Contributions
1,077 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I am glad that the hon. Gentleman raised that question. That has long been the lament. I speak to my colleagues who were involved in skills policy under the Labour Government, and…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)My hon. Friend makes an important point. We feel very strongly that we need investment in skills, but we also need a strategic approach that brings in different Government…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I thank the hon. Lady for that intervention. I accept that she has a long track record in this sector, and that is an important contribution to this debate. The investment in…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I encourage my hon. Friend to expand on that point, because he is absolutely right. It is remarkable that the Government have been forced to introduce Government amendment 5,…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)It was such a controversial intervention that people wanted to intervene on it. I do not entirely accept what the hon. Member for Great Grimsby says—that a university degree is…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)Sure. I take your point, Mrs Miller. However, the intervention from the hon. Member for Great Grimsby highlights an important broader issue: of course skills and vocational…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I will give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Denton and Reddish; then, if my hon. Friend the Member for Luton South wishes to come in, I will take her intervention.30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)Absolutely. To return to the subject of the amendment concerning mayoral combined authorities, the phrase “due consideration” is noticeably vague. The kind of due consideration…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I agree with that absolutely. The next part of that—to extend what my hon. Friend is saying—is to ask whether there is a right of appeal for a combined authority or metro Mayor in…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)What does the hon. Gentleman say to my earlier point, which was that what he is saying is exactly what has been said about every single Conservative skills reform in the last 11…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)My hon. Friend is making an incredibly important point, which is at the heart of the difference between Labour and Conservative approaches. This Government’s approach is about…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)My hon. Friend is making an incredibly important point. We have a couple of enthusiasts for devolution of power on the Government side of the Committee, but I fear they may be…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)The Minister may have received guidance that might help him, but as I understood it, paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection (6) all remain in the Bill; he is simply adding…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)These are four significant amendments. Notwithstanding the assurances that we have just received from the Minister, they specifically take out what I think was a very strong…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I agree with my hon. Friend. She is right that Government amendment 6 removes the words, “in partnership with local authorities, including the Mayoral Combined Authorities and…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)In terms of areas that are not already devolved, that is absolutely right, and adult education budgets will be very relevant. Hon. Members will be pleased to know that I will not…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for saying that, and I agree. Government amendment 7 is consequential to Government amendment 6, and she is right about what that means. We have real…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)My hon. Friend worries with due cause. Since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, small businesses have found it incredibly difficult to access apprenticeships. There has…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)I fear it is actually worse. The Government amendment agreed by the Committee a moment ago did give a role to mayoral combined authorities, but that role was that the Secretary of…30 Nov 2021HANSARDSkills and Post-16 Education Bill (First sitting)On a point of order, Mrs Miller. Do we not decide on the other Government amendments? Are we doing those later?30 Nov 2021