Lord Reid of Cardowan
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty as follows:
“Most Gracious Sovereign—We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to thank Your Majesty for the most gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament”.
The Minister of State, Department for Education (Baroness Smith of Malvern) (Lab) (Maiden Speech)
My Lords, it is an enormous honour to deliver my maiden speech in introducing today’s debate on creating opportunity through education and skills, early years, children’s social care and healthcare. When I first entered the other place, I determined to spend a considerable amount of time in the Chamber. My sudden and surprising appointment as a Minister last week, with my introduction only yesterday, means that I have not been able to absorb quite so much here. I can assure noble Lords that I have given it a go with the methods available to me, but I am in absolutely no doubt that YouTube, and even the excellent parliamentary TV, cannot possibly emulate the vivid reality that I am now experiencing. I look forward to learning quickly, not just about the ways of working in this place but also from the enormous range of experience that I know rests with your Lordships.
In my ministerial portfolio, however, I am blessed with some prior experience. It is 25 years, almost to the day, since I first entered the Department for Education as a Schools Minister. In that role, I could reflect on my previous teaching career of 11 years, in Worcestershire schools and at Worcester Sixth Form College, and on the experiences of those close to me. I am surrounded by educators: both my parents were teachers, my father being both a head teacher and the principal of an adult education college; my sister has just finished a distinguished teaching career, while my son is just starting his; and my partner is a senior university academic. Colleagues have told me that I can expect forensic and informed but civil challenge in this Chamber. As noble Lords can see, I also get that at home—just without the civil bit.
Of course, I will miss the other roles that I have played since my last ministerial career. I chaired the Jo Cox Foundation, where I am particularly grateful to the wonderful staff and the board as well as to both the noble Baroness, Lady Bertin, and my noble friend Lord Coaker, who chaired our Civility Commission to tackle the abuse and intimidation that blights our democracy. I also chaired the Sandwell Children’s Trust, where I worked with committed social workers and other staff safeguarding the most vulnerable children and families. Of course, there is also the “For The Many” podcast, which I have been doing with LBC’s Iain Dale for seven years—starting long before others jumped on the bandwagon of doing a podcast with two opposing political views.
As the former chair of two internationally recognised health trusts, in University Hospitals Birmingham and Barts Health, and of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust—the most improved NHS trust last year—I will listen with interest to both my noble friend Lady Merron and other noble Lords, as we discuss the challenges for our healthcare and the commitment from this Government to mend a broken system.
Before I go further, I pay tribute to my predecessor, the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, who has shown a tireless dedication to reducing the number of children in underperforming schools. I thank her for her work and wish her well.
We will create a new era of opportunity, especially for those who have seen nothing but dead ends and closed doors—like the parents who are struggling to pay for childcare; like the children whose life chances are damaged through persistent absence from school; or like the workers who are sidelined by technological whirlwinds that have left them wondering what has happened to their jobs. Whatever the source, we will work to break down these barriers to opportunity and deliver greater economic growth, better health and education excellence for everyone.
I will start with the most important people in society, the youngest and the most vulnerable: our children. A children’s well-being Bill will ensure that the first years of a child’s life give them the best start possible. We will ensure consistently high and rising standards across the whole education system. Early years are a vital period for children to flourish and they are not going to do that if they are not in school or able to concentrate when they get there. This is why we will introduce universal breakfast clubs in every primary school for all children. This will help children learn, help get them into school and into school on time. Funded breakfast clubs can help boost attendance, and we know that persistent absence can cripple a child’s learning and long-term life chances. It will also help their families cope with cost of living pressures. On that, families will be further supported to make ends meet by ensuring the affordability of school uniforms, building on the good work started by my noble friend Lady Lister of Burtersett.
We want to see more children in school for more of the time but, wherever they are, children need to be kept safe and have the best chance of learning. So we will create registers of children not in school and expect local authorities to maintain them. We will also expect parents to do their bit by keeping local authorities informed. Your Lordships have already shared your thoughts on children not in school in the previous Schools Bill. It has greatly strengthened the work that we are doing now and I thank you. There will also be a duty on local authorities to provide support to families who choose to educate children at home. In this way, fewer children will slip under the radar when they are not in school and more children will reach their potential through suitable education.
