Coastal Communities (Health) Bill

Maria Eagle Excerpts

Friday 13th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Adam Thompson]

I completely agree. The work that the Government are doing to support young people— especially those not in education, employment or training—is really important. We are doing a huge amount of good in that space.

Support should be offered—that is absolutely correct—but on the basis of need, not just geographical location. Why should concerns about poor educational attainment in coastal communities be recognised in law but not the real concern of parents in Erewash about poor school standards where they live? The thing is, basically everywhere in this country has some claim or another to having been left behind. Erewash is, given certain elections and a party politics-focused perspective, an extremely important place. Since my constituency was established in 1983, it has had a Government MP, completely without fail. I am proud to be the most recent in a very long line of Erewash Government MPs.

[Maria Eagle (Liverpool Garston) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. May I ask you to clarify that we are discussing the Coastal Communities (Health) Bill at Second Reading rather than the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill, so that it is clear to everybody that we have not suddenly switched to the fifth Bill of the day instead of the third?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

The right hon. Member is very Eagle-eyed. [Laughter.] She is indeed correct; we will rectify the error on the screens. We are indeed in the correct debate and hearing the correct speech.