Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: My Lords, I rise to speak about home schooling and hopefully to correct two or three of the misconceptions that have already been outlined by noble Lords. It is obvious that school does not suit everybody, and I declare an interest: three of my five grandchildren have been home-schooled, and they are turning out brilliantly. I think home schooling suits some people and suits some parents....
Sadiq Khan: There are currently 16 signatories to the London Anchor Institutions’ Charter, representing a cross-section of public sector, higher education, cultural, faith-based, and private sector organisations focused on helping Londoners into good work, empowering young people to flourish, and supporting the capital’s net-zero targets. Since the launch of the Anchor Institutions Charter in March...
Michelle Donelan: The government believes that freedom of speech and academic freedom are fundamental pillars of our higher education (HE) system and that protecting these principles should be a priority for universities. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, introduced on 12 May 2021, will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties and directly address gaps within the existing law. This includes...
Julie Marson: ...my entire time in this place, we have been buffeted by extraordinary, frightening events, not least for our constituents up and down the country, including in my constituency. There has been fear of the health consequences of the global pandemic, as well as its economic consequences on lives and livelihoods, and the pandemic is still having an impact across the globe, notably in China. The...
Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon: ...May, will be very brief. I thank Her Majesty the Queen for her dedicated loyalty and send my warmest wishes to her on her Platinum Jubilee. I wish to focus my contribution on the gracious Speech on education and the devastating impact of the global pandemic on young people’s mental health. The consequences of the pandemic have been vast and felt across society, but some groups, such as...
Miriam Cates: Prices have indeed soared in recent months, driven by a number of global factors such as covid and the war in Ukraine. Millions of people are finding it harder to make ends meet. So far, the Government have provided £22 billion of support, including the council tax rebate, a cut to fuel duty and the household support fund, but the heartbreaking stories we have heard in this debate, for...
Nadhim Zahawi: I made that pledge to the Education Committee a few weeks ago. We are looking at how we deliver on that. As I was saying, we will introduce further legislation through the higher education reform Bill to ensure that our post-18 education system promotes real social mobility and, as the hon. Lady has just said, is financially sustainable. Alongside that, we are meeting our manifesto commitment...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Lords, on behalf of your Lordships’ House, I thank His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for delivering the gracious Speech, and I am grateful for the privilege of opening today’s debate on the Motion for an humble Address. Today, I shall outline the Government’s plans for a world-class transport network and our plans to spread opportunity across our country by using landmark...
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: ...to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, and the noble Lord, Lord Newby, and I join them in congratulating my noble friends Lord Sherbourne and Lady Fraser on their excellent speeches. Like all of them, I thank His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for delivering the gracious Speech and send our warmest wishes to Her Majesty the Queen. The whole House knows the reluctance with which Her...
Keir Starmer: Before I turn to the Address, I thank His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for delivering the Address this morning. I, too, pay tribute to Her Majesty in the year of her platinum jubilee. Her dedication to Britain has been a reassuring constant in an ever-changing world, her commitment to public duty a reminder of the responsibilities that we all owe each other, and her dignity and...
Caroline Lucas: ...coherent and co-ordinated fashion. The International Energy Agency has been similarly clear that countries, including the UK, must halt all new fossil fuel exploration and development from the end of 2021 if we are to keep below the 1.5°C threshold. In its recent assessment of the climate compatibility of new UK oil and gas fields, the Climate Change Committee stressed that extra...
Michelle Donelan: The mechanism for setting student loan interest rates is set out in legislation. The interest rate for Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans are set annually with reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March. The rates take effect from 1 September. The March RPI figure this year is a demonstration of the unusual events currently affecting all aspects of the economy and our society. The...
Hywel Williams: I am very glad to follow my friend, the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Beth Winter), and the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss). Ahead of the debate, I asked people what they thought of the two-child limit, and the responses were interesting, revealing and quite varied. People thought that it had been a short-term measure; that it had been withdrawn; that it had had little...
Lord Woolley of Woodford: Moved by Lord Woolley of Woodford 40: After Clause 12, insert the following new Clause—“Automatic voter registration(1) Registration officers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that all persons eligible to register to vote in elections in the United Kingdom are so registered.(2) The Secretary of State must by regulations require public bodies to provide...
Lord Kamall: ...in time. I just hope I have impressed noble Lords with our lean operation—although sometimes the leaner the operation, the more brittle it is. The amendments in this group all relate to questions of accountability. Amendment 29 addresses the question of workforce projections. I draw noble Lords’ attention to the sustained disagreement of the other place to this amendment. The...
Willie Rennie: ...that that progress is not fast enough. It has been two years. The announcements that the minister just described were made quite recently; we need much more speed. When it comes to the national care service, it is also disappointing that children’s services seem to have been an afterthought. They were not a core part of the initial independent review, and there seems to be a lack of...
Baroness Barran: ...I now turn to the Motion on the amendments in the second group, which relate to technical government amendments, the lifelong loan entitlement, the level 3 entitlement and apprenticeships, and the Office for Students. Commons Amendments 7 to 14 provide further clarification of the definition of relevant providers in scope of the duties relating to local skills improvement plans, and which...
Baroness Barran: My Lords, with the leave of the House, I beg to move that this House do agree with the Commons in their Amendments 1 and 2 en bloc. I will speak also to Amendments 3 to 6, 15 and 16 and associated Motions. I am delighted to be back in the Chamber to discuss the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill. It is the Government’s belief—which I know is shared by your Lordships—that the skills...
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: Moved by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle 141: After Clause 11, insert the following new Clause—“Automatic voter registration(1) Registration officers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that all persons eligible to register to vote in elections in the United Kingdom are so registered.(2) The Secretary of State must by regulations require public...
Michelle Donelan: The government is committed to ensuring that students and the taxpayer see returns on their investments. We are tackling low-quality provision that results in unsatisfactory outcomes for students, as well as ensuring the sustainability of our world-class higher education (HE) system. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 sets out the Office for Students' (OfS) duty to promote value for...
