Nicola Sturgeon: The programme for government is published in the context of the most severe cost crisis in our lifetimes. That crisis is pushing millions into poverty and threatening the viability of businesses, and it will almost certainly push the United Kingdom economy into recession. It poses a danger not just to livelihoods but to lives. To be blunt, it is a humanitarian emergency. The Scottish...
Baroness Barran: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. The government supports free speech which generates rigorous debate and advances understanding. It is the freedom to think independently, express and challenge ideas, and put forward lawful, new and controversial ideas, that makes our universities world-renowned. These are essential skills in a modern,...
Andrea Jenkyns: This government believes that freedom of speech and academic freedom are fundamental pillars of our higher education system and that protecting these principles should be a priority for universities. That is why the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Bill has been introduced. The bill will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties and directly address gaps within the existing law,...
James Morris: ...was severely impacted by the pandemic. The government provided unprecedented financial support to the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that practices remained viable and able to offer treatment during the pandemic and to continue now, as we learn to live with Covid-19. Taking into account the evolving guidance on infection and prevention control NHS England has worked,...
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My Lords, I am going to speak to Amendment 97ZA, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins. Unfortunately, because of today’s conditions, she is not able to travel to your Lordships’ House. If the noble Baroness were here, I think she would first say that a lot of progress has been made in how we support those with learning disabilities and autistic people in the last parliamentary...
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: ...speaker and I join every other speaker in wishing this Bill a fast and successful passage into law, and I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, on it. I entirely sympathise with the comment of the noble Lord, Lord Young of Cookham, that some elements of the Bill could be implemented immediately, but really the great value of it is that it is the new systems-thinking approach that the...
Mike Amesbury: I agree with my hon. Friend the shadow Minister. Resources will have to follow statutory guidance. The pandemic has had a significant impact on schools’ ability to deliver careers advice. According to recent research by the Sutton Trust, 75% of teachers in state schools said it had a negative impact, far more than the proportion of similar results returned from private schools. There is an...
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My Lords, I am very grateful to the National Deaf Children’s Society for its support on this amendment. I said in Committee that the Bill requires improvements if the Government are to meet their ambitions around inclusion for children with SEND. I still feel that very much to be the case. It will also still need improvement if the Government are to reach the target that they have set for...
Lord Farmer: My Lords, I am very pleased that the House has an opportunity to debate the causes of crime and reoffending and the effectiveness of rehabilitation, including the contribution made by the voluntary sector. I am also delighted to welcome the noble and learned Lord, Lord Bellamy, to the Front Bench—I believe that he was here yesterday, but this is his first debate. He is very welcome. The...
Michelle Donelan: I would be shocked if the Office for Students said verbatim that it would take years, because it certainly will not. Of course, it is right and proper that a regulator would consult on such a change, but it certainly will not take years. It is a priority for me, the Secretary of State for Education and the Government at large. The registration condition would mean that higher education...
Earl Howe: ...the Bill a broad welcome and I look forward to their constructive support as it proceeds. As we heard, by no means all who have spoken were so positive. Some, such as the noble Lords, Lord Wallace of Saltaire and Lord Collins, the noble Baronesses, Lady Thornton and Lady Royall, and my noble friend Lord Willetts are clearly very troubled by the Bill. So it is perhaps appropriate for me to...
Sarah Olney: It is vital that we provide additional support to those in receipt of disability and means-tested benefits who are covered under this Bill, but in itself it is not an adequate response to the depth and breadth of the cost of living crisis we are currently experiencing. The Chancellor is already hammering families with an £800 tax hike this year, more than wiping out measures in this Bill for...
Cllr Chapman-Allen: I do not necessarily think this is a position around culture and morale. Being a planning officer is one of those specialist trades in a district council, no different from an environmental health officer or a health and safety officer. It takes years to get to the standard required to undertake that duty and that requirement. The challenge we face is that framework and...
Robin Walker: ..., the department recently published new guidance setting out expectations for schools, trusts and local authorities to work together to improve pupil attendance. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has established an alliance of national leaders from education, children’s social care, and other relevant services to work together to raise school attendance and...
Will Quince: The government has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated, and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it. The department provides advice for schools, which outlines schools’ responsibilities. Published guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-ta ckling-bullying. The department is providing over £2 million of...
Baroness Penn: My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to discuss further issues related to SEND on this Bill. As the noble Baroness, Lady Chapman, said, some of the individual examples and stories were quite harrowing. It is an issue that the Government take very seriously and, through the process of the SEND Green Paper, are committed to improving. I assure the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, my noble friend Lord...
Lord Kamall: I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Tyler, for securing this important debate on the report published by the Royal College of Nursing on 6 June, regarding nurses’ experiences and thoughts about staffing levels. I also thank the noble Lords who contributed to the debate. I know that all noble Lords agree that nurses perform essential duties within our healthcare system and are an integral part...
Michelle Donelan: I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge all who have contributed to the Bill’s passage. The nature of the problem and the intensity of those opposed to academic freedom has made even acknowledging the issue an incredibly brave act in many cases. I thank the many right hon. and hon. Members who have raised the issue and...
Miriam Cates: My right hon. Friend is right: this Bill is an important marker for universities, which will be forced to recognise that these are not specific isolated issues, but that there is a culture change that needs to be addressed across our whole country. We are also seeing it in other countries in the world, particularly America. I support the amendments to remove the restriction on field of...
The House divided: Ayes 152, Noes 284. Question accordingly negatived. Amendments made: 2, page 2, line 28, leave out “and within their field of expertise”. See explanatory statement for Amendment 1. Amendment 3, page 2, line 29, at end insert— ‘(9A) In order to achieve the objective in subsection (2), the governing body of a registered higher education provider must secure...
