Higher Education Reform

Debate between Baroness Henig and Baroness Barran

Thursday 20th July 2023 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

I thank my noble friend very much for her remarks. She does not need to convince me about the importance of a history degree in allowing you to do different things. Personally, I read history, went into the City, ran a charity and now I am here. I am not quite sure what your Lordships might take from that, whether it was a training for the mind or that I just got lucky. My noble friend is absolutely right that the kind of critical thinking skills that one gets in a number of academic disciplines, including history and other arts and humanities subjects, are incredibly important—arguably, increasingly so as we move into a world of AI and beyond.

Again, my noble friend is right about selection procedures. I would say in addition that we see really excellent examples of not just selection but initial support for students, whether that be in an institution such as Birkbeck or in an institution which typically takes more students who have just left school. That is clearly very important and something that many institutions work on. The last point I would make in relation to her remarks about selection also relates to the remarks in the Statement about franchise providers. It concerns the importance of the care that we believe the main institution that is issuing the degree needs to take on which franchise providers it works with.

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness Henig) (Lab)]

My Lords, I think there are no further questions.

Skills and Post-16 Education Bill [HL]

Debate between Baroness Henig and Baroness Barran

Report stage
Thursday 21st October 2021 Lords Chamber

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness Henig) (Lab)]

I call the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, to move Amendment 53.

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

Sorry, this group is for my noble friend Lady Chisholm.

Amendment 53

Gambling: Early Mortality

Debate between Baroness Henig and Baroness Barran

Tuesday 20th April 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

I am not aware of the exact date to give to my noble friend, but I can reassure him that the issue that raised the most contributions in response to our call for evidence was the protection of children and young people.

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness Henig) (Lab)]

My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has now elapsed. We now come to the second Oral Question.

Football: European Super League

Debate between Baroness Henig and Baroness Barran

Tuesday 20th April 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

I know the noble Baroness is hugely knowledgeable and passionate on this subject, and I have enjoyed listening to her in the Chamber in debates on football ownership and governance in the past. It is important that we separate out the immediate urgencies of the issues raised by this proposal. It will not surprise her to know that Ministers and officials were working on this over the weekend as soon as we became aware, as well as addressing some of the wider governance and regulatory issues and funding issues that affect the whole pyramid.

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness Henig) (Lab)]

My Lords, all supplementary questions have been asked.