Chris Vince MP: speeches

Speeches

• 13 Mar 2025 · Young Carers: Educational Opportunities · Hansard source

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  I thought I had two hours! I thank you, Ms Furniss, and all hon. Members who have contributed to the debate. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) for a trademark passionate and powerful speech about his family, as well as the wider role of young carers. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for paying tribute to the young carers services in her constituency. I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Stafford (Leigh Ingham) and for Redditch (Chris Bloore) for their contributions, and the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) for his learned contribution as well. I thank the Lib Dem spokesperson, the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett); the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for East Wiltshire (Danny Kruger); and the Minister for contributing to this important debate. I know from experience that what the Minister says is true: where there is greater poverty, there is greater need. We are seeing more and more young carers supporting a loved one with mental health issues. We need more accurate data to understand the scale of the challenge. We also need to recognise that young carers have different caring responsibilities and often care for different people. They also often have needs themselves. I welcome the Minister’s statement about making knowledge about young carers part of teacher training. When we speak to young carers, we cannot help but be struck by how thoughtful, articulate and caring they are. I apologise to anyone who had an ambition to become a tax lawyer or a bank manager, but when I speak to young adult carers about their futures, they often tell me that they want to be nurses, care assistants, doctors and teachers. I even met one yesterday who said that she wanted to be a politician. Sadly, however, we too often meet young carers who do not have any ambition, because all they can think about is caring for their loved one—that is something we need to take very seriously. I will briefly mention the young carers covenant—otherwise the Carers Trust will tell me off—which identifies some of what I have asked for today. I also emphasise the importance of recognising the difference between young carers and care leavers; it is amazing how many people do not understand that distinction. Finally, I ask every hon. Member to keep talking about young carers in Parliament. Young Carers Action Day may happen only once a year, but our young carers do this work every single day. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered educational opportunities for young carers.

• 13 Mar 2025 · Young Carers: Educational Opportunities · Hansard source

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  As soon as the hon. Member mentioned Gloucestershire, I thought of the fantastic young carers from Gloucestershire I met yesterday. He is right that having a young carers lead is useful where a school has identified a student as a young carer, but we need to do more to identify young carers in the first place. I was previously a teacher, and teachers have a key role in identifying young carers. There is also a lack of structured support in schools, particularly during the transitions from primary to secondary or from secondary to further education. One of our young carers told the APPG about his experience of applying to university, and how the university website did not provide any case studies that were relevant to him. When we talk about transitions, we are not just talking about moving through stages of education; we are talking about how the caring role can change—often, sadly, for the worse. It is the responsibility of people in positions of authority to recognise that and to act. As a former teacher, I know only too well how easily young people can slip through the cracks. I am committed to changing that, which is why we need targeted training for educators to better identify young carers and to equip them with the tools to make their lives more manageable. Other professionals can help, too. Action for Family Carers, for example, ran a project to reach out to GPs. It seems nonsensical that when a parent visits a doctor’s surgery with an acute medical condition, the question of their children’s caring responsibility is not even broached. To support young carers, there should be a dedicated point of contact in education—a trusted person in authority who students can approach to discuss any caring responsibilities that might affect their studies. Whether it is about missing a deadline or arriving late to class, having one person to communicate with would ensure that the right people are informed and the student’s needs are met. This simple addition could make a world of difference, and there are some great examples of schools that do just that, but it is not universal. There should be mandatory training for teachers, so that they can all help with the task of identifying young carers. Finally, transition periods, especially from primary to secondary school and on to college or university, are tough enough for everyone but even more so for young carers without support. As young carers highlighted to the all-party group, the leap to university feels unattainable due to the lack of provision. We know that a number of young carers do not go to university because they are concerned about leaving those they care for behind, and when they do go, they choose universities that are close to home, which potentially limits their options. Education should provide hope and opportunity for all, regardless of background or circumstance. Resources must be in place for those facing disadvantage, ensuring that those challenges do not become insurmountable barriers. It is important that young carers have the opportunity to be children as well.

