Speeches by Voaden.

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. I thank the hon. Member for Sherwood Forest (Michelle Welsh) for securing this important debate. High-quality early years education is one of the most important investments we can make in not just children’s development but the future of our society. The …”

“My hon. Friend is talking about the provision in rural areas. We have a wonderful nursery called Rainbow nursery in Totnes, which serves not only the town but the wider area. There are very few, if any, village nurseries, so lots of people come into the town to use the nursery provision. It is absolutely rammed, with a…”

“I share the concern about delays in justice—no rape victims should ever have to wait five years for their day in court—but I am seriously concerned about the limiting of trial by jury and how it could dent confidence. As the Minister considers these reforms over the summer, will she please give some thought to more ser…”

“Looking at the early years, the very beginning of school, are you taking any evidence from countries where formal learning starts later? Given the mental health crisis we have, the massive rise in children with special educational needs, and the fact that more and more are not school-ready, are you considering a softer…”

“Prior to 16, do you think that young people are being given enough of a sales pitch, if you like, about the advantages of going down the apprenticeship route rather than the academic route when they leave school? There is a need for apprenticeships given that we want to create growth, build 1.5 million houses, repair a…”

“While your interim report says the “Knowledge-rich” curriculum is producing good outcomes, we know that teachers’ organisations have described it as excessive, content-heavy and overfilled. When I speak to key stage 1 teachers particularly, they say there needs to be more time in the school day for the youngest childre…”

“I would like to move on and talk about post-16 pathways. Witnesses to our further education and skills inquiry have been clear that those students who are following vocational pathways lack the guidance, clarity and esteem enjoyed by those following academic pathways. The Edge Foundation found that careers education in…”

“I am a bit confused by this, because if you have a significant number of kids, be it 25% or 30%, who are not securing GCSE English and maths, despite doing it over and over again—we all know how demotivating it is to repeatedly fail at something you are trying to do—I cannot understand the resistance to having a lower-…”

“You were talking about not wanting to have a qualification that is too low.”

“Sorry, I am one of the few in the room who is not an ex-teacher. I meant reception.”

“You may not be able to answer this yet, but have you identified any specific subjects where there is a consensus that the content should be reduced to allow for deeper learning?”

“Okay.”

“I am not necessarily talking about—”

“One of the vulnerabilities that we saw in the pandemic, after the invasion of Ukraine and even during the “beast from the east” winter storm was to food supplies, but I did not hear the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster refer to food in his statement. Finland’s national food supply can sustain the country for up to …”

“I welcome the Minister’s statement, and it is good that Devon made it on to the map—just. Many on the Liberal Democrat Benches and others across the House travel from Paddington down to the far south-west, and we have spoken with your Department about the effects of the Old Oak Common works on that line. Can the Minist…”

“Does the hon. Member agree that there is an opportunity here to do something transformational for our local communities by enabling funds, particularly local government pension funds, to invest in much-needed infrastructure like care homes, special schools or even our high streets, which would provide a secure long-ter…”

“I really welcome this 10-year plan, especially the shift from hospital to community. I am excited by the digital transformation, and I hope it works in the broadband blackspots of South Devon. I will ask the Secretary of State about the shift from sickness to prevention. Will he tell the House what conversations he has…”

“I have a supplementary, if I may. Shifting focus slightly, we know that the Government are extending a profit cap to private provision in the children’s social care sector. I would like to know, given all the funding challenges you are facing, whether you are going to extend the profit cap to cover the private provisio…”

“Okay. I will move on. Given the importance of early intervention for children with SEND, what assessment has the Department made of the merits of prioritising a greater proportion of high needs block towards funding early years provision?”

“Can I ask for a quick yes or no on this one? Are you looking at making the national funding formula fairer across the country?”