27/06/2017

:00:00. > :00:08.people across this country take him all the Liberal Democrats seriously.

:00:09. > :00:14.Skills education... Or actually have a vision for technical education

:00:15. > :00:21.that centred an actual technical education. And those some way to

:00:22. > :00:24.addressing the issue of skills shortages in specific areas. To me,

:00:25. > :00:29.this seems like a missed opportunity. I'm delighted to see

:00:30. > :00:35.that grammar schools appear to be off the table for the moment, but I

:00:36. > :00:39.wonder if the new coalition will bring this back into discussions

:00:40. > :00:46.with the Government. I wait to see what will happen on that front. I'll

:00:47. > :00:49.finish by pointing out that Scotland, regardless of the

:00:50. > :00:54.Secretary of State's comments earlier, Scotland is the most

:00:55. > :01:00.educated nation... Sorry, it is one of the most educated in Europe. With

:01:01. > :01:06.only Luxembourg having more people educated to tertiary level. In

:01:07. > :01:14.Scotland, we provide routes to higher education. Through our

:01:15. > :01:17.further education. Maybe the new members on the Tory benches might

:01:18. > :01:27.learn something if they stopped shouting. In Scotland. Back in

:01:28. > :01:33.Scotland we provide routes to higher education through further education.

:01:34. > :01:38.Many of our young people from disadvantaged backgrounds take full

:01:39. > :01:40.advantage of this. Numbers are not captured in the UCAS figures that

:01:41. > :01:49.the Secretary of State enjoys referring to. So maybe... I will, of

:01:50. > :01:53.course. And grateful to the honourable lady because she still

:01:54. > :01:56.has not answered the Western, why is it in Scotland, a contrast to

:01:57. > :02:01.England, the number of students from less advantaged backgrounds going to

:02:02. > :02:06.university has plateaued, and why is it that because of their tuition

:02:07. > :02:09.fees policy that Scottish students find getting reasonably difficult to

:02:10. > :02:13.find a place in Scottish universities and having to come to

:02:14. > :02:19.England and study at in which universities instead? Maybe the

:02:20. > :02:24.honourable member missed what I have literally just said. When we

:02:25. > :02:31.consider alternative routes into higher education through further

:02:32. > :02:34.education colleges, more young people in Scotland from

:02:35. > :02:43.disadvantaged backgrounds access higher education than anywhere else

:02:44. > :02:48.in the UK. And I'll just... Just to conclude, it was interesting that

:02:49. > :02:51.the Secretary of State referred to a ?2 billion black hole in the Labour

:02:52. > :02:56.Party's costings of higher education. Maybe I could just finish

:02:57. > :03:00.by saying that I can point out to the Secretary of State in ?1.5

:03:01. > :03:07.billion fund appears to have become available only yesterday. Brexit is

:03:08. > :03:12.now a serious threat for our higher education, our research and our

:03:13. > :03:16.science community. We need to be taking major steps now to ensure

:03:17. > :03:23.that this is protected through all the Gushue shins. Order -- through

:03:24. > :03:26.all negotiations. In order to accommodate as many members as

:03:27. > :03:30.possible, I'm now going to impose a time limit of five minutes. It

:03:31. > :03:37.mainly to be brought down even further later in the debate. But for

:03:38. > :03:41.now, it will be five minute. Maria Miller. Mr Deputy Speaker, at the

:03:42. > :03:49.heart of giving every citizen an opportunity to succeed is access to

:03:50. > :03:52.the best education. I commend the Secretary of State for the very

:03:53. > :03:57.clear vision she has set out to beg that the Government is following to

:03:58. > :04:01.make sure that education remained at the heart of this Government's

:04:02. > :04:04.social mobility policy. Because schools, good schools, are the

:04:05. > :04:08.engine of social mobility, and we should never, ever forget that. I

:04:09. > :04:11.have to say, I take flight issue with the honourable member for

:04:12. > :04:15.Ashton-under-Lyne sitting on the front bench opposite, because I have

:04:16. > :04:18.to say, we had to wait till a Conservative government in my

:04:19. > :04:24.constituency to get record Lovell of investment, we didn't get it on the

:04:25. > :04:28.label. So critical to the role of good schools in social mobility is

:04:29. > :04:33.that they are delivering academic excellence. And again, it is good to

:04:34. > :04:38.hear from the Secretary of State talking about our education system,

:04:39. > :04:41.which is now on a par with the best in the world in terms of what it is

:04:42. > :04:47.delivering academically. I would urge her to make sure that she

:04:48. > :04:51.stresses that as being the top of the agenda for every headteacher in

:04:52. > :04:56.this country, regardless of the area that they are in. Now, rhyme is my

:04:57. > :05:01.right honourable friend the member for Bognor Regis has done a

:05:02. > :05:05.tremendous job in making sure that academic excellence is being

:05:06. > :05:09.translated into a reality to our curriculum and through the fog is

:05:10. > :05:13.this Goverment's had on the use of phonics to make sure that we got

:05:14. > :05:17.away from the unacceptable situation where one in three young people were

:05:18. > :05:22.leaving primary school without the basic ability to be able to read, to

:05:23. > :05:28.now having far higher standards. And when I go into my local primary

:05:29. > :05:31.schools, like one I went into recently, to see the inspiration

:05:32. > :05:37.that young people are getting from their teachers, because they are

:05:38. > :05:41.being able to read fluently much earlier. The other part of the

:05:42. > :05:48.Goverment's focus on academic excellence has been the introduction

:05:49. > :05:52.of the E back. I was pleased to see the new schools network report

:05:53. > :05:58.earlier this year which laid to rest some of the The Miz around the

:05:59. > :06:03.introduction of this, -- some of the myths. A piece of really excellent

:06:04. > :06:10.research that was done earlier this year showed that whilst John people

:06:11. > :06:12.were able to be able to focus on English, maths, science, languages,

:06:13. > :06:19.history and drug-free -- whilst young people. They will also -- and

:06:20. > :06:24.geography. An important thing for us to continue to do as a country,

:06:25. > :06:27.because the creative industries really are world renowned, we need

:06:28. > :06:31.to make sure that is going to continue into the future. Mr Deputy

:06:32. > :06:35.Speaker, I won't go in to any detail on the importance of the other part

:06:36. > :06:39.of the curriculum that the Government will be bringing forward

:06:40. > :06:43.in this session, which is, as I touched on earlier, relationship and

:06:44. > :06:47.sex education. Albeit to say that I look forward to hopefully hearing

:06:48. > :06:53.more about how that will be developed with the import of the

:06:54. > :06:55.very expert group that advised me as we put forward our recommendations

:06:56. > :07:02.through the children social work well. The Secretary of State touched

:07:03. > :07:05.on technical education and the importance of parity of esteem. Can

:07:06. > :07:09.I congratulate the Government on the work that it has done through the

:07:10. > :07:15.technical sector to provide supported internships for some of

:07:16. > :07:19.the most challenged young people in this country who have special

:07:20. > :07:25.educational needs. I was privileged just last week to go into my own

:07:26. > :07:32.local college to celebrate the first anniversary of supported internships

:07:33. > :07:34.through the college, working with local employers, giving young people

:07:35. > :07:39.with a learning disability the opportunity to get the sort of work

:07:40. > :07:42.experience, support and work experience, that will make an

:07:43. > :07:47.enormous difference to the rest of their lives. School funding is

:07:48. > :07:52.clearly probably the final point I'm going to be able to touch on in

:07:53. > :07:57.these short remarks. Hampshire is the third lowest educational fund

:07:58. > :08:00.and County in the country. We need to see the changes the Secretary of

:08:01. > :08:05.State was going to bring forward, which would mean ?40 million extra

:08:06. > :08:10.funding for our county to try and put right some of the inequities

:08:11. > :08:14.that have built up in the past. In Basingstoke, 90% of our primary

:08:15. > :08:18.schools are good or outstanding. We have 1300 new primary school places

:08:19. > :08:22.that are going to be put into place, more than ?30 billion of extra

:08:23. > :08:26.investment going in. But we need that Sarah funding to ensure these

:08:27. > :08:33.historic inequities are dealt with. -- Sarah funding. Thank you very

:08:34. > :08:37.much, Mr Deputy Speaker. Can I welcome all colleagues back to this

:08:38. > :08:41.House and the many new colleagues, many of whom will want to give their

:08:42. > :08:44.maiden speeches today. Can I welcome the Secretary of State, who only

:08:45. > :08:49.just got here by the skin of her teeth I think in that election. Can

:08:50. > :08:53.I just say, though, the Prime Minister called this election to

:08:54. > :08:56.offer the country strong and stable leadership, and what has been left

:08:57. > :09:02.is a complete and utter mess for this country. An indictment of a

:09:03. > :09:07.terrible general election campaign, but also I think a reflection of

:09:08. > :09:11.their time in Government. And undoubtedly, one of the key issues

:09:12. > :09:16.in this election was that school funding, and more latterly I think

:09:17. > :09:20.of her police and security services as well. They highlighted similar

:09:21. > :09:23.concerns, which is the public offered up to the back teeth of cuts

:09:24. > :09:28.to vital public services, things that they feel are precious to them,

:09:29. > :09:33.with the same rhetoric coming from this Government. The school gates

:09:34. > :09:36.campaign I think was a particularly successful path, an effective part

:09:37. > :09:40.of this general election campaign. I want to pay tribute to the head

:09:41. > :09:43.teachers, to the unions, to the staff and others for their work in

:09:44. > :09:50.highlighting these issues over many months. I have to say, I think it's

:09:51. > :09:53.pretty pathetic of Conservative MPs opposite to blame headteachers for

:09:54. > :10:00.their losing constituency seats at this election. Does the honourable

:10:01. > :10:03.lady regret, if parents were inadvertently left with the

:10:04. > :10:07.impression that funding for stores might be cut, I mean, the degree of

:10:08. > :10:11.my constituency where we were going to see an overall increase in

:10:12. > :10:17.schools funding, yet that wasn't nurses are always the message that

:10:18. > :10:20.came up from her party -- wasn't necessarily the message. The

:10:21. > :10:24.exchanges that we saw earlier today reflect those exchanges that we saw

:10:25. > :10:27.in the election, which is that the party opposite have their fingers in

:10:28. > :10:30.their ears about the fact of the matter of the situation. Let's just

:10:31. > :10:36.go through some of the facts of the matter. Which is, before we even get

:10:37. > :10:40.into the fair funding formula, every single is cool in this country will

:10:41. > :10:44.lose between 8% and 9% of their budget over the course of this

:10:45. > :10:48.Parliament -- every single school. Because costs have gone up. So while

:10:49. > :10:54.the Government say they are protecting budgets, they are not

:10:55. > :10:58.protecting them in real terms. So even the winners, even the winners

:10:59. > :11:03.out of the fair funding formula will stall blues 3% of their budgets. And

:11:04. > :11:07.the losers under the fair funding formula will actually lose over 11%

:11:08. > :11:13.of their budget. Every single school in the country losers. The party

:11:14. > :11:17.opposite still have their fingers in ears after the general election

:11:18. > :11:21.disaster that they have just overseen. So they are the facts of

:11:22. > :11:26.the matter, and I do not blame a single headteacher foretelling --

:11:27. > :11:30.foretelling the parents about that matter, they should blame

:11:31. > :11:33.themselves. Those cuts mean that headteachers are having to make some

:11:34. > :11:37.unpalatable cuts to their school budgets, they are having to cut back

:11:38. > :11:40.on teachers, teaching us is that is, they are having to cut back on

:11:41. > :11:46.school trips and extracurricular activities.

:11:47. > :11:54.That is why at the general election, parents around the country said,

:11:55. > :11:59.enough is enough. Perhaps that is why the polling has shown that since

:12:00. > :12:04.the election, nearly 750,000 people have said they would change the way

:12:05. > :12:09.they voted in that general election because of cuts to school funding.

:12:10. > :12:14.Perhaps it is time the government actually started to listen. I don't

:12:15. > :12:18.think assisting with the failed lies they use during the election

:12:19. > :12:22.campaign will cut it. It is about time the Secretary of State used her

:12:23. > :12:26.reappointment to go to the Chancellor, go to the Prime Minister

:12:27. > :12:30.and say, she needs to find the money to meet the shortfall. This is a

:12:31. > :12:36.funding crisis and she needs to deal with it quickly. Having dug

:12:37. > :12:40.themselves in on school funding, they found themselves in the same

:12:41. > :12:45.rhetorical malaise when it came to police resources as they took centre

:12:46. > :12:49.stage in this election. I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute

:12:50. > :12:55.to the Greater Manchester Police for their response to the Manchester

:12:56. > :13:00.terror attacks. I want to pay tribute to Manchester City can whose

:13:01. > :13:05.response was exemplary and in fact, the Holst city. As the secretary of

:13:06. > :13:09.state said earlier, to the teachers, head teachers and staff in the

:13:10. > :13:13.schools who supported many children who I know, having been at that

:13:14. > :13:18.concert that evening, went and did their GCSE exams the next day. They

:13:19. > :13:23.did a great job. But the current plans to cuts in police numbers are

:13:24. > :13:29.too much for Greater Manchester Police to bear. They are

:13:30. > :13:31.unsustainable levels of cuts. That is why the Chief Constable of

:13:32. > :13:36.Greater Manchester Police have asked the government for urgent extra

:13:37. > :13:40.resources to find 800 police officers and I hope the government

:13:41. > :13:45.can find the money from somewhere to find this extra resource. Because

:13:46. > :13:50.the new threats our country now faces, we need these extra

:13:51. > :13:54.resources. And again, the Tory arrogance and inflexibility during

:13:55. > :14:00.the campaign meant police got were undoubtedly another vote loser. So

:14:01. > :14:05.what an irony it is that the Tories have now managed to find ?1 billion

:14:06. > :14:10.from their magic monetary for their grubby deal with the DUP. Have they

:14:11. > :14:15.perhaps found that many a few weeks ago for schools and police, perhaps

:14:16. > :14:19.they would almost certainly had a bigger majority here today and maybe

:14:20. > :14:24.they will finally now learn some of those lessons of that election. Can

:14:25. > :14:28.I finally say, it is not all bad news because one good thing to come

:14:29. > :14:32.out of the selection, and I know the Secretary of State will share this

:14:33. > :14:36.view of me, is the end to the bringing back of grammar schools. I

:14:37. > :14:40.know she wasn't all that keen on that herself. I am sure she will

:14:41. > :14:44.welcome that. I would urge her and her government to learn the right

:14:45. > :14:48.lessons of this election and make sure public services and education

:14:49. > :14:54.have the funding they need to go forward. Although I know she wasn't

:14:55. > :14:58.able to stay for the rest of the debate because she had an urgent

:14:59. > :15:03.meeting, I was pleased to see the Minister of taking her place, the

:15:04. > :15:10.former deputy Chief Whip which will make a great addition to the team. I

:15:11. > :15:15.am pleased to follow the speech from the honourable lady from the SNP.

:15:16. > :15:19.While she was on her feet the First Minister caved in and accepted there

:15:20. > :15:23.won't be a referendum on Scottish independence until after Brexit.

:15:24. > :15:28.Wiping credit should go to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the

:15:29. > :15:32.Opposition in Scotland, who I think share the credit for having helped

:15:33. > :15:40.save our union, which is incredibly important. It is also a great

:15:41. > :15:44.pleasure to follow the honourable lady for Manchester Central, who, in

:15:45. > :15:49.her five minutes, I think spent a great deal of money and didn't spend

:15:50. > :15:54.a single second explaining how our economy can generate the money to

:15:55. > :16:01.spend on our important public services, which is what I am going

:16:02. > :16:05.to spend my remarks on now. First of all, it is incredibly important that

:16:06. > :16:09.we remain living within our means. Countries that don't live within

:16:10. > :16:15.their means fined over time, they can't pay for those important public

:16:16. > :16:20.services, which is why it is worth reminding the House, when we came

:16:21. > :16:26.into office in 2010, the deficit was 10% and we were spending ?150

:16:27. > :16:30.billion more than we were bringing in tax revenue. By the time of the

:16:31. > :16:37.election we had reduced the cash deficit by 70% and reduced the

:16:38. > :16:43.deficit of in the economy by three quarters. The debt will stop falling

:16:44. > :16:47.as a percentage of GDP from this period. I have to say to the front

:16:48. > :16:52.bench who are laughing, since they opposed every single spending cut we

:16:53. > :16:57.made, the deficit down the debt would have been incredibly higher if

:16:58. > :17:02.they had been in government. One of the things we hear from the

:17:03. > :17:07.opposition, they say living within your means didn't work. Actually,

:17:08. > :17:15.the important things on growth and jobs demonstrated it did. Between

:17:16. > :17:18.2010 and 2016, out of the G-7 countries, we grew second only to

:17:19. > :17:26.the United States of America. Almost twice as fast as France. In 2014, we

:17:27. > :17:32.were the fastest growing G-7 country, joint top in 2015 and the

:17:33. > :17:37.fastest-growing in 2016. What does that mean for jobs, opportunities

:17:38. > :17:43.for young people when they leave? There are 3 million more people in

:17:44. > :17:47.work than in 2010, a record high employment rate, a better

:17:48. > :17:54.performance than in the G-7, the ODs CD and almost double the performance

:17:55. > :17:59.from our colleagues in the Eurozone. And for young people particularly in

:18:00. > :18:04.Britain, when we came to power, the unemployment rate for young people

:18:05. > :18:10.was just under 20%, same rate as the European Union and the euro era. I

:18:11. > :18:14.understand the honourable gentleman is making a point about youth

:18:15. > :18:20.unemployment, but would he agree that it is scandalous that the work

:18:21. > :18:24.of a young person is so undervalued by the party opposite, the living

:18:25. > :18:28.wage doesn't kick in until you are 25. Why is it right that a young

:18:29. > :18:34.person doing a job should be paid less than a counterpart who is over

:18:35. > :18:39.25? To do with skills and experience. If you come straight

:18:40. > :18:44.from school into a job, you do have to have some training, skills and

:18:45. > :18:48.experiences. If the honourable gentleman talk to businesses in his

:18:49. > :18:51.constituency it would be interesting to ask them how someone straight

:18:52. > :18:55.from school with no experience and no skills should be paid ?10 an

:18:56. > :18:59.hour. I think you would find either that young person wouldn't get the

:19:00. > :19:04.opportunity or the business wouldn't be viable. If he doesn't believe me,

:19:05. > :19:08.go and talk to some of those businesses, that is what they will

:19:09. > :19:12.tell him. Coming back to the employment performance, when we were

:19:13. > :19:21.elected, the unemployment rate for young people was as bad as it was in

:19:22. > :19:25.the Eurozone. Seven years later, the euro area, unemployment is up. In

:19:26. > :19:30.Britain, under a Conservative led government, it is down 6%. There are

:19:31. > :19:34.millions of young people who have the opportunity and the social

:19:35. > :19:39.mobility that is generated, by having a job. Either when they leave

:19:40. > :19:43.university or when they leave school, college and train in an

:19:44. > :19:46.apprenticeship. Even more impressively, despite what the

:19:47. > :19:50.Leader of the Opposition keeps saying, which is untrue, over a

:19:51. > :20:02.period of time we have been in power, income inequality has fallen.

:20:03. > :20:05.The country has become more equal, not less equal and I think that says

:20:06. > :20:07.a lot about the opportunities this party will always deliver in

:20:08. > :20:10.government, making those opportunities for young people and

:20:11. > :20:15.giving them the chance to succeed. My right honourable friend is making

:20:16. > :20:20.a good point. In Gloucestershire we have seen a rapid rise in the number

:20:21. > :20:25.of apprenticeships, 7000 in Gloucester alone over the last seven

:20:26. > :20:36.years and does he support another opportunity and it is the technical

:20:37. > :20:44.college serving Archimedes and beyond. Before the Speaker let the

:20:45. > :20:48.chair he did say opportunities had to be brief if you find yourself

:20:49. > :20:56.using the word and is, in means you are making one point to many. My

:20:57. > :21:04.honourable friend has led successful job fairs and apprenticeships in

:21:05. > :21:08.Gloucester and my honourable friend from Cheltenham has made sure we can

:21:09. > :21:10.bring a cyber training centre in the Cheltenham to bring in extra

:21:11. > :21:17.opportunities for young people in the future. The final point I wanted

:21:18. > :21:22.to make was to touch briefly on local services and particularly

:21:23. > :21:26.social care. Perhaps the part of social care we don't talk about. Too

:21:27. > :21:32.often when we talk about social care we only talk about social care for

:21:33. > :21:36.older people. I want to remind ministers almost half of social care

:21:37. > :21:41.spending in England is spent on working age people between 18 and

:21:42. > :21:44.24. That is incredibly important to make sure those people can be

:21:45. > :21:49.independent, have the opportunity to work and we need to think about how

:21:50. > :21:55.we will fund that? It cannot be funded in the same weight as older

:21:56. > :21:59.people. The Jungle people will not have accumulated assets. If you have

:22:00. > :22:03.means testing, it sets up another barrier to work. He will know our

:22:04. > :22:11.manifesto pledge to get 1 million more disabled people into work and

:22:12. > :22:14.declaring an interest I want to make sure we get people with learning

:22:15. > :22:19.disabilities to have the opportunities to get into work and

:22:20. > :22:24.succeed in the years to come. I have the Minister will bear that in mind

:22:25. > :22:27.as the Minister makes his plans going forward. The only thing I

:22:28. > :22:33.regret about our record is we didn't talk about it in during the election

:22:34. > :22:36.campaign. But we have, the Leader of the Opposition would not have got

:22:37. > :22:41.away with his irresponsible, overspending manifesto that would

:22:42. > :22:43.have bankrupted our country and I am glad the people of Britain saw

:22:44. > :22:47.through it and return this government to office where we will

:22:48. > :22:51.continue delivering for Britain as we have done over the last seven

:22:52. > :23:00.years on a record of which we can be proud. The Prime Minister has

:23:01. > :23:07.enjoyed a torrid few weeks. She has gone from Wonder Woman to the joker

:23:08. > :23:13.in one spectacular electoral fall. We see her diminishing authority and

:23:14. > :23:16.how government's ability to govern. Apart from the preparations for

:23:17. > :23:22.implementing our exit from the EU, for which of the country didn't

:23:23. > :23:26.vote, and which is a major cause of division in Britain today, there is

:23:27. > :23:31.little to it. There is to be no legislative programme at all next

:23:32. > :23:35.year. When Prime Minister at the apogee of their power, immediately

:23:36. > :23:39.after a general election writes the Queen's Speech, it should be about

:23:40. > :23:43.big policies and ideas that will take the nation forward and improve

:23:44. > :23:48.lives. This one is more about what the government whips think they can

:23:49. > :23:50.get away with and limit the damage to our economy, future prospects and

:23:51. > :23:55.international influence following the UK's vote to leave the EU.

:23:56. > :23:59.Something the Prime Minister herself doesn't believe in and didn't vote

:24:00. > :24:04.for. I want to discuss what she could have done in the Queen's

:24:05. > :24:08.Speech to help my constituents. Keeping them safe from gun crime and

:24:09. > :24:13.educating children. The Merseyside Police have faced a cut in their

:24:14. > :24:18.resource of ?87 million since 2010 and on current government plans, are

:24:19. > :24:23.being forced to cut another 18 million and. They have lost a

:24:24. > :24:27.quarter of their stuff, more than 1000 officers and personnel and are

:24:28. > :24:30.due to lose 540 more. The challenge and is they face are greater but

:24:31. > :24:36.neighbourhood policing is largely gone. The matrix unit which tackle

:24:37. > :24:40.organised crime successfully on Merseyside has gone as a single

:24:41. > :24:45.unit. But Merseyside we are facing a surge in gun crime which has seen

:24:46. > :24:48.over 100 shootings in the last 18 months, including five murders. The

:24:49. > :24:55.Chief Constable blames the impact of these cuts for the increasingly

:24:56. > :24:57.reactive policing his force is having to adopt as a replacement for

:24:58. > :25:00.the highly successful proactive policing for which they are so

:25:01. > :25:06.well-known. There are more guns circulating, the side and the injury

:25:07. > :25:10.rate in firearms incidents is up 50% from 33% so the incidents are

:25:11. > :25:13.becoming more serious and the community safety initiatives

:25:14. > :25:16.Liverpool City Council and Knowsley Borough Council provided to divert

:25:17. > :25:20.young people from involvement, have dwindled away for lack of money

:25:21. > :25:26.because Liverpool City Council has lost 50% of its resorts, rising to

:25:27. > :25:32.68% in three years and Knowsley will have lost 56% at the end of another

:25:33. > :25:35.three years. In January I wrote to the then policing Minister seeking a

:25:36. > :25:42.meeting about this worrying increase in gun crime and it took place on

:25:43. > :25:45.the 9th of February. You are at it, Mr Deputy Speaker. Bobo than Police

:25:46. > :25:51.Minister didn't bother to turn up, were assured by the undersecretary,

:25:52. > :25:56.a bid for resources would be considered sympathetically. The

:25:57. > :25:59.Chief Constable has revealed that bid has been turned down but I

:26:00. > :26:02.haven't had the courtesy of a letter from ministers following up on the

:26:03. > :26:08.meeting from the 9th of February or a letter explaining why the bid has

:26:09. > :26:12.been rejected. Something I think is disgraceful. The Chief Constable has

:26:13. > :26:17.said, have I got sufficient resource to do with gun crime? Know I

:26:18. > :26:19.haven't. If I had more stuff, would I put them to deal with gun crime?

:26:20. > :26:29.Yes I would. There is no academic A-level

:26:30. > :26:33.provision within the borough of Knowsley, part of which is in my

:26:34. > :26:37.constituency, the rest of it is indoors, sir. Young people have to

:26:38. > :26:41.leave the Borough to access opportunities that should be readily

:26:42. > :26:46.available for every child in their own local community. In areas like

:26:47. > :26:49.South Liverpool and Howard, there is a constant battle to increase

:26:50. > :26:52.education and attainment. The Queen's speech could have sought to

:26:53. > :26:56.do something about that, but it does not. It doesn't guarantee that no

:26:57. > :27:00.school will have its budget cut, as the Tory manifesto said it would do.

