Speeches by Sollom.

“Gingerbread’s report on fixing the CMS is excellent. It has a lot of pointers and a lot of excellent statistics about how single-parent families are being let down. I will come on to some of those now. The Government’s own child maintenance statistics paint a damning picture: 31% of all paying parents made no maintenan…”

“I will come to the national statistics later in my speech, but those mentioned by the hon. Gentleman absolutely speak to the need for reform. The constituent I mentioned is far from alone, and it is not all one way, with paying parents often finding themselves let down by the CMS too. Another constituent has spent mont…”

“I absolutely agree; that is exactly the sort of reform we need to see in the system, and I will come to those points later.”

“I am going to finish now. Learners and employers deserve a properly independent Skills England with the authority and accountability to drive real change. I urge the Government to think again and bring forward legislation that delivers the genuine reform that our skills system needs.”

“I point out that I represent St Neots, which is not Cambridge, and many employers have spoken to me about their concerns about Skills England and the lack of clarity on its future. We cannot support this Bill. That is not because we oppose reform—we desperately need it—but because centralising power in the hands of Min…”

“I agree. That cross-departmental and cross-industry working is a critical reason for the need for a truly independent body. The implication for standards development is also concerning. Where we have had employer-led trailblazer groups setting standards, the Secretary of State can now bypass employers entirely. In limi…”

“I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from “That” to the end of the Question and add: “this House declines to give a Second Reading to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill because, while acknowledging the importance of reforming the delivery of skills and technic…”

“I have looked beyond the AELP briefing, thank you very much. This is a critical area of Government policy, and it is important to get it right from the start. That is just a difference of approach. As my noble Friend Baroness Garden said in the other place, this looks like an innocuous little Bill, but there is so much…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the clause. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 11 Benefits of outdoor education to children’s wellbeing “(1) The Secretary of State must, within six months of the passing of this Act, conduct a review on the benefits of outdoor education to children's wellbeing. (2) A report on the r…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the clause. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 13 Foster carers’ delegated authority for children in their care “(1) Where a child (‘C’) who is looked after by the local authority is placed with a foster parent (‘F’) by a local authority, F may make decisions on C’s behalf in relatio…”

“I am moving the new clauses on behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron). Many hon. Members will know that he has long been a champion of the benefits of outdoor education. Academic research has shown that greater exposure to natural environments improves learning behaviour and emoti…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I am moving this new clause on behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh West (Christine Jardine). According to the Childhood Bereavement Network, around one in 29 school-aged children—about one per classroom—has been bereaved of a parent or si…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 39 Establishment of Child Protection Authority “(1) The Secretary of State must, within six months of the passing of this Act, establish a Child Protection Authority for England. (2) The purpose of such an Authority will be to— (a) impro…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. I move this new clause on behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart), who is herself a school governor, to highlight the severe shortage of school governors and the increasing responsibilities they face. The recruitment of governors has become …”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 38 Consultation on the structures of governance for local authority and academy schools “(1) The Secretary of State must conduct a public consultation on the current structures of governance within both local authority and academy school…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. Home education is a choice taken by parents for a number of different reasons, as we have previously heard when debating this Bill. However, just because a parent chooses to educate their child at home and…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. Broadly, the Liberal Democrats welcome clause 51 and its counterpart, not least because we desperately need new special schools. The previous Government approved fewer than half of the 85 applications from councils to open SEND free schools in 2022. Th…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the clause. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. Ordered, That further consideration be now adjourned. —(Vicky Foxcroft.)”