Stephen Morgan
MP for Portsmouth South · Labour · United Kingdom
“Those parties whose objections were considered admissible had the opportunity to consult with the applicant regarding their objections. Following careful consideration of the evidence, it was concluded that the application met the relevant legal requirements for registration.”
“I do not think that producers will be taking lectures from the Opposition when it comes to standing up for British whisky in its biggest export market—this Government got a deal done both in terms of the India deal and reducing the US tariffs.”
“We continue to work with partners to protect vulnerable ecosystems and coastal communities. The UK has bolstered these efforts by leveraging finance for the ocean through the Blue Planet Fund, which is our largest marine official development assistance programme.”
“They demonstrate why fishery management and protection of the marine environment must be addressed together, and set out a range of short, medium and long-term actions to maintain or restore stocks to sustainable levels and to improve the marine ecosystem. We cannot, however, deliver ocean conservation alone. As my hon.”
“The Government are committed to protecting and improving the marine environment, including playing our part in delivering the global biodiversity framework target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.”
“The MMO is carefully considering the significant number of responses received and will announce its response in due course. Such decisions are not always easy, and must be taken carefully, transparently and with a clear understanding of both environmental and socioeconomic impacts.”
The complete record
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“The Chair of the Select Committee is a real champion for maintained nurseries across the country, and I know that she shares the Government’s vision of ensuring that every child gets the best start in life and has the chance to succeed and thrive. As she knows, we set out our vision for early education in our landmark strategy in July. I look forward to receiving formal notice of her Committee’s inquiry and to working with her and the Committee in a constructive manner, putting the needs of children and young people first. I pay tribute to all those who worked over the summer to deliver for children and young people. As a former playworker, I see the huge value of the HAF programme. I commend all those who work so hard over the summer holidays.”
“Lady makes a number of points about the challenges faced by the sector. The number of people working in the sector has increased by 18,000, and as I mentioned in my statement, there are now 5,800 new private providers delivering the entitlement. We will review funding distribution later in this academic year. I welcome the opportunity to continue to work with the hon. Lady on these issues, as we continue to increase access to high-quality education across our country. I look forward to meeting her in due course.”
“I thank the hon. Lady for welcoming our expansion of childcare. I note again that nine in 10 parents received one of their first choice childcare places. We are determined that our childcare expansion will deliver safe, quality care for children. I know that the whole House agrees that the safety and wellbeing of children is of paramount importance. That is why alongside this expansion, which will support hard-working families, we are increasing the frequency of Ofsted inspections and enhancing recruitment checks to prevent unsuitable individuals from working with children, alongside new whistleblowing requirements. The strengthened safeguarding requirements have been added to the statutory framework from this month, giving parents greater confidence that as we expand childcare access, it will be of high quality. The hon.”
“My hon. Friend is a real champion for mothers, and I commend her for all her hard work in this place over the years. In our “Giving every child the best start in life” strategy, published in July, we set out that we plan to make the process simpler for parents, and we will be working across Government to ensure that issues are addressed so that all children are able to access the entitlement offer. I would be delighted to meet her to discuss these issues further.”
“As I mentioned earlier, we inherited a pledge without a plan. I commend the hard work of early years providers and local authorities to deliver this key milestone for working families across the country this week. This year alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for early years entitlement, rising to £9 billion next year. We announced the largest ever increase in the early years pupil premium, and a £75 million early years expansion grant has delivered support to the sector to increase the places and workforce that was needed. On top of that, we will review funding rates during the course of the next academic year.”
“Well, I thank my hon. Friend for that very good question! It was a real privilege to visit his constituency and to see the brilliant work that childcare providers are doing in his patch, ensuring that every child gets the best start in life. He is a real voice on these issues, and will be working closely with me and the team to deliver further change for our country.”
“As I mentioned earlier, £8 billion will be spent on the entitlement offer this year, increasing to £9 billion next year. The core funding rates do include forecasts around earnings, inflation and increases to the national living wage, but as I mentioned, we will review the funding distribution in due course and will consult on that formally.”
