Josh MacAlister MP: speeches

Speeches

• 14 Sept 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I welcome Become’s report, which builds on the review into the early deaths of care leavers that I commissioned a few months ago. I would like to thank Ashley John-Baptiste and Clare Chamberlain for their important work in bringing to the country’s attention the tragic number of young care leavers who die far too young. That transition to adulthood is an important moment to get right. PAs play a crucial role in that. We are looking at additional training for PAs and also at changing the regulation that sits around them, so we can set a higher expectation.

• 14 Sept 2026 · Independent Fostering Agencies · Hansard source

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  We must expand fostering to create the 10,000 extra places in foster care for children that we need this Parliament. We are shaking up the system to deliver this through the fostering action plan, and independent fostering agencies can play their part, bringing fresh energy and supporting new fostering hubs.

• 14 Sept 2026 · Independent Fostering Agencies · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House. We are introducing fostering hubs, including in the local authority in the area that he represents, and rolling out regional care co-operatives across the country. In the coming weeks, I will publish a new rule book for fostering that simplifies the system, consolidates a whole series of different bits of guidance and humanises foster care.

• 14 Sept 2026 · Kinship Carers: Financial Support · Hansard source

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  I will. I would also like to pass on and share my thanks for all the amazing kinship carers we have across the country. Outside kinship zones, a number of councils are showing that they can take steps to go further than others, and Plymouth city council, Sheffield city council and North Tyneside council are great examples of that.

• 14 Sept 2026 · Kinship Carers: Financial Support · Hansard source

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  Part of the kinship zones pilot is testing an allowance equivalent to the fostering allowance alongside a robust impact evaluation, but we are not waiting for that evaluation to improve England’s approach to kinship care. Our Families First reforms are unlocking the potential of kin-based care across the country through family group decision making by default, and practical support through family network support packages.

• 14 Sept 2026 · International Skills Partnerships · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to highlight that one of the benefits of Erasmus+ is that it builds on the Turing scheme as well as expanding opportunities available through the partnerships to staff and students. It is a very good example to draw to the House’s attention. Around the world we have amazing practitioners teaching in a variety of settings, and it is in everyone’s benefit for them to connect with one another and be at the cutting edge of research and teaching.

• 14 Sept 2026 · International Skills Partnerships · Hansard source

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  The UK is joining Erasmus+ in 2027. Colleges and training providers will have access to funding for partnerships with organisations across Europe and beyond. I take this opportunity to wish Team UK success at WorldSkills Shanghai next week, especially Oliver Coombs, who has the chance to be crowned the best young person in the world in additive manufacturing and who trained at Bath college, in the hon. Lady’s constituency.

• 14 Sept 2026 · International Skills Partnerships · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for the question and for highlighting the British Council’s role in these partnerships. A focus of the set-up of Erasmus+ will be to ensure that smaller providers can access the opportunities that comes from the programme. That is absolutely a focus of this Government. I am sure that these issues will be talked about at the summit, as they frequently are.