We will make changes to the regulation and inspection of independent schools, including by providing Ofsted with stronger powers to investigate the offence of operating an unregistered school. We will move to enable serious teacher misconduct to be further investigated.
We are committed to the highest possible standards for every child, wherever they are or whatever their circumstances. This is especially important for children with special educational needs and disabilities. I know that there is a great deal of interest and expertise in this place, and I can assure you that I will be looking to harness your collective wisdom as we drive the change that is needed.
Many academy trusts have vastly improved school standards, particularly in the poorest-performing schools in the country. We want to work collaboratively with them to make decisions that best enable schools to support their pupils. In the case of the curriculum and qualified teachers, we think it is right that we require a high-quality national curriculum to be taught in all schools by qualified teachers. We will continue to explore other ways to raise school standards and improve fairness for every child. Today, we have delivered the Government’s commitment to an independent, expert-led review of curriculum and assessment to ensure high standards in the curriculum in England, greater attention to breadth and flexibility, and that no child or young person is left behind.
Our responsibility is greatest where children cannot depend on their own families for their safety and opportunity. We will extend the protections that exist for the most vulnerable children and those in care. I know from my recent experience chairing the Sandwell Children’s Trust that, despite the excellent work of our children’s social care workforce, we are not doing well enough for the most vulnerable children and families. In particular, it is difficult to find the right, loving places for children to live when they cannot stay with their family. This is devastating for children, but this market failure has also driven enormous cost for children’s social care. Profiteering in the children’s homes market is totally unacceptable and we will crack down on it. We will also strengthen the regulation of the sector and ensure that the people who are working so hard for children in care and those who need our protection get better support. This is part and parcel of making this a fairer society for everyone, where excellence is something for all, not just the most fortunate.
All our missions are driven by the need for economic growth, and it is no secret that growth and the opportunities that flow from it are being held back by a yawning skills gap. Growth and skills go hand in hand, which is why we are building a coherent, joined-up plan for the future. This will be a major focus for me personally: I have taken on the skills, further and higher education brief, and I will be working across government to make sure that we have the commitment and collaboration that we need to drive growth and secure opportunities for all. We will launch “Skills England”, which will drive forward the Government’s plans to tackle skills shortages and support sustained economic growth. It will unify the skills landscape, bringing together employers, trade unions and training providers to ensure that skills policies align with the broader economic ambitions set out in the Government’s industrial strategy. It will be able to identify where skills gaps exist now, what we need for the future and how we can plug those gaps.
Our university sector is one of this country’s greatest enablers. It provides opportunities for people to follow their passions and expand their horizons. Through research and teaching, it enables us to challenge our understanding and develop new ideas. In many communities, it provides a vital anchor for wider economic development. Our universities are vital engines for economic growth and opportunity for everybody throughout their lives. I am well aware that many of your Lordships are leaders within the higher education community, and I know how interested and concerned you will be that we have plans to safeguard it for future generations. I will not be shy about seeking your considerable wisdom as we work through our plans to deliver this.
On healthcare, healthy lives are the bedrock of opportunity throughout our lives, and we now have a considerable bank of evidence to guide us in the next steps to take. It is a terrifying thought that in just the time I have been speaking, around 16 people in England will have been admitted to hospital because of smoking. The strengthened tobacco and vapes Bill will be a landmark step in creating a smoke-free UK. It will introduce a progressive smoking ban, gradually ending the sale of tobacco products across the country. When I was last in government we raised the legal age at which people can be sold cigarettes and banned smoking in pubs and restaurants. We now have the chance to finish the job. Vapes have a key role to play in helping smokers to quit, but where vape manufacturers deliberately target and market vapes at children we will put a stop to such advertising.
