Josh Dean MP: speeches

Speeches

• 26 Jun 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Last week at Bishop’s Stortford carnival, I met Katie from Blues pre-school and nursery, which is taking part in this week’s Small Charity Week. Any donations to the nursery, which will be matched by partners, will be used to upgrade its outdoor area so it can be used by the children in all weathers. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing the nursery well as it raises funds, and in encouraging my residents to visit the donation page?

• 5 Jun 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I recently visited the fantastic repair café in Sawbridgeworth, which renews our everyday products and stops them going into landfill. As we mark Volunteers’ Week, will the Leader of the House join me in thanking the volunteers at that repair café and all the volunteers across Hertford and Stortford for their hard work?

• 7 May 2025 · Educational Opportunities in Semi-rural Areas · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention; I completely agree that this presents an acute challenge in many semi-rural areas like ours. Spiralling house prices and a lack of single-person properties are a real challenge, and our sixth forms and secondary schools are key to connecting our young people with opportunity. I have had many conversations with school leaders about the erosion of external services under the previous Government, which decimated services previously provided by the local authority, including mental health and family support services. This has left our teachers picking up the shortfall. They are now on the frontline of providing that essential support, taking on responsibilities well beyond their job description. I know from my own experience that a traditional path through education is not always the right one, but a lack of post-16 provision in semi-rural communities can also hold young people back. I am proud that my community is home to Hertford regional college’s Ware campus, which I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of times since I was elected. However, it is the only further education college in my constituency, and I understand that Bishop’s Stortford is the largest town in the country without an FE college. Similarly, limited access to apprenticeships, work experience and industry placement opportunities holds our young people back. That is a particular challenge for T-level students, whose placements have to be subject-specific, but it also applies to subjects such as digital, science and engineering. That lack of provision leaves many young people limited in choice and struggling to connect with the right opportunity for them. I turn to three specific challenges facing semi-rural communities in Hertford and Stortford. The first is transport and connectivity. In Hertford and Stortford, the cost and frequency of public transport presents an ongoing barrier to our young people’s access to educational opportunities.

• 1 May 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Next week, residents will be turning out at events across Hertford and Stortford to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and I am looking forward to joining them. As we approach VE day, will the Leader of the House join me in remembering the service and sacrifice of those from Hertford and Stortford and across the United Kingdom who gave so much for our freedom? Will she encourage as many of our residents as possible to support VE day events in our communities?

• 7 Apr 2025 · Supporting Local Growth · Hansard source

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  Local high streets such as those in Hertford and Stortford are the beating heart of our communities, and they power economic growth. I welcome the fact that the Government are already working with local authorities to implement high street rental auction powers, to breathe life back into high streets and ensure that vacant shops are occupied. Will the Minister set out in further detail how this will help to drive up occupancy rates on our high streets and drive growth in Hertford and Stortford?

• 7 Apr 2025 · Supporting Local Growth · Hansard source

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  12. What recent progress her Department has made on supporting growth in local areas.

• 3 Apr 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  John Staines has volunteered with Hertford Town football club for 30 years, and he has been a fan for 60 years. To mark his 93rd birthday, he wants to see 1,000 people attend Saturday’s game against Flackwell Heath FC. Will the Leader of the House join me in encouraging our residents to watch Saturday’s game and in celebrating John’s outstanding contribution to the club over those years?

• 2 Apr 2025 · UK Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  If we are to boost productivity, drive clean, green power and build a resilient economy across the UK, collaboration will be essential. Will the Secretary of State set out what political engagement he has had with business leaders and politicians on working together to deliver the best for Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom?

