Pension Schemes Bill

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Committee stage
Thursday 22nd January 2026 Grand Committee

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall) (Lab)]

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, who has tabled the lead amendment in the first group, is not currently here. Before I call it, I ask whether any other Member present wishes to move her amendment. I give the Committee a moment to think about that, because if no one wishes to move it, I will have to regard it as not moved. Given that the next amendment in the group is, helpfully, consecutive to the first, with the permission of the Committee I will move to the next amendment, having called the amendment in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, which we have to assume will be not moved. Does the Committee accept that as a way forward?

[Noble Lords]

Yes.

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall) (Lab)]

I thank noble Lords.

Clause 11: Relevant schemes: value for money

Amendment 45B not moved.

Preschool Children: Digital Technology

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The noble Lord raises an important point, and of course we have had other very distressing cases that have taken place recently in nurseries. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State made a Statement about action that the Government are taking. Specifically on this issue, we will be appointing an expert panel to inform the development of guidance for the early years sector on CCTV and digital devices within safeguarding. That guidance will set out best practice, technical information and clear expectations about how those devices are used, along with the use of CCTV. I would be happy to send the noble Lord further information about the action that we have taken post that particular case.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that there is an adjacent problem to the one that we are discussing, which the noble Baroness, Lady Penn, has raised, which is parents’ own use of technology and the way that that impacts on their interaction with very young children? Most of us, if we travel on public transport, will often see a child in a pushchair and a parent or carer using their phone and the child being completely isolated from any contact. In the support for parents, will there be advice for parents about how their own use of technology can impact on their ability to interact effectively with their very young children?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

My noble friend makes an important point. I note, for example, the Children’s Commissioner’s suggestions and advice this morning that Christmas would be a good time for us as adults to put down our phones and focus on family time and interaction with children in particular, while the NHS website provides advice on the activities that are important for children’s health and development. Sometimes the issue about screen time is that it displaces other important activities, so the NHS website provides advice on the importance of sleep at all ages for good physical and mental health and well-being—I am sure that noble Lords will be keen on that one—and guidelines for parents on physical activity for children under the age of five. Those types of activities and the face-to-face interaction that parents can have with their children are one of the most important ways in which we can ensure healthy child development.

Autistic Children: State Schools

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Thursday 23rd October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The noble Baroness is absolutely right that schools have a legal duty, under the Equality Act, not to discriminate against pupils by excluding them because of their disability. It would be unlawful to exclude a pupil simply because they have SEN or a disability that the school feels unable to meet, for example. I will write to the noble Baroness about the nature of the data that we collect, and any future plans, but, even more importantly, the message that we need to intervene earlier, identify earlier and find a range of ways in which to support pupils is constantly being delivered to schools alongside the support to enable that to happen. But I will write about the particular issue on data.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, does my noble friend accept that autism and ADHD often present differently in boys and girls? Girls are frequently underdiagnosed and under-understood, because their behaviour can sometimes be challenging in a completely different way. They may not be disruptive but their behaviour often results in them simply ducking out of the kind of engagement that we need. Can my noble friend assure the House that that issue will be taken into account when taking forward the training programmes for teachers that she has identified?

Youth Unemployment

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The noble Earl is right that, as part of the curriculum and assessment review, Becky Francis is considering the large amount of evidence that has been provided, and she has been clear in the challenge that the Government have set her, and that she has set herself, that maintaining a strong knowledge base within our curriculum is fundamentally important but so is providing the space for teachers and others to enable young people to develop their creativity in the very widest sense. I am sure we will hear more about that when the curriculum and assessment review is published.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, building on the answer that the Minister gave to my noble friend Lady Bousted, can she confirm that schools value all the various ways in which young people can move from education into further and higher education and into employment, and do not unnecessarily downgrade the virtue of, for example, BTECs and other forms of vocational qualifications, which I think historically has been the case?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I think there have been improvements in careers education in recent years, something that this Government are determined to build on. One of the key points, as my noble friend says, is how we provide young people with information, advice and guidance on the whole range of opportunities available to them, both in academic routes through A-levels and in technical routes through T-levels and apprenticeships, which we are determined to support for younger people. We will have more to say about all that in our post-16 White Paper soon.