Healthy habits that are built in childhood will pay dividends as children get older. Our children need protection and support for the best start in life. More than one in five children in reception class is currently overweight or obese. By year 6, that figure has shot up to one in three, with grave repercussions for their future health and for the NHS. Through the child health action plan, we will cut the amount of TV and online advertising of less healthy food to children and ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s. These measures will contribute to the Government’s commitment to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.
Poor mental health can be a massive barrier to opportunity and learning at any age. We are working hard to promote good mental health and well-being for everyone: from the earliest stages, with a specialist mental health professional in every school, and with young futures hubs, which will offer additional access to mental health support workers for young people at a time when they so desperately need that intervention, when they will have to wait too long for other mental health services.
It is a sad fact that rates of detention under the Mental Health Act have nearly doubled since it came into place in 1983, so the mental health Bill will deliver our manifesto commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act. It will give patients greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights and support, to make sure that everybody is treated with dignity and respect during their treatment.
My professional life has been about ensuring opportunities for learning and for better, safer and healthier lives. I know that this mission is shared by this House. It is an enormous honour to now be able to work alongside your Lordships to ensure that this Government can translate our shared objective into opportunities for all to flourish, and so that all can succeed in their lives, regardless of where they start and the hurdles they need to overcome.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
My Lords, it is a tremendous honour to be closing today’s debate on behalf of His Majesty’s Government. I extend my thanks to His Majesty for his gracious Speech, and to all noble Lords for their thoughtful contributions and questions. On behalf of myself and my noble friend Lady Smith—this one, of Malvern—I also say how much we have appreciated such generous words of welcome and encouragement from across the House. I assure your Lordships’ House that we will always do our best. My noble friend Lady Smith made a fine maiden speech, exhibiting her characteristic intelligence, warmth and skill, which the House will continue to see in her new position on the Front Bench. I served in the other place with my noble friend—it does feel rather like we are getting the band back together.
I pay tribute to my predecessor, the noble Lord, Lord Markham. He was unfailingly collegiate, professional and caring. I know that I, and all other noble Lords, really valued that. It is a great pleasure to see the noble Lord, Lord Evans, and the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, in their places. I have never doubted their commitment to making things better for people. I share in the assessment of the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, that she has indeed earned herself a gold star.
I was glad to see the noble Lord, Lord Storey, in his place. I look forward to working with the noble Baroness, Lady Tyler, and give special thanks from these Benches to the noble Lord, Lord Allan, for being such a constructive colleague.
I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Monckton, on her maiden speech, and I know that we very much look forward to hearing more from her with her great life experience, as well as her business experience. To the noble Baroness, Lady Jolly, we will certainly miss her wisdom and experience, and I wish her and her family many years of happiness and good health.
When I closed this debate the last time on behalf of the Official Opposition, I said:
“I can only hope that the next gracious Speech will be different and will grasp every opportunity for change”.—[Official Report, 9/11/23; cols. 253-55.]
Well, different it is and change there will be. All that we speak of today is against the backdrop of the most challenging circumstances since the Second World War. With no time to waste, therefore, the Chancellor is carrying out an urgent assessment of our spending inheritance and will be presenting the results to Parliament before the Summer Recess, so that the findings can inform every spending decision we make.
It is, like for many others, some 14 years since I served as a Health Minister in the other place. In that time, the challenges before us have widened and deepened. We now have the highest waiting lists and the lowest patient satisfaction, and we have an education system struggling to cope and employers struggling to find the skills they need. All of this is despite the best efforts of the workforce, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. This gracious Speech gives the hope and the means that the next generation will be healthier and better educated than any that has come before.
This has been a debate rich in constructive proposals and comment. It was absolutely marked by the amount of good will towards this new Government from across the Chamber, as people want to see change. Although I am buoyed up by that—in fact, I am rather touched by it—I must say to noble Lords that I promise I will not get used to it. I have also heard the points about what more could be done and what was not in the gracious Speech; I have heard the many valuable questions and challenges. I will reflect on those. Even though I will be unable to refer to all the points in my response today, I hope noble Lords will understand that that nevertheless means that I take their points extremely seriously.
