Baroness Barran: My Lords, I would like to address the group of amendments concerning the free speech duties. As your Lordships have already noted, we had an important debate on these issues in Committee which sought to bring clarity and consistency both to the definition of freedom of speech and what the Government mean by “within the law”. Our amendments seek to address the first of these points. I hope...
Murdo Fraser: As others have done, I should declare an interest, because I am married to a primary school teacher. The duty of educating our young people is one of the primary functions of government, and one of the ways in which we should measure the effectiveness and success of a Government is how it performs that function. As our motion makes clear, in too many respects, the SNP Scottish Government has...
Baroness Penn: ...Lady Berridge, for bringing these amendments in Committee on his behalf. I acknowledge the dedication they have both shown to this issue. As my noble friend knows, the Government wholeheartedly share her ambition to support parents in caring for their children. Recently, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has confirmed that, subject to parliamentary approval, child benefit payments will...
Claire Coutinho: As the regulator for higher education in England, the Office for Students is an independent public body. Any investigations that they conduct are a matter for them and it is not for the department to provide comment. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill includes a range of measures aimed at protecting and promoting freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education in...
Lord Howarth of Newport: My Lords, the Chancellor who warned of a black hole has indeed consigned us to a dungeon. If the main drivers of inflation—the energy crisis, the pandemic and its effect on supply chains—are global, and we face recession, it is the wrong response to weaken our economy with a planned fiscal tightening of 2% of GDP. Falling real incomes and interest rate increases will amply reduce domestic...
Hannah Blythyn: I am, however, happy to accept recommendation 4. We accept in principle recommendation 7 and accept 8. Regarding the membership of the council, I share the committee's view that membership should be broad and representative. Work has already started with social partners to ensure that the nomination process of the social partnership council reflects this, and I will update the committee on...
Matt Western: It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Darlington (Peter Gibson). We have heard a great deal about the recent Budget—the last couple of Budgets, I suppose—and where we find ourselves, but we are not just talking about the events of recent weeks or what could be described as global headwinds. We have to understand what has been going on in the wider landscape—the energy price...
Claire Coutinho: Core schools' funding is £4 billion higher this year than last year, and the additional funding announced at the Autumn Statement means it will rise by another £3.5 billion, on top of that, next year. Taken together, that means a 15% increase in funding in two years. For those children with the most complex needs, the department announced in July 2022 that we would be increasing high needs...
Claire Coutinho: The department is committed to pupils with medical conditions being properly supported at school so that they have full access to education. The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions. The department published statutory guidance on this for schools, which can be accessed at:...
Jeremy Hunt: In the face of unprecedented global headwinds, families, pensioners, businesses, teachers, nurses and many others are worried about the future, so today we deliver a plan to tackle the cost of living crisis and rebuild our economy. Our priorities are stability, growth and public services. We also protect the vulnerable, because to be British is to be compassionate and this is a compassionate...
Jeremy Miles: Over 27,000 people have benefited from these new courses since their introduction in 2017, and we've invested over £55 million to build provision. Over the next three years, we are allocating a further £52 million in the programme to help employed people upskill and reskill into priority areas. Last year, I provided almost £6 million to improve digital capacity and to address the...
Baroness Barran: My Lords, I would like to address the group of amendments relating to overseas funding. Amendments 63 and 64, tabled by my noble friend Lord Johnson of Marylebone, seek to amend the transparency measures concerning overseas income received by higher education providers. They would add tuition fees to the categories of overseas funding in scope and require the OfS to consider whether a...
Baroness Barran: My Lords, I shall now address the group of amendments that relate to the complaints scheme to be operated by the Office for Students. Amendment 58, from my noble friend, Lord Willetts, seeks to mandate the provisions set out in paragraph 5(2) of new Schedule 6A on what complaints can or should be ruled out of scope for consideration under the scheme. Amendment 59 seeks to mandate that the OfS...
Earl Howe: My Lords, as noble Lords have indicated, today and at Second Reading, the issue of the proposed new tort is one that has given rise to a number of doubts, questions and worries, which I shall do my best to address. Whether I can entirely assuage those concerns remains to be seen, but I hope that noble Lords find what I say to be helpful at this stage. Amendment 48 from the noble and learned...
Robert Halfon: The number of staff employed at the Office for Students (OfS) is a matter for the OfS and is not determined by the Secretary of State. Likewise, the recruitment of any additional staff at the OfS is a matter for the OfS. If the OfS determines that it needs additional staff to fulfil its workload, it can seek to recruit the staff that it requires. This includes any additional resource required...
Kirsty Blackman: ...reform. We cannot afford trickle-down economics. We cannot afford the UK’s xenophobic immigration policy. We cannot afford to keep people having no recourse to public funds, which is making some of the poorest people in the UK even poorer still. We cannot afford a UK Government who refuse to increase the minimum wage. We cannot afford to keep having our workers’ rights stripped. We...
Tom Giffard: It has been four years now since that review was published and still there has been no increase in funding from the Welsh Government to bring it in line with the rest of the United Kingdom. How can our universities compete when we continue to invest less in them than Scotland or England? We're all competing for the same funding streams, but Wales is at a significant disadvantage—a...
Kelly Tolhurst: Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. The department’s priority is to reduce overall school absence and maximise the number of children who regularly attend school. The department’s home to school transport policy aims to ensure no child is unable to access education because of a lack of transport. Local authorities have a...
Kit Malthouse: This Government are committed to the protection of freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties and introduce clear consequences for breaches as well as a duty on universities and colleges to promote the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom.
Lord Sikka: My Lords, I would like to congratulate my noble friend Lady Drake on securing this vital debate. Opinion formers and mainstream media have latched on to the phrase “cost of living crisis”. In reality, it is a crisis of poverty, inequality, failed economic policies, an irresponsive state and democracy that is preventing millions of people from living a fulfilling life. The crisis has been...
