Contributions
84 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillPerhaps I might build on that point. There seems to be a lot of conflation in this debate between home education and children who are missing education or invisible. It seems that…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I want to clarify that, while I personally oppose the register totally, if there must be a register, I am proposing practical amendments. I believe the numbers shared…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI am sorry to interrupt the Minister, but is it not the case that if a determined local authority objects to home-schooling, they could start a process of investigating a family…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I will speak to Amendments 230, 254, 323 to 326 and 423, all of which stand in my name. The creation of a register, though flawed, is fundamentally intended to identify…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I will speak to Amendment 212 and the related amendment to Clause 30. Taken together, these amendments aim to restore vital balance and proportion to the question of…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI thank the Minister and my noble friend Lady Barran for their comments. Frankly, I am disappointed. I feel that many of the measures that I have proposed are designed to help our…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, I rise to speak to Amendments 203A and Amendment 215A, and to give moral support to Amendment 221. Before turning to these provisions, I wish to reflect briefly on the…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI am grateful to the Minister. I believe that this appeal process to the Secretary of State already exists. Clearly, it is a very difficult situation for the Secretary of State to…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillI am referring to other instances, which home-educated families have referenced, where they have written to the Secretary of State for Education —under the current regime, not the…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillWe have heard in discussing this group of amendments a number of excellent suggestions for trying to take the edge off these complex—as the noble Lord, Lord Hacking, said—and, in…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords I rise to speak to my Amendments 218, 223, 381, 403 and 418. Together, they seek to introduce fairness, balance and accountability into the Bill and to support families…03 Jul 2025HANSARDChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools BillMy Lords, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to speak today—heavy because the legislation before us cuts to the very fabric of our democratic society, which was built on freedom…01 May 2025HANSARDLong-duration Energy Storage (Science and Technology Committee Report)My Lords, I extend my gratitude to the noble Baroness, Lady Brown, for initiating this crucial debate. I too am very much looking forward to the maiden speech by the Minister, the…09 Jan 2025HANSARDPupil Mental Health, Well-being and DevelopmentMy Lords, I extend my gratitude to the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, for initiating this vital debate, and declare my interests as a parent of home-educated and state-educated…22 Feb 2024HANSARDScience and Technology Superpower (Science and Technology Committee Report)My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Brown, for tabling this debate and ably chairing our Select Committee, and to the team supporting it. I declare an interest as…07 Jun 2023HANSARDHer Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIMy Lords, what else is there to say after so many heartfelt, excellent and eloquent tributes both in this Chamber and beyond? Upon her passing, as ever in life, our late Queen…10 Sept 2022HANSARDSchools Bill [HL]My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 119, and am generally supportive of a lot of the other amendments relating to mental health. Amendment 119 is conceived as a means to cut…18 Jul 2022HANSARDSchools Bill [HL]My Lords, I will speak to my Amendment 118 and in support of Amendment 74. As I said before, I have real concerns. I accept the intentions of the Government as stated by my noble…18 Jul 2022