Speeches by Hinds.

“We have moved on to cadets. At the same time as your Department announced the national youth strategy, another Department was cutting money from a very successful programme that was spreading cadet units through more state schools. You talk about being joined up and having this mission-led approach, everyone working in…”

“Some might say that the cadets is such a programme. The saving made by the DFE by cutting the instructor grant is barely more than £1 million, which in the context of the other programmes you are talking about, I would suggest, Secretary of State, is not that much. Can I ask you about young futures hubs? Young futures …”

“Thank you. I am conscious that we need to pick up the pace. You mentioned earlier the curriculum review and creativity and sports. Of course all children should have a broad, balanced curriculum, including an opportunity to experience being taught in and taking part in the arts, music and other cultural activities. We …”

“There has been an increase, of course, in children doing vocational qualifications in music, as you will know.”

“Let me ask you one quick question on tourism, and then I think that Rupa Huq will follow up. The Government have an aim to increase to 50 million inbound visits by 2030. That is quite a hike from the position today.”

“Yes, from 38 million, so that is about a 25% increase. There is another way of looking at it, though, as well. I did this maths very roughly; I hope it is about right. If we were to increase to proportionately the number of inbound visitors that the Republic of Ireland gets per head of population, I think that number w…”

“I do think that the local visitor partnerships and the higher level destination partnerships—I think they are called that—are a good thing to try to rationalise the mishmash that we have always had. Ultimately, it is the marketing spend that will make the difference in how much of that can be harnessed. Very quickly on…”

“Thousands of schools are already participating in the national school breakfast club programme, including many special schools and secondary schools, but the clubs actually have a bigger effect on attendance. The Secretary of State has talked a great deal about breakfast clubs in primary schools, but what is the future…”

“We all know that the country needs more homes, but the Government’s proposed algorithm throws up anomalies such as an 86% increase in the housing target for East Hampshire, while targets for London actually go down. May we have a debate in Government time on how we make housing balanced and sustainable?”

“The hon. Gentleman is quite right. This is not some trivial increase that is easy for an organisation to absorb. While 1.2 percentage points may not sound like much, with the serious decrease in the threshold at which it starts being paid, it is a lot of money. The cost of employing the average worker on medium earning…”

“rose—”

“The single most important factor in raising living standards, driving income equality and improving children’s life chances is having a job. Why is the Chancellor disregarding that fundamental truth, with tax policies that will actively harm employment, particularly youth employment?”

“On the £22.6 billion for the NHS, or the figure just mentioned for local government, have the Minister or his officials calculated what the numbers would be, net of the national insurance cost? Those bodies— the national health service and local government—carry on with exactly the same services as before, but now face…”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“We are the Opposition. You are the Government.”

“We have a mission-led Government. I am not sure whether anybody knows exactly what that means, but we do know what the mission is meant to be: delivering for working people. But I am afraid that the Government have forgotten how working people become working people. It is the people—the other people—who employ them. Al…”

“Well, we shall see. As a teacher, he will know that teachers move between the state and independent sectors all the time. They move in both directions, but that is not what the Association of School and College Leaders was talking about. It was talking about the fact that the change is being made mid-year, and said tha…”

“It is a very long-standing principle, observed all but universally around the world, that we do not tax education, because it is a public good. Some families find that independent education caters to needs that the state simply does not; that is the case with schools in the music and dance scheme or in certain faith co…”

“The hon. Gentleman shakes his head. I take it that means that he has not had those conversations. [Interruption.] I am happy to take an intervention from him. What contingency plans are in place for September if the displacement is greater than anticipated? We know that the money will follow the pupil if more pupils tu…”

“On three counts, I am afraid that is incorrect. First, it does not cover everybody with special needs at a private school. Secondly, the IFS has not said that there is ample space in state schools, nor could it possibly know that. Thirdly, and most importantly, the point on which I was heckled, and on which I invited s…”