Business of the House Debate

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Department: Leader of the House

Business of the House

Henry Smith Excerpts
Thursday 12th January 2012

(12 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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I would like to promise such a debate, but I would be misleading my hon. Friend if I said yes. I hope that he will go along at 1 o’clock on Tuesday to the salon chaired by the hon. Member for North East Derbyshire (Natascha Engel) and put in a bid for a debate on this important issue.

Henry Smith Portrait Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)
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Towards the end of last year, I was pleased to be able to help launch the Royal College of Midwives’ “State of Maternity Services” report. There has been an increase in the number of midwives, but there has also been an increase in the number of births, so I would therefore be grateful if consideration could be given to holding a debate on the future of maternity services.

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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That delivery took a little longer than Mr Speaker implied. My hon. Friend is a patron of the Royal College of Midwives and I commend him on his interest. The Government are committed to high-quality perinatal and antenatal care: hundreds more midwives are in service now than in 2010 and a record number are in training. I hope that my hon. Friend is reassured by that basic information.