:27:01. > :27:10.I have been asking local headteachers what the new funding

:27:11. > :27:12.formula will mean for their schools. Some have already cut teachers and

:27:13. > :27:14.support staff, one school has lost 26% of its teaching staff, others

:27:15. > :27:17.the redundancies next year as inevitable. Schools are cutting back

:27:18. > :27:21.on the curriculum, one has removed drama, and cut back on modern

:27:22. > :27:27.foreign-language is and music. All of paying for shared services that

:27:28. > :27:31.they once got from Liverpool City Council such as family support

:27:32. > :27:35.services. Others are forced to parents for money even to make their

:27:36. > :27:41.budgets work. This is a catastrophe that will further disadvantage those

:27:42. > :27:43.who will face barriers. This Queen's speech will do nothing to help my

:27:44. > :27:47.constituents who need to be safe from gun all who want their George

:27:48. > :27:52.Hunter have a fair chance of education. It is the last desperate

:27:53. > :27:58.effort to have a government cling on to office and we are going to make

:27:59. > :28:07.sure that it doesn't. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker I'm delighted to

:28:08. > :28:12.follow the honourable member and thank her for her contribution. I

:28:13. > :28:16.have had the great privilege of representing the city of Aberdeen,

:28:17. > :28:20.its communities and its people over the last five years. First as a

:28:21. > :28:26.councillor, and then as a member of the Scottish Parliament for the

:28:27. > :28:30.Northeast region. And I am truly humbled and honoured that the people

:28:31. > :28:34.of Aberdeen South have placed their trust, faith and confidence in me to

:28:35. > :28:41.represent them in this very special place. I give an unwavering

:28:42. > :28:47.commitment to my constituents that no matter which party you voted for,

:28:48. > :28:52.if you voted at all, I will work hard for all of you, and I will work

:28:53. > :28:59.tirelessly to make Aberdeen's voice heard. The people of Aberdeen South

:29:00. > :29:04.in 2014 voted overwhelmingly to stay within the UK, and at this election,

:29:05. > :29:09.they have sent the clearest possible message that they do not want a

:29:10. > :29:16.second independence referendum, and although the First Minister may have

:29:17. > :29:21.posed her plans, she failed to take it off the table. The people in my

:29:22. > :29:24.constituency want divisions in our country to be healed, not

:29:25. > :29:28.exacerbated. That is why the First Minister must get back to her day

:29:29. > :29:32.job of improving our schools, hospitals, and supporting our

:29:33. > :29:35.economy to grow. Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank my

:29:36. > :29:39.predecessors for their contributions to this place. For the last two

:29:40. > :29:47.years, Calum a? Presented Aberdeen South with enthusiasm and energy. I

:29:48. > :29:51.first met Calum when we were elected to Aberdeen City Council, and at

:29:52. > :29:56.that time, his friendly, helpful advice was greatly appreciated. He

:29:57. > :30:01.is extraordinarily capable, and I have no doubt he will continue to

:30:02. > :30:05.contribute to Scottish public life, and I genuinely wish him all of the

:30:06. > :30:12.best for his future. It would also be remiss of me if I did not pay

:30:13. > :30:14.tribute to Dame Anne Begg, who represented the constituency for 18

:30:15. > :30:20.years with dignity and compassion. Her tireless and passionate advocacy

:30:21. > :30:24.for the rights of disabled people helped improve the quality-of-life

:30:25. > :30:31.are many people across our country. Now, Aberdeen is a global city with

:30:32. > :30:36.a global reputation. No -- known the world over as the oil capital of

:30:37. > :30:42.Europe and a centre of excellence for technology. Aberdeen has long

:30:43. > :30:45.made it contribution to the prosperity of the UK and is the

:30:46. > :30:50.engine room of Scotland's economy. However, there is far more to

:30:51. > :30:56.Aberdeen than just oil and gas. Its beauty is unparalleled when it's

:30:57. > :31:02.wonderful sculpted granite buildings sparkle in the sun, when we get to

:31:03. > :31:07.see the sun, that is! Aberdeen is a vibrant city, which is also alive

:31:08. > :31:14.with culture, music and the arts. My constituency takes in the West End,

:31:15. > :31:20.communities such as Queen's Cross and Ferryhill, and incorporates

:31:21. > :31:23.those tightly knit communities of Seafield and others. But the

:31:24. > :31:31.constituency stretches further westwards, following the mighty

:31:32. > :31:38.River Dee. In the south, it includes golf team and along to the coastal

:31:39. > :31:45.settlement. And the iconic lighthouse built in 1813. Mr Deputy

:31:46. > :31:50.Speaker, I want to thank you for allowing me to speak in this debate.

:31:51. > :31:56.I want to thank my constituents for electing me to this place. And I

:31:57. > :32:02.look forward to being a strong voice for them here. And I would like to

:32:03. > :32:09.conclude my remarks with the city of Aberdeen's toast, which is, happy to

:32:10. > :32:17.meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again on a court. Thelma Walker.

:32:18. > :32:23.Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I'm so honoured to be here to deliver my

:32:24. > :32:30.maiden speech as a member of Parliament for Kovari. -- Po Valley.

:32:31. > :32:34.I would like to take this opportunity to thank my predecessor

:32:35. > :32:37.for his work for the constituency over the past seven years, and I

:32:38. > :32:43.wish him well for the future. The beautiful valleys which are my home

:32:44. > :32:47.holds an important place in Labour's radical history. And they are

:32:48. > :32:53.closely associated with them moderates, chartists and

:32:54. > :32:58.suffragettes. It is in fact the oldest Labour constituency in the

:32:59. > :33:04.country, and celebrates its 126th birthday next month. One of our

:33:05. > :33:08.greatest and wisest prime ministers, Harold Wilson, was raised less than

:33:09. > :33:15.a mile from my home. And he attended local schools. His words when he

:33:16. > :33:21.spoke about the Labour Party... This party is a moral crusade, or it is

:33:22. > :33:24.nothing. They ring so true for me now as a by newly elected Labour MP.

:33:25. > :33:29.More recently, the honourable Lord David Park and Kali Mountford have

:33:30. > :33:33.served as outstanding representatives of my community. The

:33:34. > :33:39.beautiful Pennine landscape, which many of you saw as the Tour de

:33:40. > :33:43.France cyclists scaled the heights, is something to be proud of. But it

:33:44. > :33:47.is not just the place, but the people, that makes Colne Valley so

:33:48. > :33:53.distinctive. It is about their creativity, compassion, and dry wit.

:33:54. > :34:00.My constituency has a rich diversity with a vibrant Asian community.

:34:01. > :34:05.Since the Second World War, such diversity has enriched our economy

:34:06. > :34:11.and our culture. As a former teacher and head teacher, I took part in the

:34:12. > :34:14.Kirklees schools twinning project, where black Muslim children and

:34:15. > :34:20.white working-class children shared lessons, food and play. Those

:34:21. > :34:26.children saw no difference in colour or faith, but just enjoyed French

:34:27. > :34:33.ship and the joy of each other's company. Such an experience reminds

:34:34. > :34:39.me of Wordsworth's words, the child is father of the man. In these

:34:40. > :34:43.testing times of terrorism and radicalisation, young children can

:34:44. > :34:49.give many adults the lessons of forgiveness, tolerance and

:34:50. > :34:54.compassion. Within the discussion and debate about what is a good

:34:55. > :35:00.school, my experience in education and of how children learn and thrive

:35:01. > :35:06.tells me that a culture of targets and tests does not result in a

:35:07. > :35:10.happy, clever or creative child. A whole child approach which cares for

:35:11. > :35:14.the emotional, physical and intellectual well-being is needed.

:35:15. > :35:18.Our own head of Ofsted has recently spoken about the need for an

:35:19. > :35:24.education which meets the child's needs, not the school's targets.

:35:25. > :35:28.Colne Valley has some of the best schools and six form colleges in the

:35:29. > :35:33.country. The professionals who work there deserve to be supported

:35:34. > :35:38.through adequate funding and ownership of a broad and balanced

:35:39. > :35:43.curriculum. Huddersfield University has just been awarded gold standard

:35:44. > :35:48.for teaching, and leads our area's economic and cultural success. We

:35:49. > :35:54.are well proud of our flagship university. As a country, our media

:35:55. > :35:59.and creative arts are the envy of the world. And in our own Colne

:36:00. > :36:02.Valley, we have hosted filming for Last Tango In Halifax, happy Valley,

:36:03. > :36:08.and other peak-time popular programmes. Our valleys are vibrant

:36:09. > :36:12.with creativity, and we have a vision for not just a Northern

:36:13. > :36:17.Powerhouse, but, more specifically, a Colne Valley powerhouse. Leading

:36:18. > :36:23.in technology, culture and arts initiatives. The vision for the

:36:24. > :36:28.valleys is real, but the cuts to our local services are impacting on the

:36:29. > :36:33.most vulnerable in our communities, and will make the vision harder to

:36:34. > :36:38.achieve. Having taught in one of the most deprived areas of the country,

:36:39. > :36:43.I know the impact of poverty on a child's physical, intellectual and

:36:44. > :36:47.emotional well-being. I know the child he won't let go of my hand at

:36:48. > :36:53.the end of the day because there's no heating on at home or food in the

:36:54. > :36:58.fridge. Cuts to our local front line services are hurting our children,

:36:59. > :37:01.and devastating the most vulnerable in our communities. I am committed

:37:02. > :37:08.to campaigning for appropriate funding for our schools, our

:37:09. > :37:15.hospitals, and our local services. Such services are Colne Valley

:37:16. > :37:19.people's right, and not a privilege. On a personal note, I'm so glad to

:37:20. > :37:24.see the increased number of women MPs seeded in this chamber. I do

:37:25. > :37:28.hope, however, that when my granddaughter, Iris, who is four

:37:29. > :37:33.years old, reaches maturity, she will not view it is unusual for

:37:34. > :37:37.there to be a majority of women MPs fairly representing the population

:37:38. > :37:47.of our country. I'm also delighted that we now have... Thank you, Mr

:37:48. > :37:50.Deputy Speaker. It is a pleasure to follow two accomplished main

:37:51. > :37:59.speeches and it is a sadness because of the time restraints that honorary

:38:00. > :38:02.members do not have enough time to talk. I thought both of them were

:38:03. > :38:09.very polished, accomplished, witty and gracious contributions, and both

:38:10. > :38:12.will be great advocates for their respective considers. The honourable

:38:13. > :38:17.lady I'm sure will be no Luddite in the way she will represent her

:38:18. > :38:21.constituents. And my new honourable friend for Aberdeen South, one of 12

:38:22. > :38:24.new Scottish Conservative honourable friends, I'm delighted to say, will

:38:25. > :38:27.be a great advocate for the people of Aberdeen and the majority of the

:38:28. > :38:33.people of Scotland who want to stay in the union that we value so much.

:38:34. > :38:37.Much has been said in this Queen's speech about what is not in this

:38:38. > :38:42.green speech. Can I break a habit and actually talk about things that

:38:43. > :38:47.are actually in this Queen's speech? I certainly commend the eight Brexit

:38:48. > :38:51.bills where we will have many opportunities to talk long into the

:38:52. > :38:54.night, so I won't go into any detail here. I will however praise the

:38:55. > :39:00.inclusion of the domestic violence and abuse bill. A subject which the

:39:01. > :39:04.Prime Minister in particular has long championed, and on which I

:39:05. > :39:09.think the record of this Government is second to none, and I

:39:10. > :39:13.particularly hope we make progress on the disproportionate number of

:39:14. > :39:19.young women who are the victims of domestic abuse, some 12% of young

:39:20. > :39:24.women aged 16-19 were victims of domestic abuse in the last two

:39:25. > :39:28.years. There is a prevalence of domestic abuse within teenage

:39:29. > :39:31.relationships. It is an intergenerational light. It affects

:39:32. > :39:34.so many young women in particular, where they were brought up in

:39:35. > :39:38.households where domestic violence was the norm, and they therefore

:39:39. > :39:44.expect, well, that's what'll happen to them, isn't it? Well, it isn't,

:39:45. > :39:48.it mustn't, and we need legislation, and a much greater vigilance to

:39:49. > :39:51.drive domestic abuse wherever it occurs. And I've seen as a former

:39:52. > :39:56.Children's Minister the impact it has an child abuse as well. Nearly

:39:57. > :39:57.always linked with some form of domestic boilers. I welcome the

:39:58. > :40:12.inclusion in this Queen's speech. Also, I talk about mental health.

:40:13. > :40:20.Approximately 200,000 young people are referred to specialist mental

:40:21. > :40:24.health services. It is often too late and too much of the additional

:40:25. > :40:28.funds this government has dedicated the two Mental Health Act don't end

:40:29. > :40:32.up going to deal with mental illness issues, particularly for young

:40:33. > :40:36.people. We have a lot more to do on this area and I am pleased the Prime

:40:37. > :40:42.Minister flagged up as a priority at the beginning of the election

:40:43. > :40:45.campaign. I want to give my main focus on the school situation and in

:40:46. > :40:50.particularly, fair funding of schools. It was probably the

:40:51. > :40:55.largest, single issue in my constituency. West Sussex is the

:40:56. > :41:02.worst funded counted authority in the country, where people in my

:41:03. > :41:06.constituency gets under per year. Way down the bottom. I welcome the

:41:07. > :41:12.extra ?4 billion the government offered. But there is still going to

:41:13. > :41:16.be a shortfall given the cost pressures coming along the line from

:41:17. > :41:21.pay increases, national insurance and the apprenticeship levy. It is

:41:22. > :41:24.the cumulative effect for being underfunded for so many years which

:41:25. > :41:30.means so many of our schools do not have any further slack they can take

:41:31. > :41:36.up. They really are running on empty. So this has got to be dealt

:41:37. > :41:40.with as a matter of urgency. That is why West Sussex MPs have taken our

:41:41. > :41:45.heads to see the minister, I have invited all the heads of my

:41:46. > :41:49.constituency to a meeting next month to see the exact impact of the

:41:50. > :41:54.funding situation. I welcome the fact the secretary of State has

:41:55. > :41:59.consulted on a fair funding formula. Only this government has done it. We

:42:00. > :42:04.had a second consultation on the 22nd of March and then the general

:42:05. > :42:08.election interrupted that. We must urgently get a resolution to a fair

:42:09. > :42:15.funding formula that just doesn't tinker with the deprivation figures

:42:16. > :42:20.or would the rural sparsity figures but comes up with a formula that

:42:21. > :42:25.will mean schools in my constituency have the basic they need to operate.

:42:26. > :42:29.We can argue the toss about Pupil Premium and the extras of

:42:30. > :42:34.deprivation on top of it, but this cannot wait any longer. I urge the

:42:35. > :42:38.Secretary of State for Education will take back this message as a

:42:39. > :42:41.matter of urgency, let's have a resolution to this consultation and

:42:42. > :42:45.have a meaningful settlement that mean schools in my constituency have

:42:46. > :42:53.fair funding to give the children a fair start as the rest of the

:42:54. > :42:57.country, as a matter of urgency. One of my observations today in actual

:42:58. > :43:07.fact is to listen to government when trying to have a go at us. It is a

:43:08. > :43:12.very interesting that during the general election they didn't give us

:43:13. > :43:16.any figures on costing, so they must of had a premonition they wouldn't

:43:17. > :43:22.be in a majority after the general election. That is the only reason I

:43:23. > :43:27.can think of. We have also got to make the point and the message

:43:28. > :43:34.hasn't got across to the government benches yet, people are fed up with

:43:35. > :43:38.austerity. I have visited a number of schools in my constituency and

:43:39. > :43:44.the message has been the same at each school. That is, they may have

:43:45. > :43:50.to make teachers redundant and classroom assistants redundant. I

:43:51. > :43:56.believe a child should receive every thing possible to achieve in life

:43:57. > :44:01.despite their background. There is no clear education commitment

:44:02. > :44:08.outlined in the Queen's Speech only vague commitments. I hope the

:44:09. > :44:13.government has finally brought its vanity project of introducing more

:44:14. > :44:17.grammar schools. It would have only have increased the divisions in

:44:18. > :44:22.society instead of trying to create new schools, we should be focusing

:44:23. > :44:26.on existing schools to ensure they are sufficiently funded. This will

:44:27. > :44:31.give our children the best opportunities. Despite this

:44:32. > :44:36.government's pledge every child gets the education they deserve, this

:44:37. > :44:40.government propose to take away free school meals in their manifesto. I

:44:41. > :44:44.am pleased this policy has been scrapped but we must not forget they

:44:45. > :44:48.tried to introduce it in the first place. It is under proposals from

:44:49. > :44:52.the same government schools are having their funding cut for the

:44:53. > :44:55.first time in 20 years. This will mean teachers will lose their jobs

:44:56. > :45:02.and children are taught in super-sized classes. In Coventry,

:45:03. > :45:07.over 29 million will be cut from the local authority budget. This means

:45:08. > :45:14.?600 less per pupil. One school will face a reduction of ?1600 per pupil.

:45:15. > :45:18.This is simply not good enough. Children deserve better. We have

:45:19. > :45:22.seen time and time again, this government is failing people in this

:45:23. > :45:26.country, be it children at the start of their lives or people at the

:45:27. > :45:35.other end of their lives, threatening to scrap the triple lock

:45:36. > :45:40.on pensions. Some have seen their state pension increase but have not

:45:41. > :45:45.received adequate arrangements. We have seen a shift in focus with the

:45:46. > :45:51.responsibility moving from central government to local government. It

:45:52. > :45:54.is important local authorities can shape their service provisions, but

:45:55. > :46:01.they are having to do so with budget cuts. Coventry Council has lost 106

:46:02. > :46:06.million. This is a 50% cut in government grant funding. By 2020,

:46:07. > :46:10.the government will have cut 655 million from Coventry's council

:46:11. > :46:18.budget where people have complex needs, especially in areas like

:46:19. > :46:25.mental health services. They expected deficit of 33 million by

:46:26. > :46:30.2020, 21 in social care alone. Whilst we have hopefully seen the

:46:31. > :46:34.back of this government's proposed dementia tax, more must be done

:46:35. > :46:41.urgently to tackle this crisis in social care and there is no specific

:46:42. > :46:47.mention of that in the Green paper. The Chancellor has said people are

:46:48. > :46:52.weary of the long slog and the Conservatives... Is he really

:46:53. > :47:01.hearing what people of this country need. It is staggering the

:47:02. > :47:05.government can tell you to have an agenda of austerity. The DWP

:47:06. > :47:11.announced the closure of 108 sites by March 20 18. This includes the

:47:12. > :47:14.Jobcentre in Coventry. Meaning claimants will now have to travel

:47:15. > :47:21.for up to an hour to get to a Jobcentre. This will be incredibly

:47:22. > :47:26.difficult for many more vulnerable users at a time when the gap between

:47:27. > :47:29.the rich and poor is widening, it is more important to ensure we are

:47:30. > :47:36.caring for those who need it most. Whilst I welcome the fact the

:47:37. > :47:42.inclusion of the important issue of domestic violence in the Queen's

:47:43. > :47:46.Speech, lots of refuges have closed since 2010. This will have meant

:47:47. > :47:50.women have not been able to get the help and support they need. 20,000

:47:51. > :47:55.police officers have been cut and much has been made in the press

:47:56. > :47:59.about the consequences of that. It seems where is this government says

:48:00. > :48:04.one thing, their policies seem to do the exact opposite. Order. In order

:48:05. > :48:10.to accommodate the very large number of colleagues who wish to speak, the

:48:11. > :48:15.time limit immediately drops to four minutes, though I will use some

:48:16. > :48:20.latitude as far as those wishing to make their maiden speeches are

:48:21. > :48:28.concerned. Mine is not a maiden speech, unfortunately. I am happy to

:48:29. > :48:35.welcome you to the chair. 33 years since we arrived in this place, we

:48:36. > :48:37.are still surviving. I congratulate our honourable friend for Aberdeen

:48:38. > :48:42.South who gave a speech which was witty and to the purpose. I think

:48:43. > :48:48.the good people of Aberdeen and the good people of Lincolnshire, welcome

:48:49. > :48:52.us taking back control of our fisheries, which will be a vital

:48:53. > :48:56.part of the whole Brexit negotiations. I think what people

:48:57. > :49:00.want, particularly young people is for us to be positive and

:49:01. > :49:08.aspirational, and honest. If there is any thought to our Prime Minister

:49:09. > :49:18.it was all most but we were too honest in explaining the National of

:49:19. > :49:21.the level of national debt. This comes from our hard-pressed

:49:22. > :49:26.taxpayers. I make no apology for reminding the House that national

:49:27. > :49:32.debt stands at ?1.7 trillion. In the five minutes which you were going to

:49:33. > :49:39.allow me to speak for earlier, national debt would have risen

:49:40. > :49:44.during my short speech. Although it will rise a bit less now, it will

:49:45. > :49:48.still go up. The Isner point in talking about the deficit if

:49:49. > :49:57.national debt rises every year and the job of the Conservative Party is

:49:58. > :50:00.to speak up for business, speak up for Wealth providers and wealth

:50:01. > :50:05.creators and speak up the taxpayers. This national debt has to be

:50:06. > :50:08.provided by car constituents. Sometimes it's not a popular

:50:09. > :50:15.message. I have been asked to come here and say, on behalf of the

:50:16. > :50:19.headmaster of Queen Elizabeth high school, I grammar school in my

:50:20. > :50:23.constituency which is providing the scientists, the engineers, the

:50:24. > :50:28.entrepreneurs of the future, a high performing school that their budget

:50:29. > :50:32.has been cut by six and ?1000 in the last five years. Of course I support

:50:33. > :50:36.them in a fairer funding formula, but we have to get some quality of

:50:37. > :50:42.fairness throughout the country. It is simply not good enough for us to

:50:43. > :50:49.continually argue for higher levels of public spending to accommodate

:50:50. > :50:53.this or that interest group. And the first honest debate we need to have

:50:54. > :50:58.in this country is about our ageing population, about the cost of social

:50:59. > :51:02.care and full marks to the Prime Minister for trying to talk about

:51:03. > :51:09.it. At the moment, we are committed to maintain the triple lock, we are,

:51:10. > :51:13.we haven't yet had a full debate in this Queen's Speech or in this

:51:14. > :51:16.Parliament about what there will be in terms of adult social care or

:51:17. > :51:22.what floor, but we have to have that debate. We have to be able to

:51:23. > :51:26.convince our ageing population that we have got the resources to care

:51:27. > :51:33.for them, be humane, but also be honest. This same argument applies

:51:34. > :51:37.to the NHS. Sometimes I am the only person in this place who argues that

:51:38. > :51:42.not only do we have to put more money into the NHS, but we have to

:51:43. > :51:48.be honest about where it is coming from. There is a limit about how

:51:49. > :51:54.much you can play from general taxation when the top 1% paper 25%

:51:55. > :51:58.of all spending. Let's be honest in these debates. Let's not talk about

:51:59. > :52:02.a hard or soft Brexit, I am afraid we have to stick to the Lancaster

:52:03. > :52:08.House speech by the Prime Minister. It is not hard or soft Brexit, it is

:52:09. > :52:13.inevitable Brexit. We are leaving the EU. If you leave it, you have to

:52:14. > :52:19.lead the single market, so let's be positive, let's be aspirational and

:52:20. > :52:28.lets, as a party, the United. Maiden speech, Mr Hugh Gaffney. Everybody

:52:29. > :52:32.happy? Welcome to Westminster. It has been a privilege to start work

:52:33. > :52:40.here and not a privilege to represent the people who have sent

:52:41. > :52:46.me here. I do offer some sympathy to the man I replaced, Phil Boswell and

:52:47. > :52:49.his staff. No doubt, Phil and his staff expected a longer time down

:52:50. > :52:56.here than what they received. Politics can be risky, as many

:52:57. > :53:01.honourable members in this House will know better than me. Sorry, I

:53:02. > :53:08.meant to me. I do follow in the footsteps of many good people. Like

:53:09. > :53:13.Mr Coatbridge, the honourable Tom Clarke who served here for 33 years.

