Contributions
1,330 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEquality Act 2010: Supreme Court JudgmentThe theme of my responses today to the questions asked is precisely to try to follow the legal and correct process here, and to avoid legal uncertainty for providers in the…27 Nov 2025HANSARDEquality Act 2010: Supreme Court JudgmentMy Lords, the Services, Public Functions and Associations : Code of Practice provides guidance on all protected characteristics, not solely sex and gender reassignment. As the…27 Nov 2025HANSARDEquality Act 2010: Supreme Court JudgmentI wholly agree with the noble Baroness on her last point, which is precisely why it is important that we consider the code appropriately, as laid out in law in the Equality Act…27 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingNo, that is not true. The noble Baroness is keen on facts and concerned about the closure of private schools, as would anybody be if a school was closing. I hope she will be…25 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingNo, the Opposition have not apologised, and nor would I necessarily expect them to. That will not stop me continuing, as I think my noble friend has invited me, to identify the…25 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingIf a young person has an education, health and care plan that identifies a private school for them, their parents will not be impacted by VAT on private school fees. Equally, most…25 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingMy Lords, private school pupil numbers remain firmly within historical patterns, with no evidence of excessive pressure on the state system. We are confident that the state sector…25 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingI am not sure that is unusual. It has always been the case that in order to benefit from a private education, you need to be able to afford it. The vast majority of children in…25 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingThe Treasury’s analysis of this policy suggested that it would be able to raise around £1.8 billion a year by the 2029-30 financial year. As I identified in my first Answer, in…25 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingNo. The number of new teachers in secondary and special schools, where the demographic need particularly is, is increasing due to the investment that we have been able to put into…25 Nov 2025HANSARDSchools: FundingThe point I was making was that the VAT on private schools is raising £1.8 billion a year, and in just one year we are investing £3.7 billion in the increase in the core schools…25 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaI have just faced two questions that suggest I am avoiding the difficulties that might occur with labelling. I fall somewhere between these two points: I think it is important to…17 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaI think I said that I completely understand that children who have difficulties in maths, including those with dyscalculia, will need support. My emphasis was on the action that…17 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaThe noble Lord makes a very important point about how we need to support the workforce in schools to meet the needs of children. These children deserve cutting-edge pedagogy that…17 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaMy Lords, we know that some children face real challenges in maths, particularly those with dyscalculia and other special educational needs. That is why we are supporting schools…17 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaI suspect it is, as other things would also be. The noble Lord makes an important point, which goes to the point I made in my first two responses. It is important that we identify…17 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaThe Government will be introducing a reading assessment in year 8, on the basis that we think reading is the thing most likely to open up the rest of the curriculum and the…17 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaIn the new framework that has been set out, we are expecting Ofsted to place more emphasis than has been the case previously on the extent to which schools are achieving the type…17 Nov 2025HANSARDDyscalculiaMy Lords, I very much recognise what my noble friend says about the challenges that children with dyscalculia have in relation to their maths. Probably where we differ is on…17 Nov 2025HANSARDTeachers: Music, Drama, Art and Design, and DanceMy noble friend is right that we have to deal with the previous Government’s underinvestment in teachers and the narrowing of the curriculum, which limited students’ ability to…17 Nov 2025