Joe Morris

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey. I decided to come along to speak in this debate after meeting my constituent Bryn, who recently won an award for his campaign to raise awareness of autism and learning disabilities. I have reached out to congratulate him on that success, but I also want to put on record how proud I am to represent a constituency that has within it such incredible people, who are championing the neurodivergent experience in the workplace. Having met Bryn previously, and met him again to learn more about the work he is doing, I know that suitable jobs for people with neurodiversity challenges are particularly hard to access in rural areas. That is particularly because of the difficult-to-access bus routes and other poor public transport links, the poor road surfaces and often the potentially precarious nature of employment. Hearing from Bryn directly about his experiences was incredibly informative and moving, and I thank him for giving up some of his time to meet me and share his experiences. I always try to recognise the contributions of my constituents when I am given the opportunity to speak in the House. I also want to recognise the valuable work of Team Sunflower, an organisation in my constituency that provides integral support for adults with hidden disabilities. It provides its support and expertise to ensure that, with the right assistance available, employees can thrive in the workplace and reach their full potential. It supports a range of talented people, from photographers to dog walkers, some of whom run their own small businesses, while others remain in full-time employment. Through that valuable support, individuals have access to the help they need to navigate working environments. The hon. Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire (Charlotte Cane) has brought forward an incredibly important debate, and I genuinely thank her for securing time for it. I represent the largest constituency in England, and I am always reminded of the fact that, for too long, the employment support regime has been far too focused on what works in urban Britain—for people in central Newcastle, central London and central Manchester—and not nearly enough on what works in rural Northumberland. I would like the Minister to reflect a little on how we can make sure our systems work better for those in more sparsely populated areas, such as the Tyne valley, rural Northumberland, the Allen valleys and Longhorsley.