:53:14. > :53:19.I would also like to recognise the Lanarkshire man, the late Labour

:53:20. > :53:26.leader, John Smith, the best Prime Minister we never had. However, the

:53:27. > :53:28.man I have come to follow was a working man. He recognised that

:53:29. > :53:36.workers had no voice inside parliament. He is a man who gave

:53:37. > :53:49.birth to the Labour Party, and today his name lives on in society to

:53:50. > :54:00.which I'm one of its members. Mr Speaker, Coatbridge, Christ and

:54:01. > :54:06.Bellshill, along other communities, are the areas I represent. We were

:54:07. > :54:10.one part of an industrial landscape of steel, which many other

:54:11. > :54:15.communities had as well, but sadly that has all gone. What is left is

:54:16. > :54:22.not enough. We have poverty, not enough housing for a generation of

:54:23. > :54:27.children today and tomorrow, they have no real vision. They have been

:54:28. > :54:32.kept on low pay with zero hours contracts and told to be grateful

:54:33. > :54:37.you have a job. There is no opportunity for a House, as they

:54:38. > :54:43.cannot afford it. Our society is failing them and the gap between the

:54:44. > :54:48.rich and the poor widens every day. My day job was with Royal Mail

:54:49. > :54:53.Parcelforce, delivering and collecting parcels every day. It was

:54:54. > :54:57.a privilege to represent my workmates from Glasgow Parcelforce,

:54:58. > :55:03.to whom I was grateful. I represented these workers as a trade

:55:04. > :55:08.union representative of the Communication Workers Union. For

:55:09. > :55:14.workers today, I recommend you join a trade union movements. Strength is

:55:15. > :55:21.in unity. I represent the CW you and I am proud to be part of the trade

:55:22. > :55:28.union movement. Mr Speaker, I also declare an interest. Royal Mail was

:55:29. > :55:32.not the sale, it was stolen and I do intend to return it to the great

:55:33. > :55:37.public service, back to its rightful owners, which is the residents of

:55:38. > :55:44.the UK. I can tell this House today the private profiteer, hedge

:55:45. > :55:47.funders, I am coming to take back my sons and daughters money stolen by

:55:48. > :55:54.people who have no interest in Royal Mail other than the profit. I come

:55:55. > :55:58.here as a working man, just as proud as my father, Mark Gaffney, and my

:55:59. > :56:05.mother Helen Gaffney, who both worked every day in life and will be

:56:06. > :56:06.watching on the television back home to witness my moment. Love you both

:56:07. > :56:17.and thank you. My family and friends who know me,

:56:18. > :56:27.enjoy this moment! My new job starts now, with the help of my family and

:56:28. > :56:31.Matthew, Kristin, Paul, my feet. On the ground. I'm here to represent

:56:32. > :56:35.all of my constituents, and I will change society for the better. There

:56:36. > :56:41.is enough wealth in this country to close the poverty gap and close down

:56:42. > :56:46.food banks. As we enter Brexit, we can build a new United Kingdom, one

:56:47. > :56:53.that cares for all walks of life, one that cares for humanity, one

:56:54. > :56:58.that shows equality for all, no matter your race, colour, religion

:56:59. > :57:03.or sexuality, we are all equal, and everyone from cradle to grave

:57:04. > :57:06.deserves dignity and respect. I know I've finished, but I will make one

:57:07. > :57:12.more point... LAUGHTER

:57:13. > :57:20.The past we inherit, the future we build. And this I will apply as I

:57:21. > :57:24.stand here for unemployed workers, disabled workers, and the taxpayer

:57:25. > :57:31.and workers to whom there many more than the privileged few. Thank Mr

:57:32. > :57:35.Speaker. Mr Deputy Speaker, can I start my congratulating the

:57:36. > :57:38.honourable gentleman on that speech, it was passionate and intense, and

:57:39. > :57:42.he is right, it is his moment to enjoy, and so he should. Can I also

:57:43. > :57:47.congratulate my honourable friend the member for Aberdeen South, an

:57:48. > :57:51.excellent representative. For me it is a pleasure to have so many

:57:52. > :57:55.Scottish colleagues around by here on our benches. We have short time,

:57:56. > :58:00.so let me count through some of the points I wanted to raise and put

:58:01. > :58:03.onto the record. Rightly, today is focusing as one of its themes on

:58:04. > :58:08.education. After all, if we look back just seven years, in 2010, one

:58:09. > :58:12.in three children leaving primary schools were unable to read, write

:58:13. > :58:17.or count properly. What that tells me is that under Labour into many

:58:18. > :58:22.schools the standards just weren't good enough. Now, seven years on,

:58:23. > :58:26.the number of children now in schools classed as good or excellent

:58:27. > :58:31.has actually risen by nearly 2 million. Mr Deputy Speaker, that is

:58:32. > :58:36.nearly 2 million young minds now able to flourish where previously

:58:37. > :58:39.they were struggling on the poor standards. Education is important to

:58:40. > :58:43.the individual, but it's also crucially important to the economy.

:58:44. > :58:47.As we leave the European Union, we need to all of us rethink what we

:58:48. > :58:55.mean by education, skills and training. And that brings me onto,

:58:56. > :58:57.how can we best strengthen the economy as a whole? There are good

:58:58. > :59:00.measures in this Queen's speech on agriculture, fisheries, spacecraft

:59:01. > :59:05.and other emerging technologies. But we face a broader challenge, and

:59:06. > :59:10.that is the productivity in this country is persistently weak. Unless

:59:11. > :59:13.we address that, all of our hopes for public services and other

:59:14. > :59:17.matters simply Will come to naught. At the beginning of this debate last

:59:18. > :59:20.Wednesday, I listened to the Luder of the opposition when he told us

:59:21. > :59:26.that in his view the most effective way to increasing pay is strong

:59:27. > :59:29.trade unions and collective bargaining. It showed to me that his

:59:30. > :59:34.thinking is out of date and blinkered. The best way to achieve

:59:35. > :59:39.sustained growth and higher incomes is to raise our productivity. If we

:59:40. > :59:45.add 1% of productivity to our economy each year, over the next ten

:59:46. > :59:50.years that is a rather ?240 billion. That is ?9,000 per household. That

:59:51. > :59:55.is the way to grow the economy. That's the way to lift people is

:59:56. > :59:59.wages. That's the way to pay for the public services which we all speak

:00:00. > :00:03.of. Let me just touch on one aspect of productivity in the minute or so

:00:04. > :00:07.that I have, that is about trade. In recent months we have seen the pound

:00:08. > :00:12.fall, and we have seen a resurgence in manufacturing, that is welcome.

:00:13. > :00:18.But at the axle and Times Economist David Smith pointed out, we now need

:00:19. > :00:22.to liberalise the trade in services. After all, services or 18 of our

:00:23. > :00:27.economy. The bills on trade and customs are good. I welcome that we

:00:28. > :00:32.have a dedicated trade department focused on this task. I have to say,

:00:33. > :00:35.Mr Debaty is Beagle, the liberalisation of the global market

:00:36. > :00:39.in services, which is so important to our economy and jobs, will need a

:00:40. > :00:45.sustained and cross Government approach if it is succeed. Clearly

:00:46. > :00:49.the EU Brexit process will affect that most immediately. But there is

:00:50. > :00:54.a wider opportunity here, and I believe that this country should

:00:55. > :00:58.take up the mantle as the champion for open local markets in services

:00:59. > :01:02.and pursued that through whatever means possible. Get that right and

:01:03. > :01:13.the chance to grow our economy and so, yes, grief -- lift people's

:01:14. > :01:17.living standards. Maiden speech, Lesley Laird. Mr Deputy Speaker,

:01:18. > :01:20.thank you for giving me the opportunity in today's debate.

:01:21. > :01:24.Before looking forward, I want to take a few moments to pause and

:01:25. > :01:28.reflect on the maiden speeches made by members of Parliament who have

:01:29. > :01:33.gone before me representing Icardi and Cowdenbeath. My predecessor

:01:34. > :01:39.Roger Bolliger serve the constituency from June 20 15th to

:01:40. > :01:43.May 20 17. In his maiden speech he quoted Kirkcaldy's famous son, Adam

:01:44. > :01:47.Smith, who said that no society could surely be flourishing and

:01:48. > :01:54.happy of which is a far greater part of the members are poor and

:01:55. > :01:59.miserable. That same line was also used by Doctor Lewis Moonie, another

:02:00. > :02:03.predecessor, you serve this fine constituency from 1987 until 2005.

:02:04. > :02:07.What struck me about this was that whilst so much may have changed in

:02:08. > :02:11.ours is cited, the fundamental challenges reflected then and here

:02:12. > :02:16.today remain the same. It would of course be remiss of me not to

:02:17. > :02:22.mention Gordon Brown. He served by Icardi and Cowdenbeath constituency

:02:23. > :02:27.for ten years until 2005. He also served this country as Chancellor

:02:28. > :02:31.and Brymon is that. A true and sincere public servant for his

:02:32. > :02:40.constituency on this country. But Doctor Brown did in fact make his

:02:41. > :02:42.maiden speech in 1983. On that occasion, the debate was about

:02:43. > :02:48.Social Security and the proposals to reduce the benefit levels to be

:02:49. > :02:52.paid. An issue still reflected within today's society. The

:02:53. > :02:59.constituency that I am honoured and privileged to represent is cut --

:03:00. > :03:03.Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. I would like to thank people for giving me

:03:04. > :03:10.the opportunity to represent them. What strikes me about my area is

:03:11. > :03:15.that it is a pool of talent and untapped potential. Potential that

:03:16. > :03:18.deserves to be unlocked. My constituency is an area that has

:03:19. > :03:23.known the highest of industrial prosperity through mining,

:03:24. > :03:26.manufacturing, Minnelli, shipping and now poverty and hardship as

:03:27. > :03:31.these industries have slipped away and never really been replaced. It

:03:32. > :03:35.is an area that offers so much in terms of skills and spirit and

:03:36. > :03:40.remains a hidden gem in terms of the contribution that it could make to

:03:41. > :03:43.our economy and society. Its character and its resilience shown

:03:44. > :03:47.is so strongly through the towns and villages of our mining communities

:03:48. > :03:52.and beyond. Attributes that I have seen it continued to hold its

:03:53. > :03:57.ground, its head high, but it deserves to make much better

:03:58. > :04:00.progress. And so I ask myself, what can we all do differently in this

:04:01. > :04:05.House to stop repeating the history and that quote and sentiment of Adam

:04:06. > :04:11.Smith? The many talents of this House cannot turn the tide for our

:04:12. > :04:14.most deprived communities, I remember him saying. I rarely say

:04:15. > :04:18.that our political will does not match the spirit and resilience of

:04:19. > :04:23.the communities that will represent. Today we are discussing education

:04:24. > :04:26.and local services, two enable us for people in my constituency and

:04:27. > :04:31.yours for a better life for themselves and their families. For

:04:32. > :04:35.the previous five years I've been an elected councillor in Fife, and no

:04:36. > :04:40.the life changing and life-saving services that are by local

:04:41. > :04:46.authorities. Yet these life bridging services are being systematically

:04:47. > :04:49.dismantled and eroded, leaving investment in people, communities

:04:50. > :04:56.and infrastructure flawed and fragmented. It was Winston Churchill

:04:57. > :04:59.who expressed concerns over harsh access of accumulated capital, and

:05:00. > :05:04.the gaping sorrows of the millions. And so, as we discussed these life

:05:05. > :05:07.changing issues today, I'd put it to the House, is it therefore not our

:05:08. > :05:12.duty to try something new? And what would be the harm in that? So, back

:05:13. > :05:16.to the start and the issues we discussed by my predecessors in her

:05:17. > :05:21.coldly and Cowdenbeath and the issues that we are debating today.

:05:22. > :05:25.Are we accepting of the notion that the poor are always with us, or are

:05:26. > :05:30.we prepared to take a different path? Again, what would be the harm

:05:31. > :05:36.in that? Let me close today by once again quoting Sir Winston Churchill.

:05:37. > :05:40.The state must increasingly and earnestly concern itself with the

:05:41. > :05:45.care of the sick, the aged and the young. The state must increasingly

:05:46. > :05:51.assumed the position of the reserve employee of labour. For the sake of

:05:52. > :05:55.the people of our coldly and Cowdenbeath and communities across

:05:56. > :05:58.the country, Isas dearly hope we will all seize this moment to stop

:05:59. > :06:02.repeating the mistakes of history and look to find new ways to regain

:06:03. > :06:12.a sense of society and opportunity for all. Mr Geoffrey Clifton Brown.

:06:13. > :06:17.Mr Baptiste speaker, may I start by paying a sincere tribute for the

:06:18. > :06:20.honourable lady. She will sincerely and diligently represent her

:06:21. > :06:24.constituents. May I also pay tribute to Mike new honourable friend the

:06:25. > :06:27.member for Aberdeen South. It is great to have both members in this

:06:28. > :06:34.House, it sends a clear message to the people of Scotland that there

:06:35. > :06:38.will be most unlikely a referendum to divide this united nation. I am

:06:39. > :06:42.grateful to see them both in this House. Mr Deputy Speaker, I would

:06:43. > :06:44.like to start whether honourable member for Glasgow North West

:06:45. > :06:48.started and pay tribute to my teachers and governors in my

:06:49. > :06:53.schools, because they do a great job on behalf of our children in this

:06:54. > :06:58.country. I was delighted to see in our manifesto that we pledged to

:06:59. > :07:02.spend an extra ?4 billion on education over the course of this

:07:03. > :07:10.Parliament. That is an increase in real terms, so there is no reason

:07:11. > :07:12.why any school budget in England and Wales would actually decrease.

:07:13. > :07:15.Before I get reprimanded by my honourable friend for Gainsborough,

:07:16. > :07:18.I am with him absolutely, we have to live him within our means. Austerity

:07:19. > :07:22.only means living within our means. But I think we have been struggling

:07:23. > :07:27.in this House to long with an education funding formula that is

:07:28. > :07:32.unfair, in Gloucestershire, we see a differential of funding at least age

:07:33. > :07:37.three where our children get ?3700 per pupil. Whereas in the highest

:07:38. > :07:43.spending London authority, they get 7200. That is a differential of

:07:44. > :07:46.?3400. That cannot be fair, Mr Deputy Speaker. And I think that the

:07:47. > :07:53.new funding formula that we have announced in our manifesto will go a

:07:54. > :08:01.long way to ending that unfairness. And I was ferrying courage by the

:08:02. > :08:04.answer that my honourable friend Secretary of State for Education

:08:05. > :08:09.gave that it did seem that she was well on top of this problem. And

:08:10. > :08:13.when she publishes proposals, I believe that they well be fairer to

:08:14. > :08:17.low funded errors like Gloucestershire. Under the published

:08:18. > :08:22.thousands in the last Parliament, I heard from one of my head teachers

:08:23. > :08:26.that they were going to cut ?400,000 off their budget, that was losing 14

:08:27. > :08:31.teachers. I say, Mr Deputy Speaker, that is unacceptable for the

:08:32. > :08:37.children of our county. And I want every child in this country, whether

:08:38. > :08:40.they be from nursery school through postgraduate training courses in

:08:41. > :08:44.their university, to have the very best education in the world, because

:08:45. > :08:48.that is the way that this country is going to succeed throughout the

:08:49. > :08:53.world in raising its productivity which will increase trade. And I pay

:08:54. > :08:56.a very sincere tribute to both of my neighbours in Gloucestershire for

:08:57. > :08:59.the bus might things that they have done, one each. My honourable friend

:09:00. > :09:04.for Cheltenham has done so much for the real prospect of a cyber path to

:09:05. > :09:09.Cheltenham. That will bring huge opportunities for our talented and

:09:10. > :09:12.bright youngsters. And my honourable neighbour for Gloucester has also

:09:13. > :09:16.brought a university training college to our university in

:09:17. > :09:20.Gloucester for nurses. Again, another real prospect for our

:09:21. > :09:24.youngsters. These are the sorts of opportunities that I want to see in

:09:25. > :09:28.our country today. Mr Deputy Speaker, there is a lot to do in

:09:29. > :09:31.education, there is a lot to be explained where this money is going

:09:32. > :09:37.to be raised for our schools. I think we went to the children of

:09:38. > :09:41.this country. We want to be the very world best for education in this

:09:42. > :09:44.country, we welcome the new technical institutions and the new T

:09:45. > :09:48.levels and we want to have workplace visas for all of the brightest and

:09:49. > :09:53.best for doing is to come here from around the world. Thank you.

:09:54. > :10:05.Can I start by congratulating my two Honourable friends for magnificent

:10:06. > :10:11.speeches. Far more magnificent than the man for Aberdeen South. But I

:10:12. > :10:15.congratulate him also. We saw, the complete difference in the way the

:10:16. > :10:20.three presented their cases that this Parliament is at its best when

:10:21. > :10:25.it is diverse and that is what we have in this Parliament, more than

:10:26. > :10:28.we have ever seen before. I worry about this country. We are facing

:10:29. > :10:33.probably the biggest challenge since the Second World War, yet we have a

:10:34. > :10:40.Prime Minister, who I believe, has shown herself to have a tin ear. Her

:10:41. > :10:44.authority is in tatters, she has no mandate and sheep ate in the cannot

:10:45. > :10:49.carry the country. She is like a massive oil tanker holes beneath the

:10:50. > :10:53.water line. She cannot proceed apace, she cannot turn around and

:10:54. > :10:58.everyone knows in this chamber and the country, she is doomed to sing,

:10:59. > :11:02.it is just a question of when it is going to happen. Could there be any

:11:03. > :11:09.clearer sign of the vacuum at the heart of this government than this

:11:10. > :11:14.Queen's Speech. This isn't a Queen's Speech, it would barely qualify as a

:11:15. > :11:19.queen's intervention. It is not worth the valance that it's written

:11:20. > :11:25.on. We have become a country who believes that we can have our cake

:11:26. > :11:30.and eat it. We want Swedish levels of health care, but US tax levels to

:11:31. > :11:36.paper it. We want cheap fruit but we don't want migrants to come to this

:11:37. > :11:40.country to serve it. We want office is clean, bedsores dressed and our

:11:41. > :11:48.grandparents cared for by learned not prepared to pay for that. In

:11:49. > :11:53.Grenfell, we saw the horror of leaving everything to the market.

:11:54. > :11:58.Cost-cutting has a human price. But every single one of us has a housing

:11:59. > :12:04.estate we feel ashamed of. Let's hope we hope there will never be

:12:05. > :12:09.another fire like Grenfell, but in every state and in every miserable

:12:10. > :12:12.flat with mould growing on the walls, children grow up

:12:13. > :12:17.undernourished and unable to achieve their full potential and people die

:12:18. > :12:27.before their time. It is not a tragedy that will ever get on the

:12:28. > :12:30.front page of the newspapers but it is a daily tragedy we could all

:12:31. > :12:34.prevent. Let us hope we never hear again those words, health and safety

:12:35. > :12:40.gone mad. You simply cannot get a fully functioning, modern society on

:12:41. > :12:45.the cheap. Ministers are saying the NHS, it is all the fault of the

:12:46. > :12:50.public. All my constituents want is a functioning local surgery where

:12:51. > :12:54.they can get an appointment. Unfortunately the government's

:12:55. > :13:03.relentless assaults on the NHS means fewer and fewer doctors will not

:13:04. > :13:11.consider working as a GP. France spends $4959 per head on health care

:13:12. > :13:16.in 2014. We spent only $3935. The point is we cannot have our cake and

:13:17. > :13:22.eat it. You cannot get a first-class flight if you only pay the economy.

:13:23. > :13:27.You could not get a Scandinavian NHS if you only pay US taxes. And you

:13:28. > :13:31.cannot get our national finances back in order by slash and burn

:13:32. > :13:36.economics. The government should know this. After all, they have

:13:37. > :13:41.repeatedly failed to meet their own targets on the deficit and debt.

:13:42. > :13:45.Deliberately attempting to get the proportional income down,

:13:46. > :13:50.deliberately creating a smaller state is wrong headed ideological

:13:51. > :13:57.crime era. It has a terrible human cost and it will never get our House

:13:58. > :14:02.back in order. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak today. It is a

:14:03. > :14:08.pleasure to follow the member for ronde. I think, actually! I would

:14:09. > :14:11.like to congratulate those members who have made very passionate maiden

:14:12. > :14:17.speeches today. In particular I would like to congratulate my

:14:18. > :14:25.honourable friend, the member for Aberdeen South on his excellent

:14:26. > :14:30.maiden speech. As a strong advocate for vocational education, including

:14:31. > :14:33.apprenticeships, I do welcome the major reforms, including the Queen's

:14:34. > :14:38.Speech looking at technical education. It is with this in mind I

:14:39. > :14:46.am disappointed by the decision by South Staffordshire college to close

:14:47. > :14:50.the Cannock campus. Once the Cannock Chase mining and technical College,

:14:51. > :14:54.the college has been at the heart of the Cannock town centre and serve

:14:55. > :14:58.the many generations. Despite millions of pounds spent on a

:14:59. > :15:03.revamped in 2013, which meant it was one of the best sites in the country

:15:04. > :15:11.with some state-of-the-art technology, student numbers reducing

:15:12. > :15:18.has meant the decision has been made to close this particular site. I do

:15:19. > :15:22.however welcome the college's commitment to proceed with a retail

:15:23. > :15:28.training facility at the new designer Outlet Village. Helping to

:15:29. > :15:32.train a new generation of General retailers. In the meantime I hope

:15:33. > :15:37.the college will look at ways they can maintain a presence in the town

:15:38. > :15:42.centre, as plans are developed for this campus. Given the levels of

:15:43. > :15:47.investment in the campus, it is essential any future plans make the

:15:48. > :15:50.very most of these extra facilities. Given its position in the heart of

:15:51. > :15:57.the town centre, the plans for the site need to be part of a wider

:15:58. > :16:02.regeneration plan for the town centre. Similarly, we need to look

:16:03. > :16:05.at the opportunities the redevelopment of the power station

:16:06. > :16:11.site, presents in terms of the regeneration of Rugeley town centre.

:16:12. > :16:17.As I have said many times before, I want to ensure we have ambitious,

:16:18. > :16:24.bold and visionary plans for the future of Rugeley and make sure it

:16:25. > :16:28.is a prosperous future. I would like to know briefly turned my attention

:16:29. > :16:33.to the electric vehicles built. I welcome news to increase the number

:16:34. > :16:36.of charging points and do hope I will see an increase of these

:16:37. > :16:43.facilities across Cannock Chase. While Staffordshire County Council

:16:44. > :16:47.have, in partnership with the local, sustainable transport fund and

:16:48. > :16:52.plugged in places West Midlands, has installed charging points in

:16:53. > :16:55.Stafford, I am afraid my constituency is lagging behind. If

:16:56. > :16:59.we want to have a change in the terms of adoption of electric

:17:00. > :17:10.vehicles, we must make public charging points more readily

:17:11. > :17:14.available. And finally, with 69% of voters in Cannock Chase voting to

:17:15. > :17:18.leave the EU, I welcome the legislation that will be brought

:17:19. > :17:24.forward to deliver on the referendum result. As the government sets out

:17:25. > :17:30.to get the best possible Brexit deal and build a new relationship with

:17:31. > :17:37.our partners in the EU. Thank you. Maiden speech, Leila Moran. It is a

:17:38. > :17:41.great honour to make my maiden speech following so many eloquent

:17:42. > :17:46.and passionate speakers. It is a greater honour to do so in an

:17:47. > :17:51.education debate, as a teacher, educationalist and my party's

:17:52. > :17:56.spokesperson on this issue. I was reminded by the speaker himself out

:17:57. > :18:00.my swearing in that some clever people indeed have represented

:18:01. > :18:06.Oxford West and Abingdon before me. Nicola Blackford is capable

:18:07. > :18:11.advocate, while we disagreed a much, there is one point we agreed

:18:12. > :18:15.absolutely that the people of this constituency deserve and demand the

:18:16. > :18:19.highest level of constituency representation. I pay tribute to the

:18:20. > :18:24.former member for her genuine, heartfelt commitment to the area and

:18:25. > :18:28.I promised my constituents they will always be at the centre of my heart

:18:29. > :18:35.while I am here. Prior to Nicola, I am sure you remember Doctor Evan

:18:36. > :18:40.Harris, who inspired me, to his fearless advocacy for progressive

:18:41. > :18:45.evidence -based arguments, many others would have avoided. I am now

:18:46. > :18:49.proud to call him my friend. Both of these predecessors were also

:18:50. > :18:54.enthusiastic proponents of science and as a maths and physics teacher,

:18:55. > :19:00.I intend to do just the same. Now, I may just be the luckiest woman in

:19:01. > :19:04.the world to represent the beautiful, historically important

:19:05. > :19:07.constituency of Oxford West and Abingdon. To the North sits

:19:08. > :19:19.Kidlington and surrounding villages. Kidlington itself

:19:20. > :19:23.is one of the largest villages in England and proud of this status.

:19:24. > :19:25.The the stunning North Oxford, the home of ten Oxford colleges and the

:19:26. > :19:28.horns of many Oxford Brookes students as well. The community is

:19:29. > :19:29.passionate and active and I look forward to receiving their numerous

:19:30. > :19:35.e-mails and letters replete with footnoted references. And then to

:19:36. > :19:38.the villages further south, large and small, each with their charm and

:19:39. > :19:44.strong community spirit. Last, but not least, the ancient market town

:19:45. > :19:49.of Abingdon. Some say a contender for the oldest town in England.

:19:50. > :19:56.Rubbish, it is the oldest time, Colchester, go away and try harder.

:19:57. > :20:02.It is a very special area, full of remarkable, talented people but like

:20:03. > :20:06.all communities we face our share of challenges, flooding, unaffordable

:20:07. > :20:10.housing, underinvestment in public transport, notably cycling and buses

:20:11. > :20:14.feature frequently, but none more than the 834 and many will know

:20:15. > :20:19.about the cross-party fight to secure the funding for the Lodge

:20:20. > :20:23.Hill junction. I can promise I will never let up on these local issues

:20:24. > :20:31.or any other. But the most recent grassroots campaigns were on the

:20:32. > :20:34.closures of children's centres. And the crisis in schools funding, led

:20:35. > :20:37.by parents in the Oxfordshire fairer funding group. This brings me back

:20:38. > :20:42.to the theme of this debate. I am here because I have a burning

:20:43. > :20:47.passion that every child, no matter their background should have a fair

:20:48. > :20:53.chance of making the best of this world. This passion was ignited when

:20:54. > :20:57.I was shocked and ashamed to learn this country, this great nation, a

:20:58. > :21:02.member of the G-7 that this is not the case. I have lived in countries

:21:03. > :21:07.like Ethiopia, Jamaica and Jordan, where such inequalities might be

:21:08. > :21:13.more understandable, but here we have no excuse. Such inequality is

:21:14. > :21:17.simply wrong. Which is why I am so concerned by the government's

:21:18. > :21:28.interpretation of fairer funding. I have been a primary school governor

:21:29. > :21:31.for the last two years and have seen the figures. There is a funding

:21:32. > :21:33.crisis, make no mistake and unless more real terms funding is found,

:21:34. > :21:36.the next go to go is teachers. With fewer teachers there will be fewer

:21:37. > :21:40.one-to-one interactions with the struggling students we will know

:21:41. > :21:44.will make the difference to them. I end by asking this House this, is

:21:45. > :21:49.there anything more important than the support and the love we give to

:21:50. > :21:54.the youngest in our society? After all, they may be sat here looking

:21:55. > :21:59.after us. I beseech the government, in this time of great uncertainty,

:22:00. > :22:04.let's make sure we give them everything we possibly can to help

:22:05. > :22:13.them and by extension, all of us, succeed. Can I congratulate the

:22:14. > :22:17.honourable lady for such a powerful and gracious, eloquent speech. It

:22:18. > :22:20.was a powerful reminder of the great talent that exists in our teaching

:22:21. > :22:26.profession, which I am pleased to say is in this House. I am sure she

:22:27. > :22:30.will agree with me, and with Benjamin Disraeli who said, upon the

:22:31. > :22:34.education of the people in this country, the fate of this country

:22:35. > :22:45.depends. What applies then, applies now. There is no better... As a

:22:46. > :22:50.nation we can take pride in acknowledging there are now a total

:22:51. > :22:56.of 6.6 million young people in good or outstanding schools, that is up

:22:57. > :23:03.by 1.8 million since 2010, an increase of 35%. There are now more

:23:04. > :23:07.than 140 7000, six-year-old is on track to become confident readers

:23:08. > :23:12.ban in 2012. What a remarkable achievement by schools, teachers and

:23:13. > :23:15.governors. I want to play particular tribute to teachers in my

:23:16. > :23:21.constituency. They followed their calling and give a huge amount of

:23:22. > :23:25.themselves. Teachers in schools like singer agrees which takes children

:23:26. > :23:29.from Eastern European backgrounds and fosters a tolerant and unified

:23:30. > :23:35.society in Cheltenham. Another school sent 50% of its students to

:23:36. > :23:38.university and another one address challenges in the past and is now

:23:39. > :23:41.going from strength to strength. What is so remarkable about these

:23:42. > :23:47.achievements is the funding context in which they have been achieved.

