Florence Eshalomi

Middle East: Economic Response

I thank the Chancellor for this wonderful set of measures. I will go one further than my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Adam Thompson), who is no longer in his place, and invite her across the bridge to some of the greatest attractions in the UK, ranging from the London Eye to the Southbank Centre, the London Aquarium and even the Paddington Bear Experience, which will all benefit from this wonderful VAT cut. We have been raising this issue for many months, so it is good to see action. This

Middle East

I thank the Minister for engaging with me and a group of my constituents, young people and cross-party faith leaders on this issue, which continues to come up with my constituents. This week, one of my constituents wrote to me about the flotilla, outlining that peaceful volunteers were seized in international waters, which is an act explicitly prohibited under international law. I therefore welcome the Minister’s condemnation of the Israeli Government’s horrific and disgraceful actions, which we

Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions

I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber to answer this really important urgent question. He will know that we must keep at the forefront of our minds our allies in Ukraine who have been fighting this terrible illegal war for many years. I am proud that many of my constituents took in many people from Ukraine at the start of the invasion. Echoing the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel), I am concerned about the communication around this

Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation

I thank my hon. Friend, who is a member of the Select Committee, for his engagement and his work. I also thank all the other Committee members and the Clerk for their work on this important report. The point raised by my hon. Friend is so important. I visited Crawford primary school in my constituency this morning before I came here, and the key issue raised by the headteacher was temporary accommodation and how the number of children living in TA is affecting their educational attainment. We re

Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation

I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for allocating time for this important statement. This week, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee published our fifth report as part of our inquiry into housing conditions across England. The subject of the report is housing conditions of temporary accommodation provided to households facing homelessness. We also published a report on social housing in February, and we hope to report on conditions in the private rented sector i

Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation

The hon. Member is absolutely right. It is really important for us to look at housing issues right across these isles, and any best practice we can learn from in England should be shared with Northern Ireland Ministers. I am sure that my hon. Friend the Minister will do so when she talks with her counterpart across the Irish sea.

Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that valid point. It is important, when considering housing, temporary accommodation and homelessness, that we remember the massive impact in rural constituencies such as hers, where people sometimes have to travel for a good hour and a half by bus in order to access services. People with additional complex needs have to get to appointments, and it is vital that we recognise that the issue of temporary accommodation and homelessness is not just confined to our

Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation

I thank my hon. Friend, and I thank the all-party parliamentary group for its important work in meeting campaigners and, most importantly, the people caught up in temporary accommodation. It is vital that we recognise that a lot of this accommodation is paid for by taxpayers—that is the shameful thing. The fact that the accommodation is not suitable for human habitation should worry us all. That is why I agree with the Minister. We need to ensure that the homelessness strategy considers how we c

Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation

I thank my hon. Friend for the experience she brings to this issue and for her role in ensuring that children with additional complex needs have a voice. It is vital that we remember the children who are being failed by the system—let us be honest—and look at their needs. When placing families, especially those with children with additional needs and disabilities, we need to ensure that accommodation is suitable, including such basic things as access for a child in a wheelchair, who needs to be

Topical Questions

I thank the Secretary of State for visiting St Paul’s primary school in my constituency a few weeks ago to meet the excellent head, Angela Batchelor, and her staff team, where we heard at first hand from parents the importance of the wraparound nursery service and the additional breakfast club. One of the issues raised was SEND, which I know the Secretary of State is really looking at. Can she outline when we will see those changes coming through in order to help the families who are struggling