Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, has today welcomed the news that a debate has been secured in Parliament on the impact of controversial government rules on school attendance.
The changes to school attendance rules have seen parents unable to take their children out of school during term time and risk being fined if they do. This has led to families not going on holiday during the traditional ‘shoulder months’ of the tourist industry, also being effectively priced out of going on holiday during the summer months. This has affected the revenue of many tourist related businesses in Cornwall, as well as stopping many Cornish parents who work in the tourist industry from going on holiday with their own families.
Commenting, Steve said:
“This is one area where I disagree with the Government. I believe it should be up to parents to decide when to take their children on holiday. The policy is also unfair to those who work in the tourist industry and therefore unable to take a holiday during school holidays. This debate has been secured as a direct result of the online petition that has attracted over 100,000 signatures. I have been asked to lead the debate as a member of the Petitions Committee and I am looking forward to leading the debate and speaking up for the thousands of families affected by this policy.”
“The impact of the school rule changes on not just our constituency but Cornwall as a whole is something I have campaigned on both before and after my election. I have met with Ministers and asked questions in Parliament and I am looking forward to being able to bring the experiences of both the many tourist businesses in St Austell and Newquay for which this is a major issue, as well as the hard-working parents and their children who are now losing out, to the debate.”
The debate will be held in Westminster Hall in Parliament on 26th October.