Baroness David: My Lords, can the Minister tell me whether there will be a statutory definition of community cohesion? I ask that also of the noble Lord, Lord Sutherland.
Baroness David: My Lords, how many schoolsare likely to fall within the two but not morethan 15 miles provision? I am told that an area of700 square miles is covered. How many schools are involved?
Baroness David: My Lords, what do the Minister and his department think about the number of additional schools, mentioned in the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Baker? Have they thought about it?
Baroness David: My Lords, I, too, support the amendment moved by my noble friend Lady Turner. I shall repeat what I said about the amendment moved by my noble friend Lord Judd. The UK Government must submit their next report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2007. The committee's comments on the previous report said that the Government should take further steps to promote, facilitate and...
Baroness David: My Lords, I support these three amendments too. Yesterday, I received a letter from UNICEF reminding me that next year, 2007, a report has to be produced on how we conform to the convention on human rights. I should have thought that we would get a good mark if we could say that we had enshrined this provision in a Bill. I hope that the Minister will take that important issue into account.
Baroness David: My Lords, I am speaking in the debate today to support the excellent and hard work the noble Baroness, Lady Blood, does for integrated education in Northern Ireland. It seems so obvious to me that integrated education is the sensible way forward. Children learning, working and spending the day together, learning how each other lives is the surest way to bring tolerance, understanding and good...
Baroness David: I should very much like to support the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Judd. It seems strange that we do not have such legislation already. I very much hope that the Minister will be able to support it and put it into the Bill.
Baroness David: My Lords, I announced on Second Reading of the then Special Educational Needs and Disability Bill on 19 December 2000 that I would not speak in debates again, but that I would make an exception because I wanted to welcome the Bill and congratulate the Government on bringing it forward. If only that were the case with this Bill. I welcomed the then School Standards and Framework Bill in 1998...
Baroness David: My Lords, I speak to support the Bill of the noble Lord, Lord Joffe, and to speak against the, in my view, ill judged amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Carlile. I still hope that he may withdraw it. All the Bill provides for is an option. The safeguards are very strong. In a review of the safeguards and qualifying conditions, Professor MacLean says that the Bill offers far more protection...
Baroness David: My Lords, why are the Government so obstinate in this matter? The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the European Committee of Social Rights, all the experts on children and, indeed, all the children's associations are against smacking children. Who are the Government trying to please?
Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government: What they have done since 1997 to ensure that there are fair admission arrangements to primary and secondary schools for children of all abilities and circumstances.
Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government: What they have done since 1997 to ensure that there are fair admission arrangements to primary and secondary schools for children of all abilities and circumstances.
Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many foundation primary schools there were in 1999; for each subsequent year how many applications have been made; whether those applications were approved or otherwise by the school organisation committee; and how many applications were approved on appeal to the adjudicator.
Baroness David: My Lords, I congratulate the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, and his committee on producing an excellent report. It is a very thorough report and very helpful to all of us who understand the difficulties inherent in the subject. Nevertheless, it seems to come down fairly strongly in wanting the Bill of the noble Lord, Lord Joffe, to be reintroduced into the House this autumn...
Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many foundation primary schools there were in 1999; for each subsequent year, how many applications there have been for such status; whether those applications were approved by school organisation committees; and how many applications were approved on appeal to an adjudicator.
Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government: What internal indicators the Department of Health will use to measure the implementation of the Children's National Service Framework; and whether the development of integrated and community-based paediatric continence services will be included; and Whether they have set any targets to measure the provision of integrated and community-based paediatric...
Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they consider the admissions policy of grammar schools to be fair; and What they have done since 1997 to ensure that there are fair admission arrangements for children of all abilities and circumstances to primary and secondary schools.
Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the percentage of year 11 pupils in 2004 who were eligible for free school meals in (a) secondary schools; (b) comprehensive schools; and (c) grammar schools.
Baroness David: My Lords, can the Minister assure us that we will be kept informed regularly about what is available so that the public do not clutter up the streets and the services, and so that we know what to do?
Baroness David: My name is attached to Amendments Nos. 75 and 84 and I strongly support Amendments Nos. 8 and 99 tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, and the noble Baroness, Lady Howe. I thought that we had already established that the voice of the child should be heard. I am rather surprised that the noble Lord, Lord Lester, finds it unnecessary to mention children. It is very odd that children are not...