Fire Services: North-east England - Westminster Hall debate

I will speak very quickly, Madam Deputy Speaker. When I became chair of the all-party parliamentary group on dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties in 2016, the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014 was under way.  I had taken that piece of legislation through Parliament as a shadow Minister so I was hopeful that it might lead to an advance in SEND provision in schools, but things have obviously not gone to plan.  The new SEND Green Paper implies by its very existence that something has gone wrong.

9.10pm - Madam Deputy Speaker - Dame Eleanor Laing - Epping Forest - Conservative

Order. I am reluctant to reduce the time limit, but I am receiving appeals for me to try to get more people in, so I will reduce it to three minutes. However, not everyone will have a chance to speak this evening.

9.18pm - Mrs Sharon Hodgson - Washington and Sunderland West - Labour



I speak in this debate as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on ticket abuse, which I set up over 10 years ago.

The APPG shines a light on ticket abuse and campaigns to protect fans who are purchasing event tickets from being scammed and ripped off, often by the large-scale ticket touts that dominate resale sites such as Viagogo and StubHub.  The APPG works with experts in the field such as FanFair Alliance, a music industry campaign, and the Iridium Consultancy to tackle industrial-scale ticket touting.  I hope that when this legislation is reviewed in Committee, those organisations will be called on to share their expertise in this area.

Sadly, online ticket fraud is absolutely rife.  Despite some regulatory and legislative improvements, not least in the Consumer Rights Act 2015, too many fans are still being scammed on a regular basis.  The Bill, as it stands, includes a major loophole that means people will not be properly protected from online fraud.  Search engines such as Google are not currently covered by the requirements on fraudulent advertising.  A key issue in the ticketing market is how websites that allow fraudulent tickets to be sold often take out paid ads with Google that appear at the top of the search results.  This gives the false impression to consumers that these sites are official ticket outlets.  People mistakenly believe that only authorised ticket outlets can advertise on Google—people trust Google—and they are scammed as a result.

The Times reported last year that Google was taking advertising money from scam websites selling Premier League football tickets, even though the matches were taking place behind closed doors during lockdown—you couldn’t make it up.  The Online Safety Bill needs to ensure that consumers are provided with much greater protection and that Google is forced to take greater responsibility for who it allows to advertise.  If the Bill took action, online ticket fraud would be drastically reduced.  With £2.3 billion lost to online fraud in the UK last year, it is very much needed.

It is also important to remember the human side of online fraud.  Victims go through intense stress, as they are not only scammed out of their money but feel duped, stupid and humiliated.  There cannot be a Member of this House who has not had to support a constituent devastated by online fraud.  I have come across many stories, including one of an elderly couple who bought two tickets to see their favourite artist to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.  When they arrived at the venue, they were turned away and told that they had been sold fake tickets.

I have a lot more to say, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I think you get the drift.

Westminster Hall speech on regional inequalities and child poverty



Image copyright, Parliamentary Recording Unit, 2022.

Sharon Hodgson MP - spoke in a parliamentary debate about regional inequalities and child poverty held in Westminster Hall, called by Labour colleague Liz Twist, MP for Blaydon.

The debate couldn’t be more relevant at the current time, when children in the North East have the second highest poverty rate in the UK, and 51% of Washington and Sunderland West households with children are in receipt of UC or Working Tax Credit. Many of these families were struggling before the pandemic, but a toxic combination of low incomes, a cost-of-living emergency and the Government’s £20-a-week cuts to universal credit has sent many families into crisis. Speaking in the debate, I focused on the provision of free school meals – a quarter of North East Children in poverty are not eligible for a free school meal. Hungry children cannot learn, and I wanted to make it clear that the Government’s talk of levelling up is meaningless when thousands of children in poverty are being left behind. Food insecurity must be addressed.

Image copyright, Parliamentary Recording Unit, 2022.

Watch the debate in Westminster Hall here >
Read this debate in Hansard >
Facebook clip here >

Text of speech (from Hansard):

During a debate brought by Liz Twist MP, and alongside fellow North East MPs, I raised the lack of quality bus services in the North East.


Image copyright, Parliamentary Recording Unit, 2021.

At a recent street surgery in Oxclose, the inconsistency and infrequency of buses was brought up many times. Reliable and frequent bus services connect people to the economy and are vital for areas like Washington which risk being stranded. However, our Local Authorities are having to bear the brunt of the Government’s public transport cuts as the Government has slashed covid funding for the Metro. With the Leamside line snubbed in the Integrated Rail Plan, bus provision is even more important. I will continue to press the Government on this issue and work with colleagues like Bridget Phillipson and Paul Howell regarding the reinstatement of the Leamside line.

Sharon Hodgson spoke in the debate - Giving Every baby the Best Start in Life debate - brought by the Hon Member for Richmond Park, Sarah Olney MP.



Watch Sharon's contribution to the debate at timing 15:44 >

Read Sharon's contribution to the debate here >

Watch the whole debate here >

In-school Counselling, Commons Chamber on 9th November 2021.



Sharon Hodgson MP spoke in a debate in the the House of Commons Chamber, brought by The Rt. Hon Nick Brown MP, on school-based counselling services provision.

A silent epidemic is sweeping through our schoolchildren in poor mental health.  For some children, school is a solace from difficulties at home.

In-school counselling services help children cope with a broad range of emotional pressures and reduce chronic mental health problems.  Only around 61% of schools in the UK benefit from a counselling service, a sad deficit which the Tory Government must address.

Watch Sharon's speech during this debate >

Sharon Hodgson MP speaks in the Legacy of Jo Cox debate - 09/09/2021

Sharon Hodgson MP spoke in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review debate - 8th July, 2021, brought by the Hon Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Emma Hardy MP.



Watch the debate here - Sharon Hodgson is at 15:53 time marker >