First elected: 4th July 2024
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Darren Paffey, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Darren Paffey has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Darren Paffey has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Darren Paffey has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Darren Paffey has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Reforming children’s social care is critical to giving all our children and young people the start in life they deserve. The government is committed to working in partnership with local government to support children in care across all settings, and to improve outcomes for care leavers.
The King’s Speech set out the government’s plans to introduce a Children’s Wellbeing Bill, which will help raise standards for children in care and ensure that every child can thrive in a safe, loving home as part of the government’s commitment to deliver high and rising standards in education for children and young people in England. The Bill is expected to be introduced within the first session of Parliament and will be a crucial step in breaking down barriers to opportunity for children and young people.
The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including Southern Water, to make clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to cut sewage dumping and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.
The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.
I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
DWP offers employment support for eligible customers of all ages, including those below State Pension age, through the network of Jobcentres across the UK, and through contracted employment programmes.
A dedicated offer for older workers seeks to provide tailored support for those affected by low confidence, menopause, health and disability or caring pressures, and out of date skills or qualifications. This includes an online midlife review tool that supports people to assess their health, wealth and skills.
The government has set out ambitious plans to improve employment support by bringing together jobcentres and the national careers service.
As part of our health mission, the Government is committed to ensuring that people live well for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities, to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.
Southampton has 19 Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) within the 10% of the most deprived in England. Of the 317 local authorities in England, Southampton is ranked 55th most deprived, based on the average rank of the LSOAs, and 61st most deprived based on the average score of the LSOAs. There has been very little change in relative deprivation levels in Southampton, compared to other local authorities in England, since the last Index of Multiple Deprivation published in 2015. Of the five most deprived neighbourhoods in Southampton, four are within the Southampton Itchen constituency.
Local authorities, both upper tier and unitary, are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities, for which Southampton has been allocated £2,069,974 for 2024/25. For those who are also homeless, just over £800,000 has been made available to provide wraparound support and treatment.
Southampton Itchen is one of 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation receiving funding to improve outcomes for families with babies, as part of the £300 million Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. The Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Southampton includes an ambition to significantly improve health and wellbeing outcomes, and reduce citywide health inequalities by 2025. It recognises the importance of addressing the wider determinants of health, the conditions into which people are born, live, work, and age. Southampton is also a key member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Partnership, working collectively to tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access for the local population.