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Healthy Relationships
12 February 2026
Lead MP
Maya Ellis
Ribble Valley
Lab
Responding Minister
Jade Botterill
Tags
Crime & Law EnforcementNHS
Word Count: 11097
Other Contributors: 8
At a Glance
Maya Ellis raised concerns about healthy relationships in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Introduce much better paternity leave—ideally at least six weeks at 90% of pay—to support healthier and more equal relationships. This would contribute to higher labour supply, reduced gender gaps, fiscal wins through higher tax receipts and lower benefit dependency, and household benefits including healthier relationships and more resilient income.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The Government's approach to healthy relationships is often an afterthought despite the critical impact on mental wellbeing, child development, economic productivity, and social cohesion. With relationship challenges impacting families under unprecedented strain due to dual-income households, divorce rates, and work-life balance issues, there are negative impacts on children's emotional development and increasing domestic violence rates. Additionally, research highlights that only 55% of infants develop secure attachments, with insecure attachment a key driver of poor outcomes later in life.
Freddie Van Mierlo
Lib Dem
Henley and Thame
Mr Freddie Van Mierlo highlighted the stress that parenthood, caring for a child with SEND needs, and fertility issues can put on relationships. He pointed out that the current UK paternity leave offer is the lowest in Europe at two weeks, which is insufficient to support healthy parental involvement. Additionally, he criticised the lack of funding provided by the Government to upper-tier authorities for SEND care and the restriction on IVF treatments based on age as being unreflective of demographic evidence.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Jim Shannon highlighted the importance of healthy relationships in personal and professional contexts, emphasizing respect as a core component. He noted that domestic abuse remains a critical issue in Northern Ireland, with nearly 20% of all recorded crime related to it. In the 2024-25 financial year, there were almost 30,000 domestic abuse incidents and over 18,500 crimes reported, with police responding every 17 minutes on average.
Julie Minns
Lab
Carlisle
She thanked her hon. Friend for securing the debate and highlighted Soroptimist International's work in developing bookmarks that detail components of healthy relationships. She agreed that more initiatives like this would be beneficial.
Leigh Ingham
Lab
Stafford
He discussed the importance of healthy relationships for societal well-being and educational success, mentioning specific school examples in Stafford where these principles are integrated into curricula. He also addressed the need to support both boys and girls in navigating online pressures and unrealistic expectations. During the years of Conservative-led Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire suffered the third-worst youth service cuts in the country. Constituents frequently raise concerns about a lack of activities for young people, as highlighted by a vicar in Eccleshall who found 112 activities for older residents but none for younger ones.
Munira Wilson
Lib Dem
Twickenham
Discussed the importance of holistic family policy and healthy relationships in challenging times, highlighting issues like cost of living pressures, parental leave policies, online risks for children, and the need for quality RSE education.
Natalie Fleet
Lab
Bolsover
She highlighted a relationship between local constituents Mick and Jane Yates that she admires for its equality. The couple has been together for 16 years, with both supporting each other's professional growth despite disagreements.
Rebecca Paul
Con
Reigate
The hon. Member welcomed the Government's VAWG strategy, highlighting the previous Government's measures such as quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services and introducing new offences against stalking and upskirting. She expressed concern over online harms contributing to violence against women and girls (VAWG) and advocated banning smartphones in schools and increasing social media age limits to 16. Rebecca Paul also raised issues about demonising boys and men and the need for positive role models, along with concerns regarding guidance on gender-questioning children and single-sex spaces.
Sarah Smith
Lab
Hyndburn
Women are 10% more likely to report that they do the majority of childcare. Some 66% of people surveyed want care to be more equal, and 74% of men agree. Intervening to highlight the class impact of current parental leave policies, Sarah Smith pointed out that only the top 50% of earners claim paternity leave. She argued for a policy framework and legislation that prioritizes low-income families.
Government Response
Jade Botterill
Government Response
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Ribble Valley (Maya Ellis) for opening this debate on the Government's support for healthy relationships. We have published our groundbreaking strategy for halving violence against women and girls in the next 10 years, backed by at least £1 billion of Government funding. Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance was implemented from September last year, with an additional £8 million committed to support schools. The new curriculum supports young children to build skills for healthy relationships from primary school onwards. In secondary school, we will move away from an exclusive focus on consent and teach young people how to identify misogyny and harmful attitudes in media content. We are also investing £11 million in support for schools; £8 million to support the RSE curriculum and £3 million to provide targeted support for children displaying harmful behaviours. Our strategy includes expanding and strengthening family services, improving access to 30 hours of funded childcare per week for eligible working parents, creating tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries, and an increased focus on supporting families from disadvantaged areas. We are also reviewing early years funding to ensure it benefits children most at risk of falling behind. In tackling domestic abuse, NICE guidelines recommend asking women about domestic abuse during their first antenatal booking appointment, and we will roll out Best Start family hubs to every local authority from April. We are supporting schools and colleges to develop strong enrichment offers through our upcoming framework, which encourages a sense of belonging and enables children and young people to form communities.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.