Alison Hume MP: speeches

Speeches

• 30 Jun 2025 · Road Safety Powers: Parish and Town Councils · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is being most generous with his time, and I thank him for securing this really important debate. There is a busy bridge on the A171 in my constituency, which is used by pupils in years 7 and 8 based at the Airy Hill site of Whitby School, as well as the parents and pupils who attend Airy Hill primary school and tourists photographing the steam trains that can be seen below. It is a very noisy and windy bridge with heavy road and foot traffic, and it is high above the estuary. Despite that, there are no zebra crossings or raised kerbs, and the speed limit is 40 mph. Understandably, local residents are really worried. They have tried to lower the speed limit to 30 mph, but North Yorkshire council is not interested, so they have raised a petition themselves. Does my hon. Friend agree that this is exactly why parish and town councils should be given road safety powers, including the ability to introduce speed limits?

• 12 Jun 2025 · Long-term Medical Conditions · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley) for securing this extremely important debate. He speaks from a position of great experience. He rightly points to a holistic approach, putting the patient at the centre of their treatment. By 2035, two thirds of the UK population aged over 65 are expected to be living with two or more long-term conditions, whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson’s, diabetes or epilepsy. Living with an LTC can significantly reduce a person’s quality of life. I rise to speak on behalf of those living with a condition that affects approximately 1.5 million women in the UK: endometriosis. This chronic condition, whereby tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus, causes debilitating pain, fatigue and often infertility, yet despite its prevalence it remains under-recognised and undertreated, like so many conditions that affect women. The average time to diagnose in the UK is more than eight years. Many women visit their GPs multiple times before receiving a referral, and some are forced to turn to private healthcare due to the lengthy NHS waiting times. That delay not only exacerbates the condition’s physical symptoms but impacts mental health and quality of life. Endometriosis is not merely a health issue for women; it is a public health issue that costs the UK economy. Over half of those affected have taken time off work due to endometriosis, and many fear job loss or reduced income. My constituent, Angela Tiernan, has thoracic endo-metriosis, a rare form of the condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows in the chest cavity, commonly affecting the diaphragm and lungs. Angela recently found out that planned surgery to confirm her diagnosis and reformulate a treatment plan would no longer be going ahead as the specialist Oxford University Hospitals has stopped commissioning the surgery, as have other specialist centres in London and Bristol. Angela has told me that patients are being advised to go private to access required treatments and surgeries that were previously available through the NHS, but have since been cancelled by the hospital. My constituent Angela and other women are now left in a position with no diagnosis and no access to investigation, care or treatment unless they can afford to go private. Endometriosis is a long-term condition that requires a long-term solution. I ask the Minister for reassurance that endometriosis is addressed in our 10-year-plan.

• 9 Jun 2025 · Construction Sector Specialist Apprentices · Hansard source

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  The construction skills village in Scarborough is an innovative real-world training environment for the specialist trades that we desperately need to build homes. Does the Minister acknowledge the importance of independent training providers in our plans to build 1.5 million new homes, and will he meet me to discuss how we can ensure that ITPs, which deliver the specialist skills that the construction industry is asking for, are included in our plans to train 60,000 new construction workers?

• 9 Jun 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech. In my constituency, the Scalby school playing fields long served the community as vital green space, but that space is under threat as the council is seeking to remove protections, which could lead to its being sold. Does my hon. Friend agree that that is why this new clause is so necessary, as it would ensure that the council either kept the fields or made equivalent provision of land for children to play on?

• 19 May 2025 · Armed Forces Housing · Hansard source

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  In December, the Defence Committee found that two thirds of service family homes “need extensive refurbishment or rebuilding” to meet modern standards. We know that poor-quality housing impacts children’s ability to learn and to attend school, as well as their physical health. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that the 3,500 children from service families who attend school in North Yorkshire live in adequate accommodation?

• 19 May 2025 · Mental Health Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  Recently, I met grandparents in my constituency who are caring for their grandchild, who was recently diagnosed with autism. Their grandchild is suffering from poor mental health and is unable to attend school, and the family is struggling to access support. I welcome the Government’s work so far in this area, including the pledge to have a specialist mental health professional in every school, but does my hon. Friend agree that a three-year wait for an appointment with CAMHS, as my constituents are facing, is completely unacceptable?

