Speeches by Phillipson.

“Yes.”

“Absolutely. Let me begin by saying thanks so much for the opportunity to be in front of the Committee today. We will seek to keep our answers short to get through as much as we can and follow your steer on providing more information in writing as required. It is an enormous privilege to do this job, and we have a fanta…”

“The experience your constituent has had is absolutely appalling, and you are right to draw attention to the enormous impact it can have on mental health and the way victims can be re-traumatised by the experience. We want to make sure that when victims get to court, the environment and the support they receive allow th…”

“That consultation is under way. We will take whatever steps are necessary in order to maintain confidence. I am not clear whether or what form of legislation might be required, or whether the Home Secretary may be able to discharge her functions in a way that delivers on what I think is essential around police forces h…”

“It is essential that everyone in our society is able to live free of abuse and free of such unacceptable targeting, including online. Sadly, in the world in which we live, we know this happens far too often to too many people. I would always encourage anyone who is targeted online or receives abuse of any form in perso…”

“The last Government launched a consultation on RSHE, which concluded not long after the formation of this Government. I agree that it is incredibly important that all young people have access to high-quality RSHE, particularly covering crucial areas such as consent and healthy relationships, in a way that is age-approp…”

“My understanding is that that is the case, but I can make sure the Home Office provides you with a more comprehensive update on that. The Home Office also wants to ensure that there is a more consistent approach overall to data gathering, because there is variation between different police forces.”

“Just to add to that, there is work going on across Government. While the Deputy Prime Minister leads this, I attended the first meeting of the cross-governmental steering group that she set up. The Department for Education is also represented as a part of that work. We know that this is about the wider services that ar…”

“I can certainly ensure that that is raised with colleagues across Government to make sure that updates are provided as the Committee requires.”

“This is a DFT lead but we are committed across Government to making sure we improve accessibility to the railway; we know it is absolutely crucial. We are considering our approach to Access for All. We are not able to offer comment on specific stations or projects at this stage, other than to say that a further eight a…”

“I will add a bit on children and young people, if it is helpful for the Committee. We have seen increases in diagnosis connected to education, health and care plans partly because there is a much wider understanding of neurodivergence and autism, and that is a welcome development. But where it comes to schools in parti…”

“I can certainly put that point to Treasury. My instinct is that what you are asking for is not necessarily straightforward, but I will happily ensure that that is picked up with Treasury. I would also emphasise that, while we believe as a Government that it was necessary to make that tax change, we protected the smalle…”

“This is obviously a Treasury lead. My understanding is that various assessments were undertaken as a part of that, but not in the way you describe, which is in line with previous changes to national insurance contributions and how that would have been approached. The Government will be providing support for Departments…”

“We carefully considered the impact of all policies, including the changes around national insurance. An assessment of the policy was published by HMRC in its tax information and impact note, and the OBR looked at the macroeconomic impact of the changes, which is in line with the way this was dealt with previously and t…”

“I recognise the hon. Gentleman’s interest in this area, and the interest of Members from right across the House in the urgent need to reform the SEND system. However, I gently observe that we inherited the funding mechanism from the previous Government, and that the last Conservative Education Secretary said that the S…”

“This Government’s ambition is that all children with special educational needs receive the right support to succeed, where possible, in mainstream schools. To further support that vision, in December I announced £740 million of high-needs capital for 2025-26. The Department is working closely with experts on reforms an…”

“The hon. Lady is right to draw attention to the legacy picture painted by the National Audit Office. We are investing in a new national policing centre for VAWG public protection, and ensuring that we have a real focus on tackling high-risk offenders by intervening much earlier and taking further measures involving dom…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Lady for mentioning the excellent organisations in her constituency and the work that they do to support survivors. We are investing more in provision, but I understand her point about the need for security of long-term funding, and we will consider that as part of our VAWG strategy.”

“Let me start by paying tribute to Halifax WomenCentre for its vital work in Calder Valley. I assure my hon. Friend that we will engage across Government, drawing on expertise in the sector through the development of our new violence against women and girls strategy, which will be published later this year. We have prov…”

“Because this is the first opportunity I have had to do so, may I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the right hon. Member for East Surrey (Claire Coutinho) on welcoming her new son into the world? I wish her and her family every happiness in this wonderful phase of their journey together. The Government are steadfas…”