Contributions
579 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Third sitting)Q You reflected on the implications of exercising academic freedom. I think Professor Goodwin hinted on the loss of posts by some colleagues. I would be interested if you could…13 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Third sitting)Q Thank you. Would you also reflect on another statement made in that submission? “Speakers” —presumably at events— “should be of the highest quality and have expertise in their…13 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Third sitting)Thank you. That gives me time for a second question, if I may, Sir Christopher.13 Sept 2021HANSARDTigrayThank you for calling me, Mr Davies. I declare my interest as co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Eritrea. I thank the hon. Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion) not…08 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q Good afternoon. Can I take you to the very first clause and the wording “reasonably practicable”? Do you think the duty to take “reasonably practicable” steps to secure freedom…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)That is very interesting. Smita Jamdar: I know. I may not be right about that, so I would have to look at the legislation.07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)Q The problem that you are raising is that there is quite a broad range of statements that could be not protected by the Bill because they are considered harassing. That is an…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)Q Very briefly, in your experience, you believe that there is a real issue to be addressed in terms of freedom of speech and loss of employment or tenure. Professor Biggar: Yes.…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)Q Dr Ahmed, in your evidence you say that there are several threats to free speech in higher education. You talk about two: self-censorship and regulation. Could you unpack those…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)Q Thank you. The second point that I want to draw out is that you say that the Bill does not give academic staff access to affordable justice via an employment tribunal in the…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q Thank you. Can I just probe you a little further? What is the distinction between “reasonably practicable” and “reasonably necessary”? Smita Jamdar: Again, the question of why…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)Q I wonder whether you could consider whether the words “within the law” at the very start of the Bill, which is such an important clause, could perhaps be replaced by the words…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q May I look at the subsection after the one you have quoted from. Subsection (2) states that the “objective is securing freedom of speech within the law”. Is there some merit in…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q Good afternoon, and thank you for coming to speak to us, Mr Simpson. You have written extensively on this issue, including a substantial paper you co-wrote in 2020 entitled…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q Thank you. That is a very relevant point. In fact, I will turn to proposed new part A3 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, which is the “Duty to promote the…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (First sitting)Q You say that the Bill, although plainly not enough in itself, could be a first step “towards recreating a culture of robust and completely open debate without which a university…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q Good afternoon, Dr Harris. Do you think the duty to take reasonably practicable steps to secure free speech is adequate—the duty in clause 1 and elsewhere in the Bill? Dr…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)That was my next question, so thank you for answering it in advance.07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q In your evidence, you say that you “believe Parliament should decide, in this Bill, how this conflict is to be resolved”— the conflict being that between whether provocative…07 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Second sitting)Q The word “reasonable” qualifies it, so that for example if security costs were a quarter of a million pounds those steps probably would not come within the clause, but if…07 Sept 2021