• 14 May 2025 · Future of Public Libraries · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) on securing this important debate. Public libraries are at the heart of our communities, and we urgently need a national strategy to protect and strengthen them. In 2016, North Yorkshire council faced the devastating prospect of closing 31 libraries. Instead, communities were given the chance to step in—and they did. In Scarborough, we are really fortunate that the Newby and Scalby library was one of the lucky few, and that local volunteers formed a charity to keep it open. Today, it is thriving. It has 60 volunteers, including trustees, gardeners, cleaners and 40 library assistants. In 2024 alone, those volunteers gave over 11,000 hours. Their dedication has led to 42,000 visits and 550 events for 6,000 attendees, and has helped 1,500 people with individual IT assistance, bus passes, passport applications and how to use a mobile phone. They also run a home library service. That is not just a library; it is vital social infrastructure. Earlier this year, I was honoured to attend the celebrations as the Newby and Scalby volunteers received the King’s award for voluntary service. Although we must champion our community libraries, volunteers cannot be expected to keep them open indefinitely, especially as funding continues to shrink. According to the University of Warwick, library funding has fallen by more than half since 2010. Libraries are looking to the Government for a long-term plan that includes a sustainable funding model. I would be grateful if the Minister could address when the Government intend to implement the recommendations of the 2023 Sanderson review, including the establishment of a libraries laureate. The title “libraries laureate” conjures up a Pied Piper figure, leading a trail of word-hungry children into the book corner, but it is, of course, nothing of the kind. They would be a high-profile, distinct voice who could advocate on behalf of libraries, and raise awareness of what books can provide and, as we have heard from many Members today, what libraries can provide beyond books. Libraries provide human contact in a world in which loneliness and the company of a smartphone are on the rise. In the old days, people were fined when they had an overdue library book, but these days they can steal a library book and use it to write another book, or anything else. Library book borrowers cannot do that, of course, but if someone is the owner of an AI company, they can use books uploaded to the internet to train AI models. We must protect the rights of authors, otherwise we face a future short on not only libraries, but the creative working people who write the books that fill the shelves.

• 7 Apr 2025 · Road Maintenance · Hansard source

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  In my constituency of Scarborough and Whitby, the views take your breath away. Sadly, so do the potholes when your car hits one—not just when it happens, but when the repair bill arrives. According to the RAC, the cost of pothole damage to vehicles is around £600 on average, with more severe repairs costing considerably more. Potholes do not just damage cars; they damage people. One constituent has told me that when his disabled father is driven to the doctors or to hospital appointments, it is almost inevitable that they hit a pothole on the way, which causes him pain. Another Scarborough constituent told me that the journey she needed to take to York hospital to attend the pain clinic was too painful because of the quality of the roads, and that she therefore stopped making it, despite being in a huge amount of pain. The Conservative-run North Yorkshire council says that keeping our roads in the best condition for the money it has is one of the biggest challenges it faces, and that is why it is brilliant that the York and North Yorkshire combined authority will soon be receiving its share of the Labour Government’s record £1.6 billion road maintenance funding. This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement that councils have ever been given. For Mayor Skaith in York and North Yorkshire, it is £62.1 million, an increase of £16.6 million. Of course, I have spoken to the Mayor about the importance of ensuring the quality of repairs in my constituency of Scarborough and Whitby. Maple Drive in Scarborough is home to Northstead community primary school. It is a very busy road and it is littered with potholes, which are regularly reported to the council using its online tool. Workmen duly arrive to fill the potholes, but my constituents report that they soon reappear, bigger than before, leaving Maple Drive looking like a patchwork quilt—but, it has to be said, not a particularly attractive one. It is vital that we abandon the patch-and-run approach and focus on permanent and innovative repairs, especially given the cold and increasingly wet winters we encounter on the coast. I welcome the caveat attached to the money, which means that the combined authority will need to publish annual progress reports and prove to the public that the work is being done to a high standard. After years of Conservative neglect, drivers in Scarborough, Whitby and the villages can, thanks to this Labour Government, look forward to smoother, safer local roads.

• 20 Mar 2025 · British Sign Language Week · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) on securing this debate. In 2023-24, 26 children in north Yorkshire were registered with special educational needs due to a hearing impairment, yet support remains inadequate. To show my support for them and for the other children here today, I will now sign my name in BSL . [In British Sign Language: Alison.] Does my hon. Friend agree that deaf children need access to fluent signers as teachers?

