Steve Brine MP | Westminster

24 NOV 2011

Sex and relationship education in Primary Schools

Steve Brine attended a meeting held to discuss the future of sex and relationship education (SRE) on Primary Schools, held in the Commons on Thursday 24th November.

The meeting was addressed by a range of speakers, including Angela Tully from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), which advises parents and teachers who are concerned about the explicit nature of sex education in schools.

Speaking after the meeting, which was hosted by Andrea Leadsom MP, Steve said: "This is an issue that has been bubbling away for a number of years now, and I have been contacted by a number of local parents expressing their concerns. It is, of course, a very difficult issue for many parents to raise, and there is always the delicate balance between expressing concern for what your children are seeing and not being seen to rock the boat or wishing to alienate them among their school friends.

"I know the Department for Education is currently drafting new guidelines for schools on SRE, but among other things we are calling for a form of independent classification of the material shown in schools. The British Board of Film Classification seems to be best placed to rate this, and I am sure that this would give worried parents some peace of mind in knowing what their children were seeing.

"The bottom line for me, as an MP and a father of two young children, is that children at primary school are not sexual beings. To see at today's meeting some the films being shown to very young children every day in our primary schools was genuinely shocking. We are absolutely not asking Government to turn to the blunt instrument of legislation on this one but we are saying we think the status quo is quite wrong in some schools and we want to work with the Department and parents as well as pressure groups such as the SPUC to get these new guidelines right."

More information...

You can visit the SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) to find out about the 'Safe at School' campaign via www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/safeatschool.

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Latest appearances in House of Commons

Upcoming Business – Commons: Westminster Hall (14 Mar 2012)
Government support for first-time buyers – Steve Brine. 9:30 am – 11:00 am

Opposition Day — [Un-Allotted Day]: Jobs and Growth in a Low-carbon Economy (5 Mar 2012)
Steve Brine: I am listening carefully to the right hon. Lady’s speech-there are a number of Government Members who are. Is she seriously suggesting that she left a feed-in tariffs regime that was fit for purpose and that the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker), did not have to salvage it from the car...

[Hugh Bayley in the Chair] (23 Feb 2012)
Steve Brine: In reference to what my right hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) said, I have never been on a tandem with my predecessor.

View Steve's full record of speaking and asking questions in Parliament (via theyworkforyou.com)

Committee work in the House

Justice Select Committee - Steve is a member of the powerful Justice Committee in the House of Commons. Find out more about Steve's election to the committee here and visit the Committee Homepage here.

Energy Bill 2011 - Steve spoke at the 2nd Reading Debate and was a member of the Commons Bill committee that scrutinised this landmark piece of legislation. The Bill is now an Act of parliament, receiving Royal Assent in October 2011. Visit Steve's dedicated Energy Bill page here.

Health & Social Care Bill 2011 - As a back-bench coalition MP, Steve served on the Commons Bill committee stage of the coalition's flagship NHS reform Bill which sat in March & April 2011. Steve is also sitting on the recommited committee stage in June 2011. Further details can be found on the dedicated pages within the main UK Parliament website.

All Party Groups

In addition to his duties in the constituency and the House of Commons, Steve Brine, is one of the most active MPs in Parliament. He serves on a number of committees and All-Party Groups.

All-Party Breast Cancer Group - Steve co-chairs the group alongside Liberal Democrat Annette Brooke and Labour's Sharon Hodgson. The group, which is backed by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the other main UK charities in the field, meets regularly and holds a number of events throughout the parliamentary year. Read more about this group.
Steve is pictured with Annette Brooke at the 2011 'Wear it Pink' event in the House of Commons.

All-Party Cycling Group - Keen Keen cyclist Steve is vice-chair of the main cycling group in Parliament, one of the most vibrant and well supported groups in Westminster. It recently held a special reception with SKY attended by Olympic champion Chris Hoy. Read more about this group.

All-Party Autism Group - Steve is one of the vice-chairs of this key group in Parliament. His interest in autism and special educational needs in particular drive his involvement in the group. Read more about this group.

All-Party Group for Parkinson's - Steve is vice-chair of the main Parkinson's group in Parliament. The group is supported by Parkinson's UK. See group website link and the Parkinson's UK pages here.

Other All-Party Groups Steve Brine is involved with in the 2010-2015 Parliament - All-Party Group for Financial Education of Young People, for Park Homes, for Civic Societies, for Credit Unions, for Dementia, For Direct Democracy, for Maternity, for Muscular Dystrophy, for Ovarian Cancer, for Retail Crime, for Citizens Advice Bureau's and the All-Party Group for Transplantation.

Sex and relationship education in Primary Schools

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