27:51.:27:55.

important core academic subjects, adrift that was particularly marked

:27:56.:28:00.

in areas of disadvantage. We have removed over 3000 so-called

:28:01.:28:05.

equivalent qualifications that too many children from disadvantaged

:28:06.:28:09.

backgrounds were being misled into taken instead of GCSEs and we have

:28:10.:28:14.

improved the quality of technical qualifications and promoted an

:28:15.:28:21.

improved the importance and status of apprenticeships, 624,000 starts

:28:22.:28:26.

since May 2000 and 15. We have revolutionised the teaching of

:28:27.:28:31.

reading in primary schools. Systematic synthetic phonics gives

:28:32.:28:35.

children a flying start with reading, writing and spelling.

:28:36.:28:41.

147,000 more year one pupils are on track to becoming full readers than

:28:42.:28:49.

in 2012. Despite improved practice and a growing number of good places,

:28:50.:28:54.

there are still parents who do not have a choice of a good school plays

:28:55.:28:59.

for their child. Fewer than half of pupils have a good or outstanding

:29:00.:29:04.

school within five kilometres of their home. As the Prime Minister

:29:05.:29:08.

said, if you are white, working-class boy you are less

:29:09.:29:11.

likely than anyone else in Britain to to university. White British boys

:29:12.:29:18.

on free school meals have now been either the lowest or second lowest

:29:19.:29:23.

performing ethnic group every year for a decade. This is why we are

:29:24.:29:27.

consulting on a range of measures to look at more ways to increase the

:29:28.:29:32.

number of good school places, serving communities that have yet

:29:33.:29:37.

fully to benefit from our reforms. We want the education system to help

:29:38.:29:41.

build an even more meritocratic Britain and we want to use the

:29:42.:29:46.

knowledge and expertise of our universities and independent schools

:29:47.:29:52.

to benefit our schools system. We want to remove restrictive

:29:53.:29:57.

regulations that remove pupils from going to the schools. Reintroducing

:29:58.:30:05.

Grammar schools is potentially a transformative idea for

:30:06.:30:11.

working-class areas. We know grammar schools are vehicles of social

:30:12.:30:16.

mobility for those pupils who attend them, almost eliminating the

:30:17.:30:20.

attainment gap between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and their

:30:21.:30:24.

peers. Pupils in grammar schools and make more progress compared to

:30:25.:30:33.

similar pupils. An aggregate score of 0.334 grammar schools compare to

:30:34.:30:39.

a national average of zero. 82% are rated as outstanding and in a school

:30:40.:30:44.

system were over 1 million pupils are not getting the education they

:30:45.:30:48.

need, it cannot be right to prevent more good and outstanding selective

:30:49.:30:53.

school places from being created. The key is to make the alternative

:30:54.:30:57.

schools just as good and that is what we are delivering. We recognise

:30:58.:31:03.

that grammar schools can do more to promote social mobility. Young

:31:04.:31:09.

people are six times less likely to go to Oxbridge if they grow up in a

:31:10.:31:15.

poor household. In the North East not one child on free school meals

:31:16.:31:20.

went to Oxbridge after leaving school in 2010 and yet of the state

:31:21.:31:25.

school pupils securing a place at Cambridge, 682 came from

:31:26.:31:30.

comprehensive schools and 589 from grammar schools, almost as many come

:31:31.:31:37.

from the 163 grammar schools as come from all the comprehensive schools

:31:38.:31:42.

put together. We know disadvantaged pupils from grammar schools are

:31:43.:31:46.

almost twice as likely to go to a top Russell group universities. The

:31:47.:31:52.

government is committed to ensuring this country works for everyone, not

:31:53.:31:57.

just a privileged few. Strict conditions apply to grammar schools,

:31:58.:32:05.

including ensuring more black pupils are admitted, we will introduce

:32:06.:32:11.

social mobility in Britain. I want to thank my honourable friend and I

:32:12.:32:21.

want to give my condolences to the death of my honourable friend's

:32:22.:32:26.

father. The honourable member for Glasgow North West let the cat out

:32:27.:32:32.

of the bag when she said the SNP's view is not just against grammar

:32:33.:32:36.

schools, but also against setting and streaming viability within a

:32:37.:32:42.

school. This is not within the mainstream opinion and it explains

:32:43.:32:46.

why attainment gaps have widened in Scotland. I listened carefully to my

:32:47.:32:51.

right honourable friend the member for Loughborough as I learned to do

:32:52.:32:55.

in the two years when she was my boss at the Department for

:32:56.:33:01.

Education. She is right, we have to tackle underperformers wherever it

:33:02.:33:05.

exists. She is right we have to ensure every child is being offered

:33:06.:33:09.

and academic common knowledge rich curriculum. We will take on board

:33:10.:33:16.

seriously representations made about the policies in the consultation

:33:17.:33:20.

document, including those that relate to selective education. My

:33:21.:33:26.

honourable friend, the member for Bexhill, made the point it is about

:33:27.:33:31.

making alternative schools just as good as the selective ones, a point

:33:32.:33:35.

made by the right honourable friend the member for Woking. Grammar

:33:36.:33:40.

schools and comprehensive schools can coexist together with both

:33:41.:33:44.

delivering a very high academic standards as we see in his

:33:45.:33:49.

constituency. Since 2010, more pupils have benefited from our core

:33:50.:33:54.

academic curriculum. Increased numbers of pupils have a good or

:33:55.:33:58.

outstanding school plays and parents have a wider choice of type of

:33:59.:34:03.

school for their children. But these opportunities have not yet been

:34:04.:34:08.

spread widely enough. We want to create a meritocracy where every

:34:09.:34:11.

child has access to an education that will take them as far as their

:34:12.:34:17.

talents will allow. That is why our consultation document is looking at

:34:18.:34:22.

every possible way to provide new, good schools, particularly in areas

:34:23.:34:29.

that need to improve. I worry about those will 1.25 million pupils. The

:34:30.:34:36.

time is now and it is why we need to do more than we have been doing over

:34:37.:34:40.

the past six years to improve education standards for those

:34:41.:34:45.

pupils. I worry about the social mobility commission's finding that

:34:46.:34:48.

not one pupil eligible for free school meals in the North East went

:34:49.:34:55.

to Oxbridge in 2010. I worry about the so-called missing talent, highly

:34:56.:35:00.

able pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who leave primary school

:35:01.:35:04.

with results weight above the average, but who achieve

:35:05.:35:07.

significantly less well than similarly able but more advantage

:35:08.:35:13.

pupils. Nationally 78% of level five pupils go on to achieve the eve

:35:14.:35:21.

that. But from those from disadvantaged backgrounds, that

:35:22.:35:25.

figure is 52%. You should be as concerned as we are and you should

:35:26.:35:30.

be looking at every option and asking how we spread the excellence

:35:31.:35:33.

that we see in our schools to every part of the country. You should be

:35:34.:35:38.

more concerned about the education and these children are receiving. If

:35:39.:35:46.

you really care, you will look at the proposals in the consultation

:35:47.:35:50.

document and take seriously the suggestions of how to eradicate

:35:51.:35:54.

inadequate school provision wherever it exists. We will take seriously

:35:55.:36:00.

the responses to that consultation. We will listen to views and we will

:36:01.:36:07.

understand the concerns, but on the clear understanding that our joint

:36:08.:36:11.

endeavour is to promote social mobility and ensure that a child's

:36:12.:36:16.

one chance of an education is not sacrificed on the altar of political

:36:17.:36:24.

posturing. The question is that the original words stand part of the

:36:25.:36:28.

question. As many as are of that opinions they eye, on the contrary

:36:29.:36:32.

say no. Clear the lobby. As many of the opinion that say Aye.

:36:33.:38:32.

The contrary, No. Tell us for the Ayes and Noes. -- tellers.

:38:33.:44:39.

In order, order. We Ayes, 263, we Noes, 210.

:44:40.:49:46.

The Ayes to the right, 263, the Noes to the left, 310. The Noes have it.

:49:47.:50:09.

Unlock. The question is that the proposed words be there at that, as

:50:10.:50:19.

many other opinion say Aye? Of the contrary, No? The Ayes have it. We

:50:20.:50:28.

now come to the second opposition Day motion in the name of the Leader

:50:29.:50:35.

of the Opposition. On the NHS funding. I inform the House that Mr

:50:36.:50:39.

Speaker has selected the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister.

:50:40.:50:44.

And I call Jonathan Ashworth to move the motion. I grateful, Madam Deputy

:50:45.:50:51.

Speaker, I beg to move the motion in my name and that of my right

:50:52.:50:56.

honourable friends, may I begin with reminding the House that six years

:50:57.:51:00.

ago the Conservative leader promised to cut the deficit and not the NHS.

:51:01.:51:10.

The previous Chancellor, who told us he would properly fund public

:51:11.:51:14.

services. And investment in public services would, but for tax cuts.

:51:15.:51:21.

Will my honourable friend give way? Go on, then. He is most generous. My

:51:22.:51:27.

honourable friend may have missed something. Did the Chancellor not

:51:28.:51:32.

say he would wipe out the deficit by 2015? My honourable friend is eagle

:51:33.:51:39.

eyed. I congratulate him for reminding us that they should have

:51:40.:51:43.

balanced the books by 2015 and they completely failed on that pledge.

:51:44.:51:50.

The new Prime Minister promised us we will be looking to ensure that we

:51:51.:51:56.

provide the health service that is right for everyone in this country.

:51:57.:52:02.

Fine words, that it is by their deeds that they will be known. What

:52:03.:52:08.

did we get? An NHS that is going through the largest financial

:52:09.:52:13.

squeeze in its history. Far from protecting the NHS through the years

:52:14.:52:18.

of this Tory government, NHS spending will represent an average

:52:19.:52:24.

annual increase of just 0.9%. A decade of barely any increase in

:52:25.:52:28.

spending despite an ageing population with increasingly complex

:52:29.:52:37.

needs. By 2017, NHS spending head-to-head will be falling under

:52:38.:52:42.

this Conservative government. Trusts ended last year in deficit. But the

:52:43.:52:47.

second year running it was 2.54 billion and it will be at least 675

:52:48.:52:53.

million by the end of this financial year. I will give way. Is this the

:52:54.:53:00.

explanation for the secret plan in County Durham to cut the number of

:53:01.:53:05.

beds for frail, elderly people by 20%? My honourable friend makes an

:53:06.:53:11.

important point and we will be coming on to these secret plans as I

:53:12.:53:17.

developed my speech. But we will be spending less on the NHS as a

:53:18.:53:21.

proportion of GDP than Germany, France or the Netherlands. Matrons

:53:22.:53:28.

grants have been repeatedly raided with billions allocated to capital

:53:29.:53:33.

routinely switched to revenue to plug gaps. The maintenance backlog

:53:34.:53:37.

is so bad it is at 5 million in repairs. In a few moments. The

:53:38.:53:43.

former Education Secretary needs to come down. Public-health barges

:53:44.:53:52.

which fund budgets to tackle teenage pregnancy, anti-smoking

:53:53.:53:53.

interventions, sexually transmitted disease infections, this

:53:54.:53:58.

public-health budget will be cut by 9.7% by the end of this Parliament,

:53:59.:54:03.

a completely false economy leading to greater demands on the sector. As

:54:04.:54:12.

my honourable friend, the member for Worsley outlined last week, the

:54:13.:54:16.

adult social care budget has been slashed. I am extremely grateful.

:54:17.:54:23.

That house would take him somewhat more seriously if he did point out

:54:24.:54:30.

that by 2019 and 2020 the real terms increase in spending on the health

:54:31.:54:36.

service will be ?10 billion and during the last election his party

:54:37.:54:41.

only promised to increase spending in this Parliament by a quarter of

:54:42.:54:50.

that, ?2.5 billion. The right honourable gentleman was the

:54:51.:54:53.

minister who took the Health and Social Care Act through this

:54:54.:55:00.

Parliament which wasted ?3 billion on a top-down organisation. He

:55:01.:55:04.

should be apologising to the House. I want to make progress. We are

:55:05.:55:09.

seeing unprecedented cuts to social care. People over 65 accessing

:55:10.:55:15.

publicly funded social care will fall. Public spending on social care

:55:16.:55:24.

is set to fall to less than 1% of GDP by the end of this Parliament.

:55:25.:55:28.

The former Conservative pensions Minister appointed by David Cameron

:55:29.:55:35.

said, we are sleepwalking into a crisis and the NHS will not be able

:55:36.:55:39.

to pick up the pieces of a broken system. I have given way. The

:55:40.:55:47.

honourable gentleman can check Hansard tomorrow. The scale of the

:55:48.:55:56.

financial pressures engulfing the NHS... I thank my honourable friend

:55:57.:56:03.

for giving way. That he agreed that when funding is cut, our hospitals

:56:04.:56:09.

seek to raise cash in other ways by an unacceptable level of car parking

:56:10.:56:13.

charges which the government promised before the last election to

:56:14.:56:19.

clamp down on? My honourable friend is running a brilliant campaign on

:56:20.:56:22.

this and I hope the Minister replies to that point. The scale of the

:56:23.:56:29.

financial pressures... I am going to make some progress. The scale of the

:56:30.:56:37.

financial pressures engulfing the NHS is such that the chief executive

:56:38.:56:43.

of NHS providers said the gap between what the NHS is being asked

:56:44.:56:47.

to deliver underfunding it has available is too big and is growing

:56:48.:56:54.

rapidly. The Kings have said, it signifies a health system buckling

:56:55.:56:58.

under the strain of huge financial and operational pressures. In the

:56:59.:57:07.

most damning statement the National Audit Office concluded that

:57:08.:57:10.

financial problems in the NHS are endemic and this is not sustainable.

:57:11.:57:15.

Even the former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said, in 2010 we knew

:57:16.:57:21.

we had to implement a tight budget squeeze for five years, but we never

:57:22.:57:25.

thought it would last for ten. I will give way. Surely he has seen

:57:26.:57:33.

the report from the Nuffield Trust which shows very clearly that there

:57:34.:57:38.

is only one part of the United Kingdom that has seen a real terms

:57:39.:57:43.

cut in NHS expenditure and that is Wales under a Labour government.

:57:44.:57:49.

They will be a cash injection in Wales in 2017 whereas spending in

:57:50.:57:56.

the NHS in England will be levelling out and falling in 2018. That is the

:57:57.:58:06.

reality. I will give way. In Enfield we are assured of 84 GPs going

:58:07.:58:13.

forward and we have just had a hospital crisis at the North

:58:14.:58:17.

Middlesex where there were not enough doctors for our A to be

:58:18.:58:22.

safe for patients. The only thing we hear about is the sustainability and

:58:23.:58:27.

transformation plan locally which as far as we can see is not only

:58:28.:58:32.

secret, but also is about taking ?22 billion out of the NHS. My right

:58:33.:58:37.

honourable friend is absolutely right and she is a brilliant

:58:38.:58:40.

campaigner for the health service in Enfield. The point she makes is

:58:41.:58:45.

incredibly well made and I hope the Secretary of State response to her.

:58:46.:58:52.

Things are so bad for the Health Secretary that the NHS chief

:58:53.:58:56.

executive told the Health Select Committee that 2018, 2019, will be

:58:57.:59:02.

the most precious year for us. We will have negative per person NHS

:59:03.:59:09.

funding growth. That is the chief executive of the NHS. Will the

:59:10.:59:15.

health Minister listen and respond, or will we get what we saw in the

:59:16.:59:20.

Sunday newspapers, briefing against him when we heard that they are

:59:21.:59:26.

gunning for him and they are going to fix Mr Stevens? I hope the

:59:27.:59:29.

Secretary of State will repudiate that briefing when he's response and

:59:30.:59:35.

distances himself from it. The only people who do not accept the need

:59:36.:59:40.

for more money for the NHS is the Prime Minister and the Secretary of

:59:41.:59:44.

State. But we anticipate what he is going to tell us and the honourable

:59:45.:59:49.

member for Chelmsford alluded to it. He will tell us we have this

:59:50.:59:53.

generous Conservative government that has not only given the NHS the

:59:54.:59:58.

money it asked for but it will persist with the fiction the NHS is

:59:59.:00:04.

receiving an extra 10 billion. But we all know, and I suspect in

:00:05.:00:10.

reality the Secretary of State himself knows, because he distances

:00:11.:00:13.

himself from the figure when he does his interviews, but we know that

:00:14.:00:17.

thanks to the Health Select Committee that this 10 billion claim

:00:18.:00:23.

is completely bogus. It is a claim universally derided and discredited.

:00:24.:00:30.

