Results 1-20 of 3,442 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Iain Wright

Bill Presented: Clause 126 — General Duties (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: I beg to move, That this House agrees with Lords amendment 118.

Bill Presented: Clause 126 — General Duties (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: The establishment of an independent regulator for qualifications and assessments is an important part of this Bill, and I think that there is a strong and welcome consensus behind the establishment of Ofqual. We are all sick and tired of clichéd, lazy and untrue accusations of the dumbing down of standards in exams. By making Ofqual truly independent from the Executive—it will...

Bill Presented: Clause 47 — Provision of education for persons subject to youth detention (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: I beg to move, That this House agrees with Lords amendment 56.

Bill Presented: Clause 47 — Provision of education for persons subject to youth detention (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: We have listened to the debate, both here and in the other place, and to the opinions of key stakeholders, and we have amended the Bill to give reassurance on some key areas of concern. The original Bill as drafted contained new measures dealing with complaints in relation to the sixth-form transport duty. We introduced a new clause on Report in another place to replicate those complaints...

Bill Presented: Clause 47 — Provision of education for persons subject to youth detention (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: With the leave of the House, may I say that I am pleased with the tone of the responses from the hon. Members for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) and for Bristol, West (Stephen Williams)? The hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings rightly said that he wanted to see the linking of transport with other provision, and we absolutely agree with him. That was always the...

Bill Presented: Clause 47 — Provision of education for persons subject to youth detention (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: The hon. Gentleman has raised two important points. I can certainly make a commitment that the Secretary of State will issue guidance on the complaints procedure and on the escalation of complaints to the Secretary of State. The hon. Gentleman also made an incredibly important point about different locations having different needs and transport requirements. The most obvious difference is...

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: I think that I have answered that question. The two organisations will serve two different constituencies, for want of a better phrase. The YPLA and the SFA will do different jobs and have different functions, so we thought that it was appropriate that they should have different funding models. It makes sense for the work to be done by two organisations. The structure provides a clear,...

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: The chief executive will be accountable to the Secretary of State, so matters of delivery and performance management will be a matter for the YPLA board and the Secretary of State. Clear lines of accountability exist and, by the same token, the Secretary of State can also answer questions on that issue in the House. We think that it is right to make a distinction between the YPLA and the SFA...

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: I pay tribute to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes). It was a remarkable achievement to mention Jackson Pollock, Iron Maiden, Shostakovich, Black Sabbath and Monty Python in the space of about 30 seconds. I imagine that that feat is unequalled in the history of the House. I was pleased with the hon. Gentleman's agreement to the amendments on clarifying the role of...

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: Certainly with regard to the YPLA and the national funding framework that will be introduced, we thought that it would be best to have an arm's length role so that Ministers would not be accused of interfering with specific funding allocations. That degree of impartiality is important. As I have said, the YPLA will have a clear line of accountability to the House through the Secretary of...

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: I have obviously not satisfied the hon. Gentleman yet.

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: I beg to move, That this House agrees with Lords amendment 34.

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: The amendments are concentrated on crucial changes to the machinery of government to improve the delivery of education to young people and adults, and they demonstrate that we have listened to and taken seriously concerns from all sections of this House and the other place and worked hard to address them. As the House will recall, local authorities will be supported in their new central role...

Bill Presented: Clause 40 — Education and training for persons over compulsory school age: general duty (11 Nov 2009)

Iain Wright: Last year, I took the Housing and Regeneration Bill through the House, and the appointment of the chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency was almost entirely—word for word—consistent with the approach in the Bill. We are clear that that will not affect the clear lines of ministerial responsibility for the YPLA. The Secretary of State, through his remit letter to the...

Fostering Services (Ofsted Supervision) (21 Oct 2009)

Iain Wright: I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Gale. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Mr. Plaskitt) on securing this important debate. He has campaigned on the matter for some time, and it is a reflection of his diligence, professionalism and commitment that he has pursued it in the House for many years. He referred to...

Fostering Services (Ofsted Supervision) (21 Oct 2009)

Iain Wright: I reassure my hon. Friend that I had not moved on. We are dealing with important matters to do with data and information. My hon. Friend mentioned a number of times the need to cleanse data files from a variety of sources. I have made inquiries, and I am assured by Ofsted that it does not hold any information that places his constituent's livelihood in jeopardy. As for the important point...

Fostering Services (Ofsted Supervision) (21 Oct 2009)

Iain Wright: I am keen to do anything I can to help my hon. Friend and his constituent with what must be an incredibly distressing matter. My interpretation of the facts, after discussion with my hon. Friend and having read the previous Adjournment debate, is that the local authorities concerned seem willing to help in whatever way they can. If it would help, I can try to see whether that is possible....

Oral Answers to Questions — Children, Schools and Families: Child Care (12 Oct 2009) has video

Iain Wright: With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I shall answer question 1 with question 5. We monitor the child care market, including the sustainability of provision, on an ongoing basis through regular surveys, and feedback from local authorities, Government offices and partner organisations. Local authorities have substantial Government revenue and capital funding to help to ensure that providers in...

Oral Answers to Questions — Children, Schools and Families: Child Care (12 Oct 2009) has video

Iain Wright: It is lovely to see the hon. Gentleman back from the break as well. In 1997, something like £1 billion a year was provided for child care; now the figure is £4 billion; and 470,000 families now get direct child care support through the tax credits system, at an average of about £68 a week. The long-term viability of nurseries and child care provision has been enhanced as a...

Oral Answers to Questions — Children, Schools and Families: Child Care (12 Oct 2009) has video

Iain Wright: People will leave the market and the sector for various reasons, whether personal or otherwise. That is just common sense. However, in respect of free provision for three and four-year-olds and the additional roll-out that we want in order to ensure free provision for two-year-olds, let me say to the hon. Gentleman, whom I respect a great deal, that there is now more opportunity than ever for...