Speeches by Vince.

“What conversations has the Department had with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that the 10-year plan tackles the root causes of mental ill health? My constituents in Harlow tell me that they get mental health support only when they are really facing crisis, and by the time they have got to that crisi…”

“I find it heartbreaking to hear that there are victims of domestic violence, rape and sexual violence who feel that they are tackling a system that is absolutely broken. From a piece of casework I have dealt with, I can tell the House about a young lady, the victim of domestic violence, who had to wait so long for just…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. I speak to teachers in Harlow on a weekly basis, and they tell me that poverty is a huge barrier to young people’s education, and as a former teacher myself, I can absolutely testify to that. Could the Secretary of State touch on how these policies will make a huge diff…”

“I thank the Minister for the work she has personally done on the Bill. I think we would all agree that it has been stuck in limbo for some time, and we very much want to get it through. I met representatives of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers last week—not people at the top of the ladder, but the sho…”

“6. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing economic growth in Wales.”

“It has been a momentous two weeks for my Welsh colleagues, with announcements of new AI growth zones in both north and south Wales, a fleet of small modular reactors, billions of pounds of investment and 11,000 new jobs. Does the Secretary of State agree that this shows that this Labour Government are determined to ens…”

“Was the Minister as surprised as I was to find out that such a sensitive document was being managed by something that was using WordPress? What reassurances can he give my constituents—what reassurances has he had from the OBR—that, moving forward, these sorts of documents will be password protected and, crucially, pro…”

“There has been particularly low recruitment in particular subjects. You have talked about the importance of STEM subjects. The Department recently reduced or removed teacher training bursaries for subjects with historically low recruitment. Can you give us an idea of why that decision was taken? Will it adversely affec…”

“The Department has described meeting its pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers during this Parliament as a significant challenge, due to fiscal constraints. Secretary of State, do you feel that it is an achievable target? What specific actions are you taking to achieve it? We often talk about teachers’ pay, but I would …”

“I declare an interest: I have a brilliant FE college in Harlow, which is imaginatively named Harlow college. To carry on the point about inequality, college teachers earn, on average, around 15% less than schoolteachers. The Committee previously recommended establishing a statutory pay review body for college staff, si…”

“I can’t think why!”

“So the key subjects could change, depending on where the shortage is.”

“Secretary of State, I find your comments reassuring, particularly with regard to the broad curriculum. On the commitment that every student who wishes to study triple science will have the opportunity to do so, my experience of teaching was that there was a lack of qualified physics teachers. The brief says that curren…”

“I understand that, having worked in a school. As you were saying that, I was thinking exactly that. On physics, that is really exciting. Do you think there is there any reason why physics is quite popular for initial teacher training at the moment? Have we done anything to cause that?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I thank the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) for securing the debate—Mr Vickers, you and I know he got a real grilling from the Backbench Business Committee when he proposed the debate. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Wavertre…”

“Will the shadow Minister give way on that point?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for giving a passionate speech. I also thank Ivan for sharing his experiences with the House; they are hugely important. I declare an interest as a trustee of the charity Razed Roof, which provided online sessions during lockdown to support people with autism and other learning difficulties. I am…”

“Would that digital flag also flag up something like someone being a young carer or having caring responsibilities?”

“I thank the Lord Chancellor for his statement. Residents in my constituency of Harlow are rightly concerned about the court backlog. Waiting six years for justice is not justice. Can the Lord Chancellor confirm that these changes will bring down the court backlog, and can he reassure us that for the major crimes he spo…”

“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am shocked to be picked so early, but I appreciate it. I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement. The premature publishing of the OBR report is very disappointing; I think Members across the House can agree on that. It is particularly disappointing for me and for residents in Harlow, becau…”