Of course I will give weight to the former Education Secretary. The

:00:31.:00:35.

chief executive of the NHS who he has just welcomed mention welcomed

:00:36.:00:40.

that additional ten billion and said it gave the NHS the extra headroom

:00:41.:00:48.

we need. Will he repudiate his criticism and welcome that ?10

:00:49.:00:53.

billion extra funding? The chief executive's comments speak for

:00:54.:01:00.

themselves. When are we going to get our ?350 million a week? That is

:01:01.:01:04.

when we are talking about repudiation? What is it the Tories

:01:05.:01:12.

saying one thing before the people vote and saying something completely

:01:13.:01:19.

different after the people have had their say? The continued use of the

:01:20.:01:27.

figure of 10 billion for additional help spending up to 2021 is not only

:01:28.:01:34.

incorrect, but risks giving a false impression that the NHS is awash

:01:35.:01:41.

with cash. She is only sat a bit further down, you can have a word

:01:42.:01:46.

with her if you disagree with that. The Secretary of State hopes we do

:01:47.:01:50.

not notice that he is stretching the time frame over which he presents

:01:51.:01:55.

this funding allocation. He hopes we do not notice the definition of NHS

:01:56.:02:01.

spending has been redefined by the most recent spending review. He

:02:02.:02:05.

hopes we do not spot he is cutting billions from public health budgets

:02:06.:02:08.

and other departments of health funding streams by 3 billion. Mr

:02:09.:02:14.

Speaker, we have noticed because we have spotted the Secretary of

:02:15.:02:20.

State's conjuring act. We have seen this Tory trick before, robbing

:02:21.:02:25.

Peter to pay Paul. The results of the trick cuts and underfunding,

:02:26.:02:31.

more pressure flowing through to the front line and financial stress

:02:32.:02:39.

harming patient care. In all our constituencies ever lengthening

:02:40.:02:41.

queues of the elderly and the sick waiting for treatment. We see across

:02:42.:02:47.

the board the worst performance data since records began. He says

:02:48.:02:55.

nonsense. What world is he in? Half a million patients waiting for four

:02:56.:03:00.

hours or more in A in the past three months, the worst performance

:03:01.:03:06.

in a decade, and he says it is nonsense. 350,000 of our

:03:07.:03:12.

constituents waiting longer than the promised time for elective treatment

:03:13.:03:17.

and he says it is nonsense. The number of people waiting for 12

:03:18.:03:20.

hours or more on trolleys has increased by over 700% since 2011,

:03:21.:03:32.

2012. Why is it in 12 minutes he has yet to praise all those hard-working

:03:33.:03:38.

nurses and doctors and other health professionals? Why is he constantly

:03:39.:03:42.

talking down our great NHS, including the hospitals in Leicester

:03:43.:03:48.

messy-mac I praise our doctors and workers in the NHS every day of the

:03:49.:03:53.

week. But I suspect they will have more sympathy with the position I am

:03:54.:04:00.

outlining. 80% of NHS staff think the NHS is currently under the most

:04:01.:04:06.

pressure they can ever remember and 77% think there is less access to

:04:07.:04:11.

resources putting patients at risk. OK, I will give way. If I can just

:04:12.:04:19.

allow him to break off from reading his press release... We are moving

:04:20.:04:25.

towards a consensus on this in that we do need to integrate between

:04:26.:04:29.

acute, clinical care and adult social care. Why is it in 13 years

:04:30.:04:36.

of a Labour government when there was a significant demographic change

:04:37.:04:42.

why did they not bring forward a better precept for care in 13 years

:04:43.:04:48.

of a Labour government? It beggars belief, we tripled investment on the

:04:49.:04:52.

NHS and he and his friends voted against every penny of it. We had

:04:53.:04:57.

the highest satisfaction levels on record. That is the difference

:04:58.:05:01.

between a Labour government and a Conservative government. I am

:05:02.:05:06.

grateful to the shadow minister. Can he explain why it is the Labour

:05:07.:05:11.

government closed maternity and accident and emergency at Cory

:05:12.:05:17.

hospital? Reconfigurations always go ahead. If he is so concerned, I look

:05:18.:05:26.

forward to the honourable gentleman campaigning against the FTPs in his

:05:27.:05:30.

area when they are published. I am aware members want to speak. We have

:05:31.:05:35.

seen what the reality of six years of Tory government is all about.

:05:36.:05:41.

They will be more staff cuts to come which will add further pressures.

:05:42.:05:46.

For example, cuts to the Care Quality Commission means it will be

:05:47.:05:52.

increasing its fees for NHS hospitals and other trusts and

:05:53.:05:58.

providers. Some will have to pay over ?100,000. Reductions in

:05:59.:06:01.

education will put more pressure on trusts and on the front line. We

:06:02.:06:09.

debated cuts to community pharmacies which will lead to increased demands

:06:10.:06:14.

on the NHS. Last week it slipped out, the privatisation of NHS

:06:15.:06:20.

professionals which makes a profit for the NHS and ploughs the profits

:06:21.:06:24.

back into the NHS, that profits will go to private companies. There is an

:06:25.:06:30.

utter failure to deal with the crisis in adult social care and the

:06:31.:06:35.

lack of planning for a population with complex needs will lead to more

:06:36.:06:40.

demand on the NHS and deficits across the board. It is in this

:06:41.:06:46.

context that the NHS is also expected to find 22 billion of

:06:47.:06:50.

so-called efficiencies and completely redesign services across

:06:51.:06:55.

England as part of the sustainability and transformation

:06:56.:06:55.

process. Where SDP is about transforming

:06:56.:07:04.

services in the interest of patient care, reversing fragmentation, we

:07:05.:07:09.

will consider them carefully. We want to look at every single SDP to

:07:10.:07:14.

see if they are genuinely jointly owned, tackle the crisis in social

:07:15.:07:18.

care, guaranteed better access to care in the long and whether they

:07:19.:07:23.

are transparent and financially viable. But what we know so far is

:07:24.:07:29.

far from reassuring. What began as a project about transforming services

:07:30.:07:34.

for patients and community services can now see from the 19 or that have

:07:35.:07:40.

been published so far that the ground has shifted. It is now

:07:41.:07:45.

obvious that they are more about closing the financial gap. Of course

:07:46.:07:49.

the driving force behind SDP is the emergence in the last two financial

:07:50.:07:54.

years of substantial deficits. They are not my words, they are the words

:07:55.:07:57.

of Andrew Lansley just a few weeks ago. The areas we have seen, racking

:07:58.:08:05.

up shortfalls, just that we have seen published, of about ?10

:08:06.:08:10.

billion, which can only be filled by cups, closing hospitals, downgrading

:08:11.:08:16.

A, downgrading maternity wings, and withdrawing treatment. Across

:08:17.:08:22.

the south-west... I give way. Does he agree with me that proposals to

:08:23.:08:26.

downgrade A in an area like Warrington, surrounded by motorways,

:08:27.:08:31.

as well as containing many people who suffer from health deprivation,

:08:32.:08:37.

is a recipe for disaster, if people need to travel further for emergency

:08:38.:08:41.

care, and will in no way to their care? My honourable friend is

:08:42.:08:47.

extremely knowledgeable and I know she has campaigned vigorously on

:08:48.:08:51.

this and the point that she makes is completely right. In Merseyside

:08:52.:08:55.

Whittlesey hospitals merge. In London, lost, in Durham,

:08:56.:08:58.

efficiencies to be found from staffing levels, and in Merseyside

:08:59.:09:03.

and Cheshire where my honourable friend represents, the STB talks

:09:04.:09:08.

enticing of exploration of a factory body. Doesn't that sound nice? So

:09:09.:09:14.

with cuts to services, rock bottom staff morale, we approach the NHS

:09:15.:09:18.

with the Secretary of State playing the part off Ashley. But the public

:09:19.:09:28.

deserve better than a bargain basement approach. The Prime

:09:29.:09:34.

Minister may have ruled out extra funding. I will give way. I have

:09:35.:09:47.

listened with great interest to the honourable gentleman, and he has

:09:48.:09:50.

spoken eloquently about his concerns about the NHS but he has not, in the

:09:51.:09:55.

course of those 80 minutes, put forward a single positive policy or

:09:56.:09:59.

explained where a single penny of additional funding will come from.

:10:00.:10:05.

He secured this time for this debate, can he at least put forward

:10:06.:10:10.

a positive policy for the NHS, or a suggestion of where the money comes

:10:11.:10:14.

from? The honourable gentleman has a brass neck. We still don't know

:10:15.:10:20.

where we will get the ?350 million from. The next time intervenes

:10:21.:10:29.

perhaps he will tell us. Order, order. Enough, enough shouting.

:10:30.:10:34.

Perhaps the honourable gentleman would like to tell me how cutting

:10:35.:10:40.

the A at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital and giving local community

:10:41.:10:44.

and acute services to converge on care can be a positive story for the

:10:45.:10:50.

NHS? This is exactly the point we are making. My honourable friend is

:10:51.:10:55.

absolutely correct. This is why we need to look carefully at all of

:10:56.:11:00.

these SDP is, but all we see at the moment are glossy brochures telling

:11:01.:11:04.

us everything will be all right, not to worry. We want transparency and

:11:05.:11:08.

the Secretary of State should demand and insist that every single SDP is

:11:09.:11:13.

published and we have details of the cuts. I would way to my honourable

:11:14.:11:19.

friend. Is it one of the problems with local planning, a lack of GPs

:11:20.:11:28.

at local level? And would it help of the health and social care act was

:11:29.:11:36.

amended so that CCG NHS England can provide directly salaried GPs

:11:37.:11:39.

instead of the situation at the moment where there are prevented

:11:40.:11:44.

from doing so? This would be a practical example which would save

:11:45.:11:50.

money, I believe, and increase local provision of GP services. My

:11:51.:11:56.

honourable friend is absolutely right, GP morale is at an all-time

:11:57.:12:00.

low and she correctly identifies another problem emerging because of

:12:01.:12:04.

this act which was passed in this Parliament. My honourable friend

:12:05.:12:08.

makes an important point and I hope the minister responsible. I will

:12:09.:12:13.

give way but then no further. Is he aware that in Cheshire and

:12:14.:12:16.

Merseyside not only have they refused to publish details about the

:12:17.:12:24.

SDP but they have refused my freedom of information request for

:12:25.:12:26.

information about the meetings that were held on it, and who was

:12:27.:12:29.

present. Does that not simply give rise to the suspicion that the whole

:12:30.:12:33.

process is driven by cups rather than a need to improve care.

:12:34.:12:38.

Absolutely right, I must make progress, I am anxious that people

:12:39.:12:42.

wish to speak. The Chancellor should respond to the growing body of

:12:43.:12:45.

evidence tomorrow saying that the NHS has not been given the money it

:12:46.:12:53.

needs. Tomorrow we need an end to the greatest betrayal in adult

:12:54.:13:03.

social care. A long overdue and necessary investment is needed by

:13:04.:13:06.

the NHS. They are shouting, whereas the coming from? But what sense does

:13:07.:13:12.

it make to carry on cutting inheritance tax, capital gains tax,

:13:13.:13:16.

corporation tax, costing the exchequer billions, and at the same

:13:17.:13:22.

time failing to fund the NHS or give social care the money demands? The

:13:23.:13:27.

Prime Minister lets the CBI now that she is prepared to give away

:13:28.:13:31.

billions extra incorporations tax but then tells us there's no money

:13:32.:13:36.

for the NHS. What is stopping the Chancellor acting tomorrow is not

:13:37.:13:42.

financial constraint but ideological constraints, it is time to give the

:13:43.:13:47.

NHS funding it needs, and I commend this motion to House. The question

:13:48.:13:53.

is as of the order paper and I: Jeremy Hunt to move the amendment in

:13:54.:13:57.

the name of the Prime Minister. I beg to move the amendment in the

:13:58.:14:04.

name of the Prime Minister and I want to start by recognising the

:14:05.:14:08.

fantastic work done by NHS staff up and down the country. This autumn I

:14:09.:14:16.

met a mental health nurse who told me how she had had to cope with the

:14:17.:14:20.

pressure of one of her patients throwing himself off a bridge the

:14:21.:14:24.

day after a consultation. I think all of us in this House will have

:14:25.:14:29.

stories of the incredible dedication of NHS staff, not just people doing

:14:30.:14:33.

their jobs, but people putting their heart and soul into their work,

:14:34.:14:38.

staying late, going the extra mile, sacrificing him time and holidays to

:14:39.:14:42.

be there for patients. And as for last week got to recognise the NHS

:14:43.:14:50.

staff from EU countries who do a brilliant job, including 26,000

:14:51.:14:56.

low-paid staff. Today we have heard concerns on funding, A I will

:14:57.:15:01.

give way in a moment. I just wish to finish this sentence, if I may. We

:15:02.:15:06.

have heard funding an AMD performance, waiting times, and I

:15:07.:15:11.

want to answer them all. There are many pressures in the NHS today and

:15:12.:15:16.

I want to recognise some successes. One of the things that damages

:15:17.:15:19.

morale the most is when you do not give credit where it is due. Can he

:15:20.:15:28.

explain why he is making scores of redundancies in North Staffordshire?

:15:29.:15:32.

In my 15 years as an MP I have never seen the NHS locally in such a melt

:15:33.:15:35.

down but the scorched earth policy of cuts and closures, and more to

:15:36.:15:42.

come with this still secret SDP next year. When will the government

:15:43.:15:45.

realise that the pressures on social care and the NHS as such are

:15:46.:15:50.

unsustainable without decent for the funding and investment? Is he will

:15:51.:15:54.

know it certainly would be unsustainable if we followed his

:15:55.:15:57.

party's investment plans at the last general election but if you want to

:15:58.:16:08.

know what is happening to staff, in the period that I have been Health

:16:09.:16:10.

Secretary we have 5000 more doctors and 10,000 more nurses, that is what

:16:11.:16:13.

happens when the government is prepared to invest in the NHS. What

:16:14.:16:15.

the Shadow Health Secretary did not tell us, he talked about, and he's

:16:16.:16:19.

right to say that we are not hitting the target and doing something about

:16:20.:16:22.

it, but what he did not tell the House was that since Labour left

:16:23.:16:28.

office we have recruited 1200 more doctors for A departments, a 25%

:16:29.:16:34.

increase, more than a 50% increase for consultants, and every day we

:16:35.:16:39.

are seeing, within four hours, 2500 more people. I give way to a junior

:16:40.:16:45.

doctor. I thank my honourable friend for giving way. I am a junior doctor

:16:46.:16:49.

of which you speak and I can say that morale is at an absolute

:16:50.:16:54.

all-time low. We have a recruitment and retention crisis, and all the

:16:55.:16:58.

fantastic staff we are being able to recruit, we are absolutely losing.

:16:59.:17:03.

Because this government is not recognising and accepting the

:17:04.:17:06.

fantastic workforce we have on the front line, and all the doctors are

:17:07.:17:11.

leaving. With the respect I think she is on the wrong side of the

:17:12.:17:24.

House. I started my speech by recognising the brilliant work done

:17:25.:17:26.

by doctors and nurses, something the Shadow Health Secretary

:17:27.:17:28.

conspicuously failed to do. Let's look at her hospital. Since 2010 it

:17:29.:17:30.

has, I don't know if she is interested in hearing my response to

:17:31.:17:35.

her intervention. Her own hospital, since 2010, has got 884 more nurses.

:17:36.:17:42.

I am just finishing my... 240 more doctors. And her CCG has had a ?10

:17:43.:17:47.

million increase in funding. I will give way. I thank the right

:17:48.:17:54.

Honourable gentleman for allowing me to speak again. I shall be making

:17:55.:17:59.

reference, greatly, to Saint Georges, when I get a speed later,

:18:00.:18:03.

but I think it is very unfair of him to bring it into this House because

:18:04.:18:07.

it is because of this government, because of this government, that

:18:08.:18:13.

Saint Georges Hospital is operated at a ?50 million deficit. Because of

:18:14.:18:16.

this government we are now in special measures... Order, order.

:18:17.:18:21.

The honourable lady is hoping to catch the eye of the chair later on

:18:22.:18:26.

in the debate. There will be a five-minute limit. So those people

:18:27.:18:30.

who are going to intervene must do so very briefly, and not very

:18:31.:18:35.

frequently. And if they do so I am afraid they may not get to speak

:18:36.:18:40.

later on. Jeremy Hunt. Amongst other things the Shadow Health Secretary

:18:41.:18:43.

did not speak about was cancer. In 2010 we had the lowest cancer

:18:44.:18:47.

survival rate in Western Europe. Since then, every

:18:48.:19:03.

day, we refer for cancer tests 2200 more people, and 100 more people

:19:04.:19:07.

start treatment every single day, cancer charities say it saves 12,000

:19:08.:19:10.

lives per year. On mental health he did not mention the fact that we

:19:11.:19:12.

treat 1400 more people every day. With record dementia diagnosis

:19:13.:19:15.

rates. I am very happy to give way. Will the opposition be more

:19:16.:19:17.

straightforward and honest with the wider context by admitting the

:19:18.:19:20.

demographic challenge that this government faces, as they would have

:19:21.:19:24.

faced, that the number of over 60s will increase by 50% over 15 years?