:23:48. > :23:50.For decades, Cheltenham schools have been underfunded, compared to the

:23:51. > :24:01.national average. It is not by a small sum. In 2014 the schools block

:24:02. > :24:07.allocation was ?1995. The average was ?4495. Yet we have it situation

:24:08. > :24:10.where one honourable member on the opposite bench was complaining that

:24:11. > :24:17.funding in her constituency was planned to rise from just over

:24:18. > :24:22.?5,400 up to ?5,500. Those figures, which in Cheltenham, we can only

:24:23. > :24:25.dream of. They amount to just under 30% more. If I turned up to a

:24:26. > :24:32.meeting with headteachers in Cheltenham with an additional 30% in

:24:33. > :24:36.funding, I would be welcomed like Moses. All of this would be

:24:37. > :24:41.tolerable if the cost pressures were manageable, but they are not. There

:24:42. > :24:44.is salary increases, increases to National Insurance and so on. It is

:24:45. > :24:49.so welcome that the government is facing up to this injustice,

:24:50. > :24:54.unravelling this formula and starting from first principles is a

:24:55. > :24:57.task of almost unimaginable complexity. Lesser statesman than my

:24:58. > :25:01.right honourable friend would have run a mile, but she has taken up the

:25:02. > :25:08.challenge and has already delivered meaningful improvements with 390

:25:09. > :25:11.million put into the baseline. But it is the case the current proposal

:25:12. > :25:14.officials have come up with those needs surgery, turning first to be

:25:15. > :25:18.impact, although Cheltenham gains over all from the proposals, the way

:25:19. > :25:24.the cake is divided up creates distorted outcomes and risks

:25:25. > :25:28.fostering resentments. Some schools do very well, but others actually

:25:29. > :25:34.use and these are schools located near to each other. All this risks

:25:35. > :25:37.creating a situation where geographic inequity is replaced by

:25:38. > :25:44.neighbourhood geographic inequity, so regional Innoko the with

:25:45. > :25:47.neighbourhood inequity. He's making a very good point by the way in

:25:48. > :25:53.which the funding system was going to work, but during the election,

:25:54. > :25:57.the government made it clear that no school would receive less money than

:25:58. > :25:59.it is currently giving. This should give all our schools in

:26:00. > :26:05.Gloucestershire and elsewhere in us confidence for the future?

:26:06. > :26:13.This is precisely the point, and it was a welcome point include in the

:26:14. > :26:16.manifesto. Ensuring we don't have a situation where there is a risk of

:26:17. > :26:23.potential segment being created. If that were to happen, schools in

:26:24. > :26:27.Britain may retreat to their core subject and other subjects might

:26:28. > :26:31.suffer. What we need is a funding settlement which allows all schools

:26:32. > :26:36.to provide a full and rounded education, not just which are by

:26:37. > :26:39.able to satisfy the criteria for funding, the core funding must be

:26:40. > :26:45.sufficient to achieve that goal. In conclusion, we need a funding

:26:46. > :26:48.settlement which consolidates the extraordinary progress that has been

:26:49. > :26:53.made over the last seven years and lays the ground for more still. The

:26:54. > :26:58.prize is great. If we get this right, the funding for education --

:26:59. > :27:06.the future for education in Cheltenham and our country can be

:27:07. > :27:09.even brighter still. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Could I begin by

:27:10. > :27:15.paying tribute to the honourable member for Oxford West and Abingdon

:27:16. > :27:22.for the eloquent maiden speech. And previously to my honourable friends

:27:23. > :27:25.for the enthusiasm and commitment that they clearly will bring to

:27:26. > :27:30.representing their constituents in this Parliament and I congratulate

:27:31. > :27:33.them on their success as well. Mr Deputy Speaker, not a single mention

:27:34. > :27:38.in the Queen's speech about global governance or the service it

:27:39. > :27:42.provides, not a single mention. This is the area of public service with

:27:43. > :27:50.the biggest cuts since 2010 of any area. A 4% cut in real terms in

:27:51. > :27:54.local government spending. That is what we have seen since 2010, yet

:27:55. > :27:59.not a single mention of the issues. During the election campaign, my

:28:00. > :28:05.constituents raised with me concerned about long waits to see a

:28:06. > :28:10.GP, cuts in school budgets, delays in police attending, fewer police

:28:11. > :28:15.officers. They also raised concerns about schemes that cannot be

:28:16. > :28:18.enacted, over 500 in a list that Sheffield City Council has got.

:28:19. > :28:23.Playground equipment that cannot be replaced because there is not any

:28:24. > :28:26.money. 2000 libraries run by volunteers because the permanent

:28:27. > :28:31.staff are not there any more. And of course about the crisis in social

:28:32. > :28:34.care funding as well. It appears the message we are getting back is,

:28:35. > :28:39.austerity continues, unless of course you live in Northern Ireland.

:28:40. > :28:41.We also have no mention in the Queen's speech about devolution.

:28:42. > :28:47.This was ace that jittery policy, wasn't it not, of the previous

:28:48. > :28:50.Chancellor. -- no word about devolution. Is the Government

:28:51. > :28:52.committed to deepening the devolution arrangements that are

:28:53. > :28:59.already in place Klassiker is it committed to extending them to other

:29:00. > :29:04.areas? I accept it is the region's fault we haven't got further than we

:29:05. > :29:06.have so far. The last Minister for the Northern Powerhouse was

:29:07. > :29:11.extremely helpful in that regard. But is the Government open to new

:29:12. > :29:15.deals coming forward? I have to mention the 100% business rate

:29:16. > :29:18.retention scheme, part of the local government finance bill. The second

:29:19. > :29:23.reading of the bill, the Minister referred to this as a revolutionary

:29:24. > :29:28.measure. I quote the words he used. Now, I always thought the Minister

:29:29. > :29:31.in his place was an unlikely revolutionary! But nevertheless, he

:29:32. > :29:36.does seem to have run away rather quickly at the first sound of

:29:37. > :29:39.electioneering gunfire. What has happened to the measurable's the

:29:40. > :29:45.Government still committed to it or have they given up on fiscal

:29:46. > :29:49.devolution as well? Coming back to social care funding, Mr Deputy

:29:50. > :29:52.Speaker. Before the election, the Government promised a green paper.

:29:53. > :29:56.Now they are promising an saltation. I think they probably worked out now

:29:57. > :30:00.that quick fixes in the middle of an election do not work for social care

:30:01. > :30:02.funding. Will they come back to the idea of a Select Committee raised

:30:03. > :30:08.before the election of having a cross-party attempt to bring about

:30:09. > :30:13.an agreement we can all sign up to say that we get a permanent solution

:30:14. > :30:18.in place for the future,? Finally, coming back to the issue that I

:30:19. > :30:20.raised yesterday, where local authorities and housing associations

:30:21. > :30:25.going to go if they end up with great new bills because of the need

:30:26. > :30:29.to actually carry out essential and urgent work to tower blocks? Local

:30:30. > :30:33.councils and housing associations cannot raise rents. They are

:30:34. > :30:37.restricted by the Government rules in place to control them. Local

:30:38. > :30:42.authorities cannot borrow more, they are restricted by a government cap.

:30:43. > :30:46.If a local authority gets a new bill, it hasn't got some mystical

:30:47. > :30:50.reserves it can go to. All it can do is cut other programmes of the

:30:51. > :30:53.maintenance of other parts of its housing stock. What an awful

:30:54. > :30:57.position for us to get into. Trying to trail with an urgent problem in

:30:58. > :31:01.tower blocks, we end up cutting the maintenance to all the other social

:31:02. > :31:04.housing stock. For sake, come forward with a comprehensive funding

:31:05. > :31:06.arrangement to deal with this problem. Maiden speech, Mr Luke

:31:07. > :31:15.Graham. Thank you very much, Mr Deputy

:31:16. > :31:19.Speaker. It is with enthusiasm and humility that arise to make my

:31:20. > :31:23.maiden speech in representing the constituency of Ochil and south

:31:24. > :31:28.Kirchhoff. Mike and easy as is founded -- my enthusiasm is founded

:31:29. > :31:32.upon the opportunity for being the first Conservative and Unionists

:31:33. > :31:40.representative to represent here since 1931. And my humility is based

:31:41. > :31:43.on the faith that constituents have placed in me and my party to deliver

:31:44. > :31:50.progress for them during this Parliament. I picked up the baton, I

:31:51. > :31:52.pay tribute to my predecessor's work on equality and international issues

:31:53. > :31:58.and hope to continue raising awareness of these issues. I would

:31:59. > :32:03.like to pay tribute to Gordon Banks, the first MP of Ochil and South

:32:04. > :32:07.Persia, who has tirelessly worked on constituents' issues and he achieved

:32:08. > :32:16.with such dedication his work that he is still talked about on the

:32:17. > :32:19.doorsteps today. Mr Deputy Speaker, Mike so that my constituency is

:32:20. > :32:27.large and diverse and formed of three distinct communities. It is

:32:28. > :32:33.right to start with its breathtaking views, best observed from the

:32:34. > :32:38.villages. Before moving to Kinross, where find local businesses like

:32:39. > :32:44.hunters unorthodox roasters and heaven sent as well as Rachel House,

:32:45. > :32:47.Scotland's first job in hospice, reside. Furthermore, Kinross-shire

:32:48. > :32:53.plays host to the current Grand National winner, won four of. You

:32:54. > :32:58.know who to back in a tight race! South Persia is renowned for its

:32:59. > :33:05.agricultural heritage, boasting crops, livestock, and a fine

:33:06. > :33:14.collection of distilleries, however, it's not just farming and whisky.

:33:15. > :33:18.South Perthshire provided two Star Wars actors! I will let members of

:33:19. > :33:22.the House decide who provided the greatest service to the United

:33:23. > :33:29.Kingdom! South Perthshire's scenery wind infections and boasts the

:33:30. > :33:35.Gleneagles hotel -- wins affections. Colleagues have more than one excuse

:33:36. > :33:38.to visit our constituency. With Highland Spring based in Blackford,

:33:39. > :33:45.we not only can provide your whisky, we can give you the water too. You

:33:46. > :33:48.can reach Clackmannanshire, the weak country with a big heart.

:33:49. > :33:52.Clackmannanshire has a proud industrial part in mining, paper

:33:53. > :33:58.manufacturer, Mills and by Rees. Well some of the injuries have now

:33:59. > :34:04.moved on, -- breweries. The glassworks continue to complement

:34:05. > :34:07.the whisky and water from the North. Clackmannanshire may have earned is

:34:08. > :34:11.name the wee County from its boundary lines, but it has the

:34:12. > :34:14.landscape, the people and the ambition to show that it's not the

:34:15. > :34:20.size but it's what you do with it that counts. In a diverse

:34:21. > :34:24.constituency like mine, connectivity is a key issue, therefore I intend

:34:25. > :34:28.to use my time in this House to improve the connectivity whether it

:34:29. > :34:33.being the form of rural broadband, mobile phone signal or greater

:34:34. > :34:38.infrastructure to connect our constituency with the rest of the

:34:39. > :34:42.UK. But it is not just roads, rails and wires that our constituency

:34:43. > :34:46.needs. It requires more social connectivity, and we must look to

:34:47. > :34:51.combine inward investment with initiatives to build social capital

:34:52. > :34:56.in areas of deprivation so we can improve social mobility. Mr Deputy

:34:57. > :35:01.Speaker, more and more politics seem to be calling on anger and outrage

:35:02. > :35:06.to solve the problems we face. This is understandable. Anger is an easy

:35:07. > :35:10.emotion, but it masks the year. The rapid changes of the 21st-century,

:35:11. > :35:14.Britain can make people afraid. Rather than calling for a day of

:35:15. > :35:21.rage, I hope to call for days of courage. Courage to face the test of

:35:22. > :35:26.globalisation and help recognise the opportunities that they provide.

:35:27. > :35:29.Courage to face the challenges of identity and nationhood whilst

:35:30. > :35:32.recognising the strength of our United Kingdom. And finally, the

:35:33. > :35:37.courage to stand behind our political conviction but know when

:35:38. > :35:40.it is best to stretch our hand across the aisle to work together

:35:41. > :35:46.for the betterment of our communities. Clackmannanshire has

:35:47. > :35:50.recently adopted the motto, more than you can imagine. I hope to hold

:35:51. > :35:55.true to this motto. Although lofty and bats naive, I hope to work with

:35:56. > :36:00.others in this House to achieve more than we and certainly the public

:36:01. > :36:06.have come to expect. Can I first of all congratulate the honourable

:36:07. > :36:11.member for Auckland South Persia. From his maiden speech I think his

:36:12. > :36:15.constituents will recognise they have a worthy champion of the area.

:36:16. > :36:19.And certainly his knowledge of the area, I think we were all interested

:36:20. > :36:22.to hear about it. I was interested in his knowledge about the Grand

:36:23. > :36:26.National winner. If he knows any racing tips before they run, perhaps

:36:27. > :36:32.he'd like Fabinho and I won't tell anybody else -- perhaps he'd like to

:36:33. > :36:39.let me know! Can I congratulate all of the other members who have made

:36:40. > :36:44.their maiden speeches. With the member for Oxford demonstrating

:36:45. > :36:49.their knowledge and interest and indeed their enthusiasm and

:36:50. > :36:53.knowledge that they will bring to Parliament for our debates here. Mr

:36:54. > :36:58.Deputy Speaker, in the brief time that I've got, the remarks I want to

:36:59. > :37:02.make, can I just say this... At a time when our country is divided, at

:37:03. > :37:08.a time when our country is crying out for a vision of the future, at a

:37:09. > :37:11.time when people are looking for policies which address some of the

:37:12. > :37:16.very real concerns they have in their lives, we have a vacuous

:37:17. > :37:22.Queen's speech which actually contains variable -- very little

:37:23. > :37:25.which addresses the real needs of the country. When you look at

:37:26. > :37:30.Brexit, whether Government is unclear as to how to move forward

:37:31. > :37:35.and comes forward for a number of bills but no clear strategy about

:37:36. > :37:37.the exit for this country from the European Union, still arguing about

:37:38. > :37:42.whether immigration should be the main priority when the country is

:37:43. > :37:47.clearly saying that jobs and beer, we should be right at the forefront

:37:48. > :37:52.of our negotiations, we have a Government which knows very little

:37:53. > :37:57.about which way it should, Howard should proceed. With a debate today,

:37:58. > :38:02.it is about schools and government services, where is the vision, Mr

:38:03. > :38:06.Deputy Speaker, for our schools? And where is the vision for our local

:38:07. > :38:13.government in the Queen's speech? There isn't any. Our schools, and we

:38:14. > :38:18.can argue about how we move forward or not, whether the pace of progress

:38:19. > :38:21.has been as quick as we want, nobody stands on an election manifesto of

:38:22. > :38:26.let's make our schools worse, but where's the vision for the

:38:27. > :38:32.government about teacher attempt -- repayment and recruitment. Schools

:38:33. > :38:35.struggle to get maths and science teachers. Where the policies that

:38:36. > :38:39.address the needs for ever better school leadership. Where are the

:38:40. > :38:42.policies to deal with how we ensure that Jordan with special needs,

:38:43. > :38:46.instead of their parents having to fight for a statement, to get the

:38:47. > :38:52.support that they need in schools, where is that? All of that is

:38:53. > :38:57.nonexistent. Let me also say to the Minister, the great plea that I've

:38:58. > :39:04.always made, on technical education, for 50 years, governments of all

:39:05. > :39:08.colours have wrestling with the problem of schools shortages in this

:39:09. > :39:12.country, it is not just a policy problem, it is a cultural problem in

:39:13. > :39:17.our society, which whatever anybody says about rhetoric about parity of

:39:18. > :39:23.esteem, still sees skills and vocational education as second rate.

:39:24. > :39:27.And until we address that as a nation, we will not overcome this

:39:28. > :39:31.problem. So I say again to the Government, and I say to this

:39:32. > :39:36.Parliament, this is a very real crisis of education in this country,

:39:37. > :39:41.and we should have a national campaign across parties to deal with

:39:42. > :39:45.it. Mr Deputy Speaker, in the 22nd that I've got left, you can say the

:39:46. > :39:49.same about local government. They have had their money splashed, and

:39:50. > :39:53.yet their expectation based upon them ever greater to deal with needs

:39:54. > :39:57.in their area. And whatever the rights or wrongs of the deal with my

:39:58. > :39:59.friends from the DUP, let no Government Minister ever come to

:40:00. > :40:04.that dispatch box again and say there is no money to meet the needs

:40:05. > :40:08.of constituents like mine and constituents like everyone across

:40:09. > :40:12.this country, or indeed it was a Queen's speech with real policy and

:40:13. > :40:17.real vision. What we got was a vacuous empty noise and nothing.

:40:18. > :40:23.Thank you, and it is a pleasure to be in this chamber and hear so many

:40:24. > :40:29.eloquent and powerful maiden speeches. A particular want to

:40:30. > :40:33.congratulate my friend the Member for South pack share who has shown

:40:34. > :40:37.he will be a powerful advocate for his constituents in this Parliament.

:40:38. > :40:41.It is a tremendous honour to have been re-elected by the people of

:40:42. > :40:46.editors Brewery to continue to represent our area's best interest

:40:47. > :40:50.in Parliament. Join the campaign school funding and our economic

:40:51. > :40:53.prosperity in the light of a changing relationship with the EU

:40:54. > :40:58.were questions concerning my constituents. Since first being

:40:59. > :41:03.elected in 2015 I have campaigned tirelessly for fairer school funding

:41:04. > :41:10.settlement were both my local authority is as members of the F 40,

:41:11. > :41:14.but 40 worst Bond councils in the country. -- the 40 worst Bond of

:41:15. > :41:18.councils in the country. I was optimistic that the government were

:41:19. > :41:22.finally tackling the unfairness in my constituency that's been

:41:23. > :41:25.entrenched over a period of 30 years, unfortunately the formula

:41:26. > :41:30.that was published was not sufficient to deal with that

:41:31. > :41:36.historic unfairness. I was encouraged by our manifesto

:41:37. > :41:42.commitment to boost schools funding and Iyers the government to target

:41:43. > :41:46.that extra funding at areas such as Cheshire that are undoubtably

:41:47. > :41:51.underfunded and to ensure that pupils thundered at the lower levels

:41:52. > :41:55.of the country receiver fairer funding settlement which brings them

:41:56. > :41:59.into line with those funded at far higher levels. My teachers are used

:42:00. > :42:04.to delivering more the less as they have been doing that for the last 30

:42:05. > :42:11.years. I would urge the government that now is the time to reduced this

:42:12. > :42:15.historic unfairness. It cannot be said enough that investment in

:42:16. > :42:21.education is imperative. The wider benefits for the individual and the

:42:22. > :42:26.Society of providing a world-class education system are innumerable and

:42:27. > :42:30.necessary. Necessary if we are to acquit our young people with the

:42:31. > :42:35.skills and knowledge to work in a global wealth. It must be stretched

:42:36. > :42:39.the Mee stressed that to put ourselves in a position to fund our

:42:40. > :42:44.schools and other public services we must achieve a well structured, well

:42:45. > :42:49.thought out and orderly exit from the European Union. In that regard

:42:50. > :42:52.transitional arrangements are imperative, reducing economic

:42:53. > :42:57.turbulence that would arise through the falling off the cliff edge of EU

:42:58. > :43:03.membership. The vote to leave last year can meet analysed in a number

:43:04. > :43:07.of ways, but the Chancellor has been absolutely right to say that the

:43:08. > :43:11.British people did not vote to make themselves poorer and that is why

:43:12. > :43:16.our economic interest must be at the heart of the approach to be

:43:17. > :43:21.negotiations. We need a stronger economy in order to invest in

:43:22. > :43:28.education and other local services, our NHS and to maintain fiscal

:43:29. > :43:32.responsibility. If we are to... We are likely to see extremely

:43:33. > :43:36.difficult economic circumstances. Even if we do manage to secure free

:43:37. > :43:42.trade agreement within the two-year period ahead we risk major shocks to

:43:43. > :43:46.the economy if we do not negotiate an appropriate transitional

:43:47. > :43:50.arrangement. The importance of providing certainty the business was

:43:51. > :43:54.rightly mentioned in the Queen's speech, whether that be access to

:43:55. > :43:58.markets across the year, having the confidence to invest or the ability

:43:59. > :44:04.to recruit gold workers, giving businesses more time to prepare but

:44:05. > :44:08.the significant shift in the economic landscape will give greater

:44:09. > :44:12.stability. It will allow us to retain a close relationship with

:44:13. > :44:16.your rope with frictionless trade we seek to find those new trade deals

:44:17. > :44:22.others are so optimistic will appear. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

:44:23. > :44:28.Maiden speech. Thank you for allowing me to make my maiden

:44:29. > :44:31.speech, today. Thank you also to the people of North west Dublin but

:44:32. > :44:36.allowing me to be here at all. I think it is apt that I should be

:44:37. > :44:41.called in this debate because before entering this House I work with

:44:42. > :44:45.schools, colleges and teachers were nine years. My predecessor dedicated

:44:46. > :44:50.her professional applet could create to education. It could be halved the

:44:51. > :44:54.friend and ally to schools in not Westboro Rome that Pat Glass has

:44:55. > :45:00.been and I will be doing very well. Pat Glass leaves a brand-new

:45:01. > :45:05.secondary school as one important legacy of her time here, even in

:45:06. > :45:09.opposition she managed to prise bonding for a school from a former

:45:10. > :45:14.Education Secretary which I believe took the energy of a line hunting a

:45:15. > :45:19.gazelle. I and others are truly grateful for all that she did but

:45:20. > :45:25.the constituency and I wish her well and have Timon. North wedge doll is

:45:26. > :45:30.the most magnificence of places, -- North West Dublin is the most

:45:31. > :45:36.magnificent of places. The green lush countryside is breathtaking

:45:37. > :45:40.peppered with farms, the richness of our culture and history is

:45:41. > :45:45.astounding. The people are hard workers proud and strong. Some in

:45:46. > :45:49.here would have us painted in the North as uncultured, without

:45:50. > :45:54.finesse, as savages by think any people think that because they do

:45:55. > :45:58.not know our communities or our people. My constituents are the real

:45:59. > :46:02.wealth creators and they are people who make this nation great. If you

:46:03. > :46:08.want see one of the world finest cultural traditions look no further

:46:09. > :46:12.than Durham miners Gala, not in my constituency but it is an annual

:46:13. > :46:16.pilgrimage but many of my constituents, the biggest trade

:46:17. > :46:22.union gathering in Europe. It celebrates the best of solidarity

:46:23. > :46:27.and of struggle. North West Durham had a long and proud tradition of

:46:28. > :46:32.skilled work, dominated by steel production and becoming pronounced

:46:33. > :46:38.the thick red dust that covers the town. At its peak in the 1960s the

:46:39. > :46:42.steelworks provided jobs for some 6000 people, we had lead mines and

:46:43. > :46:48.hundreds of jobs in the thriving textiles industry. That industry was

:46:49. > :46:52.unfortunately left to decline, jobs and communities were not invested in

:46:53. > :46:57.an unemployment rose exponentially. Many are still living with the scars

:46:58. > :47:02.of that period, today. I will turn to this building which is

:47:03. > :47:05.intimidating, it reeks of the establishment and the power, its

:47:06. > :47:09.systems are confusing, so may say archaic and it was built at a time

:47:10. > :47:15.when my class and my sex would have been denied a place with in it

:47:16. > :47:19.because we are deemed unworthy. I believe that the intimidating nature

:47:20. > :47:23.of this place is not accidental, the clothes, the language, the obsession

:47:24. > :47:33.with hierarchies, control and domination is symbolic of the system

:47:34. > :47:36.at large. But, I think the most frustrating thing is being to sit

:47:37. > :47:38.opposite those people who tell me that things are better, that

:47:39. > :47:40.suffering has lessened by my constituents. I would like you to

:47:41. > :47:43.come and tell those people who've been sanctioned that, or the teacher

:47:44. > :47:48.in my constituency he was recently made redundant, I would like you to

:47:49. > :47:54.come and talk to the 16.5 thousand people in camp T-bill in the seat of

:47:55. > :47:58.the parcels. To the firefighters, to the nurses, to the junior doctors

:47:59. > :48:01.come and tell them that years our posterity have improved their

:48:02. > :48:05.practice or their profession. I learned with this, we can choose in

:48:06. > :48:11.this place to be self obsessed, to be a perpetrator of fear and greed,

:48:12. > :48:17.a monument to injustice or, it can be a place that elevates equality,

:48:18. > :48:20.facilitates the power of the people, esteems and properly fund a network

:48:21. > :48:23.of public services so that nobody is left in the indignity of poverty.

