Speeches by Hayes.

“Several years ago, I supported, over a number of months, a constituent of mine who suffered horrific sexual abuse as a child in the care of Lambeth council, as she prepared to give evidence to the independent inquiry on child sexual abuse, chaired by Professor Jay. It was unimaginably hard for victims and survivors to …”

“The money in the Budget this year is very welcome. I think there was relief across the sector about that. The £1 billion that was allocated is just a third of the current in-year deficit for SEND. It is a helpful amount of money, but it is not a transformative amount of money. What local authorities are most concerned …”

“Good afternoon, Prime Minister. Along with every other Member of this House, you will be aware, from your constituents, of the extent of the crisis in the support for children who have special educational needs and disabilities, and their families. In June, you were asked by ITV News whether you could make a promise to…”

“Do you think there might need to be a change to the delivery of the childcare strategy in order to achieve the Government’s goal of ensuring that more children are ready to start school?”

“Finally, I would like to turn to the question of early years education and childcare. We know that the early years provide a unique opportunity to close the disadvantage gap for the most disadvantaged children, to set them up so that they can make the most of education for the rest of their lives. The Government inheri…”

“This is an existential issue for local authorities. If there isn’t a solution to the statutory override, the Government will see an avalanche of local authorities issuing section 114 notices. It could not be more important, and I know, from what I hear from those working in the SEND sector in local government, that loc…”

“I welcome the Minister’s statement, particularly the additional funding to tackle homelessness and provide early help and support for families. I also welcome the principle that resources should be directed according to need. However, as the Minister knows, the elephant in the room of local government finance is that t…”

“It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms Harris. I am grateful to the Petitions Committee for securing this important debate and to everyone from my constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood who has signed these important petitions. Both the war in Gaza and the horrific actions in Israel on 7 October that started it…”

“I certainly agree with my hon. Friend on that point. I welcome the actions that the UK Government have taken since the election in July. However, the UK Government have found that there is a clear risk that UK arms components are being used by Israeli armed forces in Gaza in ways that breach international law. It is we…”

“I pay tribute to everyone who works in further education—a vital sector that makes a transformative difference, and whose importance is often not properly recognised. Vocational and technical courses and qualifications are a critical part of our education system, yet schools, colleges and students have faced great unce…”

“I thank all hon. Members who have contributed. They have brought their constituents’ stories and their own personal experiences to the debate. We have many issues to work on in this House, but there is a particular responsibility when an issue presents itself in a personal way through a devastating story, whether that …”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. She makes the point extremely well. How can it be that there are so few targeted programmes to improve the diagnosis and treatment of a cancer that affects 15% of breast cancer patients? How can it be that such poor information is provided to women that does not empower the…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for bringing the story of her constituent to this debate. This is exactly the reason why we need to find better means of diagnosis and treatment for lobular breast cancer. I will come talk about some of those means shortly. Currently, there are no treatments specific to lobular breast cancer. Thi…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman—who is my hon. Friend—very much indeed for that intervention. Heather died in St Christopher’s hospice near her home on 30 August. She was 48 years old. Shortly before she died, Heather’s daughter, who was due to start secondary school in September, visited her mummy in the hospice, so that s…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the treatment of lobular breast cancer. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms Vaz. I secured this debate in memory of my constituent, who was also my close friend, Heather Cripps. I welcome Heather’s husband David and her sister Jenny to the Public Gallery. I will co…”

“I thank the hon. Lady very much for that intervention and for sharing her personal story. I pay tribute to Dr Michaelis for her research and campaigning on lobular cancer. I hope that all Members have received their Dr Susan Michaelis rose this week, named in her honour, and will plant it as a reminder of the urgency o…”

“We know that good quality early years education can play a significant role in closing the disadvantage gap, yet the Government have inherited a situation in which families who live in disadvantaged areas are the least likely to be able to access good quality childcare. How will the Secretary of State ensure that acces…”

“I welcome the measures that the Minister has set out today and the Government’s commitment to tackling antisocial behaviour, which is an urgent issue in my constituency, particularly in town centres. But the most urgent issue that we face in tackling these issues is the number of police officers. My hon. Friend will be…”

“I just wanted to come back to the question of delivery and monitoring of progress. The NAO Report that we have been considering today is really damning on the current state of the SEND system and the impact that that has for children, families, local authorities and for those working in education. The discussion that w…”

“I welcome the action that the Government have announced today to improve children’s social care. The Secretary of State will know that families from the poorest neighbourhoods are 14 times more likely to be referred to children’s social care than those from the richest areas, and that there is a growing body of evidenc…”