:19:25.:19:30.

And also, the appalling millstone of PFI, which they bequeathed to this

:19:31.:19:34.

government, ?64 billion, impacting on front line care. He is absolutely

:19:35.:19:42.

right to raise that point. And I think that people will be astonished

:19:43.:19:47.

to hear the Labour Party wasting its time talking about a privatisation

:19:48.:19:51.

of the NHS that is not happening, when they themselves are responsible

:19:52.:19:56.

for PFI, the worst possible privatisation, that has done such

:19:57.:19:59.

enormous damage. The other point that he did not mention is what

:20:00.:20:04.

Labour left behind in terms of the quality and safety of care in our

:20:05.:20:11.

NHS. The Francis Report showed massive problems including short

:20:12.:20:15.

staffing, a culture of denial and cover-ups, not just at Mid-Staffs,

:20:16.:20:19.

but Basildon, Morecambe Bay, many others, and since we have been in

:20:20.:20:23.

office we have changed it, putting 31 hospitals into special measures,

:20:24.:20:29.

more than 10% across the entire NHS, recruiting record numbers of doctors

:20:30.:20:33.

and nurses, and they want to tell the House about one trust in special

:20:34.:20:41.

measures, in Slough, the care was unsafe, so much so that less than

:20:42.:20:43.

half the staff in the hospital were prepared to recommend careful their

:20:44.:20:47.

own friends and family. I will just finish this if I may. They went from

:20:48.:20:52.

six out of eight of their clinical areas requiring improvement or

:20:53.:20:57.

inadequate, to all they'd been good or outstanding. They came out of

:20:58.:21:00.

special measures, 15 hospitals in total have come out of special

:21:01.:21:04.

measures, and we should all commend the staff who work incredibly hard

:21:05.:21:09.

to turn those hospitals round. I will give way. He has the nerve to

:21:10.:21:13.

talk about the inheritance of a previous administration when what we

:21:14.:21:19.

inherited in 1997 was people dying on waiting lists, for over 18

:21:20.:21:30.

months. I have often, from this dispatch box, be prepared to praise

:21:31.:21:34.

some of the achievements of the last Labour government, they did bring

:21:35.:21:37.

down waiting times, but what they did not focus on was the quality and

:21:38.:21:43.

safety of care. What we now know from the CQ senile regime which has

:21:44.:21:49.

just finished its inspections is that 56% of hospitals are good or

:21:50.:21:51.

outstanding. progress. Am I right in saying that

:21:52.:22:32.

the Right Honourable gentleman talks about the inspection regime, but

:22:33.:22:38.

this was not something he and his Government introduced. The Care

:22:39.:22:40.

Quality Commission and that regime was introduced by the Labour

:22:41.:22:44.

Government, as far as I am aware. The hospitals that end up in special

:22:45.:22:49.

measures, as I know from North Middlesex Hospital, is because they

:22:50.:22:52.

are underfunded, under supported and can't get the doctors they need. I'm

:22:53.:23:00.

afraid that she is right to say the sea QC -- the Care Quality

:23:01.:23:03.

Commission was set up by the last Government, but they did not have

:23:04.:23:08.

independence from the Government in their inspection reports, and when

:23:09.:23:11.

we tried to legislate for that, Labour tried to vote it down. We

:23:12.:23:15.

have changed the system and it is working extremely well. I want to

:23:16.:23:20.

move on to the substance of the debate - the funding of the NHS. I

:23:21.:23:23.

want to congratulate the honourable member for Leicester South for his

:23:24.:23:32.

courage and his confidence in confronting the issue of funding

:23:33.:23:35.

despite inheriting a Labour policy to cut funding of the NHS by ?5.5

:23:36.:23:41.

billion a year by the end of the parliament. He is right that there

:23:42.:23:45.

has never been greater financial pressure after the financial crisis

:23:46.:23:54.

in 2008, the deficit, the growing demand from the ageing population,

:23:55.:23:58.

so he must accept that it is all extraordinary that Labour wanted to

:23:59.:24:03.

cut the NHS budget in 2010, and cut it from current levels in 2015. I

:24:04.:24:08.

simply say that we could as a Government have chosen to cut NHS

:24:09.:24:15.

funding from this year's level by ?1.3 billion, which would have been

:24:16.:24:19.

Labour's plans, but if we had, we would have had to lay off 11,000

:24:20.:24:26.

doctors or 40,000 nurses. I am happy to give way. This is the problem

:24:27.:24:31.

with the conservative script. They talk about NHS funding but

:24:32.:24:38.

completely neglect social care. They have cut social care every year for

:24:39.:24:41.

the last six years, taking support away from 500,000 older people, many

:24:42.:24:46.

of whom are now trapped in hospital beds. Greater Manchester has a

:24:47.:24:52.

shortfall of ?80 million in social care ?1 billion nationally. As he

:24:53.:24:56.

raised this issue with the Chancellor, made an emergency bid

:24:57.:24:59.

for funding, and can he tell us whether they will put more money for

:25:00.:25:04.

social care this year? It is not a problem with our script but with

:25:05.:25:08.

his, because he as Shadow Health Secretary sanctioned a policy that

:25:09.:25:12.

would have given and the NHS ?1.3 billion less this year, and the

:25:13.:25:16.

Shadow Chancellor in the last election said he would give not a

:25:17.:25:20.

penny more to local authorities, whereas we are seeing social care

:25:21.:25:24.

funding going up by ?600 million this year, more money into the NHS

:25:25.:25:29.

and into the social care system and a Government that is committed to

:25:30.:25:32.

funding them both. What is especially wrong about the argument

:25:33.:25:36.

made by the Shadow Health Secretary, whom I do welcome to his first

:25:37.:25:42.

Opposition Day debate, is that the Government has not honoured its

:25:43.:25:47.

promises to the NHS. What did the Independent commentators actually

:25:48.:25:50.

say at the time of last year's spending review? Simon Stephens,

:25:51.:25:54.

only quoted, said, our case for the NHS has been heard and actively

:25:55.:25:59.

supported. NHS providers he quoted said it was a good settlement for

:26:00.:26:04.

the NHS. The Kings fund said it was a good settlement for the NHS.

:26:05.:26:08.

Because of the Government's commitment to the NHS, we are

:26:09.:26:13.

spending 10% more as a proportion of GDP than the OECD average, than

:26:14.:26:22.

Norway, Finland,... I give way. I am grateful to my right honourable

:26:23.:26:25.

friend because would he not agree that without that investment, since

:26:26.:26:35.

2009-10 to last year, there would not have been 1.6 million more

:26:36.:26:39.

operations within the NHS that benefit all our constituents? He is

:26:40.:26:45.

right, and I want to congratulate him. He was part of the shadow

:26:46.:26:50.

health team that persuaded the then Shadow Chancellor and Leader of the

:26:51.:26:53.

Opposition that we needed to make this investment. Thanks to that

:26:54.:26:58.

investment, the NHS is doing 5000 more operations every single day. I

:26:59.:27:01.

give way to my right honourable friend. He has been very gracious so

:27:02.:27:08.

far in taking interventions from all sides and inciting independent

:27:09.:27:12.

voices. Is it not the case that the independent King 's fund has also

:27:13.:27:15.

pointed out that the sustainability and transformation plans he is

:27:16.:27:18.

overseeing are the best hope of securing long-term improvement for

:27:19.:27:22.

health and care in this country, and doesn't he agree with me that the

:27:23.:27:25.

opposition to pay rather more attention to these independent

:27:26.:27:29.

experts rather than repeating their own press releases? I think he is

:27:30.:27:37.

right that just occasionally we should listen to experts, but only

:27:38.:27:42.

very occasionally. In the spirit of listening to experts this afternoon,

:27:43.:27:46.

let me tell you something else that he will agree with that the King 's

:27:47.:27:53.

fund said, as we have the Leader of the Opposition here. It said, claims

:27:54.:28:00.

of mass privatisation are exaggerated. Let's not go chasing

:28:01.:28:04.

down rabbit holes. The result of this Government's commitment to the

:28:05.:28:07.

NHS is that real terms spending per head has gone up by 4.6%, double the

:28:08.:28:12.

rate of Scotland and three times the rate of Wales. He also mentions the

:28:13.:28:18.

National Audit Office but he didn't mention that the numbers mentioned

:28:19.:28:22.

in the report on last year's figures. He failed to mention this

:28:23.:28:30.

year's numbers, published last week, showing 40% fewer trusts in deficit.

:28:31.:28:36.

86% of trusts are hitting their financial plans, and the latest

:28:37.:28:40.

figures on Friday showed that the deficit will fall 73% from last

:28:41.:28:44.

year, and even lower than the year before. Why is that? Because of a

:28:45.:28:52.

sustained effort by the NHS to tackle the problem. They don't want

:28:53.:28:55.

to hear, but the truth is, the NHS is gripping the very problem that

:28:56.:29:03.

the shadow minister called a debate on. The rate paid for agency nurses

:29:04.:29:16.

is down 18%, followed come doctors, down 13%. The money we raised from

:29:17.:29:22.

international visitors is up three times, from 84 million to 289

:29:23.:29:31.

million. Isn't it important to focus not just on the level of spending

:29:32.:29:35.

but where we spend the money? As far as a long-term condition like

:29:36.:29:39.

diabetes is concerned, isn't it essential that we focus on

:29:40.:29:43.

preventative work, which in the long-term will actually save the NHS

:29:44.:29:49.

a huge of money? It is absolutely right, and you know, in all

:29:50.:29:54.

frankness, that is the argument that could be made from the front bench

:29:55.:29:57.

this afternoon, and we would be having a much better debate. I give

:29:58.:30:04.

way to my honourable friend can I congratulate him for the calm and

:30:05.:30:07.

dignified way he is dealing with this debate, as a parent -- as

:30:08.:30:14.

compared to the opposition. I would like to put in a plug for the local

:30:15.:30:27.

Community Hospital is not just about my -- Community Hospitals, not just

:30:28.:30:32.

in my constituency but across the country. They will continue to be a

:30:33.:30:37.

vital part of provision in most of our constituencies. I will give way

:30:38.:30:41.

to the honourable lady then I will make progress. If the Secretary of

:30:42.:30:45.

State thinks that community hospitals are so important, can he

:30:46.:30:49.

guarantee that the Richardson in Barnard Castle will stay open? I

:30:50.:30:56.

think she will be happy that these decisions are made locally rather

:30:57.:30:59.

than by the Health Secretary of either party. I just want to pick up

:31:00.:31:07.

on one particularly extraordinary comment that the Shadow Health

:31:08.:31:12.

Secretary made yesterday. He said, aggressive efficiency targets have

:31:13.:31:16.

contributed to deficits. This is a curious thing to say, firstly,

:31:17.:31:20.

because his own spending plans would have meant by 5p more of

:31:21.:31:28.

efficiencies. I wonder how he would describe Labour's approach.

:31:29.:31:33.

Secondly, I know we are all called on supporters now, but basic

:31:34.:31:36.

economics suggests that efficiency plans don't increase deficits, --

:31:37.:31:42.

don't reduce deficits, they increased them. We want the money to

:31:43.:31:46.

go into patient care. There was another danger in his argument, and

:31:47.:31:51.

I think this is a mistake that it is very easy not just for him but for

:31:52.:31:54.

many commentators to fall into, and that is the suggestion that this is

:31:55.:31:59.

a uniform problem across the NHS, that the NHS is powerless to grip

:32:00.:32:06.

without further Government intervention, when the reality is

:32:07.:32:08.

that there was huge variation across the system. The deficits add good or

:32:09.:32:15.

outstanding trusts are five times less than those of other trusts is.

:32:16.:32:19.

If they all had the same financial performance as the good or

:32:20.:32:24.

outstanding ones, we would have a service of nearly ?500 million. Half

:32:25.:32:28.

of the deficits are from just 22 trusts, and we see these variation

:32:29.:32:35.

on a specific level. The amount played her gloves, some trusts pay

:32:36.:32:40.

?1.27, others pay just 50p for the same gloves. On waiting lists... I

:32:41.:32:46.

will give way in a moment. On waiting lists, if you look at the

:32:47.:32:49.

1000 people who are waiting more than a year for treatment, which is

:32:50.:32:53.

unacceptable, there is just one person from an outstanding trust who

:32:54.:32:57.

has been waiting that long. 93% are from trusts that require improvement

:32:58.:33:02.

or rather inadequate. That is why we have a huge programme to help those

:33:03.:33:06.

trusts improve and deal with challenges. On the initial -- issue

:33:07.:33:15.

of financial management, in Wales, staff spend has increased 50% last

:33:16.:33:23.

year, compared to England. I do recognise that, and I know it has

:33:24.:33:27.

been going up in Scotland as well. It is short-sighted of both those

:33:28.:33:30.

administrations not to work with us to tackle the problem. Otherwise,

:33:31.:33:36.

staff living in border areas play off one system against the other. He

:33:37.:33:41.

has been trying to blame hospitals for the deficit, but the point is,

:33:42.:33:46.

the spend on agency staff has ballooned in England over the last

:33:47.:33:50.

six years. The reason for that is because this Government and its

:33:51.:33:54.

predecessor cut nurse training places and left hospitals in the

:33:55.:33:59.

grip of private staffing agencies. It's simply not fair for the

:34:00.:34:03.

Secretary of State to stand at the dispatch box blaming hospitals for a

:34:04.:34:08.

problem of their making. I am not blaming hospitals, we are supporting

:34:09.:34:11.

them to deal with the problem. The root cause of the problem was the

:34:12.:34:15.

Francis Report and all those hospitals where bad problems were

:34:16.:34:19.

being covered up and we wanted to sort it out, which means more nurses

:34:20.:34:25.

on our wards. That is why we have 10,000 more nurses in the four years

:34:26.:34:28.

I have been Health Secretary. Would he agree with me that the public are

:34:29.:34:37.

finally starting to see through the usual Labour smoke screen of being

:34:38.:34:41.

high on rhetoric, low one alternative solutions, and usually a

:34:42.:34:44.

very patchy and poor delivery when given the job. My right honourable

:34:45.:34:51.

friend's approach is a change in funding, which is what the public

:34:52.:34:56.

are looking for. The two potential solutions we have had from

:34:57.:34:58.

backbenchers, the honourable member for Leicester under former Chief

:34:59.:35:02.

Whip, but not from the front bench. He is making an important point. I

:35:03.:35:09.

want to wrap up my comments. He is right to hold the Government is

:35:10.:35:13.

accountable for the funding of the NHS and social care, but it is a big

:35:14.:35:17.

mistake to distil all issues around the NHS to the simple issue of

:35:18.:35:23.

money, because that sub contracts responsibility for safe,

:35:24.:35:25.

high-quality care to politicians, when if we're going to be the

:35:26.:35:29.

safest, highest quality system in the world, it has to be everyone's

:35:30.:35:34.

job, everyone's focus and commitment. Politicians, yes, but

:35:35.:35:39.

doctors, managers, health care assistants, every single person

:35:40.:35:42.

working in the NHS. The way forward is first of all to move to

:35:43.:35:48.

accountable care models, the five-year view. I just say to the

:35:49.:35:56.

House, because the Shadow Health Secretary brought up the question of

:35:57.:36:00.

STPs, calling them secret plans, but 28 of the 44 had been published and

:36:01.:36:04.

the rest will be published before Christmas. Many in this House

:36:05.:36:10.

objected on all sides to the health and social care act because they

:36:11.:36:14.

felt it didn't do enough to support integrated care. Now we have process

:36:15.:36:18.

that is bringing together the NHS and the social care system, acute

:36:19.:36:25.

trusts, primary care, at a local level. That is a big prize, and we

:36:26.:36:29.

should support that, not try and make political capital. One final

:36:30.:36:35.

point. Very grateful to the Secretary of State. In

:36:36.:36:40.

