Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Jess Brown-Fuller

Wednesday 9th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The Conservative party failed to give children the support they need. The 10-year plan that we have put forward will rewire our NHS and transform mental health services, with 85 dedicated mental health A&E departments, giving 24/7 support; specialist mental health professionals in every school and college, benefiting 1 million young people this year alone; and an extra 8,500 mental health staff to tackle long waits. That is only possible because of the decisions that we took to invest in our NHS—decisions that the Conservatives opposed.

[Jess Brown-Fuller (Chichester) (LD)]

Q10.  I will add to the many calls that the Prime Minister has already heard about the broken SEND system. I met headteachers and SEND co-ordinators in my constituency of Chichester last week. They all told me the same thing: the SEND system is broken. It is adversarial, parents are at breaking point, there are not enough spaces in specialist schools, and the education, health and care plan process is long, harrowing and often degrading. I know that the Government are exploring their options, but will the Prime Minister take on board the Liberal Democrats’ calls to introduce a national body for SEND, so that we can end the postcode lottery and fix the problem for good?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Lady for raising this issue. I know it is of concern to her, and to many people across the House. The system we have is broken; it does not serve anyone well. We have to reform it, and I set out in an earlier answer the steps that we are taking. We will share those with the House, and I hope that we can get the greatest support possible for the reform that I think everybody here knows has to happen.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keir Starmer and Jess Brown-Fuller

Wednesday 4th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

What my hon. Friend describes is how health services in Scotland are utterly broken under the SNP, whether it is people waiting too long for mental health support in his constituency, or the Wishaw neonatal unit in Hamilton, which the SNP is threatening to downgrade. In 2021, the SNP Government said they would recruit 1,000 more community mental health workers. They utterly failed to do so. If they had a plan to fix Scotland’s NHS, they would have done it by now. Scotland needs a change of direction.

[Jess Brown-Fuller (Chichester) (LD)]

Q6.  Sir Jon Cunliffe’s interim report, published yesterday, laid out the fundamental changes needed for our water sector. That is felt no more acutely than in my constituency of Chichester. We have a harbour that is in an unfavourable, declining condition and sewage is blighting our tourism industry. With water bills from Southern Water rising by 47% for my constituents, can the Prime Minister tell them when they can expect to see the real change that this Government promised and our waterways cleaned up for good?

[The Prime Minister]

I share the hon. Member’s anger and frustration at the broken water system that we inherited, with frankly appalling sewage, higher bills and executives paying themselves huge bonuses. The era of being rewarded for failure is over. We have launched a record 81 criminal investigations into lawbreaking water companies in England, and we have introduced the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, with prison sentences for polluting bosses and the banning of unfair bonuses. We will respond to the independent water commission in full following the publication of the final report.