Baroness Morris of Yardley: asked Her Majesty's Government: What source of information they use to determine the social class background of students entering higher education.
Baroness Morris of Yardley: My Lords, this debate has been very interesting; it seems, to some extent, to have got into the right position today. I welcome the amendment and would find it difficult to vote against it. Who could vote against an amendment that promoted community cohesion? That, at least, gives us a common starting point. There have been two sides to this debate: faith schools and community cohesion....
Baroness Morris of Yardley: My Lords, I speak against Amendment No. 4. The picture of the English education system described by the noble Baroness, Lady Buscombe, is not one that I recognise as of the real world. I would have preferred her to start this interesting debate with a recognition that every single indicator of improvement in standards, in quality of teaching, in management, in leadership and certainly in...
Baroness Morris of Yardley: My Lords, I support the amendments, particularly Amendments Nos. 55 and 56. In doing so, I declare an interest as chair of the Children's Workforce Development Council and president of the National Children's Bureau. The Minister may persuade me that the law is sufficient to achieve what we want, but I would not want to miss an opportunity. This is a very important debate, which is a tribute...
Baroness Morris of Yardley: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many contracts have been agreed with consultants in respect of the city academy programme by the Department for Education and Skills; at what cost; and for what purpose.
Baroness Morris of Yardley: My Lords, I shall at least begin by agreeing with the Minister on his opening remarks. There is a great deal of good in this Bill—and he listed some examples and explained the purpose. I congratulate him and his fellow Ministers on achieving those legislative changes. Without repeating them, I pick out particularly the preference that is now to be given to looked-after children in the...
Baroness Morris of Yardley: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many contracts have been let to consultants by the Department for Education and Skills during the past 12 months; at what cost; and for what purpose.
Baroness Morris of Yardley: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many staff currently work in the city academies division of the Department for Education and Skills; and how many worked in that division in 2004 and 2005.
Baroness Morris of Yardley: My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Greenfield, on securing this debate. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Warnock, I cannot claim to have any scientific background, and I, too, come to this debate from the point of view of education. I also pay tribute to the noble Baroness for something that she is unaware that she gave to me. I remember listening to a lecture that she gave...
Baroness Morris of Yardley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in the light of the recent High Court decision to permit the Oratory School to interview parents as part of the admissions process, they have any plans to prevent such procedures.
Baroness Morris of Yardley: My Lords, I, too, congratulate my noble friend Lord Harrison on securing this debate. It gives us a good opportunity to discuss an important issue. I declare two interests: first, I, too, am a trustee of the Hamlyn Foundation, and, secondly, I am a member of the board of the Performing Rights Society. I congratulate all those who have worked to bring the music manifesto to life and my good...
Baroness Morris of Yardley: My Lords, if it does not sound something of a contradiction in terms it is 13 years since I last made a maiden speech in Parliament. I certainly feel 13 years older; I am yet to feel 13 years wiser, but I hope very much that listening to debates in your Lordships' House, certainly from what I have heard so far, will enable me to feel that extra wisdom in the, I hope, not too distant future....
Ms Estelle Morris: I have issued no such policy direction. The policy directions issued to the lottery distributors set out the framework for the wider aims of lottery funding, and do not specify detailed criteria. The directions do include the need for the distributing bodies to further the objectives of sustainable development when awarding lottery grants. The lottery distributing bodies are strongly...
Ms Estelle Morris: In December 2000, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded a grant of £725,000 to the Warrior Preservation Trust for the restoration of HMS Warrior, the Royal Navy's first ironclad and the most revolutionary warship of her age. The award was conditional upon the trust satisfying HLF that the teak came from a sustainable source. The Heritage Lottery Fund agreed new guidance on timber...
Ms Estelle Morris: Together with Lord Sainsbury, Minister for Science and Innovation at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), I chair the Creative Industries Forum on Intellectual Property. The forum has been exploring the issue of piracy as it affects all the creative industries. The forum's members include Government Departments and representatives from the creative industries sectors, including the UK...
Ms Estelle Morris: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths) on having secured this debate, and thank her for the work that she has done on this issue throughout her time in Parliament. We in the DCMS know of her interest and we are grateful for her support. I thank her for her work in the all-party group and on cycling matters in Parliament, and wish her well in the future....
Ms Estelle Morris: As the Charter Review Green Paper makes clear, the vast majority of citizens will need only a source of good information to help them through switchover. However, we are working with the BBC and others to assess the scope of measures required to ensure the interests of the most vulnerable customers are protected.
Ms Estelle Morris: Total grant in aid funding from Arts Council England for theatres in Leicester since 1999 is shown in the table: £ Total grant in aid funding 1999–2000 942,150 2000–01 971,965 2001–02 993,420 2002–03 1,279,151 2003–04 1,379,360 2004–05 1,467,332 Information regarding funding between 1997 and 1999 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Estelle Morris: There are 94 art galleries in England that receive public funding directly from Arts Council England (ACE) or my Department. ACE directly funds 91 art galleries and DCMS sponsors three major national art galleries: the National Gallery; the National Portrait Gallery; and the Tate. In addition, two of the national museums we sponsor, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Wallace Collection,...
Ms Estelle Morris: The Department's lottery awards database does not hold information about the materials used in lottery-supported construction projects. Lottery distributors are obliged to take into account policy directions from the Secretary of State. These directions set out the framework for the wider aims of lottery funding, and include the need for the distributing bodies to further the objectives of...