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

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  I will aim to keep my remarks brief, having spoken on Second Reading and served on the Bill Committee. Before I speak about why we should not amend the Bill to include new clauses 1 and 4 and amendment 6, I will set the scene. Madam Deputy Speaker, you will be unsurprised to hear that I warmly welcome the role that the Bill will play in paving the way for Skills England. It is right that we crack on and allow the Secretary of State to transfer to Skills England the tools to find and fill the skills gaps across the country, so that the workforce is equipped with the skills to power economic growth. My constituency sits just next to Stansted airport, and we have many young people undergoing courses at the Stansted airport college, which I was privileged to visit last Friday. I did not take a whirl on the simulator to learn how to fly a plane; I saved that for a future visit. I was delighted to find out how the college uses our local talent in Hertford and Stortford to fill the critical, growing skills gaps in the aviation and aerospace sector, and to see the careers-focused courses that are giving young people skills for work and life. Just this morning, I was proud to welcome the Minister for School Standards to Manor Fields primary school in Bishop’s Stortford, where we heard about the impact of the teaching assistant apprenticeship for local support staff, and met the fantastic providers of those courses. It was really moving to hear the apprentices talk about how their confidence had been built by taking those courses. For a young person, the opportunity to find and develop a skill or something they are passionate about does not just get them into the workforce; it builds their confidence and helps them to find the path that is right for them. That is why it is so important that we get Skills England set up and do not delay getting the Bill through. I know about this from personal experience, having left school at 16. I did not follow the path of an apprenticeship. I did not know what the direction was for me. Apprenticeships are so important for young people who need to find a path and need the certainty of a career at the end of it, but perhaps do not want to stay in traditional education. It builds their confidence, and helps them find their place in the world. This is work that we simply cannot delay. Young people are being let down by a skills system that is not working for them. One in eight young people is not in education, employment or training, which is holding them back, and the economy back, too. In 2022, more than a third of UK vacancies were due to skills shortages. We need urgent reform—we cannot afford to delay. I urge hon. Members to pass the Bill unamended this evening so that the Government can get on with reforming the skills system and delivering Skills England, to create the opportunities for young people in Hertford and Stortford and across the country that will build their confidence, help them find a path that is right for them, and make a difference to their lives.

• 27 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This Saturday, my constituent David Kiddie will be starting his 300 km walk for two-year-old Lily. In late 2024, Lily was diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy, a rare progressive degenerative disease that will sadly, in her family’s words, slowly take her away. David is raising money to support Lily and her family on this difficult journey and raise awareness of MLD. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing David well as he prepares to begin his walk this weekend?

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  It was great to visit Hertfordshire and Essex high school to kick off this week’s National Careers Week. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on how this Labour Government are breaking down barriers to opportunity for young people in semi-rural communities such as mine?

• 27 Feb 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Last month I met with Colin, who runs The Toaster, a fantastic local café on South Street in Bishop’s Stortford. Colin’s business has been plagued for three and a half years by a pothole on the street outside. Rainwater collects in the pothole and is then splashed on to his business—just this week, he has had to clean his shopfront four times. Will the Leader of the House join me in calling on Hertfordshire county council to take full advantage of the £35 million provided by this Government to fix potholes across Hertfordshire, including in Hertford and Stortford, as well as the pothole plaguing Colin’s business?

