Queen’s Speech

Baroness Grey-Thompson Excerpts

Wednesday 12th May 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Grey-Thompson (CB)]

My Lords, I am delighted to speak in person in this debate. This is my first opportunity formally to thank all the staff who have worked tirelessly to get us online and to welcome some of us back. I declare my interests, as set out in the register, as chair of ukactive, vice-president of the LGA, a member of the Centre for Social Justice’s disability commission and chair of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. My interests cover many of the areas to be debated over the next few days.

I am delighted that Her Majesty’s Government recognise that, while they are delivering a national recovery programme, our nation being healthier is seen to be of vital importance. This is an issue close to my heart. There is an incredible opportunity to encourage and support people to be active in a different way, but the real test is the support that will be offered to gyms, pools and the leisure sector, both public and private, and to the millions who depend upon them.

I would like to pick up on the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, and his disability commission. Disabled people face many inequalities that have only been increased through Covid. The pandemic has shown that there are many opportunities for everyone to work differently, but I urge Her Majesty’s Government to look closely at the recommendations that the commission made specifically in relation to work, which will fundamentally help improve the lives of disabled people in a number of areas. Equality of opportunity is a business imperative and disability policy should not solely be in the hands of the Department for Work and Pensions.

I was delighted to see mention of improving connectivity by rail and I will be seeking an assurance from Her Majesty’s Government that they will make a serious commitment to step-free access. That will help not only disabled people into work but the economy—we should not forget that the purple pound is worth some £12 billion a year. Such help would also transform the ability of many people to travel independently. I do not want to have to wait until 2070 for accessible rail to happen—that is the latest estimate, which has been moved back from 1 January 2020. Another 50 years is surely too long.

I return to the safety and security of citizens. I hope to see legislation introduced that will cover positions of trust, making it illegal for a coach to be in a sexual relationship with a 16 to 18 year-old. Given that such relationships are illegal for teachers, many assume that it is the same for coaches. We have to protect coaches. This is not about criminalising a 21 year-old in a relationship with an 18 year-old, but about stopping the predatory and potentially repeated behaviour of those in a position of power. I also seek the introduction of mandatory reporting to not allow others to turn away and pretend that they have not seen something or to hide behind the excuse of, “Well, they’re a good coach”. There must be, across every sport, appropriate reporting mechanisms to allow this change to happen. Our children’s safety is imperative.

There is much work to be done on elections, and I know that there is a lot of strong feeling in this area. I hope that as much as possible will be done to make voter registration easier, to enable everyone to have their say.

I am delighted that education and the amount of time that young people have missed due to Covid are part of this debate. Again, we have another opportunity to think about extracurricular activities—perhaps a way in which to bring in physical activity—as well as about non-formal education. I am already discussing further education and increased opportunities for young people with the Department for Education, and I look forward to continuing that discussion.

Finally, I welcome this Queen’s Speech debate and look forward to working with the whole of Her Majesty’s Government in this Parliament across a number of different areas.

Covid-19: Educational Settings

Baroness Grey-Thompson Excerpts

Thursday 7th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

My Lords, we are keenly aware of the effect that the closure of schools has, particularly on disadvantaged children. We are aware that school is a protective factor for many children and that schools are the second-largest referrers to children’s social care.

On disadvantaged children, the holiday activities fund will be in every local authority area from the Easter holidays. There is still also the winter Covid fund of £170 million until the end of March, which is being given to local authorities. That should cover any needs during February half term. The reasons the noble Lord outlined are why we have directed that schools should be in daily contact with children through the remote education they are delivering, so that any children who are struggling, particularly if they have mental health issues, can be brought into school at the discretion of the school leadership.

The Covid catch-up fund that I have outlined has been moved to remote provision. On getting data, the Renaissance Learning partnership, which is gathering information on lost time in education, is looking at how that can now be used now that we have this interruption to education again. We are keen to get the data as soon as we can.

[Baroness Grey-Thompson (CB) [V]]

My Lords, I draw your attention to my registered interests. The Government are indeed under great pressure, but we know that many children’s health is adversely affected during the usual six-week summer holiday by lack of access to PE. Home educating our children is not easy and, taking into account current restrictions, physical activity might be inadvertently dropped. The Prime Minister repeatedly talks about the importance of exercise, which is fantastic, but what advice will Her Majesty’s Government give to those schools, children and families moving to online learning to help them know what they need to do to remain active and to think about their long-term health?

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

My Lords, the noble Baroness raises a very important point; we are aware that many children are living in accommodation with no outside space and limited indoor space. The guidance we published today is obviously for children in school—the full curriculum—so that will cover PE as well as everything else, and there is now a requirement for remote PE lessons with children. There are also links to the advice from Sport England on activity, and it is important to emphasise for everybody that the guidance enables households to get out once a day for exercise. It is very important that families do that.

Daily contact with children is not just about whether they are engaging with the content; it is also about how they are. As the noble Baroness will be aware—I have seen this with children I know—you can sometimes see from their pallor that they are not getting enough activity. This is something to do with well-being that we expect staff to monitor in the children they teach.

Gender Recognition Act 2004

Baroness Grey-Thompson Excerpts

Monday 19th October 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

My Lords, I can only agree with my noble friend and thank him that he is to chair the international conference for LGBT, which was in the manifesto. I hope that we can exhibit at that conference a manner of disagreeing respectfully with one another when views differ on each side.

[Baroness Grey-Thompson (CB) [V]]

What advice will Her Majesty’s Government give to sports bodies, when national policies differ from those of international federations?

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

My Lords, the Equality Act made a specific exemption, as I am sure the noble Baroness is aware, so national sporting bodies could set their own criteria for participation in sport. We are not currently aware of any disparity between national and international guidance and governing bodies, but if the noble Baroness knows of specific examples, can she please write to me? I will then endeavour to see whether the UK Government have a role in that.

Free School Meal Vouchers Scheme

Baroness Grey-Thompson Excerpts

Wednesday 10th June 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Berridge [V]]

My Lords, I will take back to my colleagues in BEIS the novel and motivational idea that the noble Lord outlines. As we have seen, those in the supermarkets have been essential workers during this time of crisis. As I have outlined, we are in discussion with Magic Breakfast and Family Action about breakfast club provision during the summer holidays.

[Baroness Grey-Thompson (CB) [V]]

My Lords, I declare an interest as chair of ukactive. Far fewer children than expected have been accessing school and school meals during the pandemic. This has left them in a perilous position. They now face up to 23 weeks without engaging in structured and enriching activities outside their home. Will Her Majesty’s Government confirm that they will explore all options for keeping some schools’ facilities open safely across the summer holidays, providing activity and food, to support the most vulnerable children?

[Baroness Berridge [V]]

My Lords, the latest statistics show that around 15% of vulnerable children are in school. The noble Baroness is correct that we are concerned about the sedentary nature of many children at the moment. On the phased reopening of schools, there has been specific guidance to encourage the use of outdoor space, and even team sports, where the appropriate hygiene measures are carried out among the different groups of children involved. DCMS now also has guidance on the phased reintroduction of outdoor activity and recreation.