• 20 Mar 2025 · Coastal Communities · Hansard source

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  My constituency of Scarborough and Whitby includes some of the most beautiful towns and villages in the country, but it also has some of the worst health outcomes. We have talked a lot about older people in this debate, and I will use my time to talk about younger people. I am excited by the opportunities that the advent of renewable energy offers young people in my constituency. Scarborough university technical college is already training the engineers of the future, who will work on the wind farms off our coast. The Construction Skills Village in Eastfield is training apprentices in bricklaying, plastering and other trades to help build Labour’s 1.5 million new homes. However, we must deliver year-round, non-graduate careers for our coastal kids and ensure that funding is funnelled not into cities and universities, but into coastal communities. Only by doing this will we deliver on our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Shipyards: Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife (Richard Baker) on securing this debate. For centuries, shipbuilding has been a pillar of British industry, contributing not only to our maritime heritage but to the economic prosperity of our coastal communities. In the 1790s, Whitby was the second largest shipbuilding port in England. Indeed, a certain Captain James Cook learned his seafaring skills in the town, and his marvellous ship, the Endeavour, was also built there. Hon. Members can find out more about our proud shipbuilding history by visiting the Captain Cook memorial museum or Whitby museum. Today, Parkol Marine Engineering at Eskside wharf in Whitby has a workforce of more than 70. In 2017, it opened a second yard in Middlesbrough. Parkol has customers from across the UK and Europe, for whom it builds fishing trawlers as well as fully custom designs. Recently, it won two public tenders, which it wants to capitalise on to obtain more work in the workboat industry. This is important, because in a town where low-paid and seasonal jobs in tourism and retail predominate, Parkol offers young people in Whitby much-needed skills and opportunities, as well as apprenticeships in manufacturing, engineering, fabrication and business. That all significantly contributes to our local economy. Parkol told me that a lot of the necessary skills have been lost or are carried out by workers towards the end of their careers, so it strives to promote reintroduction of those skills via in-house apprenticeships. Beyond direct employment, shipyards provide contracts for steelmakers, electrical engineers, software developers and countless other businesses. It is crucial that we recognise that broader economic impact and ensure that shipyards receive the backing they need to thrive. As Members have referenced, shipyards are more than just workplaces; they are engines of economic growth and cornerstones of national security. We must give them the best possible chance to grow. Parkol’s location on the east coast positions it well for carrying out maintenance work on crew transfer vessels and workboats employed on wind farms or offshore projects in the North sea. It has a floating dry dock, but it was built in the 1990s and now it has outgrown it, which means that larger vessels have to use slipways in Scotland and Holland. It is looking at how to increase its capacity, but has struggled to identify suitable funding or grant streams. I am pleased that the Government have made clear their commitment to supporting job creation and long-term growth in the shipbuilding sector. I ask the Minister to commit to a bold vision for our shipyards, big or small, ensuring that they continue to serve as a source of national pride and economic prosperity for communities such as mine for generations to come.

• 25 Feb 2025 · Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  I warmly welcome the Bill. It clearly demonstrates the Government’s ambitious commitment to training and apprenticeships. I will concentrate on the role that Skills England will play in aligning apprenticeship opportunities with the needs of local economies. Scarborough and Whitby are beautiful places to live and to visit, but the levels of low-paid employment are not so appealing. According to the latest ONS figures, 26% of all jobs in my constituency were paid below the real living wage. On closer examination, the figures are even more alarming. For example, some 52% of part-time jobs done by women in my constituency were paid below the real living wage, while that figure for England was 32% and for Yorkshire and Humber it was 35%. The disparity between the figures for Scarborough and Whitby and the surrounding region should give us pause when we refer to local economies, because coastal communities can differ markedly from their hinterland. Skills England’s work in assessing local needs and opportunities must anticipate what those needs and opportunities may be in future, as well as now. Well-paid jobs and careers are the goal for young people in my constituency. It is a crucial time for the green transition that we need to reach net zero and to create the urgently needed skilled jobs in the renewables sector. Scarborough is one of closest harbours to the offshore wind farm sites in the North sea, especially Hornsea Four, making it a prime location for the transportation of equipment and personnel, as well as for service vessels. The Government rightly see the potential of the creative industries to create growth, but we know that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds or those who do not live in metropolitan areas are often denied such opportunities. In the past year, the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough has created two full-time trainee posts, with partners at Coventry University. It will deliver a degree course in acting and has a programme for young people pursuing a career in the performing arts. I want us to build on that to provide far more opportunities for talented young people in Scarborough and Whitby to train locally in the creative industries, especially to bridge the skills gap in practical trades, such as lighting, sound and camera operation. As in so many areas, construction trainees are urgently needed now, and will be in the future. I am excited by the Government’s support for a new development planned south of Scarborough, in Cayton, that will start as soon as possible and provide 2,500 new homes. The people building those homes and that infrastructure should be trained locally as far as possible. I am pleased to tell the House that the construction skills village in Scarborough is already doing an incredible job of providing training for construction apprentices. It currently has 140 apprentices on its books, providing training in plastering, carpentry, bricklaying and electrical work. It has also just run its first solar panel installation course. Some 60% of its learners come from an area that is among the most deprived in the country, and a high number have additional educational needs, yet the record of its apprentices exceeds national outcomes. I ask the Minister to confirm that existing centres of excellence can be funded to provide more of what they already do so well. In conclusion, I look forward to a future in which organisations such as the construction skills village are part of the Government’s plan to boost apprenticeships and build a better kind of local economy.

