Results 1-20 of 1,668 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Edward Balls

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: This is the second time that we have had an intervention on that point, so I just want to clarify it. When the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart) reads the Children, Schools and Families Bill, he will see the detail, which may be helpful. Local authorities have the right under existing legislation to enter the home where a child is at risk and there is a concern about...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I take very seriously the interests and views of the NAHT, the NUT and the Association of School and College Leaders, as the hon. Gentleman does. However, I am sure that he would agree that, as well as listening to the views of teachers and the profession, it is important that we stand up for the rights of children and parents. The change to the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I look forward to the debates that will happen in Committee. We will set out more details on how we will implement the guarantees as we take forward the White Paper in advance of that. As usual, the hon. Gentleman is making serious policy points. The point that he made about the pupil premium is absolutely right. A pupil premium could lead to more or less resourcing going to a school with...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I apologise to Members of the Conservative party, but this is the serious debate about policy that we did not have earlier from the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), so I would like to engage in it. There is an issue here. I agree that we have to make sure that we get more flexibility and power to head teachers and teachers, but at the same time, parents want to know that their...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I accept that. We are having a legitimate debate about how we frame these guarantees to get these matters right both in terms of funding and how they are specified. I agree with the hon. Gentleman, but does he agree that telling schools to opt out of the national curriculum, to stop being part of the state school system, to not accept the accountability that comes from the report card and...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: On that particular point about distorting choices-we will soon be able to have our debate in Committee-what is the hon. Gentleman's view of the proposal that we should exclude all vocational qualifications from these school-by-school comparison league tables? For example, it is proposed that we should not include construction, music, dance, design, IT or any of the vocational qualifications....

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: If a real-terms rise in education is needed for a better future will the hon. Gentleman commit to it today?

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I am not going to take lectures from the hon. Gentleman about people who have an inflated sense of their importance. To get back to policy, he has made it clear that he thinks that a real-terms rise after 2010-11 would be wrong; he has clarified that. Would he match our budgets for 2010-11, or would he reduce them, if he were in government?

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: To make the matter absolutely clear, at the time of the Budget, we made an efficiency saving contribution to the Treasury. The Treasury announced new money that would be given back to us-£650 million. The Minister for Schools and Learners and I have written to the hon. Gentleman 10 times in the past four months, asking him to pledge to match that September guarantee. He cannot, because...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: Answer the question.

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: If the hon. Gentleman wants to know about gracelessness, he will have seen yesterday's speech by the Leader of the Opposition in this House-that was truly graceless. The issue on home-school agreements is whether they should be an optional condition in the admissions process that schools can use to exclude some parents and thus some pupils from going to the school if they do not sign them....

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: In 2010-11, we will deliver one-to-one or small group tuition. For a child who falls behind in key stage 2, the commitment is to one-to-one tuition, and for a child in year 7, the commitment is to one-to-one or small group tuition. Some 600,000 pupils will get one-to-one tuition. We can deliver that because we are funding those budgets for 2010-11. We now know that the hon. Gentleman cannot...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: Hi! It is a great honour to open this debate on Her Majesty's Gracious Speech, the fifth and last of this Parliament. This Gracious Speech is based on the firm belief that the Government have a vital role to play in securing economic prosperity and building a fair society, with measures to secure our economic recovery and financial responsibility; to renew our democracy and this Parliament...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I know that there is some history behind that intervention and meetings with the Schools Minister have taken place on these matters. It is important that local authorities are leaders in their commissioning role in their local areas, but in doing so they must ensure that they put the best interests of pupils and parents first and consult widely. I have to say that no Conservative authority in...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I shall come on to the detail of all the guarantees in a moment, but on that particular one, we are announcing today that we have reformed the primary curriculum. We have also reformed the key stage 3 curriculum for 11 to 14-year-olds to make sure that there is teacher discretion, while ensuring at the same time that all schools are delivering a balanced curriculum. That is there in the...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. It is not good enough for a parent to know that in their area the average child is doing well or that most schools are doing well; what the parent wants to know is that their child is getting support and their school will be improved. That is what we guarantee in the Children, Schools and Families Bill with powers to step in if it is not happening. That...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I fear that the hon. Gentleman is as confused as the Conservatives' Front-Bench spokesman. Yesterday on the "Today" programme, the hon. Member for Surrey Heath began an interview at 7.10 am by saying that our Child Poverty Bill was a gimmick and a political device. By 7.15 am, he was saying that he would support it. The fact is that between 1979 and 1997 child poverty doubled. The fact is...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009) has video

Edward Balls: I will come on to discuss the free market-and actually, when we look into the detail, rather interesting-policies of the hon. Member for Surrey Heath, but as the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett) raises the issue, let me say that, yes, I am not satisfied, because 50 per cent. of pupils getting five good GCSEs including English and maths is not good enough, but the...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: I will give way to the hon. Gentleman shortly, but he asked me about our schools guarantee, so let me set out some details on that first. In schools too- [Interruption.] I would take a question from the Liberal Democrat Health spokesman, but unfortunately he has not turned up. I will take a question on schools in a moment. We will now enshrine in law our guarantees to pupils and parents. They...

Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)

Edward Balls: In a moment. Secondly, there will be a personal tutor for every secondary school pupil, who will be a point of contact for the pupil and their parent throughout their time in secondary school. There will also be strong and effective discipline through tough home school agreements so every family knows their responsibilities and schools have the power to take action to deliver discipline where...