31 January 2024
Calling for more recognition of the causes of mental ill health in children and the role of parental conflict, family breakdown, domestic violence, and parental alcohol & addiction

I intervened in a debate on children's mental health to call for more research on the underlying causes driving the epidemic in mental ill health in children and to highlight that poverty is not the only driver.

George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)

I, too, congratulate the hon. Member on securing the debate and her passionate advocacy. Many of us across the House share a deep understanding of the need for it. Does she agree that, if we are to tackle the causes, we need better data? We need to understand what is driving this epidemic. I particularly want to draw attention to the children of alcoholics and the great work done by the National Association for Children of Alcoholics; the children of divorce and conflict; and those children badly affected during the pandemic. Does the hon. Member agree that we need better data to understand the causes, then we can start to prevent it, as well as, importantly, treating it when it occurs. We could prevent a lot more of this.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting) (Lab)

I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that there is definitely space for more research. Adverse childhood experiences are the single biggest driver of mental ill health in children and, later on, in adults. I will touch on that later.

Hansard

George Freeman 

The hon. Lady is making a powerful case, and I am keen to hear as much of it as I can. To the point I was trying to make earlier, extreme poverty is one cause of childhood trauma, but there are many others. Like many people in this House—I put my own hand up—I experienced childhood trauma, but I was in a materially privileged family. Poverty can provide a lot of those drivers that the hon. Lady has talked about, but I was taken out of the arms of my father by the police at 11 months, and I was a child carer of an alcoholic parent. Poverty has a part to play, but does the hon. Lady agree that we need to make sure we frame this in the context of the real causes, some of which are not related to poverty but to other chronic problems, such as alcohol, addiction or domestic violence? If we view the matter simply through the prism of a poverty attack, we are in danger of missing out some of the causes that are really embedded in repeated patterns of trauma within families.

Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)

First of all, it is brave that the hon. Gentleman is sharing his experiences of trauma. I think we need more people to do that. He is also absolutely right that not all of this is directly linked to poverty. Poverty or extreme poverty is one ACE among many others, and these things can happen in any family. Those who are doing research into ACEs would always recognise that trauma is not just suffered in a particular type of household but across socioeconomic backgrounds. The hon. Gentleman will know how difficult it is to overcome the traumas of early childhood and deal with them.

Hansard

30 January 2024
NHS Dentists Campaign – ICB Engagement Period Now Open!

Dental health is a crucial part of NHS services and it is vital that EVERYONE can access the support they need when they need it.

That’s why, over the past 3 years, I have actively campaigned to secure improvements to NHS dental provision in our region.

While some positive progress has been made, there still remains much more to be done – which is why, as part of my ongoing efforts with parliamentary colleagues, NHS officials and other stakeholders, I welcome the news that the Norfolk and Waveney NHS Integrated Care Board have recently launched a four-week public and stakeholder engagement period around their long term plans for commissioning NHS dental services across the region.

Full details can be found here and in the poster below.

I was delighted when, in April 2023, NHS dental commissioning was transferred from NHS England to our local ICB – giving our local NHS providers and leaders much greater control of our region’s NHS dental priorities. I believe the best people to drive forward progress are the local clinical and care sector leaders and professionals who are working on the frontline – and who have first-hand expertise of the issues being faced.

While they have taken short and medium term measures to deliver improvements, the ICB continue to work tirelessly on their longer term plans – and it is vital that local people take the time to review their progress to date and have their say on the proposals.

The engagement period runs until Wednesday 21st February 2024 and I would encourage all of my constituents who are concerned about NHS dental provision to make their views known.

Rest assured, I will continue to work hard to speak up for my Mid Norfolk constituents on this crucial issue – and look forward to visiting UEA in the coming weeks to further highlight the importance of government supporting the establishment of a full undergraduate School of Dentistry for our region.

More information on all of my NHS dental campaign work can be found here

30 January 2024
George Freeman calls for more recognition of the causes of mental ill health in children and the role of parental conflict, family breakdown, domestic violence, and parental alcohol & addiction

George Freeman intervenes in a debate on children's mental health to call for more research on the underlying causes driving the epidemic in mental ill health in children and highlights that poverty is not the only driver.

George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)

I, too, congratulate the hon. Member on securing the debate and her passionate advocacy. Many of us across the House share a deep understanding of the need for it. Does she agree that, if we are to tackle the causes, we need better data? We need to understand what is driving this epidemic. I particularly want to draw attention to the children of alcoholics and the great work done by the National Association for Children of Alcoholics; the children of divorce and conflict; and those children badly affected during the pandemic. Does the hon. Member agree that we need better data to understand the causes, then we can start to prevent it, as well as, importantly, treating it when it occurs. We could prevent a lot more of this.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting) (Lab)

I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that there is definitely space for more research. Adverse childhood experiences are the single biggest driver of mental ill health in children and, later on, in adults. I will touch on that later.