• 13 Mar 2025 · Young Carers: Educational Opportunities · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered educational opportunities for young carers. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss. I am pleased to see so many hon. Members from across the House here today, and I thank them for attending. I know that some have personal stories to tell, and I look forward to hearing them. As many hon. Members will be aware, yesterday was Young Carers Action Day. We have held a number of events in Parliament with the support of the Carers Trust. This week, young carers visited No. 10 and wrote directly to the Prime Minister to ask for his support in ensuring that young carers and young adult carers are the golden thread that goes through everything his Government do. Students from Mark Hall academy in Harlow visited Parliament, and the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett) and I took part in an open-top bus trip around London, which went very well until we were unfortunately attacked by hail. A recent report by the Carers Trust has identified a number of issues that young carers face in educational settings: “Caring has a significant negative impact on education…Awareness, identification and recording of young carers in educational settings is still too low…Support for young carers in education is worryingly inconsistent.” Here are a few statistics: almost half of young carers—48%—reported being bullied in the past year; more than two in five—44%—frequently struggle to study for tests or exams because of the demands of their caring situation; and almost a third of young carers are regularly late for school because of those demands. Almost one in four young carers say there is no support at all for young carers in their school, college or university.

• 13 Mar 2025 · NHS England Update · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and pay tribute to NHS professionals in Harlow, particularly those at the Princess Alexandra hospital, for their incredible hard work every single day. Does he agree that NHS staff, who work incredibly hard, are failed by an overly bureaucratic and fragmented system, and that spiralling staff costs are partly a result of the need for additional agency staff?

• 12 Mar 2025 · Employment Rights Bill · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on his youthful appearance. Does he agree that, just as businesses are about the employees, trade unions are about their memberships and giving individual members their rights?

• 11 Mar 2025 · Employment Rights Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is giving one of his trademark passionate speeches. Does he agree with me, as a former teacher myself, that removing fire and rehire will give the young people that he used to teach the confidence that when they go into the workplace, they will look at careers and not just jobs?

• 11 Mar 2025 · Employment Rights Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is giving an excellent speech and referring to a really important group of people. As a former teacher—I mention it quite often— I recognise the huge importance of what school support staff provide to the classroom. Does he agree that they support not just learners but teachers too, and have a wider influence on the school community?

• 10 Mar 2025 · Crime and Policing Bill · Hansard source

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  rose—

• 10 Mar 2025 · Crime and Policing Bill · Hansard source

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  A report by Harlow council in 2023 stated that fewer than half of residents in Harlow felt safe going outside after dark. Does my right hon. Friend see the neighbourhood policing guarantee as part of the way of solving that problem?

• 10 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T10. Wednesday is Young Carers Action Day. Will the Minister join me in thanking young carers for all that they do, and commit herself to ensuring that there is greater awareness of them in schools? I must say that schools in my constituency do very well in that regard.

• 10 Mar 2025 · Syria · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his ongoing leadership on this issue. Our hearts go out to the victims of the terrible attacks and their families. Does he agree that when we talk about a pathway to a stable and inclusive Syria, it is important that we and our allies all speak with one voice?

• 10 Mar 2025 · Points of Order · Hansard source

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  On a point of order, Mr Speaker. In business questions on Thursday, I spoke about Tom Farr, the former leader of Harlow council, who passed away last week. —[ Official Report , 6 March 2025; Vol. 763, c. 456.] I have subsequently been contacted by a number of Tom’s friends and have been asked to correct the record. Tom was not a secondary school teacher, but a social worker who worked with young people with disabilities. I would like to get that on the record.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to the longest serving leader and second-ever chair of Harlow council, Tom Farr, who passed away on Tuesday? Tom devoted so much of his life to serving the community of Harlow as both a councillor and a secondary school teacher, and also as the chair of Harlow primary health trust. [ Official Report , 10 March 2025; Vol. 763, c. 676.] (Correction)

• 6 Mar 2025 · English Football: Financial Sustainability and Governance · Hansard source

