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Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)

"I will speak briefly to clause 78, and then I will ask the Minister some questions, specifically on the definition of “substantially and permanently adapted”, which is slightly lacking in the Bill. Disability is not just about wheelchairs and stretchers; many individuals use and require adapted vehicles that may not …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)

"I beg to move amendment 44, in clause 107, page 129, line 32, at end insert—

“(10) Before giving a direction under sub-paragraph (1), the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament an impact statement setting out—

(a) the evidence on which the Secretary of State has concluded that the …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)

"The Liberal Democrats fully support clause 80 and would support amendment 43 if it were pushed to a vote. When I worked in retail, including in grocery retail for a significant number of years, I saw time and again that goods were going in the bin that should have been …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)

"Clause 99 introduces a very small increase in the rate of aggregates levy, but a small increase when dealing with massive numbers is still quite a large increase. High Speed 2, for example, is predicted to use 20 million tonnes of aggregate during phase 1. That means that the measure …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)

"Balancing VAT refund rights to ensure fairness for CCAs is, of course, welcome, and we support it. We support the idea that VAT refund rights should be balanced across groups and institutions that are similar and have a similar purpose. That is why I hope you will allow me to …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)

"It is important to remember that one can support both free trade and protection against unfair dumping—they are not mutually exclusive—and I think the amendments strike a balance between them transparently. Amendment 44 gives Parliament meaningful oversight of ministerial decisions to initiate investigations, and amendment 45 ensures that decisions account …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)

"Amendments 44 and 45, tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Newton Abbot and I, strengthen the democratic accountability in our trade remedies system. Trade remedies exist to protect British businesses and workers from unfair foreign competition from goods dumped below cost or artificially subsidised. Since Brexit, the Trade …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Thu 29 Jan 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)

"In November, the Chancellor told the House that what we are now seeing in clause 79 would protect about £700 million of tax revenue, ensuring that VAT is paid on fares. Yet, according to The Guardian on 2 January, Uber

“has swerved paying millions of pounds”

by simply rewriting its …..."
Joshua Reynolds - View Speech

View all Joshua Reynolds (LD - Maidenhead) contributions to the debate on: Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
Written Question
Pre-school Education: Inspections
Thursday 29th January 2026

Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to strengthen the Ofsted inspection process for early years settings to improve child safety outcomes.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Through our Best Start in Life strategy, we are investing in raising the quality, frequency and consistency of early years inspections to improve child safety outcomes. We continually monitor and review requirements to make sure children are kept as safe as possible.

Ofsted began inspecting under the revised Education Inspection Framework on 10 November and settings now receive an Ofsted report card following an inspection which will provide a much clearer and broader picture of their performance. From April, Ofsted will receive further investment to improve inspection quality and consistency through stronger quality assurance and targeted inspector training. We are also funding Ofsted to inspect all new providers within 18 months of opening and move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the current six-year window. We will also work to introduce reporting on nursery chains to address issues spanning across groups of providers.

Written Question
Nurseries and Pre-school Education: Sleep
Thursday 29th January 2026

Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current guidance on safer sleep practices in nursery settings; and whether she has plans to introduce statutory requirements on safer sleep in early years settings.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which early years providers are required to follow, includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance, which is available here: https://www.nhs.uk/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/.

In September 2024, the department collaborated with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance available on the Foundation Years platform. This covers unsuitable sleeping products, suitable sleeping surfaces and the safe use of blankets.

Ofsted inspects early years providers against the requirements of the EYFS, including safeguarding and children’s welfare. Early years inspectors are experienced professionals with relevant knowledge of safer sleep practice and can assess compliance with statutory requirements.

To make the existing requirements clearer for all, we plan to add further detail to the EYFS frameworks. We have worked with safer sleep experts, including The Lullaby Trust, on proposed new wording and plan to introduce these changes as soon as possible.