• 9 Sept 2026 · Education and Skills Reform · Hansard source

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  That is not what happened.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Rugby in Schools · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I thank the hon. Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) for securing this important debate on rugby in schools. When I was asked to sub in for the Minister for School Standards in responding to this debate, I knew that it would not be trying. I should start with a brief disclaimer. We will talk about rugby in generic terms in this debate, but as a west Cumbrian MP, I have a particular obligation to recognise the role of rugby league in many communities in our country. Rugby league has a long and proud history, with deep roots in towns and communities across the north of England. It is part of local identity and community pride, and it helps form connections between schools, families and local clubs in much the same way as rugby union. Just this Saturday, as a constituency MP, I saw the amazing impact of Kells in bringing the community together, especially children. That community building comes down to great characters, such as Peter Smith at Kells or Vince and Lana at Derwent Park Rangers, who have all been getting into schools to teach rugby league for well over 20 years. There are so many others I could mention in just my constituency, which reflects the scale of volunteer hours involved—the amazing adults who spend a chunk of their week giving young people the length and breadth of our country an opportunity to do exercise, to build teams and to develop a passion for rugby. There is so much to celebrate about rugby. At the elite level, both rugby union and league continue to inspire through their outstanding athletes, strong traditions and thriving communities. However, the success of rugby should not be measured only by what happens on professional pitches; it should also be measured by the opportunities available to children and young people in schools and local communities at the grassroots level. Alongside other team sports, rugby helps young people to develop physically, socially and emotionally. Through participation, pupils learn teamwork, communication, leadership, resilience and respect for others. Those are not simply sporting skills; they are life skills that help prepare young people for further education, employment and adult life. A key reason why rugby supports children to thrive is the contribution of the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League. Through resources, training and support for schools and teachers, they help ensure that young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to experience and enjoy the sport. Recent work across both codes has highlighted the importance of ensuring that rugby remains accessible, inclusive and relevant to today’s schools. We know that some schools can face barriers to participation, whether through concerns about safety, confidence in delivery or access to expertise. The response from both governing bodies has been to broaden opportunities and provide formats that are easier for schools to adopt and deliver. Programmes such as T1 rugby and tag rugby, which the hon. Member for West Dorset mentioned, are excellent examples. They provide engaging, non-contact ways for pupils to experience the values and enjoyment of rugby, while helping teachers to deliver the sport confidently and safely. Importantly, those approaches ensure that the future of rugby in schools is not simply about reproducing the adult game; it is about ensuring that every child has the opportunity to participate in a way that is enjoyable, accessible and appropriate. That principle of equal access is especially important for girls. As the hon. Member has already highlighted, the recent success of the Red Roses has inspired a new generation of young women to demonstrate what they can achieve when girls are given the opportunity to participate fully. However, inspiration alone is not enough. We must ensure that girls in every community have access to high-quality rugby opportunities through curriculum PE, extracurricular activity and inclusive formats that allow them to build confidence, develop skills and enjoy being active. Those approaches can help introduce rugby to pupils who may never have previously considered the sport to be for them, while also supporting broader participation among girls and young people from a wider range of backgrounds and communities. As the Government develop our new PE partnership approach, the expertise of organisations such as the RFU and RFL will be invaluable, as is already proving to be the case. National governing bodies have a vital role to play in supporting schools through resources, workforce development and sporting expertise. Their contribution can help schools to achieve the right balance between participation and competition. We know that those are not competing priorities, as every child should have the opportunity to participate, develop competence and build confidence through the sport. At the same time, pupils should be able to pursue competitive opportunities built around safety and fairness. Rugby is particularly well placed to support both of those aims through inclusive programmes, strong local partnerships and clear pathways into competition. Rugby can continue to reach more young people while providing opportunities for those who wish to take the sport further. The hon. Member for West Dorset is right to describe the need to change the model of school sports in this country. That is exactly what we are trying to do with the school sport partnerships model. We recognise that despite the funding of recent years, participation in school sport has remained fairly flat; it is well below what we need as a country in order to have a healthy population of young people who benefit from all that sport has to offer. We have worked closely with the national governing bodies in this space. They are at the heart of the plan, and the partnership model is designed around bringing their expertise in to support schools, rather than relying on very busy teachers and schools to do the heavy lifting themselves. For small primary schools especially, it is a challenge to navigate the whole range of different sports and national governing bodies, and local competitions can be overwhelming. The changes that we are making will address the objectives that the hon. Member set out in his questions. In closing, I place on the record my thanks to teachers, volunteers, coaches, school leaders, local clubs and national governing bodies for the work they do every day to create sporting opportunities for young people across our country. Their efforts ensure that sports like rugby continue to enrich the lives of children and young people across the country, not only by developing future players but by helping to develop future citizens equipped with the teamwork, communication, resilience and respect that will serve them throughout their lives. Rugby also has a crucial role to play at the heart of so many communities, so I thank the hon. Member for bringing this debate to Westminster Hall. Question put and agreed to.