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  Thank you for your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Earley and Woodley (Yuan Yang). It was John Madejski who said that the best way to be a millionaire is to be a billionaire and buy a football club. As well as being a supporter of Harlow Town football club who saw the effect on the mental health of fans when we had to withdraw from the league due to ongoing pitch issues, because they were not able to go and see their wonderful football team, I support another football team who, not too long ago, would have put fear in the hearts of the opposition players. They say that every team has one hard man, but Leeds United had 11. Unfortunately, due to financial mismanagement, I saw Leeds on the edge of self-destruction. As we are celebrating International Women’s Day at the weekend, we should be aware that when a club suffers the financial issues that Leeds United did, the women’s and youth teams and the community aspect of the club are cut to finance the first team. I am running out of time but let me say that, sadly, the days of Bremner, Lorimer and Jack Charlton seem a long way away, even with the offer of Bielsa-ball. To those who think that we should not intervene in football governance I say that, as elected representatives, it is our job to represent the community.

• 5 Mar 2025 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  8. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting economic growth in Scotland.

• 5 Mar 2025 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  Given that the defence sector already supports more than 20,000 jobs in Scotland, as well as hundreds in Harlow, does the Secretary of State agree that the Government’s commitment to increase defence spending will also help to grow Scotland’s economy and create more skilled jobs?

• 5 Mar 2025 · Department of Health and Social Care · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his speech and, importantly, for his scrutiny of the NHS. He reflected on the fact that productivity has worsened since the pandemic. Does he not think that is to do with the mental health of staff? To support our NHS professionals to be as productive as possible, should we not be considering looking after their health, including their mental health?

• 5 Mar 2025 · Department for Business and Trade · Hansard source

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  I appreciate a fellow Harlowian giving way to me. Does my right hon. Friend agree that part of employment is about skills, and one way the Government can support businesses is by ensuring that young people have the skills to succeed in business and in all workplaces?

• 5 Mar 2025 · Dentists (Indemnity Arrangements) · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the Dentists Act 1984 in respect of indemnity arrangements. Like many MPs new to this place, I find that the first Bill I am presenting is not on something I have experience of, but on an issue brought to me by constituents. Clive Worthington was a much-loved resident of Harlow. He worked as a wood machinist and had three children and five grandchildren. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East (Janet Daby) for introducing me to Clive’s daughter, Gina, who is her constituent. When I met Gina, she described her father as fun-loving and full of life—someone who had enjoyed sport and playing with his grandchildren. In 2008, Mr Worthington had dental implants. Despite several follow-up operations in the years that followed, the procedure was unsuccessful, and he was left in agony. He was awarded £117,378 in damages and legal costs at Chelmsford county court in November 2019—one of the highest payouts for dental negligence in the UK. However, the dentist who carried out the work was only covered via her membership of the Dental Defence Union. Organisations such as the DDU are not insurance companies, but offer professional indemnity on a discretionary basis for members against the risk of dental negligence claims and professional conduct proceedings. The British Medical Association describes discretionary indemnity as “where legal and financial assistance is provided at the discretion of the provider, for example, not backed by an insurance contract between the healthcare professional and the provider”. Due to this loophole, Mr Worthington did not receive compensation and, in 2022, unable to stand the agony and feeling as though he had “lost faith in the system”, he took his own life. The senior Essex coroner said that the long-term consequences of his unsuccessful dental surgery impacted significantly on his mental health and ability to cope with daily life. As his daughter Gina said: “It’s such a tragic end to a life. It just makes me so mad—that it didn’t have to end this way.” Indemnity cover for healthcare professionals, including dentists, was the subject of a consultation launched by the Department of Health and Social Care in December 2018. To move forward and build on both the recommendations from the Paterson inquiry and the Gina’s wishes, this Bill would, via secondary legislation, amend the Dentists Act 1984—as amended in the Health Care and Associated Professions (Indemnity Arrangements) Order 2014—and therefore does not require lengthy primary legislation. My proposal is an amendment to section 26A(2) of the 1984 Act, as amended in the 2014 order, which currently reads: “For the purposes of this section, an ‘indemnity arrangement’ may comprise…a policy of insurance…an arrangement made for the purposes of indemnifying a person” or “a combination of the two.” My Bill proposes changing that subsection to: “For the purposes of this section, an ‘indemnity arrangement’ should comprise of a policy of insurance.” Question put and agreed to. Ordered, That Chris Vince, Josh Dean, Jen Craft, Will Stone and Charlotte Nichols present the Bill. Chris Vince accordingly presented the Bill. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 13 June, and to be printed (Bill 192).

