Sharon Hodgson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 15 Sept 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T5. I visited Newcastle Crown court before the summer recess, where I learned that the backlog of cases had reached an unprecedented high. As we have heard, measures such as the blitz courts in Teesside, which were mentioned earlier, and specialist sexual offences and domestic abuse courts can help with this backlog. Will the Minister ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service and the police take ownership of the backlog with realistic reviews, and will she outline what measures she is taking to reduce the backlog in Newcastle?

• 10 Sept 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker; I will be very brief. Next Thursday is World Patient Safety Day. As the landmark Cumberlege review confirmed, patients—particularly women—have had their concerns dismissed and denied for far too long. As co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group “First Do No Harm”, I ask the Leader of the House if he will grant a debate in Government time on when they will respond to the excellent Hughes report.

• 8 Sept 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  What conversations has the Chancellor had with the Department of Health and Social Care on providing compensation to those harmed by valporate and vaginal mesh, as per the Hughes report, which was published over two years ago?

• 4 Sept 2026 · Infants, Parents and Carers Bill · Hansard source

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  I did so in my remarks just before the interventions—I said that I am sure the Lib Dems tried—but we are not here today to rehearse all that, although we are touching on it in a small way. All that is why the Bill is so important, and why it must pass today—to give vital services the statutory protection that they require, so that progress cannot ever be reversed by a future Government through austerity, cuts, neglect or indifference. The decisions we make as parliamentarians shape the support available to babies, parents and carers during the 1,001 critical days from pregnancy to age two. This is one of the most important periods in human development. This window may be relatively short, but its impact is not small; in fact, it is responsible for the fastest development of a baby’s brain when compared with other stages over the course of our whole life. I am not very good at clicking my fingers, but I am attempting to do so—I will try my other hand; that’s a bit better—because a million connections happen a second. That is what George Hosking from the WAVE Trust used to say to me. He would click his fingers and say that a million connections happen a second in a baby’s brain in those first 1,001 critical days. I know from my work with George and the WAVE Trust when I was shadow Children and Families Minister that the period from conception to age two is absolutely the age of opportunity. By age two, 80% of a baby’s brain development has happened. That lays the foundations for attachment, learning, health, wellbeing, stress responses and more. It is therefore essential that the most effective support is provided during this vital time. For babies to thrive, their parents and carers need to be supported. After all, they are directly responsible for the development of their babies during this most critical period of their lives. Their relationship, stress levels, responsive care and more will unequivocally influence the development and growth of their babies. They are therefore the foundation of our society. Evidence shows that parents’ perceptions of their foetuses are associated with the quality of the relationships built after birth. That highlights the key relationship between maternal foetal attachment and later outcomes. Getting this right matters because when we do not, children suffer. Research shows that 10% to 25% of children experience disorganised attachment with their main caregiver, putting them at greater risk of poor social, emotional and educational outcomes. That is why we need an assessment to understand exactly what parents and carers, current and prospective, need from us as legislators to help them thrive and take advantage of this time, so that they can provide the best possible start in life for their babies. But to do that, parents need the support and emotional capacity to do so. Carrying the huge responsibility of ensuring the health and wellbeing of another human being so tiny and so vulnerable is an extremely difficult journey to navigate. However, that weight does not come with any training or preparation. Parents are expected to know just by instinct how to fulfil this role, and that is where we have gone wrong. If we want a healthy and happy society, we need our children to be thriving and therefore our parents and carers to be supported from the very start. That is why I have long advocated for age-appropriate child development education, including on attachment theory and how to be a good parent, to be incorporated into the school curriculum. My hon. Friend the Minister for Early Education was here earlier, so I hope that he listens in to the point I am making now. There need to be lessons in how to form healthy attachments with babies and in the importance of someone speaking to their baby, even while pregnant, and giving them the love and care they need when they are born, consistently and constantly. This is not only an investment in their development; it is vital to ensure well-attached, healthy and happy children who will thrive into adulthood—it really is that important. This is not at all about encouraging young people to become young parents before they are ready. It is about education, in the same way that we accept that age-appropriate sex education is needed so that people are prepared for it if and when that time comes. I want to be clear that this support is just as necessary during pregnancy as it is when the child has arrived because, as we know, no two pregnancies look the same. Many will know that I have spoken before on the Floor of the House about my heartbreaking experience of baby loss, and I know that I am not alone in that. This is yet another reason why the Bill is so important. Having important support and intervention, especially in instances of grief and trauma, will be a lifeline for so many. Many of us who experience baby loss then go on to try to have another baby, sometimes successfully, so being supported through that trauma, ready for when the next baby comes along, is so important for their attachment and support. This Bill will be key in ensuring that support is not just reserved for crisis but is consistent, proactive and accountable. The current non-statutory Government guidance, which sets out delivery expectations for Best Start family hubs and healthy babies services, does not go far enough. We need legislative protection so that history can never repeat itself. It would ensure that that support is actually accountable to Parliament, with an annual mandatory report highlighting the services that have been provided and the outcomes that they have achieved. If the provision of support is there but not accountable to anyone, the quality of that support can be variable, as no one is accountable and keeping track of it. It is therefore essential that the needs of infants, parents and carers, and prospective parents and carers, are actively assessed, and that is precisely what the Bill will do. As a former public health and prevention Minister, I know from first-hand experience that Government interventions on health oftentimes focus on responding afterwards, rather than preventing, and are reactive rather than proactive. I know that the Department is very focused on changing that. If we instead focus on building conditions that allow parents, carers and babies to thrive, we allow children to thrive from the beginning, rather than waiting to intervene when they struggle later down the line. Babies should not be an afterthought. There is clearly both a moral and an economic case for this, and the cost of doing nothing will always outweigh the cost of preventive action. I would therefore encourage anyone listening to this debate to back our babies and support this Bill. Babies should be apolitical. This should never be about party politics or point scoring. This is about ensuring that investment in our babies is protected and is put on a statutory footing, so that it is not something that any future Government can decide to strip away, but rather a grounding principle of our society. Babies do not have a political voice, nor do their needs change depending on which colour the Government may be. They need consistent support and care, as do their parents, as they are reliant upon us to act for them. As I hope I have shown in my remarks today, and as we have heard from the right hon. Member for New Forest West and others, the evidence is clear and robust: supporting the healthy development of babies in their first 1,001 days is fundamental to lifelong physical and mental health and happiness. Surely the success of any Government must include a measure of how well the children in our society fare. Since we know that this key period is the ultimate determinant for that, implementing the Bill is not just an opportunity but a responsibility. That is why we said in our manifesto—I am so proud of this—that we would help raise the healthiest generation of children ever. This Bill is an important step in the journey to achieve that aspiration, which is why I was so proud when I was the Minister to secure Government support for this private Member’s Bill, and it was a pleasure to work with the right hon. Gentleman on it. I do not believe that any Member in this place would disagree with the fundamental principle that investing in our babies and supporting our parents are investments worth making. This therefore should be a uniting issue across the House, and I hope that the Bill receives the absolute and universal support it needs and deserves as it progresses through both Houses. I look forward to serving on the Committee with the right hon. Member for New Forest West, and I look forward to seeing the Bill become the Swayne babies Act very soon.

