Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
9 September 2025
Better Futures Fund
The better futures fund rightly targets the needs of vulnerable children, and one such group are those who are subject to adoption or kinship arrangements. Last week the Department for Education announced that it would renew the adoption and special guardianship support fund for one year, but did no…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 September 2025
4 contributions
Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.
It is a pleasure to serve under you, Ms Lewell. I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting this debate, and I thank hon. Members who supported my application.
The Adoption and Special Guar…
I thank my hon. Friend for her kind words. She is absolutely right. I will address her point in due course.
When I saw Rachel this morning and told her about the one-year renewal of the fund, she told me that she had come out in goosebumps as a result. That is how much this fund matters to adoptive…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
3 September 2025
Maternity Care
Does the Minister agree that listening to the voices of bereaved families who have lost their babies is of essential importance? If he does, will he listen to the calls of Sussex families to appoint Donna Ockenden to lead their review?
Commons
Oral Questions
1 September 2025
Topical Questions
The carer’s allowance overpayments review was due to report in early summer. It is now 1 September. In recent weeks, I have become aware of a case where the DWP has informed somebody that they now owe it £18,000. That is a scandal. When will the review report back?
Commons
Proceedings
22 July 2025
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. At the start of this month, I submitted a number of parliamentary questions to the Department of Health and Social Care on the subject of the independent commission into adult social care. A number of those questions, despite being due for answer on the 7th…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 July 2025
Music Streaming: Label-led Principles
I welcome today’s announcement, not least because I am the mum of an aspiring composer and performer. I was pleased that the Minister mentioned the work of teachers and the Department for Education in supporting music in schools. Credit should go to Mr Wardrobe from Downlands community school in Has…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Middle East
Yesterday, it was reported, as hon. Members will be aware, that at least 93 Palestinians were shot and killed while queuing for GHF-distributed food because they and their families are being starved to death. The fact that GHF stands for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation smacks of an Orwellian doublespea…
Commons
Oral Questions
21 July 2025
Mental Health Support in Schools
Good mental health at school is sometimes bolstered by out-of-school support, especially for the most vulnerable children. Last week, I met Vicky and her team at Jigsaw Occupational Therapy in Burgess Hill, and I spoke to the families they help. Roughly a quarter of their work involved supporting ki…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 July 2025
2 contributions
Further Education Institutions
rose—
The hon. Lady is being generous with her time. I want to mention Haywards Heath college, which closed but was then able to reopen in 2020, thanks to the work of Mid Sussex district council and the previous MP. Does the hon. Lady agree that extending the pupil premium into further education colleges …
Commons
Oral Questions
15 July 2025
Clean Power: Jobs
It goes without saying that I love Burgess Hill. One brilliant business there is Steve Willis Training, which is this week celebrating 25 years in business, training the region’s future electricity, plumbing and heating engineers. Does the Secretary of State agree that such businesses are vital in d…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 July 2025
2 contributions
SEND Provision: South-east England
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Mike Martin) for securing this important debate.
In my constituency of Mid Sussex, families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities are being let down by a…
I thank the right hon. Member, but there are questions and uncertainty because the future of EHCPs and what may replace them has not been made clear. That is causing genuine concern for campaigners and people who have children with special needs.
In West Sussex, approximately a third of children wi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 July 2025
Women and Girls with Autism: Mental Health Support
My constituent, Annabel, who is a teenager, has parallel experiences to Lolly, as set out by the hon. Member for Bournemouth West (Jessica Toale). She also had a terrible experience being detained in a secure unit, which her parents did not think was safe. Does the Minister agree that when teenagers…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 July 2025
State of Climate and Nature
Hosepipe bans rightly anger my constituents. The bans frustrate them and me because they speak to decades of failure to put in place provisions to prepare so that the changing climate is liveable for our children. How can people be expected to support large-scale house building, which those same chi…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
Topical Questions
Last week, Hurstpierpoint’s former Methodist church received permission to be converted into flats, despite the parish council registering it as an asset of community value and expressing its sincere wish to purchase it. Does the Minister think that the regulations for assets of community value are …
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
2 contributions
Disabled Bus Passes
Will the Minister give way?
I thank the Minister for giving way, and my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Vikki Slade) for letting me take the Floor. I am pleased that the Minister has outlined the forthcoming integrated transport strategy.
Over 18 months ago, Wivelsfield railway station in my constituenc…
Commons
Debate
10 July 2025
Children’s Health
I would like to begin by paying tribute to a wonderful charity based in Mid Sussex called Group B Strep Support. Ever since its founder, Jane, lost her own baby, Theo, 30 years ago, Jane and the team have been campaigning for better outcomes for pregnant women who contract group B strep, because the…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 July 2025
Resident Doctors: Industrial Action
People across the country, and NHS patients in particular, will be disappointed to hear of yet more strike action by resident doctors this July, especially after the immense disruption of recent years. I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues fully recognise that this dispute does not come out of nowher…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Business of the House
This question is from Miranda and Leo, constituents who have been doing work experience with me this week and are in the Public Gallery today. They are students at Brighton, Hove and Sussex sixth-form college—BHASVIC—which is one of the country’s top state sixth forms. They have to travel to college…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 July 2025
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
My constituent Graham is a victim of the infected blood scandal. His experiences and the length of time that he has had to wait for compensation have strong parallels with another constituent of mine, Steve, who was the last RAF officer to go to prison for being gay. Both constituents have suffered …
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
The hon. Member talks of the difficulty faced by people with disabilities. Many millions of those people are supported by family members who are unpaid carers. Does he agree that although the Government have said that they will work with disability groups and people who have disabilities, they shoul…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 July 2025
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
On Thursday, I visited the Acorns nursery and Forest school in Lindfield in my constituency, which was founded 40 years ago by the indomitable Janet Irwin. Its manager, Mrs Christina Franks, was recently awarded an MBE in the King’s birthday honours. The Acorns has been Ofsted outstanding for many y…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 July 2025
West Bank: Forced Displacement
Alongside the UK condemning these actions, does the hon. Gentleman consider it appropriate for practical measures, such as banning trade in settlement goods, to be introduced?
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
3 contributions
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I want to begin today not with statistics or slogans, but with the reality of just one life: a constituent of mine, Sarah, from Hassocks. Sarah has a spinal cord injury. She is a wheelchair user, and this is what her personal independence payment makes possible.
It pays for underwear that does not …
I did not need to explain that to Sarah—she fully understands that—and I am about to address that point.
The Government’s last-minute climbdown has brought Sarah no comfort, because she never imagined she would be in a wheelchair. She never thought her life would change forever in an instant, and s…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
30 June 2025
Armed Forces Family Housing
Housing is not the only issue affecting armed forces families. When a member of the forces moves, their family often move with them. My work experience student Amy, who is in the Gallery today, is from an armed forces family and attended three primary schools. One school provided dedicated support, …
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2025
Care Settings: Right to Maintain Contact
It is very much appreciated that you have come to chair this important debate, Ms Butler, and I thank the hon. Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) for securing it. As the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) just said, the number of people in this debate is not a reflection of its importanc…