Wera Hobhouse MP: speeches

Speeches

• 12 Nov 2025 · Drug Dealing on Social Media · Hansard source

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  6. What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 in tackling drug dealing on social media.

• 11 Nov 2025 · BBC Leadership · Hansard source

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  There are certainly many questions—particularly for those who deliberately set out to destroy the BBC—but I want to ask the Secretary of State this one. In the absence of the ability to remove certain members from the board, will she make a commitment that all future appointments should be conducted through a transparent process rather than being political appointments?

• 11 Nov 2025 · Support for Dyslexic Pupils · Hansard source

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  We must also not forget that there is so much pleasure from reading, when we can read. Not to take away from attainment, but people receive a whole world of pleasure from reading and we should not forget that.

• 11 Nov 2025 · Support for Dyslexic Pupils · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Butler, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) and the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Juliet Campbell) on securing this important debate. On a conservative estimate, there are on average three children with dyslexia in every classroom, including in Bath. That is three children in every classroom, or perhaps even more, being let down by our education system, unable to receive the support that they need to learn and succeed. People with dyslexia are often failed at the very first hurdle: 80% do not receive a diagnosis until after they have left school, and some never receive a diagnosis at all. I am freewheeling slightly here, but I have a suspicion that I am dyslexic. I was never diagnosed; I just always struggled with spelling. Once I had finished bluffing my way through spelling tests in German, which is my mother tongue, English came along and the same thing happened again. All I can say for all those who are dyslexic is that the feeling of being slightly at sea all the time will never go away. For those who manage to get a diagnosis, that is only the starting point. With increasing pressure on school budgets and a lack of teacher training about how best to support neurodiverse children, getting a diagnosis is just the first of many challenges. Without proper support, children with dyslexia often find themselves falling behind in school, because they struggle to learn at a similar pace to their peers. I was a secondary school teacher, and because teachers have to rush through the curriculum, often there is little opportunity to support children who are struggling. Often all we do is to punish those who have a neurodiverse disposition, rather than supporting them. That absolutely must stop. We must stop punishing young people with dyslexia in the classroom simply because we—including me, when I was a teacher—do not know how to respond to their needs. Only one in five pupils with dyslexia achieve a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared with more than half their peers. That gap is unacceptable. Far from being a reflection of pupils’ academic ability, it demonstrates that our education system is failing those who need it most. Dyslexia often affects children’s ability to spell, read and write, which are fundamental parts of almost all examinations. As a result, many students struggle to navigate lessons and assessments that have not been adapted to their needs. Identifying dyslexia early in children and offering them support will help to close the attainment gap and ensure that dyslexia is never the reason that a child is prevented from learning. Dyslexia’s wider impact on a child can be severe. It affects not only academic performance but mental health, which I think is the most important thing for us to concentrate on. For a lot of young people, the sense of humiliation and exclusion that they feel if they are dyslexic and not being properly supported has a severe impact on their mental health. Too many children begin to feel as though they are “stupid” or “dumb” as they fall behind in school. Over time, those difficulties may contribute to more serious mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Jamie Oliver is one of many remarkable campaigners who have highlighted the struggles that many dyslexic children face in the education system by powerfully sharing their own experience. For someone to see an experienced, strong, successful businessman almost shuddering as he remembers his time at school, when he faced such humiliation, is so moving. I am proud to have supported him in his campaign and will continue to do so. If anyone is yet to watch his documentary “Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution”, I strongly advise them to do so. It is a powerful testimony. To truly support children with dyslexia, the Government must reduce the steps required for an official NHS diagnosis while increasing funding to reduce waiting lists. Both measures would allow dyslexia to be diagnosed earlier. We Liberal Democrats are also pushing for increased training for teachers—as I mentioned, it is essential that classroom practitioners understand where to go with support—so that they can confidently identify and know how best to support all neurodiverse individuals, including those with dyslexia. These steps would ensure that we support every dyslexic child to realise their full potential and stop punishing them.

• 11 Nov 2025 · Support for Dyslexic Pupils · Hansard source

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  Is it not the case that people just become better at bluffing and finding coping strategies? But that does not really deal with the dyslexia.

