It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Bath (Ben Howlett). I rise to speak in this debate and to make my final contribution in this House before I leave to take up the post of director of the Victoria & Albert museum, the world’s greatest museum...

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Bath (Ben Howlett). I rise to speak in this debate and to make my final contribution in this House before I leave to take up the post of director of the Victoria & Albert museum, the world’s greatest museum...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the £60 million social mobility funding announced by her Department on 4 October 2016 will be spent on (a) early years funding, (b) the Government's 30 hours free childcare policy and (c) frontline education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the £60 million social mobility funding announced by her Department on 4 October 2016 will be spent on (a) early years funding, (b) the Government's 30 hours free childcare policy and (c) frontline education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2016 to Question 50295, how her Department plans to assess the effectiveness of opportunity areas in improving social mobility; and what performance measures such an assessment will include.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2016 to Question 50295, how her Department plans to assess the effectiveness of opportunity areas in improving social mobility; and what performance measures such an assessment will include.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2016 to Question 50295, what methodology her Department plans to use in selecting the next four opportunity areas; and when she expects an announcement to be made on the location of those areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2016 to Question 50295, what methodology her Department plans to use in selecting the next four opportunity areas; and when she expects an announcement to be made on the location of those areas.

Do the Government still want young people who do not achieve a C or above in maths and English to repeat their GCSEs, rather than having a more useful level 2 post-16 qualification?

Do the Government still want young people who do not achieve a C or above in maths and English to repeat their GCSEs, rather than having a more useful level 2 post-16 qualification?

Is my hon. Friend also aware that the Minister for School Standards, having said at the Dispatch Box that the royal college of teaching was up and running and had full Government support, has said in answer to my parliamentary questions that there have been no meetings with the Secretary...

Is my hon. Friend also aware that the Minister for School Standards, having said at the Dispatch Box that the royal college of teaching was up and running and had full Government support, has said in answer to my parliamentary questions that there have been no meetings with the Secretary...

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North Swindon (Justin Tomlinson).

I do not see many exciting opportunities arising from the UK’s decision to exit the European Union, but if we are feeling optimistic, as I always try to be, a rebalancing of educational provision and opportunity...

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North Swindon (Justin Tomlinson).

I do not see many exciting opportunities arising from the UK’s decision to exit the European Union, but if we are feeling optimistic, as I always try to be, a rebalancing of educational provision and opportunity...

I knew I would not get away with my Brexit comment with my hon. Friend sitting there. Yes, we need to provide the human capital to revive our manufacturing industry and to make sure that we succeed, but in the modern era of manufacturing, with components coming from across the...

I knew I would not get away with my Brexit comment with my hon. Friend sitting there. Yes, we need to provide the human capital to revive our manufacturing industry and to make sure that we succeed, but in the modern era of manufacturing, with components coming from across the...

But we are not going to go down that road too quickly.

I welcome large parts of the Bill. It is good to see the focus on technical and vocational qualifications. I pay tribute to the work of Lord Sainsbury, and in so doing alert the House to what is in...

But we are not going to go down that road too quickly.

I welcome large parts of the Bill. It is good to see the focus on technical and vocational qualifications. I pay tribute to the work of Lord Sainsbury, and in so doing alert the House to what is in...

Wahey!

Wahey!

One way to improve GCSE attainment in schools in Northamptonshire is through school libraries. Is the Secretary of State as disturbed as I am by the report from the School Library Association about the collapse in the number of librarians and library facilities in our schools, and will she ask Ofsted to make school library provision one of the inspection criteria?

One way to improve GCSE attainment in schools in Northamptonshire is through school libraries. Is the Secretary of State as disturbed as I am by the report from the School Library Association about the collapse in the number of librarians and library facilities in our schools, and will she ask Ofsted to make school library provision one of the inspection criteria?

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what ranking her Department gave to Stoke-on-Trent relative to other local authority areas in the assessment made against criteria used to select the six social mobility opportunity areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what ranking her Department gave to Stoke-on-Trent relative to other local authority areas in the assessment made against criteria used to select the six social mobility opportunity areas.

I, too, pay tribute to the great leadership that my hon. Friend has shown. On the issue of raising wages, the average salary in my constituency is the fifth lowest of anywhere in the west midlands, with a median average salary of £22,000. Having a proper, real and decent living...

I, too, pay tribute to the great leadership that my hon. Friend has shown. On the issue of raising wages, the average salary in my constituency is the fifth lowest of anywhere in the west midlands, with a median average salary of £22,000. Having a proper, real and decent living...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria were used to select the first six social mobility opportunity areas; and if she will publish the evidence that that decision was based on.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria were used to select the first six social mobility opportunity areas; and if she will publish the evidence that that decision was based on.

I support the Opposition motion and pay tribute to the great campaigning leadership shown by my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher) and the shadow Health Secretary in bringing this matter to public attention and opposing the £170 million of cuts, the 12% reduction in funding and...

I support the Opposition motion and pay tribute to the great campaigning leadership shown by my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher) and the shadow Health Secretary in bringing this matter to public attention and opposing the £170 million of cuts, the 12% reduction in funding and...

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he, (b) his advisers and (c) officials of his Department have had with representatives from the Bank of England to discuss the effect of quantitative easing on inequality since his appointment.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he, (b) his advisers and (c) officials of his Department have had with representatives from the Bank of England to discuss the effect of quantitative easing on inequality since his appointment.

I wrote to the Secretary of State over the summer because trollies were bumper to bumper in the corridors of

Royal Stoke University hospital. This was not mid-winter but high summer. Since then, there have been more hospital bed closures in cottage hospitals, so I repeat my invitation and ask...

I wrote to the Secretary of State over the summer because trollies were bumper to bumper in the corridors of

Royal Stoke University hospital. This was not mid-winter but high summer. Since then, there have been more hospital bed closures in cottage hospitals, so I repeat my invitation and ask...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings (a) she, (b) the Minister for Schools, (c) her advisers and (d) officials of her Department have had with representatives of the chartered College of Teaching since she took up her office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings (a) she, (b) the Minister for Schools, (c) her advisers and (d) officials of her Department have had with representatives of the chartered College of Teaching since she took up her office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Department has had any discussions with the chartered College of Teaching about further Government funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Department has had any discussions with the chartered College of Teaching about further Government funding.