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Proceeding contribution from Graham Stuart (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 15 April 2026. It occurred during Debate on bill on Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.


Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Again, with no disrespect to the Minister, I think the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes) has made a stronger case, but lacking in the specifics. It would be important to understand exactly what it is that the Government wish to find out. Then we could better understand why there would be a cause for delay. I have not been able to understand precisely what that is.

Let us take the issue of smartphones in schools. We have absolute denunciation from the Minister of the use of smartphones in schools, yet a kind of smokescreen has been thrown up that somehow passing into statute that smartphones cannot be in schools during the school day is somehow not the solution. If there is evidence to suggest that schools will disapply primary statute that says smartphones can never be used in schools during the school day, and that headteachers up and down the land will literally break the law, okay, let us hear it. That seems like nonsense to me. What case is there? What do we need to know about smartphones to not just put this in the Bill and, as soon as it becomes law, see every single school in the land ensure that there are no smartphones, with no argument? It is obvious, is it not? I will happily give away to the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood again.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
783 cc261-274 
Session
2024-26
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Children Children in care Admissions Public consultation Mobile phones Standards Allergies Safety Schools Uniforms Social media Siblings
Legislation
Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024-26
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on hansard.parliament.uk