• 11 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T4. Following on from that, still less than 3% of rape cases result in a charge. It takes 400 days for resolution—painful delays for the victims. We have talked about this for so long, so often. What are the barriers to change?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights · Hansard source

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  The UK was instrumental in the creation of the ECHR. The Council of Europe now says that it is ready for reform. Is it not time for us to shape the future of human rights legislation in Europe, and absolutely the wrong time to abandon our place at the table?

• 4 Nov 2025 · Houses in Multiple Occupation: Planning Consent · Hansard source

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  As a university city, Bath has an increasing number of HMOs, not only but mainly because of increasing numbers of students. As we have heard, constituents living around HMOs face increasing pressure on parking, noise issues and waste collection issues. Meanwhile, more and more valuable family homes are snapped up by developers to squeeze more profit from single dwellings. Bath council has started to control the mass conversion of properties into HMOs by imposing a 10% cap in certain areas on the number of homes that can be converted, and it is also protecting some families from being sandwiched between two HMOs. However, we still lose too many homes to HMOs, and the shortage of affordable family homes—especially two and three-bedroom homes—is particularly stark in the city centre. Bath is currently consulting on a new policy to ban turning three-bedroom family homes into HMOs where there could be family homes, and I urge all Bath residents to take part in that public consultation. Bath council is also ambitious about building 1,000 more social homes for rent to ease the desperate need for affordable homes. It is still waiting to hear from the new Government how they can support it, and I would also be happy to hear a response from the Government on that. I am asking the Government to create a new planning class for short-term rentals such as Airbnbs. We need a planning system that can help reverse the loss of family homes from the housing market, and we must be serious about the current housing crisis. HMOs are not the only cause of that, but they are part of it.

• 30 Oct 2025 · Investment in Businesses · Hansard source

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  One change that would encourage significant investment is UK participation in the EU’s internal electricity market. Energy trading with our closest neighbour is currently hugely inefficient, which only adds to the burden of energy costs that our businesses face. Will the Government put real pressure behind the negotiations that are ongoing with the EU to reinstate our internal energy trading with the EU?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Moles: Histological Testing · Hansard source

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  I called for teledermatology on another occasion because it absolutely works. Does the Minister have any figures on how many GPs are using that as the basis of their diagnosis? My husband recently went to our GP and he was still referred to the hospital, so I am not confident that a lot of GPs are making use of it.

• 30 Oct 2025 · Moles: Histological Testing · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Jardine. I congratulate the hon. Member for Isle of Wight West (Mr Quigley) on securing this important debate—I call him a friend, because we are working on quite a lot of issues together. He told the courageous story of Zoe, her family and their courageous campaign so beautifully, and made the case that if we detect cancers like this early, we save money across the board, because expensive hospital treatment will be avoided. The cost of detection and testing is a fraction of the cost of treatment. Stories like Zoe’s are truly heartbreaking. We cannot change what happened to her, but we must learn from it to make sure it is never allowed to happen again. I entirely welcome the call to make it mandatory for all excised moles to be tested, even if they are removed for cosmetic reasons. Performing histological testing on removed moles will help us to diagnose more cancers and, of course, save lives. We will also probably find out more about the extent of cancers that we would not have linked to other severe cancers if we did not do that testing. Currently, the British Association of Dermatologists recommends that all removed skin lesions be tested, even if they are taken off for purely cosmetic reasons, but there is currently no specific requirement for those tests, despite that advice. The tests are often carried out when moles are removed in a medical setting by the NHS, but we must ensure that private cosmetic clinics also follow the requirement for testing. The introduction of Zoe’s check will ensure that every mole is tested, thereby making sure that early signs of skin cancer are never missed or overlooked and that heartbreaking stories like Zoe’s are never repeated. Early detection is paramount. Too many people are slipping through the cracks in the system and not being diagnosed until it is too late. Catching cancer early allows it to be tested faster, thereby giving treatments a greater chance of being done quickly and succeeding. We have campaigned across the House for the earlier detection of cancers. I also have a campaign to detect breast cancer early through a better screening programme for younger women, because cancer is on the rise throughout all ages—it is not just an illness of older people. Cancer is a terrible disease that tears families apart. We Liberal Democrats have long called for more to be done to improve the early detection and treatment of cancer, because we recognise that detecting cancer early and treating it faster is our most powerful weapon against it. It is not only about early detection; what follows it is crucial. Early detection is meaningless unless it is followed by direct treatment very quickly. Early detection and fast treatment go hand in hand. The Government’s current target is for a patient to have received their first treatment for cancer within 62 days of an urgent cancer referral, but that target has not been met since 2015, leaving many patients waiting with the knowledge of their cancer diagnosis looming over them. The toll on their mental health is enormous. Once we have a diagnosis, treatment must follow fast on its heels. That is why we Liberal Democrats are calling for the target to be made law, so that patients can be confident that they will receive the treatment they urgently need. Detecting cancer early saves lives, reduces treatment costs and spares families unimaginable pain. Every check, every screening and every test can make the difference by diagnosing a cancer before it spreads. Zoe’s check will help us to do this, and I support it every step of the way.

