Business of the House

Josh Dean Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in giving my heartfelt congratulations to Sir John Deane�s sixth-form college for its outstanding contribution and all the great standards it delivers.

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

It was great to visit Hertfordshire and Essex high school to kick off this week�s National Careers Week. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on how this Labour Government are breaking down barriers to opportunity for young people in semi-rural communities such as mine?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for organising and being so involved in the careers fair in his constituency. He is absolutely right�we have huge opportunities in this country, and we need to better link young people and the skills they have with the job opportunities of the future.

Business of the House

Josh Dean Excerpts

Thursday 27th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

What a lovely question. I absolutely support everything that my hon. Friend says. The Prime Minister was named after Keir Hardie, and I think he is absolutely living up to his namesake.

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

Last month I met with Colin, who runs The Toaster, a fantastic local café on South Street in Bishop’s Stortford. Colin’s business has been plagued for three and a half years by a pothole on the street outside. Rainwater collects in the pothole and is then splashed on to his business—just this week, he has had to clean his shopfront four times. Will the Leader of the House join me in calling on Hertfordshire county council to take full advantage of the £35 million provided by this Government to fix potholes across Hertfordshire, including in Hertford and Stortford, as well as the pothole plaguing Colin’s business?

[Lucy Powell]

Absolutely. My hon. Friend describes how awful potholes can be and the impact that they have on businesses such as Colin’s. I join him in imploring Hertfordshire county council to use the money that the Government have now given it to fix potholes such as that one.

Business of the House

Josh Dean Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

Protecting vital banking services is important for local communities like my hon. Friend’s. We are accelerating the roll-out of at least 350 banking hubs, more than 100 of which are already open, and plans were announced at the end of last year to open a banking hub in his constituency.

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

This week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Hertford regional college campus in Ware. I met some of its talented hairdressing apprentices and instructors, heard about how they are filling jobs at small and medium-sized enterprises in our community, and discussed HRC’s apprenticeship offer to my constituents. As we mark National Apprenticeship Week, will the Leader of the House join me in celebrating Hertford and Stortford’s apprentices, and will she allow for a debate in Government time on how the Government’s apprenticeships and skills offer will drive growth and help to deliver our plan for change?

[Lucy Powell]

As my hon. Friend can see, I am particularly keen on hairdressing apprenticeships. Hairdressing is one thing that we will never be able to do on the internet, so it is a job for life for people who go down that route. He is absolutely right that we need to open up more apprenticeship opportunities to more young people. That is why, as we mark National Apprenticeship Week, we have announced changes to flexibility on maths and English requirements, which we think will open up far more opportunities for young people such as those in his constituency.

Business of the House

Josh Dean Excerpts

Thursday 6th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

Let me first thank the right hon. Lady for raising with me recently some matters relating to correspondence and the lengthy wait for replies. Having raised the issue myself, I have now been assured that she should have received those replies in the last couple of days. I know that she has been raising the question of the battery storage application in her constituency for some time. As I am sure she will recognise, I cannot comment on a specific application, because the inspectorate has listened to the appeal and the findings are available on its portal. The Government make no apology, however, for wanting to get the infrastructure that we need into our communities as well as the housing, which is why we are reclassifying some suitable green belt as grey belt, although we do have very strict criteria. I will continue to ensure that there is ample time for the House to debate these matters which are so important to it.

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

I regularly hear from parents in my constituency whose children are struggling to access the mental health support that they deserve, in some cases waiting months or even years for their first appointment with child and adolescent mental health services. However, I know that they will be encouraged by this Labour Government’s commitment to cut waiting times, introduce mental health support in schools and open a network of Young Futures hubs. As we mark Children’s Mental Health Week, may I ask if the Leader of the House will allow time for a statement on the Government’s progress in improving mental health support for children and young people?

[Lucy Powell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in marking Children’s Mental Health Week, and he is right to raise these important matters. Mental health services, especially those for young people, have been the poor relation for far too long. I think that all of us, as constituency MPs, parents and others, recognise that the mental health crisis among our young people deserves the attention that it needs, which is why we are recruiting more mental health workers. I think that this would be a very good topic for a debate.