• 24 Feb 2025 · Breakfast Clubs: Early Adopters · Hansard source

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  It is shameful that after the last Labour Government lifted 1.1 million children out of poverty, years of neglect by Conservative Governments saw an increasing number of children going to school hungry, which limits their learning and life chances. I warmly welcome the announcement that four schools in my constituency will be able to offer a free breakfast club from April: Ruswarp and Fylingdales, as well as St Peter’s and St George’s over in Scarborough. Does my right hon. Friend agree that these breakfast clubs show how this Government are not only supporting working parents, but delivering on our promise to tackle child poverty?

• 22 Jan 2025 · Education, Health and Care Plans · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I congratulate the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Marie Goldman) on securing this debate. In my constituency, more than 100 children and young people classified as in elective home education, which includes 30 with EHCPs. We know there are many more who are unaccounted for. There must be a question mark as to whether home education is a genuine choice, or is due to the child not getting the support they need. One family in Scarborough reluctantly withdrew their child from a mainstream school as their needs were not being met, despite their having an EHCP. The child’s mother had to give up work to home school, which took a toll on her health and the family finances. I warmly welcome the Government’s commitment to address the SEND crisis, but I would like to encourage the Minister to use the register of children and young people not in school, proposed in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to gather the evidence we need to understand why those children and young people are not in school.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sixth-form College Strikes: Sussex · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising this issue, which also affects Scarborough sixth-form college in my constituency. There are high levels of deprivation in parts of Scarborough, and the sixth-form college is a key route to higher education or employment opportunities for young people. Will she join me in praising the dedication and hard work of staff at sixth-form colleges not just in Scarborough, but across the country, who enable students to reach their full potential?

• 8 Jan 2025 · Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill · Hansard source

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  I warmly welcome the Bill and the Secretary of State’s commitment to tackling the SEND crisis in our schools—a crisis that developed over more than a decade of neglect, and which will not be resolved overnight. The Bill’s proposal to introduce a duty for local authorities to keep a register of children who are not in school is causing concern among families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities in my constituency. The concern is based not on the Bill but on the battles that parents find themselves fighting in order to ensure that their child’s needs are met. As a survivor of the SEND jungle, I understand the state of perpetual worry that families live with, and I understand that they are fearful that the introduction of a register may result in increased pressure from the local authority for their child to attend school without the support they need. Last year saw a 40% increase in the number of requests for education, health and care plans in Scarborough and Whitby from the previous year, and almost 30% of decisions on EHCPs took six months or longer, leaving children without the support they needed while waiting. If a child does receive an EHCP, parents often feel that the provision offered does not correspond to their needs as there is a shortage of key professionals and funding is often pooled rather than used for the one-to-one support that they really need. In my experience, parents do not take the decision to withdraw their child from school lightly. One constituent has faced fines for her son’s non-attendance that she cannot afford to pay and problems at work because he is at home. Another constituent, Karen, who runs the marvellous charity Closer Communities in Scarborough, which supports families in this situation, has struggled to get appropriate support for her own son. Karen, who was a senior manager in the NHS, was forced to put her own career on hold, which inevitably had financial implications for her family. Withdrawing a child from school is not easy and can have a major impact on a family. Most would prefer for their child to be educated in a mainstream school, where they get the support they need. I am proud that the Government are working hard to ensure that that happens in the future with more targeted mainstream provision. I hope that the Secretary of State can reassure parents like those I have described that they have nothing to fear from the legislation. Will she consider whether the register could be used to distinguish between parents who home-school by choice and those who do so because they have no choice?

