Oral Answers to Questions

Beccy Cooper Excerpts

Wednesday 7th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

The hon. Lady raises some incredibly important points and shines a light on the experiences of victims in her constituency. This Government are determined to halve violence against women and girls. That is why, as my hon. Friend the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls set out earlier, we are taking a range of actions right across Government. We are of course always happy to consider further areas where action is needed, so that all women and girls are able to live free from abuse and intimidation within our society.

[Dr Beccy Cooper (Worthing West) (Lab)]

T4. This week we celebrate the International Day of Midwives. Midwives are an essential part of ending inequity in maternal health, delivering lifesaving community-based care. Will the Minister please commit to working with the Minister for Health to ensure that our 10-year health strategy and the NHS workforce plan put adequate resources into the overstretched maternity units in many, often deprived, parts of our country?

[Bridget Phillipson]

Yes, I am happy to give my hon. Friend that commitment. I know how seriously the Health Secretary takes this issue, because he knows, as I do, that too many women have been failed by poor maternal care and during traumatic experiences, and that all women deserve safe, compassionate care in those often quite difficult times that they can experience. That is why we are committed to training thousands more midwives and, through our NHS 10-year plan, we will ensure that there is equitable access right across the country for all women as they experience pregnancy and childbirth.