Contributions
755 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Seventh sitting)Thank you, Sir Christopher, and thank you for your kind words and those of other Committee members. The amendment seeks to require providers to report quarterly to the Office for…16 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Seventh sitting)I disagree with the hon. Gentleman about the reverse effect. A key part of the legislation is that it will place a duty on providers to promote free speech. If the opposite were…16 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Seventh sitting)I will try to be brief and not take interventions, given the time. Amendment 74 seeks to ensure that university authorities set out procedures to facilitate peaceful protest on…16 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)I have committed to the Committee today to consider this further as the Bill progresses through the House.15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)The right hon. Gentleman can be assured that I work very closely with the Office for Students and intend to continue to do so in the formulation of the guidance. It is important…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)I really do want to get to amendment 31, but I will let the right hon. Gentleman in.15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)I am always only too happy to meet the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston, and to discuss this Bill in particular, so I can commit to that. Amendment 31 seeks to expand the…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)Thank you, Sir Christopher. While I recognise the hon. Gentleman’s points, this Bill does cover accommodation that is in different locations. Multiple universities and higher…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)Amendment 71 seeks to override the law on harassment so that higher education providers would be required to take reasonably practicable steps to secure freedom of speech in…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)Amendment 52 seeks to make clear that the duty of higher education providers to take reasonably practicable steps to secure freedom of speech applies in relation to the use of…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)The director and the OfS will be publishing their own guidance, and it would not be appropriate for me to pre-empt that. I would, however, expect there to be a reference to…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)If I could continue, the Government recognise that a provider will be best placed to consider, on a case-by-case basis, how to fulfil its duties under the Bill while also meeting…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Sixth sitting)Academic freedom would indeed cover academics’ own research; the research of students would be covered by the broader freedom of speech. If it were the Government interfering with…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)I wholeheartedly agree with my right hon. Friend that neither universities nor anybody else should be over-interpreting the Equality Act. That will be made clear in the guidance…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)Importantly, they will be covered by the overarching protections in relation to freedom of speech when they speak at other institutions. As for members, they are specifically…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)Amendment 29 seeks to expand the notion of who is a member of a higher education provider to include affiliated academics and other individuals holding academic positions.…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Sixth sitting)If the hon. Member will forgive me, I will carry on and respond to her point regarding the balancing act that universities will perform. Holocaust deniers often have clear links…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Sixth sitting)It is a pleasure to work with you today, Mrs Cummins. These amendments seek to extend academic freedom protections to students as well as academic staff. Where clause 1 provides…15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank the right hon. Member for his question. There is no point in duplicating in the Bill, because academic freedom is a subset of freedom of speech. That is clearly accepted.15 Sept 2021HANSARD Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill (Fifth sitting)The amendments relate to the new aspect of the free speech duty that will require higher education providers to pay particular regard to the importance of lawful freedom of speech…15 Sept 2021