Stoke-on-Trent, the CCGs set on the STP and we have still not seen that

:36:41.:36:43.

report, but we have seen an executive summary. At the same time

:36:44.:36:50.

as the STP are suggesting one thing, the CCGs are undermining it by

:36:51.:36:54.

closing community hospitals. They are not working together but against

:36:55.:36:55.

each other. That is exactly what we need to sort

:36:56.:37:07.

out, and that is why we have the STP process, and the well-planned

:37:08.:37:14.

strategy. I want to see this, if we stick with this process and have the

:37:15.:37:19.

relentless focus on safety and quality of care, what are we going

:37:20.:37:25.

to see? This parliament? 1 million more people accessing mental health

:37:26.:37:32.

treatment, the transformation of services through GPs. Four week

:37:33.:37:35.

cancer waiting time. That is going to save 30,000 lives, the weekend if

:37:36.:37:46.

it tackled, more nurses and the NHS staying true to the promise made to

:37:47.:37:54.

patients, 1948, that safe, high-quality care is going to be

:37:55.:37:57.

available for everyone regardless of income. That is what the government

:37:58.:38:04.

wants, I get everybody to support this motion. The question is that

:38:05.:38:11.

the original words stand part... Before I call the right honourable

:38:12.:38:22.

lady, the SNP spokesperson, we have calculated five minutes and we are

:38:23.:38:24.

going to have to go down to four minutes. Pardon? Five minutes for

:38:25.:38:39.

me... The speech limit has been calculated with her remains. The

:38:40.:38:44.

longer that she speaks, the listing that everybody else has. -- her in

:38:45.:38:51.

mind. That is disappointing with what I have prepared for today. I

:38:52.:38:56.

think the NHS faces sustainability issues, across the United Kingdom.

:38:57.:39:00.

The increase in demand, from an ageing population with increasing

:39:01.:39:07.

complexity. The problem is that the way that you try to tackle that

:39:08.:39:11.

demand, it is public hearings and also social care, so those people do

:39:12.:39:17.

not end up in the most expensive place. We also have a lack of staff,

:39:18.:39:27.

nurses and doctors, and our lack of training nurses, the threat of

:39:28.:39:31.

losing some of the staff from the European Union. And the other threat

:39:32.:39:37.

to sustainability, it is money. But money is what you could fix. The

:39:38.:39:42.

others are going to take decades to fix, I training more nurses,

:39:43.:39:48.

doctors, inventing a bonus. Finding better ways to look after the ageing

:39:49.:39:57.

population. I welcome the idea of STPs, because it should be a

:39:58.:40:07.

reptile, -- return to planning but the problem is that it has got to be

:40:08.:40:12.

be still in patient centred care. And it is being discussed as though

:40:13.:40:18.

it is coming from budget care. From the select committee, we were told

:40:19.:40:22.

that the STPs had been given a figure that they had to meet by

:40:23.:40:27.

2021. I do not think that is ever going to work. If you want to

:40:28.:40:34.

decrease inefficiency, and increase efficiency then you have got target

:40:35.:40:37.

the inefficiencies at the system, not just take an axe to the whole

:40:38.:40:45.

thing. Because when hospitals run out of money and take action, it is

:40:46.:40:51.

going to be poorly thought, immediate survival. It is looking at

:40:52.:40:57.

the fat, the natural inefficiencies and some of that comes down to this

:40:58.:41:03.

lack of integration. STPs provide a great opportunity and it is going to

:41:04.:41:07.

be an opportunity that we look back and think that we have messed if we

:41:08.:41:12.

do not take it properly. The Secretary of State has said no

:41:13.:41:16.

privatisation for the NHS, but certainly marketisation and

:41:17.:41:21.

outsourcing. I graduated in 1982 so I have lived through every single

:41:22.:41:30.

inspiration, and that 9092 we were just skint. The NHS, 5% of GDP,

:41:31.:41:40.

dropping to 4% over the 19 duties. Instead of increasing that, what we

:41:41.:41:47.

had was just constant redesign. The internal market, GDP purchasing,

:41:48.:41:56.

referring to clinics. If I decided that it was not such a call, GPs

:41:57.:42:09.

would refuse to pay. Surgeons would send them. Patients fell through the

:42:10.:42:15.

cracks. Some of them never got the second referral, and what we had

:42:16.:42:18.

after that was that we started to have change and we went from 106

:42:19.:42:26.

authorities to 300 PCTs, even though the leaders of those PCTs embassy

:42:27.:42:33.

money as the health authorities. People made authorities, and that

:42:34.:42:43.

the mid 2000s, we went from 300 to 150. Again, redundancy and

:42:44.:42:51.

transition. We started to have PFIs, the NHS has paid over 60 billion for

:42:52.:43:02.

11 billion worth of buildings. This was not the correct thing to do. And

:43:03.:43:09.

then we had the health and social care act, replacing them with 211

:43:10.:43:13.

clinical commissioning groups. This is putting power in hands of the

:43:14.:43:22.

GPs. That was through the Freedom of information, with than 12% of the

:43:23.:43:27.

majority on them. 47% do not even have a clinical majority. The idea

:43:28.:43:37.

that the power of CCGs is giving power back to primary care is

:43:38.:43:44.

fallacy. And this was through all governments. Independent treatment

:43:45.:43:52.

centres given block grants. It was not patient choice. The GP had to

:43:53.:44:02.

send the patient to the ICG. Trying to counter that by results. What

:44:03.:44:14.

that don't do -- did do, was increase activity but the activity

:44:15.:44:18.

is just growing and growing. Hospitals get paid for activity, not

:44:19.:44:24.

if that was correct. In Scotland we abandoned trusts in 2004, abandoning

:44:25.:44:34.

Primary Care Trusts in 2009. And if you look at the publication of

:44:35.:44:40.

admin, this is all the NHS, it has fallen from 7.6% in six sevenths, to

:44:41.:44:50.

6.7% in 15/16. With regards to public health at England, nobody has

:44:51.:44:57.

any idea. It was estimated at that time is 14%. I would suggest that

:44:58.:45:02.

the current market is more complex than it was then. I think things can

:45:03.:45:14.

be done. Things can be done about recruitment. It is not limiting, it

:45:15.:45:25.

is not national procurement. The logistics division is going to pick

:45:26.:45:33.

items per ward and deliver them from a central depot, to ward. That

:45:34.:45:41.

allows you to cut costs as was suggested at the carter review. Got

:45:42.:45:47.

to keep down agency craters. -- prices. But why are we not asking

:45:48.:45:54.

the bigger question, why are these nurses choosing to work for an

:45:55.:46:00.

agency rather than the NHS? Is it that they are more money?

:46:01.:46:04.

Flexibility? Family friendliness? Would we not be better to look at

:46:05.:46:13.

how we let them work, because from the point of view of the quality of

:46:14.:46:16.

the job and the satisfaction, all of them would prefer to beat the one

:46:17.:46:21.

place rather than a different place every week. I things can be done.

:46:22.:46:29.

Better use of community pharmacies, and hospitals. It is absolutely

:46:30.:46:37.

crucial that the fund social care, so that elderly people are looked

:46:38.:46:45.

after at home. I think SDPs provide potential but I am asking the

:46:46.:46:49.

Secretary of State, instead of going on and on with marketisation, no

:46:50.:46:54.

cost benefit analysis has ever been done and no evidence of benefit from

:46:55.:47:06.

that, because that way they conceive 5 billion every year. That would

:47:07.:47:09.

have a significant impact on the date. It has been suggested we need

:47:10.:47:13.

to bring solutions. I am offering the ones I can think of from

:47:14.:47:17.

Scotland and they recommending them to the Secretary of State. It is a

:47:18.:47:22.

pleasure to follow my right honourable friend from central

:47:23.:47:27.

earshot. I want to look at the current financial position, trying

:47:28.:47:31.

to agree a settlement for the future in the house rather than having such

:47:32.:47:40.

controversial debates. -- Ayrshire. Adding an extra year, 2014/15. But

:47:41.:47:47.

also by transferring budgets to NHS England, and when the Secretary of

:47:48.:47:53.

State refers to the NHS, it is actually NHS England, not including

:47:54.:47:58.

public Els, public health education England. But these are crucial to be

:47:59.:48:03.

considered. When we are talking about transferring public money from

:48:04.:48:08.

public Els to NHS England, what we mean is cutting off the ability to

:48:09.:48:12.

control the increase in future demand as my great honourable friend

:48:13.:48:18.

has already referred to, these are significant challenges that are not

:48:19.:48:22.

going to be addressed unless we invest. And also these are

:48:23.:48:28.

front-line services. We can talk about public health as though it is

:48:29.:48:32.

not front-line care, but it is, we are talking about addiction, sexual

:48:33.:48:39.

health services and important costs for the NHS. But also the challenge

:48:40.:48:44.

of health education England, the budget. These are front-line

:48:45.:48:49.

services. Think about the 5 billion budget for him the education

:48:50.:48:53.

England, 3.5 of that goes directly to the wages of Hill service doctors

:48:54.:48:59.

in training, but deliver in front-line services. But again, cut

:49:00.:49:06.

off from future sustainability because this is the budget that

:49:07.:49:11.

sustains the existing workforce. It is crucial to front-line services.

:49:12.:49:16.

The other way that the 10 billion is arrived at is by changing the

:49:17.:49:22.

baseline from which we calculate the increases. And it has never been

:49:23.:49:25.

more important than it is just now for the public to have confidence in

:49:26.:49:33.

the data they use. So trying to get us to think about total health

:49:34.:49:37.

spending, that is not being awkward but honest with the public. And

:49:38.:49:42.

also, if you are arguing for more funding for health and social care,

:49:43.:49:47.

it is difficult to argue that is necessary if one has put out a

:49:48.:49:54.

figure, the 10 billion increase. It is important that we continue to use

:49:55.:49:57.

the consistent bass lines that have been used in the past so that the

:49:58.:50:02.

public can see what has happened. I am welcoming the fact that the NHS

:50:03.:50:09.

has been relatively protected computer and -- compared to other

:50:10.:50:18.

departments. But when Simon Stephens talked about welcoming the increase

:50:19.:50:21.

that was granted he was clear at the time that this was dependent also on

:50:22.:50:29.

the fair settlement for social care, and radical groups for public

:50:30.:50:33.

service. Those two aspects have been lacking. I think both sides are

:50:34.:50:38.

correct. I can see why the Secretary of State has arrived at the figure

:50:39.:50:43.

of 10 billion but alongside that, whenever that has been used we

:50:44.:50:50.

should also present the figure refers to of total health spending

:50:51.:50:53.

because it has been in the past. I think that would help build the case

:50:54.:50:57.

for an increase in funding going forward. I hope that as others have

:50:58.:51:03.

commented at the Autumn Statement we have the uplift for social care,

:51:04.:51:09.

because its impact on the NHS is profound. You cannot have a member

:51:10.:51:15.

in this phase, with an surgeries, people coming to see them, and the

:51:16.:51:20.

state of the care system has been a collapse. Even those who can afford

:51:21.:51:28.

to pay can find it difficult. In my constituency, some villages have no

:51:29.:51:31.

social care available because private providers cannot afford to

:51:32.:51:35.

deliver that. I wonder if the right honourable lady as chair of the

:51:36.:51:39.

select committee knows if that happens at other parts of the

:51:40.:51:40.

country? We know it does, and we know from

:51:41.:51:48.

the sea QC report that they see social care is being at a tipping

:51:49.:51:55.

point, in a fragile state. We all it -- we owe it to our constituents to

:51:56.:51:59.

agree where we go from here. Many have proposed a Royal commission for

:52:00.:52:06.

looking at sustainability. I would say we have had those, setting out

:52:07.:52:11.

what the options are. In the other place, they are looking at our

:52:12.:52:14.

future sustainability, all the options. I would urge colleagues

:52:15.:52:19.

across the house, rather than having a confrontational debate

:52:20.:52:25.

continually, to agree the best way forward is for all parties to agree

:52:26.:52:30.

that this is an enormous challenge. My personal belief is, we should

:52:31.:52:33.

stick with our current, very equitable system of state funding of

:52:34.:52:37.

the NHS, look at the various options in front of us, and agree between us

:52:38.:52:42.

that we need to address this. We can't keep ducking it. We owe this

:52:43.:52:49.

to all of our constituents to have a much more constructive tone in the

:52:50.:52:53.

debate. It was reiterated today in the National Audit Office report

:52:54.:52:59.

that the current position is simply unsustainable. And we can continue,

:53:00.:53:04.

as I say, to just be shouting across the chamber about how much is spent.

:53:05.:53:09.

We know this will be a challenge, whoever is in power, so I would urge

:53:10.:53:14.

all colleagues to focus instead on a different approach. Yes, there is

:53:15.:53:18.

more that can be done within the NHS. I'm afraid the elastic is

:53:19.:53:22.

stretched far too tight for social care to make any more efficiencies,

:53:23.:53:26.

in my view, and we now need to work together to see how we can fund

:53:27.:53:35.

this. The NHS in Wirral is facing its greatest crisis, which is why I

:53:36.:53:38.

am grateful to be called in the debate. Cheshire and Merseyside's

:53:39.:53:46.

so-called sustainability plan was published last Wednesday, and it is

:53:47.:53:51.

shocking in its complacency, Orwellian in its language, and

:53:52.:53:55.

potentially devastating in its consequences. The Secretary of State

:53:56.:53:58.

has described these plans as open and transparent, but Wirral and

:53:59.:54:03.

Merseyside Council has had zero involvement in this plan. The first

:54:04.:54:07.

they knew about it was when it was posted on the NHS website last

:54:08.:54:12.

Wednesday. I want to make three quick observations about the flaws

:54:13.:54:17.

in the STP process which have become increasingly apparent. The first

:54:18.:54:22.

concern is that the NHS has been starved of money, so these plans are

:54:23.:54:28.

more about putting the finances than reconfiguring the services. Second,

:54:29.:54:34.

this has been a top down process, organised in a very secretive way by

:54:35.:54:39.

the NHS. Third, the extremely tight deadlines imposed on the process

:54:40.:54:43.

make it impossible to achieve any meaningful consultation or public

:54:44.:54:48.

involvement. Let me turn to the plans which have been developed for

:54:49.:54:52.

Merseyside and Cheshire, and the effects they will have on the

:54:53.:54:57.

services in Wirral. The plan was published on Wednesday, confirming

:54:58.:55:00.

that our local herbal -- health services have been massively

:55:01.:55:03.

underfunded to the tune of ?1 billion. Far from providing the

:55:04.:55:09.

appropriate resources to meet patient needs, the plan sets out

:55:10.:55:14.

massive cuts. It confirms the existence of entirely new meanings

:55:15.:55:17.

for familiar words and phrases in the English language, as well as

:55:18.:55:22.

elevating management gobbledygook to a high art form. In NHS speak, we

:55:23.:55:28.

now know that sustainability means closing all deficits in Merseyside

:55:29.:55:32.

and Cheshire, which means ?1 billion of cuts. Openness and transparency

:55:33.:55:36.

means developing these plans in secret and totalisation -- total

:55:37.:55:49.

isolation... Sustainable is gobbledygook for mergers and the

:55:50.:55:53.

downgrading of A The report aims to make these savings by merging

:55:54.:55:58.

existing hospitals across the region, downgrading A services,

:55:59.:56:02.

cutting access to maternity provision, and it makes the heroic

:56:03.:56:06.

assumption that if care is provided closer to home, services will become

:56:07.:56:11.

cheaper and demand will go down. The report is silent on the future for

:56:12.:56:16.

Wirral acute services, despite its ominous observation that there needs

:56:17.:56:22.

to be a review to determine future options for hospital

:56:23.:56:25.

reconfiguration. But Wirral health trust's annual report let the cat

:56:26.:56:29.

out of the bag when it confirmed that the merger of Arab Park and

:56:30.:56:34.

parts of clatter bridge and the Countess of Chester is currently

:56:35.:56:39.

being considered. It would leave Wirral devoid of any acute service

:56:40.:56:42.

and the believe my constituents with increasingly difficult journeys to

:56:43.:56:47.

access acute care at all. It is a fact that Wirral local authority has

:56:48.:56:51.

had zero opportunity to be involved in the development of the plans,

:56:52.:56:56.

despite the NHS planning guidelines for STPs asking those NHS managers

:56:57.:57:03.

to develop -- those managers developing them to engage with

:57:04.:57:08.

partners. It is a fact that the proposals contained within it are

:57:09.:57:11.

unacceptable. The NHS needs more funding urgently. The STP process

:57:12.:57:18.

must be slowed down so that there can be meaningful consultation, and

:57:19.:57:20.

the Government should end the top-down planning in secret and open

:57:21.:57:26.

up the process to involve the public and patients in their local

:57:27.:57:31.

communities, and other statutory authorities and staff. That is why,

:57:32.:57:34.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I have launched a petition to as the

:57:35.:57:39.

Government to press the pause button on these plans so that they can be

:57:40.:57:43.

properly considered by patients, the public and staff. It can be found at

:57:44.:57:51.

www. SaveWirral. NHS .com. Please visit and sign the petition.

