SEND Funding

Debate between Yasmin Qureshi and Judith Cummins

Thursday 12th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

I congratulate the right hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart) on securing this debate. This is an issue close to my heart. I used to be a school governor as well as a college governor, and I remember setting up—along with other teachers and professionals—a specific learning unit, as well as a general learning difficulty unit. Of course, having been a constituency MP for the past 15 years, this is an issue that I have dealt with many a time, and when I have been trying to assist families, I have noticed that they feel utterly exhausted, not only by their caring responsibility, but by a system that seems to place obstacles in their way.

My council, Bolton, has made real progress. Its “Belonging in Bolton” strategy is helping to create more local SEND places, and it was rightly praised in its most recent Ofsted and Care Quality Commission inspection. In the area covered by Salford city council, parts of which now come into my constituency—it now covers Walkden—the council has also been working really hard to improve provision for children with SEND, but of course, all these councils have limited resources. In Bolton alone, over 9,000 children have a SEND issue, an increase of 27% since 2015. One headteacher in my constituency recently told me that their school spends £333,000 a year on teaching assistants to support children with special needs, but it receives only £155,000 in education, health and care plan funding. That leaves a gap of £178,000 every single year, around 7% of the school’s total budget, which they have to find somewhere. That is before we factor in the costs of behaviour support, speech and language therapy, or educational psychologists.

We need a proper plan that would increase the outdated £6,000 top-up threshold; invest in local authority teams to ensure that EHC plans are issued on time, giving families the certainty they need; and target capital funding at where demand is greatest, including in Bolton South and Walkden, to make sure that children can get support closer to home. Children in Bolton South and Walkden need support, and that must not be like winning a lottery.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Middle East Update

Debate between Yasmin Qureshi and Judith Cummins

Tuesday 6th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

We have heard throughout the afternoon all the things in Gaza that have been committed by Israel. The truth of the matter is that Israel is committing the cold-blooded murder of medics, civilians, UN staff and even many aid workers in the aid flotilla in international waters. In the west bank, there are more than 500,000 illegal settlers, and illegal violent settlers using force, backed by the IDF and the Israelis, have been killing and maiming people. Does that not show that the actions of Israel have been all about occupying Gaza and the west bank and that, as Israeli Cabinet Ministers have been saying, Israel basically wants a full Judea and Samaria and that it will not stop at Gaza or the west bank, but continue?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

Order. Before I bring in the Minister, may I ask hon. Members and the Minister to make their questions and answers a little bit shorter?

Points of Order

Debate between Yasmin Qureshi and Judith Cummins

Wednesday 5th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I am grateful to the right hon. Member for giving notice of his point of order. The Chair is not responsible for the content of ministerial answers, but he has put his point on the record and there is a procedure for Ministers to correct the record if they wish to do so.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. You will be aware that I have been campaigning for over 12 years on behalf of families affected by the drug Primodos. In December 2023 the Government agreed to look at new evidence that links Primodos to babies born with deformities. In November 2024 the Commission on Human Medicines finally held a session with experts to look at that new evidence. At the session we were told that the conclusion of the review would be published in a matter of weeks. We are now in March. We have written to the Department and tabled questions. How many months and years do the long-suffering families have to wait? There has long been a culture of dither and delay on this issue, and a hope that the families will go away and that they can all be forgotten about. But this issue has tremendous cross-party support. Can you advise me on what more I can do to get the Department’s attention on this matter?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving notice of her point of order. This is not a matter for the Chair, but she has put her point on the record and I am sure that those on the Treasury Bench will have noted what she has said.