:48:24. > :48:31.Thank you. APPLAUSE

:48:32. > :48:37.May I congratulate the Honourable lady of the North West Durham, she

:48:38. > :48:40.will be a powerful advocate to her constituencies? May I also

:48:41. > :48:44.congratulate my honourable friend bought self perch and also Aberdeen

:48:45. > :48:53.South on some excellent maiden speeches. -- South pet share. I

:48:54. > :48:57.would like to thank the electors of Stafford Robert Henning made but

:48:58. > :49:04.even but the fact that they tend out in such numbers. 76% was one the

:49:05. > :49:08.highest. One thing I was is appointed about an election was that

:49:09. > :49:12.the economy was hardly mentioned, not just the economy but those

:49:13. > :49:15.people, those hard-working people up and down the country is not a great

:49:16. > :49:21.salaries, perhaps working from home, trying to juggle a small business

:49:22. > :49:24.along with looking after their family, and yet these along with all

:49:25. > :49:28.others, are the wealth creators in this country. They are the people on

:49:29. > :49:34.whom we were lied in order to have the tax is out of which public

:49:35. > :49:41.services are funded. Isa on whom we Will I in order. -- on whom we were

:49:42. > :49:44.life. Because we have a two-year parliament I do hope that some of

:49:45. > :49:50.the concerns that my constituents put before me on the doorstep can

:49:51. > :49:53.begin to be sorted out, in particular long-term funding

:49:54. > :49:57.settlements for health, social care and education. I believe, as I have

:49:58. > :50:01.said many times before in this place, we need to work across party

:50:02. > :50:05.to sort this out, we have two years now to start to do that and

:50:06. > :50:11.hopefully longer. As far as health and social care is concerned in my

:50:12. > :50:16.constituency, I believe we are in great pressure. We are being asked

:50:17. > :50:21.to tackle deficit which are in supportable. Of course that our

:50:22. > :50:26.office and that can be made but the funding is insufficient. We are

:50:27. > :50:32.asked to remove potentially one any macro out of three, simply cannot

:50:33. > :50:39.happen the other two could not cope. -- to remove potentially one any

:50:40. > :50:43.macro. In education, I would say Staffordshire is one of the poorest

:50:44. > :50:47.bonding county in England, we are down at the bottom. That has to

:50:48. > :50:55.change. It is not just a matter of the new formula, rubbing Peter to

:50:56. > :50:59.pay Paul, it is also a matter of putting more money in real terms

:51:00. > :51:07.into education. -- robbing Peter to pay Paul. I believe we have to use

:51:08. > :51:11.the additional revenues, potentially slightly higher taxes to pay that

:51:12. > :51:13.these things. The Liberal Democrats were at least honest in their

:51:14. > :51:19.manifesto saying that they had to raise taxes to pay for increased

:51:20. > :51:25.investment in health. One constituency point which I am afraid

:51:26. > :51:33.I will have two opposing the Queen 's speech is the HST phase two, it

:51:34. > :51:38.goes directly through my villages. It is unnecessary that it does so. I

:51:39. > :51:43.know there is a need for capacity, I'm not averse to a new line but the

:51:44. > :51:47.way in which this line has been designed is dreadful. It was because

:51:48. > :51:50.it has to go hundred kilometres an hour, there is no reason but the

:51:51. > :51:58.design to be that, it could be and better and have lost impact on

:51:59. > :52:01.constituencies if it was less kilometres per hour. On the European

:52:02. > :52:06.Union, my honourable friend said most of what I would like to say, I

:52:07. > :52:09.would like to make a few points... Firstly, the sweet and sensible

:52:10. > :52:13.transition, the economy and jobs first is the Chancellor has said,

:52:14. > :52:19.secondly, let us look at working together with others to form a new

:52:20. > :52:26.Common Market, perhaps based... Badly, let's welcome the offer from

:52:27. > :52:30.the European Parliament regarding European citizenship, why not? It is

:52:31. > :52:40.a generous offer. Finally, more student exchanges and more modern

:52:41. > :52:45.languages. Mr Speaker, firstly can I express my gratitude to you but

:52:46. > :52:49.calling me to give my maiden speech during this important debate? Is a

:52:50. > :52:53.pleasure to follow the honourable member of the Stafford. I feel so

:52:54. > :52:59.truly honoured and humbled to stand in this great chamber. The mother of

:53:00. > :53:03.all parliaments, and to represent my beautiful constituency as Unionist

:53:04. > :53:07.member of Belfast South. From the banks of the river as it reads

:53:08. > :53:15.through my constituency, I represent the wonderful people. Past the

:53:16. > :53:23.striking architecture of Queens University, through to the hills

:53:24. > :53:26.right up to carried off, our community is

:53:27. > :53:36.-- arginine South Belfast has the most diverse community in Northern

:53:37. > :53:42.Ireland. I represent a constituency of great depth and beauty. Of arts

:53:43. > :53:47.in academia, community history and celebration. We have many with

:53:48. > :53:49.relative wealth but we also have communities with challenges

:53:50. > :53:55.including educational underachievement. I give this

:53:56. > :53:58.promise that I will do my utmost to represent all within my

:53:59. > :54:04.constituency, to the very best of my ability. Mr Speaker, I stand here

:54:05. > :54:11.not just in my instead, but of so many generations of loyal all-star

:54:12. > :54:17.men and women who loved the union. -- all-star men and women. I think

:54:18. > :54:22.of my ancestors in particular of Mike great grandfather who went over

:54:23. > :54:29.the trenches of the psalm. The King and country and his love of Ulster.

:54:30. > :54:33.Many of my relatives fought for this country as proud all-star men

:54:34. > :54:37.freedom and democracy. The very same freedoms and country I will fight

:54:38. > :54:43.and defend with all that I have. I am very proud to be part of this

:54:44. > :54:49.incredible union. Not just proud but hugely privileged to be part of this

:54:50. > :54:54.great democracy. It defends our right to private believe, to public

:54:55. > :54:59.opinion and the sacred and protected ability to argue, discuss and

:55:00. > :55:04.persuade. Our democracy is born of the rights to all beliefs and views

:55:05. > :55:08.or to none at all. I believe that is the very thing that makes is great.

:55:09. > :55:13.I want to take the opportunity to send mice and say Best wishes to my

:55:14. > :55:17.predecessor, Doctor Alasdair McDonnell. He served his

:55:18. > :55:24.constituents well the many years and he made South Belfast what it is

:55:25. > :55:28.today. Just recently we remember Jo Cox, my thoughts are with her family

:55:29. > :55:32.and friends who undoubtably still feel her pain. I also look to my

:55:33. > :55:37.left and I see above the door the coats of arms of three more of our

:55:38. > :55:42.colleagues that were murdered, murdered by terrorism, the one

:55:43. > :55:45.closest to me is the Reverend Robert Bradford who represented my

:55:46. > :55:50.constituency of Belfast South and he was murdered by the IRA serving his

:55:51. > :55:56.constituents is. I am reminded of the words of the poet, history

:55:57. > :56:06.despite its wrenching pain cannot be alleged. But, it is utterly macro --

:56:07. > :56:12.but if faced with college need not be lived again. We must all be

:56:13. > :56:16.vigilant lest we go back to our horrid past. In conclusion, I want

:56:17. > :56:20.to stand but all of those who feel they have no voice by promoting

:56:21. > :56:23.those determined to build our economy and improve lives. Let us

:56:24. > :56:30.build on the strong foundations of the union of duty, sacrifice and

:56:31. > :56:34.service to celebrate and grow our great and glorious union. I look

:56:35. > :56:38.forward to being a champion the South Belfast and playing what part

:56:39. > :56:40.I can to build a peaceful, better and brighter future for the union

:56:41. > :56:49.and for all of the citizens. Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I pay

:56:50. > :56:53.tribute to the honourable lady for her remarks in her maiden speech,

:56:54. > :56:57.which was made in the finest traditions of the House. And also to

:56:58. > :57:01.my colleagues on these benches and indeed those on the Labour benches

:57:02. > :57:05.who have made their maiden speeches to date with great passion and

:57:06. > :57:09.conviction. It has made me think about my maiden speech. I talked

:57:10. > :57:13.about education in my maiden speech when I said that education holds the

:57:14. > :57:19.greatest hope for a life rich in promise. And I stand by those values

:57:20. > :57:24.today. I think we see the failings of education exposed in our economy

:57:25. > :57:27.in some parts of the country, and indeed in our prisons and hospitals.

:57:28. > :57:33.We should always readable life and is to make sure that education is

:57:34. > :57:39.better tomorrow than it is today. I was very lucky. I went to a local

:57:40. > :57:43.school in my constituency, a good comprehensive in North East

:57:44. > :57:47.Hampshire. But not everybody has the chance to do that. Not everybody has

:57:48. > :57:54.the chance to go to a school where excellence is encouraged. And though

:57:55. > :57:58.1.8 million more children or outstanding schools, we must also

:57:59. > :58:02.recognise that 1 million or instil adequate adequate or requires

:58:03. > :58:06.improvement schools. And that means that we must do better. I'm pleased

:58:07. > :58:11.that this Government under this Queen's speech will do just that.

:58:12. > :58:15.But it's not just about money, which was reference, fairer funding,

:58:16. > :58:19.absolutely right. It's also about the freedom to lead and leadership

:58:20. > :58:24.skills themselves. And that's why I'm done lighted that over 69,000

:58:25. > :58:30.places are being created in three schools -- I'm delighted. Across the

:58:31. > :58:34.country, we need to diversify the ability for local communities to set

:58:35. > :58:41.up schools that are right for them. That's part of course of an overall

:58:42. > :58:46.commitment that I hope will be honoured of creating 600,000 more

:58:47. > :58:51.places by 2021. 50 schools will be opened by September this year. And

:58:52. > :58:56.in the budget earlier this year, it was set out that 110 new free

:58:57. > :59:00.schools will be opened. I hope that North East Hampshire will be granted

:59:01. > :59:05.one of these new free schools in due course. Because we need, even in our

:59:06. > :59:10.most lovely of constituencies here in north-east capture that I

:59:11. > :59:14.represent, we need an improved education system. We need diversity

:59:15. > :59:17.in our education system. Because there are some children that are

:59:18. > :59:23.still going to schools that are just not good enough. In free schools, we

:59:24. > :59:28.see a way forward. We see that they can be the impetus for change. High

:59:29. > :59:32.performing schools with almost a third not rated just good but

:59:33. > :59:40.outstanding. This is what we need to drive for. Would he not agree with

:59:41. > :59:45.me that no type of school is a silver bullet? What makes a

:59:46. > :59:50.difference is Houthi teachers are, and particularly to the headteacher

:59:51. > :59:55.is -- who the teachers are. You can get poor council schools, poor free

:59:56. > :00:01.schools and poor academies, it is a very important lesson to learn. I

:00:02. > :00:04.thank the honourable lady for her comment and indeed I set that out at

:00:05. > :00:08.the beginning of my remarks, leadership skills are critical. I'm

:00:09. > :00:12.pleased that 80% of these free schools are being set up due to

:00:13. > :00:17.parental demand and are in places that need these new school places,

:00:18. > :00:23.including in places like Hampshire, I hope, in the future. Let me just

:00:24. > :00:28.say, an fairer funding, we do need to move further than we have done.

:00:29. > :00:39.The Government consultation is a very good start. It awarded North

:00:40. > :00:41.East Hampshire ?1.1 million more for our local schools, that's excellent

:00:42. > :00:43.news, dealing with the historic underfunding from the Labour Party

:00:44. > :00:45.when they were in government. It is wrong that children in Hampshire

:00:46. > :00:49.received less than elsewhere in this country. It is wrong that teachers

:00:50. > :00:54.in North East Hampshire get less than in fact even just next door in

:00:55. > :00:57.Surrey, where housing costs and the cost of living are lower. It is

:00:58. > :01:02.right that the Government continues to strive to make funding consistent

:01:03. > :01:08.and goes further to ensure that everybody gets a fair share. It's

:01:09. > :01:14.right, last of all, to focus on how we get there. And that's by making

:01:15. > :01:18.sure that our economy succeeds in the years ahead. Because it's only

:01:19. > :01:23.with a growing economy that we can put the funding into the services

:01:24. > :01:30.that we deserve and the next generation should be able to expect.

:01:31. > :01:35.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I start off by congratulating my honourable

:01:36. > :01:39.friends and the many other honourable members on the other

:01:40. > :01:45.benches for their maiden speeches. It's incredible. I remember how

:01:46. > :01:49.intimidating it was, and it's a great source of pride to see so many

:01:50. > :01:53.members on our side giving their maiden speech today. Mr >> Erin:

:01:54. > :01:57.This years Queen's speech the Government revealed a threadbare

:01:58. > :02:00.legislative programme with no majority, no mandate, no legitimacy,

:02:01. > :02:05.and propped up by a self-serving deal with the DUP costing at least

:02:06. > :02:10.?1 billion. Mr Speaker, I welcome the absence of the flagship Tory

:02:11. > :02:14.manifesto commitment such as grammar schools, cuts to the Winter fuel

:02:15. > :02:18.allowance, cuts to pensions and universal school meals and much

:02:19. > :02:23.else. Because the party opposite knows that they cannot get through

:02:24. > :02:27.the legislative programme through this Parliament. However, the

:02:28. > :02:30.Queen's speech has not gone far enough in shelving Tory manifesto

:02:31. > :02:34.pledges that would be damaging to our country. Nowhere is this clearer

:02:35. > :02:39.than in the squeeze in local services such as schools, nurseries,

:02:40. > :02:42.hospitals, GP surgeries, policing, housing and new services. And of

:02:43. > :02:47.course local authority budget cuts. Take the nationals funding formula,

:02:48. > :02:53.for example. The Government is yet to rule out the ?3 billion of cuts

:02:54. > :02:59.in our schools budgets. Schools in my constituency stand to lose ?905

:03:00. > :03:04.per pupil. That is 891 teachers across the borough and a cut of ?33

:03:05. > :03:08.million by 2020. Mr Speaker, where is the fairness in that? When we

:03:09. > :03:13.face some of the worst old poverty in the country, as well as

:03:14. > :03:15.inequality. Despite the challenges, teachers, the local authority and

:03:16. > :03:23.parents work together to transform our schools set inherited the worst

:03:24. > :03:28.in the country back in 1997. And now to the best in the country. But this

:03:29. > :03:34.Goverment's vindictive proposals seek to take away crucial resources

:03:35. > :03:39.will set that achievement back and put years of painstaking work to

:03:40. > :03:45.improve education attainment and promote social mobility at risk. So

:03:46. > :03:50.I urge the Government to reverse this proposed cut. Mr Speaker,

:03:51. > :03:54.nurseries also face severe funding cuts. Early years education is

:03:55. > :03:58.crucial, and yet a number of nurseries in my constituency face

:03:59. > :04:04.closure. I appeal to the Government to think again. On policing and

:04:05. > :04:06.other emergency services, our police and Fire Service and other emergency

:04:07. > :04:14.services not only deserve our praise for their bravery in light of the

:04:15. > :04:20.recent terror attacks and the fire in Grenfell Tower, but it also

:04:21. > :04:23.deserve recognition through increased pay and investment in

:04:24. > :04:28.these crucial services. That is why I appeal to the Government to

:04:29. > :04:35.reverse those cuts that they are proposing, including the 400 million

:04:36. > :04:38.policing cuts, in London, as well as having lost 20,000 police officers

:04:39. > :04:42.around the country, we stand to lose much more. And we have lost many

:04:43. > :04:50.police and community support officers. Mr Speaker, I want to end

:04:51. > :04:52.my remarks with an urgent appeal to the Government to make an

:04:53. > :04:58.unambiguous commitment to invest the necessary funds to ensure safety

:04:59. > :05:03.checks in our schools, housing and hospitals and all buildings that

:05:04. > :05:09.require it in light of the recent fire in Grenfell Tower in which

:05:10. > :05:13.lives were lost needlessly. And the Government must act now to

:05:14. > :05:17.strengthen the powers of the housing regulator, so that we never see, we

:05:18. > :05:22.never see residents feeling voiceless as the Grenfell Tower

:05:23. > :05:32.residents did when they warned of the likely dangers to their tower

:05:33. > :05:36.block. Thank you. Lucy Fraser. I'd like to start by congratulating our

:05:37. > :05:40.new colleagues for their outstanding maiden speeches, particularly the

:05:41. > :05:45.new member for Abington South and vocal and self badger. Mr Speaker,

:05:46. > :05:48.during the six-week campaign, we have all across both of these

:05:49. > :05:53.benches had the opportunity to listen to thousands of people. We

:05:54. > :05:58.have all heard their disappointments, their hopes and

:05:59. > :06:04.their fears. I value the long conversations that I've had with

:06:05. > :06:08.many people who provide our outstanding public services,

:06:09. > :06:12.including our nurses, our policemen, and our teachers. And I am feeding

:06:13. > :06:16.back their thoughts. And one issue that came up consistently with that

:06:17. > :06:22.of education. I think we first will need to acknowledge how far we have

:06:23. > :06:25.come in recent decades. I recently read, with some amusement, a

:06:26. > :06:30.Government report that my grandfather, who with a headmaster,

:06:31. > :06:35.contributed to. It sought to tackle head-on the importance of education

:06:36. > :06:39.for women by saying, for girls too there is a group of interests

:06:40. > :06:42.relating to what many, perhaps most of them, would regard as their most

:06:43. > :06:51.important vocational concern, marriage. It is true that at the age

:06:52. > :06:53.of 14 and 15, this chiefly is a preoccupation with personal

:06:54. > :06:58.appearance and boyfriends. But many girls are ready to respond to work

:06:59. > :07:04.relating to wider aspects of homemaking and family life and the

:07:05. > :07:10.care and upbringing of children. Since the 1960s, we have come quite

:07:11. > :07:15.far. But there is further to go. And a significant priority must be a

:07:16. > :07:20.system where every child has an equal access to education. And that

:07:21. > :07:24.involves a system of fairer funding, and why I'm pleased that we have a

:07:25. > :07:29.commitment to fair refunding in the Queen's speech. This must mean that

:07:30. > :07:34.those schools which have been historically underfunded for years

:07:35. > :07:38.have their funding increased. But as my honourable friend from North East

:07:39. > :07:44.Hampshire has just said, funding is not the only mechanism to ensure

:07:45. > :07:48.future success. We need to ensure we have enough teachers in training,

:07:49. > :07:52.especially in Stam subjects. And when they join the profession, we

:07:53. > :07:57.need to ensure that teachers feel respected, supported and trusted.

:07:58. > :08:03.And in an age where technology is so fast paced, wouldn't it be brilliant

:08:04. > :08:07.if there is Stem teachers were linked to businesses that were rapid

:08:08. > :08:11.cutting edge of technological innovation in industry and linked in

:08:12. > :08:15.with the businesses that may ultimately have jobs to the students

:08:16. > :08:20.they train? And I think one way to do this is staring us right in the

:08:21. > :08:26.face. Because businesses are now paying the apprenticeship levy.

:08:27. > :08:28.Businesses for the first time will be actively required to think

:08:29. > :08:33.constructively about their role in training their workforce. And the

:08:34. > :08:38.apprenticeship levy potentially goes further than this. It currently

:08:39. > :08:42.proposes that from next year, 10% of the apprenticeship levy can go to

:08:43. > :08:47.businesses applied chain, and what is the start of that supply chain

:08:48. > :08:52.other than students? And thus teachers. If businesses were allowed

:08:53. > :08:56.to use their 10% on supporting teacher training instead, it could

:08:57. > :08:59.forge important links between businesses and teaching. It could

:09:00. > :09:04.ensure that teachers have up-to-date knowledge of their sector and their

:09:05. > :09:07.subjects, ready to relate that to the workplace. It would enable

:09:08. > :09:13.teachers to train without further increasing their student debt.

:09:14. > :09:18.Because now is the time if ever there was going to be one to

:09:19. > :09:21.properly engage business with learning, innovation with technology

:09:22. > :09:25.and schools, and rise to the challenge of how we help build the

:09:26. > :09:35.next generation. Because it is our future. Mary Creagh. Can I say how

:09:36. > :09:39.glad I am to be back in this place after a very close general election

:09:40. > :09:42.and how wonderful it is to see how many brilliant maiden speeches from

:09:43. > :09:45.colleagues on all sides of the House, they are certainly going to

:09:46. > :09:51.give us old-timers a run for our money. And I was particularly

:09:52. > :09:55.thrilled to welcome colleagues from Colne Valley, North West Durham, her

:09:56. > :10:00.coldly, who will make a brilliant addition to this House. Mr Speaker,

:10:01. > :10:06.at the general election, people in Wakefield rejected the cuts to our

:10:07. > :10:11.public services that are planned to our schools, hospitals and police.

:10:12. > :10:18.And I'm delighted that we have seen the mean-spirited plan to cut free

:10:19. > :10:23.infant school meals dropped by the Government. Parents in Wakefield

:10:24. > :10:27.told me how worried they were for the children in our city who rely on

:10:28. > :10:32.that as their only hot meal of the day. And it's also interesting to

:10:33. > :10:34.see that while we've been debating, the Secretary of State for

:10:35. > :10:38.Education, although she declined once questions from the side of the

:10:39. > :10:43.House, has slipped out in a written answer that there will be no new

:10:44. > :10:47.grammar schools during the term of this Parliament. So, Labour's plan

:10:48. > :10:52.on those drivers for inequality remains in place.

:10:53. > :10:58.I know that education has the power to change minds and that most people

:10:59. > :11:04.know that because we know it changed our minds. I'm proud that I spent so

:11:05. > :11:07.many years working as a lecturer in entrepreneurship at a brilliant

:11:08. > :11:10.institution. I want every child in this country to get a decent

:11:11. > :11:14.education matter where they are born. For far too many children in

:11:15. > :11:18.Wakefield the odds are stacked against them, quarter grew up in

:11:19. > :11:23.poverty and are eligible for free school meals, double the national

:11:24. > :11:27.average. Wakefield Council and local enterprise partnership have taken

:11:28. > :11:32.steps to tackle below levels of tesserae education locally with the

:11:33. > :11:35.new 6.9 million advanced innovation skills centre opening in Wakefield

:11:36. > :11:40.this summer and Wakefield College has just received a silver award in

:11:41. > :11:44.teaching excellence framework. So, we are an away in Wakefield but the

:11:45. > :11:51.cuts that are planned are making life very hard. We have lost 11 sure

:11:52. > :11:55.start centres since 2010, and every 60 new Bill was eligible no longer

:11:56. > :12:00.gets the educational maintenance allowance to help them stay on in

:12:01. > :12:06.college. I pay tribute to Wakefield head teachers who are doing so much

:12:07. > :12:11.for our young people, the despite funding cuts they will see over the

:12:12. > :12:16.next two years. He would teachers, big cast sizes, fewer choices

:12:17. > :12:20.protrude and taking GCSEs and A-levels, less support the children

:12:21. > :12:27.special educational needs or mental health problems, few are

:12:28. > :12:30.opportunities, less money for textbooks and computers. That is

:12:31. > :12:36.what the headteachers in Wakefield wrote out in a letter to parents

:12:37. > :12:40.asking them to campaign against the government's cuts. I pay tribute to

:12:41. > :12:49.our brilliant headteachers, Clare Kelly at the teacher Mee school but

:12:50. > :13:01.I was at in March. -- Clare Kelly at a school I was at in March. This

:13:02. > :13:10.when I was making a film to go on Facebook about the cuts, one school

:13:11. > :13:14.was facing, 16 teachers, ?550 per pupil, one headteacher came out and

:13:15. > :13:19.said that she thought I was a truant, nobody has called me a

:13:20. > :13:23.truant in the last 30 years. At a college where we are waiting for a

:13:24. > :13:28.response from educational ministers on what is going to happen but the

:13:29. > :13:34.award winning performance arts provision, I urge the government to

:13:35. > :13:41.look again at these cuts, you are harming children in Wakefield. Thank

:13:42. > :13:44.you Mr Speaker book calling me to make my maiden speech. It is a

:13:45. > :13:48.pleasure to follow my honourable friend and honourable members who've

:13:49. > :13:52.made such eloquent and passionate speeches today. As a former

:13:53. > :13:57.supermarket manager any time will tell if my audience this afternoon

:13:58. > :14:02.is as receptive as my customers with my prices all indeed whether my

:14:03. > :14:07.constituents will now describe my performance and contributions as

:14:08. > :14:12.being as fresh as my produce was. Although I hope I'm not passed

:14:13. > :14:20.myself by date by the next election. -- although I hope I am not passed

:14:21. > :14:23.my sell by date. I wish to pay tribute to my predecessor who

:14:24. > :14:28.retired at the last election, he was a diligent member of the

:14:29. > :14:36.constituency the 16 years and is understandably held in high esteem.

:14:37. > :14:43.He quickly developed about that reputation dove I wish him and his

:14:44. > :14:48.wife happy retirement. John was a perennial rebel in the Coalition

:14:49. > :14:53.government and rebelled against the whip over 30 times, whether I will

:14:54. > :14:58.have the bravado of my predecessor only time will tell. But, be assured

:14:59. > :15:02.that my constituency and my constituents will be in the

:15:03. > :15:07.forefront of my mind whenever I consider Parliamentary affairs.