• 4 Sept 2026 · Infants, Parents and Carers Bill · Hansard source

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  The work on teenage pregnancy was a real blueprint, and the 10-year teenage pregnancy strategy fulfilled its ambition of reducing those numbers, following the great work of Graham Allen. I remember taking part in a Westminster Hall debate acknowledging 10 years of that strategy and its success. As for what the numbers are now, as we have been saying, when anything of that kind stops, there is backsliding, I am afraid. That shows that the job is never done. That is why it is so important that we get the Bill through Parliament and on the statute book. While the initial roll-out of Sure Start targeted disadvantaged communities exclusively, the approach soon shifted to focus on the universal provision of children’s centres, as we heard in the excellent speech by the Chair of the Education Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes). At Sure Start’s peak, almost 3,500 centres were operating across the country. However, in 2010 came the change in government and Tory austerity, as has been discussed; we all know what happened thereafter. Within months, Sure Start funding was slashed, with cuts of up to two thirds, and the ringfence was removed. Hundreds of centres closed so quickly. I was shadow children and families Minister at the time, and our now Prime Minister was shadow Education Secretary. Together, we fought the battle against those cuts day in, day out. I was keeping a tally of closures, and when it got to over 1,000 closures the coalition Government stopped publishing the numbers, which made it so much harder for us to keep track.

