Speeches by Swallow.

“Ms Farrell, you described the process of mothers contacting Barnardo’s. I assume that when they do so, they set out their own experience and view of what has happened to them. Do they typically reflect your characterisation of their adoption journey as one of consent?”

“With respect, Ms Farrell, I did not ask about the records. I asked about birth mothers’ expression of their own experiences and how that has been relayed to Barnardo’s. It is a very simple question: when they describe the experience that they went through, do they say that they consented to the process that they have b…”

“I will turn to that apology now, because that was one of the recommendations of the report, saying that there are some things that only a Government can do. Following the call for that formal apology, the then Conservative Government in 2023 said that issuing an apology would not be appropriate, as “the state did not a…”

“The assessment that it would not be appropriate because the state did not support these practices.”

“I also sit on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, although I was not a member when it published its report in 2022. I want to turn to that now. What progress have the Government made in implementing the Committee’s recommendations? In particular, recommendations were made on access to adoption records, the sharing of …”

“Yes, that is what I am asking about.”

“Is what you are describing there a co-creation of the apology?”

“With respect, Ms Farrell, I did not ask about the records. I asked about birth mothers’ expression of their own experiences and how that has been relayed to Barnardo’s. It is a very simple question: when they describe the experience that they went through, do they say that they consented to the process that they have b…”

“Ms Farrell, you described the process of mothers contacting Barnardo’s. I assume that when they do so, they set out their own experience and view of what has happened to them. Do they typically reflect your characterisation of their adoption journey as one of consent?”

“I also sit on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, although I was not a member when it published its report in 2022. I want to turn to that now. What progress have the Government made in implementing the Committee’s recommendations? In particular, recommendations were made on access to adoption records, the sharing of …”

“I will turn to that apology now, because that was one of the recommendations of the report, saying that there are some things that only a Government can do. Following the call for that formal apology, the then Conservative Government in 2023 said that issuing an apology would not be appropriate, as “the state did not a…”

“Countless parents in my constituency have described the constant fight to get support for their SEND children. They have to battle to get a piece of paper that sets out rights that they then cannot access because the support is not there. Will the Secretary of State set out what the new system will mean for the day-to-…”

“Q3. The Government have delivered the funding needed to rebuild the new Frimley Park hospital after the Conservatives made empty, unfunded promises to my constituents. Now we urgently need to get on with announcing the preferred site, along with the investment needed to improve public transport, road access and parking…”

“Ann, we had better hear from you.”

“That is my point.”

“We have heard elsewhere that it can feel, for early years providers, that they do all of the work to get the EHCP and then the child is old enough to go to school. It is great that they have it, but too late for the provider.”

“A final question from me: given the heightened safeguarding risks for children with SEND, who often require higher staffing ratios, specialist staff training, stable key person relationships and adapted safe environments, does the current funding model enable early years providers to meet those safeguarding responsibil…”

“I imagine a small individual provider is not going to have a support team.”

“We talked earlier about trying to differentiate between a setting-specific safeguarding concern and something that might be more across a chain. When an issue has been identified and there is concern that it might be a chain-wide issue, do you routinely let other local authorities know, where that provider is present i…”

“Is that in part because of the time it takes and the difficulty of acquiring an EHCP, which is the funding mechanism?”