Last week there, two Labour MPs referred to the YMCA. Sonia Kumar representing Dudley in Worcester was responding to a question from “Childcare: Black Country” on 30th October. On the 29^th October, Alison McGovern, the Labour MP for Birkenhead and The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions, responded to a question about “Young People: Stoke-on-Trent North” from a Labour MP. Back on the 14th October Danny Donnelly the Alliance representative from the Northern Ireland Assembly referred to the YMCA. On 9th October David Williams, the Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and Adam Jogee, the Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme commented about “Higher Education: Staffordshire”

All comments are shown below: I previously wrote about other recent MP speaking about the YMCA “Two Labour MPs endorse their local YMCA groups” on 23rd and 24th October which are here and  “Liz Jarvis a Hampshire MP spoke about YMCA” on 8th October that is here.

Part of the items from Sonia Kumar at the beginning of Childcare: Black Country

As of June 2024, Dudley has 45 registered childcare providers offering about 1,126 places for children under eight. Despite those numbers, much of the Black Country, including Dudley, is classified as a childcare desert. Families in the Black Country have long supported each other through community efforts but now face a lack of critical childcare options, with only 17 places per 100 children in Dudley. Those figures fall far below the national average of 25 per 100. Can Members imagine if every time they needed childcare, three out of every four doors they tried were shut? That lack of access leaves parents with fewer options and waiting longer, forcing them to make tough decisions about work and family care. The Black Country early years education sector faces unique challenges, especially for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The YMCA reports that over a third of children in its Black Country settings—34%—need additional support. That is significantly higher than the 13% in the most affluent areas of the UK, yet there is a shortage of resources, SEND assessments and funding, which limits vital one-on-one and specialist care. Without those early interventions, many children risk falling behind, underscoring the need for more targeted support in our community.

Some of the details from Alison McGovern on the question for Young People: Stoke-on-trent North

Currently through the Youth Offer, we provide labour market support to young people aged 16-24 claiming Universal Credit through a range of tailored interventions to help reduce the barriers young people may face, bringing them closer to employment or appropriate training opportunities. Recent examples of positive collaboration in Stoke on Trent North constituency include working with Movement to Work participants along with a local project Urban Wilderness and YMCA outreach to support vulnerable youth customers towards work offering additional support from Employment Advisors, community work and with the local council. For Work ready customers we are working with National Career Service, the Youth Employment Skills programme, and Stoke-on Trent and Newcastle college to deliver programmes that build on work experience.

During the Northern Ireland session for The draft Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Naloxone and Transfers of Functions) Regulations 2024 Danny Donnelly included these words

The levels of overdose and drug addiction in our society are truly tragic, as others have mentioned. Like other MLAs, I have met families who have, sadly, lost relatives to overdose, and their loss remains heartbreaking. As an MLA for East Antrim, I have seen the hard work of organisations dealing with drug addiction, including Extern, Larne YMCA and Carrick Connect. Any support that we can provide to such organisations is essential, and the widening availability of naloxone should assist in the prevention of loss of life as a consequence of drug addiction.

During the Higher Education: Staffordshire two of the MPs commented

David Williams: I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. Will he join me in recognising the excellent work done by organisations across our area to help young people access higher education? For example, my former employer, the YMCA, received the Queen’s award for promoting opportunity for the work it does with the University of Staffordshire’s “Step up to higher education” programme. The YMCA now gets around 10 young people off to university every year and, under the leadership of Danny Flynn and his committed team, it shares our values of promoting opportunity for all.

Adam Jogee: Another example of the great decisions the people of Staffordshire made is that my hon. Friend is now sitting on the Government Benches as the Member for Stoke-on-Trent North, which we are all grateful for. He raises an important point for two reasons: first, Danny Flynn is a constituent of mine, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and has spent many years doing amazing work with his team at the North Staffordshire YMCA, based in—