:57:52.:57:56.

Together, we have to fight to save Wirral NHS. After that public

:57:57.:58:04.

service announcement, it is a limit of four minutes. Thank you, Madam

:58:05.:58:15.

Deputy Speaker. I want to make five proposals. First, prevention, which

:58:16.:58:18.

we haven't heard nearly enough about in this debate so far today. It is

:58:19.:58:24.

wholly unacceptable that a third of our children at the age of 11 are

:58:25.:58:28.

now obese. We learned today that many children are consuming a bath

:58:29.:58:36.

full of fizzy drinks every year. We know that the global matrix of

:58:37.:58:47.

fitness puts England and Wales as poor and Scotland as even poorer.

:58:48.:58:53.

One way to improve things is to extend the excellent work of Saint

:58:54.:58:57.

Ninian 's primary School in Stirling who pioneered the use of the daily

:58:58.:59:03.

mile, where all children run or walk one-mile at some point during the

:59:04.:59:08.

day. This has had dramatic results in that school. Not one of the 57

:59:09.:59:14.

children is overweight. A significant reduction in coughs and

:59:15.:59:19.

colds improvement in mental as well as physical well-being, and it has

:59:20.:59:23.

been taken up across the Netherlands and Belgium. I would like to see a

:59:24.:59:27.

lot more of it across our country. Second, on the issue of self-care,

:59:28.:59:33.

there is a huge amount we need to do in terms of health literacy. I would

:59:34.:59:41.

commend members to look at the report of the all-party

:59:42.:59:43.

Parliamentary group on primary care and public health that came out in

:59:44.:59:49.

March this year, which showed that in 2014 33.7 million visits to A

:59:50.:59:55.

for self treatable conditions, and 52 million visits to GPs each year

:59:56.:00:01.

as well, also for self treatable conditions. It is estimated that if

:00:02.:00:05.

we could deal with that and people went to the appropriate place, we

:00:06.:00:09.

would save over ?2 billion per year for the NHS. In terms of

:00:10.:00:14.

gatekeeping, my third point, in our hospitals, I would commend the

:00:15.:00:23.

initiative taken in Scotland, where having senior consultant input in

:00:24.:00:27.

A led to a reduction of 30% in acute surgical admissions. My own

:00:28.:00:36.

local hospital has also introduced a similar methodology for patients

:00:37.:00:40.

with acute conditions, which is bearing fruit. Thirdly, in terms of

:00:41.:00:45.

quality, which again, we haven't heard enough about in terms of this

:00:46.:00:52.

debate, I would urge members to look more fully at the work of the

:00:53.:01:01.

Getting It Right First Time initiative. It started in

:01:02.:01:05.

orthopaedics, and the Government estimate that will save ?1.5 billion

:01:06.:01:12.

per year. It is not just a financial saving, it is about better outcomes

:01:13.:01:15.

for patients who in some cases may have been given the wrong operation,

:01:16.:01:19.

had poor quality and had to have significant revisions. That project

:01:20.:01:28.

is getting data across the country. Following oral and facial cancer

:01:29.:01:32.

surgery, the rate of return for another procedure within 90 days, we

:01:33.:01:39.

know, varies from 8.3% in some hospitals to over 80% in others.

:01:40.:01:43.

That degree of variation is simply unacceptable, and if we could get a

:01:44.:01:48.

higher level of quality, much better outcomes for patients, as well as

:01:49.:01:56.

saving money to the NHS. Finally, an enhanced recovery programmes such as

:01:57.:02:02.

the one in South Warwickshire, has led to significant increases in

:02:03.:02:05.

productivity, with better outcomes for patients, and we need to see

:02:06.:02:08.

much more of that across the whole of the country. The South West

:02:09.:02:16.

London five-year forward plan published last week states its

:02:17.:02:24.

intention to save a staggering ?828 million by 2020. Their contribution

:02:25.:02:30.

to the attempted national savings of ?22 billion by 2020. This draft

:02:31.:02:33.

sustainability and transformation plan published by the Southwest

:02:34.:02:37.

London partnership doesn't shed very much light on how they are actually

:02:38.:02:43.

going to manage that. Other than by reducing A attendance by 40% in

:02:44.:02:50.

three years. This is a totally implausible aim, given it has not

:02:51.:02:53.

been achieved by any health system in the world, let alone one that is

:02:54.:03:00.

cash strapped. This unsustainable ambition brings us to the

:03:01.:03:04.

long-standing proposal which has been so often denied, to reduce the

:03:05.:03:09.

year -- to reduce the number of acute hospitals in south-west London

:03:10.:03:13.

from five to four, even, God help us, three. It includes Saint

:03:14.:03:21.

Georges, Croydon, Epsom and St Helier, which I have been fighting

:03:22.:03:25.

from closure for the last 18 years. We know that these five acute

:03:26.:03:29.

hospitals, Saint Georges Hospital will rightly be protected from

:03:30.:03:33.

closure. It is also clear it is unlikely to be Croydon University

:03:34.:03:38.

Hospital or Kingston, which leaves us just St Helier or Epsom, both of

:03:39.:03:43.

which have been under threat before. No amount of vaguely worded

:03:44.:03:46.

statements from the partnership will change the fact that the intention

:03:47.:03:53.

is to close St Helier. It was stated, we need to review our Acute

:03:54.:03:56.

Hospital to make sure we meet the changing demands of our population,

:03:57.:04:01.

and to ensure that acute providers provide high-quality, efficient

:04:02.:04:05.

care. We will need four Acute Hospital site in south-west London

:04:06.:04:09.

and will undertake further work, including analysis of revenue

:04:10.:04:14.

implications, on three, four and five site options. Not only will one

:04:15.:04:18.

acute site definitely close, but commissioners are considering the

:04:19.:04:29.

closure of two site. St Helier's closure was the main recommendation

:04:30.:04:33.

in 2011, but this by colleagues on the Government benches, including

:04:34.:04:36.

the honourable members for both Wimbledon and Twickenham, have been

:04:37.:04:41.

taken in by the peddling of the myth that no hospitals will close. When

:04:42.:04:46.

is a closure a closure? If you remove maternity and A from a

:04:47.:04:50.

hospital, all the associated diagnostics and other services, is

:04:51.:04:54.

that not a closure? To me, that is precisely what it is. I would like

:04:55.:04:59.

to make it clear to this House, the Government, the partnership and more

:05:00.:05:03.

importantly, to my constituents, that we have come together as before

:05:04.:05:08.

as a community, to fight the closure of Saint Helly hospital, and we will

:05:09.:05:12.

do it again. We will do it again, not only for the people who use it,

:05:13.:05:18.

but for the people who use every hospital in south-west London,

:05:19.:05:21.

because the closure of St Helier means the undermining of all those

:05:22.:05:28.

other hospitals. I would like to start by commending all the

:05:29.:05:34.

hard-working people within the NHS - doctors and nurses - and for the

:05:35.:05:38.

increase in activity in our NHS over the past several years. The NHS has

:05:39.:05:42.

never worked harder, we have never seen so many patients treated in our

:05:43.:05:47.

NHS, and standards are certainly improving, but I think we have to

:05:48.:05:52.

face up to the fact that in this is of morbidity and mortality are poor

:05:53.:06:01.

-- the index. I am not satisfied with comparing the UK with the OECD

:06:02.:06:10.

average. We should compare ourselves to countries like France, Germany,

:06:11.:06:14.

Holland, Belgium and Denmark, where I'm afraid, our record, our

:06:15.:06:21.

performance, is behind the curve. That's the challenge. Unlike my

:06:22.:06:27.

honourable friend, the member for Totnes, I am cautious about this

:06:28.:06:32.

figure of 10 billion. I urge some clarity around this on the front

:06:33.:06:36.

bench. We need to make it very clear what this actually is. I commend the

:06:37.:06:41.

Government for spending this level of money on our NHS, despite the

:06:42.:06:45.

opposition from the benches opposite. If we are to a debate that

:06:46.:06:51.

is collaborative and collegiate, I think we need to have a level of

:06:52.:06:55.

humility from the benches opposite on this particular point, since it

:06:56.:06:58.

is undoubtedly the case that that figure was opposed at the last

:06:59.:07:02.

general election by Labour. We need to understand what 10 billion isn't

:07:03.:07:07.

what it isn't. According to the Nuffield trust and the King 's fund

:07:08.:07:14.

is more likely 4.5 billion. The reason for that was elegantly laid

:07:15.:07:22.

out by my honourable friend, using a baseline based on prices. Whether or

:07:23.:07:26.

not you include or exclude the money that has been removed from the

:07:27.:07:31.

public health function of local Government, and from health

:07:32.:07:33.

education England. I would contend, and I think she would, those monies

:07:34.:07:38.

need to be included in the sum total of health care in this country, and

:07:39.:07:42.

that is what our constituents would understand. That figure seems to me

:07:43.:07:44.

to more reasonable. I am also worried about the 22

:07:45.:07:59.

billion of savings, that the five-year forward view was based on.

:08:00.:08:04.

This is not likely to result in anything like 22 billion. The

:08:05.:08:11.

savings, tested, that is just polite speak for non-achievable. We know

:08:12.:08:18.

that from the transfer from capital to revenue and the sustainability

:08:19.:08:22.

element and transformation fund, that is not sustainable in the

:08:23.:08:27.

long-term. We do not want to rely on the sustainability. Tomorrow we must

:08:28.:08:37.

look for the big cash injection, and then we need a long-term submission,

:08:38.:08:43.

perhaps not royal commission because they take forever. But we need the

:08:44.:08:49.

commission, having debate about how we pay for the health service given

:08:50.:08:54.

the pressures. And the end to the triple lock. That could save 2.1

:08:55.:09:02.

billion by 2021. And then the interest of generational fairness,

:09:03.:09:12.

Devon, -- given that the elderly use the most, we need to do all of this

:09:13.:09:22.

with an the the NHS that is free at the point of need. Thank you Madam

:09:23.:09:28.

Deputy Speaker. I have found the points that he made particularly

:09:29.:09:35.

interesting. Long suspected proposals to downgrade Darlington

:09:36.:09:40.

Memorial Hospital, confirmed by the leak of the transformation plan by

:09:41.:09:45.

Hartlepool Council. I am grateful to this counsel for allowing the

:09:46.:09:50.

document to enter the public domain. Darlington Memorial service

:09:51.:09:56.

Darlington itself, population of about 100,000 but also serves

:09:57.:10:01.

communities, from Durham, Yorkshire, beyond. Darlington is the closest

:10:02.:10:07.

major town and I believe it is the largest army base in Europe, set to

:10:08.:10:17.

expand. Hospitals have already been downgraded, changes are emergency

:10:18.:10:23.

cover and maternity. And Windows changes were made, in the face of

:10:24.:10:27.

enormous local opposition, residents had been given assurances that

:10:28.:10:32.

Darlington was going to be seen. Darlington Memorial is special to

:10:33.:10:39.

me, and maybe even more so for my constituents. I make no apologies.

:10:40.:10:48.

Both of my parents were nurses, and we lived in the accommodation at the

:10:49.:10:49.

hospital. My dad died at the hospital. My two

:10:50.:11:05.

sons were born at the hospital, making regular and unexpected use of

:11:06.:11:07.

the services. Some benefit to centralisation, I absolutely support

:11:08.:11:12.

clinically driven decision-making and when cardiac services were

:11:13.:11:15.

removed from Darlington to Middlesbrough, no campaign. It was

:11:16.:11:22.

the correct choice for patients and I supported it. Major trauma already

:11:23.:11:29.

at Middlesbrough but the argument is about centralising services when you

:11:30.:11:34.

do not have problems with it comes, or the clinical game for patients.

:11:35.:11:39.

It is wrong. And another concern is the amount of money being spent on

:11:40.:11:45.

engagement activity with the local community to explain the plans of

:11:46.:11:48.

downgrading and find out what the residents think. With written

:11:49.:11:54.

Parliamentary questions, I have found that ?4.6 million has so far

:11:55.:11:58.

been spent on such activities. This is a disgrace. Those responsible

:11:59.:12:05.

should be held to account. They have wasted the public money. And

:12:06.:12:10.

misleading them, nothing to show for it. In recent months a campaign to

:12:11.:12:16.

save Darlington hospital has been growing. They have been out,

:12:17.:12:20.

knocking doors, having coffee mornings, doing that for free.

:12:21.:12:27.

Engaging 6000 people, doing a better job of engaging the public and doing

:12:28.:12:33.

that for absolutely nothing. No clinical case for downgrading

:12:34.:12:36.

services at Darlington hospital, everybody knows that and that is why

:12:37.:12:40.

they are taking so much time and money trying to make up something to

:12:41.:12:43.

persuade patients this is a good idea. And the SDP describing my

:12:44.:12:53.

constituents as passive recipients, it is not helping. The trouble, the

:12:54.:13:00.

nirvana that the SDP tries to support, as of yet unquantifiable

:13:01.:13:04.

amounts of upfront spending and it is not going to be achievable. I

:13:05.:13:09.

have an attachment to my local hospital. It goes beyond, but I

:13:10.:13:15.

understand enough about how this process is unravelling to know that

:13:16.:13:20.

the staff at Darlington Memorial Hospital and patience, my

:13:21.:13:27.

constituents, deserve better. The National health service is and

:13:28.:13:31.

always has been valued and cherished by my constituents. They expect care

:13:32.:13:41.

to be provided free at the point of use. We are all deeply committed to

:13:42.:13:47.

the future of the NHS, so long as it can continue to provide the quality

:13:48.:13:53.

of care, and it cannot stand still and needs to transform the way that

:13:54.:13:56.

it delivers services so that increased resources lead to better

:13:57.:14:05.

care for patients. As a proportion of total government spending, it has

:14:06.:14:10.

increased in every single year since 2010. Spending is now 10.1% higher

:14:11.:14:21.

per head in real terms than 2010, and this has brought him spending

:14:22.:14:24.

broadly in line with Western European neighbours. In order to

:14:25.:14:30.

achieve best value from resources and the lover of the 22 billion of

:14:31.:14:37.

efficiency savings, the savings that the NHS itself has identified as

:14:38.:14:42.

achievable, it is necessary to reconfigure the way that Hill and

:14:43.:14:48.

social services are the local level. This issue is huge. And in my

:14:49.:14:56.

opinion, until we amalgamate the social care budget with the health

:14:57.:15:05.

budget, to deliver their health reference service -- driven service,

:15:06.:15:10.

we will struggle. I mention this not to cause controversy but highlight

:15:11.:15:18.

decisions coming ahead. Local politics and empire protections over

:15:19.:15:27.

budgets, hamper sustainability. A few weeks ago, the plan was

:15:28.:15:33.

published, sitting at the ambition of the future and kill the care in

:15:34.:15:38.

the region. This was building upon a significant amount of work that has

:15:39.:15:46.

been done at the local level. These groups have been working together to

:15:47.:15:49.

address challenges, facing the economy across the area. The

:15:50.:15:55.

decision to proceed to the formal business case was met with

:15:56.:15:58.

considerable concern from some members of the public who have been

:15:59.:16:02.

vociferous in opposition to what they have received to be a complete

:16:03.:16:10.

withdrawal of treatment at the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

:16:11.:16:14.

Although the process has been challenging, I would argue it has

:16:15.:16:17.

been absolutely essential. The current model are not sustainable.

:16:18.:16:26.

And changes are required, to ensure that we have the local health

:16:27.:16:30.

service that continues to provide excellent care. Some of the

:16:31.:16:35.

sensational media headlines from the local press and my opponents at the

:16:36.:16:41.

last general election, it can be easy to forget that these proposals

:16:42.:16:44.

are not being put forward by politicians or the government, but

:16:45.:16:52.

senior local clinicians and doctors. The people who best understand how

:16:53.:16:55.

these local health services can best be delivered. Taking an independent

:16:56.:17:04.

review, how it can directly lead to better care. And in my view, it is

:17:05.:17:08.

them that we have got to trust with the judgment. But if we are to

:17:09.:17:16.

proceed to transform the way that we deliver care, we have to improve the

:17:17.:17:21.

way that we communicate any proposed changes and not keep scaremongering

:17:22.:17:27.

about cuts. Especially when the annual NHS budget spent has been

:17:28.:17:32.

increasing in real terms. Thank you. I want to talk about the Mel seaside

:17:33.:17:37.

sustainability and transformation plan. The documents relating to

:17:38.:17:47.

that. -- Merseyside. The plans are just feel of this unrealistic news

:17:48.:17:57.

speak as feared. It was drawn up by managers in secrecy, already

:17:58.:17:59.

implemented without any of the affected stakeholders and without

:18:00.:18:07.

the people of Cheshire and Merseyshire being asked what they

:18:08.:18:16.

think. We would see the hospitals being reconfigured, amalgamated at a

:18:17.:18:21.

later date. It is planned to be rebuilt new to the Royal. But no

:18:22.:18:24.

money available for the new building. The plans have entailed

:18:25.:18:30.

the downgrading of hospital services, where many of my

:18:31.:18:37.

constituents go. Some combination of all of them. Details not provided.