Turning to the two health Bills, like many noble Lords, I am delighted that we are bringing forward a Bill to modernise the Mental Health Act. Through it, patients will be given greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights and support and we will ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As the gracious Speech confirmed and the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins, highlighted, we will ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health. Let me tell your Lordships’ House that this was music to the ears of the service users, campaigners and advocates with whom I met and spoke in my first few days in post.
Since the Mental Health Act was introduced in 1983, rates of detention have nearly doubled. Black people are three and a half times more likely to be detained under the Act, while four in 10 people with a learning disability who are cared for in hospital could be cared for in the community. This Act has been languishing on a 40-year waiting list, shaping the lives of people decades after it became law. So I commend the detailed work of the pre-legislative scrutiny Joint Committee, as well as the invaluable contributions by many noble Lords and others to develop this Bill through both the independent review and their absolute persistence and focus. Reform of the Act is long overdue, and we want to legislate as soon as possible while getting the details right.
The tobacco and vapes Bill will give a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end the vicious cycle of addiction to tobacco, which is the number one cause of death, disability and ill health. We will save the next generation from becoming hooked on tobacco and nicotine. Through this legislation, we will introduce a progressive smoking ban to gradually end the sale of tobacco products to those currently aged 15 and below. I say to the noble Lord, Lord Patel, that our primary focus will be protecting our children by banning vapes being deliberately branded for and targeted at them.
I turn to the education and skills Bills in the gracious Speech. As my noble friend Lady Smith said, we will transform the life chances for millions of children through not just the health measures in the gracious Speech but the children’s well-being Bill, which will raise school standards and open the doors of opportunity to every child. In bringing free breakfast clubs to every primary school, we want to see hungry minds, not hungry bellies. Breakfast clubs and school meals are about so much more than just food: I have seen them be a magnet for children to play and to learn, including learning how to be with others.
Barriers have stood in the way of young people achieving their potential, holding back individuals, society and economic growth. Skills shortage vacancies have more than doubled between 2017 and 2022 to more than 500,000, and the number of work visas granted increased by almost 80% between March 2022 and March 2024. Setting up Skills England will help us to close both these gaps. Uniting businesses, unions, combined authorities and government will make sure that training programmes are well designed and properly delivered to simplify the skills landscape for businesses and learners alike, ensuring that programmes can deliver the skills that businesses need to drive that all-important economic growth that so many noble Lords referred to. It will also create a formal link between migration data and skills policy, so that we can develop a homegrown, highly skilled workforce and reduce our reliance on migration.
A number of noble Lords raised several questions about T-levels and, more broadly, how we will support the many young people who leave education without the qualifications they may need to get on in life. To my noble friends Lord Knight, Lord Watson and Lady Morris, and the noble Baroness, Lady Garden, I say that qualifications are needed to deliver our mission to boost opportunity for everyone and to make sure that there are no glass ceilings holding back young people in our country. Our priority is to ensure that there are high-quality, accessible qualifications for all young people. T-levels provide a respected qualification for many, and we support their development, but we will be saying more about that soon and about how we will ensure that, where T-levels do not currently provide the necessary access, we do not leave leavers with no viable option.
On the points raised by the noble Lords, Lord Baker and Lord Aberdare, the Government have indeed already established an independent review of the curriculum. That will seek to ensure that the curriculum provides an excellent foundation, including those necessary digital, oracy and life skills that noble Lords referred to in this debate. It will ensure that it is a broad curriculum, with access to music, art, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects.
The noble Baronesses, Lady Monckton, Lady Fraser and Lady Finlay, and the noble Lord, Lord Lexden, along with other noble Lords, raised the question of support for children, including those with special educational needs, and related that to ending tax breaks for private schools. We are committed to making VAT apply to school fees and ending charitable business rates relief for private schools. These changes will not impact those with a necessary place at an independent school that is funded by a local authority to meet a special educational need. I add that all children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place if they need one, and the department will ensure that the state-funded sector has the resources it needs to manage any impact of these tax changes affecting independent schools.