• 17 Dec 2024 · Employment Rights Bill (Fourteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair once again, Ms Vaz. I remind the Committee about my membership of Unison. We all want to live in a place we can call home, with people and things we love, in communities where we look out for one another and do the things that matter to us. Adult social carers support millions of people every day in that. The shadow Minister rightly spoke about the vital contribution made by social work carers who go to support people in their own homes, but there are other carers who support people who have highly complex needs to live in specialised settings. One of those people is my adult son, who has been in supported living for the last six years. It took a while to find him the right setting, but he is now living in a specialised service that accommodates people who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and I am pleased to say that he is thriving. Members of the Committee may be aware that one of the defining characteristics of ASD is how neurodivergent people relate to, and connect with, the people who care for them. My son sees his carers as being part of an extended circle of trust—not family, but close. After all, why shouldn’t he? They support him with all his daily living needs. They plan his meals, accompany him to the shops to buy food, help him to cook it and keep him company while he eats it. They help him to do all the chores that any 26-year-old young man would rather not do at all. But far more importantly, the staff who care for my son help him in all aspects of his life so that he can achieve the best he can, whether through volunteering to build up his confidence or through educational opportunities to improve his prospects of work. Many of these staff are highly skilled. I cannot speak highly enough of the work they do. They have worked in adult social care for many years and are dedicated to the people they care for, like my son, but others are new in the job and do not stay long. That is not as a result of not wanting to do the job, but of not being able to afford to stay in the job. In fact, some carers live in poverty. For young adults like my son, the turnover and lack of consistency in staff, which is no fault of the organisation that employs them, means that his extended circles of trust are continually broken down. That leads to a lack of engagement, which affects his mental health and wellbeing. I wanted to talk about my lived experience to shed light on why the adult social care negotiating body and the whole Bill are so important, because we so need a step change in our attitude to social care. We must respect the work that social care workers do and value it more highly. Three quarters of those who work in the industry are women, and they earn around only 68% of the median salary for all UK employees. It is just not good enough. I welcome the negotiating body, which I believe will be a game changer in addressing low pay and insecure employment. It will send a powerful message to the 1.59 million social care workers in England to say, “You are valued, you are respected and you are part of a profession that I am proud to say the new Government are committed to supporting in the long term.”

• 5 Dec 2024 · Employment Rights Bill (Seventh sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my membership of Unison and of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. The hon. Member talks about shipping companies and furniture companies, and I would like to talk about my constituency of Scarborough and Whitby. As of last year, 4,500 people there—11% of the workforce—were employed in retail, and 8,000—20% of the workforce—in hospitality. Those sectors employ a lot of women, and those women—I was one myself—rely on childcare, which is extremely expensive. Does he accept that when shifts are cut short or curtailed at short notice, those women still have to pay for their childcare and are therefore taking on board an expense? It is not force majeure for them; it is a day-to-day struggle to pay the childcare bills.

