Contributions
1,367 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI am grateful to my hon. Friend for her questions and her approach, and I look forward to discussing these issues with the Select Committee in due course should its members so…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI am afraid I am not going to do that without having reviewed exactly what the right hon. Gentleman said, Madam Deputy Speaker. I know him quite well. The Department for Education…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachWhat we inherited from the previous Government was not a genuine attempt to solve a genuine problem; it was a mess designed to put party ahead of country. We saw a misplaced…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachMy hon. Friend is absolutely right that freedom of speech cuts both ways, and Conservative Members would sometimes do well to reflect on that, too. Sometimes, students can be…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI will ensure that my hon. Friend’s point is taken up. Many have raised very serious concerns about antisemitism on campus and its impact on Jewish students, and I can see no good…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI give my hon. Friend that assurance. That is also why, as one of the measures that I intend to return to, we must look again at the board and executive appointments to the Office…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachThat is absolutely essential. The same is true for Jewish students and others from minority groups as they go about their business at school and college. Sadly, I have heard too…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachWith permission, I shall make a statement on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. In July 2024 I paused further commencement of the Act in response to concerns…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachMy hon. Friend, through his background in higher education, knows all too well how essential it is that young people and students from a range of different backgrounds are exposed…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI am grateful to the former Secretary of State for his question. He will appreciate that this will be an independent regulator, and that there is a limit to what I can set out on…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachIt is important that any legislation in this area is fair, proportionate and workable, and that is what we have sought to achieve through the wider engagement and consultation…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI am afraid I did not quite catch the very last part of the right hon. Gentleman’s questions, but I will happily look in Hansard and return to him on that point.15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI am grateful to my hon. Friend for sharing those comments. I pay tribute to the Union of Jewish Students for the amazing work it does every day to support Jewish students on…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachYes, that is crucial. We know that the chance to study at university is life changing for so many students. That is of course the case for younger students—those who have what…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI think we can all learn from Frank Field, who brought wisdom to a range of areas. We can all reflect on the need to keep our views under constant review to ensure that we…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachYes. One of the many brilliant aspects of our country’s higher education sector is its diversity—smaller institutions, larger ones and those that bring a wealth of difference,…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachOn the timescale, this is a complex area, but in a little over six months we have consulted a wide range of stakeholders and considered all views, which is why I am able to return…15 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising those questions. I will start where we agree, and then move on to where I might disagree with him. I agree that freedom of speech…15 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillWe will of course always keep further action under review. Through the child poverty taskforce, which I co-chair the Work and Pensions Secretary, we are considering what further…08 Jan 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI will come on to the wider point of collaboration later in my speech. Collaboration across the school system is crucial, but my hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the…08 Jan 2025