Dr Sam Rushworth

It was important to me to speak from the heart in my remarks today, but that meant taking time from being able to address various points. I trusted in my colleagues across the House to make those points for me in their speeches. That trust was not misplaced, and I thank everybody for that. I particularly thank the people who spoke about paternity leave. We heard several comparisons of the UK and the much more generous offers in Europe. People mentioned the social inequality about who gets it, the importance of supporting mothers when they are recovering and the wellbeing benefits. People also brought in the family courts, CMS, social housing, and the importance of increasing the numbers of male teachers and caregivers. I appreciate the Opposition bringing up the men and boys summit and the response the Minister gave to that, and I really hope that there can be some cross-party work on how we address it. It was wonderful to hear the Minister proudly confirm that this is a pro-family Government and set out those ideas of purpose, belonging and connection. I feel that we too often look just to Government, and teachers sometimes say that we look to them for all the answers to the problems in the rising generation, but a lot of it starts in the home. Fathers play such an important role. We cannot keep overlooking it, because it is vital for the future of that generation. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the contribution of fathers and positive male role models to families and society.