:15:08. > :15:12.Although members will have to cast their minds back some time to recall

:15:13. > :15:19.him, I would be remiss not to Menson Sir Ian Percival who served as the

:15:20. > :15:23.honourable member for Southport between 1959 and 1987. -- boom is

:15:24. > :15:30.not to mention. He cheap gained a reputation for being an excellent

:15:31. > :15:34.constituent MP as well as serving as Solicitor-General in the 1983. I

:15:35. > :15:39.hope that I am able to emulate his civic pride, his dedication to his

:15:40. > :15:44.constituencies and his astonishing longevity as Southport's

:15:45. > :15:49.representative in Parliament. Now, Southport is far from being your

:15:50. > :15:52.quintessential seaside town, it has a fascinating history and at one

:15:53. > :16:01.point hosted the excelled Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, he would

:16:02. > :16:06.himself go on to be emperor of the French, legend has it that he was so

:16:07. > :16:09.impressed with the boulevards of Lord Street that he would later

:16:10. > :16:13.instruct his architects to make Southport a model for the grandiose

:16:14. > :16:19.Corinthian boulevards that are the envy of the world today. It's

:16:20. > :16:25.tree-lined central avenues, arcades and pavement cafes often lead to

:16:26. > :16:31.Southport being referred to the Paris of the north, but with this

:16:32. > :16:36.explanation the modern Paris's Providence in mind may be Southport

:16:37. > :16:40.is really the -- maybe Paris is really the Southport of the South.

:16:41. > :16:45.Historically part of Lancashire Southport today is on the fringes of

:16:46. > :16:50.Merseyside, in truth though it is a unique town that has its own special

:16:51. > :16:54.identity and its citizens have a strong sense of civic pride, it is

:16:55. > :16:58.famous for its great sands that stretched far out into the Irish Sea

:16:59. > :17:02.leading to the joke amongst its residents that in England you are

:17:03. > :17:09.never more than 70 miles from the sea, unless of course you live in

:17:10. > :17:11.Southport. Today, Southport's diligent and hard-working residents

:17:12. > :17:16.find themselves part of Sefton Council and many of them feel that

:17:17. > :17:22.they are too often taken for granted as their income is diverted into

:17:23. > :17:26.other parts of Merseyside. Southport's public services have not

:17:27. > :17:32.been the beneficiaries of Sefton Council's much to the chaplain of

:17:33. > :17:35.the towns's citizens. The people of Southport are egalitarian

:17:36. > :17:40.uncharitable but too often they had been taken advantage of and the town

:17:41. > :17:43.has suffered as a result, I can assure my constituents that

:17:44. > :17:47.Southport will no longer be a soft touch and I will solicit investment

:17:48. > :17:52.into the town every day that I have the privilege of representing it

:17:53. > :17:57.although I will shortly return to a sedentary position I can ensure you,

:17:58. > :18:00.Mr Speaker that I will be often on my feet are championing my

:18:01. > :18:04.constituency and engaging with esteemed colleagues in this chamber.

:18:05. > :18:08.It is the honour of my life to represent Southport in this House

:18:09. > :18:16.and I hope to make a notable contribution to its future success.

:18:17. > :18:22.Can I congratulate the Member for Southport on a great speech and I

:18:23. > :18:26.hope that he gets as much pleasure from representing his constituency

:18:27. > :18:32.as I do from representing my own over the last 20 years. Mr Speaker,

:18:33. > :18:39.it seems like a lifetime ago but just before the general election at

:18:40. > :18:44.I was given the privilege of asking the Prime Minister a question about

:18:45. > :18:50.my constituent Amy who is being made homeless and housed with her young

:18:51. > :18:56.daughter away from south-west London to Birmingham. Amy and her daughter,

:18:57. > :19:02.her daughter represents one of the 118,000 children who are currently

:19:03. > :19:07.placed in temporary accommodation miles from their homes. Miles from

:19:08. > :19:14.their schools, and the opportunity to have a good education. Martin is

:19:15. > :19:21.a small wall and Mitch in and Morden is half of it, a small south-west

:19:22. > :19:26.London suburban constituency currently with 9712 families on its

:19:27. > :19:36.housing register. In the last year it has had 260 housing vacancies,

:19:37. > :19:42.less than 3%. With almost half of those being one beds, in the last

:19:43. > :19:49.year the council has had 14-bedroom property to offer and one five. Like

:19:50. > :19:55.most members in this House housing is the single biggest issue that

:19:56. > :19:59.people come to see me about, yet in the Queen's speech we have five

:20:00. > :20:03.words about letting agency fees, and can I say that that is an honourable

:20:04. > :20:09.thing to legislate about but the issue loud and strong that all

:20:10. > :20:14.parties should listen to is beanie for more building, more homes at

:20:15. > :20:20.rents that people can of Lord. I would just like to take in the just

:20:21. > :20:24.over a minute I have had to tell you about just one of the 21 families

:20:25. > :20:33.who came to see me on Friday about housing issues. Mr and Mrs Rogers,

:20:34. > :20:38.Civic Council had accepted that they have a responsibility to how is this

:20:39. > :20:42.family. -- Civic Council. They have currently just under 2000 homeless

:20:43. > :20:46.families that they are responsible for said they placed them in Mitch

:20:47. > :20:53.in a flat above a motorbike shop accessed by Betty stop steps, Mrs

:20:54. > :20:59.Rogers is dying under the care of the hospice, she cannot walk, she is

:21:00. > :21:04.confined to an electric wheelchair to breed she needed oxygen cylinder,

:21:05. > :21:11.can I ask honourable and right honourable members how does she get

:21:12. > :21:16.up or down those petty stairs? -- down those 30 stairs. I could not

:21:17. > :21:21.believe it when I saw it on Friday, I have spent 30 years in the housing

:21:22. > :21:26.industry, housing associations and councils by missing people like Mrs

:21:27. > :21:31.Rogers every Friday. I do not blame some of it, they cannot meet the

:21:32. > :21:36.demand. And I certainly do not blame Mr and Mrs Rogers, but we in this

:21:37. > :21:41.House have a responsibility to those most excluded, those most poor, to

:21:42. > :21:48.do something to read the rest these ills. And we need to do something,

:21:49. > :21:53.and we need to do it very quickly for Mr and Mrs Rogers because she

:21:54. > :21:58.does not have a lot of time left. Thank you Mr Speaker and a pleasure

:21:59. > :22:04.to follow the honourable member in her heart-rending story of housing

:22:05. > :22:07.in London. Can I pass on my congratulations to the honourable

:22:08. > :22:10.member for Southport, my any recollection of visiting Southport

:22:11. > :22:16.was as a student but perhaps we should gloss over that particular

:22:17. > :22:22.time. I am delighted to have been returned for the member of Harrow

:22:23. > :22:25.East but the third time and I would like to thank my constituents for

:22:26. > :22:33.placing their trust in me once again with an increased vote for the third

:22:34. > :22:35.time in a row. I have the pleasure of representing the most diverse

:22:36. > :22:41.constituency in the country, with three Hindu temples, two synagogues,

:22:42. > :22:47.and Islamic Centre, a sick centre across the road, a Buddhist centre

:22:48. > :22:51.across the road, 24 churches including the only Greek Orthodox

:22:52. > :22:56.Church built in this country by over 100 years, and therefore can claim

:22:57. > :23:00.that we have a real melting pot in my constituency. Education is at the

:23:01. > :23:04.heart of bat and I am delighted that the government saw fit to invest in

:23:05. > :23:09.increasing the number of school places in Harrow, right across in 15

:23:10. > :23:15.schools that have been expanded quite dramatically to require the

:23:16. > :23:19.number of places. We also open, very shortly, the first state-sponsored

:23:20. > :23:24.Hindu secondary school on its new site in my constituency which is

:23:25. > :23:30.warmly welcomed by the diverse Hindu population across my constituency.

:23:31. > :23:34.But, we have had a good disgraceful campaign during which time the

:23:35. > :23:38.teachers unions in particular have claimed, even after the release of

:23:39. > :23:44.our party's manifesto, which increased the amount of funding for

:23:45. > :23:47.education, they still carry on with their propaganda that we will see a

:23:48. > :23:55.reduction in people funding of ?543 per head. Clearly that is a lie and

:23:56. > :23:59.should be nailed as such. I would also ask my honourable friend on the

:24:00. > :24:05.front bench to confirm on three particular issues, one is that we

:24:06. > :24:09.will press ahead with the local government finance scheme whereby

:24:10. > :24:11.business rates will be retained by local authorities, especially in

:24:12. > :24:15.London whether devolution should take place and government funding

:24:16. > :24:20.effectively will cease in London London will raise its own money for

:24:21. > :24:26.its own spending. Equally, that we will press ahead with our plan to

:24:27. > :24:30.build 245,000 homes per year for the next five years which is greater

:24:31. > :24:35.than even was contained within the Labour Party's manifesto. So that we

:24:36. > :24:41.do build a range of homes for people so that we have socially rented,

:24:42. > :24:45.privately rented, and hence to buy. Finally, I come onto the issue of

:24:46. > :24:50.homelessness, I was delighted that almost is the last act to be

:24:51. > :24:54.announced with the Royal Assent before Parliament dissolved for the

:24:55. > :25:02.general election, that my homelessness reduction Bill became

:25:03. > :25:05.an act of Parliament. However, that act of Parliament requires

:25:06. > :25:11.substantial secondary legislation and the commitment of the government

:25:12. > :25:14.to make it happen. This is truly a revolution in local authorities and

:25:15. > :25:18.the way that homeless people are treated in this country. It is an

:25:19. > :25:23.absolute disgrace that we still have people sleeping rough on our

:25:24. > :25:28.streets. And so will my honourable friend in his wind-up speech

:25:29. > :25:32.confirmed that it is the government's commitment to end with

:25:33. > :25:36.sleeping in this country once and for all over the lifetime of this

:25:37. > :25:40.parliament? We have to do far more to build far more homes for the

:25:41. > :25:44.people that live in this country to give them the opportunity to fulfil

:25:45. > :25:48.the absolute maximum potential, without proper housing the people

:25:49. > :25:53.they cannot find proper toilet and they cannot provide a proper base

:25:54. > :25:57.for their families. -- they cannot find proper implement. I look

:25:58. > :25:58.forward to that great achievement happening under this Conservative

:25:59. > :26:08.government. I am grateful to give my maiden

:26:09. > :26:15.speech in the House today. I want to pay tribute to my predecessor.

:26:16. > :26:22.During her time, she had a heartfelt international relations and the

:26:23. > :26:26.situation in Kurdistan. I can speak and wish her and husband the very

:26:27. > :26:35.best with the rival of their first child. This is the greatest honour

:26:36. > :26:40.of my life. As the son of a single mother and -- I never imagined I

:26:41. > :26:45.would be standing here speaking on behalf of my friends, family and

:26:46. > :26:52.constituents. It is customary to take honourable members on a tour of

:26:53. > :27:00.my constituency. I have a diverse constituency. There is a

:27:01. > :27:06.constituency which has had influential and notable form of MPs

:27:07. > :27:10.including John Wheatley who pioneered an enormous expansion of

:27:11. > :27:17.social housing with a 1924 Housing act. He sought to draft legislation

:27:18. > :27:24.to remedy the social housing crisis. It allows central Government to hold

:27:25. > :27:28.public housing and created unemployment and provided homes at

:27:29. > :27:32.affordable rates for low-income working class families. By 1933,

:27:33. > :27:39.half a million council homes have been built in the UK. There was a

:27:40. > :27:44.small influential effort in Glasgow's East End. Housing remains

:27:45. > :27:47.a burning issue in our community because of the ineptitude of

:27:48. > :27:56.Margaret Thatcher's disastrous right to buy policy. We are not lacking in

:27:57. > :28:02.spirit, she and compassion. Our greatest asset is the ability to see

:28:03. > :28:08.the good in people. It drives us on even in the midst of tough times.

:28:09. > :28:15.That Hume is demonstrated by Kevin Branigan. I have said much has been

:28:16. > :28:26.done to regenerate but continued to work with one height talent -- tied

:28:27. > :28:32.behind my back. There is a painful security cuts and reduction in

:28:33. > :28:37.household incomes. It is unacceptable that in Glasgow East,

:28:38. > :28:43.6000 children are living in poverty. That is a burning injustice the

:28:44. > :28:48.Prime Minister must be pursuing. They are not about managing, we are

:28:49. > :28:51.just fed up with austerity. Austerity from the British

:28:52. > :28:56.Government has and will continue to affect the most vulnerable in my

:28:57. > :29:00.constituency. Cuts to social security and social security, I

:29:01. > :29:06.emphasise, are the primary cause further increases in food banks and

:29:07. > :29:12.disproportionate dependency. It is clear to me that it is no longer the

:29:13. > :29:17.broad shoulders of the UK that are supporting my constituents. It is

:29:18. > :29:22.the broad shoulders of Glasgow North East food bank. The too long, it is

:29:23. > :29:25.the most probable who have felt the sharp end of the austerity

:29:26. > :29:32.programme. We live in a society in which the middle class are told a

:29:33. > :29:36.brain -- blame the working class. The benefit claimants are told to

:29:37. > :29:41.blame the asylum seekers and refugees. After that, there is no

:29:42. > :29:48.one left to blame. The vulnerable left isolated with no community

:29:49. > :29:52.support. As a time when hard-hitting decisions are made and a smoke

:29:53. > :29:57.screen debate about immigration, we must assert -- look at how we treat

:29:58. > :30:10.others. During my time, I will remember words where we are... I

:30:11. > :30:19.hope Her Majesty's Government will do the same. I would like to

:30:20. > :30:26.congratulate the honourable member for Glasgow East on a wonderful

:30:27. > :30:29.maiden speech. His passion and his determination to serve his

:30:30. > :30:32.constituents well is clear and I look forward to working with him and

:30:33. > :30:43.all the other new members in this house. This is my first Queens

:30:44. > :30:52.debate. -- Queen's speech debate. Rural schools are known to my

:30:53. > :30:59.honourable members. Rural schools are important and I am pleased to

:31:00. > :31:04.see fairer funding. Moving forward to technical apprenticeships, in a

:31:05. > :31:10.practical communities such as mine, it is essential we continue that

:31:11. > :31:15.legacy of world-class skills to move forward. With 32 miles of coastline

:31:16. > :31:20.and the rugged beauty of our fellows, we have a lot to be

:31:21. > :31:24.grateful for in my constituency of Copland. We will want to see the

:31:25. > :31:33.Northern Powerhouse benefit spread further north. We want to deliver a

:31:34. > :31:39.modern industrial strategy. I welcome the 683% increase in

:31:40. > :31:44.technical apprenticeships and I also welcomed the Northern Powerhouse

:31:45. > :31:47.expanding up the country. I have the commitment towards new nuclear would

:31:48. > :31:59.be prevalent from this Government because Moorside is essential in my

:32:00. > :32:08.constituency. That was a wonderfully pithy speech by the honourable lady.

:32:09. > :32:21.I hadn't expected that it was about to conclude. We thank the honourable

:32:22. > :32:26.lady for what she has said. It is a pleasure to follow the honourable

:32:27. > :32:31.member of Copland and the members of Glasgow East and Southport who have

:32:32. > :32:35.also made their maiden speech. It is also lovely to come back to the

:32:36. > :32:40.House of Commons 15 years later because I did my work experience

:32:41. > :32:46.here as a local comprehensive lads. Those opportunities for people from

:32:47. > :32:53.all backgrounds, allowing them to aspire to even be MPs is vital in an

:32:54. > :32:57.eco-literary and society. It is often lacking in the current

:32:58. > :33:03.curriculum which has been imposed on many of our schools by this

:33:04. > :33:07.Government. Every school in my constituency is facing cuts, with

:33:08. > :33:14.many secondaries facing half a million stolen from their budget by

:33:15. > :33:18.a fairer funding formula? It promises some of our poorest schools

:33:19. > :33:26.in my constituency to lose out the most. Not fair at all. Brighton

:33:27. > :33:31.Kemptown has the third lowest enrolment of young people into

:33:32. > :33:35.university despite having two universities in the constituency and

:33:36. > :33:41.a music school. This contrast of poverty will only get worse unless

:33:42. > :33:46.drastic changes are made. Only yesterday one of my primary schools

:33:47. > :33:50.had to write to parents saying teaching assistants would go and

:33:51. > :33:55.classes are going to be merged to make ends meet. Once callers had to

:33:56. > :34:02.resort to asking parents to supply the very paper the children are

:34:03. > :34:08.having to write on. If money can be found for a sweetheart deal with

:34:09. > :34:15.Northern Ireland, a lifeline can be found for the very future of our

:34:16. > :34:19.schools. I know my predecessor cared about sports and education. He sat

:34:20. > :34:27.as an on an airy Vice President on the football clubs in my counsel, a

:34:28. > :34:31.community club which has as much passion, albeit not yet as much

:34:32. > :34:37.success, as one of the other clubs in my constituency. The seagulls

:34:38. > :34:42.that have been promoted to the top flight of football this coming

:34:43. > :34:46.season. I also want to praise Mr Kirby for being described as pure

:34:47. > :34:51.grit by the Conservative home website. In that regard, I hope to

:34:52. > :34:58.follow him and be the grit between the Tory DUP Alliance and their

:34:59. > :35:03.plans whichever Brexit will harm my community. Mr Kirby said in his

:35:04. > :35:09.maiden speech, 500 years after Brighton was invented by France, we

:35:10. > :35:14.were suspicious of Europe. As the HQ of American Express Europe, I must

:35:15. > :35:19.say that is not the Brighton and Peacehaven I recognise. The place

:35:20. > :35:25.where Queen Victoria set sail her set -- visit to France, which almost

:35:26. > :35:32.voted 70% to remain in the EU, a town in the 1930s and the towns in

:35:33. > :35:38.my constituency is in the 1940s which hosted international

:35:39. > :35:41.children's camps and festivals young and transport organised by the

:35:42. > :35:45.Socialist International. It is a constituency that is open and

:35:46. > :35:50.tolerant to the world and to the EU and not suspicious of it. I spent

:35:51. > :35:57.many years lobbying and negotiating in the EU for a programme because I

:35:58. > :36:03.value the work that youth work does. They have been cut to the bone. The

:36:04. > :36:08.job and my constituency and the BRIC and both are the defenders of many

:36:09. > :36:11.young people turning to extremism and they are the last line to

:36:12. > :36:19.support young people in education. Youth services, underfunded and

:36:20. > :36:24.misunderstood have become the first victim of local Government cuts.

:36:25. > :36:33.Austerity which has become something that harms the most vulnerable. Poor

:36:34. > :36:38.services and housing leads to poor outcomes and a weaker economy. It

:36:39. > :36:48.limits possibilities. I hope many MPs that Kemptown and Peacehaven, --

:36:49. > :36:52.Peacehaven, I will represent without fear and favour. We have to build a

:36:53. > :36:56.strong Britain, strong Brighton through investment and not

:36:57. > :37:01.austerity. I want to start back today and not tomorrow because my

:37:02. > :37:05.constituents can't wait any more. It is an honour to follow the

:37:06. > :37:08.honourable member for Brighton Kemptown. Nobody can doubt his

:37:09. > :37:13.passion and commitment and I look forward to him displaying that grit

:37:14. > :37:19.over many months and years to come. I would like to take the opportunity

:37:20. > :37:26.to thank the residents of Mid Worcestershire for returning me to

:37:27. > :37:31.this place. I do not take that on for granted. There is much to praise

:37:32. > :37:35.in the gracious speech. It is a practical and consumer friendly

:37:36. > :37:38.speech and I'm particularly keen to see the recommitment to fairer

:37:39. > :37:43.funding in it which I will come to an moment. The overall theme was a

:37:44. > :37:49.continuation of the successes of the last few years. If we reflect on

:37:50. > :37:54.where we are in 2017, we have the highest employment in this nation's

:37:55. > :38:00.history. Unemployment is at a 45 year low. Over the last seven years,

:38:01. > :38:04.29 million people have had a tax cuts. 4 million have been taken out

:38:05. > :38:09.of paying income tax altogether while the top 1% pay 28% of all

:38:10. > :38:20.income tax. The tax-free allowance has increased to ?11,500. We have

:38:21. > :38:23.been paying off debt and Government expenditure has increased

:38:24. > :38:28.significantly so we have record spending on health, record spending

:38:29. > :38:33.on education, record spending on pensions and record spending on

:38:34. > :38:40.disabled people will stop up ?3 billion in real terms since 2010.

:38:41. > :38:45.And I remind you that while your listing the great achievements of

:38:46. > :38:52.this Government, can I also remind you that when Labour was last in

:38:53. > :38:57.Government, there were 1 million young people not in education, jobs

:38:58. > :39:04.or employment and now we have some of the lowest levels of youth

:39:05. > :39:09.unemployment anywhere in Europe. It makes the point and the topic of

:39:10. > :39:13.this debate, the focus on education. I'm pleased we are committed to ?4

:39:14. > :39:19.billion extra in education during the course of this Parliament.

:39:20. > :39:23.Honourable members will be familiar that there is an increasing number

:39:24. > :39:28.of people in this Parliament on both sides of the Chamber who come from a

:39:29. > :39:34.moderate background who went to come pensive schools including myself. It

:39:35. > :39:39.is quite important to remember. We come from humble origins and we have

:39:40. > :39:42.seen education enable us to be successful in life. Education has

:39:43. > :39:49.been absolute key to success in my life and enabled me to do many

:39:50. > :39:52.things. It is my role to give as many people as possible the

:39:53. > :39:59.opportunities we have had. Education can and is the silver bullet. It is

:40:00. > :40:04.vital that we have a education funding system that is fair and

:40:05. > :40:09.reasonable to all. Money is not everything but it certainly helps.

:40:10. > :40:12.If we look at the education outcomes and improvements in London, there is

:40:13. > :40:17.no doubt that a huge amount of money spent in London has helped enable

:40:18. > :40:22.that success. If we contrast therefore, the significant

:40:23. > :40:28.differences in per-pupil funding. In Tower Hamlets, it is the thousand

:40:29. > :40:34.?965 per pupil. That is a fantastic number but it contrasts starkly

:40:35. > :40:37.different in my constituency which is ?4319 per pupil. There is

:40:38. > :40:43.differences in terms of the social economic make up. ?2600 per pupil

:40:44. > :40:47.difference is a phenomenal sum and we therefore must focus on fairer

:40:48. > :40:53.funding. There is nothing honourable and nothing morally superior in

:40:54. > :40:59.maintaining a blatantly unfair existing system. We must do

:41:00. > :41:02.something about it and I therefore applaud the Secretary of State

:41:03. > :41:05.education for at least making an effort to improve things in this

:41:06. > :41:08.area and I will therefore be voting on this element and also on the many

:41:09. > :41:10.other positive elements in the gracious speech will be go into the

:41:11. > :41:21.lobby on Thursday. Thank you, it is great to have been

:41:22. > :41:25.called and had the opportunity to hear so many fine speeches on both

:41:26. > :41:31.sides. I congratulate all the new members for them. The Queen's speech

:41:32. > :41:36.was clearly overshadowed by the tragedy at Grenfell Tower and it is

:41:37. > :41:40.a disaster that shocked the nation. Across the country local authorities

:41:41. > :41:47.are responding with this seriousness that the disaster the Serbs. My

:41:48. > :41:55.constituents. -- the disaster deserves. My constituency has most

:41:56. > :41:59.of the council's high-rise housing. The cladding of one has failed the

:42:00. > :42:02.test and the council have met tenants to take immediate action but

:42:03. > :42:08.it will cost money to resolve. Yonder that one block there are also

:42:09. > :42:15.further measures needed to reassure tenants across the city they are

:42:16. > :42:20.retrofitting sprinklers in Alltel blocks, but again the question is

:42:21. > :42:24."Who will foot the Bill?" Because local councils have been the hardest

:42:25. > :42:29.hit by government cuts since 2010 across the entire public sector and

:42:30. > :42:33.those in our biggest cities hardest of all. Across the board local

:42:34. > :42:38.services have been hit from youth searches as Bury services to adult

:42:39. > :42:41.social care, deep cuts deeply affecting local services. It is all

:42:42. > :42:45.very well for the community secondary to say, as he did

:42:46. > :43:04.yesterday, "Local authorities should just pious safety in contact of the

:43:05. > :43:06.help." What we need is a guarantee that help will be forthcoming. A

:43:07. > :43:08.clear statement that the funds needed to put Hanover power right

:43:09. > :43:10.will be provided, are guaranteed to fund the sprinkle systems across

:43:11. > :43:13.Sheffield and indeed to respond in the same way across the whole

:43:14. > :43:16.country. The problem goes much wider than that, much of the high-rise in

:43:17. > :43:18.my constituency is in the private rented sector. The council do not

:43:19. > :43:22.own the properties but have a responsibility that the safety of

:43:23. > :43:29.those living in them. There are fire safety issues there as well. We have

:43:30. > :43:33.seen an explosion in numbers of the private rented sector in recent

:43:34. > :43:36.years. At the same time, in Sheffield as in so many other parts

:43:37. > :43:42.of the country, driven by the cuts we have seen a fall in the number of

:43:43. > :43:46.local government staff who are responsible for compliance in the

:43:47. > :43:51.sector, causing real risk to people on issues of fire and other issues

:43:52. > :43:56.too. Will the government except that this is one of the issues that needs

:43:57. > :44:02.to be considered as part of any review of fire safety? Not simply in

:44:03. > :44:08.high-rise but in the economy accommodation in this country. Let

:44:09. > :44:12.me also tend the question of schools and the crisis they are facing. I

:44:13. > :44:16.have 24 state schools in my constituency and every of them has

:44:17. > :44:20.been facing challenges to make ends meet over the last few years.

:44:21. > :44:24.Headteachers were right, I'm disappointed that they have been

:44:25. > :44:28.attacked in the way that they have during this debate. Headteachers

:44:29. > :44:38.were right to highlight the combined threat of government cuts and the

:44:39. > :44:43.funding formula. From 2015 to 2016 to 2019 to 2020 every one of my

:44:44. > :44:49.schools faced cuts of between six and 19%, a loss of 103 teachers.

