Speeches by Voaden.

“I would like to ask the Minister whether the Treasury consulted DEFRA on the tax change before deciding to go ahead with it in the Budget.”

“David, the Education Policy Institute has recently recommended the introduction of smaller alternatives to T-levels to enable access for a wider range of students. What are the advantages and challenges associated with this change?”

“They might never be ready to take a T-level.”

“You are advocating the defunding of AGQs. If they have struggled with T-levels because they are too academic—the equivalent of three A-levels is quite a lot for somebody who is choosing not to go down an A-level pathway. If we defund technical qualifications, where do those people go and what do they do?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Mark. I thank the right hon. and learned Member for Torridge and Tavistock (Sir Geoffrey Cox) for securing this important debate, and for his lyrical introduction to the subject. It is clear from all hon. Members who have contributed that much is at stake for our r…”

“We have briefly touched on this already. Only 21% of students who started T-levels in 2022 finished their course. Why do you think that T-levels have a much lower retention rate compared to other level 3 qualifications?”

“In your written submission to the review, you suggested that some BTECs and other AGQs would benefit from updated content rather than defunding. What changes do you think would benefit students with SEND in the content of those qualifications?”

“We know that students with SEND are more likely to pursue applied general and tech-level qualifications than their peers. What do you think the Government should do to mitigate the impact on students with SEND if funding is withdrawn from these qualifications?”

“It is an honour to speak under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. I thank the hon. Member for Stevenage (Kevin Bonavia) for opening the debate. I would like to acknowledge all the people who have signed the petition, and Mark and John for all their work—it is good to see them in the Public Gallery. I speak as someone who h…”

“I add my voice to the calls to extend bereavement support payments. I was very lucky—well, not lucky—because I was bereaved before those changes were made, and I had bereavement support payments for quite a long time. I want to say a couple of things on that. The reason why someone gets bereavement support payments is …”

“I am aware that my predecessor used to say it was digital-first and that the paperwork did not exist, but I can tell Members that 17 pieces of paper have to be signed every time Offshore Shellfish wants to do an export consignment. It does not matter which side of the channel that comes from. The point is that it was a…”

“The hon. Member talked about the importance of encouraging young people into the industry. That is important for us all, wherever we are. It is clear for us all to see that our fishing communities were deeply let down by the previous Conservative Government, and that the promises made to them in the run-up to Brexit ha…”

“It is a pleasure to speak under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for securing today’s debate on the UK fishing industry. He has been a steadfast supporter of the UK’s fishing communities for many years. I echo his words and those of many others i…”

“It is a pleasure to speak under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Darlington (Lola McEvoy) on bringing forward this important debate. The internet has undeniably introduced a valuable resource for learning that has transformed society, but technology has also brought with it significant ris…”

“I welcome the ICC’s decision, and I sincerely hope that we will live up to our international obligations if the Prime Minister of Israel visits the UK. You have said yourself that you regret the fact that more aid is not getting into Gaza, and that you have been calling out the Israeli Government for not letting in mor…”

“The Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for proper neighbourhood policing, so we welcome this announcement. Sadly, I have heard at first hand the concern and fear of one community in Dartmouth, following a police decision to redeploy a local sergeant who had spent a couple of years building positive relationships an…”

“The Government’s Children’s Wellbeing Bill is expected to include a requirement for local authorities to maintain children not in school registers, which is a recommendation that was made by the previous Committee. How effective do you think this will be in reducing the number of children who are not attending school?”

“I congratulate the hon. Member for securing this debate. I think we can all agree that the number of children involved in this conflict, particularly the 16,000 children who have been killed, is just absolutely horrific. The UK has suspended some arms licences to Israel, but in light of the violations of humanitarian p…”

“I want to come in very briefly on something that you were talking about, systems thinking. I was talking recently to an expert in systems thinking and we can see it particularly in justice and the impact of the care system on what then become people who are involved in the justice system later on. Do you see any indica…”

“I see a little bit of a disconnect in something that you said. You talked about a child who has been off for a while coming back into school wearing the wrong uniform, and then being given a detention and sent home. I have literally heard that very example in Devon—of a child immediately being sent home after coming ba…”