Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Beccy Cooper and Bridget Phillipson

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.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Beccy Cooper and Bridget Phillipson

Wednesday 9th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

Yes, I give my hon. Friend that assurance. We will work closely with devolved Governments to make sure that we are all pulling together to break down the barriers that too many of our young people face. That is why the work on child poverty that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and I are leading on is so crucial. We know that child poverty is an issue that blights too many lives across the UK.

[Dr Cooper]

Coastal areas, including my constituency of Worthing West, experience lower life expectancy and higher preventable ill health than many non-coastal areas. That is directly related to the fact that they often have higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to address the specific inequalities in coastal communities?

[Bridget Phillipson]

My hon. Friend is a real champion for her constituents and for coastal communities, and I recognise that different communities have distinct challenges. Work is already under way to ensure that where someone is from does not determine whether they can succeed, but I would be happy to discuss that further with my hon. Friend.