“I thank my hon. Friend from along the south coast for his question. I know that Portsmouth football club are very much looking forward to playing Southampton this season. We promised to make childcare more affordable and we are delivering on that. I pay tribute to him and the work that he did in local government, and is now doing in this place, to ensure that childcare is more affordable and accessible for children in his constituency.”
“The early years workforce is at the heart of our Government’s mission to give every child the best start in life. I mentioned earlier that we have seen an uplift in the number of people working in the sector by 18,000 this year. Our best start in life strategy set out a range of measures that we will take to encourage more people to work in the sector. I am proud that we have the “Do Something Big” campaign—a real effort to increase the number of people working in the sector—which is making a real difference across our country.”
“My hon. Friend has just reminded us of the value of voting Labour at the last election, and why it is so important to have people like him speaking up for working families across the country. As he mentioned, the childcare entitlement, the investment in free breakfast clubs and making more children eligible for free school meals can make a real difference and help to ensure that every child gets the best start in life.”
“I wish the hon. Gentleman’s children good luck as they start school this week. As I mentioned earlier, in this financial year alone we plan to provide more than £8 billion for early years entitlement—an increase of more than 30% compared with the last financial year. We have also announced the largest increase in the early years pupil premium since its introduction, which is a significant boost, and investment in targeted support for the most disadvantaged in our communities. As I mentioned earlier, we will review funding rates in due course, and I am very happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss these issues.”
“I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend. The 1,000 Best Start family hubs that we have been rolling out across the country will make a huge difference, ensuring that every child gets the best start in life, alongside the parent hub that we launched earlier this week, which will provide practical support to parents on breastfeeding, access to childcare and other issues. I note that no Reform Members are in the House today, and I know the public will note that too.”
“We aim to ensure that every child with developmental differences and special educational needs is supported at the start of their life. The hon. Lady will know that we will publish a White Paper on those issues later this year. I commend the work of maintained nurseries; they provide a unique role in communities across the country, and I hope they have a bright future ahead of them in the light of the ambitions we set out in the “best start in life” strategy in July.”
“I can tell from my hon. Friend’s question how passionate he is about these issues. This Government want to break down the barriers to opportunity to ensure that every child succeeds and thrives. I have already set out a number of measures that we are undertaking to deliver that, and I really look forward to working with him to ensure that every child in his constituency gets the best start in life, whatever their background.”
“It is really important that early years education is delivered in a way that is fair and affordable for parents. As a key part of the strategy we published earlier this year, I am very pleased that there are schools in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency that will deliver the school-based nursery programme. As I mentioned in my statement, I visited one in Warrington last week that was a really good partnership between the school and a private provider. I really encourage him to look at that model to see how that could work in his constituency.”
“We will in due course set out more details on how we will evaluate the programme, but we have already learned lessons from the first phase on how we want to receive and evaluate applications. I really encourage the hon. Member to meet me to look at the detail, and I am very happy to discuss these issues further.”
“The hon. Lady is absolutely right about the valuable role that childminders play in the childcare we are delivering across our country. We have seen the number of childminders halve in recent years, which is why we are investing in their workforce. They are key to our plan for change, and we are committed to working with the sector to deliver the changes that we set out at the election.”
“I know my hon. Friend is a real champion for encouraging children to learn and to engage in their local community, and I have met him to discuss the work we are doing on literacy, and I am very happy to take away the points he raises. We are investing in the school-based nursery programme and in school capital funding. If he has particular examples that he wants me to follow up on in the Department, I am very happy to do so.”
“The hon. Member makes a number of points with regard to charging. It is worth saying that we updated the statutory guidance on Government-funded entitlement so that it gives additional information to parents on what they can and cannot be charged for. That is about bringing transparency to the system so that parents can access more information on what they can and cannot expect, and it confirms the ruling from the High Court judgment earlier this year on what providers can and cannot charge for. I mentioned earlier that we are reviewing the broken SEND system that we inherited from the Conservatives. We are getting on and delivering a system that is fairer and ensures that confidence and trust is rebuilt with parents.”
“My hon. Friend is a real champion on these issues in his constituency. What we are announcing today will give more choice and convenience to parents, helping to cut the double drop-off and making daily life easier for them. More families will save money with funded childcare worth up to £7,500 a year, and more children will start school ready to learn, with high-quality early years provision in their communities.”