• 30 Oct 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  In Bath we are so lucky to have three independent bookshops: Topping & Company, Persephone Books and Mr B’s. Proposed changes to maximum payment terms risk devastating the independent book industry, forcing it to be much more cautious and less willing to take on debut authors. May we have a debate on the proposed changes, and on how the Government can support the creative industries, of which writers, editors and independent booksellers are very much a part?

• 27 Oct 2025 · Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay · Hansard source

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  Before I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, I thank you all for making sure that everyone got in. I hope you forgive me for being tough about it.

• 27 Oct 2025 · Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay · Hansard source

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  I remind Members to please stick to the informal time limit. If they do not, I will have to make it a formal time limit.

• 27 Oct 2025 · Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay · Hansard source

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  Order. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. It is a very popular debate, for good reasons. I will impose an informal time limit of two minutes per speaker. I intend to call the Front Benchers at 6.58 pm, so you can make the calculations yourselves. As we get further into the debate, we will see how much time there is left at the end, to be fair to colleagues. Please keep any interventions as short as possible.

• 27 Oct 2025 · Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay · Hansard source

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  Jim Shannon will still have two minutes, and then I will impose a formal time limit of 90 seconds.

• 23 Oct 2025 · Work of the County Court: Government Response · Hansard source

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  We begin with a Select Committee statement. Andy Slaughter will speak on the publication of the second special report of the Justice Committee, “Work of the County Court: Government Response”, HC 1387, for up to 10 minutes, during which no interventions may be taken. At the conclusion of his statement, I will call Members to put questions on the subject of the statement and call Andy Slaughter to respond in turn. Questions should be brief, and Members may ask only one question each. I call the Chair of the Justice Committee.

• 23 Oct 2025 · Work of the County Court: Government Response · Hansard source

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  Thank you. That ends the statement.

• 23 Oct 2025 · Work of the County Court: Government Response · Hansard source

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  I remind Members that we have to finish the statement at 1.50 pm. Anyone who wishes to speak, please bob—including the Minister, if she wishes to ask a question. Please keep comments short, and Members can only ask one question.

• 23 Oct 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Last week I visited ReMind, a dementia charity in Bath. In an earlier answer, the Leader of the House mentioned the modern service framework for dementia and frailty that was promised in the NHS 10-year plan. Can we have a statement from the Health Secretary when that framework is forthcoming, given the urgent need for certainty for all those affected by dementia?

• 23 Oct 2025 · NHS Workforce Levels: Impact on Cancer Patients · Hansard source

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  I remind all Members that they should bob if they wish to speak. The debate will run until 3.10 pm, and I intend to call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson at 2.38 pm.

• 20 Oct 2025 · Higher-level Learning Target · Hansard source

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  Bath college offers more than 1,000 courses up to degree level and is home to 10,000 learners. Its alumni include gold medal winner Jason Gardener and drum and bass producer Danny Byrd. I heard the Secretary of State speaking this morning about the vital importance of vocational training. What can the Government do to support Bath college to expand its programmes and training courses?

