Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robin Walker and Bridget Phillipson

Monday 11th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Robin Walker (Worcester) (Con)]

T4. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has rightly championed childcare and early education. I congratulate her on the £500 million in this year’s Budget, on top of the billions committed last year to the sector—

[Bridget Phillipson]

indicated dissent.

[Mr Walker]

It is in the Red Book. I am happy to meet the hon. Lady to show her where it is.

I urge the Secretary of State to keep pressing on some of the Education Committee’s other recommendations, including on extending family hubs, removing rates and VAT from childcare providers, and reforming tax-free childcare to drive take-up.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robin Walker and Bridget Phillipson

Monday 14th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for School Standards (Mr Robin Walker)]

The Government remain committed to delivering the free school programme, and appreciate the importance of a new secondary school in the Perranporth area. We are continuing to work with the trust and local authority, to secure the site and deliver new school places for Cornwall.

[Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)]

Does the Secretary of State believe that Randstad’s delivery of the national tutoring programme has been a success?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robin Walker and Bridget Phillipson

Monday 31st January 2022 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)]

Today, I send my love to the family of Jack Dromey, who will be deeply missed by us all. Through you, Mr Speaker, I also send to the Secretary of State my best wishes for a swift recovery.

According to the most recent figures, the number of children who are out of school because of covid has risen by 34%. In the light of that, do Ministers not regret all the time and energy they have wasted on defending the Prime Minister rather than prioritising our children’s learning?

[The Minister for School Standards (Mr Robin Walker)]

The hon. Lady may wish to play party politics, but we are focused on making sure that children can safely learn in schools.

[Bridget Phillipson]

If only that were true. It is a year this week since the Prime Minister appointed Sir Kevan Collins

“to oversee a comprehensive programme of catch-up”,

only for Sir Kevan later to resign in protest because, in his words, the Government’s plans risked

“failing hundreds of thousands of pupils.”

We can all see covid’s impact on children’s learning and wellbeing. Labour’s “Children’s Recovery Plan” meets the scale of the challenge we face, so when will the Minister finally put children first and match Labour’s ambition for their future?

[Mr Walker]

I am delighted that this Government are investing £5 billion in education recovery, and that we have a Prime Minister who two years ago delivered on a key manifesto promise to take this country out of theusb EU.