Contributions
3,240 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren’s School MealsI am more than happy to share those figures on benefit rates with my noble friend sitting next to me on the Front Bench. More seriously, there are so many variables in this. I…27 Mar 2023HANSARDChildren’s School MealsI am not aware that anyone is demonising fat, but there is a very serious issue about education. The percentage of children who are either overweight or obese rose very sharply…27 Mar 2023HANSARDChildren’s School MealsJust to make sure that I have not confused the House, levels of obesity and children who are overweight rose very sharply during lockdown. Levels have come back, depending on the…27 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsI think I have already addressed Horizon. My noble friend may be aware that the Secretary of State at DSIT met with the EU’s ambassador to the UK, Pedro Serrano, on 14 March and…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsI cannot argue with the noble Lord’s figures; I do not have them directly in front of me. Obviously, the balance in the relationship between government and universities, as…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsThe Government absolutely agree that we need a diverse population of international students. The noble Lord mentions India and Nigeria; those were two of the countries that were…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsI am more than happy to take that back to the department.21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsMy Lords, in 2019 we published the International Education Strategy , which commits to hosting at least 600,000 international students per year by 2030. We have met that for two…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsI really do not recognise what the noble Lord is saying. In 2019, we had 496,000 international students coming to this country; last year, there were 679,000. We have introduced a…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsI am not sure that I agree entirely with the noble Lord. We are interested in a diversity of students from different parts of the world. I am not clear from the noble Lord’s…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsI cannot really comment on the experience of youngsters in Scotland. I can say that, from our perspective in England, we believe that the presence of international students is a…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsQuite obviously, in all areas of policy there are different aspects which we would consider in great detail—the economic impact, our international soft power, which I mentioned,…21 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Higher Education StudentsThe Government are looking at the range of countries that we should prioritise beyond our initial focus. Saudi Arabia is obviously an important strategic partner for us on many…21 Mar 2023HANSARDHigher Education (Freedom of Speech) BillThat this House do not insist on its Amendment 10, to which the Commons have disagreed for their Reason 10A.21 Mar 2023HANSARDUniversities: Impact of Industrial Action on StudentsI am very happy to take back my noble friend’s recommendation to the Office for Students.16 Mar 2023HANSARDUniversities: Impact of Industrial Action on StudentsMy Lords, while the Government play no role in such disputes, we continue to monitor the impact of strikes with employers and their representatives. This Government set up the…16 Mar 2023HANSARDUniversities: Impact of Industrial Action on StudentsOn the noble Lord’s question relating to the role of the Office for Students, obviously it is the regulator of higher education in this country; it does not get involved in…16 Mar 2023HANSARDUniversities: Impact of Industrial Action on StudentsUniversities have obligations under their conditions of registration and under consumer law. Students can make complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. There were…16 Mar 2023HANSARDUniversities: Impact of Industrial Action on StudentsI am sympathetic to the points that the noble Lord makes, but, as the House is aware, universities are autonomous. As autonomous institutions, they are responsible for pay and…16 Mar 2023HANSARDUniversities: Impact of Industrial Action on StudentsObviously, the noble Baroness brings many years of expertise to this matter, but I think that employers in universities and other sectors of the economy are suffering great…16 Mar 2023