This is the first triumph of this Committee’s proceedings. It is the first time the Government have had to do a massive U-turn. As ever, they prefer to table their own amendment rather than allow this magnificent Laws-NUT amendment to be included in the Bill. I hope that I do not get angry letters from 74 institutions that will now be included in this duty.

I am grateful to hear we have made some ground. I am still a little baffled why it makes sense for such a duty to be administered through an individual funding agreement. It clearly is a strategic duty, so why not have strategic duties operating at a strategic level, rather than have them dealt with individually in the funding agreements?

I thought it was rather odd to say that in a number of the institutions listed in the amendments, there would not be too many problems, because their participation or attendance rates are very high. One could say that a number of maintained schools that will be covered by the clause should be exempt on that basis. I also heard no reassurance about what will happen to the established academies which will not have the duty in their funding agreements. Is it intended to rewrite the funding agreements? Will they be changed retrospectively, or will those academies be exempt from the duty?