Pam Duncan-Glancy: I thank Audrey Nicoll for bringing the debate to the chamber. Science, technology, engineering and maths are key to boosting future economic growth, driving innovation and finding solutions to some of the challenges of tomorrow and today, including our path to net zero, sustainability, renewable energy, artificial intelligence and the digital world. We cannot, should not and must not leave...
Pam Duncan-Glancy: The transformative power of a good, world-leading education system can never be overstated. I know that first hand. My experience is not unique and it was not without significant challenges, but it shows that, when challenges in education are overcome and our education system works, that really can give young people a fighting chance at a future. However, when the system does not work, that...
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: My Lords, Amendment 476, proposed by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, looks to give a minimum height for letterboxes. It is important to ensure that doors in homes include letterboxes at a height that does not cause injury, risk or inconvenience. We have researched the safety and accessibility of letterbox heights to establish the evidence with which to amend existing statutory...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made in another place by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. The Statement is as follows: “With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a Statement on the steps that the Government are taking to ensure that bus travel remains accessible and affordable for everyone, while bearing...
Richard Holden: With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement on the steps that the Government are taking to ensure that bus travel remains accessible and affordable for everyone, while bearing down on the cost of living. Let me start by summarising the situation as we find it. People across the country are facing massive cost of living pressures following Russia’s illegal invasion of...
George Eustice: My hon. Friend raises an important issue, which is affecting colleges in Colchester, the rest of Essex, Cornwall and the whole country. The cost of having staff at an FE college to run courses in practical skills such as electrical engineering or bricklaying and construction is probably higher than at a university, which can just cram a couple of hundred students into a lecture theatre and...
Flick Drummond: I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to place a duty on local authorities to maintain a register of children who are not in school; and for connected purposes. When schools in England reopened after successive lockdowns, the expectation was that every child would come back to school, excited to return to classroom learning and to be reunited with their friends. The reality...
Maria Miller: ...debate. I warmly welcome the Bill, and in advance I thank the Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Charnwood (Edward Argar), who I know, together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, will engage thoroughly with all the issues raised. I thank the Justice Committee for an excellent piece of pre-legislative scrutiny; my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and...
Stephen Doughty: I absolutely assure the hon. Member of that. Indeed, I will come to that specifically. I want briefly to reference the issues that have come out of the debate in relation to people. We heard many examples, many of which I discussed with representatives from the overseas territories yesterday. There is the impact for citizens when things are not done right, whether in relation to travel,...
Baroness Lawlor: My Lords, it is no easy matter to follow so many of your Lordships, who have raised some difficult and problematic questions about the Bill. Can it, as it aims, prevent and deter migration, particularly by unsafe and illegal routes? Does it comply with UK and international law? Some noble Lords have raised interesting questions in supporting the noble Lord, Lord Paddick, in wanting to see it...
Earl Howe: ...noble Lord, Lord Wallace, who made, if I may say so, a very gracious speech—I know that he has severe doubts about the Bill. I fully subscribe to his remarks about the need to preserve diversity of opinion in universities and about universities being national assets. The hope and belief we have is that these proposals will ensure the delivery of the cultural shift that can restore our...
Stephanie Callaghan: Like others, I thank Bill Kidd for bringing this debate on firefighters memorial day to the chamber. It is always a tragedy when a professional loses their life in the line of duty, so I stand today in solidarity to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and to recognise the dedication and courage of each of Scotland’s 3,531 whole-time operational firefighters. I also thank the...
Baroness Scott of Bybrook: My Lords, Amendment 292, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, would place a new statutory duty on all acquiring authorities to act fairly towards anyone involved in the compulsory purchase process and would require the Secretary of State to issue a compulsory purchase code of practice setting out how the statutory duty to act fairly must be discharged by acquiring authorities. I assure...
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: My Lords, I will start in the optimistic spirit of the debate we have just had. There are many benefits to young people from the internet: social, educational and many other ways that noble Lords have mentioned today. That is why the Government’s top priority for this legislation has always been to protect children and to ensure that they can enjoy those benefits by going online safely....
Miriam Cates: I admit to having a sense of déjà vu, because I think this is the third time I have made a speech defending the sharp end of the Bill—which is, of course, the provision allowing students, academics and visiting speakers who have had, or are about to have, their freedom of speech curtailed to bring a claim against a university in court. Most cases can, will and should be settled through...
Thomas Tugendhat: Today I am pleased to announce the publication of the draft Terrorism (protection of premises) Bill, also known as Martyn’s Law, for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Home Affairs Select Committee. The draft Bill (CP 840) has been laid before the House and is also available on GOV.UK. The Government confirmed its intention to bring forward Martyn’s Law in December 2022. Since this...
Chris Heaton-Harris: ...budget position means that Northern Ireland departments need clarity on their budget allocations now to deliver a balanced budget. I will bring forward a Budget Bill in due course. The context of setting the Northern Ireland Budget for 2023-24 has been very difficult. With agreement from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, flexibility has been granted on the repayment of the £297...
Robert Halfon: That is an important question, and the hon. Gentleman is one of the key higher education spokesmen in the House of Commons. I am absolutely supportive of student representation. The student panel is incredibly important. I made a decision as a Minister to interview one of the members of the student panel. I did not have to do that—I could have just ticked the submission and said that Mr X...
Robert Halfon: The mental health and wellbeing of young people is a high priority for this government. It is crucial that students get the effective mental health and wellbeing support they need to allow them to flourish at university. The department is determined to provide students with the best mental health support possible at university. If creating a statutory duty of care in this space was the right...
Baroness Fox of Buckley: My Lords, I welcome this opportunity to clarify the purposes of the Bill, but I am not sure that the amendment helps as my North Star. Like the Bill, it throws up as many questions as answers, and I found myself reading it and thinking “What does that word mean?”, so I am not sure that clarity was where I ended up. It is not a matter of semantics, but in some ways you could say—and...
