Chris Vince MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 2 Apr 2025 · School-based Nursery Capital Grants · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. I had the opportunity only last week to visit Jerounds primary school in my constituency, and saw the incredible work that it was doing in supporting young people and showing them the value of community pride and the importance of oracy. I have to say that they gave their local MP a very good grilling. I am delighted that Jerounds will be one of the 300 schools to deliver on our pledge of a new school-based surgery. May I ask how this will benefit children and parents in my constituency, and, like others, ask for more provision in Harlow?

• 2 Apr 2025 · UK Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  A core objective of the Government’s modern industrial strategy is to unleash the full potential of our cities and regions, which is as true in Northern as it is in my constituency of Harlow. Does the Secretary of State agree that Northern Ireland’s four city growth deals, which the Government committed to at the Budget, can play a vital role in this?

• 2 Apr 2025 · UK Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  8. What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the development of a new UK industrial strategy.

• 1 Apr 2025 · Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for coming to the House to answer the urgent question. I know from her visit to Harlow last week how much she cares about supporting young people. Having worked in the charity sector before I came to this place, I recognise that short-termism in funding for services to support vulnerable people is not a new problem. Will she confirm that the Government are committed to ensuring that adopted children are given the support they deserve?

• 1 Apr 2025 · Sentencing Council Guidelines · Hansard source

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  I thank the Lord Chancellor for her statement. Does she agree that we should all hold closely the ideal of equality before the law, and that the biggest cause of two-tier justice was the mess that the Conservative party made of our Probation Service?

• 1 Apr 2025 · Eating Disorder Awareness · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I thank the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) for securing this extremely important debate and for the work that she and others have done with the eating disorders all-party parliamentary group. I have come to this debate to speak up on behalf of the many people who have suffered from eating disorders, both past and present. I confess to having a personal interest, as one of those people is my mum. Like many people who suffer from anorexia, my mum developed the disorder as a teenager; as with many people, it came from being bullied by her peers at school. I do not want to give away my mum’s age—that is something that she would never forgive me for—but hon. Members will appreciate that that was a little while ago, although I believe that it has a huge impact on her even today. I can only begin to imagine the additional pressure that young people suffer now that abuse and bullying does not end at the school gate, but extends online, with negative comments, memes and unrealistic, sometimes AI-generated body images. It has worsened a great deal since the pandemic. Approximately 1.25 million people have some sort of eating disorder. One in eight 17 to 19-year-olds in England were reported to have had an eating disorder in 2023. Having spoken to a resident in Harlow who wishes to remain anonymous, I know that this is as much an issue in my constituency as it is anywhere else. I urge anyone who is struggling with an eating disorder in Harlow to reach out. The service lead for eating disorders at the Essex partnership university NHS foundation trust has described eating disorders as typically developing in adolescence and early adulthood, leading to changes in a person’s brain, body and behaviour. He also says that early intervention is essential in reversing these changes and improves the likelihood of a full recovery. More recently, the Royal College of Psychiatrists said that services are struggling with demand. In February this year, the Government said that NHS England were processing an update to the commissioning guidance on eating disorders. Can the Minister tell us what the recent announcements on changes to NHS England will mean for the publication of that guidance? Once again, I thank the APPG for its work on this important issue. I particularly thank Beat for publishing its report and for publishing some really important data on eating disorders. The hon. Member for Bath spoke about the lack of data and the lack of understanding about eating disorders; I have to say that when I was researching this debate, I found that the data for my constituency of Harlow was sorely lacking. I rarely speak in a Westminster Hall debate without mentioning young carers. This issue has an impact on them as well. I echo the valid point from the hon. Member for Horsham (John Milne) that support for people with eating disorders is a postcode lottery. For families who have to travel long distances, such as to Glasgow, to care for a loved one with an eating disorder, there is a huge cost. There is a disproportionate impact on those who are living in poverty and on low-income families. I will finish by saying a massive thank you to the hon. Member for Bath for bringing forward the issue. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s response.

• 1 Apr 2025 · NHS Pensions · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for coming to the House and giving her response. We all know the issues she is talking about when she mentions the state of the NHS that we inherited, and I echo that with the issues I hear about from patients and staff at Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow. On pensions, can she outline what the Government have done to mitigate the delays in the process?

• 1 Apr 2025 · Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  It feels impertinent to intervene, because my hon. Friend is giving a hugely passionate speech about a subject he clearly knows so much about, but how can he can help the next generation of metrologists to be as inspired about this topic as he clearly is?

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

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  I thank the Minister for visiting the best town in England, Harlow, last week. Does she agree that this Bill will help benefit young people in my constituency and give them the skills that they need ?