:18:38.:18:43.

These shocking cuts have little chance of being accepted and this is

:18:44.:18:46.

for a number of reason. It is absolutely apparent that the

:18:47.:18:53.

Cheshire and Merseyshire SDP has been financially driven. This has

:18:54.:18:56.

been admitted by those who drew it up. It has been accepted in an

:18:57.:19:03.

interview in the Liverpool Echo. When asked what would happen, if

:19:04.:19:08.

these changes were not made, they would not have enough money to run

:19:09.:19:11.

the services, this is about managing rather than letting it happen. When

:19:12.:19:17.

asked about cuts, she said that the financial component has been a

:19:18.:19:23.

strong driver. The report, entitled sustainability plans for the NHS,

:19:24.:19:27.

they have said that the original purpose of the SDP was to improve

:19:28.:19:33.

efficiency of services. The emphasis from National NHS bodies has shifted

:19:34.:19:37.

over time to focus more heavily on how they can bring the NHS into

:19:38.:19:43.

financial balance. We can see this from the answers. The SDP has to do

:19:44.:19:51.

with the pressure of almost ?1 billion gap. Making cuts in spending

:19:52.:19:54.

to meet financial requirements is what is at the centre of these

:19:55.:20:00.

plans. The people of Merseyshire, not deaf. They see this. The

:20:01.:20:09.

Cheshire and Merseyshire SDP requires capital funding no longer

:20:10.:20:15.

available. In Liverpool, the deficit of the hospitals is estimated to be

:20:16.:20:24.

276.5 million. In the Liverpool Echo interview, it was suggested that the

:20:25.:20:26.

City Council would provide the capital funding. I thank my right

:20:27.:20:37.

honourable friend. The Wirral Borough Council was not asked to

:20:38.:20:42.

participate at all. Was the Liverpool authorities? Neither

:20:43.:20:49.

Liverpool, has been consulted at all about these plans. But when asked

:20:50.:20:55.

about the money for the new hospital, it was said that limited

:20:56.:20:58.

capital was available but options to explore. Councils can access

:20:59.:21:05.

borrowing at a cheap rate. Liverpool City Council is expected to stump up

:21:06.:21:10.

the money for what is supposed to be an important part of the strategy,

:21:11.:21:14.

the woman's hospital. But this is the same council that has had 58% of

:21:15.:21:21.

the money removed, by the Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition

:21:22.:21:25.

and in the Tory government since 2010. It relies on almost 75% from

:21:26.:21:32.

government grants. The same council that already spends money on adult

:21:33.:21:36.

services for the ageing population but can't raise only 147 million

:21:37.:21:41.

from council tax. The same council that is expected to find another 90

:21:42.:21:45.

million savings over the next few years. Facing some of the biggest

:21:46.:21:51.

choices to balance the budget. My second point is this. These plans

:21:52.:21:57.

have been drawn up in secrecy by NHS managers and without consultation

:21:58.:22:02.

from those supposed to help. Neither the Borough councils have been asked

:22:03.:22:09.

what they think. And consequently, they have both said unsurprisingly

:22:10.:22:14.

they are opposed to these plans. In Liverpool, the ruling Labour club

:22:15.:22:16.

has made it clear that they are going to oppose the SDP with cuts,

:22:17.:22:21.

and the mayor has said publicly that he opposes the closure of the

:22:22.:22:25.

woman's hospital and is going to campaign to keep the hospital. I

:22:26.:22:30.

agree with them. Labour in Liverpool is only going to support

:22:31.:22:37.

The current plans are being implemented, and that is another

:22:38.:22:43.

thing that we cannot allow to go ahead without proper consultation.

:22:44.:22:50.

Is the starting point I would like to come from is that funding in the

:22:51.:22:55.

NHS must be used effectively and efficiently, and to that end, we are

:22:56.:23:00.

expecting the NHS to deliver savings to deliver best value for money.

:23:01.:23:03.

There are a number of issues relating to social care in the NHS

:23:04.:23:09.

where there is scope for solving existing problems, ensuring that

:23:10.:23:13.

better health care is delivered, and achieving sustainability. There is

:23:14.:23:20.

no better place to start and did -- than bed blocking.

:23:21.:23:33.

It decreases the availability of beds and has effects on patients,

:23:34.:23:40.

particularly the elderly. In continence in over 65s increases,

:23:41.:23:44.

and another 80s muscle wastage becomes equivalent to ten years of

:23:45.:23:52.

muscle wastage in those situations. By September, the figure had reduced

:23:53.:23:58.

to 113 people, improving the county performance to 108th, and massive

:23:59.:24:06.

improvement of 50 places -- a massive improvement. It involved the

:24:07.:24:18.

County Council and health providers working with people. It was also

:24:19.:24:25.

achieved by putting 2 million into funding extra temporary care beds in

:24:26.:24:30.

care homes where people could stay until they were ready to move back

:24:31.:24:35.

to their own homes or move to a permanent care home, or receive care

:24:36.:24:38.

in their own homes. That is something I would encourage, more

:24:39.:24:43.

joint and positive thinking as we integrate social care and the NHS.

:24:44.:24:52.

It is important... I will give way. Would my honourable friend agree

:24:53.:24:57.

with me that one of the levers for discouraging bed blocking would be

:24:58.:25:02.

to join up some of those budgets around health and social care as

:25:03.:25:09.

well as health, social services? I agree with that, and that is what

:25:10.:25:12.

the organisations in Oxfordshire had been trying to achieve. Second, in

:25:13.:25:20.

relation to how we produce better hospitals, in my own area, a

:25:21.:25:30.

hospital in Henley operates for the whole of South Oxfordshire and has

:25:31.:25:34.

recently gone through a major re-provision. This is a hospital

:25:35.:25:41.

that has an increased number of facilities serving a population of

:25:42.:25:45.

the area, but the beds are not in the hospital. Although they are

:25:46.:25:53.

limited in number, they are in an adjoining care home. This is the way

:25:54.:26:04.

forward for local hospitals - better treatment of people in their home

:26:05.:26:06.

through a system of what has come to be called... It saves the problems

:26:07.:26:14.

already mentioned in relation to patients suffering when they stay in

:26:15.:26:18.

hospital for a long time. It is not a view that has come from

:26:19.:26:21.

politicians but from clinicians, both local and national. The

:26:22.:26:28.

National clinicians are the Royal College of physicians, who are fully

:26:29.:26:33.

behind this process. Actually, in the first instance, this is a method

:26:34.:26:37.

that costs more but provides better value for money and increases

:26:38.:26:45.

patient outcomes. The third area I would point to in this is what can

:26:46.:26:53.

happen when you integrate the care, the star providing care that implied

:26:54.:26:56.

by the County Council and employed by the NHS, and what this allows you

:26:57.:27:02.

to do is to make sure that pay and service requirements for both groups

:27:03.:27:07.

of people doing exactly the same job can be harmonised in a much more

:27:08.:27:17.

positive way. I think that set out a good scope of efficiency in the

:27:18.:27:21.

operation of social care and the NHS model. I agree with my honourable

:27:22.:27:25.

friend that I would like to see them fully integrated, but until they

:27:26.:27:30.

are, I have set out a very good method of being able to operate in

:27:31.:27:35.

those circumstances and being able to cooperate in order to achieve the

:27:36.:27:43.

outcomes I have mentioned. Briefly, on sustainability and transformation

:27:44.:27:47.

plans, they focus on organisations working together and are the best

:27:48.:27:50.

hope of improving health and social care services in the long term.

:27:51.:27:54.

That's not my view but the view of the King 's fund, when they looked

:27:55.:27:59.

at sustainability and transformation plans, and I fully agree with their

:28:00.:28:03.

assessment of the situation and of these plans, which they, too, are

:28:04.:28:09.

working towards achieving the same outcomes. The funding crisis in the

:28:10.:28:15.

NHS is no accident. It is a political choice made by the Tories

:28:16.:28:19.

for which patients and staff are paying the price in longer waiting

:28:20.:28:24.

times, delayed operations and increasingly stressful working

:28:25.:28:27.

conditions. It is driven by the Government's demands that the NHS

:28:28.:28:33.

May 20 worth of efficiency savings, or cuts. It will cause huge damage

:28:34.:28:40.

to the NHS. A report by the Guardian announced that thousands of hospital

:28:41.:28:45.

beds are set to disappear, pregnant women will have to travel long

:28:46.:28:54.

distances to give birth. Vital services will be removed. In the 20

:28:55.:29:00.

15th financial year, the NHS reported a deficit of ?2.45 billion.

:29:01.:29:07.

We see the crisis is accelerating. The chief executive of NHS providers

:29:08.:29:11.

said last week that the NHS cannot do all that is being asked to do in

:29:12.:29:16.

future on these funding levels. The STPs are supposed to integrate

:29:17.:29:22.

social care and health, yet the leader of Wirral Council has said in

:29:23.:29:27.

the last day that he has not been given the opportunity to feed into

:29:28.:29:31.

the development of the plan. It is of great concern to constituents

:29:32.:29:36.

because it requires ?1 billion to be taken out of services. The impact

:29:37.:29:40.

will be devastating. It is impossible that it would be

:29:41.:29:43.

otherwise. There was recently a report proposing the closing of

:29:44.:29:50.

hospitals in Chester, and there has been no denial that such a report

:29:51.:29:55.

took place. It has been said the trust will explore role explore the

:29:56.:30:03.

development of a single Acute Hospital within the next 10-15

:30:04.:30:13.

years. It's not clear what will happen. I have real concerns about

:30:14.:30:24.

the future of Arrow Park Hospital, a major hospital valued by

:30:25.:30:27.

constituents who use its services and reworked there. It is a major

:30:28.:30:33.

employer in my constituency. The STP talks of reconfiguration and it is

:30:34.:30:36.

no wonder people are wrapping arms about the plans. It appears to be an

:30:37.:30:45.

idea brought from America, where there is no NHS. They have a strong

:30:46.:30:52.

emphasis on cost reduction. The core issue is England people often pay

:30:53.:30:56.

for social care but don't expect for health care except through direct

:30:57.:31:07.

taxation. It points towards a desire to introduce an insurance -based

:31:08.:31:13.

system in England. The Government is cutting the supply, I believe, to

:31:14.:31:17.

create demand for private insurance in the marketplace, such as in

:31:18.:31:21.

America. There is nothing in the STP to assure me this is not the case.

:31:22.:31:26.

The document talks of increased customer satisfaction and

:31:27.:31:29.

commercially sustainable clinical support services. If these go ahead

:31:30.:31:35.

across England, we can expect to see A closures, hospital closures,

:31:36.:31:37.

downgrading of services, patients waiting longer for services. I urge

:31:38.:31:47.

the Government to use the Autumn Statement to address the

:31:48.:31:49.

underfunding and give the funding the NHS needs. At that record level

:31:50.:31:57.

of reading into the record, I appreciate that time is short and

:31:58.:32:00.

the honourable lady wants to put these things on the record, but if

:32:01.:32:05.

she speaks more slowly, it allows other members to understand what

:32:06.:32:09.

she's saying and gives them an opportunity to intervene, and she

:32:10.:32:15.

would some extra time. Speaking for myself, I was impressed by the pace

:32:16.:32:25.

of that! I want to address the supply of practitioners, not just of

:32:26.:32:30.

money, in this short intervention, and suggest to him that since we

:32:31.:32:35.

have regulated so many more practitioners, so many more

:32:36.:32:38.

practitioners should be available in the health service. The professional

:32:39.:32:43.

standards authority chief has called for a much greater use of those on

:32:44.:32:49.

his register. He says we all know we need to deliver new, innovative ways

:32:50.:32:51.

to improve people's health will stop that means looking beyond the

:32:52.:32:56.

traditional confines of our traditional system and the

:32:57.:33:04.

traditional health professions. His 23 organisations regulate 20,000

:33:05.:33:07.

practitioners, and the organisations include the fur denigration of

:33:08.:33:12.

holistic therapies, the acupuncture Council and others. -- the

:33:13.:33:31.

Association of holistic therapists. There is far too little

:33:32.:33:33.

communication with orthopaedic surgeons. There is an organisation

:33:34.:33:40.

called arthritis and musculoskeletal Alliance, and I would ask my

:33:41.:33:45.

honourable friend to look at this and see how much more effective

:33:46.:33:52.

integration can be done. Now that nice recommend acupuncture for lower

:33:53.:33:55.

back pain, I hope they will continue to do so. The third point is Brexit.

:33:56.:33:59.

We have the European legislation to consider. Three directives need

:34:00.:34:06.

close scrutiny when we take them over - the traditional herbal

:34:07.:34:10.

medicines has struck out traditional Chinese medicines and others, the

:34:11.:34:19.

food supplements directive, the food additives directive. Tougher

:34:20.:34:21.

regulation will be needed when we get our hands on those. The Chief

:34:22.:34:24.

Medical Officer wrote a report in the last Parliament about

:34:25.:34:31.

antimicrobial resistance. One of the most effective ways to stop

:34:32.:34:35.

antibiotic use is to use homoeopathic medicine, which has a

:34:36.:34:38.

proven record in upper respiratory tract illness. We need to go back to

:34:39.:34:45.

the 90s to look at the GP fundholding system which was

:34:46.:34:48.

available in John Major's Government, fire doctors could

:34:49.:34:56.

commission practitioners. At one clinic, using homoeopathic

:34:57.:35:01.

treatments, they saved ?500,000 overall. When that the struck out by

:35:02.:35:05.

the new Labour Government, they overspent the drug budget by ?1.5

:35:06.:35:10.

million. There have been a lot of attacks in the last few years on

:35:11.:35:14.

homoeopathic, which has been an honourable and well served practice

:35:15.:35:20.

of medicine with its own doctors regulated in this country and used

:35:21.:35:26.

in 41 out of 42 European countries. An organisation called the good

:35:27.:35:30.

thinking society, which is really one man and a dog, which spends

:35:31.:35:36.

?100,000 a year, ?20,000 of which is from the taxpayer, through its

:35:37.:35:43.

charitable status, which I think is a scandal. I say to my honourable

:35:44.:35:46.

friend that he should not listen to the siren voices of this small,

:35:47.:35:55.

badly representative group. We need to use this discipline and not allow

:35:56.:36:00.

lawyers sending letters to clinical commissioning groups and others to

:36:01.:36:05.

derail a very well established and popular system of medicine available

:36:06.:36:07.

in the health service, that is, patio medicine. -- that is

:36:08.:36:17.

homoeopathic medicine. All the wrong reasons, St George 's Hospital in

:36:18.:36:20.

tooting has been in the news. First, they appeared on the front page of a

:36:21.:36:24.

national newspaper because they require people to show ID before

:36:25.:36:28.

coming and giving birth. Secondly, they were rated inadequate in a

:36:29.:36:32.

recent Care Quality Commission inspection. Figures were released

:36:33.:36:37.

showing one patient wanted 36 hours in A before being admitted. The

:36:38.:36:40.

one question we are all asking is, why?

:36:41.:36:49.

Why are roofs leaking? Why has the council being forced to cut almost

:36:50.:36:59.

ten million from social care budgets than my local hospital trust have

:37:00.:37:05.

the deficit of 50 million? The answer, lack of funding. We should

:37:06.:37:11.

not be left with them minimum to function. We should be prioritising.

:37:12.:37:17.

It is their health care system, Madam Deputy Speaker, we cannot take

:37:18.:37:24.

risks. If we take risks, people die. The Health Secretary can point the

:37:25.:37:30.

finger but it is not doctors, who go the extra mile, it is not trainees,

:37:31.:37:36.

who have had bursaries slashed, it is the Conservative government to

:37:37.:37:47.

blame. I have worked at the different governments, staff morale

:37:48.:37:55.

at an all time low, patient morale at an all time low, and this

:37:56.:38:01.

government has been failing patients. You know it. This story is

:38:02.:38:10.

not a one off. It is happening up and down the country. When Labour

:38:11.:38:15.

was in government, it was a truly national health service, more

:38:16.:38:20.

doctors better equipment, new hospitals and happier patients. But

:38:21.:38:27.

under this Conservative government, waiting times are rising, buildings

:38:28.:38:34.

falling apart and patients' lives at risk. Life and death decisions based

:38:35.:38:42.

on cost. The NHS is in crisis and it is becoming a disaster before our

:38:43.:38:48.

eyes. The NHS was built by a Labour government, saved by a Labour

:38:49.:38:53.

government and it is going to be a Labour government that is going to

:38:54.:38:59.

rescue it. Thank you very much Madam Deputy Speaker. I am pleased to be

:39:00.:39:04.

able to pick up from the right honourable lady. I find it

:39:05.:39:07.

extraordinary that Labour members have the audacity to come to this

:39:08.:39:11.

chamber and trumpet opinions about the NHS when they have had 18 years

:39:12.:39:16.

of running the national Health Service at another part of the

:39:17.:39:20.