• 18 Nov 2024 · Armed Forces Commissioner Bill · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is an honour to be called to make my maiden speech during this important debate. I would like to pay tribute to the armed forces personnel and veterans who live in the Scarborough and Whitby constituency. Each year, Scarborough honours their sacrifice and service on Armed Forces Day. The splendid parade marches past Scarborough lifeboat station, where this year the Royal National Lifeboat Institution celebrated 200 years of service. Back in 1861, a massive storm destroyed nearly 200 ships off the east coast. At Whitby lifeboat station, Henry Freeman was the only volunteer to survive the disaster, thanks to the new design of lifejacket he was wearing, made from strips of cork sewn into a canvas vest. Incredible designs are in the weft and weave of Whitby. Twice a year, Whitby Goth Weekend welcomes thousands of well-dressed goths who paint the town red—and purple and black. Goths regularly inquire whether Dracula is buried in Whitby abbey or the churchyard. He is not. In fact, Dracula was the relatively recent creation of Bram Stoker, a Victorian theatre manager and author who found inspiration for his blood-sucking vampire when he stayed in Whitby, travelling there on the newly developed railway. Our railways are still associated with horror stories, but today it is more about nightmare journeys. I pay tribute to my predecessors, Sir Robert Goodwill and Lawrie Quinn, for their work to improve local connectivity. Sir Robert served our constituency for 19 years. He dedicated himself to giving a stronger voice to people who struggled to be heard, and he helped to improve the lives of many residents, particularly in land management, local healthcare and road safety. On behalf of the community, I place on record my sincere thanks for his long years of faithful service, and I wish him and his wife, Maureen, a happy retirement. Sir Robert’s Labour predecessor, Lawrie Quinn, is fondly remembered by constituents, particularly for helping to secure the award-winning Coastliner bus with its magnificent views. After today’s announcement, we can look forward to more buses, and better buses, in Scarborough and Whitby. Opposite Scarborough station stands the Stephen Joseph theatre, the theatrical home of one of our finest living playwrights, Sir Alan Ayckbourn, the jewel in our creative crown. Our stunning constituency covers 285 square miles. The beauty of our sweeping coastline and purple-topped moors has been captured in many television dramas and films. Goathland sits in the heart of the glorious North York Moors national park, with a station on the pretty Esk Valley railway. It has doubled both as Aidensfield station in “Heartbeat” and as Hogsmeade station, from where Harry Potter catches a steam train to his school for wizards. While we are on wizardry, I would like to thank the House of Commons staff for making us freshers feel so welcome, and especially for not laughing as I circled endlessly through the various corridors, absolutely convinced that, just as with Hogwarts, nothing ever seems to be in the same place as it was the time before. Talented young people in coastal towns surely deserve the same opportunities in the creative industries as their peers in the cities. I will work hard to bring these opportunities to Scarborough and Whitby, and to attract investment for training and skills in the industries of the future. At its headquarters in Scarborough, Alexander Dennis—formerly Plaxton—is leading the way with its innovative electric buses. We are also uniquely positioned to benefit from the vast wind farms being built off our coast, but we must move quickly to ensure that our towns can service the green energy industry. As the turbines turn, we need to take care that our fragile but precious inshore fishing industry is supported into a sustainable future. Our fishing towns and villages serve up so much more than the best fish and chips in the country. We have a delicious combination of tradition and innovation. Herrings are still smoked traditionally by five generations of the Fortune family to produce the famous Whitby kippers, which my late father adored. As the lobster export capital of Europe, Yorkshire is indebted to the parents and carers of thousands of baby lobsters nurtured at the Whitby lobster hatchery. Scarborough is the country’s frozen chip capital, home to McCain Foods, and it is also home to SeaGrown, the first seaweed farm in Europe. As for our traditional farmers, I understand that this is a difficult time for them. I was recently delighted to visit the Low Yedmandale and Spikers Hill farms outside Scarborough to better understand the challenges faced by our family farms. Times are tough for far too many constituents. I thank the numerous organisations and charities dedicated to making lives better, including the Gallows Close centre, the Rainbow centre, Westway Open Arms, Flowergate Hall, the Eastside community centre, Closer Communities, Dalewood Trust, WHISH—Whitby Hidden Impairment Support and Help—and many others, too numerous to mention. I am honoured to represent such a resilient and hard-working community, and I believe we are a good fit. My late mother was born into poverty in Hull. Under a Labour Government, she was able to retrain for free as a mature student to become a primary school teacher—a job she loved. My son Edward was born with complex disabilities. Under a Labour Government, we benefited from the huge investment in health, in education and in schemes such as Sure Start. At 25, Edward has finally achieved his dream of going to university, and today he is watching his mum achieve hers. Under this Labour Government, I will play my part as we lift more children out of poverty, address the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities provision, and improve life for paid and unpaid carers. I truly hope that I can repay the trust that my constituents have put in me. In closing, as the first woman to represent Scarborough and Whitby, I pledge to play my part in our Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls. As a proud graduate of the Jo Cox Women in Leadership scheme, I hope to honour Jo’s memory. I can see her coat of arms from where I stand. She may not have sat on the Government Benches, but she left a legacy that will ensure that hundreds more women like me will sit on them in the future.

• 16 Oct 2024 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q3. Whitby InterActive has provided inclusive play schemes and holiday activities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities for 26 years. It has been a lifeline for families continually failed by Conservative Governments, but InterActive is set to close due to a funding shortfall. Does the Prime Minister agree that action to tackle the crisis in SEND provision is urgently needed and that charities, such as InterActive, deserve our support more than ever?

• 9 Oct 2024 · Film Industry · Hansard source

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  I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. Does she agree that it is vital that our creative skills pathway reaches coastal communities, so that talented young people in constituencies such as mine have access to training and the opportunity to help fill the creative skills gap?

• 8 Oct 2024 · SEND Provision: East of England · Hansard source

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  The report issued last December for SEND provision in Scarborough and Whitby will chime with other Members: a 40% increase in the number of requests for EHCPs compared with the previous year, and an increase of nearly 30% in the number of suspensions. Charities such as Closer Communities in Scarborough are now supporting families looking after children whose needs are not being met in school. Does my hon. Friend agree that as we go forward we must not simply pay lip service to those charities, but actively include them as we make plans to improve provision?