• 31 Mar 2025 · Live Facial Recognition · Hansard source

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  Harlow police department’s recent successful trial of facial recognition has led to some arrests. Does the Minister agree that technology can play a vital part in tackling crime but cannot be a substitute for neighbourhood policing?

• 31 Mar 2025 · Draft Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Member for South West Wiltshire made the point about the danger of doing research in this country and it being used by other countries. I take his point, but is there not an opportunity to use this technology in developing countries and provide support in relation to famine?

• 27 Mar 2025 · PIP Changes: Impact on Carer’s Allowance · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his statement. I declare an interest as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for young carers and young adult carers. Does the Minister agree that the role of young carers is critical not only to those who are cared for, but to the economy? Although young carers under 16 do not receive carer’s allowance, will he consider the impact of any plans on young carers and how we might better support them?

• 27 Mar 2025 · Scunthorpe Steelworks · Hansard source

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  Last week, I visited British Offsite, whose chief executive officer hails from my constituency of Harlow, about the innovative house building that it is doing using techniques that require a lot of steel, although I have to say that it uses it efficiently. What meetings has the Minister had with house builders, as well as with the defence sector, as she rightly said, as part of the Government’s steel strategy?

• 27 Mar 2025 · Aviation Sector: Support · Hansard source

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  17. What steps she is taking to support the aviation sector.

• 27 Mar 2025 · Aviation Sector: Support · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his answer. As the Prime Minister pointed out yesterday, Stansted airport is a huge employer and training provider for my constituency of Harlow. What work is the Department, alongside the Department for Work and Pensions, doing with employers and training providers in the aviation sector?

• 26 Mar 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q2. I recently visited Harlow college and saw the work it was doing training the bricklayers and electricians of the future. Does the Prime Minister agree that the work of further education colleges like Harlow’s is vital for the house building that we need for future generations? What will his Government do to support Harlow’s next generation?

• 25 Mar 2025 · Mental Health Act: Family Support · Hansard source

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  Yesterday I met Essex partnership university NHS foundation trust and spoke to it about the need to support the families of those suffering with mental health issues in Harlow, and particularly those with caring responsibilities. Will the Minister consider how mental health services can better identify and support young carers?

• 25 Mar 2025 · Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill (changed to Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers) Bill) · Hansard source

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  I did not intend to intervene, but I was looking through the amendments, and I see that a lot of them focus on exemptions from the business rates. Does the Minister agree that the way to look at supporting businesses in, for example, the manufacturing industry is through other means, not through changing the business rates?

• 24 Mar 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill · Hansard source

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  Many colleagues in the House will know that I love talking about education, but this Bill gives me the opportunity to talk about something even closer to my heart than that. No, it is not “Neighbours”; it is my home of Harlow. Harlow is a post-war new town. It may not have been the first or the most successful—certainly not at football—but I argue that it is the one with the most heart. The principles that underpinned Harlow were about community and a collective identity. Despite its challenges, I believe that that sense of community shines through today. I welcome the Bill’s recognition of the importance of development corporations, and I urge the Minister to look at the not-so-new towns of Stevenage and Harlow—the one I have the honour to call my home and to represent in this place. If we speak to some residents of Harlow—the more experienced residents, let us say —they will talk with great fondness about the Harlow development corporation. I will take a moment to recognise those new-town pioneers: they were people who made sure that they got things done. I also pay tribute to one of my predecessors in this place, Leah Manning, for her vision of what Harlow could be. We still have the Leah Manning centre, which cares for some of those more experienced residents. I welcome the commitment to strengthen the link between the development corporations and local transport authorities, as that connectivity is vital. However, I also draw the Minister’s attention to Harlow’s neighbourhood centres, such as Bush Fair and the Stow. Before the idea of the 15-minute city was mooted—and, I believe, misunderstood by some people—Sir Frederick Gibberd recognised the need for every neighbourhood to have a sense of identity, a shopping centre, a central point to meet, a work of art or two, a park and our infamous green wedges, which mean that people can get from one end of Harlow to the other without ever needing to go on a road. No one will know better about the issue of land banking than the people of Harlow. Huge swathes of our town centre are no-go zones, left in a state of decay. Abandoned buildings have been left to rot or to become a refuge for those outside the law. That needs to change, and I believe that this legislation will help with that. Contrary to misleading reports, this Bill is not about targeting landowners. Nothing in the Bill changes the core principle of compulsory purchase, but it must be used only when negotiations have not succeeded and where there is a compelling case in the public interest. I welcome the Government’s ongoing commitment to build the homes we need. As someone who has worked in the charity sector for a homelessness charity, I know as much as anyone how much they are needed. For every resident who complains about a new housing development, I speak to five other residents who live in overcrowded and unsuitable accommodation or face the risk of homelessness.

