Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and John Cryer

Tuesday 22nd January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

Subject to other parliamentary business I will welcome the opportunity to do that, because it is a very important issue. The timetable we are provisionally working to is that the interim report will be published before Easter, which will outline the issues faced by Christians all over the world, with the final report later in the year.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

We were told earlier that the Foreign Secretary has raised the brutal treatment of Muslims in China. I am interested to know what possible excuse his Chinese counterpart came up with for their medieval behaviour.

[Mr Speaker]

Let’s hear it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and John Cryer

Tuesday 14th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

First, I should like to thank my hon. Friend for her campaigning on maternity safety, which has engendered huge respect on both sides of the House. She will obviously understand that I cannot comment on that particular police investigation. None the less, immediately after the issues surfaced, safety measures were taken so that the hospital does not now provide care for babies born before 32 weeks, and it is implementing 24 recommendations from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

The shortfall in midwives and the financial crisis in the NHS are threatening the “safety, quality and sustainability” of midwifery services. Those are the words of the Royal College of Midwives. How will the Secretary of State restore the confidence of the RCM and the other professional bodies?

[Mr Hunt]

The hon. Gentleman is right to say that we need more midwives. We have 6,000 midwives in training, and we have 2,000 more midwives than we had in 2010. It is also important to recognise the progress that is being made. Stillbirth rates were down 14% between 2010 and 2015, and neonatal death rates are down 10%, so there is some really important progress happening.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and John Cryer

Tuesday 10th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

With respect, I really think the hon. Gentleman needs to get his facts right. The number of nurses has gone up, not down, since this Government have been in office. The number of nurses in our hospitals has gone up by more than 11,000, because this Government are supporting safer care in all our hospitals.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

The number of unfilled nursing posts in London is now more than 10,000—whatever the Secretary of State’s figures say, it is more than 10,000. When will they be filled?

[Mr Hunt]

When we have put through the biggest increase in nurse training places in the history of the NHS—the 25% increase that I announced last week.