Best Start Family Hubs

Baroness Deech Excerpts

Wednesday 10th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

Improved reporting is a mission for all of us, but most of all it is important to collect the data, as the noble Baroness suggests, and make sure that we use it. Running alongside the family hub model is the Youth Matters programme. Most important in this agenda is making sure that young people have a say and a voice, and that we design services in their local areas that are fit for purpose—and of course the wider family have a role in this. We are facing 1 million young people who are NEET, and I know that the noble Baroness recognises that policy over the last years of the last Government contributed to that. We are determined to work with those young people to make sure they can take advantage of all the opportunities we are creating.

[Baroness Deech (CB)]

My Lords, it is admirable that the Minister wants to lift children out of poverty. Why then has she not enthusiastically accepted the recommendations of the Public Services Committee about reforming the Child Maintenance Service, which is currently letting hundreds of thousands of fathers get away with paying nothing, hiding their assets and not having their obligations enforced, when they have a legal and moral responsibility to support their children? This has gone on for years. She has the power to move this forward.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I congratulate the noble Baroness on taking the opportunity to bring one of her passions into this broader debate. We understand the problems, and other departments are picking that up and taking it forward. I would not like to comment further at this stage.