:44:50. > :44:55.Now, members opposite seem to be, as the government is, in denial, on the

:44:56. > :45:00.crisis facing our schools. If this statement that no school will lose

:45:01. > :45:05.out means anything it must mean it in real terms. If that is the case

:45:06. > :45:08.then perhaps the Secretary of State could write quickly to the

:45:09. > :45:11.headteachers in my constituency to tell them they do not have to worry

:45:12. > :45:14.about the redundancies they are planning or the cause cuts they are

:45:15. > :45:22.removing to give them the guarantee that they want and not all our

:45:23. > :45:27.children deserve. I congratulate all honourable members made their maiden

:45:28. > :45:31.today, so great to see so many Scottish accidents with Scottish

:45:32. > :45:37.seat on the Labour benches, and to hear the Geordie accent from my

:45:38. > :45:41.colleague from North West Durham. As said in my maiden speech seven years

:45:42. > :45:45.ago I am proud to be an adopted piece that nearly 40 years, and even

:45:46. > :45:50.more proud of the public sector workers who have been so brutally

:45:51. > :45:54.treated by the Tories empowered these last 70 years, thousands of

:45:55. > :45:58.them on Teesside have lost their jobs as local councils and hospital

:45:59. > :46:04.trusts have seen the budget decimated and those invaders had

:46:05. > :46:07.had... I would ask, is this really the way to treat the dedicated

:46:08. > :46:12.public sector workers who clean streets, care for our elderly, one

:46:13. > :46:15.school centres, please our communities, he lay sick, the pair

:46:16. > :46:21.are public sector houses and deliver a host of other local services? I am

:46:22. > :46:25.also proud of my own local authority Stockton Borough Council, which this

:46:26. > :46:30.last week was named a winner up in the annual local government awards,

:46:31. > :46:35.exposed when it twice in the youth was asking too much. Despite the

:46:36. > :46:37.pressures and the cut that hard-working and highly committed

:46:38. > :46:41.team who work relentlessly to provide a better life but those

:46:42. > :46:45.instant Loughton. It is councils like that you need to make the

:46:46. > :46:50.decisions about who gets help and he will need to go without it. They

:46:51. > :46:54.have had the glass over the flowerbeds, glass over roundabout as

:46:55. > :47:00.they have had to sack the gardeners as a result of Tory cuts. They have

:47:01. > :47:03.had to close down services to young people. They have had to roll back

:47:04. > :47:09.an investment which could have created jobs. I have been pleased to

:47:10. > :47:12.see the last two governments build a little on their tremendous

:47:13. > :47:17.investment in our children over 13 years of Labour government, but that

:47:18. > :47:21.progress is now in jeopardy, damaged by budget cuts, the deployment of

:47:22. > :47:25.huge numbers of unqualified teachers, the lack of capital to

:47:26. > :47:28.replace schools falling down and a workforce downtrodden by the

:47:29. > :47:36.government and in many cases, forced to beg parents for cash. Across the

:47:37. > :47:41.Stockton Borough schools work at an average of 1% rise over the next

:47:42. > :47:47.several years, but can only lead to sack teachers, a restricted

:47:48. > :47:51.curriculum and need to get out the begging bowl to parents. While some

:47:52. > :47:55.parents can stomp up the cash the vast majority of them can't possibly

:47:56. > :48:00.because they are one of those public sector workers who have forgotten

:48:01. > :48:05.what a pay rise is like. The jewel in the local servers's crown is of

:48:06. > :48:13.course the NHS. One might key pledges was to save the hospital

:48:14. > :48:22.from closure. With BOOING Over the last few days I have required a --

:48:23. > :48:28.over the last few days I have... It means that the memorial in

:48:29. > :48:31.Stockton will be downgraded and the emergency service removed. It is

:48:32. > :48:40.driven by the fact that the government have failed to recruit

:48:41. > :48:44.those we need. The government are trying to solve the wrong problems.

:48:45. > :48:48.They are trying to beat down budgets and use the shortage of clinicians

:48:49. > :48:53.as an excuse to reduce services. They need to train and recruit the

:48:54. > :48:59.people we need. What we really want in Stockton is the new hospital,

:49:00. > :49:04.axed by the Tory- Lib Dem government in 2010. The government does not

:49:05. > :49:10.have the cash but they found ?1 billion or more to buy the votes of

:49:11. > :49:19.the DUP to prop up their shambolic... We need to invest or

:49:20. > :49:25.they will continue to deteriorate beyond use. The Queen's speech

:49:26. > :49:30.offers them nothing. Can I thank the speak for calling me. This

:49:31. > :49:33.parliament sits at a time of constitutional uncertainty and

:49:34. > :49:37.change, it is a parliament in balance that is overshadowed by

:49:38. > :49:41.deep, recent tragedies and in this environment it is with some

:49:42. > :49:46.trepidation that I stand to offer my thoughts. The trepidation is blunted

:49:47. > :49:49.by the knowledge that it is with the authority of my constituents that I

:49:50. > :49:54.tend to hear who have placed their trust in me, their trust that I seek

:49:55. > :49:59.to deliver a more hopeful, fairer, better future. It is of course the

:50:00. > :50:04.dish on to point out the strengths of one's constituency, and it is

:50:05. > :50:11.made easier for myself representing East lady in -- representing East

:50:12. > :50:18.Lothian. Rest assured there was only one truly beautiful constituency and

:50:19. > :50:23.that is mine own, East lady in. It's history as an arterial route for

:50:24. > :50:26.pilgrims, the soldiers, the scholars and artists. The development of the

:50:27. > :50:33.six towns that reflect that connections with the sea, the trade,

:50:34. > :50:38.the agriculture, to fishing even embarkation spots the shoulders,

:50:39. > :50:42.towns that reflect the long history of industrialisation and the place

:50:43. > :50:54.where I live that reflects the industrial revolution, coal-mining

:50:55. > :50:57.evidenced back to 1210. These six towns, their distinctive individual

:50:58. > :51:01.characters are complemented by the surrounding villages that carry

:51:02. > :51:06.their own identity, and these weave together to create a constituency

:51:07. > :51:08.community that is distinctive, supportive, welcoming, creative,

:51:09. > :51:13.industrious, entrepreneurial and both forward and outward looking,

:51:14. > :51:18.characteristics that I feel I can recommend to this House and to those

:51:19. > :51:23.listening. Tradition dictates is that I should pay homage to the

:51:24. > :51:26.previous MP who represented my constituents see the two years and I

:51:27. > :51:35.am glad to do so because it allows me to put right an innocent mistake

:51:36. > :51:39.will stop his maiden speech emitted mentioning Fiona O'Donnell the MP

:51:40. > :51:43.who are represented is leading the five years previously, and I am glad

:51:44. > :51:48.to put right that small a mission, today. As I looked at the previous

:51:49. > :51:55.MP is the East Lothian, I suddenly realised the giant task that

:51:56. > :51:59.confronts me, John McIntosh are giants in the political world,

:52:00. > :52:05.pro-Europeans, indeed John McIntosh and advocate for being Scottish,

:52:06. > :52:08.British, and European. And it was looking at John home Robinson's

:52:09. > :52:19.maiden speech about John McIntosh died found that... If we are always

:52:20. > :52:25.open and stick to what we believe in, we may not always be able to

:52:26. > :52:28.satisfy our whips, but in the end we shall end the respect of our

:52:29. > :52:33.constituents and I believe that they are the people who really matter to

:52:34. > :52:37.us. Much is spoken, in this land, of its assets, but I hope that we can

:52:38. > :52:42.all agree that the greatest assets in this land of the children and

:52:43. > :52:46.their future. If we stand on the shoulders of those who've gone

:52:47. > :52:51.before, and as we stand on the shoulders of giants, we have a duty

:52:52. > :52:56.to our children to give them the opportunity to build a greater,

:52:57. > :53:03.stronger, fairer, kinder future. History will treat us harshly if we

:53:04. > :53:06.do not step up to potential. The obligation we owe our young. My

:53:07. > :53:11.promise to my constituents and this House is that I will always be open

:53:12. > :53:14.and I will advocate what I believe, but I will fight fire kinder, more

:53:15. > :53:22.hopeful and fairer future. Thank you. It is the pleasure to follow my

:53:23. > :53:27.honourable friend who made I think, a powerful and eloquent speech on

:53:28. > :53:30.Bihar is, as he put his truly beautiful constituency. May I also

:53:31. > :53:34.congratulate honourable members on all sides of the House who have

:53:35. > :53:41.taken part in this debate with maiden speeches today? Can I welcome

:53:42. > :53:45.the commitment in the Queens speech... The new government has two

:53:46. > :53:50.ministers of state one of whom I welcome to his place today, who are

:53:51. > :53:53.working jointly in the foreign and Carl Meyer offers and wished them

:53:54. > :53:58.well. Greater cooperation between the two departments is to be

:53:59. > :54:02.welcomed however I hope Mr Speaker that this will be a partnership are

:54:03. > :54:06.not the first step towards this takeover by the Foreign Office.

:54:07. > :54:09.Shortly before the election the cross-party International

:54:10. > :54:15.development committee reaffirmed on a cross-party basis the importance

:54:16. > :54:18.of maintaining DEF ID as a stand-alone department. I edged the

:54:19. > :54:23.government to continue to do so and I welcome the fact that the Minister

:54:24. > :54:26.is nodding at what I am saying. In the recent general election my

:54:27. > :54:32.pledge to my constituents was to seek a fair deal for Liverpool.

:54:33. > :54:39.Posterity has hit all part of... It is hit Liverpool and places like it

:54:40. > :54:43.the hardest. We have had cut of nearly ?100 million since 2010,

:54:44. > :54:47.Merseyside Police have watched 1700 officers or staff, the Merseyside

:54:48. > :54:51.Fire and rescue budget has been cut in half. In the next three years the

:54:52. > :54:57.Liverpool City Council budget faces a further cut of ?90 million. In

:54:58. > :55:03.order to protect social care at the Council made the difficult decision

:55:04. > :55:10.to increase council tax this year by 4.99%, but even with that tax

:55:11. > :55:15.increase they are having to cut social care by ?58 million. That is

:55:16. > :55:19.the loss of 5000 care packages affecting some of the poorest and

:55:20. > :55:27.most wonderful people in Liverpool. Investment in education is vital. --

:55:28. > :55:31.poorest and most vulnerable. There isn't real concern in the schools in

:55:32. > :55:36.my constituency about the impact of the proposed funding formula, the

:55:37. > :55:40.proposal that was consulted on last year would result in a loss

:55:41. > :55:44.Liverpool schools of ?3 million. The Secretary of State today repeated

:55:45. > :55:48.the pledge in the Conservative manifesto that no school will have

:55:49. > :55:53.its budget cut, but as others have said the crucial question is, is

:55:54. > :55:57.that in real terms? Because if it is not that will represent a cut the

:55:58. > :56:03.schools that desperately need to protect their bonding. I want to

:56:04. > :56:06.urge the government to maintain the deprivation and prior attainment

:56:07. > :56:10.factors in the proposed funding formula, they are vital for schools

:56:11. > :56:15.in some of the most deprived parts of my constituency. But, it is not

:56:16. > :56:19.just about schools it is also about investment in our early years. The

:56:20. > :56:25.vital work of children's centres and nursery schools, I have two

:56:26. > :56:27.outstanding nursery schools in my constituency, East Prescott Road

:56:28. > :56:31.which celebrates its 70th anniversary this week and elegant

:56:32. > :56:37.mean. I want to seek assurances about the long-term funding for our

:56:38. > :56:42.nursery schools that do such a vital job. Finally, the promised major

:56:43. > :56:47.reform of technical education, there was no belt that this is a long-term

:56:48. > :56:50.weakness going back decades as we have been reminded, let us look to

:56:51. > :56:54.countries like Germany and Switzerland that done the same at

:56:55. > :57:02.better than ours, but let me say to the government, God looked major

:57:03. > :57:06.reform -- good luck with major blood-borne in technical education

:57:07. > :57:12.budget cannot do it on the cheap. As well as investment in our schools,

:57:13. > :57:16.and in our crucial early years education let us invest in further

:57:17. > :57:19.education because only then will we achieve the major reform of

:57:20. > :57:26.technical education that has been promised.

:57:27. > :57:33.I am honoured by the support of people across High Peak to be able

:57:34. > :57:38.to stand here today and as was commented on my Facebook page, I

:57:39. > :57:45.can't believe one of our school run mums has been elected to Parliament.

:57:46. > :57:51.I've got four children and 4/20 years, I've been a school run mum.

:57:52. > :57:56.I'm proud to bring their views of school run mums to Parliament. As

:57:57. > :58:00.the first woman to represent High Peak, I will bring a very different

:58:01. > :58:05.perspective to my predecessors. I would like to pay tribute to my

:58:06. > :58:09.predecessor, Andrew Bingham, who served as MP for seven years and as

:58:10. > :58:14.a borough Councillor before that. I wish him well for the future. I

:58:15. > :58:21.always said that I would only ever seek to be an MP if it was the High

:58:22. > :58:24.Peak. This north-western tip of Derbyshire, 90% in the Peak District

:58:25. > :58:28.National Park, is extremely beautiful but it is also my home

:58:29. > :58:35.where I have brought up my children and there is nowhere that I would

:58:36. > :58:41.rather live. Between and within those wild expanses of picturesque

:58:42. > :58:45.more lands, then nestles towns and villages that are vibrant, close and

:58:46. > :58:51.friendly. At the heart of each of those communities of their schools

:58:52. > :58:57.and nurseries. At school, you learn how to make friends, stay friends

:58:58. > :59:01.and work together, how to plan and create things together. Those

:59:02. > :59:07.lessons apply not just to the children, but to as parents as well.

:59:08. > :59:13.It means that a school run mums can turn our hand to anything. We can

:59:14. > :59:18.organise play dates, childcare, fundraisers, parties and organise

:59:19. > :59:22.campaigns to change things. Our schools and nurseries are not just

:59:23. > :59:27.factories for exam certificates. They create communities. As I am

:59:28. > :59:33.sure members from rural communities all sides of the House will agree,

:59:34. > :59:38.our schools are especially important in preventing rural isolation. That

:59:39. > :59:43.is why so many people across High Peak are so concerned that the

:59:44. > :59:48.enormous cuts facing our schools and our nurseries. The Government may

:59:49. > :59:53.say there is record spending but when our excellent local schools in

:59:54. > :59:58.High Peak or about to lose over ?4 million a year, our children are in

:59:59. > :00:03.readying classes of 34 or more, it doesn't cut much to say we could

:00:04. > :00:08.have lots of money for a free school if we want one. We have outstanding

:00:09. > :00:14.schools already. Combs infant school where my two youngest boys went to

:00:15. > :00:19.school, would lose over ?20,000 under these proposals, equivalent to

:00:20. > :00:24.one of their teachers. They only have two teachers. Chapel high

:00:25. > :00:29.school which is set to lose ?600,000, the equivalent of 15

:00:30. > :00:34.teachers. It seems under this Government schools are punished for

:00:35. > :00:39.their success rather than rewarded. Nurseries to. The underfunding of

:00:40. > :00:42.the promised 33 hours of childcare is causing several nurseries in High

:00:43. > :00:50.Peak to consider whether they are able to keep going at all. In

:00:51. > :00:55.another area, the staff contribute so much to the life chances of

:00:56. > :00:59.children in this area of high deprivation. Each place costs ?5 an

:01:00. > :01:06.hour to run but their funding is being cut to just ?4. It doesn't add

:01:07. > :01:11.up. No wonder over half of nurseries are saying they cannot afford to

:01:12. > :01:16.provide the 30 free hours. I urge the Government to have the urgent

:01:17. > :01:20.rethink of nursery funding before September. Before we end up with

:01:21. > :01:25.fewer nursery places rather than more, less children able to get the

:01:26. > :01:30.best start the school, less parents able to work. The fate of our

:01:31. > :01:34.schools and nurseries was some important to my constituents that

:01:35. > :01:39.they chose to elect a school run mum as their MP and the school run mum

:01:40. > :01:43.will not fail to stand up for them and for our schools and nurseries

:01:44. > :01:55.and the communities that need them so much. It is a pleasure to follow

:01:56. > :02:05.my honourable friend on her maiden speech. She is the most forceful,

:02:06. > :02:11.eloquent and committed school run mum I have ever heard in this house.

:02:12. > :02:17.She will clearly be a great asset, not just to our benches, but to the

:02:18. > :02:23.whole house and I congratulate her on such an outstanding maiden speech

:02:24. > :02:28.in this house this afternoon. I would like to associate myself with

:02:29. > :02:35.the comments of my honourable friend, the member for Sheffield who

:02:36. > :02:38.mentioned the plight that local authorities are now under in terms

:02:39. > :02:42.of trying to do the right thing about their tower blocks and their

:02:43. > :02:52.other housing assets in the light of the terrible tragedy that has

:02:53. > :02:56.engulfed the nation and has led to a lot of heart searching about what we

:02:57. > :03:02.do about our tower blocks in the future and who funds them and now --

:03:03. > :03:05.and how that comes about. Southampton has been responsible in

:03:06. > :03:09.its approach to its tower blocks in the city and has a number of

:03:10. > :03:16.programmes for installing sprinklers already underway. It wishes to

:03:17. > :03:21.progress to the rest of the tower blocks. As we know, in terms of the

:03:22. > :03:27.desperate cuts that have been undertaken in local Government, it

:03:28. > :03:32.simply will not have the resources to do that or if it does, it would

:03:33. > :03:36.be at the expense of many other basic services in the city to get

:03:37. > :03:42.that done. I do think it is imperative that we get clarity for

:03:43. > :03:50.what funding will be forthcoming from central Government and local

:03:51. > :03:53.Government to support authorities such as Southampton who are trained

:03:54. > :04:00.to act responsibly and carefully in terms of the safety of their

:04:01. > :04:05.residents and residents of tower blocks. Hope they can have they

:04:06. > :04:11.support of Government to make that happen so it can continue providing

:04:12. > :04:18.the best safety it can do for its residents. As far as the Queen's

:04:19. > :04:23.Speech is concerned, I find it very odd and it is the Queen's Speech

:04:24. > :04:27.from which the Government of the day, the Government that has

:04:28. > :04:31.allegedly been the victor and has fled from the fastest greens see

:04:32. > :04:39.beach I have heard in this house. Reflecting on the manifesto that

:04:40. > :04:47.came out from the Conservatives as far as education is concerned,

:04:48. > :04:51.headed without any trace of irony, the great meritocracy. The section

:04:52. > :04:55.on the Conservative manifesto on education appears not to exist as

:04:56. > :04:59.far as the Queen's Speech is concerned. On the one hand that

:05:00. > :05:06.gives me some pleasure in terms of the fact that grammar schools are

:05:07. > :05:17.not to be imposed upon us for the future, that school lunches will not

:05:18. > :05:36.be cut, but that manifesto, along with a list of punishments, that

:05:37. > :05:40.manifesto, nevertheless, still sets in place a number of changes which

:05:41. > :05:47.are inadequate as far as school funding is concerned matters what I

:05:48. > :05:52.want to emphasise. It needs more than a distribution of the cake. It

:05:53. > :06:00.needs a larger cake. That is the fundamental point about school

:06:01. > :06:05.funding for the future. Thank you for this opportunity to make my

:06:06. > :06:09.maiden speech in this debate. I wish to start by paying tribute to my

:06:10. > :06:14.predecessor, Graham Allen was something I am glad to do. He served

:06:15. > :06:17.out community and Nottingham with distinction and has fought for

:06:18. > :06:21.better jobs, decent housing and the best possible education of our young

:06:22. > :06:25.people. He was a skilled parliamentarian who had all the

:06:26. > :06:29.devices of this place to the betterment of our community. His

:06:30. > :06:33.greatest legacy would be his work on early intervention, securing

:06:34. > :06:37.cross-party support and discipline to one that is changing the lives of

:06:38. > :06:41.our youngest people in my community. I hope to carry on this work as a

:06:42. > :06:46.member of Parliament from Nottingham North. Me and my neighbours of

:06:47. > :06:50.Graham a debt of thanks. He ought to be a Freeman of Nottingham or never

:06:51. > :06:57.had to pay for a pint in ball well again. Speaking about great honours,

:06:58. > :07:03.being the member of Parliament for Nottingham North is the honour of my

:07:04. > :07:07.lifetime. I am humbled my neighbours chose me and I will not let them

:07:08. > :07:10.down. Anne Bull to be a member of Parliament and aware of the great

:07:11. > :07:16.names that come before me and I look forward to proving myself worthy of

:07:17. > :07:21.such exalted company. I am proud to be one of 38 Labour members of

:07:22. > :07:28.Parliament standing this time and I look forward to serving during my

:07:29. > :07:31.time here. Nottingham has got the best of Britain. I pulled a few

:07:32. > :07:37.highlights. They are not necessarily the ones you would find on

:07:38. > :07:42.Wikipedia. We've got our market square. One of the best big open

:07:43. > :07:46.spaces in the country. Every summer we chop 100 tonnes of sand in there

:07:47. > :07:53.and make a beach out of it because we are as far away as you can get

:07:54. > :07:57.from the coast. We have the best public transport, topless

:07:58. > :08:02.universities which I am proud to be from one. We have pumped out

:08:03. > :08:08.innovation such as the MRI machine and I proposed them. We have

:08:09. > :08:15.produced Carl Froch and William Bendigo Thomson. Britain's best

:08:16. > :08:21.actress, Vicky McClure, is from Nottingham. The oldest in the end

:08:22. > :08:27.Nottingham. In football, our sort -- our city has one more European cups

:08:28. > :08:30.than everyone put together. We are the very best in Britain in

:08:31. > :08:35.Nottingham. We have traditionally had some of the worst of Britain

:08:36. > :08:42.Nottingham and it is important we reflect on that. Health outcomes,

:08:43. > :08:48.work and school. All our challenges lead back to one point which is

:08:49. > :08:53.poverty. 34 years ago, my predecessor remarked on Nottingham

:08:54. > :08:57.North, proud industrial history and listed off the big workplaces in the

:08:58. > :09:04.constituency. Four years later, Graham Allen remarked that half of

:09:05. > :09:10.these had closed and 34 years on from that, none of those are there.

:09:11. > :09:14.They weren't replaced by the skilled jobs of the 21st-century. Instead,

:09:15. > :09:20.what has replaced them is cyclical poverty. It is not inevitable, it is

:09:21. > :09:28.unavoidable and I am angry about it. I am here to do something about it.

:09:29. > :09:31.There simply isn't the level of imagination or ambition that my

:09:32. > :09:36.community needs from its Government in order for it to become a better

:09:37. > :09:40.place. A lack of resources factors into that and we have some

:09:41. > :09:44.disproportionate cuts in Nottingham. The ambition to create a better

:09:45. > :09:47.Britain that gives everyone a fair shake. Was this Government won't do

:09:48. > :09:55.the things that Nottingham North need it to do, I will do everything

:09:56. > :09:59.I can to fill this gap. I will use the intricacies of this place to

:10:00. > :10:02.highlight our issues and seek to build support for the long-term

:10:03. > :10:08.projects and I will work and work until we see things get better. That

:10:09. > :10:18.is why it I offered my neighbours and to this place. It is a pleasure

:10:19. > :10:21.to speak in this debate and follow the honourable friend from

:10:22. > :10:27.Nottingham North. Indeed, the eloquent maiden speeches and it has

:10:28. > :10:32.been my privilege to listen to them this afternoon. On education, the

:10:33. > :10:35.Queen's Speech says it will invest in schools and also ensure that

:10:36. > :10:41.every child has the opportunity to attend a good school and that all

:10:42. > :10:44.schools are fully funded and stop the National Association of head

:10:45. > :10:50.teachers says the general election result meant the public failed to

:10:51. > :10:55.endorse many of the Conservatives more concert rehearsal policy ideas

:10:56. > :10:59.including expanding selection and ending universal in front of free

:11:00. > :11:03.school meals. It is right these policies have been dropped from the

:11:04. > :11:08.Government's legislative programme. The Conservative manifesto contained

:11:09. > :11:13.a commitment to ensure no school would lose per-pupil funding under

:11:14. > :11:18.the formula and it is vital that this promise is now followed

:11:19. > :11:22.through. The House of Commons library says the Government's new

:11:23. > :11:30.funding formula would have winners and losers. With 54% of schools sing

:11:31. > :11:34.a cash increase, but 46% seeing a cut, and figures from the National

:11:35. > :11:39.Audit Office show in the borough of Rochdale, of which my constituency

:11:40. > :11:45.forms apart, our schools are facing cuts of ?15 million. On average, a

:11:46. > :11:53.local schools are facing cuts of ?550 per pupil, equivalent to the

:11:54. > :11:59.loss of 468 teachers across the borough leading to a larger class

:12:00. > :12:03.sizes and increasing stress and disillusionment amongst those

:12:04. > :12:07.teachers remaining in post. I've been contacted by many headteachers

:12:08. > :12:13.and teachers in my constituency who have expressed serious concerns

:12:14. > :12:17.about the impact on our children's education of the new funding

:12:18. > :12:21.formula. They've talked to me about how they've had to make budget

:12:22. > :12:26.savings year on year and that now the cupboard is bare. The imposition

:12:27. > :12:31.of any more cuts will give them no option other than to reduce the

:12:32. > :12:35.number of teachers. Locally, none of the schools in my constituency

:12:36. > :12:39.winners. They will all lose out under the new funding formula.

