Oral Answers to Questions

Lloyd Hatton Excerpts

Wednesday 15th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Lady leaves out of her count that we provided £21 billion—the largest ever settlement for Wales—and what did she do? She voted against it, if you can believe it. While we are on the question of money, I noticed that this week, the right hon. Lady accepted figures showing that independence would cost every Welsh person £7,000. Her party should be honest about the cost of their policies to the people of Wales.

[Lloyd Hatton (South Dorset) (Lab)]

Q8. For the past year, I have been campaigning for a new special educational needs and disabilities school to open at the Osprey Quay site on Portland. There are far too few specialist school places for children with SEND in my part of the world, so local families urgently need to see that school open its doors. A new school there would provide around 70 new places for local children. Given the urgent need to finally get this school up and running, will the Prime Minister commit to working with the Department for Education and Dorset council to ensure that a SEND school opens on Portland without further delay?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I know just how important that school is to parents and children in his constituency, and share his determination to fix the broken SEND system. That is why we have boosted investment in SEND to £12 billion, to put new facilities and tailored support in place for children who have long been failed. We want decisions to be taken swiftly, and I will ask the schools Minister to update my hon. Friend about that particular school.