Business of the House

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent Excerpts

Thursday 28th May 2015 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

The Secretary of State will be here for Education Question Time. We start the timetable for daily oral questions next week, and a few days after that there will be an opportunity to put that question to her. I am proud of the progress we have made in our education system over the past five years. Standards are rising and young people from all backgrounds have a better start in life and better chances. This country is rising up the international education league tables, and I want that progress to continue in this Parliament.

[Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Lab)]

In Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove and across the country there have been alarming reports of children returning to school malnourished. I would be grateful if in Government time we had a debate to discuss this urgent situation in my constituency and across the country.

[Chris Grayling]

I welcome the hon. Lady to the House. She makes an important point. We recognise that there are still some deep-rooted social problems in our communities. That is why we established the troubled families programme and why we will do everything we can to improve the situation in those families. It is a central part of what the Government have worked on and will continue to work on. The best way of ensuring that all families in all parts of the United Kingdom have the chance to prosper is by getting more people into work and getting our economy growing so that everyone shares in that prosperity.