:12:40. > :12:42.Nationally, the picture appears to be the same with even Tory MPs

:12:43. > :12:47.complaining that these cuts are entirely unacceptable. We mustn't

:12:48. > :12:51.forget our international obligations. We have signed up to

:12:52. > :12:56.sustainable development goal number for which commits to ensuring that

:12:57. > :13:01.all girls and boys complete free equitable and quality primary and

:13:02. > :13:05.secondary education by 2030. Only last week, the children at Saint

:13:06. > :13:10.Vincent 's Roman Catholic primary school in my constituency invited me

:13:11. > :13:14.to a morning Assembly on the theme of send my friend to school where

:13:15. > :13:19.they sang and performed brilliantly on behalf of their international

:13:20. > :13:25.neighbours. They reminded me at our current rate of progress, the

:13:26. > :13:29.development goal will not be achieved until 2084. It made me

:13:30. > :13:33.proud to see these children looking at Woods are not inwards and gives

:13:34. > :13:36.me hope for the future to see this current compassion. I do hope this

:13:37. > :13:45.Government will take note. I want to know talk briefly about

:13:46. > :13:48.the recent election, the Prime Minister recklessly gambled with her

:13:49. > :13:53.majority and lost it. Far from offering strength and stability we

:13:54. > :13:58.now have a minority government propped up by DUP votes. I was one

:13:59. > :14:01.of the few MPs who voted against the election because of voter fatigue,

:14:02. > :14:06.my constituents have had a major election every year since 2014 and

:14:07. > :14:11.at the ten election was announced we were in a midst of the greater

:14:12. > :14:18.Manchester mail elections. I try to save the Prime Minister upon herself

:14:19. > :14:29.but to no avail. LAUGHTER Festival can I congratulate

:14:30. > :14:32.the excellent made sure... His experience and dedication will stand

:14:33. > :14:39.him in good stead in the days ahead. So, I wished to begin my remarks by

:14:40. > :14:43.saying that my wife is the Cabinet member for children and young people

:14:44. > :14:48.in local authority Cheshire West and Cheshire. Education is a subject

:14:49. > :14:56.matter under discussion today it was raised to me on the doorstep during

:14:57. > :15:01.the election. I would like to focus today on the lack of accountability

:15:02. > :15:05.in our education system, the University of Chester, Academy in a

:15:06. > :15:08.report was Ali this month once again rated as inadequate by Ofsted and

:15:09. > :15:15.the sad fact is that this is not the first time the school has failed the

:15:16. > :15:18.Ofsted inspection. Whilst there are improvements and then we are sadly

:15:19. > :15:22.back to square one. We the dues of the different but the way the matter

:15:23. > :15:24.has been dealt with so far demonstrates the lagoon in

:15:25. > :15:30.government policy towards filling academies. Whether it is an

:15:31. > :15:33.oversight or an ideological attachment to academies, the

:15:34. > :15:37.devastating reality is that the only prescription to remedy these

:15:38. > :15:40.feelings is more of the same. Well, my constituents deserves better than

:15:41. > :15:45.more the same. As members will know there was no mechanism for an

:15:46. > :15:50.academy to return to local authority control, those that are deemed

:15:51. > :16:02.failing all performing may be subject to interventions for reasons

:16:03. > :16:05.I'm yet to understand, I would suspect there were not scores of

:16:06. > :16:08.other sponsors queueing up to take over and if one does urge what

:16:09. > :16:12.guarantees do we have that they would be any better than the current

:16:13. > :16:15.sponsors, that they have any local knowledge or connection, or that

:16:16. > :16:19.they will be accountable to the people that they serve. The answer

:16:20. > :16:24.is of course, none. But we have a ready-made answer waiting by the

:16:25. > :16:29.phone for a call, the local authority who has 90% of its schools

:16:30. > :16:36.rated as good or outstanding. The accountability is vital to restore

:16:37. > :16:40.public confidence. I know that the vast majority of school staff do a

:16:41. > :16:42.fantastic job and there are many at the academy he were working

:16:43. > :16:45.incredibly hard and doing their best though it is important to note that

:16:46. > :16:48.it is not a criticism of the staff of the scope of its leadership, and

:16:49. > :16:52.of a system that cannot deal with those feelings. There is no doubt

:16:53. > :16:56.that if this was a local authority control school there would be an

:16:57. > :17:03.army of advisers in years ago extolling the virtues of academies

:17:04. > :17:04.they should, I know one local primary that was positively

:17:05. > :17:06.encouraged as having the University as its sponsor, I'm sure they

:17:07. > :17:11.believed they resisted that temptation. That is the nub of it,

:17:12. > :17:14.we'll won the Best bar children, but the system designed to drive

:17:15. > :17:17.improvements is in currently entrancing poor performance and

:17:18. > :17:22.underachievement. So, while the Queen's speech has mercifully not

:17:23. > :17:25.include another round of tinkering with school structures, the big

:17:26. > :17:29.omission was any attempt to deal with Education Select Committee at

:17:30. > :17:34.proposals and introduce awake that academies could be held to account.

:17:35. > :17:42.The Triumph of ideology Pete -- the Triumph of ideology over reality.

:17:43. > :17:46.There was not even a governing body on the Academy, and therefore there

:17:47. > :17:51.was no general staff, parents or the community to express their views.

:17:52. > :17:56.Critically, no accountability for the serial failings of leadership.

:17:57. > :17:59.The Queen's speech I quits "The government continues to work to

:18:00. > :18:03.ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a good

:18:04. > :18:06.school." It is about time the government put aside dogma and came

:18:07. > :18:11.up with proposals to actually make that happen. The education of our

:18:12. > :18:17.children is too important for them to continue to be let down in this

:18:18. > :18:21.way. I would like to begin by saying what a pleasure it has been to

:18:22. > :18:24.listen to see Mane excellent maiden speeches. As the daughter of us got

:18:25. > :18:31.it was particularly pleasing to see so many new Scottish MPs on the

:18:32. > :18:35.Labour benches. I would like to thank the people of Burnley for

:18:36. > :18:38.bringing me back here again, it is a privilege. I would like to begin by

:18:39. > :18:45.speaking up with the children in Banbury. I want, I was pleased to

:18:46. > :18:49.hear in the Queen's speech, talk of spreading prosperity and

:18:50. > :18:52.opportunity. -- the children of Burnley. I would like to ask the

:18:53. > :19:02.Minister how the Burnley children fit into this plan. 31.9% are in

:19:03. > :19:07.poverty. In the mid-test deprived of what this rises to 50%, half of all

:19:08. > :19:12.children growing up in poverty. We need to build a strong economy we'll

:19:13. > :19:16.want to see, maximise the economic contribution of all our people,

:19:17. > :19:19.acting to break the cycle of poverty does not just transform lives it

:19:20. > :19:26.strengthens our economy and we cannot afford not to act. I want the

:19:27. > :19:30.prosperity and opportunity that the Prime Minister speaks about to apply

:19:31. > :19:35.to be children in my. I wanted to reach them and I want to ask why the

:19:36. > :19:39.government's action seem not to match their rhetoric. Undoubtably

:19:40. > :19:42.education is the key to social mobility and economical opportunity.

:19:43. > :19:46.With that in mind it is useful to look at what is happening on the

:19:47. > :19:50.ground in Burnley, their state maintained nursery schools, everyone

:19:51. > :19:56.judged to be outstanding awkward, all at risk of closure. All the

:19:57. > :20:01.evidence shows that the first five years of life are so important. It

:20:02. > :20:05.is essential that this provision is not confused with childcare, I am

:20:06. > :20:11.talking about quality education delivered by qualified teachers, the

:20:12. > :20:17.children of nursery school age. Disgracefully, these are not

:20:18. > :20:22.protected. I want to thank the teachers and head in town who

:20:23. > :20:26.champion this course in the interest of the children. Looking at school

:20:27. > :20:29.provision and returning to the Queen's speech whether government

:20:30. > :20:33.promised to continue to ensure that every child has an opportunity to

:20:34. > :20:37.attend a good school and all schools are fairly fond of, all the children

:20:38. > :20:41.in my constituency have access to good primary and secondary schools

:20:42. > :20:45.but the so-called fair funding for Miller will have a damaging effect.

:20:46. > :20:50.Every school needs to have their funding cut by over ?400, shockingly

:20:51. > :20:54.in the poorest parts of the constituency this rises to over

:20:55. > :21:00.?700. Can the Minister tell me what is fair about this? Can the Minister

:21:01. > :21:03.tell me how this will enhance opportunity and spread prosperity?

:21:04. > :21:07.The reality is quite the reverse. These budget cuts will meet P2

:21:08. > :21:12.redundancies, primary schools super-size classes and secondary

:21:13. > :21:14.schools having a reduced curriculum. All which leads to less

:21:15. > :21:22.opportunities with children in Burnley. Every stage, it seems, the

:21:23. > :21:25.government is placing obstacles that hamper social mobility and pride job

:21:26. > :21:32.of opportunities. This is a criminal waste. It is costing this country

:21:33. > :21:35.dearly. When will the government understand that the children are the

:21:36. > :21:44.future and an investment in them is an investment in the future of the

:21:45. > :21:49.country? Thank you. It is a great privilege to speak in this debate,

:21:50. > :21:54.especially to enjoy such a maze chink maiden speeches from across

:21:55. > :22:00.the chamber. -- such an amazing maiden speeches. I play special

:22:01. > :22:04.tribute to the member of the Nottingham North who spoke so well

:22:05. > :22:07.and I'm sure will be a timeless representative for his community. I

:22:08. > :22:12.would also like to pay tribute to my electors in the constituency of

:22:13. > :22:18.mine, for letting me for the third time. The third time in seven years.

:22:19. > :22:24.Now, the Queen's speech had some very fine words and here are my

:22:25. > :22:28.favourite, "Priority to build a more united country, strengthening the

:22:29. > :22:34.social, economic and cultural bonds between England, Northern Ireland,

:22:35. > :22:38.Scotland and Wales." I find sentiment, and then we discovered

:22:39. > :22:44.what really happened. A tawdry little Dale, a strange game of who

:22:45. > :22:48.wants to be a billionaire will stop -- a tawdry little deal. Which is

:22:49. > :22:57.led to the government giving one of the constituent nations ?1 billion

:22:58. > :23:01.to prop up the Tories. What sort of message does that send to my

:23:02. > :23:06.electors, my constituencies and across the rest of Wales and indeed

:23:07. > :23:10.to the rest of the mainland Britain? It will not surprise members to note

:23:11. > :23:13.that members on the opposition benches across the opposition

:23:14. > :23:19.benches, will likely be acting but that extra money the Wales and I am

:23:20. > :23:23.sure there will be other members are skin was similar of the parts of

:23:24. > :23:29.mainland Britain. -- asking the similar. The speech spoke about the

:23:30. > :23:33.importance for ensuring people have the skills people need for the high

:23:34. > :23:37.skilled, high wage jobs for the future. But unlike some I do not

:23:38. > :23:42.believe that we can to prove the whole issue of student debt will

:23:43. > :23:46.stop I think argue K manifesto was right to address this and I'm

:23:47. > :23:50.delighted that our Welsh Labour government have taken practical

:23:51. > :23:54.steps to ensure that students are better supported. I think that where

:23:55. > :23:57.ever one is on the political spectrum it is undoubtedly true that

:23:58. > :24:02.student debt, at levels that my generation did not see and did not

:24:03. > :24:06.know, benefit absolutely no one. There are some measures of the

:24:07. > :24:11.Queen's speech that think he would oppose, greater action to tackle

:24:12. > :24:17.domestic violence, meeting donated 2% commitments, support for the

:24:18. > :24:22.police to tackle terrorism and of course in the global concerns about

:24:23. > :24:27.human tax blue trafficking. But, I think we also need to recognise in

:24:28. > :24:32.this debate that we can only support these measures were proper

:24:33. > :24:41.resourcing. This week's economist magazine asks for an honest debate

:24:42. > :24:47.about what we propose to do and how we propose to fund it. I think we

:24:48. > :24:50.must speak up for the dignity of proper state investment by high

:24:51. > :24:54.quality public services, we must speak up the message like those that

:24:55. > :25:00.I think wet excluded in the Queen's speech. What would be wrong about

:25:01. > :25:06.giving a decent pension but the women for in 1950s as part of those

:25:07. > :25:09.settlements? I believe that the ideological debate, whether

:25:10. > :25:14.penny-pinching small speech it logs of the hard right always have their

:25:15. > :25:19.way must have its day. I know, in what will be very quick speeches, no

:25:20. > :25:22.speech is complete in this parliament without a message the

:25:23. > :25:26.Brexit. Were I would say the government is let's have a Brexit

:25:27. > :25:32.that works but the whole nation but the hard right or the Tory party. If

:25:33. > :25:34.we end with no Deal or no proper folks who will be mighty, mighty

:25:35. > :25:44.cross. Can I say being called at a late

:25:45. > :25:48.hour has given me the privilege of hearing so many marvellous speeches

:25:49. > :26:03.today. Especially my friend from Nottingham North who I know he is

:26:04. > :26:12.good to be in his place. She should have taken the advice from my

:26:13. > :26:16.friend. We have a Tory party with no majority in this house. We have a

:26:17. > :26:23.Government propped up only by the votes of the DUP. To paraphrase

:26:24. > :26:27.Robbie Burns, bought and sold with English gold. I congratulate the

:26:28. > :26:55.Honourable members from the DUP one -- and they'll be at the

:26:56. > :27:01.expense of others. 27 bills, eight of which relate to the process of

:27:02. > :27:08.exiting the European Union but none which deal with the inequality

:27:09. > :27:12.shares -- inequalities in society. I will not judge this Government by

:27:13. > :27:17.its actions but I will hold them to account for their inaction and

:27:18. > :27:23.political decisions have taken. Or in the case of this paralysed

:27:24. > :27:29.decision, decisions they have not. Schools will face a budget shortfall

:27:30. > :27:34.of ?11 million by 2020. Where in this speech is the measure to ensure

:27:35. > :27:40.equitable ad, adequate and a fair funding school systems and schools

:27:41. > :27:44.across the country? I have met with headteachers working under immense

:27:45. > :27:48.pressure to deliver the best for the children my constituency.

:27:49. > :27:52.Stoke-on-Trent's new people off rich in talent and will have a bright

:27:53. > :28:00.support -- Rob Bright future. That is being robbed by an uncaring

:28:01. > :28:12.Government. It is also not just schools weathers Government is

:28:13. > :28:17.showing a derelict duty. The proposals for 30 hours free

:28:18. > :28:21.childcare is a good one but it is a policy being done on the cheap by

:28:22. > :28:25.this Government. Nursery provided have told me it will end up costing

:28:26. > :28:30.them more to provide 30 hours because the amount offered by the

:28:31. > :28:35.Government per child per hour is too little to me the operating

:28:36. > :28:38.overheads. This is childcare on the cheap and the Government should be

:28:39. > :28:44.ashamed. It is not just the inference being let down. Further

:28:45. > :28:47.education is also deafening. While the Queen's speech made some

:28:48. > :28:52.references to technical education, it has done nothing about the future

:28:53. > :28:57.of further education. The minister can smile but it was the Queen's

:28:58. > :29:03.speech that she struggled to make case for. In Stoke-on-Trent, we have

:29:04. > :29:06.two fabulous colleges. Stoke-on-Trent College and sixth

:29:07. > :29:16.form College. They do exceptional work preparing for the next

:29:17. > :29:20.generation. The general secretary will acknowledge the impact and says

:29:21. > :29:26.the Government's plans fail to do anything for the post-16 education

:29:27. > :29:30.which is poorly funded and when medical -- many courses are being

:29:31. > :29:38.cut. The list of missing bills and botched opportunities could go on

:29:39. > :29:42.but times cannot. The chance to lay out its priorities. The Queen's

:29:43. > :29:47.speech suggests a Government that is out of ideas, devoid of aspiration

:29:48. > :29:53.and indifferent to the people I represent. It has been an honour and

:29:54. > :29:59.pleasure to hear the maiden speeches from everyone across the House

:30:00. > :30:04.today. While tooting is not awash with peaks and flowing rivers, it is

:30:05. > :30:08.indeed very beautiful and I'm immensely grateful for the people of

:30:09. > :30:12.tooting in re-electing me to my place here today. Brexit will play a

:30:13. > :30:17.substantial part in the order of this house over the next two years.

:30:18. > :30:21.Ensuring we have a well resourced education system is something we

:30:22. > :30:26.cannot revisit in two years' time. Children, parents, teachers need

:30:27. > :30:30.answers now. When I marched with 500 tooting parents and pupils in May

:30:31. > :30:34.against Government proposals to cut their school budgets, I made a

:30:35. > :30:37.promise to stand up for them in Parliament. Three weeks later, here

:30:38. > :30:44.I am standing on the tooting children, tooting chip teachers and

:30:45. > :30:58.support staff and parents. I want to take you on a journey that people in

:30:59. > :31:01.Tooting will travel. No way can make preferred that provide 30 hours of

:31:02. > :31:06.education. My daughter start school in September but those that have

:31:07. > :31:10.special needs cannot be catered for due to lack of funding. In Tooting,

:31:11. > :31:14.many headteachers attempting to provide the best their pupils are

:31:15. > :31:18.having to go cap in hand at the school gate and ask for donations

:31:19. > :31:22.just to pay their staff and to keep their buildings in repair. When the

:31:23. > :31:29.donations run out, teachers are using their own money to purchase

:31:30. > :31:33.basics. At 18 years old, our children have to decide whether to

:31:34. > :31:39.cripple themselves with university debt, try and get a limited number

:31:40. > :31:42.of apprenticeship places or go straight into the workforce. As

:31:43. > :31:46.graduates, arrogant people have to decide whether they can actually

:31:47. > :31:51.afford to serve in public service roles. Whether they can become

:31:52. > :31:54.nurses knowing they will have to use food banks potentially and when they

:31:55. > :31:58.become teachers numbing that their morale will be stripped from them

:31:59. > :32:01.within a first year of working. Poorly thought out Conservative

:32:02. > :32:13.promises versus everyday reality pretty much sums up education

:32:14. > :32:17.proposals stop teachers should be teaching, not fund-raising. They

:32:18. > :32:21.should be able to get on with their job. In Tooting, there are schools

:32:22. > :32:26.where children have even had to clean their own classrooms because

:32:27. > :32:32.they have not been able to provide cleaning staff. Children should be

:32:33. > :32:34.learning, not vacuuming. In all of this, who suffers? It is the next

:32:35. > :32:38.generation of children and young adults. Their potential being curbed

:32:39. > :32:44.before they have a chance to reach it. I'm joining -- I am enjoying

:32:45. > :32:47.hearing the secretary when she denied coming to Tooting as speaking

:32:48. > :33:01.to parents. The presenter promised that those finishing them now --

:33:02. > :33:09.nursing degrees... The funding formula was to have no cash losers.

:33:10. > :33:13.I ask, why herself or no conservative representative, why

:33:14. > :33:17.were they not present at the marchers or meetings during the

:33:18. > :33:21.electoral process? It is very easy now to stand up in the Chamber where

:33:22. > :33:25.you feel safe among your comrades but where are you in the cold face

:33:26. > :33:30.speaking to parents, teachers and pupils when you have nine-year-olds

:33:31. > :33:35.marching against Government cuts. Where were you then? You are invited

:33:36. > :33:39.and you failed to show up. At what time will the promised and a party

:33:40. > :33:43.at except our children deserve more? Our children deserve a better start

:33:44. > :33:49.in life. Parents should be worried about the fact that their children

:33:50. > :33:53.will be put into boxes aged 11 based on that academic prowess. That we

:33:54. > :33:57.are standing at children's potential before they have had the opportunity

:33:58. > :34:01.to flourish. Under a Labour Government, myself and my brother

:34:02. > :34:04.were able to come from a poor background and have that

:34:05. > :34:08.aspirational hope that you spoke of under a Labour Government and we

:34:09. > :34:12.were both able to go to Oxbridge and I now stand here before you. That is

:34:13. > :34:16.with a single parent working three jobs under a Labour Government who

:34:17. > :34:19.gave us the opportunity to achieve. It is a Labour Government that will

:34:20. > :34:24.stand up for absolutely every single child in this country. It is a

:34:25. > :34:28.Labour Government that is for the many, not for the few. A Labour

:34:29. > :34:33.Government that will assure we have class sizes where our children can

:34:34. > :34:36.learn and tough opportunities, liveable Government that says an

:34:37. > :34:40.apprenticeship is as important as going to university and crippling a

:34:41. > :34:45.sovereign debt. It is a Labour Government who was going to ensure

:34:46. > :34:49.that every single child has the best possible start in life and what I

:34:50. > :34:56.will end on it saying I look forward to being part of that Government

:34:57. > :34:59.very soon. Just before I call the honourable member for Denton and

:35:00. > :35:05.Reddish, the debate can continue until seven o'clock. There is no

:35:06. > :35:10.obligation on the honourable gentleman or on the Minister, the

:35:11. > :35:14.honourable gentleman Vurnon Anita and, to continue banging on until

:35:15. > :35:28.seven o'clock. It is perfectly permissible for them to conclude

:35:29. > :35:33.before that allotted hour. Hint. I get the sense that you would like us

:35:34. > :35:36.to finish sooner rather than later. We've had a packed debate and it has

:35:37. > :35:41.been great to listen to the 48 backbench members including my

:35:42. > :35:47.honourable friend 's, the members the Manchester Central, Boston and

:35:48. > :35:50.Halewood, Coventry South, Rhondda, Sheffield South East, Gedling,

:35:51. > :35:56.Bethnal Green and Bow, Wakefield, Mitchell Mann modem, Sheffield

:35:57. > :36:00.Central, Stockton North, Liverpool West Derby, Hayward and Middleton,

:36:01. > :36:05.Ellesmere Port, Clywd South, Stoke Central and tooting stop the Right

:36:06. > :36:10.Honourable members from Broadlands, Basingstoke, Forest of Dean and the

:36:11. > :36:15.honourable members of the East Worthing and Shoreham, Gainsborough,

:36:16. > :36:18.Hartford and Stortford, Cotswolds, Cheltenham, Stafford, North East

:36:19. > :36:21.Hampshire, South East Cambridgeshire, Harrow East,

:36:22. > :36:27.Copeland and Mid Worcestershire. I want to pay special tribute to all

:36:28. > :36:35.of those honourable members who have spoken in this Chamber for the first

:36:36. > :36:42.time. I think it is whatever part of the chambers sit. I come here with

:36:43. > :36:45.the right purpose and that is to represent their constituents and

:36:46. > :36:51.their constituencies as best they can. I pay tribute to my honourable

:36:52. > :36:55.friend, the members for Colne Valley, Bellshill, col cardia and

:36:56. > :37:00.Cowdenbeath, North West Durham, Brighton Kemptown, East Lothian,

:37:01. > :37:05.High Peak North and the members of Aberdeen South, South Perthshire

:37:06. > :37:10.Oxford West and Abingdon, Belfast South, Southport and Glasgow East. I

:37:11. > :37:17.would merely say that it was 12 years ago on the 23rd of May 2005

:37:18. > :37:21.that I gave my maiden speech in the debate on communities and yet I

:37:22. > :37:28.stand here 12 years later as the Shadow Communities Secretary. Mr

:37:29. > :37:32.Speaker, a week is a long time in politics, they say. What a

:37:33. > :37:38.difference seven weeks made. When the election was called, I was

:37:39. > :37:43.virtually laughed off College Green in media interviews. Tory MP's tales

:37:44. > :37:48.were up and they were heading for a landslide. They asked for a big

:37:49. > :37:55.majority but the Prime Minister lost the majority she'd inherited. Their

:37:56. > :38:01.response - out when their policies will stop we had a delayed Queen's

:38:02. > :38:09.speech that could have been written on an ascot betting slip. Why the

:38:10. > :38:14.Queen had to wait for a goat's skin to be prepared, I don't know. Never

:38:15. > :38:21.has so much pomp and ceremony accompanied so little content. This

:38:22. > :38:25.is the first opportunity that I have had to speak since the appalling

:38:26. > :38:30.tragedies that shocked many of us over the past weeks. It is with

:38:31. > :38:35.pride, however, that I commend the way the communities of Manchester

:38:36. > :38:42.and London United and came together to show opposition to that violence

:38:43. > :38:46.and hate. I also wish to pay tribute to the Hariri response from the

:38:47. > :38:53.emergency services. The NHS and the community following that dreadful

:38:54. > :38:59.tragedy at Grenfell Tower and those who provide support to all who lost

:39:00. > :39:05.family, friends and everything that they own as the fire tore through

:39:06. > :39:11.their homes. I know within my own party they're both staff and elected

:39:12. > :39:15.members who been affected personally and I anticipate similar can be said

:39:16. > :39:21.for those around the House. I am proud to stand alongside and pay

:39:22. > :39:25.tribute to all those who have demanded answers over the failings

:39:26. > :39:31.that allowed this tragedy to happen. Rather than being torn apart, the

:39:32. > :39:35.community has come together in a remarkable display of human

:39:36. > :39:41.compassion, mutuality and solidarity. I also welcome at the

:39:42. > :39:46.Prime Minister last week recognised the failure of Government in this

:39:47. > :39:48.tragedy and I look forward to the results of the forthcoming

:39:49. > :39:56.investigation which I hope will ensure this tragedy is never, ever

:39:57. > :40:01.repeated. Mr Speaker, the consequences of a Tory Government of

:40:02. > :40:10.visible to all. In the unrepaired roads, uncollected bins, cuts to

:40:11. > :40:13.classes and adult learning, closed children's centres throughout

:40:14. > :40:19.England. Less visible, however, other stresses that have been placed

:40:20. > :40:23.on core services, planning services, building regulation and inspection

:40:24. > :40:26.of commercial properties. A recent study by the local Government

:40:27. > :40:32.information unit found three quarters of councils have little or

:40:33. > :40:37.no confidence in their financial sustainability and more than one in

:40:38. > :40:41.ten believed that they were in danger of failing to deliver and

:40:42. > :40:45.legally required services like those that I've just mentioned. Planning

:40:46. > :40:52.services, building regulations and inspection.

:40:53. > :40:59.Only one in ten people, nine out of ten are managing with some of the

:41:00. > :41:02.financial services they have. I think the Honourable Lady shows a

:41:03. > :41:07.lack of understanding of precisely what is happening in local

:41:08. > :41:11.government. One in ten of their full of the financial future does not

:41:12. > :41:17.mean that 90% are satisfied, and I suspect that she will regret making