Tributes to Her Late Majesty the Queen

Gillian Keegan Excerpts

Saturday 10th September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Gillian Keegan (Chichester) (Con)]

Thank you for calling me to speak in this debate, Madam Deputy Speaker. I start by sending my heartfelt condolences to His Majesty the King and the entire royal family and royal household.

I rise today to express the love, gratitude and respect that all those who live in the Chichester constituency have for our late Queen. In all parts of the country, and indeed the Commonwealth, our late Queen has touched every generation. Our young still have fresh memories of planting saplings to mark the recent platinum jubilee, forming the Queen’s green canopy, which like her reign will live on for decades. Those of us a little older remember the street parties for her silver jubilee and still treasure the mugs and the memories—memories that remind us what it means to be British and of our unique traditions. In no other country anywhere in the world does the whole population celebrate by sitting in the middle of the street, usually in the rain, eating sponge cake—unique and highly differentiated.

Her late Majesty visited my constituency several times to offer support to the Chichester Festival Theatre. Her first visit was with His Royal Highness Prince Philip for the inaugural season in 1962, and they came back again in 1964 for a performance of “Othello” with Lord Olivier and Dame Maggie Smith. It was during her most recent visit that I had the incredible honour of meeting Her late Majesty. Growing up in Knowsley gives you many life stills, but a proper curtsy was not one of them, so after much more practice than I care to admit, I found myself awaiting introduction, placed between our bishop and our chief constable, who reassuringly were both as nervous as I was. As the Queen entered the room, as everyone has said, we were immediately struck by her smiling eyes. As I was introduced, she immediately smiled and said, “How long have you been the Member of Parliament for Chichester?” On hearing my reply—I had been elected just a few months earlier in 2017—she shot back, “Ah—you’re a snapper!” She was of course referring to the snap general election. She then asked me how it was all going, and I had to be truthful and admit it was not going all that well. She replied kindly, “Good luck. I think you may need it.” With experience comes wisdom. My brief introduction and the subsequent lunch with our late Queen is a memory I will treasure for ever.

The late Queen is an extraordinary role model for all of us, but she had marvellous role models in her parents. They had seen our country through the perils of the second world war, and her father had even seen action at the battle of Jutland in 1916. On the death of her father, Queen Elizabeth sent a message to her first Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, which was read to this House on 11 February 1952. In it, she said that her father

“had set before me an example of selfless dedication which I resolved, with God’s help, to follow.”

I think we may all conclude that she honoured her promise to the British people and met it in full. On behalf of everyone in the Chichester constituency, I want to say thank you, for everything. God save the King.

Oral Answers to Questions

Gillian Keegan Excerpts

Wednesday 30th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Tom Randall (Gedling) (Con)]

2. What steps the Government are taking to help ensure equality and freedom from discrimination for people with Down Syndrome.

[The Minister for Care and Mental Health (Gillian Keegan)]

The Government are proud to support the Down Syndrome Bill, which was introduced by my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox). The Bill aims to tackle inequalities and ensure that services and support meet the unique needs of people with Down syndrome.

[Tom Randall]

I welcome the passage of the Down Syndrome Bill through Parliament. Will my hon. Friend commit herself to consulting people living with Down syndrome and other disabilities during the development of the guidance to ensure that their voices are heard?

[Gillian Keegan]

Absolutely. That is essential. People with Down syndrome and other disabilities, as well as their advocates, will be involved in each phase of the development of the guidance. There will be a national call for evidence, and a formal consultation on the draft guidance on gov.uk will be available to anyone who wants to share their views. We will provide details of the call for evidence shortly.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for her response, and I thank the hon. Member for Gedling (Tom Randall) for posing the question. What steps is the Minister taking, in co-ordination with her counterpart in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to promote the appearance on television of our talented Down syndrome actors in order to ensure that programmes such as “Call the Midwife”—one of my favourites—are not one-offs, and that it becomes a normal part of life for children to see someone like themselves on TV and know that they too can fulfil their dreams with hard work and determination?

[Gillian Keegan]

The passage of the Down Syndrome Bill has given a platform to many people with the condition. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman greatly enjoyed meeting actors, models and many other people with Down syndrome who showed how much they can achieve during the recent parliamentary events, and we look forward to continuing to showcase that.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister, Taiwo Owatemi.

[Taiwo Owatemi (Coventry North West) (Lab)]

I, too, want to associate myself with the comments about the hon. Member for Bridgend (Dr Wallis).

A constituent recently contacted me about her struggle with the cost of living crisis. She is the sole carer of a young daughter and, after 25 years of misdiagnosis, she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She is already struggling to make ends meet and now her energy bills are set to triple. Last week’s spring statement included nothing about mental health and barely mentioned disabilities, whereas Labour has a plan to ease the cost of living and provide mental health services for 1 million more people each year. Where is the Government’s plan to help the millions of people like my constituent?

[Gillian Keegan]

This issue would normally be covered by questions to a different Department, but, as the mental health Minister, I can tell the hon. Lady that we do have a plan. We are making a great deal of investment in mental health and making further investment in the catch-up programme. We also have a mental health strategy on which we have been working this year, and we will ensure that we address the issue of people with bipolar disorder in that strategy.

[Antony Higginbotham (Burnley) (Con)]

3. What steps the Government are taking to improve social mobility.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I ask Members, please, not to walk in front of other Members while they are asking questions.

