Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Lewis Excerpts
Monday 27th February 2023

(1 year, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nick Gibb Portrait Nick Gibb
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We have been conducting some of the biggest surveys of the fabric of school buildings in this country, which is why we are able to identify risks in our schools. Whenever we are informed about a risk to a school, we take immediate action, which can mean that certain buildings in a school are no longer used. We then send in surveyors, specialists and experts, and remedial action is put in place. We take these issues extremely seriously.

Julian Lewis Portrait Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)
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Is there a danger that the Government’s proposed legislation on freedom of speech in universities could be weakened or undermined by a requirement first to exhaust internal processes of appeal, which can be protracted?

Claire Coutinho Portrait Claire Coutinho
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We have sent the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill back to the Lords with the tort unamended. We will continue to look at everything we can do to make sure that the Bill is as strong as possible.