16-to-19 Education Funding

Debate between Norman Lamb and Kelvin Hopkins

Thursday 7th September 2017 Westminster Hall

[Norman Lamb (North Norfolk) (LD)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hanson. I will try to follow that guidance.

I, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin). I agreed with pretty much everything he said and I very strongly support the campaign for our sixth formers. With that clear, I want to use this opportunity to speak on behalf of the brilliant Paston Sixth Form College in my constituency. This year, it secured an A-level pass rate of 99.3%, with 80% at grades A* to C. It is an institution achieving very high academic standards, yet as a result of a completely flawed area review, it is being forced to merge with City College Norwich. That is a good institution, but it serves a different market and has a different purpose from a sixth-form college with a very strong academic standard. It is a sixth-form college in an area that has a low-wage economy and where there is traditionally a low rate of students going on to university, yet we are forcing it to merge and losing it as an independent, stand-alone institution. That is a crying shame.

I am disgusted, frankly, by the area review, which I think is completely flawed. Why is that? The area review combines further education colleges and sixth-form colleges—two types of organisation that often do very different work—and leaves out school sixth-forms, which are doing the same job as sixth-form colleges. It is totally flawed. An institution that is currently funded for 688 students is deemed to be unsustainable, when there are two new free schools in Norwich—one of which is funded for 201 students and the other for 80 students —which are deemed to be viable. How can anybody justify that uneven playing field, which has forced a brilliant institution to merge and lose its independent status?

[Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) (Lab)]

The right hon. Gentleman touches on a subject that also affects me very much. Two local colleges are being talked about in terms of a forced merger. I have written to Ministers and to the educational establishment to try and make sure that it does not happen. I hope that the Minister takes note that we do not want forced mergers, which damage our local systems.

[Norman Lamb]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. I do not mind diversity. I absolutely advocate diversity of provision, but I want a level playing field. I want every institution to live or die on the basis of the same rules, yet special favours are being given to free schools. There is an uneven playing field between school sixth-forms, which can cross-subsidise from the higher funding for early years education, and sixth-form colleges, which cannot do that. That is unjust. The Government are responsible for the loss of an independent institution that performs brilliantly. I would like to meet the Minister to discuss my very real concern. I have written about it previously, but my plea was ignored and the flawed area review carried on. At some point, if we want to retain these brilliant institutions, we have to be willing to reflect on a flawed system, and decide to look at all institutions on a level playing field.

NHS Specialised Services

Debate between Norman Lamb and Kelvin Hopkins

Thursday 15th January 2015 Westminster Hall

[Norman Lamb]

I totally accept the point. Again, I hope to reassure the hon. Lady.

The hon. Member for Luton North (Kelvin Hopkins) referred to robotic assistive surgery. I do not want to give him any particular hope, but it is always possible for new procedures to be added to the list of those that come within specialised commissioning. The prescribed specialist services advisory group keeps the list under review. Just as there are proposals to remove procedures, there is always the possibility, if the case is made and the four conditions that need to be taken into account are met, that additional areas can be included.

[Kelvin Hopkins]

I should have mentioned that robotics make possible an increase in non-invasive surgery, which is not only better for the patient, but much cheaper for the NHS, because there is less recovery time and so on.

[Norman Lamb]

I totally take that point. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that the NHS must be, as he put it, at the cutting edge of new technologies and new ways to reduce the invasiveness of procedures, although I add that having things in specialised commissioning is not the only way for the NHS to do so.

The hon. Gentleman was at risk of going into too much detail when he started talking about various procedures. Despite being a Health Minister, I am at risk of passing out on such occasions, so I was glad that he stopped when he did.

[Kelvin Hopkins]

rose—

[Hon. Members]

No!

Care Homes

Debate between Norman Lamb and Kelvin Hopkins

Thursday 1st May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Norman Lamb]

My hon. Friend makes an important point and it is right to highlight the great places that are providing excellent care. The Care Quality Commission makes it clear that it encourages members of the public to come forward and alert it to concerns, but we must do much more to make it easy for members of the public, so that they understand exactly what they need to do if they have concerns.

[Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) (Lab)]

I applaud my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger) for her comments, particularly on local authorities. A major factor in all this and across the care sector has been the widespread privatisation of very good local authority care homes. In my constituency, three superb homes were forcibly closed. They were loved by their staff, their residents and the families, and admired by local health professionals—all closed; all gone. Is it time to re-establish a role for local authorities in providing care services and making all care locally and democratically accountable?

[Norman Lamb]

Unacceptable standards of care must be condemned and challenged wherever they occur, whether in the private, public or voluntary sector. Mid Staffordshire hospital was an NHS hospital, yet awful things happened. We must be intolerant of abuse or neglect wherever it happens. On local authorities—the shadow Minister raised this point—we have the power to require the Care Quality Commission to inspect on specific issues, including where there are concerns about the commissioning of care. It is important that those powers are there to be used.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Norman Lamb and Kelvin Hopkins

Tuesday 15th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Norman Lamb)]

We published the Government’s alcohol strategy on 23 March 2012, and we are taking a comprehensive approach to reducing the incidence of alcohol-related disease and crime. Our strategy includes the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol, actions at local level, and pledges from industry under the responsibility deal.

[Kelvin Hopkins]

The number of UK deaths from liver cirrhosis has increased by five times since 1970, while in France, Italy and Spain it has halved, and is now lower than the number in Britain. Even more disturbing is the fact that thousands of babies are still being born every year in Britain permanently damaged by alcohol. When will the Government take urgent, effective action to deal with this crisis?

[Norman Lamb]

I entirely share the hon. Gentleman’s concern. The Government have already taken action: we set out a strategy in March last year, and we are now consulting on the introduction of a minimum alcohol price. That could save up to 700 lives a year in 10 years’ time, which would make a dramatic difference. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman supports what the Government are doing.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Norman Lamb and Kelvin Hopkins

Thursday 24th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Norman Lamb]

I am very grateful, Mr Speaker.

It is interesting to note that the evidence gathered from Germany suggests that there was very little change to the level of employment in small businesses after the reforms.

[Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) (Lab)]

The Million+ group of universities has concluded that the new fees regime to be imposed on mature students will deter many thousands of them from going to university. That will damage their life chances, and it could damage the universities, but it will also restrict the talent available in our economy. Will the Government think again about fees for mature students?