• 24 Mar 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill · Hansard source

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  The Deputy Prime Minister is giving an excellent speech about the importance of building homes. She mentioned the importance of getting young people out of temporary accommodation, which I wholly support. Does she agree that it is not just about temporary accommodation but about families who are suffering from overcrowding, families in unsuitable accommodation and families at risk of homelessness, with the anxiety that brings? My inbox is full of that from residents in Harlow.

• 24 Mar 2025 · Disruption at Heathrow · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her statement, and I add to the comments made by other Members by thanking those who dealt with this terrible incident at the time. It obviously had a huge impact on passengers, including residents in Harlow looking to get to the US. What reassurance can she give passengers that this was due to an unprecedented power outage? Does this add to the case for other airports such as Stansted, which employs some of my constituents, having greater resilience, greater capacity and, potentially, even transatlantic flights?

• 20 Mar 2025 · Knife Crime: Children and Young People · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent speech that I think all of us across the House would agree with. I have spoken a number of times with Harlow police about knives and knife crime, not just in Harlow but across Essex. They do a lot of work with schools. Does he agree that it is important that schools fully engage with the police on these issues, and do not feel that there is stigma in doing so? All schools need to engage with that process.

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

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  My hon. Friend is giving a passionate and knowledgeable speech. Does she agree that, in terms of Parliament, this is a question of accessibility? We want people with BSL as their first language to be able to not only access politics but be a part of it as well.

• 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 thank my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft), my best friend, for securing this hugely important debate—sorry to everybody else! I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham North (Vicky Foxcroft), who in April 2021 was the first Member of Parliament to use British Sign Language during Prime Minister’s Question Time, bringing to the attention of the then Prime Minister the fact that there were no BSL interpreters at the then Prime Minister’s press briefings. I came to this debate not speaking any BSL other than to say “thank you” and “Will my hon. Friend give way?”, which I learned yesterday. To be honest, having tried learning French in the past, I know that I am not very good at languages, so I appreciate the comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock about those who have difficulty learning languages—some would say my English is not great, either. The contributions that I have heard so far from hon. Members from across the House have really moved me and made me think a lot about my own practice. When I go back to Harlow and my constituency team tomorrow, I will have conversations with them about how we ensure that any engagement that I have with members of the public in Harlow—including my MP surgeries—is compatible with BSL, because what I do not want, and I am sure no Member wants, is our constituents feeling that they cannot have access to their MP in their first language. I want to talk about accessibility. I declare an interest because I am a member of the Modernisation Committee. It is really important that everyone, no matter their situation, has the opportunity to achieve. I have been impressed in many ways by how accessible the House is. Last week, members of Razed Roof—an inclusive theatre company that I am a trustee of—visited Parliament. Simon, who I have mentioned before, who often relies on physical communication and is wheelchair-bound, was able to get a tour of Parliament, which he enjoyed a great deal. The only slight problem came when we went to St Stephen’s Hall. But clearly there is more we can do. We do not just want to make Parliament accessible; we want to make politics accessible, and not just so that people who have BSL as a first language can access politics, but so they can participate in politics and perhaps even be an MP. As my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock said, there are 87,000 people who use BSL as a first language, so I ask the Minister how we can better ensure that they can participate in politics and play an active part in it. It would not be a Westminster Hall debate in which I was taking part if I did not mention young carers: I pay tribute to the number of young people who have to learn BSL to communicate with a parent or loved one. The points made about ensuring that BSL is part of the curriculum and that it is not a postcode lottery are really important, particularly to young carers. We have spoken about the difficulties parents have in being able to access BSL to communicate with their children, but it works both ways. Of course, I recognise that life exists outside this place and I want to briefly touch on education—another of my favourite topics. The Department for Education has not yet made BSL part of the curriculum, but will give schools the option to offer a BSL GCSE. As my hon. Friend the Member for Chelsea and Fulham (Ben Coleman) mentioned, a GCSE for BSL was expected in September 2025. Can the Minister tell us how this is progressing? That would be really useful to know. There is also currently no national programme for early years BSL, as other Members have covered. Let us as politicians work with organisations like the BDA and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People to make not only this place, but society, an inclusive place for everyone, including those people for whom British Sign Language is their first language. We should not have a postcode lottery.

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

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  [ In Britis h Sign Language: Will my hon. Friend give way? ]