Contributions
201 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL]My Lords, I have a tactic nowadays of speaking towards the end, when everybody else has said it better than I can. I just want to add that I have put my name to Amendment 18, and…26 Nov 2024HANSARDInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL]Before the Minister sits down, can I ask for a bit of clarification here? The Minister has described Skills England as an arm’s-length body a couple of times today. I apologise if…26 Nov 2024HANSARDInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL]My Lords, I was at Second Reading. I am a teacher and an optimist, and I genuinely trust the Government. As the noble Lord, Lord Knight, said, we all desperately want this to…21 Nov 2024HANSARDInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL]My Lords, I shall speak briefly to Amendments 2 and 6, to which I have added my name. The great thing about following so many intelligent noble Lords is that I have little to say.…21 Nov 2024HANSARDInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL]My Lords, reluctant as I am to join the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, in the bonfire of the clauses, I rather took against Clause 6 and was advised by the Table Office that this…21 Nov 2024HANSARDInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL]My Lords, I thank everybody who took part in this short debate. It is always quite exciting to see the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, describe herself as baffled—in my short career…21 Nov 2024HANSARDBus FundingMy Lords, on 5 November, London bus drivers marched on Westminster to complain about their working conditions, including that most routes now have toilet facilities only at one…19 Nov 2024HANSARDCurriculum and Assessment ReviewMy Lords, I declare an interest as a state secondary schoolteacher. Does the Minister agree that it is ridiculous that our children leave school now with a very good knowledge of…18 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]My Lords, I declare my interest as a lapsed Torquay United fan and a “606” listener. I thank the Minister for her time, both in the introduction and in her very good briefing…13 Nov 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords ReformMy Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Lawlor. On 13 October 2022, I won a Cross-Bench by-election by one vote, causing the noble Lord, Lord Grocott,…12 Nov 2024HANSARDInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL]My Lords, as ever, I declare my interest as a teacher in a state secondary school in east London. I thank the organisations that briefed us—there were a lot of them. I also…22 Oct 2024HANSARDPedal CyclesMy Lords, I too thank my noble friend Lord Hogan-Howe, for initiating this important debate. I am a cyclist in London, my children cycle to school and my wife cycles to work. We…12 Sept 2024HANSARDBus FranchisingMy Lords, if we are going to use TfL and the London bus network as the example for going around the country, the dread problem of safety goes around again. Carrying on from the…12 Sept 2024HANSARDLocal Bus SectorMy Lords, while we talk about support for buses, I think we ought also to talk about support for bus safety. I quote the BBC website from this morning: “At present there is no…09 Sept 2024HANSARDIndependent Schools: VAT ExemptionMy Lords, I must join the chorus of thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Lexden, and pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Barran; we may have disagreed at times when she was a…05 Sept 2024HANSARDRelationships, Sex and Health Education: Statutory GuidanceMy Lords, I declare an interest as somebody who has delivered quite a lot of sex and relationships education lessons. I welcome a lot of what is going on here. I think…16 May 2024HANSARDCommunity Sports: Impact on Young PeopleMy Lords, it is always a joy to follow the noble Lord, Lord Polak, and I join in the chorus of thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Wood of Anfield, for tabling this important debate.…16 May 2024HANSARDPublic Bus CollisionsI thank the Minister for his Answer. Every six weeks, according to Transport for London’s own statistics, on average one person is killed and 100 people hospitalised by…13 May 2024HANSARDPublic Bus CollisionsTo ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce deaths and injuries of vulnerable road users from public bus collisions in England.13 May 2024HANSARDSkills: Importance for the UK Economy and Quality of LifeMy Lords, as ever, I declare my interest as a state secondary school teacher in Hackney. I join the chorus of thanks to my noble friend Lord Aberdare for this opportunity to…09 May 2024