Contributions
1,478 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)I want to draw attention to the points that have been raised by the Social Market Foundation and Universities UK on how important qualifications such as BTECs have been. There is…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)So many senior experienced educationalists from previous Administrations over the decades—notably on the Conservative side, but also the likes of Lord Blunkett—came together. They…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)Clearly, the new clause is quite simply about, as my hon. Friend is saying, ensuring that there is scrutiny of the actions and the role of these bodies and that they are actually…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)I simply urge the hon. Lady to retract what she said in her point about Opposition Members being lobbied by Pearson.02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)Am I right in thinking that Lord Baker was also involved?02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under you in the chair again, Mr Efford. I will just add a simple point. I appreciate that it is always difficult in these situations for a Minister, but…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)I would like to think that the hon. Lady does have something positive to contribute. I say that as an act of decency, really. Like many Members in this room, I am sure, I found…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)Just to be clear, I do not think I implied that at all. What I am saying is that, speaking to businesses, including some major businesses in and around my constituency that I talk…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)I want to clarify a point—really just for my own clarification. What number of GCSEs are people supposed to have, and at what grade, before they are eligible to take a T-level,…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)Will the Minister give way?02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)In terms of the qualification.02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)I take the Minister’s point, but that decision was reached and agreed across the parties in the House of Lords. The Lords accepted that BTECs are a qualification, along with AGQs…02 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)I do not want to rehearse points that have already been made, but I highlight the fact that BTECs are written into the Bill, which refers on page 10 to “BTECs, AGQ or a Diploma”.…02 Dec 2021HANSARDQuarries (Planning)I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to introduce a presumption in planning decision-making against approving quarry development in close proximity to…01 Dec 2021HANSARD Shotton Steelworks: 125th AnniversaryI applaud the Minister’s ambition in seeking to address energy costs in the energy-intensive industries that he has just identified. Would he welcome and support a move towards a…01 Dec 2021HANSARD Shotton Steelworks: 125th AnniversaryI listened closely to what my right hon. Friend said about energy. On the point about costs, the Labour party’s proposal to introduce a total review of business rates is critical…01 Dec 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (Second sitting)My hon. Friend has given a thorough analysis on all these amendments; I will just pick up on a couple of points. On amendment 33, I want to highlight how important the skills and…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (Second sitting)To illustrate that point, clearly in the health sector we need to assess what the challenges are for our communities and populations. While there is a national picture, there will…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)Back in the mid-2000s, did not the Labour Government, who predated my time here, introduce national skills academies? The whole point of them was to develop skills across the…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (Second sitting)Briefly, the amendments seek to reflect the reality on the ground, as we have heard. Let us think about HS2 and what has been happening. We have had years—decades—of plans for…30 Nov 2021