Labour and Co-operative MP for Rochdale Paul Waugh has taken questions at the Commons despatch box for the first time — the first time a Rochdale MP has spoken from the Government despatch box since the constituency was created in 1832.
Waugh, who was appointed Minister for Early Education in July under Education Secretary Lucy Powell, answered Education questions on Monday 14 September. Born in Wardle and brought up on a council estate in Spotland, he attended local schools in Rochdale before university and a career in journalism.
In the session he set out the Government’s plans for technical education, including new V-levels and T-levels and pathways for 14 to 19-year-olds, and answered questions on apprenticeships, home-to-school transport and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
School food and apprenticeships
The same day brought one of his first significant announcements as a minister, as the Government published its response to a consultation on stronger school food standards in England.
“The updated standards that we have announced today will ensure that school food is delicious, nutritious and practical for schools,” Waugh said at the despatch box. “I was proud to see Bite Back and a range of sector leaders welcome our standards, and I thank them all for the hard work they do to help schools achieve what we want.”
On apprenticeships and technical education, he told MPs: “The Prime Minister rightly says that we should be focusing on problem solving rather than point scoring. Given that the right hon. Gentleman mentioned apprenticeship starts, it would be remiss of me not to point out that they have gone up by 8.7% under this Government, whereas apprenticeship starts collapsed under the last Government since 2020.”
