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Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"I congratulate the right hon. Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) on coming top in the private Members’ Bill ballot and on his choice of Bill. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson) for her work to champion …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"Later in my speech, I will make exactly that point about the importance of these services being available on a universal basis, for the reasons my hon. Friend alludes to.

It was a tragedy that Sure Start centres were one of the earliest and most extensive casualties of the austerity …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"I agree with the right hon. Member about the importance of face-to-face services. I mentioned the excellent community midwifery services that I was able to benefit from as a new mother. We have got ourselves into a terrible state with maternity care right across the country, with tragedies and a …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"I agree with everything that my hon. Friend says. It is important that Best Start family hubs are, like Sure Start centres, anchor institutions—anchor places in local communities—as well as places where individual services are delivered; then the whole will be more than the sum of its parts.

The second …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"My hon. Friend is right. I mentioned the need for early access to SEND support, and I would include audiology in that category. Those services are vital, as are speech and language services, which we know are all too often not available at the earliest possible opportunity. In a moment, …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"I was coming to that exact point. We must pay tribute to the legend that is the late Dolly Parton. We mourn her passing. Her extraordinary commitment through her Imagination Library means that children in my constituency, many other parts of the country and across the world can receive a …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"I agree with everything that my hon. Friend says. The role of fathers is so important, and they must have the opportunity to connect with each other and share their experiences. I will later talk about some powerful work on reading that involves fathers. Parenting support should be presented as …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We take a broad definition of reading in the report, including audiobooks, because this is about the stories and the connection. Any way that gets children and young people engaged in that is important. Frank Cottrell-Boyce makes the point so well that reading with …..."
Helen Hayes - View Speech

View all Helen Hayes (Lab - Dulwich and West Norwood) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill
Written Question
Kinship Care: Leave
Thursday 3rd September 2026

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the evidence received by the Education Committee during its inquiry into children's social care, and the Committee's recommendation that the Government should legislate for statutory kinship care leave at the earliest opportunity, will inform the Government's review of parental leave and related employment rights.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review is considering all current parental leave and pay entitlements, as well as the needs of working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers. We are engaging with a broad range of stakeholders and considering a wide range of evidence as part of the Review. The Review will conclude in early 2027 with findings which will outline next steps for any potential reforms.

Division Vote (Commons)
2 Sep 2026 - Representation of the People Bill - View Vote Context
Helen Hayes (Lab) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 322 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 411 Noes - 102