Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Caroline Voaden and Lindsay Hoyle(1 week, 5 days ago)
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Caroline Voaden (South Devon) (LD)
In July, the Secretary of State promised a better SEND system, with strengthened support, improved access and more funding, yet even a charitable interpretation of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s analysis of the Government’s decision, announced at the Budget, to absorb SEND funding into core budgets shows several billion pounds of unfunded SEND commitments. Parents around the country are worried that the support that they have fought hard for their children to receive may now be taken away. Will she explain how she will deliver strengthened support, while seemingly having to cut billions from SEND funding through upcoming reforms? Can she guarantee that children will not lose support because of this change?
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Caroline Voaden and Lindsay Hoyle(4 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Caroline Voaden
Last Thursday, I felt the fear in a hall full of parents of primary school children in Totnes as they listened to campaigners going through the evidence of the impact of smartphones on kids at secondary school. There is a clear safeguarding issue around kids seeing videos of hardcore pornography and violence.
I am therefore pleased that Tina Graham, the head of Kingsbridge community college, has just announced a smartphone-free policy from September to protect children, which will mean no phones in school at all except for reasonable adjustments. That is a much better policy than the “Not seen—put it in your bag” policy that most schools follow. In the light of such safeguarding concerns, where every child is only as safe as the least safe phone in school, why will the Minister not do the one thing that could transform our children’s mental and physical health, and school attainment and direct all schools to go smartphone free—
Mr Speaker
Order. Please, this is not fair; I have to get others in. I call the Minister.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Caroline Voaden and Lindsay Hoyle(7 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Mr Speaker
Are we really sure that this question is linked to young people in Staffordshire committing crime?
Caroline Voaden
It might not be about Staffordshire, but we also have young people in Devon. We have a case in my constituency of a young offender who has been arrested multiple times and put under a court order, but the presumption is against incarceration because of his age. Local residents tell me that there is a disaster waiting to happen—
Mr Speaker
Order. The hon. Member is not linking her question to the original, so we are going to move on.
Budget: Implications for Farming Communities
Debate between Caroline Voaden and Lindsay Hoyle(1 year, 1 month ago)
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Caroline Voaden (South Devon) (LD)
South Devon has some of the most expensive land in the country, which makes every farm, regardless of its size, worth a lot of money on paper. One farmer in my constituency said over the weekend:
“We may be land rich but we are cash poor and our children will more than likely have to sell the land and maybe buildings to cover the tax. Without the land, the farm is simply no longer a farm, taking valuable land out of food production.”
The Minister says he values food security, and agricultural property relief gave us that food security. He says—
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Caroline Voaden and Lindsay Hoyle(1 year, 2 months ago)
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Caroline Voaden
Given the recent high-profile allegations of appalling abuse that many women suffered in their —[Interruption.]
Mr Speaker
Order. Please, the Member is asking a question. You should not walk in front of her.
Caroline Voaden
Given the recent high profile allegations of appalling abuse of women in their workplaces that have been all over the news, what steps are the Government planning to protect women who come forward with allegations of such abuse in future, particularly in the workplace?