[The Minister for Care and Mental Health (Gillian Keegan)]

The Government are committed to considering the overlaps and linkages of the experiences of people with Down’s syndrome and those of people with other genetic conditions, such as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, in the development of the guidance. The national call for evidence will ensure that the guidance also benefits people with other genetic conditions too.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State, Anneliese Dodds.

--- Later in debate ---

[Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)]

T2.   Hymenoplasty and so-called “virginity testing” are disgraceful forms of abuse against women and girls. I was therefore pleased when the Government committed earlier this year to banning them. Will the Minister update the House on when this legislation will be introduced so that women and girls are protected from these inhumane practices?

[Gillian Keegan]

The Government are committed to safeguarding women and girls, which is why on 18 November 2021 we tabled an amendment to the Health and Care Bill to ban virginity testing, which passed unopposed in the House of Commons.

[Mrs Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) (Con)]

T5. There is no doubt that our first female Prime Minister led the way by showing women that they can reach the highest office and do the job well. What steps are the Government taking to encourage more women to seek elected office? Will the Minister consider a similar accolade to that of the Falkland Islands and celebrate a Margaret Thatcher day?

Oral Answers to Questions

Gillian Keegan Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd September 2021 Commons Chamber

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

2. What steps the Government is taking to improve maternal health outcomes for ethnic minority women.

[The Minister for Care (Gillian Keegan)]

We remain committed to understanding and addressing ethnic disparities in maternal mortality rates. A new office for health improvement and disparities will be launched on 1 October, which will make addressing disparities in health outcomes a priority. In January, the then patient safety Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Ms Dorries), announced a £500,000 fund for a maternity leadership programme. NHS England recently published its equity and equality guidance, asking all local maternity systems to produce action plans to improve equity in maternal outcomes.

[Robbie Moore]

This month, I was lucky enough to meet Fazeela Hanif and her team at the Highfield Centre in Keighley, who recently launched a digital health hub that, among other things, creates a safe place for ethnic minority women to access maternal health and wellbeing provision. Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating her and her team? Will she explain what the Government are doing to support places such as the Highfield Centre in Keighley to deliver such services?

[Gillian Keegan]

I am very happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating the team at the Highfield Centre in Keighley on what sounds like an excellent approach, showing real leadership. The Government are committed to ensuring that women across the country are able to access the support that they need. The NHS long-term plan includes a commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023-24, building on the additional 30,000 women accessing those services each year by 2020-21 under existing plans. Specialist care will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year of support.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

After recent statistics showing that women in black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are 32% less likely to take up help for post-natal depression, what discussions has the Minister undertaken with her counterparts in the devolved institutions, particularly the Northern Ireland Assembly, to ensure that women from ethnic minorities are offered the correct care if needed, to remove the stigma that they may feel they might encounter?

[Gillian Keegan]

I agree that that is a very important area that should concern us all. We look forward to working with the hon. Member; I will arrange a meeting with the relevant Minister before Christmas.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

The Five X More campaign has done incredible work highlighting the disparities in maternal outcomes for women from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Its single biggest ask is that the Government set targets to drive down those disparities. Can my hon. Friend indicate what progress is being made and whether the Government will set those targets, as the campaign calls for?

[Gillian Keegan]

The Government are clear that there is absolutely no place for inequalities or racism in our society. If anyone experiences that in the NHS’s support or approach, that is obviously something that we are deeply concerned about. The Minister for Women and Equalities has been consulting with senior midwives and clinicians from ethnic minorities to discuss how we can improve the experience for all. Discussing targets and so on will be part of that ongoing process, and I am sure that they will look forward to meeting my right hon. Friend to discuss the matter further as we work towards improving the system for all.

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

3. What assessment the Government has made of the impact of the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan on women and girls in that country.

Oral Answers to Questions

Gillian Keegan Excerpts

Wednesday 8th January 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jack]

In the spending round, there is an extra £1.2 billion for Scotland. That is quite clear. Discussions on frameworks are ongoing and are proving to be successful. Not a single power is being taken away from the Scottish Parliament as we come out of the European Union. If anyone can think of one, they should write and tell me because, on the contrary, the Scottish Parliament will have more powers after we leave the European Union.

[Gillian Keegan (Chichester) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to support the Scottish fishing industry.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Douglas Ross)]

This is my first opportunity to say what a privilege it is to have been re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Moray, representing my home area, and to now work in the Scotland Office. May I also wish you a very happy new year, Mr Speaker? As we say in Scotland, lang may yer lum reek.

Leaving the European Union will afford the fishing industry in Scotland, and across the United Kingdom, many opportunities. We will no longer be shackled to the common fisheries policy, and we will control who catches what, where and when in our waters. This Government will work tirelessly to that aim with our fishermen and coastal communities across Scotland.

[Gillian Keegan]

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. It is fantastic to see him in his place and I congratulate him on his new role. Scotland has a proud history of fishing the finest seafood, and the same is true of local fishermen in Selsey in my constituency. There is great concern, however, that the next generation are not entering the industry, and the situation is made more urgent given the growth we expect in UK fishing once we leave the EU. What discussions has my hon. Friend had with colleagues to develop an industry pipeline for future fishermen and women?

[Douglas Ross]

I accept that for many years, the fishing industry has not offered attractive job opportunities for young people in Scotland or across the UK. I strongly believe that when we leave the European Union, there is a bright future for this industry. I hope that that will encourage more people to look to fishing as an area where they can have a successful career. My hon. Friend has been a great champion for the fishing industry in Selsey, and I know that she will continue to promote her constituency and its strong links with the fishing industry during this Parliament.