• 4 Sept 2026 · Infants, Parents and Carers Bill · Hansard source

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  It is truly an honour to speak in this important debate. I am happy to follow the excellent speech by the hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson). This is such an important Bill, as we have heard. I thank the right hon. Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) for his work on bringing it forward; I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him on it. I also thank the 1001 Critical Days Foundation, which I have had the privilege of working with over many years, for its unwavering support for the Bill and beyond, and for its tireless commitment to ensuring that every single baby has the best possible start in life. That thanks extends, in particular, to the former Member for South Northamptonshire, Dame Andrea Leadsom. She has been the biggest champion of this issue, whether in this place during her whole time as an MP—I worked with her on it—or from the outside, as now. I also thank the wonderful former Health Minister Will Quince, who is now the chief executive of the 1001 Critical Days Foundation, for his dedication and work on getting the Bill to where it is today. We all know how much work went into these important six clauses, as we heard from the right hon. Gentleman for New Forest West in his opening remarks. Before I go into why the Bill is so important, it would be useful to contextualise how we got here—some of this we have heard in the other excellent speeches. I was extremely proud when the last Labour Government introduced Sure Start to reduce the impact of child poverty and address social exclusion by improving the life chances of children under five, especially those who grow up in disadvantaged areas. I pay enormous tribute, as others have, to the late, great Baroness Tessa Jowell. She would be so proud of the right hon. Gentleman—who is not actually listening to me at this point. She would be—he is still not listening—so proud of him for choosing this issue for his private Member’s Bill and of all of us for being here to support it. When I became shadow children and families Minister back in 2010, she explained the genesis of Sure Start, how important it was and how we got here. She said, “Sharon, you need to be able to smell the babies—the places need to be full of babies.” Metaphorically, this House is, in all our remarks, full of babies today. I am sure that she would be proud of us. I also pay huge tribute to Lord Blunkett, as others have, Baroness Margaret Hodge, who also gave me the benefit of all her wisdom and experience, and our current Health Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley (Yvette Cooper), as well as the former Member for Nottingham North, the amazing and brilliant Graham Allen, who I had the pleasure of working with on early intervention. I still have copies of his excellent reports, written with the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), and refer to them now; his work goes on in the work that I will continue to do from the Back Benches. I thank him for that. I also thank Naomi Eisenstadt, who has been mentioned. So many played major roles in driving the policy forward after the 1997 election.

• 4 Sept 2026 · Infants, Parents and Carers Bill · Hansard source

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  That is a really good point, which gives us great hope that the Prime Minister will help to rebuild that, and protect what we are discussing, going forward.

• 4 Sept 2026 · Infants, Parents and Carers Bill · Hansard source

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  It was; those were dark days. That is why I was so glad and grateful to hear the right hon. Member for New Forest West acknowledge how wrong it was that the coalition Government allowed that to happen. As we know, the former Prime Minister and then Member for Witney’s pre-election promise to protect Sure Start never held true—quite the opposite. Those savage cuts were truly a tragedy for children everywhere. I agree with the then Member for Sheffield Hallam and Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition Government, who said that Sure Start was “one of the best things the last Government” had done. It was a shame he was not able to protect it from cuts, even as Deputy Prime Minister. I am sure he tried; I acknowledge that I am sure the Lib Dems did try.

• 14 Jul 2026 · NHS Buildings: Extreme Heat · Hansard source

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  All employers have a legal duty to ensure a reasonable temperature for indoor workplaces. The Health and Safety Executive is planning to consult on proposed changes to the approved code of practice for the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, including those relating to workplace temperatures. As I am sure everyone is aware, 1992 is a long while ago, and the heatwaves that we are seeing now are becoming more and more prevalent, so this work is very much needed. We are investing record capital to ensure that the estate is fit for the future and that NHS staff have the safe, modern workplaces that they deserve.

• 14 Jul 2026 · NHS Buildings: Extreme Heat · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right that health infrastructure must be equipped to deal with these heatwaves, which are not just happening on the odd occasion—they definitely look like they are here to stay. We are investing record sums and setting clear design standards to ensure that the NHS estate can adapt to all forms of risk, including heat, and providers are supported by guidance from the UK Health Security Agency under the adverse weather and health plan.

• 14 Jul 2026 · NHS Buildings: Extreme Heat · Hansard source

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  We are the first Government in history to commit to publishing data on corridor care. In order to know what needs to be done, we need to know the size of the problem. We have committed to ending corridor care by the end of this Parliament.