United Kingdom and the performance indicators that looked at, NHS at

:39:21.:39:26.

Wales has been performing less well than England. I do not want for one

:39:27.:39:32.

minute people to think that I'm criticising NHS staff, and not

:39:33.:39:42.

running down Wales either, I know where the blame lies. The Labour

:39:43.:39:46.

Party, implementing the same policies that they are calling on my

:39:47.:39:50.

right honourable friend to implement. You can simply get hold

:39:51.:39:56.

of the Nuffield Trust report, and how these compare. This is an

:39:57.:40:02.

independent report looking at a range of indicators. It is far

:40:03.:40:08.

stronger than anything the Conservative Party could even

:40:09.:40:13.

publish. Waiting times at Wales have lengthened since 2010, striking

:40:14.:40:21.

rises in waits for common procedures such as knee replacements. When a

:40:22.:40:26.

report like this is using language such as striking rises, surely

:40:27.:40:31.

people should take notice. The striking rises are being caused by

:40:32.:40:34.

the policies that they are asking my right honourable friend to

:40:35.:40:37.

implement. It talks about the fact that mortality rates are the lowest

:40:38.:40:47.

in England. People living longer in England. It talks about waiting

:40:48.:40:53.

times. An absolute disgrace. The target waiting time of 26 weeks at

:40:54.:41:02.

Wales, just 18 in England. But this report shows that some people are

:41:03.:41:08.

waiting up to 170 days for knee replacements at Wales, as opposed to

:41:09.:41:11.

70 at England. The funding at Wales has been cut. It is the only part of

:41:12.:41:20.

the United Kingdom that has cut funding. But England, it has gone

:41:21.:41:30.

up. And the shortage of GPs. 0.66. Stroke care... Once again, Wales at

:41:31.:41:39.

the cleaning percent of patients spending maintaining percent of the

:41:40.:41:44.

team at the units, as opposed to 51% at England. England, for MRSA, again

:41:45.:41:51.

ahead of England. And he wants response team, 75% within eight

:41:52.:41:58.

minutes at England, 65% at Wales. And one of the most shocking

:41:59.:42:04.

differentials, that access to the cancer drugs, I have that

:42:05.:42:06.

constituents coming to see me because they have to go sofa surfing

:42:07.:42:14.

to get the standards of care that we on the side take for granted. And if

:42:15.:42:22.

anybody thinks that the NHS of Wales, has the policies and is as

:42:23.:42:28.

good as the English National Service, they should be allowing

:42:29.:42:32.

patients to choose. I have been asking colleagues on the front

:42:33.:42:37.

bench, allowing patients from Wales to have access. But unfortunately it

:42:38.:42:43.

is not always possible. We should have a truly national Health

:42:44.:42:46.

Service, people from Wales to be treated at England and indeed,

:42:47.:42:53.

England to Wales. But I thought that my right honourable friend is going

:42:54.:42:57.

to stick with the policies, deliver in these higher standards of care at

:42:58.:43:02.

England, because it means that my constituents have something to aim

:43:03.:43:06.

for and demand that the Labour Party at Wales can follow. A couple of the

:43:07.:43:14.

people on the list are not in the chamber, they can be written to. The

:43:15.:43:23.

last few speakers have six minutes. It is not often that you come last

:43:24.:43:27.

and get more time to speak. The speeches today, from the right

:43:28.:43:34.

honourable member have been exceptional. And we want to focus on

:43:35.:43:40.

the good things that we have at their NHS, everybody acknowledges

:43:41.:43:45.

that and the passion that comes from debating, and what constituents tell

:43:46.:43:54.

us... With my right honourable friend share concern about

:43:55.:44:02.

introduction of ACOs from STPs? These have come from America, seen

:44:03.:44:07.

as insurance for health, and because people do not pay for health care,

:44:08.:44:16.

but social care, concern about boring the boundaries. I thank the

:44:17.:44:21.

right honourable lady for that intervention. And I agree

:44:22.:44:28.

wholeheartedly. The Deputy Speaker mentioned about how fast you speak.

:44:29.:44:33.

If you are trying to take away my record, I have been told that I did

:44:34.:44:38.

more words in a minute than anybody else. I am the Hill spokesman for my

:44:39.:44:49.

house, for the DUP, and I believe that the portfolio has got to be

:44:50.:44:54.

balanced. It is the most difficult portfolio for anyone to hold, I am

:44:55.:44:58.

glad I am not in the position of the Hill Secretary of State because I

:44:59.:45:03.

would find it difficult to say that we cannot provide these drugs that

:45:04.:45:12.

could prolong your life. And the right honourable gentleman who spoke

:45:13.:45:19.

before, referred to the sofa, lottery taking place for those who

:45:20.:45:24.

need to drugs. Access I am going to talk about that in my contribution.

:45:25.:45:34.

I cannot sit back and the fact that the NHS needs more funding to keep

:45:35.:45:46.

it running. This briefing, from Macmillan Care, sent chills down my

:45:47.:45:51.

spine. By the end of this Parliament, one of every two people

:45:52.:45:55.

will be diagnosed with cancer. Somebody in this chamber, Mr Deputy

:45:56.:46:01.

Speaker, have experienced cancers and are survivors, and I am aware of

:46:02.:46:13.

what interviews. It is based on the correct diagnosis, treatment, and

:46:14.:46:22.

skill of the surgeons. Prayers of god's people. It is important. More

:46:23.:46:28.

people are surviving, living for longer with us, and because of that

:46:29.:46:32.

we have two one half million people living with, beyond cancer today.

:46:33.:46:39.

But more must be done to help those with diseases and these forms of

:46:40.:46:44.

cancer. I would ask the Minister in his summing up at the end if you

:46:45.:46:48.

could give us some idea of the resources set aside for those with

:46:49.:46:55.

diseases, rare cancer, because they have been increasing. You put them

:46:56.:47:01.

together collectively, and I know that it is not infinite but we have

:47:02.:47:06.

to have a focus on those with these rare diseases and rare cancer. I am

:47:07.:47:14.

going to mention a lady... I hope she does not mind. Tremendously

:47:15.:47:20.

courageous, from my constituency, and she has watched her son battle

:47:21.:47:30.

cancer. Only to be told that she had pancreatic cancer, no treatment at

:47:31.:47:33.

Northern Ireland. It was good to cost about ?100,000. And the people

:47:34.:47:40.

of her area dug deep to fund this. The story is replicated I would

:47:41.:47:45.

think for every member of this chamber. And the postcode lottery

:47:46.:47:52.

said that she cannot have treatment because she is from Northern Ireland

:47:53.:47:57.

but is able to access the treatment from other counties on the mainland.

:47:58.:48:03.

This lottery is not what is needed. And this is something that needs to

:48:04.:48:06.

be addressed by additional funding. She needs more than us ringing our

:48:07.:48:13.

hands, and feeling sympathetic, she needs practical and physical help.

:48:14.:48:18.

That is the only thing that will change her future, for her son.

:48:19.:48:27.

Macmillan said one in four people face disability following treatment.

:48:28.:48:31.

And this can many years. It is vital that they are able to access the

:48:32.:48:35.

best care when they need it, and to ensure that the NHS will help to

:48:36.:48:42.

meet the needs of cancer patients. This will assure us that resources

:48:43.:48:46.

invested are done in the most effective way. This is key with five

:48:47.:48:56.

year projections, and it is continued to grow to 13 billion.

:48:57.:48:59.

That is the money that is just going to stand still, not going ahead. We

:49:00.:49:09.

must act now, to ensure that this money is going to be spent as

:49:10.:49:13.

effectively as possible to give the England, the native kingdom and

:49:14.:49:18.

Northern Ireland the ability to deliver on the government manifesto

:49:19.:49:22.

commitment. The health service currently spends more than ?500

:49:23.:49:28.

million on emergency care for people, on cancer alone. If you are

:49:29.:49:35.

spending ?500 million on emergency treatment for cancer, something

:49:36.:49:38.

wrong with the system. And we have got to address that, to be

:49:39.:49:48.

effective. Such a vast amount of emergency care spending, it is

:49:49.:49:51.

symptomatic of a system that is not due to what people taking control. I

:49:52.:50:03.

conclude with this comment. Let us make the correct decision, the

:50:04.:50:05.

government needs to sustain the NHS as it is, as that means taking

:50:06.:50:12.

simple things like paracetamol of the prescription list to save 80

:50:13.:50:19.

million, let's do it. We can look at real issues are going to make

:50:20.:50:23.

change, and be determined to be more efficient when possible. Cut red

:50:24.:50:31.

tape than services. And we want to ensure that they NHS can withstand

:50:32.:50:36.

the subject of cancer diagnosis, diabetes, heart disease and all

:50:37.:50:40.

other major illnesses that are only worsening. I do not envy the task

:50:41.:50:44.

that the Minister has but we have got to make these difficult choices,

:50:45.:50:48.

decisions to take away the bureaucracy and restore funds where

:50:49.:50:54.

it needs to go, cancer, rare diseases.

:50:55.:50:59.

I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to everybody who is

:51:00.:51:07.

out there in the system within our hospitals, within our GPs and within

:51:08.:51:18.

our care homes. If it wasn't for them, and if you listen to this

:51:19.:51:23.

debate today you might be under the impression that brilliant things

:51:24.:51:26.

weren't going on, but nine out of ten people get seen within the

:51:27.:51:32.

four-hour window at A, and that is to actually benefits nine out of

:51:33.:51:39.

ten, and we need to balance how we see this discussion. I've heard

:51:40.:51:42.

there are problems up and down the country, but in my constituency of

:51:43.:51:48.

Bury St Edmunds, their West Suffolk Hospital has just received an

:51:49.:51:53.

outstanding. And it has done that not for its buildings, not for all

:51:54.:52:01.

sorts of peripheral things, but for its care. And that is the most

:52:02.:52:06.

important thing we can ask anyone to give. I listened to the honourable

:52:07.:52:13.

member for tooting who said things were better. I was diagnosed with my

:52:14.:52:19.

second and third Cancers while Labour was in, and it was behind a

:52:20.:52:24.

sheet. The radiotherapy machines weren't working because there were

:52:25.:52:27.

not staff there. It is a problem that has been coming down the track

:52:28.:52:32.

at us for ages, and actually, we don't do anybody a service if we

:52:33.:52:38.

deny that it is a problem and it is looming. GPs have pressure in

:52:39.:52:44.

Suffolk, and I talk to them recently. I engage with social care

:52:45.:52:51.

- it is struggling. It is about the service, as my honourable friend

:52:52.:52:55.

from Calder Valley said about every patient is a person, a daughter, a

:52:56.:53:00.

mum, a dad, and we should remember that. The five-year forward view, we

:53:01.:53:05.

listened and we came to the table with the money. Now, the demand has

:53:06.:53:13.

outstripped us, but we need to look at streamlining the services. One

:53:14.:53:20.

pot will help us understand whether blockages are in the system that so

:53:21.:53:23.

many people, including the honourable member for Henley have

:53:24.:53:30.

alluded to, then we can look at unblocking the system. Having people

:53:31.:53:33.

on delayed discharge because you can't get into the community is

:53:34.:53:37.

ridiculous, when you then have people at A being sent there by

:53:38.:53:42.

GPs who can't get into the hospital to be treated. We all know the

:53:43.:53:45.

problem, but let's look at the solutions. Prevention is also an

:53:46.:53:54.

issue, but the motion today is far more than cash. 1948 is a long time

:53:55.:54:00.

ago, and the system has always been a mix of private and public. It is

:54:01.:54:07.

stronger today, but there are 1.4 million in its workforce, and that,

:54:08.:54:14.

thank you, is is -- that thank you is especially to the junior doctors

:54:15.:54:15.

out there. Working together would put the pot

:54:16.:54:30.

of money, 92% that goes into the acute sector with the 8% given to

:54:31.:54:35.

GPs, whom we are expecting to do more, and it would help to look at

:54:36.:54:38.

the funds that are needed through social care. Moving people through

:54:39.:54:45.

the system is tricky. We have an ageing population, co-morbidity, 70%

:54:46.:54:48.

of the budget is spent on long-term conditions. 22.4 million people

:54:49.:54:55.

visited A last year, up by some 600,000. I applaud the doctors who

:54:56.:54:59.

are beginning to say, you can perhaps do odd things at home. You

:55:00.:55:04.

don't always have to come and see us. And we need to be more

:55:05.:55:09.

responsible for our own health. It is important that we look at new

:55:10.:55:14.

ideas. The honourable member for South Wiltshire mentioned in the

:55:15.:55:16.

Telegraph the other day that perhaps we should look at the triple lock.

:55:17.:55:23.

Today, the interim chief exec of the NHS Confederation talked about using

:55:24.:55:32.

the private sector more slickly. Moving patients around so that home

:55:33.:55:37.

services are sorted, but we need to be able to talk about it. Let's

:55:38.:55:40.

think about the future. A young medic on Friday told me how much an

:55:41.:55:48.

operation had cost. Nine professionals for ten hours. People

:55:49.:55:52.

need to understand what things cost. A young clinicians to me only

:55:53.:55:57.

yesterday that when someone does not attend, perhaps they should be asked

:55:58.:56:03.

to pay. They get sent a text. We have to have more responsibility.

:56:04.:56:11.

66% of people in this country, with a looming diabetes crisis, RBC.

:56:12.:56:18.

People drink and smoke too much. We have to think about what we want out

:56:19.:56:22.

of the system and what we put into it. The honourable member for

:56:23.:56:27.

Strangford mentioned 85 billion on paracetamol when they are 16p.

:56:28.:56:30.

Should we be putting money in different places? If we treasure the

:56:31.:56:37.

NHS, we should treasure ourselves and its resources. The rise in

:56:38.:56:45.

cancer is linked to obesity. ?3.5 billion is spent on alcohol. The

:56:46.:56:52.

system is in crisis, but we have ways of addressing it. I don't want

:56:53.:56:56.

it to be a blame game, but the new doctors we have recruited, the new

:56:57.:57:01.

nurses, we need to actually step up, talk about the problems and develop

:57:02.:57:09.

a streamlined system. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. This has been at

:57:10.:57:12.

times a high quality and also a passionate debate, which has made

:57:13.:57:19.

clear there are concerns across the House about the sustainability of

:57:20.:57:23.

the NHS. The Chancellor sadly couldn't be with us. I believe he

:57:24.:57:26.

has a few other things on right now, but if he had been here, he would

:57:27.:57:30.

have heard contributions from honourable members on all sides and

:57:31.:57:33.

would be in no doubt about the severity of the challenges facing

:57:34.:57:39.

the health and social care sector and of the dire consequences if he

:57:40.:57:41.

does not deliver the rescue package needed tomorrow. We have heard

:57:42.:57:46.

excellent contributions, and as a number of members and Right

:57:47.:57:51.

Honourable members have said, we may have our political differences, but

:57:52.:57:55.

we do appreciate the work our staff in the NHS do, as we appreciate

:57:56.:58:00.

their work all public sector workers do. So thank you. The chair of the

:58:01.:58:04.

health select committee both calmly and clearly explained how cuts to

:58:05.:58:13.

parts of the health budget will be used to reach the cuts of ?10

:58:14.:58:16.

million. He failed to mention certain things today. It was pointed

:58:17.:58:22.

out how many of these cuts are going to store up other problems in the

:58:23.:58:28.

long term, and it was right to say that moving the goalposts does

:58:29.:58:33.

nobody any credit. My right honourable friend, the member for

:58:34.:58:37.