• 16 Oct 2025 · Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill · Hansard source

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  Less than 1% of the high seas are fully protected; there could not be a more important time for this treaty. It is the world’s only viable pathway to meet the global biodiversity goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s ocean before 2030. Along with my Liberal Democrat colleagues, I welcome the fact that the Government are finally bringing forward this legislation. It is disappointing that the UK was not among the first 60 countries to reach the threshold to get the treaty ratified, especially given the long cross-party support for the subject in this House, but I hope ratification will be swift to allow the UK a seat at the table at Ocean COP. We Liberal Democrats have long been pushing for the strongest possible marine environmental targets, both internationally and domestically, including through the ratification of the global oceans treaty. The Bill is welcome, but we must not be complacent. Global plastic production and waste have doubled in the last 20 years, and more than 12 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the ocean every single year, putting countless species at risk of extinction. In 2023, the BBC reported that there were more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans. That is simply shocking and totally unacceptable. Biodiversity relies on healthy oceans, but plastic pollution, climate change and unsustainable fishing practices are destroying our marine biodiversity. With 10% of marine species at risk, we must act now. Communities across the world rely on the oceans for their livelihoods, jobs and food security—indeed, we all rely on the oceans for our livelihoods—but we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished, with 90% of big fish populations depleted and 50% of coral reefs already destroyed. The first Ocean COP is on the horizon for next year, which will give the UK an important seat at the table if we ratify the treaty in time. While there, the UK should champion further measures to protect our oceans, including a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas. Bottom trawling is a most terrifying practice that damages the seabed, kills animals and plants indiscriminately, and releases carbon from the sea floor in very large proportions, which drives climate change. If Members have not watched the documentary “Ocean with David Attenborough”, please do—it is terrifying. Once I watched it, I made a pledge that I would not eat fish until we had at least signed the ocean treaty, so there is a personal reason why I push the Government for early ratification. I love fish, and this should not be a call not to eat fish; this is about protecting the oceans. If Members watch the David Attenborough film, they will see that a good and positive thing is that the oceans can recover very quickly if we give them the option to recover. That is why today is such an important day. The British public are with us; some 81% of British adults say that they would like to see bottom trawling banned in MPAs, according to polling from Oceana. The Environmental Audit Committee backs the call to ban bottom trawling. In September, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told the Environmental Audit Committee that it would not roll out an outright ban. I implore the Government to reconsider. We must manage our territorial waters effectively, and we could start by implementing the Fisheries Act 2020 in full. Through that, we could reform the fishing quota distribution to phase out the fixed quota allocation system, which largely rewards those with the deepest pockets. It could be replaced with a system that rewards and incentivises lower impacts from fishing that deliver environmental, social and economic benefits to communities around our coast. We must also look more closely at illegal and unregulated fishing. Hidden overfishing—when illegal discards are unaccounted for in fishing quotas—is driving stocks into severe decline. Marine groups are urging the Government to introduce a strategy to tackle overfishing by the end of 2026, including catch limits and a fair deal for fishers adjusting to lower catch limits. The transparency around enforcement and monitoring of fishing activities in UK seas is not adequate. The Marine Management Organisation is not even required to publish data on the enforcement of fishing regulations. We were told that post Brexit, the UK would establish best-in-class fisheries management as an independent coastal state, but we have not taken advantage of that freedom to strengthen our regulations. I welcome the Bill as an important starting point, but if we are serious about protecting the blue heart of our planet, this must be just the beginning of real action to restore the health of oceans across the world and here at home. I repeat the Liberal Democrats’ call for a coherent oceans policy.

• 16 Oct 2025 · Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Member for giving me an opportunity to say sorry to the shadow Minister for misunderstanding, when I intervened earlier, why he thought it was so important to mention the Chagos islands. I hope he will accept my apology.

• 16 Oct 2025 · Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill · Hansard source

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  I am just wondering whether the hon. Member finds himself in the wrong debate?