• 14 Jul 2026 · NHS Buildings: Extreme Heat · Hansard source

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  The new hospital programme’s standardised design is incorporating climate adaption plans. All new build neighbourhood health centres will be required to undertake a climate change risk assessment. The hon. Gentleman mentions Torbay hospital. He will be aware that it is in wave 2 of the new hospital programme, as set out in the plan for implementation. Construction is expected to commence between 2032 and 2034, but I hear what he says about bringing that forward. I cannot commit to that at this stage, but we have heard his point.

• 14 Jul 2026 · NHS Buildings: Extreme Heat · Hansard source

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  All NHS trusts and adult social care providers are required to have robust business continuity plans in place to respond to adverse weather events. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with NHS England, the UK Health Security Agency and the rest of the Government to plan for extreme heat. I cannot recall in my time ever having had as much discussion around this issue; going forward, this is obviously something we are going to have to look at in more detail.

• 14 Jul 2026 · NHS Buildings: Extreme Heat · Hansard source

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  Heatwaves place additional pressure on hospitals, and we commend NHS staff for their continued professionalism in recent weeks. Our 10-year capital plan committed to renew our focus on climate resilience, and we are investing £6.75 billion on the most serious safety risks, including risks to cooling and ventilation. We are also ensuring that heat resilience is a key part of future building design.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Lung Cancer Screening Programme · Hansard source

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  The NHS lung cancer screening programme has clear national protocols and quality assurance arrangements to ensure that clinically significant incidental findings are reported, followed up and acted on appropriately to help ensure that patients receive timely assessment and treatment through established NHS pathways.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Lung Cancer Screening Programme · Hansard source

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  The lung cancer screening programme is already making a difference by helping to find lung cancers earlier, when they are easier to treat. By focusing first on areas with the greatest need, it is also helping to narrow the gap in lung cancer outcomes. The programme can also identify other serious health conditions. Clear NHS protocols are now in place so that these findings are followed up and patients can get the right care as quickly as possible.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Lung Cancer Screening Programme · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting the excellent work of Hull University teaching hospital and Chiesi. The NHS has delivered spirometry tests in community settings, including community diagnostic centres, to diagnose COPD missed in the pandemic, and the lung cancer screening programme also refers patients to primary care, including for COPD.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Women have been dismissed for far too long, and that must change. The renewed women’s health strategy commits to redesigning clinical pathways for heavy periods and pelvic pain in order to reduce repeat appointments, unnecessary referrals and long waits. Menstrual problems, including endometriosis, will be prioritised through NHS Online in 2027, which will give people across the country the choice of getting the specialist care they need from home.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her question, which gives me an opportunity to say how much I enjoyed appearing before her Committee to discuss these matters. The Government are very much looking forward to receiving the report from the Health and Social Care Committee, and I will ensure that I respond to it in due course with full details.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The national cancer plan has a dedicated chapter on children and young people, as the hon. Member is aware, recognising the unique challenges they face. Cancer manuals will set out clear quality standards to reduce variation in care, and we are developing criteria for specific tumour types within those manuals.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Health Inequalities: Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  I know that the hon. Lady has asked me about the 10-year workforce plan on many occasions, and it will be out shortly. In that plan, she will see that we are prioritising British graduates entering the workforce.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Health Inequalities: Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  As the hon. Lady knows, we are putting the patient voice right at the heart of the health service, so although she may say that we are scrapping something, we are actually going to make it better.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Health Inequalities: Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his question and his good wishes. Improving air quality is a core part of the Government’s shift from treatment to prevention in our 10-year health plan. I know that my hon. Friend is very committed to cleaner air in his Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, and I commend him for all his hard work in campaigning on Walleys Quarry—I know that his constituents will be grateful. With the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, we have introduced a new duty on strategic and combined authorities to have regard to improving population health and reducing health inequalities, and it specifically references air quality as a factor for their consideration. If time allows and I am still in post, I will be happy to meet my hon. Friend.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Health Inequalities: Staffordshire · Hansard source

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  The health inequalities that exist in our country, including in Staffordshire, are an intolerable injustice. The Government are taking action to tackle them. From the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 to the new heart disease and strokes plan through the 10-year health plan, we are tackling the root causes driving ill health.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Health of Children and Young People · Hansard source

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  It was an absolute pleasure to join my hon. Friend at the event yesterday to meet campaigners and to mark Disability Pride Month. We are committed to ensuring that no matter where someone is in the country, they have access to the healthcare and support that they need. Ministers would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this issue further.