Hansard

George Freeman 

The hon. Lady is making a powerful case, and I am keen to hear as much of it as I can. To the point I was trying to make earlier, extreme poverty is one cause of childhood trauma, but there are many others. Like many people in this House—I put my own hand up—I experienced childhood trauma, but I was in a materially privileged family. Poverty can provide a lot of those drivers that the hon. Lady has talked about, but I was taken out of the arms of my father by the police at 11 months, and I was a child carer of an alcoholic parent. Poverty has a part to play, but does the hon. Lady agree that we need to make sure we frame this in the context of the real causes, some of which are not related to poverty but to other chronic problems, such as alcohol, addiction or domestic violence? If we view the matter simply through the prism of a poverty attack, we are in danger of missing out some of the causes that are really embedded in repeated patterns of trauma within families.

Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)

First of all, it is brave that the hon. Gentleman is sharing his experiences of trauma. I think we need more people to do that. He is also absolutely right that not all of this is directly linked to poverty. Poverty or extreme poverty is one ACE among many others, and these things can happen in any family. Those who are doing research into ACEs would always recognise that trauma is not just suffered in a particular type of household but across socioeconomic backgrounds. The hon. Gentleman will know how difficult it is to overcome the traumas of early childhood and deal with them.

Hansard

29 January 2024
Norfolk’s Innovation Economy

Norfolk is a hub of innovation, such as the HethelEngineering Centre and John Innes Centre, as well as the Norwich Research Park, Easton Food Hub and smaller entrepreneurial sites like the Hingham and Scottow Business Parks.

Throughout my time as an MP and Minister, I have secured significant investment in Norfolk’s Innovation Economy – including almost £1 billion into the NRP which sits at its heart – helping to create thousands of highly skilled, well paid jobs for local people in sectors ranging from:

• Agri-tech

• Bio-tech

• Med-tech

• Clean-tech

• Green Energy

That’s why I was pleased to use my newfound freedom as a backbencher to confirm that the Government is very much still committed to driving forwards this growth and innovation – and I look forward to continuing to lobby Ministers for the investment we want and need in Mid Norfolk.

See my question in the House last week below.

To find out more on my work promoting and enhancing Norfolk’s innovation economy, please visit my campaign page here

26 January 2024
Brain Tumour Research – Update

Brain cancer is a cruel, indiscriminate disease that takes people from us with too little chance of a proper diagnosis, treatment or cure.

Finding a cure has long been a cause which I have supported – even more so since the passing of my childhood friend, Charlie, a few years ago. He was aged just 50 and in the prime of his life.

That’s why I’m delighted to continue my campaign work alongside Brain Tumour Research UK – being quoted in today’s Daily Express article (see below).

To learn more about my historic work (as both a local MP and formerly as a Minister), please visit my campaign page here.

To learn more about Brain Tumour Research UK, please visit their website here.

25 January 2024
Freeman urges Government to unlock City and global inward investment in UK science and tech clusters

George Freeman highlights the opportunities for global investment in the UK, especially in life science, quantum, fusion and agritech, and urges the Government to make it easier for global investors to invest in UK science and tech clusters.

Science and Technology Sector: Inward Investment

George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)

2. What steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to help increase inward investment into the science and technology sector. (901136)

The Minister for Industry and Economic Security (Ms Nusrat Ghani)

My Secretary of State was so savvy that she brought in a science Minister and now, under her stewardship, science and technology is booming in the Department for Business and Trade. The UK has the No. 1 tech ecosystem in Europe, raising more venture capital than France and Germany combined. Science and tech is not just for fans; we have now mainstreamed it with the Office for Investment, which is reaching out to companies around the world to highlight the advantages of investing in the UK, bringing in over £5 billion of investment, as was announced at the global investment summit just last year.

George Freeman 

Mr Speaker, you can see that I am using my freedom on the Back Benches to improve my fitness and to make myself as fit as the Department.

May I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the Secretary of State and the team at the Department for Business and Trade on the work they are doing, particularly with the global investment summit? There is a wall of money out there globally to invest in UK science and tech—in life science, quantum, fusion and agritech—and we are beginning, finally, to attract that money. What plans does the Department have to make it easier for global investors to deploy money at scale in UK clusters?

Ms Ghani 

My hon. Friend will know more than most, having had this brief previously. Of course, we are out there sourcing investment for the UK and, as I mentioned, we are already beating France and Germany. Further afield, the UK is the third country, behind the US and China, to reach the landmark of $1 trillion in value. We have the concierge service with the Office for Investment. We have also recently secured £4.5 billion through the advanced manufacturing plan. That, coupled with the research and development budget of around £39.8 billion between 2022-25, shows that we are ready to enable investment in the UK and to manufacture products in this area.