Mitcham and Morden, described cuts in her area as implausible and she

:58:38.:58:42.

is going to fight the closure of the Saint Hellyer hospital. She rightly

:58:43.:58:46.

pointed out that closing that will undermine other services and other

:58:47.:58:50.

hospitals in her area. I have no doubt that her constituents will be

:58:51.:58:53.

relieved that they have such a champion on their side. The

:58:54.:58:58.

honourable member for Strangford spoke with passion about the

:58:59.:59:01.

variation in treatment of cancer and the alarming statistics about

:59:02.:59:09.

alarming increases in cancer. There is much more that needs to be done

:59:10.:59:15.

in getting earlier detection. We were told there seems to be a focus

:59:16.:59:20.

on consolidating services where there is no problem. She made it

:59:21.:59:26.

clear that her constituents will be fooled into accepting a downgrade in

:59:27.:59:31.

their local hospital. I have a say, her local health chiefs have won the

:59:32.:59:38.

award for the worst use of today by calling patients passive recipients

:59:39.:59:42.

of care. The right Honourable member from tooting brought her experience

:59:43.:59:45.

to the chamber and said of the NHS is that everywhere we look, the

:59:46.:59:50.

answer is a lack of funding. Staff morale and patient morale are at an

:59:51.:59:53.

all-time low, and she should know what she's talking about. We also

:59:54.:00:06.

heard from members, none of whom mention the deficit is their own

:00:07.:00:07.

STPs are facing. I will give way. I am aware of the

:00:08.:00:31.

financial challenges in my own area. There is a 26% increase in funding

:00:32.:00:36.

in the STP plan after 2021, which I think is commendable. I am delighted

:00:37.:00:42.

if the honourable member has seen his STP plan. Other members have not

:00:43.:00:53.

got theirs yet. How much worse you think the deficit in South West

:00:54.:00:56.

Wiltshire would have been had the Labour Party won in 2015 and

:00:57.:01:05.

operated NHS spending by just 2.5 billion pounds rather than the

:01:06.:01:11.

figure we currently enjoyed? Our manifesto was clear that we would

:01:12.:01:15.

put in ?2.5 billion plus whatever else was needed. Research has shown

:01:16.:01:22.

that if health spending had continued at the levels maintained

:01:23.:01:24.

under the last Labour Government, there would be an extra ?5 billion a

:01:25.:01:31.

year by 2020. The NHS is deteriorating on every headline

:01:32.:01:36.

performance measure since the current Health Secretary took office

:01:37.:01:38.

and is now facing the biggest financial crisis in its history,

:01:39.:01:43.

with providers reporting a net deficit of almost ?2.5 billion last

:01:44.:01:48.

year, a deficit only covered by a series of one-off payments and

:01:49.:01:50.

accounting tricks that did not disguise the true picture of a

:01:51.:01:57.

service that is creaking, a workforce stretched to the limit and

:01:58.:02:02.

a Health Secretary in denial about his culpability for the shocking

:02:03.:02:06.

state of affairs. While he rightly pays tribute to the work of staff,

:02:07.:02:10.

he must know that his platitudes are not enough when morale is so low. I

:02:11.:02:22.

asked my sister whether Liverpool had had any input into the

:02:23.:02:29.

Merseyside and Cheshire STP. He is obviously also a member of the area

:02:30.:02:34.

covered Sunni has Ellesmere Port been asked in any way, can he tell

:02:35.:02:40.

us, in the developed the Merseyside and STP? I thank her for her

:02:41.:02:49.

intervention. Only last week, Cheshire West put forward a

:02:50.:02:52.

resolution indicating they were not satisfied with their level of

:02:53.:02:56.

involvement in the STP. I don't think there is any council in the

:02:57.:03:00.

Cheshire and Merseyside area that is satisfied with their level of

:03:01.:03:05.

involvement will stop that includes conservative- controlled Cheshire

:03:06.:03:11.

East Council. Faced with an unprecedented crisis, the Secretary

:03:12.:03:14.

of State, what did he say to themselves when asked about

:03:15.:03:17.

investment in the NHS over the next five years? He said, if you call it

:03:18.:03:24.

?4.5 billion or ?10 billion, it does not matter. It might not matter to

:03:25.:03:28.

him, but it matters to people up and down the country who are desperately

:03:29.:03:30.

worried about the future of their local services. We know the

:03:31.:03:39.

Secretary of State is all except the accusation of giving a false

:03:40.:03:43.

impression that the NHS was awash with cash. The National Audit Office

:03:44.:03:47.

said yesterday, with more than two thirds of trust in deficit in

:03:48.:03:51.

2015-16, and an increasing number of candle and clinical commissioning

:03:52.:03:55.

groups able to stay within budget, we repeat our view that the

:03:56.:04:04.

financial problems are endemic. A joint statement was released this

:04:05.:04:09.

week saying that the Department of Health's budget will increase by

:04:10.:04:13.

just over ?4 billion in real terms between 2015-16 and 2021. This is

:04:14.:04:17.

not enough to maintain the standards of the NHS, to meet rising demand

:04:18.:04:27.

and to achieve the aims of the forward review. Every day we hear

:04:28.:04:38.

more about the service crumbling after six years of underinvestment

:04:39.:04:45.

and cuts to social care and health come home to roost. A new scheme

:04:46.:04:52.

where heart attack victims might have to wait 40 minutes for an

:04:53.:04:56.

ambulance. Young and elderly parents are dying because of worsening

:04:57.:05:02.

responses to 999 calls. Ambulance figures are the worst on record, and

:05:03.:05:04.

what did we hear from the Government this weekend? Is the only comment

:05:05.:05:11.

was one purportedly attributed to one of the Prime Minister's

:05:12.:05:20.

assistance. I have a suggestion, why don't they try fixing a NHS? It is

:05:21.:05:26.

time to be honest about where we are and the true nature of the

:05:27.:05:29.

sustainability transformation plans which have now finally started to

:05:30.:05:35.

emerge. Let me be clear, we're not opposed to the idea of localised

:05:36.:05:39.

strategic oversight of the NHS, but it is becoming increasingly obvious

:05:40.:05:42.

these plans are putting money of everything else stop at the BMA set

:05:43.:05:47.

out yesterday, there is a real risk that these plans will be used as a

:05:48.:05:51.

cover for delivering cuts, starving services of resources and patient of

:05:52.:05:56.

vital care. The documents released so far revealed cuts to hospitals,

:05:57.:06:02.

services, beds and in some cases, staff. We are deeply concerned at

:06:03.:06:06.

the lack of public, political and even clinical consultation, with two

:06:07.:06:10.

thirds of doctors having not been consulted and a third of doctors not

:06:11.:06:15.

even aware that the STPs exist. What a shambles! We are clear that

:06:16.:06:19.

without adequate resource and, these plans will not lead to financial

:06:20.:06:23.

sustainability and they will only serve to reduce services and create

:06:24.:06:29.

longer waiting times. If they are so wonderful, as ministers say they

:06:30.:06:33.

are, why won't they let us see them? The deliberate instruction not to

:06:34.:06:36.

release any information about the plans has only increased concern and

:06:37.:06:42.

cynicism among the public and was, I believe, a serious error of judgment

:06:43.:06:44.

which this Government will come to regret. We therefore call on the

:06:45.:06:48.

Government to publish those plans not already in the public domain,

:06:49.:06:52.

and we are asking them to ensure there is a full consultation process

:06:53.:06:56.

before any of the changes are implemented. Consultation with the

:06:57.:06:59.

public does not mean presenting them with a complete plan and asking

:07:00.:07:04.

whether they support it. The bigger the change, the better it is to

:07:05.:07:08.

start early without consultation. You are already playing catch up,

:07:09.:07:12.

but genuine engagement can start now. As we heard, we have major

:07:13.:07:22.

concerns about the Cheshire and Merseyside STP. The rough three

:07:23.:07:29.

fatal flaws - there are more about finance and patience, they are

:07:30.:07:33.

secretive, and they run to deadlines that make consultation impossible.

:07:34.:07:46.

It just seems that every local council has rejected the plans, or

:07:47.:07:51.

not been involved, and indeed we have had little involvement with

:07:52.:08:03.

anyone across the board. And the speech, runner up with worse use of

:08:04.:08:07.

business speak, the financial component has been a strong driver.

:08:08.:08:13.

This is all about money. Ministers need to try to stop putting wool

:08:14.:08:22.

over our eyes, and be the extent of the crisis engulfing the NHS. Not

:08:23.:08:27.

one senior commentator believes that the health and social care is going

:08:28.:08:32.

to be sustainable without additional funding. The Nuffield Trust, health

:08:33.:08:43.

select committee, directors and local government Association,

:08:44.:08:49.

British Medical Association, NHS Confederation have been calling on

:08:50.:08:52.

the government to address the funding gap. I do not know if that

:08:53.:08:57.

list is long enough for the Secretary of State, does not seem to

:08:58.:09:03.

be too hot when it comes to numbers, will he listen to them? And ensure

:09:04.:09:09.

that the health and social care sector gets the funding that it

:09:10.:09:13.

needs. This is the last chance, before the crisis over homes is. I

:09:14.:09:18.

commend this motion through the house. I am very pleased to be able

:09:19.:09:25.

to close what has been, an interesting debate. I would

:09:26.:09:32.

characterise it as an occasionally high-pitched debate. In which a

:09:33.:09:42.

number of Right honourable member 's have made constructive

:09:43.:09:46.

contributions. The constructive contributions came from the right

:09:47.:09:52.

honourable lady from Central Ayrshire, characteristically

:09:53.:09:55.

impressive and the members on my side of the house. Also outnumbered

:09:56.:09:59.

the contributions from backbench Labour members by four to three. A

:10:00.:10:12.

third more. I have to ask the right honourable gentleman, where is the

:10:13.:10:19.

support on his benches for this motion? We will have to see if they

:10:20.:10:25.

are going to turn up to vote, certainly not going to turn up to

:10:26.:10:30.

speak. This is close to most people in this chamber precisely because

:10:31.:10:34.

alongside the contribution of those who work in the NHS, tonight he

:10:35.:10:46.

tribute, -- to whom I pay tribute, it is the fun thing that keeps the

:10:47.:10:49.

people going. This government is committed to the NHS, committed that

:10:50.:10:55.

it should be free at the point of use. Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. Is

:10:56.:11:09.

it in order for the right honourable member, someone of interest, on

:11:10.:11:14.

their side, the time limit was cut to four minutes... Order. It has

:11:15.:11:34.

been put on the record, public record, nine opposition, eight

:11:35.:11:35.

government, six Labour, eight conservative. The facts speak for

:11:36.:11:42.

themselves. Each conservative backbencher, only six labour at the

:11:43.:11:49.

opposition debate. What a shambles. I do not question the fact that the

:11:50.:11:55.

NHS faces significant challenge, it is a consequence of the ageing

:11:56.:12:00.

population. The determination to look after each and every NHS

:12:01.:12:04.

patient with the high standards, these all contribute to this

:12:05.:12:09.

challenge. Despite increasing pressures, the NHS is rising to this

:12:10.:12:14.

challenge, carrying out more than 5000 operations every day. Handling

:12:15.:12:22.

780,000 more accident and emergency attendances, that is 15.1% more than

:12:23.:12:31.

the last quarter, when Labour were in office. To date as the

:12:32.:12:35.

Conservative Party that is the party of the NHS. This is why we pledged

:12:36.:12:42.

more than Labour and why we are delivering more funding with a

:12:43.:12:47.

higher proportion of total government spending going to kill

:12:48.:12:53.

each year since 2010. Some right honourable member 's have drawn

:12:54.:12:57.

international comparisons. But I want to remind the excitable members

:12:58.:13:04.

opposite, total spending in the UK is 9.9% of GDP, 10% above the

:13:05.:13:11.

average and just above the European Union 15 average of 9.8%. Several

:13:12.:13:18.

honourable member 's have also questioned focus. And I welcome

:13:19.:13:30.

confirmation that the chairman of the select committee, she can see

:13:31.:13:35.

how the Secretary of State has arrived at these numbers and

:13:36.:13:39.

graciously conceded that both sides are correct. I want to focus on the

:13:40.:13:49.

straightforward mathematics. What I clarified, the way that it had been

:13:50.:13:52.

arrived at was not how the public would understand he'll spending. I

:13:53.:13:59.

think the minister is perhaps taking what I said out of context. We never

:14:00.:14:05.

claimed that we increasing the Department of the budget. Talking

:14:06.:14:17.

about increases to the NHS. And for clarity, 14/15, NHS budget was ?98.1

:14:18.:14:26.

billion. 2021, it is going to be 119. For those members opposite who

:14:27.:14:32.

cannot do the mathematics, that is at 21.8 billion increase. 10

:14:33.:14:44.

billion, in real terms. Delivering ten billion. We also listen to NHS

:14:45.:14:52.

leader requests for the settlement and deliver upon this today, 6

:14:53.:14:59.

billion of the 10 billion increase coming by the end of this year,

:15:00.:15:05.

including the 3.8 real-time entries. We also created the sustainability

:15:06.:15:14.

and that has helped provide us move to the sustainable financial

:15:15.:15:18.

footing. This is mainly going to be allocated to emergency care

:15:19.:15:27.

profession. This takes me to the next important point. More funding

:15:28.:15:34.

obviously welcomed, but attention has been drawn to rising deficits

:15:35.:15:40.

from NHS providers. The Vicky Price that stronger financial management

:15:41.:15:45.

is required and we have introduced riposte governance arrangements to

:15:46.:15:52.

get things by contract. Extra investment, and the spending review,

:15:53.:15:59.

as I have discussed, and freeing up local government, the measures set

:16:00.:16:05.

out by NHS England and NHS improvement in July. Reducing demand

:16:06.:16:14.

for acute care and driving efficiency and productivity across

:16:15.:16:20.

the sector. It has been identified, large variations in efficiency

:16:21.:16:32.

across English care hospitals. And variations, raised in a constructive

:16:33.:16:38.

contribution. We agree with them, that we need to reduce the poor

:16:39.:16:48.

performing trusts, get them to the average if not better. We are

:16:49.:16:54.

beginning to see the fruits of this plan. The second quarter deficit

:16:55.:17:06.

reduced to 640 million, 968 million improvement this year. Progress

:17:07.:17:13.

halfway through the financial year therefore encouraging. But no room

:17:14.:17:19.

for complacency. That is why the system is supported by investment to

:17:20.:17:26.

help hospitals become more efficient and reduce the use of expensive

:17:27.:17:32.

agency staff. Several honourable member is raised the transformation

:17:33.:17:39.

plans. 28 of which have been published. The remainder will be

:17:40.:17:44.

published by the end of next month. Half of the members opposite of the

:17:45.:17:50.

Labour members opposite, spoke specifically about the SPT covering

:17:51.:18:03.

Cheshire and Merseyside, but only one of those three was able to

:18:04.:18:08.

attend the Westminster Hall debate, discussion about Cheshire and

:18:09.:18:14.

Merseyside. And that SPT was laid by the Chief Executive of one of the

:18:15.:18:18.

hospitals from Liverpool. I would strongly encourage right honourable

:18:19.:18:24.

member to have a conversation with. I would also remind all members of

:18:25.:18:34.

the house that any reconfiguration proposals... Order. If there is not

:18:35.:18:43.

giving way, you will have to set back down. It is for the Minister to

:18:44.:18:53.

choose. Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. Any reconfiguration proposals that

:18:54.:18:58.

are milch from the SPT will be subject to stature story --

:18:59.:19:04.

statutory consultation. I have already said I am not going to

:19:05.:19:12.

engage with SPT readers so that they can play our part in considering how

:19:13.:19:22.

these plans and I am not going to give way... However often that she

:19:23.:19:33.

asks. If the honourable Minister wants to give way, he will, if you

:19:34.:19:39.

want him to, you can ask but what we do not want, this side saying no,

:19:40.:19:50.

yes... Give way if you wish. I have explained that I do not want to, I

:19:51.:20:02.

have got limited time left, and SPTs have been regarded as the best

:20:03.:20:05.

alternative for long-term improvements. The independent sector

:20:06.:20:12.

has been raised, the taste for commissioning decisions must always

:20:13.:20:16.

be the value provided for patients and taxpayers. The vast majority of

:20:17.:20:27.

NHS care continues to be provided by public sector organisations, but

:20:28.:20:29.

they should listen to the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation,

:20:30.:20:34.

representing providers who has today written in the Guardian of all

:20:35.:20:42.

newspapers that the private sector providers that increase the system

:20:43.:20:48.

capacity to respond to demand, help to meet waiting time targets and

:20:49.:20:51.

enable investment that brings important benefits for patients,

:20:52.:20:56.

most of whom entirely relaxed about who provides care, providing it is

:20:57.:21:04.

high quality and remains free at the point of use. And I agree with them.

:21:05.:21:10.

The Secretary of State and I have acknowledged that the NHS is facing

:21:11.:21:15.

challenges and I recognise the challenges, but this government is

:21:16.:21:22.

fully committed. The question now be put. Those of that opinion say aye.

:21:23.:21:30.

Ayes have it. The question is that the original ones of the question,

:21:31.:21:46.

say aye. Contrary, no. Subtitles will resume at 11.30pm.

:21:47.:21:51.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS