Contributions
3,240 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArchbishops’ Commission on Families and Households: Love Matters ReportIn terms of which recommendations we plan to implement, I refer the noble Baroness to my original Answer, which is that we will be responding as part of our response to the Family…13 Jun 2023HANSARDArchbishops’ Commission on Families and Households: Love Matters ReportMy Lords, I thank all members of the Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households for their report, which underlines the importance of love in family life. This has…13 Jun 2023HANSARDArchbishops’ Commission on Families and Households: Love Matters ReportLike my noble friend, the Government are committed to championing family hubs. I will ensure that my officials engage with colleagues in the devolved Administration to share…13 Jun 2023HANSARDArchbishops’ Commission on Families and Households: Love Matters ReportThe right reverend Prelate makes an important point, and the question about when and how the state gets involved in adult relationships is obviously a very sensitive one.…13 Jun 2023HANSARDArchbishops’ Commission on Families and Households: Love Matters ReportMy Lords, some of the work that we are doing has already anticipated the recommendations, including the one to which the noble Baroness referred. She will be aware of our…13 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationI apologise if I gave the impression that there are no skills pressures in the creative industries. I just pointed out that our creative industries are world beating and are able…12 Jun 2023HANSARDSchool Uniform PoliciesIn terms of complying with the guidance, which is obviously statutory, any concerns that a parent might have about a school’s uniform policy need to be raised with the school in…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationI thank my noble friend for her suggestion. The department is very open to working with organisations such as Rambert and is very grateful to them for the work they do. Dance is…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationMy Lords, this Government recognise the importance of all pupils receiving a broad and ambitious music curriculum. As set out in the national plan for music education, we expect…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationI understand the point that the noble Lord makes, but the data for 2021-22 shows that more than 86,000 hours were spent teaching music in secondary schools—I know the noble Lord…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationThe noble Lord is right that teacher recruitment, along with recruitment in many sectors, is a real challenge at the moment. But we are supporting schools, and I suggest to the…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationI encourage the noble Earl to look at both the GCSE and the technical award figures, which have stayed relatively stable at about 8% of the pupil population over the last four…12 Jun 2023HANSARDSchool Uniform PoliciesThe Government believe that it should be even more local than that. I agree with the first part of the noble Baroness’s question: schools absolutely know their communities. We…12 Jun 2023HANSARDSchool Uniform PoliciesI absolutely understand that families face a cost of living crisis, which is why the Government provided £94 billion of support for households with those higher costs across…12 Jun 2023HANSARDSchool Uniform PoliciesI agree with my noble friend’s first point, but we are encouraging schools to identify elements of their branded uniform that are low cost, finding their identity through a tie,…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationMy noble friend is absolutely right and I thank him very much for drawing this to the attention of the House.12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationI thank my noble friend for her part in chairing the national plan for music education. She will understand much better than I that money is important but not the only thing that…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationI completely agree, which is why all children do have this benefit and why music education is part of the national curriculum from key stages 1 to 3.12 Jun 2023HANSARDSchool Uniform PoliciesMy Lords, following the publication of statutory guidance in November 2021, all schools in England should already have reviewed their uniform policy and made changes to ensure…12 Jun 2023HANSARDFree Music EducationI think the noble Lord knows the answer to his question. Music lessons are an area in which schools are allowed, with certain restrictions—for example, children who are in care…12 Jun 2023