“I know that the hon. Member will have listened closely to my statement. I commend the hard work of the sector across the country in delivering the milestone that we have met today—an increase in those providing the entitlement offer by 5,800 and an uplift in the workforce of 18,000. We will be spending £9 billion on early education next year, and I am really keen to continue my work with the sector to bring about the change that people voted for at the election last year.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for her question. Of course, these issues are devolved, but I look forward to hearing her thoughts and views on them. I encourage her to write to me, and I can certainly raise her points with the relevant teams across the Department and across Government.”
“I have mentioned the investment that we are putting into early education—£8 billion this year and £9 billion next year. We have announced the largest ever increase in the early years pupil premium, and case studies from across the country are demonstrating the difference that this programme is making. However, as I mentioned, we want to make the process simpler for parents and learn lessons from the past, and we will set that out in due course as part of our wider reform agenda.”
“As I mentioned earlier, there will be more choice and convenience for parents, helping to cut the double drop-off at school and making daily life easier. More families will save money through funded childcare worth up to £7,500 a year, and more children will start school ready to learn. It is a huge programme of work that I know will make a huge difference in my hon. Friend’s constituency.”
“As the hon. Member will know, these are devolved matters and it would therefore be appropriate for him to put his question to Wales Office colleagues. We are a Government who are committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity, and we will be setting out a UK-wide child poverty strategy later this year, to ensure that every child gets the best start in life.”
“That is fantastic news to hear. My hon. Friend regularly engages with schools and nurseries across his constituency to make sure he is aware of the issues and challenges they are facing, and he works really closely with those schools and nurseries to ensure that we bring about the change that people voted for last July.”
“This is absolutely not “job done”—it is the start of the next journey of change, to make sure that every child gets the best start in life. We want to make life easier for parents across the country. The things I am announcing today will make a difference, but there is more for this Government to do.”
“I know that my hon. Friend is really passionate about these issues and wanting to make life so much easier for families in her constituency. School-based nurseries will help drive quality in early education and ensure good-quality access for parents. I mentioned the double drop-off that many parents face; accessing a school-based nursery and then dropping off their older child at primary school is a much simpler and more convenient approach. I am very happy to follow up on my hon. Friend’s points to ensure that this scheme is a success in her constituency.”
“I thank the hon. Member for his question and for his engagement on these extremely important issues. I pay tribute to the family he represents. I have met with them personally to understand the changes they are keen to see. The safety of our youngest children is of the utmost importance to my Department. I am keen to continue to engage with the hon. Member as we hear the family’s concerns and bring about the change that they expect.”
“My hon. Friend likes to lobby me on these issues, and I pay tribute to his hard work in delivering for his constituency. I also thank those who work in nurseries and schools across his constituency, who we have worked really hard to rebuild the relationship with after the failures of the previous Government.”
“The hon. Member will know that I have prioritised getting to know the Minister responsible in Northern Ireland in order to discuss these issues, and I am really pleased that the Northern Ireland Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Fleur Anderson), is sat next to me. I will continue to engage with the Government in Northern Ireland on the issues of workforce and sufficiency, and where we can, I am very keen to support the community in dealing with the challenges they face.”
“Today’s milestone moment is delivering real change for families across the country, including in my hon. Friend’s constituency. We are really pleased by the milestone we have met today, but there is much more to come to make sure we break down the barriers to opportunity for every child in every part of the country.”
“As a relatively new dad, my hon. Friend has been a real champion on these issues in this House, and it was a real pleasure to meet him earlier this year to discuss some of the issues he faces. I pay tribute to those who work in the early years sector in his constituency—they are working day in, day out to ensure every child gets the best start in life.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for visiting the HAF programme in his constituency, where he saw first-hand what a brilliant scheme it is, providing healthy meals, enriching activities and Government-funded childcare places for children from low-income families. That is exactly what this Labour Government want to invest in, and we are.”
“It was a real privilege to visit my hon. Friend’s constituency to see at first hand the hard work she is undertaking with school staff and nursery settings. She is absolutely right: our investment in early years will make a huge difference to children’s lives by allowing them to socialise and to develop the skills they need to succeed in life, as well as delivering real benefits for parents across the country, saving them on average £7,500 a year.”
