Oral Answers to Questions

Juliet Campbell Excerpts

Wednesday 7th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jess Phillips]

The hon. Lady makes an impassioned point. It will be a fundamental part of the violence against women and girls strategy to get to the exact reason why we have ended up with an epidemic of violence against women and girls in all the nations of the United Kingdom, and to root it out. For too long, we have sought to put ever-bigger plasters on the problem, rather than finding the reason for it and preventing it from happening.

[Juliet Campbell (Broxtowe) (Lab)]

3. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote equality as part of the Government mission entitled “break down barriers to opportunity.”

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)]

This Government are clear that equality and opportunity are at the heart of our programme of national renewal and economic growth. The opportunity mission is all about creating a fairer Britain, giving every child the best start in life through our plan for change, building skills for the future and ultimately driving up household incomes. Just last month, we rolled out the first 750 new free breakfast clubs, to give children the best start to their school days and families more choice at work.

[Juliet Campbell]

Under the previous Government, there was an increase in inequality and in the attainment gap, and lower performance in core subjects such as maths and science. Dyslexic students and students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in my constituency of Broxtowe have been further disadvantaged by delays and misdiagnosis. What steps is the Minister taking to support young people with dyslexia and ADHD to ensure that they succeed?

[Bridget Phillipson]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that important issue, which I know will be of concern to Members across the House. The Government know that all too often, children with special educational needs and disabilities do not have the good educational outcomes that we would all want for them. It is really important that we do more to support neurodivergent children and young people, including those with dyslexia and ADHD. That is why we have established a neuro-divergence taskforce—an expert group that will support us to deliver better mainstream inclusion, while ensuring that we have more specialist provision for children who need it. In order to strengthen the evidence base, we have commissioned work from University College London on the most effective tools and strategies to support children with a wide range of needs.