Adam Jogee
Main Page: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)Department Debates - View all Adam Jogee's debates with the Leader of the House
(1 day, 11 hours ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
As yesterday’s debate highlighted, the whole House cares deeply about bus services and their role in our local communities. This sounds like a fantastic event to celebrate an impressive anniversary and a great deal of hard work to organise it. I am happy to pay tribute to everyone concerned and delighted to hear about the event’s success. It might have been for the anniversary of the Midland Red Coalville bus garage, but it is about celebrating buses and volunteers as well.
Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)
The forced adoption scandal has outraged people in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and up and down the country. This week I heard from Karen Constantine, who gave birth aged 15 in the late 1970s. She was forced out of education in north Staffordshire and into a mother and baby home in Birmingham, and was pushed to give up her child. Although she did not give up her child and fought really hard against others who tried to force who to, other women were not so fortunate. Will the Leader of the House join me in calling on local authorities to preserve and protect all adoption records, so that mothers are able to get the justice they deserve and find their children? Can I also urge him to do all he can to get a formal apology from the Dispatch Box to those women, who so desperately deserve justice?
Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this matter and for raising Karen’s case. As he points out, others were less fortunate than Karen. However, these are remarkably distressing and life-changing situations. Such abhorrent practices should never have taken place, and our deepest sympathies are with those affected. We take these matters extremely seriously and continue to engage with those impacted to provide support. We are also improving access to adoption records, including by asking adoption agencies to preserve records for at least 100 years, and I will ensure that the Education Secretary hears about my hon. Friend’s concerns.