“This Government have a clear mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and to remove the stain of child poverty on our society. That is why I was so pleased to announce in the House earlier this year that the down payment on the child poverty strategy will lift 100,000 children out of poverty and ensure that half a million more children can access free school meals from September next year.”
“I thank Mr Hickman for that feedback. We are absolutely committed to delivering on our commitment to create tens of thousands more places through new and expanded school-based nurseries, backed by more than £400 million of investment. That will help more families access Government-funded childcare and ensure that every child gets the best start in life.”
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Phase 2 of the school-based nursery programme, with a stronger focus on supporting families in disadvantaged areas, will make a huge difference. From 22 September this year, schools can apply for up to £150,000 from a £45 million fund, enabling at least another 300 school-based nurseries across the country.”
“My sister has worked in the early years sector for 30 years, and the early years workforce are at the heart of our Government’s plan for change to ensure that every child gets the best start in life. We are committed to making childcare more affordable and accessible for families. This week, a key milestone has been met, but there is more to do, and I look forward to working with my hon. Friend to make sure that every child, whatever their background, can succeed and thrive through good-quality early education.”
“I thank all those who have contributed to the key milestone that has been met today. My hon. Friend mentioned the valuable role of trade unions, and I agree with him. Today, we are launching phase 2 of the school-based nurseries programme, with a stronger focus on supporting families in disadvantaged areas. The application window for schools to apply will open on 22 September, and I know he will be keen to encourage schools in his constituency to apply for this exciting opportunity.”
“My hon. Friend is right to flag the significance of free breakfast clubs in primary schools, which we are rolling out across every primary school in the country. That is on top of what we have delivered today with our funded childcare, with 30 hours of support each week. That will save parents on average £7,500 a year. We are a Government who take seriously support for children and families across the country, easing some of the pressures they face, but also ensuring that every child gets the best start in life.”
“I pay tribute to all those who have helped deliver the holiday activities and food programme in my hon. Friend’s constituency and across the country. We have had 5 million days delivered this year alone. That is a huge investment in our children’s futures and making sure they have access to good-quality enrichment activities, hot food and opportunities that they might not ordinarily get at school or at home.”
“My hon. Friend will know that our landmark strategy sets out our first steps towards delivering a decade of national renewal and strengthening family services. We are always keen to learn from other countries, because in order to achieve our ambitions as a country, we need to learn from elsewhere. He will know the value I place, as a former playworker, on play provision, and I am happy to discuss these issues further with him.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for his proactivity in bringing parents together to hear their thoughts and views. We are a Government who are listening to what parents tell us, and we want to act to ensure that every child gets the best start in life. He is absolutely right that investing in early education and supporting early intervention around any additional needs that children have are vital in ensuring that every child gets the best possible outcomes and life chances. I know that he will continue to work with us to make sure that happens in his constituency and across the country.”
“This Government are committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. That is why we are providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding mental health support teams so that every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for the tireless work she has done on these important issues in this place. We are grateful for the contribution of 3 Dads Walking in developing the new RSHE guidance and we pay tribute to their inspirational determination and the courage shown in their work to raise awareness. The guidance contains new content about coping strategies for dealing with issues such as anxiety, but also covers issues such as loneliness and bereavement. It says that schools should “consider carefully” how to address suicide prevention safely.”
“I thank the right hon. Member for his question, and I pay tribute to the member of staff he mentioned and all those who work across the education system to deliver improvements in life chances for all young people; I thank him very much for his hard work.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for the hard work she has undertaken on the Select Committee. She will know that we will deliver on our commitment on mental health support teams in the course of the next few months and years. By 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners will have access to national health service tests—NHSTs—and I will take her suggestion back to the Department.”
“We are maintaining the support available to children to ensure that there is reasonable support in place, and providing more funding to local authorities. This Government are committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity so that every child can succeed and thrive, and that is what we are getting on and delivering.”
“Excellent further education colleges are a key building block of the Government’s opportunity and growth missions. The Government are committed to improving the condition of schools and colleges in England and will invest nearly £3 billion per year by 2034-2035, rising from £2.4 billion in 2024-25.”