It is important that I remind your Lordships’ House that, in our view, these changes are important to enable investment in the public sector, including for 6,500 more teachers and improved nursery provision. I know that both of those are very much in the hearts and minds of noble Lords across your Lordships’ House. We will engage constructively with the independent schools sector, and we want to see it thrive in this new context. We will work with the Treasury, and I can say to noble Lords that there will be further details in due course.
Turning to the points raised on health and social care, let me openly acknowledge the feeling expressed by this House, including by the noble Lords, Lord Patel and Lord Evans, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of London, my noble friend Lady Pitkeathley and the noble Baronesses, Lady Walmsley and Lady Tyler, who all spoke of the need to address the challenges in adult social care and asked that it be given the priority it requires. They made the point well that after decades of neglect, these challenges are significant and urgent. We will work with the sector to build consensus on the longer-term reforms needed to create a sustainable national care service. We will make a start by delivering a long-overdue new deal for care workers, ending the constant churn in social care and recruitment challenges. I hope that the noble Lord, Lord Prentis, and other noble Lords will be pleased to know that we will engage with workers and trade unions to develop the first ever fair pay agreement for care professionals, taking lessons from other countries where that already operates successfully.
On charging reforms, noble Lords will be aware of the commitment that this Government inherit to implement these reforms in October 2025. It has become clear that the health and care systems are going through a more severe crisis than we first thought. The Health Secretary has asked officials to report to him on progress against this as a key priority. I look forward to keeping your Lordships House updated.
To the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, on palliative care, I can give the assurance that this Government understand the vital role of hospices and we will ensure that palliative care is both considered and prioritised.
When it comes to the issue of puberty blockers, the decisions this Government take will always be based on evidence and not on politics. The Cass review made it categorically clear that there is not enough evidence about the long-term effects of using puberty blockers to treat gender incongruence to know whether they are safe or beneficial. In response to the Cass review, we are acting to ensure that evidence and safety come first, and that puberty blockers and drugs are available only to those for whom they have been proven to be medically necessary. To ensure that safety is prioritised, we will launch with NIHR and NHS England a clinical trial to ensure that we fully understand the effects of puberty blockers to treat gender incongruence.
I thank noble Lords for their words and their thoughtfulness in emphasising the support that must be provided to individuals who are struggling, and reiterate the sentiment that we must protect safety and act according to the evidence. I also acknowledge that several questions were raised on the conversion therapy ban by the noble Baroness, Lady Meyer, and the noble Earl, Lord Leicester. I can say that a draft Bill will be brought forward to deliver on our manifesto commitment and we will consult all relevant groups.
Many noble Lords, including the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, my noble friend Lord Brooke and the noble Earl, Lord Effingham, rightly highlighted the urgent need to tackle obesity. I can certainly assure my noble friend Lord Brooke that our Government’s approach will be very much about bringing key players around the table to make progress. We know that the NHS spends £11.5 billion every year on illnesses caused by obesity, while costing our society a staggering £74 billion. It is a particular scourge on the poorest in our society and holds back the life chances of children from deprived communities. We will bring forward restrictions on TV and online advertising of unhealthy food to children and we will ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s.
This alone could bring down the number of children living with obesity by some 20,000 and I very much welcome the focus of noble Lords on ensuring we have a preventive approach to obesity. We will ensure that schools can provide a range of different sports and activities in addition to PE lessons, to help more pupils meet the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
The gracious Speech marks the beginning of a decade of national renewal. It will break the pernicious link between background and success that has defined this country for far too long, so that the next generation can grow up in a Britain where chances in life are defined not by where you have come from but by the possibilities you can receive. The road to get there will be long and doubtless bumpy, but this is a journey on which I hope noble Lords will join us, with their expertise and insight, to improve the quality of people’s lives. In my view, the gracious Speech marks a turning point. I hope we can embrace it and bring about the change we seek.