Engagements — House of Commons, 2017-12-20
Topic: Education
Questions: Perhaps I could draw my right hon. Friend away from Brexit, which is about to crop up, I suspect. I believe it is common knowledge that the Conservative party is the party that strives to protect our green belt. It was therefore a shock to me and a vast number of my constituents in the Guildford wards of Mole Valley when Guildford Borough Council submitted its draft local plan. The council seeks to build 57% of the houses in its plan on green belt. Does my right hon. Friend agree that local authorities should focus their imaginations on developing buildings of sufficient height, density and imagination on brownfield sites, not green belt?; Gloucestershire College is building a brand-new campus in my constituency, made possible by millions of pounds of Government support. May I thank the Prime Minister for that investment, and does it not show that this is a Government committed to investing in the skills necessary to make this an economy and a country fit for the future?; Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I look forward to seeing you there. I am sure the Prime Minister agrees that defence of the realm and the protection of our people is the first duty of the Government. Would she further agree that any future Government who failed to support our armed forces, who wanted to abolish our nuclear deterrent and who sympathised with terrorists, would endanger our security as well as placing hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk up and down the country, as well as 12,000 in my constituency?; The Prime Minister will be aware of the strong affection and support for Gibraltar across this House. In the light of the guidelines published this morning, will she give a commitment not to enter into any agreement with the European Union that excludes Gibraltar from the transitional or implementation arrangements and periods?; As the Prime Minister will be aware, dairy is very important for growing children and as part of a healthy diet. The sector is integral to Great British food and drink. As the chairman of the dairy all-party parliamentary group, may I ask whether she will support our campaign next year to rebrand milk, to ask supermarkets to include it as part of their meal deal selections and as part of a healthy diet to promote drinking milk in schools? Will she join me this Christmas in raising a glass to our fabulous dairy farmers?; Eight European countries, plus Australia and Canada, have introduced drug consumption rooms. The result has been a reduction in the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and a reduction in crime. It is also worth noting that while drug-related deaths have in the past four years continued to increase in the UK, there has never been a drug overdose in a supervised drug consumption room. In the interests of public health, will the Prime Minister introduce DCRs in the United Kingdom, or, if not, will she devolve the relevant powers to the Scottish Parliament, so that the Scottish Government can do so?; May I pay tribute to the Prime Minister for listening to me so carefully on issues relating to women’s health and in particular pregnancy, including Primodos, valproate and mesh implants, all of which have been raised by my constituents? Like my right hon. Friend, they feel very strongly about tackling female health issues and are very grateful to be heard. Will she assure me that she will continue to listen, so that women do not feel they are left behind or forgotten when it comes to health equality?; Mr Speaker, happy Christmas. Last year, the Prime Minister told the Radio Times that on Christmas day she likes to prepare and cook her own goose. In the spirit of Christmas, may I suggest that to extract the maximum pleasure from the messy job of stuffing her goose, she names it either Michael or Boris? [Interruption.]; For many terminally ill people on universal credit, this will be their last Christmas. Does the Prime Minister agree that it can never be appropriate for terminally ill people to be forced to meet work coaches or to fit into an arbitrary six-month prognosis to claim support? Will she listen—finally—to the experts at the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Macmillan CAB and remove these conditions to allow these people some dignity as they, with their families, face the end of their lives?; According to the Prime Minister’s own Social Mobility Commission, social mobility in Britain is stalling, and for many it is “getting worse not better.” According to her former chief of staff, the social mobility action plan released last week was “disappointing. Full of jargon but short on meaningful policies, it would have been better left unpublished.”Does she agree with him?
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The social mobility action plan "will play an important role in enabling less advantaged young people to get on in life." That is not what I have said; it is what the Sutton Trust has said, and the Sutton Trust has a fine record in helping disadvantaged young people to get on in life. If the hon. Lady wants some more quotes, the Association of Colleges has said: "The plan sets out an ambitious agenda to tackle longstanding and deep-seated inequalities which the education system struggles to overcome." It is a good plan, and it will make a real difference to young people’s lives.