Hansard

25 January 2024
Watton Neighbourhood Plan – Adopted!

Building enough houses to make sure everyone in our area has the chance for a roof of their own, while also making sure we protect and enhance our rural landscape and way of community life is often a difficult balance.

That’s why I’ve long been a strong advocate of Localism and the importance of giving local communities and councils a greater say in how they grow and develop in the years to come – and why, throughout my time as local MP, I’ve supported many Mid Norfolk towns and villages as they go about developing their own Neighbourhood Plans.

Over the years, I have actively supported and encouraged Watton Town Council and the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group as they have set about developing their own Neighbourhood Plan (meeting with members and attending the first public events way back in 2017 as I helped get the efforts underway – see here).

I am therefore delighted that, following the Referendum last Thursday, the Watton Neighbourhood Plan will be adopted – with 90.9% of those that voted supporting it.

This is a hugely positive step and I look forward to working with the Watton Community to take this key piece of work forward.

The Plan can be viewed in full on the Breckland website here (and below by clicking on the image).

To stay up to date with all of my wider work on ‘Planning and Protecting Our Rural Landscapes and Heritage’, please visit my website here.

I very much look forward to hearing the Referendum’s outcome. In the meantime, to stay up to date with all of my work on ‘Planning and Protecting Our Rural Landscapes and Heritage’, please visit my website here.

Watton Neighbourhood Plan
25 January 2024
Watton Sewage Works Expansion

Flooding has long been a concern for many in our part of Norfolk – which is why, over the past few years, I have significantly stepped up my campaign efforts on this vital issue for so many of our local towns and villages.

As we know, flooding doesn’t just cause water damage to homes and businesses. It often stops people being able to use their toilets or showers, with raw sewage also rising out of drains – especially as local pumping stations and sewage works become overwhelmed.

That’s why I welcome Anglian Water’s recent announcement that they will be investing £10million into their infrastructure in and around Watton – including, most notably, an expansion of their Watton Road sewage works.

Having already undertaken a number of improvements to their infrastructure around the town, this latest work is a very positive step indeed – and should reduce the risk of the existing sewage network becoming overwhelmed during heavy rainfall and storms.

Rest assured however, I will continue to work with local councillors and community groups through the Mid Norfolk Flood Partnership I helped set up back in 2021 to lobby for further investment and support for our Mid Norfolk communities.

To find out more about Anglian Water’s plans, please see the EDP article here.

To stay up to date with my active Flooding campaign, please visit my campaign page here.

25 January 2024
Campaigning for Fairer Funding for Rural Councils and Public Services – Success!

Following on from my question to the Local Government Minister on Monday (see here), and the letter I recently co-signed with 40 MP colleagues (see here), as part of my long-running campaign for fairer rural funding, I welcome the Government announcement yesterday of an additional £600 million to support local councils.

This includes:

  • £500 million added to the Social Care Grant, a key investment for areas like Mid Norfolk where we have more elderly residents
  • An overall increase in Core Spending Power for Local Government in England of 7.5% in cash terms (£4.5billion) – an above inflation increase
  • A minimum 4% increase to the Core Spending Power of our local councils right here in Norfolk
  • An extra £15million for the Rural Services Delivery Grant
  • The establishment of an expert panel to advise the Government on financial sustainability in Local Government

I am delighted that the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Ministers have recognised the argument I and others have been making that local councils need more funding for local public services. This is a very welcome step.

However, I still recognise that there is more that needs to be done to properly fund and support public services (and households and businesses in general) in rural counties like Norfolk – where we have greater, often more expensive challenges, compared to our urban counterparts – particularly around fuel, transport and energy.

Rest assured, I remain determined to do all I can to be Mid Norfolk’s strongest voice on these key issues and ensure Government makes that right.

To learn more about my ongoing campaign, please visit my ‘Fighting for a Rural Premium and Fairer Funding for Rural Public Services’ campaign page here.

To read more about the Government announcement yesterday, please click here

George Freeman MP outside Breckland Council offices
24 January 2024
Nationwide Banking Bill
  • Access to cash on our high streets
  • Face to face high street banking
  • £10bn extra lending capacity
  • Up to 20,000 more mortgages
  • Business banking services so that small businesses can continue to take cash
  • Banking hubs for under-served communities

These are just some of the reasons why I am backing the Nationwide Banking Bill in Parliament – having helped secure a community banking hub for Watton, and having long campaigned on the importance of Access to Cash and local banking (for example, through my work with Nationwide in Dereham).

I was delighted to be able to use my new freedom as a backbench MP to speak up for my Mid Norfolk communities including Attleborough, Wymondham, Watton, Dereham and Hingham, as well as the 114 villages I represent.

Headlines from my speech during Friday’s debate in the House can be seen in the video above.

To see my full speech, please click the link here.

See more here.