Andrew Mitchell MP has congratulated the winners of the 2011 Sutton Coldfield Schools’ Parliamentary Debating Competition which was held on Thursday 10 March and hosted by The Arthur Terry School – the winners from 2010. On the night, the winners of the debating competition were Daniel Beglin and Suhayl Zulfiquar from Plantsbrook School, who opened the competition with the motion of, “A DNA database for all would be the greatest deterrent to crime in history.” Alice Keaveney and Jessica Pegg from Birmingham Metropolitan College were the runners-up and Laura Boden from Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls won the prize for the Best Individual Speaker. The Chairman of this year’s judging panel was Sir Bernard Zissman, former Lord Mayor of Birmingham. The debates were chaired by Andrew Mitchell MP. Speaking at the event Andrew Mitchell MP said, “I am really pleased to see the competition, now in its ninth year, go from strength to strength and firmly believe it is an important tool for developing self-confidence in our young people. “All 16 of this year’s student debaters displayed an exceptionally high standard of public speaking – articulate and highly persuasive as they put forward their case. “I want to thank Christopher Stone, Headteacher of The Arthur Terry School, for hosting this year’s competition and to all his team for organising such a successful event. Special thanks must also go to the main sponsors of the Competition, Birmingham Metropolitan College. “Most importantly I would like to thank all the participating students for a challenging and enthusiastic evening. I look forward to welcoming them all to Parliament in July where they will be able to watch MPs debate in the House of Commons.” Photo: The debating competition judging panel.