Speeches by Irons.

“After 14 years of neglect under the previous Government, it is refreshing to see that under this Labour Government, communities such as New Addington in my constituency come first. I welcome the £20 million long-term investment that this Government are making in New Addington, its people and its future. Does the Minist…”

“Thank you for coming today. Henry and Nathan, what challenges have you faced when approaching national organisations and companies for sponsorships, grants and funding?”

“Henry, you said something about sponsors wanting to fund you but not being able to. Can we pick that apart a bit more? What are the barriers to that? It seems a crying shame to have money left on the table.”

“Nathan, do you want to add anything?”

“4. What steps she is taking to ensure that the transport system supports economic growth.”

“I am a member of a parliamentary group on the Gatwick diamond growth area, and it is clear that expanding Gatwick airport gives huge potential for economic growth across the south-east and Croydon. Plans to upgrade Norwood Junction station, in my constituency, with a lift were shelved when plans to make wider improveme…”

“It is good news that Young Futures hubs have moved into DCMS. Although you cannot pre-empt anything with the National Youth Strategy, for people who have councils that have lost all their capacity to provide those spaces for young people, or are now relying on the voluntary sector to step up, it can be quite patchwork.…”

“Very quickly on the point of getting kids out of their bedrooms, we had the session on play last week, and there has been a 50% fall in the amount of time children spend playing outside. I am an older millennial: I am one of the last generations of people to go out and fall down and hurt myself and do those sorts of th…”

“Obviously this is a massive opportunity. Like you say, we have not had a National Youth Strategy—we have not thought about this and what it is to be a young person in this country—for a very long time. We had Eugene from Play England here last week—we will talk about that in a minute—and he said that young people “make…”

“Would you like to see the banning of “No ball games” signs?”

“I welcome this Government’s commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity, as well as their investment in Fairchildes and Monks Orchard primary schools in my constituency so that they can expand their nursery provision. Can the Minister outline the role that school-based nurseries play in Labour’s Best Start stra…”

“6. What steps she is taking to support young people into employment, education or training in Croydon East constituency.”

“Croydon is London’s youngest borough. Given that 6.6% of people aged 16 to 24 in my Croydon East constituency claim out-of-work benefits, supporting young people into work, and breaking down barriers to opportunity, is vital. Will the Minister give a little more detail about the additional funding for the London youth …”

“What do you think could be done to raise awareness and lower the barriers to entry in applying for these things? What do you think would be helpful?”

“Josh, you mentioned RIBA stage 3 and how you get funding for people to get to that stage in the process. What should Government be thinking about in that space? Should they be coming forward with other funds that you think would be helpful?”

“Would you say that the biggest impact of the MEND fund is that it has provided certainty and clarity for people?”

“Thanks so much for coming today. I am going to talk a bit about the impact of funding on these spaces. Compared with the funding for creative projects, how much funding is available to maintain a venue’s infrastructure?”

“Would you say that the biggest impact of the MEND fund is that it has provided certainty and clarity for people?”

“Do you think that the creative foundations fund will sufficiently address creative organisations’ infrastructure needs? Do you think that it will be enough to cover the issues that you have with infrastructure? Is it a step in the right direction? There is always more that can be done, but do you think it will be helpf…”

“Josh, you mentioned RIBA stage 3 and how you get funding for people to get to that stage in the process. What should Government be thinking about in that space? Should they be coming forward with other funds that you think would be helpful?”