Alison Bennett's Monday Mail: A Tour of My Week

The Children’s Society has found that British 15-year-olds are the unhappiest in Europe, and school absences are at record levels. I am really troubled by the number of families that I know whose children are suffering in this way and therefore how widespread this must be throughout the country.

Last Monday I raised this with the ministerial team from the Department for Education. I asked them what the new government is planning to do to put the right mental health support in place for young people. 

You can watch my question and the minister’s answer here.

Later, I attended a reception pushing for better financial education for our young people. This is something that I think is so important, and as the guest speaker Martin Lewis forcefully set out, not yet being consistently delivered to children. I will be joining the APPG on Financial Education in this Parliament.

I was invited by Mid Sussex Constituent Pippa Moyle, founder and CEO of City Girl Network to the Small Business Britain - Female Entreprenuership reception in the House of Lords. It was a packed room of over 100 female business owners. The percentage of female entrepreneurs is growing and now stands at 20%. The interesting discussion was not so much about why more women don’t start their own businesses, but what drives those to go into business to start up on their own. 

It was the NFU’s Back British Farming Day on Wednesday. Many Liberal Democrat MPs represent rural areas and this photo shows just a few of us who went to meet farmers from our regions and learn more about what they want to see the new government deliver to support them in feeding the nation.

Lord Darzi’s report reviewing the state of the NHS was published on Thursday. I was able to ask the Secretary of State Wes Streeting what consideration he has given to ensuring that the hospice sector is put on a sustainable footing. Since I met the CEO of St Catherine’s Hospice in August, they have announced that they are being forced to make job cuts. In a statement to the House of Commons, Wes Streeting said that an element of the reforms that are needed will be to push more care out of hospitals into community settings. I am firmly of the opinion that hospices have a vital role to play here.

Finally, I had some lively and informative conversations with Greenpeace and water campaigners at their respective parliamentary events. From water regulation, to reducing single use plastics, to the forthcoming COP29, I have learnt a great deal this week and have much to think about.