• 5 Mar 2025 · Courts and Tribunals: Sitting Days · Hansard source

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  Mr Speaker, like Chorley’s magistrates court, Harlow’s sadly closed in 2019. I thank the Lord Chancellor for her statement, but does she agree that we need radical reforms to start driving down the Crown court backlog, including the use of magistrates courts—as I say, sadly, we cannot use Harlow’s at the moment—so that we can get through cases more quickly and give victims the justice they require?

• 4 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  What are this Government doing to ensure innovation in UK tech companies, such as Kao Park in my constituency, so that they can drive economic growth as part of world-class AI computer ecosystems?

• 27 Feb 2025 · Women’s Health · Hansard source

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  Thank you for your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Helena Dollimore) for securing this really important debate. In my first MP surgery I spoke to Debbie, a victim of the pelvic mesh scandal. I was horrified by her story, and by how thousands of women like her not only suffered enormous, life-changing pain, but many felt they were left without a voice, that their concerns were dismissed and that they were not being taken seriously. Since then, half a dozen women from Harlow constituency have come to me with similar stories. The issue of women not being listened to goes far further than the pelvic mesh scandal. In fact, it probably goes far further than the issue of women’s health. I am deeply disappointed—I would go as far to say I am ashamed —to hear so many women in my Harlow constituency and beyond tell me that their chronic pain is going undiagnosed. They are being told terrible things like, “It’s just your period,” or, “It’s just your hormones,” or, “You’ll be fine. Go home, put your feet up, have a paracetamol”—despite the fact that 10% of women worldwide suffer from endometriosis. The NHS website describes the symptoms of endo-metriosis as “severe period pain, that stops you from doing your normal activities”, and “heavy periods, where you need to change your pads or tampons every 1 to 2 hours, or you may bleed through to your clothes”, and pain when going to the toilet. The World Health Organisation describes how endometriosis can “decrease quality of life due to severe pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety and infertility.” Some individuals with endometriosis experience debilitating pain that prevents them from going to work or to school. It is fair to say that a lay down and a paracetamol does not quite cover it. The situation is made worse by the fact that some women are having to wait for up to eight years for a diagnosis. The negative impact on women’s mental health is unimaginable—it can result in the need for antidepressants—and, as we heard in previous speeches, young girls in particular are ignored. Nicola, an acupuncturist in my constituency, told me that a number of women patients had come to her feeling that they were being ignored. Frankly, in 2025, that is just not right. My ask to the Minister is to let this Government be the Government who take women’s health seriously. Let us have a charter that says that the concerns of women suffering from chronic pain cannot be dismissed.

• 27 Feb 2025 · Non-league Football Clubs · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend will notice that I have found my Harlow Town FC badge and have worn it for the debate, and I welcome the importance he places on non-league football. Does he agree that it is not just the paid staff members of the club whom we should recognise, but the huge number of volunteers? I pay particular tribute to a Welsh lady who is our secretary, Donna Harvey. It is the community feel that brings people together and makes non-league football so special.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Family Businesses · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes an eloquent point about the issues of antisocial behaviour and crime on the economy and particularly on small businesses. Does he recognise that small businesses like mine in Harlow have been massively affected by the increase in crime and antisocial behaviour? I am thinking particularly of tool theft and thefts of vehicles.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her statement, and for her continued commitment to securing justice for the victims of this terrible tragedy. I had the opportunity to meet some of the victims’ families, and I commend their bravery. Let me also pay tribute to my constituent Rod Wainwright, who was one of the first responders on that dreadful morning. Does the Secretary of State agree that we need to do more to support those in our emergency services—such as Rod and his colleagues, who were also victims of this terrible tragedy—and that we should join my hon. Friend the Member for Brent East (Dawn Butler) in hoping and praying that we never have to see an event like this again?