Education and Inspections Bill
10:30 am
Nick Gibb (Shadow Minister (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
It is a pleasure to welcome the Minister for Schools, the hon. Member for South Dorset, to the Committee and to congratulate him on his promotion. I have always admired his principled stance on issues such as the Iraqi war. His promotion would be well deserved on that basis alone. I am sure that he will enjoy the Department for Education and Skills just as much as he enjoyed being at DEFRA, if not more so.
Congratulations are also due to the right hon. Member for Redditch. It is unfortunate, but nevertheless true that all the people I have shadowed over the years have been promoted. I think the contrast with me makes them look good. The problem is that after about a year in their new posts people realise that they were over-promoted and they are sacked. I believe that the right hon. Lady will be the exception that proves the rule. She is a very capable and accomplished Minister and it has been a pleasure working with her over the last year. I am sure that she will do very well in her new role as Chief Whip.
I should like to say a few words about the motion before us. It is uncontroversial. After 14 long sittings we are still only a quarter of the way through the Bill. We are now at clause 42 out of 167 clauses and 18 schedules. This is an important as well as a substantial Bill. So far some 563 amendments have been tabled. Admittedly a large number of those are Conservative amendments, but there are a number of Liberal amendments, some Government amendments and many tabled by the hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor), who has also made sure that we are fully conversant with the arguments behind them.
Considering the importance of some of the issues under discussion, I do not think that there have been any unnecessary or unduly long debates. The Bill has 10 parts, which vary enormously from issues relating to the duty of education authorities to provide a diverse system to those of choice and arrangements for a new trust school or a competition for a new school. It covers the abolition of school organisation committees, the vexed issue of school admissions—that is always controversial when there is a shortage of good school places—and new powers to close bad schools more quickly. There are parts on the school curriculum and entitlements to study certain subjects; the incorporation of the earlier School Transport Bill into this Bill; school meals; and school discipline. The latter incorporates the recommendations of the Steer committee. Finally, there are provisions on parenting orders and 47 clauses relating to the inspection regime and the merging of a number of child-related inspection bodies under the “Every Child Matters” agenda.
It was therefore not unexpected that the programme motion, which we voted against on Second Reading, would not be adequate to ensure that all the components of the Bill received the necessary scrutiny. We are as keen as the Government to ensure the smooth passage of the Bill to the statute book in a timely manner. That is why we will not oppose the motion, and we hope that we make good progress over the next three days.