Speeches by MacAlister.

“I am sure that the Committee will be delighted that I will give a short answer, and I can provide a point of reassurance. Of course, universities have responsibility to ensure that they contribute to upholding human rights and freedom of speech, and they have an important role to play in that. We have plans to strength…”

“We looked at the Joint Committee’s report and particular issues around complaints, and we followed up with some of the intermediary services. The Government followed up pretty soon after the Joint Committee’s report. We recognise that the availability of intermediary services and the funding for them need to be greater…”

“I completely agree. Saying sorry and not meaning it is almost worse than a position of regret. I read the same evidence that you are referring to and can absolutely understand why the words and the meaning of this would need to be very carefully pulled together.”

“Closer to home, the Scottish and Welsh Government apologies came with announcements of support that are not dissimilar to the approach that is currently being taken here in England by the UK Government. The Australian apology came with resources to also provide support for peer support groups. I know, having spoken to …”

“The Government are actively considering it, and I put the emphasis on the word “actively”. It is a live conversation. I cannot give the Committee a timetable for it, but I know it is urgent. I know that those who have been directly affected by this awful abuse have had to tell the stories you have heard today many time…”

“I do recognise that. In many respects, we do not need to wait for a decision on the apology to start actioning some of those points. Since the Joint Committee’s report and recommendations, some actions have been taken forward by the previous Government and by this Government. It is worth updating the Committee on three…”

“Yes, I can. We have looked pretty closely at the apologies that have been offered by the Scottish and Welsh Governments, and the Australian Government, as well as the support that has been provided alongside them, as did the Joint Committee. We want to make sure that the next steps are not just about statements, but ab…”

“I thank Committee members for their contributions today. I will endeavour to respond to the points made by the hon. Members for Rutland and Stamford and for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, but before I do, let me reiterate the importance of this statutory instrument for putting our higher education sector on a secure …”

“Yes, and there are a few things that I would like to share in terms of the Government’s position on this issue, which differs from that of the previous Government. I wholly agree with you, Chair, when you say—I believe that you are speaking for the Committee—that there is unfinished business on this issue. The Governme…”

“I cannot put a timescale on it but, as I say, this is urgent; I recognise that. This is not something that we can take a long over. The campaigners have been making the case for many years.”

“It is and I agree. It is also not limited to historical experiences of the adoption process. To be candid, it is also an issue that children’s social care still has with how it functions much of the time. It wields enormous power over families, justifiably so on important occasions where there is significant harm to a …”

“Certainly not. In fact, the current student loan system—I believe it is plan 5—which is due to come online with the first graduates this year, has been increased in line with inflation by this Government. The point stands that the choice of the Government back then was to maintain the threshold where it was and effecti…”

“I am pleased to hear that that is where the hon. Lady was at that time. The Conservative Government and the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition froze thresholds 10 times.”

“I would be delighted to give way if the hon. Lady will answer this question: how many other times were thresholds frozen by that Government?”

“Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the Select Committee for taking evidence on this issue and for this session. I particularly thank Debbie, Sally, Ann and Diana for the really powerful experiences that they have shared, not just today but previously as well. I am Josh MacAlister and I am the Minister for Children and …”

“Let me start by saying that the people who certainly should have no shame or stigma on them and were not responsible were the women and babies involved. You can look at this in a number of ways. The proportion of these mother and baby homes that were run by different institutions tells one story. A very large proportio…”

“Unfortunately, I cannot see those reactions.”

“There are wider issues about the overall capacity of the NHS to provide mental health services and support at the moment. Over the next few years, the Government will boost the number of practitioners to deliver mental health support by 8,000, and mental health support teams will help with that. As I mentioned earlier,…”

“Specifically for the group that we are talking about, the recognition in services does matter. To provide a bit of challenge back, Jess, I think it is for clinicians to look at NICE guidelines and clinical advice about the most appropriate response and interventions. As a politician, I would not want to stumble into su…”

“The first thing to say is that the priority needs to be on those most immediately affected as adult adoptees, and on the women who had babies forcibly removed from them and their harrowing experiences. What is so troubling about the history of this issue is the degree to which, as you described, it was sustained by tro…”