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

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  My driving focus as the MP for Hertford and Stortford is to make our community an even better place to live, work and learn. I am delighted to speak in this debate today, and I have no doubt that the Bill will allow us to harness the talents of our young people through ambitious skills reform that will drive growth and unlock opportunity. Our young people in Hertford and Stortford are keen to take advantage of these opportunities, and the confidence that apprenticeships instil in our young people cannot be overstated. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of visiting the Hertford regional college’s Ware campus to mark National Apprenticeship Week. It was great to meet some of its talented hairdressing apprentices and hear how they are starting to fill jobs at small and medium-sized businesses in our local area and to learn more about HRC’s apprenticeship offer for my constituents. In our community, we can see how apprenticeships are helping young people to find the path that is right for them, develop skills for life and drive the local economy, but for too long, those opportunities have been out of reach for too many young people in our area, leaving those for whom traditional education does not work, who want to pursue an apprenticeship or another form of education, to slip through the cracks. Apprenticeship starts crashed under the watch of the previous Government. A broken apprenticeships levy let down businesses and young people alike, and both are now crying out for change. I am pleased that this Government will introduce a new growth and skills levy, enabling employers to access a broader range of higher quality training offers, providing them with more flexibility and helping learners to access opportunities that will improve their lives. The Department for Education’s employer skills survey showed that about 36% of all UK vacancies in 2022 were skills shortage vacancies—a huge increase from 22% in 2017, and a clear indicator of the damage done to the economy by the lack of a strong skills offer. This Labour Government will tackle the critical skills shortages that have hamstrung our economy, and apprenticeships will power this mission-driven Government and our Plan for Change. We know that the skills needed for economic growth come from the community up. The Bill will pave the way for Skills England to find and fill skills gaps, ensuring that our skills and apprenticeship offer can harness the talent of young people in communities such as mine and deliver the growth that our country needs. It will allow us to build a skills system that empowers our young people, caters to their diverse talents, and once again restores skills as a national priority. Most important, it will provide the tools for young people in Hertford and Stortford to break down the barriers to opportunity, find the path that is right for them, and reach their full potential. I will proudly vote for it this evening.

• 13 Feb 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Hertford regional college campus in Ware. I met some of its talented hairdressing apprentices and instructors, heard about how they are filling jobs at small and medium-sized enterprises in our community, and discussed HRC’s apprenticeship offer to my constituents. As we mark National Apprenticeship Week, will the Leader of the House join me in celebrating Hertford and Stortford’s apprentices, and will she allow for a debate in Government time on how the Government’s apprenticeships and skills offer will drive growth and help to deliver our plan for change?

• 6 Feb 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I regularly hear from parents in my constituency whose children are struggling to access the mental health support that they deserve, in some cases waiting months or even years for their first appointment with child and adolescent mental health services. However, I know that they will be encouraged by this Labour Government’s commitment to cut waiting times, introduce mental health support in schools and open a network of Young Futures hubs. As we mark Children’s Mental Health Week, may I ask if the Leader of the House will allow time for a statement on the Government’s progress in improving mental health support for children and young people?

• 17 Oct 2024 · International Investment Summit · Hansard source

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  I congratulate all my hon. Friends on their deeply eloquent and moving maiden speeches this afternoon. It is a real pleasure to be in the Chamber to hear them. I take this opportunity to commend those on the Government Front Bench for a successful, record-breaking investment summit earlier this week. The investment of £63 billion represents a real vote of confidence in this Government’s mission to grow our economy. I welcome in particular the announcement this week of a five-year programme of investment at Stansted airport, which is a major employer in our constituency of Hertford and Stortford. That programme totals £1.1 billion, including a £600 million investment in an extension to the airport’s existing terminal. That investment in the east of England’s largest single-site employer will not only provide an even better passenger experience, but help to connect our region’s innovative sectors and creative industries with their international partners. In Bishop’s Stortford, Stansted airport is right on our doorstep, providing employment for around 1,500 residents in our town and surrounding areas. That contributes roughly £140 million in gross value added to our constituency. The terminal extension alone represents up to 5,000 additional on-site jobs, offering further employment opportunities for our residents and strong rail and bus links to our constituency, meaning that even more commuters will be able to take public transport to work. On that point, I welcome the recent Department for Transport announcement that contactless payments will be rolled out on the Stansted airport line in 2025. That will allow residents at Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth stations to make use of tap in, tap out payments for the first time. That is an important step in improving rail travel for the many who rely on it in our constituency. The House may already know that Stansted airport is the only major airport in this country with a purpose-built, on-site technical skills college, but I will tell the House more. Stansted airport college offers vocational training opportunities to young people in our community, and it is delivering record numbers of apprentice students into employment in aviation, helping to fill urgent skills gaps in the sector with our local talent. Under this Government, I want Hertford and Stortford to be an even better place to live, work and learn. The investment promises to open new doors for our residents to new opportunities to gain skills for life and find meaningful work. It is also a clear signal that under this Government, Britain is once again open for business, and I hugely welcome it.