Contributions
529 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsPerhaps I could start by asking the Schools Minister a question, since he is here. The Secretary of State has repeatedly said that every child would return to school in September,…12 Oct 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsI welcome the Secretary of State to his place. On 1 October, he said that people must be given “the opportunity to retrain and upskill” —[ Official Report , 1 October 2020; Vol.…12 Oct 2020HANSARDLifetime Skills Guarantee and Post-16 EducationI thank the Secretary of State for his statement and particularly for ensuring that I had early advance sight of it. As the right hon. Gentleman said, on the Labour side of the…01 Oct 2020HANSARD Point of OrderOn a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I hope the Secretary of State will be able to stay on in the Chamber for this matter. I have notified him, but I apologise: I suspect he…01 Oct 2020HANSARD Point of OrderVery wise. In his statement on the return of students to university on Tuesday, the Secretary of State made two claims that I believed were not fully accurate, and later that day…01 Oct 2020HANSARDDraft Apprenticeships (Alternative English Completion Conditions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Elliott. I thank the Minister for her opening remarks and also for her letter to my hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield…30 Sept 2020HANSARDDraft Apprenticeships (Alternative English Completion Conditions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020I, too, was interested in what the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North said about the kickstart scheme, because obviously, ideally, there would be a continuum from kickstart to…30 Sept 2020HANSARD Students’ Return to UniversitiesI thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for advance sight of it. I am glad that, after a decade of slashing funding for further education, the Conservatives have…29 Sept 2020HANSARD United Kingdom Internal Market BillOn a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. All Members must be as accurate as possible when they speak in the House, and none more so than Cabinet Ministers. Today, in response to…29 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersNo, I will not—I am going to make some progress. What is not acceptable is that we ended up in a system of utter chaos when results were declared: chaos that was deeply…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersNobody has said that centre-assessed grades are perfect. On the day that the Leader of the Opposition called for them, he acknowledged that problem, but we were in such an extreme…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersMy hon. Friend speaks for the constituents of hon. Members all around the House. Indeed, I expect that we may hear some examples of that in the course of the debate. Those…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersNo, I will not. [ Interruption. ] I will not give way to the right hon. Gentleman. It was repeated incompetence right at the heart of this Government that led to this year’s exams…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersI understand the difficulties that the Government faced in an unprecedented and utterly unpredictable situation, and I understand that the Secretary of State did not see the…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersOver the past few weeks, we have seen the danger—indeed, the folly—of having put all the eggs into one single, end-of-year final-examination basket. That innovation was, of…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersI beg to move, That an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, that she will be graciously pleased to give a direction to Her Ministers to provide all correspondence,…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersI am glad that the right hon. Gentleman asked that question, because initially the Welsh Labour Government intended to rely on the AS-levels, which, of course, they could do…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersYes indeed we do, but the Government need to start to plan that now so that markers can be recruited, schools can schedule their learning and teaching, and UCAS and universities…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersI have always been clear, and the leader of the Labour party has always been clear, that students must return to class this September, and we are very pleased that the vast…09 Sept 2020HANSARD Awarding of Qualifications: Role of MinistersNo, I will carry on if the hon. Member will forgive me, because others will want to speak.09 Sept 2020